Epic Wizard

The relationship between the arcane and the Material Plane opens to you through formulae, careful observation, and experimentation that reaches truly dangerous levels unsuitable for a less talented mage.

Table: Epic Wizard

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spell Slots per Spell Level
				1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
21st	+7	Arcana Identificus, Masterful Memorization, Prestige, Secondary Archetype Feature (1)	6	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	1	1
22nd	+7	Legendary Ability Score Improvement	6	4	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	1
23rd	+7	Secondary Archetype Feature (2)	6	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	2	1
24th	+7	Legendary Ability Score Improvement	6	4	4	4	4	4	2	2	2	2
25th	+8	Bonded Arcana, Legendary Prestige	6	4	4	4	4	4	2	2	2	2
26th	+8	Legendary Ability Score Improvement	7	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	2
27th	+8	Secondary Archetype Feature (3)	7	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	2	2
28th	+8	Legendary Ability Score Improvement	7	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	2
29th	+9	Arcana Matrix, Reworker of Magic	7	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	2
30th	+9	Epic Prestige	7	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	2

Arcana Identificus

Starting at 21st level, your eyes become attuned to the supernatural. You can see the presence of non-illusion magic within 30 feet of you. You automatically see the aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and learn its school of magic, if any. In addition, you can use an action to cast identify without expending a spell slot, and when you can see a creature use Spellcasting to cast a spell you instinctively know what spell is being cast before the casting is complete. This does not tell you what level spell slot is being used to cast the spell.

Masterful Memorization

At 21st level, your memory for magic becomes superlative. The time you must spend to copy a wizard spell into your spellbook is reduced to 1 minute per spell level. This has no effect on the gold cost in materials to copy the spell.

Prestige

At 21st level, your deeds and renown reach all corners of the civilized world—sometimes even further. Commoners and other NPCs recognize you or at the very least know your name, and you are treated as an equal (or nearly as much) by empresses, monarchs, and other heads of state.

Academies and universities offer you tenure, ask you to lecture, and otherwise stumble over each other to gain your favor. You have access to everything but the forbidden or most secret artifacts and tomes kept by mage orders that are not hostile to you, and you have advantage on Charisma checks against their members.

Secondary Archetype Features

At 21st level, your mastery over your adventuring methods expands to encapsulate another path to glory, power, prestige, and wealth. Choose a secondary class archetype. You gain the archetype feature or features granted by your secondary archetype.

At 23rd level, you gain the second archetype feature or features granted by your secondary archetype.

At 27th level, you gain the third archetype feature or features granted by your secondary archetype.

Legendary Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 22nd level, and again at 24th, 26th, and 28th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 1, and increase your maximum possible score for that ability score by 1. In addition, you can select a feat. Alternatively, you can choose not to increase an ability score and gain an epic feat instead.

Note: When a multiclassing adventurer would gain an Ability Score Increase, they instead gain a Legendary Ability Score Improvement.

Bonded Arcana

At 25th level, arcana imbues one of the items you’ve carried since first learning magic. Your bonded arcana item can be another magic item, an arcane focus, a component pouch, a piece of clothing or jewelry, a quill, or at the GM’s discretion any other object you’ve possessed for several years. While you are wearing or holding your bonded arcana item, you gain the following benefits, in addition to whatever properties the magic item may already have:

• You gain a +5 bonus on Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration on a spell.
• Whenever you finish a long rest, choose one school of magic. You gain advantage on saving throws made to resist spells from that school of magic.
• Once between long rests, you can use your bonded arcana item as an arcane focus to cast any wizard spell of 5th-level or lower that you know. This casting of the spell does not require you to expend a spell slot, nor does it require any components.
• If the bonded arcana item required attunement, it no longer requires attunement while in your possession.

Creatures other than you are unable to make use of your bonded arcana item.

Legendary Prestige

At 25th level, your reputation has grown so far that even the gods know who you are and the forces of reality bow to your presence. When you are visiting another plane of existence, until you take a hostile action against or attack a creature native to that plane, you are immune to damaging effects of the environment. For example, when you first arrive in the Plane of Fire you do not take fire damage from the Sea of Fire.

Arcana Matrix

At 29th level, you learn how to cast spells using a circular loop that feeds upon itself. When you prepare spells, you can choose one spell that requires concentration. Casting this chosen spell uses a spell slot twice its normal spell slot level. When you cast the chosen spell, it does not require your concentration and lasts until its duration expires. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Reworker of Magic

Also at 29th level, you uncover the intricacies of how magic is channeled and learn the means to refocus any spell to manifest as you desire. When you prepare spells, you may choose a number of spells equal to your Intelligence modifier. These spells must have a single area of effect. Each chosen spell has a different area of effect than normal, selected by you when you prepare it. The different areas of effect available are listed in Table: Reworked Spells.

