Covenant of the Conspiracy | Keeper Spirit Covenant, and homebrew for homebrew

Today introduces another first in the homebrew I've posted to this blog: this is homebrew for homebrew! The Keeper is an excellent class homebrewed by NotTheSmoooze. I definitely suggest that you check out the class and her other work!

So, what is it like to make homebrew for homebrew?

Well, to be honest, when it's good homebrew, it's not much different! If a class is well-designed, I can apply the same subclass design principles that I use for any other homebrew: match the power budget of existing subclasses, respect the core design, and make sense within the class's narrative.

The keeper was fun to design for. Its class narrative sets up archetypes as the nature of the spiritual covenant formed between a keeper and their mystical companion (and let me tell you, there is so much creative space for what a keeper's companion can be. I've heard of magical swords, ghost knights, and bestial fiends, and that's just the tip of the iceberg). First, I should say that the covenants that Smoooze created present such cool takes on this idea. One portrays a relationship in which the keeper is commander and master, one presents the companion as a spiritual mentor, and one enables literal fusion.

With this context, I decided to add to the variety already present by making a covenant that sets up the keeper and companion as members of a bigger relationship: an entire conspiracy of spirits where the player character may be master or merely member. This is in keeping with how all the other spirit covenants fit into the keeper while simultaneously standing out and doing something the others don't—which is just a principle of good homebrew in general.

There is another question at play: why make homebrew for homebrew? Why perform homebrewception?

Well, for good homebrew, the question once again really isn't that different from why I make homebrew for official classes: because I like the class, and because it's fun! I also hope that by making homebrew I'm able to let acquaintances and friends know how much I enjoy their content. It's kind of my tribute to their contributions to the field, hobby, etc.

With that, I hope you enjoy the Spirit Covenant! Do check out the keeper and Smoooze's other homebrew. And you might even consider doing your own homebrew of homebrew. Is there a creator whose work you admire a lot? You could make a subclass for one of their classes, or a magic item inspired by an archetype they made. Try out this type of interactive creativity!