Building Bhakashal - New Classes - The Chimerist

Image by Alfonso Azpiri

Alteration magic is the single largest category of magic in AD&D, alteration takes something and changes its fundamental nature, it is the place where a warlock manipulates the basic components of the world around them. As such Chimerists have the largest selection of spells of any of the Warlock subclasses.

Chimerists are a significant part of Bhakashal as alteration magic is a key component to creating the “hybrid” creatures, the monsters, which populate the Bhakashal marshes and serve the powerful Warlocks who are so important to the city. Chimerists are rock stars in Bhakashal, their creations inspiring wonder and respect, and they are well known in the arena and on the hunt.

Statistics

Ability Score Minimums - INT 15 CHR 16

Weapon Proficiency Profile - As Warlock

Weapons/Armor - As Warlock

XP Progression - As Warlock

“To Hit” and Saving Throws - As Warlock

HD: As Warlock

Abilities

a) Same processes for reading, casting, learning, transcribing, memorizing spells and using scroll spells (e.g. spells not known, higher level spells) as the regular warlock.

b) The origins of magic in Bhakashal are connected to dragonkind, in dragon form and polymorphed in humanoid form, they were part of the creation of all forms of magic. Each of the warlock subclasses is thus associated with a dragon type, in the case of Chimerists it is the Bronze dragon. This means the following:

1 - Chimerists read and speak bronze dragon

2- Chimerists get a +20% on encounter reaction rolls with bronze dragons

3 - Upon reaching name level (9th) a Chimerist may summon a bronze dragon once per month, odds of success are equal to their “to know” odds. The dragon will generally aid them in any way possible, pending an encounter reaction roll with the stated bonus.

4 - Chimerists follow the spell casting progression of a bronze dragon, 

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	1	1	2	2	3	3	4	4	5	5
Level	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
	6	6	7	7	8	8	9	9

So for example, at 4th level the Chimerist can cast two first and two second level spells per day.

c) Chimerists are in tune with alteration magic and chimerical creatures (creatures that combine together other creatures - chimeras, perytons, manticores, grells, dragons), which gives them a number of abilities related to these creatures:

1. All chimerical creatures suffer a -2 on their saves versus spells cast by Chimerists

2. Chimerists gain a +2 on all saves versus attacks from chimerical creatures

3. Chimerists gain a +10% on encounter reaction rolls with chimerical creatures

4. All Chimerists are sages with a major field in supernatural and unusual and a specialization in chimerical creatures

d) Chimerist’s get special bonuses with respect to certain spells:

• Wood Shape, Stone Shape, Polymorph Other, Polymorph Self, Stone to Flesh, Cinel’s Violent Amalgam, Polymorph any Object, Shape Change

• All are cast as if the Chimerist was 2 levels higher, double duration (where applicable) and double range (where applicable)

• When casting Polymorph Other or Stone to Flesh, if the Chimerist desires the target gets an effective constitution of 3 or 18 for the purposes of the system shock roll

• When casting Polymorph Other, if the Chimerist desires the base chance of changing personality and mentality can be reduced to [50% - 1% per Chimerist level} or increased to {150%+1% per Chimerist level)

• Any target changed by a Polymorph Other spell can be changed back at will by the Chimerist who cast the spell

• A Chimerist may end a Polymorph Other cast by another with the odds of success being their “to know” percentage + their level.

• When casting Polymorph Self the Chimerist may assume any form up to the size of an elephant. The Chimerist does not get the attack or defense routines of the forms assumed, however, any physical attack made while in polymorphed form does 1/2 the Chimerist’s level in damage if the form is size S, the Chimerist’s level in damage if the form is size M or the Chimerist’s level + 1/2 in damage if the form is size L, e.g. a 8th level Chimerist polymorphed into a rhino would do 1-12 damage with a physical attack

• Note that the Chimerist can alter their physical form selectively with a polymorph self spell, e.g. make their hand into a bird like talon, or make their feet into flippered feet, etc. 

