Axaya Hartly
First Post
Vallātor
Fantasy Grounds Module
"Civilization is like a thing layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness."
-Werner Herzog, Vallātor
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
This guide will use the following ratings:
Gold: A feature or spell that is a must have or must use.
Sky Blue: Very powerful feature or spell and something you shouldn't be without.
Blue: A strong option in most cases.
Black: Not a bad option but not the best either.
Purple: A weaker feature or more situational.
Red: Definetly something you have to build around for it to be good, a gimmick.
What is a Vallātor?
Vallātor is at it's core a full-caster that functions as an anti-spellcaster. Their abilities are tied to the chaotic backdrop of reality; the chaos that civilization is imposed on. As such their spells are much more difficult to cast but millenias of study and practice leaves them specifically without the burdens of wild magic. The great beings that created and maintain order are taught to be exactly what they are; very powerful, mysterious and lethal to cross.
The Vallātor teachings say that a strong sense of individual liberty and an even stronger sense of individual responsibility is what measures their strength and potential. The "Ethos of self" creates a wall around the character of each Vallātor; to some they seem very dependenable so long as insterests align to others they can seem indifferent.
Chaos Pool - This class uses a spell point system that works very well when you consider the sum of its parts level by level. While both Seeker and Inquisitor do not get cantrips they both have other things going for them. But the Pool appears at first very limited casting. In reality regarless of the path you choose you'll end up going through at least 3 medium encounters before scraping the bottom.
Broken Echo(BE) - This ability single handedly makes you a spell casting powerhouse against other spell casters. However if there are no spells flying around then it's pretty useless. For early levels and even later game Broken Mirror is the reason to use this. If you hit and the target fails its save you then get a free spell that costs no points.
Gathering Entropy - This scales and is limited to 4 in your chaos pool for a reason, it also uses an action so for one turn you'll be recovering, consider that before you use this.
Resting and Chaos Points
This is a full caster so long rests, everything comes back on a long rest. Keep that in mind when making your decisions. At early levels the hardest path is probably the Inquisitor for this; however Inquisitor has a few tricks up its sleeves for social situations or after the encounter for gathering information on avoiding future conflicts.
Playstyle
There are a few ways that this class works, you can try to balance all the features or focus on your paths strength. Regardless of how you choose your core class abilities synergy shouldn't be underestimated. Chaos Trigger is something that should always be up and is actually worth the concentration especially for Seeker. Broken Echo should always be used when up especially against stronger spell casters. The Seeker and Keeper are heavy on preperation while the Inquisitor is ready to go at a moments notice, an important point is that only Primodial Focus abilities use chaos points.
Races, Proficiencies, and Paths
Races
Dwarf - I would assume that there could be a non-lawful dwarf around but yes dwarfs should do fine, it really comes down to the build you are going for. If you are wanting to go with a Seeker then a Mountain Dwarf should be very good. Any other a Hill Dwarf would be better regardless of that you don't use Wisdom. It get's tricky though as I imagine a Mountain Dwarf would have forgone a dexterity build but can rely on Chaos Trigger from 6th level for easy advantage. Outside of that the synergy here is at a low amount.
Elf - Elves are more inline mechanically to bring something of benefit any any intelligence caster and this class is no different. A High Elf also comes with a cantrip so thats a big thing to get without having to grab a feat or multi-classing 1st level. I would imagine a High Elf is good for any of the 3 paths. Wood Elf is also very good, the weapon training gives you long bows which when combined with Keeper or Seeker gets deadly. Keep in mind the application range of Chaos Trigger(CT) is 30-feet but the range on Broken Echo(BE) is much further. Drow are okay in their own anyway but yes the hand crossbow works very well with Chaos Trigger (CT) however they aren't the best pick. Eladrin(DMG) are pretty good as well they are just like High Elf but without the cantrip, but they do get the short rest escape which is a chaos point you don't have to spend. The synergy here is very high.
Halfling - You really can't go wrong with a Halfling I think, first off you can grab resistance to charm on Chaotic Reveler and have advantage against either charm or fear saves. You make lots of attack rolls here, not like a monk but enough for lucky to be helpful. Everything else is really just icing on a pretty good cake. The synergy is above average here.
Human - You can never go wrong with a human, generally nothing special here and nothing wrong either. For me it comes down to if I rolled stats and got loads of odd numbers. Human-Variant as well is pretty good in that youget to pick your feat, this can make early levels very easy and even help with survivability later depending on the feat you grab. Humans are of average synergy.
