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VSS

Warmage

An elf recites the motions again for the simplest spell she knows, repeating them until she knows they are perfect. With a single, precise stroke, she unleashes a wave of arcane energy, focused into a searing blue beam.
A tiefling waves her hands to conjure floating greatswords of humming blue energy, which dance about in mesmerizing and deadly arcs. One blade takes on an aspect of fire, and the other lightning, as she begins to cleave through the goblinoid horde.
Waving a black and red checkered banner, a dragonborn king charges into the fore. At his sides are warmages of all houses, a chessboard of elite arcanists, poised to turn the tide of battle.
The undisputed masters of cantrips, warmages turn the most fundamental types of magic into a deadly and precise art.   Cantrip Masters
While other spellcasters aspire to grander and more complex spells, warmages refine and master the most fundamental magic: cantrips. Warmages wield their magic in the same way that a warrior uses a sword, bow, or axe: as weapons to be perfected and mastered, not as an unknowable force to be feared. In contrast to sorcerers and wizards, their magic is a trainable skill, one that can be mastered by almost anyone with discipline and aptitude. Therefore, warmages stand among the most fearsome of spellcasters, with only the most rudimentary of spells.   Strategic Geniuses
Warmages have a long and storied history as grand strategists and tacticians, both in grand battles and personal skirmishes. If a warmage is outgunned or outmanned, they’ll try to outthink their foes, which works more often than not. They demonstrate an efficient kind of pragmatism, owing perhaps to their ability to solve many problems with a few magical tools.   Aligned Free Agents
While some warmages are fully self-taught, the majority join a House, a loose confederation of warmages which practice together and share secrets of the trade. Houses teach invaluable battlefield strategy, but each individual Houses also touts their own brands of tactics and styles of magical tricks. The House of Knights, for example, emphasizes armor and martial prowess, whereas the House of Kings emphasizes battlefield strategy. By way of metaphor, Houses which value honor and teamwork above all else brand themselves after games of strategy, whereas those who epitomize selfreliance name themselves for games of chance. This division in the warmage Houses is representative of a schism that dates back to the earliest warmage masters. Legend has it that the first two masters separated when one decided to found a college. The other, out of spite, built a casino outside its grounds.   Creating a Warmage
Warmages come from all walks of life, so as you build yours, consider where you first learned the fundamentals of magic, which you would go on to perfect. You might have picked up cantrips from a fellow adventurer or in the early stages of wizarding training. You could even be self-taught. Choose an Arcane Initiation which best fits your character’s history with magic.
Moreover, consider how you feel about magic as a whole. Are you envious of other spellcasters, or are you confident you could best them regardless? Did you once pine to be a wizard, but found you could never muster enough true magic to form a spell slot? Did you choose warmagistry to hone your talents to their absolute peak, or did you choose it to wield power no warrior can equal?
Lastly, consider your prospective warmage house. Though you don’t choose one until reaching third level, your aspirations might shape which house you favor the most. If you would like to dabble with greater arcane magic, the House of Bishops is the best fit. If the clashing of swords at the frontlines piques your interest, consider the House of Knights.   QUICK BUILD
You can make a Warmage quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Make Strength your third highest if you plan to take the House of Knights. Then choose the cantrips chill touch, force weapon, and phantom grapnel, and the Adventurer Arcane Initiation. Pick any background.
hit dice: 1d8
hit points at 1st level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
hit points at higher levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per witch level after 1st
armor proficiencies: Light armor
weapon proficiencies: Simple weapons
tools: One artisan’s kit, one musical instrument
saving throws: Constitution, Intelligence
skills: Choose two from: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Arcana, Athletics, History, Investigation, Medicine, Perception, and Survival
starting equipment:
You start with the following equipment, in addition
to the equipment granted by your background:

  • Leather armor, a dagger, and any simple weapon

  • A spellcasting focus or material component pouch

  • An explorer’s pack and (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) one kit you’re proficient in


spellcasting:

Spellcasting

At 1st level, you begin to learn the simple, yet potent, brand of spellcasting for which warmages are known.   CANTRIPS
You learn three cantrips of your choice from the warmage spell list. You learn additional warmage cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Warmage table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the warmage cantrips you know and replace it with another warmage cantrip.   SPELLCASTING ABILITY
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your warmage spells, since you learn your spells through practice and mental discipline. 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 a warmage 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   SPELLCASTING FOCUS You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your warmage spells.  

