HYPERBOREA / Two New Subclasses: The Sciomancer and the Gloomhaunter

**Posted by DMPrata** 3/16/2021 7:58 pm

Presented for your enjoyment:

The Sciomancer (updated; I added one spell and shuffled a coupled of others)

The Gloomhaunter

Last edited by DMPrata (3/17/2021 1:07 pm)

**Posted by rhialto** 3/17/2021 5:34 am

Most excellent! Everything looks good, but the Shadow Blade spell seems a little strong for 4th Level.

**Posted by Caveman** **Online!** 3/17/2021 6:55 am

Cheers, the more the merrier!

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 3/17/2021 11:49 am

Hmmm, the schiomancer implies the possibility of a shadowthief or some such in the lines of a legerdemainist.

**Posted by DMPrata** 3/17/2021 1:11 pm

rhialto wrote:
Most excellent! Everything looks good, but the Shadow Blade spell seems a little strong for 4th Level.

Shadow blade actually is a level 3 spell. It’s essentially the same as the level 2 flame blade spell, but with the additional possibility of severing a limb on a natural 20.

**Posted by DMPrata** 3/17/2021 1:11 pm

gizmomathboy wrote:
Hmmm, the schiomancer implies the possibility of a shadowthief or some such in the lines of a legerdemainist.

Have you looked at the gloomhaunter? They’re a matched set.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 3/17/2021 1:29 pm

Ah, my scan missed the schiomancer mention!

I should have looked closer knowing your attention to detail :-)

**Posted by rhialto** 3/17/2021 7:31 pm

DMPrata wrote:
rhialto wrote:
Most excellent! Everything looks good, but the Shadow Blade spell seems a little strong for 4th Level.
Shadow blade actually is a level 3 spell. It’s essentially the same as the level 2 flame blade spell, but with the additional possibility of severing a limb on a natural 20.

Ah yes, so it is. And I knew you'd have a well-reasoned explanation for the level, so 3rd level seems appropriate then.

**Posted by mabon5127** 3/18/2021 7:24 am

The Black Lightening spell is a much more interesting spell than the typical lightening bolt or fireball! I would let that go to 3rd level! I'll look at the rest later but love Black lightening.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 3/18/2021 9:54 am

Methink DMPrata was wanting to make a Sith and has found a way ;-)

**Posted by DMPrata** 3/18/2021 11:29 am

gizmomathboy wrote:
Methink DMPrata was wanting to make a Sith and has found a way ;-)

One of many influences that came together with these subclasses, along with Gary Gygax’s shade, George R.R. Martin’s faceless men, Frank Herbert’s face dancers, ninja myths, and of course the actual definition of sciomancy as divination via shadows... There’s also a nod to a certain Marvel character in there too for good measure.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 3/18/2021 12:15 pm

They are good additions.

Which reminds me that I need to bang away a bit at the class I was working on.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 4/10/2021 3:19 pm

Ok, I've whipped up some default spell lists a la BA's Random Encounter tables.

Suggestions welcome to improve the spell list choices.

gloomhaunter:
1: dampen light
3: invisibility
5: dimension door
7: feather fall
8: levitate
9: dispel magic
10: wall of shadow
11: continuous darkness
12: hold person

sciomancer:
1:
- phantasmal armour
- sleep
2:
- dampen light
3:
- continuous darkness
- invisibility
4:
- detect magic
- levitate
5:
- ray of darkness
6:
- wall of shadow
- augury
- invisibility hemisphere
7:
- black lightning
8:
- silence
- spawn shadow monsters
- spawn demi-shadow monsters
9:
- wyvern warden
- teleport
10:
- hold person
- vampiric touch
- spawn shades
11:
- cause blindness
- summon nightgaunt
12:
- remove curse
- passwall
- repulsion

**Posted by rhialto** 4/10/2021 6:12 pm

Those both look good to start: wouldn't argue with any.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 8/06/2022 9:34 pm

So...for 3e would the gloomhaunter have Harvest Venom as a class ability?

Also, thoughts about the warlock spin would be like?

**Posted by DMPrata** 8/07/2022 11:12 am

gizmomathboy wrote:
So...for 3e would the gloomhaunter have Harvest Venom as a class ability?

Sure. The gloomhaunter already has this capacity as defined in the poison use ability. The 3E harvest venom ability is just a codification of something the assassin already could do, expanded to other like classes.

gizmomathboy wrote:
Also, thoughts about the warlock spin would be like?

I advocated here for opening all schools of sorcery to warlocks and legerdemainists. Were I in a position to implement such a change, I’d just give non-Good warlocks with Wisdom 12 access to the sciomancer spell list and call them shadow lords. The gloomhaunter was more of a specific concept that Jeff and I had riffed on late in the development of Second Edition. We tucked that idea away for “3E”, back when the very premise of releasing a third edition was a running joke.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 8/07/2022 7:50 pm

Yep, I remember that thread.

Thanks for the confirmation.

**Posted by Ghul** 8/08/2022 3:31 pm

DMPrata wrote:
gizmomathboy wrote:
So...for 3e would the gloomhaunter have Harvest Venom as a class ability?
Sure. The gloomhaunter already has this capacity as defined in the poison use ability. The 3E harvest venom ability is just a codification of something the assassin already could do, expanded to other like classes.

gizmomathboy wrote:
Also, thoughts about the warlock spin would be like?
I advocated here for opening all schools of sorcery to warlocks and legerdemainists. Were I in a position to implement such a change, I’d just give non-Good warlocks with Wisdom 12 access to the sciomancer spell list and call them shadow lords. The gloomhaunter was more of a specific concept that Jeff and I had riffed on late in the development of Second Edition. We tucked that idea away for “3E”, back when the very premise of releasing a third edition was a running joke.

Sure, and as I'm sure you recall, we did make a slight descriptive modification to the assassin's disguise ability, noting its touch of sorcery. I believe the genesis of this idea came from your gloomhaunter concept.

**Posted by grodog** 8/20/2022 2:06 pm

gizmomathboy wrote:
Ok, I've whipped up some default spell lists a la BA's Random Encounter tables.

Suggestions welcome to improve the spell list choices.

Adapting spells from my Shadow Master class may be useful to consider; see https://grodog.blogspot.com/2017/05/knockspell-magazine-master-index.html#issue6

Allan.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 8/27/2022 11:49 am

As I found new spells, I'm thinking the sciomancer and gloomhaunter would probably get Ecstasy of Shadow.

What level spell would that be for them? I'm guessing 4th like the necromancer, but possibly 3rd.

Thoughts?