D&D 5e Base Class Contest III: The Elements, and not the periodic ones (probably?)!

**Requilac** · 2018-07-31, 06:12 PM (ISO 8601)

Welcome to the 3rd competition between playgrounders to create a homebrewed base class for Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition. This concept was heavily based around the Base Class Contests for 3.5e on this forum, but they are by no means officially related and this competition runs on slightly a slightly different ruleset. Please only place the your class submissions in this thread and leave other comments for the chat thread. The rules for the contest are as follows.
1) The class you homebrew should follow the theme of The Elements. For the most part I am referring to the four cardinal elements of fantasy; air, earth, fire and water, but you don't have to be constrained to that. You can include things such as paraelements like dust, ice, magma, mud, smoke, steam, expanded elements system that may include things like metal or wood, less conventional elements such as light or darkness, or even the periodic elements. So long as you can justify that your class fits the theme, it will be allowed.
2) You may only create one base class. If you create more than one class then you must choose which one to enter and remove all the others from this thread and the contest (making them invalid) . If you do not specify which one you favor by the time voting begins, all of your content is invalid.
3) When you submit your class you must create a post on this thread which either has the content or holds a link to it. You may also optionally create one other individual thread for your class on the homebrew design sub-forum. If it is found that you have revealed your class on another site or on another thread then one on the homebrew design sub-forum, you will be disqualified. If you do make a specific thread for you class, please mention its involvement to the competition in that thread.
4) You may use other homebrew content (such as feats, spells, magical items and monsters) or even features which you have created elsewhere to supplement your class, but these must be written at least partially by you. Taking a concept from someone else’s homebrew is acceptable, but the exact mechanics cannot be the same. Failure to comply to either of the previous two rules will result in disqualification.
5) Your class must have fully completed mechanics and descriptions for it to be valid. Entries are due at 11:59 pm on September 23rd Eastern Standard Time. Any submissions after this point are invalid. No changes can be made to your class while voting is taking place. Failure to comply with the previous rule will result in disqualification.
6) Any content which has been declared invalid by the rules above cannot be voted for, but you may decide to remove it from the contest and create another class instead. If you are disqualified then you are not allowed to enter any more homebrew for this competition, though you may still vote and later enter the next competition.
7) Please note that misunderstandings occur, if you break a rule which results in disqualification it might be excused if you can convince the group that it was a result of confusion over the rules.

Chat Thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...4#post23265144
Voting Thread: yet to be created

Keep in mind that this contest is entirely for recreational purposes and there is no reward (aside from bragging rights) for someone who succeeds. Let us begin!

**Jormengand** · 2018-08-04, 01:43 PM (ISO 8601)

The Channeller
"Life comes and goes, but energy never dies."

Channellers subscribe to an ancient tradition which links eight core motives, eight core actions, and eight core priorities. Combining these three elements blesses the channeller with eight final consequences, tools with which to achieve their aims.

Adventures: Channellers wish to enhance their powers, and also to make sense of the world. Their eight core motives also play into their spirit of adventure.

Characteristics: Channellers create eight consequences, each born of a motive, an action, and a priority. Once a motive, action or priority is used to create a consequence, it cannot then be used to create another. Thus, there are 512 possible consequences and 1,625,702,400 possible combinations of eight consequences.

Alignment: Any. An array of motivations provides an array of alignments.

Religion: Channellers might think of deities as entirely peripheral to their tenets, as the critical foundation thereof, or anywhere in-between.

Background: Channellers are often inducted into their tradition by other channellers, but may also have taken an interest in a book on the subject.

Races: Any. The tradition is originally an avariel one, but its power calls to all who will embrace it.

Other Classes: The channeller is seen as an unusual sort, but their power is undeniable.

Role: With preparation, a channeller can assume a variety of roles, though using their most powerful abilities outside of the most desperate situations will quickly leave them helpless, and they cannot be relied on to provide consistently the kinds of abilities usually reserved for spells.

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per channeller level.
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier.
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier for each channeller level after 1st.

Proficiencies
Armour: Light armour, medium armour, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, nets, and all martial weapons with the ammunition or finesse property.
Tools: Any artisan's tools.
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: You are proficient with religion, or if already proficient in religion, choose one of arcana, history and nature. Then, choose any two skills to be proficient with.

