Scholar

A human general, clad in gleaming armour, studies the map on the table in front of him, covered in figurines that represent units of his soldiers and the invading orcs. He consults a leather-bound journal filled with notes he’s made on the enemy’s tribe, their customs and battle tactics, and he moves two pieces confidently forward.

A wild haired dwarf stands at the head of a long caravan. She surveys the valley below and plots their course through the untamed wild. Unrolling a sheaf of parchment, she sketches in new features on an expertly drawn map and then motions for the caravan to follow, leading them deeper into unknown territory in search of treasure and knowledge.

Kneeling at the side of a fallen comrade, a gnome rapidly applies a tincture and bandage. Her ally’s eyes flutter open and she helps him back to his feet before turning her attention to the nearby troll. A twirl and strike from her quarterstaff befuddles the foe, leaving it vulnerable for her ally’s next attack.

A smirk pulls at the corner of the half-elf’s mouth as he surveys the overgrown ruins on the hilltop. Though no doubt filled with traps and dangerous beasts, the promise of lost reassure and forgotten knowledge hum onward. No trinket or secret, no matter how old, would evade his thorough investigation.

World Wise

For the truly curious, the adventuring life is the only way to expand one’s horizons of knowledge and build one’s skills. Any scholar worth his salt will quickly agree that books and laboratories are excellent avenues for learning, but with no book and no beaker contain the knowledge still waiting to be discovered beyond the frontier or in the crucible of battle. The scholar believes that every student reaches a point where the most effective path to higher learning is hands-on experience. The world is full of discoveries that waiting to be made.

Creating a Scholar

As you create your scholar character, consider your motivations for becoming a disciple of the world as opposed to a student of the so-called higher mysteries. Did you grow up hearing tales of explorers charting the unknown? Perhaps a skilled healer managed to cure a family member of a terrible disease when the local priest could not? Were you raised the child of great warriors and lacked the brawn to follow in their footsteps, but had the brains to make up the difference?

Where did your path to learning begin? Did you have a brilliant mentor who passed along his knowledge? Did you sneak into the royal library to pore over thick tomes recounting ancient history? Maybe you became a student at a prestigious university devoted to expanding knowledge of all kinds?

What prompted you to leave your old life behind and become an adventurer? Are you having trouble adjusting after a life in academia? Or do you finally feel a sense of freedom? What kind of knowledge are you hoping to discover in your travels?

Agitating Attack

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend one insight die to attempt to force the creature to lose focus. You roll an insight die and add it to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of your next turn.

Defensive Posture

You can spend one insight die and take the Dodge action as a bonus action. If a creature misses you with an attack before the start of your next turn, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against an enemy in range, adding your insight die to the damage roll of the attack.

Foiling Strike

When an ally takes an action that forces a creature to make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw, you can spend one insight die and use your reaction to make a weapon attack against the creature if it is in range. Add an insight die to the damage roll. If the attack hits, the target has disadvantage on the saving throw.

Scholastic Pursuit

At 1st level, you choose your intellectual pursuit on which you will focus your efforts. Choose Tactician, Physician, or Explorer, detailed at the end of the class description. The discipline you choose grants you features at 1st level and again at 3rd, 7th, 13th, and 18th level.

Practica

Your studies have exposed you to research and theory on any number of subjects, but applying that knowledge to the real world requires an extra level of dedication.

Beginning at 2nd level, you master one practicum of your choice, your practica options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain scholar levels, you can master new practica of your choice, as shown in the Practica Known column of the Scholar table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the practica you know and replace it with another for which you meet the requirements.

Expertise

At 2nd level, you choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses any of the chosen proficiencies. At 9th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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.

Boundless Insight

Beginning at 5th level, you regain all of your expended insight die when you finish a short rest or long rest.

Field Research

Also at 5th level, if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with another creature outside combat, you can learn certain information about its capabilities. Choose a reference creature of the same type that you have seen, and the DM tells you if the creature you are researching is equal, superior or inferior to the reference creature in regard to two of the following characteristics of your choice:

• Strength score
• Dexterity score
• Constitution score
• Intelligence score
• Armor Class
• Maximum hit points
• Total class levels (if any)

Advanced Combat Insight

Starting at 6th level, your combat expertise is greater than before. You learn the following gambits:

Incisive Strike

Starting at 11th level, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes extra damage equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). You can only deal this extra damage once per round.

Words of Wisdom

Beginning at 14th level, you learn the Words of Wisdom gambit. When an ally is preparing to make a skill check, you can use an action to spend an insight die and analyse the situation, giving advice based on your observations.

You roll an insight die and add it to the allies attack roll. If you are proficient in the skill check your ally is making, add your proficiency bonus to the roll also. If multiple allies will be attempting the same feat, they may each add this bonus to their skill checks.

