The Best New Base Class You Probably Aren’t Using Is . . .

[Garnfellow]

The Best New Base Class You Probably Aren’t Using Is . . .

For my money, the best new base class that you probably aren't using right now isn't even in any of the recent Wizards of the Coast splatbooks -- it's in Green Ronin's Advanced Player's Manual.

And that class is the eldritch weaver.

There's an interesting thread here at Enworld on the recent proliferation of new base classes. Some folks are all for 'em, some aren't. Me, I think most of them aren't worth the time, and the eldritch weaver is a great example of what I want to see in a new base class – and why so many of these new classes are found wanting.

The eldritch weaver is an arcane spellcaster who chooses and then focuses on a handful of different specialties, or threads, of magic. Each thread represents a narrow series of thematically related spells, such as the thread of Fire, or the thread of Smiting. Following a thread gives mastery over the spells in that thread and also conveys some supernatural powers associated with the thread's theme. This class channels a nifty concept introduced into second edition by Wolfgang Baur and Steve Kurtz in a great article from Dragon 216, "Paths of Power."

I think the eldritch weaver passes a couple of initial hurdles to being a worthy base class by having an interesting concept that is sufficiently broad to fit into a wide variety of campaigns. And to me it wins bonus points by using existing game mechanics but simply extending them and cleverly spinning them in a whole new manner. We don't have to introduce an entirely new subsystem of rules to use this class.

The weaver is a little similar to the cleric class in that spell threads act a bit like clerical domains: they give players a series of interesting choices that offer nifty customized abilities: infinite variations from a finite set of options. Differing thread choices can result in eldritch weavers with completely different looks and powers, but all are built using the same basic rules.

There are a lot of new spellcasting base classes that try to emphasize a very narrow specialty or theme over 20 levels: for example, consider the beguiler or the warmage. By using a thread-like system, it's very easy to build such a specialist character without having to design an entirely new class. Want an elementalist type character? Choose from the Air, Earth, Fire, or Water threads. Want a nice blaster mage? Take a look at the threads of Destruction, Smiting, or the Warrior? A sciomancer, or shadow mage? Consider the threads of Benighting, Shadow, or Veils. I've read a lot of posts pining for the 1st edition illusionist: a specialist magic user with a unique set of spells of abilities. No need to make up a whole new base class to get there; the eldritch weaver will take you there.

 

[Garnfellow]

A Tro of Examples

Once upon a time, a good friend of mine ran an amazing dungeon, one that we still think of fondly many years later. There were three players, and each of us played a high level specialist wizard. There was an invoker, an illusionist, and a necromancer. I played the illusionist, whom I imagined as a flamboyant, rock-star like figure who loved using spectacular illusions to awe the masses. I remember being a little frustrated in that I wanted this wizard to also be really good at enchantment magics, but I was limited by the old specialist wizard rules.

I recently thought of that old character as I was reading a description of the new beguiler class from the Player's Handbook II (which, incidentally, though I seem to be picking on it, really sounds worth looking at). My first thought was that the beguiler might be a nice way to model my old illusionist in 3e. But then I remembered the eldritch weaver class, which I had always wanted to try out but hadn't.

So I recreated that old character as an eldritch weaver, building him at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level. Behold, Rolthir Yarl, the Wizard of Many Colours. And you know what? The eldritch weaver class completed nailed the vision I had always had of this character. This looked like a really fun guy to run.

Intrigued, I tried converting the invoker as an eldritch weaver. This wizard was a typical blaster mage: unsubtle and lethal. The result? Flambert the Fire Mage. And again, I was impressed by how closely I was able to get to the concept in my head by using the eldritch weaver class.

Encouraged, I then converted the necromancer. Now, there are about 666 ways to model a necromancer in 3e, and I've probably tried them all at one time or another. A necromancer specialist wizard. Cleric with the death domain. Cleric/wizard multiclass with one of the countless necromancy-themed prestige classes. Some of the 20-level necromancer base classes. The death master class. And so on. Most worked pretty well, but after looking at my conversion of Ethan the Silent, I decided that eldritch weaver can model a necromancer quite nicely, thank you very much.

 

[Garnfellow]

So what's my point here? Obviously, I think the eldritch weaver is well worth a look-see from players and DMs in search of something new. But I also think that the eldritch weaver offers a compelling example of what constitutes a worthy new base class. It's broadly enough designed to be able to fit into just about any D&D campaign setting. It works entirely within the existing game framework and doesn't require a whole new subset of rules to run. And it offers enough versatility and flexibility to build a whole series of different characters with completely different looks and abilities.

 

[Psion]

You're wrong...

I am already using it.

Well, at least it's on the "explicitly approved" list of classes for my campaign. I think it makes a better warlock than a warlock, and does it without scrapping the familiar spellcasting system.

The one thing it has going against it is that it's embedded in an otherwise mediocre book that the players aren't likely to have. But I'll loan my players my printout.


I do think that the Eldritch Weaver makes more of a player's class than a DMs class for NPCs. The reason why is that the paths thing takes a certain amount of plotting, which is more appropriate for a character you assemble level-by-level than one you throw together quickly.

Fortunately, between your examples and the ones in the AGMM, I have plenty of sample characters.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Thanks guys, now I have another book to buy.

Dave

 

[Bront]

The ones I've found most used of the complete series are the Scout (Different but unique and flexable), the Swashbuckler (Fills a needed roll as a mobile skilled non/outdoor fighter), and the Warlock (Unique class with some interesting aspects, I just wish it was a bit broader/less forboding). The Favored Soul gets talked about, but usually dumped for something else.

Ones I've seen on the fringe: Hexblade, Warmage, Spirit Shamen, and Ninja.

But best core class I've seen that I've not used? Probably the Psychic Rogue, and I'm trying

 

[Plane Sailing]

That does sound very interesting, possibly a much nicer way of handling wizardry altogether. Unfortunately it falls into the same trap as Warlock (the only other additional base class I'd consider at this point) in that it is embedded in a book which I've otherwise got no interest in.

Ah well.

 

[blargney the second]

Very cool! I've been toying with the idea of running an Eberron campaign with the PCs as super heroes. The Eldritch Weaver fits the themed element of super heroes wonderfully - their powers always have something in common. (ie Wolverine has mutant healing, and everything else stems from that.)

Great recommendation!
-blarg

 

[Garnfellow]

The one thing [the eldritch weaver] has going against it is that it's embedded in an otherwise mediocre book that the players aren't likely to have. But I'll loan my players my printout.

Yeah, it seems like Green Ronin's entire Advanced d20 line just died on the vine -- which is too bad, because the Advanced Bestiary and Advanced Game Master's Guide are both excellent books. I'd give both of those an A, easily. Heck, I've gotten a lot more mileage out of the AGMG than the DMGII -- and I really like the DMGII.

The Advanced Player's Manual is a fairly weak book compared to its sibilings. The eldritch weaver is the only base class that really stood out to me, though I might take another look at the spellmaster sometime soon. The new spells are mostly pretty good, if a little bland.

 

[Garnfellow]

I do think that the Eldritch Weaver makes more of a player's class than a DMs class for NPCs. The reason why is that the paths thing takes a certain amount of plotting, which is more appropriate for a character you assemble level-by-level than one you throw together quickly.

I agree that this is the biggest drawback to the class -- you really have to assemble the spell lists level by level. A high level weaver takes a little more time to build than a high level cleric. I've assembled a few tools on my website to (hopefully) help make building a weaver a little easier, including a list of all spells and the threads associated with them and a couple indices of warp spells: http://home.gwi.net/~rdorman/frilond/rul/dm/weaver.htm