Magus

After the breaking of eternity, the twilight world of Oshanal plunged into a bleak era of darkness, where existence itself struggled to survive. It’s impossible to know exactly how much time passed in this bleak era, for it was almost impossible to keep and convey reliable historic record. What we do know, though, is that when history began to return, it was at the hands of the magi.

Sages and artisans, the magi have mastered the art of bathing in and commanding the cobalt blood of the world, known as ley light. It was the magi and this ley magic which began to turn the tide against the profane atrocities of the otherworldly Megaliths. Eventually, it was an invention of the ley mages which sealed victory for the mortal world: the Spinning Cage itself, and each of the Hanging Towers are lit bright with the cobalt light of elaborate ley circuitry.

Bathed in the World’s Soul

Ley light on its own is nebulous and insubstantial. Criss-crossing Oshanal, cobalt and indigo rivers of it flow like ephemeral waves, rising from crystalline cracks in the ravaged world, drifting throughout the horizon in brilliant displays. Most mortals are wary of the light, avoiding it if possible, but not the magi: in order to even become a magus, one must soak their essence in a ley font, bathing in the light like an unearthly radiant baptism.

Luminous Arts

Magi have learned to tap into this ley energy, creating sophisticated circuits where the ley light courses in pulsating waves. The magi call the act of learning or inventing these ley circuits “the luminous arts”. By etching specific circuitry on objects, a magi can channel their own ley magic into it, creating strange and powerful wonders they call raiment.

Architects of the Spinning Cage

The world of Oshanal owes its survival to the magi and their ley raiment, specifically the Spinning Cage and the Hanging Towers themselves. Long ago, an architectural guild of magi known as the Cobalt Hand began construction of the first of the towers, Ebonglaive, raising it into the sky in the far north and imprisoning Ceremanthus, the Blasting Void beneath its cobalt wake. Ebonglaive was the first of the Hanging Towers, but it was not the last.

Today, the entire civilization of the sky people depends on the Cobalt Hand to power the floating cities they take refuge in. At the pinnacle of each of the towers is a circle of Cobalt Hand magi, elders who spend shifts channeling their ley magic into a powerful magus called a magister. Each tower has at least one magister, sometimes several: these strange magi were once mortals, but transcended that state in a ritual where they themselves are etched in ley circuitry, turning them into powerful batteries capable of channeling enough ley light to hold the Spinning Cage itself aloft.

Creating a Magus

When creating a magus, think about what motivated your character to undergo the ley initiation and bathe in the cobalt light of the world’s soul. Most mortals are at the very least wary of spending too much time in the light, and so each magus has a compelling motivation that drives them. You will be no exception.

Quick Build

You can make a magus quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Intelligence, followed by Constitution or Strength. Second, choose the cobalt artisan background.

Multiclassing Notes

If your group uses the optional rule on multi classing in the Player’s Handbook, here’s what you need to know if you choose magus as one of your classes.

• Ability Score Minimum: As a multi class character, you must have at least an Intelligence score of 13 to take a level in this class, or to take a level of another class if you are already a magus.
• Proficiencies Gained: If magus isn’t your initial class, here are the proficiencies you gain when you take your first level as a magus: light armor, simple weapons, tinker’s tools, artisan’s tools of your choice.
• Spell Slots: If you have the Channeling Magic feature and any other features which grant you spell slots (such as the Spellcasting feature, or the Pact Magic feature), you may use Channeling Magic spell slots interchangeably for spells from those other classes, and you may use spell slots from those features to activate ley raiment.

Class Features

As a magus, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d6 per magus level.
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier.
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per magus level after 1st.

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons
• Tools: Tinker’s tools, two artisan’s tools of your choice
• Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Perception

Equipment

You start with the following equipment in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• Any two simple weapons of your choice.
• A light crossbow and 20 bolts.
• Studded leather armor and artisan’s tools of your choice.
• (a) dungeoneer’s pack, or (b) a scholar’s pack.

Channeling Magic

At 1st level, you have learned how to activate ley raiment with channeling magic. In order to use this ability, you must be in physical contact with some kind of raiment (an object etched with ley circuitry). You focus on the object and bind your ley magic to it, channeling cobalt light into the circuitry and awakening the wonders within it.

Raiment & Raiment Known

Raiment are objects etched with elaborate runnels referred to as ley circuitry. At 1st level, you know how to create two kinds of raiment, and as you gain levels in magus you learn or invent new kinds of raiment.

You begin with one raiment of each type you know, and you gain raiment as shown in the Raiment column of the Magus table. Magi must be familiar with the ley circuitry they channel their spell slots to activate, and may not activate raiment that they do not know.

Additionally, each time you gain a level in this class, you may choose one of your raiment known and replace it with a new raiment available at your level.

Spell Slots

The Magus table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots are; all of your spell slots are the same level. To use a magus spell slot you hold one of your raiment and channel it. This spends the spell slot and it does not return while the raiment is active. After a short or long rest, you recover all magus spell slots not currently being channeled into raiment.

For example, when you are 5th level, you have three 3rd level spell slots. To activate one of your raiment, you must spend one of those slots. This activates the raiment until you choose to deactivate it.

You may deactivate raiment as a free action.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for determining the strength of your ley magic, so you use Intelligence whenever a raiment feature refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a raiment feature you use or when making an attack roll with raiment.

• Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
• Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Ley Art

In your ley initiation, you soaked your mind, body, and soul in the luminous blood of the twilight world itself. This radiance is powerful but unpredictable, and it changes your very essence, giving you talents and abilities beyond that of a normal mortal.

At 2nd level, and again at 5th, 9th, 14th, and 18th levels, you gain one ley art of your choice. Your art options are detailed at the end of the class description.

Additionally, when you gain levels in this class, you can choose one of the ley arts you know and replace it with another ley art which you could learn at that level.

Mystic Paradigm

At 3rd level, you have mastered a mystic paradigm of your choice: the Brass Menagerie, the Broken World, the Cobalt Engine, or the Gentle Sage, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features unique to that paradigm at 4th level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Lambent Trapping

At 11th level, you may pick one of your raiment known. Once per long rest, you may activate this raiment without expending a spell slot, and you no longer need a physical object patterned with ley circuitry in order to activate it. Instead, you conjure up a luminous trapping of cobalt or indigo light as a bonus action. This raiment always behaves as though cast at 6th level.

At higher levels, your lambent trapping grows in strength: you cast it at 7th-level at 13th level, 8th-level at 15th level, and 9th-level at 17th level.

Ley Font

At 20th level, you regain spell slots immediately when you deactivate your raiment, instead of after a short or long rest. In addition, you may activate your lambent trapping as many times as you like.