Wizard Arcane Tradition: Flintmage
With the advent of the gunpowder age dawning upon the arcane spellcasting community, a group of like-minded mages banded together to adapt their ancient arcane arts to this modern era of marksmanship and gunslinging. This brought about the birth of the first Flintmage Order, an exclusive society practicing esoteric shooting styles that borrow some magical flair from their members' arcane knowledge.
Flintmage Armaments
Starting at 2nd level, you become accustomed to using the instruments of a Flintmage. You gain proficiency in light armor.
In addition, choose up to three simple or martial ranged weapons. You become proficient in those weapons and you can use your chosen weapons as spellcasting foci.
Optional Rule: Firearm Proficiency. The secrets of creating and operating gunpowder weapons have been discovered in various corners of the D&D multiverse. If your Dungeon Master allows the use of firearms, you can choose to become proficient with them through your Flintmage Armaments feature.
Flintmage Orders
From early firelances to bolt action rifles, Flintmages flock to others who share the same bias for one kind of weapon. These like-minded individuals establish Orders, groups of Flintmages dedicated to perfecting their proprietary blend of magic and martial might.
Orders of Flintmages are identified by their preferred weapon and magical specialties. Generally, each Order carries some variation of their preferred weapon as a badge of membership. Below are a few examples of Flintmages Orders for you to use or take inspiration from when making your own Flintmage.
Boomwitches. This Order favors a more conspicuous approach, having mastered all forms of scattergun. They couple this mastery with grander forms of evocation and transmutation magic to truly leave an impact on the battlefield. Boomwitches seamlessly blend both magical and mundane destruction.
Bulletcasters. A fairly new Order that arose from the invention of barrel rifling. Its members are said to use various enchantments to hide their presence from others and conjure portals to supplement their accuracy.
Hexguns. One of the most ancient, and controversial, Orders. Flintmages who call themselves Hexguns are regarded with caution because of their reputation as heartless bounty hunters and unrelenting necromancers.
Esoteric Shooting
Also at 2nd level, your initiation into the ranks of the Flintmages affords you the right to learn useful tricks honed by its members.
Choose two schools of magic to specialize in. You can perform special tricks that utilize both your arcane talents and familiarity with marksmanship based on your choices.
Most of these tricks require making an attack using a ranged weapon. Attacks can only benefit from the effects of one of these tricks at a time.
You can change one of your choices when you gain a level in this class. Additionally, you can choose one more school of magic to specialize in at 8th level, to a total of 3.
You have a total number of uses for this feature equal to your Intelligent modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses after finishing a short or long rest.
Abjuration
When you take damage while wielding a ranged weapon you are proficient with, you can use your reaction to raise your weapon and fire off a blast of pure arcane energy to intercept the damage, reducing it by 2d4 + your wizard level. This blast also pushes you up to 10 feet away from the source of the damage.
Conjuration
Once per turn, when you make a ranged weapon attack, you can choose to open two small portals, one immediately in front of your projectile mid-flight and another right next to your target. When you do so, you ignore sources of disadvantage affecting the attack and your target gains no benefits from cover.
Additionally, when you send a projectile through a portal conjured using this trick, roll a d4. On a 1 or 4, the portal duplicates the projectile, allowing you to make another attack against your target.
Divination
Once per turn, before making a ranged attack using a ranged weapon, you can make a prediction as to whether you'll hit or miss. If your prediction is correct, one of the following effects happens:
Hit. The truth of your prediction sends a miniscule vibration along the threads of fate, enough to allow you to make a particularly potent shot. The attack deals additional damage equal to one of the weapon's damage dice + half your wizard level (rounded down).
Miss. The truth of your prediction sends a miniscule ripple along the threads of fate, enough to influence future attacks. The next attack against your target gains a bonus to its attack roll equal to your proficiency bonus.
If your prediction is wrong, the attack resolves normally.
Enchantment
You can use a bonus action to weave magical misleading thoughts into your next ranged weapon attack. On a hit, your target takes damage as normal and must make an Intelligence saving throw against your wizard spell save DC.
On a failed save, it is convinced that the attack came from a random creature (other than you) within its melee range and must use its reaction to make a melee attack against the perceived attacker. The effect fails if there are no creatures within range or if your target is immune to being charmed.
If your target succeeds their saving throw, they are immune to this trick until the end of your next turn.