Arcane Initiation

Warmages come from all backgrounds and walks of life. At 1st level, choose where you first learned the basics of magic. The cantrips offered by your initiation don’t count against your total number of warmage cantrips known.   ADVENTURER
You picked up your magic informally by travelling with a dozen different mages over the years. You learn the mage hand and ray of frost cantrips.   CIRCUS PERFORMER
You learned a few simple tricks to participate in a sideshow or circus act. You learn the dancing lights and minor illusion cantrips.   ELDRITCH EVENT
An influx of insidious magic left an imprint on you. You learn the chill touch and message cantrips.   MERCENARY
You mastered the fundamentals of war magic to engage in battle with similarly-armed arcanists. You learn the arc blade and true strike cantrips.   TEMPLE
A monastery or temple educated you in the ways of gentle healing magic. You learn the sacred flame and spare the dying cantrips.   TOWER APPRENTICE
You apprenticed under a spellcaster for some time, who taught you the fundamentals of arcana. You learn the prestidigitation and shocking grasp cantrips.   SELF-TAUGHT
You taught yourself all the fundamentals of magic from a dusty old tome or abandoned scroll. You learn the fire bolt and light cantrips.   SURVIVAL
To survive in the wilderness, you taught yourself to cast simple spells. You learn the druidcraft and shillelagh cantrips
class features:
Arcane Fighting Style Warmages learn that magic is the purest of weapons, and can be wielded just as easily as any other. At 1st level, select one of the following fighting styles:
BLASTER.
The spell save DC for your warmage cantrips increases by 1.
DEFLECTOR.
When you have one hand free and a creature hits you with a spell attack or a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class, potentially causing the attack to miss.
RESISTIVE.
While you are wearing light armor or are under the effects of the mage armor spell, you gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.
SNIPER.
When making a ranged spell attack, you gain a +1 bonus to the attack roll. Additionally, your ranged cantrips ignore half cover.
STRIKER.
When you hit with a cantrip requiring a melee attack and exceed the target’s AC by 5 or more or score a critical hit, you can add your proficiency modifier to the damage roll.   Warmage Edge
Starting at 2nd level, once on each of your turns when you deal damage with a warmage cantrip, you can improve one damage roll of the spell, adding your Intelligence modifier to the roll. Starting at 5th level, and as you gain levels in this class, you also add additional dice of cantrip damage, as shown on the Cantrip Bonus Dice column of the Warmage table, to the damage roll. For example, when you are at 5th level, you can enhance the damage of the fire bolt cantrip to deal fire damage equal to 3d10 + your Intelligence modifier on a hit.   Warmage Tricks
Beginning at 2nd level, you learn a Warmage Trick, a special technique that alters the way you fight, move, and cast your spells. You learn 2 tricks at 2nd level, and an additional trick as shown on the Tricks Known column of the Warmage table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can replace a trick that you know with another trick for which you meet the prerequisites.   Warmage House
The College of Warmages divides its students into distinct Houses, teaching different skills, abilities, and techniques. Upon reaching 3rd level, you can select a House, which offers you features at 3rd level, and additional features at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.   Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 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. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.   Arcane Surge
Starting at 5th level, you learn to, for a moment, tap into a vast reservoir of magical power and unleash it upon your foes. On your turn, when you deal damage with a warmage cantrip, you can deal twice the number of damage dice dealt by the spell. You can’t use this ability on a spell that has scored a critical hit.
Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 11th level, you can use this ability twice between rests.   Tactical Insight
At 6th level, you learn how to use ambient magical power to defend yourself from your foes’ magical attacks. You can add your Intelligence modifier to saving throws you make against spells and magical effects that deal damage.   Strategic Deflection
Starting at 14th level, as a reaction when a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect and forces you to make a saving throw to avoid damage, you can use your reaction to attempt to redirect some of the spell’s energy to a new target. If you succeed on your saving throw against the spell, choose another creature you can see within the spell’s range or 30 feet, whichever is closer, to make a saving throw against the spell, using your spell save DC. The new target can be the original spellcaster. On a failed save, the creature suffers the effects of the spell as if you had cast the spell and they had been the original target or been within the area of the spell.
Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.   Master Warmage
At 20th level, you reach the pinnacle of your warmage prowess. If you cast a cantrip which deals 4 dice of damage to a target, it instead deals 5 dice of damage. If you cast a cantrip which makes 4 attacks, it instead makes 5 attacks.  