• When casting Polymorph Self the Chimerist heals 4-16 HP on transforming back to their regular form.

• A Chimerist has an effective magic resistance equal to their “to know” percentage versus any magical attempt to change their form against their will (e.g. polymorph other, petrification) 

e) Chimerists have access to all alteration magic, listed below. When creating a spell list for a Chimerist patron, roll on this table.

Spells

1st Level (2d12)

2. Affect Normal Fires

3. Ammon Marr’s Projectile Extension

4. Amorantal’s Rhythmic Run

5. Burning Hands

6. Comprehend Languages

7. Dancing Lights

8-9. Enlarge

10. Erase

11. Feather Fall

12. Fonreaver’s Binding Enchantment

13. Hold Portal

14. Jump

15. Kurnadale's Graphic Recounter

16. Lawson Teer’s Immediate Transcription

17. Lharr Nezzurazdun’s Shorn Strands

18. Light 

19. Mending

20. Message

21. Sieg Torson’s Expedited Elixir

22. Shocking Grasp

23. Spider Climb

24. The Cleansing Spell of Munnar the Mad

2nd Level (2d12)

21. Balin's Solidifying Transformation

3. Continual Light

4. Darkness 15’ rad

5. Fools Gold

6. Foslan’s Epic Endurance 

7. Jinntar’s Arcing Globe

8. Jinntar's Rhythmic Stride

9. Knock

10. Levitate

11. Magic Mouth

12. Merreonath’s Amazing Transforming Draught

13. Morshoggoth’s Boisterous Braids

14. Pyrotechnics

15. Rope Trick

16. Shatter

17. Strength

18. The Mischevious Richochet of Mardon the Enchanter

19. Thessalin’s Emancipatory Enchantment

20. Torkhem’s Formidable Foundation

21. Torubalt’s Mighty Tension

22. Wizard Lock

23. Wood Shape

24. Zel Austra’s Impervious Satchel

3rd level (4d10)

4. Blink

5. Dalkin’s Mighty Stone

6. Dunwall’s Ghastly Ovation

7. Einar’s Duplicitous Potion Relocation

8. Emyar's Armor Lock

9-11. Explosive Runes

12-13. Fly

14. Gronn the Gruesome’s Magnificent Minimizer

15. Gust of Wind

16. Haste

17. Hronntal’s Dueling Draughts

18. Illmonter’s Potion Precipitate

19. Infravision

20. Korkuun the Terrible’s Instantaneous Libation

21. Leomund’s Tiny Hut

22. Lyrr Tashun’s Spell of a Feathery Down

23. Merreonath’s Marvelous Elixir Enchantment

24. Morshoggoth’s Evasive Lanyard

25. Nasim Tellbinder’s Whorlogog of Fury

26. Obermorr’s Vexatious Strike Displacement

27-29. Sjin’Saar’s  Corrosive Decay

30-31. Slow

32. Tamarshan’s Potable Enhancer

33. Tenneever’s Tenacious Twister

34. Tongues

35. Toonyer's Phantasmagoric Tranmogrification

36. T'sin-Yil’s Munificent Shearing Blow

37. Veen the Magnificent’s Storm of Stones

38. Water Breathing

39. Whinroon’s Bladed Cobra

40. Winnemeath’s Restless Raiment

4th Level (6d10)

6. Aronir’sDouble Down

7. Bonsimir’s Blinding Hands

8. Cestir’s Leaden Load

9. Dimension Door

10. Dortus the Dastardly’s Devious Disassembly

11. Efferenon’s Chill the Bones 

12. Enchanted Weapon

13. Entir’s Eminent Elevation

14. Extension 1

15. Fire Shield

16. Gorr Saven’s Guarded Reduction

17. Kamberlin’s Grievous Restitution

18. Keenal’s Rapid Retention

19. Linneath’s Terrifying Tapestries

20. Mir Thensic’s Mantle of Fiery Water

21. Niltor’s Infernal Article

22. Pintar’s Puissant Vacuum

23-25. Plant Growth

26-39. Polymorph Other

40-53. Polymorph Self

54. Rajmurangi’s Cunning Appendage

55. Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer

56. Tornir the Magnificent’s Cleaving Strike

57. Tornir’s the Magnificent’s Pulverizing Strike

58. Wizard Eye

59. Zanderlinn’s Penultimate Creature Metamorphosis

60. Zel Austra’s Whirling Sands 

5th Level (2d12)

