Spellbinder A half-orc clad in steel plate stands alone against a horde of goblins. His plate armor glows with magic runes that seem to protrude from it like crystals. As the goblin chieftain swings his axe at him, all the half-orc has to do is wait and shrug as the metal blade shatters against his magic. The group of bandits laughs as they watch how the wood elf twirls and flicks her sword around in seemingly random patterns. Their laughter quickly subsides as the wood elf disappears into a twirling whirlwind of shimmering colors and steel, leaving most of them dead before they can even lay a finger on her. As the group of dwarves delves deeper into the wolves' den, their wounds mount and the hungry wolves have them surrounded. When the oldest dwarf of the group brings his hammer down, ancient words with soothing colors appear on its hilt. As he crushes the wolf's skull, the words leap from his hammer and wrap around his comrades' wounds like bandages. Spellbinders are warriors who have become masters of plucking at the Weave of magic that is all around us, even if it's only a hint of magic. They are trained to use their magic effortlessly in tandem with their fighting abilities, and inscribe weapons and armor with magic words to bolster themselves and their allies in battle. Attuned to magic Spellbinders, by their very nature, are people who have always had a feeling for magic. The were not necessarily born with magic inside them like Sorcerers, but they can feel the presence of magic floating around the world or around others, and over time have learned to capture it and reshape it to aid them in combat. To a Spellbinder, magic is just as much a resource to be used and spent as mortar is to a mason or wood to a carpenter. Most Spellbinders will likely take up a profession such as these, but rather as a hobby or as an outlet for artistic expression than as a source of income. Spellbinders are, due to the nature of the magic they wield, bred for battle, and they generally earn their money as part of a fighters guild or as self-sufficient blades-for-hire. Proud and artistic Because of the nature of how Spellbinders treat their magic, they prefer to see their spellcasting more as spell shaping. They believe that what they can achieve by reshaping magic is nothing short of art, and they take great pride in their craft, and generally look down upon others who do not recognise their great talents. Because of their appreciation for artistry and craftsmanship, many Spellbinders are also skilled artisans or craftspeople, and they like to socialise with other artists, particularly Bards. The Spellbinder Level Proficiency Bonus Features Arcane Inscriptions Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st +2 Inscribed Armor, Residual Magic — — — — — — — 2nd +2 Fighting Style, Spellcasting, Arcane Inscription 2 2 2 — — — — 3rd +2 Esoteric Signature 2 3 3 — — — — 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 2 3 3 — — — — 5th +3 Extra Attack 2 4 4 2 — — — 6th +3 Residual Magic Improvement 3 4 4 2 — — — 7th +3 Esoteric Signature Feature 3 5 4 3 — — — 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 3 5 4 3 — — — 9th +4 — 3 6 4 3 2 — — 10th +4 Residual Magic Improvement, Woven Inscription 4 6 4 3 2 — — 11th +4 Esoteric Signature Feature 3 7 4 3 3 — — 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 7 4 3 3 — — 13th +5 — 4 8 4 3 3 1 — 14th +5 Residual Magic Improvement 5 8 4 3 3 1 — 15th +5 Esoteric Signature Feature 5 9 4 3 3 2 — 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5 9 4 3 3 2 — 17th +6 — 5 10 4 3 3 3 1 18th +6 Absorb Magic 6 10 4 3 3 3 1 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 6 11 4 3 3 3 2 20th +6 Shorthand 6 11 4 3 3 3 2

Creating a Spellbinder When building a Spellbinder, there are two major things you need to take into consideration. Firstly, you should consider the fact that every Spellbinder, to a certain degree, sees their control over magic as an art form; a showcase of their skill and personal expression. Think about what spells your Spellbinder would pick according to their personality and what they want to express with their art. A Spellbinder who, for example, above all appreciates the beauty of the raw destruction that magic can hold, will be inclined to cast Fireball rather than Water Breathing. Secondly, consider the fact that most Spellbinders start out as self-sufficient adventurers, and join guilds and adventuring parties for very particular reasons. They might enjoy the company of fellow artists (in whatever capacity), or they might believe that their art is an invaluable asset to their team. Consider how your Spellbinder fits in your party and why they want to fit in that particular spot. Quick Build You can make a Spellbinder quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons or on finesse weapons. Your next-highest score should be Intelligence. Second, choose the Folk Hero background. Class Features As a Spellbinder, you gain the following class features. Hit points Hit Dice: 1d10 per Spellbinder level

Hit Points at First level 8 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher level 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Spellbinder level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, Survival Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons

