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Beechgnome
2017-06-12, 08:08 AM
All the UA Wizards have problems. So I'm going to try to pump out a few homebrew options, which may have totally different mechanical problems. But hopefully they'll be distinct enough that someone might try them.

I wrote this one with these spells in mind:

https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/07_UA_That_Old_Black_Magic.pdf


Wizard School: Black magic

You have versed yourself in the dark arts and learned to summon, command and bargain with the foulest denizens of the Lower Planes. While other mages consider your dabblings dangerous and foolish, you have learned from those that you study, including how to protect yourself should things go horribly wrong.

While some diabolists or demonologists begin their craft with honorable intentions, or at least desperate need, most seek out demons, devils, yugoloths and the like for a chance to grasp true power, and will go to unspeakable ends to hold onto it.

Forsaken knowledge

When you choose this school at 2nd level, you gain knowledge of two languages: Abyssal and Infernal.

In addition, have advantage on Intelligence (Nature) checks related to fiends and on Intelligence (Religion) checks related to signs of their worship.

Faithful fiend

At 2nd level, you add the Find Familiar spell to your spellbook. When you cast it, you may summon an imp or a quasit, in addition to the options normally available. Even if you choose a beast form for your familiar, it is considered a fiend.

Whenever you cast a touch spell of 1st level or higher through the familiar, both you and the familiar gain temporary hit points equal to twice the level of the spell cast, up to a maximum of twice your Intelligence modifier.

The familiar also has the added ability to deliver spell melee attacks on your behalf using its reaction on your turn, allowing you to make attacks through spells such as vampiric touch, booming blade or the extra damage from absorb elements. You do not gain or regain temporary hit points when you cast through the familiar in this way.

If an imp or quasit spends more than a week with the wizard, it will bond with the caster. Your DM can choose traits, ideals, flaws for the familiar if you wish. Imps tend to be loyal to their masters but lazy and sloppy in carrying out those orders depending on their own desires, while quasits are obedient to a fault, but constantly seek to goad the casters to actions that will sow discord and woe.

Should the imp or quasit die, it will return to the lower planes and cannot be summoned again for 24 hours. During the interim, you may always summon a different fiend to serve you, but if that fiend is another imp or quasit, your bonded familiar may not appreciate it, and may act accordingly.

Hasty warder

At 6th level, you add the Magic Circle spell to your spellbook. You always have it prepared and it doesn't count against your number of spells known.

You have also become particularly adept at casting the spell under conditions of duress, and can cast a hasty version of it centred on yourself as an action. When you cast the spell in this way, the duration of the Magic Circle is 10 minutes, instead of the usual 1 hour.

Hardened to Hell

At 10th level, you gain resistance to fire and poison damage. You also have advantage on saving throws to avoid being charmed or frightened by fiends.

Compel fiend

At 14th level, you can, as an action, engage in a test of wills with a fiend, provided that you are within either a Magic Circle or one of the circles described in a spell that conjures fiends. The fiend must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be forced to obey one of the following commands:

You may compel the fiend to leave, in which case it will return to its original plane if it can do so.

You may compel it to attack a target of your choice it can see, provided that target is not a fiend of the same type and equal to or greater in power. A Vrock, for example, will not attack another Vrock or a Balor, but it could be compelled to attack a Dretch, Chasme, Barlgura or any devil or yugoloth.

You may compel it to locate and retrieve an item. Should you choose this directive, the fiend will attempt to carry it out, but you will not be able to direct how the fiend accomplishes the task. If you ask the fiend to retrieve a stolen ring but not harm anyone, the fiend will not be compelled, and may choose to ignore one or both of its directives.

If the fiend is still on the same plane as you and can hear you, you can, as an action, change the order you give it.

Every round the fiend takes damage it may make another save, adding a cumulative bonus of 2 to the roll each round. Once a fiend has succeeded on this saving throw it is immune to the effect for 48 hours.

Otherwise the fiend gets to reroll its saving throw every hour.

You may use this ability to regain control of a fiend you lost control of through a summoning spell or a planar binding spell, though in those cases the fiend makes the roll with advantage.

Once you have used this ability you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.