A lightly armoured Hyur manoeuvres through the battlefield alongside his carbuncle companion. The carbuncle dashes ahead and lets out a burst of magical energy, dazing their foes and creating an opening for their allies, swaying the battle in their favour.

A quiet Miqo'te woman carefully scratches notes into her research tome. After a long times passes, she wipes the sweat from her brow as a shining avian figure bursts forth from another plane, ready to heed her every command.

A carefully launched arrow catches the the Lalafell's ally. Invoking a few words and raising their grimoire to the sky, healing magics close the wound, allowing their friend to fight on.

These skilful magic users take on many roles on the battlefield, be it a commander of their allies, a medic or a destructive force. Through careful planning and preparation an Arcanist becomes an indomitable force to stand against.

Magic Through Research

Arcanists work hard to explore the secrets of magic, only through deep understanding of formulas and geometrical figures can they produce magical effects. Their tomes and grimoires are filled with fascinating formulas and diagrams, which when fed magical energy from the arcanist's body burst forth into powerful spells. Ever thirsty for greater knowledge, an Arcanist seeks knowledge and then puts it to the test.

Borrowed Power

One thing which sets the Arcanist apart from other spell casters is their usage of summoning companions. Early in their studies an Arcanist learns to summon forth a magical servant. This is the first major task of an Arcanist and helps to sharpen their powers. The companion borrows some of the arcanist's power and in return gives the caster an unwavering ally on the field of battle.

Creating an Arcanist

An arcanist's path begins with a few formulas scrawled in a tome and a large amount of time practicing their craft, researching to unlock greater power to have at their disposal. You must consider what was your arcanist's call to action? Perhaps their thirst for knowledge couldn't be satisfied at their desk, or they saw that their abilities could help the world in another way. Perhaps they uncovered some information that they must investigate or acted upon.

Whatever the cause which brought the arcanist out into the world, they do so with their research in hand and companion by their side.

Quick Build

You can make a Arcanist quickly by following these suggestions. First make Intelligence your highest ability score, following with Wisdom. Second take the Sage background. Third, take the Acid Splash, Mage Hand and Prestidigitation cantrips.

Tactics

Beginning at the 1st level, you have developed a head for tactics during battle. You may use a number of tactics equal to your Intelligence modifier. These uses recover after completing a short or long rest.

You learn your first tactic at 1st level from the following list. You learn additional tactics at the 2nd, 6th, 10th and 14th level. Some tactics may require you be at least a certain level or have taken a specific specialization. When you level up you may exchange one of your known tactics for another.

Advantageous

When rolling initiative, you may expend one use of tactics to increase an ally or your own initiative roll by your proficiency bonus. You may only do so once per initiative roll.

Aetherial Barrier

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you or your summoned ally, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

Blessing of Nym (Scholar only)

You may cast a spell which recovers hit points or is from the Nymian Scholar expanded spell list through your summoned ally. Your fey acts as the point of origin for the spell and your touch based spells may be cast as though you were standing where your fey is.

Bombarding. (Tactician only)

When you take an attack action or cast a spell, you may direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack.

Carbuncle Bind (Tactician Only)

When your carbuncle lands a melee attack, as a reaction you may attempt to bind a creature to your carbuncle. The target of your carbuncle's attack must make a dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a binding ethereal chain bursts forth from the carbuncle, shackling the target. The creature may not move more than 5ft away from the carbuncle for 1d4 rounds.

Carbuncle Shine (Tactician Only)

As a bonus action you cause your carbuncle to shine brightly. All creatures who can see the carbuncle within 10ft. must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is blinded for 1d4 rounds.

Castle (10th Level Required)

Your summoned ally and a willing creature within 15ft. Of it instantaneously switch positions. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Deployment Tactics (Tactician Only)

As a bonus action, select two friendly creatures who can see and hear you. They may move up to half their movement speed without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Devotion (Summoner only, 10th Level Required)

When a creature within 5ft. of your summoned ally attacks another creature with a melee attack successfully, as a reaction you may add your Intelligence modifier and proficiency bonus to the damage roll.

