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Channel of the... |
An artificiate dressed like a hentai school girl grooves to vaporwave, live-mixing sick beats for the approval of her livestream audience of thousands. Every time she bounces to the beat, another like appears on the channel.
A human delves the ruins of the Old World, a go-pro mounted on his hardhat. He narrates everything he sees to the delight of his viewers in the safety of their habicubes - and to his own increased danger, since it lets the unfriendly locals know exactly where he is.
A gobbo works in a dimly lit workshop, her exact location hidden by the multiple firewalls and VPNs she uses during her streams. As she uses commercial-grade 3D printers to build military-grade weapons, she lectures on exactly how to use them to best effect against the corporations.
Every influencer is different. They have to be if they want to stay ahead of the latest trends instead of getting left behind. Whether conspiracy theorist, geotagger, renegade artist, or cover band, influencers use their quirky personalities to inspire their allies, demoralize their foes, and gain access to unique techs.
Entertainment and Rebellion
Influencers are both consumer and product, performer and producer. They create music, video, audio, and graphic art that goes out to the media-hungry masses of the New World. While the corpos have their own sanitized entertainment, carefully scripted and focus group tested, the most popular channels by far are those on the illegal underweb.
The greatest strength of influencers as a class is their sheer versatility. While a given influencer might focus on making cooking videos or recording true-crime podcasts, their wide breadth of media knowledge makes them surprisingly knowledgeable in an array of subjects. Many influencers prefer to stick to the sidelines, using their tech to inspire allies and hinder foes from a distance - but you never know when a history podcast producer might turn out to have a side channel focusing on the historical accuracy of combat rifles in holo-vids, which required them to learn how to shoot like John Fucking Wick.
Experience and the Algorithm
True influencers are uncommon. Not every GooTuber slathering themselves in jelly for the entertainment of perverts or wannabe jackass hurting themselves for likes is an influencer. Even a mediocre channel can wind up with millions of followers by accident - only to lose them all when the trend they stumbled across dries up. A real influencer is one who stands at the leading edge of their sector of the entertainment industry, starting trends instead of following them.
Many influencers wind up quite wealthy from ad revenue, sponsorships, and even corporate partnerships, but the ones who live outside the system aren't doing it for the money - or at least, not just for the money. Underground influencers are in it for the art, whether that art is street graffiti, weird musical arrangements, or slathering themselves in jelly for the entertainment of perverts. Each new video, social media blast, or podcast they release is an opportunity to learn, hone their skills, discover lost tech, and take potshots at the corporations. Some even start to believe their own hype, becoming the dashing icons that they present themselves as.
Proficiency Tricks Techs - Tech Slots per Tech Level -
Level Bonus Features Known Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1 +2 Techcasting, Influencer Inspiration (d6) 2 4 2 - - - - - - - -
2 +2 Jack of All Trades, ASMR (d6) 2 5 3 - - - - - - - -
3 +2 Influencer Channel, Expertise 2 6 4 2 - - - - - - -
4 +2 Ability Score Improvement, Influencer Versatility 3 7 4 3 - - - - - - -
5 +3 Influencer Inspiration (d8), Always On 3 8 4 3 2 - - - - - -
6 +3 Counter Influence, Channel Feature 3 9 4 3 3 - - - - - -
7 +3 - 3 10 4 3 3 1 - - - - -
8 +3 Ability Score Improvement 3 11 4 3 3 2 - - - - -
9 +4 ASMR (d8) 3 12 4 3 3 3 1 - - - -
10 +4 Influencer Inspiration (d10), Expertise, Tech Secret 4 14 4 3 3 3 2 - - - -
11 +4 - 4 15 4 3 3 3 2 1 - - -
12 +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 15 4 3 3 3 2 1 - - -
13 +5 ASMR (d10) 4 16 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 - -
14 +5 Tech Secret, Channel Feature 4 18 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 - -
15 +5 Influencer Inspiration (d12) 4 19 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
16 +5 Ability Score Improvement 4 19 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
17 +6 ASMR (d12) 4 20 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
18 +6 Tech Secret 4 22 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
19 +6 Ability Score Improvement 4 22 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
20 +6 Superior Inspiration 4 22 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1
As an influencer, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per influencer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per influencer level after 1st.
