Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per academician level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per academician level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: No armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Any three tools from the following categories: artisan's tools or gaming sets.
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Choose six from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- Any 3 tool kits or gaming sets
- (a) dungeoneer's pack, (b) an explorer’s pack, or (c) a scholar's pack
- (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
The Academician
Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
---|---|---|
1st | +2 | Academic Expertise, Trove of Trivia, Decipher Languages |
2nd | +2 | Cunning Action |
3rd | +2 | Academic Archtype |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
5th | +3 | Book Worm |
6th | +3 | Smart Defense |
7th | +3 | Disorient |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
9th | +4 | Academic Archetype feature |
10th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
11th | +4 | Infallible Proficiency |
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
13th | +5 | Academic Archtype feature |
14th | +5 | Librarian |
15th | +5 | Academic Expertise |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
17th | +6 | Academic Archtype feature |
18th | +6 | Librarian |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
20th | +6 | Stroke of Genius |
Class Features
As an academician, you gain the following class features.
Academic Expertise
At 1st level, choose two of your skill or tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 15th levels, you can choose two more of your skill or tool proficiencies to gain this benefit.
Trove of Trivia
You can make an Intelligence check + double your proficiency bonus to see whether you know some relevant information about any topic.
A successful Trivia check will not reveal the powers of a magical sword but may give a hint as to its general function.
Information | DC | Definition | Example |
---|---|---|---|
Common | 10 | Known by at least a substantial minority of the local population. | A local official’s hobbies and interests; common legends or rumors about a powerful place of mystery; details of a celebrity's married life; stuff you learn in middle school. |
Basic | 15 | Known by a less substantial minority, but still general knowledge. | Active werewolf packs in a specific region; identify a character or group by costume or logo; identify a power being manifested; locate a Sanctuary; stuff you learn in high school. |
Specialized | 17 | Uncommon but available, known by only a few people in the area. | The coordinates of a known but uncharted world; legends or rumors about a powerful magic artifact; find the specifics of a diagram that creates a dimensional anchor; understand the difference between the subspecies of Atlanteans; identify the ruler of a werewolf clan; stuff you learn in college. |
Obscure | 20 | Known by few, hard to come by. | The customs of a documented alien species; identify a substance by its components; identity of a publicly known figure by his appearance; the true homeworld of an ancient royal dynasty; stuff you learn while getting your masters degree. |
Abstruse | 22 | Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don’t understand the knowledge’s significance. | The most likely location of a long-lost pharaoh’s tomb; the history of a powerful artifact and its creator; find an explanation for a strange or unique power effect, such as the effects of a magic stream; find the location of a gateway to the Ethereal or Shadow Plane; stuff you write a doctoral thesis on. |
Esoteric | 25 | Purposefully kept secret by those who enjoy keeping secrets. | Find the location of a gateway to the Planes of Fire; find plans to bypass a bank security vault; the members of Adeste Fideles. |
Protected | 27 | Knowledge of this sort is kept protected by organizations with means and determination. | Find the location of a gateway to the Lightning plane; learn the location; identify an extra-planar disease. |
Conspiratorial | 30 | This knowledge can be dangerous. | Find the location of Area 51; the identity of a world leader's secret mistress; where to hire a world-class HighBorn assassin. |
Arcane | 32 | This knowledge is protected by those who have it with extreme prejudice. | Security codes to a DoSHA installation; the formula for a spell that summons a genie; the purpose of Ab Extra. |
Super-Secret | Higher | No one knows this knowledge even exists. | Find the location of a gateway to the Astral Plane; learn the security protocols of the Great Empire. |
Decipher Languages
You are good at deciphering languages, especially those related to languages you know. Whenever you encounter a language that you don't know, either spoken or written, you can make an Intelligence check plus your proficiency bonus to determine if you can understand it. Doing so requires a moment of concentration.
If the language is in the same group as a language you are proficient in, this requires 1 round of concentration and an Intelligence check adding half your proficiency bonus (rounded down). The DC is 15. If the language is unrelated to any other languages you know, then it requires 1 minute of concentration and the DC is 20. If the language is ancient, alien, or unique, then it requires 10 minutes of concentration and a DC of 25.
You can glean enough meaning from a conversation or document to ascertain the basic message, but this feature does not grant you the ability to converse or fluently read and write in the language.
