Arcane Tradition of Discovery

by belithioben

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Arcane Tradition: Discovery

The rugged outskirts of the world hold more knowledge and mystery than could be contained in a thousand tomes, and none know this fact more intimately than wizards that follow the tradition of Discovery. Driven by wanderlust, you do not shirk worldly knowledge or unfamiliar magic. The skilled traveler learns to make use of every trick at their disposal.

By bringing to light the lost and undiscovered secrets of the world, your adventures bring you to the forefront of historical and arcanological research. What you do with this knowledge is up to you.

Deft Scrutiny

Beginning at 2nd level, you can quickly analyze and reverse engineer magical effects. You do so either as a reaction when a creature you can see within 60 feet of you casts a spell, or as an action when you investigate an ongoing magical effect within 120 feet of you. Make an intelligence check with a DC equal to 10 + the level of the spell. You identify the spell on a success, and if it's a wizard spell you can magically capture its formula. You can copy a captured spell into your spellbook.

Not all magical effects are created by spells, but the DM might allow you to uncover the formula for a spell that acts similarly to the effect. For example, a magical barrier might reveal the wall of force spell, and a displacer beast might reveal the blur spell.

Impromptu Preparation

Starting at 2nd level, if you have access to your spellbook, you can cast spells from your spellbook as if they were prepared.

Once you've cast spells this way a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier, you must complete a long rest before doing so again.

Jack of All Trades

By 6th level, keen memory, sharp mind, and a small pinch of magic allow you to prevail no matter the situation. You can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.

Mystical Dissection

Starting at 10th level, your analysis reveals how to quickly deconstruct magical effects. When you identify a spell with Deft Scrutiny, you can expend a spell slot to cast a countermeasure targeting it as part of the same action: counterspell if you identified as a reaction or dispel magic if you identified as an action. If the countermeasure requires a skill check, use the result of your Deft Scrutiny roll.

You add the counterspell and dispel magic spells to your spellbook. If one of them is already in your spellbook, you may add a different wizard spell of a level for which you have spell slots. Counterspell and dispel magic always count as prepared spells for you, and don't count against the number of spells you can prepare.

Eternalize

By 14th level, you've learned how to emulate the deep-seated enchantments that suffuse ancient magical sites, if only to a limited degree. When you cast a spell, you can extend its casting time into a meticulous 8-hour ritual. If you do, the spell lasts until dispelled rather than for its usual duration, and it no longer requires concentration. The spell ends as normal if an effect would cause it to do so, such as if you make an attack during the Invisibility spell. Wizards that wish to end the effect typically do so by casting Dispel Magic on themselves.

The spell you perform the ritual on must be of 5th level or lower, it must have a duration of 1 minute or longer, and it must have you as its only target when you cast it.

As an additional cost to performing the ritual, the combined level of spell slots you can recover whenever you use your Arcane Recovery feature is reduced by an amount equal to the level of the chosen spell. The cost increases by 1 if the spell usually requires concentration. When the spell ends, it no longer counts against your Arcane Recovery total.

 

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