Magister
This is playtest content, covering levels 1-10 for the sake of starting our west marches. As such, don’t be surprised if this document is updated frequently. Additionally, the lore aspect and number of subclasses is altered from what final release will look like.
Relevant links. Magister Subclasses.
Magister Description
The sin of science is a hushed and muted topic through Mythwyn, but none so closely brush against it’s fickle consequences as the Magister’s of the land. Experts of their crafts and studies, sometimes it takes a non-magical touch in order to ascertain the truth behind a matter. Whether you were brought up through the trades or one of the few, secretive, academic institutions of the land, you have experienced might, brawn and magical prowess with the likes to take down the mightiest foes, and you are prepared to attempt to match and aid those feats with little more than your own cunning. Magisters are a non-magical support class focused on elevating their allies and bringing the sharpest mind to the battlefield. Originating from either Academia or Artisanship, they stand as both Mythwyn’s main form of scholar, as well as the canon replacement for the Artificer. Tinkering and engineering are not necessarily excluded themes from the Magister, but are practised in more grounded and less magical environment, and as such their features are more suited to fit.
Magister Features
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Flaw Dice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Academic Order, Studied Flaws, Weapon Mastery | 1d6 |
| 2nd | +2 | Expertise, Magister’s Wit, Quick Appraisal | 1d6 |
| 3rd | +2 | Magister Subclass | 1d6 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d6 |
| 5th | +3 | Cascading Flaws | 2d6 |
| 6th | +3 | Subclass Feature | 2d6 |
| 7th | +3 | Academic Order Improvement, Premeditated Dodge | 2d6 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d6 |
| 9th | +4 | Expertise, Calculated Opening | 3d6 |
| 10th | +4 | Subclass Feature | 3d6 |
Core Magister Traits
| Primary Ability | Strength or Dexterity and Intelligence |
| Hit Point Die | D8 per Magister level |
| Hit Points at Level 1 | 8 + Con. modifier |
| Hit Points per additional Magister Level | D8 + your Con. modifier, or, 5+ your Con. modifier |
| Saving Throw Proficiencies | Intelligence and Wisdom |
| Skill Proficiencies | Choose 3: Arcana, Athletics, Animal Handling, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception or Religion |
| Weapon Proficiencies | Simple weapons and Martial weapons that have the Finesse or Light property |
| Armor Training | Light armour |
| Tool Training | Choose one type of Artisan’s Tools, Gaming Set or Musical Instrument |
| Starting Equipment | Choose A or B: (A) Leather Armor, Shortsword, Scholar’s Pack, 40 GP; or (B) 100 GP |
Level 1: Academic Order
You have learnt your craft through one of the following courses of study of your choice. You choice gives you features now, as well as altering later features you get at certain Magister levels:
Academia.
You gain the following benefits
- Tutelage. Upon finishing a Long Rest, you can choose 1 creature that also finished the rest and grant them proficiency in one skill of your choice that you have proficiency in and it lacks, lasting until either you or the target finishes a Long Rest. The target must be a friendly creature with an Intelligence of 7 or higher, that shares a language with you, While you are within 15 feet of that creature and able to hear each other, you both gain Advantage on checks made using that skill.
- Studied. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice, and you learn one language of your choice.
- Venerable Student. You treat your Intelligence modifier as double when calculating the number of workweeks it takes to train a new skill, tool or language as part of downtime (from XGE (training new skills is not part of the core rules, but I run it))
Artisanship.
You gain the following benefits
- Hardened Frame. You gain proficiency with Martial weapons, training with Shields, as well as Medium and Heavy armour, and your Hit Point maximum increases by 1, increasing by 1 again whenever you gain a Magister level.
- Learned Craftsman. You gain a bonus to skill checks made using Artisan’s Tools you are proficient with, equal to your Intelligence modifier.
- Tradecraft. You gain proficiency with one type of Artisan’s Tools of your choice.
Level 1: Studied Flaws
Once per turn, certain Magister features allow you to apply a Flaw to a target creature. This Flaw lasts until the end of your next turn. Only one creature can have a Flaw at any one time. If you would apply a Flaw to a creature, any existing Flaw ends.
The first time a creature other than you hits the Flawed creature with an attack, the Flaw ends and that attack deals 1d6 extra damage. This extra damage increases as you gain Magister levels, as shown in the Flaw Dice column of the Magister Features table.
Applying Flaws. You can apply a Flaw in the following ways.
