D&D 5E Help Me Design This Class

[doctorbadwolf]

Talk you your DM.
There are several classes that could do what you're after, from Artificer Wizard to Lore Bard. If you believe that you'd be entitled to some extra power in compensation for taking the spell selection you want rather than one you think might be more powerful, run it by your DM.

Might be worth looking at Favoured Soul Sorceror UA then.

Or he can build a class, as is the point of the thread.

"Don't do the thing you want to do, do this other thing instead" isn't a helpful response to a thread about how to do the thing he wants to do.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

This is yet another good approach. I especially like Pact of the Cauldron.

And there could be an Invocation, limited to this Patron, that changes EB into something less damaging and more curse-like.

Hmm...this may be my favorite option yet. I might have to work something up....

Why not make a new warlock cantrip, that is a minor curse?

Curse of Ill luck
X Damage
Target has disadvantage until start of your next turn, and if it fails any check during that time, it falls prone and takes X damage again.

Curse of Madness
X Psychic damage
The target must make a wisdom save or become temporarily Mad. While Mad, it has disadvantage on attacks, and when it misses with an attack, it must make a second attack against another creature within its reach, even if it is an ally. (This one needs cleaning up, but you get the idea)

The luck one is simpler, and I think may be easier to build Invocations around.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

And there could be an Invocation, limited to this Patron, that changes EB into something less damaging and more curse-like.

Just give them access to Vicious Mockery and call it cursing them rather than insulting them? You already have Hex, which is also thematically curse-like.

Swapping around spell lists, such as replacing Fireball with Remove Curse etc is a pretty minor change and won't affect balance much. Do you view each member of the class as having limited spells within its list like a Warlock, wider access like a Wizard, picking a selection of spells each day but access to the entire spell list like a cleric, or full-out access to every spell in the list anytime?

 

[steeldragons]

I would do this as a warlock patron: Primal Spirits. Mostly divination and necromancy-related spells, and curses. Archetype features include die-roll manipulation effects, along the lines of divination wizards, Lucky feat, Tides of Chaos, that sort of thing. Plus, communing with spirits and having them go do favors for you. Invocations to match.

And also a pact: Pact of the Cauldron. You can mix potions/poisons and make charms/trinkets. Invocations to match.



...I know you want to avoid direct-damage spells and warlock does have some of these (such as eldritch blast). First, I think that's a mistake: every single class in D&D has some way to dish out severe damage in combat, and your hypothetical new class should, too. Second, I think it's better to just include class features that emphasize non-damaging spells. For example, you could give metamagic-like effects to non-damaging spells, or give some side benefit when they cast a non-damaging spell (maybe temporary hit points or something). This allows players to choose how well they wish to adhere to your vision. The ones that give up direct-damage don't lose as much; the ones that keep a few direct-damage spells aren't getting quite as much use of their class features.

There's some good stuff here. I especially like the Pact of the Cauldron (might be swiping/writing that up just to use with warlocks in general).

The problem here though, as with Elfcrusher's initial proposal, is getting into the situation of wanting 10 pounds of bovine excrement in a haversack with a maximum capacity of 5 pounds.

Is it doable? Sure. If you want to do a whole separate class and break it out into thematic archetype subclasses...you could probably make comparably powered/balanced classes to work in 5e. But a single class (or subclass) with this many bells and whistles just seems overdone/-powered.

If/as a warlock subclass: they are already getting a spell list (and Cap'n Kobold's -I think it was- note about swapping out spells for flavor's sake is well taken, but you also get to dip into other spell lists with the Patron's "Expanded Spells"), the armor and weapon stuff you're looking for, invocations, Patron powers and Pact boons. There only areas for you to play with -for flavor/archetype features- is in the patron powers and the pact boon.

This Pact of the Cauldron seems to handle the "makes charms" area, but it has to be balanced commensurate with the abilities of the existing pacts. Is that going to be "enough" to get across the real desired flavor and abilities here?

Which would leave the Patron ["base class"] features to handle the conjure/contact/control spirits stuff. Easy enough to do, but you really only get, what, 4 features from the base class? 3? Your 1st level power, Pact [Cauldron] Boon @ 3rd, then Patron features at 6th, 10th, 14th. So, 4 abilities/features to cover all communications and abilities with the Spirit World. So, what are those going to be?

