Balor Monster Class

[Xefas]

http://i.imgur.com/VhbIbML.png

Balor
Iconic creatures of brutal, unstoppable power, as well as brazen malice and horrific cruelty, Balors are thankfully so rarely seen on the mortal plane, even by those who make a point to traffic with the darker beings of the multiverse, that they occupy a position of mythic dissociation from reality for most folks. Surely those few unfortunate mortals to have met a Balor in person have died terrible, agonizing deaths, leaving their true nature the stuff of hearsay and legend.

But occasionally one shows up in an adventuring party because its really goddamn cool, alright?

Too Soon! You Have Summoned Me Too Soon!
Bringing a Balor into the mortal realm is a harrowing prospect, requiring tremendous amounts of power, preparation, and idiocy in equal measure. The last is never in short supply, and the second can be acquired easily enough, but the first is a tricky business indeed. Only the greatest and most powerful of archmagi can hope to simply conjure up a greater demon at a whim; most cultists instead require vastly intricate and time-sensitive ritual magic. The kind that are prone to failure and mishap.

A scant few cults will manage to succeed in bringing their dread master into the world, usually just in time for him to become the boss monster at the end of a dungeon for an end-game adventuring party who busts down the door moments later. Most will simply fail, whether falling into dissolution for one reason or another before the ritual can be properly constructed, or through casting the ritual incorrectly. One in a million will flub the ritual so fantastically that they manage to summon a Balor, but cannot supply enough power to fully realize its true form. It instead appears in a much weakened state, with not even enough spiritual magnitude to will itself back to its own realm.

In this situation, the Balor may find itself in the company of an adventuring party as it seeks to restore itself and reclaim its rightful throne, whether to return to its estate in the Abyss, no doubt already ransacked after a few days of its absence, or to go forward with whatever plans of mayhem or conquest it sought by having itself summoned in the first place. The party might be the cultists themselves or, for an ironic twist, they might be more heroic people, who defeated the cult and foiled the ritual, but too late, instead finding themselves now the shackle-holders of a terrible monster-in-miniature. They could kill it, sure... but who doesn't want a pet demon? It could be a most profitable arrangement in the long run. And, for the goody-two-shoes, it might appeal to them to use evil to fight evil, or to give even the most wretched creature a chance to redeem itself. It's impossible, of course, but impossible things occur six or seven times before breakfast in a fantasy setting.

I Am Neither Cute Nor Tiny!
Another possibility is for the responsible party to be the Balor itself. A particularly powerful individual, vying for Demon Princehood, might master a trick of hiding a bit of itself elsewhere in the multiverse in the case of its untimely demise. The demise arrives, and it finds itself awakening in the Prime Material Plane, small and weak, its ambitions in shambles, but alive nonetheless. With no resources left to its name, in a world that hates and fears it, someone so cunning as to have reached its prior station may humble itself to seek out allies amongst mortal rabble.

In another case, a Balor's magical experimentation might go wrong and, instead of being mystically whisked about the planes on a skiff of its own will, it rolls a natural 1 and spiritually sheers itself in half, hurtling a diminished, half-regenerated chunk of its own soul into the astral winds.

Regardless of the circumstances, a Balor, especially a weakened one, will find no shortage of enemies, and it will behoove them to play as nice as they can for as long as they can, lest they meet whatever grim fate is in store for them after death. Even lessened, they are quite obviously demonic in nature, but few will believe them if they claim to be one of the legendary demigod-like Balors, unless they can demonstrate the same earth-shaking might. Which they cannot.

Creating A Balor
Once you have considered how you've come to be entangled with the standard rag-tag band of homeless mortal murderers, you might have some idea of who you were before your true power was taken from you. Were you on the cusp of Princehood, conqueror of an entire layer of the Infinite Abyss? Or were you a mighty general in the army of Orcus, Graz'zt, Demogorgon, or another lord of chaos and evil? Maybe you had just ascended to a Balor's form from a lower station, achieving whatever accolades of slaughter and monstrosity the Abyss deems worthy of the name, only to have the pinnacle of millennia of work snatched from you.