Analytical Mind

At 15th level, you can apply your Intelligence modifier instead of your Wisdom modifier to Wisdom ability checks in which you are proficient and, if you are still proficient in them, to Wisdom saving throws.

True Genius

At 20th level, you embody true genius. Your Intelligence score increases by 4 and your maximum Intelligence increases by 4 also.

You are also capable of moments of perfect insight, wherein the path to success becomes clear even when the odds are stacked against you. On a failed ability check, you can treat the d20 as a 20. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Pursuits

Different scholars choose different disciplines to channel their intellectual prowess. The pursuit you choose reflects this focus.

Tactician

Scholars of the Tactician pursuit have focused their minds on the art and skill of combat. By honing their techniques and studying their enemies, Tacticians become formidable presences on any battlefield.

Bonus Proficiency

At 1st level, you gain proficiency with medium armour, shields and martial weapons.

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defence

While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Duelling

When you are wielding a weapon in one hand, and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Study Foe

At 7th level, you learn the study foe gambit. You can expend an insight as a bonus action to begin studying a creature you can see. You analyse its movements and fighting style in order to avoid its attacks.

The studied creature has disadvantage on attack rolls that target only you. When the creature attempt to take an action, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against it. If the attack hits, you add an insight die to the damage roll and the creature loses its action for the turn. The study foe effect then ends immediately. Otherwise the effect ends if you are incapacitated, when the creature dies or falls unconscious, or if you use this gambit on a different enemy, therefore making it so you can only study one enemy at a time.

Force Multiplier

At 13th level, you can observe the battlefield and relay instructions to your allies in order to shore up your weaknesses and exploit those of your enemies.

As an action, roll a number of d8s equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1), and distribute them among yourself and your allies. These dice last for one minute and can be consumed as a reaction to make an attack, adding the dice to the attack roll.

Alternatively, when the holder of a die is hit by an attack, then they can use their reaction to add the die to their AC for the triggered attack, potentially causing the attack to miss. Any unused dice are lost after one minute.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Tenacious Mind

Starting at 18th level, when you roll initiative and have 1 or less insight die remaining, you regain 2 insight die.

An addition, you gain immunity to psychic damage, as well as the charmed, frightened, and stunned conditions.

Explorer

Adepts who choose the Explorer pursuit exemplify adaptability. Whether plumbing the depths of a dungeon, making contact with an unknown people, or leaping into battle, the Explorer comes armed with the worldly wisdom to best handle the situation.

Jack of All Trades

At 7th level, you can add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.

Exotic Technique

At 13th level, you learn the Exotic Technique gambit. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one insight die to stun the enemy with something it's never seen before.

You add the insight die to the damage's roll and the target can't take reactions until the end of your next turn, it must then make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target is stunned until the end of your next turn.

Rapid Adjustment

At 18th level, you can use a bonus action to replace the bonus practicum currently granted by the adaptable feature with another one for which you meet the requirements. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Chemist

The Chemist pursuit is chosen by scholars who make the study of chemistry their focus. They use their extensive knowledge to create chemical concoctions from metals, gases and liquids unknown to most.

Bonus Proficiency

When you choose this pursuit at 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill and Alchemist's Supplies.

Chemical Concoctions

Also at 1st level when you choose this pursuit, you can use resources found around you to create chemical wonders. You know three chemical formula from the ones below, and you learn an additional one at 3rd, 7th, 13th and 18th level. You use your Gambit Save DC for any saving throws described in the following concoctions:

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• Acidic Solution. As an action, you can throw a vial of acid at a creature, object or surface within 30 feet of you. The vial shatters on impact and the creature hit must succeed a Constitution saving throw or take acid damage equal to three Insight Die plus your Intelligence modifier. A successful save halves the damage. If used on an object, the damage is maximised. Starting at 13th level, on a failed save the target takes a -1 penalty to their AC until the end of your next turn.
• Antitoxin. When administered, the target can either end one poison currently effecting them, or gain resistance to poison damage until they next complete a long rest. Starting at 13th level, the target gains both effects of the antitoxin, as well as gaining advantage on saving throws against poison and disease.
• Chemical Fire. As an action, you hurl a bottle of searingly hot, very volatile liquid at a space within 30 feet of you. On impact, the bottle explodes in a 5-foot radius. Any creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take fire damage equal to two Insight Die. A successful save halves the damage. Starting at 13th level, on a failed save a target takes an addtional Insight Die of fire damage at the start of its next turn.

Psychologist

A politician draws upon their knowledge of the mind and its inner workings to become a master manipulator of the masses. They can get inside another person's head for good and for bad, bringing out the best or the worst in them.

