Archetype - Scholar

## The Studious Scholar

The Scholar represents Characters in fiction who uses their vast knowledge of the world and the magical forces within it to affect the world around them. They can be wise sorcerers, arcane scholars, unwitting investigators who uncovered magical secrets or wielders of highly advanced technology. The Scholar understands the value of foreknowledge and preparation, and uses to this to draw on a vast range of magical powers to achieve their goals.

### Features

The Scholar is capable of using all forms of magic from the Arcane Tradition. They can accrue even greater power by acquiring knowledge of magical power from a range of sources in the world around them, such as magical texts and mentors, a pursuit which often drives Scholars beyond the safe confines of a library. They may even draw magic of their favorite schools of Magic from other Magic Traditions. Consequently their capabilities are, with enough preparation, nearly unmatched.

### Recommended Ability Bonuses

* High Intelligence
* Good Endurance and/or Dexterity

### Alternate Names

* Historic and High Fantasy Settings: Wizard
* Modern: Scholar
* Futuristic Setting: Scientist

## Level 0

In addition to the features your Character gains at Level 1, they gain the following for starting their adventure as a Scholar.

### Skill

* You gain the Lore Skill
	+ If you already have this Skill, you may gain another Skill of your Choice.

### Saving Throw Skills

* You are Skilled in Focus Saving Throws
* You are Skilled in Intelligence Saving Throws

### Cantrips

* You learn two Cantrips of your choice from the Arcane Spell List.
* Intelligence is your Spellcasting Ability for these Spells.

### Weapon and Armor Training

* Trained in Simple Weapons.
* Trained in Light Armor

## Level 1

### Increased Damage Limit

* Your Damage Limit increases by 4 for each level of this Archetype you have.

### Student of the Arcane

* You learn two Languages of your choice
* Whenever you make a Lore Skill Check which relates to your knowledge of Magic, you may add one roll of your Magic Die to the Result of the Check.

### Arcane Researcher

* You gain the Spellbook Feat (described at the end of this Archetype).
	+ If you already have this Feat, you gain the benefits of the Minor Improvement feature.
* When you gain this feature, in addition to the two Ritual Spells already contained in the Spellbook, it contains any Arcane Spells you currently know (including those gained from this Level)
* Whenever you gain additional levels in this Archetype, you automatically transcribe any additional Arcane Spells you learn into this Spellbook.
* You may also transcribe one Arcane Spell you have not learned into your Spellbook.
	+ This Spell must be equal to or less than the Maximum Spell Level you may Cast a Spell through this Archetype.
* When you finish a Long Rest, you may replace any number of Arcane Spells you know from this Archetype with Arcane Spells Transcribed into your Spellbook.
* You may also use your Spellbook to transcribe additional Arcane Spells you find or a taught without the Ritual tag (see the Spellbook feat)
	+ To Transcribe an Arcane Spell without the Ritual Tag, the Spell must be of a Spell Level you can learn from this Archetype (see Spellcasting)

### Magic die

* At Level 1 your Magic Die is a d4. This die represents your Character's ability to exert greater control over magical forces in the world.
* At levels 5, 9, 13 and 17 of Scholar, the Improved Magic Die feature increases the size of your Magic Die to a d6, a d8, a d10 and a d12 respectively.
	+ If you gain the Improved Magic Die feature from another source (such as the Chosen or Gifted Archetypes), increase the Magic Die by one size category, up to a maximum die size of a d12.

### Spellcasting: Arcane

You have learned to reshape the world around you using your deep knowledge of the forces that bind reality.

All Spells you learn through this Archetype, or the Themes granted by this Archetype may be referred to as Scholar Spells.

#### Cantrips

* Cantrips are a subset of Spells which you may use with the Cast a Spell Action without expending Mana.
* You learn one Cantrip of your choice from the Arcane Spell List.
* You learn additional Cantrips from this list you gain level in this Archetype, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Scholar Archetype features Table.
* You may change any number of Cantrips gained through this Archetype for other Cantrips on the Arcane Spell List when you Level Up.

