Creative Prompt Answer: Character Class
My answer to the Creative Prompt here: https://foxfirefiction.locals.com/post/843255/creative-prompt-new-character-class
I found myself having to create this class because I have yet to find a class that describes it any better than Cleric/Thief -- which most settings don't have, and which also tends to be a pretty gimped class combination in the settings that do have it.
I present the Lightbender!
Similar classes/archetypes: Lightweaver (Stormlight Archives), Buoyant Armiger (Elder Scrolls), Illusionist (Everquest), Thief/Cleric or Arcane Trickster(D&D)
The Lightbender serves gods of the Light, but this is no ordinary priest. Usually aligned Chaotic Good, this class specializes in illusion, Light magic, trickery, and thievery in the service of their god. They can heal, though not as well as a dedicated healer, and can serve as a Dexterity-based fighter, though not as strongly as a dedicated warrior or rogue. They can be considered a Chaotic and more Dexterous version of the Paladin.
Most Lightbenders originally come from a life of crime. Redeemed by the discovery and acceptance of their god, they blend skills they learned from their life in the crime world with abilities granted by their deity.
Important Stats:
Wisdom, Dexterity, Charisma
Skills:
Persuasion, Deception, Stealth, Sleight-of-Hand, Thieves Tools
Up to Medium Armor, Basic Weapons (including swords)
Magic:
Healing (Divine), Illusion (Light/visual-based)
Tactics/Role:
For best damage, pop into invisibility, get behind someone, go stabby-stab, then go invisible again, switch up targets if desired, and rinse and repeat!
Possesses enough mobility to reach and tend to companions separated from the main group. (Lacks the pure throughput of a dedicated healer, however.)
Provides utility along the lines of social skills and handling traps and locks.
Notable Abilities/Spells:
Sneak Attack: Attack an enemy out of stealth for extra damage.
Fancy Footwork: Makes the Lightbender harder to hit. This evasion can be sacrificed to provide a burst of movement speed.
Finesse: Adds damage to Dexterity-based weapons.
Disguise Self: The Lightbender bends the light around themselves to appear as another character or creature of roughly the same height and size. This illusion is only visual; trying to touch the Lightbender would reveal the illusion for what it is.
Invisibility: The Lightbender bends the light around themselves to appear essentially invisible. A successful Perception check reveals a faint warping and shimmer in the air in the same shape of the Lightbender.
Dazzle (Cheap Shot): The Lightbender lets out a bright flash of Light from their palms. This temporarily blinds and dazes opponents.
True Sight: The Lightbender is able to reveal the truth, in the same way that light shines on the darkness.
Soul-Bending: At the highest levels, a Lightbender treats the soul like another light to bend. They are able to psychically heal and harm with this ability. They can also manage a kind of polymorph, by convincing the body to follow suit with a soul-bent person's new self-image. This type of soul-bending is very dangerous and often results in permanent changes.
