Craft (Cheese)
2012-08-28, 09:31 PM
Alright, so this is more a collection of ideas rather than anything concrete at the moment. My first time attempting to make 5e homebrew, and it's not really here nor there.
So, bullet points regarding my conception of the druid:
- Druidic magic is very personal and individualized: The source of their power is mysterious even to the oldest and most experienced druids. It's not something that you can be trained in, it's a spontaneous awakening and transformation that is forced upon you, whether you like it or not. Some druids come to embrace their abilities, others fear and hate them. But it never seems to happen to someone who purposefully seeks it out.
- Any implication of hippy-ism is stripped out. Though many druids prefer the company of animals to humans due to the nature of their powers, druids have no mandate to defend nature against man's encroachments. They have no vows, no connections to secret cabals. Ultimately, a druid can use their powers for whatever they see fit. Whatever source a druid's powers have seems to be impersonal.
- Druid spellcasting is gone. Instead the class is built around an at-will Wildshape feature and a small collection of at-will abilities. This is partially to differentiate the druid more strongly from the wizard and cleric, and partially because I just dislike daily resources.
So, let's get started.
The Druid
Ability Adjustment: +1 to Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom
Hit Die: d8
Weapon Attack: +2, becoming +3 at level 4.
Magic Attack: +2, becoming +3 at level 4.
Starting Hit Points: 8 + your constitution modifier.
Armor and Shield Proficiencies: None
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Weapons
A Druid uses Wisdom for her magical ability.
At level 1, a druid gets the Speak With Animals ability, allowing them to understand and communicate with other animals while they are in their Wild Shape form. The druid can attempt to issue a commands or requests to the animal, but the animal is under no particular compulsion to obey or agree. (Handle this as some sort of diplomacy check.) At level 3, the druid gets this ability even while not in wild shape.
At level 3, a druid gets the Command Animal ability, allowing them to give commands to animals of medium size or smaller while in Wild Shape form. The animal gets a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + the Druid's level + the Druid's WIS modifier. At level 5, the druid may use this ability while not in Wild Shape, and may use this ability on Large animals as well. (Some ability to use this power on magical beasts after 5th level?)
Since every class apparently needs to have subclasses now, the Druid's answer is Biomes. (Need better name!) The biome reflects the nature of their transformation: A Druid's power usually manifests in a person when they're helplessly stranded in the wilderness. The powers help them to survive the ordeal, but leave the druid forever changed. The type of powers depends on the type of environment they were in. Biome determines your Wild Shape form and what at-will abilities (Evocations, to flat-out steal the 4E term for them) you have.
This should be made consistent with 5E's actual polymorph rules, but without having those in the playtest materials at the moment I've had to make up stuff myself.
You can use your evocations while in wildshape, but not any other item or action that requires hands. You don't benefit from any armor you happen to be wearing while in wildshape, but you do benefit from magic rings or amulets.
Wildshape provides a bonus to physical ability scores (depending on form), but a penalty to mental ability scores. While in animal form, you gain a natural attack in which you are proficient, deals 1d8 damage, and counts as a finesse weapon for all purposes.
At levels 1, 2, and 4, you may select an evocation from the list provided for your biome. An evocation may either be an at-will ability or a passive one.
So, two (incomplete) ideas for biome subclasses are presented here: The Forest Druid and the Tundra Druid. More ideas for biomes/ideas to flesh out the ideas presented here are welcome!
(IDEA: Implement the ranger as a subclass of the druid, except they get proficiency with weapons instead of a wild shape form.)
Forest Druid
Wildshape: Wolf Form
+1 STR, +2 DEX, +1 CON, -1 INT, -1 WIS, -2 CHA
Evocations:
Entangle - At-Will - Select a target you can see. Thorny vines spring up out of the ground to cover them, reducing their ability to maneuver effectively. All attackers gain advantage to attack rolls against them, and they gain disadvantage on all dexterity checks. If they attempt to make a weapon attack roll, they take 1 point of damage, regardless of success. At level 4, this increases to 1d4 damage, and you may entangle any (or all) targets within 50 feet of you.
Poison Shot - At-Will - Select a target within 100 feet of you. A shot of purple acid springs out of your hand (or mouth, if in wolf form) and sprays the target. Make a magical attack roll against them: On a success, target takes 1d10 acid damage. They must also make a DC 15 Constitution save or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds.
