Magic Resistance. The archmage has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Spellcasting. The archmage is an 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The archmage has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): mending, light, dancing lights, message, minor illusion, fire bolt, mage hand, prestidigitation, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, identify, mage armor, magic missile, shield, thunderwave, cure wounds, feather fall, turn undead, sleep, protection from evil and good
2nd level (3 slots): knock, levitate, arcane photography, detect thoughts, thought shield, mirror image, misty step, reduce / enlarge, alter self, heat metal, flaming sphere, silence, darkness, invisibility, see invisibility, spiritual weapon, enhance ability, hold person, mirror image
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, dispel magic, fly, lightning bolt, major image, tiny hut, water breathing, control water, psychic blast, tongues, glyph of warding, nondetection, magic circle, haste, blink, sending
4th level (3 slots): polymorph, confusion, phantasmal killer, intellect fortress, dimension door, watery sphere, ice storm, fabricate, resilient sphere, greater invisibility
5th level (3 slots): cone of cold, scrying, wall of force, telekinesis, conjure elemental, rocks into food and water, wall of stone, planar binding, planar banishment, modify memory, dominate person, teleportation circle, dream, hallucination, dispel evil and good, arcane hand
6th level (1 slot): sphere of spell immunity, sunbeam, chain lightning, disintegrate, true seeing, repair building, contingency, flesh to stone, freezing sphere
7th level (1 slot): teleport, plane shift, firestorm, prismatic spray, etherealness, reverse gravity
8th level (1 slot): ultimate mind shield, power word stun, dominate monster, feeblemind, demiplane, control weather
9th level (1 slot): astral projection, virtual world, visions of the past, foresight, achilles invulnerability, time stop, meteor swarm, gate
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
Description
A Wizard is an academic scholar of magic. You do not have to be born a wizard, anyone can learn the art of wizardry. It is however the most difficult path to magical power, as a wizard must study for years before being able to cast even the most basic of spells, and must be a prodigy at meditation and academic study. Wizards must have immense mental discipline and have trained their mind. They must learn thousands of individual rune symbols, and then learn how to mentally write these sentences linking them all together to form a coherent spell, often in elaborate spirals and other patterns to manipulate the weave. Because of this, wizards are usually elderly by the time they attain significant power.
Wizards usually use a wand or staff to precisely focus and enhance their spells. Wands and staffs do require a ritual and special materials to create, and some prefer not to use them. Some wizards love to show off, and have gemstone studded rare ancient artefacts as their staffs.
Wizards have to be wealthy, to support themselves while they are consumed by work, and just to access all the books and lessons for wizardry. For this reason wizards tend to be elderly academics from wealthy families, who gather at wizard universities and elite guilds. Wizards tend to gravitate towards kings and emperors, advising them on magical issues and assisting the kingdom against dark arts. A cynic might observe this and say that wizards are simply fond of palaces and good food. But at times of great peril, powerful wizards have famously created gigantic shields to protect entire cities, and huge waves to smash enemy fleets. However this is of course rare, and more often wizards spend their time falling asleep in the library, and simply pottering about their rooms, which are some of the nicest in the castle. Some wizards are reclusive, either because they dislike the distractions and politics of court life, the ire of local townsfolk who blame them for every poor harvest, or any number of reasons. These reclusive wizards set up their towers in isolated areas, not too far from a town for builders to construct the tower or for the food market, but well out of the way, often on a mountain top concealed behind a forest. Without distractions, these wizards focus entirely on their spells and studies. Due to the excruciatingly long period of study, wizards often enjoy their phenomenal powers for only a few years before passing away. Often an elderly wizard will die and no one will know until someone eventually investigates his abandoned tower, wherein they might find traps and treasure.
Dark wizards are reclusive wizards who, in their pursuit of immortality and power, have taken to learning dark arts and aligning with evil forces. These are by far the most dangerous of magic wielding villains, and they often become necromancers and liches.