WARMAGE TRICKS

The following tricks are presented in alphabetical order. If a warmage trick has prerequisites, you must meet them to choose it. You can choose the trick at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.   BISHOP'S MANEUVER
Prerequisites: 10th level, House of Bishops You can take the Disengage action as a bonus action, and when you do so, your movement speed increases by 10 feet until the end of your turn.   BLASTING CANTRIP
Once on each of your turns, when you deal force damage to a creature with a warmage cantrip, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.   BLINDING LIGHT
Prerequisite: light cantrip When you use the light cantrip to target an object you are holding, you can direct a flare at a creature within 10 feet of you, which must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is blinded until the beginning of your next turn. After a creature has failed a saving throw against this ability, it has advantage on all Constitution saving throws against it for 24 hours.   CASTLE
Prerequisites: 10th level, House of Rooks As an action, you can choose a willing Small or Medium creature you can see within 100 feet of you. You both teleport, switching places. Once you use this trick, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.   CHIVALROUS PRESENCE
Prerequisite: House of Knights You gain proficiency in the Insight and Persuasion skills. Additionally, you have advantage on ability checks you make to interact with nobility, and other creatures can always discern when you’re telling the truth.   CLOAK OF FEATHERS
Prerequisite: House of Rooks While not wearing armor, under the effects of mage armor, or using a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.   COMMANDER'S STEED
Prerequisites: House of Kings You learn the find steed spell and can cast it without using a spell slot. Your steed is more resilient than most, and has a number of additional hit points equal to your warmage level.   CORROSIVE CANTRIP
Once on each of your turns, when you deal acid damage to a creature with a warmage cantrip, you can cause the acid to erode the target’s defenses. The next time a creature makes an attack roll against the target before the beginning of your next turn, roll a d4 and subtract it from the target’s Armor Class for this attack.   DIRECTED MOMENTUM
Prerequisite: 10th level, House of Lancers Once on each of your turns, when you score a critical hit with a melee attack or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make an unarmed strike against a second target. If the target is within range of your Shock Trooper feature, you can lunge toward it. On a hit, this attack deals an additional 1d8 force damage.   DRAINING CANTRIP
Whenever you deal necrotic or poison damage to a hostile creature using a warmage cantrip, you can siphon some of its life force. You gain temporary hit points equal to half your warmage level, which last for 1 minute.   ENCRYPTOGRAM
Prerequisite: cryptogram cantrip Your knowledge of ciphers has improved your magically clandestine communications. When you cast the cryptogram cantrip, its limit is 20 characters, instead of 8, and only the specified recipient can read the message.   EXPLOSIVE CANTRIP
Once on each of your turns, when you deal fire damage to a creature with a warmage cantrip, each creature within 5 feet of the target, except yourself and the target, must succeed a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or take half the fire damage dealt.   EXTENDED RANGE
The range of your warmage cantrips is doubled.   FIELD MEDIC
Prerequisite: House of Bishops You learn the cantrip spare the dying, which does not count against your maximum number of cantrips known. Additionally, when you cast spare the dying on a creature which has 0 hit points, the target regains 1 hit point and gains temporary hit points equal to your level, which last for 1 minute. Once a creature regains hit points due to this ability, it can’t do so again until it finishes a long rest.   FLEXIBLE RANGE
Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged spell attack rolls. Additionally, the range of any cantrip you cast that requires a melee spell attack increases to 10 feet.   FOLD
Prerequisites: House of Cards, 10th level You have learned to graciously accept defeat using your Deck of Fate. As a reaction when you are hit by an attack, you can play your entire hand to cast the shield spell without using a spell slot. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.   GAMBLE
Prerequisites: cheat cantrip, House of Cards or House of Dice You are always under the effects of the cheat cantrip. Additionally, you can reroll an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.   INFINITE VARIATION
Prerequisite: prestidigitation cantrip You have become exceptionally skilled at using the prestidigitation cantrip to mimic other spells. When you cast prestidigitation, you can use it to emulate the effects of any other cantrip that does not deal damage, even one that is not on the warmage spell list. To do so, you must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, otherwise the spell fizzles and does nothing. A cantrip cast using this trick counts as a warmage cantrip and uses your Intelligence modifier as the spellcasting modifier.   ICY CANTRIP
Once on each of your turns, when you deal cold damage to a creature with a warmage cantrip, you can numb the target with a frigid blast. The first time the target makes an attack roll before the end of its next turn, it must roll a d4 and subtract it from the roll.   KNIGHT'S AEGIS
Prerequisites: 10th level, House of Knights, force buckler cantrip When you cast the force buckler cantrip, you can concentrate on it for up to 1 minute. The spell does not end early if you are hit by an attack.   LEADING EDGE TACTICS
Prerequisites: House of Lancers You always have a plan when engaging the enemy. As such, attacks during the first round of combat have disadvantage against you.   LIEUTENANT'S DEMAND
Prerequisites: 10th level, House of Kings You can cast the spell command at will without using a spell slot.   MAGE HAND KNACK
Prerequisite: mage hand cantrip Your skill with the mage hand cantrip allows you to use it as an extension of yourself. When you cast the spell and as a bonus action on each of your subsequent turns, you can use one of the following effects with the hand:
