[PEACH] Asha'man: The weavers of Saidin (New Class with 3 Subclasses)

[AmbientRaven]

Hi Folks!

Over the past week I have been working on my first homebrew class based on the Asha'man from the Wheel of Time series. The class idea originated form some discussion in my play group and my mind ran with it. This is my first attempt at home-brewing a class (almost) from scratch.

The class is based around concentration spells and how it interacts with them. It uses a point system to enable multiple concentration spells at once with reduced DC's. But enough of the overview, here it is! Please comment and give advise :)

The Asha'man

Credit to Chase Stone for this amazing picture

Asha’man are Rare and strange individuals. They walk the lands, channelling the power of Saidin. What Saidin is, no one can really say. Being awakened to Saidins power allows the Asha’man to see the very fabric of the universe, the fabric of life and all things. This is how they perform what others see as magic, by altering the weaves of this fabric; this is why Asha’man call what they perform as weaves, as opposed to spells. But, it comes at a cost. Too much exposure to Saidins power for too long can cause an Asha’man to go insane, possibly losing their powers if they try to handle too much at once. Knowing this doesn’t prevent most Asha’man from harnessing Saidins power, for, such power is addictive, seductive, and, Dangerous.




Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Asha’man level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armour
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Longswords
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Strength
Skills: Choose two from Animal handling, Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight, Perception, Persuation, Survival

Spell casting
You have been awakened to the power of Saidin. A unique way of seeing the world and the magic that inhibits it. Using this new form of sight allows you to alter what you see as the “weave of the world”, the small pieces that make up the whole.

The Three Ways of Saidin
The three separate paths an Asha’man may walk guides them to a different way to view Saidins power. Each individual Asha’man subtype has its own unique spell list.

Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the corresponding Asha’man spell list. You learn additional Asha’man cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Asha’man table.

Spell Slots
The Asha’man table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these Asha’man spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell chromatic orb and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast chromatic orb using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the corresponding Asha’man spell list. The Spells Known column of the Asha’man table shows when you learn more Asha’man spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Asha’man spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Asha’man spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spell casting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Asha’man spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to project your will into the world. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Asha’man spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Saidins Focus
Starting at 1st level when the Asha’man is holding a concentration spell, they receive advantage on Perception checks. (This does not count with a tied off weave)

Training of the Black Tower
Asha’man are trained in the ability to channel Saidin through their blades. Starting at 1st level an Asha’man may channel Saidin through his sword. They may use their wisdom modifier as their to hit and damage modifier on sword weapons. This acts like a Cantrip that requires concentration which lasts up to one minute and only affects one handed swords (you may cast other concentration spells while concentrating on Training of the Black Tower, but, you must tie them off)

My Weapon is My Life
At 1st level, you learn a weave that creates a magical bond between yourself and one weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the bonding, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond. Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself you can use the weapon as your magical focus to channel Saidin. If the weapon is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to travel towards you at 30 feet per round, this movement can still be blocked by physical walls, being pinned down etc. You can only bond one handed sword weapons you are proficient in, and may only have one bonded weapon at a time. Bonding a new weapon breaks the bond on the old one.

It’s too much!
The Asha’man sees and hears more than a mortal is supposed to. Starting from 1st level, whenever you hold a concentration spell for more than one round, you must roll 1D10. On a roll of a 1 you must immediately roll on the insanity table, with its effect coming into play immediately.

Spoiler: Insanity Table

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The Weaves of Saidin
An Asha’man see’s magic in a different light. Often they describe the way they see the world, and the way time travels through the plane as weaves and strands within the great tapestry of time. The power of Saidin allows them to see this time weave, and effect it, creating effects that people often mistake as arcane magic. Starting at 2nd level they gain a new weave point as seen in the Asha’man class table. These points can be used to tie off spells and for other effects depending upon the path they choose to follow. The weave points regenerate after a long rest.

