Apprentice Wizard¶
Medium humanoid, any alignment
Armor Class 10 (13 with mage armor) Hit Points 13 (3d8) Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) |
Skills Arcana +4, History +4 Senses passive Perception 10 Languages any one language (usually Common) Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Spellcasting. The apprentice casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 12).
At will: mage hand, prestidigitation
1/Day each: burning hands, disguise self, mage armor
Actions¶
Arcane Burst. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) force damage.
Description¶
A student of magic — an apprentice at an academy or in service to a wizard. Wears simple robes. Carries a slate, a wax tablet, or a notebook. Knows the basic cantrips and a handful of first-level spells learned from a master. In a fight, prefers to keep distance and rely on the arcane burst; when hard-pressed, may spend a slot on mage armor for defense, or burning hands as a last-ditch strike.
Composes as Apprentice in the Arcane axis (Wizard's Tower and Academy themes) — see Arcane: Apprentice (theme).
Design notes¶
- Fills the beginner-mage niche: CR 1/4, low Hit Points, basic cantrips plus a couple of first-level spells.
- Spell selection is entirely SRD-compatible: mage hand, prestidigitation, burning hands, disguise self, and mage armor are all in SRD 5.1.
- The Arcane Burst mechanic gives a reliable damage option so the apprentice remains threatening after burning his 1/Day slots — a post-Tasha's design pattern that avoids the empty-spellcaster problem at low CR.
- Ability scores match the standard low-tier caster profile (14 INT, everything else 10-11).
- Original stat block; not copied from any WotC supplement.