Suggestions for a Class with an advanced companion

[marshmandr]

Hello everyone. My first post here.

Someone has convinced me to play in a 5e dnd campaign (general fantasy setting). I prefer the science fiction side of things and not really finding a dnd class that calls out to me. I'm not too into fantasy settings.

I don't want a heroic character, I would like a character that is quite mundane. However I would like a companion to accompany the character. The companion helps with tasks and has perhaps magic it can use. In my sci-fi imaginings I would have a scientist with an AI hologram assistant. I have been talking to the dm and he feels it should fall somewhere between a 4e shaman and a knowledge cleric - but that is about as much as we have discussed.

I'm still not comfortable with my character wielding magic (my logical brain keeps putting me off the idea!) or being a martial powerhouse.

I like the 4e Shaman quite a lot - but am I correct there isn't a 5e one? I could maybe shift the flavour a little from the primal aspect.

I quite like the knowledge cleric but I didn't want the character to be the one through which the powers flow. Maybe I could just say the spells come from the spirit companion? I like that the knowledge cleric gets help with skill tests.

Sorry for troubling you with my strange concept. I suppose the agent with the 'Joi' hologram in the newest bladerunner film also fits my idea.

I'm grateful for any ideas you have.
Regards
Andy.

[Blood of Gaea]

You could ask your DM if you could be an "NPC", and your "real" character is an animal with character levels, like a dog or owl with levels in Sorcerer. I don't really see any other way to make this concept possible without being strong in a martial or magical way.

You could also consider being a skill monkey. You should probably at least take a look at Artificer (https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/1_UA_Artificer_20170109.pdf) from Unearthed Arcana as well.

[Personification]

Play a warlock. If you are starting at level 3 or higher, take pact of the chain, and only cast spells through your familiar. If not you can either be a hexblade (the blade is the "companion") or an aasimar with the pact of the celestial, your angelic guide as an aasimar would also be your patron and play the role of the companon. This way, none of the magic is coming from you. Alternatively, I recently had an idea that you can totally steal for a rock gnome who personally cannot use magic, but has built a machine which he or she programs to cast spells. Mechanically this is a wizard and the machine is an Arcane Focus, but RP-wise when you cast a spell you are pressing buttons and pulling levers on the machine, when you learn a spell you are reprogramming the machine and building new attachments t allow it to process the new magic, when you are regaining spell slots you are letting the machine absorb the ambient magic of the weave, and when you are preparing spells you are adding the necessary attachments and programming it to cast the right spells. It can only keep track of a set number of programs per day (max daily prepped spells), but you are always tinkering with it and improving it to make it more powerful. Your spellbook is a bin of attachments and formulas, and your cantrips are simple programs that don't take up much memory or require much magical energy, meaning that you always have them and they never run out. Finally, you can create your companion by learning find familiar. Your familiar is, of course, a hologram projected from a tiny bead that detaches from the device when you cast the spell. the ideal school for this would be evoker or the UA School of Invention.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I'd say Warlock might be your best bet. It's not your magic so much as magic that's being passed to you by an outside entity. Artificer isn't a bad bet either, though it's an Unearthed Arcana class and honestly a bit of a mess.

[Vorpalchicken]

A revised beastmaster ranger (UA) and a very permissive DM combine to allow your ape companion to take feats in place of it's ASIs (not strictly legal but that's why you brought pizza)

Have a druid pal cast awaken on him (or her) first (maybe he has a staff of the woodlands and can do it cheap) so he (or she) can talk and have a 10 intelligence.

It gains magic initiate when you hit level 4, increases it's Wisdom at level 8 and Ritual Caster at level 12

Your stats won't matter a hoot.

Your monkey buddy can adventure, fight and think for you while you hold his (or her) bananas and cheer him (or her) on!

[Kane0]

Both beastmaster ranger and pact of the chain warlock allow you to have a critter under your control. How effective that is depends on your party and DM but if you’re just starting out both of those are fine choices. Ranger companions are more directly applicable in combat but a bigger loss if they go down, familiars are more utility focused but more exendable.

[ImproperJustice]

I recently had a player in our group, roll up a modern marine that had ended up transported into the D&D world and was forced to adapt to the fantasy world.
Mechanicly it changed very little. It was more of how he carried himself and responded to the world that defined him.
(The GM did at one point throw a cache of modern weapons his way, which were all limited use, and provided a fun, unique award for him).

I share since that may help you in opening your options.

What about a Star Trek like explorer reskinned as an inquisitive or scout?

Honestly, if magic/sci-fi powers from a hologram are yout thing, maybe just have that as a special effect of whatever spells you cast?

Lastly, there may not be a good fit for your preference in the 5th edition framework.

Maybe you should consider embracing the setting and going with something that brings you outside your comfort zone.

You may find something fun to let loose as a wild Barbarian or strategic fighter, or to wield the mystic power of the fey.


Or go with the Alchemist, it’s bizarrely my favorite 5th edition class so far.

[Dudewithknives]

Interesting idea.

How about an artificer, gunsmith.

You have a little casting, are a crafter, and when you hit level 6 you get a mechanical companion.

Ask you DM if you can just mount your gun on the companion.

You do your own thing, mount moves of flies around and you use your action to fire the gun with your abilities and things, it just comes from the mount. The mount still does whatever the form you pick does as normal.

A dm MIGHT be ok with that.

Or you could go alchemist route and use their stuff, but they are not that great.

I like your concept theough.

[marshmandr]

Thank you for all the ideas. I've had a quick look at the Warlock. Didn't consider that class before. I think just for roleplaying opportunities and DM interaction I might have to play it. Looks so much fun. I think I'll play a librarian that read books he shouldn't have!

I will check out the artificer later and see if the DMs setting is advanced enough technology wise to play one.

[Spyderson]

Warlock pact of the chain seems like the best bet to me. You could try to stick to illusion spells yourself and have an arcane focus like a gem that creates "holograms" that are your totally not magical illusions.

Taking an quasit companion might be the best as it can turn invisible at will, and as others have suggested you can cast spells through your pact summon, which would allow you more varitiy of spells that wouldn't come directly from you.

Talk to your DM about reflavouring spells. Work more technological aspects into them if you can.

[TundraBuccaneer]

If homebrew is allowed the soul binder class might be what you want. It does get a few spells, but they are mainly buff, de-buff and utility spells. The main combat focus of the class is your companion, the creator also made more subclasses if the 2 from the base don't interest you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/7rypry/soul_binder_a_class_with_a_trusty_companion_final/