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

Any simple weapon
a) a net or b) any martial weapon with the finesse or ammunition property.
a) any simple weapon, net, or martial weapon with the finesse or ammunition property or b) any shield
Any artisan's tools
Any light or medium armour

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Necessity	Urgency	Salience	Gravitas	Importance	Pertinence	Utility	Preference
1st	+2	Channelling	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2nd	+2	Overload	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
3rd	+2	Meditate (1)	3	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
4th	+2	Ability Score Increase	4	3	2	1	1	1	1	1
5th	+3	Extra Attack	5	4	3	2	1	1	1	1
6th	+3	Prime Motive	6	5	4	3	2	1	1	1
7th	+3	Prime Action	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	1
8th	+3	Ability Score Increase	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
9th	+4	Desperate Overload	9	8	7	6	4	3	2	1
10th	+4	Meditate (2)	10	9	8	6	5	4	2	1
11th	+4	Prime Motive Feature	11	10	8	7	5	4	3	1
12th	+4	Ability Score Increase	12	10	9	7	6	4	3	2
13th	+5	Prime Action Feature	13	11	9	8	6	5	3	2
14th	+5	Dire Overload	14	12	10	8	7	5	4	2
15th	+5	Prime Motive Feature	15	13	11	9	7	5	4	2
16th	+5	Ability Score Increase	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2
17th	+6	Meditate (3)	17	15	12	10	8	6	4	2
18th	+6	Prime Action Feature	18	16	13	11	9	7	4	2
19th	+6	Ability Score Increase	19	17	14	11	9	7	5	2
20th	+6	Relink the Chain	20	18	15	12	10	8	5	2

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the channeller.

Channelling

As a channeller, you master the spiritual link between motive, action, and priority. Each of these consists of eight elements that can be combined into a consequence, the compound form that provides you with your powers. This section first covers the principle behind channelling, and then explains how it works in practice.

Channelling in Theory

Samkah, the Motive

Living creatures have desires, ambitions, and fears. What sets a human or elf or even a frog apart from an automaton, or a river, or a spell is agency. The automaton follows its orders, the river flows not by choice but at the whims of wind and tide, and even mighty spells that move mountains or turn civilisations into graveyards only do so at the behest of the caster.

Samkah is the principle behind this. Alone, a Samkah is nothing but empty thought - if you have no arms, you cannot reach out and grab someone no matter how much you will it. However, Samkah leads to Matuzi, or action.

The eight Samkahs are as follows:

Idrej, the Kinship
"United we stand; divided we fall."
― Aesop.

Idrej is the feeling of connection with our fellow being or the world around us. It is characterised by a sense of community and belonging, and actions born of Idrej are usually done in service to other living beings. Idrej is represented by the colour cyan.

Mobiza, the Hatred
"When your people rise against you, you will curse my name to the heavens, and the heavens will side with me."
― Captain Listrata, War of Omens

Mobiza, at its best, is a desire to create change and oppose those who are tyrants or otherwise stand in the way of what is right and good, but equally, Mobiza represents prejudice, and scorn for those who are considered outsiders. Mobiza is represented by the colour red.

Nist, the Principle
“Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour [...] If at my convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Nist is one's conscience, one's learned behaviour, one's line in the sand. Everyone has one, even if it's just trying to prove that they don't. Morality is a major part of Nist, but there is yet honour among thieves. Nist is represented by the colour blue.

Kaytu, the Ego
"Show me someone with no ego and I'll show you a loser."
― Donald J. Trump

Kaytu is self-interest, self-actualisation, self-discovery and self-importance, but it is also willpower and determination. The will to know more about who you are, the pride in what you've done and the protection of your own interests is Kaytu, which is represented by the colour yellow.

Mipiu, the Instinct
"Assuming is like breathing. You only really notice you've been doing it when you stop. And then you die."
― High Priest of Hel, The Order of the Stick

Mipiu is one's hunger and thirst, the primal forces that make us fulfil their goals if we wish to survive. Simple, and yet brutally effective as a motivating factor, Mipiu is represented by the colour green.

Kaskar, the Reasoning
"Ask yourself only and solely: "What are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts bear out?"."
― Bertrand Russell.