The way of the weave
Asha’man learn the ways of Saidin. An Asha’man learns early how to “tie off” their weaves, allowing them to have more than one concentration spell activate at one time. Starting at 2nd level, the Asha’man gains the ability to tie off their concentration based spells. The spell is tied off for 1/2 it's normal duration, rounded up (so 1 Minute becomes 30 seconds). A tied off spell has a -2 to its DC save, and damaging spells deal 1 die less in damage (minimum of 1 damage die) when it is tied off. (A DC 15 hold person is DC 15 on the turn it is cast, it is then tied off. On the following turn, due to being tied off it is DC 13). The Asha’man must declare that they are tying off a spell after the spell is cast, they can wait and see if an opponent fails their save before choosing to tie off the spell. The standard rules for concentration spells take effect, so you cannot hold concentration on one spell then cast another concentration spell that you declare will be tied off. If you tye off a weave that targets multiple targets due to increasing it’s spell level (Increased level Hold Person for example) you must pay the weave point cost for each affected target. The way of the weave can only be used on spells learned and gained from the Asha’man spell table.

(you get 2 points at level 2, and 1 point every level after that. Ending on 20 points, the table didnt copy and paste well sorry)

Angreal
Angreal are sacred relics of Saidin. Within them is a power that can only be awakened when held by an Asha’man. Upon being awakened to their abilities, an Asha’man is gifted with 3 Angreals and a Sa’Angreal. As the Asha’man gains experience with Saidin they unlock the secret of their angreals. Starting at 3rd level, then again at 8th and 13th levels the Asha’man gains the effects of one of the angreals on the corresponding angreal list.

Control of Saidin
Experianced Asha’man master their ability to control Saidin and his weaves. At 20th level, if you have no weave points at the start of a combat you regenerate 1d10+5 weave points.

Angreal

Level 3
The Weaver: The weave takes the form of a small statue of an old woman sitting before a loom. It grants +2 Weave Points
The Strong-willed: The Strong-willed takes the form of a small statue of a balding confident looking man draped in a toga with a scroll in his hand. It grants +1 to Weave hold duration
The Knight: The Knight takes the form of a small statue of a plate mail armoured warrior It grants advantage on riding checks, and checks to see if you are dismounted for any reason
The Defender: The defender takes the form of a small statue of a father defending his child with a shield. It grants +1 to AC
The Duelist: The Duelist takes the form of a small statue of a confident looking woman lunging with a rapier. It grants +2 Damage when wielding a one handed sword

Level 8
The Hopper: The Hopper takes the form of a small statue of a wolf leaping before a moon. It grants you the ability to replace your movement with a 30 foot teleport up to three times per day (this movement acts like your normal movement, so you may dash as an action and you may split up the movement as per normal)
The Silencer: The silencer takes the form of a small statue of a gagged man. It grants you the ability to counter Spell 2 times per day as reaction. This uses no spell slots
The Traveller: The Traveller takes the form of a small statue of a traveling bard, striding forward, walking stick in hand. It grants you the ability to create a teleportation gate way. The gateway takes 5 minutes to open and remains open for 10 minutes. It is wide enough for a horse and cart to travel through. You may open the gateway to known location (seeing a map is enough). You may do this only once per day.
The Soldier: The Soldier takes the form of a small statue of a veteran soldier cleaning his sword. It grants you the ability to replace your weapons slashing or piercing damage with one of the elements aligned to your subclass. Warders gain either Fire or Cold. Dedicated gains either Radiant or Cold. Soldiers gain Acid, Fire or Force. You may change its element as a bonus action.

