D&D 5E Anathemir (a Binder) Bringing Build-up Mechanics and Monster Binding/Controlling Into 5e

[doctorbadwolf]

The Anathemir is a bit like if witchers were a variant warlock.

The name is a play on anathema, and defines itself as a hunter of anathema and those who summon and create them. Anathema are aberrations, fiends, undead, and some monstrosities, and the mages that bring them into the world.

To that end, I am really curious how one might bring in two different types of mechanics that were in previous editions but aren't really present in 5e.

1. Build-Up Mechanics are mechanics where you have to gather power in order to reach full efficacy. I do think that making it the bread and butter of a class will end up being painful, but perhaps a secondary power up that relies on doing a thing?
   1. What i mean is, imagine a professional murderer of evil mages who gets a charge every time they mitigate a spell or other magic attack, or kill a creature that fits a group of types of monsters. You could then use those charges to bind creatures to your will, or deal extra damage, or increase the size of an aoe?
   2. Would this work best with some sort of curse or mark mechanic? Like you put a mark on a creature, it dies, you get a charge.
2. Monster Binding here refers to abilites that allow the cahracter to nullify or partially nullify a creature under certain circumstances, turn it against it's allies, or take direct control of it.
   1. A secondary part to this is the ability to steal a monster's abilities
3. Perhaps the two could work together? Meaning, you use the charges to do the controlling/binding/stealing from monsters?

Just some thoughts I've had due to some great feedback in my witch thread. As the witch takes more and more of the summoner role on, the anathemir needs to dig into a different mechanical niche, which is binding.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I imagine a mixture of vestige pact binder and incarnum soulmelders. When you summon or bind with special vestige, then you can spend "essence points" to unlock special traits, like time-limit metamagic feats. Of course in 5e the game mechanism should be fast and easy to be understood.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I imagine a mixture of vestige pact binder and incarnum soulmelders. When you summon or bind with special vestige, then you can spend "essence points" to unlock special traits, like time-limit metamagic feats. Of course in 5e the game mechanism should be fast and easy to be understood.

For sure, but what I’m looking into is if I can make a class take control of or steal traits feom critters on the board.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Okay so the build so far:

Spoiler: To understand the class as a whole

, it’s basically an alt Warlock with “Vestiges” rather than Invocations, and rather than a pact boon you get a choice of three Ritual Implements at level 1, a second at level 5, and the third at level 11. You can only have 1 active, until 11 when you can have two active. Each gives some spells always prepared while the implement is active, and another benefit.

Blade gives the ability to use your blade implement to cast attack cantrips at melee spell attacks scaling with multiple attacks, and at level 5 you add Int to cantrip damage.

Bell gives a bonus concentration checks and add your Int to ability checks made to resolve spells (Counterspell), and

Bowl gives a bonus spell slot that can only be refreshed with a long rest. Level 11 it becomes 2 slots.

You get a spellbook and ritual casting, Pact magic but no mystic arcanum (instead you have more vestiges and there are ones that give the ability to learn 6th level spells and prepare 1 and cast one 6th level spell per day).

Spell refresh is a one minute ritual you can do twice a day.

So I’ve ditched some unnecessary power ups at later levels, and not increased the spell slot number progression, and added a feature at level 1.

Mark of Anathema - Place a mark on an enemy, which stays until it hits 0hp or is no longer on the same plane, creature takes 1d4 necrotic or cold damage when you damage it or force a save it fails, and if it dies or gets banished while within 60ft of you, you gain a “charge”.

Binding of The Anathemir - You can spend charges to bind, steal control of, steal an ability of, turn against its Allie’s, or eventually banish, an anathema.

Anathema is defined earlier in the class description as fiends, abberations, undead, and (maybe) monstrosities.

So, the remaining question is, how the mechanics of the binding abilities should work, and what they should cost.

I’m wondering if anyone has seen any good examples of these kinds of mechanics for 5e?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I really want to expand ritual casting for this project, I think it suits the oddball stuff in the OP.

Stuff like the ability to cast Banishment as a ritual as long as the target is being viewed by your or your familiar foe the casting time, it stays within 1 mile, and you have some token of the creature like a possession or a lock of hair.

 

[bedir than]

I really want to expand ritual casting for this project, I think it suits the oddball stuff in the OP.

Stuff like the ability to cast Banishment as a ritual as long as the target is being viewed by your or your familiar foe the casting time, it stays within 1 mile, and you have some token of the creature like a possession or a lock of hair.

A way I expanded rituals was to allow non-rituals to be cast as a ritual and then held open until finalized with the attack roll or saving throw.

Concentration would be required to keep it open and available, but you'd be carrying an extra non-slot spell during that time (probably a limit like PB per Long).

The character would be walking about with magic coursing through them ready to unleash

 

[doctorbadwolf]

A way I expanded rituals was to allow non-rituals to be cast as a ritual and then held open until finalized with the attack roll or saving throw.

Concentration would be required to keep it open and available, but you'd be carrying an extra non-slot spell during that time (probably a limit like PB per Long).

The character would be walking about with magic coursing through them ready to unleash

That isn’t a bad idea. I like that.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Gonna try the class out with no spell slots.

You have spells you can cast 1/day depending on what implement you’re wielding. Other than that, you have ritual casting, expanded spells you can cast as rituals, and the ability to mostly cast a ritual spell, hold concentration on it until you need it, and then cast it.

The part I’m not sure of is, right now it still has the ability to use charges from Mark of Anathema to cast spells, which means they basically have Spellcasting that they have to charge up. Not in love with that.

I do wonder if they can lose that, change charges to making you hit harder or impose disadvantage on a saving throw, etc, and just let the class be a mix of at-will, ritual, and very limited 1/day spells from implements and vestiges (invocations) and subclass features.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I’m close to sharing a new draft.

General question:

How do you model stealing/mimicking monster abilities?

Like the ability to appear to be an undead Fey fiend whatever even to magical sense, sure. Stuff like keen senses I guess is easy esp as an invocation.

But what about specific abilities like regen or a winter wolf’s cold breath?

Maybe balance the CR of creature you can mimic by what CR a spell can summon?

So you gain XYZ traits and any actions of a monster of X type for Y time? Like you summon a fiend except you are just turning into it instead?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

updoot

So this is my current very rough draft. It needs a lot of editing, and the mechanical identity of the class changed recently so there is stuff that is incomplete and such, so dont expect polish, but I think the general idea is there and good.

The class has a Mark (might change to Brand) of Anathema (which the class defines as fiends, undead, aberrations, and maybe monstrosities) that causes the target to take 1d4 necrotic or cold damage when the anathemir hits them or forces a saving throw that the marked target fails. Then at level 2, when a creature under the mark is defeated, you gain a remnant, which can be used to do a few things, like binding critters in place, forcing them to focus on you, breaking the hold of a summoner on their summon, etc.

It has no spell slots, but has a few spells it can cast 1/day, cantrips, vestiges that give extra casting including at wil, it has ritual casting and some spells gain the ritual tag (haven't finalized that list yet), and you can cast 1 spell as a ritual but not complete it until you need it later, at which point you can finish casting the spell as an action or bonus action. You have to hold concentration to do so, which I might ditch and replace with some other mechanic.

THe subclasses are still mostly focused on summoning, which isn't the class focus anymore

But anyway here is the doc for getting the general shape of things.