Press. The hand pushes against a Large or smaller creature within 5 feet of it. Choose a direction away from that creature. Every foot of movement in that direction while the hand is pressing against it costs the creature two feet of movement. The hand continues to push the target until the spell ends or you use your bonus action to use a different effect using the hand.
Punch. The hand strikes one creature or object within 5 feet of it. Make a melee spell attack for the hand using your spell attack bonus. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 force damage.
Seize. The hand grabs a creature of Tiny size and attempts to grapple it. The creature must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against your spell save DC or be grappled by the hand. The hand continues to grapple the target until the target uses an action to escape on its turn, the spell ends, or you use your bonus action to use a different effect using the hand.   MINOR SHADOW ILLUSION Prerequisite: minor illusion cantrip When you create the image of an object in an unoccupied space using the minor illusion cantrip, you can fill it with fibers of shadowstuff, causing it to become partially real. No matter what form the semi-real object takes, it still must be no larger than a 5-foot cube. It has AC 10 and 5 HP, and it weighs 5 pounds. You can only have one semi-real illusion at a time. While this semi-real object exists, the cantrip requires your concentration.
The illusion can’t replicate a creature, but it can deal damage to a creature within its 5-foot cube. If the illusion is of an object that can deal damage, a creature that enters the object’s 5-foot cube or begins its turn there must make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d6 damage of a type appropriate to the illusion. This damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). This damage can’t trigger Warmage Edge or any warmage tricks.   MYSTICAL ARMOR
You can cast the spell mage armor on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot.   MYSTICAL ATHLETE
Prerequisite: quickstep or springheel cantrip When you cast the quickstep cantrip, your speed increases by 20 feet instead of 10 feet. When you cast the springheel cantrip, your jumping distance increases by 20 feet instead of 10 feet. If you know both of these cantrips, you can cast both of them as part of the same bonus action.   MYSTICAL WEAPONMASTER
Prerequisite: force weapon or magic daggers cantrip Once on each of your turns when you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll for the force weapon or magic daggers cantrips, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.   MYSTICAL VISION
You can cast the spell detect magic at will without expending a spell slot.   PHANTOM HOOKSHOT
Prerequisite: phantom grapnel cantrip You can cast the phantom grapnel cantrip as a bonus action. If you do so, its range is reduced to 15 feet. Additionally, creatures pulled by phantom grapnel are pulled an additional 10 feet.   RAPID FORTIFICATION
Prerequisite: mending cantrip You can cast the mending cantrip as a bonus action, or you can cast it as an action for one of the following effects:
  • You can restore a single object, such as a door, cart, wall, or window to pristine condition, if at least half of its parts are present. This object can be no larger than 10 cubic feet, or 1 cubic foot if it is an exceptionally complex object (such as a clock).
  • You can create simple fortifications, such as sealing a door shut, adding wooden planks to a window, or building a short stone wall (no larger than 10 cubic feet). You must have the materials present to use this ability.
  SNAKE EYES
Prerequisites: House of Dice, 10th level If you roll a 1 or 2 on a Die of Fate, you keep the die instead of giving it to the GM.   SEVERE CANTRIP
When a creature rolls a 1 on a saving throw against one of your warmage cantrips, it automatically fails the save and takes twice the number of damage dice dealt by the spell, as if you scored a critical hit. The additional damage only applies to the creature that rolled a 1.   SIGNATURE FOCUS
Prerequisite: 5th level When you finish a long rest, you can place a unique sigil on a simple weapon, which becomes your signature focus until you use this ability again. This weapon becomes magical, and can be used as an arcane focus. Your signature focus is bonded to you, and gains a number of special abilities:
  • As a bonus action, you can call your signature focus to your hand, as long as you are on the same plane as it.
  • You can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, to attack rolls using your signature focus.
  • Your signature focus gains a number of charges equal to your Intelligence modifier. When you damage a creature with it or a cantrip cast through it, you can expend one charge to deal an additional 1d8 force damage to that creature.
Your focus regains all spent charges after you finish a long rest.   SILENT CANTRIP
Once on each of your turns when you deal thunder damage to a hostile creature with a warmage cantrip, you can create a 15-foot diameter sphere of magical silence, centered on yourself or the creature (your choice), which lasts until the start of your next turn.   SPLIT FIRE
Prerequisite: 5th level When you cast a warmage cantrip that requires a single spell attack roll, you can select multiple creatures and make a spell attack roll against each. You can target a number of creatures equal to the number of damage dice the cantrip deals, and split your damage dice up amongst your targets, to a minimum of 1 die of damage per target. Each attack must target a different creature. For example, fire bolt deals 3d10 damage. You can choose to target three creatures and deal 1d10 damage to each creature, or you can target two creatures, dealing 1d10 damage to one creature and 2d10 damage to the other creature, or you can target one creature for 3d10 damage.   STATIC CANTRIP
Whenever you deal lightning damage to a hostile creature using a warmage cantrip, you can sap part of the energy into a charge which clings to your body until the beginning of your next turn. While charged, you can use your reaction when you take damage from a creature you can see within 5 feet of you to deal lightning damage equal to half your warmage level to the creature.   UNERRING STRIKE
Prerequisites: 10th level, true strike cantrip When you cast the true strike cantrip, you can concentrate on it for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier. You gain advantage on the first attack roll you make against the target each round while maintaining concentration on true strike.
subclass options:

