Erik Woodhollow
2015-11-23, 05:57 PM
Yesterday, I figured out how to break down the cleric and wizard classes into multiple subclasses for my 5th Edition settings. A similar system could be used for my 3.5 settings, especially in the case of the wizard. Here's a rundown of the subclasses of my settings!
OVERVIEW
All of my D&D settings are connected together in a vast, self-contained multiverse, each with its own unique laws of physics, creatures and themes. One thing which is common in every world is how magic works, with there being seven varieties of magic: Celestial, Elemental, Faerie, Shadow, Nature, Psi, and base magic, which is the most common variety of all. All clerics are practitioners of celestial magic, which is usually granted by the once-mortal Celestial Beings which they revere, however certain celestial domains take on a few aspects of other magical sources as well, such as the Nature Domain taking on elements of nature magic.
Wizards are seen as the basest kind of spellcaster, and as such they all forge a connection with the abundant source of base magic, though a few spells take on properties of other kinds of magic. Three schools of magic, which are considered the core trio, each draw from one of the three known aspects of the mind: enchantments are formed of thought, evocations of emotion and illusions of resolve. The other three common schools of magic blend two mind aspects together: conjuration merges emotion and resolve, abjuration merges resolve and thought, and transmutation merges thought and emotion. The seventh school, divination, transcends the concept of mind aspects, and as such takes extensive amounts of training and meditation to master.
CLERIC
There are four main kinds of cleric in my settings: the priest, the baseline version of the class; the naturalist, a cleric of the natural world; the crusader, a cleric of valour; and the adept, a cleric of logic. Each kind of cleric has one or more domains in which they may specialise, and each domain has its own opposite, and a cleric is barred from learning spells of their opposite domain; they are also limited in the spells they may learn of other domains:
Priest
Life Domain - A cleric of healing and protection
▪Barred Domain - none
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Nature, Storm, Light, Battle, Magic and Knowledge
Naturalist
Nature Domain - A cleric who reveres and draws power from Naturia herself
▪Barred Domain - Knowledge
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Magic
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Light and Battle
Storm Domain - A cleric of tempests and climate
▪Barred Domain - Light
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Battle
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Magic and Knowledge
Crusader
Light Domain - A cleric of purity and order
▪Barred Domain - Storm
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Nature
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Magic and Knowledge
Battle Domain - A cleric of combat and swift justice
▪Barred Domain - Magic
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Knowledge
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Nature and Storm
Adept
Magic Domain - A cleric who channels the essence of base magic
▪Barred Domain - Battle
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Light
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Nature and Storm
Knowledge Domain - A cleric who studies celestial spells rather than drawing them from a Celestial Being
▪Barred Domain - Nature
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Storm
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Light and Battle
WIZARD
There are three varieties of wizard in my settings: the mage, who specialises in enchantment, evocation or illusion; the arcanist, who specialises in conjuration, abjuration or transmutation; and the oracle, who has managed to master divination. All wizards are restricted in the kinds of spell they may learn from schools other than their specialty, and they are outright barred from their opposite school:
Mage
School of Enchantment - Sometimes known as an "enchanter", a wizard who seeks to bewitch foes and bolster allies
▪Barred School - Conjuration
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Evocation and Illusion
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Abjuration and Transmutation
School of Evocation - Sometimes known as an "evocator", a wizard who jumps right into action with offensive spells
▪Barred School - Abjuration
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Enchantment and Illusion
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Conjuration and Transmutation
School of Illusion - Sometimes known as an "illusionist", a wizard who focuses on trickery and making fools of foes
▪Barred School - Transmutation
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Enchantment and Evocation
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Conjuration and Abjuration
Arcanist
School of Conjuration - Sometimes known as a "conjurer", a wizard who can make something out of nothing
▪Barred School - Enchantment
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Abjuration and Transmutation
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Evocation and Illusion
School of Abjuration - Sometimes known as a "abjurer", a wizard who changes the minds and feelings of foes
▪Barred School - Evocation
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Conjuration and Transmutation
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Enchantment and Illusion
School of Transmutation - Sometimes known as a "transmuter", a wizard who transforms foes into awful cliches...ribbit
▪Barred School - Illusion
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Conjuration and Abjuration
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Enchantment and Evocation
Oracle
School of Divination - A wizard who has transcended the concept of the mind and can see hidden truths of magic
▪Barred School - none
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Enchantment, Transmutation, Evocation, Conjuration, Illusion and Abjuration
Let me know what you think of these subclasses! :)
OVERVIEW
All of my D&D settings are connected together in a vast, self-contained multiverse, each with its own unique laws of physics, creatures and themes. One thing which is common in every world is how magic works, with there being seven varieties of magic: Celestial, Elemental, Faerie, Shadow, Nature, Psi, and base magic, which is the most common variety of all. All clerics are practitioners of celestial magic, which is usually granted by the once-mortal Celestial Beings which they revere, however certain celestial domains take on a few aspects of other magical sources as well, such as the Nature Domain taking on elements of nature magic.
