Hypogeum Classes, Revised

I was looking over my Hypogeum Classes recently and, wow, they are bad. There's a whole class for heists. Heists! Completely irrelevant to the game. So I'm making them better.

Percichen on Tumblr, I think

Sword-Artist

Sword-Artists are those who kindle and unleash their Life, transmuting it into Magic. Unlike sorcerers, they don't need to supplement their Magic with potions. However, their chaotic and fiery Magic is pretty much completely useless for spells. Instead, they just punch people clean in half. Sword-Artists are commonly found among Humans and Darklings. Greyfolk are less common, and Folk are rare to say the least. Skeletons cannot become Sword Artists.

Each template of Sword-Artist gives +1 To-Hit

A: Sword Art, Soul of Flame
B: LIKE LIGHTNING
C: War Aspect
D: Life-Drinker

Sword Art
By focusing for one round, you may unleash an attack that always hits and deals an extra d4 damage for each sword artist template you have. If this doesn’t kill them, you’ve misaligned your meridians and can’t use this until you rest.

Soul of Flame
When you attack with a Sword Art, white flames kindle around you. You do not control these fires, but they do not hurt you. Your next turn, if there is anything flammable nearby (besides your own clothes), your fires will start normal fires.

LIKE LIGHTNING
You can choose to sunder your weapon when you use your sword art. When you do, the d4’s become the weapon’s die. For the rest of the fight, your pure killing intent functions as that weapon (though melee if it was ranged).

War Aspect
When you fight with your pure killing intent, it instead functions as any weapon you have held before. Fights don’t end until everyone you can reach in one turn is dead. You must keep fighting until the fight ends.

Life-Drinker
When you kill a being that did not die instantly to your sword art, your meridians are re-aligned, and you count as having an extra sword artist template.

Satoshi Matsuura

Strife's Child

A Strife's Child is an Adventurer, a Dancer, and a Coward. They can feel the rhythm of Battle, and move in time. Anyone can become a Strife's Child.

Each template of Strife's Child gives +1 AC

A: Motif, Abscond
B: Clever Thing
C: Battle Tech
D: Finisher

Motif
While in Combat, you may focus for a round to begin a kind of war-dance, or battle-trance, which increases the tension of all creatures in combat. When you begin a Motif, place a d6 on the table showing a one. This is the Motif Value. Increase it by one each round. All creatures get a bonus to To-Hit and Damage equal to the Motif Value. If a creature attacks with advantage, double this bonus.

You may end this effect at any time on your turn.

(Motifs stack with multiple Strife's Children)

Abscond
You may always flee combat.

Clever Thing
You have a feel for the mechanisms found in the Hypogeum, their connections and their ebb-and-flow. If you have seen a lock or key, you know its match by sight. If you find a mechanism, like a lever, by examining the floors and walls around it closely, you can tell roughly the direction its corresponding mechanism would be in (e.g. if it opens a door, you could tell what direction the door is in). You have advantage on strength checks to push large blocks, stuck doors, rusty levers, precarious statuary, etc.

Battle Tech
You may increase your To-Hit, Damage, or AC by the Motif Value (in addition to the normal Motif bonus). You must decrease another of these values by the same (e.g. if the Motif Value is 3, you could increase your To-Hit by 3 and decrease your Damage by 3)

Finisher
You may end your Motif with an attack or spell, which gains advantage. Your DM may allow you to customize your finisher with elemental damage or a special effect.

Lily Seika Jones, I think

Charm-seeker

Charm-seekers seek after charms, obviously. Charms are natural or artificial objects which store Magic and Spells. A Charm will absorb ambient magic from the atmosphere to recharge its spell. A Charm-seeker will naturally have an affinity for a certain type of charm based on their own inherent magic.

While Charm-seekers can be found in every race, each race has a different approach. Charm-seekers are most common among Darklings, who tend toward scholarly obsession. Folk Charm-seekers are very cautious and wary, while Humans tend to be experimental and flippant with charms. Skeleton and Greyfolk Charm-seekers tend to be very ostentatious.

(Digression: Charms are items that contain a spell and at least 1 MD. Anyone can use them, but if the MD are used up it normally takes like a week for it to recharge. Also, if a scroll has its MD used up it just crumbles. A used up charm can't be used to cast as a Charm-seeker)

A: Relic
B: Affinity
C: Ritual, +1 MD
D: Aspect

Relic
You possess a charm which resonates with your heart, called your Relic. It gives you two spells and +1 MD which recharges over 24 hours (in addition to the MD contained within that takes a week). Your Relic determines the type of Charms you seek (e.g. a Fire Wand means you seek Fire or Wand charms). You can cast spells contained in charms with the MD your Relic gives you (not the one it contains).

If you lose your Relic or you find a Charm which better resonates with your heart, you can spend a week attuning to it. The new charm must be one that could have been used by your old Relic (e.g. you couldn't start with a fire wand then change to a water orb, at least without changing to a fire orb first).

Affinity
You've grown in your connection with your Relic, and you come to understand some of the Forces of this world through it. You can identify when something is aligned with the same Force as your relic. When you encounter a creature aligned with that force, you can reroll the lower die of the reaction roll.

Ritual
You can destroy a charm for even greater power. When you do this, you may add another MD (in addition to any you spent on the spell and the MD contained withing the charm) to the spell the charm contained. You may also attempt to create a different effect related to the Charm's spell.

(You can't do the first effect with a scroll, but you can do the second)

Aspect
You can perform a Ritual (see above) with all your MD that can manifest the unique synthesis of your inner magic and the Forces of the World. You are clothed in a raiment of power and can summon a unique and legendary weapon for [sum] rounds.

Charm-Seeker Mishaps
1. MD only return on 1-2 for 24 hours
2. Take 1d6 damage
3. Random mutation for 1d6 turns, then save. Permanent on Fail.
4. Obsession. For 1d6 hours, you pick up and refuse to let go of anything related to your Relic
5. You accidentally drained your charm. Add 1 to your [dice] total.
6. You accidentally broke your charm. Luckily, it's reparable. You can still try to cast with it, but it might break.

Varguy

Sorcerer

A Sorcerer is anyone who consumes distilled magic, though most people only use it to refer to someone who uses it regularly. While everyone has an inner magic, most people don't have enough to make use of their spells. Drinking distilled magic gives the Sorcerer the power to cast the spells of their inner being. It also gives them uncanny visions and otherworldly insight which can lead to madness.

As they use magic, it begins to take root in their being, and their minds become more and more attuned to capturing magic from the atmosphere.

Drinking distilled magic can be done by anyone, giving them the first template of Sorcerer. It also deals 1d6 damage to charisma or wisdom. It lasts 24 hours, or until you lose your MD, and all sorcerer templates are lost when it wears off. Gaining or losing sorcerer templates does not mean gaining or losing levels. A first level sorcerer who runs out of Magic loses his sorcerer templates, but is still first level.

Each sorcerer template gives +1 Maximum MD

A: Spells, Distill Magic, Odd Insight
B: The Twelve Branched Wand
C: Palimpsest
D: Wizard

Spells
You know two spells. One is Sorcerous Blast. The other is determined randomly or chosen by you or your DM. You know how to make a Charm so that you can cast these. You also know how to make an impromptu Charm called a Shamble. This takes a minute and some trash. It lasts an hour, or one use, and can't be used by others.

Distill Magic
You know how to get magic out of things. With a way to boil liquids and condense gases, you can produce a dose of Distilled Magic. This takes a magical ingredient, 3 rations, or a large amount of weeds and herbs. You can also distill magic and spells out of charms in a much riskier process.

Odd Insight
When you read a book, examine a mural, or question someone, you can take 1d4 charisma or wisdom damage to ask an additional question about it. This represents the arcane workings of your mind making a deductive/mystic leap, rather than literally reading another fact or asking another question.

The Twelve Branched Wand
You learn two more spells, and Distilled Magic doesn't wear off until you lose all your MD.

Palimpsest
You regain 1 MD per Long Rest, and can edit your spells by rolling your MD. You can make 1 change for each 6. Negotiate with the DM.

Wizardry
You can make an impromptu, one-use edit to a spell if [highest] is 6.

Sorcerer Mishaps
1. MD only return on a 1-2 for 24 hours
2. Take 1d6 Damage
3. Random mutation for 1d6 turns, then save. Permanent on Fail.
4. Blind 1d6 rounds
5. You smell like magic. Magic eating creatures will be drawn towards you until you bathe
6. All your magic comes out of you in an arcane sneeze, everyone saves vs. being dazzled

 

For Sorcerers and Charm-Seekers, when you first roll a doom, select Obsession, Rejection, or Transformation. You follow that doom track for each subsequent doom.

Obsession
1. You become obsessed with your source of power. You must immediately seclude yourself for 1d6 days to pursue your power (contemplating your relic's force or brewing way too much magic). If you do not, you take 1d6 permanent Wis or Cha damage.
2. Every day you don't pursue your power, you take 1d6 permanent Wis or Cha damage
3. You abandon all other goals and seek to become the WISEST WIZARD. Make a new PC.

Rejection
1. Your magic leaves you for 1d6 days.
2. Your magic leaves you for 1d6 days, and you cast your most harmful spell targeting yourself with max MD (does not trigger mishaps or dooms).
3. All the magic leaves your body permanently. Save or Die.

Transformation
1. Gain a beneficial mutation. Gain +1 MD.
2. Gain a malignant mutation. Gain +1 MD.
3. Become a Monster. Make a new PC.

They say Doom can be avoided by slaying the Dragon