What would you actually want from an arcane half-caster in 1D&D PHB? | Page 3

Tbh, the half-caster pet is, IMO, a mechanical preference based on what we can observe about existing classes. The Anathemir I’m building exists somewhere in a Venn diagram comprised of the Witcher, the Abhorsen, RL swordmasters like Agrippa and Thibault, and RL mystics like the order of The Golden Dawn. Pact magic, ritual casting, secondary choice is from 3 ritual implements to “master”, but you get the other two at later levels.

Doesn’t necessarily get 6+ level spells, but can. Has Vestiges instead of invocations, each themed as an object that contains of focuses a specific power, or as a special named implement.

The Blade implement can be a sword, dagger, glaive, or scythe, and has the ability to turn a cantrip attack roll into a melee spell attack using the reach and any other properties of your blade, with vestiges empowering it further and at least one subclass making it really shine.

It’s very much WIP, so the specifics of how it uses a weapon to do spell attacks might change, and I might shift things around to beef up defenses with “gish” in mind now that the flavor has morphed fully into that territory.

My swordmage that I was working on last year uses a monk/warlock chassis and translates a lot of 4e powers, and really can swing from 4e swordmage to 4e avenger, but also has a mark and an aegis, which provide defense bonuses and the ability to either relentlessly pursue an enemy or punish them for going for your friends.

I’ve also considered using auras, or just taking the monk and stripping out the orientalism and making it more free to use or not use weapons, and wear at least light armor, and making the ki (focus) abilities more directly magical. Probably give it ritual casting with a book to drive home the esoteric mysticism angle.

I don’t mind that idea, I just don’t see the bard as any less powerful in the secret arts than a priest or mage, personally.

I’d be tempted to use different means to make room for more martial and lore skill, like reducing higher level spell slot progression, but keeping it a 9-levels caster. The key thing to me would be giving them bardic level 9 spells.

Or perhaps do something very odd and give the bard full caster casting up to 5th level spells and stop there (other than gaining a few more spell slots and cantrips over time, and replace magical secrets with the warlock’s mystic arcanum? And give them ritual casting (they’re loreMasters it’s a no-brainer) like the warlock book of ancient secrets.

Right. That’s really why half-caster tends to be the preferred vehicle. All it requires is expanding on existing types of spells and features.

How many “gish” subclass features are held back by being subclass features, as well? Like let them do magical weapon damage from level 1. Why not!?

Let them teleport at-will short distances and spend focus or whatever to teleport farther using existing spells. Like why reinvent the game to make them not spellcasters? Why create a balancing burden by making them full casters?

I can see monk-style “half-caster inspired” or a half caster version of pact magic, but otherwise just…use what is already available?

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