Some wizards choose to focus on mastering a specific school of magic, while others learn to blend spell with swordplay. Although these specializations are powerful in their own right, you prefer something... purer. Rather than master a single school of magic, wizards from the School of Arcane Theory excel at understanding how their magic and their spells work, as well as honing their mind to make the most of what they've got.

At 2nd level, find familiar is added to your spellbook, if it isn't there already, and can cast be cast with the following changes:

Any good Arcane Theorist knows two things: that two minds focused on a task are better than one, and that a reliable assistant can make a world of difference.

Wizard Tricks

By 6th level, you've made a breakthrough in your research! You've discovered how to modify your spells' behavior when you prepare them, although these modified spells tend to require much more preparation to use.

When you prepare your spells at the end of a long rest, you can choose to prepare modified versions of spells in your spellbook, using one of the wizard tricks below. Preparing a spell in this way counts as double against the number of spells you can have prepared.

You master one Wizard Trick at level 6, and another at level 12.

Delayed Effect If a spell modified by this trick does not require concentration, you can delay its effects and duration by up to 1 minute, so long as you maintain concentration on the spell. Once your concentration breaks, either as a result of taking damage, the minute expiring, or choosing to break it, the spell's effects take place. If you choose, you can end concentration on the spell without the effects taking place. Everything involved with normally casting the spell, including designating targets, attack rolls, and the shape or area of the spell are determined when you first cast it. Any effects of the spell, including damage rolls, saving throws, and environmental effects, are determined only when the delay ends. Any prior target or targets that are not within range of the spell when the effects take place are unaffected.

Ethereal Casting A spell modified by this trick travels through the ethereal plane to reach its destination. An Ethereal spell with a target in the material plane ignores all cover until just before its effects occur, at which point it behaves normally. An Ethereal spell behaves normally while traveling through the ethereal plane, and is capable of instead targeting creatures, objects, and locations in the ethereal plane. An Ethereal spell is stopped by any barrier in the ethereal plane, and cannot be cast from or affect a target in a location protected from interplanar travel or within an antimagic field.

Eschew Materials If a spell modified by this trick would normally require material components costing no more than a total of 25gp, it instead requires no material components. This trick has no effect if the spell requires material components costing more than a total of 25gp.