And now that you are feeble and alone, what shall you do? What are your goals? Reclaiming lost power, certainly. Vengeance, quite possibly. But... a fresh and innocent world that has never tasted the pure and ancient evil of a creature such as you now lies before you. Perhaps you believe that there is time yet to stop and burn the roses. What have you always wanted to do that you've never had time for, what with constantly fending off the legions of assassins sent by your rivals and underlings, while ceaselessly working towards the death of your own superiors and co-workers? You have freedom now, of a sort. Freedom to write the world's next great demonomicon, to invent a better baby blender, to discover the melting point for a variety of the Prime's exotic sapient beings.

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d6 per Balor level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per Balor level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Longswords, Whips
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Investigation, Religion, Insight, Perception, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion

Equipment
You start with no equipment.




LevelProficiency BonusFeatures
1+2Racial Class, Blade of Chaos, Body of Fire, Fiendish Hide, Otherworldly Steps
2+2Body of Fire II
3+2Demonic Titan, Otherworldly Steps II
4+2Fiendish Hide II, Ability Score Improvement
5+3Blade of Chaos II, Demonic Titan II, Fiendish Hide (Cold)
6+3Body of Fire III
7+3Fiendish Hide (Lightning)
8+3Ability Score Improvement
9+4Fiendish Hide (Fire)
10+4Fiendish Hide III, Otherworldly Steps III
11+4Blade of Chaos III, Demonic Titan III, Fiendish Hide (Nonmagic)
12+4Ability Score Improvement
13+5Fiendish Hide (Poison), Body of Fire IV
14+5Wings of Fire and Shadow
15+5Fiendish Hide (Magic)
16+5Ability Score Improvement
17+6Otherworldly Steps IV
18+6Wings of Fire and Shadow II, Body of Fire V
19+6Ability Score Improvement
20+6Overwhelming Power


Racial Class
The Balor class can only be chosen at 1st level; it cannot be part of a multiclassed character. Furthermore, a character that chooses the Balor class does not choose a race. Instead, their racial traits are thus:

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age: Balors are immortal and do not age.
Alignment: Balors are literally composed of physical Chaos and Evil. They are always Chaotic Evil. Except when they're not.
Size: Weakened as they are, a level 1 Balor is only an adorable 3-4 feet tall. Your size is Small.
Speed: With vestigial wings, you have no Fly speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Demonfire Incarnate: You have resistance to fire and poison damage.

Blade of Chaos
A Balor may manifest their tempestuous, chaotic soul as a physical killing tool with which to strike down their foes. As an action, you may form a magical Longsword in one of your empty hands. You may only have one such special Longsword manifested at a time, and activating this ability again dismisses the Longsword. The Longsword automatically dismisses itself if it remains beyond your reach for a minute or more.

At 5th level, when you grow in size (see the 'Demonic Titan' class feature), your Longsword grows likewise, with its base damage improving to 2d8 (2d10 when utilizing the Versatile property). Furthermore, it now sheathes itself in a coruscating sheet of light, which adds an additional 2d8 lightning damage to each successful hit with it.

At 11th level, after growing again, your Longsword reaches its full potential. Its base damage improves to 3d8 (3d10 when utilizing the Versatile property), and its lightning damage also increases to 3d8.

Fiendish Hide
Due to your thick, unnatural flesh, you have an Armor Class of 13 + your Dexterity modifier while wearing no armor. At 4th and 10th level, this Armor Class increases by 1.

At 5th level, you gain resistance to cold damage.

At 7th level, you gain resistance to lightning damage.

At 9th level, you become immune to fire damage.

At 11th level, you gain resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

At 13th level, you become immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

At 15th level, you gain advantage on all saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Body of Fire
Drawing from your inner reserves of demonic power, you may cast the Create Bonfire, Control Flames, Fire Bolt, and Thaumaturgy cantrips. Your spellcasting ability for these cantrips is Charisma.

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to wreathe yourself in a nimbus of unholy flame as an action. This lasts for 1 minute and, while wreathed, creatures that touch you or hit you with a melee attack take 1d6 fire damage. You must take a long rest before using this ability again. Equipment worn or carried by you is not subject to this damage.

At 6th level, while wreathed in flame, at the start of your turn, adjacent creatures take 1d6 fire damage.

At 13th level, the damage dealt to creatures that touch or strike you, or are adjacent to you at the beginning of your turn, increases from 1d6 to 3d6 fire damage while you are wreathed in flame.

