DnD Secret Crafts Protectologist

Dungeons and Dragons – Mystara

Secret Craft of Protectors

aka Masters of Protection, and Protectologist

They are known as an Protectologist in the great temples of the world. They started out (and can still be found) as the Masters of Protection. This is an expansion of the Secret Crafts inspired by Gazetteer 3.

A group of crafters of secret known how to tap into the arts of protection. These are abilities granted by the grace of the patrons of protection and defence.

Source Material: This secret craft was built using. Encyclopaedia Arcane – Abjuration, Ultimate Prestige Classes Vol 1 (Calligrapher), Ultimate Prestige Classes Vol 2 (Arcane Custodian, Knight of the Oriflamme)

List of Practitioners of the Protectologist Secret Craft

• Initiate –
• 1st Circle –
• 3rd Circle –
• 5th Circle –

Protectologist Craft Locations

Characters in these locations can activate a secret craft without expending points on a success or failure, but still suffer the full effects of a critical failure. In some instances, a critical success enhancement has become permanent.

Good Magic Locations – Ironbark (Alfheim(3,-5)),

Craft Magical Items – Protectologist

• Very Rare
  • Candle of Invocation – (Energy, Entropy, Matter, Thought, Time)

Ranks of the Protectologist Secret Craft

• Initiate (from 1st level)
• 1st Circle (from 6th level)
• 2nd Circle (from 11th level)
• 3rd Circle (from 16th level)
• 4th Circle (from 21th level)
• 5th Circle (from 26th level)

Protectologist Initiate

To become an initiate, one must be part of a great temples of the Known World.

Secret Craft – Protectologist – Initiate

• Craft Bonus = Proficiency + Wis + circle +2 (Giants and Giantkin)
• Craft DC: The Base DC of a secret craft abilities is: Base Craft DC = 8 + Prof + Wis mod + circle achieved +2 (Giants).
• Starting Language – Jotun (Giant)
• Associated Sphere – Usually a Giantkin Pantheon Immortal, or any Immortal who is a Patron of protection is valid.
• Expanded Magic: Characters gain extra spells to their spell list from this secret craft. A prepared caster gains them as spells in their spellbook, a spontaneous caster can swap out the spells with their known spells during craft downtime.
• Artefacts of the Giants: You can make a craft check to use a artefact of the Giants without expending the items power by paying for it with your own life force instead. This avoids the chance of a penalty being activated. You can also steal power from an artefact to heal your soul burn. If you are attuned to the artefact, you can use its power to activate your secret craft features without a chance of a penalty being activated. Giantkin racial magical items attuned allow you to pinch their charges for the day using 1 charge to replace 1 soul burn, and for each level or rarity above common the magical item can replace an additional point.

Protectologist Additional Crit Effects

• Protectologist Additional Craft Mishap: In addition to the base critical failure effect, you radiate a wave energy which causes the irreducible damage (from the standard mishap) as a punishment from your mentor, this also reduces your armour class and saving throws by the same amount. You armour class penalty will remain until you finish a long rest.
• Protectologist Additional Craft Boon: In addition to the base critical success effect you are able to put out a wave of protective energy and feel invigorated by the effect (from the standard boon), this hit point healing also affects everyone in your manifestation. Your saving throws have Advantage until you finish a long rest.

Associated Classes: These classes can select this secret crafts as part of their level advancement.

• Barbarian: Path of the Ancestral Guardian (xge9)
• Cleric: Arcana Domain (scag125), Life Domain (ph60)
• Fighter: Shieldbearer (mhh38)
• Paladin: Oath of Mercy (br197), Oath of Redemption (xge38)
• Wizard: School of Abjuration (ph115)

Available Feats for an Healologist:

Spell List – Secret Craft – Protectologist (Protect)
(Defensive, Protection and Warding based spells)

Cantrip – Blade Ward (ph219), Encrypt (bls52), Resistance (ph273),

1st Level Spells – Absorb Elements (xge150), Alarm – R (ph212), Circle of Wind – R (mhh157), Feather Fall (ph240), Heraldic Mastiff (bls70), Heraldic Owl (bls70), Heraldic Ox (bls70), Mage Armour (ph257), Mosquito Bane (mhh183), Protection from Evil and Good – R (ph271), Protection from Oozes (bls95), Sanctuary (ph273), Shield (ph276), Shield of Faith (ph276),

2nd Level Spells – Arcane Lock – R (ph216), Barkskin – R (ph218), Blur (ph220), Buttress (bls27), Cordon of Arrows (ph229), Fiery Shield (bls57), Find Traps – RO (ph242), Force Wave (bls60), Heraldic Fox (bls70), Heraldic Horse (bls70), Pass through Element – R (ea08), Protection from Paralysis (bls95), Protection from Poison – R (ph271), Warding Bond (ph288), Wind Armour – R (ea08)

