# The Arcanist
Axe in hand the Dwarf strikes the Orc and dances away, a long filament of power clutched in his fingers extending from the chest of his opponent . As he moves to engage another, he pulls at the thread he holds and the Orc screams, burned within by arcane light.
At the centre of the battlefield, the elf holds aloft an orb of swirling blue light. Crushing it in delicate fingers, the power bursts around her into a shell of arcane energy and the deep gashes on her arms and ribs begin to close.
She is a vision, terrible and beautiful. The Dragonborn maiden, dwarfed by the arcane form of a mighty Blue Dragon spilling out from her, throws back her head and roars. Her swords are her teeth, her claws, and the flowing waves of arcane power are her wings.
Many dabble in the Arcane arts, manipulating and bending arcane forces to create some effect or confer some power to another. Arcanists are fragments of the arcane themselves, able to sense and interact with the arcane power all around them, or allow pure arcane power to flow through them, changing their form into something half-physical, half magical.
### The Bridge Between Worlds
Either through rituals, finding natural examples, or simply by accident, Arcanists have found a way to infuse the very fabric of their material being with that of the arcane plane. Those that survive the process do so typically by placing a door between their two halves and only opening it on occasion so that the outpouring of energy doesn't scour them from reality. Through this process the arcanist has a truly unique view of the arcane and is able to use that power in ways other magic users could not comprehend; the answer to the fundamental mystery of how magic and matter interact has been laid before them.
Becoming an Arcanist has a transcendental flavour to it; regardless of age, race, or creed, one ends up as something more than what they were, a common category of Arcane being. Societal divisions, and social constructs in general, start to hold less of an interest to an Arcanist - everyone is part of the Material race. And so Arcanists tend to be natural travellers and eternally curious, studying not only Arcane power itself, but also what binds the true essence of a human, elf, dwarf or halfling together, making them at the basest level, the same.
### Precision Tools of War
Arcanists, typically, are smart fighters. Where others rely on brute strength, raw speed, or pure skill to command a battlefield, an arcanist is a conductor, putting everything in place before snapping the trap shut. As they rely heavily on arcane power for protection, they often utilise hit and run tactics where they can, or hang back from the front relying on orbs made from arcane power.
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Though they rarely seek out conflict, the wandering, curious nature of Arcanists often causes them to become entangled in the affairs of others. Their main calling - the need to understand that which binds together the two realities they reside in - means often protecting those who find themselves set against forces searching to destroying that which is different. This is anathema to an Arcanist, who sees in the diversity of life that which connects everything, and to destroy it is to make the world that much more sterile and wonderless.
### Creating an Arcanist
The defining event of any arcanist is the moment at which they bind together their physical form with the power of arcane energy. How did your character come to this decision? Was it by design or accident? Did you have a mentor who guided you to this decision, or was it borne out of personal curiosity? What in your background gave you the insight or opportunity to undertake such a dangerous endeavour? Did you even have a choice?
Another consideration is where you went after you partially transcended the physical plane. What opportunities in life and study does this new form afford you? Is there some great truth you hope to achieve, or perhaps some great wrong you need to right? Is the life of an adventurer one of necessity, lacking a means to travel or even to gain coin to further your study? What is it that pulls you constantly towards an attempt to understand all of reality? Or is there a simple divine being whose very existence is a narcotic mystery you hope to solve?
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#### Quick Build
You can make an Arcanist quickly by following these suggestions. First put your highest score in Strength if you plan on becoming an Arcborn, or Dexterity if you choose to become an Arcane Engineer. Second, Intelligence should be your next highest score. Finally, choose the Sage background.
## Class Features
As an Arcanist, you gain the following class features.
#### Hit Points
**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per Arcanist level.
**Hit Points at 1st level:** 8 + your Constitution modifier
**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5 + your Constitution modifier per Arcanist level after 1st
#### Proficiencies
**Armor:** Light Armour
**Weapons:** Simple Weapons, Longswords, Whips
**Tools:** Arcane Divining Kit
**Saving Throws:** Dexterity, Intelligence
**Skills:** Choose two from Arobatics, Arcana,
#### Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Leather Armour
- (a) A Longsword, or b) a Whip
- A Shortbow, 20 arrows, and a Dagger
- Adventurer’s Pack and an Arcane Divining Kit
>##### Arcane Divining Kit:
This small orb of glowing liquid ether contains several bright blue crystal inside, as well as three smaller ones on gold filagree tracks, orbiting the orb on all three axis. Through trained manipulation you are able to add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks made to detect inate magical power in the nearby vicinity, such as magical traps or residue. Can work to boost arcana checks.
