The Lantern Bearer (redux) The intent of this class is to have a character that is a combatant with a focus on either defense, melee damage, or ranged damage. These will be the 'subclasses'. It will also gain a companion; a lantern archon (as presented at the end of this document) - and it can function in one of two states... Independently, the lantern archon is much like the revised rangers' beast companion. It is not very powerful, but it does provide another ally on the field - which has both combat and utility applications. It can also meld with or "fuse" with the Lantern Bearer, which costs them some in combat action economy and utility, but it grants the unified pair a slight edge in overall power (exactly how is somewhat dependent on the subclass selected). I am borrowing from several classes to accomplish this. From the ranger, obviously, I am borrowing the beast companion. The fusion ability is very similar to a barbarian's rage. And most of the subclass options are inspired from features of the paladin and the sun soul monk. Eventually, when (if) this class is completed, this text will be replaced with the appropriate introductory flavor text for a class. But for now, it is simply the description above - what I intend to accomplish with it. I welcome critique and review. Class Features As a lantern bearer, you gain the following class features Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per lantern bearer level

1d10 per lantern bearer level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per lantern bearer level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: All armor, shields

All armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma

Constitution, Charisma Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Religion, and Survival Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a chain shirt and a shield or (b) chain mail

(a) a simple melee weapon or (b) a simple ranged weapon

(a) a martial melee weapon or (b) a martial ranged weapon

(a) an explorer's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gold pieces and spend them on items from the lists in Chapter 5: Equipment of the Player's Handbook. The Lantern Bearer Level Proficiency Bonus Features Fusions Fusion Damage 1st +2 Bonded Lantern, Fusion 2 d4 2nd +2 Order of Light 2 d4 3rd +2 Archon Aura (15') 2 d4 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 d4 5th +3 3 d4 6th +3 Order of Light Feature 3 d6 7th +3 Archon Aura (30') 3 d6 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 d6 9th +4 Improved Fusion 4 d6 10th +4 Order of Light Feature 4 d6 11th +4 Archon Aura (45') 4 d8 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 d8 13th +5 5 d8 14th +5 Order of Light Feature 5 d8 15th +5 Archon Aura (60') 5 d8 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 6 d10 17th +6 6 d10 18th +6 6 d10 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 6 d10 20th +6 Ultimate Fusion Unlimited d10 Bonded Lantern At 1st level, you are invested with the companionship of a specific Lantern Archon. You are its guardian and its guide; and in return it is your guardian and guide. Somehow, through some quirk of fate or some service you performed, you have been deemed worthy of this role - it is now up to you to live up to that expectation. If your bonded lantern is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of herbs and powdered silver, you call forth your companion's spirit and use your magic to restore it to life.

Keeping Track of Proficiency When you gain your bonded lantern at 1st level, its proficiency bonus matches yours at +2. As you gain levels and increase your proficiency bonus, remember that your lantern’s proficiency bonus improves as well, and is applied to the following areas: Armor Class, skills, saving throws, attack bonus, and damage rolls. Your bonded lantern will not willingly move further away from you than its area of radiance - if it is shedding 30' of bright light and an additional 30' of dim light, it will not travel more than 55' away from you, to ensure you remain within its aura. Likewise, it will not willingly dim its light so that you are excluded from its area of radiance. Your bonded lantern gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you. The lantern obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your lantern acts on its own. Your bonded lantern has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your lantern uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, your lantern also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. Your bonded lantern gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws. For each lantern bearer level you gain after 3rd, your bonded lantern gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your lantern’s abilities also improve. Your lantern can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your lantern can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise. Your lantern shares your alignment, and has a personality trait and a flaw that you can roll for or select from the tables below. Your lantern shares your ideal, and its bond is always, “The bearer who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life.” Fusion While you are adjacent to or in the same square as your bonded lantern, you can spend a bonus action to have it fuse itself to your form. For some, the lantern seems to simply disappear while you begin to glow with a similar light. For others the lantern seems to take the form of a glowing item of clothing or armor, or a weapon you wear or wield. While fused with your bonded lantern, you shed dim light out to a 20' radius, you gain temporary hit points equal to your bonded lantern's current hit point total, and your unarmed and weapon attacks deal extra radiant damage. This extra radiant damage starts out at 1d4 and increases as you gain levels, as shown in the Fusion Damage column of the Lantern Bearer table. Your fusion lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. You can also end your fusion on your turn as a bonus action. Once you have fused with your bonded lantern the number of times shown for your lantern bearer level in the Fusion column of the Lantern Bearer table, you must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again. d6 Trait 1 I'm dauntless in the face of adversity. 2 Threaten my friends, threaten me. 3 I always stay on alert, so that others may rest. 4 People see a mote of light and underestimate me. I use that to my advantage. 5 I put my friends' needs ahead of my own at all times. 6 My own safety and that of my friends' come second only to my ultimate goal(s). d6 Flaw 1 I am afraid of the dark, and am rarely willing to dim my light. 2 I have a compulsion to enter and illuminate the darkest shadows. 3 I have an overwhelming hatred of undead creatures. 4 I 'fidget,' am highly irritable, and am in constant motion whenever I cannot see the sun. 5 I hide from strangers, and all people except my bearer are strangers to me. 6 I'm a bit of a prankster, and I enjoy dimming or brightening my light when it will cause the most consternation possible.