At 18th level, you no longer require an action to wreathe yourself in flame, nor must you rest to use it again. Instead, your body is perpetually on fire and, indeed, you cannot choose to deactivate this ability even if you would wish to.

Otherworldly Steps
Demons walk through space and time with substantially more freedom than mere mortals.

At 1st level, you may spend an action to teleport, with anything you are wearing or carrying, up to 30ft, to an unoccupied space you can see. After using this ability, you must wait until after a short rest to use it again.

At 3rd level, the range of your teleportation increases to 60ft, and you may teleport twice before requiring a short rest to recharge.

At 10th level, the range of your teleportation increases to 90ft, and you may teleport three times before requiring a short rest to recharge.

At 17th level, the range of your teleportation increases to 120ft, and you may teleport at will, without requiring a rest.

Demonic Titan
With each passing mote of power that returns to you, your stature grows to match, attempting to reach its former, fearsome glory.

At 3rd level, you have gathered enough energy to return you to Medium size. Your base walking speed increases to 40ft. The size of your hit dice and the dice used to calculate your hit points increases to a d8. Retroactively recalculate your hit points accordingly.

At 5th level, you grow to Large size, now occupying a 10x10 space. The size of your hit dice and the dice used to calculate your hit points increases to a d10. Retroactively recalculate your hit points accordingly.

At 11th level, you regain your full physical majesty, reaching Huge size. You now occupy a 15x15 space. Your reach with melee weapons increases to 10ft, and your Strength inceases by 2, along with an increase of your maximum potential Strength to 22. The size of your hit dice and the dice used to calculate your hit points increases to a d12. Retroactively recalculate your hit points accordingly.

Wings of Fire and Shadow
At 14th level, you have regained the use of your mighty wings, granting you a flying speed of 40ft. You cannot use these wings while wearing armor that is not specially made to accomdate them.

At 18th level, the flying speed granted by your wings increases to 80ft.

Overwhelming Power
At 20th level, you overflow with energy drawn from the heart of the Abyss. Your Strength increases by 4, and your maximum potential Strength increases to 26. Your Constitution and Charisma scores also increase by 2, with their maximums increasing to 22 each.

Furthermore, when you die, all of your tremendous power is expelled outward. Each creature within 30ft of your death must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 20d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The explosion ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

[Xefas]

Balor-Specific Feats

Demon Whip
Prerequisite: Balor
You can conjure a writhing lash of flame from the depths of your fiendish heart. You gain the following benefits:

As an action, you may summon a magical Whip in one of your empty hands (you may summon this Whip and the Longsword from your Blade of Chaos class feature as a single action). You may only have one of these Whips summoned at a time, and activating this ability again dismisses the Whip. The Whip automatically dismisses itself if it remains beyond your reach for a minute or more. If you are Medium or Small in size, the whip deals 1d6 fire damage and has a reach of 10ft. When you successfully strike a target with your Whip, they must succeed on a DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or be pulled up to 5ft towards you. At Large size, the Whip deals 1d6 slashing and 1d6 fire damage, its reach becomes 20ft, and a failed save allows you to pull the target up to 15ft toward you. At Huge size, the Whip deals 1d6 slashing and 2d6 fire damage, its reach extends to 30ft, and a failed save allows you to pull the target up to 25ft toward you.
As a bonus action, you may make one attack with your Demon Whip. You cannot use both your action and your bonus action to attack with your Demon Whip in the same turn.

Balor-Specific Epic Boons
(See page 231 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for rules on Epic Boons.)

Boon of Greater Truesight
Prerequisite: Balor, Boon of Truesight
The range of the truesight granted by your Boon of Truesight increases to 120ft.

Boon of Telepathy
Prerequisite: Balor
You gain Telepathy with a range of 120ft.

Balor-Specific Backgrounds

Servant of Demogorgon
Haling from Abysm, the 88th layer of the Abyss, you were a powerful servant of the Prince Of All That Swims In Darkness. In the wicked towers of the Gaping Maw, you have studied under the greatest minds demonkind has to offer, and occasionally spoken with the singularly terrible Demogorgon himself.