### Arcane Defence
Your inherent Arcane nature acts almost as a second layer of armour, slowing incoming blows and allowing you vital moments to avoid attacks. Whenever you would apply your Dexterity modifier to your AC, you can instead apply your Intelligence modifier. Armour limits still apply.
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##### Arcanist
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features|Channeling |Arcane Mark Damage
|:---:|:---:|:---|:---:|:---:
| 1st | +2 | Channeling, Arcane Mark, Arcane Defence | 2 | +1d4
| 2nd | +2 | Slipstream, Triggering | 2 |+1d4
| 3rd | +2 | Arcanist Archetype, Arcane Awareness | 3 | +1d4
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | +1d4
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 4 | +1d6
| 6th | +3 | Arclight | 4 | +1d6
| 7th | +3 | Arcanist Archetype feature | 4 | +1d6
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | +1d6
| 9th | +4 | Energy Sink | 4 | +1d6
| 10th | +4 | Apparition | 4 | +1d6
| 11th | +4 | Arcanist Archetype feature | 5 | +1d8
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | +1d8
| 13th | +5 | Improved Slipstream | 5 | +1d8
| 14th | +5 | Extra Attack | 5 | +1d8
| 15th | +5 | Life Force | 5 |+1d8
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 |+1d8
| 17th | +6 | Arcanist Archetype feature | 6 | +1d10
| 18th | +6 | Timeless body | 6 | +1d10
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | +1d10
| 20th | +6 | Arcane Mastery | Unlimited |+1d10
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### Channelling
As a bonus action, you can open yourself up to the Arcane field that flows all around the planet, partially subliming into another, energistic form. While you are Channelling, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armour:
- Whenever you make an attack using the attack action, you may choose to make an **Arcane Strike**.
- You have resistance to all damage caused by spells.
- You can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on one opportunity attack against you.
You can Channel for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. You can also use a bonus action to stop Channeling.
Once you have Channelled the number of times shown for your Arcanist level in the Channel column of the Arcanist table, you must finish a long rest before you can Channel again.
**Arcane Strike**: Make a melee spell attack. On a hit, the target takes damage equal to your Arcane Mark damage dice. Your Spell attack bonus is equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier
### Arcane Mark
Whenever you successfully hit a target with a melee attack while Channelling, and you have at least one free hand, you may choose to entangle their Arcane field with your own.
That target is now **Marked**.
You may maintain a number of marks equal to your Intelligence modifier, and you may mark a target as many times as you have available Marks. The Mark remains until the target is reduced to 0 hit points, there is more than 120 feet between you and the target, or the Mark is triggered *(See Triggering Marks)*.
Any time you successfully hit a Marked target with a melee attack, and you have at least one free hand, you roll an additional damage dice shown in the Arcane Mark Damage column of the Arcanist table. This does not increase with the number of Marks on any indivdual target.
If a target you have Marked hits you with a Critical Hit, or you roll a critical hit against a Marked target, that damage roll gains an additional Arcane Mark Damage Dice as well.
### Slipstream
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to move your physical form into the Arcane plane for a brief moment. By concentrating for 1 minute, you can teleport 30 feet in any direction, regardless of whether you can see your destination. Should you begin to materialise within a hostile environment (such as a fire, or inside a wall) or into any location you decide you don’t want to be in, you may immediately reverse the teleport and snap back to your original location. Doing so expends the ability, and you take damage equal to Arcane Mark damage dice. Once you have used this ability you must take a Short or Long rest until you can use it again.
At 13th level, you can use slipstream a number of times equal to your Intelligence Modifier, and it costs an action to do so.
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### Triggering
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to Trigger your Arcane Marks. To do so takes one action and you trigger every mark you are currently maintaining, one at a time. When a mark is trigger the target takes damage equal to your Arcane Mark Damage bonus dice for each other marked target within 30 feet, including itself. Once all marks have been triggered, the Marks disperse and the target is no longer considered Marked.
>##### Optional Triggering Rules:
>(If you are playing on a grid, or using miniatures in a way that defines creature positions, you may choose to use the following rules).
When triggering a mark, if another mark is within 30 feet the raw arcane power flashes between them in a beam 5 feet wide. Any creature in the path (Including the second Marked target) also takes Arcane Mark Damage. The Mark disperses and the target is no longer considered Marked.
Should three or more marks be within 30 feet of each other when they are triggered they will define an enclosed area. Each Marked target takes twice you Arcane Mark Damage Bonus. The arcane energy affects every creature within this area as well, on a failed Intelligence save (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your intelligence modifier) they also take your Arcane Mark Damage Bonus. All Marks involved disperse, and the targets are no longer considered Marked.
### Arcane Awareness
At 3rd level, you are attuned to the ebb and flow of the Arcane field, and can sense major disturbances nearby.
