Sha'ir
The Sha'ir of Al-Qadim are an odd sub-type of generally charisma based Wizards, introduced in the Arabian Adventures splatbook for d&d 2e and fleshed out more thoroughly in The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook; they were then republished as a full class in Dragon Magazine number 315 for 3e. They play as a sort of wizard-sorcerer hybrid, or a warlock if you're looking at them with 5e eyes. The 4th edition rules can be found in Heroes of the Elemental Chaos.
Fluff wise, sha'irs are wizards who deal with a genie familiar to learn their spells, able to choose from divine and arcane spell lists. Their high charisma allows them to barter for their spell effects (including metamagic)- the higher the barter roll, the better the spell. Depending on how well you rolled your stats, they could be *hilariously* overpowered, with the ability to cast any spell (like a wizard) at any time (like a sorcerer). According to the other wiki, sha'ir were pre-Islamic desert wandering poet-oracles. Multiclass Bard, then?
Like most of the content in the Al-Qadim sourcebooks, it's been left to wither on the vine for the past 20 years due to sensitivity towards all things Arab. An update for 5e taking into account the modern geopolitics of the area, including magical artillery blowing up ancient sites and a theologically driven uprising, would be both hilarious and generate phenomenal amounts of butthurt. ISIS should be your next campaign setting.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Classes | ||
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Player's Handbook 1 | Cleric • Fighter • Paladin • Ranger • Rogue • Warlock • Warlord • Wizard | |
Player's Handbook 2 | Avenger • Barbarian • Bard • Druid • Invoker • Shaman • Sorcerer • Warden | |
Player's Handbook 3 | Ardent • Battlemind • Monk • Psion • Runepriest • Seeker | |
Heroes of X | Blackguard* • Binder* • Cavalier* • Elementalist* • Hexblade* • Hunter* • Mage* • Knight* • Protector* • Scout* • Sentinel* • Skald* • Slayer* • Sha'ir* • Thief* • Vampire* • Warpriest* • Witch* | |
Settings Book | Artificer • Bladesinger* • Swordmage | |
Dragon Magazine | Assassin | |
Others | Paragon Path • Epic Destiny | |
*·: Non-AEDU variant classes |