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 can cast disguise self and invisibility at will and has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, shocking grasp
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, identify, mage armor*, magic missile
2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, mirror image, misty step
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fly, lightning bolt
4th level (3 slots): banishment, fire shield, stoneskin*
5th level (3 slots): cone of cold, scrying, wall of force
6th level (1 slot): globe of invulnerability
7th level (1 slot): teleport
8th level (1 slot): mind blank*
9th level (1 slot): time stop
*The archmage casts these spells on itself before combat.
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
Archmages are powerful (and usually quite old) spellcasters dedicated to the study of the arcane arts. Benevolent ones counsel kings and queens, while evil ones rule as tyrants and pursue lichdom. Those who are neither good nor evil sequester themselves in remote towers to practice their magic without interruption. An archmage typically has one or more apprentice mages, and an archmage's abode has numerous magical wards and guardians to discourage interlopers.
ha
If you wanna give this stat block more potential, give the Archmage Shield and Alter Self rather than Disguise Self and Invisibility for the two leveled spells it can cast at will; Shield would bump the Archmage's AC to a whopping 20 with Mage Armor, and Alter Self would allow it the abilities of a Shapechanger, aquatic species, and give it solid Magic Weapons that it can change the damage type of at will. If you're playing a Wizard yourself, I recommend doing the same, because I'm fairly sure that they're the best possible choices for that ability. I hate that that's the 18th level ability (because it could've been divided up so that you get half at an earlier level) almost as much as I hate the 20th level ability you get for Wizard (pro tip: when you create your character, give them a 13 in Charisma and take two levels in Warlock in mid-game, then continue taking the rest of your levels in Wizard if you want to do a proper Subclass that incorporates that 18th level ability).
That's an incredibly well-done stat block, I'm definitely and totally not taking a screenshot of this ;)
Was the villain in the dnd movie an archmage?
The funniest thing about this stat block is (aside from having stupid spell choices) it says any 6 languages. More recent stat blocks would probably say : Common, any 5 other languages. But this stat block implies you can be the smartest wizardiest wizard around and not speak common.
I'm not sure which npc spellcasting build I like more: The old one (Spell slots) or the new one (Arcane burst and spellcasting.) Which one do you prefer?
So true. Like, time stop? Who in their right mind picks time stop?
When you’re isolated in an old tower for hundreds of years studying dead languages, who has time for the tongue of the common folk? Not Magus Mageyson, that’s for sure!
Arcane Burst? What’s that?
I definitely like Arcane burst, but I'm not sure about it on this stat block. They already have a lot of options.