T h e

S a g e

An Optional Class

For 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons

The Sage has been known across the ages by many names. Teacher, professor, medicine man, apothecary, and many more. The Sage has dedicated their lives to a pursuit of knowledge that is unmatched, but their true talent lies in applying this knowledge to the world around them. Sage's can use the information at their disposal to create unique problem solving abilities, and to inform allies how to best exploit any opening. Where there have been wise rulers, there have been Sages in their court. In the mind of the Sage, there can be no greater goal than the pursuit of complete knowledge, even though they know that they themselves will never reach that goal. The pursuit itself is the true exaltation.

All artwork sourced from WOTC media

Class Features

As a Sage, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d8 per Sage level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Sage level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Daggers, handaxes, light hammers, maces, quarterstaffs, shortbows, light crossbows
• Tools: two types of tools of your choice

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• Saving Throws: Intelligence
• Skills: Choose 2 from History, Insight, Religion, Arcana, Medicine, Nature, Survival, Investigation

Equipment

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

• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a shortbow and a quiver of 20 arrows
• (a) a component pouch or (b) any tool or healer's kit
• (a) a scholar's pack and padded armor

Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

Dedicated Knowledge

Your countless hours of study have come to fruition.

At 2nd level, you gain one Knowledge of your choice. A list of Knowledges can be found on the Knowledges page. When you gain certain levels, you gain additional Knowledge of your choice, as shown in the Knowledges column of the Sage table.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, on your next long rest you may spend some time re-studying your Knowledge, and may replace it with another Knowledge that you could learn at that level.

If a Knowledge has synergies, which will be listed on the Knowledge Table, you may apply them immediately. However, if you unlearn a Knowledge that is part of a synergy then you will lose that synergy bonus.

Scholarly Pursuit

At 1st level, you have dedicated your life to a field of study. Your choice grants you features at 1st level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Prudent Researcher

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to obtain new information through careful research at a rapid pace. If you are required to make an Intelligence check, or any skill that uses Intelligence to gain new information, you have advantage on that check if you spend at least 1 minute to complete it.

You must have a writing implement and some paper or parchment to use this feature.

Field Study

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to observe the accomplishments around you and apply gleaned information incredibly quickly. When you deal damage to a creature, you can mark the creature until the end of your next turn.

When the marked creature takes damage, you can choose to add 1d8 to the damage dice rolled. Once you do so, the mark is removed.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, and regain any expended uses on a short rest.

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.

If your DM allows the use of feats, can may instead take a feat.

Quick Insight

At 6th level, you gain the ability to observe the physical makeup of creatures in the middle of combat. As a bonus action, you can make an Investigation check against a creature you can see, if you succeed you gain knowledge of one resistance, immunity, or vulnerability (your choice) that creature has. If the creature has multiple resistances, immunities, or vulnerabilities, the DM chooses which of those is revealed.

The DC of the check is against the passive Stealth or Deception of the creature (whichever is higher).

Field Study (d10)

At 7th level, the die rolled for your Field Study feature is now a d10.

Lessons of Conflict

At 7th level, your gift for absorbing information has given you an insight in to when conflict will occur. You can add your Intelligence modifier to your initiative.

In Addition, if you gain a surprise round, you can move up to your speed or take one additional action.

Applied Learning

At 11th level, you can read the unfolding chaos of the battlefield in front of you, and your mind reacts to it with a thousand clarified thoughts and solutions. When you are targeted or effected by a hostile attack, spell, or trap, you can use your reaction to increase any ability score, except Constitution, by 2 for 1 minute. This effect can not raise the same Ability Score within 1 minute, or your total Ability Score in any one Ability Score above 22.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your total proficiency bonus. You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Field Study (d12)

At 13th level, the die rolled for your Field Study feature is now a d12.

Body of Research

At 15th level, your depth of knowledge about your physiology informs your every move and choice. As an action, you can purge your body of one disease or poison, or you may spend 10 minutes in contemplation to remove any curse from yourself.

Additionally, you can remove any poison, disease, or curse from any creature or object that you have removed from yourself if you spend 1 hour alone with that creature or object.

Extensive Planning

At 18th level, you have started to think and plan nearly every combat situation that can be thought of. While you are not suffering from a Condition (PHB p289), you can not be given disadvantage for any roll by any means. Disadvantage can still counteract advantage, however.

