PhoenixPhyre
2021-04-04, 11:54 PM
I've got a class I've been tinkering with off and on. The specifics aren't all that relevant, so they're spoilered.
It's a permanent pet class, designed around elemental themes. Warlock-style casting, but without the heavy lift of EB+invocations and mostly a support-style list. Instead, most of the punch comes from their pet and your choice of synergies (invocations, basically, except they influence how your pet operates). Things like "when you cast a spell, your pet can do X" or "when your pet <activates its special ability>, your <thing> against targets in its area of effect <is better>."
The ability in question comes in pretty early and is related to the pact-boon replacement. I call them spirals, and there's either the Inward Spiral or the Outward Spiral. The Inward Spiral is more buffing/support/healing, while the Outward Spiral is more aggressive and offense focused. Which spiral you choose influences what your pet does and what your synergies do.
Unlike a pact boon, you can change it every combat by using the following ability (fluff only half formed at this point):
Walk the Spiral Path
Starting at level 2, your power either flows outward or inward, assaulting foes or warding allies. <insert fluff> After the initiative order is determined but before the first creature takes its turn, you must choose either the Inward or Outward spiral. That choice has the following immediate effect depending on which path you choose and stays in effect until the next time you enter initiative.
* Outward spiral: Choose a hostile creature you can see. Subtract X from its initiative score and add that same amount to your own initiative score, rearranging the turn order if necessary.
* Inward spiral: Subtract X from your own initiative score. Choose an ally you can see. That ally's initiative score increases by that same amount, rearranging the turn order if necessary.
I can see Assassin rogues loving having someone use the Inward Path on them.
But this is also kinda meta. Kinda really meta. And depending on the value of X (yet to be determined), it could often have no effect other than causing a delay in getting combat started (if X + your initiative and their initiative - X are both far enough away from the next person in the order, it doesn't change anything). Maybe instead say that you can choose to swap initiative with another creature (hostile and ahead of you for outward, friendly and behind you, with their consent)?
It's a permanent pet class, designed around elemental themes. Warlock-style casting, but without the heavy lift of EB+invocations and mostly a support-style list. Instead, most of the punch comes from their pet and your choice of synergies (invocations, basically, except they influence how your pet operates). Things like "when you cast a spell, your pet can do X" or "when your pet <activates its special ability>, your <thing> against targets in its area of effect <is better>."
The ability in question comes in pretty early and is related to the pact-boon replacement. I call them spirals, and there's either the Inward Spiral or the Outward Spiral. The Inward Spiral is more buffing/support/healing, while the Outward Spiral is more aggressive and offense focused. Which spiral you choose influences what your pet does and what your synergies do.
Unlike a pact boon, you can change it every combat by using the following ability (fluff only half formed at this point):
Walk the Spiral Path
Starting at level 2, your power either flows outward or inward, assaulting foes or warding allies. <insert fluff> After the initiative order is determined but before the first creature takes its turn, you must choose either the Inward or Outward spiral. That choice has the following immediate effect depending on which path you choose and stays in effect until the next time you enter initiative.
* Outward spiral: Choose a hostile creature you can see. Subtract X from its initiative score and add that same amount to your own initiative score, rearranging the turn order if necessary.
* Inward spiral: Subtract X from your own initiative score. Choose an ally you can see. That ally's initiative score increases by that same amount, rearranging the turn order if necessary.
I can see Assassin rogues loving having someone use the Inward Path on them.
But this is also kinda meta. Kinda really meta. And depending on the value of X (yet to be determined), it could often have no effect other than causing a delay in getting combat started (if X + your initiative and their initiative - X are both far enough away from the next person in the order, it doesn't change anything). Maybe instead say that you can choose to swap initiative with another creature (hostile and ahead of you for outward, friendly and behind you, with their consent)?