#middlefingerofvecna

[creativerogues]

A Chronomancer’s Guide: Chronomancy Spells & Ideas

Playing an “Official” Chronomancer...

While there’s no Chronomancer Subclass for 5th Edition from Wizards of the Coast, there are still ways to create a Chronomancer-Like Character with the Official Rules.

One way is to just take the Divination Wizard, get some divination spells that let you determine fate, see the future, change the attack rolls and ability checks of yourself and others, and throw in some Spells like Slow, Haste and Time Stop and boom! An Unofficial Chronomancer...

In terms of Feats, I think the best Feat to fit the idea of a Chronomancer, a Master of Time and Space, is Keen Mind.

Keen Mind You have a mind that can track time, direction, and detail with uncanny precision. You gain the following benefits: • Increase your Intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You always know which way is north. • You always know the number of hours left before the next sunrise or sunset. • You can accurately recall anything you have seen or heard within the past month.

First off, a bonus to Intelligence, great for a Wizard Chronomancer, second, you always know the number of hours left before the next sunrise or sunset and can  accurately recall anything you have seen or heard within the past month because Time Magic and Stuff...

I think it’s a good feat, but let’s get on to the more important things, Spells!

I’ve already made a shortlist just from scanning through the Books on what I think a Chronomancer has:

1st Level

Longstrider: Cause Yourself or Another Creature to move faster.

Expeditious Retreat: Cause Yourself to move faster.

Feather Fall: Slow the descent of Yourself and Other Creatures.

2nd Level

Misty Step: Bamf across the battlefield!

Continual Flame: Manipulate a Flame to burn forever.

Blur: Thinking of this like moving from one space to another so fast the enemy can’t figure out your true location...

Hold Person: Freeze a Creature in place.

3rd Level

Slow: Cause time to slow for Creatures in an area.

Haste: Cause time to flow faster for Yourself or Another Creature.

Blink: Bamf around the battlefield again and again!

4th Level

Fabricate: Think of it like putting everything on fast-forward until the material is crafted...

Dimension Door: Think of it like manipulating space to bamf back to a place you remember...

5th Level

Teleportation Circle: Another bamf spell to get you around.

Modify Memory: Cause a person to remember events that never happened (at least not in this timeline...)

Legend Lore: Recall all the information and history of an person, place or object.

Far Step: Yet another bamf spell! (Because Time & Space are linked bro!)

6th Level

Contingency: What sounds more Chronomancer-Like than casting a Spells days or weeks in advance with a specific circumstance. (Think you’re about to drown and don’t have much left? Well luckily you cast Water Breathing a week ago for this specific scenario...)

7th Level

Reverse Gravity: Manipulating time and space, and in my mind, that includes gravity...

Teleport: Again, bamfing to a place you know (or don’t!)

Delayed Blast Fireball: It’s like Fireball, but delayed, because Time Magic!

9th Level

Wish: Wish let’s you do anything, including undoing a single recent event by forcing a re-roll of any roll made within the last round (including your last turn) and reality reshapes itself to accommodate for the new result...

Time Stop: You stop time, I think that’s obvious...

Foresight: You see the future. (Maybe flavor this to be you sending your mind into each of the possible timelines for the future and seeing every single solution before making a decision...)

Using 3rd Party Content to make your Chronomancer...

Now, if you can convince your DM to let you play a Timey-Wimey Spacebender, then ask if you can use some 3rd Party Content, because there’s some great stuff out there that I think is really neat, and some of the 3rd Party Spells that have been created are pretty much “Time Magic” Spells anyways.

I’ve put a few of my personal favorites here:

Matt Mercer’s Dunamancy

For those that don’t know, Dunamancy is a homebrew School of Magic created by none other than the DM of Critical Role himself, Matt Mercer.

Dunamis appears to heavily rely on quantum mechanics, including the Many Worlds Interpretation that results in multiple versions of us existing based on the possibilities explored or left to explore to another version of ourselves in another timeline. 

However, having much more experience with this magic, dunamancers seem able to call upon their alternate selves to aid them in battle, in the forms of shadowy echoes.

And while there’s no published Subclass of Dunamancy, Matt has showcased a few Dunamancy Spells and Abilities on the show already:

Gift of Alacrity

1st-level

Target gains +1d8 to initiative rolls for 8 hours.

Fortune's Favor

2nd-level

Target gains 1 Fragment of Possibility for 1 hour.

Compress Gravity

Compress Gravity causes targets to make a Constitution saving throw. The targets take force damage and their speed is reduced to half for one round.

Vacuum Blast

Creatures in a 20 foot radius around a point of the caster's choosing make a Constitution saving throw and take force damage.

