Hello! So these are my initial impressions:
1. I adore the idea of a character that specializes in finding esoteric connections in the universe and exploiting them to overcome any challenge. However, I think this iteration of the class overlaps too much with the Inquisitor, mostly because it's too martial or just not martial enough. If I wanted someone to read the Harrow deck, perform a seance, or draw me a magical circle, I'd call Vanessa Ives (Penny Dreadful), Lorraine Warren (The Conjuring), or Jackie Chan's uncle (from the cartoon). They aren't martial at all, but they know a lot about esoterism and can solve their problems through their resourcefulness. But if I wanted to shoot an angel in the face or hunt a werewolf, I'd call Constantine, Van Helsing, or Selene (from Underworld), and they are more inclined to be Inquisitors.
2. I don't really get why the class is CHA-focused. I can tell it has a lot to do with knowledge, intuition, empathy, seeing the connection between all things (which is a very druid thing to do), etc. So I'd prefer to play it with INT or even WIS. I'm not very convinced about the idea of pushing your will into the universe when you don't really have magic. I'd leave that to the Psychics.
3. Having the class draw from the 4 magical traditions can be really interesting, but we need more options for the people who want to focus on only one.
4. With that said, the concept of creating historical or emotional connections and patterns in the universe sounds very occult to me, especially now that we have the explanation from Secrets of Magic. The idea of channeling the power of a deity through a holy symbol is something clearly divine but grabbing two symbols from deities that hate each other and using that to frighten a creature employs power from the history between those deities, and not from the deities themselves. It's using divine objects but with occult methods.
5. I find it odd that you can't attack with your weapon implement if you use it to trace patterns. It's still a weapon after all, and probably your main weapon.
Sorry if I sound too harsh. I'm really interested in what this class has to offer, but I'm also a little concerned about what this means for the future Inquisitor and Medium, which I can't wait to have at some point.
1. I adore the idea of a character that specializes in finding esoteric connections in the universe and exploiting them to overcome any challenge. However, I think this iteration of the class overlaps too much with the Inquisitor, mostly because it's too martial or just not martial enough. If I wanted someone to read the Harrow deck, perform a seance, or draw me a magical circle, I'd call Vanessa Ives (Penny Dreadful), Lorraine Warren (The Conjuring), or Jackie Chan's uncle (from the cartoon). They aren't martial at all, but they know a lot about esoterism and can solve their problems through their resourcefulness. But if I wanted to shoot an angel in the face or hunt a werewolf, I'd call Constantine, Van Helsing, or Selene (from Underworld), and they are more inclined to be Inquisitors.
There is no inquisitor yet though, maybe there never will be. So I don't think we should narrow this classes possible characters on that basis, also Uncle can 100% whoop ass.
I get it for other types of spooky detective, but on the other hand, a martial doesn't mean a melee combatant, and in fact I think Thaumaturges as-are like to be ranged combatants. Like a Thaumaturge with a gun or hand crossbow does capture the spooky detective vibe for me, personally.
5. I find it odd that you can't attack with your weapon implement if you use it to trace patterns. It's still a weapon after all, and probably your main weapon.
"You can’t make this Strike with the implement you’re using to trace the patterns; for instance, if you’re Striking with a weapon implement, you need to use a free hand or a different implement you’re holding to trace the patterns."
You can use a free hand or another implement to trace the patterns when using a weapon implement.