Kaskar is born of the ability of a person to choose their own goals. A commander shows their Kaskar when they effect a brilliant stratagem, not because they desire it to be so but simply because it makes sense. Kaskar is represented by magenta.

Yexaki, the Desire
"Some men's hearts are like a lock to pick, but most simply hand you the key."
― Madam Pasqualina, War of Omens

Represented by white, Yexaki is simple wanting of something, or someone. Romantic love is all of Idrej, Kaytu and Mipiu, but most of all, it is Yexaki.

Kutowi, the Fear
"We're vermin to them. We're monsters. Now we can either be alive monsters, or dead monsters. You decide."
- Veradux, Sonny

Kutowi is represented by black. It is the prevention force: the wish for something not to come to pass. To lay low a tyrant to protect the future is an act of Mobiza, Nist, and Kaskar, but none of those so much as Kutowi.

Kinwujo, the Priority

There is less point in explaining exactly the meanings of the different priorities, but in brief, Yekh (Necessity) represents what cannot be eschewed, Vudwe (Urgency) is that which most assuredly should be done, Rabli (Salience), Hutho (Gravitas), Yevil (Importance) and Tilores (Pertinence) are different degrees of impetus to do something, Inuej (Utility) is that which would be advantageous if it were done, and Uzu (Preference) is what would be better done than undone. In effect, these are eight ordered degrees of priority, each of which is represented symbolically by a different level of detail. Kinwujo, it is taught, leads to Matuzi: action.

Matuzi, the Action

All beings take Matuzi, at some level. A rock may sit inert for many years, but when thrown skywards, it comes crashing down. For living creatures, though, Matuzi is the result of Kinwujo. As the wheel turns back around, Matuzi leads to Samkah-Kinwojo, or ambition.

Imqui, the Destroyer
"It took years to build what I can destroy in minutes"
― Theodox, War of Omens

Imqui is destructive force, represented by the clenched fist of one's right hand. To act with Imqui is to attempt damage, harm, or break something.

Dropha, the Mender
"The land is not dead, merely sick. I will nurse it back to health."
― Lifespring Druid, Magic: The Gathering

Dropha is an action that fixes the broken, which is represented by an open-palmed left hand. Dropha restores something to its previous state.

Civar, the Mover
"Change is the only constant."
― Hera****us of Ephesus

Civar is an action that moves or changes something, whether changing its physical location or altering its state. Civar is represented by the left foot in motion.

Hakwi, the Sustainer
"Let sleeping dogs lie."
― Multiple attributions.

Hakwi protects, prevents, and otherwise causes things to remain as they are. It is represented by the right foot flat on the ground.

Kitfo, the Watcher
"Big Brother is watching you."
― George Orwell, 1984

Kitfo is an attempt to glean information about a situation, or otherwise observe it. Kitfo is represented by the left of the face, with open eye and closed mouth.

Rinnata, the Speaker
"One voice can change a room, and if it can change a room it can change a city, and if it can change a city it can change a state, and if it can change a state it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation it can change the world. Your voice can change the world."
― Barrack Obama

Rinnata is a sharing of information, an attempt to convince, or even a simple gesture. Rinnata is depicted as the right side of one's face, with an open mouth and a closed eye.

Ezpar, The Commencer
“Everything starts somewhere, though many physicists disagree. But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of words.”
― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Ezpar is an act of creation or beginning: whether crafting a tool or birthing a child. Ezpar is pictured as a raised left wing.

Levaltu, the Finisher
"This too shall pass."
― Attar of Nishapur

Levaltu is the act of ending something: crushing someone's arm is Imqui, but tearing their soul from their body is Levaltu. It is pictured as a right wing furled across the body.

Samkah-Kinwujo, the Ambition

Samakh-Kinwujo is the distinction between anxiety, terror, friendship and love: the motivation combined with its intensity. A Samkah-Kinwujo usually means little on its own, but it leads to Samkah-Matuzi, or impulse.

Samkah-Matuzi, the Impulse

Combining a Samkah and a Matuzi leads to impulse, the moment at which theory becomes practice. Some are more common than others: instinct and sustenance combine often into Mipiu-Hakwi, or self-preservation, but the furled wing of cyan that is Idrej-Levaltu, roughly speaking euthanasia, is less common. Samkah-Matuzi leads to Kinwujo-Matuzi.