Dragonborn - They are decent for their strength, but nothing else here helps out directly that I can think of and as a result I'd say that they have a very low synergy.
Gnome - Advantage on Intelligence saves... okay so you wont have to worry about feeble mind I guess. It comes down to the subraces here as both of them tap into what this class is about. Be it artificer or the ability scores. The synergy here is average but more focused on social scenes with Rock Gnome.
Half-Elf - The charisma here isn't very good you probably aren't going to be the partys face but you do still get some proficiencies which in the case of seeker can lead to a few things being doubled. If it weren't for the charisma this would be much higher but for now it has a below average synergy.
Half-Orc - Why not? There is absolutely nothing wrong with Half-Orc and this class except that you probably either rolled really well and put an 18+ into intelligence. Menacing and an Inquisitor sounds nice though. If you are going for an Strength build then this is probably one of the best vanilla choices.
Teifling - There are a lot of good things happening here, the only downside is again the Charisma. I'd say that and the charisma modifier on the spells. This has almost no synergy.
Aasimar(DMG) - Run what you will but this race has no synergy at all.
Proficiencies
Attribute Proficiencies
Strength - This works for inquisitor the best possibly, you gain a potential total of +5 AC by 6th level as Inquisitor. That's +2 from Dubiety and +3 from mage armor, the rub is you don't get extra attack but you do get second trigger. I'd figure if you were set on multi-classing from a class that out right requires strength then yes you wouldn't lose anything if you grabbed extra attack and moved to this class generally. You also gain advantage on your attacks with Seeker but that would be 11th level if you multi-classed.
Dexterity - As a spell caster and the fact that dex is such a good pick for anyone really this is not a bad deal. You don't need dex though as the class only pushes one attribute and that's intelligence.
Constitution - You are a spell caster, you have a core feature that requires concentration...
Intelligence - This is where your successes and failures are determined, there is probably no attribute more important than intelligence on this class.
Wisdom - You don't use this but a lot of saves call on it, it's never bad to have at least some wisdom but you aren't the parties scout unless they are looking for something magical then seeker does that job fairly well.
Charisma - You really don't use this you can ignore it unless your paranoid about being banished somewhere.
Skill Proficiencies
Much of what your skills usefulness is based on will be defined by the DM because of that I'll be focusing on what synergies with the class rather than what has the most use.
Arcana - You get arcane expertise so this really doesn't matter, you can grab it or ignore it by 2nd level you get it anyway.
Nature - This helps a lot with seekers, plants and the like can be used in place of ichors this is something that I would talk to my DM about before the game as well. You can recommend the Herbalism & Alchemy Fan-Made Supplement v1.2. To help make things easier.
Perception , Slight of Hand , Survival and Investigation - These are all beneficial but the seeker is more of a skill monkey in this regard. It's an intricate dance as the seeker is specialized about how it uses those abilities but it can apply them generally as well.
Everything else - Again, the DM is the one that determines how useful skills are, if you grab Athletics and the like then so be it, but the special mention is always Stealth, you will always need to Stealth at some point.
Paths
The vallātor who finds themselves on the path of the keeper discovers that hunting dangerous magic comes as second nature but retaining it, utilizing it to continue the hunt is their very nature. A vallātor who travels the path of the seeker find that their martial prowess alone while formidable can become overwhelming to an enemy whose home is now a hunting grounds. The vallātors of inquisition, truest to the search of knowledge, perhaps truer to the source of chaos, woe and dread are the only two words to describe them by friend and foe who know their capabilities.
Seeker - This is either the easiest or the hardest of the paths, the reason why is because it is the most reliant on being in an advantageous situation from the outset. However it does get the ability to prepare and given enough time can have an answer for almost any situation if you think about the possible outcomes of almost every action. Just like Batman!
Keeper - This is the full on spell caster, there is no getting around it, the keeper is the master of casting of all the Vallātor. You also can expand your spell list via its knowledge ability. So it takes the cake on versatility. Combine that with the Vallātor's innate ritual casting and you have a pretty amazing caster. The thing with them is they are RNG based, but if they land a natural 20 things get hurt. They also have the unique ability to make things auto fail their saves when they roll a natural 1, it may seem minor but it means you can also and oddly ignore your intelligence attribute if your a gambler.
