Best build for an Innsmouth person spellcaster

[Morrison]

Going to be playing a nautical game pretty soon and I like the idea of basing a character on The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft.
Giving my character the Innsmouth Look will probably be purely cosmetic, and in rules terms I'll likely be human (or maybe a slightly-reskinned water genasi; I suspect tritons will probably be banned).
I'm unsure whether my DM will approve anything homebrew, though UA content is acceptable.

I've thought about:
Druid, with the Land circle and the Coast specialization
Sorcerer, with the sea sorcery specialization
Cleric, with the tempest domain

The party already has a warlock with the Lurker in the Deep patron so that one is out.

What would be the highest-tier of these options for a game that will mostly take place at sea? Are there any other options I should consider?

[Vogie]

It depends on how deep you want to go into the Innsmouth-style feel, and what you're starting with level-wise.

Something like a Shadow Sorcerer could feel just as wretched-seeming as a warlock, as would something like a Twilight Druid or certain Eldritch Knight Builds. A Whispers Bard can be genuinely terrifying if played correctly.

One option is how you flavor things, too. For example, an artificer could be flavored as dabbling with dark arts - perhaps your homunculus is more like the Tumor Familiar from 3.P, or your "Steel Defender" could be reflavored as a sort of Frankenstein's monster.

If you're set on spellcaster as the primary goal, UA Sea Sorcerer is the easiest, followed by the UA Psionic Soul. I think you'd have blast with a Shadow Sorcerer with a 1-3 levels in Death Cleric.

If you're starting at higher levels, you could use multiclassing to give that eerie feel to other classes. For example, a 3 level dip in GOO warlock with the UA Claw of Acamar invocation could make any bard or Paladin feel very Cthulu-esque (although an Ancients Paladin already sounds very Cthuluesque if you start changing 'vines' to 'tentacles')

[Morrison]

It depends on how deep you want to go into the Innsmouth-style feel, and what you're starting with level-wise.


We're starting at level 8, possibly 9. I want to go as deep into the Innsmouth feel as I can without making a character who doesn't really work. And yes, I am set on playing a spellcaster, so I'm hesitant to multiclass. I realize multiclassing when you're spellcaster is no longer the death sentence it was in 3.5 but I still don't trust it unless the end result is really, really good.

When I say that I want to go deep into the Innsmouth feel, I should clarify that I mean specifically The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The sea, fishy heritage, and maybe a little bit of storm magic are the things I'd like to emphasize with this character. Not really looking at building a necromancer or a mad scientist type character (for this campaign, at least).

[KorvinStarmast]

I've thought about:
Druid, with the Land circle and the Coast specialization
I'd suggest water genasi druid, coastal. I think you'll do fine.
I recently read that story again. Sheesh. Pulp writers got paid by the word. Man, it was exhausting to read.

[Morrison]

I recently read that story again. Sheesh. Pulp writers got paid by the word. Man, it was exhausting to read.

https://i.imgur.com/iB5xwIJ.gif

[Morrison]

I'd suggest water genasi druid, coastal. I think you'll do fine.

Also, I feel like a water genasi's racial traits (a swim speed, water breathing) make a few of the coastal druid's spells (water walk, water breathing) redundant. Wouldn't tempest cleric work better for a genasi?

[KorvinStarmast]

Also, I feel like a water genasi's racial traits (a swim speed, water breathing) make a few of the coastal druid's spells (water walk, water breathing) redundant. Wouldn't tempest cleric work better for a genasi? Since I love Tempest Clerics, heck yeah. :smallbiggrin:

[FabulousFizban]

ask if you can play a kua-toa, go wizard and make sure you take evard's black tentacles.

[micahaphone]

Lurker in the Deep UA is from the same UA article as the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, right? I'd go for that!

If you're okay with committing to the theme, I'd go vhuman with Ritual Caster, sage background, put some points into INT, be a scared scholar desperately seeking to understand the strange things manifesting through their body. Lower WIS cuz you're the type to read forbidden books and get "gifted" some strange powers.



Actually, water genasi could also work if your DM is cool with your character having changed into a Genasi as a part of their strange transformation.

[FabulousFizban]

Lurker in the Deep UA is from the same UA article as the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, right? I'd go for that!

If you're okay with committing to the theme, I'd go vhuman with Ritual Caster, sage background, put some points into INT, be a scared scholar desperately seeking to understand the strange things manifesting through their body. Lower WIS cuz you're the type to read forbidden books and get "gifted" some strange powers.



Actually, water genasi could also work if your DM is cool with your character having changed into a Genasi as a part of their strange transformation.

THIS go with you should

[Morrison]

Lurker in the Deep UA is from the same UA article as the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, right? I'd go for that!.

As I mentioned earlier, we already have a Lurker in the Deep warlock in the party.

