School of Battle Magic

The school of battle magic is an arcane tradition that is often confused with the eldritch knights. However, while eldritch knights employ the schools of abjuration and evocation to bolster themselves; wizards in the school of battle magic draw forces from the ethereal plane.

The school of battle magic employs the use of special focuses to forge planar swords and barriers.

Ethereal Focus

Starting when you choose this tradition at 2nd level, you can perform the ritual to create your specialised Ethereal Focus.

Choose a piece of equipment that you have that can serve as your arcane focus; the piece of equipment cannot be magical. You can spend 1 hour performing the ritual, during which you must maintain contact with the equipment. At the end of the ritual, the equipment becomes magically enchanted.

You can still use this equipment as an arcane focus, and it also becomes your focus for other features in this tradition.

Your Ethereal Focus holds a number of charges equal to twice your Intelligence modifier. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you gain a number of charges equal to the spell's level.

Charges remain stored for 10 minutes, or until used.

Sword and Aegis

Starting at 2nd level, you learn to draw force from the Ethereal Plane to form a spectral blade or a protecting shroud.

As an action you can spend any number of charges stored in your ethereal focus, when you do, choose one of the following options:

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• Sword: You swing your ethereal focus, manifesting a spectral blade. Make a melee spell attack; on a hit you deal 1d4 force damage per charge spent.
• Aegis: Your ethereal focus projects a shrouding barrier. You gain temporary hit points equal to the number of charges spent.

Spectral Retaliation

Starting at 6th level, if a creature hits you with a melee attack while your Aegis feature is active, your barrier blasts them with force energy. The creature takes force damage equal to the amount of temprary hit points lost.

Amplified Focus

Starting at 10th level, your Ethereal Focus can draw more powerful energy from the Ethereal Plane. Your Sword and Aegis feature changes in the follow ways:

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• Sword: Your damage increases to 1d6 force damage per charge spent.
• Aegis: You gain temporary hit points equal to the number of spent charges multiplied by your Intelligence modifier.

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Additionally, when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher with

a casting time of 1 action, you can used your Sword and Aegis feature as a bonus action. If you do so, you can only spend up to half of the currently stored charges.

Ethereal Flicker

Starting at 14th level, your Ethereal Focus can transport you temporarily to the Ethereal Plane.

When you spend the maximum number of charges to deal damage with your Sword feature, you can use your reaction to enter the Ethereal Plane until the start of your next turn.

Alternatively, if you receive damage that would reduce your Aegis feature to 0 temporary hit points, you can use your reaction to enter the Ethereal Plane until the end of your next turn, if you do so, you avoid any remaining damage that may have been dealt.

If you return to the Material Plane in an occupied space, you are harmlessly shunted to the closest unoccupied space.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.