Riverwalk - Passive/At-Will - You may stand on water as if it were a solid surface. You may also submerge, if you choose. The water can only support your own body weight, however, and you fall in if much other weight or resistance is being applied (for example, if you're carrying a medium load or if someone is attempting to hold you under). Any person you choose who you are touching can also stand on the water, but is subject to the same weight restrictions as yourself. If the water you are standing on has a strong current (like a river), you and anyone you are touching can instantly appear anywhere downstream. This ability does not work across oceans, but it does work through artificial water-carrying structures (like pipes and aqueducts).
Tree Shape - At-will - At-will, you may turn into a tree. This is a polymorph effect, and not an illusion, so it fools any method of seeing through illusions (but not any method of seeing through or dispelling polymorph effects). You do not need to eat or sleep while in tree form, and staying in tree form for 4 hours in the sunlight satisfies your hunger and thirst, and staying in tree form for 4 hours in any conditions counts as an extended rest.
(That's where my good ideas run out, unfortunately. I'd say I need two more evocations to call this ready for playtesting.)
Tundra Druid
Wildshape: Polar Bear Form.
+2 STR, +1 DEX, +2 CON, -2 INT, -1 WIS, -2 CHA
Evocations:
Frostbolt - At-will - Select a target you can see: A large shard of ice comes out of your hand (or paw) to pierce them. Make a magical attack roll against the target: If successful, deal 1d6 cold damage and 1d4 piercing damage. The target is also slowed by 10 feet for 1d4 rounds.
Fist of the North - At-will - You create a thick snowstorm around you for 100 feet in all directions. This storm lasts for 1 round/level + 1, after which it disappates and the snow immediately disappears with it (you may, however, use another action to reset the duration of the storm at any time). The area is heavily obscured (but the druid may still see perfectly in these conditions), and within the snow storm you may make winds up to 30 miles per hour in any direction as a free action. At level 4, the storm also deals 1d4 cold damage to anyone you choose each round, and the winds you can create increase to 40 miles per hour.
Fangs of Winter - Passive - After you take this evocation, all of your cold damage attacks ignore energy resistance and/or immunity.
Everlasting Night - At-will - Select one creature you can see: The target is wracked by nightmarish visions of the world ending in an endless blanket of ice. The creature is subject to a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. Upon failing this saving throw, the creature enters a catatonic state and is Stunned for 1d4 rounds. Mindless creatures are unaffected. At level 4, the DC of the saving throw increases to 18.
(Need... utility powers, maybe? Forest druid has some interesting non-combat options but the tundra druid really doesn't.)
So, questions/opinions/death threats?
So, bullet points regarding my conception of the druid:
- Druidic magic is very personal and individualized: The source of their power is mysterious even to the oldest and most experienced druids. It's not something that you can be trained in, it's a spontaneous awakening and transformation that is forced upon you, whether you like it or not. Some druids come to embrace their abilities, others fear and hate them. But it never seems to happen to someone who purposefully seeks it out.
- Any implication of hippy-ism is stripped out. Though many druids prefer the company of animals to humans due to the nature of their powers, druids have no mandate to defend nature against man's encroachments. They have no vows, no connections to secret cabals. Ultimately, a druid can use their powers for whatever they see fit. Whatever source a druid's powers have seems to be impersonal.
- Druid spellcasting is gone. Instead the class is built around an at-will Wildshape feature and a small collection of at-will abilities. This is partially to differentiate the druid more strongly from the wizard and cleric, and partially because I just dislike daily resources.
So, let's get started.
The Druid
Ability Adjustment: +1 to Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom
Hit Die: d8
Weapon Attack: +2, becoming +3 at level 4.
Magic Attack: +2, becoming +3 at level 4.
Starting Hit Points: 8 + your constitution modifier.
Armor and Shield Proficiencies: None
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Weapons
A Druid uses Wisdom for her magical ability.
At level 1, a druid gets the Speak With Animals ability, allowing them to understand and communicate with other animals while they are in their Wild Shape form. The druid can attempt to issue a commands or requests to the animal, but the animal is under no particular compulsion to obey or agree. (Handle this as some sort of diplomacy check.) At level 3, the druid gets this ability even while not in wild shape.
At level 3, a druid gets the Command Animal ability, allowing them to give commands to animals of medium size or smaller while in Wild Shape form. The animal gets a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + the Druid's level + the Druid's WIS modifier. At level 5, the druid may use this ability while not in Wild Shape, and may use this ability on Large animals as well. (Some ability to use this power on magical beasts after 5th level?)
Since every class apparently needs to have subclasses now, the Druid's answer is Biomes. (Need better name!) The biome reflects the nature of their transformation: A Druid's power usually manifests in a person when they're helplessly stranded in the wilderness. The powers help them to survive the ordeal, but leave the druid forever changed. The type of powers depends on the type of environment they were in. Biome determines your Wild Shape form and what at-will abilities (Evocations, to flat-out steal the 4E term for them) you have.