Elemental Attunement (Summoner only)

As an action, you may grant resistance to fire, cold, lightning, poison or sonic damage to yourself or a creature within 5ft. of you for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Emergency Tactics (Scholar only, 10th Level Required)

When a creature you can see takes damage, as a reaction you may cast a spell which heals a target.

Excogitation (Scholar only).

When you cast a healing spell, you may delay the effect by up to 1 minute. The spell effect activates after the target takes a total amount of damage declared by you when you use this tactic. If the creature reaches 0 hit points or less the healing spell takes effect immediately.

False Fear (Tactician Only, 6th Level Required)

When your carbuncle lands an attack, as a reaction you may attempt to attack their mind as well. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, on a failed save their mind is infested with an illusion causing them to become frightened of the carbuncle until the end of your next turn.

Logsitics Preparation

As a bonus action, all allied creatures within 10ft. of you gain 10ft. of movement until the start of your next turn.

Nymian Preparation (Scholar only, 6th Level Required)

When you cast a spell which heals hit points, instead of healing the target, they gain temporary hit points equal to half the amount of hit points that would have been healed. The healing spell must require the caster to roll dice to decide the amount of hit points recovered. Either die results in its maximum value, the creature gains temporary hit points equal to the full amount of hit points healed.

Plan of Attack

As a reaction, you may add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll of an allied creature within 10ft. of you.

Quick Summoning (14th Level Required)

As an action, you may use your Summoning feature instantly. You may do so once, use of this tactic recovers after a long rest.

Rouse

As a bonus action, for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier, add your Intelligence modifier to the damage rolls and healing effects of your summoned ally.

Spreading Strike (6th Level Required)

When your summoned ally lands an attack, as a reaction you may direct your summoned ally to launch a second attack on a creature 5ft. from the first target.

Spur (Summoner only)

As a reaction when your Egi takes an action, they gain advantage on their attack roll. The additional damage from your proficiency bonus is doubled for this attack.

Switching Step (6th Level Required)

As a bonus action, you may switch places with your summoned ally instantly if they are within 60ft. of you. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Tactical Position (Tactician Only). 

You may use the help action as a bonus action.

Tri-bind (Summoner Only, 6th Level Required).

As an action all creatures within 10ft. of your summoned ally must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC or become restrained. As an action the creatures may make a Strength saving throw to end the effect.

Summoning

Beginning at the 2nd level, you are able to perform a ritual to summon an aetherial companion which is able to fight alongside you. If you select the Tactician archetype, you may summon a carbuncle, if you select the Summoner archetype you may summon an Egi, and if you select the Scholar archetype you may summon a Nymian Fey.

To summon your companion you must spend one hour performing a ritual for which your spell casting focus is required. You may only summon one companion once before requiring a long rest. When summoned your companion gains all benefits of your Companion's Bond ability. You may only summon one companion at a time. If your companion strays farther than one mile from you, their bond to you and the material plane are severed, causing them to disperse.

Companion's Bond

Your summoned companion gains a variety of benefits while it is under your control.

The companion loses its Multiattack action if it has one.

The companion obeys your commands as best it can. it rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.

Your summoned companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a summoned companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC, attack and damage rolls.

For each level you gain after 3rd, your summoned companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit point accordingly.

Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion's abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

The Summoned Ally

The Arcanist's most prized companion is the one they bring forth into the world. Through the use of grimoires and magical formulas, Arcanists have learned how to bring forth a magical ally to fight alongside them. Depending on the area of study an Arcanist specializes in, they are able to summon different allies. A Tactician has learned to bring forth a carbuncle, a Summoner has learned to bring forth elemental egis, and a Nymian Scholar has learned to summon a special type of fey.

Nymian Scholar

Some arcanists decide to research the use of their magic in the medical arts. These arcanists come to be known as nymian scholars, specializing in the lost healing magic of nym. They call on the fey of this lost city, summoning them to assist them on the field of battle.

Summoner

A summoner has directed their studies towards harnessing the powers of raging elementals of another plane, summoning elementals known as Egis, and act as servants to their summoner.

Tactician

Most arcanists walk the path of the Tactician, highly intelligent spell casters who assist their allies by organizing their forces and swaying battle with tactical maneuvers. In the tradition of arcanists, the tactician who brings forth a carbuncle, to help dictate the pace of battle.

