PDA

View Full Version : [4e] Getting Into Homebrew



IcemanJRC
2012-01-02, 11:21 PM
Okay, so I'm fairly new to homebrew but was hoping to get into it. I was recently inspired and hoping to find either a tutorial for 4e homebrew or a tutor. Any help would be appreciated as I'm hoping to get some practice under my belt. My experience is only with 4e and from a players perspective, but I only intend to try and build player options anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue. I hope. Anyway, thanks preemptively.

Mando Knight
2012-01-03, 01:19 AM
Depends. Here's how I think ease of homebrew in 4e ranks, roughly in order from easiest to hardest:

Extra backgrounds, mundane items, new skills and feats (though balancing them may be a little tough), a single power, monsters (just follow the DMG. It has what's pretty much the Idiot's Guide to Monster Making as one of its chapters), magic items and rituals, new races, paragon paths (tied with new themes and epic destinies, since they're actually all quite similar once you get down to it), dungeons, new classes, adventure modules/paths, and campaign worlds.

Of these, you're looking at player options... which is most of what I've listed, really.

Mostly, it boils down to two things for player options: powers and keywords. The backgrounds and mundane items are just fiddling with keywords, really. Change a longsword into a military spear by making it a spear rather than a heavy blade, make a new background by giving it whatever two appropriate skills (or a language) you want, etc.

Skills are mostly a decision of what you can do with them, who gets them as class skills, and what the appropriate DCs for certain relevant actions are, essentially a set of minor powers. Most good feats are basically power modifiers.

Everything else (races, paragon paths, full classes, magic items, etc.) depends on your ability to create new powers. Creating a new race is trivial except for its power (speed, size, two skills, two ability scores, and roughly a feat's worth of extra abilities), and the difference between different magic items is literally in the powers (or properties, which are basically feat-level modifiers) granted. Creating a full class is the hardest as you need to 1.) create a class that isn't adequately filled by an existing class and 2.) plan out and balance a sufficient number of powers or class features (for Essentials-style progressions) to fill out the class all the way to Epic levels.

IcemanJRC
2012-01-03, 01:30 AM
Interesting, so once I've got a grasp on the balance behind powers I should be able to effectively create most things I'd like to work on? That's not something that would've been obvious to me, but when you explain it, it makes an awful lot of sense. When it comes to powers, is their a good way to rank certain effects(daze, slow, etc.) and average damage, etc? Like, is there an agreed upon "fair" for these things, or is it just loosely equated abilities with each other?

Mando Knight
2012-01-03, 02:36 AM
Follow the existing powers for a guideline.

In general, Controllers and Defenders inflict the most status conditions on enemies, and Leaders grant the most bonuses to allies.

Single-turn moderate disablers, like Prone and end-of-next-turn Immobilize or Daze, cost roughly one die of damage. (Save Ends) and encounter-duration effects are usually reserved for dailies. Total-shutdown abilities such as Stun or Blind should be single-turn daily effects at low levels, not getting to be (Save Ends) until Paragon at the earliest.

Strikers tend to deal more damage than the others in one of four ways: more dice (usually one more... Rogues get this built into their Sneak Attack), larger dice (mostly big-weapon Strikers like the Barbarian), an additional modifier to damage, or higher accuracy. They also have roughly +3 damage per tier built into their class features. However, their ability to inflict conditions is far less than the Defender and Controller, who warp the enemy conditions to their liking.

IcemanJRC
2012-01-03, 02:46 AM
I see... Sounds good. So off the top of my head I've got this:

Hamstring
At-Will * Martial
Standard Action Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength Vs. Fortitude
Hit: Strength modifier damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.

A martial defenders level one at-will.
Seem good? I feel that it's effective but not unbalanced.

Surrealistik
2012-01-03, 11:50 AM
Extra backgrounds, mundane items, new skills and feats (though balancing them may be a little tough), a single power, monsters (just follow the DMG. It has what's pretty much the Idiot's Guide to Monster Making as one of its chapters),

Designing monsters is easy. Designing _interesting_ monsters with innovative, synergistic and balanced mechanics is much more difficult (especially when it comes to solos).


Your power looks alright, but it could probably use the Weapon keyword.

Mando Knight
2012-01-03, 01:39 PM
Designing monsters is easy. Designing _interesting_ monsters with innovative, synergistic and balanced mechanics is much more difficult (especially when it comes to solos).
You still have to design their powers. A single power is almost trivial if you allow yourself to outright copy one from the same level and role.

Your power looks alright, but it could probably use the Weapon keyword.
It's also a touch weak, I think. It's mostly the same as Knockdown Assault, but inflicts one turn of Slow (the weakest of the standard conditions, really) rather than Prone and can't be used on a charge. I'd buff it by making it at least 1[W] of damage so that it counts as a damage roll, if not going all the way and making it 1[W]+Str.

Surrealistik
2012-01-03, 01:52 PM
Straight up copying powers doesn't quite satisfy the 'innovative' criterion. Yes, you do have to design their powers and traits, which is definitely the most difficult part if you plan to get at all creative and make the mob an interesting one with diverse tactical options, rather than simply level appropriate damage plus the occasional debuff or condition.


Slow can actually be quite potent given certain synergies like World Serpent's Grasp and Vicious Advantage, but yeah, I'd probably agree with giving it an actual damage roll alongside the weapon keyword.

IcemanJRC
2012-01-03, 02:46 PM
Like I said it was just off the top of my head. When I'd first put it down it was a minor action, which explains the weakness. I felt that minor action was a bit too good, I wasn't sure though. SO I went with the safe bet.

Minor Action Hamstring
At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Minor Action Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength Vs. Fortitude
Hit: Strength modifier damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.

OR

Damage Hamstring
At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength Vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.

The first I thought was interesting and quite different from the norm. But I thought there might be reason for that, it seems quite good. At least through heroic. The second is fairly standard. A believe the Warden has a power just like it except it targets AC instead of Fort actually...

Mando Knight
2012-01-03, 03:58 PM
Minor action attacks are relatively rare, and are never at-will. Even Strikers don't get at-will Minor action attacks.

IcemanJRC
2012-01-03, 04:11 PM
That was my thought, which is why I changed it to what the first bit was. Though I feel Minor Actions go to waste a lot. I'll have to try and move into that design space in the future.

Mando Knight
2012-01-03, 04:57 PM
That was my thought, which is why I changed it to what the first bit was. Though I feel Minor Actions go to waste a lot. I'll have to try and move into that design space in the future.

Minor actions are there for minor actions, like using a potion or swapping weapons. Design-wise, it's where non-attack class features and extra actions go. It's fine if you're not always doing something with your Minor Action, since the rest of the time you're trying to fit in as much as possible with your allotted actions.

IcemanJRC
2012-01-03, 05:27 PM
I agree, though I feel that it is under used. I don't really have experience in anything past mid heroic so I can't make too much of a judgment, but that's my opinion.