Alternate Class: The Channeler

What is the purpose of a body, if not to serve as a vessel? For the spirit. For the soul. For experience. If the body can contain a soul, contain magic, contain so many forces with the appropriate catalyst, what can be done if the vessel is honed? This is the path of the channeler, those who harden and discipline the body to become the perfect vessel for greater power, either from within or from the broader worlds beyond.

Class Features

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per channeler level
Hit Points at 1st level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per channeler level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Animal Handling, Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Intimidation, Insight, Nature, Perception, Performance, Religion, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) two handaxes or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

The Channeler Table

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Combat Training

Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style more than once, even if you later get to choose again. In addition to a Fighting Style, you gain additional proficiencies.
Archery. You gain proficiency with martial ranged weapons.
Blind Fighting. You gain proficiency with the Perception skill.
Dueling. You gain proficiency with martial melee weapons, medium armor, and shields.
Great Weapon Fighting. You gain proficiency with martial melee weapons and medium armor.
Interception*. You gain proficiency with martial weapons, medium armor, and shields.
Protection. You gain proficiency with martial melee weapons, medium armor, and shields.
Thrown Weapon Fighting*. You gain proficiency with the trident, net, and medium armor.
Two-Weapon Fighting. You gain proficiency with the scimitar, shortsword, rapier, and medium armor. You may use two-weapon fighting with a rapier in one hand and a light weapon in the other.
Unarmed Fighting*. You gain proficiency with the Athletics skill.
* These fighting styles are from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Unarmored Defense

While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit, if you are proficient with a shield.

Channel

Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to channel a powerful essence through your body. On your turn, you can begin to channel as a bonus action.

• You have advantage on Strength and Dexterity checks and saving throws.
• When you make an attack, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a channeler, as shown in the Channel Damage column of the Channeler table.

If you are able to cast spells, you may only cast cantrips while channeling and cannot concentrate. Cantrips that deal damage add your Channel Damage once per damage die.

Your channel lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn, made a Strength or Dexterity check, or taken damage since then. You can also end your channel as a bonus action.

Once you have channeled a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier, you must finish a long rest before you can channel again.

Honed Body

Starting at 2nd level, your intense training has given you athletic prowess and considerable agility. You gain the following benefits:

Instinctive Steps

You can take the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn. While channeling, double your jump distance.

Martial Readiness

You can take the Disengage action as a bonus action on your turn. If an ally within 5 feet of you is attacked while you are channeling, you may use your reaction to exchange squares with that ally, becoming the target of that attack. You must declare this choice before the attack is rolled.

Relentless Strikes

When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a weapon attack, you can make one additional unarmed strike as a bonus action. While channeling, you may make an additional weapon attack instead.

Channeling Tradition

When you reach 3rd level, your body is ready to channel a powerful essence. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, and 14th level.

Fast Movement

Starting at 3rd level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

At 9th level, this increases to 20 feet.

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 scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

You can forgo taking this feature to take a feat instead.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Channeled Strikes

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes and weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Honed Instincts

By 6th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.

Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you channel before doing anything else on that turn.

Critical Focus

Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with an unarmed strike or weapon attack.

This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

Immunity to Everything

At 11th level, your body mastery makes you immune to disease and poison. This includes poison damage, the poisoned condition, and the secondary effects of poisons.

Persistent Channel

Beginning at 15th level, your mastery of channeling is so advanced that your channel ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

Incomparable Body

Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength or Dexterity check is less than that ability score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Living Conduit

At 20th level, you engage in a latent form of channeling at all times. Your Constitution score and your choice of your Strength or Dexterity score increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

You may also channel an unlimited number of times without need for rest.

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Channeling Traditions

Here are a few examples of common channeling practices. These traditions are often strongly associated with local cultures, legends, and faith. While the essence being channeled can dramatically change how a channeler behaves and is perceived, the essential practice of preparing the body to receive a greater force is a commonality among these warriors that most can recognize and respect across boundaries.

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Way of the Ancestors

There are countless traditions, both martial and otherwise, where veneration of departed elders is a source of pride, strength, and wisdom. Channelers who rely on their ancestors are often natural mediums, visited by their ancestors in dreams or visions. Others must perform sacred rites or imbibe special food or drink to maintain the bond. This holds true even across many ancestries. Elves, for example, can seek out a network of ancestors across the planes as part of the trance with training.

Ancestral Fury

At 3rd level, while you’re channeling, the first creature you damage on each of your turns takes extra damage equal to 1d6 + your Channel Damage bonus. The extra damage is necrotic or radiant; you choose the type of damage when you gain this feature.

Channel the Ancestors

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you attune yourself to the wisdom of your forebears.

You gain proficiency in your choice of one from Wisdom and Charisma saving throws. This ability becomes your spellcasting modifier for any spells you gain from this path. You gain two cantrips of your choice from the cleric or druid spell lists.

Spirit Shield

Beginning at 7th level, the guardian spirits that aid you can provide supernatural protection to those you defend. If you are channeling and another creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by 2d6.

When you reach certain levels in this class, you can reduce the damage by more: by 3d6 at 10th level and by 4d6 at 14th level.

