New Arcane Tradition: Battlemage

A rare tradition, battlemages are instructed in the use of arms and armor so that they can engage in close quarters combat while wielding their arcane powers. Sometimes considered a dwarven answer to the Bladesinger, these armed and armored wizards seek out combat and bend their magic to empowering attacks against their foes.

Battlemage Summary:

Wizard Level; Feature

2^nd; Melee Training, Weapon Focus

6^th; Armor the Mind

10^th; Battlemagic

14^th; Master of Battle

Melee Training

Starting at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with light and medium armors, shields, and a melee weapon of your choice.

Weapon Focus

At 2nd level you learn a ritual that creates a mystical bond between yourself and one weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond. You may only have one weapon bonded to you in this manner at a time, and if you attempt to bond a second you break your existing bond.

Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself you may cast spells with it in hand, using the weapon itself as a focus. Further, when you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can make one attack with that weapon as a bonus action.

Finally, the bond causes your magic to resonate with the weapon. So long as the bond exists the weapon strikes as if it were a magical weapon, overcoming damage resistance against non-magical weapons even though it provides no other bonus. If the weapon has a bonus to attacks and damage you can add this bonus to your spell attack rolls and save DCs when using it as a focus.

Armor the Mind

Starting at 6^th level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and learn to use your armor as a sensory cue with which to help anchor your thoughts. While wearing armor you have advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell.

Battlemagic

Starting at 10th level, you learn how to channel your prepared slots into specialized forms which produces immediate combat effects. If an effect forces the target to make a saving throw, they use your spellcasting save. Choose two of the abilities from this list;

Abjuration Battlemagic. When another creature damages you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend a spell slot to reduce the damage by the level of the spell slot plus your Intelligence modifier.

Conjuration Battlemagic. When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can expend a spell slot to increase your reach for that attack by 5 feet. If you hit, you add the level of the spell slot to the attack’s damage roll.

Divination Battlemagic. When you make a weapon attack roll against a creature, you can expend a spell slot to add it to the roll. You can use this ability before or after making the attack roll, but before the effects of the attack are applied.

Enchantment Battlemagic. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend a spell slot to distract the creature, giving your allies an opening. You add the level of the spell slot to the attack’s damage roll. The next attack roll against the target by an attacker other than you has advantage if the attack is made before the start of your next turn.

Evocation Battlemagic. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend a spell slot to attempt to drive the target back. You add the spell slot level to the attack’s damage roll, and it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, if the target is Large or smaller, you push the target up to 15 feet away from you. If the target is Huge or bigger a failed saving throw knocks the creature prone.

Illusion Battlemagic. When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend a spell slot to make a melee weapon attack against the creature. If you hit, you add the spell slot level to the attack’s damage roll.

Necromancy Battlemagic. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend a spell slot to attempt to frighten the target. You add the level of the spell slot to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Transmutation Battlemagic. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend a spell slot to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it’s holding. You add the level of the spell slot to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw against your spell DC. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose which lands at its feet.

Master of Battle

On reaching 14th level, you have been forged into a warrior by the flames of battle. You are proficient with Constitution saving throws, and increase your hit points by 28. For each additional level you gain in the Wizard class you gain 2 additional hit points. Further, you gain a bonus to all saving throws you are proficient with equal to the increase in Armor Class provided by your armor.

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Designed as an answer to the Eldritch Knight and, as mentioned, the Bladesinger, it's also a bit of a thumb at clerics and their cross-generational primary casting in heavy armor. The idea that dwarves would create a heavily armored arcane caster designed to get in close and mix up appeals to me enormously. War wizards are generally long-range wide area devastation type (sub)classes, so the idea of a combat-focused caster that is really designed to be in tunnels and small chambers right in the face of their enemies is a nice shift in pace, and a gap in the standard D&D armory. Meanwhile, it really is the closest parallel to the expression of magic through beauty and grace of song and dance as elvish magic I can think of.