Level 13
The Arcanist: The Arcanist takes the form of a small statue of a young boy holding an open flame in his hand. Once per day you can force the target to fail one DC check caused by a fire based spell.
The Resolute: The Resolute takes the form of a small statue of a determined looking young woman standing her ground. Once per day you can force the target to fail one DC check caused by earth based spell.
The Dominant: The Dominant takes the form of a small statue of a cruel looking man holding a slavers whip. Once per day you can force the target to have disadvantage on one wisdom save.
The Fluid: The Fluid takes the form of a small statue of a monk swaying in a breeze. Once per day you can force the target to fail one DC check caused by a water based spell.
The Binder: The Binder takes the form of a small statue of a town constable holding a set of shackles in his hands. Once per day you can force the target to fail one DC check caused by a air based spell.
The Observer: The Observer takes the form of a small statue of a wizened old man looking through a seeing glass. You may learn one new spell from another classes spell list. You may only cast it if you have the Angreal in your possession, and may only select a spell of a level you can cast.

The three paths they walk
When an individual is brought to the Black Tower for training in the ways of Saidin they are tested to see what one of the three aspects of Saidin they can see and channel.
At first level an Asha’man must select one either The Warder path, The Forsakens Path or the Dedicateds Path.

Spoiler: Subclasses

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Subclasses

Spoiler: The Warder

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The Warder

Asha’man whom are awoken to the path of the Warder blend Saidins power with the desire to protect those they care about. They come from many walks of life. Some were soldiers, some farmers, and others aristocrats. What they all have in common is the desire to protect. When their eyes were awakened to Saidin they gained the ability to use this new sight to help aid those they travel with, with protective weaves, and, when needed, the ability to harm those who would do harm to those they swear to protect.

Bonus Proficiencies
At first level you gain proficiency in Medium Armour and Martial Weapons

Warders Bond
A warder will bond himself to an ally, protecting them with their life more often than not. Starting at 2nd level, the Warder may perform a bonding ritual with one party member at the beginning of each week. They may only have one bond partner. The bonded pair knows the health and wellbeing of the person they are bonded to. They know how wounded their bond partner is, and their exact location.

Protective Weaves
Warders learn the ways of Saidin, and how to alter its weaves to protect themselves, and the one they are bonded to. At 5th level a Warder always has the Shield spell prepared. A Warder may use 2 weave points to use the Shield spell as a reaction to protect their bond partner. When doing this the Shield spell has a range of 40ft when doing so.

Warder Combat Training
Warders are trained not just in the ways of Saidin, but in the ways of the sword as well. At 7th level a warder gains a second attack. They may replace one of their attack actions with a spell cast (allowing them to attack once, and cast once as a single action), as long as the spells level does not exceed 1/3 the total spell level the Warder can cast

Adapted to the Weave
A Warder is adapt at watching the weaves of magic others use. At 10th level you may select two spells from another subclasses spell list that you always know.

Shared Bond
Warders often put their own bodies at risk to protect those they bond to. At 14th level a Warder may choose to take ½ of the total damage dealt to their bonded companion. This may be done a number of times per day equal to the Warders wisdom modifier. Doing so triggers it’s too much! And you must immediately roll a 1D10, rolling on the insanity table on a result of a 1.

Sa’Angreal - The Warder
The warder takes the form of a statue of a battle hardened warrior, holding their sword point down before them. At t 18th level you unlock the power of the Sa’Angreal which grants you the ability to expend your own hit points to heal your bonded companion as a bonus action, this has no range limit. You may do this even if it reduces you to 0 hit points (but not below 0 hit points)You may also Shield your bonded companion at a range of 120ft.

Spoiler: Warder Spell List

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Warder Spell List
Cantrips: Blade Ward, Create Bonfire, Fire Bolt, Light, Mage Hand, Frostbite, Mending, Thaumaturgy, True Strike,
1st Level: Absorb Elements, Alarm, Chromatic Orb, Colour Spray, Detect Magic, Magic Missile, Silent Image, Witch Bolt, Cure Wounds, Wrathful Smite, Searing Smite
2nd Level: Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp, Warding Wind, Blur, Gust of Wind, Magic Weapon, Mirror Image, Misty Step
3rd Level: Blink, Counter spell, Fireball, Gaseous Form, Haste, Protection from Energy, Melfs Minute Meteors, Tidal Wave, Wall of Water, Blinding Smite
4th Level: Elemental Bane, Watery Sphere, Control Water, Utilukes Resilient Sphere, Staggering Smite
5th Level: Maelstrom, Cone of Cold, Hold Monster
6th Level: Investiture of Ice, Primordial Ward, Globe of Invulnerability, Otilukes Freezing Sphere, Wall of Ice
7th Level: Whirlwind, Prismatic Spray, Teleport, Fire Storm
8th Level: Mind Blank, Power Word: Stun
9th Level: Foresight, Gate, Power Word: Kill, Time Stop

