HYPERBOREA / Warlock of the Illusionist bent...

**Posted by francisca** 9/21/2017 12:18 pm

Any thought ever given to that? I mean we have Ice Lords (2e), Fire Lords, Death Soldiers......why not a Warlock who practices Illusionist magic. I'm thinking that variant might be called a Shadow Lord, or perhaps Lord of Deception.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 9/21/2017 3:12 pm

Phantom Lord

Phantasm Soldier

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 9/21/2017 3:14 pm

Shadow Lord does seem best.

Not that I've stopped thinking

**Posted by Chainsaw** 9/21/2017 4:55 pm

gizmomathboy wrote:
Phantom Lord

"Phantom Lord"

Sound is ripping through your ears
The deafening sound of metal nears
Your body's waiting for his whips
The taste of leather on your lips

Hear the cry of war
Louder than before
With his sword in hand
To control the land
Crushing metal strikes
On this frightening night
Fall onto your knees
For the Phantom Lord

Victims falling under chains
You hear them crying dying pains
The fist of terror's breaking through
Now there's nothing you can do

Hear the cry of war
Louder than before
With his sword in hand
To control the land
Crushing metal strikes
On this frightening night
Fall onto your knees
For the Phantom Lord

The leather armies have prevailed
The Phantom Lord has never failed
Smoke is lifting from the ground
The rising volume metal sound

Hear the cry of war
Louder than before
With his sword in hand
To control the land
Crushing metal strikes
On this frightening night
Fall onto your knees
For the Phantom Lord

Fall to your knees
And bow to the Phantom Lord

**Posted by DMPrata** 9/21/2017 5:49 pm

I knew I could count on Chainsaw not to miss that opportunity.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 9/21/2017 6:13 pm

DMPrata wrote:
I knew I could count on Chainsaw not to miss that opportunity.

\m/ >_< \m/

**Posted by foxroe** 9/21/2017 8:20 pm

It's easy enough to house rule in. Warlock that does illusion magic. Done.

Theurgist?
Spellbinder?

**Posted by francisca** 9/21/2017 8:41 pm

foxroe wrote:
It's easy enough to house rule in. Warlock that does illusion magic. Done.

Theurgist?
Spellbinder?

well yeah, a kickass name is the hard part!

**Posted by foxroe** 9/21/2017 10:21 pm

francisca wrote:
foxroe wrote:
It's easy enough to house rule in. Warlock that does illusion magic. Done.

Theurgist?
Spellbinder?
well yeah, a kickass name is the hard part!

Well I like Spellbinder, but it doesn't quite evoke the warrior aspect of the proposed class. Phantom/Shadow Lord fit well, but I don't feel that they evoke the setting as much. It also depends on the intended flavor of the class. Will it be a nefarious and deceptive fighter? Will it be more Bard-like (a warrior-poet)? Will it be a battlefield commander, influencing minds and melees, etc? Does any of that make sense?

**Posted by foxroe** 9/21/2017 10:30 pm

Wait! I got it!

HYPNO-HACKER!

It's most epic.

**Posted by DMPrata** 9/22/2017 7:34 pm

Tweak the game to taste, of course, but I think there's a good reason the warlock doesn't have an illusionist option and the legerdemainist doesn't have a necromancer option.

**Posted by foxroe** 9/22/2017 7:57 pm

DMPrata wrote:
Tweak the game to taste, of course, but I think there's a good reason the warlock doesn't have an illusionist option and the legerdemainist doesn't have a necromancer option.

And what reason is that? Not trying to be snarky/combative/whatever; I'm assuming that you know something we don't

**Posted by foxroe** 9/22/2017 8:03 pm

Here's a random thought... make the illusion spell casting ability innate, restrict the class to light armor (or no armor other than shields), and call it a Psionicist. Might need to add some flavor spells though...

**Posted by DMPrata** 9/23/2017 8:56 am

foxroe wrote:
DMPrata wrote:
Tweak the game to taste, of course, but I think there's a good reason the warlock doesn't have an illusionist option and the legerdemainist doesn't have a necromancer option.
And what reason is that? Not trying to be snarky/combative/whatever; I'm assuming that you know something we don't

Sorry, I should have elaborated. I think the illusionist option fits the legerdemainist better, as a sneaky and deceptive character archetype. In the same vein, animating a small army of skeletons and zombies to do one's bidding seems more fighter-like than thief-like; thus the necromancer option for warlocks, but not for legerdemainists. Again, individual referees should feel free to make different design decisions for their own campaigns. I'm just expounding on what I presume to be Jeff's reasoning. Jeff and I long have operated by Crowley's maxim, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law".

**Posted by Blackadder23** 9/23/2017 1:10 pm

I agree with Dave's specific reasoning in this case. Also, more generally, I personally like to maintain distinctions between the various classes, for flavor if nothing else. I really don't even care that much about the in-universe justification. If legerdemainists and warlocks each have a school of magic that the other can't use, and if they both share schools of magic that shamans can't use, it forces players to make choices, and choices (IMO) are good. If a player questioned it, I would just say something along the lines of "Xathoqqua moves in mysterious ways".
On the other hand, if a referee wants to allow it, I say go for it.

**Posted by foxroe** 9/23/2017 8:35 pm

DMPrata wrote:
Sorry, I should have elaborated. I think the illusionist option fits the legerdemainist better, as a sneaky and deceptive character archetype. In the same vein, animating a small army of skeletons and zombies to do one's bidding seems more fighter-like than thief-like; thus the necromancer option for warlocks, but not for legerdemainists. Again, individual referees should feel free to make different design decisions for their own campaigns. I'm just expounding on what I presume to be Jeff's reasoning. Jeff and I long have operated by Crowley's maxim, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law".

Ahhh, got it. I was hoping for some really cool Hyperborean lore tid-bit, but I like your reasoning. At the very least it makes sense aesthetically.

**Posted by grodog** 9/23/2017 10:02 pm

francisca wrote:
foxroe wrote:
It's easy enough to house rule in. Warlock that does illusion magic. Done.

Theurgist?
Spellbinder?
well yeah, a kickass name is the hard part!

I've used Phantasmyr for my more-real-than illusions class of illusionists. It's a good name but I'm not sure it evokes much warrior-ocity either....

Allan.