Vessel Class v2.1.0 - Update! (Patreon)

Hey all, back today with an update to my Vessel Class!

I posted a major overhaul last week, and like most things with sweeping changes, some of the things needed to be tweaked, adjusted, and reigned in. The class is still functionally the same, but now the numbers should be more in line with official 5e classes (and my own more balanced homebrew classes).
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Major Changes:

Adjustments at low-levels. The Vessel was a little underwhelming at 1st level, so I’ve made a few changes. (1) Unsealed Aspects have been moved up to 1st level. These are mostly flavor abilities, but it should help to get 1st level Vessels over the hump. (2) 3rd level Unsealed Aspects have been moved up to 2nd level and reworked to better reflect the power of Fighting Styles on other half-casters. (3) Vessel Magic has been changed to match the scaling of a true “Half-Warlock”.

Archon Form Hit Points. In the previous version, a Vessel in Archon Form was slightly more tanky than a Raging Barbarian. Obviously, this was too much, so the amount of temporary hit points of the Archon Form has been reigned in. Some of the more egregious Unsealed Aspects (ie: Opalescent Armor) now only function while a Vessel has temporary hit points.

Mid-level Adjustments. In the last version, the Vessel’s feature progression didn’t really match 5e conventions. So a few changes have been made here: (1) 9th level now has no class feature to match the other official half-casters (Ranger/Paladin) since they get 3rd-level spells at this level. (2) Twin Consciousness has been moved back to 10th level, and (3) Unchained Power has been moved back to 11th level. 11th level is normally a pretty large power spike for classes, so this fits well.

As always, let me know what you think! I’m always open to constructive criticism and feedback.

~ laserllama

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Change log v2.0.0 —> v2.1.0

• Sealed Spirit // Spiritual Defense // Moved under this class feature.
• Unsealed Aspects // Moved up to 1st level.
• Unsealed Aspects // 3rd level Aspects moved up to 2nd level. These all now work in your normal form and are meant to emulate Fighting Styles.
• Vessel Magic // Spell Slots // Reduced number of spell slots as you level to more closely mirror what a “half-Pact Caster Warlock” would look like.
• Vessel Magic // Spell Slots // You get a 3rd spell slot at 15th level - with a strict view of “half-casting” you would only ever have two slots (but that’s not fun).
• Archon Form // Temp hit points reduced to 2x Vessel level (on par with Barb).
• Twin Consciousness // Moved back to 10th level.
• Unchained Power // Moved back to 11th level. Clarified that the spell must have a casting time of one action or one bonus action.
• Ascended // Ascended Archon // Astral Step // Limited to only work when you cast a Vessel spell of 1st-level or higher.
• Cataclysm // Earth Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Cataclysm // Fire Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Cataclysm // Water Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Cursed // Cursed Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Cursed // Hellfire // Clarified this only works with Vessel spells/features.
• Fallen // Blades of Judgment // Now grants proficiency with martial weapons. Clarified how Iridescent Strike works with your weapon attacks.
• Fallen // Celestial Sight // Removed Perception option.
• Fallen // Fallen Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Fallen // Fallen Archon // Celestial Ward // BA - targets other than you.
• Fallen // Fallen Archon // Radiant Wrath // Limited to once per turn.
• Formless // Formless Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Formless // Formless Archon // Pseudopods // clarified they can be attacked.
• Trickster // Trickster Archon // AC reduced by 1.
• Aspect // Ethereal Tendril // Clarified this can be attacked as part of you.
• Aspect // Spirit Sense // Scales with your Vessel level.
• Aspect // Iridescent Shield // Prerequisite is now 2nd level.
• Aspect // Opalescent Armor // Prerequisite is now 2nd level. You gain this resistance whenever you have temp hit points (not only in Archon Form).
• Aspect // Otherworldly Maw // Prerequisite is now 2nd level. Now works in place of damage on an Iridescent Strike (instead of touch), to work with your reach.
• Aspect // Shimmering Lance // Prerequisite is now 2nd level.
• Aspect // Vexing Strike // Prerequisite is now 2nd level. Limited to melee.
• Aspect // Evoke Spirit // Clarified that your Familiar can attack.
• Spells // Ethereal Anchor // Added a material component, is now concentration.