Evocation
Once per turn, when you make a ranged attack using a ranged weapon, you can choose to instead fire off a barrage of elemental darts with unerring accuracy.
When you do so, you create a number of magical glowing darts, similar to the magic missile spell, equal to your proficiency bonus. Each dart hits a target within your weapon's normal range and deals 1d6 damage, the type of which can be either fire, cold, lightning, or thunder. You can designate a different type for each dart.
Illusion
As a bonus action, you can fire a dart of compressed disorienting illusory magic from a ranged weapon you are wielding at a creature you can see within your weapon's range. Your target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your wizard spell save DC, as the magic attempts to overwhelm their sight or hearing (your choice).
On a failed save, your target is blinded or deafened until the end of your next turn. This dart is practically untraceable and doesn't give away your position when used.
Necromancy
As a bonus action, you conjure a spike of necrotic energy you can use as ammunition for one attack.
When you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack using this ammunition, your target takes the attack's damage as necrotic damage and must make a Constitution saving throw against your wizard spell save DC as the spike implants itself onto its body.
On a failed save, your target is enfeebled, reducing either its Strength or Dexterity score (your choice) by 1d4 + half your wizard level (rounded down) for 1 minute. Enfeebled creatures can repeat their Constitution saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the enfeeblement on a success.
When a creature succeeds its saving throw against this trick, the necrotic spike dissipates into nothingness.
You can't reduce a creature's ability scores below 4 using this trick.
Transmutation
Once per turn, when you make a ranged attack using a ranged weapon, you can choose to temporarily alter your weapon's mode of firing to one of the following:
- 10-foot sphere centered on a point you can see within 120 feet.
- 15-foot cone originating from the weapon.
- A line 20 feet long and 5 feet wide originating from the weapon.
Each creature in your chosen area of effect must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a target takes the weapon's damage dice + your wizard level, or half as much on a successful one.
Each mode of fire consumes only one piece of ammunition when used.
Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Gumption
Also at 6th level, you have the wherewithal to prepare countermeasures for (nearly) everything.
You can use a trick from your Esoteric Shooting feature from a school of magic you don't specialize in. Doing so doesn't expend a use for that feature.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Fan the Hammer
At 10th level, you master a technique open to all Flintmages that's commonly used to dispatch of multiple targets at once.
As an action, you can spend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to let loose a deluge of projectiles from a ranged weapon you're wielding and are proficient with. When you do so, you make a number of ranged weapon attacks equal to twice the level of the spell slot expended + 2 against creatures within the weapon's range. You magically produce ammunition for each attack, allowing you to bypass your weapon's loading property, if it has one.
Multiple attacks can be made against the same target, up to a maximum number of attacks per target equal to your proficiency bonus - 1.
These attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Arch Flintmage
At 14th level, you've entered the prestigious ranks of the Arch Flintmages, allowing you to study and use even more advanced techniques connected to your specialties. You can perform advanced techniques according to the schools of magic you specialize in from your Esoteric Shooting feature.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Abjuration
When you take damage from an effect that targets multiple creatures, you can use your reaction to fire off an explosive nova of magical counterforce to mitigate that damage for yourself and all other creatures within 45 feet affected by the damaging effect. When you do so, you reduce the triggering effect's damage by 3d10 + your wizard level.
Conjuration
As an action, you can use a ranged weapon you are wielding to fire up to 6 portals at points you can see within the weapon's long range. These portals either stand up on their own, vertically or horizontally, or are attached to a surface, and last for 1 minute.
A creature can spend 5 feet of movement to enter a portal and exit onto an unoccupied space within 5 feet of another portal. A creature that enters a portal unwillingly must make a Charisma saving throw against your wizard spell save DC.
On a failed save, they enter the portal and are spat out onto an unoccupied space within 10 feet of a random portal. On a successful one, they enter the portal and exit onto an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the same portal.
Divination
As an action, you can use your mind's eye to zero in on and psychically broadcast the vulnerable features on a creature you can see within 60 feet until the end of your next turn. When you or another creature hits your target with a weapon attack, the attacker can choose to use the average (rounded up) + 1 for each of the attack's damage dice before or after rolling.
Enchantment
As an action, you can fire a projectile laced with phantoms of unimaginable pain and suffering. When you do, you make a ranged attack using a ranged weapon at a creature within your weapon's normal range. On a hit, your target takes the weapon's damage as normal and must make an Intelligence saving throw against your wizard spell save DC as the phantoms enter the creature's mind.
