PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Frost Mage - A Frigid New Class



stormywaters
2015-02-01, 05:41 PM
Frost Mage

“Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining,
This icy force both foul and fair is a frozen heart worth mining.

Cut through the heart, cold and clear, strike for love and strike for fear,
There’s beauty and there’s danger here,
Split the ice apart, beware the frozen heart.”


- Lamentations of the Flame Princess

You are a frost mage, an acolyte of ice, skilled at manipulating frozen polar energies. Where you travel, the ground freezes at your feet, the air around you chilling like a northern wind. Those around you find your skin icy to touch and feel compelled to pull their cloaks tighter to stave off the cold.

While others shiver in the icy climes, you find solace. While they huddle for warmth, you feel at home.



Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features
Cantrips Known
Spells Known
Spell Slots
Slot Level
Frozen Soul


1st
+2
Aura of Cold, Wintertouched
2
2
1
1st
-


2nd
+2
Frozen Soul
2
3
2
1st
2


3rd
+2
Lingering Cold - Aura of Cold feature
2
4
2
2nd
2


4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement
3
5
2
2nd
2


5th
+3

3
6
2
3rd
3


6th
+3
Wintertouched Feature
3
7
2
3rd
3


7th
+3

3
8
2
4th
4


8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement
3
9
2
4th
4


9th
+4

3
10
2
5th
5


10th
+4
Wintertouched Feature
4
10
2
5th
5


11th
+4
Frost Perfected (6th level)
4
11
3
5th
5


12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement
4
11
3
5th
6


13th
+5
Frost Perfected (7th level)
4
12
3
5th
6


14th
+5
Wintertouched Feature
4
12
3
5th
6


15th
+5
Frost Perfected (8th level)
4
13
3
5th
7


16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement
4
13
3
5th
7


17th
+6
Frost Perfected (9th level)
4
14
4
5th
7


18th
+6
Permafrost - Aura of Cold feature
4
14
4
5th
8


19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement
4
15
4
5th
8


20th
+6
Hypothermic Mastery
4
15
4
5th
8



Class Features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per frost mage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per frost mage level after 1st.

Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Charisma, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two skills from Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Survival

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
(a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
(a) an explorer’s pack or (b) a dungeoneer’s pack
Leather armor, any simple weapon, and two daggers



Aura of Cold
Your power flurries through the air into the ground.
At 1st level, your constant interaction with frost has left its mark on your soul: you gain an Aura of Cold. As a bonus action on your turn you may activate the aura, which lasts until the start of your next turn. You may spend a bonus action to sustain the aura.

The aura extends 5 feet in every direction. Any time a creature starts its turn in your aura or attempts to enter it, that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or treat the area within your aura as difficult terrain until the start of its next turn. The DC of this saving throw is equal to your spell save DC.

In addition, when a creature within your aura damages you with an attack, you may use your reaction to conjure a shield of ice that absorbs damage equal to your Charisma modifier from that attack. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier.

Lingering Cold
At 3rd level, your aura has permeated even deeper into your being. When you activate your aura, it lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier before it needs to be sustained.

Permafrost
The ice has finally crawled inside the deepest recesses of your mind and body. Your aura is now always active. You may spend a bonus action to suppress it and you may resume it with another bonus action.



Wintertouched
Beautiful, powerful, dangerous, cold.
Your life and study of cold has imbued you with arcane powers of ice manipulation. You gain the ability to cast spells as a warlock does, though your spells are chosen from the frost mage spell list. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your frost mage spells, and you use your Charisma modifier to determine spell save DC and spell attack bonus.

Your spell slots, spell levels, and the manner in which you regain your spell slots all follow the same rules as a warlock. The frost mage table outlines the number of spells and cantrips you know and the level at which those spells are cast.

The manner through which you attained your magic provides you with additional benefits. Choose one of the following Wintertouched options: Born of Ice or Frostburned. These options are outlined below, along with the benefits conferred by this class feature. As you attain levels in the frost mage class, this option provides further benefits at levels 6, 10, and 14.