Exiled to a realm of warmth and light so unlike your home, where fevers of madness and psychotic wailing are grounds to be secluded from society, and squamous batteries of writhing tentacles are few are far between, it quickly comes to mind how much you wish to escape and return from whence you came. But, then again, you could always bring your home to you.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, History
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: None

Feature: The Language Of Madness
You are highly versed in the ettiquette and conventions of lunatics and madmen, and may speak with them peacefully and glean truth from otherwise nonsensical words. Dementia and schizophrenia are just dialects to you. Glossolalia is an eccentric accent. Furthermore, the aquatic alien organisms that worship your watery demon lord, such as Aboleths, Krakens, and Ixitxachitl, do not intrinsically consider you prey. If you enter their home, non-violently, you can just as easily pass it off as having dropped in for tea, rather than seeming as if you're part of a adventurous raiding party.

Suggested Characteristics
Demons have a nature and perspective that is innately divorced from that of humanity. They often do things in a way that seems supremely strange, irrational, or incomprehensible, usually skewing towards absolute malice and ultraviolence. But you've lived with the demons that other demons consider strange. To you, a lot of mundane things might seem absolutely fascinating, while the bizarre and mysterious are boring. My gods! It's raining on a Tuesday but no one is eating their children! How absolutely peculiar. *scribbles in notepad*

Personality Trait
1: I have a fascination with recording everything noteworthy that I come across.
2: Despite being a creature of fire, I'm most comfortable in the water.
3: As lower-order beings, I believe that mortals only have a passing facsimile of sapience, and that their 'emotions' are just my reflected feelings personifying them because I'm lonely.
4: I carry on conversations with fish, mollusks, cephalopods, and other aquatic creatures as if they were people.
5: I'm an avid reader and like to collect rare texts whenever possible.
6: I'm writing an anatomical guide to the Prime Material Plane and will insist on dissecting everything the party kills (or incapacitates, I'm not picky), then recording my findings in meticulous detail, with grizzly but accurate diagrams.
7: I have a little trouble telling similar mortals apart. I can never get all their fiddly races straight, and I constantly forget they have to do things like eat and sleep. The fact that the rest of my party just randomly lapses into a synchronized 8-hour coma every night without warning me is highly disturbing.
8: I have a minor, inconsequential belief that I'm a fictional character in a pen-and-paper roleplaying game, but not D&D, and will make subtle fourth-wall-breaking allusions to such, without ever fully acknowledging the fact. Sometimes I mutter about things like breaking the Masquerade or spending Fate Points. Even the other demons thought I was mad.

Ideal
1: Contempt. The willfully ignorant and unmotivated have no place in this world. It is both right and good to remove them from it. (Evil)
2: Skepticism. The laws of the multiverse exist to be questioned! And occasionally eviscerated. (Chaos)
3:Horror. I have glimpsed what lies at the bottom of the Abyss, and it made even my burning blood run cold. Everything needs to die. Everything. Some might even call it a mercy killing. If only they knew. If only I could make them understand. (Evil)
4: Power. End goals are for suckers. The journey, the endless struggle to accumulate more and more power, the vacuous lust for control for control's sake, to dominate to ensure the survival of one's dominance, that is more important than finding something to actually do. (Chaos)
5: Sadism. Suffering, both physical and emotional, is what fascinates me. It's what gets me motivated in the morning, it's my passion. Humans might relate it to drinking hot cocoa on a cold morning and snuggling up to a puppy and reading a good book and listening to good music and not having a single responsibility that needs to be taken care of today. That's how I feel every time I hurt someone. I could be happy for the rest of my eternal life just... hurting things. (Evil)
6: Madness. Do I look like a guy with a plan? I just do things. I'm a dog chasing cars. I don't know what to do if I actually catch one. But I default to violence. (Chaos)

Bond
1: When I was summoned to the mortal realm, an object was used as an anchor for the magics in the ritual, and now whoever holds the item may command my obedience.
2: Orcus and my master have hated one another since time immemorial. As I've done before, so I shall do now, and cull the monstrosities that serve the Demon Prince of Undeath wherever I find them.
3: The arrogant and audacious Demon Prince, Graz'zt, has long drawn power from his agents in the mortal plane. I will enjoy shuffling them from the mortal coil in my master's name.
4: I'm a veteran of the Blood War. Few things equal my hatred of Devils, and I will do whatever is necessary to destroy the legions of Hell should they present themselves to me.
5: One of Demogorgon's other Balor-stewards has become aware of my mishap, and will be sending minions to attempt to find and kill me in order to better his own standing.
6: Centuries ago, I lost one of my horns in battle. Over time, it was used as a vessel to create some powerful magical item and fell into the hands of mortals. As it was a part of me, I can sense when it is nearby.