You can locate the source of any spell cast within 30 feet of you, and the DC for any perception or investigation check to find traps that have a magical component is reduced by 5.
### Class Archetype
At 3rd level you choose how you are going to focus further your dual-planar existence, either externally, as an Arcane Engineer, or by becoming Arcborn. Both are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th and 17th levels.
### Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
### Extra Attack
Begining at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.
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### Arclight
At 6th level, your control of your power allows you to condense a small amount of arcane energy in your palm and make it glow. It can glow any colour you wish and has the consistency of liquid, however it immediately dims and dissipates as soon as it leaves your hand. It casts bright light up to a 20ft radius, and dim light for another 20ft. You can choose how bright you wish to make it. Reducing the bright light radius by 1ft also reduces the dim light radius by the same amount.
### Energy Sink
At 9th level, while Channeling, you are able to reverse the flow briefly, channeling energy back into the Arcane plane.
Whenever you take damage from a spell, you can use your reaction to instead stop Channelling and mitigate all damage taken. Also, if you have to make a saving throw against any spell effect, you may stop channelling and gain advantage on the roll.
### Apparition
At 10th level, when you Channel, you can choose instead to become an Apparition as your form merges partially with the Arcane field. You retain the same benefits as Channelling, and gain the following:
- If you are wearing light or no armour, your AC increases by 2
- Your speed increases by 10 feet and you are immune to any magical effects that limits movement (Unless you are considered Grappled).
- You can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on all Opportunity Attacks against you during your movement.
You may take this form twice, and must complete a long rest before regaining the use of this ability.
### Life Force
At 15th level, your connection to the Arcane plane is so strong you are able to withstand even lethal blows. If you drop to 0 hit points while you are Channelling and don’t die outright, you make a DC 20 Intelligence check.
For each Mark you are currently maintaining, reduce the DC of the roll by 3. If you succeed you can drop to 1 hit point instead, stop Channelling, and all Marks are removed.
### Timeless Body
Starting at 18th level, you are constantly Channelling a thread of power, and the Arcane field itself begins to sustains you. You no longer need food or water, and for every 5 years that passes, you only age 1.
### Arcane Mastery
When you reach 20th level, you have become one with the Arcane field of the world, able to subconsciously manipulate it when you sense danger. When you Roll initiative, choose up to two enemies. These enemies are immediately Marked. You may place as a many Marks as you can maintain.
## Arcanist Archetypes
Arcanists funnel their efforts into two distinct fields of research: Either how to manifest the arcane energy they produce for use in the material world, or to further blur the lines between the physical and the arcane.
### Arcane Engineer
You focus your study of the arcane affinity you possess on manifesting its power in the material world. Those who adhere to this archetype often end up working with the fractured, broken remnants of the world’s enchanted items, capable of seemingly miraculous acts of restoration. Rather than connecting with the arcane field on a personal level, you study it like any science, and are able to bend it into new, fantastic forms.
#### Arcane Orbs
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, when you take a Short Rest you can pull energy from the arcane plane and store it in beautiful orbs holding a single spark of power, like a tiny star. You can create and maintain a number of orbs up to your intelligence modifier. These orbs give you access to a number of abilities not available to other people. You may learn 2 types of Energy Shell, and 1 other ability (This can be another Energy Shell). You learn an additional Shell, and one other ability (This can be another Energy Shell) at 7th, 11th and 17th level.
**Energy Shell:** You crush the orb in your hand a will the energy inside into a faint sphere around you, attuned to deflect and manipulate energy of various forms. Choose one of the following effects:
* *Barrier (bonus action):* Until the start of your next turn, you gain resistance to all physical damage.
* *Backscatter (bonus action):* For 1 minute you gain advantage on all stealth checks.
* *Muffler (reaction):* Gain advantage against all saving throws for spells that have a somatic component until the start of your next turn.
* *Zorb (reaction):* If you take falling damage, you only take one quarter of the damage
* *Replenish (bonus action):* Regain hit points equal to your Arcane Mark Damage dice. For each three Arcanist levels you are above 3rd level, add another dice.
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* *Temporal sphere (bonus action):* During this turn you may move at double speed and perform an additional attack.
* *Blast sphere (Action):* Any creature within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or fall prone.
* *Beautific Orb (Action):* For 1 minute you gain can add your proficiency bonus to any Charisma based skill check you make, even if you are already proficient in that skill.
* *Arcane Escape (move action):* Teleport 5 feet before you move. Only Creatures who are immune to the Blind Condition may make an Opportunity Attack.
* *Flashbang (reaction):* Any creature within 10 feet of you has disadvantage on all attacks until the end of your next turn.