Inquisitor - Inquisitors fall into an odd place. They are kind of a half-martial bard. What that means is they can debuff targets but only put out average damage. They make up for this in some cases with the damage spread or by debuffing a target. Making an enemy take a minus to their attack or AC is a boon for everyone... except the enemy.
Players Guide by Level:
1st and 2nd – There isn’t much to worry about or consider here, your Chaos Trigger wins the day so long as you can maintain concentration on it. The consistent damage makes up for the lack of spells bit time and going one encounter with it up leaves you will a spell you can use in another encounter.
I would normally start off with Sleep or Charm Person, both of those are encounter enders and so provide the biggest bang for the buck if the dice are with you. You can only cast 1 spell per long rest so it may as well be a good one.
3rd – Your survivability is sort of helped by the 2nd level feature Eldritch Ward but 3rd level is generally where your offense comes online:
4th – Loads of sustain and survivability added here: Up to now you should have been learning how to properly use your chaos trigger but the next class signature is Broken Echo. This comes out of the box with Broken Mirror, against a spell caster in the 5th sphere of power you can damage them for casting and if they fail their save you can essentially steal the spell until the end of your turn. The important note here is that this is a reflection of the original spell so no casting is required and while you know what the spell is you don’t know learn the spell. All of that costs 1 CP at a minimum. You also gain Gathering Entropy; this allows you to cast 4 more 1st level spells and if you are a Keeper 4 more 2nd level spells in the day. Just remember with Keeper that spells cast from your Chaos Shard disappear from your prepared list after you consume the magic to cast them.
5th – 3rd Level spells are a no go for this class generally outside of rituals but that’s it. Keepers don’t use 3rd level spells that well either.
6th – Second Trigger comes online here, this is kind of like extra attack but relies on a natural 20, the good thing is the natural 20 can come from anything; a spell attack, melee or ranged attack. In the case of Keeper you also score critical damage at higher levels when a creature fails its save with a natural 1. Just remember this is only against a target marked by chaos trigger.
Much of your defensive abilities come online here also with the exception of Seeker.
7th and 8th - Chaotic Reveler isn’t really the big deal here, it’s the 4th level spells. Keeper casts these very well, depending on your intelligence modifier you can throw out up to 4, 4th level spells over a long rest. You also gain martial echo which is pretty nice damage as well as Break which is again really good defense mixed with offense.
9th – 5th level spells are again not a good place for Keepers or any of the other paths. You do however get lucky on your saves or stronger spell casting through Broken Echo at this level.
10th – A lot of things are happening here; this is the next bump for the class.
11th – 6th level spells and Keepers cast them well. Keeping up with other casters should by this point not be the focus as the clear difference between CP and Spell Slots should have been learned and you should have picked up on what fills in the gaps and how to manage your resources. At the same time you if you are a Keeper are a very powerful caster and no one will argue that, just don’t get cocky.
12th&13th – Nothing major
14th – Each path is already unique but this feature cements your paths abilities essentially synergy.
16th 17th 18th – You get 9th level spells and also your path capstone, you also have your 10th CP which for Keepers mean you can throw out 2 9th level spells vs any other full caster who would be able to throw out several other spells with 1 9th level spell. Technically you can do the same as a Keeper if you followed the traditional spell casting methods, the amount of spells you can throw out is a little behind them. Seekers get a lot of mobility which emphasizes the style of play they would have since they don’t get any clear defense abilities. Finally Inquisitor gets a really nasty move that has a slight situational added to it; for those who believe this to be gimmicky, a look at he steps involved here:
Weapon Attack hit - Chaos Trigger - Spell cast – Broken Echo – Ataxic Branding. Broken Echo ends the turn of the target that fails the save with a momentary stun. The damage on Broken Echo if you choose to invest in it can be 17d8 force damage as a 9th level cast. Ataxic Branding in this situation is then 10d8 damage if you hit. Of course you could miss… which would suck… because you’d waste 9 CP and you can’t use Ataxic Branding for a week…
19th 20th – Silent Respite is your class capstone and signifies what the class is about. You’re not essentially Ash Ketchum… just don’t release your strongest captives… To give some clarity here; this is described how the spell it’s based on is described so it’s very vague. I think this was done intentionally as essentially you create a prison.
Note:
This guide was heavily inspired by Mistwells repost of Mephi1234's guide so I hope it's pretty clear.
