D&D 5E Would a Sha'ir be a sorcerer or a warlock?

[Sadrik]

So I have always been a fan of Al-Qadim. I have always like the Sha'ir class. A class where you use your own personal genie to go fetch spells for you and bring them back so you can cast them. Would this be a sorcerer or warlock?

Sorcerer with a familiar...
Warlock was going to have the option for a pet I think...

Likely the warlock matches? Thoughts.

 

[TwoSix]

So I have always been a fan of Al-Qadim. I have always like the Sha'ir class. A class where you use your own personal genie to go fetch spells for you and bring them back so you can cast them. Would this be a sorcerer or warlock?

Sorcerer with a familiar...
Warlock was going to have the option for a pet I think...

Likely the warlock matches? Thoughts.

I'd go warlock. Matches the flavor better (since you're making a pact with genies). Sha'ir's also had less spell endurance back in 2e, but a much better ability to pull weird tricks out of nowhere. Also seems more warlock-like. I could see a sha'ir subclass getting the ability to change one of their spells known every day by sending out their gen.

 

[TerraDave]

pact: warlock. blood or connected in some other way: sorcerer.

I could see a feat that would work with either. (actually, there is an elemental one already, I think)

 

[Sadrik]

I'd go warlock. Matches the flavor better (since you're making a pact with genies). Sha'ir's also had less spell endurance back in 2e, but a much better ability to pull weird tricks out of nowhere. Also seems more warlock-like. I could see a sha'ir subclass getting the ability to change one of their spells known every day by sending out their gen.

I think I agree with you. As I was writing it I was sort of falling that way. I hope I can theme a warlock as a Sha'ir out of the gate.

 

[TwoSix]

I think I agree with you. As I was writing it I was sort of falling that way. I hope I can theme a warlock as a Sha'ir out of the gate.

I think chainlocks are the ones that get pets. I could see an invocation that lets you change a spell known at the end of a short rest, representing the gen fetching a new spell.

 

[dd.stevenson]

The key thing about the Sha'ir is that they get extreme spell flexibility in exchange for multi-round casting times. As such, I don't think either the warlock or sorcerer is a suitable match.

Personally, I'd just straight up copy the old 2E Shar'ir casting time chart, and then give them some thematic abilities to execute while they're waiting for their real spell to fire.

 

[Andor]

The Shai'ir in 2e I've always loved but it was kind of it's own class. It doesn't really map well to other casters, or 5e.

Honestly I think any caster class could do it, the key would be cutting a deal with your GM in order to change your spells known after a short rest, to replicate the Gen fetching some for you. You might be better off going with a class with a more flexible spell list becuase Shai'ir could (theoretically) cast anything in 2e.

In fact what I would probably allow (if I were GMing) is to take a class like wizard or sorcerer and exchange your Arcane Tradition or Bloodline abilities for an extra spell known which can be drawn from any class list and changed after a short rest.

 

[gyor]

Shiiar have to my knowledge always been wizards, abit strange ones. Just make Shiiar its own Arcane Tradition.

 

[Joe Liker]

Even though the 2e sha'ir was a wizard, they basically had to rewrite the entire class and come up with completely new rules for spellcasting. I think warlock makes the most thematic sense in 5e, and it's actually going to require the least mechanical rewriting of any candidate class.

I would not force a sha'ir to be chain pact, but if he is not, I'd say the gen is too strong-willed to follow any command besides fetching spells. (In other words, no scouting and no combat.) If the sha'ir does take the pact of the chain, the gen is its familiar (use mephit stats or something?), it cannot be summoned in any other form, and it is unavailable while it is seeking a spell. All chain pact rules apply in terms of combat and scouting, etc.

Other than that, just replace all of the patron-specific stuff with the spell-fetching power and a fluffy genie-diplomacy feature.

One of the warlock's existing spell slots is dedicated to this feature; the gen can be sent to find spells to fill it. That slot cannot be used to cast any of the warlock's "normal" spells known, but it could be filled by the gen with a spell that duplicates one on that list.

The gen-supplied spell can be of a level no higher than the sha'ir's warlock spell-slot level. Search time is 1 minute for spells that could already be known, a short rest for other arcane spells (wizard, bard, sorcerer), and a long rest for divine spells (cleric, druid, paladin, ranger). Divine spells require a Persuasion (Charisma) check with a DC of 15 plus the spell's level; on a failure, the spell is not obtained and the slot recharges with the spell it held most recently.

Once it has been used to cast a spell, the gen slot does not refresh until the end of a short rest; however, the gen can be sent to swap out the spell as often as desired. (It just won't be usable again until the slot recharges.)

At level 11, the gen's dedicated spell slot is freed up and once again acts like a normal warlock spell slot. At this point, the gen takes over the highest arcanum slot: At each level where the warlock would learn a new arcanum, the gen is tasked instead with providing a spell of that level. Arcana of lower levels are learned and become "fixed" as normal. Again, once the gen-supplied spell has been used, the slot will not recharge until the end of a long rest, but the gen can be sent to swap out the spell as often as desired.

 

[Wolfskin]

Warlock Genie Pact, hands down.