Mage

An elf walks calmly through the battlefield, wave after wave of flames blasting from her outstretched fingers.

A dwarf saves his comrade's life for the thousandth time that day, his crucial healing curing her wounds.

A gnome skips away, his pursuers slipping and sliding in their attempt to catch him.

All of these heroes are mages, specialists who spend their lives mastering spellcraft, one spell at a time. Unlike other spellcasters, who learn as many spells as they can, mages prefer a more focused approach, learning each spell to the end of its capability.

Magical Mastery Mages are a diverse group of magical specialists, with few things in common, other than a belief in quality over quantity. They gain their magic through intense study and practice of each and every spell they use, knowing their small list spells like the back of their hands. Being a mage takes dedication and a good memory, arguably more so than even Wizards. However, it also takes a creative mind. Their low amount of spells forces them to reinvent what their spells can do, and push past the limits of regular spellcasting. Mages use a careful balance of discipline and innovation to do their small list of tasks. Depending on the mage, those tasks might vary, but whatever they may do, they do it well. To be a mage, you have to know exactly what you want to do. There are many things a mage can be. Indecisive is not one of them.

The Career Mage Although still rare, mages are the most common of spellcasters, as, although it is still difficult to become a proper mage, it is not a lifestyle, and a a person can become an mage fairly easily compared to memorizing countless spells, being chosen by a deity, being blessed with a powerful bloodline, or making a pact with an eldritch being. Mages who become adventurers are most often the perfectionists among mages, seeking to test the limits of their signature spells by inviting the situations that push those limits. These are the most well-renowned and exceptional mages, and the example by which other mages learn from. Mages in an area tend to gather into loose networks, although some might create institutes for to-be mages to more thoroughly learn their craft. These institutes are where many adventuring mages come from, excited to test their new-found skills, and desperate to pay the absurd fees that many institutes will demand of their students. Multiclassing If your DM allows multiclassing, the requirement for multiclassing into mage is 13 or more Intelligence.