Artificer Specialist
Blue Mage (v1.2)
The eccentric artificers who call themselves blue mages are unparalleled masters of working ceruleum—a magical blue powder that, when harnessed by an expert, is capable of replicating the effects of myriad spells. Through the construction of ceruleum-based devices charged in the heat of battle, blue mages wield an unusual and highly-versatile form of magic that far exceeds their natural limits.
Tool Proficiency
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with jeweler's tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan’s tools of your choice.
Blue Mage Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Blue Mage Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Blue Mage Spells
| Artificer Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | armor of Agathys, compelled duel |
| 5th | enthrall, silence |
| 9th | counterspell, remove curse |
| 13th | death ward, fire shield |
| 17th | antilife shell, teleportation circle |
Blue Magic
Beginning at 3rd level, as a reaction to you experiencing any effect of a spell or cantrip, you can expend a spell slot of at least half that spell's current level, rounded up, to quickly produce a magical item (taking a form of your choice) that reproduces the spell's effect—known as a blue wonder. If the spell's effect is a cantrip, you do not need to expend a spell slot. Once created, a blue wonder can then be used as if it were the original spell, obeying the spell's properties as written in its description. The spell within the blue wonder is fixed at the level it was originally cast at, with the exception of cantrips, which scale normally with your artificer level. Class-based enhancements such as metamagic and eldritch invocations are not copied with the spell.
The maximum level of the spell you can replicate with a blue wonder scales with your artificer level, as seen in the Blue Wonders table.
Blue Wonders
| Artificer Level | Maximum Spell Level |
|---|---|
| 3rd | 2nd-level |
| 7th | 4th-level |
| 11th | 6th-level |
| 15th | 8th-level |
You can hold a number of blue wonders equal to half your artificer level rounded up. The blue wonders do not count towards your Infused Items count. If you create a new blue wonder while exceeding this limit, you must replace one existing blue wonder of your choice as part of the reaction—a process in which ceruleum from the old device is transferred to the new.
In order to use a blue wonder, you must expend a spell slot of at least half the replicated spell's level, rounded up—the process of energising the ceruleum within. If a spell is a cantrip, you do not need to expend a spell slot to cast it. Only the blue wonder's creator is capable of harnessing its power and casting the replicated spell, and it cannot be transferred into magic items such as a ring of spell storing.
A blue wonder can be used a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifer (minimum of 1). Upon its final use, the ceruleum inside burns out and the item becomes unusable. Over the course of 8 hours, you can spend 25 gp multiplied by the spell's level in raw materials and ceruleum to restore a blue wonder to its full number of uses. A cantrip requires 3 gp multiplied by your artificer level to restore.
A blue wonder is considered its own arcane focus for the purposes of casting a replicated spell: replicated spells do not benefit from the effects of altered arcane focuses (for example the Enhanced Arcane Focus infusion).
Indigo Infusion
Also at 3rd level, you can take an action to infuse a piece of armor that you are wearing with ceruleum dust. When you take a reaction against a spell to create a blue wonder while wearing this armor, the damage you take from the spell is reduced by an amount equal to your artificer level. Additionally, the armor turns a shade of blue of your choice.
If you doff this armor, it returns to its normal color and loses its associated properties within 1d4 rounds. This infusion does not count against your Infused Items.
Marine Manipulation
Starting at 5th level, your blue wonders become a +1 arcane focus, which applies only when casting a replicated spell. Additionally, you learn to make the most of your limited spells, allowing you to increase the potency of a blue wonder's spell in one of the three following ways, which you choose before casting the spell.
Power Surge. You gain a bonus to one of the spell’s damage or healing rolls equal to 1d6.
Power Split. If the spell targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you target a second creature in range with the same spell. The spell's damage or healing, if any, is split evenly between the two targets, rounding up: for example, a fire bolt dealing 13 damage (on a roll of 2d10) would instead deal 7 damage to both creatures.
Power Overload (Costs 2 Uses). If the spell forces a creature to make a saving throw to resist its effects, you give one target of the spell disadvantage on its first saving throw made against the spell.
Cobalt Capability
At 9th level, your blue wonders become a +2 arcane focus, which applies only when casting a replicated spell. Additionally, the augmentations granted by your Marine Manipulation ability are enhanced in the following ways:
- Power Surge's bonus increases to 2d6.
- Power Split allows you to target a third creature in addition to the second. The spell's damage or healing per creature remains halved, rounded up, instead of being divided by three: for example, a fire bolt dealing 13 damage (on a roll of 2d10) would inflict 7 damage to all three creatures.
- Power Overload can now give an additional creature disadvantage on its first saving throw made against a spell.
Azure Augmentation
At 15th level, you learn how to fine-tune the power output of your blue wonders for even greater versatility. You can cast a blue wonder's replicated spell at a different level than the original (including at 9th level), provided the spell's description allows for it to be cast at the desired level. To do so, you must expend a spell slot of at least half the desired level, rounding up.
Subclass by Gentlepanda (u/TheExodude)
Cerule-what-now?
The driving force of the blue mage, ceruleum (taking its name and general concept from the magitek fuel of Final Fantasy XIV), does not exist by default in any official D&D setting, and has been left intentionally undefined in this document. As such, if allowed to play a blue mage artificer, it is important to discuss the nature of the material with your DM, including, most crucially, its source, cost, and availability. Ceruleum could be an everyday commodity, or it could be something altogether more dangerous—such as an ancient or otherwordly material which grants its user greater power at the cost of a slowly-deteriorating mental state.
Art Credit:
Page 1-3: Shardbound! Concept Art by Nicholas Kole
Variant Rule: Limited Learning
By default, a blue mage can create blue wonders as a reaction to any spell or cantrip they experience the effects of, regardless of its source and whether or not they are in combat. As such, this means a blue mage can theoretically be fed useful spells by other party members, provided both players are willing to expend a spell slot and the blue mage can survive any associated damage or effects.
As such, a DM allowing a blue mage may wish to implement limits on the blue mage's reactions in some way. Below is a sample list of possible options to limit the potential for exploiting a blue mage's magic, should it become disruptive or otherwise problematic:
- A blue mage can only use its reaction to create a blue wonder while in combat (i.e. during initiative order against hostile creatures).
- A blue mage cannot use its reaction to create a blue wonder when the spell's caster is a player character.
- A blue mage can only use its reaction to create a blue wonder if the spell is capable of dealing damage to its target.