Order of Light At 2nd level you choose an order of light and strive to uphold its tenets and goals. Choose from The Flames of Wrath, The Searing Beam of Judgement, or The Shield of Radiance, all detailed at the end of this class description. The order you choose grants you features at 2nd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level. Archon Aura Beginning at third level, your bonded lantern gains an aura. This aura extends out as far as the archon's light does, up to the radius listed in the Lantern Bearer table. This radius is 15' at 3rd level, and increases at 7th, 11th, and 15th levels. You and all allies within the aura have advantage on perception checks which rely on sight. This also provides a +5 bonus to passive perception checks which rely on sight. Your bonded lantern's archon aura is suppressed while you are fused with it, until you gain the Improved Fusion and Ultimate Fusion class features. Depending on the Order of Light you select, your bonded lantern's archon aura may grant additional benefits to you and all allies, or provide a penalty to all hostile creatures in the aura. Improved Fusion While fused with your bonded lantern, you personally gain the benefits of the archon aura, but the aura remains suppressed for everyone else. You also regain 1 hit point at the start of each of your turns, if you are fused with your bonded lantern and are below half of your maximum hit point total; this healing cannot bring you above half of your maximum hit point total. Ultimate Fusion While fused with your bonded lantern, its archon aura is active to its maximum radius (60'). You also gain truesight out to 60' while fused with your bonded lantern. Additionally, while you are fused with your bonded lantern, you regain 1 hit point at the start of each of your turns if you are below your maximum hit point total. If you are below half of your maximum hit point total and fused with your bonded lantern, you instead regain 1d4 hit points at the start of your turn; this healing cannot bring you above half of your maximum hit point total. Orders of Light I may add a fourth that focuses on using fusion less frequently and buffing the lantern archon instead. The three below have some benefits when not fused, but the main aspects are intended to shine when fused. They are all very early/rough - just the basic concept sketched out, nothing specified per level or any great detail given. The Flames of Wrath A lantern bearer who follows the order of the flames of wrath is typically hot headed, and burning with an inner fire to put right what they perceive to be wrong. They focus on melee damage, at the expense of their own protection. It varies between those who prefer a single larger weapon and those who prefer two weapons, but in the end their results are quite similar. Fighting Style When you select this order at second level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty, Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. Two Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Improved Aura At sixth level, your bonded lantern's Archon Aura gains the following additional ability: If you or an ally attacks a hostile creature in the aura, the target takes an extra 1d4 fire damage. Extra Attack Also at sixth level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn while you are fused with your bonded lantern. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this c1ass. Radiant Smite Starting at tenth level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can deal radiant damage to the target equal to the weapon's damage die plus your Charisma modifier, in addition to the weapon's normal damage. Once you have used this ability a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again. Blinding Fire Starting at fourteenth level, you may invest the flames of wrath into your weapon(s). As a reaction, you can invest one or two wielded weapons with the burning energy within. The next time you hit a creature with a melee attack using the weapon(s), it deals an additional 1d8 fire and 1d8 radiant damage to the target. Additionally, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw [DC = Proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier] or be blinded for 1 minute. A creature blinded by this effect makes another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer blinded.

You can use this ability twice before you must complete a short or a long rest. If you invest two weapons at once, that counts as both uses of this ability. The Searing Beam of Truth Ranged specialist, heavily influenced by sun soul monk. You yourself (your eyes, your hands, or your whole body) glow while fused; alternatively you can have the lantern become your clothing or a worn trinket while fused. Gain Close Quarters Shooter fighting style [UA:L,D,U!]. Gain sun soul monk's ranged radiant attack. Archon Aura adds, "Hostile creatures in the aura do not gain advantage on attack rolls against you and all allies as a result of being hidden from you." and "You and all allies have advantage on saving throws versus charms and enchantments while within the aura, and can automatically attempt an Intelligence (Investigation) check with advantage to see through any illusions within your bonded lantern's light." The Shield of Radiance Defensive specialist, with extended healing abilities. Lantern becomes a shield or your armor while fused. Choose Defense or Protection fighting style. Fused AC increases. Gain lay on hands. Aura adds, "You and all allies within the aura have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects." and "You and all allies within the aura have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons."