A veilknife is a full spellcaster schooled in the misdirection, footwork, and ambush craft of a rogue. Rather than choosing between spell and steel, veilknives weave the two together: a knife can be a focus, a feint can conceal a spell, and a spell can leave a blade in the perfect place. Their signature niche is mobile, precise magic supported by thrown weapons and concealed steel.
A full caster who makes every spell look like a sleight of hand—and every knife a spell waiting to happen.
Full Caster; mobile skirmisher, infiltrator, and precision support
At a glance
Spell-and-Steel
Hit die d6
Intelligence
DexterityYou gain proficiency with daggers, darts, shortswords, thieves’ tools, and one of the following skills: Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth. You also gain proficiency in Intelligence and Dexterity saving throws.
You can use a dagger or dart as a spellcasting focus for your veilknife spells. You can perform somatic components even while holding weapons, and drawing or stowing a dagger or dart is part of the action used to attack with it or cast a spell.
You learn wizard cantrips and prepare spells from the veilknife spell list using the wizard’s spellcasting progression. Your spellbook, preparation, ritual casting, and spellcasting ability work as described under Spellcasting below.
When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher using your action, you can make one attack with a dagger or dart as a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.
Choose a Veilknife Tradition. Your tradition grants features at 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
When you take the Attack action and make an attack with a dagger or dart, you can use a bonus action to cast a veilknife cantrip with a casting time of 1 action. The cantrip must target only one creature and must not have a range of self.
When you use Spell-and-Steel, you can move up to 10 feet before or after the attack without provoking opportunity attacks from the target of that attack.
Your attacks with daggers and darts count as magical for overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. You can also draw a dagger or dart as part of each attack you make with one.
When a creature you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction and expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to reduce the damage by 1d10 per level of the slot, to a maximum of 5d10. If this reduces the damage to 0, you can move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
When you make an ability check using Dexterity or Intelligence, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the roll if it is not already included. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum once), regaining all uses after a long rest.
When a creature fails a saving throw against one of your veilknife spells, you can teleport up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks and can occur only once per turn.
When you use Spell-and-Steel, you can make two dagger or dart attacks as a bonus action instead of one. You must make both attacks against the same target or different targets within 10 feet of each other.
When you cast a spell that targets only one creature, you can make one dagger or dart attack against that creature as part of the same action. You can use this feature once on each of your turns, and it does not grant an additional attack if you already use Spell-and-Steel that turn.
You have advantage on initiative rolls, and you cannot be surprised while conscious. In addition, you can take a bonus action on your first turn of combat to draw up to three daggers or darts and move up to half your speed.
When you use Spell-and-Steel, you can cast a spell of 1st level or higher with a casting time of 1 action in place of its weapon attack. You still expend a use of Spell-and-Steel, and the spell must target only one creature or an area no larger than a 10-foot cube.
You can choose one 1st-level veilknife spell and one 2nd-level veilknife spell in your spellbook. You always have these spells prepared, and you can cast each at its lowest level without expending a spell slot once between long rests.
IntelligenceDexterityHit points per veilknife level; hit points at 1st level are 6 + your Constitution modifier, and at higher levels (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per veilknife level after 1st.
Saving throwsProficient in Intelligence and Dexterity saving throws. No armor proficiency; rely on positioning, defensive magic, and concealment.
Armornone.
Weaponsdaggers, darts, shortswords.
Toolsthieves’ tools.
Skillschoose one from Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.
Saving throwsIntelligence and Dexterity.
Skill choicesAcrobatics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
ResourceSpell slots and prepared spells, following the wizard’s full-caster progression. Spell-and-Steel uses equal your proficiency bonus and return on a long rest.
MulticlassingPrerequisite: Intelligence 13 and Dexterity 13. You gain proficiency with daggers, darts, and thieves’ tools. For spell slots, add your veilknife levels to levels in other spellcasting classes as normal for a multiclass full caster. You use the multiclass rules for spells known and prepared; the veilknife spellbook feature does not grant wizard class features.
Full spellcasting, using the wizard’s 2014 spell-slot progression and Intelligence as your spellcasting ability (spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Intelligence modifier; spell attack modifier = proficiency bonus + Intelligence modifier).
You know three wizard cantrips at 1st level, learning more at the wizard’s normal levels. At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level veilknife spells of your choice; each time you gain a veilknife level, add two veilknife spells of a level for which you have spell slots. You prepare a number of spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your veilknife level (minimum one), and can ritual-cast a spell in your book if it has the ritual tag. Your spell list is the wizard spell list, with spells chosen to suit the class’s covert, mobile theme; the spellList field gives a curated sample, not an exclusive list.
A patient hunter who turns a single chosen enemy into the center of every plan.
A theatrical deceiver who makes every battlefield look like a carefully rehearsed performance.
A spell-duelist who turns a handful of blades into an orbiting arsenal.
A veilknife is a full spellcaster schooled in the misdirection, footwork, and ambush craft of a rogue.
Rather than choosing between spell and steel, veilknives weave the two together: a knife can be a focus, a feint can conceal a spell, and a spell can leave a blade in the perfect place. Their signature niche is mobile, precise magic supported by thrown weapons and concealed steel.
Play at the edge of danger: use spells to control space or undermine a foe, then reposition and follow with a thrown blade.
You are a full caster first, so protect your concentration and reserve your limited Spell-and-Steel uses for moments when the extra attack or movement matters. Your weapon features reward close tactical choices, but they do not replace the reach and flexibility of your spells.
Veilknife training is rarely a formal course.
Most students begin with a spellcaster who needs a bodyguard, a rogue who discovers a talent for magic, or a guild that teaches both crafts to trusted apprentices. Initiation typically requires the student to conceal a blade, cast a spell under pressure, and choose restraint over a profitable but needless killing.
Ordinary people often find veilknives entertaining until they notice the hidden blades.
Authorities value them as spies and bodyguards but distrust their secrecy; other wizards may regard their craft as undignified, while streetwise folk respect their practical magic.
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