Class: Wizard (PMC)

## **The Impact of Primal Wizardry**

Wizards trained in the Primal Technique define House Stonehearth and all they have been able to do in the Marquisate.

It was primal wizards who disentangled the relationship between raw magic and the weave. It was primal wizards that harnessed that raw magic, casting direct from it, channeling it through enchantments for arcane crystals, using its flexibility to inscribe scrolls or formulate potions – and through that, kept civilization afloat even as the Time of Troubles unraveled the tools the world normally used to the chaos at bay.

It was the understanding of raw magic that allowed powerful tools like *Books of Learning* to become educational texts rather than one-hit wonders. The *Wands of Casting* were precursors to Stonehearth Arms projectors that now dominate the battlefield. Even without counting a single fireball, primal wizards put Stonehearth on the Forgotten Realm's map – and soon the map of all Realmspace.

### What Make a Primal Wizard?

There are two categories that define Primal magic in the adventuring realms:

* The Primal Magic casting feats.
* The use of Wands of Casting (via 1m wandism).

In fact, even Weave casters can use *Wands of Casting* to powerful effect, turning the tides of conflict in ways previously only known to legends.

It is the primal *feats* that define a *primal wizard*.

## **Primal Magic Training and Education**

The technique for accessing raw magic, and processing it into a usable form, is *Primal Magic*. The vast majority of this education could be considered *arcane physics*, and is covered by the *Arcana* (Int) skill. The application of that raw magic Arcana training manifest as three signature feats:

#### **Constructive Retention**

* Primal Constructive Retention allows *permanent* memorization of spells.

#### **Regenerative Energization**

* Expended spell slots will naturally recharge in a number of turns equal to the level of the slot. There is also an Epic-level version of this feat.

#### **Progressive Memorization**

* A side-effect of Constructive Retention, Primal casters may train to memorize twice the number of spells.

This represents the vast majority of freelance primal wizards, and is the main template for players creating characters in the class. For ArCorps casters, there is a similar listing to this build, but like the Stonehearth Arms, ArCorps is an organization, not a class. There are exceptional additions and restrictions to wizards both in ArCorps and the House Sid operational groups. Neither the Stonehearth ArCorps nor House Sid train the general public.

### The Future Alma Mater

The premiere school accessible to the public is the Mageweave University (MU), based in Volkerburg, the seat of the Mageweave Barony, approximately 20 miles upriver from the city of North Point. MU is a joint effort of the Mageweave Baronets and is an elite institution in every sense of the word. It is widely considered to be comparable to Stonehearth or Sid training, and possibly even superior in some respects. That said, given the levels of secrecy, nobody is ever really sure what the fullest capacity of Stonehearth/Sid primal capacity really is.

Besides the Mageweave University, there are 18 other hard-to-enter, very expensive academies around the Marquisate, including two in Baldur's Gate proper, and one each in Lantan and Halruaa that can teach full Primal technique (all three feats). All of them have prerequisites, some more stringent than others, and all of them charge tuition which may range from thousands of gold to tens of thousands of gold per primal magic casting feat.

* Check the **Primal Magic Academies** page to review the schools and send your application.

 This is another reason that the vast majority of Marquisate civilians don't become full primal wizards, they become wandists (or weave wizard / 2m (trained) wandist combinations).

There are dozens of other trade schools that teach some combination of the feats, but not necessarily all three. Many of these also teach additional adjunct arcane theory and associated trade skills... or put another way, they teach casting feats.

On downtime, between quests, if the character has the cash, they could conceivably sign up for a semester to learn a new casting feat. Check with your DM.

### Training Controls and Restrictions

Actuating *any* magic is inherently hazardous and potentially toxic. Magic restrictions are legal in jurisdictions all over the Forgotten Realms and for good reason. The contrast between the power of Weave and Raw magic amplifies the stakes and the corresponding danger.

Consider the water metaphor: Weave magic is like drawing power from the fog or steam that rises from water. Raw magic is the boiling water itself and Primal technique bypasses the vapor to open a conduit to the source.

Given the power of the Primal technique, every school that teaches the method for accessing raw magic is required to:

1. Ensure that students do not accidentally kill fellow students during the training process.
2. Contractually bind students to not use the technique against House Stonehearth or their allies.

