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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next New Sorcerous Origins (Lycanthrope, and Demigod)



DragonBones
2015-02-25, 12:53 PM
I decided I wanted to do some homebrewing, and so I've decided to create a series of sorcerous origins, hopefully adding to them over time. At the moment I've got Lycanthropes, and Demigods, but hopefully more are coming. Thanks for any help or comment, and please leave constructive criticism if you can.
You have lycanthropic blood in your veins. This may be the result of being bitten by a lycanthrope, being the child of lycanthropes, or maybe some mystical alignment of the full moon. Regardless, your lycanthropic powers start off small, with you becoming unnaturally aggressive at night, until eventually you can transform into an animal during the day or night.
Lycanthrope Type
At 1st level you choose one type of Lycanthrope, tiger, black bear, or wolf.
Full Moon’s Curse
Starting at 1st level, during the night, your intelligence and wisdom are reduced by 2, and one other ability score is increased by 2 depending on your Lycanthrope type. If you chose Tiger, you gain 2 constitution; if you chose Bear, you gain 2 strength; if you chose Wolf you gain 2 dexterity.
Full Moon’s Creation
Starting at 6th level, during the night, you can make a bite attack as an action. Your bite deals 1d6 damage, and when you hit a creature with your bite, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target. Your appearance at night also becomes more feral and animalistic.
Full Moon’s Transformation
Starting at 14th level, during the night, you can spend 1 sorcery point and use an action, to transform into the animal that you choose for your Lycanthrope type, for up to 1 hour. You can revert to your normal form earlier than this by using a bonus action. You keep your current health, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma, but otherwise you gain the statistics of your chosen animal, you can’t cast spells, and any gear you are wearing either falls to the ground, or is worn by your new form. If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you fall unconscious and return to your original form.
Mastery of the Curse
Starting at 18th level, you can spend 1 sorcery point and use an action, to transform either into your animal form, or into your hybrid form gained at 6th level, during the day, for 1 hour. In addition, during the night, you can spend 1 sorcery point and use an action, to transform into your normal form for 1 hour. If you are reduced to 0 hit points, you fall unconscious in the form you were before you spent 1 sorcery point to transform. You can end the transformation by spending a bonus action to transform.

Deities often interact with mortals, usually in disguise, and you are the product of one of these meetings. Maybe your mother met a handsome man, who disappeared the next day, or maybe it was the other way round and your father found a baby on his doorstep, or perhaps you were left abandoned on a mountain due to some prophecy about your future. Regardless, you are very powerful and usually devout towards your parent deity, with this power flowing over into your sorcerous bloodline.
Deity’s Favour
Starting at 1st level, you choose a deity to be the child of. Whenever you make a Charisma check when interacting with servants of that deity, your proficiency bonus is doubled if it applies to the check.
Demigod’s Knowledge
Starting at 1st level, you may exchange up to one of your known sorcerer cantrips with a cleric cantrip, using charisma as the spellcasting modifier. In addition, whenever you learn a new spell, you may choose to learn a cleric spell instead of a sorcerer spell.
Demigod’s Restoration
Starting at 6th level, whenever you cast a cleric spell, you may spend 2 sorcery points to regain hit points equal to your sorcerer level + your charisma modifier.
Demigod’s Blow
Starting at 14th level, you can use a bonus action and spend 2 sorcery points, to choose an enemy within 30 feet. Until the start of your next turn, all creatures that attack that enemy add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll.
Demigod’s Likeness
Starting at 18th level, you can use your action to have your charisma become 30 for 1 minute, or until you fall unconscious. Once you use this feature, you must take a long rest before you can use it again.

Ralanr
2015-02-25, 01:59 PM
The Lycanthrope bloodline seems a bit too weak/out of place for a sorcerer. It seems too focused on melee and not at all dealing with casting. The level 14 ability actually prevents the strength of a full caster class. Can you cast spells within the hybrid form at 18th level? Cause it doesn't specify.

Also, why does Tiger give Con and Wolf give Dex? I'm more confused on the Tiger than anything else since it seems more appropriate to give Dex, but that's just my opinion.

The 6th level ability would work well in a strength build, but sorcerers usually don't focus on strength (I could be wrong), don't have the best hit die to be a wrestler, and you make it so it is only possible to do at night. Plus I think a sorcerer can only get Athletics or Acrobatics (Book not on hand) from a background, not their class.

The first ability is ok, though I think it would be better if it bumped up your charisma by 2 (which would depend on the animal I guess).

Personally I like the concept of a lycanthrope bloodline, but I think it should focus more on sorcerer or spell benefits (Even if it was suppose to work as a separate playstyle for when you run out of spells, it is pretty weak). Maybe add some nature based spells from the druid and ranger list onto the sorcerer list? Maybe make those spells not count for spell slots. Moonblast the hell out of things! Maybe a +2 bonus to your spell save DC at night that increases to a +4 during a full moon (The full moon is very situational, but it keeps with theme)


Demigod seems to work pretty well, but I could be wrong.

Darkstand
2015-02-25, 02:57 PM
The flavor of both options is good, but I agree that the lycanthropic origin is weak. Not sure on how to rate the power levels of letting the sorcerer into cleric spells. Healing specifically would be the first choice in many a party. The flavor is good though.

Galen
2015-02-25, 07:07 PM
Concept is good, but the lycantrope is too weak, and the demigod too strong. Just having effectively all Cleric spells on your Sorcerer list is in itself very powerful.

DragonBones
2015-02-26, 03:11 AM
Thanks for all the feedback. What I'm planning on doing next is lowering the emphasis on animal transformation in the Lycanthrope, maybe making it a high-level ability, and placing more of an emphasis on wilderness abilities, speak with animals, etc.
With the Demigod I could potentially reduce the number of known cleric spells to 1 per spell level, and maybe weaken or strengthen some other abilities to balance it out after that.

Rowan Wolf
2015-02-28, 05:38 AM
For the demi god you could poach a bit of the design of the arcane trickster/eldritch knight and have them primarily pick from the cleric list and them tie in an addition cantrip(s) based on the domain system/alignment of the deity that is the progenitor.