Born of Ice
You came about your powers naturally. You were born to a village locked in the mountains, or left out in the cold unprotected. The ice has creeped into your heart and made its home there.

At 1st level, you've started to materialize the ice inside your heart as an external force. As an action, you can make a spell attack roll against an adjacent creature. On a success, that creature is grappled in ice until the start of your next turn. The first time you use this ability after a short or long rest does not use a spell slot. Any subsequent uses before a short or long rest cost a spell slot.

At 6th level, you can focus the frost within your body to form a protective shield. As an action, you can create a small ice barrier within 5 feet of you. It provides half-cover for you. It is one foot thick, has AC 12 and 20 hit points. Destroying this barrier leaves an area of difficult terrain until the start of your next turn.

At 10th level, you can channel this inner ice into a frigid blast that freezes enemies in place. You can spend your action to create an icy explosion centered on you. Each creature within your aura of cold must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or become grappled by ice until the end of your next turn. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you’ve completed a short or long rest.

At 14th level, you have mastered the ice within yourself. As an action, choose one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature is restrained until it breaks free with a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC as an action, until your concentration breaks (as though you are concentrating on a spell), or until the creature takes any damage. Once you’ve used this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Frostburned
Your frost magic comes from a singular event. Perhaps it was another frost mage who attacked you, freezing your heart and setting you on this path. Or maybe a stray strand of magic from a botched ritual touched your soul and changed your fate.

At 1st level you have discovered your aptitude for frozen magic. When you cast Ray of Frost, you may reroll any damage dice that show a 1, keeping the new roll.

At 6th level, you have extended your control over icy magic. When you cast a spell or use a frost mage ability that affects an area, you may designate a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier that are affected by that spell or ability. Those creatures have advantage on saving throws granted by that spell or ability.

At 10th level, you have begun to unravel the underlying truth locked within the ice. When you cast a spell using a frost mage spell slot, you may activate this ability. If that spell requires a spell attack roll, add 1d10 to that roll. If that spell grants a saving throw to the target, that target has disadvantage on that saving throw. Once you have used this ability, you cannot use it again until you have completed a short or long rest.

At 14th level, you have discovered new ways to manipulate your frozen arcana. Each time you expend a frost mage spell slot to cast a spell, you may expend an additional spell slot to apply one of the following effects to that spell:
Distant Frost
If the spell has a range of at least 5 feet, double the range of that spell. If the spell has a range of touch, that spell's range becomes 30 feet.

Empowered Frost
If the spell deals cold damage, you may reroll a number of damage dice up to your Charisma modifier, keeping the new roll.

Lasting Frost
If the spell has a duration of at least 1 minute, double the duration to a maximum of 24 hours.

Subtle Frost
The spell is cast without verbal or somatic components.



Frozen Soul
Your soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around.
Your years of extensive exposure to cold and ice have carved their way deep within your soul. This deep-seated ice has augmented your natural affinity for all things frozen, and granted you additional abilities.

At 2nd level, you gain two features of your choice from the Frozen Soul list, if you meet any prerequisites that ability might have. As you gain levels in frost mage, you gain additional Frozen Soul features, as shown in the frost mage table. Each ability may be taken only once. These options are detailed below:
Unchilled
You are immune to the effects of cold weather. You automatically succeed on skill checks and saving throws to survive in cold environments. Additionally, you ignore difficult terrain caused by ice, snow, and the like.

Biting Cold
When you cast Ray of Frost, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.

Frozen Armor
You can cast mage armor on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components

Icy Reach
The range of your ray of frost is increased to 150 feet

Expanded Aura of Cold I
Your Aura of Cold extends to 10 feet.

Expanded Aura of Cold II
Prerequisites: Expanded Aura of Cold I
Your Aura of Cold extends to 15 feet.

Frigid Backlash
When you activate the icy shield granted by your aura of cold, you may also deal cold damage equal to your Charisma modifier to the attacking creature.

Crystalline Prism
You can see in normally in darkness, both normal and magical, to a distance of 120 feet.