This should be made consistent with 5E's actual polymorph rules, but without having those in the playtest materials at the moment I've had to make up stuff myself.
You can use your evocations while in wildshape, but not any other item or action that requires hands. You don't benefit from any armor you happen to be wearing while in wildshape, but you do benefit from magic rings or amulets.
Wildshape provides a bonus to physical ability scores (depending on form), but a penalty to mental ability scores. While in animal form, you gain a natural attack in which you are proficient, deals 1d8 damage, and counts as a finesse weapon for all purposes.
At levels 1, 2, and 4, you may select an evocation from the list provided for your biome. An evocation may either be an at-will ability or a passive one.
So, two (incomplete) ideas for biome subclasses are presented here: The Forest Druid and the Tundra Druid. More ideas for biomes/ideas to flesh out the ideas presented here are welcome!
(IDEA: Implement the ranger as a subclass of the druid, except they get proficiency with weapons instead of a wild shape form.)
Forest Druid
Wildshape: Wolf Form
+1 STR, +2 DEX, +1 CON, -1 INT, -1 WIS, -2 CHA
Evocations:
Entangle - At-Will - Select a target you can see. Thorny vines spring up out of the ground to cover them, reducing their ability to maneuver effectively. All attackers gain advantage to attack rolls against them, and they gain disadvantage on all dexterity checks. If they attempt to make a weapon attack roll, they take 1 point of damage, regardless of success. At level 4, this increases to 1d4 damage, and you may entangle any (or all) targets within 50 feet of you.
Poison Shot - At-Will - Select a target within 100 feet of you. A shot of purple acid springs out of your hand (or mouth, if in wolf form) and sprays the target. Make a magical attack roll against them: On a success, target takes 1d10 acid damage. They must also make a DC 15 Constitution save or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds.
Riverwalk - Passive/At-Will - You may stand on water as if it were a solid surface. You may also submerge, if you choose. The water can only support your own body weight, however, and you fall in if much other weight or resistance is being applied (for example, if you're carrying a medium load or if someone is attempting to hold you under). Any person you choose who you are touching can also stand on the water, but is subject to the same weight restrictions as yourself. If the water you are standing on has a strong current (like a river), you and anyone you are touching can instantly appear anywhere downstream. This ability does not work across oceans, but it does work through artificial water-carrying structures (like pipes and aqueducts).
Tree Shape - At-will - At-will, you may turn into a tree. This is a polymorph effect, and not an illusion, so it fools any method of seeing through illusions (but not any method of seeing through or dispelling polymorph effects). You do not need to eat or sleep while in tree form, and staying in tree form for 4 hours in the sunlight satisfies your hunger and thirst, and staying in tree form for 4 hours in any conditions counts as an extended rest.
(That's where my good ideas run out, unfortunately. I'd say I need two more evocations to call this ready for playtesting.)
Tundra Druid
Wildshape: Polar Bear Form.
+2 STR, +1 DEX, +2 CON, -2 INT, -1 WIS, -2 CHA
Evocations:
Frostbolt - At-will - Select a target you can see: A large shard of ice comes out of your hand (or paw) to pierce them. Make a magical attack roll against the target: If successful, deal 1d6 cold damage and 1d4 piercing damage. The target is also slowed by 10 feet for 1d4 rounds.
Fist of the North - At-will - You create a thick snowstorm around you for 100 feet in all directions. This storm lasts for 1 round/level + 1, after which it disappates and the snow immediately disappears with it (you may, however, use another action to reset the duration of the storm at any time). The area is heavily obscured (but the druid may still see perfectly in these conditions), and within the snow storm you may make winds up to 30 miles per hour in any direction as a free action. At level 4, the storm also deals 1d4 cold damage to anyone you choose each round, and the winds you can create increase to 40 miles per hour.
Fangs of Winter - Passive - After you take this evocation, all of your cold damage attacks ignore energy resistance and/or immunity.
Everlasting Night - At-will - Select one creature you can see: The target is wracked by nightmarish visions of the world ending in an endless blanket of ice. The creature is subject to a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. Upon failing this saving throw, the creature enters a catatonic state and is Stunned for 1d4 rounds. Mindless creatures are unaffected. At level 4, the DC of the saving throw increases to 18.
(Need... utility powers, maybe? Forest druid has some interesting non-combat options but the tundra druid really doesn't.)
So, questions/opinions/death threats?