School of War Magic

The School of War Magic was created by a secret organization of wizards seeking to increase the power they possessed by using extreme measures.  After decades of research and unconventional experimentation, they came closer to success, but it had drawbacks.  They invaded and captured druids from a forest and convinced them to reveal what they knew about the natural world.  They took this knowledge and kept the druids that were intrigued by the idea and released the uncooperative ones back to their homeland.  Using alchemy, druidic magic, and wizard magic, they formed the mutagens required to strengthen a creature's casting of spells.  A far cry from multiplying the power of spells, as they had originally hoped, they managed to give any wizard or druid full access to their powers indefinitely.  This would have to do.  They sold their services and became known as dependable and powerful allies.  Powerful, secretive, and most importantly expensive allies. 

When one joins the School of War Magic, they are trained in all the ways of magic and nature.  Then when they have proven their loyalty, they take the mutagens that give them power along with the knowledge that they are invested for life.  The secret organization doesn't meddle in their affairs, but if one were to betray the organization, they would be hunted and killed.  The membership has many benefits, but on occasion members are given a mission to perform.  The School of War Magic is well funded through the aristocracy, and their knowledge and influence runs deep. 

Every wizard spell and Druid spell is known to them.  With the use of living paper, they can adjust the spells in their spell books from a list of the War Academy's appendix.  Normal wizards have to seek out spells and copy them, War Mages have all the spells on hand from centuries of collecting and can pick the ones they want to recall through a new duplicating process.  The first War Mages copied every spell into an appendix.  Every 10 years, new spells that are created or discovered are added to the appendix.  A standard of notation is shared between War Mages and the spell books are alive and communicate telepathically, so even a novice can understand the highest level of Wizardry without having the ability to use it.  Wizards and Druids not trained at the school of war magic can not understand the notations or incantations.  As the sigils incorporated in the writing of the spells and speaking of the incantations refer to sounds that can not be produced with a mouth, but recreated in the mind. 

The mutagens alter the mage's body to have access to spell craft at all times.  They are also strengthened in ways that normal creatures are weak.  Intending to strengthen humans at first spread to including all the types of creatures that were capable of casting spells.  Once the mutagens take effect at higher levels, new abilities and resistances begin to develop.  If one were to die, their body would be irrecoverable.  For this reason they can not be resurrected through normal means.  The War Mages can't let their work fall into the hands of outsiders.  A killed wizard could theoretically analyze the effects of the mutagens and work to recreate them and challenge the War Mages.  The School of War Magic feels it's better to have these people join them rather than compete against them, and so the bodies of war mages vaporize when they die, often in a violent explosion.

Formal Training

You do not require any verbal, somatic, or material components to cast spells. They are all formed and cast from the mind and with the aid of mutations.

You have telepathy up to 120 feet.

You know all wizard and druid spells and may change them during a short rest with the War Mage's enchanted appendix at the back of your spellbook.  see below for more information.

You have expertise in Arcana and Nature.

You are proficient in the use of alchemist's supplies, herbalism kit, poisoner's kit, and brewers supplies.

School of War Magic's Enchanted Appendix

The school of War Magic has an unusual way of writing spell books.  War Mage spell books are sentient and store the pages of the spells in it's memory.  When deciding what spells to memorize, you communicate telepathically with your spellbook and it tells you what the spells do from the appendix.  If you choose to memorize it, the spell is expanded onto the living paper, which fills in with the incantations and sigils required to cast the spell.  The appendix is not printed onto the paper, until the book confirms you are its owner first, telepathically.

The spells are cast by speaking the words and sounds clearly in your mind in concert with the mutations that allow it to be transmitted without verbal, somatic, and material components to the source which causes all spells to function.  No one can hear your incantations when you cast, unless you intentionally speak to them with that purpose in mind.  That is how you learned the unspeakable incantations, and it is how you may one day teach these incantations if you were to become an instructor.

Spells written in a War Mage book are written in a language of natural sounds and language.  They can not be spoken using a mouth, as it is incapable of creating the required sounds accurately.

Blaze of Glory

Immediately after you die, there is a violent arcane explosion that vaporizes your body, or what's left of it like with effects like disintegrate. All creatures within a 60 foot radius sphere are targeted. Creatures within 35-60 feet of you must make a dexterity saving throw taking half damage on a success, and full damage on a failed save. Creatures within 30 feet can not escape the blast, and do not roll saves. damage is (your wizard level + proficiency bonus)*1d12 force damage.

