Class: Wandist

## **To Live and Die by the Wand**

The Stonehearth Marquisate is on the far west coast of Faerûn, and in that respect, it definitely counts as the Forgotten Realms' *Wild, Wild West*. The Wandist is the signature gunfighter of the Marquisate, deadly wandslingers when they're armed and ultimately vulnerable when they aren't.

Wandists are also a curious of combination of a magically-capable but ammunition-dependent class. The WoC is both a tool and a weapon, and all but the most expensive, rare wands use replaceable *arcane crystals* to power the device. Much like batteries, and a little like ammunition, this means that players piloting a Wandist need to track the amount of power their wand has at any given time, and be prepared to swap out the crystal when it's depleted.

*Assuming they have spare crystals*...

This also means that a crystal could run out mid-fight, leaving a Wandist with a critical vulnerability as they reload a crystal (a non-trivial task under fire). It could mean that the wand is damaged mid-fight (or during any critical failure, if the table is playing that way).

When Wandists are on their game, however, there are few classes that can bring more utility – or more damage – anywhere in Faerûn.

### **Prestige Education**

One does not pick up 3m Wandism anywhere but *the Marquisate*. This is a very expensive way to learn the *Arcana*skill, as well points of primal magic behavior and navigating through the filter of the Weave. There are several schools where a student can go through the indoctrination and spend a couple years of dedicated, magically-enhanced study. They include:

* House Stonehearth itself, with 3m Wandism taught by the Instructor Cadre to House employees.
* House Sid and the other four baronates of Mageweave, their members and staff, who are sent to learn at the Mageweave University – with access to special classes.
* The Mageweave University. Public access with indoctrination. There is a waitlist and high tuition.
* Licensed Marquisate schools:
	+ Stonehearth University (campuses in North Point, Baldur's Gate and Durham, Blufshire).
	+ Firento Academy, barony of Abrotzo
	+ Aerephlan Academy, Baldur's Gate

### **Hit Points**

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

### **Starting Proficiencies**

The character proficient with the following items, in addition to any proficiencies provided by your race or Background.

* **Armor:** None
* **Weapons:** daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
* **Tools:** *Wand of Casting*
* **Saving Throws:** Intelligence, Wisdom
* **Skills:** Arcana + Choose one from History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, or Religion

### **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 Wandist-1 (may adjust depending on backstory and character level).
	+ The WoC may be used as an arcane spell focus.
* A component pouch.
* A **spellbook**. The collective record of eight 1st-level 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 spells you know.
* (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack.

## **Features and Feats of the Wandist Class**

### **Spellcasting Ability**

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wandist spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.

* As a very specific type of spellcaster, a Wandist may attune to and use any device that specifies use by spellcasters only.

In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wandist spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

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

### **Ritual Casting**

An educated wandist may cast *any* spell transcribed in their spellbook, at or lower than their Intelligence cap number, as a *ritual*.

* The first attempt at ritual casting any given spell not memorized will take twice as long as the normal casting time (20 minutes or twice any specific length).
* Subsequent casts take the normal casting time (10 minutes or the specified casting length, which ever is longer).

### **Wandist Progression**

Similar to Arcane Traditions within wizardry, Wandist Progressions provide options and features as characters grow in their Wandist capacity. What should be noted is that Wizards and traditional casters draw upon the weave or activate a magical device, while a Wandist is creating spells in their head but drawing off a close-range magical point source instead. That eventually creates an *extreme* sensitivity and attenuation to magical fields.

* When you reach 2nd level, you are granted the Magic Initiate Feat. Beyond, in some cases, there are suggested features 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. The Wandist Progression allows growth that best suits the style of the character, shaping their practice of magic. These are skills and abilities that the Wandist already has some idea that they exist, and in the process of their normal operational activities, eventually discover how to put it altogether.

### **Spell-like Abilities**

The constant exposure to an intense point-source of magic, especially as channeled by a Wandist, eventually causes peripheral side-effects.

* Detect Magic I (3rd level): without casting a spell, a wandist gains the magical ability to detect magic at-will, in the same fashion as the spell of the same name: a 30-foot divination field that can penetrate minor barriers and detect the school of magic, if any.
* Detect Magic II (9th level): This is a progression of Detect Magic I, but now allows the Wandist to identify the actual spell *if the wandist has that spell transcribed in their spellbook*.

