Blue Mage

Design Considerations

• This class will be complex. The Blue Mage fantasy from Final Fantasy involves learning Monster Abilities verbatim. To avoid excessive bookkeeping, we inline a list of representative Monster Abilities as the class's Powers (Traits). This keeps things simpler.
• This class will need some trust between GM and Player, and likely won't be a good fit for all campaigns. Campaigns where you fight a single type of enemy repeatedly may stymie the Blue Mage fantasy, and this should be brought up with the GM prior to play.
• Learn always works. There's some design space here to make it a gamble or a risk, and maybe have a talent or some feats that make it less risky or guaranteed. For now, we keep it simple.
• Being a Strength/Intelligence class is an intentional exploration of an otherwise-missing main stat combination. This might make the class somewhat weak initially -- if so, we have some more latitude when designing Traits to inject some power, or just give outright better defenses.
• This class is, by default, meant to be a melee skirmisher. I would like to support a back line Caster fantasy but don't have any ideas as of yet -- probably something in the Talent space.
• I, vegebond, am writing this to support a particular fantasy. This class can satisfy many fantasies, I suspect, but my fantasy is something like "scholarly druid, who researches all creatures instead of just animals/beasts. maintains most/all of their humanity, but can channel their inner monster as-needed. Contextually, Blue Magic might involve short-lived transformations, but not proper shape-shifting." Light reflavorings ought to be easy on a per-case basis, but do note that this is the "default" flavor the talents and etc. pursue.
• I originally wrote this as a D&D 5e class, as I was more intimately familiar with monsters from D&D's bestiaries. I'm less familiar with 13th Age's (though I've still run three campaigns), so I don't have as-clear a goal going in when selecting traits. If anyone thinks there's a better contender for any monster type and tier combination, let me know!

Unanswered Design Considerations

• What do we do with Feats? There's some room to slot them under Blue Mage Features and Class Talents, but ideally we want some Feat-expression in Powers/Traits as well. it's kinda weird because you might unlearn Traits as more powerful ones become available. Maybe your feat spend applies to all Traits for a specific monster type? e.g., if you take Construct I Adventurer and Champion, you also get Construct II Champion for free. Might be OP tho

Overview

Play Style: You have a bunch of Trait slots available, and through encounters with various monster types, you learn their Traits and fill up your slots. You are a Mage in name, but a warrior in spirit. Races: Anything goes here. Backgrounds: Frontiersman, Scholar of Chimeric Cults, Cultist of the Chimera, Star Tracker, Gryphonblood Knight, Druid of the Beyond, Earthsea Heretic, Gourmand, The Fey Monarch's Zookeeper, Dark Reaches Forager, Walker in Winds and Waters, Prince Under the Coral Parapets, Roc-Kin of the Cloud Pillar Duchy Icons: Most of this is proprietary so I'm leaving it out.

Gear

At 1st level, Blue Mages start with a well-balanced saber, as well as a blue coat and a blue turban, in traditional fashion. You have a book of notes and bestiary you maintain, and some arcane texts to cross-reference in your studies, as well as some light, flexible armor. Blue mages start with 25 gp, or if they feel lucky, 1d6 x 10 gp.

Armor

Blue Mages often wear light armor -- a quality set of leathers and a blue headwrap, or similarly stylish apparel. They often fight with a shield, seeing as they need to get up close in the fray to Learn effectively. Blue Mages who take the Field Research talent may wear Heavy Armor with no penalty.

Blue Mage Armor and AC

• 12 base AC, 14 with talent
• 11 PD
• 11 MD

Weapons

To be completed -- Probably a 1d8 class, with an option for 1d10 with no shield Ranged weapon 1d6 (axes/javelins -- Strength-y)

Basic Attacks

Melee Attack

• At-Will
• Target: One enemy
• Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC
• Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage
• Miss: Damage equal to your level

Ranged Attack

• At-Will
• Target: One enemy
• Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC
• Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage
• Miss: --

Blue Mage Level Progression

Big-ass table

Blue Mage Stats

Class Features

Things all Blue Mages get. You're going to be learning on the job.

Learn

As a quick action, you may choose to Learn from an enemy. Take the enemy's Type (Plant, Ooze, Dragon, etc.) and their Tier together to get the Trait you learn. For example, if you're fighting a Large Green Dragon, which is a Large 7th level spoiler DRAGON, you may learn the Trait Dragon II or the Trait Dragon I. You may choose to learn the lower-tier Trait for that monster type instead, if you have reason to want a lower-tier Trait but are sufficiently high-level to where you don't face off with lower-tier monsters.

