Bookman Arcane Tradition | New Wizard Player Option for Fifth Edition

Arcane Tradition

At 2nd level, a wizard gains the Arcane Tradition feature. The following Bookman option is available to a wizard, in addition to those normally offered.

Bookman

Part cult, part school, part army, the Bookmen are the largest faction of spellcasters in all of Aberranterra. They are easily recognized by their trademark gas masks, tailored suits, and, of course, leatherbound books. What few words they speak are reserved for devastating incantations followed by hideous laughter.

Male or female, when a protege joins the Bookmen, they must surrender their name and can only be addressed as Bookman. The only other distinction the Bookmen have are their curiously clean suits which signify their rank among other Bookmen. Black Suits are those who’ve earned their masks and a position among the Bookmen. Green Suits are the learned Bookmen and war machines. Tan Suits lead the Bookmen legions, and the greatest of all Bookmen, the White Suits watch over entire Bookmen Burgs.

The Bookman Suit and the bookman Mask

At 2nd level, you achieve the status of Black Suit. You are given a Bookman mask and a Bookman suit, which is black. Both of these items act as catalysts for your magical abilities as described in the Bookman Magic section below and they are both bonded to you. You cannot be disarmed of either item unless you are incapacitated. If either is on the same plane of existence, you can summon your mask or suit as a bonus action on your turn, causing your mask to instantly appear in your hand and your mask to form around your body.

If either is destroyed, you can perform a ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be during a short rest. At the end of the ritual, a new mask, suit, or both appear.

If a creature casts detect magic on either item, both exude strong abjuration magic.

Bookman Protection

At 2nd level, while you are wearing your Bookman suit and you are not wearing any armor or wielding a shield, your AC equals 12 + your Intelligence modifier. Your base AC increases by 1 when you reach the 6th level (13 + Int), 10th level (14 + Int), and 14th level (15 + Int).

Bookman Magic

Also at 2nd level, you learn the secrets of Bookman magic, which allows you to imbue your Bookman suit and Bookman mask with magical abilities known as augmentations. You know the Adaptation augmentation and two more augmentations of your choice, which are detailed in the Bookman Augmentations section below. You learn two additional augmentations of your choice at the 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the augmentations you’ve gained and replace it with another augmentation that you could gain at that level.

The Green Suit

At 6th level, your Bookman suit takes on a forest green hue. In addition, while you are wearing your Bookman suit, whenever you are hit by a spell attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d6. The damage you reduced increases by 1d6 at 10th level (2d6), and again at 14th level (3d6).

The Tan Suit

At 10th level, your suit takes on a tan hue. While you are wearing your Bookman suit, you can cast the levitate spell at will, without expending a spell slot. You do not require spell components when you cast it in this way.

The White Suit

At 14th level, your suit becomes stark white. While you are wearing your Bookman suit, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons.

Bookman Augmentations

If an augmentation has prerequisites, you must meet them to gain it. You can learn the augmentation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. a level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

Adaptation

While wearing your Bookman mask, you can breathe normally ain any environment, and you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws made against harmful gases and vapors (such as cloudkill and stinking cloud effects, inhaled poisons, and the breath weapon of some dragons).

Arcane Defense

Prerequisite: 10th level

While wearing your Bookman suit, you can cast the shield spell at will without expending a spell slot.

Amphibious

While wearing your Bookman mask, you can breathe both air and water.

Animal Tongue

While wearing your Bookman mask, you can cast the speak to animals spell at will without expending a spell slot. You do not require spell components when you cast the spell using this augmentation.

Ape Fists

While you are wearing your Bookman suit, your unarmed strikes deal damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier.

Bear Strength

Prerequisite: 6th level

While you are wearing your Bookman suit, your Strength score is equal to your Intelligence score. In addition, your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled and you have advantage on Strength checks made to push, pull, lift, or break objects.

Berserker

Prerequisite: Ape Fists augmentation, 6th level

While you are wearing your Bookman suit, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Both of your attacks must be made with your unarmed strike.

Camouflage

Prerequisite: 6th level

While wearing your Bookman suit, Wisdom (Perception) checks made to see you are made at disadvantage.

Dark Lenses

You can see in darkness and in magical darkness out to 60 ft. If you already have darkvision, the range extends to 60 ft.

Get over a dozen more augmentations and this subclass in PDF!

Patrons get a copy of this arcane tradition in PDF format plus the complete list of augmentations for Bookmen. Not to mention, all Patrons of the $3 up receive the Aberranterra campaign setting due out later this month. It’s only $3 to get over 95+ Fifth Edition PDFs.

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