WARMAGE HOUSES

Each warmage is defined by their chosen House, which teaches them valuable skills and offers a confederation of allies they will keep for their lives. Named for games of strategy and games of chance, each house emphasizes a unique approach to spellcasting and combat.  

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops adopts warmages with true arcane potential, expanding on essential magic principles with true spellcasting. Such warmages might be easily confused for wizards or sorcerers, for they don the same garb and wield many of the same spells, but the warmage focus on perfection still holds precedence over garnering a vast array of spells.   SPELLCASTING
When you choose this house at 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells more potent than cantrips.
Spell Slots. The Bishop Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your 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.
Spells known of 1st-Level or Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the conjuration and evocation spells on the wizard spell list. The Spells Known column of the Bishop Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be a conjuration or evocation spell of your choice, except for the spells learned at 8th, and 14th level, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be a conjuration or evocation spell, unless you’re replacing the spell you gained at 8th or 14th level.
Warmage Edge. You can add additional damage with your warmage spells of 1st level or higher using your Warmage Edge feature, as if they were cantrips. You can’t add Warmage Edge damage to the spell magic missile.
Warmage level Cantrips known Spells known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
3rd 2 3 2 - - -
4th 2 4 3 - - -
5th 2 4 3 - - -
6th 2 4 3 - - -
7th 2 5 4 2 - -
8th 2 6 4 2 - -
9th 2 6 4 2 - -
10th 3 7 4 3 - -
11th 3 8 4 3 - -
12th 3 8 4 3 - -
13th 3 9 4 3 3 -
14th 3 10 4 3 3 -
15th 3 10 4 3 3 -
16th 3 11 4 3 3 -
17th 3 11 4 3 3 -
18th 3 11 4 3 3 -
19th 3 12 4 3 3 1
20th 3 13 4 3 3 1
ARCANE STUDY
At 3rd level, you become proficient in two of the following skills: Arcana, History, Medicine, Investigation, or Religion.   MYSTICAL COMPANION
At 7th level, you learn the find familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual. The spell doesn’t count against your number of spells known. When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite.   SIEGE CASTING
At 10th level, damage you deal to objects with a warmage spell is doubled. Additionally, when you cast a warmage spell which requires a spell attack roll, you can cast it at up to double its normal range. If its target is beyond its normal range, the spell attack has disadvantage.   ARCANE SCULPTING
Starting at 15th level, when you cast a warmage spell that affects other creatures that you can see, you can choose a number of them equal to your Intelligence modifier. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.   ARCANE DOMINANCE
At 18th level, you learn a powerful magical trick. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a number of spell slots with a combined level of 6 or more to regain an expended use of your Arcane Surge.  

House of Cards

Warmages who join the House of Cards approach combat the same way they do games of chance, with high stakes, calculated gambles. Each warmage of this house wields a special deck of cards tied to the very threads of fate, through which they can empower their magic with deft flurries of hands. However, while these warmages command incredible power, their magical surges are at the whims of the cards, and so they must make strategic, ingenious plays to master them.   BLUFF
When you choose this house at 3rd level, your poker face carries you through practically any lie. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill and with gaming sets (playing cards), if you didn’t have it already. Additionally, you can use your Intelligence instead of Charisma for Charisma (Deception) checks you make.   DECK OF FATE
Starting at 3rd level, you gain a deck of magical playing or tarot cards, called a Deck of Fate, through which you can enhance the power of your cantrips. Shuffle a standard 52-card playing card deck and draw a hand of 5 cards when you roll initiative. Whenever you target a hostile creature with a warmage spell that deals damage, you can use your bonus action to play one or more cards from your hand to enhance the power of the spell. If the cards exactly match one of the results on the Hands table below, it deals additional damage or one additional effect according to the result to one of the spell’s targets of your choice. Playing cards which do not match a result has no effect. Aces count as ones for results. Once you play a card, place it on the bottom of the deck and draw back to five cards.   HIGH STAKES
At 7th level, you’ve mastered a very risky card trick using your Deck of Fate. On your turn, you can choose to lose 2 hit points to play 1 card from your hand and draw back to 5 cards (no action required).   DEALER'S CHOICE
At 10th level, you can use your bonus action to gain one of the following three abilities, selected by the GM:
  • You gain resistance to all damage until the end of your next turn.
  • You teleport to a point you can see within 60 feet.
  • You vanish into a safe, endless demiplane until the beginning of your next turn, at which time you return at the same location from which you vanished.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.   CARD READING
Beginning at 15th level, once on each of your turns when you draw a card from your deck as part of your Deck of Fate feature, you can declare a suit (Club, Diamonds, Hearts, or Spades) and check the top card of your deck. If you guessed the suit correctly, you can take the Dash, Disengage, or Use an Object action as part of the bonus action used for the feature.   ACE IN THE HOLE
Beginning at 18th level, you are a deckmaster. Whenever you would draw one or more cards from your deck, draw twice as many. Put half of the drawn cards on the bottom of your deck and the other cards in your hand.   HANDS
Name Cards Beneit
Straight Any five sequential cards, regardless of house. You deal an additional 12 damage.
Flush Any five cards of the same suit, regardless of order. You deal an additional 10 damage.
Three of a Kind Any three of the same card. You deal an additional 6 damage.
Pair Any two of the same card. You deal an additional 2 damage.
Hearts Any two hearts. You gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier.
Spades Any two spades. Your movement speed increases by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
Diamonds Any two diamonds. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Clubs Any two clubs. You gain a +1 bonus to saving throws until the start of your next.