Gravity Well (Ability). After affecting another creature with any spell effect, a Mage could use this ability to push the target 10 feet in any direction of their choice.

Manifest Echo (Bonus Action). A Mage can summon an echo of themselves on their turn that is able to cast a spell on its own, in addition to allowing the Mage themselves to cast another spell at the same time...

Chronomancy Spells - Middle Finger of Vecna

The Middle Finger of Vecna, while not an Actual Magic Item, is a great blog that creates some amazing and sometimes hilarious spells, subclasses, homebrew rules, monsters and magic items...

Their content is incredibly well-worded and well-done, and I’ve used it in several of the previous campaigns I’ve been in and DM’d for...

Delay

2nd-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S, M (a small crystal)

Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly slow time for a creature of your choice that you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be moved to last place in the initiative order from the beginning of the next round onward.

Temporal Reversion

5th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

The wounds of a creature you touch travel back in time to before they were inflicted. The creature regains hit points equal to 7d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This healing works as normal on undead and constructs.

Restore Youth

3rd-level transmutation (ritual)

Casting Time: 8 hours

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (gold dust worth at least 500gp, which the spell consumes)

Duration: Instantaneous

You perform a long, complex ritual on another creature, reducing its apparent age by 3d10 years, to a minimum of 13 years. This effect does not extend the creature’s lifespan.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 5th.

Mass Haste

7th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a shaving of liquorice root)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Choose up to three willing creatures that you can see within range. Until the spell ends, the targets' speeds are doubled, they gain a +2 bonus to AC, have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and it gain an additional action on each of their turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.

When the spell ends, the targets can’t move or take actions until after their next turn, as a wave of lethargy sweeps over them.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8th level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 7th.

Lesser Time Stop

7th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly stop the flow of time for everyone but yourself. No time passes for other creatures, while you take 2 turns in a row, during which you can use actions and move as normal.

This spell ends if one of the actions you use during this period, or any effects that you create during this period, affects a creature other than you or an object being worn or carried by someone other than you.

In addition, the spell ends if you move to a place more than 300 feet from the location where you cast it.

Evasiveness

5th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, M (a scrap of silk)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You touch a willing creature. Until the spell ends, the target gains a superhuman ability to dodge attacks. The target’s AC becomes 22, if it were lower, regardless of what kind of armor it is wearing.

This spell puts enormous strain on the target’s body. After the spell ends, the target gains one level of exhaustion.

Kobold Press: Deep Magic - Time Magic

Deep Magic: Time Magic by Kobold Press brings the secrets of temporal magic into your 5e campaign, featuring a bunch of new time-related spells that allow you speed up and slow down time and even force enemies into a constant time loop!

Again, I’ve used a lot of their Deep Magic content and I strongly suggest that you take a good look at their other stuff.

And while I obviously can’t just spit everything out in a Post here, I’m gonna share some of the Spells that I think are perfect for a Chronomancer...

Quicken

Transmutation Cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to its next initiative roll or Dexterity saving throw. The target can roll the die before or after the d20 roll. The spell then ends.

Withered Sight

1st-level necromancy

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a dried lizard's eye)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You cause the eyes of a creature you can see within range to age rapidly. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, the creature has disadvantage on Perception rolls and attack rolls. An affected creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect with a success. This spell has no effect on a creature that is blind or that doesn’t use its eyes to see.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st.

Decelerate

2nd-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S, M (a toy top)

Duration: 1 minute

You slow the flow of time around a creature. The creature must make a successful Wisdom saving throw or its speed is halved (rounded up to the nearest 5-foot increment). Until the effect ends, the creature’s speed is halved again at the start of each of your turns.

For example, a character with a speed of 30 feet fails its saving throw, dropping its speed to 15 feet. At the start of your next turn, the creature’s speed drops to 10 feet, then to 5 feet on the following round.

Decelerate can’t reduce a creature’s speed to less than 5 feet. The spell ends after 1 minute or when the target uses its action to make a successful Wisdom saving throw.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can affect an additional creature for each slot level above 3rd.

Time Step

2nd-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly step forward in time. You disappear from your location and reappear at the beginning of your next turn in a location within 30 feet of the space you disappeared from. You can’t be affected by anything that happens during the interval you’re missing, and you aren’t aware of anything that happens during that time.

Accelerate

3rd-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (a toy top)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Choose up to three willing creatures within range, which may include you. Until the end of the spell, the target's movement speed doubles. The target can also take a bonus action on each of its turns. This bonus action can only be used to take the Dash action.

In addition, the creature has advantage on Dexterity saving throws while under the effect of this spell.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you can affect an additional creature for each slot level above 3rd.

