But Why Does it Have to Be So HARD?!

Designing classes is not easy!

I can almost hear the chorus of "Oh really? No shit, Sherlock!" going on as people read that opening line, but the difficulty is in the small things. Some things I was able to 'hand wave' away, like, why can an Alchemist only create so many concoctions in a single day. (Because they're extremely volatile chemicals, and you don't have the skill to manage too many at once.)

The hard part is getting the balance between fire power and staying power. First, I decided to have a d6 for the hit die, just like a mage. This makes the Alchemist a bit flimsy in terms of taking a hit, but when I put it up to a d8, they became a bit too tough at lower levels. (Huff!)

Then there was the problem with just how powerful an Alchemist's damaging extracts should be. I tried following the spell damage table in the DMG, but as there are no spell levels to 'level up' the hit effect (without simply making a bottle mage), the fire power gets a bit low. No problem, just up the level a little, or give on-going damage, right? Oh, Hell no. That makes them just too powerful.

I'm toying with the idea of on-going damage again, limited by the level of the Alchemist, and I'll let you know how that goes, but for now, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HARD?!

Never a Dull Moment

Well, I apologise for not having a post out this week and just wanted to explain why. One of the aspects of medieval life that always fascinated me was the problematic relationship between science and religion. Fears of witchcraft may well have been responsible for delays in forwarding medicine, chemistry and biology by centuries, a delay only overcome once the age of enlightenment began.

I can understand why. Let's face it: the only way to really learn about the how the human body works is to cut them up. In societies where the body is a vessel for a soul that becomes an issue. People who want to cut up bodies to learn how they work become abominations. The entire premise to Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus was the interference of science in natural order. Even using the title "The Modern Prometheus" puts the moral message in its full context: Prometheus was punished by the gods for his 'stolen' knowledge of fire. His pride/hubris was his downfall, whereas, in reality, his only crime was helping his fellow man and removing their dependency on the gods themselves. Arguably, this was a similar situation for medieval scientists.

The most fascinating aspect of science in this age was the position of the alchemist. Alchemy was the first attempt at proper science, with practitioners attempting to properly quantify the nature and substance of what made up the world around us. Few would argue that alchemy was the basis of modern scientific investigation, but the fear of persecution led to a strange mixture of knowledge, faith and superstition that could possibly be seen as an attempt to stay 'in favour' with the church.

This doesn't seem to have any place in the D&D universe: priests follow many and various gods, demons and spirits. Magic users are, while not a 'day-to-day' experience, not either an anomaly, despised and mistrusted by their peers. They can mix with ordinary people and are often called upon to help communities.

The mage who best fits the position of alchemist is the Transmuter. He gets some abilities to alter properties for a short time (Minor Alchemy), the Transmuter's Stone (a poor man's philosopher's stone), and then, at 14th level, Master Transmuter, which comes with a panoply of abilities that match some of the Cliff Notes version of true alchemy.

Pathfinder has an alchemist class, favoured among goblins, that is effectively little more than a reskinned mage with bombs. The idea of an alchemist class is difficult to envision. It shouldn't, to my mind, just be a reskinned mage, but should reflect the essence of alchemy from a historical perspective. Naturally, to be useful in a party and attractive to players, the alchemist needs to have a bit of a wow factor and be able to hold its own in a fight, so some kind of chemical explosiveness is required. That's where the day-to-day stuff comes in, but she should also be able to discover deeper secrets than just what is handy in a tight corner.

So that's where I'm at. I'm trying to design an alchemist that is historical in context, but still useful to a party, and independent of other classes already in D&D. It's in testing, and I'll release it to the world when I can.

The Dread Lord Patron

As I said last week, I'm working on some customisations for D&D 5e, and I decided I'd have a go at a Warlock Patron. I like the idea of the Fae patron and thought that something darker might be in order (I think it's obvious the direction my campaign might be going), but as I have no Warlock players at the moment, I haven't had a chance to test this one, but anyone who remembers the Ravenloft Campaign setting should feel right at home with it. What if the Mists are unravelling? What if the masters of the Dread Realms were trying to find agents to help them escape into our world?
Most of the powers are adaptations of existing powers within 5e, except the Avatar of Shadows, which I've adapted from the Heroes of Shadow 4e sourcebook.

The Dread Lord

Through your journeys into the darkness you have been touched by the mind of a prisoner in a dark realm. The lords of The Dread Realms have told you secrets of darkness, and you can use them to punish and manipulate those around you. What promises have you made to these dark masters? Could you be hoping to set them free?

Dread Lords Strahd von Zarovich and Azalin are examples of those who would grant the power of the Shadows to their clients.

Expanded Spell List

The Dread Lord lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Dark Lord Expanded Spell List

Spell Level	Spells
1st	fog cloud, wrathful smite
2nd	pass without trace, phantasmal force
3rd	gaseous form, vampiric touch
4th	phantasmal killer, staggering smite
5th	antilife shell, planar binding

Shadow Stealth

Starting at 1^st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to take advantage of dark places to hide yourself. While in dim light or darkness, you can take the Hide action as a bonus action.