Spoiler: The Forsaken

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The Forsaken

Not all Asha’man who are awakened see the world through the Warders eyes. Some awake to the path of the Forsaken. A Forsaken see’s the world through different eyes thanks to Saidin, and, of all the Asha’man they are the most adept at controlling the weaves of Saidin. With their new sight, they can see how to bend the flow of air to hold someone still; they see how to alter the moisture in the air to make a ranging typhoon, and, they see the threads of a person’s mind, gaining the ability to grant euphoric dreams, or, hideous nightmares.

Focused Will
A Forsaken is more adapt at focusing his mind to Saidins will. A Forsaken counts as being proficient in constitution saves when rolling for concentration checks.

Guided by the weave
The forsaken, more then any other Asha’man are adapt at tying off weaves. At 2nd level they can add 2 more rounds to the total duration of a tied off spell.

Saidins Power
A Forsaken can channel the fury of Saidin through their weaves, making it harder for their target to resist saidins will. From 5th level you may use 2 weave points to increase the DC of any of your spells by 1 (if used on a concentration spell this only increases it’s DC for the turn it is cast, not for subsequent turns)

Saidins Knots
The Forsaken become adapt at the fine manipulation required to tie off weaves. From 7th level your tied off weaves no longer receive -2 to the DC for their duration

Adapted to the Weave
A Forsaken is adapt at watching the weaves of magic others use. At 10th level you may select two spells from another subclasses spell list that you always know.

Saidins Will
A Forsaken becomes adapt at reading the weaves of mind and thought, becoming so fluent they can directly influence an individuals will. From 14th Level you may choose to give advantage or disadvantage to a wisdom save rolled by an ally or an enemy, this takes your reaction for the round. You may do this twice per day. Doing so triggers it’s too much! And you must immediately roll a 1D10, rolling on the insanity table on a result of a 1.

Sa’Angreal - The Forsaken
The Sa’Angreal The Forsaken takes the form of a statue of a heavily robed and cowled individual. When you look at the statue you get the distinct impression it is looking back at you. At 18th level you unlock the power of the Sa’Angreal which grants you the ability to focus your mind to the dominion of another. The target must pass a DC 24 Wisdom save or be completely under your command. You have the ability to siphon their life away. As a bonus action you may drain 3D10 Hit points as a Bonus action at a range of 120feet. You can communicate telepathically with them, issuing orders in such a manner.

Spoiler: Forsaken Spell List

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Forsaken Spell List
Cantrips: Blade Ward, Create Bonfire, Chill Touch, Light, Mage Hand, Frostbite, Gust, Mending, Thaumaturgy, Ray of Frost
1st Level: Absorb Elements, Chromatic Orb, Colour Spray, Detect Magic, Fog Cloud, Magic Missile, Ray of Sickness, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Witch Bolt, Bless
2nd Level: Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp, Snillocs Snowball Swarm, Crown of Madness, Hold Person, Misty Step, Ray of Enfeeblement, Suggestion
3rd Level: Bestow Curse, Fear, Melfs Minute Meteors, Haste, Slow, Wall of Air, Crusaders Mantle
4th Level: Elemental Bane, Watery Sphere, Confusion
5th Level: Maelstrom, Dominate Person, Dream, Geas
6th Level: Investiture of Wind, Primordial Ward, Mass Suggestion
7th Level: Whirlwind, Force Cage, Teleport
8th Level: Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting, Demiplane
9th Level: Gate, Imprisonment, Weird, Time Stop