#### Mana

* Mana is a resource which Characters may expend to Cast levelled spells of between 1st and 5th Level.
* When you gain the Spellcasting feature, you have one Mana point.
* When you gain the Additional Mana feature from this Archetype, another Archetype or another Feature, your Mana increases by one. You cannot have more than 10 Mana.
* When you Cast a Spell of between 1st and 5th Level, you must expend an amount of Mana equal to the Spells level. The Spell fails if you are unable to provide sufficient Mana.
* You regain all expended Mana when you complete a Long Rest, or when you use the Recharge Action.
* You are able to use the Recharge Action twice. You regain the ability to use the Recharge Action twice after you complete a Long Rest.

#### Upcasting

* Some Spells grant additional benefits when additional Mana is spent during their Casting. This is referred to as Upcasting.
* The Maximum Mana you can spend on a Spell is equal to the Highest Spell Level you may learn (see Max Spell Level in the Archetype features Table)

#### Greater Spells

* You cannot expend Mana to Cast a Spell of 6th Level or higher.

* At 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th Level of this Archetype you gain the ability to Cast a Spell of 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Level respectively.
	+ You may also Upcast Spells of lower Level with this feature, Casting them as though you expended Mana equal to that Spell Level.
* You may Cast a Spell in this way once for each Spell Level described. You regain the ability to Cast Spells in this way when you complete a Long Rest.

#### Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

* You may know up to two Spells at a time, and you may choose these Spells from the Arcane Spell list.
* The number of Spells you may know at any time increases as you gain levels in this Archetype.
* Whenever you gain the Additional Spell Known feature from this Archetype or another Archetype or feature, you may learn an additional Spell, and you may choose this Spell from the Arcane Spell List.
	+ For New Players, we recommend that whenever you may learn an additional Spell, you learn a Spell of the highest Spell Level available to you (see Additional Spellcasting Rules for Scholars).

#### Spellcasting Ability

* Intelligence is your Spellcasting ability for your Inventor Spells. Your magic comes from your knowledge of the forces which bind reality.
* You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your Spellcasting Ability.
* In addition, you use your Intelligence Bonus when setting the saving throw DC for a Scholar Spell you cast and when making an Attack roll for such a Spell.
	+ Spell Save DC = 8 + your Skill Bonus + your Intelligence Bonus
	+ Spell Attack Bonus = your Skill Bonus + your Intelligence Bonus

#### Ritual Casting

* You can Cast any Spell you have learned as a Ritual if that Spell has the ritual tag.
* The Duration to Cast a Ritual is the Spell's usual casting time plus 10 minutes.
* When you Cast a Spell as a Ritual you do not expend Mana.
	+ Casting a Spell as a Ritual requires you maintain Concentration on the Spell throughout performing the Ritual.

#### Additional Spellcasting Rules for Scholars

##### Maximum Spell Level

* The maximum level of a Spell you may learn through this Archetype is equal to half your Spellcasting level rounded up, up to a maximum of 9th level.

##### Spellbook

* When you complete a Long Rest you may change any number of Arcane Spells you know for Arcane Spells you have transcribed into your Spellbook.

**Spellcasting Focus: Magical Object**

* You may use a Spellcasting Focus whenever a costless material component is required to perform a Scholar Spell.
* You may use a range of objects magically significant objects as Spellcasting focus. Staves, wands and crystals are common in fantasy and medieval settings, while in modern and futuristic settings their focus may take the form of hand-held scientific apparatus.
* Choose one such object which may be easily held in one hand which would act as a Spellcasting focus for your Scholar Spells.
	+ You may not choose a Weapon or an object you may wear such as a Shield or piece of clothing or accessories as a Spellcasting Focus unless a feature specifically grants you that ability.
* You may have only one Spellcasting Foci capable of Casting Scholar Spells at a time, and you may change the objects representing your Spellcasting Foci at the end of a Long Rest.
* If you lose a Spellcasting Foci, you may replace it by performing a 10 minute Ritual in which you prepare another suitable object of magical significance for the task.
	+ Whether an Object is deemed suitable or not as a Spellcasting Focus is at the GM's discretion.

