The Siphon v0.1

This document contains a prototype of a new 3rd party Draw Steel class - The Siphon.

Created by Jacob Seiler, (u/jaco129, @NUMBER-501)

This version of the document contains the following:

- Introduction

- Level 1

About

The core fantasy of the class is that of a battlefield disruptor that absorbs power, converts, and unleashes it as a fight rages on. It is thematically loosely aligned with The Timescape as many of its themes are “space-y/physics” based. That said, a siphon would feel right at home in Vasloria alongside nulls, elementalists, and conduits. It also tends to skew a little “dark” in some aspects. Sages might refer to them as “leeches” derogatorily.

Mechanically, this class is, at its core, a “meaty caster”. Its abilities are overtly magical but it doesn’t mind being in the fray and taking some hits. It has inspirational overlap with classes like the water elementalist, the chronokinetic null and the mastermind tactician.

For Players

Mechanical Complexity

This class has two layers of mechanical complexity for players who choose to be a Siphon:

1. The class has two resources to manage
2. Almost all its heroic resource gains happen when it’s not your turn

The goal is a class that is somewhere along the complexity spectrum between Talent and Summoner.

Social Complexity

As this class’ heroic resource accrual is overwhelmingly dependent on actions other players (and the director) take at the table it’s important for Siphons to be able to balance tactical suggestion against table tyranny. Don’t bully your friends into burning their resources just to get more Flow this turn! But, also understand that your efficacy requires paying attention to what others are doing on their turns.

For Directors

I would not recommend allowing more than two siphons at any given table due to some potential degenerate feedback loops if too many of them are working together.

Feedback and Ongoing Development

All feedback welcome! Feel free to leave it via the link below or on whatever thread/post you may have found this doc. I’ll find it.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqwrBoZ6Dwqtdplghl5hoUlU-dcruFiMixR9WNV0XtYI3pQg/viewform?usp=dialog

I’m hoping to have v0.3 (all of echelon 1) designed and released by the end of Q1 2026. And I’m typing this here to hold myself accountable to that, lol.

Thanks

Special thanks to MrMattDollar for his google docs draw steel font/symbols which can be found here https://mrmattdollar.itch.io/draw-steel-symbols-font

Additional thanks to anyone in the MCDM discord who may have answered my various mechanical questions over the past few months.

Siphon

The Timescape is bathed in wasted energies. Every spell cast, every prayer answered, every mind bent, an imperfect conversion of intent and power. As a siphon you wield the unseen power between powers, injecting yourself into the intimate space between summoner and summoned, conduit and deity. Unleash power harvested from the chaos of battle. Where the priest receives, the mage evokes, and the psion wills, the siphon takes.

Basics

Starting Characteristics: You Start with Intuition of 2, and you can choose one of the following arrays for your characteristic scores:

• 2, −1, −1
• 1, 1, −1
• 1, 0, 0

Weak Potency: Intuition − 2

Average Potency: Intuition − 1

Strong Potency: Intuition

Starting Stamina at 1st Level: 18

Stamina Gained at 2nd and Higher Levels: 6

Recoveries: 8

Skills: Choose any two skills from the intrigue or lore skill groups. (Quick build: Magic, Sabotage)

1st-Level Features

As a 1st-level siphon, you gain the following features.

Wellspring

You are attuned to the meta-energies that underpin powerful natural and supernatural phenomena. While all Siphons are capable of making use of excess power from any source, they are well attuned to certain kinds of energies often referred to as their wellspring. (Quick Build: Entropy)

Entropy

The forces of nature are not static, they shift, rage, and abhor permanence. Attuned to this aspect of primordial chaos you can alter yourself and a battlefield to suit your needs. Harness this power to ensure the winds blow in your favor. Entropy Siphons play as generalist casters with additional staying power.

Siphon Advancement

Heresy

The gods of the timescape bequeath their power to their followers. Siphons can tap into these connections and take some of this power for their own, wielding it against the faithful and disrupting their communion. Heresy Siphons are frontline agents of chaos and disruption.

Eternity

There are forces at work older and more fundamental to the timescape than magics and psionics. Some scholars crudely bucket them into law or chaos. To “understand” them is a fool’s errand, but some siphons can reach for them, grasp be damned. Eternity Siphons specialize in movement and positioning, forced or otherwise.

Flow and Criticality

You harvest ambient power as it moves from source to destination. The rate at which you can do this is your Heroic Resource called Flow.

Flow in Combat

At the start of a combat encounter or some other stressful situation tracked in combat rounds (as determined by the Director), you gain Flow or Laminar Augment Value (see below) equal to your Victories. You may allocate the resources gained from victories as you wish. For example, if you start an encounter with 3 Victories you could choose to begin the encounter with 2 Flow and 1 Laminar Augment Value.

