Studious Sages

A barbarian's weapon is their physical might, a wizard's weapon is their spells; the scholar's weapon is their mind. They provide insight into a foe's defenses or weaknesses, while augmenting their own attacks by striking advantageous locations.

As such, they hone their weapon through education. Where others may seek wealth, a scholar might be drawn toward the lost secrets of a dead empire or the latest research of a colony of aberrations.

Creating a Scholar

Scholars are learned by nature, and must continue their studies to grow in ability. As you create your scholar character, think about their past, present, and future. Where did you receive your extensive knowledge? Are you an alumnus of a prestigious college? Did you study under a reclusive or eccentric mentor? Is your training self-realized after months of solitary contemplation? Maybe your knowledge is not your own, bestowed upon you through an eldritch gift or divine boon.

Next, consider what prompted your character to adventure. Perhaps your education left you with a significant debt, monetary or otherwise. Are you in search of more lore to expand your knowledge even further, possibly forbidden by your institution of study? Think about how your character interacts with others. Long hours in the study or laboratory can reduce one's sensitivity to social functions.

Quick Build

You can make a scholar quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity or Constitution. Choose Charisma instead if you plan on attending the Rhetorical Institute. Second, choose the sage background.

Class Features

As a Scholar, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d8 per scholar level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Consitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or ) + your Constitution modifier

Proficiencies

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• Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: simple weapons, hand crossbows, scimitars
• Tools: Choose any two

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• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose any three

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) leather armor or (b) hide armor
• (a) three simple weapons or (b) one simple weapon and a shield
• a martial weapon
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) a diplomat's pack
• two sets of artisan's tools

Lore

You can use a bonus action on your turn to study a creature or creature's corpse you can see, tapping into your knowledge of the creature. When you do so, make an Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion check, depending on the type of creature.

If you succeed the check, you gain a Lore die for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. This die, which starts as a d4, can be added to attack or damage rolls against creatures similar to the one you studied. You choose which to add the die to after you make the attack, but before you know whether it hits. You can use the Lore die as many times as you want while you have it, but you can only have one at a time. Lore dice may only apply to one attack per turn.

The Scholar

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Lore	Features
1st	+2	1d4	Lore, Degree
2nd	+2	1d4	Exploits, Leadership
3rd	+2	1d4	Scholarly Institute
4th	+2	1d4	Ability Score Increase
5th	+3	1d6	Fast Mind, Hidden Secrets, Degree (5)
6th	+3	1d6	Advisor, Institute Feature
7th	+3	1d6	Encyclopedic Mind, Exploits (4)
8th	+3	1d6	Ability Score Increase
9th	+4	1d8	Precision Strikes
10th	+4	1d8	Doctorate, Exploits (5)
11th	+4	1d8	Institute Feature, Hidden Secrets (2)
12th	+4	1d8	Ability Score Increase
13th	+5	1d10	Calculated Defense
14th	+5	1d10	Degree (7), Exploits (6)
15th	+5	1d10	Institute Feature
16th	+5	1d10	Ability Score Increase
17th	+6	1d12	Signature Exploit
18th	+6	1d12	Hidden Secrets (3), Exploits (7)
19th	+6	1d12	Ability Score Increase
20th	+6	1d12	Loremaster

Degree

As a scholar, you have devoted yourself to the intellectual study of a certain topic. At 1st level, choose one skill, one weapon, and one skill, tool, or weapon. You gain a special type of proficiency with them: instead of your proficiency bonus, you add your Intelligence modifier. At 5th and 14th levels, you can choose two more skills, weapons, or tools to gain this benefit.

Exploits

Starting at 2nd level, you can channel your knowledge of a creature into a wrathful strike. When you damage a creature affected by your Lore die, you can choose to discard your Lore on all creatures in order to activate an Exploit. Exploits may only be used once per turn. You know three Exploits from the list below. You learn one more Exploit at 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.

Saving Throws. Some Exploits require a saving throw. The DC is calculated as follows:

Scholar Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Intelligence modifier

Confusing Strike. The target must roll your Lore die and subtract the result from its next Wisdom saving throw before the start of your next turn.

Defensive Stance. You add your Lore die to your AC against the target's attacks until the start of your next turn.

Disarming Strike. The target must succeed a Strength saving throw or drop one held item at their feet.

Distracting Strike. The target has disadvantage on Concentration checks until the start of your next turn.

Encouraging Strike. Choose an ally that can see or hear you. They gain temporary hit points equal to your Lore die + your Intelligence modifier.

