Yeah I mean to me, it’s right there. I get so frustrated when people claim the archetype has no story…like…I’m sorry, have y’all never read or watched a story of a wandering mystic weaponmaster or would-be weaponmaster?
My first draft of the swordmage gives them a manual esoterica in which they can record their spells (mostly ritual) and their techniques, and can learn both from other mystics and fighters. I may go back to that, but start from scratch and borrow from OGL sources of weapon attack spells and martial techniques so I’m not making a whole class list myself. The ritual spells I’m more comfortable coming up with myself.
I’m currently working on making the Anathemir more able to perform its themes and story, and survive doing so. It started life as a binder, with a d6 HD.
I’m giving the class Unarmored defense (Int) for now, but I might find soemthing more interesting to do. Maybe in tier two give them a deflect missiles style feature for redirecting magic attacks? Or could save that for a separate monk with a spellbook swordmage if I still do that. Or they could share a feature, tbh.
Also at level 1 is pact magic, which is prepared spells in this case, and you learn Unseen servant and find familiar, as well as 4 other Anathemir spells. You can cast US and FF as an action w/o components, 1/LR.
Lastly, you choose one of three Implements of Goetic Invocation to master.
If you choose the blade implement to master at level 1, you get the ability to replace the attacks of the attack action with melee spell attacks (damage type becomes a damage type of any Anathemir cantrip you know), and once per round you can replace the damage of such an attack with the effects of one your Anathemir cantrips that require an attack and target one creature, even if it is normally a ranged cantrip.
You can also, if you don’t want to go gish, choose the Bell, which makes you a better summoner and breaker of chains, or the Bowl, which makes you just a stronger spellcaster in general.
At level 2, you get your first vestiges, one chosen freely and one determined by your level 1 implement mastery choice. This gives a small boost to reinforce what the implement does, or make it interact with your familiar, and has an upgrade around level 5 (maybe 7 idk), that really brings it home. This dynamic ensures that your chosen level 1 implement always matters, even when you get the other 2, and defines the way the class plays outside of your actual subclass, which will be a bit smaller than a Warlock’s patron, I think.
Okay I wanna follow up on this before bed so I don’t forget.
But first,
@Ruin Explorer I want to apologize for my attitude previously. You queries came across as setting up an argument against the gish and any other arcane half-caster, and obviously that wasn’t the case.
That out of the way, the Anathemir.
Level 1: Implements of Goetic Invocation (choose one of three that becomes your primary ritual tool and Spellcasting focus, granting various benefits as you level. You master the other two later, but you’ll generally be focused on your primary for most of your carreer. Each gives one spell always prepared at each spell level up to 5th, that help sell the concept)
tbh the actual archetypes might end up Paladin oath sized rather than warlock patron sized, because the tools and vestiges are just extremely juicy thematically and mechanically
Also at 1, you get Warding Sigil (Unarmored defense Int) and pact magic (prepared spells with ritual casting, and unseen servant and find familiar as automatic freebies you can cast component free as an action once per long rest. Spellbook is called your Goetic Key. Could change to Hermetic Key. Think Greater Key of Solomon)
I cleaned up the wording of the Blade Implement. It allows you to make your attacks with your implement weapon as melee spell attacks, and doing so allows you to change the damage type to the damage type of a class cantrip you know. It’s made clear that this means that you are taking the attack actions, can benefit from dual wielding, threaten your space with your weapon, can take opportunity attacks, etc, and Once per round you can replace such an attack’s
damage with the on-hit effects of one of your attack cantrips.
A good spell selection and a good set of attack cantrip options should make that really sing without being OP.
The Bell Implement makes you Abjuration and conjuration spells stronger by adding Int to concentration on them, and to ability checks made as part of resolving them, such as dispel magic, and you gain till the dead as a bonus cantrip.
The Bowl gives you a bonus spell slot 1/LR. That should be plenty at level one lol.
Level 2: Vestiges of Power. You get 1 free and one based on your level one implement choice.
Blade- level 2 you tie your implement to your warding Sigil, and while wielding it and no shield, you can manifest a shield of magical force that requires no free hand and lasts for 1 hour, PB/LR. I genuinely don’t know if that will be good enough to make a low level Anathemir survive combat, but we will see.
Level 5 you get extra attack
Other vestiges for blade include being able to do the cantrip-as-damage trick 1/turn, and ability to drain energy when attacking to either get THP, or something like that.
Bell: you forge or are given nine “gate keys” that are symbolically connected to the nine gates of The River (of death). Each key has a name, and can be “rung” like a bell, but has the appearance of a very finely crafted key. You master the first key, Tsemmael, which basically gives you 1 use of turn “anathema” ie undead, fiends, and aberrations.
Level 5 TBD
Bowl - probably an absorb elements type effect, maybe a spell eater effect? Maybe a divination thing!?
Level 5 TBD
LEVEL 3: Binding Seal (subclass) choice.
Spell selection is stuff like summoning spells, banishment, hard control like hold person, etc. very little blasting in leveled spells
