#war mage

Racial Background

Now while I could go with centaur because horses, I have a weird pick for this -- that being Aasimar, specifically Protector Aasimar. It doesn't work for pre ascension Twilight but this is post ascension Twilight. (note: if you wanna do a pure Twilight build I'd suggest an elf/half elf!) You gain +2 to Charisma and +1 to Wisdom, as well as having resistance to Celestial and Necrotic damage with Celestial Resistance. You fought a literal magic sucking demon and managed to survive, you need some resistances for that!

You also get Healing Hands which lets you touch a creature and have them gain a number of hit points equal to your level. It's not really an in character choice for Twilight but if they gave her healing magic she'd be op as heck

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Background

This one was obvious -- Cloistered Scholar. You gain proficiency in History and Arcana, as well as two languages! Go wild with these, you never know who's next going to become a friend!

You also gain Library Access, basically a universal library card allowing you to gain free and easy access to your organization's library. You lived in a library. This makes so much sense if I'm being honest

The Build

Level One - Wizard One

Obvious choice is obvious, Twilight is a Wizard first and foremost. You get to pick two skills from the Wizard list – go with Investigation and Insight – and you get to pick spells! You get three cantrips from the Wizard list; Light lets you or your allies see in the dark. You most likely won’t need it, however Twilight has been shown to use her horn as a torch. Mage Hand lets you summon a spectral, floating hand to do small, non-attacking tasks; such as opening or closing a door in range. Mending lets you repair an object with a single tear or break in it, use this to fix Ms Smarty Pants after she gets destroyed when you charm the town out of deadline stress.

For your first level spells; Charm Person allows you to charm a person who fails a Wisdom saving throw. This can neutralize a big baddie and have bronies claim that you support brainwashing, apparently. Detect Magic lets you sense magic within 30 feet of you for 10 minutes. Feather Fall lets you slow a creatures rate of descent by 60 feet, because not everyone in the Mane 6 can fly (just three). Identify lets you learn the properties of a magic item, how to use it, if it requires attunement and how many charges it has, as well as what spells are affecting it. Magic Missile is going to be your main attacking spell as Twilight mainly uses magic beams – this lets you create three glowing magical darts to hit creatures of your choice within range, dealing 1d4 + 1 force damage to a target. You can direct the darts to one creature or several, and they all hit simultaneously. Shield lets you create… A shield as a reaction, this will help with your awful AC. Finally, Silent Image creates a visible image that lasts for 10 minutes with no other sensory effects sans image. You can alter the image if it moves.

You also get Arcane Recovery, allowing you to regain spell slots once per day when you finish a short rest. The spell slots that can be recovered can be equal to or half your Wizard level - rounded down if it's an odd number - however this can’t be used to recover spell slots over 6th level

Level Two - Wizard Two

Level Two Wizards can pick an Arcane Tradition and this… Is hard. To be honest, Twilight is multi-disciplinary and doesn’t have a specific tradition. So for that; I’m going with War Mage. War Mages get Arcane Deflection, allowing them to add +2 to their AC against an attack that hits them, or allowing them to add 4 to a saving throw that they failed. The drawback is that you can’t cast spells other than cantrips until your next turn, so save that Magic Missile until later down the line. 

You also get Tactical Wit, which allows you to add your Intelligence modifier to your initiative roles. This is insane, considering right now you have an Intelligence modifier of +2 meaning that you get to make up for your lack of dex. Hopefully.

For this levels spell, Longstrider increases your or a target’s speed by 10 feet until the spell ends. Again, your dex is not very good, so anything that increases your mobility is excellent

Level Three - Wizard Three

Third Level wizards get to learn 2nd level spells. Keep in mind you’re pretty much a prepared spellcaster, so pick and choose spells if you wish. Alter Self lets you assume a different form for an hour – letting yourself breathe underwater, changing your appearance or giving yourself natural weapons. You’re not really gonna need that last one, but the first two are quite useful, Aquatic Adaptation being very useful for the movie. 