Guiding Strike. One ally that can see you can add your Lore die to anattack or damage roll against the creature until the start of your next turn.

Hindering Strike. The target's speed is halved until the end of its next turn.

Slowing Strike. The target can't take reactions until the start of your next turn.

Swift Focus. You can immediately make a Lore check against a different creature within 30 feet.

"Similar to the one you Studied"

The DM decides what creatures count as the same type for this purpose. Not as broad as creature type, this is intended to be the same or similar stat blocks. For example, if studying a hobgoblin warrior, the Lore die would likely apply to the hobgoblin's commander, but probably not an orc mercenary.

Unbalancing Strike. The target must roll your Lore die and subtract the result from its next Dexterity saving throw before the start of your next turn.

Wrathful Strike. Roll one additional Lore die for your damage roll.

Leadership

Also beginning at 2nd level, you can lead your allies on and off the battlefield. When you take the Help action, including when you aid an ally in attacking, the target can be up to 30 feet away, rather than 5, as long as you can see or hear the target.

Institute

When you reach 3rd level, you have specialized your studies. Choose the Arcane Institute, Culinary Institute, Medical Institute, Institute of Investigation, Tactical Institute, or Institute of the Wayfarer. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 15th levels.

Institute of Engineering

Scholars from the Institute of Engineering turn their focus to the development of mechanical devices - sometimes mixed with a healthy dose of arcane innovation. Called artificers, engineers, or inventors, they create astounding (and often unstable) inventions.

In addition, you gain proficiency in tinker's tools. If you already have this proficiency, you can double your proficiency bonus for any check that uses them.

Tradecraft

Choose one of the options below

Master Smith. During a long rest, you can designate a set of armor or a weapon to improve. At the end of the long rest, the designated item gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls or to Armor Class until the next long rest.

Master Jeweler. During a long rest, you can hone the decorations of a spellcasting focus. At the end of the long rest, spells cast using the focus gain a +1 bonus to their save DC or attack roll.

Feast

Beginning at 3rd level when you choose this college, you can prepare a feast for your allies over a short rest. The feast consists of two ingredients and can feed a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier. The benefits of a feast wear off on your next short or long rest. You know how to prepare three ingredients from the following list:

Bullywug Legs. All who partake can double their long and vertical jump distance and gain advantage on saving throws against poison.

Exotic Spices. Choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. Once per turn, all who partake can roll your Lore die and reduce damage of that type an amount equal to the total.

Fried Griffin. Once, those who partake gain a limited flying speed equal to their normal speed for one round - if they are aloft at the end of their turn, they start falling.

Healthy Greens. All who partake gain a +2 bonus to death saving throws and have advantage on saving throws against disease.

Hearty Cheeses. All who partake gain temporary hit points equal to a roll of your Lore die + your Intelligence modifier.

Illithid Brain. All who partake can communicate telepathically with each other as long as they remain within 100 feet of each other.

Kraken Filets. All who partake gain a swimming speed equal to their normal speed.

Owlbear Eyes. All who partake gain darkvision out to 30 feet, and dim light in this radius counts as bright light.

Ooze Extract. All who partake gain advantage on checks made to escape a grapple or restrain.

Rabbit's Feet. All who partake gain inspiration.

Shellfish. All who partake can choose to roll a Lore die and add the total to any one saving throw they make.

Smashed Potatoes. All who partake use your Lore die for the damage of their unarmed strikes.

You learn one additional ingredient at 6th, 11th, and 15th levels. In addition, you gain proficiency in cook's utensils, brewer's supplies, or alchemist's supplies. Choose one of these: you can double your proficiency bonus for any check that uses them.

Leftovers

Starting at 6th level, you learn to always save a morsel from your meals. After you prepare a Feast, you gain a morsel of leftover food. As a bonus action, you can feed the morsel to a creature you touch. They roll your Lore die twice and regain hit points equal to the total, and gain the benefit of one of your ingredients. The morsel spoils and is inedible when you finish another short rest.

Three-Course Meal

Beginning at 11th level, your feasts can consist of three ingredients instead of two.

Choice Cuts

When you reach 15th level, you always save the best, most filling morsels for later. You can add your Intelligence modifier to the healing caused by your Leftovers feature. In addition, any hit points in excess of the target's maximum are gained as temporary hit points.

In addition, you can make a DC 30 Intelligence check with your Cook's utensils to add a fourth ingredient to a Feast you make. On a failure, you're left with only two ingredients.

