School of Bioarcana

The adepts of the School of Bioarcana study not only the biology of the creatures of the multiverse but also their interaction with the arcane forces. These are the wizards who write the Monster Manuals.

Though they might be peaceful mages who care for an entourage of friendly creatures or the insane creators of monsters such as Chimeras or (possibly) Owlbears, they all share the same desire to learn and understand the life forms of the worlds.

Arcane Analysis Starting when you choose this school at 2nd level, you can probe into the Weave to examine how arcane energies interact with a creature. As an action, choose a non-humanoid creature within 30ft. You learn its type, and one characteristic of your choice from this list: Whether the creature's Challenge Rating is greater or less than your level;

Whether its Armor Class is greater or less than one other creature you can see;

Its current Hit Points in relation to its maximum, as in, between 0 and 1/4, 1/4 to 1/2, 1/2 to 3/4, or 3/4 to 100%.

Damage resistances, vulnerabilities and immunities (if any),

Condition immunities. If the creature is friendly or willing, you learn all the information above. If the creature is somehow protected from divination magic, you learn nothing. You can add the affected creature's details to your Manual of Monsters (as described below) anytime during the next 24 hours; writing it down takes one minute. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1), and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Manual of Monsters Also at the 2nd level, you start writing a book containing detailed biological and arcane descriptions of the creatures you encounter in your adventures. You can add creatures to your Manual in two manners: by studying the remains of a creature that died within the last day for 1 hour (which can be part of a short or long rest), or by writing down what you discovered with your last usage of Arcane Feedback (described below), which takes one minute. You know all the stats of creatures you have added to your Manual. Your Dungeon Master should give you access to their stat blocks. If you have five or more creatures of the same type in your book, you can add your proficiency bonus to skill checks when recalling information about, tracking, or interacting with creatures of that type.

Monstrous Assistant At 6th level, you enlist a magical creature to aid you in your studies. You add the Find familiar spell to your spellbook, if you do not have it already. Your familiar can use its action to activate your Arcane Analysis, though its target must be within 5ft of it, and spending your uses as normal. Additionally, you can use your magic to temporarily transform your familiar into reconstructions of creatures you have studied. As an action, you can spend a spell slot to turn your familiar into a creature you have in your Manual. The creature must have a CR equal to or less than the level of the slot spent. The transformation lasts for one minute, and you must concentrate on this effect as if concentrating on a spell. While it lasts, your familiar's game statistics (other than its alignment) are replaced by the chosen creature's, and it can use the Attack action normally. If your familiar is reduced to 0 hit points while transformed, it returns to its original form. This effect can be dispelled as if it was a spell of the level you used to create the transformation.

Field Experience When you reach the 10th level, you decide if you progress with your studies with an Empirical or Theoretical approach. Choose one of the following features: Empirical. You value quick thinking, application and improvisation. After you target a creature with Arcane Analysis, you can disrupt its connection to the Weave, affecting it for one minute. You can either choose to ignore one of its damage resistances, or to gain advantage on saving throws against that creature's ability for the duration. You can make your choice after receiving your Analysis information. Theoretical. You value thoroughly gathering data before taking conclusions. You can use your Arcane Analysis as a bonus action, and the number of times you can use it before a long rest is doubled (to total of twice your Intelligence modifier, and a minimum of 2).