Sword Magic

A variety of arcane colleges specialize in training wizards for war. The tradition of Sword Magic blends principles of up-front combat and spellcasting. It teaches techniques that empower a practitioner’s weapons, while also providing methods for wizards to bolster their own defenses. Sword mages are wizards who master a school of fighting grounded in a tradition of arcane magic. In combat, a sword mage can channel magic into devastating attacks and a cunning defense.

Followers of this tradition are known as sword mages. They see their magic as both a weapon and armor. Sword mages act fast in battle. Their weapons strike hard, while their defensive skills foil their opponents’ attempts to counterattack.

In great battles, a sword mage often works with evokers, abjurers, and bladesingers. Bladesingers, in particular, sometimes tease sword mages, claiming that Sword Magic is a cheap imitation of Bladesinging. A sword mage’s typical response: “Why should I have to do a song and dance?”

Unarmored Defense

Starting when you select this tradition at 2nd level, you gain a bonus to your unarmored AC equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Martial Arcana

Starting when you select this tradition at 2nd level, your combat training and your experiments with magic have paid off. When you attack with a magic weapon, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls.

Bonus Cantrip

At 2nd level, you learn the shillelagh cantrip. It counts as a wizard cantrip for you, but it doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known. For you, the spell can apply to any melee weapon, regardless of type or material. Also, you may wield a rod as a club for this purpose.

Arcane Smite

Starting at 6th level, once per turn when you hit a creature with a magic weapon, you can expend a Wizard spell slot to deal an extra 1d8 force damage to the target, plus another 1d8 per level of the spell slot.

Arcane Defense

Beginning at 10th level, you can direct your magic to absorb damage. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to expend one spell slot and reduce that damage to you by an amount equal to five times the spell slot’s level.

Battle Magic

At 14th level, you have mastered the art of weaving spellcasting and weapon use into a single harmonious act. When you use your action to cast a wizard spell, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.