Wizard School of Pugilomancy + Queensberry Lich

by DoctorBroo

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School of Pugilomancy

The School of Pugilomancy is a rarely-seen, oft-ridiculed branch of the School of Conjuration. Derided as mere “muscle wizards”, the image most associated with the tradition is that of a pair of shirtless, oiled-up men, beating the daylights out of each other with spectral fists, though this couldn’t be closer to exactly what it is. And it is glorious.

Monks may have turned unarmed combat into an art form, and, sure, Arcane Tricksters can apply their Mage Hands with pinpoint precision, but Pugilomancers push their bodies to the absolute limit, taking blunt-force trauma after blunt-force trauma and sacrificing their ability to cast high-level spells, gaining in return the ability to punch really, really hard. And at the end of the day, that’s all anybody really needs.

Magic Muscle

Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, you may use Strength as your spellcasting ability modifier.

One-Two Punch

Starting at 2nd level, you learn the Mage Hand cantrip. If you already know this cantrip, you learn a different Wizard cantrip of your choice. The cantrip doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known.

You gain the following benefits while Mage Hand is active:

  • When you cast Mage Hand, you create two hands: a primary hand and a secondary hand.
  • When you use your action to control your primary hand, you can order it to make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of it.
  • Your secondary hand can be ordered to make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of it as a bonus action.
  • On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This damage increases to 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level and 4d4 at 17th level.

“I Didn’t Hear No Bell!”

Beginning at 6th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead and cast Vicious Mockery as a reaction, using your spellcasting ability modifier. You must finish a long rest before using this feature again.

Bigger-by’s Hand

At 10th level, you add the Bigby’s Hand spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. The hand has hit points equal to your hit point maximum + your Wizard level.

Shadow Boxer

At 10th level, your boxing prowess has earned the attention of an otherworldly coach. You add the Find Familiar spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar, or a Queensberry Lich. If you choose a Queensberry Lich, your familiar can Help you as a bonus action, giving you advantage on your next ability check or attack using Mage Hand or Bigby’s Hand.

No Thoughts, Head Empty

At 14th level, your ability to further your arcane knowledge has plateaued. You are unable to use 8th and 9th-level spell slots, unless they are used to cast Bigby’s Hand.

“I Cast FISTS.”

Beginning at 14th level, when you cast Bigby’s Hand, you can create two hands instead of one. You can command each hand separately, giving orders to one as an action and to the other as a bonus action.

The first time you do so, you suffer no adverse effect. If you use this feature again before you finish a Long Rest, you take 2d12 necrotic damage for each level of the spell, immediately after you cast it. Each time you use this feature again before finishing a Long Rest, the necrotic damage per Spell Level increases by 1d12. This damage ignores Resistance and immunity.

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PART 1 | PUGILOMANCER

Queensberry Lich

Queensberry Liches are the remains of great Pugilomancers who invoked dark magics as a means of holding onto their fading youth. As the School of Pugilomancy sees a Wizard sacrifice their arcane knowledge for raw physical strength, much of this power is tragically lost upon death, as the body rots and wastes away, and the road of a Queensberry Lich is thus one rarely travelled. Those few who become a Queensberry Lich now spend their undeath wandering the world, seeking out young Pugilomancers to coach, through which they can relive their lost glory. Unlike true Liches, Queensberry Liches are rarely considered good or evil, as they only truly care about one thing: two beautiful, glistening bodies getting in the ring, beating the ever-loving snot out of each other.

A Queensberry Lich's Lair Gym

The abode of a Queensberry Lich, called a “gym”, often at a glance resembles a village smokery or butcher’s shop: skinned carcasses of wild boar and deer and other beasts of comparable size hang from meat hooks, which the Lich utilizes in a ritual that blends Pugilomancy with the school of Dunamancy, known in common arcane parlance as a “training montage”. Time seems to flow strangely in the immediate vicinity of the Lich as they invoke encouraging words to their protégés, causing the carcasses to be punched with increasing efficacy as the Pugilomancer grows rapidly in power over the course of multiple weeks, or even months. To the outside observer, this process is accomplished in mere minutes.

Other Queensberry Liches make their gyms outdoors; village middens or local quarries are frequently chosen, and can be identified by the ghostly presence of a Pugilomancer jogging around its perimeter in the early hours of the morning, carrying a brick or stone in each hand, shifting in and out of phase with reality as they skirt the borders of the Lich’s gym in a bizarre arcane practice known as “doing that bit from Rocky”. Whoever or whatever “Rocky” was, that knowledge has been sadly lost to time.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Queensberry Lich rolls a d20. On a result of 11 or higher, otherworldly, non-diagetic music begins playing. Only Pugilomancers can hear this this score, which provides them with a d6 Bardic Inspiration die. The Bardic Inspiration die changes according to the Pugilomancer’s level, becoming a d8 at 5th level, d10 at 10th level, and d12 at 15th level.

Lair Traits

A Queensberry Lich’s gym does not obey the laws of time and space, although there are multiple ways to temporarily nullify the effect: a Wish spell can do so, as can any spell of 5th level or higher that can alter the flow of time, such as Time Stop or Temporal Shunt (EGtW, p. 189). However, as the montage is caused by Queensberry Lich itself, nothing short of silencing the Lich’s encouraging words or killing it can end the effect permanently.

If the training montage is in effect, roll on or choose from the Training Montage table below to determine the nature of the temporal disturbance:

Training Montage
d20 Result
1-2 Minutes outside equal hours inside
3-6 Minutes outside equal days inside
7-13 No change
14-17 Minutes outside equal weeks inside
18-19 Minutes outside equal months inside
20 Minutes outside equal years inside
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PART 2 | QUEENSBERRY LICH

Queensberry Lich

Medium undead, neutral


  • Armor Class 13
  • Hit Points 10 (3d4 + 3)
  • Speed 30ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 6 (-2) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 14 (+2)

  • Skills Arcana +3, History +3, Performance +4, Athletics +5
  • Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
  • Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
  • Damage Immunities poison
  • Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
  • Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 11
  • Languages Common, Infernal
  • Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Throw in the Towel. The Queensberry Lich can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Magic Resistance. The Queensberry Lich has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Fisticuffs. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

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PART 2 | QUEENSBERRY LICH
 

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