- Attack Rolls. When you hit a creature with an attack using a weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can apply a Flaw.
- Mentorship (Prerequisite: Academia). Immediately after an ally damages a creature with an attack that benefitted from Advantage due to your Help action, you can apply a Flaw to the target.
- Reasoned Defence (Prerequisite: Artisanship). When a creature hits you with a melee attack, you can take a Reaction to apply a Flaw to it.
Level 1: Weapon Mastery
Your training with weapons allows you to use the mastery properties of two kinds of weapons of your choice with which you have proficiency, such as Rapiers and Shortbows.
Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change the kinds of weapons you chose. For example, you could switch to using the mastery properties of Daggers and Shortswords.
Level 2: Expertise
You gain Expertise in two of your skill proficiencies of your choice. History and Insight are recommended if you have proficiency in them.
At Magister level 9, you gain Expertise in two more of your skill proficiencies of your choice.
Level 2: Magister’s Wit
You gain the ability to tap into your areas of knowledge and momentarily boost your assessment abilities, in the form of Wit, which can be expended to enhance or fuel certain Magister features. You start knowing two such features, partially based on your chosen Academic Order, show below.
You have an amount of Wit equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Specialist Knowledge. When you fail an Intelligence or Wisdom skill check, you can roll 1d6 and add it to the result, potentially turning it into a success. If you succeed, you expend a Wit and, if it was a skill check pertaining to knowledge on a certain subject, you gain Advantage on subsequent skill checks related to the same topic for 1 minute.
Mentor’s Targeting. (Prerequisite: Academia). When you take the Help action, you can expend a Wit to provide Advantage on an attack roll when targeting an enemy that is up to 30 feet from you, instead of 5 feet, provided the ally can see or hear you.
Crafted Debilitation (Prerequisite: Artisanship). When you take the Help action to provide Advantage on an attack roll, you can expend a Wit to cause the creature to also have Disadvantage on attack rolls it makes. This Disadvantage lasts until the start of your next turn, or until the target misses an attack roll.
Level 2: Quick Appraisal
You mind works faster than those around you, allowing you to ascertain details and openings quickly. On your turn, you can take one of the following actions as a Bonus Action: Help, Search, or Study.
Level 3: Magister Subclass
You gain a Magister subclass of your choice. A subclass is a specialisation that grants you features at certain Magister levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass’s features that are of your Magister level or lower.
I didn’t do a table because there are only two Magister subclasses updated and ready rn.
Detective. Take on the hunt for clues and identify key threats, exposing their weaknesses and protecting allies from their attacks.
Siegewright. Alter a weapon to become your Breaker, bringing down key threats and packing a punch behind each attack.
Level 4: Ability Score Improvement
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Magister levels, 8, 12 and 16.
Level 5: Cascading Flaws
Your Flaws expose openings with every blow. You gain the following benefits:
- Cascade. When a creature triggers your Flaw, it doesn’t end. Instead, after the extra damage is dealt, the Flaw’s dice pool is reduced by one. The Flaw ends when it’s pool has no dice remaining. For example, a 2d6 Flaw deals that much damage when triggered, and is then reduced to 1d6. It would then add 1d6 extra damage to one more attack, before the Flaw ends.
- Splinter. When you apply a Flaw to a creature that already had one as part of hitting it with an attack, your attack deals an extra damage equal to a single Flaw Dice.
Level 7: Academic Order Improvement
You gain a bonus based on your chosen Academic Order:
Academia. You gain a bonus to your Initiative rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier.
Artisan. As part of using a Reaction to apply a Flaw to a creature after it hits you, you also reduce the damage of the triggering attack by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier + Half of your Magister level.
Level 7: Premeditated Dodge
You can improve your ability to counteract incoming effects. While you aren’t Incapacitated you gain a bonus to your Dexterity saving throws equal to your Intelligence modifier.
When you are forced to make a saving throw by a creature you have applied a Flaw to, you gain this bonus to all saving throws instead.
Level 9: Calculated Opening
When you apply a Flaw you can remove one dice from its pool in order to attach a one of the following openings to the Flaw. The first time a creature triggers the Flaw they gain an additional benefit based of the chosen opening.
Press the Attack. The next attack roll the creature makes against the same target before the end of it’s next turn has Advantage.
Tactical Reposition. The triggering creature can move up to half it’s Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
Level 9: Expertise
You gain Expertise in two Skill Proficiencies of your choice.