House of Dice

The House of Dice throws out the warmage convention of meticulous, deliberate spellcasting in favor of wild, chaotic magic that presses the odds. Everything, from their magical bursts to their enchanted sets of dice can fail horribly, so it’s auspicious that they often keep their fingers on the scales of fate. These warmages have mastered not only a repertoire of cantrips, but also techniques to manipulate fortune itself, allowing them to risk everything, and more than often come out on top.   BONUS PROFICIENCIES
Starting when you choose this house at 3rd level, your light fingers and unscrupulous tactics help you win the day. You gain proficiency in the Sleight of Hand skill and with gaming sets (dice set), if you didn’t have it already.   DICE OF FATE
At 3rd level, you gain four Dice of Fate, which are d6s. Whenever you make an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or damage roll, you can expend a Die of Fate and add it to the roll. Once you expend a Die of Fate, it goes to the GM, who can use it to add it to a roll made by an NPC or monster. Once the GM has used a die, it passes back to you, and so on. When you finish a long rest, you regain all of your expended Dice of Fate, whether or not the GM has used them.
Beginning at 7th level, you have an additional 2 Dice of Fate, and you can add two Dice of Fate to your damage rolls with warmage spells.   CHAOS ROLL
Also at 3rd level, you can expend two of your Dice of Fate as an action, rolling them on the table below to create a chaotic surge of energy
2d6 Effect
2 You cast fireball, centered on yourself.
3 Your AC is reduced by 2 until the start of your next turn.
4 You fall prone.
5 Each creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you can speak only in a babbling nonsense language for the next minute, and can’t perform the verbal components of spells.
6 A 5-foot radius sphere of butterflies, insects, or doves fills a location you can choose within range, heavily obscuring the area until the start of your next turn.
7 You gain 7 temporary hit points, and keep the Dice of Fate instead of giving them to the GM.
8 You become invisible until the end of your next turn, as per the spell invisibility
9 A random object explodes nearby, dealing no damage to you or your allies, and dealing 3d6 fire damage to one creature caught in the blast chosen by the GM.
10 You teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied location you can see. Each creature within 5 feet of the destination must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or take 2d6 force damage.
11 Choose a creature you can see within 60 feet. That creature takes 4d6 necrotic damage, and you regain hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt.
12 You cast lightning bolt and can add the Dice of Fate to the damage roll.
LOADED DICE
By 7th level, you can subtly cheat your dice. Once on each of your turns when you roll a d6, you can flip the die upside down. Note that on a balanced d6, the top and bottom numbers add up to 7, so you can determine the bottom number by subtracting the top from 7.   TWISTED FATE
Starting at 10th level, the winds of chance follow your die rolls, rather than vice-versa. When you make an attack roll or ability check with disadvantage on your turn, you can attempt to invert fate as a bonus action. Expend a Die of Fate and roll it; on a 5, you ignore disadvantage on the roll, on a 6, you instead have advantage on the attack roll or ability check.   ROLL THE BONES
Beginning at 15th level, you can channel the chaotic energy of your dice in an instant. As a reaction when you take damage from a creature you can see, you can expend two Dice of Fate to make a Chaos Roll.   STEAL LUCK
Starting at 18th level, when you roll initiative, roll a d6. You steal that many Dice of Fate back from the GM.  

House of Kings

Warmages who train in the House of Kings specialize in tactics and strategy, learning age-old maneuvers to give them the edge in combat. Natural-born leaders, Kings work best with a cadre of supporters to perform their tactics and overwhelm the enemy. Moreso than all other warmages, those in the House of Kings treat life and death as little more than a game of strategy to be understood and conquered.     BONUS PROFICIENCIES
When you choose this house at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, battleaxes, longswords, tridents, lances, and warhammers.   BATTLE TACTICS
At 3rd level, you learn stratagems that are fueled by special dice called Battle dice.
Battle Dice. You have two battle dice, which are d8s. A battle die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your battle dice when you take a short or long rest, or when you roll initiative. Your battle die changes and more battle dice become available when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the table below.
Warmage level Battle Dice
3rd 2d8
7th 3d8
13th 3d10
19th 4d10

