Time for another development blog! I want these to not only cover the ongoing development of Paths of Magic, but give some insights into my design methods and philosophies when writing.
Today’s blog looks at one of the classes from our latest book, Path of the Wilds - the elementer!
The Elementer, by Miguel Angel
When it came time to make Path of the Wilds, I knew for sure that I wanted a class that focused on the four elements, but that was about all I knew. The main inspiration was “why can’t my stormborn sorcerer get call lightning storm”. No, really. Despite the tons of cool elemental spells in Pathfinder, they were scattered across multiple classes (namely druid vs. wizard), so you could never get everything. So I made a class that did.
When it started out, the class was a bit more traditional in its casting style: a straight 0-9 level spellcaster like a wizard. However, the old version of “affinity” was that the elementer had four (yes, four) separate energy pools, one for each element. Casting an elemental spell would grant you affinity points for just that one element. There was no aegis form; you just got more powerful effects the more you cast spells (kinda like kineticist’s overflowing elements, in a way, but fueled by spell slots instead of HP). After a few minutes, the energy pools all emptied out and you went back to square one.
As you can imagine, this was a royal pain in the ass to actually play. Tracking four separate pools (along with a separate “time until depleted” counter for each) was awful. I simplified it down into one energy pool from casting, but that ended up making affinity too strong if it just lasted as long as you could cast (since at high levels, players could just chuck out a shocking grasp or similar between fights to keep the pool full). So, it needed to be reduced in duration.
That’s where the current implementation came in with the “aegis” form burning away your built-up energy very quickly. The voluntary switch could make the form stronger but with more harsh drawbacks (i.e. no spellcasting in aegis form), which also made a more interesting playstyle of having to choose the appropriate time to focus on spells and the right time to burn your aegis form and go toe-to-toe with enemies.
However, aegis form on a full 0-9 spellcaster was clearly going to be WAY too strong, so the class got turned into a mid-caster with 0-6 level spells. But with that, we’ve lost sight of the original goal of the class: to have all of the elemental spells in the game. The solution was the fusion mechanic, letting the class have a sort of “fake” 0-9 spell list but with much higher spell slot cost. I’d already used similar mechanics for the nightblade’s Path of the Ravaging Void as well as the saboteur’s combined arms feature and liked those implementations, so using it again for elementer made sense. It was also not as powerful as it might look on the surface, since the vast majority of elemental spells are just “deal damage in big areas” and not the game-changing magic that high-level casters are known for.
Rounding out the class’s ability list was spell twists and other supporting mechanics like evasion/barrier (for some defense against other casters), intensity (because a blaster-caster with no bonus spell damage is just sad) and attunement (to make aegis a bit more flexible). And with that, a new class is made.
I might make this sound “simple” but this took place over about five drafts (including some that I didn’t even cover here, like one poorly-conceived idea that had no spells at all) and dozens of hours of rewrites. It takes me a long time to get to a draft that I’m really happy with, and even then it often comes down to my friends hounding me to put the pen down and move forward.
To close out, let’s cover what I’m sure we’re all actually here for: previews of Paths of Magic content! The design of the aegis really prevents expanding much on that element (heh) of the class, so instead Paths of Magic introduces five new spell twists: one per element and one “any” twist. Of course, the class will also be getting more spells, archetypes, magic items, and so on, but for now I’ll just be posting the new twists.
More updates coming soon!
DIVE
Element: Water
Effect: A powerful current backs your movement in water. As a swift action, you gain a swim speed of 40 feet, a +8 bonus on Swim checks, and can breath underwater. If you already have a swim speed, you increase it by 20 feet, instead. This swim speed lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).
Boost: For every spell level above 1st, the swim speed (or bonus to a swim speed) increases by 10 feet, the Swim bonus by +1, and the duration by 1 round. If the slot used is at least 3rd level, you suffer no penalties for attacking while underwater. If the slot used is at least 6th, you are unaffected by hazards from being deep underwater, such as pressure damage.
FUME
Element: Earth
Effect: A gout of acidic earth sprays upon a target within 30 feet. The target takes 2d6 acid damage; a creature struck is also sickened for 1 round. A Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the sickening effect.
Boost: For every spell level above 1st, the damage increases by 2d6. For every two spell levels above 1st, you can target an additional creature or object. All targets must be within 30 feet of you.
HEAT
Element: Fire
Effect: A burst of sweltering heat emits from your hand in a 20-foot cone. Creatures in this area take 1d8 nonlethal fire damage and are fatigued. A Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the fatigue effect. This cannot cause a fatigued creature to become exhausted.
Boost: For every spell level above 1st, the nonlethal damage increases by 1d8. For every two slots above 1st, the range of the cone increases by 5 feet.
HINDER
Element: Any
Effect: Elemental energies disrupt your opponent’s casting. As an immediate action, you counter a spell that appears in the same elemental category as the spell you used, or has one of the following descriptors based on the element of spell used: air (air, electricity, or sonic), earth (acid, earth), fire (fire, light), or water (cold, water). The countered spell must be 1st level or lower.
Boost: For every spell level above 1st, the level of spell you can counter increases by 1.
STATIC
Element: Air
Effect: You surround a single willing creature within 30 feet of you with a crackling aura of electricity. Any creature striking the target with a non-reach melee weapon, unarmed strike, or natural attack takes 1d6 electricity damage. The effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).
Boost: For every spell level above 1st, the duration increases by 1 round. For every two slots above 1st, the damage increases by 1d6.