Lore Mastery

Design changes by Misfortunate

Lore Mastery is an arcane tradition fixated on understanding the underlying mechanics of magic. It is the most academic of all arcane traditions. The promise of uncovering new knowledge or proving (or discrediting) a theory of magic is usually required to rouse its practitioners from their laboratories, academies, and archives to pursue a life of adventure.

Lore Master

Starting at 2nd level, you become a compendium of knowledge on a vast array of topics. Choose up to two skills from Arcana, History, Nature and Religion you are proficient with. Your Proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make with those skills.

In addition, your analytical abilities are so well-honed that your initiative in combat can be driven by mental agility, rather than physical agility. When you roll initiative, it is either an Intelligence check or a Dexterity check for you (your choice).

Spell Secrets

At 2nd level, you master the first in a series of arcane secrets uncovered by your extensive studies. During a rest, you can invent variations of damaging spells in your spellbook. If a spell deals acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage, you can substitute that damage type with one other type from that list (you can change only one damage type per spell). You replace one energy type for another by altering the spell’s formula.

You can create up to three spell variations during a long rest. You can also use the spell levels from your Arcane Recovery equal to the spell's level to make a single variation of that spell during a short rest.

You can prepare two spell variations of a spell in addition if you prepare the original spell, or you can prepare up to three spell variations of the same spell as a single prepared spell.

Experimental Spells

At 6th level, you learn to augment spells in a variety of ways. Once per a long rest, you can make a new, experimental spell to your spellbook, using another spell in your spellbook as a template. Experimental spells require using an additional spell slot while cast. The way the spell is augmented determines the second spell slot.

An additional 1st-level spell slot can increase the spell’s raw force. If the spell does damage to a creature, that damage is increased by 2d10 force damage. If the spell can deal damage on more than one turn, it deals this extra force damage only on the turn you cast the spell.

An additional 2nd-level spell slot can increase the spell’s range. If the spell’s range is least 30 feet, it becomes 1 mile.

An additional 3rd-level spell slot can change how the spell is applied. If the spell has a saving throw, you can change that saving throw to a saving throw of any other ability.

You cannot create spell variations of experimental spells and vice versa, or otherwise develop experimental spells further.

Altering Spells

While the Experimental Spells feature offers increased versatility, at the table its effects can be difficult to spot by the other players. If you’re playing a savant, take a moment to describe how you alter your spells. Be inventive, and make the game more fun for everyone by playing up the sudden, unexpected tricks you character can employ.

For example, a fireball transformed to require a Strength save might become a sphere of burning rock that shatters and slams into its target. A charm person that requires a Constitution save might take the form of a vaporous narcotic that alters the target’s mood.

Prodigious Memory

At 10th level, you have attained a greater mastery of spell preparation. As a bonus action, you can replace one spell you have prepared with another spell from your spellbook. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Spellcraft Mastery

At 14th level, your experiments bear fruit. Once in a week, you can craft an experimental spell to an official form. You can choose any of your experimental spells, and remove the second spell slot requirement from it, instead raising the original spell's level by one. The damage added in the Experimental Stage can be turned into additional dice of one of the spell's original damage types. This new spell works exactly like a spell of its level, and it is possible to make variations of it.

You cannot make spells of a level you aren't able to cast, and you cannot make a new Experimental Spell out of an Experimental Spell.

For example, a Lightning Bolt with the 1st level Experimental effect can be turned into a 4th level spell that does either 8d6 lightning + 2d10 force damage on a failed dexterity save, or one that does 10d6 lightning damage on a failed dexterity save.

Depending on the leniency of the GM, you can even change spells' effects entirely!