Official Classes (Grisaire Supplement)

This page explains how the official classes fit into the world of Grisaire.

Artificer

Artificers are primarily found within the employ of Premius. Their rise came shortly prior the March of Gears, which led to an accelerated period of growth for arcane technology. They are subjects of distrust in nations which are more oriented toward nature or are still sore over the destruction caused by arcane devices. Due to this possibility, as well as the encroaching developments that many countries are not blind to, budding artificers are seldom able to keep a low profile. Many artificers are low-level engineers, architects, or aspiring inventors. However, few will make it big.

They are considered, in some places, a school of wizardry, the school of artifice. Like wizards, they rely on wit and study to properly figure out schema. However, they are known to also have nonmagical capabilities when it comes to engineering simply scientific tools like the nascent weapon class of firearms. Grisaire's world edges on the borders of Renaissance and Victorian Steampunk, so this can get very messy if you have opportunistic artificers.

Advancing Artificer

Even at low levels, artificers cannot easily escape notice. Whether they are apt at tinkering or show promise of magical engineering, these skills are very valuable. Talent scouts will take interest in an artificer even from the beginning of the game if their abilities are seen. As they advance, even governmental officials may come to solicit their services or enlistment into organizations. In countries that thrive off artifices like Premius, people might even kidnap artificers to work in factories. At levels higher than 5 it becomes almost impossible for an artificer not to be known. All known artificers are required to register with the Everford Nations roster of Engineers.

Controlling Artificers

Due to the possible imbalance an artificer poses in 5e because of their ability to generate essentially magic items without DM grants, it is necessary to fully implement constraints of materials and work-times on artificers, thus making it so they cannot simply make things out of thin air nor produce a glut of magic items. One of the main components of many essential artificer items is the presence of good metals. In Grisaire, many of the most appropriate metals for smithing are present towards west Endix, where mines are more present. Locations with sufficient fuel or know-how to power forges larger than a small cobbler should also be limited to certain cities rather than present even in small towns. DMs may be encouraged to enforce extra material requirements for artificers to create/use their infusions.

Socially, artificers face forced recruitment or scorn based on where they are. Distrust of artifices and the stereotype of irreverence among artificers drives many races like elves and larger goblinoids like bugbears to keep a close eye out for any artificers in their midst. And, as previously mentioned, artificers of renown are viable to be pursued by forces that wish to use them as cogs in a greater machine. These circumstances can make it hard for an artificer to openly show their abilities or mass-create a ton of items without people noticing or arounsing suspicion. Use these world-building points wisely to temper any flare-ups when an artificer threatens to wreck the campaign.

Barbarian

Barbarians roam the land where primal energies and their ancestors fuel their zeal. Thus, they are primarily found in clans within nations like Hagai, or in the forests of Zesh, and even near the Wastes, in Adum. Some are known to be from the Frontier area, down south, where the grueling mountains are said to build character. There are few barbarians who claim to hail from completely "proper civility" like the indulgent cities of Premius, or the overly proper cities of much of Lozor. In the Doru Islands and parts of south Edim and Kalim, some barbarians take up the spiritual role similar to shamans. They enter trances to help others communicate with the rage of the natural world or even the ancestral dead

Bard

Bards, like nomads, usually make a living in service of travel. They are known to be welcome presences in pubs across the land. In Lozor, there is a large guild of bards who play a large part in the entertainment industry, known as nagashi. But even on Endix, they are not few in number, and have a considerable reputation for being entertainers, as well as jacks of trades to make ends meet at times. Some bards with great renown become virtual touring personalities, being hosted in entertainment halls small and big alike. While it is uncommon, sometimes a bard will also be the staying court jester in a kingdom's court.

Utilizing arcana through mixes of their artistic talent and force of personality, bards are often an underestimated traveler type in Grisaire. There are plenty of bards, but not many that can hold their own or have developed a lot of combat ability. The ones that have might be celebrities. These bards tend to be, interestingly, of the creation tradition in bardic arts. They can control even inanimate objects to their will, likening to that of a wizard.

Cleric

As normal for clerics, they are inextricably intertwined with the pulls and pushes of divine will. Not all are institutionally associated, with some pursuing a private relationship with their deity. Clerics worship the Thrones, and many of the gods have overlapping domains that draw them together.

