Mage of High Sorcery 5e
Your talent for magic came to the attention of the Mages of High Sorcery, an organization of spellcasters that studies magic and prevent its misuse. You've trained among the Mages, but whether you'll face the dangerous tests required to become a full member of the group remains to be determined. Your passion for studying magic has likely already predisposed you toward one of the organization's three orders: the benevolent Order of the White Robes, the balance-pursuing Order of the Red Robes, or the ruthless Order of the Black Robes.
In the world of Krynn, many refer to the Mages of High Sorcery as the Wizards of High Sorcery. The organization accepts more than wizards, though, with sorcerers, warlocks, and other spellcasters included among their ranks.
Source: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of colored ink, an ink pen, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature
Initiate of High Sorcery: You gain the Initiate of High Sorcery feat.
In addition, the Mages of High Sorcery provide you with free, modest lodging and food indefinitely at any occupied Tower of High Sorcery and for one night at the home of an organization member.
Building a Mage of High Sorcery Character
Mages of High Sorcery are typically Sorcerers, Warlocks, or Wizards and might have any subclass. Spellcasters who gain their magic through devotion are less likely to be welcomed among the traditionalist mages. Nevertheless, the Mages of High Sorcery are shrewd, and they rarely let unique opportunities or individuals pass them by. Even members of martial classes who train in magic might find a rare place among the group's three orders.
Mage of High Sorcery Trinkets. When you make your character, you may roll once on the Mage of High Sorcery Trinkets table, instead of on the Trinkets table in the Player's Handbook, for your starting trinket.
Mage of High Sorcery Trinkets
| d6 | Trinket |
|---|---|
| 1 | An unopened letter from your first teacher |
| 2 | A broken wand made of black, red, or white wood |
| 3 | A scroll bearing an incomprehensible formula |
| 4 | A purposeless device covered in colored stones that can fold into various enigmatic shapes |
| 5 | A pouch or spell book emblazoned with the triple moon symbol of the Mages of High Sorcery |
| 6 | A lens through which you can see Krynn's invisible black moon, Nuitari |
Should You Be a Mage of High Sorcery?
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
Mage of High Sorcery may be the strongest background in the game, only really competing with Strixhaven’s background. For your background, you’re getting close to a full class level worth of abilities. Getting this background is akin to starting with a bonus level in Wizard. This is the kind of background where its limitations and prerequisites are warranted; a lot of tables do not want Initiate of High Sorcery available out the gate for the low cost of a Background.
Feature
Where Squire of Solamnia, the martial feat available with the sister background in the Shadow of the Dragon Queen, isn’t quite worth a feat, Initiate of High Sorcery is worth spending a real feat on. It's Magic Initiate, but instead of two cantrips, you get two first-level spells, and on top of that, you can cast them using any spell slots your class has in addition to the free uses the option provides. What reels it in is the spell selections you get to pick from, but even within those, there are some stand-out options any character can benefit from.
Solinari offers you Shield, one of the most powerful 1st level spells in the game that characters of all tiers want access to. Comprehend Languages and Detect Evil and Good aren’t anything to write home about, but I’d also be stoked to get a free cast of Protection from Evil and Good, which can shine brightly in a handful of encounters per campaign. A lot of characters want access to Shield; this is about as cheap a way to get it as you can ask for.
Lunitari and Nuitari are both steps down from Solinari but still come baked with excellent options. Lunitari offers Color Spray, Disguise Self, Feather Fall, and Longstrider, with Feather Fall being a standout option many sheets want, with Disguise Self acting as a nifty espionage and infiltration tool for out-of-combat exploration and social encounters.
Nuitari interests me the most, especially on non-caster characters like Rogue. Hex empowers hits, making it a cute option for multi-attackers to invest their bonus action into, and Dissonant Whispers can have a massive impact on some fights by forcing something to flee, provoking attacks of opportunity as it does. False Life even gets to shine here as a chunk of extra hit points early you get for free alongside one of these other effects should you want to just bulk up.
This is all before we consider the free cantrip it comes with as well; Mage Hand and Minor Illusion up the utility of any character. Any of the utility options you want you can get. The cosmetic cantrips fit perfectly into giving you a unique background, with Mold Earth or Prestidigitation acting as unique magic that can define you against a lot of the rest of the casters of the world.
Skills
Arcana and History aren’t particularly riveting skills- which is entirely warranted. Neither is going to come up often, and neither are going to be pivotal to keeping the party alive or ensuring a plan’s success. I don’t think most characters want both. That being said, I’m willing to pay that price for some 1st level spells and spell slots.
Other Proficiencies
Two languages of your choice matter little to most tables. Games just aren’t that interested in exploring language barriers, and two of your choice won’t regularly help you get over said barriers if they are included.
Equipment
Ink and a pen have a lot of little utility. At a minimum, you can record information on things as you go to aid in memory. It can help detect doppelgangers when used discretely or mark places you’ve been when handling fey mazes. It won’t be an every-adventure kind of useful item, but something to keep in mind.
Bonus Tables
These trinkets bring personality to your character you can flesh out down the road. An unopened letter can be weighing on your mind for any number of complex reasons; alternatively, it just is something you forgot to open, and is a simple request or some grades from your last semester. This table ties you to the world of Dragonlance solidly, though, making it something you’ll want to talk about with your DM if they opt to waive the background prerequisites.
All Together
Any character can benefit from this background, and will gladly trade some mediocre skills for two spell slots, two learned 1st-level spells, and a cantrip. Casters are happy to get new resources they can deploy with their spell slots in addition to their single uses, and martial characters will take any utility they can get to help them contribute alongside their caster allies.
Mage of High Sorcery is insane for a background.
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