New Arcane Tradition: War Wizard

Trained to be living siege engines and weapons of mass devastation, War Wizards have developed skills to lay waste to vast tracts of a battlefield. Unlike other combat-focused spellcasters, such as bladesingers, battlemages, or even eldritch knights, warlocks, and sorcerers, War Wizards spend no particular time training in close combat. Instead they rely on their spells to devastate their foes from afar. They achieve this through the application of metamagic, twisting the arcane forces at their command to greater potential. While this tool is similar to that used by Sorcerers, its expression by these weavers of devastation is far more formulaic in its development and use.

Full Circle

When I started this blog I made a challenge to myself; post for a year. The goal, of course, was to maintain as long as possible. But a year seemed like a reasonable minimum. A standard by which I could say I had succeeded. As August comes to a close, we come to the end of that year. I'd like to continue, but life marches on.

Over the year I've been doing this other things have developed. Both D&D and Numenera, the systems in which I am most prolific and proficient, have established avenues for people like me to publish work online and earn some return on our effort. More importantly, however, my "real" professional life (which I'm not quite ready to abandon to do this full time) has reached a point where I have to invest more of my free time in going back to school.

The result of that last is that I need to shift my focus. Unfortunately, one of the costs looks to be this blog. While I expect I'll be back from time to time with a particular idea or when I need to let off steam, I also anticipate the avenues provided by the Wizards of the Coast and Monte Cook Games will draw more of my efforts. But, there will always be a few things that don't really fit on those channels; small rewrites of rules in those systems not big enough to stand on their own, or other games like the World of Darkness, Warhammer 40k, and Continuum.

So... this isn't goodbye. Just I'll see you around.

Until things, again, come full circle.

Primordial Patrons; Invocations and Feats (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Previous: The Unquenchable Flame

Primordial Patrons; The Unquenchable Flame (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Previous: The Unyielding Stone

The most common warlock of flame is a shock troop in the legions of the mightiest of Efrit, though favored scions and servants might be granted power to act as emissaries and agents. The powers of fire are as capricious as those of air and as unforgiving as those of fire. The result are servants left to dance along the edge of a razor on bare feet, knowing one false move will see them spent as fuel for the all-consuming flames. But those who burn half as long shine twice as bright.

Blades are by far the most common pact gift, granted to the warriors of the burning legions. Familiars are less common, many being vulnerable to the hungry fire, though the pact of the chain can grant a Fire Elemental Wisp in addition to its other possibilities. The least common pact is the tome, vulnerable in nearly all its forms to destruction, though a few warlock are granted eternal flames. While these appear to be stones or crystals subject to a continual flame spell, the fire burns perpetually hot and nearly unquenchable.  Often kept in lanterns and other specially constructed containers, those who peer deeply into these mystical repositories can see arcane figures and formulae dancing in their depths. Tantalizing and tempting those who would reach in to turn the page.

Primordial Patrons; The Unyielding Stone (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Previous: The Unending Sea

Servants of the primordial powers of earth tend to be solid and stable, as enduring and patient as the masters to which they are bound. While earth gensai, dwarves, and other dwellers beneath the earth are most likely to gain their eye, their attention can be drawn by acts of great stone or metalcraft, patience, or endurance. Among the primordial beings, the powers earth are most likely to directly test those they have claimed, seeking to forge, refine, and temper them to their greatest value.

Of the elemental pacts, those of earth are by far the most likely to receive a pact tome. These may be grimoires with steel covers and pages of tin worked to the consistency of silk. Alternately, they could be stone tablets, usually small plates of slate or crystal. Regardless, they require special skill and tools to carve, and the warlock receives this instruction and equipment with the tome. They gain proficiency with an appropriate set of artisan’s tools (such as a jewler’s kit for grimoire of finely wrought metal or mason’s tools for stone tablets). A few of these tomes monolithic; slabs hewn from the living earth or great pylons of geology. Such “tomes” may require superhuman strength and heavy equipment, to move, if such movement is even possible. If this is the case, the monolithic tome grants you its benefits if you are within a number of feet equal to your level squared. Moreover, at will you may meld with these structures as if you were using the spell meld into stone and may cast the spell Alarm as if it were a ritual while within this area.

Able combatants by virtue of their enhanced endurance, if you receive a pact blade it will almost always be a hammer or weapon with the heavy or two handed qualities. Familiars are generally creatures such as lizards, snakes, rats, spiders, or weasels, though those who benefit from the pact of the chain can instead call upon an Earth Elemental Wisp.

Primordial Patrons; The Unending Sea (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks
Previous: The Unbounded Sky

Of the primordial patrons, the unending sea may be the most welcoming and forgiving, its warlocks are, certainly, the most varied. Most such warlocks come from seafarers or aquatic races, with water gensai having significant representation. The most notable warlocks of the unending sea are those who are malleable, changeable, and adaptable; taking whatever form the situation demands. In peace they are tranquil as still waters and in combat rushing like the raging storm. They can be stoic, with unfathomable depths and hidden undercurrents, or they can be as transparent as a mountain lake.