Monster Tiers are as follows: Level 1 through 5: Adventurer Level 6 through 9: Champion Level 10+: Epic

Trait Progression

You learn your Traits through Learn. You may know a number of traits equal to 3 + Level. If you Learn a trait when you're already at-capacity for Traits, you may choose to forget any Trait you know.

You may not learn Champion Traits until you are level 3, and you may not learn Epic traits until you are level 5.

When creating a Blue Mage, begin with two known Traits, of your choice.

Affinity

In some of talents, features, and traits, you may see the term affinity. You have affinity for monsters whose type you have learnt the Trait for. For example, if you know Dragon I, you have affinity towards dragons.

Class Talents

Choose three of the following class talents.

Talent 1 -- Passage of All-Kind

You can use your Wisdom in place of your Intelligence for any blue mage attacks, talents, or traits that use Intelligence.

Additionally, gain an extra +2 to any background that has to do with study, scholarlyness, knowledge, etc., up to a max of +7.

Adventurer Feat: Increase your MD by 1. Champion Feat: When you replace a Trait due to learning beyond your capacity, you may re-learn that Trait during any full heal-up, unlearning any other traits. Essentially, you learn them forever! Though you are still beholden to the maximum traits known limit.

Talent 2a -- Monsterfucker (idk, Cha-swap sounds garbo)

You can use your Charisma in place of your Intelligence for any blue mage attacks, talents, or traits that use Intelligence.

Additionally, gain an extra +2 to any background that has to do with panache, suasion, cavorting, etc., up to a max of +7.

Champion Feat: When making any sort of Background check to persuade, intimidate, assuage, deceive, or barter with a monster, and you have that monster's type Trait learned, you may add +5 to the check.

Note: Probably gonna axe this one in favor of balancing Fiend-Eater properly.

Talent 2b -- Fiend-Eater

You can use your Constitution in place of your Intelligence for any blue mage attacks, talents, or traits that use Intelligence.

Adventurer Feat: As an interrupt action upon taking damage, you may spend a Trait to halve the damage. The Trait becomes unavailable until you finish a full heal-up. Champion Feat: Once per day when you land the killing blow on a monster, heal using a recovery as a free action. Additionally, if you have not learnt that monster's trait yet, Learn its trait as part of this free action.

Talent 3 -- Field Research

Allows the use of Heavy Armor with no attack penalties, granting a Base AC of 14, or 15 with a shield.

Adventurer Feat: One battle per day, mark out a monster type you have affinity for. You gain an additional +1 to AC against that type. Champion Feat: When using the adventurer feat, the bonus applies to PD and MD as well. Epic Feat: The bonus to defenses becomes +2.

Talent 4 -- Deep Well of Memory

You may learn an additional two Traits. Further, you get to start with an additional known Trait, for a total of three known traits.

Adventurer Feat: Learn an additional Trait immediately upon taking this Feat. Champion Feat: You may learn an additional two Traits, for a total of four extra Traits.

Talent 5 -- Chimericism

You gain passive, persistent characters of the monsters whose Traits you have learned. Give yourself a new Background, Chimera +5.

Any time you make a Background check, you can invoke aspects of any creature type whose Trait you have learned and use your Chimera +5 background.

Adventurer Feat: Choose a monster type you have affinity for. On 3rd level and 5th level, learn that monster type's Champion and Epic Trait, respectively. Additionally, you permanently take on characteristics of that monster type. Champion Feat: Increase your Chimera background by +2, up to +7.

Talent 6 -- Bastion Against the Unworld

Maybe we do allow a bit of Ultratanking? Once per battle when a monster you have affinity for attacks one of your nearby allies, you may force it to attack you instead.

Adventurer Feat: Increase your total number of recoveries by 1. Champion Feat: You are immune to fear abilities and non-damage effects of attacks named or described as fear attacks, from monsters you have affinity to. Epic Feat: You take half damage from attacks you force monsters to make against you via this talent.

Talent 7 -- Fear Not What You Know

Gain a +1 bonus to all saves against any effect caused by a monster you have affinity for.