(a) five javelins or (b) any simple weapon

(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

(a) chain mail or (b) leather armor Inscribed Armor Your knowledge of ancient runes and drawings has given you the ability to inscribe your armor to make it a perfect fit for you. At the end of a long rest you can inscribe your armor with these runes. Any light or medium armor now let's you add your Intelligence Modifier to your Armor Class instead of your Dexterity Modifier. Other rules and limitations still apply. Residual Magic Starting at level 1, you are attuned to the magic that's always present in the world. You may use this residual magic to deal 1d4 additional force damage whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack. You can use this feature an amount of times equal to your Intelligence Modifier, and you regain all uses after you finish a long rest. Additionally, starting at level 1 you can cast Detect Magic once without expending a spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Fighting Style You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. Dueling When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. Great Weapon Fighting When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. Protection When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Spellcasting By the time you reach 2nd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 of the Player Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting and the end of this PDF for the Spellbinder spell list. Spell Slots The Spellbinder table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Earth Tremor and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Earth Tremor using either slot. Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher You know two 1st-level spells o f your choice from the Spellbinder spell list. The Spells Known column of the Spellbinder table shows when you learn more Spellbinder spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Spellbinder spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Spellbinder spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Spellcasting Ability Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your Spellbinder spells, since your magic draws on your knowlegde of ancient words and runes. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intellgence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Spellbinder spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier Arcane Inscription At second level, you gain the ability to inscribe your weapon with words or drawings that hold magic powers. You can perform a one hour ritual to bond to a melee weapon of your choice, which can be done during a short rest, after which this weapon will function as your spellcasting focus. You can only be bonded with one weapon in this manner, and you must spend another hour to break the bond with a weapon before you can bond with a new one. In addition to this, you can imbue this weapon with the power of your Spellbinder spells. At the end of a long rest you can store spells in your bonded weapon, by casting them with the appropriate casting time and required materials, spending a spell slot as usual. At the end of a long rest, but before new ones are inscribed, any unspent Arcane Insciptions are lost. At first level you can inscribe 2 spells on your bonded weapon. The amount of spells you can inscribe increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Arcane Inscription column of the Spellbinder table. Whenever you succesfully hit a creature with your bonded weapon, you can choose to trigger one of your inscriptions, with the target of your attack being the target of your spell. If the spell requires a point within range, the center of that point is the target of your attack. Alternatively, you can target yourself with the inscribed spell. You can only trigger one inscribed spell per round. Once the inscribed spell is triggered, it is considered as if it were cast as normal for the purposes of saving throws and concentration. Esoteric Signature At 3rd level, you choose a signature that encapsulates your writing style: Wordsmith, Virtuoso or Epistoler, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level. Signature Spells Each Esoteric Signature has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the Signature description. Signature spells don't count against the number of spells known. If you gain a signature spell that doesn't appear on the Spellbinder spell list, the spell is nonetheless a Spellbinder spell for you. 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. Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Residual Magic Improvement At 6th level, your residual magic dice turn into 2d4s. At 10th level they turn into 3d4s and at 14th level they turn into 4d4s. Additionally, starting at level 14 you can cast Nondetection once without expending a spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Woven Inscription At 10th level, you become practiced in avoiding the brunt of the force of your own attacks. Whenever you are forced to make a saving throw against your own inscribed spells, you take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. Additionaly, you have advantage on saving throws against your own inscribed spells. Absorb Magic Starting at level 18, you are so in tune with the magic in the world that the first time in combat you are the target of a spell cast by an enemy creature, you ignore the spell’s effects and you regain one spell slot of up to 3rd level.