The One Truth

At 20th level, you have learned your own Truename. Your Truename is the name that your soul was created with, and command over your own Truename allows for shaping your own material form. You can share your Truename with any creature that can understand you. As an Action you, or any creature that speaks your Truename, can cast Shapechange on you without expending a spell slot, and without verbal, somatic, or material components and without concentration. If another creature speaks your Truename, they choose the form you take.

You can use this feature once every 24 hours, as your physical body recovers from your transformation.

Scholarly Pursuits

In the mind of the Sage there are many divergent paths, but at the heart and soul of each learned one lies a singular passion. The art of war, the mystery of medicine, arcane secrets, and more; each a lifelong study to be followed.

Pursuit of the Tactician

The endless treatises and recordings of battles long fought are the subject of great study and research for many a Sagemind. You use the knowledge gained here and temper it with your own experiences to see virtuosity on the battlefield.

Martial Study

When you choose this Pursuit at 1st level, you gain proficiency in the History skill, Insight skill, Medium Armor, Shields, and 2 Martial or Simple weapons of your choice.

Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the History or Insight skill.

In addition, you also gain proficiency in Strength or Dexterity saving throws (your choice).

Battle Savant

At 1st level, you are able to overcome gulfs in physical ability with quick thinking and careful consideration. When you attack a creature that has taken damage since your last turn, you can add your Intelligence modifier to your attack rolls.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

War Room Tactics

Starting at 10th level, your tactical planning allows you to always stay one step ahead. After finishing a long or short rest, you can apply the bonuses gained from your Lessons of Conflict feature to any number of creatures that can see and hear you. The bonus to initiative for other creatures is your Intelligence modifier.

These bonuses last until you or the effected creature ends a turn in combat or finishes a long rest.

Unfaltering Preparedness

Starting at 14th level, all the pieces of information you have learned through your time have come together to create a tapestry of battle from which you can draw upon at any given moment. You, and any creature you choose that can hear you, can't be surprised while you are conscious.

In addition, you have advantage for any Intelligence ability check made in combat.

Pursuit of the Apothecary

Medicine, physiology, chemistry, and all things related to chemical reactions and how they interact with the physical self have been written down by all manner of civilizations. You take these alchemical components and shape them into meaningful solutions.

Herbalism Study

When you choose this Pursuit at 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill, Nature skill, alchemist's supplies, and herbalism kits.

Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the Medicine or Nature skill.

In addition, you also gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

Battle Medic

At 1st level, you know how to apply the basics of physiology to even the most grievous of wounds to stem bleeding and keep creatures alive. When you restore hit points or stabilize a creature with a mundane or magical item, that creature also gains health equal to your Intelligence modifier.

In addition, when you use a Healer's Kit as an action, you can instead use a bonus action.

Medicinal Treatment

Starting at 6th level, you start to gain a more intricate picture of how medicines and chemicals effect the body. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can prepare a number of medicinal treatments equal to your Intelligence modifier from a combination of ingredients you carry. As a bonus action, a creature can take the treatment or adminster it to a willing or incapacitated creature.

Creating a medicinal treatment requires you have alchemist's supplies, an herbalism kit, or a healer's kit on your person. These medicinal treatments last until the end of your next long rest, at which point the chemicals break down and lose potency.

When you prepare a medicinal treatment, pick one to create from the following list.

Medicinal Treatment

Type	Effect
Wound Balm	The creature heals a number of hit points equal to 2d4 + your proficiency bonus each round for 1 minute
Adrenaline Shot	The creature can take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action as a bonus action for 1 minute
Sedative	The creature gains immunity to the frightened condition for 1 hour
Anti-infectant	The creature gains immunity to, and cures, disease and poison effects for 1 minute.
Topical Ointment	The creature chooses Dexteriy of Strength, then gains advantage to all checks and saving throws of that type for 1 minute.

Harmful Creations

At 10th level, your mastery and knowledge of medicinal components has extended to ingredients that can break down and harm the body. You gain proficiency with the poisoner's kit. You can create and replicate the effects of any poison, using any chemicals or herbs at your disposal. The total cost of the ingredients to make each poison dose must be at least half of the price per dose listed for that poison. The DC for all poisons created this way is as follows:

Harmful Concoction save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

In addition, when you effect a creature with a poison you created, you can have that poison deal acid damage instead.