The full implications of the impulses are explained in the section on how channelling works in practice, and they are listed at the end of the class description.

Kinwujo-Matuzi, the Execution

Kinwujo-Matuzi is a type of action combined with the lengths to which one might go to achieve it. Uzu-Ezpar can make small curiosities; Yekh-Ezpar can found cities. Yet, there is one more step to complete: Kinwujo-Matuzi leads to Samkah-Kinwujo-Matuzi.

Samkah-Kinwujo-Matuzi, the Consequence

The cycle completes itself only when Samkah, Kinwujo and Matuzi come together to create an effect defined by what inspires which action to what extent. By crafting a Samkah-Kinwujo-Matuzi, you create an effect on the real world.

Channelling in Practice

As a channeller, you gain your powers by making eight consequences, each built out of a Motive, Priority and Action, of which there are eight of each. Contrary to the theory behind channelling, it is often more helpful to choose which motive will lead to each action, before assigning them priorities. Each combination of motive and action provides an impulse, which loosely gives a benefit to some game statistic or other, or allows you to take a certain type of action. The magnitude of the benefit or effectiveness of the action is then defined by the Priority level. Initially, it makes absolutely no difference which priority is assigned to which impulse, but the magnitudes associated with each priority level increase over levels, as given on the channeller table above.

For example, Kutowi-Civar (Retreat) grants a bonus to speed equal to five times the magnitude of your priority. At 8th level, Yekh (Necessity) has a magnitude of 8. Thus, combining Kutowi, Civar and Yekh would give a +40 bonus to your speed. Once you have combined these three, you can combine another Motive, Priority and Action together, but cannot use Kutowi, Civar or Yekh again. Essentially, each Motive must have a different Action associated with it, and each Action must have a different Priority. You continue until you have created eight consequences (you should have no choice in the eighth consequence, because you will only have one Motive, one Priority and one Action left).

You can reassign your consequences completely whenever you complete a short or a long rest.

Overload
Each impulse has its own overload, desperate overload and dire overload abilities. These are special abilities which you can activate which are more powerful than the ones passively provided by the impulse, but they temporarily prevent the consequence from having any effect, or its component Motive, Priority or Action from being reassigned. For example, if your Kutowi-Yekh-Civar consequence is overloaded, it doesn't provide the usual movement speed bonus, you can't overload it again, and you can't put your Kutowi, Yekh or Civar elements anywhere else even if you get to reassign your consequences (though if you take a rest which also ends the overload, you can move them then).

A standard overload is available from 2nd level, and the consequence is overloaded until you enter or leave combat or complete a short or long rest. The more powerful desperate overload is available from 9th level, and overloads your consequence until you complete a short or long rest. Yet stronger is the dire overload, which is available from 14th level, and overloads your consequence until you complete a long rest.

Meditate
From 3rd level, as an action, you can reassign your consequences. This does not end the drawbacks of overloads. Once you have used this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you do so again. At 10th level, you can use it twice between rests, and at 17th, three times.

Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Prime Motive and Action
You choose a prime motive at 6th level, which grants you features at 6th, 11th and 15th levels, and a prime action at 7th level, which grants features at 7th, 13th and 18th levels.

Relink the Chain
From 20th level, you can end the overload drawback on all of your consequences, making them available for use again, as an action. You can't do so again until you complete a long rest.

Impulses

An impulse grants five abilities, a passive ability, an active ability, and three different levels of overload ability. Each of these abilities is based on the magnitude of your priority, which is given in the Channeller table - for example, at 11th level, the magnitude of Hutho (Gravitas) is 7. The passive ability is always on unless you overload your impulse; the active ability requires some kind of action to be taken to use it. The effect of each ability is given clearly in its description.

Idrej-Imqui, the Revolution
"Do you hear the people sing, singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of the people who will not be slaves again!"
― Do You Hear the People Sing, Les Miserables

Idrej-Imqui is violence in the name of your community, family, or nation. It is an act of standing together with your allies and joining together to fight against a common foe.

Passive:

Active:

Overload:

Desperate Overload:

Dire Overload:

Idrej-Dropha, the Rebuilding
"Nothing is too broken to mend."
― Tiana, Magic: The Gathering