Frost Internalized
You gain resistance to cold damage. However you are now vulnerable to fire damage.

Icy Transformation
You can cast alter self at will, without expending a spell slot.

Forceful Ice
When you hit a creature with Ray of Frost, you may push that creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

Frigid Intuition
You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling and Insight skills

Field of Ice
Prerequisites: frost mage level 9
You may expend one spell slot as a bonus action or your reaction to empower your Aura of Cold. When you use this ability, until the end of your next turn, any creature entering or moving within your aura must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or fall prone. This ability can be activated as a creature enters your aura, triggering a saving throw from that enemy.

Piercing Cold
Prerequisites: Biting Cold feature, frost mage level 9
When you cast Ray of Frost, you may expend a spell slot to make the target of that spell vulnerable to cold until the end of your next turn. If that creature has resistance to cold, you instead remove that resistance. This vulnerability applies to the Ray of Frost that triggered it.

Frozen Constructs
Prerequisites: frost mage level 9
You can cast conjure animals as a 5th-level spell once using a frost mage spell slot. The animals are constructs of ice, and as such they are vulnerable to fire. They ignore the effects of your Aura of Cold. Once you’ve used this feature, you cannot use this feature again until you complete a long rest.

Icy Gale
Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast gust of wind at will, without expending a spell slot.

Obscuring Snow
Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast pass without trace at will, without expending a spell slot.

Glacial Spikes
Prerequisites: frost mage level 14
You may activate this ability to deal cold damage equal to your Charisma modifier to each other creature within your aura. Once you've used this ability, you cannot use it again until you've completed a long rest.




Frost Perfected
A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like you're the king.
You have found insight into the workings of ice and snow. At 11th level, choose one 6th level spell from the frost mage spell list. You can cast that spell once without expending a spell slot. You must complete a long rest before you can do so again.

At higher levels, you learn more spells that can be cast in this manner, as shown in the frost mage table. You regain all uses of your Frost Perfected after completing a long rest.



Hypothermic Mastery
Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered you anyway.
At 20th level, you can tap into the ice deep inside your soul to regain expended spell slots. You can spend 1 minute channeling your inner frost to regain all your expended spell slots from your Wintertouched feature. Once you regain spell slots with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.



Frost Mage Spell List
Cantrips
Blade Ward
Chill Touch
Light
Mage Hand
Minor Illusion
Prestidigitation
Ray of Frost

1st Level
Alarm
Charm Person
Comprehend Languages
Expeditious Retreat
Fog Cloud
Frostburning Hands (as burning hands but deals cold damage and cannot ignite items)
Illusory Script
Protection from Evil and Good
Unseen Servant
Witch Bolt

2nd Level
Animal Messenger
Cloud of Ice Shards (as cloud of daggers but deals cold damage)
Darkness
Enthrall
Gust of Wind
Hold Person
Invisibility
Misty Step
Ray of Enfeeblement
Shatter
Spider Climb

3rd Level
Counterspell
Dispel Magic
Fear
Fly
Gaseous Form
Magic Circle
Major Image
Remove Curse
Sleet Storm
Slow
Vampiric Touch
Water Breathing

4th Level
Banishment
Blight
Dimension Door
Ice Storm

5th Level
Cone of Cold
Contact Other Plane
Hold Monster
Scrying

6th Level
Arcane Gate
Mass Suggestion
Otiluke's Freezing Sphere
Wall of Ice

7th Level
Etherealness
Finger of Death
Forcecage
Plane Shift

8th Level
Control Weather
Demiplane
Dominate Monster
Feeblemind

9th Level
Astral Projection
Imprisonment
Power Word Kill
True Polymorph

Twelvetrees
2015-02-01, 10:15 PM
As far as I can tell, you've got this balanced very well, but I've got a few suggestions.

My first piece of advice would be to switch the 1st level features of Frozen Heart and Born of Ice. The Frozen Heart ability is almost always useful, while the Born of Ice feature is more situational. When comparing the two subclasses features all together, I'd pick Frozen Heart over Born of Ice almost every time. Switching the 1st level feature would make it difficult to decide between the two.