Wizards are seen as the basest kind of spellcaster, and as such they all forge a connection with the abundant source of base magic, though a few spells take on properties of other kinds of magic. Three schools of magic, which are considered the core trio, each draw from one of the three known aspects of the mind: enchantments are formed of thought, evocations of emotion and illusions of resolve. The other three common schools of magic blend two mind aspects together: conjuration merges emotion and resolve, abjuration merges resolve and thought, and transmutation merges thought and emotion. The seventh school, divination, transcends the concept of mind aspects, and as such takes extensive amounts of training and meditation to master.
CLERIC
There are four main kinds of cleric in my settings: the priest, the baseline version of the class; the naturalist, a cleric of the natural world; the crusader, a cleric of valour; and the adept, a cleric of logic. Each kind of cleric has one or more domains in which they may specialise, and each domain has its own opposite, and a cleric is barred from learning spells of their opposite domain; they are also limited in the spells they may learn of other domains:
Priest
Life Domain - A cleric of healing and protection
▪Barred Domain - none
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Nature, Storm, Light, Battle, Magic and Knowledge
Naturalist
Nature Domain - A cleric who reveres and draws power from Naturia herself
▪Barred Domain - Knowledge
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Magic
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Light and Battle
Storm Domain - A cleric of tempests and climate
▪Barred Domain - Light
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Battle
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Magic and Knowledge
Crusader
Light Domain - A cleric of purity and order
▪Barred Domain - Storm
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Nature
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Magic and Knowledge
Battle Domain - A cleric of combat and swift justice
▪Barred Domain - Magic
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Knowledge
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Nature and Storm
Adept
Magic Domain - A cleric who channels the essence of base magic
▪Barred Domain - Battle
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Light
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Nature and Storm
Knowledge Domain - A cleric who studies celestial spells rather than drawing them from a Celestial Being
▪Barred Domain - Nature
▪Restricted Domain (max Spell Level 1): Storm
▪Limited Domains (max Spell Level 4): Light and Battle
WIZARD
There are three varieties of wizard in my settings: the mage, who specialises in enchantment, evocation or illusion; the arcanist, who specialises in conjuration, abjuration or transmutation; and the oracle, who has managed to master divination. All wizards are restricted in the kinds of spell they may learn from schools other than their specialty, and they are outright barred from their opposite school:
Mage
School of Enchantment - Sometimes known as an "enchanter", a wizard who seeks to bewitch foes and bolster allies
▪Barred School - Conjuration
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Evocation and Illusion
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Abjuration and Transmutation
School of Evocation - Sometimes known as an "evocator", a wizard who jumps right into action with offensive spells
▪Barred School - Abjuration
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Enchantment and Illusion
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Conjuration and Transmutation
School of Illusion - Sometimes known as an "illusionist", a wizard who focuses on trickery and making fools of foes
▪Barred School - Transmutation
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Enchantment and Evocation
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Conjuration and Abjuration
Arcanist
School of Conjuration - Sometimes known as a "conjurer", a wizard who can make something out of nothing
▪Barred School - Enchantment
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Abjuration and Transmutation
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Evocation and Illusion
School of Abjuration - Sometimes known as a "abjurer", a wizard who changes the minds and feelings of foes
▪Barred School - Evocation
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Conjuration and Transmutation
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Enchantment and Illusion
School of Transmutation - Sometimes known as a "transmuter", a wizard who transforms foes into awful cliches...ribbit
▪Barred School - Illusion
▪Restricted School (max Spell Level 1): Divination
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Conjuration and Abjuration
▪Semi-Limited Schools (max Spell Level 7): Enchantment and Evocation
Oracle
School of Divination - A wizard who has transcended the concept of the mind and can see hidden truths of magic
▪Barred School - none
▪Limited Schools (max Spell Level 4): Enchantment, Transmutation, Evocation, Conjuration, Illusion and Abjuration
Let me know what you think of these subclasses! :)