Spoiler: The Dedicated

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The Dedicated

The Dedicated are one of the more common Asha’man seen throughout the lands. Oft times they are mistaken for sorcerers, for the abilities they wield. Where the Warder uses the power of Saidin to protect, and the Forsaken use it to control and manipulate others, the Dedicatec sees and harnesses Saidin in a different sight, destruction. At the core of their power is the surging destructive power of Saidin, which drives them ever onwards to learning new weaves.

Bonus Proficiencies
You are proficient in the Intimidate & Arcana skills

Saidins Power
The Dedicated often harness the fury of Saidin, projecting it as a physical force. At second level a Dedicated gaina the Elderitch Blast cantrip. They use Wisdom as their spellcasting stat for this spell. This not count against their total number of cantrips known.

Destructive Revelry
The Dedicated becomes adapt at knowing precisely where to aim their spells, learning early how to do maximum damage with them. At 5th level a Dedicated may use 2 weave points to maximise one of the damage die of any fire or earth damage spell.

Saidins Destructive Will
Saidin is a force of pure natural power, the Dedicated learn better than any other Asha’man how to harness this power to turn it against their foes. From 7th Level a Dedicated may add their casting stat modifier to all damaging spell dice rolls.
Adapted to the Destructive Weave
A Dedicated is adapt at watching the weaves of magic others use. At 10th you gain access to the disintegrate spell. You may also select one spell from another subclasses spell list that you always know.

Burst of Power
Though the Dedicated lack the intricacies of weave manipulation that a Forsworn has, they more than make up for it with the will to cause as much damage as possible. To do so many Dedicated learn the secret of combining weaves to create devastating effects. At 14th Level a Dedicated may combine two spells into one cast. This may be done with any spell they can cast, as long as the spells have matching target requirements (target, area of effect ect.) and do damage. The spells need not be the same level. Casting in this way only uses one spell slot, of the highest level used in the combined spell. If the spell causes a negative effect the Dedicated may decide on the order the spells resolve at. A dedicated may do this once per day. Doing so triggers it’s too much! And you must immediately roll a 1D10, rolling on the insanity table on a result of a 1.

Sa’Angreal: The Dedicated
The Sa’Angreal The Dedicated takes the form of a statue of a young man in a long black coat that buttons up at the side. He has a blindfold over his eyes, and holds a strange sword in one hand. At 18th level you unlock the power of the Sa’Angreal which grants you the ability to cast Balefire, the ultimate power of Saidin. When Balefire kills it removes the target from time, as if they never existed.
Once per day you can use Balefire. It causes 30D10 Fire Damage which cannot be mitigated or prevented in any way besides the target passing a Dex save equivalent to the Dedicateds normal spell DC. On a successful save the target takes half damage and counts as prone. Casting Balefire causes 1 levels of Exhaustion, the only way to remove the Exhaustion levels is with long rests, no spells can remove the effects. It cannot be cast while you hold a concentration spell. If you hit a target with a weave you tied off, you restore the weave points used to tie the weave (this happens even if they pass their Dex save). If a creature dies from balefire its body disappears. A creature killed in such a way may not be brought back in any way except by a wish spell that reverses time to before the Dedicated gained the power of the Dedicated Sa’Angreal.