Shorthand At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no spells inscribed, you may immediately inscribe two spells with a casting time of either action or bonus action into your bound weapon, forgoing normal casting time. You still need to have the spell slots available for the inscribed spells. Esoteric Signatures While most spellcasters have their own unique way to wield magic, Spellbinders pride themselves in turning simple spellcasting into an art form, and Spellbinders consider the motions and words they use to pluck at the Weave of magic to be what distinguishes their art from other Spellbinders. A signature of sorts. The Wordsmith Spellbinders who sign their magic with the hand of a Wordsmith use their abilities and inscriptions to bend the fabric of reality and metal to protect themselves and harm others. To them, magic is not a fluid force, but a solid that can be forged and reshaped. Signature Spells You gain signature spells at the Spellbinder levels listed. Wordsmith Spells Spellbinder Level Spells 3rd Hellish Rebuke, Armor of Agathys 5th Enlarge/Reduce, Alter Self 9th Crusader's Mantle, Elemental Weapon 13th Dominate Beast, Stoneskin 17th Wall of Stone, Hold Monster Metallurgy At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with smith's tools and heavy armor. Additionally, you learn the Mending cantrip. Residual Magic Ward At 3rd level, as a reaction to taking damage you may use your Residual Magic Feature to reduce the damage you take from an attack or spell by the amount rolled. Iron Will Starting at 7th level, you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened, charmed or stunned. Perilous Aura Starting at 11th level, whenever you trigger an Arcane Inscription that deals damage, the spell creates a 5 feet arcane aura around you of the spells damage type. Whenever a hostile creature enters or begins its turn inside this aura, they must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spellcasting modifier or take 1d8 of the spell’s damage type on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. This effect lasts for 1 minute, or until you dismiss it using a bonus action, after which you must complete a short rest before you may use this feature again. Crystalised Magic Your resolve and control over magic cause the magic inscribed in your weapon to materialise into thick, protective crystals. At 15th level, when you have at least 1 inscription, you gain a plus 1 bonus to your Armor Class and Saving Throws. Additionaly, when you are forced to make a saving throw, you can spend one of your inscribed spells to gain advantage on the saving throw. The Virtuoso Spellbinders who take on the Signature of a Virtuoso use their magic to paint, rather than fight. To them, their weapon is not a tool of harm, but a paint brush that leaves permanent strokes of their magic genius on the world, and they use their magic to outwit and outmaneuver their foes in the dance of death. Signature Spells You gain signature spells at the Spellbinder levels listed. Virtuoso Spells Spellbinder Level Spells 3rd Disguise Self, Faerie Fire 5th Suggestion, Mirror Image 9th Haste, Hypnotic Pattern 13th Dimension Door, Hallucinatory Terrain 17th Awaken, Geas Dance of Magic At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with one instrument of your choice and your choice of Performance or Persuasion. Additionally, you learn the Dancing Lights cantrip. Fluid Residual Magic At 3rd level, whenever you roll Residual Magic dice to deal damage, you may choose the damage type of the additional damage rolled. Quaking Inscription At 7th level, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack and trigger an inscribed spell, the target of your attack has disadvantage on saving throws against that spell. Quickstep Starting at 11th level, when you trigger an inscribed spell you may teleport up to 30 feet to a point that you can see as part of the trigger, before any damage or saving throws are rolled. You can use this feature once per short rest. Graceful Trace Starting at 15th level, when you trigger an inscribed spell you may choose a creature hostile to you within 30 of you feet as the target of that spell instead of the target of your weapon attack. You can use this feature once per short rest.

The Epistoler When a Spellbinder signs their magic with the signature of an Epistoler, it is as if they sign a letter to a loved one. They manipulate the Weave of magic into comforting words for both themselves and those they care about, and the kindness they put into their inscribed words even extends to their allies. Signature Spells You gain signature spells at the Spellbinder levels listed. Epistoler Spells Spellbinder Level Spells 3rd Cure Wounds, Speak with Animals 5th Skywrite, Enhance Ability 9th Glyph of Warding, Revivify 13th Death Ward, Freedom of Movement 17th Mass Cure Wounds, Greater Restoration The Pen is Mightier than the Sword At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Calligrapher’s Tools and your choice of History or Religion. Additionally, you learn the Message cantrip. Residual Magic Embrace At 3rd level, instead of using your Residual Magic to deal additional damage, you may use your action to touch a creature and spend a use of your Residual Magic Feature. That creature gains temporary hit points equal to the amount rolled. Benevolent Inscription Starting at level 7, when you trigger an inscribed spell that deals no damage and forces no saving throws, you can choose to target an allied creature within 15 feet of you to be the target of that spell instead of the creature you attacked or yourself. Well-Placed Words At level 11, all creatures friendly to you within 30 feet of you gain the benefits of your Woven Inscription Feature if you so choose. Cordial Inscription Starting at level 15, you can choose to inscribe your allies’ melee weapons as you would your own. You can only inscribe them with 1st, 2nd or 3rd level spells. If the spells requires concentration, your ally is the one who concentrates on this spell, but the spell uses your spellcasting modifier and proficiency for the purpose of determining the spell attack modifier and spell save DC. Spellbinder and Multiclassing Spellbinders follow all the normal rules for multiclassing. The following tables function as additions to those listed on page 163 and 164 of the Player’s Handbook. Multiclassing Prerequisites Class Ability Score Minimum Spellbinder Strength or Dexterity 13 and Intelligence 13 Multiclassing Proficiencies Class Proficiencies Gained Spellbinder Light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons

Spellbinder Spell List . 1st Level Absorb Elements

Armor of Agathys

Burning Hands

Earth Tremor

Ensnaring Strike

Faerie Fire

Find Familiar

Fog Cloud

Identify

Longstrider

Protection from Evil and Good

Purify Food and Drink

Sanctuary

Shield of Faith

Silent Image

Thunderwave 2nd Level Aganazzar's Scorcher

Aid

Blindness/Deafness

Blur

Darkness

Darkvision

Earthbind

Enhance ability

Find Traps

Hold Person

Invisibility

Knock

Lesser Restoration

Maximilian's Earthen Grasp

Pass Without Trace

Shatter 3rd Level Bestow Curse

Counterspell

Create Food and Water

Daylight

Dispel Magic

Erupting Earth

Fireball

Hunger of Hadar

Leomund's Tiny Hut

Protection from Energy

Remove Curse

Water Breathing 4th Level Banishment

Evard's Black Tentacles

Fire Shield

Locate Creature

Stone Shape

Vitriolic Sphere 5th Level Circle of Power

Destructive Wave

Flame Strike

Immolation

Rary's Telepathic Bond

Scrying

Teleportation Circle

Magic Items DMs may wish to use the following new magic items in their campaigns. Additionaly, some of the magic items that can only be attuned to by certain classes might be available to the Spellbinder. This is up to your DM's discretion. Bloodlust Handaxe Weapon (Handaxe), rare The Bloodlust Handaxe becomes more powerful the more enemies of the same kind it kills. For every ten monsters of the same type killed (ten undead, ten dragons, ten giants etc.) the Bloodlust Handaxe gains a +1 bonus on its to hit and damage, to a maximum of +3, against that creature. If the axe kills another type of creature it loses its bonuses and its kill count resets. The Canvas Weapon (any melee weapon), legendary (requires attunement by a spellbinder) You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. This weapon can hold an additional arcane inscription, up to a maximum of 7. Additionaly, you gain the following benefits. Your gain expertise in the tool proficiency granted by your Esoteric Signature.

You no longer need to finish a long rest before being able to cast the spells granted from your Residual Magic and Improved Residual Magic feature. Instead, you can cast them at will. Feathered Armor Any light armor, rare (requires attunement) This feathered armor has a pool of 150hp. As a bonus action, you can draw from this pool into your temp HP to a total of no more than 15hp. Additionaly, the wearer of this armor is always under the effect of the Feather Fall spell. Once empty, the armor becomes a regular (albeit strangelooking) piece of armor. Each hp pulled from the pool consumes one feather in the armor, slowly deflating the pads. Lock Rod Wondrous item, uncommon These rods can magically attach themselves to bags, chests, doors etc. locking them, only opening for the owner or creatures chosen by their owner. It takes a DC 21 Strength check to break them. Occult Chalk Wondrous item, rare (requires the ability to inscribe spells) This piece of chalk is imbued with magical properties. When using this chalk to inscribe a spell into a weapon, the spell counts as one level higher than the spell slot spent to inscribe the spell. This piece of chalk can be used up to 10 times, before it crumbles and becomes unusable. Resounding Shield Shield, legendary (requires attunement) This shield has 5 charges. When you are hit by a melee attack, you may use your reaction to spend a charge and roll 1d4. Add the result to your AC. If your new AC means that the attack would have missed, every creature in a 15ft cone starting from you must make a DC 16 strength saving throw. On a failed save, they are blown back 10 feet. The shield regains 1d4+1 charges daily at dawn. Residual Magic Amplifier Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a Spellbinder) This simple-looking bracelet amplifies the residual magic ability of spellbinders by storing residual magic. Whenever a spellbinder uses their Residual Magic feature, they may roll an additional 1d4.

Additionaly, the wearer can use this bracelet to cast Detect Thoughts, using the bracelet as spellcasting focus. The spell uses your spellcasting ability and spell save DC. After casting the spell with the bracelet, the wearer cannot cast the spell in this way again until they finished a long rest. Rosenwell's leather armor Any armor with leather, uncommon This expensive leather armor is made out of cowhide from Rosenwell plantation. Their cows are on a special diet, where small quantities of poison are mixed with the food. The wearer of this armor gains resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against poison. Slithering Vine Wondrous item, very rare The Slithering Vine can be attached to any nonmagical piece or armor or a shield, turning it into a +1 item with magical properties. As a reaction to being hit by a single target attack or spell, but before damage is rolled, it's command word 'Thand' can be spoken. The vine then moves into harm’s way, reducing the incoming damage by 2d10. This feature can be used once per short rest.