Consult the Spirits

At 10th level, you gain the ability to consult with your ancestral spirits. When you do so, you cast the augury, clairvoyance, and divination spell once each without using a spell slot or material components, regaining all expended uses after completing a long rest. Rather than creating a spherical sensor, this use of clairvoyance invisibly summons one of your ancestral spirits to the chosen location. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Vengeful Ancestors

At 14th level, your ancestral spirits grow powerful enough to retaliate. When you use your Spirit Shield to reduce the damage of an attack, the attacker takes an amount of force damage equal to the damage that your Spirit Shield prevents.

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Way of the Berserker

Anger can be the emotional demand for justice, and those who learn to channel rage will see their needs met by any means necessary. The source of this potent rage can vary - some people can hone it internally through suffering, the burdens of society, or through dedicated practice. Others rely on rites and practices passed down among elite vanguards and tight cultural groups of ragers. Others still are attuned to nature or the world of spirits or ancestors, and are literally allowing those forces to possess their bodies.

The result is the same - a disregard for what others would consider grievous wounds and the power to dish them back out with a fury.

Channel Rage

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn to surrender to a powerful source of rage. While you are channeling, you also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Reckless Attack

Starting at 3rd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Mindless Rage

Beginning at 7th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened while channeling. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your channel, the effect is suspended for the duration of the channel.

Relentless Rage

Starting at 10th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re channeling and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.

Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Retaliation

Starting at 14th level, when you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

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Way of the Mystic Seeker

Many cultures have deep traditions with the arcane arts, from rigid wizardry to more esoteric bargains for power. The warriors who study under or protect these sages have developed their own arcane practices, and some are even kept secret from their peers. These seekers hone their bodies so that they may travel and grasp the wonders of the worlds beyond realms with their own eyes without fear.

Mystic Ritualist

You may inscribe rituals into a ritual book. Choose two 1st-level spells that have the ritual tag from any class’s spell list (the two needn’t be from the same list). If you come across a spell in written form, such as a magical spell scroll or a wizard’s spellbook, you might be able to add it to your ritual book. The spell’s level can be no higher than half your channeler level (rounded up), and it must have the ritual tag. The process of copying the spell into your ritual book takes 2 hours per level of the spell, and costs 50 gp per level. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it.

Embodying the Art

You gain proficiency in your choice of one from Intelligence and Charisma saving throws. This ability becomes your spellcasting modifier for spells you gain from this tradition. You gain three cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell lists (they needn't be from the same spell list). You may use weapons and musical instruments as spellcasting foci.

While channeling, you may use cantrips or spells you’ve gained from this tradition.

Supernal Talisman

You gain the ability to imbue an amulet, ring, or bauble with magical properties. You may only possess one such item and imbuing another talisman requires a long rest and an hour spent on meditations and rituals to imbue the token with magic. You may emulate one of the following magical items, and this feature does not require attunement - even if the magic item normally would require it:

• amulet of proof against detection and location
• driftglobe
• periapt of health
• periapt of wound closure
• necklace of adaptation
• ring of jumping
• ring of mind shielding
• ring of swimming
• ring of warmth

You may also drain the energy of a talisman you’re touching as an action, regaining one expended use of channeling or to immediately expend up to half of your Hit Dice as if you’d taken a short rest. You lose access to the talisman’s benefits and must imbue it again. You may grant use of your talisman to an ally, but only you may drain its power.

Mystic Traditions

Your studies have given you access to great magical power, albeit in a limited form. Choose two 1st-level spells, one 2nd-level spell, and one 3rd-level spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell lists (the spells needn’t be from the same spell list). You may cast each of these spells once without material components or expending a spell slot, regaining use of all of these spells after completing a long rest. These spells use the same spellcasting modifier as your mystic seeker cantrips.

You may even cast these spells while channeling if the spell takes no longer than an action to cast, though you still cannot maintain concentration.

Spell-Shaming Stance

While channeling, you and friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against spells. You may immediately channel as your reaction if a spell is cast on you or an ally within 30 feet, gaining this benefit.

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Way of the Open Hand

In mountain monasteries and in the heart of cities, in the farthest wilderness and in the depths of jungles, there are those who study the magical energy generated by the body. Called ki in many traditions, but by no means all of them, tapping into this magic allows for the practitioners to achieve a higher state of physical and mental discipline. This training is often paired with many rules, taboos, and an ascetic lifestyle, but just as many rowdy brawlers find an instinctual link to ki and train from there.

Channel Ki

Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you have learned to channel ki, enhancing your body and inner discipline to additional heights.

You gain proficiency with Dexterity saving throws and the Unarmed Fighting fighting style if you do not already possess it. If you do, you may select another Fighting Style, gaining additional proficiencies as with your Combat Training.

Each of your Honed Body features are also enhanced as below:

Instinctive Stride

While channeling, your jump distance is tripled.

Ascendant Readiness

You always have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated. While channeling, you may take the Dodge action as a bonus action if you are not wearing armor or holding a shield. You may do so a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum 1) and regain all expended uses after completing a long rest.

Flurry of Blows

While channeling, when you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a weapon attack, you may make two additional unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

Mastery of Body

Starting at 3rd level, you have trained extensively to use your mind and body in a flexible, dynamic way. You gain the following benefits:

• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and weapon attacks for any weapon that lacks the Heavy property.
• You can use Wisdom instead of Constitution when determining your hit points and Unarmored Defense

Evasion

At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Step of the Wind

At 10th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during your move. So long as you continue to move on each of your turns, you may maintain this.

Additionally, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your channeler level.

Diamond Soul

Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws.

Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can reroll it and take the second result. You may do so a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses after completing a long rest.

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