#those can't make new spell slots over 5th level.

[thewinedarksea]

can you elaborate on your lantern dnd class?? sounds intriguing

:DDD i most definitely can!

as a quick note: while this class is stable in combat, and was made with a close attention to numbers (ty anna, queen of mechanics), this is not a professional class and so the balance is almost certainly off and i know this--it's a fun class to play in a series of interconnected one-shots. also, not something to try at home unless you and your dm have a good grasp of mechanics; we did not make this up arbitrarily and it does take a solid amount of work to execute it.

under the cut bc i am delightedly rambling.

some backstory for the class: anna & i have created a shared dnd world that plays both with the established setting of 5e and a lot of our own, personal lore (the document is....horrifyingly long). one of the concepts that anna created was that of a divine city--a city that embodied, however we chose to interpret that, its god. there are 7; 5 official and 2 unofficial. of those, one of them is emporia.

emporia was my own creation, one of the unofficial divine cities. it is essentially a city where gods go to not die; a city where worshippers and wanderers and wonderers congregate; a city of wreckage and rubble built into something new and mostly alive and only somewhat dead.

it is embodied in the lanterned god (also known as the lighted king, the shopkeeper, god-guarder, he that gathers prayers, the undying wick). the lanterned god stores every god that comes into emporia in a lantern in his shop and keeps watch over them. this is not great for many of the gods! they would like to Live and to live means to be Worshipped and they cannot do that when the latnerned god is keeping them close and fast. (he is not a particularly kind god. covetous, though? oh yes.)

in canon, my pc, ori, apprentice to this god, crept into his shop one night and stole away 7 gods to place back into the world. thus the name. she is the only one of her class, and the first.

anyways!

mechanically, the lantern-bearer is based on a monk class (specifically way of the sun soul). so that's how you get your base stats + access to armored defense + extra attack abilities beginning at 5th level. we also gave ori light bolt (her staff is where she equips lanterns and is her only melee attack weapon). spellcaster rules do apply: you can't cast twice. because her gods are always with her, we also drew from the path of the ancestors barbarian subclass. this gives access to spirit shield, consult the gods, divine intervention*, and vengeful gods at higher levels.

*fun fact about divine intervention: as it is a d8, each slot is corresponded to one of the 7 gods ori stole, and the 8th is tied to the lanterned god himself. when a god is placed, the slot corresponding to them becomes vacant; essentially, the more ori does her job, the harder this feature is to use successfully.

so monk base, ancestors flavoring. for spells, though, it's pure cleric. ori is *not*, to be clear, a cleric to the gods she carries; if anything, she would be one for the lanterned god, as he is the only god she truly worships.

while she has a god equipped, she has access to their domain spell lists--not *cleric* spells, only the ones that are tied to their domain. she can only have one god equipped at a time, and can only change gods 3-4 times per long rest. changing gods (and, thus, domains) is a bonus action. i had gods from the tempest, grave, twilight, nature, trickery, and life domains, but that can differ. she also is granted divine strike when fighting with her staff and access to channel divinity (radiance of the lantern).

this class, while very powerful at lower-levels, is actually designed with a major handicap in terms of character progression! as you place gods out, you lose access to their slots--thus, the higher level you get, the *less* you have to work with (if you're doing your job right). ori has currently placed out 3 gods, leaving her down her most powerful damage domain (tempest) and a good supporting domain (grave). (first god was placed prior to campaign start and thus has no assigned domain.)

it's wildly fun to play and so heavily rooted in in-game lore and worldbuilding that it is 100% up my alley.

this is a brief overview, and i am more than happy to talk about the class more! i'm very fond of ori and the world she inhabits.

[seashaper]

so i have this flow, normally. the energy of my soul channels through me very slightly as i just exist, more so when i use my power. this was sort of like that, but the flow of being literal water was far different. it had physics to it, of course, i could feel my soul drifting around itself, and inside itself, and i was in every part of it, every drop was something i was aware of and could move individually or as part of a mass, part of my full self, even, in humanoid form, all my stuff transformed with me. very handy. when i got into another container of water it was different..i was spread out a bit more, i felt bigger, but less in control. i stll managed to pull myself together, enough, and immediately figured out i can cast control water while doing that, so that’s badass. means i can flow in any direction, much more precisely, with more water involved, and i’m still in control of every movement, even from a slightly different perspective. i can hold together without dripping. i can splash a bit and draw the drops back in. i can be humanoid consistently and interact with some things, though nothing requiring real grip or touch. weirdly i can see from any part of my body i choose, that’s a bit overwhelming, but. well. water doesn’t have eyes. i think i have enough weight and strength to my currents that i could make a small wave if i wanted, and i’m reasonably sure that not a lot can kill me like that. or, well, injure me. if i lose water my power might regenerate it? i’m not risking testing that idea though. i made a water tendril with my body and poked wick with it and it worked pretty damn well. ..this has a lot of potential, and could seriously save my ass one day.