Adventurer Feat: Once-per-battle as a free-action, lose hit points equal to your level to reroll a save caused by an enemy you have affinity for. Champion Feat: Your bonus to saves from this feat increases to +2. Epic Feat: Once-per-day as a free-action, spend a recovery to pass a save caused by an enemy you have affinity for.

Talent 8 -- Surpassing Mastery

You may add your Intelligence modifier to the damage done by your Traits.

Adventurer Tier: Any Trait that targets a Far Away enemy at-penalty no longer incurs the penalty for range.

Talent 9 -- Interdisciplinary Study

Choose one Sorcerer or Wizard spell of your level or lower. It counts as a Blue Mage Trait for you.

Adventurer Feat: You may use your Intelligence as the casting modifier for the spell you chose. This is probably only important if you have a stat-swap Talent like Fiend-Eater, or if you took a Sorcerer spell. Champion Feat: Twice per day, you may use the sorcerer class feature gather power (13th Age, page 135). It affects the damage done by any of your Traits, or your stolen spells. Epic Feat: Choose two spells instead of one.

Traits

All Traits are split into three tiers: Adventurer I, Champion II, and Epic III. To learn a trait, you must use your Learn class feature. You also gain a free Trait at levels 4 and 7.

The monster types in 13th Age are Aberration, Beast, Construct, Demon, Dragon, Elemental, Giant, Humanoid, Ooze, Plant, Spirit, Undead. For simplicity, we're leaving off Humanoid and Spirit.

Aberration I -- Rusting Antennae (Rust Monster)

Melee Trait Daily Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage, and the target's armor is corroded for the remainder of the fight. If the enemy has heavy armor, decrease their AC by 3. If the target has light or no armor, decrease their AC by 1. The GM will decide which is appropriate.

Beast I -- Feed the Cubs (Owlbear)

Melee Trait Recharge 11+ after battle Target: One enemy engaged with you, suffering from a status condition Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage Special: On a natural 16+, you tear a limb off of the target, and it is stunned until the end of its next turn.

Construct I -- Battlefield Repairs (Flesh Golem)

Melee Trait Recharge 16+ after battle Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage Special: You may only use this trait when staggered. On a hit, you may heal using a recovery, and additionally gain 5 temporary hit points.

Demon I -- Curse Aura (Imp)

Close-Quarters Trait Once-per-battle Interrupt Action Target: An enemy that rolls a natural 1-5 to hit you. Effect: The enemy takes 1d10 psychic damage. Special: After using this trait, roll a normal save. On a success, you keep your use of this trait for the battle.

Dragon I -- Lightning Breath (Medium Bronze Dragon)

Close-Quarters Trait Recharge 16+ after battle Target: 1d6 nearby or far away enemies in a rough line Attack: Intelligence + Level vs. PD Hit: 3d6 + Intelligence lightning damage Miss: Half damage.

Elemental I -- Resist Energy (Sorcerer (Lmao))

Close-Quarters Trait Recharge 16+ after battle Quick action Target: Yourself Effect: Until the end of the battle, you gain resist damage 14+ to the following energy type of your choice: cold, fire, lightning, thunder.

Giant I -- Regeneration (Troll)

Close-Quarters Trait Daily Special: Spend a recovery. For the remainder of the fight, gain back 5 hit points at the start of your turns. If you're hit by an attack that deals fire of acid damage, you lose your recovery for a turn.

Humanoid I -- Probably Nothing (Humans are Unlearnable?)

Ooze I -- Splitter (Ochre Jelly)

Close-Quarters Trait Recharge 16+ after battle Target: 1d3 nearby enemies in a group Attack: Strength + Level vs. PD Hit: 1d6 + WEAPON + Strength acid damage Special: Tear a piece of yourself off and throw it at the group of enemies. The piece reforms into a gelatinous copy of yourself, which acts as a vanguard. All enemies hit count as Engaged with it. Your Splitter clone may make one opportunity attack, as if it were you, before it dissolves.

Plant I -- Hallucinogenia (Braincap)

Close-Quarters Trait Recharge 16+ after battle Target: One nearby enemy Attack: Intelligence + Level vs. MD Hit: 3d6 + Intelligence psychic damage, and the target is confused (easy save ends). Miss: Half damage.

Spirit I -- I Dunno (I Don't Own Any Books With Spirits)

Undead I -- Rotting Fist (Zombie)

Melee Trait At-Will Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC Hit: 1d6 + WEAPON + Strength damage Special: On a hit, you take the bonus damage as well.