Mages of Lorehold are particularly concerned with the forces that underlie and drive history. Drawing inspiration from the scholars and adventurers of old, they manifest the arcane power of the past through ethereal dioramas and fantastical battle prowess. Lorehold mages are often found with a long-dead spirit summoned at their side—for who better to learn ancient history from than one who has experienced it first-hand?
Source: Unearthed Arcana 79 - Mages of Strixhaven
Classes: Bard, Warlock, Wizard
Using This Subclass
Upon selecting the Mage of Lorehold subclass, you gain two features: Lorehold Spells and Ancient Companion.
In this subclass’s features, any reference to your class refers to the class from which you gained the subclass. If you’re a bard, the College of Lorehold counts as your college; if you’re a warlock, the magic of the college serves as your patron; and if you’re a wizard, the college represents your arcane tradition.
When you subsequently reach a level in your class that gives you a subclass feature, you gain one feature of your choice from the options presented here. Each feature has a class level prerequisite, as noted beneath its name. You must meet that prerequisite to gain the feature.
Lorehold Spells
Level 1+ Mage of Lorehold Feature
You learn the cantrip Sacred Flame and the 1st level spell Comprehend Languages. You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Lorehold Spells table.
Each of these spells counts as a class spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of spells you know. If you are a wizard, you can add these spells to your spellbook upon learning them, without expending any gold, and prepare them as normal.
| Lorehold Spells | |
|---|---|
| Class Level | Spells |
| 3rd | Knock, Locate Object |
| 5th | Speak with Dead, Spirit Guardians |
| 7th | Arcane Eye, Stone Shape |
| 9th | Destructive Wave, Legend Lore |
Ancient Companion
Level 1+ Mage of Lorehold Feature
You learn to call on the spirits of the ancient dead and house them temporarily in the remnants of old statues, so they may remain longer on this plane to bolster your studies and aid you in battle.
Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can call forth and bond with one such spirit, who comes to inhabit a Medium, freestanding statue within 10 feet of you to serve as your ancient companion. See this creature’s game statistics in the Ancient Companion stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. When you bond with your ancient companion, choose the type of spirit you bond with: Healer, Sage, or Warrior. Your choice of spirit determines certain traits in its stat block. The statue determines the spirit’s appearance.
The ancient companion is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. In combat, the companion shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the companion can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
As an action, you can touch the ancient companion and expend a spell slot of 1st-level or higher. The ancient companion regains a number of hit points equal to 10 times the level of spell slot expended.
The companion perishes when it drops to 0 hit points, when you bond with a new ancient companion at the end of a short or long rest, or when you die. When the companion perishes, the spirit within returns to its plane of origin, and the statue becomes an inert object.
| Ancient Companion | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium construct, Any Alignment | |||||
| Armor Class: 14 (natural armor) + 2 (Warrior only) | |||||
| Hit Points: 5 + 5 times your level in this class (the companion has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your level in this class) | |||||
| Speed: 30 ft. | |||||
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| 14 (+2) | 9 (-1) | 15 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 11 (+0) |
| Saving Throws: Con +2 plus PB, Int +2 plus PB, Wis +2 plus PB | |||||
| Skills: History +2 plus PB, Perception +2 plus (PB × 2) | |||||
| Damage Immunities: poison | |||||
| Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion | |||||
| Senses: passive Perception 12 + (PB × 2) | |||||
| Languages: speaks and understands the languages you speak | |||||
| Challenge: — | |||||
| Proficiency Bonus: equals your bonus | |||||
| Ancient Fortitude. If damage reduces the companion to 0 hit points, it can make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is from a critical hit. On a success, the companion drops to 1 hit point instead. | |||||
| Sage’s Counsel (Sage Only). While within 15 feet of the companion, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom checks. | |||||
| Actions | |||||
| Spirit Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target you can see. Hit: 1d8 + 2 + PB force damage. | |||||
| Healer’s Light (Healer Only). The companion chooses a creature it can see within 15 feet of itself and flares with invigorating light. The creature gains 1d8 + PB temporary hit points. | |||||
| Reactions | |||||
| Warrior’s Protection (Warrior Only). When a creature within 5 feet of the companion makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, the companion imposes itself between the creature and the danger. The creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the saving throw. | |||||
Lessons of the Past
Level 6+ Mage of Lorehold Feature
Through your studies, you learn how to better listen and take to heart the teachings of history. When you bond with your ancient companion, you gain the following additional benefits depending on the type of spirit you chose:
- Healer. Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your level in this class, and you gain the same number of hit points. When you regain hit points from a spell, you regain an additional 1d8 hit points.
- Sage. You have advantage on ability checks using the Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion skills. Additionally, once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature with a spell of 1st-level or higher, you can deal an additional 1d8 force damage to that creature.
- Warrior. If you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can make one weapon attack as part of that action. If that weapon attack hits, the target takes an additional 1d8 radiant damage.
When you bond with a new ancient companion of a different type, you immediately lose the benefits of your previous companion and gain the benefits from the new companion’s type.
War Echoes
Level 10+ Mage of Lorehold Feature
By pulling from the magic of the past, you can cause your opponent’s old wounds to resonate anew. Once per turn, when a creature you can see hits a target with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the target becomes vulnerable to one of the damage types dealt by the attack. This vulnerability lasts until the end of the target’s next turn and affects the damage dealt by the triggering attack.
You can use your reaction in this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
History’s Whims
Level 14+ Mage of Lorehold Feature
Through steeping yourself in the chaotic whims of history, you learn how to briefly channel the wild nature of time itself. As a bonus action, you can enter a state of chronal chaos. When you enter this state, and at the start of each of your subsequent turns while in this state, you gain one of the following benefits of your choice:
- Luck. You receive brief flashes of the future, steeling yourself against oncoming assaults. Whenever you make a saving throw against an effect that deals damage, you can roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the total.
- Resistance. You rewind time, knitting together injuries as they occur. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
- Swiftness. Time stutters, slowing others but hurtling you forward. Your movement speed increases by 15 feet, and you do not provoke opportunity attacks.
The benefit lasts until the start of your next turn. You cannot choose the same benefit two rounds in a row.
The state lasts for 1 minute and ends early if you’re incapacitated. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 4th level or higher to use it again.