Flaw
1: I enjoy making elaborate plans. Sometimes I plan so much on the big picture that I miss obvious opportunities right in front of me.
2: I fancy myself the smartest person in any room, and get violently jealous if someone tries to upstage me in that department.
3: I value secrets to an irrational degree, and will refuse to part with even a relatively minor one without great compensation.
4: Boredom is my least favorite thing. If I get bored, I will do whatever the first thing that comes to my mind to end the boredom is. It's usually destructive.
5: Being a leader is important to me. Challenges to my leadership never end peacefully.
6: I believe cowardice is not just a valid option, but often the most attractive option.


Servant of Graz'zt
From the dark realm of Azzagrat, you have toiled in the prolonged service of the Demon Prince Graz'zt, learning from his unparalleled guile, as well as his brilliant tactical mind and scarcely equaled mastery of the sword, not to mention languishing in all the luxuries and depravities such a position offers.

Surely, now, weakened and banished, such a coveted station has been supplanted by one of your many demonic rivals in no time at all. Perhaps you will return to reclaim it some day, or maybe you will take what you have learned and seek your own glory.

Skill Proficiencies: Deceit, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: Poisoner's Kit
Languages: Any one of your choice
Equipment: None

Feature: Not Altogether Horrific
Creatures of the Outer Planes are belief and concept given form, and that form can change over time to better suit the nature of the being those energies have wrought. While dwelling in the many gilded palaces of the Demon Prince of Excess, your body has shifted over the centuries to be no less intimidating than the average Balor, but certainly less grotesque. Just as Graz'zt has mastered a shape that inspires omni-applicable desire in everything from Lamias to Modrons to Aboleths, you aren't all that bad on the eyes either. Any sapient thing can find you attractive, though that doesn't guarantee they won't still gather a pitchfork wielding mob when they see horns and red skin.

Suggested Characteristics
Those that serve in the higher rungs of the Dark Prince of the Abyss's hierarchy tend towards fine tastes - in music, theatre, poetry, food, drink, whores, and mind-altering substances. Not every moment in life need be consumed with bloodshed or the plotting of bloodshed, blasphemous though such a notion would be to the thralls of many other Princes. Chaos and Evil can just as much be expressed in excessive gluttony and lust, consuming needlessly while others go hungry, using others for one's own purpose and discarding them without a thought.

Personality Trait
1: I'm a patron of the arts and like to toss some gold at aspiring young painters and playwrights that strike my fancy, in the hopes that their work might please me later. And I'll probably flay them alive if it doesn't.
2: I have a deep and unabiding love of politics. The backstabbing, the treachery, the two-faced facades that everyone is in on but no one can point out lest they show weakness and be devoured. I've always wanted to bring a kingdom to ruin with the power of my words alone, just to see if I could.
3: Despite the fact that I don't require food to sustain myself, I eat at every opportunity. Fancier is better, but I'll eat anything and everything I can get my hands on; it's about reveling in the wastefulness more than enjoying the flavor.
4: Most of my kind don't bother with clothes. I do - I think just the right ensemble can really make one stand out amidst an otherwise dreary bloodbath. The prisoners say they don't appreciate it when I color-coordinate my accessories with the thumb-screws... but I think secretly, they do.
5: I'm sort of a neat-freak. Now, where is my palanquin? You don't expect me to walk in the mud, do you? Tell the tavern-keeper that for each and every spec of dust I find on my bed tonight, I will murder him.
6: I'm interested in who I was before I died and my soul was eviscerated and turned into demonstuff that eventually rose in the ranks to become what I am today.
7: I have a sick obsession with gambling and cannot resist making wagers on everything.
8: I'm an excessive hoarder. I like to take souvenirs, grizzly or otherwise, everywhere I go, and once I've decided something is mine, it's mine.