2. Airy Water

3. Allinshae’s Tome of Terror

4. Ammon Marr’s Feathered Doom

5. Animal Growth

6. Aronir’s Triple Down 

7. Bissandrith’s Glorious Myrmidon

8. Brugg the Cruel’s Brutal Enchantment

9. Distance Distortion

10. Extension II

11. Farranthir the Vain’s Pilfered Proficiency

12. Holor the Magister’s Mantle of Enchantment 

13. Kohl Jamwar’s Crucible of Power

14. Kohr Khan’s Mercurial Manifestation

15. Leomund’s Secret Chest

16. Omm-Karon’s Oscillating Orb 

17. Passwall

18. Rittigan’s Cunning Cutpurse

19. Stavran’s Murderous Sinkhole

20. Stone Shape

21. Telekinesis

22. Teleport

23. The Terrifying Limbs of Brugg the Cruel

24. Transmute Rock to Mud

6th Level (2d8)

2. Control Weather

3. Disintegrate

4. Extension III

5. Glassee

6-7. Guards and Wards

8. Inarrak’s Ingenious Appropriation

9. Lower Water

10. Morshoggoth’s Call of the Coliseum

11. Move Earth

12. Part Water

13-15. Stone to Flesh

16. Tenser’s Transformation

7th Level (d8)

1. Binnatav’s Sudden Viscosity

2-3. Duo Dimension

4. Firrwin Hollinshae’s Release the Beast 

5. Phase Door

6. Reverse Gravity

7. Statue

8. Vanish

8th Level (d8)

1. Cinel’s Violent Amalgam

2. Glassteel

3. Minneath’s Mighty Arm

4. Permanency

5-7. Polymorph any Object

8. Skagganauk’s Internecine Temporal Fugue

9th Level (d10)

1-8. Shape Change

9. Temporal Stasis

10. Time Stop

f) A note about spells. If you look at the spell casting progression for this class it appears they are at a disadvantage, compare the PHB Magic user who gets both more overall castable spells per day (Bhakashal gives Warlocks 1 spell castable per day per level) and has an increasing number of lower level spells castable per day as they level.  However, the difference here is intentional, and meant to reflect specialization

In Bhakashal, the warlock finds a patron, that patron has a selection of spells they have acquired over the years, rolled by the referee, that they can teach. When the Warlock levels, their patron will teach them and give them one spell of their choice of castable level from this selection.

This is meant to reflect an apprenticeship model of magic, there are no ‘magic schools’, there are magicians, and you pick one and learn from them. When the warlock level’s they are taught their “level up” spell. Any attempt to research the spell and write it (e.g. create a scroll with the spell) does not halve the “to know” percentage when calculating odds of success as it does for regular research.

Since the Chimerist has the Bronze dragon spell progression, this means that they will get a Chimerst spell every level from their patron, and at every level will have Chimerist spells to fill every slot. This gives them a HUGE advantage over a generic Warlock, who will be working with a generic Warlock patron, who has randomly generated spells of all kinds. Chimerists get all their spell slots filled with spells for their specialization, generic warlocks get a potpurri of spells from their patrons, and spells found “in the wild” are randomly generated as well. 

Specialists and generalists in Bhakashal are very different, a generic warlock is completely unpredictable in terms of their spell selection (unless you know the spell selection of their patron…) a specialist like a Chimerist is much more limited, but much more focused as well.