Martial Archetype: Arcane Aegis
Blending magic with hard steel, the Arcane Aegis is the ultimate defence. Arcane Aegides use magical techniques similar to those practised by wizards. They focus their study on two of the eight schools of magic: abjuration and evocation. These aegides learn a comparatively small number of spells, committing them to memory instead of keeping them in a spellbook.
Arcane Aegis Features
| Fighter Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Spellcasting, Reactive Armor |
| 7th | Ablative Barrier |
| 10th | Emergency Interdiction |
| 15th | Richochet |
| 18th | Ultimate Bulwark |
Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells.
Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn an additional wizard cantrip of your choice at 10th level.
Spell Slots. The Arcane Aegis Spellcasting 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. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Shield and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast shield using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the abjuration and evocation spells on the wizard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Arcane Aegis Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an abjuration or evocation spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an abjuration or evocation spell, unless you're replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic.
Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you learn your spells through 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.
Arcane Aegis Spellcasting
| Fighter Level | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4th | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5th | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 6th | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7th | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 8th | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 9th | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 11th | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14th | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 15th | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 17th | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 18th | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 19th | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20th | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Reactive Armor
When you take this archetype at 3rd level, you gain a pool of points to a maximum value of 5 times your fighter level.
When you take damage you add as many points to your reactive armor pool as half the amount of damage you received (rounded down).
The next time you take damage you can choose to spend any number of points in your pool to reduce the incoming damage by that amount. Your pool does not fill on an attack that you reduce the damage of.
This pool empties after you finish a short or long rest.
Ablative Barrier
At 7th level, as a reaction when an ally that you can see within 30 feet of you suffers a critical hit, you can spend 5 or more points from your armor pool to turn that attack into a normal hit, and deal 1d4 of force damage for every 5 points spent in addition to the 5 spent to activate this ability to the creature that scored the critical.
Any effects triggered by a critical hit are cancelled.
Emergency Interdiction
At 10th level, if you and other creatures of your choice within 30 feet are are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a saving throw to take only half damage, you can spend points from your armor pool to create a barrier around that creature.
They instead take no damage if they succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if they fail. This does not affect creatures that benefit from a similar ability, such as Evasion.
This ability costs 10 points per creature that this ability affects.
Ricochet
Starting from 15th level, when your reactive armor ability reduces the damage from a ranged attack to 0, you may redirect the attack back where it came from as part of the same reaction.
You make this Attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon Proficiencies, and use your Intelligence for attack rolls and damage rolls if they apply.
Ultimate Bulwark
From 18th level, you become proficient in all saving throws.
If the result of your saving throw is higher than a creature of your choice that you can see, you may switch the results of both of your saving throws. You must choose to do so after you roll, but before the success or failure is declared.
Once you use this ability you cannot use it until you have finished a short or long rest.
Credits
Designed by d'Artagnan on DMs Guild, /u/dArtagnanDnD on reddit, or dArtagnanDnD on patreon and dArtagnanDnD on Twitter.
- Made with "GM Binder".
- Made with reference and for use with Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, created by Wizards of the Coast.
Image Credits
Magic Sign - Sergey Samarskiy