Institute of Investigation

Scholars from the Institute of Investigation are most concerned with one thing: finding the truth. And in the adventuring world, this most often involves criminal inquiry. Investigators can be found employed by city guards or working in private agencies, using their mental acuity to solve - or fabricate - crimes.

Forensic Science

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this Institute, you can eke out the cause of a creature's death by examining its wounds. You can make a Lore check while within 5 feet of a corpse. The check may be more difficult than a normal Lore check, and may involve Medicine or Investigation. If you succeed, you learn the type of creature and type of damage that killed the victim, and such creatures become the target of your study.

In addition, your memory and focus strengthen: your Lore dice last for one hour instead of one minute.

Discerning Investigator

Also at 3rd level when you choose this college, you can use your knowledge of foes in and out of the battlefield. You can add your Lore die to any skill check involving the target of your study.

In addition, your passive Perception and Investigation each increase by 5, and you can't be surprised.

Inqusitive Strikes

Starting at 6th level, you have adapted your tracking skills to combat. You immediately learn one of the following Exploits of your choice, and you can also choose from them whenever you gain one:

Enlightening Strike. You learn an additional Hidden Secret about the target.

Interrogating Strike. The target must succeed a Charisma saving throw against being frightened or suffer disadvantage on Deception and Persuasion checks for one minute.

Manacles. After you hit with a melee attack, the target must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or become restrained. They can attempt to escape at the start of each of their turns by making an Athletics or Acrobatics check against your DC.

Searching Strike. You can take the Search action immediately, and add your Lore die to the ability check.

Tracking Strike: You focus your senses on the target. While they are within 60 feet, you always know their location.

Eyewitness Account

Beginning at 11th level, you can piece together your knowledge of a creature merely from layman's descriptions. You can make a Lore check using only witness descriptions of a creature. This check may be more difficult, especially if the information is inaccurate, and may involve Insight. If you succeed, you learn the type of creature being described, and it becomes the target of your study.

In addition, your Lore dice last for 8 hours instead of 1 hour, and you automatically sense illusions and shapechangers not in their true form if you can see them.

Boundless Mind

Starting at 15th level, you can make extraordinary leaps of logic. By spending 1 minute in deep concentration, you can gain knowledge as if by casting divination, but without using any components. You must finish a long rest before using this feature again. In addition, you regain the use of your Encyclopedic Mind feature upon completing a short rest.

Medical Institute

Scholars from the Medical Institute have extensive knowledge of biological systems of humans and their brethren, making them masters of both healing and making precise strikes against all manner of creatures.

Battle Medic

Starting at 3rd level when you choose the Medical Institute, your biological studies have taught you to heal swiftly .

You have medical supplies represented by a pool of points equal to 5 x your scholar level. As an action, you can aid a creature you touch, drawing points from the pool to restore an equal number of hit points to the creature.

Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool to cure one disease or poison affecting the target. You can cure multiple diseases and poisons with a single use, expending hit points separately for each one.

In addition, you gain proficiency with the herbalism kit and the Medicine skill, if you don't already have it.

Inoculate

Also beginning at 3rd level, you have advantage on saving throws against poison and disease, and resistance to poison damage. During a short rest, you can transfer these benefits to a different creature taking the short rest.

When you reach 11th level, the advantage extends to saving throws against being paralyzed, petrified, stunned, or forced asleep.

Surgical Strikes

Beginning at 6th level, your knowledge of organ systems lets you inflict especially harmful strikes. You immediately learn one of the following Exploits of your choice, and you can also choose from them whenever you gain one:

Crippling Strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or lose all speeds other than walking until the end of their next turn.

Liver Strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for one minute. While poisoned in this way, poison damage the target takes cannot be reduced in any way. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Nauseating Strike. The target must roll your Lore die and subtract the result from its next Constitution saving throw before the start of your next turn.

Optical Strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the end of its next turn or until it receives magical healing. A creature is unaffected if it doesn't have eyes or uses another method of seeing.

Battle Scholar

Starting at 3rd level, you are accustomed to the challenges of the battlefield. You gain proficiency with heavy armor, and you can pick a Fighting Style from the Fighter list.

In addition, your maximum hit points increase by 3, and increase an additional 1 point each time you gain a level in this class. You can use your Intelligence rather than Dexterity modifier for initiative rolls.

Tactical Exploits

Also starting at 3rd level when you choose this Institute, you immediately learn one of the following Exploits of your choice, and you can also choose from them whenever you gain one:

Invigorating Strike. Choose an ally that can see or hear you: they can move their initative position to be immediately after yours.

