D&D 5E A magician without Spells

[Xeviat]

Hi everyone.

The recent thread about metamagic belonging to the wizard instead of the sorcerer (for the record, I would have liked metamagic as feats and for the sorcerer to have been done differently) has me thinking about how to make a "simple" spellcaster who didn't use spells. Something like the 3E Warlock.

I'm imagining a base feature for a magical ranged attack. A feature that lets the player learn modifiers for that ranged attack (multiple targets, cones, lines, bursts, energy types). Another feature for learning other at-will magical tricks (these might use spells, like invisibility, charms, illusions, and the like).

It would be brutally simple, but not satisfying, to just build on the fighter and make things magical. But, I do think such an at-will magician class could be very fun to build and fun to play.

 

[Garthanos]

It would be brutally simple, but not satisfying, to just build on the fighter and make things magical. But, I do think such an at-will magician class could be very fun to build and fun to play.

Semi focused channeling : during the casting enemies adjacent have advantage on attacks the spell gains X boost.
Focused Channelling: While focusing on casting this spell adjacent enemies if any are granted an opportunity attack spell gains X boost.
Motility: This spell requires you to be stationary and that one requires you move in dance : they cost move as part of their casting cost.
Life Force: this spell drains life directly use hit points as part of their casting cost.
Fatigue this spell drains hd as part of their casting cost.

 

[Ratskinner]

Hi everyone.

The recent thread about metamagic belonging to the wizard instead of the sorcerer (for the record, I would have liked metamagic as feats and for the sorcerer to have been done differently) has me thinking about how to make a "simple" spellcaster who didn't use spells. Something like the 3E Warlock.

I'm imagining a base feature for a magical ranged attack. A feature that lets the player learn modifiers for that ranged attack (multiple targets, cones, lines, bursts, energy types). Another feature for learning other at-will magical tricks (these might use spells, like invisibility, charms, illusions, and the like).

It would be brutally simple, but not satisfying, to just build on the fighter and make things magical. But, I do think such an at-will magician class could be very fun to build and fun to play.

I've thought for a long time that D&D needed some kind of spell-free magic user. Sorcerer seems a good fit to me. Choose a damage type and a set of effects with some kind of dice or points like Combat Superiority dice. Let your base damage as well as the number, type, and effectiveness of your superiority dice increase with level. Done.

 

[jaelis]

It seems like you could do this pretty well with the existing warlock... just use hex constantly and call it a class feature.

 

[Xeviat]

It seems like you could do this pretty well with the existing warlock... just use hex constantly and call it a class feature.

Eeeeeeh ... Maybe in the beginning. At higher levels, hex lasts the whole day so you'd have wasted spells on the table.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

It seems like you could do this pretty well with the existing warlock... just use hex constantly and call it a class feature.

I'm pretty sure the warlock was intended to be usable this way, especially given its 3E precursor. But the class has a lot of moving parts that you sort of have to lock into place to get there, and I think a simple, purpose-built class would be better at it.

 

[Li Shenron]

I don't see why it couldn't be done... We already have at-will cantrips and rituals. Now the matter is to find an estimation of how many other spells should be known and castable at will, in order to end with a balanced class.

I am afraid however you wouldn't like the results, because it will obviously need to be less than a Sorcerer's known spells, since a Sorcerer is still limited by spell slots and doesn't even cast rituals. I think maybe 1 known spell per spell level might be ok, plus a separate number of rituals.

 

[Garthanos]

Semi focused channeling : during the casting enemies adjacent have advantage on attacks the spell gains X boost.
Focused Channelling: While focusing on casting this spell adjacent enemies if any are granted an opportunity attack spell gains X boost.
Motility: This spell requires you to be stationary and that one requires you move in dance : they cost move as part of their casting cost.
Life Force: this spell drains life directly use hit points as part of their casting cost.
Fatigue this spell drains hd as part of their casting cost.

Picture an Eldritch Knight with things like the above as meta maneuvers perhaps.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I think it would be easy to create one by replicating the 3.5 warlock

• At level 1 gains a class features that is a ranged attack that deals 1d6 with a rogue's sneak attack progression.
• Gains Essence to modify where you sacrifice damage dice to shape the base attack (line, AoE, chain effect etc) or add elemental damage.
• Gains Escalation to add effect riders (dispel effect, drains, slow, block healing, etc) ala Battlemaster/Arcane Archer X/short rest.
• I'd make the archetypes use different ''implement'' ala 4e pre-essential wizard (rod, orbs, totems, staff, tome, daggers)

d8 Hit Die
Light, Medium, Shield, Simple weapons
Prof in: Arcana and choice of nature, religion, history, medicine, investigation

 

[cbwjm]

Sounds like you want to make the 5e version of pathfinder's kineticist. The class has:

• A ranged attack that deals damage type dependent on the elements you have access to (you start with one and can get more later)
• Features that provide ways to change the shape and power of the blast so that you can use a cone effect and empower it or summon up a wall.
• Features that provided thematic passive or active effects related to your element.

The fuel for the abilities was the kineticist's own hit points, depending on how much power you put into the effect your maximum hit points are reduced and can only be restored on a rest. I probably wouldn't port that bit over to 5e though there were bonuses dependent on how much burn you'd taken so it had a somewhat interesting risk/reward mechanic.