Card Caster

A sudden explosive blast of fire made Aranais stumble, twin daggers falling to the ground. He reached for his crossbow - the firing mechanism was broken by the blast.  He glanced up - the tall, slender man stood calmly, fingers tracing the air that was filled with magical cards swirling around his body like a bandolier. He watched helplessly as a card was chosen seemingly at random and thrown into the air. A small rock golem fell from the sky with an explosive burst of sand next to Aranais, pinning his leg. The Card Caster grinned, pulling his tinted goggles over his eyes. "Now, about that book you tried to steal..."

Far across the Greensea, in the deserts of Venubia, a new type of Wizard tradition was born: the Card Caster. Originally created by traveling fortune tellers using decks of tarot cards to cast magic, Wizards who had seen the traveling circuses quickly began adopting the style for themselves, infusing blank cards with the effects of their spells. Adding an element of surprise to even the caster, the cards flow around the body in a random order known not even to the caster himself.

As a Card Caster, you gain the ability to infuse your spells into blank cards. Each day, you may choose up to 1.5 times your normal amount of prepared spells in your spellbook, rounded up (ex. if you have 9 spells prepared in your spellbook you may instead have up to 14 spell cards prepared) and infuse your cards with any spell components necessary for the spells to work. Upon rolling initiative your cards magically swirl and dance around your body, the shape determined by how many cards are present. To cast a spell, simply reach and grab a card - at level 2 you may only take one random card, at level 6 you may look at 3 cards and choose 1 that you would like to cast, at level 12 you may look at up to 4 cards and choose 1 to cast.

To determine which spell cards you may view and choose from during this state, count how many total cards are in your possession and roll a die or number generator of that amount, then compare it to your list of known spells and choose the corresponding number. If choosing between 3 or 4 cards at later levels, you may roll 3 to 4 times depending on your level and choose the 1 card that you would like to cast. Alternatively you may keep them as cards that you shuffle at the table and draw from them that way.

Note: upon selecting this class you you may not prepare spells the same was as before and cast as a normal Wizard. Treat the 18th and 20th level features of the Wizard class as always accessible cards that do not consume spell slots or need to be rolled for - imagine that when the cards surround your body those always line up at the ready for ease of use.

It may help to randomize your spells by keeping them on index cards and shuffling them with each draw. You may choose to exclude cantrips from the deck if you wish, and cast them at will as normal. Each new day you may stack the deck however you would like with a maximum of up to 1.5 times your allotted "prepared" spells amount rounded up - with a minimum of 10 cards at any time.

You are given a Holster - a pouch or container to hold your cards - that may be as plain or ornate as you would like. Inject it with your personality.

If any of your cards are ever destroyed, you may find them in your Holster. If your Holster is ever lost or destroyed, you may purchase or craft a new one - but any spell cards that were in your deck are lost forever and must be recreated with new blank cards and components. 

If you would like, your cards may count as your spellcasting focus.

Card Savant

Beginning when you select this subclass at 2nd level, you have a throwing distance of 30/60. Once the card reaches its destination the spell may activate at half its normal spell range from that point.

At level 10 the maximum distance thrown increases to 60 feet with no disadvantage.

Mobile Casting

Starting at 2nd level when you take this subclass, you may cast a spell with a range of touch and your card can deliver the spell as if you had cast the spell.

Expert Caster

Beginning at 6th level, you may draw up to three cards instead of one and choose which to cast.

At level 12, the total number of cards you may choose from becomes 4.

Card Shield

Beginning at 10th level, you can direct your floating cards to create a temporary shield to absorb incoming damage. You may use your reaction to expend one spell slot and reduce any incoming melee damage to you by an amount equal to five times the spell's slot level.

At level 16 you may use your reaction to shield against magical attacks at the cost of two spell slots. You do not increase damage reduced by using two slots (ex. expending a 4th level slot and 2nd level slot would not stack to reduce damage by 30, it would take the higher x 5 to block 20 damage from the attack).

Capture Card

Starting at the 14th level, you can capture a creature within your cards. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 20 feet of you. This creature must have a hit point maximum of at least 30 hit points and have 10 or fewer hit points remaining. An unwilling target must make a charisma saving throw. If it fails this save or is a willing target, it disappears into extradimensional space within one of your cards.

You may carry up to 3 captured creatures in this way at any time. Further captures may only be completed if you release one or more of the others.

As an action, you may summon your bound creature within 20 feet of yourself. It is friendly to you and your allies and obeys your orders as if it is affected by dominate monster. You can release the creature or return it to its card as an action, and it returns automatically after 1 hour. Its hit points are fully restored whenever you complete a long rest.

If this creature is killed, its form and consciousness dissipate into the ether.

Intelligent creatures are harder to control in this way. If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw against being captured. If it fails the saving throw and has an intelligence of 12 or higher, it can also repeat the saving throw whenever you complete a long rest until it succeeds and is freed from this feature's effects. If freed, the creature appears at a safe location approximately 5 miles away from your current location.

A creature that willingly lets you capture it never attempts to escape.