Order of Reason

In recent years, new philosophies of reality have led some humanoids of intellect to reject old superstitions. Some seek to explain the natural world through empirical observation, while others want to replicate enchantment spells by training the mind and body; or to predict the future with logic and deduction.

The Order of Reason is devoted to bringing magic to the masses in the form of effects that have reasonable explanations. Their greatest secret is the magic of consensual reality: ordinary people can change the world through shared belief. The Order insists to the public that they have rejected wizardry, and that their fantastical effects can be achieved by anyone with training. However, this is still an ambition - the Order is completely reliant on magic, and it may be centuries before they can convince the world that their abilities are natural.

The Order rejects warlock pacts, the summoning of spirits (fey, fiends, elementals), sympathetic magic, and arcane foci. Psychic powers are controversial. Members of the Order are generally willing to work with magic-users, but may try to convert them to the order's way of looking at the world. Agents of the Order are particularly fond of artificers who can explain how their infusions work. Most members worship a god and will happily work with clerics and celestials, but some hardliners say even the divine is superstition.

The Order's monster hunters are particularly concerned with eliminating creatures that transform humans into more of their kind, such as vampires and werewolves. The Order sells silvered weapons and ammunition to its members at cost (50 gp + half the price of the weapon). They also produce a limited number of Arrows of Slaying (Shapechanger), which may be available for purchase at DM's discretion.

Reasonable Explanations

2nd-level Order of Reason feature

Reasonable Focus

The Order of Reason rejects the use of both the traditional arcane foci (crystal, orb, rod, staff, wand) and sympathetic magic (a component pouch). You must not be seen using them or risk becoming an enemy of the order. Instead of a material component, you use a Reasonable Focus, which is another object of the same or greater value that explains the effects of the spell. To an observer, you didn't cast Shatter, you just threw a rock at an unusual weak point in the dungeon wall. These coincidences are still magic, and they expend a spell slot as normal.

Using a Reasonable Focus may require forethought and planning, and usually comes at a cost. Casting Fireball requires a substantial quantity of highly-flammable materials or an expensive artificer's weapon. Casting Feather Fall requires that you first outfit your party with billowing cloaks or foldable wings. Materials or equipment that constitute a Reasonable Focus can be purchased from the Order of Reason at DM's discretion, with additional charges for wilderness delivery (such as by airship). You can avoid these costs through effective use of the environment and coincidence. 

A Reasonable Focus is not held, instead it must be located within 5 feet of the spell's target. As part of your action when casting a spell, you can throw a tiny object (up to 60 feet) or use a ranged weapon to deliver a Focus to the target. This doesn't change the range of the spell.

Delayed Explanation 

Members of the Order do not use mystic words, instead they compulsively explain their methods to anyone who might be listening. When you cast a spell, you can cast it without a verbal component by delaying the explanation for a later time. Once you've used this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of any level to regain it as a bonus action.

Skilled Agent

2nd-level Order of Reason feature 

You can expend a spell slot to refresh your memory or to glean important details from a reference book. As an action, you choose one skill or tool. For 10 minutes per spell level, you have proficiency with the chosen skill or tool. When you use this feature to expend a spell slot of fifth level or higher, you double your proficiency with the chosen skill or tool.

As an action, you can expend a spell slot to gain proficiency with one weapon for ten minutes per spell level. When you expend a spell slot of second level or higher, you also gain one Fighting Style option of your choice from the fighter class.

Extra Attack

6th-level Order of Reason feature

 You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Moreover, you can cast one of your cantrips in place of one of those attacks.

Divine Arcana

10th-level Order of Reason feature 

The Order of Reason has found means to reproduce the effects of certain divine magics. When you add a spell to your spellbook you can add divination and enchantment spells from the cleric spell list, as well as the spell Enhance Ability. They count as wizard spells for you. The choice of whether to use a Holy Symbol or a Reasonable Focus for these spells is a matter of controversy within the Order - you can choose either.

If one of these spells would have you contact an extraplanar creature, you can choose instead to contact a senior member of your order, who has a substantial library and command of teams of logicians skilled in the arts of prediction.

 You also gain the Guidance cantrip, which counts as a wizard cantrip for you.

Script of Persuasion

14th-level Order of Reason feature

You add the spell Illusory Script to your spellbook if you don't already have it.

When you cast Illusory Script to create both visible and hidden messages, you can add an enchantment effect to the hidden message. The two messages must be related. If a creature reading the script believes in the importance or truth of the visible message, they will also believe in the importance or truth of the hidden message. If this new belief conflicts with the creature's existing beliefs or values, they can make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC to resist the enchantment. For a strong conflict, the DM may give the saving throw advantage. A creature who succeeds on this saving throw is immune to the enchantment for one year.

This enchantment is instantaneous and permanent, but the affected creature may be convinced to change their mind as with any other belief.

You can train up to 10 scribes (skilled hirelings) to produce copies of a Script of Persuasion you designed. It takes 8 hours to train a group of hirelings on each new design. Each copy takes 11 minutes to write and costs 10gp in ink, plus whatever parchment or paper is used.