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Scarce
2015-05-01, 07:14 PM
Based on the 3.5 class, Acolyte of the Skin, this warlock pact covers you in a literal demon skin. I'm basically convinced that its balanced, but I want to know what you think.

Pact of the Skin

You have made a pact with a Fiend from the depths of hell, whose skin you have bonded to your own, affording you a hideous appearance and wicked arcane power. To do this you performed and survived the blasphemous Ritual of Bonding, a foul rite that agonizingly kills most that undertake it. You now wear the essence of a fiend as a second skin, bonded inseparably in body and soul to a beast of hell.

Skin Expanded Spells
1st: False Life, Inflict Wounds
2nd: Barkskin, Enlarge/Reduce
3rd: Gaseous Form, Protection from Energy
4th: Conjure Minor Elementals, Stoneskin
5th: Conjure Elemental, Hallow

Wear Fiend
You wear the skin of a fiend as your own. This fiendish skin is for all intents and purposes the characters own. The skin is unnaturally tough, and increases your armor class by 2, though this increase my not increase your armor class above 20 for any reason. Your terrifying visage confers advantage on intimidation checks, but disadvantage on diplomacy checks.

Fiendish Healing
A 6th level, when you are struck with a blow, your fiend skin can toughen and become like armor. When a creature attacks you, you can as a reaction temporarily increase your armor class by 3 and you have resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage dealt by weapon attacks until the beginning of your next turn. This increase may not increase your armor class above 20 for any reason. You must finish a short or long rest before using this feature again.

Skin Adaptation
At 10th level, your fiend skin has become thicker. You gain resistance to fire damage and cold damage.

Glare of the Pit
At 14th level, you have become one with the skin, and can glare at enemies with a stare from the pits of hell. You can create two rays of flame (one from each eye) that you may target at one creature or two different creatures. Make a ranged spell attack for each ray. On a hit, the target takes 5d6 fire damage. You must finish a short or long rest before using this feature again.

Inchoroi
2015-05-05, 12:40 PM
--snip--


I like this, save for the last feature; its not broken, I'm just not fond of it.

Also, not that it's broken, but why Hallow as a spell?

Inevitability
2015-05-05, 02:51 PM
Also, not that it's broken, but why Hallow as a spell?

Hallow and Unhallow got rolled into one in 5e.

The_Doctor
2015-05-05, 02:57 PM
Your terrifying visage confers advantage on intimidation checks, but disadvantage on diplomacy checks.

It's called persuasion in 5e, not diplomacy.

Scarce
2015-05-05, 11:32 PM
It's called persuasion in 5e, not diplomacy.

Ah! My 3.5 is showing! XD
Noted, and will be fixed in the final version. I appreciate the attention to detail

Scarce
2015-05-05, 11:38 PM
I like this, save for the last feature; its not broken, I'm just not fond of it.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought convention in 5th edition typically called for either an attack roll or a save, not both (with some exceptions.) Are you recommending that I swap out the attack roll and flat damage for an automatic hit and a save, or that I keep the attack roll, and add a Dex save as well?

Inchoroi
2015-05-06, 07:08 AM
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought convention in 5th edition typically called for either an attack roll or a save, not both (with some exceptions.) Are you recommending that I swap out the attack roll and flat damage for an automatic hit and a save, or that I keep the attack roll, and add a Dex save as well?

Neither, actually; the mechanic as it exists is balanced (might even be a bit underpowered, but not by much, because you have a chance to crit on it), I just don't like the thematic much (personal opinion only, of course, so take it with a dash of salt). The reasoning behind the opinion is the pact is about making your skin tough, every feature up until the last one does such a thing, so why suddenly are you doing eye-blasts?

One thing you might want to consider, also, is a new name; "pact of the X" is a reference to the pact boon options, a la tome, chain, or blade. It'd be better to come up with a bit of lore behind the patron transforming their warlock's skin into what it does.

