Variant Wizard v1

Wizard 5.5 Rework

Class Features

As a wizard, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d6 per wizard level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per wizard level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: None
• Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
• Tools: None

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• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• A spellbook

Spellcasting

As a student of arcane magic, you have a spellbook containing spells that show the first glimmerings of your true power.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn additional wizard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Wizard table.

Spellbook

At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice.

The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard's chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library.

Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a level for which you have spell slots and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.

Copying a spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.

For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.

Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book-for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.

If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place.

The Book's Appearance. Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Wizard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of wizard spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your wizard level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you're a 3rd-level wizard, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your spellbook. If you prepare the 1st-level spell Magic Missile, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

• Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

• Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don't need to have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Wizard table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook.

Arcane Recovery

You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

For example, if you're a 4th-level wizard, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.

Arcane Recovery Options

If you wish to specialize your arcane studies you may select one of the following two options to represent your focus on particular types of arcane magic. If you forgoe the ability to learn or cast a school of magic you may not select the corresponding arcane tradition. For example if you forgoe the ability to cast or learn conjuration spells you cannot select the conjuration arcane tradition.

Focused Caster (Optional Rule)

At 1st level you selects two of the eight schools of magic. You lose the ability to learn or cast spells from those schools but when you use Arcane Recovery they may recover spell slots equal to you level instead of half your level.

Enhanced Specialist (Optional Rule)

At 1st level you select four of the eight schools of magic. You lose the ability to learn or cast spells from three of those schools and gains profeciency in the fourth. When you uses Arcane Recovery you recover spell slots equal to your level instead of half your level and all attack rolls or saving throws for spells from your profecient school are increased by half your proficiency modifier.

Arcane Tradition

When you reach 2nd level, you choose an arcane tradition, shaping your practice of magic through one of the following schools. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

School	Source
Abjuration	Player's Handbook
Bladesinging	Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
Chronurgy	Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
Conjuration	Player's Handbook
Divination	Player's Handbook
Enchantment	Player's Handbook
Evocation	Player's Handbook
Graviturgy	Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
Illusion	Player's Handbook
Necromancy	Player's Handbook
Order of Scribes	Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
Transmutation	Player's Handbook
War Magic	Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Spell Specialization

At 2nd level choose a spell you know of at least 1st level which is from the school of magic associated with your Arcane Tradition, e.g. conjuration for a conjurer. If your Arcane Tradition does not have a specific school of magic associated with it work with your GM to determine an appropriate spell. To that chosen spell apply one of the following benefits;

• the DC for that spell is increased by 1
• Attack rolls for that spell are increased by 1
• The spell deals 1 additional damage die no more than once per round**.
• the duration is increased by 50% but does not affect instanteous duration
• the range is increased by 25% but does not affect range of self
• increase the area of effect by 5ft, e.g. a 20ft radius becomes a 25ft radius and a 15 ft cone becomes a 20 ft cone

** For example scorching ray would have 2 rays that deal 2d6 damage and one ray that deals 3d6 damage while fireball would deal 9d6 damage to every creature while only 1 creature that ends it turn adajenct to a flaming sphere would take 3d6 damage.

From now on whenever you cast that spell it gains that benefit.

At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th levels select a new spell to add a specialization benefit to. You may select the same spell more than once but may not select the same benefit for that spell more than once.

Cantrip Formulas (Optional)

At 3rd level, you have scribed a set of arcane formulas in your spellbook that you can use to formulate a cantrip in your mind. Whenever you finish a long rest and consult those formulas in your spellbook, you can replace one wizard cantrip you know with another cantrip from the wizard spell list.

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.

Spell Mastery

At 18th level, you have achieved such mastery over certain spells that you can cast them at will. Choose a 1st-level wizard spell and a 2nd-level wizard spell that are in your spellbook. You can cast those spells at their lowest level without expending a spell slot when you have them prepared. If you want to cast either spell at a higher level, you must expend a spell slot as normal.

By spending 8 hours in study, you can exchange one or both of the spells you chose for different spells of the same levels.

If you choose a spell associated with your arcane tradition that spell may gain one benefit granted by your spell specialization feature as well.

Signature Spells

When you reach 20th level, you gain mastery over two powerful spells and can cast them with little effort. Choose two 3rd-level wizard spells in your spellbook as your signature spells. You always have these spells prepared, they don't count against the number of spells you have prepared, and you can cast each of them once at 3rd level without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

If you want to cast either spell at a higher level, you must expend a spell slot as normal.