D&D 5e Base Class Contest IX: It's Time for Time

[Lanth Sor]

Concept: Mage that taps the raw font of magic and creates "dams" to hold back the flow never actually shutting things off. Spells it cast are just temporary channels the flood travels to. Spells are always cast at "max power", but max power degrades each time you cast spells or increases each round you "Charge" or don't cast spells.



Mage
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per mage level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per mage level after 1st.

Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor

Weapons: Simple weapons

Tools: None

Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence.

Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, and Religion

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) a scholar's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack
Leather armor, any simple weapon, and two daggers


Table: The Mage

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Max Slot Level
1st	+2	Esoteric Font	2	2	1st
2nd	+2	Esoteric Eyes	2	3	1st
3rd	+2	Shaped Font	2	4	2nd
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	5	2nd
5th	+3	—	3	6	3rd
6th	+3	Overflowing Chalice (2)	3	7	3rd
7th	+3	Font Boon	3	8	4th
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3	9	4th
9th	+4	—	3	10	5th
10th	+4	Overflowing Chalice (3)	4	10	5th
11th	+4	Font Boon	4	11	6th
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4	11	6th
13th	+5	—	4	12	7th
14th	+5	Overflowing Chalice (4)	4	12	7th
15th	+5	Font Boon	4	13	8th
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	13	8th
17th	+6	—	4	14	9th
18th	+6	Overflowing Chalice (5)	4	14	9th
19th	+6	Font Boon, Ability Score Improvement	4	15	9th
20th	+6	Esoteric Overlord	4	15	9th

Class Features
As a mage, you gain the following class features.

Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the mage spell list. You learn additional mage cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the mage table.

Spell Slots
The Mage only has one spell slot. The table also shows what the highest level is your spell slot can be. To cast one of your mage spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend the spell slot. Your spell slot is set to its highest level when you finish a short or long rest. For example, when you are 5th level, you can have a 3rd-level spell slot. To cast the 1st-level spell thunderwave, you must spend the slot, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell. Casting the spell sets your spell sot to 0.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
At 1st level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the mage spell list. The spells known column of the Mage table shows when you learn more mage spells of your choice. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what's shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 6th level, for example, you learn a new mage spell which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the mage spells you know and replace it with another spell from the mage spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spells of 6 level or higher may only be cast 1 time per long rest even if you have a spell slot high enough to cast them. This does not effect spells that can be cast at level lower than 6th. The limit increases by 1 per spell of that level. Ie a mage learns chain lightning and circle of death, they may cast two 6th level spells each long rest.

Spellcasting Ability
Constitution is your spellcasting ability for your mage spells, so you use your Constitution whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a mage spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus (see "Equipment") as a spellcasting focus for your mage spells.

Esoteric Font:
As an action that provokes attacks of opportunity, you may channel your pure magic raising your spell slots current level by 1. This may not raise its level higher than your maximum. The Mage may use this ability 3 + class level times per long rest.

Esoteric Eyes
The mage sees at all times as if they had cast detect magic.

Shaped Font:
At the 3rd level the mage learns enough to occlude themselves from particular energies while empowering their connection to others. The Mage selects one energy source as their focus. You may cast spells on any font list, but spells not on your font's spell list are cast 2 level lower then the expended spell slot, and cantrips are cast as if your level was 5 levels lower. You cannot cast a spell if its effective level would be below the minimum spell slot level, IE if you chose Frost Font, casting fireball would require a 5th level spell slot and would deal damage as if cast using a 3rd level slot.

Overflowing Chalice
Starting at the At the 6th level, the first time after each short rest you uses Mythic Font to raise your spell slots current level it instead increases by 2. The benefit of chalice increase by 1 every 4 levels there after; 3 at 10th level, 4 at 14th level, and 5 at 18th level.

At the 10th level, after a short rest the second time esoteric font is used it increase the spell level by 2.
At the 14th level, after a short rest the second time esoteric font is used it increase the spell level by 3, and the second time the spell level increases by 2.
At the 18th level, after a short rest the second time esoteric font is used it increase the spell level by 4, the second time the spell level increases by 3, and the third time the spell level increases by 2.