[witchycharacter-sheets]

Ren

Half-Elf Warlock 3 (Revenant)

Alignment: Neutral

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 18/18

Intiative +1

Speed 30 ft.

Ht: 4ft 6in

Abilities Str 7, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 20

Saving Throws:

Wisdom +4, Charisma +7, Deception +0, History +0, Intimidation +0, Investigation +0, Medicine +0, Perception +0, Persuasion +0, Stealth +0, Survival +0

Senses passive Perception 14

Proficient Skills: Deception, Persuasion, Intimidation, Perception, Medicine, Stealth, History, Investigation, Survival

Proficient Other: Light armor, Simple weapons, Flute

Equipment Leather Armor, Light Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts (20), Staff, 2 Dagger, Herbalism Kit, ? Gold (gp), Club

Attacks

Light Crossbow: 3 to hit, 1d8+1 damage, range 80/320 ft.

Dagger: 3 to hit, 1d4+1 damage

Dagger: 3 to hit, 1d4+1 damage, range 20/60 ft.

Club: 0 to hit, 1d4-2 damage

Spells

Cantrips: Sacred Flame, Light, Eldritch Blast, Vicious Mockery, Spare the dying, Shillelagh

Lvl 1: Hellish Rebuke, Protection from evil and good

Lvl 2: Invisibility, Silence

Racial Traits

Ability Score Increase. Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Darkvision. Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice.

Warlock Features

Starting Proficiencies. You are proficient with the following items, in addition to any proficiencies provided by your race or background. Armor: light armor Weapons: simple weapons Tools: none Skills: Choose two skills from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion

Starting Equipment. You start with the following items, plus anything provided by your background. • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon • (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus • (a) a scholar's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack • Leather armor, any simple weapon, and two daggers Alternatively, you may start with 4d4 x 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

Otherworldly Patron. At 1st level, you have struck a bargain with an otherworldly being of your choice - the Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Otherworldly Patron: The Undying. Death holds no sway over your patron, who has unlocked the secrets of everlasting life, although such a prize - like all power - comes at a price. Once mortal, the Undying has seen mortal lifetimes pass like the seasons, like the flicker of endless days and nights. It has the secrets of the ages to share, secrets of life and death. Beings of this sort include Vecna, Lord of the Hand and the Eye; the dread Iuz; the lich-queen Vol; the Undying Court of Aerenal; Vlaakith, lich-queen of the githyanki; and the deathless wizard Fistandantalus. In the Realms, Undying patrons include Larloch the Shadow King, legendary master of Warlock's Crypt, and Gilgeam, the God-King of Unther. Expanded Spell List: The Undying lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. 1st - false life, ray of sickness 2nd - blindness/deafness, silence 3rd - feign death, speak with dead 4th - aura of life, death ward 5th - contagion, legend lore

The Undying: Among the Dead. Starting at 1st level, you learn the spare the dying cantrip, which counts as a warlock cantrip for you. You also have advantage on saving throws against any disease. Additionally, undead have difficulty harming you. If an undead targets you directly with an attack or a harmful spell, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC (an undead needn't make the save when it includes you in an area effect, such as the explosion of fireball). On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or forfeit targeting someone instead of you, potentially wasting the attack or spell. On a succesful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. An undead is also immune to this effect for 24 hours if you target it with an attack or a harmful spell.

Pact Magic. Your arcane research and the magic bestowed on you by your patron have given you facility with spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the warlock spell list. Cantrips You know two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn additional warlock cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Warlock table. Spell Slots The Warlock table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your warlock spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest. For example, when you are 5th level, you have two 3rd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell thunderwave, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell. Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher At 1st level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn a new warlock spell every time you gain a level from 2 through 9, as well as at level 19. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what's shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 6th level, for example, you learn a new warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Spellcasting Ability Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a warlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC: 8 + Proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier Spell attack modifier: Proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier Spellcasting Focus You can use an arcane focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.

