Channeler | Base Class

Channeler Base Class

Squalid masses crowd draw close around a young Working furtively with chalk, incense, and an immense tome of diagrams, a bespectacled gnome traces a circle of the floor. With a flick of his wrist, the tile floor vanishes, unveiling a field engulfed in flames and a metallic metallic city looming in the distance.
         A figure clad in a hooded azure robe draws a longsword, hefts it high in one hand, and vanishes. Appearing across the room an instant later, she brings the blade crashing down on a dragon’s head, releasing a hail of blood and sparks.
         Skilled in sword and spell alike, channelers are dynamic and formidable mages who draw their power from the planes of the multiverse. This connection stems from a unique arcane focus, called a portal key, through which they can unlock the doors of the universe.

Key Bound

The multiverse is crisscrossed by portals, passageways between the planes known only to a select few. Most are completely innocuous—archways, standing stones, ladders, and crawl spaces—until united with a specific magic item, a portal key. At that moment, the portal animates in a dance of arcane energy and twisting spacetime, transporting anyone nearby across the multiverse. These portals and their associated keys are deeply magical, intertwined with the energies of the planes themselves.
         Channelers use these very portal keys as the source of their arcane magic. With one in hand, a channeler can call upon the very tides of the multiverse to fuel their arcana; without one, they have no magic to call their own.

Walking the Multiverse

Orders of channelers are perhaps the only organizations to possess a comprehensive understanding of the multiverse, its structure, and the portals which weave throughout it. Even the most intrepid explorer will become hopelessly lost among the infinite planes without expert guidance leading them to the right portals. By contrast, a channeler can travel unhindered, using their bound portal key to access a slew of portals known only to them and their order. Most channelers even learn of a few backdoors and side streets between the planes of existence, which they keep secret, in case they ever need to (for example) slip incognito to or from the Elemental Plane of Fire.

Swordmages

Channelers blur the line between spellcaster and warrior, marrying arcane might with physical prowess. Because all channelers are bound to a portal key, they have the innate potential to focus their spellcasting potential though other objects, and many seek to master the delicate art of balancing a spell’s fury on the edge of a blade. Consequently, their strikes bite not only with steel, but also with flame, lightning, and frost.

Creating a Channeler

As you build your channeler, consider what entangled your character with extraplanar powers in the first place. Were you drawn to the vast, unending reaches of the distant Elemental Planes, or were you initiated into an order of channelers, before you truly understood their reach? Perhaps you accidentally became stranded in a city positioned between the planes, or in the shallowest layer of the Hells, before learning to walk the multiverse.
         Also consider what type of portal key you bonded to, and what it says about your character. How did you acquire your key, and to which portal was it originally bound? If your key is a weapon, is it a family heirloom, a trophy taken from victorious combat, or a rusted piece of junk? If your key is a tome, what kind of book is it, and what information, other than spells and arcane secrets, is held within its pages? Perhaps, your key isn’t an item of substantial importance; that too, is an important character note.

Quick Build
When building a channeler, you need to balance your physical and mental ability scores to maximize your character’s potential. Your highest ability score should be Strength or Dexterity, followed by Intelligence. Your next highest ability score should be Constitution. Then, choose the Order of Blinknights and select the cantrips minor illusion and shocking grasp. Finally, choose any background and a versatile martial weapon as part of your equipment.

Class Features

As a channeler, you have the following class features.

• A martial weapon
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) a scholar’s pack
• Scale mail and a material component pouch

Arcane Reverberation

At 1st level, you can sense the reverberations magic leaves inside objects. By spending your action concentrating on an object that you touch, you can make an Intelligence check to determine if the object is under the effect of magic or if it is within the area of any spells (DC equals 10 + the spell’s level). You learn the school of magic, if any. If the object is a magic item, you feel an intense amount of energy, but can’t directly determine the type of item, or its properties. If the object is a portal or a portal key, you know to which plane of existence it leads, and you learn if the portal has any special requirements, but not what these requirements are.

Planar Order

At 1st level, you align yourself with a close confederation of channelers, called a Planar Order. Your choice is linked to the kind of portal key you wield, for channelers with similar keys might use the same passageways throughout the multiverse. Your choice in planar order grants you features at 1st level, and additional features at 7th, 10th, and 15th level.

Portal Key
Each order also details the types of portal keys they use to manipulate planar energies and cast spells. With your portal key in hand, you can open certain planar portals (at the GMs discretion) without the normal portal key.
         If your portal key is out of your reach for longer than 1 minute, you can teleport it back to your hand as a bonus action. If your portal key is ever lost or destroyed, you can replace it by performing a 1-hour ritual, which can be done during a short rest, to imbue an object of a similar type with a portal key’s magic.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Combat Casting
Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged spell attack rolls.

Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Hand-and-a-Half
While wielding a versatile weapon in two hands, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with that weapon.