### **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.
* In traditional D&D, there is an option to forego an ability score increase and take a feat instead. That is still an option, but not suggested if the characters are in the Marquisate: if they have the coin and the downtime, there are myriad of schools available to teach nearly any feat without foregoing the personal growth that is represented by the ability score increases.

### **Casting Mastery**

* At 18th level, you have achieved such mastery over certain spells that you can cast them with extraordinary efficiency. Choose any spell that would normally take 4-WoC casting points and you can now cast that for 1 casting point. Choose any one spell that would normally take 5+ WoC casting points and you can cast it at half cost.
* By spending 8 hours in study, you can exchange one or both of the spells you chose for different spells of the same levels.

### **Wand Link**

* When you reach 20th level, you create an extraordinary bond with your Wand of Casting. The chosen WoC, if it out of reach of the Wandist but hasn't been destroyed will *teleport* to the hand of the Wandist should they mentally call for it. The Wandist needs to be conscious to make the call, though they can call through *stun* or *fear* spells.

## **Learning Spells**

* **Cantrips learnable (total):** INT bonus (per) class level.
	+ *Mage Hand* is the default introductory cantrip and does *not* count against the cantrip total.
	+ A Wandist-1 who has a +1 INT bonus can learn 1 cantrip at first level, and 1 more per level as long as their INT bonus remains +1. If their intelligence never changed, they'd know a possible 20 cantrips at Wandist-20.
	+ Ability score improvements affect the total number moving forward (it is not retroactive). If someone earned 1 cantrip per level through Wandist-3, then bumped their bonus to +2 at Wandist-4, they'd be able to learn two (2) cantrips at level 4 for five (5) cantrips total.
* **Maximum learnable spell level:** class level / 2 (rounded up to the nearest whole number).
	+ A Wandist-1 can learn 1 / 2 = .5 (rounded up to "1"). So, a Wandist-1 can learn level-1 spells.
	+ A Wandist-9 can learn 9 / 2 = 4.5 (rounded up to "5"). A Wandist-9 can learn level-5 spells.
* **Number of spells learnable:** WIS bonus + CHA bonus + class level <per level>
	+ **Mechanics of Memory:** While it takes intelligence to understand the spell, it takes wisdom to be able to commit it to memory and charisma to be able to perform it.
	+ **Spell Points:** A spell costs its level in number to memorize. Higher level spells are more complex and take more work to memorize. Level-1 spells cost 1 point to memorize, level-5 spells cost 5 points to memorize and so on.

**LEARNING SPELLS as a WANDIST**
bonus
bonus
 5
 10
 Upcasting
Principles
bonus

### **Recording Spells**

Wandists spellbooks: a wandist maintains a spellbook which contains the spells they've learned – and ones they have yet to learn. Any new spell they wish to memorize must first be in their spellbook.

Beginning Wandists, as they complete school at level 1, will have transcribed a number of spells into their spellbook by the time they graduate.

* The maximum level for the *beginner's* book is equal to the highest level they can currently cast.
* If a character is graduating a Wandist academy a level higher than Wandist-1, the maximum level that spells can be transcribed is still their maximum castable, but the total number goes up to reflect their greater scholarship.

**Spellbook Initial Spell Number**
 **9th** | 2

After initial training, a Wandist may transcribe *any* level spell into their spellbook. They may not understand it, but they understand enough magical theory that they still competently and accurately transcribe spell notation.

### **Spell Research**

The educated 3m Wandist may discover/reinvent cantrips/spells upon personal experimentation.

* Experimentation focused toward a particular effect: d20/INT mod \* spell level (in days).
	+ Max power = INT above 10, 1 level per point.
		- INT 1-10: cantrips
		- INT 11: level 1
		- INT 12: level 2 (etc)

* An educated wandist may learn *any* spell when provided access to scroll or book.
	+ Spells are learned in Spell Level \* Hours
	+ Max power = INT above 10, 1 level per point

### **Casting per Day**

**Number of spells/day can cast:** unlimited, as long as they have a powered wand.