Eldmage

The halfling war-mage, body bent with age but with an undeniable clarity in her gaze, holds up the gnarled fingers on her left hand with a swift, practiced gesture that belies her age. Speaking words of power in a deep, booming voice—words that reverberate with layered eldritch meaning— the halfling unleashes a cone of snow and ice that scours the terrain in front of her, while a gleaming wall of ice shelters her allies from the storm.

His body covered with paint intricately drawn in complex arcane patterns, an elf touches the designs with light, swift fingers, remembering each pattern in complete detail as soon as he touches it. The arcane energy builds within him, but he doesn’t stop; his touches become a dance and his mind holds myriad patterns simultaneously. He firmly exhales toward the wicked prince, banishing him to another world and wiping away all memories of the sinister schemes he was attempting to complete.

A young human, thrilled to finally put her years of study into action, draws all her power into conjuring a massive bloom of fire down the dungeon corridor. With a few quick words, she folds additional magic into the blaze as it expands. Like a brilliant firework, the rush of fire contains several darting, pinwheeling bolts that strike unerringly at her onrushing enemies.

Eldmages study magic much as wizards do, but they reject the careful balance of measured spellcasting, throwing all their might into a few incredibly powerful spells each day. They view magic through the lens of age, separating their spells into their most powerful “elder” spells and weaker “junior” spells. Eldmages enhance their most powerful spells with extra effects to make them truly spectacular—even though this renders them unable to rely on many less-powerful spells.

Combining Magic

An eldmage’s uncanny ability to combine magical effects is what truly sets them apart from other spellcasters: they can weave spell energy into their most powerful spells as they cast them, creating unusual—or even contradictory—combinations of spells. They might combine fire and ice in the same magical barrage, or weave a strong illusion supplemented with real, conjured items to provide it more verisimilitude. Eldmages constantly seek to combine their powerful spells in ways that are innovative, effective, and undeniably dramatic.

The Lens of Age

Eldmages can be of any age, although they must have completed a program of study just as rigorous as any wizard and thus tend to be older. No matter their personal age, eldmages divide their magic into more powerful “elder” spells and less-powerful “junior” spells. The most experienced eldmages have a large array of junior spells, but they consider these to be merely utilitarian or even hardly worth the bother; their focus is instead on the potent combinations of magic they can bring to bear with their elder spells. Many eldmages respect anything old and enjoy unlocking ancient mysteries or exploring eons-old structures.

Creating an Eldmage

As you create an eldmage character, consider the sacrifices that await as you grow in power. Your character will be able to cast incredibly potent, multi-layered effects, but these come at the cost of your less-powerful spells. Why does your character embrace this ability? Is it the chance to show off magical effects that no others can duplicate? Is it the desire to efficiently and decisively conclude dangerous encounters? Or is it simply to invent combinations that have never been done before? What does your character think of wizards? They have a similar studious, bookish bent, but you’ve decided on a path that sacrifices flexibility for power. You may have learned your craft alongside other wizards, such as in a magic school or from a tutor or sage. Who are these people and what is your connection to them? What drove you to seek a life of adventure away from their presence?

Table: The Eldmage

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Slots per Spell Level
				1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+2	Spellcasting, Eldmagic, Elder Recovery	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Eld Manipulation	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Fallow spells	3	(0)	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4	(0)	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	4	(0)	(0)	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	Eld Manipulation Feature	4	(0)	(0)	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	4	4	(0)	(0)	2	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	(0)	(0)	3	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	4	4	3	(0)	(0)	2	—	—	—	—
10th	+4	Eld Manipulation Feature	5	4	3	(0)	(0)	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+4	5	4	3	3	(0)	(0)	2	—	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	(0)	(0)	2	—	—	—
13th	+5	5	4	3	3	3	(0)	(0)	2	—	—
14th	+5	Eld Manipulation Feature	5	4	3	3	3	(0)	(0)	2	—	—
15th	+5	5	4	3	3	3	2	(0)	(0)	2	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	(0)	(0)	2	—
17th	+6	5	4	3	3	3	2	2	(0)	(0)	2
18th	+6	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	(0)	(0)	2
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	(0)	(0)	2
20th	+6	Eldmaster	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	(0)	(0)	2

Class Features

As an eldmage, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

• Armor: None
• Weapons: Simple weapons
• Tools: None
• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, Persuasion, and Religion

Equipment

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

• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• A spellbook and two daggers

Quick Build

You can make an eldmage quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Your next-best score should be Constitution if you want to be a hardy explorer, or Charisma if you are a bit of a show-off. Second, choose the sage background.

Third, choose the fire bolt, prestidigitation, and shocking grasp cantrips, along with the following 1st-level spells for your spellbook: color spray, fog cloud, mage armor, magic missile, shield, and silent image.

Spellcasting

You have a spellbook containing your spells, and it’s probably already heavily annotated with ways to combine your spells together in powerful, dramatic ways. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the wizard spell list, which eldmages use.

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 Eldmage table.

Spellbook

At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Eldmage table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your eldmage 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 eldmage spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of eldmage spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your eldmage level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, even fallow spell slots (see Fallow Spells below).

For example, if you’re a 7th-level eldmage, you have four 1st-level and two 4th-level spell slots.