This agreement includes a voluntary low-level geas, which will eventually fade, but gets the point across.

 Similarly, someone training their primal technique to others outside of Stonehearth control will bring a swift and usually permanent response. Unregulated training is at the crossroads of often-lethal health and safety hazards for the caster (and more so for the people around them), and exporting arms and classified military technique. Stonehearth claims right of pursuit, investigation and interdiction in these cases, no matter what jurisdiction the training is taking place...

## **Primal Wizard Character Construction**

#### **Hit Points**

* **Hit Dice:** 1d6 per wizard level
* **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 6 + Constitution modifier
* **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per wizard level after 1st

#### **Proficiencies**

* **Armor:** None
* **Weapons:** Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
* **Tools:** Optional. See split auxiliary skills option.
* **Saving Throws:** Intelligence, Wisdom
* **Skills:**
	+ Arcana (Int) and Investigation (Int). Marquisate-trained Wizards have double bonus on Arcana checks.
	+ *Plus* choose two auxiliary skills from: History (Int), Insight (Wis), Medicine (Wis), Nature (Int), Perception (Wis) or Religion (Int).
	+ *OR:* choose *one* auxiliary skill (from above) and one tool proficiency.

#### **Equipment**

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

* A **Wand of Casting**.
	+ Rating 2/25 WoC for a Wizard-1 (may adjust depending on backstory and character level).
	+ The WoC may be used as an arcane spell focus.
* A component pouch.
* An Arcane Focus, if a *Wand of Casting* isn't available or preferable. An arcane focus is a spellcasting focus that can be used in place of a spell's material component, but only if that component has no cost noted in the spell’s description and if that component isn’t consumed.
* A **spellbook**. The collective record of eight 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, usually in the form of a *book*. Your spellbook is the repository, guide, notes, how-to, best practices and lessons learned of the wizard spells you know.
	+ Note: With the primal feat *Constructive Retention*, and the ability to memorize spells permanently, the role of the spellbook changes significantly. A wizard is no longer required to have the spellbook available to empower the spells they know.
	+ Even with *Constructive Retention*, a wizard *must* have their spellbook to learn new spells. Although they will memorize the spell, it's the notes, tables and assistance of the spellbook as a personal workbook that makes the memorizing possible. This also holds true for learning metamagic to modify known spells: each instance of applied metamagic requires having that workbook.
* (*a*) a scholar's pack or (*b*) an explorer's pack.

### **Features and Feats of Primally-trained Wizards**

#### ***Spellcasting***

The defining feature of the Wizard class, this is the character's ability to learn, actuate, channel and otherwise control arcane energy in a specific way to accomplish a specific task. There are three forms of spellcasting that a wizard will use:

* **Cantrips:** these are memorized spells which are always available to the wizard. Regardless of whether or not the **Progressive Memorization** feat has been learned yet, primally-trained wizards will retain double the number of cantrips of Weave-based wizards.
	+ At 1st level, a primally-trained wizard knows six cantrips of their choice from the wizard spell list. They learn additional wizard cantrips of their choice at higher levels, as shown in the *Cantrips Known* column of the Wizard table.
* **Prepared Spells:** these are more complex spells that can be replaced in the memory of the wizard if other spells are needed (and the wizard hasn't yet learned the **Constructive Retention** feat). A spell that has been cycled out of memory, as it is with Weave casters, must be re-memorized to be used.
	+ For a primer on how to prepare and cast spells, see the Prep & Cast section (below).
* **Ritual Spells:** A wizard can cast a wizard spell in their book, from a scroll, or from memory *as a ritual* if that spell has the ritual tag. The wizard doesn’t need to have the spell prepared and it does not expend a spell slot.

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. 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 wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. See: *Preparing and Casting Spells* for more details.

* **Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
* **Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

#### ***Arcane Recovery***

If you a primal caster who has not yet learned the **Regenerative Energization** feat, you have at least learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

* For example, if you're a 4th-level wizard, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.

#### ***Arcane Tradition***

Within the study of wizardry is the consensus that most spells fall into one of eight arcane categories generally referred to as "Schools." The criteria for sorting spells into each school includes the effects, range and so on.