On a failed save, the affected creature believes the attack to be particularly potent and mind numbingly painful for 1 minute. While under this delusion, they suffer one of the following effects (your choice):
- Your shot ripped through its primary means of locomotion, not outright crippling them but making it harder for them to move. For every 10 feet an affected creature moves while under this delusion, it takes 2d4 psychic damage.
- Your shot ripped through some very important musculature, making it harder for an affected creature to fight. An affected creature has disadvantage on attacks and ability checks that use Strength or Dexterity (your choice) while under this delusion.
- Your shot gave it a hard knock on the head, disorienting the affected creature to some degree. An affected creature can only speak falteringly and must first succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your wizard spell save DC before casting a spell while under this delusion.
An affected creature can repeat its Intelligence saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the delusions on a success.
Evocation
As an action, you can fire a beam of elemental energy from a ranged weapon you are wielding. This beam is 10 feet wide and its length is equal to your ranged weapon's long range. You have some control over this beam, allowing you to turn it in 90 degree angles a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once).
Each creature caught in the beam must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, affected creatures take 5d8 + your wizard level damage, or half as much on a successful one. The beam's damage type can be acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, or thunder.
Illusion
As an action, you can pull wisps of shadow material from the Shadowfell to construct two miniature duplicates of a ranged weapon you are wielding. These duplicates hover roughly eye level with you and last for 1 minute.
When you damage a creature using a spell or a ranged weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to command one of your miniature duplicate weapons to fire a dart of compressed shadows at a creature you can see and damaged this turn. This dart automatically hits your target and has one of the following effects:
Phantasma. Your target takes 1d4 + half your wizard level (rounded down) psychic damage and must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they are charmed, their senses convinced that they're in a dreamscape filled with their deepest desires until the start of your next turn. While charmed this way, a creature can only move up to half its speed and must waste its action harmlessly indulging in its deepest desires by themselves.
Goria. Your target takes 1d4 + half your wizard level (rounded down) psychic damage and must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they are frightened, filled with visions of the things they fear the most. While frightened this way, a creature becomes a stumbling and bumbling version of themselves; when they move more than half their speed in one movement, they must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or fall prone. Additionally, they can only speak falteringly and must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC to overcome their stuttering before casting a spell.
Necromancy
As an action, you can fire an improved necrotic spike from a ranged weapon you are proficient with at a creature within the weapon's range. You make a ranged weapon attack against your target. On a hit, your target takes the attack's damage as necrotic damage and has the spike embedded in its body.
You can use a bonus action to siphon vital energies from a creature embedded with a necrotic spike. When you do so, the spike-embedded creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC.
On a failed save, the creature's Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution score (your choice) is reduced by 1d4 + half your Intelligence modifier (rounded down, minimum of 1) and is transferred to you, increasing your relevant ability score by the amount lost. You can't increase your ability scores beyond 20 this way. This effect lasts while the spike is embedded in the creature.
A creature can use its action to attempt to pull out a necrotic spike embedded in itself or another creature. When it does so, it must make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, it removes the spike and it dissipates into nothingness. On a failure, the spike remains embedded and the spike-embedded creature takes necrotic damage equal to one of its hit dice.
You can't reduce a creature's ability scores below 4 using this feature.
A necrotic spike dissipates into nothingness when not embedded in a creature or after 1 hour.
Transmutation
You can use an action to animate up to 10 pieces of ammunition usable by a ranged weapon you are wielding. These pieces of ammunition float around you while animated and scan for enemies within a range equal to half your weapon's normal range. Once per turn, when a hostile creature enters or moves within this range, a piece of ammunition automagically fires itself at that creature.
When it does so, you make a ranged weapon attack against the target as if though you fired the ammunition from the weapon you are wielding. The ammunition deals 2d4 + your wizard level magical bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage (your choice).
After firing itself, a piece of ammunition loses its animation but otherwise remains intact.
Credits
Subclass by: u/ScionofHouseIronstar
Wizard of the West art by: u/zandyyyyy on reddit
Gunslinger by: Bryan Syme on deviantart.com
BOUNTY HUNTER by: Denys Tsiperko on artstation.com
Edith by: Alex Coggon on http://www.aecoggonillustration.com/