Spoiler: The Dedicated Spell List

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Dedicated Spell List
Cantrips: Blade Ward, Create Bonfire, Fire Bolt, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Thaumaturgy,
1st Level: Absorb Elements, Chromatic Orb, Detect Magic, Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Witch Bolt, Guiding Bolt
2nd Level: Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp, Aganazzar’s Scorcher, Earth Bind, Pyrotechnics, Flaming Sphere, Misty Step, Scorching Ray
3rd Level: Erupting Earth, Fireball, Melfs Minute Meteors, Haste, Wall of Sand, Blinding Smite
4th Level: Elemental Bane, Evards Black Tentacles, Stone Shape, Stone Skin, Wall of Fire
5th Level: Immolation, Wall of Force, Wall of Stone, Flame Strike
6th Level: Bones of the Earth, Investiture of Fire, Primordial Ward, Flesh to Stone, Sunbeam
7th Level: Delayed Blast Fireball, Prismatic Spray, Teleport, Incendiary Cloud, fire storm,
8th Level: Sunburst, Earthquake
9th Level: Meteor Swarm, Power Word: Kill, Time Stop

Artwork is not mine, it is artwork I have found over the past few months and don't know the original artists, but to them I thank them for such great art work!

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and, thank you more so if you have feed back to help me better balance the class!

[The Mystic]

It's usually a bad sign when a class gives you so many things you want. I'd absolutely love to play a warder.

One thing that's done here is that the class has several positives and negatives that are intended to be balanced when they are taken into consideration together. Given that they're not directly comparable, I think that playtesting is really the only way to establish their effectiveness properly, particularly when the mechanics introduces also have no direct comparables in the 1st party product.

Still, it's good to see those balances have clearly been considered. I like that you've subverted the concentration rules, without simply removing their influence on the class, something you don't see too often.

The class has the big positives, but it has big negatives too that make me slightly leery.

Negatives:
Insanity (at least, 8% of the time): It works for some players, but I've never been a fan of exploring the inner workings of a mind as it's being lost.

Reduced DC's: Being fairly iffy things as it is, I'd probably be tempted to write off any DC based spell for the purposes of tying off. (I think this is a good balance choice though, as offensive spells with no concentration requirement have the potential to break encounters)

Very Limited Spells Known: Same as a Sorcerer. I've always felt that they were slightly too limited though, I always wanted just one or two more spells.

Very Limited Spell List: The Wizard, Cleric and Druid have good reason to be limited in their spell selection, because of the way they access their spells on a daily basis. I find the reasons less valid for those who simply use spells known. It's one thing to have a flavourful list, it's another to enforce it. It takes away from the ability for other players to come in with a slightly different vision of the character and pull it off.

Positives:
... I have to go, consider this a work in progress, sorry.

[AmbientRaven]

Thank you for your feedback mystic!

I very much designed the class to be high risk high reward, as, in the books that is what channeling Saidin is.

It has been recommend I change the class names to tie in more with Asha'man ranks, so I am thinking of a class name change to "Channelers of Saidin" or some such then make the classes Warder/Asha'man/Dedicated

[The_Doctor]

Can I point out that you need a feature to make you choose a subclass?

Examples are the Warlock Patron, the wizard School, bard College... It needs a name. And that way you don't have to just say "subclass feature."

EDIT: the artist of the image at the very top is Chase Stone.

[AmbientRaven]

Can I point out that you need a feature to make you choose a subclass?

Examples are the Warlock Patron, the wizard School, bard College... It needs a name. And that way you don't have to just say "subclass feature."

EDIT: the artist of the image at the very top is Chase Stone.

If you hit the spoiler tab where it says Subclasses there is the "Warder" Subclass, "Dedicated" Subclass and the "Forsaken" Subclass. Three distinct subclsasses with unique abilities that make them stand out and take the Asha'man ina differant path (Blast, Protection, Buff/Debuff)

The class features grow with the class. SO they all start with a minor feature (warder: Medium armour/martial weapons/bond; dedicated: elderitch blast; Forsaken: proficiency in con saves when concentrating). it isnt as huge a feature as some other classes, but the class's ability are supposed to grow with the class. Though This is something i can work on

In the table it is listed as Subclass feature so as to not clunk it down listing every single subclass feature int he table, this is a mimic of how they do it in the PHB.

