Haberdasher Brainstorming

[Ursus Spelaeus]

Notion
noun no·tion \ˈnō-shən\

1 a (1) : an individual's conception or impression of something known, experienced, or imagined (2) : an inclusive general concept (3) : a theory or belief held by a person or group b : a personal inclination : whim

2 obsolete : mind, intellect

3 plural : small useful items : sundries

Haberdasher
noun hab·er·dash·er \ˈha-bə(r)-ˌda-shər\

1 British : a dealer in notions

2 a dealer in men's clothing and accessories


Did You Know?

"At various times throughout its history, the term "haberdasher" has referred to a dealer of hats or caps, a seller of notions (sewing supplies such as needles and thimbles), and apparently (perhaps somewhat coyly) as a person who sells liquor. Nowadays, with hats not being as fashionable as they once were, the word mostly is applied generally as a clothing outfitter for men, with "haberdashery" referring to the establishment or the goods sold there. Haberdasher derives via Middle English from "hapertas," an Anglo-French word for a kind of cloth, as does the obsolete noun "haberdash," which once meant petty merchandise or small wares."

Haberdasher

I want to stat up a class themed around haberdashers as users of magical 'notions' (abstract ideas embodied by small objects). I'm not a fan of Vancian casting, so some kind of alternate magic system would be best. Perhaps something like a tier 3 version of an Artificer (with the crafting toned down) with a Mad Hatter aesthetic?
How to balance this?

Scraps of Ideas:
Weaver of Fate
Fabric of Reality
"The Craft"
Warp & Weft
Notions

I'm a fan of Magic of Incarnum. Maybe instead of crafting magic items, Haberdashers weave temporary magic items similar to soulmelds for purposes of sharing with allies. Maybe Haberdashers can 'tailor' these soulmelds so that allies without chakra binds may still bind them?

What do you think?

[Kaskus]

I love the idea. Two game-related things come to mind that might help fill in some mechanics. The World of Darkness game Geist has these things called Mementos, which are mystical trinkets that do various things. Also, the Pathfinder Alchemist's Bombs, Mutagens and Potions are good examples of consumables. This might even make an interesting Alchemist Archetype.

I think a mixture of permanent trinkets that do various minor things (like if a wizard had a separate little medallion for each cantrip they knew) and consumables would be good. I like the image of flipping through them like a janitor's key ring or trying to remember which pocket the right one is in ("I know I have it here somewhere.") If you want to give it a Mad Hatter / Crazy vibe, you might put a mechanic in for having them accidentally use the wrong trinket from time to time. You could also add fluff about them telling crazy stories about how they acquired the various items when they use them. These stories may or may not always be consistent.

How about a recharge mechanic that lets them dip a wand in tea or spread jam on it or some other ridiculous act and grant it 1 temporary charge. They could then carry around various depleted charge items and use that ability to grant them 1 charge and use them.

Summon Raiment?

[Ursus Spelaeus]

Haven't looked at the Pathfinder Alchemist, but I'll check it out.
This is a very craft oriented concept.

While notions are typically used in tailoring clothes and creating dolls, they are also employed in many works.
Notions are utilized in the art of binding books, and some notions are even employed in surgery and taxidermy...

[gooddragon1]

A fragment of nothing: Could be used for your choice of invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibility.htm), silence (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/silence.htm), etherealness (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/etherealness.htm), incorporeality (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#incorporealSubtype), time hop (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/timeHop.htm), or perhaps even timeless body (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/timelessBody.htm) (These last two could be time as well, and having some effects available to multiple different items could be a thing)
Entropy: Dispel magic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dispelMagic.htm), rusting grasp (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/rustingGrasp.htm), shatter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/shatter.htm), etc.


Cleric domains (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spellLists/clericDomains.htm) could also provide ideas for what effects would be appropriate.

[Debihuman]

Could anything from here be useful? See https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Gentleman_of_Hats_(3.5e_Class)

Debby

[Ursus Spelaeus]

Hats are definitely a part of what the Haberdasher class does, but the Mad Hatter thing is more of a source of inspiration in a slightly broader concept. Haberdashers are weavers of magical thread and fabric. Watch Kill La Kill for some ideas of how one might use this.

Scissors
Needles
Strings
Silk

These are all included as part of the Haberdasher's repertoire.

[Debihuman]

I thought this Mad Hatter was rather amusing, especially if you've seen the Disney cartoon: http://errantd20designer.blogspot.com/2016/05/faerie-bestiary-mad-hatter.html

Debby