Master of Surgery

At 14th level, your anatomical data has given you the insight needed to pick where to hurt, or heal, in exactly the right places. When you deal damage to a creature on your turn, you can cause that creature to be Blinded, Stunned, Deafened, or knocked Prone until the end of it's next turn. Alternatively, when you heal a creature, you can also cure that creature of being Blinded, Stunned, Deafened, or you may stand them up from Prone.

You can use this feature 3 times, and finishing a long rest refreshes any expended uses.

Pursuit of the Arcanist

Pursuit of the arcane arts is a well studied subject, however while most rely on their own talents and abilities, it is truly the wise and learned that choose to stand on the shoulders of giants before them.

Spellcasting

At 1st level, you have dedicated your life to the pursuit of magical knowledge and hidden arcane tomes. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for spell lists. Spells you learn and gain are considered arcanist spells for you.

Cantrips. You learn 2 cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn 2 additional wizard cantrip of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Arcanist table. These count as Arcanist spells.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. At 1st level, you know three 1st level spells of your choice from the wizard spell list.

You learn an additional wizard spell of your choice at each level you would gain a Knowledge. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in the sage class, you can learn one new spell of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.

Preparing and Casting Spells. The Arcanist 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 of 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, choosing from the wizard spell list. When you do so, choose a number of wizard spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Sage level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your arcanist spells, since you learn your arcanist 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 an arcanist 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 an arcanist spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and it is a known spell. You don't need to have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus. You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your arcanist spells.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher. You can learn any spell if you spend time committing the spell to memory, which adds that spell to your Spells Known list.

Arcane Study

When you choose this Pursuit at 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Arcana skill. Your proficiency is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the Arcana skill. In addition, you also gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

Arcane Arithmetic

Starting at 6th level, you can begin to stitch together parts of already memorized spells into newly learned ones. You can spend spell slots by combining them together to create a larger spell slot. You can add together any two numerically different spell slots which are not currently expended and combine them into a single spell slot to which they equate to or lower. For example, you may combine a 2nd level spell slot and a 3rd level spell slot to create a 5th level spell slot, which can be spent casting a 5th level, or lower, spell that you know.

Item Enchantment

Starting at 10th level, you gain the ability to enchant items with your own magical knowledge. By spending 2 hours focusing on a mundane or magical item, you can store 1 spell you know and have spell slots for into that item. You expend the spell slot as part of this ability. You then set a command word to trigger that spell within the item. A creature can use an action and speak the command word while holding the item to cast that spell from the item. The spell uses your spell save DC from the moment you finished enchanting the item. The creature that spoke the command word is considered to have cast that spell for all other purposes. The item loses it's enchantment after 24 hours.

Studious Magus

Starting at 14th level, you can apply your Field Study knowledge in new and arcane ways. When you use your Field Study feature, you can cause the additional damage rolled to be of any damage type you wish.

In addition, when a creature other than yourself uses this bonus, that creature gains advantage on the next attack roll that it makes.

Knowledges

A study of Illithids

You have advantage on Intelligence saving throws against magical effects and abilities.

Synergy: Immunity to Charm or Frighten effects

You can cast Levitate at will, without expending a spell slot of material components. Once you do so, you can't cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest.

Chapters of Hell

You can speak and read Infernal and Abyssal.

Synergy: Vicious Mockery cantrip

When you cast Vicious Mockery, you can apply your Field Study feature damage dice immediately to the damage roll as Psychic damage, at which point the Field Study bonus dice is used.

Combat Doctrines

You learn one Fighting Style option of your choice from the fighter class. If you already have a style, the one you choose must be different.

Synergy: At least 1 maneuver from those available to the Battle Master archetype

You can reroll Superiority dice results of 1. You must accept the second roll.

Combat Treatises

You have advantage on Strength checks when used to Shove or initiate/escape a Grapple.

Synergy: Sneak Attack feature

When you successfully Shove or Grapple a creature, you can deal your Sneak Attack damage to that creature. This counts as the once per turn use of the Sneak Attack feature.

