After weeks of tinkering, here is the public version of my first homebrew class: the Seeker.
I wanted to build a class that was built from the ground up to be a true spellblade – an effective blend of marital and magical skill. Some wizards, fighters and warlocks can fill this role, but those builds depend on specific subclasses. To do this, I used the basic chassis of the warlock, since the game already has good options for casters and half-casters.
In designing the seeker, I was careful to not step on the toes of the paladin in terms of mechanics and lore. Where the paladin is a holy warrior often dedicated to fighting supernatural evil, the seeker is focused on evil within society in the form of everyday greed, corruption and exploitation. (I also need to give a shout-out to Ari Ashkenazi for the inspiration to take this on.)
Mechanically, at first I struggled to come up with a mechanic unique to the class. Eventually I stole the Retribution mechanic from the paladin class in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, which gives the paladin a damage boost after being damaged. This should scale effectively, from around 5-7.5 extra damage on a turn at level 1 to potentially an average 32.5 at level 20 – at the cost of having likely lost at least that many hit points themselves.
Within the context of a party, the seeker is designed to deliver single-target weapon damage supplemented with a small number of the best spells normally available to clerics and wizards. It can take a few hits, but doesn’t have the tools to be a true tank. It’s an Intelligence-based class that uses Intelligence for weapon attacks and damage, like the Battlesmith Artificer.
I tried to design the core class to contain most of the power budget, with the subclasses providing expanded themes and utility, along with a powerful and fun combat feature at level 14. The level 3 features in particular are meant to provide a mechanical reinforcement for seeker’s core values, such as the one found in the Cause of the Common Folk: “When you make an ability check to negotiate a contract or agreement, or to find or track a creature, you have advantage on the roll.”
Update: A member of our group played a Seeker in our last campaign, which went to Level 10. He seemed to hold his own in combat pretty well, and it was immensely satisfying to see him bust out a perfectly-timed counterspell. His ability to Compel Truth, provided by the Cause of the Court, also came up a lot. I’m pretty happy overall.
Seeker
Seekers harness their sharp wit and righteous anger to root out corruption in political and religious institutions. They also learn to augment their martial abilities by calling on both divine and arcane traditions. If the commander of a city watch suspects she has a crooked officer in her ranks, or if a peasant believes his lord is embezzling taxes, they often turn to a seeker to find the truth.
You must have an Intelligence score of 15 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Retribution Die | Spell Slots | Slot Level |
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Tactical Fighting | d4 | 1 | 1st |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style | d4 | 2 | 1st |
| 3rd | +2 | Just Cause | d4 | 2 | 2nd |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | d4 | 2 | 2nd |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | d4 | 2 | 3rd |
| 6th | +3 | Just Cause feature | d6 | 2 | 3rd |
| 7th | +3 | d6 | 2 | 4th | |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | d6 | 2 | 4th |
| 9th | +4 | d6 | 2 | 5th | |
| 10th | +4 | Just Cause feature | d6 | 2 | 5th |
| 11th | +4 | Combat Veteran | d8 | 3 | 5th |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | d8 | 3 | 5th |
| 13th | +5 | Extra Attack x2 | d8 | 3 | 5th |
| 14th | +5 | Just Cause feature | d8 | 3 | 5th |
| 15th | +5 | d8 | 3 | 5th | |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | d10 | 3 | 5th |
| 17th | +6 | Doors and Corners | d10 | 4 | 5th |
| 18th | +6 | d10 | 4 | 5th | |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | d10 | 4 | 5th |
| 20th | +6 | Justified | d12 | 4 | 5th |
Class Features
As a seeker, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per seeker level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Seeker level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armour
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Cartographer’s tools or Calligrapher’s Supplies
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from History, Investigation, Religion, Persuasion, Intimidation, Insight, and Perception
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- a martial weapon
- (a) scale mail, (b) leather armor
- (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) a priest’s pack or (b) a scholar’s pack
- (a) a holy symbol or (b) an arcane focus
Retribution
When you take damage from an enemy’s attack, spell or ability, you gain a Retribution die, whose size is specified in the Retribution die table. When you deal damage with a weapon attack or spell, you may expend any number of Retribution dice by rolling them and adding the result to the damage. The maximum number of dice you can have at one time equals your Constitution modifier and you lose all dice after a short or long rest.
Spellcasting
Preparing Spells
When you finish a long rest, you prepare a number of spells from the cleric and wizard spell lists equal to your Intelligence modifier. These count as Seeker spells for you. You may change one prepared spell after a short rest.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your Seeker spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. You use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Seeker 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 can use a religious focus or an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your seeker spells.