Using Battle Dice.
Once per turn, you can expend a battle die to perform a stratagem of your choice. Your stratagem options are detailed at the end of the subclass description.
Saving Throws. When a stratagem calls for a saving throw to resist its effects, use your spell save DC.   LEAD FROM THE FRONT
Starting at 7th level, you and each friendly creature within 100 feet that can see you ignores nonmagical difficult terrain.   TACTICAL MASTER
Starting at 10th level, friendly creatures within 10 feet of you add your Intelligence modifier to saving throws against spells and magical effects that deal damage.   STRATAGEM: CHECKMATE
At 15th level, you learn the following maneuver: When you hit a creature with a weapon or spell attack, you can use your bonus action and expend a battle die to direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you that is within reach of the creature you hit. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack or cast a cantrip requiring an attack roll, adding the battle die to the attack’s damage roll.   GRANDMASTER
Beginning at 18th level, when you roll initiative, choose a number of friendly creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier that can hear or see you to gain a battle die. Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, damage roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it makes the roll before deciding to add the battle die, but must decide before the GM declares the roll’s outcome. Once the battle die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one battle die from this feature at a time.   STRATAGEMS
The stratagems are presented in alphabetical order.   Blitz. As a bonus action, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one battle die to maneuver one of your comrades into a more advantageous position. Choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can use its reaction to move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the target of your attack.
Check. When you hit a creature with an attack, as a bonus action you can spend one battle die to force that creature to flee. The target must make a Charisma saving throw. A creature that is immune to being charmed automatically succeeds this saving throw. On a failed save, the target must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move up to half its speed directly away from you.
Flash of Brilliance. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom ability check, you can expend and roll one battle die to add its result to your ability check. You can choose to use this stratagem after the ability check is rolled but before the GM declares whether the result was a success or failure.
Gambit. When you hit a creature with an attack, you can expend one battle die to give your allies an opening. The next creature other than you to make an attack against the target adds the battle die to their attack roll.
Mystic Counsel. You can use a bonus action and expend one battle die to give counsel to a creature that can hear you within 30 feet. Once in the next minute when the creature makes a saving throw against a spell it can choose to roll the battle die and add its result to the saving throw.
Stalemate. When you hit a creature with an attack, as a bonus action you can expend one battle die to hold that creature in place. Until the end of its next turn, the target can’t willingly move unless it first takes the Disengage action.  

House of Knights

The House of Knights have a long and storied tradition of melding melee combat and swordplay with the warmage’s simple spellcasting. Unlike other warriors, however, Knights carry neither swords or shields into combat, for they can forge both out of magical force at a moment’s notice.   BONUS PROFICIENCIES
When you choose this house at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and martial weapons.   FORCE BREASTPLATE
At 3rd level, plates of magical force reinforce your armor. While you are wearing light or medium armor or are under the effects of mage armor, you can add your Intelligence, rather than your Dexterity, to your Armor Class.   MYSTICAL WEAPON
Also at 3rd level, you learn the force weapon cantrip, which does not count against your total number of cantrips known. Additionally, on your turn when you would draw a weapon, you can summon a simple or martial weapon, made entirely of magical force, to your empty hand. This weapon counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. This weapon vanishes if it leaves your hand.   FLURRY OF BLADES
Beginning at 7th level, when you cast a cantrip which allows you to make multiple spell attacks, such as force weapon or magic daggers, you can use your bonus action to make one additional spell attack.   KNIGHT'S WARD
Starting 10th level, you learn to forge a hardened magical barrier between you and your foes. As a bonus action on your turn, you can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to twice your warmage level, which last for 1 minute.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.   TACTICAL MANEUVER
At 15th level, you can spend your entire movement to teleport up to half your movement speed to a location you can see.   FIELD OF BLADES
Starting at 18th level, you can summon a whirlwind of mystical weapons, striking at a legion of foes in a single swipe. As an action on your turn, you can choose up to 5 creatures you can see within 30 feet. Make a single melee spell attack against each target. On a hit, a target takes 2d10 + your Intelligence modifier force damage.  

House of Lancers

Warmages who join the House of Lancers are trained in fluid martial arts and meditative asceticism, melding the stoic discipline of monks with potent spellcasting. As such, they are unarmed elemental warriors, self-reliant and capable of feats no monk or warmage could hope to match. However, Lancers are notoriously neutral in almost all matters, and stand apart from the politics of the other Houses. Lancers derive their name from an ancient precursor to the pawn, a piece remembered only in early variants of chess. Remote monasteries still play using this ancient set of rules: a smaller board, fewer pieces, and lancers replacing the dutiful pawns. It is a relic from a forgotten age, rife with symbolism.   INTERCEPT TECHNIQUE
Starting when you choose this house at 3rd level, you adopt the monastic principle of offensive protection. While you are unarmored or are under the effects of mage armor, you can add your Intelligence, rather than your Dexterity, to your Armor Class.   HAND-TO-HAND ARCANA
Also at 3rd level, you learn the Lancer’s secret unarmed combat technique, granting you the following benefits:
  • You can use Intelligence instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.
  • Your unarmed strikes count as melee weapons for the purposes of warmage spells.
  • Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage.
  SHOCK TROOPER
Starting at 3rd level, can rapidly close the distance between you and your foes. Whenever you make a melee attack on your turn against a creature you can see, you can lunge up to 15 feet toward your target before making the attack. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. You can perform this movement even if it causes you to travel through the air, though you fall after making the attack if you do not land on solid ground.   MYSTICAL PHYSICALITY
Starting at 7th level, whenever you make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check, you can use your Intelligence modifier instead of the normal modifier. In addition, moving through rough terrain no longer costs you additional movement.   DEFLECT ENERGY
By 10th level, you can deflect bolts of energy with your bare hands. As a reaction when you are hit by a ranged spell attack or a ranged weapon attack which deals cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, or radiant damage, you can use your reaction to deflect the bolt. The damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Intelligence modifier + half your warmage level (rounded down).   IMPROVED SHOCK TROOPER
Starting at 15th level, you can lunge up to 30 feet using your Shock Trooper ability. This movement causes you to teleport through creatures and objects, blinking to the target in an instant. You can’t end your movement in an occupied space.   FLURRY OF SPELLS
Starting at 18th level, you can cast spells with superhuman speed. As an action, you can expend a use of your Arcane Surge ability to cast three different cantrips which have a casting time of 1 action or 1 bonus action. You can’t use your Arcane Surge feature on any of these cantrips.  