For ideas for further stuff (like Invocations), see the video game Prototype I & II, as well as the comic Spawn.

anaximander19
2015-05-06, 07:12 AM
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought convention in 5th edition typically called for either an attack roll or a save, not both (with some exceptions.) Are you recommending that I swap out the attack roll and flat damage for an automatic hit and a save, or that I keep the attack roll, and add a Dex save as well?I think this is the usage of "save" that means "except". Read that as "except for the last feature".

I like this. I actually think you've done a good job on the spell choices. The idea of targeting a different creature with each eye is kinda weird though... it works mechanically, but it's a funny mental image.

Scarce
2015-05-07, 12:02 AM
I think this is the usage of "save" that means "except". Read that as "except for the last feature".

Well, I feel like a dummy, misreading that.

I like this. I actually think you've done a good job on the spell choices. The idea of targeting a different creature with each eye is kinda weird though... it works mechanically, but it's a funny mental image.
Does it make it any better that I imagined it like Darksied's eye rays when I wrote it?

Inchoroi
2015-05-07, 09:42 AM
Well, I feel like a dummy, misreading that.

Does it make it any better that I imagined it like Darksied's eye rays when I wrote it?

...my vocabulary is showing, I'm so embarrassed...

In this case, if you wanted to go with Darksied's thing, they'd be a single target, single saving throw laser beam sort of thing (still don't see the thematic link, but hey, it's not my homebrew!).

Scarce
2015-05-07, 11:14 AM
...my vocabulary is showing, I'm so embarrassed...

In this case, if you wanted to go with Darksied's thing, they'd be a single target, single saving throw laser beam sort of thing (still don't see the thematic link, but hey, it's not my homebrew!).

You're totally right about a thematic link, though I stole that particular feature from the original Acolyte of the Skin 3.5 prestige class, which had a mix of glare attacks, fiend summoning, and defensive buffs. Also, using the other warlock subclasses as templates, it seemed like the 14th level cap needed to be a one-target damage or debuff.

Ignoring that, I have a few options for what I could change the cap to:

Polymorph into and gain the stats of a devil once per long rest.

Fast healing.

Once per short rest create an 10 foot area around you dealing 4d8 fire damage and heal half the damage you deal.

Which one will work best?

Inchoroi
2015-05-07, 05:32 PM
You're totally right about a thematic link, though I stole that particular feature from the original Acolyte of the Skin 3.5 prestige class, which had a mix of glare attacks, fiend summoning, and defensive buffs. Also, using the other warlock subclasses as templates, it seemed like the 14th level cap needed to be a one-target damage or debuff.

Ignoring that, I have a few options for what I could change the cap to:

Polymorph into and gain the stats of a devil once per long rest.

Fast healing.

Once per short rest create an 10 foot area around you dealing 4d8 fire damage and heal half the damage you deal.

Which one will work best?

Thematically? I would say the Fast Healing; maybe once per short rest you get one minute of the Champion fighter's HP regen ability? Not sure how balanced that would be, honestly, but I like the thematic, so you'd just have to playtest it. If it had it, it would be a very powerful thing, and work really well for a pact of the blade Warlock.

Scarce
2015-05-08, 01:22 PM
How does this work for the cap?

Fell Blooded
By 14th level, you fiend skin has begun to intertwine with your blood, closing your wounds as soon as they open. At the beginning of your turn, if you have taken damage since the end of your last turn, you regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

ImSAMazing
2015-05-08, 03:24 PM
Looks good, but I should playtest it if I was you...

Inchoroi
2015-05-08, 04:49 PM
How does this work for the cap?

Fell Blooded
By 14th level, you fiend skin has begun to intertwine with your blood, closing your wounds as soon as they open. At the beginning of your turn, if you have taken damage since the end of your last turn, you regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

I'd playtest it...I'm unsure. The thing that balances the Champion's feature is that it only works if you're at half health already. This is basically a constant HP drip.