Mandates of Conduct

Cleric access to their spells depends entirely on their god intervening to grant them their powers. As such, a cleric player must be adherent to any and all tenets of that of their deity. In this way, roleplaying becomes an apt way to control and rein in cleric players. They cannot simply act as they please, as gods can be very fickle and strict. A war god like Igu-Rab-Ichi, for example, demands that all fights be held with at least a certain number of watchers to enhance the spectacle's value and veracity. Orshiidi might mandate that anything created of conjuration spells though him must have a portion donated to those in need or that are worse off than the cleric themselves. Because the Thrones are a limited number of gods that share aspects and domains, they might have various rules imposed on their clerics that aren't always to do with a single aspect. For example, while Igu-Rab-Ichi is god of war, he is also a god of wealth. As such, he might also require clerics to regularly sacrifice riches to him that add to his throne domain, the Gate of Chains. Neglecting to honor the rules of a god might result in reduction of spell access, or, even worse, total revocation of powers until the deity has been appeased.

Handling Channel Divinity

Clerics before they achieve their channel divinity are essentially neophytes to their faith. They are unable to ask directly for help from their god nor beseech their aid. Being able to attain that level of power as a cleric is something that should not be taken lightly. In-world, very few high-level priests make it to the equivalent of a level 2 player cleric, allowing them to use channel divinity. Cleric players in-world are also expected to achieve this feat through questing for their church and deity's favor as well. Gaining channel divinity at first also exposes a cleric to a higher chance of Divine Caprice when using their channel divinity, as their deity wants to see more from them. This is also proportional to what a cleric may ask of their deity. For example, a forge cleric asking for rare adamantine will be scrutinized much more heavily than a life cleric looking to just heal an ally or two. The more a cleric is able to devote themselves to their deity's favor, the less likely their channel divinity might blow up in their face.

Cleric Domains

• Arcana
• Death
• Forge is the domain of artificial makers, worshipping gods like Manus Infinitum and Orshidii. This is closely linked with the non-clerical domain of civilization and creation. This subclass, given sufficient downtime, can create nonmagical materials and items. As such, it is highly recommended that DMs be careful with allowing this subclass. Forge clerics in Grisaire, those who have gained such a level of divine favor, are extremely rare, even in the societies that claim direct patronage from these two gods. It is recommended that you use the Divine Caprice Table as necessary in the event of players growing too many resources, as well as any other variant rules you see fit.
• Grave
• Knowledge
• Life
• Light
• Nature
• Order
• Peace
• Tempest
• Trickery
• Twilight
• War is the domain of those that desire glory through death and destruction. The most obvious god for these clerics is Igu-Rab-Ichi

Clerics as NPCs

It's not easy to become a cleric! You are literally becoming a person that can draw on the power of gods. These aren't super generous gods, either, so it takes a lot of work and dedicated training before a normal person even becomes a level 1 cleric. Some gods might have more lax restrictions, but it won't ever be as simple as an overnight tutoring session. Therefore, NPC clerics should reflect the hard work done to achieve their status, having put years into their profession and faith. If an NPC seeks to become a cleric, you might need to consider a time skip if necessary because of the process it can entail. This would include acceptance into a religious circle, possibly years of apprenticeship under other clerics and priests to build faith, and establishing themselves among the followers of the deity as one worthy of receiving direct intervention.

Druid

Arguably one of the strongest classes in this edition, the druid is a figure that stands against many aspects one associates with civilization in Grisaire. They are people heavily bonded to nature and its rules-within-chaos for their spellcasting, making them a class based on primal energy. Harnessing this power is difficult, but comes with great reward should one succeed. However, druids in Grisaire come with additional burdens for the sake of making this class more balanced, particularly in a world whose natural beauty is at risk of being ruined. Again.

Druid Circles and Conduct

Druids gain a circle upon reaching level 2. The circles are actual connections in Grisaire, being formed of other druids following, sort of like an order. These circles resemble miniature secret societies, hidden from the eyes of everyday civilization. They are therefore not real factions. As a result, in roleplay, a druid must find the circle they seek in order to gain its benefits. Similar to how a cleric can lose their power by shirking their duty, a druid can lose access to their circle's features and benefits if they do not uphold their conduct.