The 14th level feature for both of the subclasses is also quite similar. I'd try to find some way to make them more distinct. Perhaps something along the lines of Born of Ice giving themselves and allies within 30 feet temporary hit points equal to the level of the Frost Mage (Or level of the Frost Mage x2, maybe?).

stormywaters
2015-02-01, 10:53 PM
My first piece of advice would be to switch the 1st level features of Frozen Heart and Born of Ice.

Excellent point. Done.


The 14th level feature for both of the subclasses is also quite similar. I'd try to find some way to make them more distinct. Perhaps something along the lines of Born of Ice giving themselves and allies within 30 feet temporary hit points equal to the level of the Frost Mage (Or level of the Frost Mage x2, maybe?).

I buffed up the non-damaging one.

They're similar in that they hold a creature, but one is a long-term hold and the other is short term with a front-loaded damage spike.

I don't mind changing that one to something else, though THP doesn't really fit the class.

What about offering a couple of the sorcerer metamagic options to this path? This path seems more focused on twisting and bending spells and the other focuses more on controlling enemies.

Twelvetrees
2015-02-01, 11:08 PM
Excellent point. Done.



I buffed up the non-damaging one.

They're similar in that they hold a creature, but one is a long-term hold and the other is short term with a front-loaded damage spike.

I don't mind changing that one to something else, though THP doesn't really fit the class.

What about offering a couple of the sorcerer metamagic options to this path? This path seems more focused on twisting and bending spells and the other focuses more on controlling enemies.

Hmm. I can see that working, but the metamagic options would have to be chosen carefully. Go for it.

stormywaters
2015-02-02, 05:00 AM
Hmm. I can see that working, but the metamagic options would have to be chosen carefully. Go for it.

Okay, I've made some changes. Changed the first level features for each build (and renamed one build), and replaced one level 14 with the metamagic. I just gave them access to four 1-point metamagics from the Sorcerer class, and changed their cost to "one additional spell slot".

So at most you can use two between short rests. Flexible but not overly powerful.

Twelvetrees
2015-02-02, 10:23 AM
Looks good to me. Is Distant Frost supposed to be spells with range of touch instead of self or is that change from the sorcerer metamagic on purpose?

stormywaters
2015-02-02, 03:17 PM
Looks good to me. Is Distant Frost supposed to be spells with range of touch instead of self or is that change from the sorcerer metamagic on purpose?

Nope that was a mistake. Fixed it!

Twelvetrees
2015-02-02, 04:14 PM
Nope that was a mistake. Fixed it!

Cool. I'll see if I can come up with some suggestions for Frozen Soul later today.

stormywaters
2015-02-02, 07:34 PM
Changed hit points to d6 to offset Con-based casting.

Twelvetrees
2015-02-05, 11:18 AM
Changed hit points to d6 to offset Con-based casting.

Good call.

Ideas for Frozen Soul Invocations:

Frigid Intuition
You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling and Insight skills

Icy Gale
Prerequisite: 9th level

You can cast Gust of Wind at will, without expending a spell slot.

Obscuring Snow
Prerequisite: 9th level

You can cast Pass Without Trace at will, without expending a spell slot.

stormywaters
2015-02-05, 04:00 PM
Good call.

Ideas for Frozen Soul Invocations:

Frigid Intuition
You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling and Insight skills

Icy Gale
Prerequisite: 9th level

You can cast Gust of Wind at will, without expending a spell slot.

Obscuring Snow
Prerequisite: 9th level

You can cast Pass Without Trace at will, without expending a spell slot.

These are all great. I added them all to the list, and I think the list is fleshed out enough at this point.

Large update: I changed casting to Charisma after being convinced that it was too good. The biggest point I missed was that Con also controls concentration for spells, so you're getting HP, casting, and concentration all from one stat. I bumped the hit die back to d8 to match warlock, adjusted a couple minor things, and added a feature to the 18th level slot, which was barren.

I think this class is essentially done, so I will be marking it no longer "work in progress". I think we're all finished and I'm gonna go play it this week!