Magebreaker
When you deal damage to a creature with a melee weapon attack, you have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by that creature until the beginning of your next turn.

Spellcasting

Starting at 2nd level, by evoking your connection to the planes through your portal key, you can channel raw power from the multiverse into spells.

Arcana Points
You have a pool of arcana points, which you can use to cast spells of 1st level and higher. The Arcana Point Cost table summarizes the number of arcana points required to produce a spell slot of 1st to 5th level. Cantrips don’t require spell slots and therefore don’t require arcana points.
         The Channeler table shows how many arcana points you have and when your point pool increases. You regain all expended arcana points when you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st Level or Higher
You know four first-level spells of your choice from the channeler spell list. The channeler table shows when you learn more channeler spells of your choice. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown on the Max Spell Level column for your level.
         Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the channeler spells you know and replace it with another spell from the channeler spell list, which also must be of a level no higher than what’s shown on the Max Spell Level column.

Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your channeler spells, since you learn your spells by studying and memorizing sigil sequences to planar gates. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a channeler spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spellcasting Focus
You must use your portal key as a spellcasting focus in order to use your channeler spells.

Channeler as a Half-Caster
Though the channeler class uses arcane points in place of conventional spell slots, this does not exempt it from interacting with multiclassing or other optional rules for spellcasters.
         Multiclassing, as well as other rules which refer to the Spellcasting feature, treat the Channeler as a Half-Caster, such as a Paladin or Ranger. If the channeler multiclasses with another spellcaster, convert the total number of spell slots of 5th level or lower from the multiclass table into arcana points using the Arcana Point Cost table. Arcana points can only be used to cast spells of 5th level and lower.

Spell Channeling

By 2nd level, you have mastered the art of channeling spells through your weapon strikes. When you make a spell attack against a creature within your reach while holding a melee weapon that isn’t heavy, you can use your bonus action to substitute the spell attack with a melee weapon attack. On a hit, the weapon attack deals normal damage, in addition to the effects of the spell.

Planar Focus

Beginning at 3rd level, you can narrow your focus to channel energy from a particular part of the multiverse. You can use your bonus action to begin or end a planar focus. Once on each of your turns, you can switch your active focus. You maintain this effect as if concentrating on a spell.
         You have the following four focus options:
         Elemental Air. Your movement speed increases by 10 feet, you can stand from being prone without using any movement, and opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage.
         Elemental Earth. While you are not holding a shield, your Armor Class increases by 2.
         Elemental Fire. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for a channeler spell, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2.
         Elemental Water. Whenever you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage and you do not have resistance to that type of damage, you can use your reaction to halve the damage taken.

Ability Score Improvement

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.

Combat Channeling

Starting at 5th level, when you use Spell Channeling, you can make two melee weapon attacks, instead of one. The second attack must target a different creature than the first. The effects of the spell are only triggered on the first hit.
         At 11th level, both melee weapon attacks can target the same creature.

Null Arcane

At 6th level, you have learned to tap into the Void between planes. When you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell of 5th level or lower, you can use your reaction to produce a field of opposing magic, nullifying the effect. You expend a number of arcana points equal to the spell’s point cost, as shown in the Arcana Point Cost table (or 1 point for a cantrip) and make an Intelligence check. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the creature’s spell fails and has no effect.

Greater Focus

Starting at 14th level, you gain the following Planar Focus options:
         Limbo. Once per turn when you deal damage to a hostile creature with a melee weapon attack, you can use your bonus action to sap some arcane energy from the strike. On a hit, you regain 1 arcana point, up to your arcana point maximum.
         Paradise. You have a flight speed equal to your movement speed. When you begin your turn in the air, you can maintain this effect by spending an arcana point. Otherwise, you fall.
         Underworld. You can cast the spell vampiric touch without using arcana points. You maintain concentration on this spell as long as you maintain this planar focus.

Planeshifter

Starting at 18th level, you can freely walk the planes. You can cast the plane shift spell once, without using arcana points or spell components.
         Once you use this ability, you must finish a long rest before using it again.

Nexus Arcane

At 20th level, you connect with the central nexus of all existence. When you roll initiative and have no arcana points remaining, you immediately regain 10 arcana points.

Planar Orders

A channeler’s first steps into the multiverse are daunting: the infinite planes of existence are treacherous and do not yield their secrets easily. To this end, channelers abroad in the multiverse rely on their planar orders for guidance, protection, and information. Even on their home planes, planar orders sometimes meet to discuss business or ensure that the plane is protected from outsiders with malicious intents.

Channeler Spells

Masters of planar arcana and keepers of dimensional secrets, channelers possess a handful of unique spells not known to other spellcasters. Because they favor focusing their concentration on the Planes of Existence, most channeler spells are brief flashes of great power, such as arcane rays, that do not require sustained attention.

Click Here for the Channeler spell list and new channeler spells.