You gain flow as creatures other than yourself expend resources. You may gain flow from a given Resource Type once per round. Consult the following chart to determine how much flow you gain:

If a resource type is used multiple times in a given round you gain the difference between the flow gained previously and the flow gained from the most recent occurrence. For example, if the director uses a 1 malice ability, and later in the same round uses a 5 malice ability, you would gain 1 malice when the 5 malice ability is used for a total of 2 Flow from Malice usage that round.

You lose any remaining flow at the end of the encounter.

Criticality

A Siphon cannot maintain overwhelming amounts of Flow at any given moment without becoming Overpressured. At first level your Criticality is 7.

Overpressured

If a Siphon begins their turn with more Flow than their Criticality they become Overpressured as the ambient energy of the battle overwhelms their ability to channel it. While overpressured the siphon must take one of two Main Actions in addition to their Move action: Endure Back-pressure or Explosive Decompression

Endure Back-Pressure                     Overpressured

 “The dam… Holds!”

Magic                                                   Main Action

Self                                                      Self

Power Roll + Intuition:

 You take damage equal to the amount of flow you currently have. You lose all Flow.

 You take damage equal to half the amount of Flow you currently have. You lose all Flow

 You take Damage equal to half the amount of Flow you currently have. You lose that amount of flow.

Effect: On a 19 or a 20 you do not lose any flow and are no longer overpressured. You may take another action.

Explosive Decompression                      Overpressured

“Under certain pressures, bodies cease to be a biology and become a chemistry.”        

Magic, Strike                                            Main Action

Burst 3                            Each enemy in the area

Power Roll + Intuition:

 Damage equal to 3x your current Flow

 Damage equal to 4x your current Flow

 Damage equal to 5x your current Flow

Effect: After using this ability you die and your body is destroyed

Laminar Augmentation

As a siphon, you can use Flow to manifest a Laminar Augment to suit your needs. The strength of the Augment is referred to as your Laminar Augment Value. While each of the Laminar Augments are aligned to a wellspring, you may change the form of your augment each time you finish a respite. (Quick build: Laminar Ward)

If a Siphon begins their turn with a Laminar Augment Value greater than their Criticality they become Overpressured.

Additionally all siphons gain the Equilibrium maneuver.

Equilibrium                                                Maneuver

“Internal balance. External will.”        

Magic        Maneuver

Self         Self

Effect: You may convert any amount of Flow into Laminar Augment Value or from your Laminar Augment Value into Flow at a cost of 2:1

Laminar Ward

This augment functions as an overshield with its own pool of Laminar Ward Stamina. When taking damage, deplete stamina first from your Laminar Ward before any other kind of stamina. While you have a Laminar Ward you gain the Refill Ward Maneuver.

Refill Ward                                               Maneuver

Shields up.        

Magic        Maneuver

Self         Self

Effect: You gain Laminar Ward Stamina equal to your Laminar Augment Value.

Laminar Phase

This augment allows the siphon to easily navigate a battlefield. You gain the Flow State maneuver.

Flow State                                                Maneuver

“Collapsing positional probabilities… behind you.”        

Magic        Maneuver

Laminar Augmentation Value         Self

Effect: You may teleport up to a number of squares equal to your laminar augment value.

Laminar Blade

This augment allows the siphon to manifest flow as a weapon. While your Laminar Augment value is greater than 0, you gain the Heretic Blade kit:

Equipment

You wear no armor and wield a medium weapon

Kit Bonuses

Stamina Bonus: +3 per echelon

Speed Bonus: +1

Stability Bonus: +1

Melee Damage Bonus: +1/+1/+1

 Letting        Signature Kit.

“ The flesh, an open valve.”

Magic, Melee, Strike, Weapon        Main Action

Melee 1         One creature

Power Roll + Might or Agility:

 2 +  holy damage

 4 +  holy damage

 6 +  holy damage

Spend 1 Flow: Until the end of the target’s next turn they have damage weakness equal to your Laminar Augment Value at the time they were struck.

1st-Level Wellspring Features

Your wellspring grants you a signature ability, a triggered action, and a skill from a specified group in the 1st-Level Wellspring Features table. (Quick build: Entropy, Alchemy)

1st-Level Wellspring Features

Wellspring Abilities

Your wellspring is a font of attunement allowing you to convert energies into action.

Wellspring Signature Abilities

Heat Death        Signature.

 The last stars fade, an eternity between them.        

Entropy, Ranged, Magic, Strike        Main Action

Ranged 10         Two Creatures

Power Roll + Might or Agility:

 2 fire damage

 4 fire damage

 6 fire damage

Spend 1 Flow: Deal additional damage to both targets equal to the distance between the targets (up to a maximum equal to your Criticality).

