Magnus
The Grey Blade; the Unarmed Archmage
Saving Throws
- +0 Strength
- +1 Dexterity
- +2 Constitution
- +11 Intelligence
- +9 Wisdom
- +1 Charisma
Skills
- +1 Acrobatics (DEX)
- +3 Animal Handling (WIS)
- +11 Arcana (INT)
- +0 Athletics (STR)
- +1 Deception (CHA)
- +11 History (INT)
- +9 Insight (WIS)
- +1 Intimidation (CHA)
- +11 Investigation (INT)
- +3 Medicine (WIS)
- +5 Nature (INT)
- +3 Perception (WIS)
- +1 Performance (CHA)
- +1 Persuasion (CHA)
- +5 Religion (INT)
- +1 Sleight of Hand (DEX)
- +1 Stealth (DEX)
- +3 Survival (WIS)
Spellcasting
Cantrips
- Mage Hand
- Message
- Minor Illusion
- Prestidigitation
- Resistance
Level 1 Spells
- Detect Magic
- Mage Armor
- Shield
Level 2 Spells
- Arcane Lock
- Detect Thoughts
- Misty Step
- See Invisibility
Level 3 Spells
- Counterspell
- Dispel Magic
- Magic Circle
Level 4 Spells
- Arcane Eye
- Banishment
- Otiluke's Resilient Sphere
Level 5 Spells
- Bigby's Hand
- Planar Binding
- Wall of Force
Level 6 Spells
- Globe of Invulnerability
Level 7 Spells
- Forcecage
Level 8 Spells
- Mind Blank
- Antimagic Field
Level 9 Spells
- Power Word Kill
- Wish
Features & Traits
Once per short rest, recover up to 9 spell slot levels.
Magnus specialized in abjuration, though he found it philosophically ironic to do so.
Counterspell and Dispel Magic can be cast at their lowest level without using a spell slot.
Equipment
| Item | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grey Robe of the Arcane Orders | 1 | Worn at death. Location of remains unknown. |
| Magnus's Spellbook | 1 | Lost during the Time of Nightmares. Not destroyed. See GM notes. |
Personality
Personality Traits
Absolutely calm in a crisis. Talks to people he is about to kill the same way he talks to people he is about to help: as though they are interesting.
Ideals
The Orders exist because individuals cannot be trusted with the full extent of arcane power. That includes me.
Bonds
Weohstan trusted me with more than he should have. I will not waste that.
Flaws
He told Weohstan what he wanted to hear, once. Only once. He spent the rest of his life making certain it never happened again, and was not always kind about it.
Languages & Proficiencies
Backstory
Magnus was the Grey-Robe companion and chief arcane advisor to the last human Emperor of Venn, Weohstan. He survived the Fall of Venn, spent the Time of Nightmares quietly establishing the early framework of what would become the Orders of Wizardry, and died fighting a renegade archmage who called himself Artemis Wyrm.
He died unarmed. This is the detail the Orders carry forward in ceremony -- the ceremonial dagger that every Order member receives at induction is not a weapon. It is a reminder that the wizard whose sacrifice established the precedent for all arcane regulation in Kyrell died without drawing one.
Magnus was not a martyr in the theatrical sense. He knew Artemis Wyrm's vulnerabilities. He knew the encounter would likely be his last. He chose to end it the way he did because the alternative -- a fully armed archmage of his caliber killing a man he had once taught -- would have established the wrong precedent for the nascent Orders. The rule that the Orders exist to govern, not to dominate, had to be demonstrated, not merely stated. Magnus demonstrated it.
The Orders of Wizardry carry a ceremonial dagger in his name and tell his story at induction. Most initiates find it moving. A handful find it troubling. Magnus would have preferred the latter group.