Time Loop

6th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a metal loop)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You capture the target in a loop of time. The creature is teleported to the space where it began its previous turn. The target then makes a Wisdom saving throw.

If it succeeds, the spell’s effect ends.

If it fails, the creature must repeat the actions it took on its previous turn, following the same sequence of moves and actions to the best of its ability.

It doesn’t need to move along the same path or attack the same target, but if it moved, then attacked, on its previous turn, its only option is to move, then attack, this turn.

If the space where the target began its previous turn is occupied or it’s impossible for the target to take the same action (if it cast a spell but it’s now unable to do so, for example), the target is incapacitated.

An affected target repeats the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on itself on a success.

For as long as the duration lasts, the target teleports back to its starting point at the start of each of its turns and it must repeat the same sequence of moves and actions.

Strongholds & Followers: The Chronos Codex

Strongholds and Followers is an absolutely amazing book by MCDM Productions and another book I highly recommend you take a look at.

But in particular, the Magic Items Section of the Book, which provides a series of very powerful, artifact level books called Codices.

And one book in particular, the Chronos Codex, focuses on time manipulation.

Here’s just a taste of the few things it can do:

Summon Temporal Duplicate: Once per month as an action, you can summon a version of yourself from the future.

It is one possible version of your future character. It has your stats but is four levels higher and may have different items or even spells, at your GM’s discretion.

You have no control over your temporal duplicate, but it is a version of you and will probably help you out. Because it is from one possible future, it is experiencing one possible past and may not remember the situation it finds itself in, because it never experienced this past.

The duplicate remains in this manifold of the timescape for 4 + 1d4  rounds, after which it returns to its own time.

If it drops to 0 hit points, it automatically returns — unconscious — to its original manifold.

While you are attuned to the book, the GM may ask you to make a percentile roll at random moments. If you roll a 100, you disappear for 4 + 1d4 rounds, as you are relentlessly pulled backward into an alternate past to serve a version of yourself four levels lower.

Nomad of the Timescape: You cease aging.

As an action once per year, you may sacrifice any number of Hit Dice to move forward or backward in time by a hundred years per Hit Die sacrificed.

You can observe and interact with, but cannot change, the past or future.

Because of the manifold nature of the timescape, the past or future you find yourself in may not be your past or future.

While in another temporal manifold, you sacrifice 1 Hit Dice at the end of each week.

Blink of an Eye: As an action, you can sacrifice any number of Hit Dice to take an equal number of turns in a row.

Other features allow you to travel literally thousands of years into the past or future, and others let you mess with the order of Initiative thanks to some handy time magic, which I think is such an interesting mechanic that you never see a lot of in 5th Edition...

But, if you have a high level ‘Chronomancer’ Wizard, and they don’t have a lot of Magic Items, then I think this little Magic Book could definitely hold some success for them in the future... 

Homebrewing Your Chronomancer...

So now that we've gotten past how to make an 'Official' Chronomancer, and how to make one using the 3rd Party Content that's already out there, let's talk about making a Homebrew Chronomancer...

Old School Chronomancy Spells (For Fifth Edition...)

Now, back in ye olden days, there were genuine Chronomancers in the Forgotten Realms and in D&D, but it wasn’t long until people realized how messing with time can mess with the canon of a setting, and just as quickly as it arrived, the Chronomancy School of Magic left...

But it did have some great spells, which I think can be easily adapted to 5th Edition D&D without being too game-breaking...

Zwei’s Extension

4th Level

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: Self

Components: V

Duration: Instantaneous

Classes: Wizard

Choose a spell of 3rd Level or Lower that you can cast and has a Casting Time of 1 Action.

You cast that spell, called the Extended Spell, as part of casting Zwei’s Extension, expending Spell Slots for both, but the Extended Spell has double its duration, to a maximum duration of 1 Day.

Permanency

9th Level

Casting Time: 1 Minute

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Until Dispelled

Classes: Wizard

Choose a spell of 4th Level or Lower that you can cast, that has a Casting Time of 1 Minute or less, and that can target only a single creature.

You cast that spell, called the Permanent Spell, as part of casting Permanency, expending Spell Slots for both, but the Permanent Spell comes into effect with an infinite duration, and no longer requires Concentration from the Caster.

For example, a Permanency Spell cast See Invisibility allows you to see Invisible creatures and Objects as if they were visible until you choose to dispel this effect.

While standing within a Field of Anti-Magic or a Similar Effect, the effects brought on by a Permanency Spell are suppressed, these effects cease to be suppressed as soon as you exit.

