Arcane Tradition: Elemental Mastery
Many wizards are known for their versatility and adaptability, seemingly always having just the right spell prepared to deal with any adverse situation. Some, however, have dedicated themselves to becoming adept at only one type of magic, shunning all others. Elemental Masters are those Wizards that live and breathe one element, rather than several. Their comprehension of their element allows them to modify the spells they learn to utilize the element they have dedicated their studies to, often to great effect. Elemental Masters who become familiar enough with their element become very proficient in it's qualities, able to ward against it, and even manifest powerful elemental effects to augment their spells.
Elemental Masters exist in many forms, and go about their studies in various ways. While some may seek to claim the devastating power of lightning, others may instead aim to freeze their problems in place, and others still might wield light itself as a weapon and a tool. This means that no two Elemental Masters are alike, each with their own strengths.
Elemental Pursuit
Beginning at 2nd level, you have dedicated yourself to mastering a specific type of elemental magic. When you gain this feature, choose one type of elemental magic to dedicate yourself to. This choice represents a commitment to practicing this type of magic above all others, and cannot be altered later. Below are the possible elemental damage types you can seek to master, as well as some examples of what the study of such magic might be called, though you are able to call your pursuit of this element whatever you like.
Types of Elemental Studies
| Damage Type | Possible Name of Study |
|---|---|
| Acid | Causticology or Acrimancy |
| Cold | Glaciology or Cryomancy |
| Fire | Conflagraphy or Pyromancy |
| Lightning | Voltaism or Electromancy |
| Necrotic | Voodoo or Shadowmancy |
| Poison | Toxicology or Venomancy |
| Psychic | Psychogenics or Psionomancy |
| Radiant | Luminology or Vivimancy |
| Thunder | Resonology or Sonomancy |
Your initiation of your Elemental Pursuit allows you to modify your spells. When you cast a cantrip that you know or a spell that you have prepared which deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder damage, you can instead choose to have the spell deal the your Elemental Pursuit's damage type. This also allows you to change how the spell looks or feels, however you may not affect how the spell mechanically behaves or acts aside from the type of damage it applies.
Specialized Knowledge
Additionally at 2nd level the study of your Elemental Pursuit grants you knowledge about how your element behaves, manifests, and affects the things around it.
When you make a skill check relevant to your Elemental Pursuit, such as a Wizard of Sonomancy making an Intelligence (Arcana) check to determine if their thunder spell could destroy a wall, or a student of Pyromancy attempting to make a Wisdom (Medicine) check to determine if someone has suffered burn wounds from a magical or nonmagical source, you gain advantage on the check.
Study of magical effects may not necessarily translate to knowledge of mundane effects within the same field, however. For example, a student of Venomancy may not be familiar with the ingredients to craft a nonmagical poison. It is up to the GM to decide if your Elemental Pursuit gives you insight into a given situation, and as such they have final say.
Elemental Empowerment
At 6th level you have started to learn how to manifest powerful effects of your element when you cast spells. You have a number of Empowerment Points equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain spent Empowerment Points when you finish a long rest.
Your Empowerment Points can be used to increase the potency of a cantrip or spell cast using a spell slot which deals damage of your Elemental Pursuit's type. After the spell's effects and damage are resolved but before you take any other action or movement you can choose to expend an Empowerment Point in order to enhance the effects of the spell. Unless otherwise stated, the effects and damage of the spell are always resolved first, and you can only use one Empowerment Point for each casting of a spell.
Each Elemental Pursuit has a different mechanism by which they empower their spells, all of which are listed below.
Acid Empowerment
Your empowerment causes the spell to splash exceptionally potent acid on the target.
Choose a creature which took damage from your spell, as well as an object that the creature is openly carrying, or a piece of nonmagical equipment that the creature is wearing which is made of wood, stone, crystal, or metal, such as it's armour or weapon. The creature must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or have the object be damaged by the acid.
A damaged armour or shield has -1 AC, and a damaged weapon has -1 to hit and damage rolls. Other damaged items may have similar effects at the DM's discretion. Casting Mending or having the item repaired removes this effect, which is otherwise indefinite. A target can have multiple damaged items, and an item can be damaged multiple times with cumulative effect.
Cold Empowerment
Your empowerment causes a rapid freezing effect around the creature which makes movement much more difficult.
Choose a creature who took damage from the spell, that creature must succeed a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
Additionally, the area in a 10 foot radius circle centered on the target is turned into slippery ice. The ice counts as difficult terrain, and any creature that moves over it must succeed a DC 10 Acrobatics Ability Check or fall prone. The ice lasts for one minute, though this can be sped up by environmental conditions such as heat, or the use of fire effects targeting the area of the ice.
Fire Empowerment
Your empowerment causes your flames to become far more explosive, burning hotter and expanding further than they otherwise would.
This empowerment is activated when you select the area of effect of a spell, rather than after it is resolved, and does not affect spells without an area. A line spell increases it's width by 5 feet, a cone spell increases it's distance by 10 feet, a cube spell increases it's side length by 5 feet, and a sphere or cylinder spell increases it's diameter by 5 feet.
Additionally, the spell ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.
Lightning Empowerment
Your empowerment causes you to increase the current of your spell and establish a powerful arc of lightning between yourself and a target of the spell.
This empowerment is activated after creatures have been determined to take damage from the spell, but before
the damage is rolled. Choose a creature who will take damage from the spell, when resolving the damage dealt by the spell to that creature you may roll an additional damage die of the type that the spell uses, and drop the lowest die rolled from the resulting damage.