War Mages are made for war. Their secrets can't be allowed to fall into unknown hands. If a War Mage falls in battle, they explode and destroy all of the secrets their bodies hold. If you die of old age, your body just sublimates into a fog over the course of 1 minute. A War Mage can choose not to detonate violently if they spend an hour concentrating on not doing so. for the next 8 hours, if they die, it will be as if they died of old age.

Magic Fountain

You do not use standard spell slots to use magic.  Instead, you use charge bars for each associated spell level.  Fill your charge bars for spells that you can access.  When you use a spell from any slot, you remove all the squares for that spell level.  At the end of your turn, add one square on all spell levels, except the one you just used.  When you start your turn with a full charge on a spell level, you may use a spell of that level again.  You always start battle with all of your spells ready to be used (fully charged), unless you exit and enter battle before enough time has passed to grant you those uses back. If you're attacked a few seconds after using your 9th level spell, for example, ask your DM for clarification on how much time  has passed and fill in the appropriate amount of charges for each spell level.  You regain one charge block for every six seconds.

• You do not have access to the standard spell slots.  Ignore them completely.
• Your spells are cast with charge bars.  They are under the "Actions->All" tab, for quick reference.
• Spells cast at a higher level follow the same rules as normal.  You just use the charges of the spell level that you want to cast it at.
• If it's too complicated, just imagine the '1st-9th level spell' bars under the "Actions->Other Tab" are battery packs.  when they're full, you can cast that level, when they're not, you have to wait for them to charge.
• Spells that do not cost spell slots normally, do not consume spell charges, such as spell mastery and signature spells.
• You can only cast spells you've prepared in your spell book.
• You can meditate during a short rest and change your selected spells, including your cantrips.

ARCANE RECOVERY

For War Mages, Arcane Recovery is spent with a bonus action in combat.  Once per day, you can rapidly charge expended spell charges.  The amount of spell charges you can recover have a combined value that is equal to half your wizard level rounded up.  You can only apply these charges to spells of 5th-level and lower.

For example, if you’re a 9th-level wizard, you can recover up to five charges worth of spell power. You can charge either a 5th level spell fully or add 5 charges to any combination of spells that you desire.  Any leftover charges not spent when you use the Arcane Recovery ability are lost.

Mutation

Part of your training in the School of War Magic was ingesting mutagens that boost your prowess. It's only now, that they are taking effect in your body.

• You now have dark vision up to 60 feet, if you do not already possess it.
• You are immune to poison, being poisoned, and petrification.
• You feel protections forming around your mind, but they're not developed enough to see any benefit.

Mental Fortress

Part of your training in the School of War Magic was ingesting mutagens that boost your prowess. It's only now, that they are taking full effect in your mind.

• You are immune to psychic damage and being charmed.
• You are immune to magic that allows other creatures to read your thoughts or pull any information from your mind. Creatures can communicate with you telepathically, if you allow it.

Escape Hatch

When your hit points are reduced to 0, you are teleported 500 feet away, to a safe place, and your hp is brought back up to 1.  If you are targeted with an effect that would kill you instantaneously without dealing damage, you are teleported 500 feet away to a safe place, and your hp is unchanged. 

After using this ability, you can not use it again for 1d6 days.
Roll 1d6, and remove that many charges from the charge bar. At dawn, you add 1 charge. You are able to use your Escape Hatch feature again when it is fully charged.

POINT OF CLARIFICATION

• Blaze of Glory is not used if this ability is active.

Time Manipulation

Starting at 14th level, You may declare Time Manipulation at the start of your turn and use 3 full actions. Additionally your movement speed is tripled until the end of your turn, at which point, time returns to normal. You can only use this feature once per long rest.  Your bonus action is unchanged.

• You can use any combination of spells, attacks, and other actions during this time.
• You may do things like physically attack, cast a spell, and then end by taking the dodge action.
• You may also use 3 cantrips/spells of any level that you are capable of casting and have fully charged.
• During this time, enemies can not take reactions against you, such as attacks of opportunity.
• If you use the dash action as one or more of your actions, it is not tripled.  Each dash action gives you your regular movement speed on top of the triple movement speed you already have from this ability.

Eldritch Focus

Your body and mind have benefited greatly from your time at the school of war magic.  The final gift unlocked by a master wizard is two additional attunement slots.