A single check covers roughly one minute of a spoken language or one page of a written language.
Cunning Action
Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and mental agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Academic Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you emulate in the exercise of your academician abilities: Battle Scholar, Know-it-All, or Trickster, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your archetype choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Book Worm
You know your way around a library. At 5th level, you gain advantage on research checks when using an appropriate library.
Smart Defense
You're smart enough to get out of the way. Once you reach 6th level, when wearing no armor, you may add your Intelligence modifier to your Armor Class.
Disorient
At 7th level, the academician has the ability to temporarily confuse a target through the use of ploy and deception. The target must have an Intelligence score of 3 or higher to be susceptible to disorientation, must be within 30 feet of her, and must be able to hear and understand her.
To disorient on a target, the academician must make an Intelligence check plus her proficiency bonus opposed by the target's Intelligence save. If she succeeds, the target takes a negative to its next d20 roll equal to the academician's Intelligence modifier, provided it makes a d20 roll on its next turn.
This ability can only be used on a target once per encounter.
Creatures immune to charm are unaffected by this ability.
Infallible Proficiency
By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check (not an attack roll) that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can reroll 1s. You must accept the second roll, however, even if it is a 1.
Librarian
You know how to find the secret stashes and hidden gems in any library. At 14th level, and the information available in any library where you research is improved by one step.
This improves again at 18th level, increasing the information available by two steps.
Stroke of Genius
At 20th level, you have an uncanny brilliance that surfaces when you need it most. If you fail an ability check or tool proficiency check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Academician Archetypes
Academicians have many features in common, including their emphasis on knowledge, skills, and tools. But different academician s steer those talents in varying directions, embodied by the academician archetypes. Your choice of archetype is a reflection of your focus—not necessarily an indication of your chosen profession, but a description of your preferred techniques.
Battle Scholar
Student of Weapons
At 3rd level, when you take this archetype, you become proficient in four weapons of your choice. When using these weapons, you may use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
Exploit Weakness
At 3rd level, after observing an opponent for 1 round of combat, the academician can try to find ways around its defenses. She uses a bonus action and makes an Intelligence check plus her proficiency bonus against the opponent's armor class. If the check succeeds, for the rest of the combat the academician uses her Intelligence bonus instead of either Strength or Dexterity bonus on attack rolls as she finds ways to outthink her foe and notices weaknesses in its fighting style.
Create Weakness
At 9th level, after observing an opponent for 3 rounds of combat, the academician can try to manipulate it into opening a weakness. She uses a bonus action and makes an Intelligence check plus her proficiency bonus against the target's Wisdom saving throw. If the check succeeds, she can then use her attack action in the same round to make an attack roll using both her Intelligence and her Dexterity or Strength modifier (as appropriate to the attack) on a single attack. She cannot use this ability again against the same target within the same encounter.
Set-Up Weakness
At 13th level, after observing an opponent for 3 rounds of combat, the academician can try to manipulate it into opening a weakness to others. She uses a bonus action and makes an Intelligence check plus her proficiency bonus against the target's Wisdom saving throw. If the check succeeds, up to three of her allies can make an immediate attack against the target adding her Intelligence modifier to their attack rolls. She cannot use this ability again until she's completed a long rest.
Obvious Weakness
At 17th level, the amount of time you need to use Exploit Weakness, Create Weakness, and Set-Up Weakness is reduced by 1 round. This means that Exploit Weakness can be used immediately, and Create Weakness and Set-Up Weakness can be used after only 2 rounds of observation.
Additionally, you can choose to use your Intelligence modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity on all melee and ranged weapon attacks.
Know-it-All
Intellectual
At 3rd level, you add half your proficiency bonus to Intelligence checks that you are not normally proficient in.
Learned Scholar
Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in your choice of three skills or tools.
Degrees and Credentials
At 9th level you have amassed a number of impressive degrees and scholarly credentials. You have a degree or credentials relevant to any skill or tool in which you are proficient.
You gain advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks made to influence NPCs who are proficient in skills associated with these degrees and credentials, provided they are aware of your degrees and credentials.
Academic Expertise
At 13th level, you gain the Academic Expertise feature in your choice of two additional skill or tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
Sure Talent
By 17th level, whenever you make an ability check that lets you add double your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 11 or lower as a 12.