D&D 5E [Optimization/Playstyle Guide] The Lesser Key of Sargon, or Thumbs on the Scales of the Universe: An Arcanist’s Handbook - "Pay What You Want"

[Sargon of Balmora]

[Optimization/Playstyle Guide] The Lesser Key of Sargon, or Thumbs on the Scales of the Universe: An Arcanist’s Handbook - "Pay What You Want"

UPDATE: The Lesser Key of Sargon is now listed as "Pay What You Want." Please enjoy!


You hold in your hand or most complete effort yet at the restoration of the once-lost magnum opus of Dr. Sargon Andrastada, one of our great University’s most renowned scholars and magicians. Although the original copy was completely destroyed in the eldritch fire that consumed Prof. Andrastada’s laboratory—and most of Dobbins Hall with it—a team of the University’s most skilled chronomancers has painstakingly reached backwards in time to rescue as much of his brainchild from the flames as possible. Efforts at recovering more of the manuscript are ongoing, but, for ‘now,’ this partial volume will have to suffice.

As anyone who studied under him can attest, Prof. Andrastada was obsessed with the use of magic by what the common folk colloquially call “adventurers” and what we scholars call “murder hobos.” This should hardly come as a shock, given Prof. Andrastada’s penchant for taking lengthy sabbaticals from his University duties to assist the various “parties” of ne’er-do-wells that frequently sought to consult with “Sargon of Balmora.” Nevertheless, while some of our colleagues deemed such interests to be a waste of Prof. Andrastada’s talents, I can attest that a significant minority of my generation of mages is alive today because of his teachings. The restoration of this once-lost volume, then, is my gift to the next generation of “adventurers,” just as Prof. Andrastada’s words were a gift to mine. Remember, above all else: scientia potentia est.

Finally, in deference to Prof. Andrastada’s work, we have left his autobiographical notes (“About the Author”) unaltered. Those interested in the details of his disappearance may consult the newspapers; these pages are not the place for such unpleasantness.
–Dr. Ramses von Frankenstein, Professor of Chronomancy, University of Balmora
​

OOC: Long-time lurker, first-time poster here! I am proud to present to you The Lesser Key of Sargon, or Thumbs on the Scales of the Universe: An Arcanist’s Handbook. This work represents the distillation of more than a decade and a half’s worth of experience in conceptualizing, designing, playing, and DMing for arcane spellcasters across various editions of Dungeons and Dragons and at all levels of play, and it is specifically focused on D&D 5e.

At more than 50,000 words and 132 pages in length, I intend the Lesser Key to serve as a comprehensive guide to the playstyle I've dubbed the "Arcanist," which I define as "A dedicated primary arcane spellcaster with a flexible set of tools and a tactical mindset that enables them to meaningfully and proactively contribute to every encounter.”


The complete manuscript is available for purchase here (it is available for free, but with a suggested "Pay What You Want" amount of $2.99): https://www.dmsguild.com/product/28...of-the-Universe-An-Arcanists-Handbook-A-Guide


I crave feedback, so if you purchase and read the Lesser Key, please let me know what you think. Thank you!

 

[Sargon of Balmora]

(Also, I apologize if this is the wrong forum for this--I've seen many optimization and playstyle guides here, but if I need to move this thread, please let me know.)

 

[Sargon of Balmora]

Because I had the poor timing to post this at night before a holiday and a major update to this website, a bump for visibility and for an updated description of the Lesser Key. It's also now listed as "Pay What You Want" (with a suggested price of $2.99).



You sit down at a table to play some D&D, your rich backstory ready to go and your character’s accent so well-tuned that you might well be mistaken for a Julliard graduate, if you’re not careful. Your character meets up with some other schmucks at an Inn (ironically, naturally) and before you know it, you’re off on a quest! Spirits are riding high as your party sets out into the wilderness, and no one’s in better spirits than you. But just as your party crests a ridge, you find yourselves under attack from all sides—a stinging barrage of hate spurred on by the hateful fist of your DM fate. Your character leaps into action, casting a spell they’ve been practicing since childhood, and…


Nothing happens. Your spell was totally worthless. You watch as your party flounders against your enemies and swallow back your feelings of uselessness. Over the next several encounters, you find your character alternating between being merely ineffective (as your spells continue to do nothing) and, at times, being an outright liability (as your stronger party members have to continually come to your rescue). Your epic backstory might as well be in the trash, your carefully-cultivated language a thing of the past. Whereas before you had been looking forward to this game for weeks, now you’re just counting the minutes until it’s over.

We’ve all been there, right? Well, the Lesser Key’s goal is to prevent you from ever having to experience that kind of thing again. It is intended for everyone who’s ever wanted to play an arcane spellcaster in Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons, but, for whatever reason, just can’t quite seem to crack it. Specifically, the Lesser Key of Sargon focuses on building and playing the Arcanist archetype, which I loosely define as: “A dedicated primary arcane spellcaster with a flexible set of tools and a tactical mindset that enables them to meaningfully and proactively contribute to every encounter.”
In other words, rather than focus on how to build the perfect Wizard, the Lesser Key advises you on how to perfect a certain playstyle. It isn’t merely intended to strengthen your character, however, but also your own skills as a player—including by consistently advocating a teamwork-focused approach to D&D 5e. Knowledge is power, after all, but a true Arcanist always uses it wisely.

Roughly summarized, the Lesser Key is split into the following parts:

Section I (7 pages) – an introduction to the Arcanist playstyle as applied to both in- and out-of-combat roles

Section II (4 pages) – a discussion of the concept of Relative Superiority, a concept pioneered Admiral William H. McRaven, as applied to D&D

Section III (19 pages) – a comparison of the various character classes who could potentially fill the Arcanist role, along with a comprehensive multiclassing analysis

Section IV (40 pages) – a lengthy commentary on choosing spells, including discussions of most individual arcane spells in 5e D&D and a set of 16 rules for selecting spells for your character

Section V (18 pages) – an essay, aided by flowcharts, discussing the tactics of casting spells in 5e D&D, along with commentaries on resource usage, Counterspelling, the importance of reconnaissance, interacting with your DM and fellow players, the action economy, and improving your own personal defenses

Section VI (7 pages) – a broad comparison of monster types for your general reference, derived from a statistical analysis of the nearly 700 monsters in the 5e Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

Section VII (23 pages) – a commentary on choosing magic items, with special emphasis on what is more useful to an Arcanist relative to the rest of the party; this section is explicitly team-focused, and assumes the Arcanist takes the enlightened view that what is good for the goose is also good for the goose’s benevolent overlord

Section VIII (2 pages) – a brief conclusion, again setting forth the general intent of the Lesser Key and a few final words of “wisdom”

Appendix A (2 pages) – a discussion of metagaming, including the author’s philosophical stance on “good” versus “bad” metagaming

Appendix B (1 page) – links to other handbooks discussing specific class optimization

The Lesser Key represents the distillation of more than a decade and a half’s worth of experience in conceptualizing, designing, playing, and DMing for arcane spellcasters across various editions of Dungeons and Dragons and at all levels of play. The views stated herein are solely my own, although I have made an effort to link to sufficiently reasonable discussions or official rulings that clarify grey areas.

Have fun! And if you're so inclined, please let me know what you think in the reviews; feedback is my lifeblood.