In some places, these traditions are literally category-focused schools. In other institutions, the schools might be more like academic departments, with rival faculties competing for students and funding. Even wizards who train apprentices in the solitude of their own towers use the division of magic into schools as a learning device, since the spells of each school require mastery of different techniques.

* When you reach 2nd level, you choose an **arcane tradition**, shaping your practice of magic. Usually, this means focusing on one of the eight traditional schools, but characters may have special options available, depending on the campaign and the DM.
* Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

#### ***Ability Score Increase***

* 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. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

#### ***Spell Mastery***

* At 18th level, you have achieved such mastery over certain spells that you can cast them at will. Choose a 1st-level wizard spell and a 2nd-level wizard spell that are in your spellbook. You can cast those spells at their lowest level without expending a spell slot when you have them prepared. If you want to cast either spell at a higher level, you must expend a spell slot as normal.
* By spending 8 hours in study, you can exchange one or both of the spells you chose for different spells of the same levels.

#### ***Signature Spells***

* When you reach 20th level, you gain mastery over two powerful spells and can cast them with little effort. Choose two 3rd-level wizard spells in your spellbook as your signature spells. You always have these spells prepared, they don't count against the number of spells you have prepared, and you can cast each of them once at 3rd level without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
* If you want to cast either spell at a higher level, you must expend a spell slot as normal.

 Note: like Karsus before the fall, primal casting is not limited to level 9 spells…

## **Preparing and Casting Spells**

### **Preparing Spells**

The Wizard 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).

* Weave casters regain all expended spell slots when finishing a long rest. A primal caster who has learned the **Regenerative Energization** feat will regain an expended spell slot back in a number of turns equal to the levels of spell slot expended.

You prepare the list of wizard spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + the number of spells listed on your wizard level. The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

* For example, if you're a 3rd-levelwizard who has learned the **Progressive Memorization** feat, you have *eight* 1st-level and *four* 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 16 (which adds two more spells), your list of prepared spells can include *fourteen* spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your spellbook.
* If you prepare the 1st-level spell *magic missile*, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

Primal wizards who haven't yet learned **Constructive Retention**, can change their list of prepared spells after finishing a *short* rest. Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

* A primal wizard who *does* have the **Constructive Retention** feat will treat *all* of their spells as "prepared."

### **Casting Spells**

Any character can take one action on their turn in combat, in addition to moving. They choose their action from the options available to everyone, such as Attack, *Cast a Spell*, and Dash. Alternately, they may choose from among special actions gained from a class, a feat, or another source.

## Spells in an Extra Attack

The Extra Attack feature given by several classes does not let a character cast extra attack spells. That feature specifically relies on the Attack action, not the Cast a Spell (or any other) action unless the spell says it does.

Note: there are certain features that may create a spell's effect without having to burn the time associated with the Cast a Spell action. This stretches from certain monsters that can make opportunity attacks with melee spell attacks, to the War Caster feat which allows Cast a Spell in place of an opportunity attack.

If they want to cast a spell on their turn, they take the *Cast a Spell* action. Doing so means they’re not taking the Attack action or any other action.

A number of spells, such as ray of frost or fire bolt, involve making an attack, but that attack is simply the culmination of casting the spell that delivers it. In other words, just because something involves an attack doesn’t mean the Attack *action* is being used.

### **Determining the Result**

The effect of the spell is generally successful once the intent is declared and the provisions of the required elements are met (spell slot, time, components, if any).

Potential exceptions to automatic success will be in a spell's description, and generally fall into two categories: *saving throws* and *attack rolls*.

#### *Saving Throws*

This is the chance for the target to evade the spell's effect, whether that's a surge of willpower, diving out of the way and so on. A target that makes a successful saving throw will modify the damage, usually halving it or avoiding it altogether. The DM/GM will roll for the Save on behalf of the target (unless one player is targeting another player). The number the DM needs to beat is the player's *Spell save DC* (Difficulty Class).

* **Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

#### *Attack Rolls*

This is using magic in place of a physical attack, but via the same type of action that would come from melee or ranged attack. Shocking grasp requires a touch attack, while other ranged spells need to be aimed. Just as a fighter might use their strength bonus to increase their chance to hit with an axe, or a ranger might use the dexterity to increase their chance to hit with an arrow, the caster can also use a *Spell attack modifier*.

* **Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier