A wizardly subclass for the already quite wizardly Magus half caster allows magi to double-down on their strengths.
The arcane order are a subclass of the Magus class from 3rd party creator, Sterling Vermin. They seek magical knowledge and to catalogue arcana of the multiverse. This enables them to be even more competent spellcasters and lean closer to a wizard than even the base magus is.
Playing an arcane order magus, you should expect to be able to cast a few more spells, have enhanced mystic arts and have access to some spells from the wizard’s spell list as well as a few other magical tricks.
The magus will be releasing on D&D Beyond on the 29th September 2026 and is already available as a PDF from Sterling Vermin’s website. It includes the full class, 6 subclasses and 31 spells. This article focuses on the arcane order subclass where I’ve evaluated every feature, given some advice on using the arcane order and reviewed the subclass.
At a glance
- Half caster that leans more into spellcasting than combat
- Takes on more elements of a wizard with great defensive spells against magic
- They also have more options for spells and even more spell slots to use
4/5 – The arcane order leans heavily into their wizardly spellcasting, bridging the gap between half and full caster quite capably. They also have some flexibility with a capacity for more of a hit and run or protective build, but spellcasting is definitely what’s enhanced here and the arcane order does this quite well.
Arcane Order features
Amethyst mark (Lv3) – 4/5
You basically get one of these options per encounter (at least per encounter you use mystic mark), but it combines with existing options. Aegis can be good. If you need to absorb attacks intended for a full spellcaster or a heavily wounded martial, then this is great as it’ll half the damage dealt. Problem is, magi aren’t that resilient and you likely put yourself more in harms way for follow up attacks. It’s not a bad option, but maybe only in certain party compositions or where a cleric can keep you topped up with HP.
I prefer enspell on a magi. At minimum, it’s great for hit and run tactics as you can move your target out of reach of you after hitting it, then safely move away yourself. But it has some other uses too. You can simply teleport creatures off ledges for example for fall damage, or into the effects of spells or the reach of the party barbarian. I think this is typically the option that’s best for most magi.
Arcane order magic (Lv3) – 4/5
| Magus Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Demiplanar pitch, shocking grasp, find familiar, magic missile |
| 5 | Arcanist’s magic aura, misty step |
| 9 | Dispel magic, waypoint |
| 13 | Banishment, private sanctum |
| 17 | Reflect magic, teleportation circle |
This is mostly a pretty good spell list. Shocking grasp works really well on a melee magi as you can make a melee weapon attack and then a melee spell attack. Even better, it will allow you to move away from the target without provoking an opportunity attack which is great for a hit and run specialist. Spells like magic missile, find familiar, misty step, banishment and dispel magic are always strong options too.
Of the new spells, waypoint is decent as a safety feature. Just cast it at the start of the adventuring day (it’s a ritual so you don’t expend a spell slot) and you’ve got a safe point if an encounter goes badly. Reflect magic is outstanding. It’s basically counterspell, but it stops any spell no matter the level, but you also have a chance of redirecting the spell to another target or area. That’s extremely strong, perhaps brokenly so if you can turn a level 9 spell against the caster or at minimum, just prevent it working. I think this is too strong and should be a higher level spell and perhaps have more limitations too, like only being able to reflect level 5 or lower spells and/or having a save that prevents the spell working altogether.
I did find demiplanar pitch a little amusing, but a little underpowered. Compared to firebolt, you drop a bit of damage for a choice of damage type, but they’re all the physical damage types which might occasionally be useful, but not often enough to be worth the damage drop. Overall though, this is a really solid spell list.
Mystic insights (Lv3) – 2/5
Quite a decent ribbon feature. 2 cantrips, a proficiency/expertise and bonus action detect magic and identify. Eldritch eye is probably quite situational, but there are occasions when quickly knowing the magical properties of something mid-combat (which is when you’d want to use these spells as a bonus action) is useful, but it will be rare.
Altogether decent as ribbon features go, but still just a ribbon feature.
Lesser spell surge (Lv7) – 4/5
Basically a free spell slot at your highest level. Within a couple of levels, this will be level 3 but will eventually become level 5. It makes you a more profound spellcaster than other magi (who are already more profound spellcasters than other half casters).
Occult savant (Lv7) – 4/5
Magi don’t have the most expensive spell list. Getting a couple of options from the wizard spell list can really expand your repertoire in very useful ways (a bit like magical secrets for a bard). Options like hypnotic pattern, cacophonic shield, synaptic static, greater invisibility, polymorph and steel wind strike are all strong choices.
Arcane vortex (Lv14) – 5/5
I’d say this makes it comparable to a level 5 spell (which you don’t even have access to yet), and a pretty strong one at that. Great for when you’re getting overwhelmed by enemies and need to thin the herd and reorganise.
Very similar in damage to a fireball, but with force damage (which is almost never resisted). However, it not only doesn’t cause friendly damage, it lets your allies teleport 30ft and bunches the enemies even closer together.
Master of the arcane (Lv20) – 4/5
A second arcane vortex is great as this is a strong feature. Expending spell surge for chain lightning or contingency is pretty nice. However, the wording seems to imply that by doing so, you don’t regain one of your spell slots. So the trade off is casting one 6th level spell for another, but you’re down a spell slot (that’s probably of a higher level for you like a 5th level slot).
I guess this gives you some flexibility as you normally only have 1 spell surge spell so now you have a choice of 3 spells. Where possible though, I’d try and use one of the normal spell surge spells so you can replenish that high level spell slot.
How good is the arcane order?
The arcane order makes your magic even more wizardly with some great options for tackling magic (dispel magic and reflect magic), more spell castings and more choice of spells from the wizard spell list. It also has a fair bit of flexibility allowing easier hit and run tactics, some protectiveness and some nasty spell-like effects like arcane vortex. All of this blends into a half caster that feels a little less compromised in the spellcasting department and it all works really well together.
4/5
Optimising a magus build
While the arcane order adds a heavier leaning of spellcasting to the magus, it doesn’t fundamentally change how you’d approach building a magus. If you want some advice on building an arcane order magi, you can use the same advice I give for the core magus class by checking out my magus guide below.