Misty Step lets you teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet and I’ve put this in three builds now. Guess what my favourite superpower is? Teleporters. How did you know?

art by Light262 on dA

Level Four - Wizard Four

Fourth Level Wizards get to pick an ASI or Feat, and while an ASI would be good, we have an uneven Intelligence mod. Let’s go with Feat this time around, and Keen Mind is a great feat to up your intelligence – it also basically lets you become a walking, talking encyclopedia, always knowing which way is North, knowing how many hours until the sun rises, and being able to recall information that you’ve seen or heard within the past week. Twilight is just Caleb Widogast but without dead parents, don’t @ me. 

You also gain an additional cantrip. Let’s continue the Caleb comparisons by picking Fire Bolt – a ranged spell attack on a target within 120ft that, on a hit, causes them to take 1d10 fire damage. It also ignites flammable objects that are hit by it. Fun! 

Also; two more spells are nice! Borrowed Knowledge lets you give yourself proficiency in a skill you aren’t proficient in for an hour. Detect Thoughts lets you read surface level thoughts of a creature within 30 feet of you, if they fail a Wisdom throw, you can go deeper. Read minds, bother your friends, be the worst! 

Level Five - Wizard Five 

Fifth Level Wizards can learn 3rd level spells. Counterspell is the sexiest spell in DND and the ultimate ‘no you’ spell, it lets you pretty much prevent a person from casting a spell. If you cast it against a 4th level or higher spell, you have to make an ability check using your spellcasting ability with the DC being 10 plus the spell’s level. On a success, the spell fails! Fun! 

Blink is another teleportation spell, but with a twist! On a roll of 11 or higher, you vanish, and at the start of your next turn, you can teleport to an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the space you previously were. You can also dispel the spell as an action

Level Six - Wizard Six

Sixth Level War Mages get Power Surge, allowing them to empower their spell attacks with extra damage equal to half their wizard level. For Magic Misslle, your main ranged spell attack, it is 1d4 + 1 + 3 damage. That’s pretty good, and on a high roll, you can get 8 damage instead of the spell’s usual 4 when casting it with a 1st level spell slot. You also can store a maximum of power surges equal to your Intelligence modifier (at this level Twily’s modifier is +3) and you gain additional surges with varying caveats – such as a successful counterspell. If you finish a long rest, your surges default to 1. 

For this level’s spell, Melf’s Minute Meteors creates six tiny meteors that you can expend letting them streak towards a point or points within the spell’s range. Once the meteor reaches its destination, it explodes upon impact, forcing people within five feet of the explosion to make a dex saving throw. They take 2d6 fire damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one

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Level Seven - Wizard Six Sorcerer One

Let’s move into another spellcasting class! Yay! This time let’s go with Sorcerer’s and immediately pick a Sorcerous Origin; Divine Soul makes sense due to your Alicorn-ness being granted by a literal god emperor. You get Divine Spellcasting, allowing you access to an additional spell based off your affinity; we’ll go with Bless due to Cure Wounds not really being in character for Twilight.

You’re also Favored by the Gods, letting you add 2d4 to a failed saving throw or missed attack roll. This is pretty cool, basically giving you a luck point once per short or long rest. 

You also get cantrips from the Sorcerer list; Dancing Lights is also on the Wizard list yet I somehow missed it – this gets you four small lights that create dim light in a 10 foot radius. This is more accurate to Twilight’s mini horn torch. Gust lets you control the air to force a target to make a strength save or get pushed 10 feet back. You can also use it to push an object with enough force to cause damage, or to create a harmless sensory effect. Shape Water lets you well… Shape water within a five foot cube. And Sword Burst lets you create a circle of energy blades around you, forcing creatures within five feet of you to succeed on a dex saving throw or take 2d6 force damage.

Also; Sorcerer spells! You only get two 1st level spells, but they’re both quite useful. Mage Armor lets you buff you or another creature’s AC to become 13 + it’s Dexterity modifier. For you that is just 13, which is unfortunate, but I imagine Rarity has better Dex than you. Witch Bolt is a ranged spell attack that if it hits forces your target to take 1d12 lightning damage, and at the end of each of your turns you can use an action to deal an additional 1d12 lightning damage. This ends if you lose concentration or perform another action

Level Eight - Wizard Six Sorcerer Two

Second level Sorcerer’s are a Font of Magic, granting them access to Sorcery Points. You can’t do much with them now, but you can burn Sorcery Points to gain expended spell slots, just in case you need them. 

For this level’s spell, Catapult let’s you basically fling an object weighing 1 to 5 pounds using magic. If an object strikes someone, they have to make a Dex saving throw, and on a failed save they take 3d8 bludgeoning damage

Level Nine - Wizard Six Sorcerer Three

Third level Sorcerer’s gain access to Metamagic, the most important part of a Sorcerer’s kit. For your options, Subtle Spell lets you spend a sorcery point to cast a spell with only somatic components. Distant Spell lets you spend a sorcery point to double the range of a spell that has a range of five feet or greater, also allowing you to make a touch-based spell have a range of 30 ft. 

You also get 2nd level spells – Enhance Ability helps one of your friends with a magical upgrade, such as increasing their carrying capacity, preventing them from taking damage after falling from 20 ft or less, and granting them 2d6 temporary hit points. It also gives them advantage on checks of that nature for the spell’s duration. Everybody say thank you Critical Role! 

Level Ten - Wizard Six Sorcerer Four

Fourth level Sorcerers get an Ability Score Improvement -- lets keep bumping that Intelligence for better Initiative rolls and harder to dodge saving throws.

For this level's spells; Guidance allows a willing creature to add a d4 to an ability check of their choice. Calm Emotions does exactly what it says on the tin -- you can do it on a willing creature to give them advantage on being charmed/frightened, or on an unwilling creature who failed their Charisma saving throw to make them apathetic towards their allies! The former is more in character for Twilight tbh

art by @colorful-horses​

Level Eleven - Wizard Seven Sorcerer Four

Back to Wizard for fourth level spells; Confusion forces targets within a 10ft sphere to make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, the affected target must roll a d10 at the start of their turns and pick behaviour from a table -- this can be anything from walking in a random direction, to not moving or taking actions, to even making a melee attack against a random creature. At the end of each turn the target can make a Wisdom saving throw and if they succeed, the spell ends

Level Twelve - Wizard Eight Sorcerer Four

Eighth level Wizards get another Ability Score Improvement; cap off your Intelligence modifier here! 

For this level's spell, Tiny Servant lets you animate a tiny object for a minute, just so long as it’s not being carried by another person. This causes it to become a creature under your control, which you can order as a bonus action. If you don’t order it to do anything, it just avoids conflict. When the creature drops to 0 hit points or you end this spell, the creature reverts to its original form, and all damage is sustained. 

Level Thirteen - Wizard Nine Sorcerer Four

Ninth level Wizards get 5th level spells; Dawn lets you summon a 30ft radius cylinder that is 40ft high. When the cylinder appears, creatures within it must make a Constitution saving throw, they take 4d10 radiant damage on a failed save and half as much damage on a successful save. They must also make this saving throw when they end their turn in the cylinder. And if you’re within 60 ft of the cylinder, you can move it up to 60 ft as a bonus action

Level Fourteen - Wizard Ten Sorcerer Four

Tenth level Battle Mages get Durable Magic, allowing them to gain a +2 bonus to AC and all saving throws while concentrating on a spell.

You also get an additional cantrip – Encode Thoughts lets you transform your thoughts into a thought strand, a stationary weightless ribbon made up of your thoughts. I haven’t given you any of the other thought spells that take advantage of this, like Modify Memory, because that isn’t really in character for Twilight, but just have some nifty little thought strands following you around as you study! 

For this level’s spell, Legend Lore basically forces the DM to give you information on a person, location or object of legendary regard. The more information you have about the target, the easier and more concise the information is. Just get your DM to infodump, they love that! 

