Channeler
Channelers are not trained, they are born. At times, the psychic fabric of the multiverse touches individuals in such a way that they are changed – awakened to unbridled mental powers that they never knew existed. As such, channelers must learn to shackle their newfound powers lest these powers consume them.
The natures of such psychic or spiritual forces determine how channelers are altered. In some cases these forces bring channelers closer to death or the spiritual realm. In other cases, it alters their bodies or brings their minds to different states of cognition.
Self Reliant
The core challenge faced by channelers is dealing with the expression of their psychic abilities. The psionic awakening changes their perspectives of the world, often replacing their concept of normal. Channelers must learn to deal with these new paradigms and embrace these inner changes.
Often misunderstood and feared, channelers are driven away from societies and must learn to face the world on their own. It is common that they find strength and companionship in others who travel the lands as they exert greater control over their power. Adventuring provides a natural outlet for channelers to master their powers to the benefit of their friends and allies.
Creating a Channeler
The most important decisions to make for your channeler are how your character received its powers and what shape those powers take. Were you touched by spiritual forces that left you able to see the dead? Was your body changed in a way that it became malleable to your will? Can you tap into the Weave with your mind and shape it? You need to decide your psionic expression as that determines what powers you can use and the nature of your channeler.
Next you want to decide how your channeler became an adventurer. Did you join a group to find safety or to gain camaraderie? How do you approach people you know or don’t know about your powers? Are you afraid of what you are or of what you could do if you ever let go? Do you seek to seal away your power or have you decided that you need to bridle and command it?
Quick Build
You can make a channeler quickly by following these suggestions. First, determine you psionic expression (Medium, Metamorph, or Shaper). Second, your highest ability score should be the manifesting ability for the expression (Charisma for Medium, Constitution for Metamorph, or Intelligence for Shaper), followed by Wisdom. Third choose the hermit background. Lastly, choose the spectral armament power and the following power for your expression: precognition (Medium), elastic body (Metamorph), or singularity (Shaper).
The Channeler
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Psychic Burst Dice | Powers Known | Power Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Power Manifesting, Psionic Expression | − | 1 | 1 |
| 2nd | +2 | Psychic Burst (1d4) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3rd | +2 | Preternatural Awareness | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 5th | +3 | − | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 6th | +3 | Psionic Expression feature | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 7th | +3 | Psychic Burst (1d6) | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 9th | +4 | − | 4 | 5 | 19 |
| 10th | +4 | Psionic Expression feature | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| 11th | +4 | − | 4 | 5 | 24 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 5 | 27 |
| 13th | +5 | − | 5 | 5 | 30 |
| 14th | +5 | Psionic Potency | 5 | 5 | 33 |
| 15th | +5 | Psychic Burst (1d8) | 5 | 6 | 36 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 6 | 39 |
| 17th | +6 | − | 6 | 6 | 42 |
| 18th | +6 | Psionic Expression feature | 6 | 6 | 45 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | 6 | 48 |
| 20th | +6 | Power Incarnate | 6 | 6 | 51 |
Class Features
As a channeler, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per channeler level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per channeler level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, rapiers, scimitars, short swords
Tools: Fortune telling tool
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Perception, and Performance
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
- any simple weapon
- an explorer’s pack
- padded armor and fortune telling tools
If you forgo this starting equipment, as well as the items offered by your background, you start with 3d4 x 10 gp to buy your equipment.
Power Manifesting
1st-level channeler feature
You were altered through psychic means, enabling you to call upon psionic powers. See the Power Mechanics section for the general rules of power manifesting and below for the channeler power list.
Powers Known
You know one power of your choice from the channeler power list. Your expression will grant you additional powers.
The Powers Known column of the Channeler table shows when you learn more channeler powers of your choice. When you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the powers you know and replace it with another power from the channeler power list or one from your Psionic Expression’s power list.
Power Points
The Channeler table shows how many power points you have to augment your channeler powers. When you manifest a power, you can expend power points to enhance the power. You can expend a number of power points no greater than your channeler level on a single power manifestation. You regain all expended power points when you finish a short or long rest.
Psionic powers differ from spells in that powers can have different expressions when augmented by power points. These different expressions have a similar theme, but the scope and scale can change. For example, the suspension power includes expressions that can affect single targets or an area with different measures of control.
Manifesting Ability
Your manifesting ability is determined by your Psionic Expression feature. You use the appropriate ability whenever a power refers to your manifesting ability. In addition, you use the appropriate ability modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a channeler power you manifest and when making an attack roll with one.
Psionic Expression
1st-level channeler feature
When a channeler’s powers awaken they fall under one theme. When you create a channeler, choose a Psionic Expression. Perhaps the channeler feels close to the realm of spirits and to lost souls trapped in the world, taking on the expression of the medium. Another channeler may find its physical form is malleable to its will, becoming a metamorph. The shaper is a channeler who can summon spontaneous energies with but a thought.
Your psionic expression determines what powers you may possess and grants additional features at 1st, 6th, 10th, and 18th level.
Psychic Burst
2nd-level channeler feature
You can muster your shackled psionic energy. This energy is represented by your Psychic Burst die, which is a d4. You have a number of Psychic Burst dice as shown on the Psychic Burst Dice column of the Channeler table.
When you start to manifest a channeler power, you can expend one of your Psychic Burst dice and roll it. You gain a number of temporary power points equal to the number rolled, which you can spend to augment that power. You can also augment that power with up to 2 more power points than your channeler level would normally permit. For example, if you manifest a power as a 3rd-level channeler and expend a Psychic Burst die, you can augment the power with up to 5 power points, using the power points gained from Psychic Burst die and your own reserve.
When you manifest a power augmented by more power points than your channeler level, you gain the psychic strained condition after maintaining it for 1 minute, regardless of its maintenance time.
You can only spend one Psychic Burst die each turn. Unspent power points gained from your Psychic Burst die are lost at the end of the turn.
The size of your Psychic Burst die increases to a d6 at 7th level and a d8 at 15th level. You regain all expended Psychic Burst dice when you finish a long rest.
Preternatural Awareness
3rd-level channeler feature
Your intuition supersedes your intellect, alerting you to close-by danger. When you expend a Psychic Burst die you increase your AC by 2 until the start of your next turn.
Ability Score Improvement
4th-level channeler feature
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. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Psionic Potency
14th-level channeler feature
Whenever you augment a channeler power with more power points than your level in this class through your Psychic Burst feature, you increase the power save DC or power attack modifier for that power by 2 during that turn.
Power Incarnate
20th-level channeler feature
You increase your manifesting ability score by 4, and your maximum for that score is now 24.