Researcher (archived)
Starting equipment
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Table: The Researcher
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Cantrips Known |
Powered Spells Known |
Magic Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Hearts, Proficiencies, Skill Points, Magic Meter, Spellcasting, Wise Defense | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2nd | +2 | School of Research | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 3rd | +2 | — | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| 4th | +2 | Improvement | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| 5th | +3 | — | 4 | 10 | 5 |
| 6th | +3 | School feature | 4 | 12 | 5 |
| 7th | +3 | Studied Skill | 4 | 13 | 6 |
| 8th | +3 | Improvement | 4 | 15 | 6 |
| 9th | +4 | — | 5 | 16 | 7 |
| 10th | +4 | School feature | 5 | 18 | 8 |
| 11th | +4 | — | 5 | 19 | 9 |
| 12th | +4 | Improvement | 5 | 21 | 9 |
| 13th | +5 | Magic Sense | 5 | 22 | 10 |
| 14th | +5 | School feature | 5 | 24 | 10 |
| 15th | +5 | Spell Resistance | 5 | 25 | 11 |
| 16th | +5 | Improvement | 5 | 26 | 11 |
| 17th | +6 | — | 5 | 28 | 12 |
| 18th | +6 | School feature | 5 | 29 | 13 |
| 19th | +6 | Improvement, ??? | 5 | 31 | 14 |
| 20th | +6 | School feature | 5 | 33 | 14 |
Hearts
Each level you gain in this class grants you a Heart Container (or a "Hit Die"), which is a d6. Heart Containers are used primarily during short rests to recover heart points.
If your first class level is gained as a researcher, your maximum heart points increases by 6 + your Constitution modifier.
Anytime you otherwise gain a level in this class, you roll d6 (or take the median of 4), then add your Constitution modifier to that number. Your maximimum heart points increases by an amount equal to the result.
If your Constitution modifier later increases, your maximum heart points will retroactively increase.
Proficiencies
If your first class level is gained as a researcher, you have proficiency with the following.
- All rods; clubs, daggers, darts, hammers, staves, sickles, slingshots, and whips
- Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws
- Your choice of either the Arcana or History skill
Multiclass Proficiencies
If you gain a level in researcher as a secondary class (see multiclassing), you instead gain proficiency with all rods.
Skill Points
If your first class level is gained as a researcher, you have a number of skill points equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. If your Intelligence modifier permanently increases, so too do your number of skill points. During character creation or during downtime, you can expend skill points to gain proficiencies.
- You can expend 1 skill point to become proficient with any artisan's tool, any musical instrument, water vehicles, land vehicles, or any language.
- You can expend 2 skill points to become proficient in any skill from Animal Handling, Arcana, Engineering, History, Medicine, Nature, and Religion.
This feature assumes you do not have a background. If you do have a background, your number of skill points is reduced by 6, to a minimum of 0.
Magic Meter
At 1st level, you gain a number of magic points equal to your Intelligence modifier. If your Intelligence later increases, so too does your number of stamina points. Each level you gain in this class after the first, you gain more magic points as determined by your School of Research.
Your magic points are expended primarily in spellcasting. Normally any magic points you've expended are fully replenished when you finish a long rest. Some features and magic items can otherwise restore magic points.
Spellcasting
As one who investigates and studies magic, you recite incantations and manipulate material components in ways that require extensive, mentally-demanding practice and memorization.
Magic Limit
To cast a spell, you must expend a number of magic points as determined by the spell.
You can cast a spell up to but not exceeding your "magic limit." Your magic limit defines the most many magic points you can expend when you cast a spell. Your magic limit is initially 2. This limit increases by 1 at every odd-numbered researcher level thereafter, at 4th level, at 10th level, and at 18th level. See the researcher table.
If you have levels in multiple spellcasting classes, your magic limit may be different, as described under multiclassing.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for researcher spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell learned through this class and when making an attack roll with one.
Cantrips
You initially know two cantrips (or "unpowered spells") of your choice from the following list:
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Any cantrips you learn after 1st level can be drawn from the expanded spell list you gain from your School of Research. You learn your third cantrip at 2nd level, your fourth cantrip at 4th level, and your fifth cantrip at 9th level.
Powered Spells Known
At 1st level, you know two 2-point spells from the following list:
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At 2nd level, you learn four additional 2-point spells. At this level, your spell list expands to include a much wider variety of spells as decided by your School of Research. You can choose to learn any of your new spells from the expanded spell list appropriate to your school.
Starting from 3rd level in this class, you learn one more powered spell at odd-numbered levels, and two powered spells at even-numbered levels. You choose which spells to learn from your expanded researcher spell list as enabled by your School of Research. A spell you choose cannot have points exceeding the Magic Limit of your new level, as shown in the researcher table.
If you are multiclassing, you only learn spells up to your researcher magic limit, not your combined magic limit.
Overpowering a Spell
You can cast a powered spell with more magic points than required to potentially increase its power. This is called "overpowering" the spell. Only some spells can be overpowered, as each spell describes. When overpowering a spell, you still cannot expend magic points in excess of your {{#inpage|Magic Limit}}.
For example, consider fly, a 5-point spell. If your Magic Limit is high enough, you can cast it using 7 magic points, overpowering it to affect multiple creatures instead of only one.
Wise Defense
You can predict and read opponents' attacks to evade them, rather than rely primarily your reaction time or nimbleness of movement. When you would add your Dexterity modifier to your AC, you can choose to add your Wisdom modifier instead. You cannot use this feature if you are already adding your Wisdom modifier to your AC, such as with a monk's Unarmored Defense.
Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level...
Studied Skill
7th
Magic Sense
13th
Spell Resistance
At 15th level, your spellcasting practice enables you to resist spells with enviable ease. You have advantage on saving throws against spells, and resistance to damage from spells which do not afford a saving throw.
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19th