Level Fifteen - Wizard Eleven Sorcerer Four

Eleventh level Wizards get 6th level spells. Arcane Gate creates linked portals that you can teleport between, you can also rotate the rings as a bonus action so that the active side faces in a different direction. 

Level Sixteen - Wizard Twelve Sorcerer Four

Twelfth level Wizards get another ASI - lets start upping Charisma for better sorcery spells and resistances, as well as better friend-making! 

For this level’s spell, Rary’s Telepathic Bond lets you create a telepathic bond with 8 creatures within range. If they have an intelligence of 2 or less they aren’t affected by this spell. Sorry Owlouicious, you get to miss out on this bond

Level Seventeen - Wizard Thirteen Sorcerer Four

Thirteenth level Wizards get 7th level spells – Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion has you create an extradimensional mansion that lasts for the spell’s duration. You can create any floor plan you want, but it can’t exceed 50 cubes, each cube being 10 feet all around. You can design it however you wish, but remember to not go off and let your friends make your Mansion more home-like without you permission. At least you get a cool non-permanent punk haircut for your troubles!

art by Yulyeen on dA

Level Eighteen - Wizard Fourteen Sorcerer Four

Fourteenth level War Mages get an upgrade to their Arcane Deflection known as Arcane Shroud. When you use Arcane Deflection, up to three creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you take force damage equal to half your wizard level. At the moment, this is 7 points of force damage, which is quite good! You won’t be able to get 10 points because we multiclassed, however, it’s still pretty good for this level. 

Level Nineteen - Wizard Fifteen Sorcerer Four

Fifteenth level Wizards get Eighth Level spells – let’s go with Antimagic Field, which creates a 10-foot radius sphere wherein magic can’t be cast, and magical effects are suppressed by the field. The time these spells or effects are suppressed count against their duration, so you can essentially shut down dangerous spells like Power Word Kill using the field - although you can’t cast other spells out of the field. This is perfect if you want to conserve your energy for more important things

Level Twenty - Wizard Sixteen Sorcerer Four

Our capstone is the Sixteenth Level of Wizard (fun fact; it was going to instead be the 1st level of bard because I thought it was funny but changed my mind when I remembered how many bard, sorcerer and wizard spells overlap) which gets us one last ASI – let’s finish off that Charisma! I’m pretty sure as a god empress, you’re going to need it. 

For this level’s spell, Sunburst is an upgraded version of Dawn, forcing a creature to make a con save. If they fail, they take 12d6 radiant damage and are blinded, while on a successful save, they only take half the damage and don’t suffer the blinding condition. Considering your mentor is a literal sun goddess, I think this makes a lot of sense.

art by @peskypawz​

Build Summary

This was actually quite fun! I will admit there were several other class options, that I will describe below;

Bard - Music is a major part of MLP: FIM, with Twilight having several songs in the series. However, I imagine Bard would be a better choice for Pinkie Pie or Twilight’s ‘evil’ counterpart, Sunset Shimmer - who’s voiced by Twilight's singing voice!

Artificer - The only other Intelligence-based class and if I’m being honest, it didn’t fit Twilight. Twilight’s a scientist, yes, but she doesn’t invent things, nor do any of the subclasses really fit

Twilight Domain Cleric - …what? Yes it was just because of the name. Don’t judge me, you thought it too! 

There are several regrets I have with this build – the first is the fact I accidentally gave Twilight the light cantrip when she already has it as an Aasimar naturally. The fact that I completely forgot that and doubled up was a big fat oops on my part. There was also the fact I mainly stuck to radiant and force damage, when Twilight also has a habit of using fire – see Rapidash Twilight in Feeling Pinkie Keen. I also didn’t use as many Moon/Star related spells – I was tempted to pick up Dark Star from Matt Mercer’s dunamancy list, but it was too… Extreme for Twilight? In fact, I could have made her a Graviturgist instead of a War Mage!