Ideal
1: Social Darwinism. The strong deserve to rule and the weak deserve to die. It is morally righteous for the weak and downtrodden to be abused, and morally righteous for the powerful to do as they will. (Evil)
2: Hedonism. There is only one goodness - the pursuit of personal pleasure. If it suits one's personal mood, it is not distasteful to pet a puppy instead of kicking it, or to let a child go un-butchered if they amuse you. (Chaos)
3: Cosmic Balance. There is only so much suffering that the multiverse can sustain. Therefore, if one inflicts the maximum amount of suffering on others, they maximize the odds of keeping themselves away from it. (Evil)
4: Power. End goals are for suckers. The journey, the endless struggle to accumulate more and more power, the vacuous lust for control for control's sake, to dominate to ensure the survival of one's dominance, that is more important than finding something to actually do. (Chaos)
5: Creation. There is nothing more satisfying than watching the world burn. But if the world burns out, then there's no more world left to burn. And burning the world is great. So new things need to be created on top of the ashes so they too might be burnt in time. (Evil)
6: Spontaneity. The universe is random and arbitrary. Plans and foresight are weakness. Acting with instinct is the truest expression of one's self. (Chaos)

Bond
1: When I was summoned to the mortal realm, an object was used as an anchor for the magics in the ritual, and now whoever holds the item may command my obedience.
2: I have a deep hatred for my master's rival, Orcus. I will slaughter every servant of that bloated cretin that I find.
3: My master would be pleased if I were to weaken the influence of his rival, Demogorgon, in the mortal realm. And I will need my master's favor when I return to the Abyss.
4: Graz'zt is bitter enemies with the Goddess of Wealth, Waukeen. I admit, I find great satisfaction in plundering and burning her temples, myself.
5: Through one method or another, I have sired a half-fiend half-mortal spawn which now resides on the Prime. They may prove to be a great asset to me.
6: Being a demon is grand indeed. But being a god would be even better. As long as I am banished to the mortal plane, I will take the opportunity to acquire a cult in my name.

Flaw
1: Sometimes I monologue my plans when I should actually just murder the hero that has come to foil my evil scheme.
2: Beautiful music soothes my rage. With it, I can be convinced to commit fewer atrocities.
3: Now and again I forget that I am not my great and all-powerful self anymore, and make threats that I'm not capable of backing up.
4: I really enjoy siring half-demon bastard children for some reason. It's not uncommon to find me at ye olde indiscriminate brothel when I should be doing something more important.
5: Secretly, I've always wanted to commit the greatest and most unspeakable act of chaos available to me - perform an act of pure selfless good. A complete betrayal of everything I believe in, everything I am, for no reason at all. Absolute, unadulterated chaos.
6: I've become completely desensitized to torture over the millennia of my existence. Not even slapping a nun in the ol' iron maiden makes me happy anymore.

Servant of Orcus
A powerful figure amongst the elite of Thanatos, the 113th layer of the Abyss, you have proven yourself to Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath, and exemplify all the power-mad bloodlust and heartless hate that he requires in his understudies. In turn, he has branded you as one of his own, and given you the resources to bring ruin upon the subjects of your terrible fury. Which, having made Orcus' foes your own, you have no shortage of targets to rage against.

But now you have been made lesser. Not only can you not return home, but you wouldn't wish to, for now even the servants and slaves you abused and casually maimed for your amusement or some minor sleight would be just as stronger or stronger than you are now. If you wish to reign once more in Thanatos, you must return in wrath and glory, or else you must not return at all, and content yourself with burning out your spite on the mortal world.

Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: Embalmer's Tools
Languages: Any one of your choice
Equipment: None

Feature: Brand of Orcus
You bear both a physical and spiritual brand given to you by the Demon Prince of Undeath. While actual demons are just as likely to be impressed as not, mortal necromancers and demonologists are likely to both recognize the symbol and be wary of it, above and beyond the wariness just being a Baloresque miniature demon might inspire. Necromancers and intelligent undead, in particular, may understand that you are not an intrinsic foe of theirs, as most living things tend to be, and may offer whatever refuge they are able to provide, such as a safehouse in the very likely event that something violent and holy is pursuing you.