The Undying Light: Radiant Soul. Starting at 1st level, your link to the Positive Plane allows you to serve as a conduit for radiant energy. You have resistance to radiant damage, and when you cast a spell that deals radiant damage or fire damage, you add your Charisma modifier to that damage. Additionally, you know the sacred flame and light cantrips and can cast them at will. They don't count against your number of cantrips known.

Eldritch Invocations. In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed eldritch invocations, fragments of forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability. At 2nd level, you gain two eldritch invocations of your choice. Your invocation options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain warlock levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level. A level prerequisite in an invocation refers to warlock level, not character level.

Eldritch Invocation: Agonizing Blast. Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip When you cast eldritch blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.

Eldritch Invocation: Fiendish Vigor. You can cast false life on yourself at will as a 1st-level spell, without expending a spell slot or material components.

Pact Boon: Pact of the Tome. Your patron gives you a grimoire called a Book of Shadows. When you gain this feature, choose three cantrips from any class's spell list. The cantrips do not need to be from the same spell list. While the book is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. They don't count against your number of cantrips known. Any cantrip you cast with this feature is considered a warlock cantrip for you. If you lose your Book of Shadows, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.

Background Traits

Call Of The Grave. Your demeanor can suggest that something unnatural happened to you. When you want to, you can exude an air that subtly hints at your formerly deceased status. When this is in effect, normal people naturally tend to avert their gaze and consciously avoid acknowledging you. While you are in groups or public places, unless they are directly affected by your conduct or they have some duty to engage with you, most people prefer to let others deal with you. This might mean they fail to report (or claim they "didn't notice") minor criminal acts you commit to the city guard, or fail to challenge you when you are in a place they know you ought not to be. Unless it affects them directly or it's their job to deal with such things, they hope someone else takes care of it. The effect is quite opposite on clerics of deities who deal with the dead, necromancers, and sentient undead. While others are inclined to look away, the attention of those comfortable with death is immediately drawn by your close connection to the grave. This feature need not always be in effect, and you can choose to put on a mask of seeming normalcy and let your natural charisma shine through. On a deeper level, though, perhaps this unnaturalness is the "real" you.

Languages. Any one language of your choice, which can be exotic.

Tool Proficiencies. You are proficient with either (A) any one gaming set, though Death prefers to play Dragonchess, or (B) one musical instrument, set of artisan's tools or the herbalism kit if you used either of them in your prior life.

Equipment. A trinket of your past (a ring, brooch, a yellowed and faded love letter, lock of a loved one's hair, etc.), a set of travelers clothes (either of an archaic design or otherwise dated in their fashion sense), the gaming set or tool with which you are proficient, a pair of gloves, and a belt pouch containing 30 gp.

Inventory:

Necklace:

Ren had an...pretty good life. His relationship with his parents was okay, if a bit distant. He was doing well studying to become a doctor, and had his beautiful fiance Vyeran. He liked to experiment with necromancy, hoping to find a way to lengthen life, prevent death, or some way to automatically revive the fallen, even if just once. It probably wasn't what most thought of with necromancy, incorporating it into the medical field, but it was his dream. A future where he discovered a way to help people, married to the love of his life.

And then the pandemic happened. Him and Vyeran eventually had to grab what they could and leave because of the looters. It was a few weeks when Vyeran got bit. They knew what happened once you got bit, it was common knowledge you would turn. Vyeran looked him in the eye and asked Ren to kill him. He didn't want to become undead. But Ren didn't want to shoot Vyeran. He didn't want to watch the light fade out of his beloved's eyes. In their arguing however others found them, and Ren's world went dark as him and Vyeran were killed.

When Ren woke up the smell of rot filled his nose and he moved, coughing as he looked around. The supplies were gone, the killers were gone....

Vyeran was gone.

Ren sobbed over the corpse of his fiance. He couldn't even bury him, and simply took the matching necklace his fiance had to remember him by. He found a water source to wash in, and that's when he saw it, a nasty scar right where his heart was. He had died, but instead of becoming undead or going to the afterlife, he was back. Was it his patron? Was it some effect of this pandemic? Whatever it was, Ren decided he would keep it to himself. When the undead destroy everything, best not let everyone know your practically one of them.

It was harder without Vyeran, in more ways than one. No one to keep you company, no one to watch your back, no one to keep watch while you slept. No one to hold you when things became too much....

It was a blessing to find Splendora. People, actual people to live with that wouldn't try to kill him. A place to live instead of moving around every night.

He wishes Vyeran could have seen it.