Tactical Fighting
At 1st level, your knowledge of tactics cuts sharper than any knife. When you attack with a weapon with which you are proficient, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.
Fighting Style
Starting at 2nd level, you adopt a particular 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.
- Blessed Warrior. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. They count as seeker spells for you, and Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the cleric spell list.
- 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.
Just Cause
When you reach 3rd level, you choose a specific cause to which you will apply your zeal for truth and justice. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
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. 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. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 13th level in this class.
Combat Veteran
At 11th level, choose one of the following benefits:
Tactical Strike. You exploit your opponent’s vulnerability. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you deal an extra 1d4 damage.
Cantrip Master. Your skill with simple spells is unparalleled. When you use your action to cast a cantrip, you may use your bonus action to cast the same cantrip again.
Doors and Corners
At 17th level, your ability to see threats is unmatched. You gain Truesight to a range of 120 feet.
Justified
At 20th level, you can unleash your divine power in a single blow to smite the wicked. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend all your remaining spell slots to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The damage equals 6d10 per spell slot. Uses of this feature beyond the first before you finish a long rest cause one level of exhaustion.
Just Causes
Cause of the Court
Seekers who focus on institutional corruption take up the Cause of the Court. These seekers root out political malfeasance at the highest levels of the nobility, clergy and knighthood.
Compel Truth
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Insight, if you don’t already have it. If you are already proficient, you gain proficiency in another skill of your choice. You can use your Intelligence modifier for Insight checks, instead of Wisdom.
When you make an ability check to tell if someone is lying or to compel someone to tell the truth, you have advantage on the roll.
Bodyguard
At 6th level, you can cast Detect Poison and Disease and Purify Food and Drink at will, without spending spell slots. In addition, when you prepare your spells after a long rest, you may prepare one additional spell from the Bard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Clear Mind
At 10th level, you gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
En garde
At 14th level, your study of the nobility has led you to become an expert fencer. While you are wielding only a one-handed melee weapon, you may Dodge as a bonus action after you take the Attack action on your turn.
Cause of the Common Folk
The world is full of nobles and rulers trying to gain profit no matter the cost to others. Seekers who follow the Cause of the Common Folk protect commoners, labourers and agricultural workers from exploitation and violence.
Survival Tactics
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Survival, if you don’t already have it. If you are already proficient, you gain proficiency in another skill of your choice. You can use your Intelligence modifier for Survival checks, instead of Wisdom.
When you make an ability check to negotiate a contract or agreement, or to find or track a creature, you have advantage on the roll.
Friend to Nature
At 6th level, you can cast Speak with Plants and Speak with Animals at will, without spending spell slots. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. In addition, when you prepare your spells after a long rest, you may prepare one additional spell from the Ranger spell list.
Quickstep
At 10th level, you gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws.
Falconer
At 14th level, your connection with the natural world has granted you the ability to draw on its fury. As a bonus action, you can summon a bird of prey to distract your foes. The DM determines the species of bird depending on the environment. While the bird is within 5 feet of a target, you have advantage on all melee weapon attacks and cantrip spell attacks against it, and the target has disadvantage on saving throws against the cantrips you cast.
The bird is immune to damage and cannot be targeted or affected by any attack, spell or ability. You must maintain concentration on the ability, as if you were maintaining concentration on a spell. The summoning lasts for one minute. You regain the use of this feature after a long rest.
Cause of the Diplomat
Seekers who follow the Cause of the Diplomat settle disputes that flare up along national and ethnic borders – and help enforce the peace agreements that follow.
Tactical Negotiator
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Persuasion, if you don’t already have it. If you are already proficient, you gain proficiency in another skill of your choice. You can use your Intelligence modifier for Persuasion checks, instead of Charisma.
When you make an ability check to convince someone to take a peaceful course of action, you have advantage on the roll.
Common Ground
At 6th level, you can cast Comprehend Languages and Detect Magic at will, without spending spell slots. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. In addition, when you prepare your spells after a long rest, you may prepare one additional spell from the Paladin spell list.
Iron Will
At 10th level, you gain proficiency in Charisma saving throws.
Cosmic Ally
At 14th level, your strengthening bond with your friends and allies allows you to grant them power – no matter where they are in the multiverse. After you finish a long rest, choose up to 5 creatures. They receive inspiration. When they spend this inspiration, they also add your Intelligence modifier to the roll.
Into the Fray 