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Table: Reworked Spells

Original Area	Cone	Cube	Cylinder	Line	Radius
15-foot cone	—	10-foot cube	5-foot-radius 15-foot high cylinder	20-foot line	5-feet wide 5-foot radius
20-foot cone	—	15-foot cube	10-foot-radius 20-foot high cylinder	40-foot line	5-feet wide 10-foot radius
30-foot cone	—	20-foot cube	15-foot-radius 20-foot high cylinder	30-foot line	10-feet wide 20-foot radius
60-foot cone	—	30-foot cube	20-foot-radius 30-foot high cylinder	40-foot line	10-feet wide 30-foot radius
15-foot cube	20-foot cone	—	10-foot-radius 15-foot high cylinder	20-foot line 5-feet wide	15-foot radius
20-foot cube	25-foot cone	—	15-foot-radius 20-foot high cylinder	40-foot line 10-feet wide	20-foot radius
30-foot cube	40-foot cone	—	15-foot-radius 30-foot high cylinder	60-foot line 10-feet wide	30-foot radius
40-foot cube	60-foot cone	—	20-foot-radius 40-foot high cylinder	100-foot line 5-feet wide	40-foot radius
10-foot-radius 40-foot high cylinder	30-foot cone	20-foot cube	—	40-foot line 10-feet wide	20-foot radius
20-foot-radius and 40-foot high cylinder or 40-foot-radius and 20-foot high cylinder	60-foot cone	40-foot cube	—	60-foot line 10-feet wide	40-foot radius
60-foot line 5-feet wide	20-foot cone	15-foot cube	10-foot-radius 15-foot high cylinder	—	20-foot radius
100-foot line 5-feet wide	40-foot cone	25-foot cube	15-foot-radius 30-foot high cylinder	—	30-foot radius
60-foot line 10-feet wide	60-foot cone	30-foot cube	20-foot-radius 40-foot high cylinder	—	40-foot radius
10-foot radius	15-foot cone	10-foot cube	5-foot-radius 15-foot high cylinder	20-foot line 5-feet wide	—
20-foot radius	25-foot cone	20-foot cube	10-foot-radius 15-foot high cylinder	40-foot line 10-feet wide	—
30-foot radius	40-foot cone	30-foot cube	10-foot-radius 20-foot high cylinder	60-foot line 5-feet wide	—
40-foot radius	60-foot cone	40-foot cube	10-foot-radius 40-foot high cylinder	60-foot line 10-feet wide	—
60-foot radius	90-foot cone	60-foot cube	20-foot-radius 40-foot high cylinder	100-foot line 5-feet wide	—

Troublesome Spells

For the most part the magics worked by high level spellcasters won’t be unbalancing over the extra levels in epic play but there are a few that merit concern or tweaking to keep campaigns within the bounds of reason.

• Astral Projection. This spell itself doesn’t need to change, GMs just need to remember there’s strange weather phenomena in the astral sea. Portals and cosmic anomalies are present but mapping and capitalizing upon them isn’t as easy, reliable, or simple as snapping one’s fingers.
• Forcecage. An encounter-ending spell that can be cast once or twice is not an insurmountable obstacle, but when this becomes more accessible it’s a bigger problem. After 1 minute inside of a forcecage, at the end of each of its turns any creature of CR 22 or higher can make a Strength or Charisma saving throw against the spell save DC to force its way out.
• Shapechange and True Polymorph. The new form of any character with levels targeted by either of these spells cannot exceed challenge rating 20.
• Wish. The most powerful spell in the game should become as dangerous to use as ever. Basic uses of wish to cast lower-level spells are encouraged, but anything more complicated or reality-altering requires the most complex wording. Also, repeated identical uses of the spell have a balancing effect the GM can utilize with plot. For example, casting wish on a weekly basis to resurrect the dead might lead to an army of lethal undead rising up every full moon, or using the spell to awaken an endless stream of beasts that start their own competing animal kingdom that draws the ire of other countries and rulers.

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Secondary Archetype Features

At 21st level, your mastery over your adventuring methods expands to encapsulate another path to glory, power, prestige, and wealth. Choose a secondary class archetype. You gain the archetype feature or features granted by your secondary archetype.

At 23rd level, you gain the second archetype feature or features granted by your secondary archetype.

At 27th level, you gain the third archetype feature or features granted by your secondary archetype.