Arcane Traditions

This section describes new Arcane Traditions used in this campaign.

Mage of Learning
This Arcane Tradition is only available to wizard followers of Ea, the goddess of wisdom, arts & crafts. It is a generalist mage, but a generalist with unique abilities, separating it from the other arcane traditions.

Followers of Ea are seekers of knowledge, any knowledge, and will not limit themselves to one specialization. The most devout followers are Men or Women of Learning. Mages who devoutly follow Ea will not specialize in any tradition, instead they will take time to truly understand magic, not just what works but diving in to figure out how it works. For a modern-day corollary, think of engineers vs. physicists.

Belonging to the Mage of Learning tradition grants these benefits:

Arcane Expertise
Beginning at 2nd level, the wizard studies not only magic but the composition of magic. This in-depth study grants you another +1 to your arcana skill.

Magic Decoder
Beginning at 2nd level, the wizard can determine a spell's effects as it's being cast. When an arcane spell is cast within 40' and in full view of the Mage of Learning, the wizard can make an Arcana check as a bonus action. If the result is greater than or equal to the caster's DC, the wizard can use that knowledge to roll his or her save at advantage. This is a bonus action because it can only be done once per round (if two casters are casting spells simultaneously, only one can be decoded).

Magic Disjoiner
At 6th level, the wizard earns either counterspell or dispel magic (player's choice) as a known spell in addition to normal spell slot gain. Also, when using either spell against another arcane spell, the Mage of Learning can add his or her proficiency bonus to the roll.

Also, when an arcane spell is cast at a Mage of Learning, the wizard can make an Arcana check as a bonus action. If the result is greater than the caster's DC, the wizard understands how that spell works and can cast a quick countering "cantrip" to reduce the damage by -1 per die. If the spell is not damage-causing, instead the duration can be reduced by 1 round. Note if this is an area-of-effect spell, everyone in that area gets this benefit, but the Mage of Learning must be in the area of effect. As before, it's a bonus action because the wizard can only do this once per round against a specific caster.

Magic Disruptor
At 10th level, the wizard earns the ability to disrupt another arcane spellcaster. Once per short rest, the Mage of Learning can force a contest: spellcasting ability vs. spellcasting ability (d20 + proficiency bonus + IN bonus +1 if the wizard has this ability). If the Mage of Learning wins, the other caster can't cast spells for the rest of the current round and all of the next. Range is 40'. This only works for spells, innate abilities that mimic spell effects cannot be disrupted.

Magic Absorber
At 14th level, a Mage of Learning can absorb another caster's spell and regain their own slots as a reaction. Once per long rest, the wizard can use reaction to absorb another arcane caster's spellcasting. It's a contest: spellcasting ability vs. spellcasting ability (d20 + proficiency bonus + IN bonus +1 if the wizard has this ability). If the Mage of Learning wins, he or she absorbs the spells effects entirely and regains a spell slot of equal or lower level if one has already been cast. If a spell slot has not been used yet, the spell simply dissipates. This takes a great deal of effort: if a spell is absorbed in this manner, the Mage of Learning cannot use a standard action on his or her next turn (can still move or do free or bonus actions).