Aspect of Shadow

Beginning at 6^th level your patron begins to teach you the ways of the Undead. For one round you become incorporeal. You can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. However, if you end your turn inside an object or creature you suffer 1d10 force damage.
You cannot use this feature again until you complete a short or long rest.

Fog of Despair

From 10^th level on, you begin to feel the touch of the Dread Realm around you all the time. You carry an aura of shadow out to 10 feet. This counts as Light Obscurity. While you are conscious, creatures entering the aura to attack you must make a Charisma Saving Throw against your Warlock Save DC or suffer disadvantage on all attacks they make against you. Additionally, if their attack succeeds, they suffer necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier + half your level (rounded down).

Avatar of the Shadows

At 14^th level you can summon the power of your Dread Master to aid you in battle. Your skin pales to white and your eyes become pools of darkness. When you strike with a melee attack, you add your Charisma modifier (minimum +1) to your damage and create a 10’ radius sphere centred on the target. All creatures within the Sphere take 1d10 necrotic damage. For each creature affected you recover hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 per creature).
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Revised: I'm trying to tie in some of the changes recommended by commenters below (with my own flavour, of course).

Revised 27/04/15: Made a few changes to some of the features, particularly the Channel Divinity. In testing seemed a little over powered, but not as much as suspected. Went for a complete revision, but I can recover it to the original if requested. Also clarified the Shadow Guardians spell.

So, I'm trying out my hand at some customisations in 5e and I thought I'd have a go at a domain. I haven't had much chance to playtest this. I've only used it as a Domain for some priests possessed by a shadow being I was using in one of my story arcs. Let me know how you get on if you use it. Is it too powerful/underpowered? Does the motif seem overbearing or have limited usage? Is it something your players want to use?

Shadow Domain

Gods of Darkness, Night, Evil and Death can all grant their followers access to the Domain of Shadow. Often perceived as being gods of trickery, fear, and "dark deeds", gods of this domain can send their followers to spread fear and mistrust, or to protect those whose activities are associated with night and darkness.

SHADOW DOMAIN SPELLS

Cleric Level	Spells
1st	Chill Touch, Blindness/Deafness
3rd	Darkness, Darkvision
5th	Fear, Shadow Guardians (as Spirit Guardians, but the spirits appear as shadows and the damage is cold damage, not radiant or necrotic)
7th	Conjure Shadow Elemental, Shadow Mantle (as Crusaders Mantle, but the damage is cold damage, not Radiant)
9th	Antilife shell, Shadow Walk

Bonus Proficiencies

At 1st level you gain proficiency in and advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) and Charisma (Deception) checks.

Shadow Ward

If you are targeted with an effect that causes necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to gain resistance against the damage and for an additional number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you complete a long rest.

Channel Divinity: Veil of Shadows

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to create a "gloom" within 30 feet of you. All enemies within the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or have disadvantage on their next attack against you. Also, you gain advantage until the effect ends on all attacks against the next enemy within the "gloom" to strike you. The effect lasts for 1 round plus your Wisdom bonus (minimum of 1 round).

Shadow Zone

Beginning at 6th level, you can extend your Shadow Ward out to a radius of 30 feet. All allies within that range gain resistance to necrotic damage for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1 round).

Dark Strike

At 8th level you gain the ability to infuse your attacks with the power of shadow. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

The Stuff of Nightmares

Starting at 17th level, you can use your action to activate an aura of shadows that lasts for one minute or until you dismiss it using another action. Each creature of your choice that is within 60 feet of you and must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the fear effect for the next 24 hours. The area is considered heavily obscured, thus everyone within is considered to have concealment from everyone except you.
 

The 'Corrupting' Effect of Celestials

Over at Dyvers Campaign there's been discussion of the corrupting effects of consorting with Fiendish creatures. I've always liked mechanics like this in games, as it deals with consequences for the players' actions (which I'm a bit of a fan of).


The Conversion of Saul

That said, it is always easier to look at these things from the point of view of someone consorting with fiendish characters, but what about characters summoning Celestials to their aid? Are there never to be consequences for this? Surely the presence of a Celestial being is as likely to corrupt the mere mortal soul of a human being? The power that exudes from them must be immense. In Christian mysticism, it is said that to hear the voice of the divine would often render the listener disabled (Saul/Paul was struck blind for three days following his revelation on the road to Damascus).

But, what about long term or frequent exposure to Celestial presence? What would happen if these characters became (for example) completely unable to tell lies? Imagine the chaos that would cause in the court of a corpulent king, who asks if his new robes suit him well.

What if the character couldn't even handle "stolen goods"? How long ago would that have to have been stolen before it was no longer painful to put your hands upon it? What if there was no time limit? A holy relic that was stolen from a temple on far Sphene has been found in the Platinum Hills. Your party can recover it, but for each day it is in your possession, you lost one Hit Die until you return it to its rightful owners. What do you do if they're dead and gone?

I'm not saying that this should be something that prevents characters from ever using summoning spells, but it does make you think that, if a being of raw evil bends the world around them, surely a being of raw good would do the same?