The Arcane Blade is a martial spellcaster who fuses the art of combat with arcane mastery. Rather than simply wielding sword and shield or other weapons, the Arcane Blade channels magical energy through their strikes, enhancing their combat prowess with powerful spells. They strike with both blade and magic in one fluid motion, their attacks imbued with the force of elemental energy, divine power, or raw magical energy.

 

Arcane Blades have honed their ability to maintain focus in battle, using magic to enhance their attacks, buff their defenses, and even deal with magical exhaustion to push their abilities to the limit. As they advance, they learn to unleash devastating magical strikes, manipulating their spells with precision, unleashing multiple enchantments in a single blow, and overwhelming their enemies with an impressive combination of physical and magical might.

 

Their unique style of combat is not only focused on raw physical strength but also on the clever application of magic, allowing them to defend, damage, and manipulate the battlefield while maintaining their martial advantage. The Arcane Blade is a master of controlling the flow of battle, using magical enhancements to augment their weapons and become an unstoppable force.

 

 

Spellcasting

3rd-level Arcane Blade feature

The Arcane Blade has access to a limited spell list focused on self-targeting enhancement spells, granting powerful buffs to their weapon and combat abilities. As an Arcane Blade, you use Charisma as your spellcasting ability, reflecting your mastery over magic and combat.

Spellcasting Ability: Charisma
Spellcasting Focus: You can use a weapon or an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your spells.

Spell List

You are limited to self-targeting enhancement spells, which enhance your weapon strikes or provide personal combat enhancements. You can choose these spells from any class list, but they must fit the following categories:

Enhance Weapon Damage (e.g., Searing Smite, Green-Flame Blade, Booming Blade, Elemental Weapon, etc.)

Buffs for Personal Combat (e.g., Shield, Haste, Mage Armor, Thunderous Smite, etc.)

Defensive Enhancements (e.g., Shield of Faith, Mirror Image, etc.)

 

 

Arcane Restraints

At 3rd level, your magical training and connection to the arcane restrict the armor and weaponry you can use, focusing your power on precision and magic. While under the influence of your arcane restraints, you gain the following benefits:

1. Armor Restrictions: You can only wear light armor and cannot use a shield.


2. Weapon Restrictions: You can only wield one-handed weapons.


3. AC Bonus: You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Charisma modifier, up to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus. For example, if your Charisma modifier is +4 and your proficiency bonus is +3, your bonus to AC would be capped at +3.



These restrictions represent your reliance on your magical prowess and agility, enhancing your defense when adhering to these restrictions. You can take advantage of your dexterity and magical focus to defend yourself.

Arcane Strike

3rd-level Arcane Blade feature

At 3rd level, you learn to blend magic with martial prowess. When you take the Attack action, you can cast a self-targeting enhancement spell (such as Green-Flame Blade, Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Branding Smite, etc.) as part of the same action, without expending an additional action.

These spells count as part of the same attack, allowing you to strike with both weapon and magic in one fluid motion.

Arcane Resilience

3rd-level Arcane Blade feature

At 3rd level, your mastery of magic strengthens your ability to focus. When you cast a self-targeting enhancement spell that enhances your weapon attacks (such as Searing Smite, Green-Flame Blade, Thunderous Smite, or Branding Smite) as part of your Arcane Strike, you no longer need to maintain concentration to sustain the spell's effects. You can concentrate on another spell (such as Shield of Faith, Haste, or Mage Armor) while also benefiting from the lingering effects of the enhancement spell.

Note: This only applies to self-targeting enhancement spells cast as part of Arcane Strike. If the spell has lingering effects (such as Searing Smite's ongoing fire damage or Branding Smite's effect of revealing and lighting up creatures), you can maintain those effects by using a second concentration slot. You may concentrate on both a combat-enhancing spell and a secondary effect (e.g., ongoing damage or the revealed lighting effect from Branding Smite) simultaneously.

Concentration still applies to other buff spells that do not enhance weapon attacks, such as Shield of Faith, Haste, or Mage Armor.

Arcane Enhancement

At 6th level, you enhance your combat prowess and resilience with magical power, boosting your Strength-based attacks and defenses.

Arcane Strength: When you make a Strength-based attack (such as a melee weapon attack), you can add your Charisma modifier to the attack roll and damage roll.

Improved Senses: You gain Blindsight out to a range of 10 feet, allowing you to perceive creatures and objects in that area, even if they are invisible or hidden.

Arcane Resilience: When you take damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You can use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.

Unleashed Power

10th-level Arcane Blade feature

At 10th level, your understanding of magic allows you to unleash the full potential of your enhancements. When you cast a self-targeting enhancement spell as part of your Arcane Strike, its bonus damage applies to every successful weapon attack you make during your turn, not just the first attack.

This effect works even if you make multiple attacks with the Extra Attack feature. Each successful attack you make during your turn applies the bonus damage from your enhancement spell.

Arcane Overload

13th-level Arcane Blade feature

At 13th level, you can push your magical power to its limit to create a devastating strike. Once per long rest, as part of your Attack action, you can cast any number of self-targeting enhancement spells (such as Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Green-Flame Blade, etc.) before making your attack.

You make a single attack with advantage.

If the attack hits, all enhancement spell effects (such as fire damage, thunder damage, etc.) apply to the target. Any secondary effects from the spells cast apply all at once to a single target for 1 turn, regardless of usual duration or concentration requirements.

Afterward, you gain one level of exhaustion, and you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Additionally, while using Arcane Overload, you become vulnerable to attacks: enemies gain advantage on all attack rolls against you until the start of your next turn, and Arcane Overload removes all beneficial spells affecting you after the attack is made.

Important Clarifications:

Beneficial Spells: Arcane Overload removes any beneficial spells affecting you (such as Bless, Shield of Faith, or Haste) until they are recast.

Harmful Spells: Arcane Overload does not remove harmful spells (such as Bane, Hex, or other debuffs).

Arcane Sacrifice

At 18th level, you learn to draw upon the deepest wells of your magic, channeling raw power at great personal cost. By burning your very life force, you can unleash an overwhelming surge of arcane energy.

As a bonus action, you activate your Arcane Sacrifice, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

Reduced Spell Level Cost: Spells you cast during this duration cost one spell level lower, to a minimum of 0 (treated as cantrips). If a spell is reduced to a cantrip, it deals damage and provides effects as if cast at its base level. However, if you upcast a spell with a higher-level spell slot (such as casting Searing Smite with a 2nd-level slot), it gains the enhanced effects associated with the higher-level slot.

Bonus Spell Slots: You gain a number of temporary spell slots equal to your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier. These slots can be of any level you can cast, up to 5th, and disappear at the end of this feature. These spell slots can be used to cast any spell you know, not just those granted by the subclass.


However, this power comes at a dire price. Once the effect ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion and lose the ability to cast spells until you complete a long rest. The exhaustion caused by Arcane Sacrifice cannot be removed by magical means and can only be resolved naturally through resting.


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Combined Exhaustion Rule for Arcane Overload and Arcane Sacrifice

If both Arcane Overload and Arcane Sacrifice are used in the same combat, the raw magical power flowing through your body rips you apart from the inside. Upon completing Arcane Sacrifice while Arcane Overload is active, you gain a total of 4 levels of exhaustion instead of the usual exhaustion from either feature. This effect can only be resolved naturally through resting, and exhaustion cannot be magically removed or mitigated in any way.