If the target is wearing metal armour, flying, wet, or submerged in water, you may roll two additional damage dice of the type the spell uses, and drop the two lowest.
Necrotic Empowerment
Your empowerment causes you to transfer the life force of your target to an ally with your dark magics, weakening them and bolstering a nearby friendly creature.
Choose a creature who took damage from the spell, that creature has disadvantage on it's next attack roll or saving throw. Additionally, select either yourself or a friendly creature within 20 feet of you. Roll two dice both of a size twice as large as your proficiency bonus, and grant that ally that many temporary hit points for one minute.
Poison Empowerment
Your empowerment causes you to wrack a creature's body with exceptionally potent magical poison.
This empowerment is activated after creatures have been determined to take damage from the spell, but before the damage is rolled. Choose a creature who will take damage from the spell, when resolving the damage dealt by the spell, that creature's resistance to poison damage is ignored, and that creature's immunity to poison damage is treated as resistance for this damage.
Additionally, the creature must succeed a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for one minute. At the end of each of it's turns, the creature can repeat this saving throw, ending the effect on a success.
You can spend multiple Empowerment Points to activate this empowerment on multiple targets of the same spell.
Psychic Empowerment
Your empowerment causes you to pry into your target's mind, muddling it temporarily.
This empowerment can only be activated on a spell which targets only one creature. The targeted creature of the spell must succeed an Intelligence saving throw or have their mind become numbed for one minute. A mind numbed creature has disadvantage on concentration saving throws, and cannot take reactions. A mind numbed creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of it's turns, ending the effect on a success.
Additionally, regardless of the outcome of the creature's saving throw, you learn one piece of information that is currently on the target's mind at random. This can be anything from it's name, what it had for it's last meal, or who it considers it's closest friends, at the DM's discretion.
Radiant Empowerment
Your empowerment causes the spell to emit piercing light which has the potential to blind nearby creatures.
Choose either a creature who took damage from the spell or yourself. The creature you chose is basked in an incredibly bright light with a colour of your choice. The creature emits blindingly bright light in a 10 foot radius around it, 10 feet of bright light beyond that, and 10 feet of dim light beyond that.
This light lasts until the start of your next turn, or until you end it with no action required.
Creatures within the area of blindingly bright light must make a Constitution saving throw or become blinded until the start of your next turn. Creatures within the blindingly bright light are considered heavily obscured. The light created by this effect can illuminate magical darkness.
Thunder Empowerment
Your empowerment causes a destructive shock wave to be emitted by the spell.
Choose a creature who took damage from the spell, all creatures within 5 feet of the chosen creature, as well as the creature itself, must succeed a Constitution saving throw or become deafened for one minute.
Additionally, the spell's damage also applies to any nonnmagical structures or unsecured nonmagical objects within the target area.
Experienced Elementalist
At 10th level your mastery over your element has reached new heights. Having spent countless hours protecting yourself from your own spells in practice, you are able to ward yourself against your Elemental Pursuit's damage type efficiently, and at a moment's notice.
The absorb elements spell is added to your spell book if it doesn't contain it already, and you always count as having it prepared. You can cast absorb elements as a reaction to taking damage of your Elemental Pursuit's damage type even if it cannot normally trigger absorb elements. Additionally, when using absorb elements to reduce your Elemental Pursuit's type of damage you do not need to use a spell slot in order to cast it at the first level.
Additionally, when you cast a spell and expend an Empowerment Point to trigger one of your empowered effects, the target you chose to use the effect on takes additional damage of your Elemental Pursuit's type equal to your Intelligence bonus plus half of your Wizard level rounded down. If your empowered effect does not directly specify for you to choose a target, or if you chose an allied creature for it's effect, choose one creature that took damage from the spell and apply the extra damage to that creature.
Locus of Elemental Power
Starting at 14th level you have gained a significant degree of mastery over your Elemental Pursuit. This deep understanding of your element allows you to string
successive spells together to amass elemental power in a mentally taxing trance-like state.
As a free action immediately before you cast a spell that deals your Elemental Pursuit's damage type you can choose to enter an elemental flow state. In this flow state your spells that deal your Elemental Pursuit's damage type gain a bonus to hit and a bonus to their spell save DC equal to half of the spell slot's level rounded down. However, channeling this elemental power requires your full attention and causes you to lose concentration on any spells.
Additionally, when casting absorb elements at first level to reduce damage of your Elemental Pursuit's type you can cast it on yourself without expending a reaction, and can cast the first level variant on allies within 60 feet using your reaction.
In order to remain in the flow state you must cast a spell which deals your Elemental Pursuit's damage type before the end of your next turn, and that spell must be of a higher spell slot level than the spell you cast last turn. You must then finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.
note: elemental adept
Elemental Adept is a feat that synergizes well with this subclass, but only applies to Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, and Thunder damage types. If you are considering playing this subclass, or allowing it in your campaign if you are a DM, it is encouraged that players and DMs set a precedent together as to whether a player can take the Elemental Adept feat, and whether it can also apply to Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, or Radiant damage as well, if they are choosing to play a Wizard of that Elemental Pursuit.
Thanks Steve, Ramon, Bologna, and Val for helpin' out.
Thank you for readin' through all this.
Art Credits (Order of Appearence):
"John, the Wizard" by Marcus Eduardo Rissette Schreiber "Doublecast" by Even Amundsen