Temporal Stasis

8th Level

Casting Time: 1 Minute

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (A powder composed of diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire dust with a total value of at least 5,000 gp.)

Duration: Until Dispelled

Classes: Wizard

You place the Creature into a state of suspended animation.

For the creature, time ceases to flow and its condition becomes fixed. The creature does not grow older. Its body functions virtually cease, and no force or effect can harm it.

This state persists until the magic is removed (such as by a successful Dispel Magic spell or a Wish spell), or until you choose to end it.

Wesley's Delayed Damage

5th Level

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Minute

Classes: Wizard

You create a field of temporal flux around you, intercepting physical attacks and shifting all or part of the effects into the future, allowing you time to prepare...

When a creature successfully hits you with a melee or ranged weapon attack, half the damage is applied immediately, and the other half is put off for the duration of the spell, or until you lose concentration.

This delays the need for healing, but be cautious not to lose track of the time since casting.

After the first turn, the spell could expire at any moment, and all deffered damage is then applied at once, which could easily kill the caster...

Effects from the Fifth Edition Monster Manual, changed into ‘Chronomancer Abilities’

A lot of Abilities from the Monsters in the 5th Edition Monster Manual can easily be changed to suit a Chronomancer Wizard, just take a look!

Great Haste (Ghost - Horrifying Visage)

Each creature within 60 feet of you that you can see must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target ages 1d4 X 10 years.

If a target’s saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the spell’s effects for the next 24 hours. The aging effect can be reversed with a Greater Restoration spell, but only within 24 hours of it occurring. 

This spell has no effect on Undead or constructs.

Taken from the Stats of a Ghost in the Monster Manual, ‘Horrifying Visage’, renamed here to ‘Great Haste’, could easily be a high level spell for a Chronomancer, possibly inflicting some Force Damage or negative effect to the creatures that fail, such as disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity or Constitution checks and saving throws...

Temporal Strike

Melee Weapon Attack: One Creature. Hit: Normal Weapon’s Damage plus 8d12 Psychic Damage.

The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or move 1 round forward in time. A target moved forward in time vanishes for the duration. When the effect ends, the target reappears in the space it left or in an unoccupied space nearest to that space if it’s occupied.

Taken from the Stats of a Githzerai Enlightened, this ability literally lets you punch, kick and whack your foes through time...

And with some editing, it could easily be a high level spell, or some kind of Chronomancer Subclass Ability...

Change Gravity 

You cast the Reverse Gravity spell. The spell has the normal effect, except that you can orient the area in any direction and creatures and objects fall toward the end of the area.

Taken from the Stats of a Githzerai Anarch, this feature could oh-so-easily just be an ability for a Chronomancer, changing time and space...

But could also just become a higher level version of Reverse Gravity, so I’d say Change Gravity could be an 8th Level Spell, since Reverse Gravity is 7th Level and we don’t want that Chronomancer getting this thing for free...

Other Effects & Ideas

And as we come to a close on this VERY long Post, here’s just a few of my unfinished thoughts and ideas that you might want to throw into your game, maybe as a Magic Item for a Chronomancer, maybe it’s an Ability a Monster has, or maybe you’re gonna take these ideas and build a Chronomancy subclass over it, I don’t know...

Ability: Grant an Ally advantage on Attack Rolls for the next 3 Rounds of Combat.

Collapse Time (Flavored Version of ‘Power Word Kill’): If the Target has 100 Hit Points or Fewer, it explodes and dies.

At ___th level, you cease aging.

At ___th level, when you cast a Spell with a casting time of 1 Action, you can spend a Spell Slot of the Spell's Level or Higher to reduce the casting time for this Spell to 1 Bonus Action.

At ___th level, you can cast the Haste Spell without expending a Spell Slot, but the Spell affects only you. Once you cast Haste in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. You can still cast it normally using an available spell slot.

At ___th level, you add the Haste Spell to your Spellbook, if it is not there already. You never suffer the negative after effects of the Haste Spell and can act normally when the Spell ends.

When you are surprised at the beginning of an encounter, you can choose to expend a Spell Slot of 1st Level or Higher to not be surprised. 

When you need to make a Dexterity saving throw, you can choose to expend a Spell Slot of 1st Level or Higher to make the saving throw with advantage.

You become proficient in the History and Arcana skills if you are not already proficient..

[nailsofvecna]

The AMA is now live! Head on over to Reddit if you want to ask us questions!

[creativerogues]

Exotic weapons, armor, and shields are pieces of equipment that require an incredible level of skill to wield or wear properly, as they are often either unusually heavy, oddly balanced, or bizarre in construction.

This Link provides Statistics for several new weapons and armors...