The rest is up to the player in invocation and spell selection.

I think there may be room for a whole class with subclasses -this being for homebrew and all. In addition to everything that's been discussed already, I'd think -as shamans are the community's contact and emissary to the spirit world and [may] exert control over them, letting them Turn/Destroy[or at least Rebuke] Undead is yet another feature that seems to be demanded of the base archetype. So now we're getting into mixing and matching Clerical abilities/progression into the balancing mix.

It's a hefty order, but done right, could yield characters for shamans, witch-doctors, fairy tale witches, and what was the last one?

Or go the Warlock subclass way...and while I can see it being a fully functional and easy to whip up character, I don't think it will give you the breadth of characters your OP describes.

 

[vpuigdoller]

Maybe this class could use a mechanic like the poltices from the spell-less ranger ua as well

 

[Inchoroi]

Here you go!

 

[Krachek]

In term of game balance, bestow curse is as much effective as fireball.
Restriction on flashy spell can't give a class that much advantage.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Here you go!

I'm having a hard time not tuning out every time the "you have to be cursed" stuff comes up. That is background/rp territory, not "every member of this class is this" territory, imo. Overall, it's interesting design work, but really sharply focused on a singular interpretation of 1 very specific archetype.

 

[steeldragons]

Here's where I am right now....

Spiritwalker
Level . . . . . . .Class Features
1 . . . .Spirit Guide, Spiritual Interference
2 . . . .Spellcasting, Mystic Path
3 . . . .Herbal Remedies, Sneak Attack
4 . . . . ASI
5 . . . Craft Talisman
6 . . . Path feature, Manifest Guide
7 . . . .Interference Improvement
8 . . . .ASI
9 . . . Rebuke Spirits
10 . . .Path feature, Spirit Stride
11 . . .Interference Improvement
12 . . . ASI
13 . . . -
14 . . . Path feature, Magical Secrets
15 . . . Interference Improvement
16 . . . .ASI
17 . . . . -
18 . . . .Talisman Magic
19 . . . .ASI
20. . . . Superior Hexer

Light armor, no shields, simple weapons.

Spellcasting: Half-caster progression with Spells Known, as the Ranger. Ritual Casting included. Spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
Spiritwalker spell list to be akin to the Bard list with a mish-mosh of clerical, druidic, and arcane/illusion magic. Subclasses each receive additional Expanded Spells.

Subclasses:
The Shaman: More spirit world stuff. More clerical and spirits based expanded spells.
The Witch: More Arcane-based magic and abilities. Arcane [predominantly enchantment/illusionary] expanded spells.
The Dreamwalker: Dream-world travel and abilities. More mind-related expanded spells.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Here's where I am right now....

Spiritwalker
Level . . . . . . .Class Features
1 . . . .Spirit Guide, Spiritual Interference
2 . . . .Spellcasting, Mystic Path
3 . . . .Herbal Remedies, Sneak Attack
4 . . . . ASI
5 . . . Craft Talisman
6 . . . Path feature, Manifest Guide
7 . . . .Interference Improvement
8 . . . .ASI
9 . . . Rebuke Spirits
10 . . .Path feature, Spirit Stride
11 . . .Interference Improvement
12 . . . ASI
13 . . . -
14 . . . Path feature, Magical Secrets
15 . . . Interference Improvement
16 . . . .ASI
17 . . . . -
18 . . . .Talisman Magic
19 . . . .ASI
20. . . . Superior Hexer

Light armor, no shields, simple weapons.

Spellcasting: Half-caster progression with Spells Known, as the Ranger. Ritual Casting included. Spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
Spiritwalker spell list to be akin to the Bard list with a mish-mosh of clerical, druidic, and arcane/illusion magic. Subclasses each receive additional Expanded Spells.

Subclasses:
The Shaman: More spirit world stuff. More clerical and spirits based expanded spells.
The Witch: More Arcane-based magic and abilities. Arcane [predominantly enchantment/illusionary] expanded spells.
The Dreamwalker: Dream-world travel and abilities. More mind-related expanded spells.

Looking forward to reading the ability descriptions.