Circle of Blight

Circle of Dreams

Circle of Land

Circle of Moon

Circle of Shepherd

Circle of Spores

Circle of Stars

Circle of Wildfire

Paladin

In the particular case of paladins, who supposedly derive their faith from even non-deity related matters, their faith must be incredibly strong and be obvious in their actions. Drawing from older editions, where paladin's powers are directly reliant on their alignment, paladins are the ones thus expected to do the largest amount of role play to prove their faith in every aspect of their lives. Beware, in many cases, this will probably result in large arguments about behavior and overall possibly making the paladin class more of a hassle for players than enjoyable. Please go over these possible issues with your players before enforcing this.

Warlock

Warlocks are considered typical spellcasters alongside wizards and sorcerers, though they are not a common sight in everyday adventuring. Being users of the arcane, they rely on manipulation of the Veil by their will. Some warlocks, like wizards, rely on their Intelligence to do so. However, rather than study the typical books on formulas, they study secrets of how to take energy and manifest it from patrons in the form of a pact. Other warlocks who are not as sneaky or cerebral instead enter different sorts of pacts and contracts with patrons. The only differences between these two warlocks is that some will end up more like servants and others are more like thieves of ancient tombs. Mechanically, there is no difference. However, it is strongly advised that DMs consider incorporating patrons regularly into the campaign for the servile warlocks. They can also interfere with sneaky warlocks upon discovering a parasite siphoning their powers. Patrons are usually figures of quasi-deity power or higher, which can serve well to offer objectives and direct a player's interests.

In terms of Grisarian warlocks, they are people who (1) lack the time and resources to become a wizard, (2) lack the blood to be a sorceror, and (3) lack the discipline and faith to be a cleric. A such, people don't really see them as "all that." Warlocks have an unfortunate reputation for being opportunistic and flakey. Most warlocks will not disclose their true nature, simply passing themselves off as a typical spellcaster. Those that are particularly strapped by their patron will often find they cannot really act of their own accord contrary to what their patron desires, lest they lose access to all their powers as a warlock.

Below is the list of warlock subclasses which can fit thematically in terms of patrons into Grisaire. There are entities that can be patrons of more than one subclass, thematically:

• Archfey: Archfey warlocks are simply renamed archjesters in Grisaire, as they rely on the abilities of their guile to seduce and lead others astray. The god M'iaq is a common patron of these warlocks, being a lover of misleading folks. Orshiidi, being a playful god, is also a possible patron of archjesters.
• Celestial: Celestial warlocks are extremely rare in Grisaire due to the lack of patrons in this area. Their rarity and association with radiance sometimes dubs them "starlocks." Ongana is the only patron for this subclass, though she is often less worried about illumination and more just curious about how her warlocks abuse any power she endows them.
• Fathomless: Warlocks of the sea, as they are called, usually draw power from mysterious gods like Charylt or the Old One Akaei. Interestingly, the Uncreated are possible patrons of these warlocks as well, dwelling in depths few living lay eyes upon. In particular, Jjglo'ärogsh is known to be a source of power for mad warlocks who seek to free the Uncreated from their restraints.
• Fiend: Fiendish warlocks, also sometimes called Infernity casters, are not necessarily focused on the conventional idea of fiends, which are less of an issue in Grisaire. The idea of Infernity was bought on by the god Igu-Rab-Ichi and his horrific realm of strife and suffering. As such, he is a prime patron for Infernity casters.
• Great Old One: Great Old Ones confusingly have little to do with the Old Ones created by the gods. These warlocks are primarily contracted with the Uncreated or Charylt, making many of them either evil or touched by nefarious forces. They are thus persecuted if revealed and rare in public.
• Hexblade: Hexblade warlocks are focused on pacts around weapons. They are a commonly practiced path for warlocks, though few can reach the true pinnacle of their potential due to the grueling demands of the primary patron of hexblades, Resoolt. Igu-Rab-Ichi and Orshiidi are also possible patrons of this subclass.
• Undying: Warlocks of undying pacts do not solely find an undying patron. It is a patron capable of controlling death to a degree. Survelem is the commonly contracted patron for the undying, being behind some undead influences in Grisaire like the clamantes hostia. Because undead influences have been rising as of late due to the Uncreated, they are also possible patrons for this type of warlock. However, this has also driven up hatred and prejudice against these so-called "deadlocks."