## Level 2

### School Specialism

* Choose one of the eight Schools of Magic: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation.
	+ This choice represents your School Specialism and determines the benefits of the School Specialism, School Spells and School Mastery features.
* You have Advantage to maintain Concentration on Spells from the Chosen School of Magic.

### School Spells (1st Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or one 1st Level Spell from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Arcane Recovery

* You may perform a 10 minute magical Ritual to draw more power from the Ether, restoring expended Mana points equal to one roll of your Magic Die.
	+ You may do this as part of a Short Rest.
	+ You may use this feature once, and you regain the ability to use this feature after finishing a Long Rest.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 3

### Theme

* At Level 3 you may choose a Theme compatible with this Archetype, such as the Elementalist Theme.
* At Levels 6, 10 and 14 the Theme Improvement feature unlocks additional benefits from this Theme.

### School Spells (2nd Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 2nd Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 4

### Major Improvement

* You may either: Increase an Ability Bonus by 1; Train Two Abilities; Train One Ability and Gain a Basic Feat; or Choose one Advanced Feat
	+ You cannot increase an Ability Bonus to higher than +5 at this level.

### Additional Mana, Cantrip and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* You learn one additional Cantrip from the Arcane Spell List.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 5

### Improved Expertise Die

* Your Magic Die increases from a d4 to a d6.

### Quick Study

* When you finish a Short Rest, you may replace one Arcane Spell you have learned for another Transcribed within your Spellbook.
* You must be holding your Spellbook when you use this feature.
	+ You may only gain the benefits of a Short Rest twice, after which you must take a Long Rest to gain further benefits from a Short Rest.

### School Spells (3rd Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 3rd Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 6

### Theme Improvement

* You unlock the 6th Level Features of a Theme you gained from this Archetype.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

### Improved Arcane Recovery

* You may roll your Magic Die with Advantage when determining the amount of expended Mana regained due to the Arcane Recovery feature.

### School Spells (4th Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 4th Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 8

### Major Improvement

* You may either: Increase an Ability Bonus by 1; Train Two Abilities; Train One Ability and Gain a Basic Feat; or Choose one Advanced Feat
	+ You cannot increase an Ability Bonus to higher than +5 at this level.

### Additional Mana, Cantrip and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* You learn one additional Cantrip from the Arcane Spell List.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 9

### Improved Magic Die

* Your Magic Die increases from a d6 to a d8.

### Cantrip Mastery

* Whenever you complete a Long Rest you may change one Arcane Cantrip you have learned through this Archetype for another Arcane Cantrip.

### School Spells (5th Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 5th Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 10

### Theme Improvement

* You unlock the 10th Level Features of a Theme you gained from this Archetype.

### Additional Mana and Spell Known

* Your Mana Point Maximum increases by one.
* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 11

### Greater Spell: 6th Level

* You may Cast a 6th Level Spell you know, or upcast a lower level Spell at that Level.
* You may Cast a Spell in this way once, and you regain the ability to do this again when you complete a Long Rest.

### School Spells (6th Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 6th Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 12

### Major Improvement

* You may either: Increase an Ability Bonus by 1; Train Two Abilities; Train One Ability and Gain a Basic Feat; or Choose one Advanced Feat
	+ You cannot increase an Ability Bonus to higher than +5 at this level.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 13

### Improved Magic Die

* Your Magic Die increases from a d8 to a d10.

### Greater Spell: 7th Level

* You may Cast a 7th Level Spell you know, or upcast a lower level Spell at that Level.
* You may Cast a Spell in this way once, and you regain the ability to do this again when you complete a Long Rest.

### School Spells (7th Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 7th Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 14

### Theme Improvement

* You unlock the 14th Level Features of a Theme you gained from this Archetype.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 15

### Greater Spell: 8th Level

* You may Cast a 8th Level Spell you know, or upcast a lower level Spell at that Level.
* You may Cast a Spell in this way once, and you regain the ability to do this again when you complete a Long Rest.

### School Spells (8th Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 8th Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### School Mastery Stage 1

* You expend 1 less Mana when you Cast a Spell of 5th level or less from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism (to a minimum of one Mana).

