Spellcaster Sidekick
Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything p. 144
Class and Feature Progression
Level PB Features Cantrips Known Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st +2 Sidekick Class, Bonus Proficiencies, Spellcasting 2 1 2 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 2nd +2 2 2 2 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 3rd +2 2 3 3 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3 3 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 5th +3 3 4 4 2 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 6th +3 Potent Cantrips 3 4 4 2 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 7th +3 3 5 4 3 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 3 5 4 3 ⏤ ⏤ ⏤ 9th +4 3 6 4 3 2 ⏤ ⏤ 10th +4 4 6 4 3 2 ⏤ ⏤ 11th +4 4 7 4 3 3 ⏤ ⏤ 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 7 4 3 3 ⏤ ⏤ 13th +5 4 8 4 3 3 1 ⏤ 14th +5 Empowered Spells 4 8 4 3 3 1 ⏤ 15th +5 4 9 4 3 3 2 ⏤ 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 4 9 4 3 3 2 ⏤ 17th +6 4 10 4 3 3 3 1 18th +6 Ability Score Improvement 4 10 4 3 3 3 1 19th +6 4 11 4 3 3 3 2 20th +6 Focused Casting 4 11 4 3 3 3 2
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: x = hit dice specified in the sidekick’s statblock (human, gnome, kobold, etc.)
- Hit Points at First Level: x + CON
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: add 1dx + CON (minimum of 1)
Starting Spellcaster Sidekick
- Saving Throws: One saving throw of your choice: Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma.
- Armor: Light armor
- Weapons: All simple weapons if humanoid
- Tools: none
- Skills: Two skills of your choice from the following list: Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Performance, Persuasion, and Religion.
Spellcaster Sidekick
A sidekick who becomes a Spellcaster walks the paths of magic. The sidekick might be a hedge wizard, a priest, a soothsayer, a magical performer, or a person with magic in their veins.
Class Features
Sidekick Class (Level 1)
To gain the Spellcaster class, a creature must have at least one language in its stat block that it can speak.
Note
Note: this class is intended for NPC sidekicks.
Bonus Proficiencies (Level 1)
1st-level Spellcaster feature
The sidekick gains proficiency in one saving throw of your choice: Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma.
In addition, the sidekick gains proficiency in two skills of your choice from the following list: Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Performance, Persuasion, and Religion.
The sidekick gains proficiency with light armor, and if it is a humanoid or has a simple or martial weapon in its stat block, it also gains proficiency with all simple weapons.
Spellcasting (Level 1)
1st-level Spellcaster feature
The sidekick gains the ability to cast spells. (If the creature already has the Spellcasting trait, this feature replaces that trait.) Choose the Spellcaster’s role: Mage, Healer, or Prodigy. This choice determines the spell list and spellcasting ability used by the sidekick, as shown on the Spellcasting table.
Spellcasting
| Role | Spell List | Ability |
|---|---|---|
| Mage | Wizard | Intelligence |
| Healer | Cleric and Druid | Wisdom |
| Prodigy | Bard and Warlock | Charisma |
| ^spellcasting |
Spell Slots
The Spellcaster table shows how many spell slots the sidekick has to cast its Spellcaster spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, the sidekick must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. The sidekick regains all expended spell slots when it finishes a long rest.
Spells Known
The sidekick knows two cantrips and one 1st-level spell of your choice from its spell list. Here are recommendations for a 1st-level spellcaster of each role:
- Mage. mage hand, ray of frost, thunderwave
- Healer. cure wounds, guidance, sacred flame
- Prodigy. eldritch blast, healing word, light
- The Cantrips Known and Spells Known columns of the Spellcaster table shows when the sidekick learns more spells of your choice. Each of the spells in the Spells Known column must be of a level for which the sidekick has spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when the sidekick reaches 5th level in this class, it can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
- Additionally, when the sidekick gains a level in this class, you can choose one of the spells it knows from this class and replace it with another spell from its spell list. The new spell must be a cantrip or of a level for which the sidekick has spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability
The sidekick’s spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the choice you made on the Spellcasting table.
The sidekick uses its spellcasting ability whenever a spell refers to that ability. In addition, it uses its spellcasting ability modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spell it casts and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC: 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Spellcasting modifier
Spell attack modifier: your proficiency bonus + your Spellcasting modifier
Spellcasting Focus
The sidekick can use a focus for its spells depending on the choice you made on the Spellcasting table. A Mage can use an arcane focus, a Healer can use a holy symbol, and a Prodigy can use an arcane focus or a musical instrument.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 4)
4th-level Spellcaster feature
At 4th level and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 18th level, the sidekick increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or the sidekick increases two ability scores of your choice by 1. The sidekick can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, the sidekick may instead take a feat.
Potent Cantrips (Level 6)
6th-level Spellcaster feature
The sidekick can add its spellcasting ability modifier to the damage it deals with any cantrip.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 8)
8th-level Spellcaster feature
At 4th level and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 18th level, the sidekick increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or the sidekick increases two ability scores of your choice by 1. The sidekick can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, the sidekick may instead take a feat.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 12)
12th-level Spellcaster feature
At 4th level and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 18th level, the sidekick increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or the sidekick increases two ability scores of your choice by 1. The sidekick can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, the sidekick may instead take a feat.
Empowered Spells (Level 14)
14th-level Spellcaster feature
Choose one school of magic. Whenever the sidekick casts a spell of that school by expending a spell slot, the sidekick can add its spellcasting ability modifier to the spell’s damage roll or healing roll, if any.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 16)
16th-level Spellcaster feature
At 4th level and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 18th level, the sidekick increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or the sidekick increases two ability scores of your choice by 1. The sidekick can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, the sidekick may instead take a feat.
Ability Score Improvement (Level 18)
18th-level Spellcaster feature
At 4th level and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 18th level, the sidekick increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or the sidekick increases two ability scores of your choice by 1. The sidekick can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
If your DM allows the use of feats, the sidekick may instead take a feat.
Focused Casting (Level 20)
20th-level Spellcaster feature
Taking damage can’t break the sidekick’s concentration on a spell.