doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
So, I'm working on some homebrew classes, that should form a workable set of classes that could make up the full suite of classes in a campaign, and that all feel like they're from the same world.
These are also classes that I think either do an idea better than the PHB class along a similar theme does, or classes that I think are genuinely just missing, or both. The idea isn't to just replace the PHB, though, but to supplement it, while providing a work that needs no more than the basic rules to supplement it.
The Assassin - (note that the definition of an assassin is someone who kills for political or religious reasons. Someone who kills for money should be called a hitman or something else /rant) This is what the rogue would be if the class fully leaned into the killer from the shadows, rather than needing to also be the plucky Jack/hero. Assassins refer to their traditions of training by Guildnames, always named after creatures that exemplify the tactics of the "guild". The Guild of Manticores focus on poisoned strikes and the use of fear, the Doppelganger focuses on infiltration and studying targets to fully understand them, the Peryton focus on direct violence and athletic prowess, especially on parkour and on physically impressive feats to get to targets that would otherwise require magic to get to.
The Archer - Ranged Fighter, one of the more common archetypes in fiction that features combat and adventure. Martial Archetypes include Deepwood Sniper, Pistolier (using firearms or crossbows. Most of it works just fine as a knife-thrower, as well, and there is definite overlap in the archetypes here), Dragoon (highly mobile, mount-bonded, can confer their mobility and defense features to their mount, probably capable of leaping from a mount or off of something without injury or falling prone, to attack someone up close), others. Uses Focus to fuel trick shots, and to simply add damage, activate a hyperfocused state similar to bullet time, shoot missile weapons out of the air, etc.
The Athamir - inspiration from the swordmage and other arcane warrior classes, from literary characters like the Witchers, Dragon Age's Wardens, as well as from various esoteric orders and schools of fighting IRL, like Spain's Magic Circle which inspired Thibault's Magic Circle. Has manuevers and spells, including ritual casting, and protective magic called an aegis, all of which use the same point pool, called Aether.
The Binder, or Witch - I'd love to come up with a more obscure and occult name for this, but it is a spellcaster that masters 3 ritual tools in the process of mastering the magic of binding power, or in old school occult terms, the arts of evocation and invocation. Pact Magic, special familiar they can use spell slots to enhance, lots of control and summoning and buffing with very little "blasting".
The Captain - Part leader, part warrior, but more Paragon. Doesn't "lead" in the sense of taking command, but rather in the sense of charging into the fray and inspiring everyone who charges beside and behind. Has some features that might instead go into a scholarly class, at the moment. Is in many ways what I wish the Fighter was. Mechanically, has an aura, can help as a bonus action, can reduce incoming damage to allies within aura, working on mechanics to enhance teamwork, like being able to use a bonus action or reaction or something to facilitate more effective holding of actions in order to do a cool thing with an ally.
The Fili - The Warrior-Poet, master of inspiration, curses, and debilitating insult, and competent fighter. Also where my scattered ideas for a scholar may find their home. Magical, but very little spellcasting. This is the least developed right now.
The remaining ideas I have are more tenuous, like the Knight, Swashbuckler, and Jack. The Knight mostly already lives in the Captain, Swashbuckler is fine with existing options, and Jack is mostly stuff stolen from the Bard and Rogue.
The non-class ideas I have are mostly new spells, feats, and a few variant class features, and maaaaybe a Monk rewrite that is a little more broad.
Well, actually most of it is downtime and followers and strongholds and organizations frameworks and options.
Basically I just wanted to share, see if anyone is curious about any of the ideas so I have a venue to discuss them, and not start a dozen threads this time lol.
Please keep feedback useful, and positive in the context of a +thread. Mostly, that just means don't tell me that adding classes is bad, that these ideas aren't needed, etc.
These are also classes that I think either do an idea better than the PHB class along a similar theme does, or classes that I think are genuinely just missing, or both. The idea isn't to just replace the PHB, though, but to supplement it, while providing a work that needs no more than the basic rules to supplement it.
The Assassin - (note that the definition of an assassin is someone who kills for political or religious reasons. Someone who kills for money should be called a hitman or something else /rant) This is what the rogue would be if the class fully leaned into the killer from the shadows, rather than needing to also be the plucky Jack/hero. Assassins refer to their traditions of training by Guildnames, always named after creatures that exemplify the tactics of the "guild". The Guild of Manticores focus on poisoned strikes and the use of fear, the Doppelganger focuses on infiltration and studying targets to fully understand them, the Peryton focus on direct violence and athletic prowess, especially on parkour and on physically impressive feats to get to targets that would otherwise require magic to get to.
The Archer - Ranged Fighter, one of the more common archetypes in fiction that features combat and adventure. Martial Archetypes include Deepwood Sniper, Pistolier (using firearms or crossbows. Most of it works just fine as a knife-thrower, as well, and there is definite overlap in the archetypes here), Dragoon (highly mobile, mount-bonded, can confer their mobility and defense features to their mount, probably capable of leaping from a mount or off of something without injury or falling prone, to attack someone up close), others. Uses Focus to fuel trick shots, and to simply add damage, activate a hyperfocused state similar to bullet time, shoot missile weapons out of the air, etc.
The Athamir - inspiration from the swordmage and other arcane warrior classes, from literary characters like the Witchers, Dragon Age's Wardens, as well as from various esoteric orders and schools of fighting IRL, like Spain's Magic Circle which inspired Thibault's Magic Circle. Has manuevers and spells, including ritual casting, and protective magic called an aegis, all of which use the same point pool, called Aether.
The Binder, or Witch - I'd love to come up with a more obscure and occult name for this, but it is a spellcaster that masters 3 ritual tools in the process of mastering the magic of binding power, or in old school occult terms, the arts of evocation and invocation. Pact Magic, special familiar they can use spell slots to enhance, lots of control and summoning and buffing with very little "blasting".
The Captain - Part leader, part warrior, but more Paragon. Doesn't "lead" in the sense of taking command, but rather in the sense of charging into the fray and inspiring everyone who charges beside and behind. Has some features that might instead go into a scholarly class, at the moment. Is in many ways what I wish the Fighter was. Mechanically, has an aura, can help as a bonus action, can reduce incoming damage to allies within aura, working on mechanics to enhance teamwork, like being able to use a bonus action or reaction or something to facilitate more effective holding of actions in order to do a cool thing with an ally.
The Fili - The Warrior-Poet, master of inspiration, curses, and debilitating insult, and competent fighter. Also where my scattered ideas for a scholar may find their home. Magical, but very little spellcasting. This is the least developed right now.
The remaining ideas I have are more tenuous, like the Knight, Swashbuckler, and Jack. The Knight mostly already lives in the Captain, Swashbuckler is fine with existing options, and Jack is mostly stuff stolen from the Bard and Rogue.
The non-class ideas I have are mostly new spells, feats, and a few variant class features, and maaaaybe a Monk rewrite that is a little more broad.
Well, actually most of it is downtime and followers and strongholds and organizations frameworks and options.
Basically I just wanted to share, see if anyone is curious about any of the ideas so I have a venue to discuss them, and not start a dozen threads this time lol.
Please keep feedback useful, and positive in the context of a +thread. Mostly, that just means don't tell me that adding classes is bad, that these ideas aren't needed, etc.