Maneuvering Strike. Choose an ally that can see or hear you: they can move up to their speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Marking Strike. Weapon attacks against the target have advantage until the start of your next turn.

Menacing Strike. The target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Pushing Attack. The target must succeed a Strength saving throw or be pushed in a straight line away from you. The maximum number of feet you can push them is equal to 5 x your Strength modifier.

Weapon Tutor

Beginning at 6th level, you are an expert on the academic study of weaponry. When you use your Advisor feature to instruct a creature in the use of a weapon, they can also gain a Fighting Style of your choice from the Fighter list while the Advisor feature lasts. In addition, you learn the following Exploit:

Commander's Strike. An ally that can see or hear you can use their reaction to make a single weapon attack.

Supreme Control

Starting at 11th level, you can instruct your allies on advantageous strikes. As a reaction to an ally hitting an attack roll, you can activate one Exploit on their attack, assuming they want to use it. Doing so still cancels your Lore dice.

Master of Exploits

When you reach 15th level, using an Exploit or your Supreme Control feature no longer cancels your Lore dice.

In addition, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking, you can do so as long as they can hear or see you.

Institute of the Wayfarer

Scholars from the Institute of the Wayfarer are least likely to have gained their knowledge from an actual college - their knowledge of nature often comes from firsthand experience and documentation. That said, many Wayfarers are apt to spend weeks studying legendary monsters before traveling across the land to hunt them.

Quarry

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you can prepare yourself to challenge a particular foe. At the end of a short or long rest, choose a creature type: until you choose a different creature type, you have advantage on Lore checks against creatures of that type.

Slayer's Oil

Beginning at 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you gain the alchemical knowledge necessary to smite even the greatest foes. You roll an additional Lore die when determining Lore damage against creatures of your Quarry type. The damage type of your Lore dice becomes poison.

Traveler

Starting at 6th level, you have gained experience traveling through even the most hostile environments. You are acclimated to extreme cold, heat, depth, and height, and you gain two of the following benefits:

• You gain a climbing speed equal to your normal speed.
• You gain a swimming speed equal to your normal speed.
• You ignore nonmagical difficult terrain.
• Your normal speed increases by 5 feet.
• Your maximum hit points increase by a number equal to your scholar level and increase by 1 each time you gain a level in this class.

You choose an additional benefit when you reach 15th level.

Protective Salve

When you reach 11th level, you develop a concoction to protect you against your Quarry. You gain resistance to certain damage based on the creature you choose as your Quarry:

Creature Type	Damage Type
Aberration	Psychic
Beast, Construct, Giant, Humanoid	Nonmagical Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing
Celestial, Undead	Radiant and Necrotic
Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fiend, Fey, Ooze, Plant	Pick two: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, and Thunder

Expert Hunter

When you reach 15th level, you can choose two creature types as your Quarry. In addition, you can make a single weapon attack against a creature of your Quarry type as a bonus action on your turn. Your Lore dice and Exploits can still only apply once per turn.

Rhetorical Institute

Known as rhetoricians, these scholars focus their studies on speech and persuasion. Rhetoricians can be found working as politicians, philosophers, spies, or negotiators; experts in knowledge, debate, and argument.

Arcane Argument

When you choose this Institute at 3rd level, your words are so powerful that they can mimic the effects of certain spells. You can cast cause fear, charm person, command, or Tasha's hideous laughter using your scholar DC. These spells require only verbal components and target any creature that can hear you, as long as you share a language with the target.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, you learn two languages of your choice.

Ad Hominem

Also starting at 3rd level, you can use your words as well as weapons. As an action, you can make a special attack against a creature that can hear you. They must succeed on an Wisdom saving throw or take psychic damage equal to your Lore die, taking half as much damage on a successful save.

If the target is affected by your Lore and fails their saving throw, you can add an additional Lore die to the damage roll or activate an Exploit as normal. When you gain the Signature Exploit feature, the Exploit you choose is used with this feature.

Ad Hominem Reflavor

Some Exploits may require some changes in flavor. For example, Disarming Strike can be contextualized as a shocking statement that makes the target drop their weapon.

Ethos, Logos, Pathos

Starting at 6th level, you learn how to twist your words to best fit the audience. Whenever your Arcane Argument or Ad Hominem features call for a creature to make a saving throw, you can change the type of saving throw to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

Vicious Verbage

When you reach 11th level, any creature charmed or frightened by you has vulnerability to psychic damage caused by your Ad Hominem feature.

