Wizard: Philosophy
Arcane Tradition
Philosophers have focused their study of wizardry on the fundamental nature of existence and reality. They seek the most quintessential truths of creation and manipulate those forces and substances through alchemical practice. Through understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction, they master the natural energies of the world around them and alter it to their will.
Level 2
Every wizard who walks the steps of the philosopher does so to solve some specific problem, even if only at first. The philosophical pursuits table offers challenges or goals that set you onto your study of alchemical magic.
| 1d12 | Guiding Goal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Someone close to you is lost in time, the planes, or some other esoteric state of being. Unraveling the nature of reality is your path to finding them. |
| 2 | You suffered a debilitating ailment or injury, and turned to the study of magic to deconstruct the impairment's nature, and transmute it. |
| 3 | Your teacher was killed by a rival philosopher, and you must learn all you can of that discipline to protect yourself, and bring them to justice. |
| 4 | The rediscovered research of a missing mage unlocked the first secrets of your understanding, but contains many more you cannot decipher yet. |
| 5 | Wizardry provides a path to immense power, but you know an even greater state of being awaits your ascension. |
| 6 | You encountered a material with miraculous properties, and you cannot rest until you discover the secret of its creation. |
| 7 | Your sibling's soul was separated from their body in a spell gone wrong, and you cannot forgive yourself until you make them whole. |
| 8 | You were a stage performer, who wowed audiences with magical acts, and you seek the ultimate magic trick, to become a legend. |
| 9 | You come from an impoverished hometown, and wish to utilize the transmutation of metals to bring prosperity to your community. |
| 10 | In your pursuit to be closer to the gods, you have sought the secrets of creating new life forms in your own image. |
| 11 | You were raised to revere the four elements, and you hypothesized that mastering the stuff of existence will bring harmony to them all. |
| 12 | You had aspirations of joining the military, and rising through the ranks, believing that the magic of reality can be used as a weapon of war. |
You gain a set of alchemist's supplies, and gain proficiency with it. You may use alchemist's supplies as your arcane focus, and you may use alchemist's supplies instead of another tool required to craft magic items.
You have learned the fundamental process of dissolution. You know the dissolution cantrip. A creature or object you reduce to 0 hitpoints with this cantrip is destroyed. If the target was Small or larger, it dissolves into a measure, about 1oz., of crystalline powder called Quintessence. You may have a maximum number of measures of quintessence equal to twice your wizard level (minimum of 2). If you create more, the oldest measure vanishes. You may use any quintessence you are touching in the following ways:
Material Component. Whenever you cast a spell, you may expend quintessence to serve as the spell's material components, up to a value of 100gp per quintessence expended.
Reagent. Whenever you scribe a spell into your spellbook, or use alchemist's supplies to craft a magic item, you may expend quintessence to serve as 50gp worth of material for the task, per quintessence expended.
Vitriolic Enhancement. Whenever you cast a spell that deals damage, you may expend a measure to change one damage type the spell deals to force.
Level 6
You may purify your quintessence to amplify your spells. Whenever you cast a non-cantrip spell, you may expend 1 measure as a material component to increase the level of the spell slot by 1 level. You may use this feature on a single casting of a spell an amount of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded up.
Level 10
You may now manipulate quintessence to create, not merely to purify. You may add the creation and @fabricate spells to your spellbook, if they aren't there already. You may cast both spells without expending a spell slot once per long rest. Whenever you cast either spell using this feature, the casting time becomes 1 action. Whenever you cast the creation spell, you may expend a number of measures up to your INT (minimum of 1), to multiply the spell's duration by 1 plus the amount of measures expended.
Level 14
The culmination of your great work, you may now distill your perfected knowledge of existence into a physical form. Whenever you finish a short rest, you may expend 10 measures of quintessence to create a philosopher's stone - a translucent, red crystal. The stone is a Tiny, magical object with 18 AC, 20 hitpoints, and immunity to all damage, except force. If you attempt to create a second philosopher's stone, the first one vanishes. While on your person, it grants you the following benefits:
Amplification. Whenever you cast a spell, you may expend up to 2 measures as an additional material component, to increase your spell save DC for that spell by the amount of measures expended.
Equivalent Exchange. As a reaction whenever you fail a saving throw, you may expend 5 measures to succeed on the saving throw instead.
Longevity. You stop aging, and do not suffer any effects from old age. You cannot die of old age.
Sympathy. The stone counts as part of your body for the purpose of the scrying spell, and for spells that restore you to life if you die. The stone itself serves as the material component for the spell, and is destroyed whenever the spell is cast.
Source: The Crooked Moon