The idea for this character is that I was raised in a small fishing community where human-on-Deep One couplings are very common and are celebrated because of the prosperity the arrangement brings. My mother is one of the town's religious leaders, and I'm the eldest of the "Pact Babies". I grew up very sheltered, and this is one of my first journeys out into the wider world. I know exactly what I am, and I'm okay with it, but I also know a lot of people won't be, so I'm very secretive about it. Basically a shy, good-natured, small-town kid who grew up on the Elder Mythos equivalent to VeggieTales.

So I definitely want to pick a build where at least something is hereditary for me. Could be a sorcerous bloodline, or it could be the water genasi race. Luckily, water genasi make great druids and clerics, and cleric in particular fits the religious angle of my Esoteric Order of Dagon upbringing.
Have also considered going storm sorcerer/tempest cleric multiclass, which looks like an awesome build, but is a bit more lightning and Air Elemental-focused than I want to be.

[Iku Rex]

Simic Hybrid (GGtR) seems like an obvious race choice.


Edit: And I agree that Aberrant Mind (UA) sorcerer is a good fit.

[Morrison]

Simic Hybrid (GGtR) seems like an obvious race choice.


Now there's a thought. I could take the Underwater Adaptation and the Carapace (for my scaly skin). I'd basically end up with the water genasi, except trading the acid resistance for +1 armour, which sounds fair to me.
This does still leave me at a crossroads between cleric, druid, and sorcerer. Of tempest cleric, coastal druid, and sea sorcerer, are there any options that are just plain better than the others? Or any that are just not that great?

And again, Aberrant Mind is not what I'm looking for for this character.

[micahaphone]

As I mentioned earlier, we already have a Lurker in the Deep warlock in the party.

The idea for this character is that I was raised in a small fishing community where human-on-Deep One couplings are very common and are celebrated because of the prosperity the arrangement brings. My mother is one of the town's religious leaders, and I'm the eldest of the "Pact Babies". I grew up very sheltered, and this is one of my first journeys out into the wider world. I know exactly what I am, and I'm okay with it, but I also know a lot of people won't be, so I'm very secretive about it. Basically a shy, good-natured, small-town kid who grew up on the Elder Mythos equivalent to VeggieTales.

So I definitely want to pick a build where at least something is hereditary for me. Could be a sorcerous bloodline, or it could be the water genasi race. Luckily, water genasi make great druids and clerics, and cleric in particular fits the religious angle of my Esoteric Order of Dagon upbringing.
Have also considered going storm sorcerer/tempest cleric multiclass, which looks like an awesome build, but is a bit more lightning and Air Elemental-focused than I want to be.


That's what I'm trying to suggest - there is a UA Sorcererous Origin called the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer!

https://media.wizards.com/2019/dnd/downloads/UA-AberrantLurk.pdf

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'll agree that Aberrant Mind Sorcerer is the way to go on this one.

You don't necessarily need to be an aquatic or semi-aquatic race, Innsmouth had normal people after all.

[Morrison]

Okay, I feel like I need to explain why Aberrant Mind is not what I'm looking for, since everyone keeps suggesting I look at it.

It's mostly about mind-reading and psychic damage. None of the spells have much to do with water.

The only class feature that seems at all relevent is Revelation in Flesh, which can temporarily give (among various other choices) a swim speed and the ability to breathe underwater, at levels much higher than this campaign is likely to go. I can get those same benefits, permanently, at the start of the game, from sea sorcery or from playing a simic hybrid or water genasi.

The flavour may be a bit Lovecraftian, but it's really not what I'm looking for.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Regardless of what you pick, you can take the feat Ritual Caster to get access to Water Breathing and other spells. Pick Wizard for that and you can even get a familiar.

Actually, Wizard gets spells like Black Tentacles, Control Water, Control Wind, Control Weather, etc. along with Water Breathing and ritual casting as a class feature. Order of Scribes from UA is pretty good and the awakened spellbook can be quite fitting for what you're looking for. Plus it's super easy to replace the spellbook if it gets lost or stolen or destroyed.

[Morrison]

Regardless of what you pick, you can take the feat Ritual Caster to get access to Water Breathing and other spells. Pick Wizard for that and you can even get a familiar.

Actually, Wizard gets spells like Black Tentacles, Control Water, Control Wind, Control Weather, etc. along with Water Breathing and ritual casting as a class feature. Order of Scribes from UA is pretty good and the awakened spellbook can be quite fitting for what you're looking for. Plus it's super easy to replace the spellbook if it gets lost or stolen or destroyed.

That actually works pretty well. I have kind of a kneejerk reaction against wizards as 'boring'. I think a lot of people react the same way to fighters. But Order of Scribes looks great.
I would still want to do something to reflect some kind of weird fishy heritage, though, since wizards don't cast from bloodline. Simic Hybrid might be a good pick. Or are there any feats I should know about?