Arcane Tradition: Universalism

The arcane tradition of universal magic is fixated on understanding the underlying mechanics of magic.

Lore Mastery

At 1st level, you become a compedium of knowledge on a vast array of topics. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any check you make that uses Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion skill if you are proficient in that skill.

In addition, your analytical abilities are so well-honed that your initiative in combat can be driven by your mental agility, rather than physical agility. When you roll initiative, it is either an intelligence check or a dexterity check for you (your choice).

Spell Secrets

At 2nd level, you master the first of in a series of arcane secrets uncovered by your extensive studies.

When you cast a spell with a spell slot that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, you can substitude one damage type with another type from that list (you can change only one damage type per casting of a spell). You replace one damage type for another by altering the spell's formula as you cast it.

In addition, when you cast a spell with a spell slot that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage and requires a saving throw, creatures and/or objects that fail their saving throw suffer an additional effect as described on the Spell Secrets table below.

Spell Secrets Table

Type Additional Effect Acid Structures and objects that are not worn or carried take full damage from this spell. Cold Creatures that fail their saving throw have their speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. Fire Creatures that that fail their saving throw ignite, taking 1d4 fire damage at the start of their turns until they or adjacent creature uses an action to put them out. Lightning Creatures that fail their saving throw cannot take reactions until the end of your next turn. Thunder Creatures that fail their saving throw are pushed 10 feet away from the emanation of this spell.

Alchemical Metamagic

Starting at 6th level, you learn to augment spells in a variety of ways. When you cast a spell with a spell slot, you can expend one additional spell slot to augment its effects for this casting, mixing the raw stuff of magic into your spell to amplify it. The effect depends on the spell slot expended.

Elemental Spell

You increase the spell's destructive power. When you cast a spell that would deal damage to one or more targets, you may expend a 1st-level spell slot to increase the spell's damage to all targets by an additional 2d10 acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage. If this spell can deal damage on more than one turn, it deals this extra damage only on the turn that you cast it.

Persistent Spell

You increase the spell's duration. When you cast a spell with a duration of 1 minute or longer, you can expend a 2nd-level spell slot to increase its duration from 1 minute to 10 minutes, 10 minutes to 1 hour, 1 hour to 8 hours, or 8 hours to 24 hours.

Targeted Spell

You change the spell's fundamental nature. When you cast a spell that would force one or more creatures to make a saving throw, you can expend a 3rd-level spell slot to change the saving throw from one ability score to another of your choice. If this spell forces a saving throw on more than one turn, its targeted ability score is changed only on the turn that you cast it.

Prodigious Memory

At 10th level, you've attained a greater mastery of spell preparation. As a bonus action, you can replace one spell you have prepared with another spell from your spellbook. You can't use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Spell Combination

At 14th level, you have learned how to master the art of arcane amalgamation in spellcasting, allowing you to combine spell effects into short phrases of complex arcana. As an action, you may expend a spell slot of 6th level or higher to combine two lower level spells and cast them together. Each spell in the combination must be 5th level or lower, and both must target one creature or object or have the option to target one creature or object.

Each component spell must also have the same means of determining whether it has an effect, such as a ranged spell attack roll, the same type of saving throw, or automatically affect the target, as well as the same casting time.

When you cast a combined spell, it affects only one target, even if the component spells normally affect more than one target. If any spell in the combination has further parameters (such as range, concentration, only targeting Humanoids, etc.), you must abide by all restrictions. Handle the resolution of a combined spell as if it were a single spell, but apply the effects of both component spells as if they were independently cast.