House of Pawns

By far the most prominent warmage House is that of the Pawns. Warmages which join the House of Pawns learn to stretch their skill with cantrips to its limits. Pawns can master any cantrip or trick known to the other warmage houses, for they embody the adaptability all warmages aspire to.   PROMOTION
When you choose this house at 3rd level, you gain the adaptability of the quintessential warmage. You learn one warmage trick of your choice, which doesn’t count against your total number of warmage tricks known. Additionally, whenever you learn a warmage trick, you can learn tricks which have the House of Bishops, House of Kings, House of Knights, or House of Rooks as a prerequisite, so long as you meet all of the tricks other prerequisites.   ADAPTIVE ARCANIST
Also at 3rd level, you learn to emulate the spellcasting prowess of other warmages. When you finish a short or long rest, choose one warmage cantrip. You learn this cantrip, which doesn’t count against the total number of warmage cantrips you can learn, until you choose a different one with this feature.   PAWN STORM
Beginning at 7th level, when you cast a cantrip targeting a creature, you don’t provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn, whether you deal damage using the cantrip or not.   ADDITIONAL ARCANE FIGHTING STYLE
At 10th level, you can choose a second option from the Arcane Fighting Style class feature.   OPENING MOVE
Starting at 15th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to your initiative rolls. Additionally, when you roll initiative and you are not surprised, you can move up to your movement speed.   FUNDAMENTAL MASTERY
Starting at 18th level, your magic always finds its way to your foes most vulnerable spots. Once on each turn when you roll damage for a warmage cantrip, you can choose to replace one damage die roll with the maximum possible result.  

House of Rooks

The clandestine members of the House of Rooks make adept spies, assassins, and scouts, though Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. they might just as easily pick up jobs run by rogues and brigands. In addition to their suite of cantrips, Rooks are light on their feet and know a few tricks to magically open doors in utter silence.   ROOK STRIKE
Starting you choose this house at 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can gain advantage on the next spell attack roll you make on your turn. Alternatively, you can impose disadvantage on a saving throw a creature makes against a warmage spell you cast before the end of your turn. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest, or you use a cantrip to reduce a creature to 0 hit points.   RASP
Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the knock spell at will without using a spell slot or spell components. When you cast the spell using this ability, the casting time is increased to 1 minute and the spell is completely silent.   ARCANE ACROBAT
Beginning at 7th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to all Dexterity checks you make. Additionally, while you are conscious, you ignore falling damage from falling any distance shorter than 60 feet. Subtract 60 feet from the distance fallen when calculating falling damage from further drops.   FLEETING DECOY
At 10th level, as a reaction when you take damage from a creature you can see, you raise a defensive illusion to protect you from further harm. Attacks made against you have disadvantage until the beginning of your next turn.   ELUSIVE STEP
By 15th level, you’re extremely difficult to pin down. If you move more than 15 feet on your turn, any additional movement you make does not provoke opportunity attacks.   FLASH OF FEATHERS
Starting at 18th level, you can vanish without a trace, slip behind enemy lines, and dive in for the kill. You can cast the invisibility spell once, targeting yourself only, without using a spell slot or spell components. While you are invisible, your movement speed is doubled, and you can make one attack or cast one warmage cantrip without ending the spell. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
LEVELPROFICIENCY BONUSFEATURESCANTRIPS KNOWNCANTRIP BONUS DICETRICKS KNOWN
1st+2Spellcasting, Arcane Initiation, Arcane Fighting Style40
2nd+2Warmage Edge, Warmage Tricks402
3rd+2Warmage House503
4th+2Ability Score Improvement503
5th+3Arcane Surge614
6th+3Tactical Insight614
7th+3Warmage House feature615
8th+3Ability Score Improvement615
9th+4716
10th+4Warmage House feature716
11th+4Arcane Surge improvement727
12th+4Ability Score Improvement727
13th+5828
14th+5Strategic Deflection828
15th+5Warmage House feature829
16th+5Ability Score Improvement829
17th+69310
18th+6Warmage House feature9310
19th+6Ability Score Improvement9310
20th+6Master Warmage10310

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