Roguish Archetype: Time Bandit

by Anthony Vallozzi

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Roguish Archetype

Time Bandit

Time bandits are the greatest and most experienced adventurers amongst adventurers, they are the individuals that use chronomancy to slip through time in order to be part of, or bare witness to, each and every great event throughout history and the future.

Due to all their mischief and adventure, many time bandits dabble in storytelling, some capable of rivaling even the learned bards with ease.

For someone to become a time bandit they must rely on sheer luck or persistence. One may study chronomancy in order to develop the skills needed, but some simply stumble upon a rift in time and choose to take the leap that forever alters their existence.

Time Traveler

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the history skill, as well as two languages of your choice.

Temporal Shift

Also at 3rd level, you can exert your will over time to influence others perception of it. When you hit a creature that is eligible for your sneak attack, you can choose to change your sneak attack damage to force damage. If you do, the creature must make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failure, the creature has its movement speed reduced by half, it can't take reactions, and on its turn it can use either an action or a bonus action, not both. Furthermore, you gain an additional action you must take immediately.
That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use
an Object action. These effects
last until the start of your next turn.

If the creature succeeds on its save, it becomes
immune to this feature for 1 minute and you gain
no benefit.

Once a creature fails its saving throw, you must
finish a short or long rest to regain the use of this
feature.

Chronomancy

Starting at 9th level, you gain access to a small
fraction of chronomancy magics. You can cast blur,
hold person, as well as time lapse, and at 13th
level you can cast haste and slow without providing material components. Additionally, you gain the
mending cantrip if you don't already know it.
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these
spells.

Once you cast one of these spells, you must
finish a long rest before you can cast that spell
again.

The Best Timeline

At 9th level, you can pluck the perfect moments from other timelines to ensure your allies success. Whenever a friendly creature you can see makes an ability check that lets them add their proficiency bonus, you can use your reaction if they roll 9 or lower on a d20 to treat the result as a 10.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), and you must finish a long rest to regain all uses.

Recall

Starting at 13th level, you can use your bonus action to set an anchor point in your current continuum which you can return to using your reaction when you take damage or fail a saving throw. When you do, you reduce any damage taken from the triggering effect to 0, you teleport to the anchor point, and you remove any conditions that were not effecting you prior to setting the anchor. If the anchor point is occupied, this effect fails, but does not count as a use. If you move more than 100 feet from the anchor point, or after 1 minute passes, the anchor point ceases to function.

Once you use this reaction, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Teller of Tales

Also at 13th level, whenever you make a Charisma (Performance) check related to telling fantastic intricate stories of your past and future escapades, you are considered proficient in the Performance skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Borrowed Time

At 17th level, you are no longer effected by the negative drawbacks of the haste spell when it ends.

Additionally, you can cast the time stop spell. If you attempt to effect an object being worn or carried by someone other than you while this spell is active, you can make a DC 30 Sleight of Hand check to maintain the spell.

Once you cast this spell, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it again.

New Spell

Time Lapse

2nd level transmutation


  • Casting Time: 1 bonus action
  • Range: Self or Touch
  • Components: V
  • Duration: Instantaneous

You halt the passage of time for the briefest of moments. You can immediately move up to your speed without provoking attacks of opportunity. No time passes for other creatures, while you move as normal.

When you cast this spell, you can touch one willing creature, sharing the spell's effects. If you do so, the creature can immediately move up to its speed without provoking attacks of opportunity.

This spell ends if a creature moves to a place more than 100 feet from the location where you cast it.

Story Opportunities

By having a time bandit in a game, a DM can experiment with story elements that involve time travel. Time travel can be a fun way to experience the major past or future events of your world with your players. It can be used as a second chance to prevent catastrophe, or it could be a catalyst to one. It can even be the foundation of a great campaign where the players chase another chronomancer through time at the will of a god or some other entity. The opportunities are infinite as time itself, and it's up to you as a DM to decide how to utilize them.

Credits

Created by Anthony Vallozzi, you can contact me on reddit as /u/ch33ri000z. You can find my work and follow me for updates at gmbinder.com.

Special thanks to @Izzy, @Letters, and @NotTheSmoooze for helping with the design process, as well as all the other helpful people at the Discord of Many Things. Also thank you to Eiti3 for the page style theme.

Art in Order of Appearance

"TESL: Genius Pathmage" by Marisa Oh
"Clocktower Scene" by Reide Perigo

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