I'm hoping I'll be able to finish this guide tomorrow, take care folks!
Fantasy Grounds Module
"Civilization is like a thing layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness."
-Werner Herzog, Vallātor
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Races, Proficiencies, Backgrounds and Paths
- Chaos Points, Gathering Entropy, Chaos Charges, Focus and Knowledge
- Player Guide & Spells
- DMs Guide
- Builds
- FAQ
- Notes
INTRODUCTION
This guide will use the following ratings:
Gold: A feature or spell that is a must have or must use.
Sky Blue: Very powerful feature or spell and something you shouldn't be without.
Blue: A strong option in most cases.
Black: Not a bad option but not the best either.
Purple: A weaker feature or more situational.
Red: Definetly something you have to build around for it to be good, a gimmick.
What is a Vallātor?
Vallātor is at it's core a full-caster that functions as an anti-spellcaster. Their abilities are tied to the chaotic backdrop of reality; the chaos that civilization is imposed on. As such their spells are much more difficult to cast but millenias of study and practice leaves them specifically without the burdens of wild magic. The great beings that created and maintain order are taught to be exactly what they are; very powerful, mysterious and lethal to cross.
The Vallātor teachings say that a strong sense of individual liberty and an even stronger sense of individual responsibility is what measures their strength and potential. The "Ethos of self" creates a wall around the character of each Vallātor; to some they seem very dependenable so long as insterests align to others they can seem indifferent.
Chaos Pool - This class uses a spell point system that works very well when you consider the sum of its parts level by level. While both Seeker and Inquisitor do not get cantrips they both have other things going for them. But the Pool appears at first very limited casting. In reality regarless of the path you choose you'll end up going through at least 3 medium encounters before scraping the bottom.
Broken Echo(BE) - This ability single handedly makes you a spell casting powerhouse against other spell casters. However if there are no spells flying around then it's pretty useless. For early levels and even later game Broken Mirror is the reason to use this. If you hit and the target fails its save you then get a free spell that costs no points.
Gathering Entropy - This scales and is limited to 4 in your chaos pool for a reason, it also uses an action so for one turn you'll be recovering, consider that before you use this.
Resting and Chaos Points
This is a full caster so long rests, everything comes back on a long rest. Keep that in mind when making your decisions. At early levels the hardest path is probably the Inquisitor for this; however Inquisitor has a few tricks up its sleeves for social situations or after the encounter for gathering information on avoiding future conflicts.
Playstyle
There are a few ways that this class works, you can try to balance all the features or focus on your paths strength. Regardless of how you choose your core class abilities synergy shouldn't be underestimated. Chaos Trigger is something that should always be up and is actually worth the concentration especially for Seeker. Broken Echo should always be used when up especially against stronger spell casters. The Seeker and Keeper are heavy on preperation while the Inquisitor is ready to go at a moments notice, an important point is that only Primodial Focus abilities use chaos points.
Races, Proficiencies, and Paths
Races
Dwarf - I would assume that there could be a non-lawful dwarf around but yes dwarfs should do fine, it really comes down to the build you are going for. If you are wanting to go with a Seeker then a Mountain Dwarf should be very good. Any other a Hill Dwarf would be better regardless of that you don't use Wisdom. It get's tricky though as I imagine a Mountain Dwarf would have forgone a dexterity build but can rely on Chaos Trigger from 6th level for easy advantage. Outside of that the synergy here is at a low amount.
Elf - Elves are more inline mechanically to bring something of benefit any any intelligence caster and this class is no different. A High Elf also comes with a cantrip so thats a big thing to get without having to grab a feat or multi-classing 1st level. I would imagine a High Elf is good for any of the 3 paths. Wood Elf is also very good, the weapon training gives you long bows which when combined with Keeper or Seeker gets deadly. Keep in mind the application range of Chaos Trigger(CT) is 30-feet but the range on Broken Echo(BE) is much further. Drow are okay in their own anyway but yes the hand crossbow works very well with Chaos Trigger (CT) however they aren't the best pick. Eladrin(DMG) are pretty good as well they are just like High Elf but without the cantrip, but they do get the short rest escape which is a chaos point you don't have to spend. The synergy here is very high.
Halfling - You really can't go wrong with a Halfling I think, first off you can grab resistance to charm on Chaotic Reveler and have advantage against either charm or fear saves. You make lots of attack rolls here, not like a monk but enough for lucky to be helpful. Everything else is really just icing on a pretty good cake. The synergy is above average here.