Familiars are common among waterlocks, though they are found most frequently with those who already live in aquatic or simi-aqatic environments as they generally taking the forms of crabs, frogs (toads), octopus, fish (quippers), sea horses. Meanwhile, those who receive the pact of the chain may gain water elemental wisps.

The most common pact blades for warlocks of the unending sea are those that can be wielded underwater without issue, dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, and trident, though nets and whips are not uncommon choices. Tomes are generally traditional in form, with covers of mother of pearl or made from shells of giant clams and pages of seaweed or kelp. A few receive great pearls, enchanted to show arcane knowledge to those who peer into the depths of these milky orbs.

Primordial Patrons; The Unbounded Sky (D&D 5e)

Elemental Warlocks

Servants of the primordial powers of air tend to be wild and freewheeling, even flighty. Air gensai and creatures with natural flying abilities are among the most likely to gain the approval and patronage, but such powers are always on the lookout for worthy pieces in their games and weapons against their hated terran foes. While some servants of the air choose to wield lightning and thunder, all feel the call of the free wind and sky.

Warlocks who receive a pact blade often use light or finesse weapons. If they sacrifice a cantrip slot they may, instead, use a ranged weapon. If these weapons use ammunition they provide a limitless supply, while thrown weapons may be recovered from up to 100 feet away as a bonus action once per turn or a reaction. Those with familiars generally choose flying creatures such as bats, hawks, owls, ravens. Those who benefit from the pact of the chain can instead call upon an Air Elemental Wisp. These free-wheeling and fast moving warlocks are rarely given tomes, and the rare ones that are given are often unusual in form, such as a set of streamer-like scrolls or a cape made of ribbon-like pages.

Primordial Patrons; Elemental Warlocks (D&D 5e)

There are a host of creatures from the elemental planes that count themselves among the otherworldly beings served by warlocks. Among the most common sponsors are genies of various types who collect would be warlocks just as willingly as they collect any other type of servant or slave. Their function in these courts range from entertaining servants to shock troops. Other ancient elemental powers are equally willing to lend would-be warlocks arcane might in return for service and servitude. Though, as with all such immortal beings, the plans in which they become enmeshed can be far longer in scope than a warlock might realize.

While all warlock patrons provide power in forms shaped to their own designs and natures, the nature of elemental powers can alter the usual warlock abilities in a number of unexpected ways. For example, servants of these primal powers who summon familiars may give their familiar the elemental type, rather than celestial, fiend, or fae.

• Primordial Patrons; Elemental Warlocks
• The Unbounded Sky
• The Unending Sea
• The Unyielding Stone
• The Unquenchable Flame
• Invocations and Feats

Next: The Unbounded Sky

Benefit: Blinking (Continuum: Roleplaying in the Yet, Narcissist: Crash Free)

Any character with this benefit gains a +2 on rolls for melee level combat.
Further, a character with this benefit may move one of their actions to a different bout stage during level combat. They may move their action either up or down, but may only do so in order to take a dodge against a ranged attack in the new stage. If they do this, they count as having an action before the attacker during that stage for purposes of dodging ranged attacks.

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Alchemists' Toybox- Gunpowder; Class Options (D&D 5e)

Contents
Previous: Feats

Fighter

Add Fighting Style option;

Overload

You gain a +2 to damage you deal with firearms.

Rogue

Add to starting weapon proficiency; heavy and light pistols.

Rogue Archetype; Gunslinger

Tools of the Trade

At 3rd level you gain a light or heavy pistol (your choice). Work with your DM to determine how it came into your possession; for example it could be a family heirloom, a discovery from an exotic location, or the results of your own tinkering and crafting.

Serpentine Smith

At 3rd level you are proficient with alchemist’s supplies. Further, after a short or long rest you can craft a number of cartridges from materials you have and find. After a short rest you can make a number of cartridges equal to your proficiency bonus. After a long rest you can make three times your proficiency bonus. Unused cartridges expire after your next long rest, or 24 hours if that comes first.

Iron Gaze

You are trained in Intimidate. As an action you can force a target to make a Charisma save against a DC of 12 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. If the target fails this save they are frightened of you for one minute. If they are successful on this save they are immune to your use of this ability for 24 hours. At 13th level success does not make your targets immune to this ability, and at 17th level you can force targets that fail their save to drop anything they are holding and only use the Dash action to move as far from you as possible on each of their turns unless they have nowhere they can move.

Swift Shot

At 13^th level, you can use your bonus action from the Cunning Action rogue ability to draw, fire, and re-sheath a light or heavy pistol. You suffer a -2 to the attack when using this ability with a heavy pistol.

Always Ready

At 17th level you ignore the loading quality on firearms.

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