3rd Level Spells – Beacon of Hope – R (ph218), Binding Chains (bls20), Bone Armour (bls25), Charged Touch (bls29), Dispel Magic – R (ph234), Godly Patronage (bls64), Glyph of Warding – RO (ph246), Heraldic Lion (bls70), Protection from Energy (ph271), Tiny Hut – RO (ph256), Wall of Sand (xge170), Wall of Water (xge170), Wind Wall (ph289)

4th Level Spells – Aetheric Shield (bls11), Air Sphere – R (bls13), Charge (bls29), Death Ward (ph231), Demon Flesh (bls42), Exorcise (bls55), Faithful Hound (ph262), Fire Shield (ph243), Freedom of Movement (ph245), Heraldic Leopard (bls70), Heraldic Tortoise (bls71), Resilient Sphere (ph265), Stonefast (bls114), Stoneskin (ph279), Wall of Fire (ph286)

5th Level Spells – Absorb Object (bls10), Antilife Shell (ph214), Arcane Hand (ph219), Arcane Retribution (bls14), Arcane Shield (bls14), Cloak of the Serpents (bls32), Dispel Evil and Good (ph234), Hallow – RO (ph250), Heraldic Bear (bls69), Spellcaster’s Refusal (bls112)

• 6th Level – Bead of Iron (bls19), Negative Energy Aura (bls90)
• 7th Level – Containment Orbs (bls34), Heraldic Boar (bls69), Seal of Sanctuary – R (mhh190), Shield of Crackling Fire (bls105), Volley Spell (bls124)
• 8th Level – Heraldic Hydra (bls70)
• 9th Level – Greater Seal of Sanctuary – R (mhh171), Heraldic Phoenix (bls70), Heraldic Wyrm (bls71), Invulnerability (xge160)

R – Ritual Spells.
Source: bls, mhh, ph, xge

Protectologist 1st Circle (Apprentice)

Secret Crafts – Protectologist – 1st Circle

Secret Crafts – Manifestations (Replaces other active secret craft manifestation when activated) Each Manifestation uses a light colour based on the Sphere it is being drawn from Energy (red), Entropy (black), Matter (green), Thought (white), Time (Blue). Each manifestation lasts until the end of your next long rest, and you can spend 1 soul burn to keep it active until the next long rest without rolling or you dismiss it.

Protectologist Apprentice (Manifestation SB 1 DC 16): When you activate this manifestation, you have a protective halo and project a field of light and safety out 10ft. When you make saving throws vs enchantment (or other mental effect), you can add either Intelligence or Wisdom bonus to the check, as long as its not being added twice. Creatures will not attack you in this aura unless you or one of your allies attack them first.

Protectologist Apprentice Enhancements and Powers (Requires Protectologist Apprentice to be active)

• Protect Specialisation (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16): Activate as part of a short rest. You can prepare one spell from the craft list as a known spell. You can reactivate this power to replace the known spell. Non-spellcasters can use this to gain a cantrip if listed.
• Protect Communication Aura (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16): Activated during a short rest. Everyone within your aura are treated as under the effects of Comprehend Languages.
• Protect Counterspell (Power SB 1 DC 16): Activated as a reaction action. You can cast Counterspell.
• Protect Suite – Sentinel of the Holy Sepulchre (Enhancement SB 1 DC 16): Activated during a short rest. While your protection aura is active, you can enhance yourself with power granting +2 bonus to Strength, Constitution (this can increase it above the normal cap of 20) and a +1 to attack rolls and damage vs fiends. You have Bless Weapon as one of your known spells for the day. You can only have one suite active at a time.

Downtime Activities: can require 1 or more soul burn points to activate and maintain. You do not require you to have the manifestation active to use. Use of downtime abilities cannot be offset by magical items or artefacts.