Street Magic

You gain proficiency in the Sleight of Hand and Deception skills

Synergy: Proficiency in the Stealth skill

When you successfully use the Sleight of Hand skill, you can add +5 to your next Deception roll within 1 minute.

Elemental Lore

Choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. When you take damage of the selected type, you take 2 less of that damage. You may take this knowledge multiple times, picking a new damage type each time.

Synergy: A class or racial feature that can deal your chosen damage type

When you deal your chosen damage type, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Exploiting Pressure Points

When you score a critical hit on a creature, that creature can't take reactions until the end of its next turn.

Synergy: Stunning Strike feature

When you use the Stunning Strike feature, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the DC of the Constitution saving throw in addition to your regular Wisdom modifier.

Library of Recipes

You gain proficiency with Cook's Tools. When finishing a long rest, if you have Cook's Tools, you and any creature that shared the long rest with you gains 1d4 + your proficiency bonus in temporary health.

Synergy: Proficiency with Alchemist's Tools

The amount of temporary health gained is 1d8 + your proficiency bonus.

Magical Item Index

When you see a magic item within 60 feet of you of Rare rarity or lower, you immediately know the effects of that item. If an item is cursed, you are not able to discern if it is cursed or what the nature of the curse is.

Synergy: Attuned to 3 magical items

You can now know the effects of items of rarity Very Rare or lower.

Medical Journals

You have advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stabalize a creature.

Synergy: Proficiency in the Medicine skill

When using a Healer's Kit to stabalize a creature, that creature stands up if prone, gains 1 hit point, and can immediately move half their movement in any direction.

Memoirs of a King

You gain proficiency in the Performance and Persuasion skills.

Synergy: Proficiency in the History skill

When you take a short rest, any creature that takes a short rest with you and spends one or more hit dice to heal themselves can treat one of the dice rolled as having rolled their maximum value.

Metallurgy

You gain proficiency with Smith's Tools.

Synergy: Wielding a weapon made of metal

As an action, you can cause one weapon you are holding to be considered Silvered for 1 minute. You can only effect one weapon at a time in this way.

Nature's Handbook

You gain proficiency in the Nature, Survival, and Animal Handling skills.

Synergy: 3rd level in Druid or Ranger

You can cast Animal Friendship at will, without expending a spell slot or material components. Once you do so, you can't cast it this way again until you finish a long rest.

Opening the Third Eye

You gain the Ki feature as outlined in the Monk class (PHB p76), except you must pick Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, or Step of the Wind, when you choose this knowledge. You gain the ability to perform that feature. You have 2 ki points, which are in addition to any other sources of Ki points.

Synergy: 40ft, or faster, ground movement speed

After using a Ki point, you can gain +2 AC until the end of your turn.

Perfecting Natural Gifts

Your unarmed strikes and natural weapons deal 1 additional point of damage.

Synergy: Wild Shape feature

When in Wild Shape, you have +1 AC.

Planar Professor

You can cast Misty Step at will, without expending a spell slot or material components. Once you do so, you can't cast it in this way again until you finish a long rest.

Synergy: Chapters of Hell Knowledge

When you find a portal, you have advantage on checks to determine where the portal goes.

Plumb the Eldritch

If a creature attempts to read your thoughts in any way, or speak to you telepathically, you can cause that creature to take 1d6 Psychic damage.

Synergy: Ability to cast a Warlock spell

Psychic and Necrotic damage you cause can not be reduced by resistance.

Proper Burial Rites

Creatures you reduce to 0 hit points can not be raised as an Undead by any means, such as the spell Create Undead. The creature can still be resurrected by spells such as Revivify.

Synergy: Ability to cast a Cleric or Paladin spell

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a Cleric or Paladin spell, that creature is disintegrated. A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a true resurrection or a wish spell.

Secrets of the Weave

You learn one cantrip of your choice from any class.

Your spellcasting ability for these spells is Intelligence.

Synergy: Ability to cast 1st level spells or higher

When you cast a cantrip, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in a 1st level or higher spell that you know, which magically alters the spell's formula for this casting only.

Speed Reading

As an action, you can fully read any piece of writing that you can understand that would normally take up to 10 minutes to read.

Synergy: Proficiency in the Investigation skill

Researching a topic (XGE p132) takes you half as much time and gold.