Arcane School of Lasermancy

As a field of magic, lasermancy has humble but somewhat convoluted roots. The creation of lasemancy began as a small competition between scientists and magicians, to see which could bend, compress, or otherwise alter light better. Students of Lasermancy understand that it is a mix of both fields that makes a true lasermancer master. However, magic has the added benefit of not requiring actual light to create what could be considered a “laser.” Nearly every type of energy can be compressed into a fine, atom thin line, and expressed with devastating force and accuracy this way. This discovery is what began the school of lasermancy and proved that magic will always be cooler than science, at least in the minds of lasermancers.

Laser Compression

When you choose this school at 2nd level you have learned how to control the wilder aspects of damaging spells, refining their power into a beam. You can choose 2 spells you know to alter in this way and can choose 2 more at 6th, 10th, and 14th level. Spells you choose to alter in this way can be cast as a beam or in their normal form each time you cast the spell. A spell must meet the following criteria to be altered into a beam:

  • The spell must be a damaging spell, though it may have additional effects as well.
  • The spell must have a saving throw to resist some or all of the damage
  • The spell must be some type of energy or element. It cannot be things akin to a swarm or cloud
  • It cannot be a spell with a range of touch.

When a spell is compressed in this way, you treat it as a line spell. It travels in a line up to its original casting range. You must succeed on a ranged spell attack, though any additional effects of the spell (such as moving a creature or a status effect) must be resisted by the original saves of the spell. Only one target can be targeted by a spell in this way, even if the original spell attacked multiple. On a hit, the spell deals its full damage, even if it originally had a saving throw to resist the damage and all saving throws to resist additional effects are made with disadvantage.

Energy Bend

At 2nd level, you learn one of the basic tricks of modifying lasers: how to bend them. You can modify any spells that produce light, either doubling or halving the range of the light cast, though this does not change any damage output the light may possess. Additionally, any line spells you cast ignore all but full cover. Targets gain no benefit to AC so long as you know where they are. Targets with full cover can be targeted but spell attack rolls are made with disadvantage.

Punch Through

At 6th level, you can cause one of your modified line spells to blast through an opponent to another one. If two creatures are in the path of and range of one of your beam spells, and you hit the closest one with the spell, you can use your reaction to push the beam through them, onto another target within range. Make an attack roll against the second target, on a hit they are subjected to the spell, taking the same damage as the initial target, and the initial target takes an additional damage dice from the spell. You can use this feature once before finishing a short or long rest. At 14th level, you can choose to activate the Reflection ability after hitting the second target.

Reflection Shield

At 6th level you can pull a small bit of elemental energy from any spell you cast and weave it into a thin magical ward around yourself. When you cast a spell, you can use your bonus action to become resistant to the type of damage that spell deals. If a spell deals multiple damage types, choose one to gain this benefit from. You are resistant to that damage type and take no damage from it if you succeed on a saving throw that would normally result in half damage. The ward is destroyed if you are hit with that damage type, choose a new damage type to ward against, or after 1 minute. At 14th level you become immune to the damage type.

Line Overdrive

At 10th level you have learned how to power up your Lazermancy spells. When casting a spell that travels as a line, either naturally or through the Laser Compression feature, you can spin more energy into it than would normally be possible. Roll a d4-1. The result is the additional damage dice you can add to the spell. At 14th level you can roll a d6-1 instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence (minimum of once) modifier before finishing a long rest.

Reflection

At 14th level your lasers have become so strong they can ricochet of multiple targets. When casting a spell that travels as a line, you can bounce the beam against a number of additional targets equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). Each additional target must be within 15 feet of the last target and you must make an attack roll for each one. A spell cannot exceed its natural range when using this feature. If you miss any target, you cannot ricochet that spell anymore on that turn. Each target hit after the initial target takes half damage from the spell, before applying vulnerability or resistance. You roll damage once for all targets, though their individual resistance or vulnerabilities still apply. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence (minimum of once) modifier before finishing a long rest.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Lasers & Liches: Tales from the Retroverse - Test Wave 3 Player's MTX Creator(s) Chris Lock, Lluis Abadias Copyright 2021

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