With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include ten spells of 1st through 4th 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 4th-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 eldmage 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 eldmage spells, because you learn your spells through 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 eldmage 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 eldmage 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 eldmage spells.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

Each time you gain an eldmage level, you can add two eldmage spells of your choice to your spellbook for free. 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.

Eldmagic

Spells you cast using the highest spell slots available to you are called your elder spells (you have two, or sometimes three, of these each day). Spells you cast out of your other spots, as well as your cantrips, are called your junior spells. Whenever you cast an elder spell that doesn’t have a range of Self, you can cast a junior spell as a bonus action provided you haven’t already taken your bonus action that turn. The junior spell must normally have a casting time of 1 action or less and can’t have a range of Self. This ability allows you to cast two noncantrip spells in a round, although the junior spell you cast can be a cantrip if you’d like. If the junior spell requires a spell attack roll against creatures or objects, at least one of the targets must be a creature or object that was targeted by (or in the area of) your elder spell. If the junior spell creates an effect in an area, it must overlap at least one portion of the area of the elder spell (if the elder spell also affected an area) or include at least one creature affected by the elder spell (if the elder spell didn’t affect an area).

For example, if you cast fireball as your elder spell and you want to cast scorching ray as your junior spell, at least one target of your scorching ray must be a creature within the area of your fireball. If there aren’t any such creatures (such as if the fireball killed them all), you can’t cast scorching ray as your junior spell. Any creature affected by your junior spell that was also affected by your elder spell has disadvantage on the saving throw against your junior spell.

Elder 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 chose to recover one of your highest-level spell slots.

Eld Manipulation

When you reach 2nd level, you choose a method for bending arcane power to enhance your eldmagic. You choose the freedom manipulation or the miser manipulation. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Fallow Spells

When you reach 3rd level, you must keep some of your power in reserve to fuel your most powerful and dramatic magical effects. You can no longer cast spells from your second-highest level spell slots, except when casting them in conjunction with an elder spell using your eldmagic feature.

These spell slots are noted in parentheses in the table above to show that they are unavailable for normal spellcasting. You can prepare these spells as normal, but the indicated spell slots are unavailable to you. Beginning at 5th level, you can no longer cast spells of your third-highest level spell slots, and these become fallow spells as well.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 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.

Eldmaster

At 20th level, whenever you take a short rest and can study your spellbook, you recover one of your highest-level spell slots. This is in addition to the daily spell slot recovery that Elder Recovery grants you.

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Eld Manipulation

While eldmages put their all into their most powerful spells each day and push additional arcane power through those spells to create complex effects, they continually strive to do more. Eldmages constantly look for ways to bend the laws of magic further, overcoming their limitations. Specific techniques called eld manipulations represent these various tricks. Your path down a specific eld manipulation begins early in your career, even before you must sacrifice the power of your fallow spells to enable ever-greater power in your elder spells. The first twist you discover in the rules of magic you find sets you on a path of manipulations that provides you with abilities that other spellcasters can only envy.

The two most common eld manipulations are the Freedom Manipulation and Miser Manipulation.

Freedom Manipulation

You know that sacrifices must be made for your power, but you’re always seeking loopholes to get around them. You know that by meticulously marshaling leaked forces of magic you can eke out just a little more power than other eldmages can.

Junior Spell Scribe

Beginning when you select this manipulation at 2nd level, you halve the gold and the time you must spend to copy a junior spell that you can use with your eldmagic ability (that is, one that has a casting time of 1 action or less and that doesn’t have a range of Self) into your spellbook.

Lesser Fallow Caster

Beginning at 6th level, you gain one spell slot in the lower of your two fallow spell levels (that is, the spell slot two lower than the highest-level slot you can cast). This is a 1st-level spell slot at 6th level, but it is a 2nd-level spell slot at 7th level, a 3rd-level spell slot at 9th level, and so on. You can cast this spell each day, just as with your lower-level junior spells.

Junior Spell Enhancement

At 10th level, when you cast a junior spell that deals damage other than in conjunction with your eldmagic ability, add your Intelligence modifier to that damage.

Greater Fallow Caster

Beginning at 14th level, you gain one spell slot in the higher of your two fallow spell levels (that is, the spell slot one lower than the highest-level slot you can cast). This is a 6th-level spell slot at 14th level, but it is a 7thlevel spell slot at 15th level and an 8th-level spell slot at 17th level. You can cast this spell each day, just as with the spell slot you gain from lesser fallow caster and your lower-level junior spells.

Miser Manipulation

Eldmages hurl their magic into the world heedlessly, blending it with other abilities to create spectacular effects. You know that this energy can be used to protect and bolster your own abilities, if hoarded in the right way.

Miser Spell Scribe

Beginning when you select this manipulation at 2nd level, you halve the gold and the time you must spend to copy a junior spell with a range of Self into your spellbook.

Lesser Miserly Caster

At 6th level, when you use your eldmagic ability, the junior spell you cast can be one with a range of Self. It need not affect an area or creature that your elder spell affected.

Defensive Enhancement

At 10th level, when you cast a spell with a range of Self, you harness a bit of lingering magic to protect yourself. During the duration of that spell, the first time you must make an Intelligence saving throw, you make the saving throw with advantage.

Greater Miserly Caster

At 14th level, when you use your eldmagic ability, the elder spell you cast can be one with a range of Self. A junior spell you cast in conjunction with an elder spell with a range of Self must also have a range of Self.