In addition, you can spend two uses of your Arcane Argument feature to cast suggestion or calm emotions as described.

Counterargument

Beginning at 15th level, your experience in the throes of argument has steeled your mind. You can't be charmed, frightened, or suffer from madness, and you gain proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.

In addition, you can spend a use of Arcane Argument to end one of the above conditions on a creature that can hear you.

Credit

Creator: Thompson "ynders" Moser

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Created with GM Binder

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Art Credit

Kekai Kotaki - the wanderer

Scott Gustafson - A Dragon's Tale

mattforsyth - Wyck

Wizards of the Coast - Tinkerer

Ekaterina Burmark - Laria

Okmer - Elise de la Serre

Jonghwan Lee - Plague Doctor

Cynthia Sheppard - Ampryn Tactician

Cynthia Sheppard - The Drowning Eyes

Multiclassing

• You must have an Intelligence score of at least 13 to multiclass into Scholar.
• You gain proficiency in simple weapons, one tool, and one skill of your choice.
• A character cannot have both the Battle Medic and Lay on Hands features - instead, they choose whichever has the largest pool.

Starting Wealth

If you use the optional rules for starting wealth instead of equipment, you gain 5d4 x 10 gold pieces.

Feature Reasoning

Lore. The core feature of this class, Lore was meant to reflect the class concept of a studious warrior - one who could consult their extensive knowledge to discover tactics for battle. Lore checks require significant DM participation in setting reasonable DCs, but most DMs should have enough improvisation experience to get a handle on this. The lack of resource expending was also important to me - after all, if you're an intelligent character, you don't just "use up" your knowledge! Lore checks are meant to reflect memory more than discovery.

Swift Study was originally a 5th level feature but I move

Degree. I wanted to give the Scholar a skill benefit different from the classic Expertise, and I felt this made sense - your studies can let you apply your intelligence to anything!

Exploits. I've seen other Scholar classes act as a full-class remake of the Battle Master, and this made sense to me, but it does come off as too "using up knowledge" to me. I decided to replicate that with Exploits, but made the cost in actions (cancelling Lore) rather than just a rest-recharge number. This meant tying them with attacks, which may be fiddly, but requires testing.

Institutes.

• Arcana: Meant to be more of an experimental alternative to the Wizard, with more gish-y elements. An Eldritch Knight that focuses more on powering up spells than the martial side.
• Cuisine: A team-supporting miscellaneous benefit feature that fills a role I've always wanted to see in 5e - but never really knew where to put! Could also be easily reflavored as an alchemist (Feasts are fresh brews, Leftovers are healing potions). In such a case, cook's utensils proficiency could be swapped for alchemist's tools.
• Investigation: Detective was always another role I wanted to explore, but the Inquisitor's idea of rogues as detective seemed odd to me. The features here are meant to reflect determined search for killers and other criminals.
• Medicine: I've always felt drawn to nonmagical healers. Using Hit Dice ties into the theme of reducing resource expenditure on the part of the Scholar, and prevents unlimited use that would arise from Exploits.
• Tactics: The Warlord/Tactician is another role somewhat hard to find for 5e. I didn't feel it really had enough meat for a standalone class, but an intelligent strategist makes sense for a Scholar. They focus on Exploits and maximizing their effects, and improving the attacks of their teammates.
• Wayfarer: Meant to be a monster-hunter/nature themed scholar. I wanted one for the folks most interested in dealing damage, and their witcher-inspired themes tie into preparing for battles beforehand with the right oils. More similar to Vesemir than Geralt!

Hidden Secrets. Continues tying into the theme of finding foes' weaknesses and exploiting them, telling your allies what saves and damage types to use.

Advisor. Improves the utility of possibly-stale Degrees at this point, and helps display the bookish nature of scholars.

Encyclopedic Mind. Getting a 5th level spell effect before wizards is pretty dang cool, and helps show that scholars know a lot about a lot, hopefully without too much mechanical impact.

Precision Strikes. I worried about the Scholar's damage output at higher levels, so I mirrored the cleric's 8th-level damage boosts.

Stable Mind. This is meant to cut down the drawback of Swift Study and display the image of a scholar narrowing their eyes at the foe while battle whirls around them.

Calculated Defense. Gives a bit of a defensive boost while most others were concerned with roleplay, Lore, or offensive capabilities, continuing the theme of Degree-like Intelligence replacement.

Signature Exploit. Mimics wizards' signature spells and tries to keep up offense-wise.

Loremaster. A capstone meant to display the near-omniscience of 20th-level scholars.