With very little information presented or to go on, I figured I'd buy this class and give it a look over. I was a big fan of Kyeudo's 3.5 'Truenamer Fix' and I've been looking for a way to import a Truenamer NPC from my 3.5 campaign to 5e - and if you're like me you're here because there are no other complete conversions of this class (at the time of writing) besides the one presented here. Hopefully some of what I've found can help inform you somewhat on this slightly pricey $5 class - The Lexitheurge.
The class has the spirit of the 'fixed' Truenamer but sets itself apart in a number of ways beyond just the name change that compliment the 5e system without reinventing the 5e wheel. Its clear that a lot of effort has been put into some areas of this class but unfortunately there are a lot of little inconsistencies and seeming mistakes throughout which undermine the quality of the book and the attached price tag. The multiclassing requirements/proficiencies are there, but the quick build informing explicitly which stats to use (Int & Cha) and the equipment section for starting item selection are missing - which strikes me as a bit of an oversight especially when classes which normally go for $1 will include this.
Rather than add a new skill, Truenaming is treated akin to spellcasting with a Charisma Saving Throw to apply the Law of Resistance with each use - an increasing difficulty of Truespeaking over time, and a staple of the Truenamer class which circumvents needing a set number of spell slots. This is a tidy solution that seems to fit into the 5e system comfortably and the mechanics for Truespeaking are well detailed on the whole regarding use and interactions with regular magic, although due to some mechanical balancing it contradicts itself in a couple of these areas that doesn't quite match up to the statement 'This is not magic'.
Some of the class features are just other classes features (usually skill related ones) with rules re-written, and theres a bit of insistance to have something at every level which doesn't feel very neccessary considering what a Lexitheurgist can do. Theres also some hesitation for the class to be totally reliant/focused on its unique Truenaming feature, giving you two Fighting Styles (unprecedented with the base casting type classes) and skill boosting features like Expertise and Jack of all Trades. Add in the Warlock Invocation-like 'Recitations' (which is a feature I do like - although they don't appear play tested) and the class seems to try and be a bit of everything, losing its direction.
Even with the features re-written for the Lexitheurge, some don't seem to match up such as the Protection fighting style that requires a shield which the class isn't proficient with. This lack of attention to detail makes these crossed over features feel like they were added to fill gaps rather than provide features which augment it's primary ability (the one players will be playing the class for: Truespeaking) despite that the author went to the trouble of re-making them to some extent - such as Cutting Words which imposes Disadvantage now rather than reduce a roll. That said the core thematic abilities found in earlier forms of the class like 'Speak Unto the Masses' and 'Say My Name' are present which is a comfort to see.
There are 5 sub-classes, presented as 'Gramatic Focuses' with 'Lexical Features':
-
Acolyte of the Ego gets you Morphic Cadences in form of 5 bonus level 1 Utterances and/or passive abilities. Most seem to make you more effective in melee combat with maneuverability, resistances, buffs and attacks usually affected by the Law of Resistance, but you can have crit denial with no seeming restrictions except the cost of a reaction at lv.3 which feels a little strong.
-
The Bereft is directed towards ranged offence and crowd control giving a couple of debuff features, a high damage feature, and a nicely thematic resurrection denial ability, all subject to the Law.
-
The Brimstone Speaker is a divine style sub-class with offensive abilities, a summon, a buff and 'Divine Intervention' as the Cleric ability.
-
Disciple of the Word has healing, maneuverability, and buffs not unlike what has been seen above.
- The Fiendbinder appears as the most unique, and possibly the most powerful, of the sub-classes allowing you a pet Fiend (that can ignore your commands), as well as a second Fiend which can gain Class levels. The 'Bind Tormented Soul' ability here is another unusual inclusion, similar to the Barbarian Zealot's 'Rage Beyond Death' applying to you and your second Fiend, which seems out of place and very powerful even at level 11.
The Utterances themselves are adaptations of what we've seen before and that isn't really a bad thing. I do miss the three Lexicons of the 'Fix' but 5e is all about simplification and keeping it a single list is in line with what we've come to see from spell lists so far. A majority of the Utterances also have thier reversed form as well, doing the opposite of what it would normally do as has become standard for the class so far.
On the whole you can see that the author has worked hard to adapt the class to 5e, with frankly a lot of content between the two documents (The class book and the Utterances book). I just get the impression there hasn't been a lot of playtesting involved. The class is very busy trying to be a bit of everything, as if it doesn't have confidence in its unique casting ability. Rather than define a system around Truenaming beyond simply making you roll each time and increasing the difficulty to cast spells, what we have is a bit of the Fighter, a bit of the Rogue, and a bit of the Bard. What has been taken has tried to be changed to stay consistent with the lore of the Truenamer almost needlessly. There are small mistakes throughout such as the 'Rituals and Truespeak Items' section saying nothing about Items, and mentioning one Ritual with nothing more than a fluffy description and no rules to go on.
The Sorcerer gets Spell Points complimenting their casting, The Wizard focuses into one area complimenting that area, The Warlock gets a smattering of complimentary features for their Pact, but the Lexitheurge gets a little of everything that you can get in D&D without becoming very strong in anything - least of all the one thing that attracts you to the class which is a real shame given the potential the class has. The Sub-Classes feel like fluffy flavourings which functionally copy other classes abilities again and don't bring much new to the table, what they do bring feels poorly balanced.
In conclusion this Class has the makings of something great, but it feels rushed and disappointing. It needs feedback, playtesting, editing and much more work put in to truly achieve that potential, not to mention alot of polish to justify that $5 asking price. There are basic elements missing, no illustrations, a single paragraph of introduction and on top of that the files are 150-200MB despite being just 20 pages long each. Maybe one day this class will be the Truenamer for 5e, but for now my search continues.
P.S. As a side note, it's not really an issue but the word 'Pronounciate' is used a lot, and it feels like Enunciate or Pronounce would be more appropriate but that's just my personal taste.
|