[BRKNdevil]

My current suggestions are,
At 20th level, the ability score improvement (ASI) should be on the 19th level to match the formatting of the rest of dnd 5e

I suggest the bard's spells known rate

You should move some of the abilities to get rid of dead levels.

the suggestions made by The Doctor is not that the individual subclasses have individual names, but that the subclass class feature is not called subclass. I don't know what word you should use to describe the different paths of an asha'man

if we are using the blacktower versions, wouldn't they all know how to use a weapon effectively?

Just noticed this, but is this some weird fusion of 3.5 and 5e? have you looked at the expansion for the wheel of time for 3e?

[The_Doctor]

Yeah. Like the bard only gets to choose a subclass because of the "Bard College" feature. Look in the PHB at the subclasses. This is the case for all of them. The warder might be good, but that is no use if you can't choose it.

[AmbientRaven]

Ah! I understand now!
Sorry rough week, brain wasn't functioning

I have added the line

"The three paths they walk
When an individual is brought to the Black Tower for training in the ways of Saidin they are tested to see what one of the three aspects of Saidin they can see and channel.
At first level an Asha’man must select one either The Warder path, The Forsakens Path or the Dedicateds Path. "

I have changed the spell known progression to match the bard.
I have better spaced out the skill progression and added an 18th level Angreal (in development will update when they are designed)

If we are using the blacktower versions, wouldn't they all know how to use a weapon effectively?

Just noticed this, but is this some weird fusion of 3.5 and 5e? have you looked at the expansion for the wheel of time for 3e?

This isn't a fusion at all, I developed it from the ground up.

As to the weapons, I figured that while yes they have all trained with them, Warders spend more time with them whilst the dedicated focus on honing their destructive powers and the forsaken focus more on mastering Saidin


Thank you so much for feed back!
One of my players is play testing it today in our game to see how it goes

[The_Doctor]

In case you missed my comment, the artist of the art at the very top of the thread is made by Chase Stone.

[AmbientRaven]

In case you missed my comment, the artist of the art at the very top of the thread is made by Chase Stone.

Thank you, I have given credit to him under the picture :)

Last night saw the first Asha'man game, It played well, it was a short is battle but he performed on par with the sorc/warlock, light cleric.

Next week should hopefully see more encounters to see how it stands in a non direct fight

[Fizban]

While you do have a fine and detailed class, if I'm honest I don't like it very much. Tying off what I call "sustained" spells (concentration spells) is actually a viable mechanic now where it was unnecesary in 3.5 and what you've got there is quite good, but the rest of the fluff doesn't match either the books or what I'd expect from a DnD class with a WoT slant. I don't want to go line by line with all my disagreements and I wouldn't suggest you should throw out all your hard work, but I think it would be easier and truer to the books to just use a combination of sorcerer variants:

Metamagic becomes Weaving, still converts between weave points and spell slots but use WoT stuff. Tying off spells would be one (cost in points=spell level), inverting weaves so they're undetectable could be another. If there end up being too many options, consider giving more picks but adding restrictions to the base class such as Embracing the Source: you can only hold the power for so long without consequences (maybe even per short rest), so if surprised you're usually restricted to spells no higher than half your highest level on the first round (similar to spending half your move speed to stand up). There could be a "metamagic" to speed that up too.

Origins are replaced with Talents such as:

Weavesight: you can recognize any spell you see cast, and thus can learn any spell from any list instead of just the Sorcerer list (or Adept or Accepted/Dedicated list, if you want more permission on non-Weavesights and write a new list). Your spells known list is more of a suggestion, since at higher levels you can (with difficulty, read: increased casting time) cast any spell you've seen before. Probably gains bonus spells known and Detect Magic at-will.

Travelling: similar to the divination specialist wizard, you get a refund every time you cast a teleportation spell, then faster teleports and so on. Probably gets teleports known for free.

Ter-Angreal Crafting: you can craft magic items, have fun trying to design a system for something 5e doesn't want player to do.

Healing: self-explanatory really, just boost healing and give spells known. Maybe write a Delving effect since I don't think there's a way to figure out what's wrong with someone in 5e.

Asha'man training: you don't have a rare talent, but you're practiced at destroying things and were trained in mundane combat for facing magic-resistant foes.

Aes Sedai training: you don't have a rare talent, but you're practiced at maneuvering through intrigue and have the backing of well-known organization. Said organization is organized by power, so the stronger you get, the more you'll get out of it.


The standard metamagic options aren't actually inappropriate for WoT either since slots and points convert both ways so it's all just power and there's plenty of overchanneling going on there. Slight problem with lack of components vs subtle spell but eh. For flavor reasons some light restrictions could apply: no summoning or raising the dead, no treating animals like they're intelligent, male/female split on seeing weaves and certain talents or metamagics if those are slanted one way or the other. Healing spells past Cure Wounds might be restricted to those with the Weavesight or Healer Talents. Summon Familiar could be allowed but only if you're a bad person and cast it on a living rat or raven (The Dark One's Eyes). But that's only really needed if you want a very WoT game, in which case 5e isn't really the right system.

The reason I think it's better to do it this way is because the freedom of being a channeler in WoT was kinda the point. WoT generally treats channeling like any other knowledge, there's no arbitrary limit preventing you from using a weave you've learned at any time. Any limit on accessible spells or spells-known beyond "can't learn from the opposite gender" or "only group X knows and they won't tell" is counter to the canon. Now, 5e doesn't model the power difference at all when it comes to brand new Accepted freezing people in place with air for hours at a time without fail, but that's all the more reason to stick to it elsewhere. A WoT game in 5e wouldn't look like WoT at all so I wouldn't lean too hard on the flavor restrictions, but adapting the existing Sorcerer's Metamagic and Origin abilities into Weaving and Talents similar to WoT channelers would fit in just fine.

[AmbientRaven]

Thank you for the honest feedback Fizban :)

I understand exactly what you are saying, and, originally that was the plan. But as we started working on it we decided that making anew class would be the better path.

We considered burning weave points for extra spell slots, but, that is very much a Sorcerer ability. We also decided that spell slots best represents the fatigue that comes with channeling Saidin.

We also had varied spell lists because in WoT not all channelers can perform the same weaves. Some are better at traveling, some are better at healing, and some are best at destructive weaves. So, although it breaks away from the WoT cannon we decided we would represent this talent for certain weaves by having separate spell lists for each Path. The can't learn from the opposite gender is a theme we ran with with spell selections. We roughly divided spells up into the elements (Males are better with earth and fire in WoT, females with Air and Water. Spirit goes both ways but more Forsaken inclined), which also dictated the spell lists.

We were trying to blend the feel of an Asha'man and weaver with a class that mechanically fits with D&D 5e

[The_Doctor]

The second image was made by samarski on DeviantArt.
The last image was made by anndr, also Deviant Art.

[The_Doctor]

*le bump. Can't let this die.

[AmbientRaven]

Update!
Asha'MAn Warder:
The class has been used for three weeks now. It is playing very well, functioning fantastically as a magic based tank. The tieing off spells has been strong,m but not over powered yet as the reduced duration is impacting them significantly. Also the insanity rules have worked fantastic.

So far I am very happy with its in game performance.

[sephorth]

Had a lot of fun with this class. Great work!

[kstyrax]

I only just stumbled across this class but it's something I'm very much interested in playing, I wonder if you could clarify a few things for me.

I'm not sure if i'm just being a bit stupid but in the table for level progression you've got a column for Weave Die but I can't see any reference to these anywhere else. What exactly are these used for? Another thing, with regard to tying off weaves maybe i'm just being obtuse but how exactly is that done? How many weave points have to be spent per spell/spell level?

Finally this is far less important but in the Dedicated subclass section the Lv 10 ability "Adapted to the Destructive Weave" section's heading hasn't been properly formatted. It doesn't really matter but if it was me I'd want to be told so I could fix it and satisfy my pseudo OCD tendencies.