Martial Archetype
Comments from the Finger: You really gotta hand it to us. It was all hands on deck to get this adaptation of the teleknight done, but we’re old hands at this, so we didn’t need any underhanded design tricks — we got our hands dirty and have this neat, handmade subclass!
Mage Hand Magus
Blades sweeping around in dramatic arcs, propelled by ghostly, disembodied hands — the Mage Hand Magi are truly a force to be reckoned with. While wizards are content to use mage hand to retrieve their wands and open doors from across the room, the cantrip’s potential has always been clear for warriors: a deft mage hand can afford dozens of feet between a soldier and their foe, letting them deal a killing blow without raising a fingertip. Mage Hand Magi have mastered this cantrip through practice and discipline, elaborating a trick pioneered by warmages into a deadly fighting style of twin hovering blades. The most skilled can even manifest a warhand, a grand fist of magical wrath, with which to crush their enemies.
Mage Hand Master
Starting at 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, you learn the mage hand cantrip if you did not know it before. You can cast it with the following improvements:
- You can cast and control mage hand as a bonus action.
- You summon two separate hands when you cast it, and you can control one or both of them when you use the spell.
- The spell’s duration is indefinite, ending only when you are knocked unconscious or you choose to end it.
- Your mage hands are stronger than the normal, capable of lifting a combined weight in pounds equal to 5 x your fighter level, and they are dexterous enough to perform any ability check you could normally perform with your hands.
Combat Hands
At 3rd level, you have learned to use your mage hands in combat. While you are holding nothing in your hands, your mage hands can wield weapons: each can wield a single one-handed weapon, or together they can wield a two-handed weapon.
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one or more of your attacks through your mage hands against targets you can see within their reach. You can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of your Strength or Dexterity, to the attack and damage rolls. A mage hand not wielding a weapon can be used to punch a creature within 5 feet of it, dealing 1d6 force damage on a hit.
At 3rd level, you have learned to use your mage hands in combat. While you are holding nothing in your hands, your mage hands can wield weapons: each can wield a single one-handed weapon, or together they can wield a two-handed weapon.
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one or more of your attacks through your mage hands against targets you can see within their reach. You can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of your Strength or Dexterity, to the attack and damage rolls. A mage hand not wielding a weapon can be used to punch a creature within 5 feet of it, dealing 1d6 force damage on a hit.
Handy Maneuvers
Starting at 7th level, you can use your hands to perform a number of combat maneuvers or tricks. While they are not wielding weapons, you can use both of your hands together to grapple or shove a creature. When you do so, you add your Intelligence modifier to the Strength (Athletics) check.
Additionally, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack with one of your hands when a creature leaves its reach.
Starting at 7th level, you can use your hands to perform a number of combat maneuvers or tricks. While they are not wielding weapons, you can use both of your hands together to grapple or shove a creature. When you do so, you add your Intelligence modifier to the Strength (Athletics) check.
Additionally, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack with one of your hands when a creature leaves its reach.
Warhand
Starting at 10th level, when you cast mage hand, you can form one of them into a much more powerful construct called a warhand. Your warhand is identical to the hand summoned by the spell arcane hand, except that you must use its abilities as an action, instead of a bonus action. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. When you use any of the warhand’s abilities, you can use a bonus action to make a single attack with your other mage hand.
Starting at 10th level, when you cast mage hand, you can form one of them into a much more powerful construct called a warhand. Your warhand is identical to the hand summoned by the spell arcane hand, except that you must use its abilities as an action, instead of a bonus action. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. When you use any of the warhand’s abilities, you can use a bonus action to make a single attack with your other mage hand.
Handglide
By 15th level, while two summoned mage hands or a warhand are within 5 feet of you, the hands can hold you aloft and carry you to your destination. You can have a flight speed equal to your movement speed while the hands carry you.
By 15th level, while two summoned mage hands or a warhand are within 5 feet of you, the hands can hold you aloft and carry you to your destination. You can have a flight speed equal to your movement speed while the hands carry you.
Heavy Handed
Starting at 18th level, you can summon two warhands instead of mage hands when you cast the mage hand spell. You can use the abilities of both warhands as part of the same action on your turn.
Starting at 18th level, you can summon two warhands instead of mage hands when you cast the mage hand spell. You can use the abilities of both warhands as part of the same action on your turn.
This is a really cool subclass, but one instance I have found is that the warhand is listed as arcane hand, which can move 60 ft. But the handglide ability says that the warhand can give you a flying speed of your movement. Should the flight be 60 ft like arcane hand?
Question… If you have the Telekinesis feat, do your Mage/War Hands from this class become invisible
Yes, the warhands would be invisible just as a mage hand would be.
The warhand flight uses your character’s movement.
Question:
If a mage hand magus has acquired a blade cantrip, either one of the SCAG/TCE ones or the warmage ones (such as through the Spellblade feat), is it intended that these cantrips are not usable when a weapon is being wielded by the mage hand, because of the Self (5 feet) range of the spells? Or are the mage hands in this instance considered an extension of the self, as an Echo Knight’s echo for instance would be?
I don’t think the rules of the spell support it, but I’d personally allow this at my table. That’s a fantastic interaction
Question on designer’s intent:
Can you make opportunity attacks with your combat hands, somewhat like what the echo knight can do with their echo? This would synergize awesomely with the Sentinel feat.
I don’t believe you can use opportunity attacks, rules as written.