Wizard

The staple of magic users in most of Grisaire is the wizard. Being highly versatile and based solely on study, wizardry does not require a lot of prestige or special blood to get into. Poor students can get financial aid to enter a decent arcane college. However, only those with graduate degrees from these academies can actually call themselves full wizards for adventuring. Students below this level are barred from adventuring due to lack of experience. Some wizards, who are self-established or self-taught, must register as full-fledged spellcasters with their local government as a precaution. Wizard schools, and thereby subclasses, are largely restricted to the eight original from official content:

• Conjuration. The school of summoning, largely focused on creation. Conjuration wizards are regarded as very useful in general, and classes are rather common in magic academies.
• Necromancy. The school of life manipulation, including healing and raising the dead, as well as sapping life. This school of magic for wizards is usually rare to find in teaching, save at the highest magic universities. Clerics have more a monopoly on the healing side of things, and wizards that dabble in the darker side are derided often as social outcasts or evil.
• Evocation. Evokers are wizards that manipulate energy of elements and such. Like conjurers, they are a common find in magic academies. Often, they are first choices for professors to send to magical military causes. Premius boasts the largest evoker faculty in their primary magic universities across the globe.
• Abjuration. Abjurers are defensive wizards, and thus another common find in magic armies and academies. Because they also ward off ill-effects and even other magic, they are often sought after by towns who seek protection similar to that which clerics might grant, but without religious affiliation. As an extra step for some abjurer courses in school, they must complete a mandatory exam to carry out a defensive mission.
• Transmutation. Transmuters are wizards who excel at transforming the state of matter from one form to another. Many courses offered in this school involve studies with natural shapeshifters or elementals. This course is sometimes held in tandem with evocation classes at low levels, particularly at small academies.
• Divination. Diviners are often critical casters employed in many governments across Grisaire. It is thus also a very common magic school taught across the globe. Diviners are used as surveillance systems in large countries, able to pinpoint crimes, divine perpetrators, and manage scrying networks to keep an eye on people and places. That being said, individual diviners also are often turncoats for coin, using their magical expertise to sell information they gather to the highest bidder. Often, this gets them in trouble with the relevant authorities, though.
• Enchantment. Enchantment wizards are the second most likely to be seen as untrustworthy in public eye, next to necromancy. Because they focus often on messing with mental states to charm or harm minds, they are usually employed by underworld or non-public forces, usually associated with espionage or even assassination. Some positions, like that of diplomacy, do employ enchanters. However, this school is known to be extremely costly and difficult to learn, making it a rarity to find in much of magic academia.
• Illusion. Originally lumped with enchanters, illusionists gained their own right as a separate school at around 7,500 AP, making it the youngest of the magic schools. Illusionists use sensory trickery that is considered much more material than simple mind games enchanters use. Because these are often more visible, illusionists are not as viable for shady missions. However, they also do not have as much negative stigma associated with their school. Many illusionists make careers as entertainers or swindlers. This school is taught regularly in low levels at universities and academies in Grisaire, with a large following in countries like Edim and Khaire.

Subclasses

If you want to use official content, here are additional options to consider for subclasses from homebrew. The following subclasses have specific lore to the campaign setting.

• Arcane Engineer
• Armorsmith
• Burning Wind
• Circle of Ley
• College of Strokes
• Night Drifter
• Red Ray
• Stone Obelisk
• Way of the Serpentine

Grisaire Navigation

Grisaire Campaign Settingv
	Players Guide	Races, Backgrounds, Classes, Spells & Magic, Downtime Activities, Feats
	World of Grisaire	History, The World, Society, Cosmology, Religion, Worldly Mechanics, Languages
	Dungeon Master's Guide	About, Treasure, Bestiary, Tables, Help, Adventures, NPCS, Variant Rules,
	“ The heart of the world is crying for justice! Come heroes, fulfill the hunger! ” —Archmage Heimelichus

---

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Campaign Settings → Grisaire