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 16

### Major Improvement

* You may either: Increase an Ability Bonus by 1; Train Two Abilities; Train One Ability and Gain a Basic Feat; or Choose one Advanced Feat
	+ You cannot increase an Ability Bonus to higher than +5 at this level.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 17

### Improved Magic Die

* Your Magic Die increases from a d10 to a d12.

### Greater Spell: 9th Level

* You may Cast a 9th Level Spell you know, or upcast a lower level Spell at that Level.
* You may Cast a Spell in this way once, and you regain the ability to do this again when you complete a Long Rest.

### School Spells (9th Level)

* You learn a Cantrip or a Spell of 9th Level or lower from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism. The Spell may come from any Tradition of Magic,
* This Spell is always known to you and does not count against your total number of known Spells.
	+ You may not change the Spell chosen by this feature when you Level Up.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 18

### School Mastery Stage 2

* You expend 2 less Mana when you Cast a Spell of 5th level or less from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism (to a minimum of one Mana).

#### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 19

### Major Improvement

* You may either: Increase an Ability Bonus by 1; Train Two Abilities; Train One Ability and Gain a Basic Feat; or Choose one Advanced Feat
	+ You cannot increase an Ability Bonus to higher than +5 at this level.

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

## Level 20

### School Mastery Stage 3

* You expend 3 less Mana when you Cast a Spell of 5th level or less from the School of Magic chosen for your School Specialism (to a minimum of one Mana).

### Additional Spell Known

* The number of Spells you may know at a time increases by one.

### Epic Improvement

* You may either: Increase an Ability Bonus by 1; Train Two Abilities; Train One Ability and Gain a Basic Feat; or Choose one Epic Feat

## Spellbook

* You gain a Spellbook, within which you can transcribe Ritual Spells.
* When you gain this Feat, your Spellbook will contain two 1st Level Ritual Spells. They may come from any Magic Tradition.
* You can Cast any Ritual Spell transcribed in your Spellbook as a Ritual, without the need to have it prepared. The Spell Level of the Spell you Cast must be equal to or less than half your Character's Level rounded up.
* Transcribing New Spells:
	+ You may use writing implements to transcribe additional Ritual Spells into the Spellbook.
	+ To Transcribe a Ritual Spell it's Level must be equal to or less than half your Character's Level rounded up.
	+ Additionally you must either already know the Spell or you must have a written copy of the Spell (in the form of a Spell Scroll or another Spellbook) written in a language you can understand. Alternatively a Spellcaster who has already learned the Spell may assist you in transcribing the Spell.
	+ Transcribing a Ritual Spell requires 2 Hours of study and writing per Spell Level (e.g. a 2nd Level Spell would require 4 hours of study).
	+ If a Spellcaster assists in the study of a Ritual Spell, the time they spend assisting you counts towards the time required to transcribe it (i.e. if a Spellcaster assists you in the transcribing of a 2nd level Spell, then the Spell will be transcribed after a total of just 2 hours rather than 4). You may only benefit from the assistance of one Spellcaster at a time in this way.
* Spellbooks are assumed to be kept safe from most forms of harm along with the other belongings of the Spellcaster. A Spellbook can however be destroyed if Damage specifically targets it. It's Object Stats are AC 10, HP 10, Strength: +0 and Endurance: +0, and it has vulnerability to fire damage.
* In the event that the Spellbook is destroyed, a Spellcaster may replace it by retranscribing the Spells contained within it. A new Spellbook costs 50 credits. Transcribing a Spell which a Spellcaster had previously transcribed requires only 1 hour per Spell level. The Spellcaster can retranscribe Spells they have previously transcribed without the need for a copy of that Spell or assistance from another Spellcaster. Some safety conscious Spellcasters are known to purchase multiple Spellbooks and transcribe multiple copies of their Spells for just such an occasion.

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## Copyright Notice

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

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This work includes material taken from "7e” by Peter Rees and materials taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC. Both "7e" and the "SRD5.1" are Licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode