Circle Mage

Trained in a traditional circle, these mages have a higher education than most citizens of Thedas. Taught to avoid the dangers of the Fade, they have categorised and studied magics developed in their institutions over centuries. You are a Circle mage, bound by the traditions of the Chantry - either Southern or Imperial - and your attitude and practice of magic is dependent on what you have learnt there.

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d6 per Circle Mage level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per Circle Mage level after 1st

Starting Proficiencies
You are proficient with the following items, in addition to any Proficiencies provided by your race or Background.

Armor: none

Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows

Tools: none

Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom

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

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

• (a) a Quarterstaff or (b) a Dagger

• (a) a Component pouch or (b) an arcane focus

• (a) a Scholar's Pack or (b) an Explorer's Pack

• A Circle Grimoire

Spellcasting
Spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + INT modifier

Spell attack modifier = proficiency bonus + INT modifier

At first level, you know the Arcane Bolt spell from the Arcane tree, and 2 other Cantrips of your choice. You also know two other Tier one spells, providing you have unlocked the Cantrip in its relevant tree.

Initial Specialisation
At level one, you unlock one specialisation, after which it is added to your pools of possible spells to select from. As with all ability trees, you must select at least one from that tree to unlock it, and follow the progression by having at least one spell in a tier level to unlock the next one.

Circle Grimoire
At 1st level, you own a Circle approved grimoire, a study text of your time in that institution. To cast all spells expect blood magic spells (if you have the specialisation), you must expend a spell slot of that spell's level or higher. You regain all your spell slots when you finish a long rest (8 hours). Each day, prepare a number of spells that are available to you for casting, the number of which is equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Circle Mage level. You can only select spells of a level up that which you are allowed (see table). E.g. A 3rd level Circle mage has 4 level 1 spells and 2 level 2 spells. With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, providing it is in your repertoire.

You can cast spells as a ritual if they are marked as such without having them prepared.

Each time you level up, you may pick two spells from trees you have unlocked. Those spells must be of a level for which you have slots available (see table). Whilst adventuring, you may have the opportunity to learn new spells from teachers, arcane scrolls, or other means.

Arcane Recovery
Your Circle training, which began with the Arcane branch (often taught as the foundation of all magical learning), taught you to regain some of your magical energy by becoming still and gently drawing energy from the Fade. Once per day when you finish a short rest (30 minutes), you can recover some mana and with it, expended spell slots. These spells slots have a combined level that is equal or less than half your Circle Mage level (rounded up), and no slot may be higher than 6th level. E.g. A mage of 4th level can recover 2 levels worth of spell slots, meaning you can recover two 1st level spells, or one 2nd level spell.

Circle Tradition
At 2nd level, your Circle education gives you bonuses in the practice certain of ability trees taught in their walls (see below). You must unlock the corresponding ability tree after choose its tradition if applicable (i.e. to choose the Creation school you must then unlock at least a Cantrip in the Creation ability tree), by having chosen a spell to open up that tree.

Ability Score Improvement
At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you may increase one base ability score (STR, DEX, CON etc) of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores by one. You cannot increase an ability above 20.

Arcane Mastery
At 18th level, you have achieved the ability to cast certain spells at will without expending a spell slot. Choose a 1st and a 2nd level spell that are in your grimoire. You can cast those spells at their lowest level without expending a slot when you have them prepared. If you want to cast the spell at a higher level, you must expend a slot as normal. If you spend 8 hours at study, you can exchange one or both of the spells for different ones of the same level.

Signature Spells
At 20th level, you completely master two 3rd level spells from your grimoire and cast them once at 3rd level without expending a spell slot. You always have them prepared and they do not count against the number of spells you have prepared. When you do so, you cannot use them again until you finished a short or long rest. If you wish to cast the spell at a higher level, you expend a slot as normal.

Circle Traditions
All mages who have passed their Harrowing (or equivalent in Tevinter) choose an area of study to focus on.

Preserve Life
At 2nd level, you can evoke healing magic to restore a number of hitpoints equal to five times your Circle Mage level. Choose any creatures within 30ft of you and divide those hitpoints amongst them. This feature can restore a creature's hitpoints to no more than half of its hit point maximum. You cannot use this feature on a demon, golem or on the undead.

Blessed Healer
At 6th level, any healing spells from either the Creation or Spirit Healer tree that you cast on others heals yourself as well. When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher than restores hit points to a creature other than you, you regain hit points equal to 2 + the spell's level.

Healer's Ward
Your restorative arts act as a protective layer when you would face harm. Beginning at 10th level, whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or greater to restore another creature's hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to that spell's level + your Intelligence modifier. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute or until they are reduced to 0. Additionally, you gain the benefits of the death ward spell, each day at dawn. This feature, however, provides the benefits until you are reduced to 0 hit points or until the next dawn.

Weave Ward
Beginning at 14th level, whenever you complete a long or short rest, you gain the benefits of the sanctuary spell, which last until you harm another creature or you complete another rest. While under the effects of the sanctuary spell, any creature that successfully attacks you takes force damage equal to 1/2 your Circle Mage level rounded up.

Improved Minor Illusion
At 2nd level, when you choose this school you learn an extra Cantrip: Minor Illusion. If you already know it, you may pick another Cantrip. It does not count against the number of Cantrips already known. When you cast Minor Illusion, you can create both a sound an an image with a single casting of the spell.

Death Siphon
At 6th level, you draw in nearby entropic energy, draining residual life-force from any dead enemy nearby to heal. Once per turn when you kill one or more creatures with a spell of 1st level or higher, you regain hit points equal to twice the spell's levels + your intelligence modifier, or three times its level if the spell belongs to the School of Entropy. You don't gain this benefit for killing constructs or undead and if you have unlocked the Blood Mage specialisation and are in Blood Mage Mode, you cannot use this feature until the mode ends.

Misdirection
At 10th level, you form entropic energies into a illusionary duplicate of yourself as a reaction to any dangers you or your allies face. When attacked, you can use your action to interpose the duplicate between the attacker and yourself. The attack automatically misses you, and then the spell ends. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until after you finish a short rest.

Command Undead
At 14th level, you can use you can use your entropic magic to bring undead under your control, even those not created by you. As an action, you can choose one undead creature that you can see within 60 ft of you. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. If it succeeds, you can't use this feature on it again. If it fails, it becomes friendly to you and obeys your commands until you use this feature again. Intelligent undead are harder to control in this way. If the target has an Intelligence of 8 or higher, it has advantage on the saving throw. If it fails the saving throw and has an Intelligence of 12 or higher, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every hour until it succeeds and breaks free.

Friendly Fire
At 2nd level you can create pockets of relative safety within the are of effect used by your Primal spells. When you cast a Primal spell that affects other creatures that you can see, you can choose a number of them equal to 1 + the spell's level. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.

Elemental Attunement
At 6th level, one on your turn you can add your Intelligence modifier as extra damage points to a spell which deals cold, fire, lightning

Rock Armour
At 10th level you gain the ability to cast Stoneskin on yourself without spending a spell slot. You may use this ability for free once per long rest. While under the effect of Stoneskin you may move through any Difficult Terrain as if it were normal terrain and any physical damage done by yourself is increased by 1d6 (+1d6 at level 5, 9, 13, and 17).

Elemental Mastery
At 14th level you have unlocked the secrets of true primal spellcasting. When you cast a Primal spell of 6th level or lower that deals damage, you can deal maximum damage with that spell. The first time you do so, you suffer no adverse effect. If you use this feature again before you finish a long rest, you take 2d12 necrotic damage for each level of the spell, immediately after you cast it. Each time you use this feature again before finishing a long rest, the necrotic damage per spell level increases by 1d12. This damage ignores resistance and immunity.

Spell Shield
Starting at 2nd Level, you can draw a protective sheath around yourself to divert incoming attacks. Whenever you cast a spell from the Arcane tree, you simultaneously use a strand of that magic to create a shield which lasts until you finish a long rest. The shield has a hit point maximum equal to twice your Circle Mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Whenever you take damage, the shield absorbs it instead. If the damage reduces the shield to 0HP, you take the remaining damage. Whilst the shield is at 0HP, it cannot absorb damage, but the magic remains. Whenever you cast a spell from the Arcane tree of tier level 1 or higher, the ward regains hitpoints equal to twice the level of the the spell. Once you cast Arcane Shield, you cannot cast it again until you finish a long rest.

Fade Shield
At 6th level, you alter Arcane Shield to step partway into the Fade, adding a significant chance of resisting hostile spells or evading physical attacks while that spell is active, and a lesser chance of both when the spell is inactive. Missile attacks and ranged spell attacks from further away than 30ft now have disadvantage against you.

Spirit Focus
At 10th level, your damage with spells in the Spirit has improved. Whenever you cast one of these spells that requires an ability check (for example, Dispel Magic), you add your proficiency bonus to that check.

Arcane Resistance
At 14th level, your study and practice has led to a resistance against all spell damage, and you now have advantage on saving throws against spell attacks.