Human - You can never go wrong with a human, generally nothing special here and nothing wrong either. For me it comes down to if I rolled stats and got loads of odd numbers. Human-Variant as well is pretty good in that youget to pick your feat, this can make early levels very easy and even help with survivability later depending on the feat you grab. Humans are of average synergy.
Dragonborn - They are decent for their strength, but nothing else here helps out directly that I can think of and as a result I'd say that they have a very low synergy.
Gnome - Advantage on Intelligence saves... okay so you wont have to worry about feeble mind I guess. It comes down to the subraces here as both of them tap into what this class is about. Be it artificer or the ability scores. The synergy here is average but more focused on social scenes with Rock Gnome.
Half-Elf - The charisma here isn't very good you probably aren't going to be the partys face but you do still get some proficiencies which in the case of seeker can lead to a few things being doubled. If it weren't for the charisma this would be much higher but for now it has a below average synergy.
Half-Orc - Why not? There is absolutely nothing wrong with Half-Orc and this class except that you probably either rolled really well and put an 18+ into intelligence. Menacing and an Inquisitor sounds nice though. If you are going for an Strength build then this is probably one of the best vanilla choices.
Teifling - There are a lot of good things happening here, the only downside is again the Charisma. I'd say that and the charisma modifier on the spells. This has almost no synergy.
Aasimar(DMG) - Run what you will but this race has no synergy at all.
Proficiencies
Attribute Proficiencies
Strength - This works for inquisitor the best possibly, you gain a potential total of +5 AC by 6th level as Inquisitor. That's +2 from Dubiety and +3 from mage armor, the rub is you don't get extra attack but you do get second trigger. I'd figure if you were set on multi-classing from a class that out right requires strength then yes you wouldn't lose anything if you grabbed extra attack and moved to this class generally. You also gain advantage on your attacks with Seeker but that would be 11th level if you multi-classed.
Dexterity - As a spell caster and the fact that dex is such a good pick for anyone really this is not a bad deal. You don't need dex though as the class only pushes one attribute and that's intelligence.
Constitution - You are a spell caster, you have a core feature that requires concentration...
Intelligence - This is where your successes and failures are determined, there is probably no attribute more important than intelligence on this class.
Wisdom - You don't use this but a lot of saves call on it, it's never bad to have at least some wisdom but you aren't the parties scout unless they are looking for something magical then seeker does that job fairly well.
Charisma - You really don't use this you can ignore it unless your paranoid about being banished somewhere.
Skill Proficiencies
Much of what your skills usefulness is based on will be defined by the DM because of that I'll be focusing on what synergies with the class rather than what has the most use.
Arcana - You get arcane expertise so this really doesn't matter, you can grab it or ignore it by 2nd level you get it anyway.
Nature - This helps a lot with seekers, plants and the like can be used in place of ichors this is something that I would talk to my DM about before the game as well. You can recommend the Herbalism & Alchemy Fan-Made Supplement v1.2. To help make things easier.
Perception , Slight of Hand , Survival and Investigation - These are all beneficial but the seeker is more of a skill monkey in this regard. It's an intricate dance as the seeker is specialized about how it uses those abilities but it can apply them generally as well.
Everything else - Again, the DM is the one that determines how useful skills are, if you grab Athletics and the like then so be it, but the special mention is always Stealth, you will always need to Stealth at some point.
Paths
The vallātor who finds themselves on the path of the keeper discovers that hunting dangerous magic comes as second nature but retaining it, utilizing it to continue the hunt is their very nature. A vallātor who travels the path of the seeker find that their martial prowess alone while formidable can become overwhelming to an enemy whose home is now a hunting grounds. The vallātors of inquisition, truest to the search of knowledge, perhaps truer to the source of chaos, woe and dread are the only two words to describe them by friend and foe who know their capabilities.
Seeker - This is either the easiest or the hardest of the paths, the reason why is because it is the most reliant on being in an advantageous situation from the outset. However it does get the ability to prepare and given enough time can have an answer for almost any situation if you think about the possible outcomes of almost every action. Just like Batman!