Tactician

Most arcanists walk the path of the Tactician, highly intelligent spell casters who assist their allies by organizing their forces and swaying battle with tactical manoeuvres. In the tradition of arcanists, the tactician who brings forth a carbuncle, to help dictate the pace of battle.

Carbuncle's Sacrifice

Beginning at the 14th level, you are able to sacrifice your carbuncle to recall the magic energy which makes up its body and calm your mind. Your carbuncle is unsummoned and you recover half the expended uses of your Tactics feature.

Chain Strategem

Beginning at the 10th level, when an ally is attacking a creature whom is affected by your Help action, their attack lands a critical hit on a die result 19 or 20

Field Commander

Beginning at the 2nd level, you have opted to take up the blade alongside the book to protect yourself on the battle field. You gain proficiency in light armor, shields, simple and martial weapons. You may use your weapon as a casting focus to satisfy the somantic component. You gain one extra hitpoint when you level up, including reaching the 2nd level.

Additionally, beginning at 2nd level, when you select a new tactic according to the Tactics feature, you select two tactics.

Strategic Preparation

Beginning at the 6th level, if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with another creature outside combat, you can learn certain information about its capabilities compared to your own. The DM tells you if the creature is your equal, superior, or inferior in regard to two of the following characteristics of your choice:

• Strength score
• Dexterity score
• Constitution score
• Intelligence score
• Wisdom score
• Charisma score
• Armor Class
• Current hit points
• Class levels (if any)

At the DM's discretion, you might also realize you know a piece of the creature's history or one of its personality traits, if it has any.

Tactical Eye

Also beginning at 2nd level when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than 5 feet of you, if the target can see or hear you.

Summoner

A summoner has directed their studies towards harnessing the powers of raging elementals of another plane, summoning elementals known as Egis, and act as servants to their summoner.

Channelled Casting

Beginning at the 6th level, when you cast a spell you may cast the spell as if you were standing where your egi is. Spells which use you as their point of origin may instead use your Egi as the point of origin. These spells do not cause damage to your egi. You may use Channelled Casting 3 times, uses of this feature recovering after a long rest.

Egi's Boon

Beginning at the 2nd level, while you have your Ifrit Egi summoned you know the Firebolt Cantrip and have resistance against fire damage. While you have your Garuda Egi summoned you know the Thunderclap cantrip and have resistance against thunder damage. While you have your Titan Egi summoned you know the Magic Stone cantrip and have resistance against bludgeoning damage.

Enkindle

Beginning at the 14th level, as an action you are able to call on your Egi to release the great power hidden within it, unleashing a devastating attack. You may unleash the power of your Egi once, this use refreshing after completing a long rest. The power is described in the creature description.

Fester

Beginning at the 10th level, when you cast a spell that deals damage and requires a target creature to make a saving throw, if it fails you may deal additional necrotic damage to the target creature equal to #d8, where # is equal to your Intelligence modifier. You may do so three times, uses of this feature recovering after a long rest.

Nymian Scholar

Some arcanists decide to research the use of their magic in the medical arts. These arcanists come to be known as nymian scholars, specializing in the lost healing magic of nym. They call on the fey of this lost city, summoning them to assist them on the field of battle.

Adloquiem

Starting at the 10th level, when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, you may expend one us of tactics to empower the heal. Your healing spell creates a protective ward on the creature, granting them temporary hit points equal to the hit points recovered for 10 minutes. If a critical heal occurred, the target gains additional temporary hit points equal to half of the amount of hit points recovered.

Critical Heal

Starting at the 2nd level, your healing spells have the potential to cause a critical heal. When you cast a healing spell and one of the die results in its highest possible result. Roll another die of the same value and add that number to the amount of hit points recovered. A critical heal may only occur once per healing spell.

Nymian Healer

Starting at 6th level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 5 + the spell's level.

Nymian Saviour

Starting at the 14th level, when you cast a healing spell which will not grant temporary hit points, that creature gains 1d10 temporary hitpoints.

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According To Plan

Beginning at the 20th level, gain half of your expended tactics uses when you roll for initiative.

Grand Design

Beginning at 18th level, the maximum number of tactics you may use before a rest increases by 2.