In this series, I’ll be slowly tackling a rework of one of our favorite classes, the Binder. The class was originally a straight update of the class of the same name from D&D 3.5’s Tome of Magic, including most of the original vestiges, but as we revisit this class, we’d like to examine its mechanics and its concepts with fresh eyes, improve upon them, and write a whole new list of vestiges.
In this article, we’ll be looking closely at subclasses: how we’ve approached them in the past and how we can improve.
Subclasses of Old
In D&D 3.5, classes didn’t have associated subclasses; instead, there were a litany of prestige classes (classes you could enter with any base class, provided that you met the proper prerequisites). Though this was certainly less restricted, in practice, there were prestige classes that required features from one particular class, tying the two together in much the same way that a class and a subclass are. The 3.5 binder had a few of these prestige classes in the old Tome of Magic, which meant there were a few distinct flavors of binder.
When we last visited the binder, we knew that we wanted to adapt these prestige classes as subclasses (even if they didn’t all fit the binder, specifically). The Anima Mage became the Eldritch Fate, the Knight of the Sacred Seal became the Sealed Fate, the Scion of Dantalion became a sorcerer origin, and the Tenebrous Apostate became a cleric domain.
Because we already knew what most of the subclasses were going to be, the question of what to name the subclasses as a whole was on the backburner for a long time. They ended up being named “Binder’s Fates”, largely because it sounds cool.
A Doomed Fate
Hindsight is 20/20, so it’s clear to see where all the ways we went wrong last time.
First, and most importantly, it’s extremely counterproductive to make a class that focuses on being versatile and changing its abilities, while chaining it to subclasses that force you into a role. Having a single subclass that made you good in melee (like the Sealed Fate) meant that you really needed to build your whole character around melee vestiges, and that other vestiges would be sub-optimal. Similarly, a 1/3 caster subclass (like the Eldritch Fate) was the clear option if you wanted to make a spellcaster binder. As a result, I think most players adopted the more generic Occult Fate as a default subclass.
Secondly, the whole Fate naming scheme was outright restrictive. It gave us just enough room to make the subclasses we wanted, but no more. The Fates didn’t expand the way we think about binders, introduce interesting roleplay obligations, or give us an idea about how binders can be different to one another. Nowadays, when we’d like to make upwards of a dozen subclasses for one of our base classes, this is akin to a death sentence.
Occult Lodges
This time around, we’re going to use our binder subclasses to analyze how binders organize and share their occult lore with one another. Different groups of binders might practice different rituals, understand vestige lore differently, or require unique skills of their members. Because their practices are secretive (and often forbidden), they’re each more akin to cults or sects than schools or colleges. In fact, to tie things back to real-world occultism, we’ll call them Occult Lodges.
The existence of many different Lodges (most not physical buildings at all), hidden away from polite society, opens a lot of doors. We can name the Lodges elaborately, since fraternal organizations often have ostentatious titles. Moreover, we can also focus in on very specific thematic and mechanical concepts with the Lodges, since there’s really no limit to how niche or bizarre a binder cult can be. Lastly, the presence of a Lodge paints a realistic picture of how a binder is introduced to occultism: they learn in the company of other, similarly-minded individuals.
Moreover, this time around, an Occult Lodge won’t be pushing players to build one type of character; instead, they’ll be examining different ways to bind vestiges. I could talk about this at length, but instead, I’d rather outline the subclasses I have in mind:
Occult Lodge
Starting at 3rd level, you join an occult lodge, a secretive organization of binders bound together by similar motives and shared esoteric knowledge. Choose one of the lodges presented at the end of the class description. Your choice in lodge grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Legion’s Lodge. Binders that join Legion’s Lodge learn to welcome dozens of minor souls into their bodies at one time. They gain cantrips based on their minor spirits, gain increased damage with minor spirits, and can burn minor spirits to fuel powerful abilities.
Lodge of Astarte’s Faithful. Binders that join Astarte’s Faithful undergo a special ritual to bind Astarte, the vestige of an ancient and possessive goddess of love. Once bound to her, these binders can never unbind her. As these binders grow in power, they can access more and more of Astarte’s abilities, until they can summon Astarte’s shade to fight alongside them.
Lodge of the Crimson Binding. [Name change pending] Binders that join this lodge learn to easily conceal their signs, quickly switch between vestiges, and partially bind an additional vestige (granting them that vestige’s proficiencies). If we must include a ‘default’ vestige, it’s this one.
Lodge of the Stygian Sign. Binders that join this lodge seek the sign of Erebus, a destroying vestige that has consumed the world a thousand time before, and shall consume it again. They learn to manipulate the Void directly, shaping it into sable equipment and banishing their foes to the Void for a short time.
