Been There, Done That: The Traveler Mage Subclass

Been There, Done That: The Traveler Mage Subclass

Hogarth teleported in. Thankfully, the information he had on the coordinates proved accurate. He looked at the dial in front of him; he had never seen such a wheel before, but after consulting his journal he had several ideas which numbers would get him past it. He dialed in the first set of numbers and the stone door ground open. Inside lay treasure, but not of the golden kind: Scrolls of a papyrus that hadn’t sunlight in a thousand years and a few artifacts of a forgotten age. He cast a spell of comprehension and looked through them for a moment, the scrolls would rewrite history. He smiled, gathered as many scrolls and artifacts as he could, then teleported out.

Some mages want to explore the world, either out of a sense of curiosity or because they’re tired of society and its politics. They want to see the world, preferably the parts without people, and this means that they need to be ready for anything. They feel most comfortable in the wilds or exploring islands no one has heard of before. While sometimes they are asked to help guide parties or deliver cargo to the most out-of-the-way places, usually areas no one has been to in a while, they have as few dealings with others as they can manage. They love being alone in the woods, and are the epitome of the phrase “those who wander are not always lost.”

Because of this they tend to master a wide variety of skills, better enabling them to survive in the wild. They have no problem allying with any druids or rangers they run across, usually because they share a love of the wild. While some delve into the creation of magic items, they tend to be those that allow them to better survive in the wild rather than items of power. They tend to be a wild and rugged bunch, ready for just about anything. They do almost anything to preserve their independence, as well as that of others. A traveler showing up out of nowhere has saved the lives of many an adventuring party, making them unlikely heroes, as they hate the limelight and want to disappear back into the woods.

[Design Considerations: The idea was to create a wizard who does a lot of travelling and the abilities gained represent that. This wizard is set up to deal with problems in the field that prevent him from going forward. It should be noted that this character is weak socially, but most travelling mages want to see sights, not people. This character is likely to multi-class with artificer (for the magic items and self-defense options), druid, and ranger. Feats to consider include Alert, Athlete, Chef, Crafter, Durable, Lucky, Observant, and Speedy. Definitely debate Magic Initiate so you can pick up the druid spells produce flame, shillelagh, and purify food and drink. When you choose spells, think more in terms of those that allow you to solve problems rather than cause damage; you’re more likely to face challenges alone that require utility spells rather than combat situations. ]

Level 3: Know The Path

You gain proficiency with Nature, Stealth, Survival, and one common language.

Level 3: Spell Journal

Your spell book doubles as your diary. As long as you have your spellbook and take an additional minute, you have Advantage on proficiency checks for three proficiencies. You may choose from Arcana, History, Medicine, Nature, Religion, and Survival.

Level 6: Fast Traveler

You can add the following spells to your spellbook if you do not have them already: comprehend languages, jump, longstrider, arcane vigor, continual flame, darkvision, spiderclimb, haste, phantom steed, tongues, and water breathing. You also gain proficiency in Animal Handling.

Level 10: Pass On The Knowledge

You can target one person who does not need to be present. That person gains your “Spell Journal” ability provided they have one of your spellbooks. The target can be changed with a Short Rest. The person does not gain access to your spells and does not need to be a spellcaster. You can also set it to “open”; in this case, the first person to access the spellbook is then considered the target of this ability. The knowledge so gained cannot be copied into another spell journal.

Level 14: Easy Going

You gain teleport in your spellbook if you don’t have it already. You can add +20 to the “Teleportation Outcome” chart. You can also teleport ten beings or two objects plus yourself.