• Protect and Ward (SB 1+) Spending a week you mark your gear and clothing with a symbol of protection. While the symbol is in place, your armour class (while unarmoured) and saving throws are increased by circle you have obtained, costing 1 SB per circle, and cannot recover the soul burn while it is in place.
• Protect Craft Specialisation (SB 1+): You gain a known or prepared spell from the list of spells in this craft for each level you can cast. If you know more than one craft you can only have this available for one. Repeat activations changes the these slots to the activating craft. Costs 1 point per level of the spell. This loss is permanent while you have access to these spells. Unlike regular spells, Cantrips cost 1 point per character level.
• Protect Familiar (SB 1+): You spend a week to training a familiar to be protected by your wards. This provides an increase to armour class and saving throws equal to the circle you have obtained in this craft. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the familiar class feature or follow the Giantkin pantheon). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the familiar.
• Protect Companion (SB 1+): You spend a week to training a companion to be protected by your wards. This provides an increase to armour class and saving throws equal to the circle you have obtained in this craft. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the companion class feature or follow the Giantkin pantheon). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the companion.
• Protect Mount (SB 1+): You spend a week to training a mount to be protected by your wards. This provides an increase to armour class and saving throws equal to the circle you have obtained in this craft. This will cost you 1 soul burn per character level (or 1 point if you have the mount class feature or follow the Giantkin pantheon). You cannot recover the soul burn while you retain the mount.
• Protect Scroll (SB 1+) You can spend a week scribing any spell from this secret crafts list onto a scroll, with the craft DC equal to 10 + spell level. Success causes SB equal to the spell level, which remains until the scroll is used. Unlike other scrolls, this scroll requires no check to activate and always succeeds at being cast. The soul burn spent on the scroll returns once the scroll is used.

Protectologist 2nd Circle (Journeyman)

Protectologist 3rd Circle (Adept)

Protectologist 4th Circle (Master)

Protectologist 5th Circle (Grand Master)

Secret Craft References

• Activation Costs: 1 SB point per circle for Manifestation, Enhancement, Power and Downtime Activity unless otherwise specified.
• Secret Craft Attempt = d20 + Prof + Abi mod + circle achieved.
• Craft Check: The craft check is a d20 plus your proficiency and the associated attribute modifier. This craft check must use the language associated with the craft as part of the check. You add your circle level to the roll with Initiates being +0. For every 5 points you exceed the target number you reduce the Soul Burn cost by 1. For every point you fail the roll by, you can choose to succeed by adding those point to the soul burn cost as long as it was not a critical failure.
  • Base Critical Failure: A roll of a 1 on the craft check is a curse from your patron, and you suffer a mishap. The standard thing that happens is that you increase your soul burn by the Crit Effect Modifier, then it reduces your hit point maximum by the Crit Effect Modifier, and lastly it causes hit point damage equal to the Crit Effect Modifier. Check each of the crafts for what additional effect happen during a mishap.
  • Base Critical Success: A roll of a 20 on this check is a blessing from your patron, and you are granted a boon. The standard thing is that you reduce your Soul Burn by the Crit Effect Modifier, then it can restore damage to your maximum hit points by the Crit Effect Modifier, and lastly it refreshes you repairing hit points equal to the Crit Effect Modifier . Check each of the crafts for what happens during a boon.
  • Crit Effect Modifier: This is 1 + circle ability level + character level.
    • So a 8th level character using a 2nd circle ability would have a crit effect modifier of 11.
    • A 4th level character with a 1st circle ability would have a modifier of 6.
    • A 12th level character with s 3rd circle ability would have a modifier of 16.
    • A 16th level character with a 4th circle ability would have a modifier of 21.
    • A 20th level character with a 5th circle ability would have a modifier of 25.
• Craft DC: The Base DC of a secret craft abilities is: Base Craft DC = 8 + Prof + Ability mod + circle achieved.
• Manifestation – Lasts until the end of a long rest, you expend it, or you dismiss it as a free action. You can extend a craft manifestation for 1 soul burn after a long rest to last until your next long rest without the need for a craft check. Manifestations gives you access to Manifestation Aspects, Enhancements and Powers.
• Manifestation Aspect – Selected as the version of the manifestation used when you activate the Manifestation.
• Enhancement – Lasts as long as the manifestation is active.
• Power – Has a limited duration, but needs the manifestation active to use.
• SB – Soul Burn. Each point of Soul Burn is a reduction to your maximum hit points. If your Soul Burn ever reduces your hit point total to zero your character is destroyed based in the craft and sponsor. Soul Burn can be recovered via downtime or other methods all with GM approval.

Content Updates

• 2022-04-21 – Added in location section.
• 2022-03-12 – Update of the 1st Circle abilities and powers to bring them more in line with the changes made to the initiate level and through trial in play over the last year.
• 2022-03-11 – Updated the Initiate level abilities and wording.

Secret Crafts

Overview, Downtime: Secret Crafts, Spellcasters

Elemental Crafts: (6) Air, Darkness, Earth, Fire, Water – Combining Craft – Elements

Necromancy Crafts: (6) Blood, Devour, Grave, Reanimate, Shade – Combining Craft – Necro

Racial Crafts: (38) Alchem, Beast, Bureau, Celest, Chaos, Chrono, Craft, Crypt, Diplomat, Diviner, Dragon, Elven, Entertain, Fiend, Heal, Mech, Mental, Merch, Music, Nature, Portal, Preserve, Protect, Rad, Sail, Shape, Skald, Sky, Spirit, Spy, Star, Sumon, Tech, Void, Wagon, War, Weapon, Witch

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