Esoteric Overload: At the 20th level you may spend 1 round channeling, provoking an attack of opportunity, and the next spell cast is cast as if it was 10th level spell. The benefit of the channel is lost if no spell is cast on the mage's next turn. You may only do this once per long rest.

Mage Spell List
Cantrips - Acid Splash, Arc, Chill Touch, Dancing Lights, Firebolt, Guidance, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Minor Illusion, Poison Spray, Prestidigitation, Produce Flame, Ray of Frost, Resistance, Shocking Grasp, Thaumaturgy, True Strike
1st - Absorb Elements, Armor of Agathys, Burning Hands, Charm Person, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, False Life, Feather Fall, Fog Cloud, Jump, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shield, Silent Image, Sleep, Thunderwave
2nd - Alter Self, Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Darkness, Darkvision, Detect Thoughts, Enhance Ability, Enlarge/Reduce, Gust of Wind, Hold Person, Invisibility, Knock, Levitate, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility, Shatter, Spider Climb, Suggestion, Web
3rd - Blink, Clairvoyance, Counterspell, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Fear, Fly, Gaseous Form, Haste, Hypnotic Pattern, Major Image, Protection from Energy, Slow, Stinking Cloud, Tongues, Water Breathing, Water Walk
4th - Banishment, Blight, Confusion, Dimension Door, Dominate Beast, Greater Invisibility, Polymorph, Stoneskin,
5th - Animate Objects, Cloudkill, Creation, Dominate Person, Hold Monster, Insect Plague, Seeming, Telekinesis, Teleportation Circle, Wall of Stone
6th - Circle of Death, Disintegrate, Eyebite, Globe of Invulnerability, Mass Suggestion, Move Earth, True Seeing
7th - Arcane Sword, Etherealness, Finger of Death, Magnificent Mansion, Plane Shift, Prismatic Spray, Reverse Gravity, Teleport
8th - Dominate Monster, Earthquake, Mind Blank, Power Word Stun
9th - Gate, Time Stop, Forsight

Spoiler: Shaped Fonts

Show

Arcane
Font Boons
At the 3rd level the Mage add 1 spell to their spells known from another classes spell list. Casting the spell requires a spell slot 1 higher than normal. At the 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th level they gain an additional spells following the same rules.

Spell List
The arcane font's spell list contains the mage spell list and 3 other font's spell lists of their choice.

Frost
Frost Armor
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus. You cannot use a shield and still gain this benefit.
Chill of Winter
At the 7th level the Mage adds their proficiency bonus to damage rolls of spells that deal cold damage.
Ice Flows
At the 11th, after casting a spell that deals cold damage, the mage may cast a cantrip as a bonus action as long as it's cast time is normally an action or bonus action.
Frost Bite
At the 15th level whenever you deal cold damage with a spell the target must con save or suffer one step of exhaustion. This step of exhaustion is recovered after a short rest or being the target of a healing spell. Cantrips and spells of 1-4th level cannot increase the targets current exhaustion by more than 1 step.
Ice Barrier
At the 19th level, the mage gains temp hp equal to their normal HP that refresh on a short rest. These temp HP take double damage from fire but have resistance to cold.

Spell List
The frost font's spell list contains the universal mage class spell list and those below.
2nd - Sniloc's Snowball Swarm
3rd - Sleet Storm,
4th - Ice Storm, Conjure Minor Elemental(Cold)
5th - Cone of Cold, Conjure Elemental(Cold)
6th - Freezing Sphere, Wall of Ice
7th -
8th -
9th -

Fire
Arsonist's Gleam
Gain proficiency in intimidate.
Intensity
At the 7th level the Mage adds their proficiency bonus to damage rolls of spells that deal fire damage.
Combustion
At the 11th, before casting a spell that deals fire damage, the mage may as a bonus action cause the spell to deal damage as if it had critically hit. This may be triggered once per short rest. If a spell cannot normally critical it deals 50% more damage then normal.
Frost Bite
At the 15th level whenever you deal fire damage with a spell the target must dex save or catch on fire. Each round on fire the target takes 2d6 fire damage + spell level. The target is on fire for 1 round per 2 spell levels (min 1).
Pheonix Flames
At the 19th level, the mage may recover from fatal wounds in a fiery explosion. When the mage is brought to 0 hp they may expend a 4th level or higher spell slot to heal heal 1d8 per level of the slot. If the slot is of the 7th level or higher they may also choose to be teleported to the nearest safe populated area. If a 9th level spell slot is used they may also unleashes a 9th level fireball centered on where they stand, they are immune to the fireball.

Spell List
The frost font's spell list contains the universal mage class spell list and those below.
2nd - Continual Flame, Flaming Sphere
3rd - Fireball
4th - Conjure Minor Elemental(Fire), Fire Shield, Wall of Fire
5th - Conjure Elemental(Fire), Immolation
6th - Ivestiture of Flame
7th - Fire Storm, Delayed Blast Fireball
8th - Incendiary Cloud
9th - Meteor Swarm

Lightning
Lightning Reflexes
Gain proficiency with Dexterity saves.
Severe Discharge
At the 7th level the Mage adds their proficiency bonus to damage rolls of spells that deal lightning damage.
Lightning Stride
At the 11th, after casting a spell that deals lightning damage, the mage may teleport as a move to anywhere in the spells area or adjacent to anyone hit by the spell.
Shocked
At the 15th level whenever you deal lightning damage with a spell the target must con save or suffer temporary exhaustion equal to spell level divided by 2 (min 1). This step of exhaustion is recovered after 1 plus spell level rounds. Death from this exhaustion causes the target to disintegrate, leaving their armor behind. This may only occur 5 times per long rest.
Conductive Currents
At the 19th level, after casting a spell on the Lightning Font spell list they may recast the spell on the next turn by expending a use of esoteric font, as long as the target is the same. In the case of teleportation effects they must teleport back to where they started.

Spell List
The frost font's spell list contains the universal mage class spell list and those below.
2nd - Dragon's Breath(Lightning), Lightning Arrow, Elemental Weapon(Lightning)
3rd - Lightning Bolt, Dimension Door,
4th - Teleportation Circle, Conjure Minor Elemental(Lightning), Storm Sphere
5th - Conjure Elemental(Lightning)
6th - Teleport, Chain Lightning
7th - Prismatic Spray(lightning only)
8th - Illusory Dragon (lightning only)
9th - Storm of Vengeance, Prismatic Wall(lightning Only)


Light
Warmth of Light
Gain proficiency persuasion.
Sun Burn
At the 7th level the Mage adds their proficiency bonus to damage rolls of spells that deal radiant damage.
Day Break
At the 11th, after casting a spell that deals radiant damage, the mage emits light as if a sun in a 60ft radius, any creature effected by being in daylight treats the light as direct sun light.
Radiance of Life
At the 15th level whenever you deal Radiant damage with a
Conductive Currents
At the 19th level, after casting a spell on the Lightning Font spell list they may recast the spell on the next turn for free at its minimum spell level as long as the target is the same. In the case of teleportation effects they must teleport back to where they started.

Spell List
The frost font's spell list contains the universal mage class spell list and those below.
2nd -
3rd -
4th - Conjure Minor Elemental(Radiant)
5th - Conjure Elemental(Radiant)
6th - Sunbeam
7th -
8th - Sunburst
9th -

Spoiler: New Spells

Show

Arc
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 10ft
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Lightning jumps between targets adjacent to each other. Choose two targets, they may con save, on a failed save they take 1d6 lightning damage. This must target at least 2 creatures adjacent to each other.

The spell’s damage increases by 1d6 and target when you reach 5th level (2d6 and up to 3 targets), 11th level (3d6 and up to 4 targets), and 17th level (4d6 and up to 5 targets).