Keeper - This is the full on spell caster, there is no getting around it, the keeper is the master of casting of all the Vallātor. You also can expand your spell list via its knowledge ability. So it takes the cake on versatility. Combine that with the Vallātor's innate ritual casting and you have a pretty amazing caster. The thing with them is they are RNG based, but if they land a natural 20 things get hurt. They also have the unique ability to make things auto fail their saves when they roll a natural 1, it may seem minor but it means you can also and oddly ignore your intelligence attribute if your a gambler.
Inquisitor - Inquisitors fall into an odd place. They are kind of a half-martial bard. What that means is they can debuff targets but only put out average damage. They make up for this in some cases with the damage spread or by debuffing a target. Making an enemy take a minus to their attack or AC is a boon for everyone... except the enemy.
Players Guide by Level:
1st and 2nd – There isn’t much to worry about or consider here, your Chaos Trigger wins the day so long as you can maintain concentration on it. The consistent damage makes up for the lack of spells bit time and going one encounter with it up leaves you will a spell you can use in another encounter.
I would normally start off with Sleep or Charm Person, both of those are encounter enders and so provide the biggest bang for the buck if the dice are with you. You can only cast 1 spell per long rest so it may as well be a good one.
3rd – Your survivability is sort of helped by the 2nd level feature Eldritch Ward but 3rd level is generally where your offense comes online:
- Seekers: You get a short ranged 1d4 weapon that as a bonus action can do things like obscure vision, restrain folks or be used to give the party jump or send enemies flying in a direction. The first thing to note is traps only work as described but how you use them is up to you. Set a Jump trap in a narrow passage way and the lead in a line of guards chasing you is flung back like a bowling ball. Or give a friend the ability to escape a tough situation with a fog trap. Maybe get the jump on a group with a flash bang. There are loads of ways to use this seeker and with this your seeker is no longer as heavily reliant on having CP so long as they are prepared. Also don’t forget to try to recover your traps, they are pretty expensive. You also get quite a few things to help with building traps and finding the raw materials for traps. You also gain a nifty ability to track types of magic whose caster you may be familiar with. It’s great for hunting down guys who misty step and other magicians on the run.
- Keeper: Keepers get four things here, first is their knowledge feature, this is not a spell steal or stopping move so you have to make the decision to gather knowledge of the spell or try to save against it and at later levels prevent it as it’s a reaction to do any of that. They also get a spell book, the spells cast from this book vanish also but you can cast 2nd level spells at the cost of 1st level spells which is nice. Next they get the ability to use certain cantrips with their class modifier and finally they can cast a spell and as a bonus action attack or use a cantrip. In short they are spell slingers, at 3rd. What this means is that you’ll be using rituals A LOT as each chaos point is even more precious since you can use them more proficiently that Seekers or Inquisitors.
- Inquisitor: You get a 1d6 melee weapon with a 15-foot reach that does a random element in damage. This is a spectral whip essentially so it’s up to you and your DM if it also does slashing damage (more on this in the DM section). Inquisitor unlike the other two branches will more heavily rely on Chaos Trigger for its damage at this level and for their next 1st level spell I would probably recommend chromatic orb or sleep if you didn’t get it already. If you grabbed sleep this works well with their ability to pry into a sleeping creatures mind and pry information that may help the party know what’s ahead. Just remember the creature speaks in its native tongue.
4th – Loads of sustain and survivability added here: Up to now you should have been learning how to properly use your chaos trigger but the next class signature is Broken Echo. This comes out of the box with Broken Mirror, against a spell caster in the 5th sphere of power you can damage them for casting and if they fail their save you can essentially steal the spell until the end of your turn. The important note here is that this is a reflection of the original spell so no casting is required and while you know what the spell is you don’t know learn the spell. All of that costs 1 CP at a minimum. You also gain Gathering Entropy; this allows you to cast 4 more 1st level spells and if you are a Keeper 4 more 2nd level spells in the day. Just remember with Keeper that spells cast from your Chaos Shard disappear from your prepared list after you consume the magic to cast them.
5th – 3rd Level spells are a no go for this class generally outside of rituals but that’s it. Keepers don’t use 3rd level spells that well either.
6th – Second Trigger comes online here, this is kind of like extra attack but relies on a natural 20, the good thing is the natural 20 can come from anything; a spell attack, melee or ranged attack. In the case of Keeper you also score critical damage at higher levels when a creature fails its save with a natural 1. Just remember this is only against a target marked by chaos trigger.
Much of your defensive abilities come online here also with the exception of Seeker.