The Brought Horizon        Signature.

 Really bad Eggs.        

Eternity, Ranged, Magic, Strike        Main Action

Ranged 10         Two Creatures

Power Roll + Intuition:

 2 +  damage; pull 2

 5 +  damage; pull 3

 7 +  damage; pull 5

Spend 1 Flow: You can target additional creatures up to a number equal to your level.

The First Knife        Signature.

 Even the hardest stone yields to the river.        

Heresy, Melee, Magic, Strike        Main Action

Melee 1         One Creature

Power Roll + Might or Agility:

 2 +  damage;  weakened (EoT)

 4 +  damage;  weakened (Save Ends)

 6 +  damage;  weakened (Save Ends)

Effect: If the target has any damage immunities, they are reduced by 1 (EoE).

Wellspring Triggered Actions

 Imperfect Conversion                                 Trigger        .

 “Not quite what you had in mind?”        

Entropy, Magic        Triggered Action

Ranged 10         One creature

Trigger: A creature makes a power roll.

Effect: Impose a bane on the power roll. If this causes the result to be reduced by a tier, gain 1 Flow or Laminar Augment Value.

 Beyonding                                                       Trigger        .

 “The brightest star is not always the closest.”        

Eternity, Magic        Triggered Action

Ranged 10         One creature

Trigger: A creature uses a ranged or burst ability.

Effect: The effective range of that ability is halved. If this reduces the number of creatures targeted by the ability, gain 1 Flow or Laminar Augment Value.

 Overheard Prayers        Trigger.

“Between you and me, that wasn’t between you and them.”        

Heresy, Magic        Triggered Action

Ranged 10         One creature

Trigger: A creature regains stamina.

Effect: The creature takes damage equal to half of the regained stamina. You gain stamina equal to that damage.

Heroic Abilities

You channel a variety of heroic abilities, all of them fueled by your flow.

3-Flow Ability

Choose one heroic ability from the following options, each of which costs 3 Flow to use. (Quick Build: Wither)

 Wither        3 Flow.

“ Awash in the sands of time.”        

 Area, Magic, Strike        Main Action

3 Cube within 10         Each enemy in the area

Power Roll + Might or Agility:

 2 +   corruption damage;  weakened (EoT)

 5 +  corruption damage;  weakened (EoT)

 7 +   corruption damage;  weakened (EoT)

Effect: Gain 1 Laminar Augmentation Value. All plant life within the affected area withers and begins to decay.

 Nova Leap        3 Flow.

“Stellar Relocation”        

 Area, Magic, Strike        Main Action

1 Burst         Each enemy in the area

Power Roll + Intuition:

 3 +   damage

 6 +  damage

 8 +   damage

Effect: Gain 1 Laminar Augmentation Value. You may shift up to your speed. Creatures within 1 at the end of the shifted movement also take the damage determined by the power roll.

Your Breath, Away                                         3 Flow.

 Flavor text…        

Ranged, Magic, Strike                            Main Action

Ranged 10                                 One creature

Effect: Gain 1 Laminar Augmentation Value. A creature targeted by this ability begins to suffocate, taking 1d6 +  damage on each of their turns (save ends). A creature affected by this ability cannot speak.

5-Flow Ability

Choose one heroic ability from the following options, each of which costs 5 Flow to use. (Quick Build: Take)

 Take        5 Flow.

“Yours. Mine.”        

 Area, Magic, Strike        Main Action

Ranged 10         One Creature

Power Roll + Intuition:

 8 +  damage

 12 +  damage

 16 +  damage

Effect: Gain 2 Laminar Augmentation Value. Regain stamina equal to the damage dealt.

Fleeting Apotheosis                                                5 Flow.

 A glimpse of the divine        

Magic                                             Maneuver

Self                                         Self

Effect: Gain 2 Laminar Augmentation Value. You gain two surges and the following benefits until the end of your next turn:

• A Fly speed equal to your speed
• As a Maneuver you may remove a number of conditions from yourself or other creatures up to your Intuition score

 Closed System        5 Flow.

“Never decrease.”        

 Area, Magic, Strike        Main Action

16 Wall within 10         Special

Effect: Gain 2 Laminar Augmentation Value. You can place this wall in occupied squares, sliding each creature in the area into the nearest unoccupied space of your choice. The wall remains until the end of the encounter or you are dying. Wall segments must appear in a formation that creates an enclosed space, for example,  a 5 sided square, or any complex shape drawn with the same start and end point that contains empty space. The wall’s squares are treated as wood for the purpose of damage. Allies within this shape have edges on power rolls. Enemies within this shape have banes on power rolls.