Adept

Combinding the intellect of the average scholar with a little magic aids the study of the world around them. Adepts utilise simple magics to devulge its interaction with the world around them.

Esoteric Rituals

When you reach 3rd level, you can cast any adept spell you know as a ritual if it has the ritual tag.

You also learn additional spells, called Arcane Rituals. At 3rd level, you know 2 spells with the ritual tag from the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer or wizard spell lists. You you gain additional esoteric rituals at higher levels, as shown in the Adept Spellcasting table. An esoteric ritual must be a level equal to or lower than the level shown in the Adept Spellcasting table.

Esoteric rituals are always prepared, and can only be casted as rituals.

Alternatively, you can expend a number of Insight Die equal to the spells level to cast the spell using its normal casting time instead of as a ritual.

Masterful Simplicity

At 7th level, your familiarity with your spells allows you to cast them faster. You can cast a adept cantrip with a casting time of an action as a bonus action. You must meet all other requirements to cast it.

When you cast a cantrip in this way, you are considered to be 1st level in terms of the cantrips damage, if it deals any. Once you reach 13th level, when you cast cantrips in this way, you are considered to be a 5th level character, instead of 1st.

Arcane Repositioning

At 13th level, you can recycle some of the latent energy used to conjure your cantrips to jaunt to another location. When you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can teleport to an unoccupied space within 10 feet.

Alternatively, should you instead expend a bonus action to cast a cantrip, you can only teleport 5 feet instead.

Elevated Arcana

Starting at 18th level, your study of the relationship between magic and the world has allowed you to harness a higher power for even the simplist of magics. When you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can expend an Insight Die to invoke the following effects:

• The distance teleported using your Arcane Respositioning is doubled
• The damage of the spell increases by 1 damage die
• You have advantage on the spell attack roll used in the cantrip, or the target creature has disadvantage on their save against

Practica

If a practicum has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the practicum at the same time that you meet this prerequisite. A level prerequisite in a practicum refers to scholar level, not character level.

Dogged

When exhausted, you suffer the effects as if your level of exhaustion is one lower. You suffer no negative effects from level 1 exhaustion. Additionally, you can never be stunned.

Dungeon Raider

You are considered proficient in Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to find traps or hidden doors and can perfectly recall any path you have travelled since learning this practicum.

Expedition Master

Prerequisite: 5th level, Explorer pursuit
If you spend at least one day traveling in a specific type of terrain (arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, the Underdark or the sea), you gain the following benefits until you leave that terrain:

• Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group travels
• Your group can't become lost except by magical means
• You remain alert to danger even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling, such as foraging, navigating, tracking or mapping

If you have a map of the region you are traveling through, you can ignore the requirements of one-day travel before benefiting from this feature. You can create your own maps as you travel if you have cartographer's tools.

Flash of Insight

Prerequisite: 17th level
Your intellect occasionally grants you moments of perfect clarity, illuminating a path to success even when the odds are stacked against you. When you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Fleet Footed

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can Dash as a bonus action, and moving through non-magical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement.

Follow-Up

Prerequisite: 14th level, Explorer pursuit
When you hit an enemy with the exotic technique gambit, you can make another attack as a bonus action against a different target. This attack has the same effect as exotic technique, but does not expend an insight die and no damage is added if the attack hits.

Hamstring

When you score a critical hit against a creature with a melee attack, you can reduce their speed to 0 until the end of that creature's next turn.

Hardened Mind

Prerequisite: 15th level
You gain resistance to psychic damage.

Infuriating Dodge

Prerequisite: 5th level, Psycologist pursuit When you use your Taunt gambit, you instead roll two Insight Die to reduce the damage you take instead of one.

Inverse Arcane

Prerequisite: Adept Pursuit
When you or another creature that you can see within 10 feet must make a saving throw against a spell, you can expend an Insight Die as a reaction adding your Intelligence modifier to the roll. The total is then added to the target's saving throw.

You must state your use of this feature before your DM has stated whether the target's saving throw resulted in a success or failure.

Should you succeed in protecting you or an ally against the brunt of a spell using this practica, your next attack roll with a cantrip has advantage.

Lead the Retreat

Prerequisite: 5th level, Tactician pursuit
You can disengage as a bonus action on your turn. Any enemy you hit with a weapon attack on the same turn is unable to take reactions until the start of your next turn.

Linguist

Prerequisite: 14th level
You can communicate and understand simple ideas and concepts when speaking to creatures that has an Intelligence score of 8 or higher, and understands a language, even if you do not share a language. You can also glean basic information from written samples of languages that you do not know.

The DM may have you roll an Intelligence check if you attempt to read, communicate, or understand more complex ideas in an unknown language. At the DM's discretion, failure may result is misinterpretation.

Master Cartographer

Prerequisite: 8th level, Explorer pursuit
When outdoors, you can spend 10 minutes to study your nearby surroundings to extrapolate knowledge about the land within 3 miles of you. In caves and other natural underground settings, the radius is limited to 300 feet. From a suitable vantage point with a high elevation and clear sightlines, you can accomplish this task in just 1 minute. This ability doesn’t function where nature has been replaced by construction, such as dungeons and towns, unless you reach a suitable vantage point. You gain knowledge of up to three facts about any of the following subjects as they relate to the area.

• Terrain and bodies of water
• Prevalent plants, minerals, animals or peoples
• Buildings

For example, you could determine the location of major sources of safe drinking water, the location of any nearby towns, and the location of goblin camps in the area.

Medical Genius

Prerequisite: Chemist Pursuit
When you make a Medicine skill check, you may use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Wisdom modifier.

Monstrology

Prerequisite: 7th Level
Choose one type of creature from the following list: aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fiends, or giants. You have advantage on Intelligence checks to recall information about the chosen creature type and may use your Intelligence modifier when making a Survival skill check to track them. You can chose this discovery multiple times, each time choosing a different creature.

Mystic Voyage

Prerequisite: 14th level, Adept Pursuit
The distance travelled when you use your Arcane Repositioning is increased by 5 feet.

One Move Ahead

Prerequisite: 17th level
You can use incisive strike to add your Intelligence modifier to the attack roll instead of the damage roll when you make a weapon attack. You can choose to do so before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

Perfect Assault

Prerequisite: 14th level, Tactician pursuit
Force multiplier now allows you to distribute d10s instead of d8s.

Physical Conditioning

Prerequisite: 11th level
Your hit point maximum increases by 1 for every level you have in the scholar class, and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.

Precise Strikes

Prerequisite: Tactician pursuit
When an ally you can see makes an attack roll with advantage and successfully hits. You can expend one insight die and roll it, adding your Intelligence modifier. The damage dealt increases by the number rolled.

Preventative Medicine

Prerequisite: 8th level, Chemist pursuit
When an ally you can see is forced to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction and expend one Insight Die to give it the benefit of the Unsticky the Situation gambit. The target must be within 5ft and you can move up to half your speed as part of your reaction to reach this distance. If a saving throw is caused by an area effect, and your movement takes you into that area, you suffer any effects as if you were in the area at the same moment.

Psychological Profile

Prerequisite: 11th level, Psychologist pursuit
If you spend at least one minute conversing with a creature or observing it in a social situation, you can analyse its speech and body language to determine how best to interact with it. The DM tells you whether Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion is most likely to have a favourable impact on the creature's disposition toward you. For the next hour, you have advantage on checks in that skill directed at the creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Rapid Response

Prerequisite: 5th level, Chemist pursuit
On your turn, you gain an additional 10 feet of movement, but you must during that turn use any method to heal a creature.

Reliable Words

Prerequisite: 11th level, Psycologist pursuit
When you make a Deception or Persuasion check, treat any roll of a 9 or lower as if you had rolled a 10.

Resolute

Prerequisite: 9th level
You have advantage on saving throws against charm effects.

Rugged Climber

Climbing doesn’t cost you extra movement, and you have advantage on Athletics and Acrobatics checks made to overcome environmental obstacles.

Rumbler

Your unarmed strikes use a d4 for damage, and you are considered proficient in Athletics and Acrobatics for all ability checks made to initiate, maintain, or contest a grapple.

Sound Reasoning

Prerequisite: Psycologist pursuit
You may use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Charisma modifier when you make a Persuasion skill check.

Trail Medicine

Chemist pursuit
As an action, you can spend one Insight Die to grant a willing creature temporary hit points equal to 5 + your scholar level, rounded up.

Urgent Care

Prerequisite: 5th level, Chemist pursuit
You may drink a potion or administer a potion to an ally as a bonus action.

Vigilant

Prerequisite: 8th level
You can't be surprised while you are conscious and you can choose to apply your Intelligence modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier to initiative rolls.

Well Learned

Gain proficiency in two skills or two tools, or one skill and one tool.

Zoology

Choose one type of creature from the following list: beasts, fey, humanoids, monstrosities, or undead. You have advantage on Intelligence checks to recall information about the chosen creature type and may use your Intelligence modifier when making a Survival skill check to track them. You can chose this discovery multiple times, each time choosing a different creature.

Multiclassing

Ability Score Minimum. Intelligence 13
Proficiencies Gained. Light armour, simple weapons, one skill from the scholar skill list