**Arcane Blast:** As an action you crush the orb in your fist, releasing the energy into a swirling cloud you can direct at your will. The blast creates a beam of brilliant blue energy 30 feet long and 5 feet wide. Make a spell attack roll using your Intelligence as your spellcasting ability against any creature in the beam’s path. On a hit they take twice your Arcane Mark Damage. If you have already marked them, they take four times the amount. At 11th level this increases to three times and six times you Arcane Mark Damage.
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**Arcane Cloud:** As an action you can throw one of your orbs up to 40 feet. It crashes into the floor and a cloud of iridescence bursts out in a prismatic light show. Multicoloured motes drift gently to the floor, and your awareness of them increases. The blast creates a sphere 30 feet in diameter centred on the point of impact. If you attack a creature you have marked inside the area, you gain advantage on the attack roll. The cloud lasts for 1 minute or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.
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**Planar link:** You attune your mind to one of your orbs. Wherever you are on the same plane, you can see and hear through the orb as though it were your own eyes. You can at any time will the orb to disintegrate. If anyone other than you touches it, it will disintegrate. You can maintain your connection for 8 hours. You can force the orb to allow two-way communication for one minute, but it will then disintegrate.
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**Hologram:** You touch one of your orbs against an object, and through clever manipulation of arcane light, you can store the image inside. The orb can then recreate the image of the object exactly at a later time. The object you touch cannot be larger than a 3 foot cube. The image is stored for a maximum of 1 hour, regardless of when the image of display. Once activated, the object is recreated perfectly, and cannot be deactivated until the hour is complete. It has no mass, has no smell, and cannot move.
#### Enchantment
At 7th level you can take a minute concentrating on a single non-magical weapon, infusing it’s physical form with Arcane power. For one hour, the weapon becomes magical and gains a bonus to attack equal to half your intelligence modifier. You cannot use this ability again until you take a short or long rest
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#### Repair
At 11th level you take one minute to slowly refill magic items with Arcane energy. Roll your Arcane Mark Damage dice, and replenish one item that uses charges by the amount rolled. You cannot use this ability again until you take a long rest.
#### Orb Mastery
At 17th level, you’ve become a master of your craft able to draw more and more power out of the Arcane plane. Whenever you create Arcane orbs, roll 1d10. If the roll is higher than your intelligence modifier, you create double as many orbs. If lower, you create 2 additional orbs.
### Arcborn
You focus your study of your arcane affinity towards fusing your physical and arcane halves into one. You Channel more efficiently and at a deeper level of consciousness, as you push to become a truly Arcane being. The flows of arcane energy are almost visible to you now, affording you control over your abilities few thought possible.
Those who become Arcborn often have a distinct arcane form overlaid on their physical form whenever they Channel.
#### Empowered Marks
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, the ties to the entangled energy within your Marks are so strong you can push power into them even at range. If you are within 30 feet of one of your marks you can use your bonus action to activate its power. The target takes damage equal to your Arcane Mark Damage dice and the Mark remains in place.
#### Ethereal Form
As you merge your form with other magical planes, your very life force is sustained by a heavy flow of arcane power. At 3rd level your hit point maximum increases by 3 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.
Additionally, your form takes on a ethereal, shifting quality that makes you harder to attack. When you aren't wearing armour, your AC equals 13 + your Intelligence modifier.
#### Advanced Triggering
Starting at 7th level, when Triggering your Marks you can create powerful currents in the arcane field that pull the target into the tide.
Choose one Arcane Mark. Each Mark within 30 feet Triggers causing damage equal to your Arcane Mark Damage dice, and each target must make a strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a success the Mark vanishes. Each target that fails is pushed up to 20 feet in any direction. Each target must move the same distance, and in the same cardinal direction.
You may then use your bonus action to bind the affected targets to that location. The target cannot move more than 5 feet each turn without first making a second strength saving throw, at which point the Mark ends.
You cannot use this ability again until you take a short or long rest.
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#### Transcendental Visage
Starting at 11th level, you can use your action to flare your Channelling, causing your Arcane form to grow immensely and manifest. Until the end of your next turn, any creature that can see you must make a wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or any attacks on you have disadvantage. You cannot use this ability again until you take a long rest.
#### Elemental Arcana
Starting at 17th level, you can use your bonus action to Channel with such power, for a brief moment you achieve the perfect unity of the physical and the arcane. Every melee weapon attack you make regardless of whether the target is marked, does additional damage equal to one Arcane Mark Damage dice + your Intelligence modifier. At the start of each subsequent turn you may choose to increase the number of Arcane Damage dice each attack does up to a maximum of four. You take 1 psychic damage for each extra Arcane Mark Damage dice you roll.