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Civilian weapons, long swords, dueling swords, machetes
Tools: Three musical instruments of your choice, or one technician's tools of your choice
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose any three
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a dueling sword, (b) a long sword, or (c) any civilian weapon
- (a) a salesperson's pack or (b) a nightclubber's pack
- (a) a musical instrument of choice or (b) a technician's tools with which you are proficient
- Nanofilm armor, a cheap recording device of choice, and a knife
Techcasting
You have learned various and sundry techs to improve the quality of your productions. Some of them are actually useful out in the real world too.
Tricks
You know two tricks of your choice from the influencer tech list. You learn additional influencer tricks of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the tricks Known column of the Influencer table.
Tech Slots
The influencer techcasting table shows how many tech slots you have to cast your influencer techs of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these techs, you must expend a slot of the tech's level or higher. You regain all expended tech slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level tech combat dressing and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level tech slot available, you can cast combat dressing using either slot.
Techs Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know four 1st-level techs of your choice from the influencer tech list.
The Techs Known column of the Influencer table shows when you learn more influencer techs of your choice. Each of these techs must be of a level for which you have tech slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new tech of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the influencer techs you know and replace it with another tech from the influencer tech list, which also must be of a level for which you have tech slots.
Techcasting Ability
Charisma is your techcasting ability for your influencer techs. Your tech is funded by your viewers and sponsorships, which are largely a function of how likeable you are. You use your Charisma whenever a tech refers to your techcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an influencer tech you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
- Tech save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
- Tech attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Script Casting
You can cast any influencer tech you know as a script if that tech has the script tag.
Techcasting Focus
You can use a streaming tool (such as a webcam, gopro, or podcasting mic) as a techcasting focus for your influencer techs.
Influencer Inspiration
You can inspire others with your online schtick. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Influencer Inspiration die, a d6.
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Influencer Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Influencer Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Influencer Inspiration die at a time.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Your Influencer Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.
Jack of All Trades
Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus.
ASMR
Beginning at 2nd level, you can use soothing low-volume sounds to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.
The extra hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 9th level, to 1d10 at 13th level, and to 1d12 at 17th level.
Influencer Channel
At 3rd level, you start your own dedicated channel, or finally gain enough followers to start monetizing your existing one. Choose one of the Influencer Channels presented at the end of this class. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.
Expertise
At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
Ability Score Improvement
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.
You can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Influencer Versatility
Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can do one of the following, representing a change in focus as you use your skills and tech:
- Replace one of the skills you chose for the Expertise feature with one of your other skill proficiencies that isn't benefiting from Expertise.
- Replace one trick you learned from this class's techcasting feature with another trick from the influencer tech list.
Always On
Your followers are always hungry for more content, so you learn to adopt your influencer persona at the drop of a hat. Beginning when you reach 5th level, you regain all of your expended uses of Influencer Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.
Counter Influence
At 6th level, you gain the ability to use your influence to disrupt mind-influencing effects. When a creature within 30 feet of you would make a saving throw against being frightened or charmed, you can use your reaction and one of your uses of Influencer Inspiration to give it advantage on that saving throw. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. This benefit extends to all of your allies within 30 feet who can hear you until the end of your next turn, or until you are incapacitated or silenced.
Expertise
At 10th level, choose two more of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
Tech Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered technical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two techs from any classes, including this one. A tech you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Influencer table, or a trick.
The chosen techs count as influencer techs for you and are included in the number in the Techs Known column of the Influencer table.
You learn two additional techs from any classes at 14th level and again at 18th level.
Superior Inspiration
At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Influencer Inspiration left, you regain one use.
While every influencer is unique, most of their channels can be divided into a few broad categories. This is actually important for an influencer who wants their productions to be found by a wider audience, since they have to self-label for purposes of metadata and algorithm-based searches. Influencers often seek one another out to cross-promote, or just to see what their rivals for clicks and likes are up to. This can lead to channel affiliations, where a group of influencers often stream together or lead "friendly raids" on each other's streams.
Influencer Channels
- Channel of the Activist [Valor]
- Channel of the Idol [Glamour]
- Channel of the Orator [Eloquence]
- Channel of the Personal Trainer [Swords]
- Channel of the Spiritualist [Spirits]
- Channel of the Tagger [Whispers]
- Channel of the Tech Geek [Creation]