Mage Hunter

Some societies deem the practice of magical arts as sacred and too dangerous to be taught to any but a worthy few. In order to prevent the weave from being defiled by renegades some institutions regulated the use of magic in their region. Those who tracked and dealt with offending spellcasters were known as mage hunters.

With the influx of many new creatures and magics from beyond the Material Plane, mage hunters of today have shifted their focus from regulators to preservers. They strive to hunt down and eliminate magical threats and extraplanar entities, vowing to never allow corrupt and twisted magics from ravaging their homeland.

Mage hunters can be found in any setting. They're part of many tribal clans in Chult. They can make up some members of the Sen Sithrian in Anchôromé, the Order of High Sorcery in the Dragonlance campaign setting, or amongst the Veiled Alliance in the Dark Sun campaign setting.

 

Mage Hunter Customs

Mage hunters' concerns switch between eliminating otherworldly threats from their homeland and their original purpose of hunting evil wizards. Any spellcaster looking to abuse or defile the magical weave or practice dark arts such as blood magic and necromancy, are sure to draw the wrath of the order's members.

 

Xanathar's Lost Notes to Everything Else, p.38f (found online at DM's Guild - various authors)

Arcanist Investigator

When you adopt this tradition at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with light armor, and you gain proficiency with one simple melee weapon of your choice.

You also gain proficiency in the Perception skill if you don't already have it.

Counter-Weave

Starting at 2nd level, you can hinder the effectiveness of a creature's magical prowess when you identify them as a magical threat. You can use a bonus action to place the counter-weave on a creature you can see within 30 feet of you, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if the creature dies, you die, or you are incapacitated.

Until the counter-weave ends, the following conditions apply:

• You gain a bonus to saving throws against spells cast by a creature affected by counter-weave equal to your
  Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1).
• You double your ability score modifier to Wisdom (Survival) skill checks to track your quarry, as well as Intelligence checks to identify or recall information about your target. 
• The range of your target's cantrips and spells is reduced by 10 feet or to the range of touch, whichever
  is greater.
• Your target's Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell is reduced by your Intelligence
  modifier (minimum of 1).

You can use this feature twice, after which you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Hunter's Armament

 

Arcane Sanctum

At 10th level, you learn the magic circle spell. You always have it prepared and it doesn't count toward your total number of prepared spells for the day.

You can use an action to cast magic circle instantly and at a range of self without expending a spell slot. Additionally, when you hit a creature affected by counter-weave, you can instead use your bonus action to cast the spell in the same manner, centered on your target.

Once you cast magic circle using this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest, though you can still cast it normally using an available spell slot.

Eyes of the Master

At 14th level, you are constantly on the lookout to distinguish the magical from the mundane. Your Intelligence (Arcana) skill proficiency is doubled with checks made to identify persistent magic, magical items, or the presence of magical and otherworldly creatures.