- Seeker: You get the ability to give yourself a blessing on attack rolls against a marked target the additional 1d4 to hit helps of course but you also gain some more specializations with your proficiencies making it harder not to do your job well.
- Keeper: This is a kind of support kind of defensive move, you can target yourself or a friendly with a damage reducing wall before they take any damage. It only lasts for a moment but it’s almost as good as having shield by this level which on a Keeper may still not be a good thing.
- Inquisitor: +2 To AC and advantage on Dex saves for not wearing armor, this automatically makes mage armor very useful to an inquisitor. If you came across enchanted robes then that would be amazing as well. The downside to mage armor is of course that daily that would be 1 less CP you start off with.
7th and 8th - Chaotic Reveler isn’t really the big deal here, it’s the 4th level spells. Keeper casts these very well, depending on your intelligence modifier you can throw out up to 4, 4th level spells over a long rest. You also gain martial echo which is pretty nice damage as well as Break which is again really good defense mixed with offense.
9th – 5th level spells are again not a good place for Keepers or any of the other paths. You do however get lucky on your saves or stronger spell casting through Broken Echo at this level.
10th – A lot of things are happening here; this is the next bump for the class.
- Seekers – Now traps can have conditions for activation set to them, added to this is the use of a reaction to prevent a trap from going off.
- Keepers – The RNG factor becomes very real, Keepers can throw out more spells than the other two paths but the comparison next to other full-casters in sustainability should become clearer at this level. Cantrips are there for a reason.
- Inquisitor – Welcome to enlightenment, depending on the path you pick here you essentially specialize in your Focus or Magic casting or the middle of the road. There are ups and downs with each school of Focus but what has no downs is that your damage die increases as well as the amount of times you can use your Foci. Up to now it’s been a long road on an Inquisitor.
11th – 6th level spells and Keepers cast them well. Keeping up with other casters should by this point not be the focus as the clear difference between CP and Spell Slots should have been learned and you should have picked up on what fills in the gaps and how to manage your resources. At the same time you if you are a Keeper are a very powerful caster and no one will argue that, just don’t get cocky.
12th&13th – Nothing major
14th – Each path is already unique but this feature cements your paths abilities essentially synergy.
- Seekers – Get Advanced Trapper, there are a lot of things happening here but this is the first time Seekers get to where they can really nova the heck out of unsuspecting foes. The investment to use this level of trap is high but the immediate benefit of having three chain lightning traps go off at once is huge. Just remember that traps attack indiscriminatively so this can get very odd with chain lightning as you basically have to make sure that no friendlies are within 15 feet of any enemies a bolt may jump to. In spite of having these very powerful tools, never forget the basics.
- Keepers – Can now force disadvantage or advantage on specific spells essentially giving themselves a really good chance of doing other things.
- Inquisitor – Primodials are where things get huge, first you can now use your Foci 8 times per long rest but with the addition of Primodials you can then roll a second 1d4 to add an effect to the original Foci result from the Primodial. Just remember that these use CP so watch out.
16th 17th 18th – You get 9th level spells and also your path capstone, you also have your 10th CP which for Keepers mean you can throw out 2 9th level spells vs any other full caster who would be able to throw out several other spells with 1 9th level spell. Technically you can do the same as a Keeper if you followed the traditional spell casting methods, the amount of spells you can throw out is a little behind them. Seekers get a lot of mobility which emphasizes the style of play they would have since they don’t get any clear defense abilities. Finally Inquisitor gets a really nasty move that has a slight situational added to it; for those who believe this to be gimmicky, a look at he steps involved here:
Weapon Attack hit - Chaos Trigger - Spell cast – Broken Echo – Ataxic Branding. Broken Echo ends the turn of the target that fails the save with a momentary stun. The damage on Broken Echo if you choose to invest in it can be 17d8 force damage as a 9th level cast. Ataxic Branding in this situation is then 10d8 damage if you hit. Of course you could miss… which would suck… because you’d waste 9 CP and you can’t use Ataxic Branding for a week…
19th 20th – Silent Respite is your class capstone and signifies what the class is about. You’re not essentially Ash Ketchum… just don’t release your strongest captives… To give some clarity here; this is described how the spell it’s based on is described so it’s very vague. I think this was done intentionally as essentially you create a prison.
Note:
This guide was heavily inspired by Mistwells repost of Mephi1234's guide so I hope it's pretty clear.
I'm hoping I'll be able to finish this guide tomorrow, take care folks!
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