Suggested Characteristics
The realm of Orcus is considered brutal and wantonly cruel by the standards of demons, and you can not only claim the prestigious accomplishment of having survived there, but you've also thrived, and that's only by being the most brutal and most cruel of all the creatures whose broken backs your throne now rests upon. For a noble of Thanatos, the cost of displeasure begins at burnt villages, public beheadings, and salted earth, and escalates from there.

Personality Trait
1: After a massacre, I always leave one foe just alive enough to flee and spread tales of my brutality.
2: I like to take my enemies alive so that I may flay them later, and carry their shrieking, skinless bodies on banners to let my next would-be adversaries know the score.
3: I collect necromantic lore, and tend to prefer the company of the undead to the living.
4: I enjoy nothing more than destroying something beautiful.
5: I'm a pyromaniac. If it burns, I want to burn it.
6: I have a gluttonous obsession with blood, and will gorge myself on whole slaughterhouses of the stuff if given the opportunity.
7: I am a prideful demon and can be convinced to do things I wouldn't normally if I'm challenged, and my ego is subsequently stroked.
8: I am misotheistic, and hate all things religious and divine, even those unholy gods and god-servants that share my lust for destruction and suffering.


Ideal
1: Kill, Maim, Burn! Kill, Maim, Burn! (Evil)
2: Sanity Is For The Weak! (Chaos)
3: Crush! Kill! Destroy! (Evil)
4: BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOOOD, BLOOOOOOD, BLOOOOOOOOOD! (Chaos)
5: Strip The Flesh! Salt The Wound! (Evil)
6: [maniacal laughter steadily increasing in volume] (Chaos)


Bond
1: When I was summoned to the mortal realm, an object was used as an anchor for the magics in the ritual, and now whoever holds the item may command my obedience.
2: The wretched Demogorgan has long opposed my master, and I will slay any of his followers that I find in my travels.
3: I have met the forces of the vile Demon Prince, Graz'zt, in battle time and time again, and have developed an all-consuming maniacal hatred for them.
4: After having served in the Blood War, I know now that no Angel or Archon can invoke such hate in me as a Devil can. I will gladly kill them and their worshipers wherever they might be, for no other reason than because I can.
5: I am an old demon indeed, and recall the first death of Orcus, at the hands of the Drow Goddess, Kiaransalee. I made ancient oaths in the days that followed to slaughter her kind and raise her temples and burn her name from the face of the world.
6: When I was a younger, lesser demon, I was summoned and bound to service by a mortal wizard, forced to do their bidding for years. Now that I have the opportunity, I wish to hunt down and butcher their great, great, great, great ... great, grandchildren for the indignation.


Flaw
1: MY VOICE HAS ONE VOLUME AND IT IS CAPSLOCK.
2: Sometimes in the throes of battle, I lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe.
3: I have no patience for elaborate and intricate plans.
4: I have a blunt, one-track mind that never considers lying or trying to use clever deceit. Anyone that needs to be lied to can probably just be destroyed instead.
5: I have very little personal ambition. I am perfectly content to be someone's attack dog, and let them decide for me when and where to rampage, so long as I get to rampage.
6: In my demonic youth, I saw the face of an angel, and its unmitigated glory seared the flesh from my body and soul. Forevermore, I have harbored a secret fear of them.

[Inevitability]

This is... actually pretty nice. Congrats to you, sir. Maybe it is a little on the weak side, but that may just be my imagination.

I'll review it in more detail later.

[weaseldust]

I'm guessing the thought process behind the class is: a Balor is a CR 19 monster; that's roughly comparable in power to a level 20 character (I'm kind of unsure about this, but see below for more); so, if it's abilities are split up and gained from levels 1 to 20, it can be made comparable to a player character at every level. You've clearly been exceptionally careful and diligent in making this class; I really like the detailed backgrounds for instance, and it's a good sign that you recognised the need to replace the backgrounds (and race) in the first place and put in all the necessary work.

That said, I don't think the balancing act comes off. For instance, from levels 13 to 19 the Balor has one attack for damage equalling 6d10 (average: 33) plus strength bonus 6, and it automatically deals 3d6 (average: 10.5) damage to adjacent targets. It also has an AC of up to 22, resistance to almost everything, plus teleportation, flight, and a few spells. For comparison, a fighter of levels 13-19 with a greatsword will have three attacks doing damage equalling 2d6 (average: 7) plus strength bonus 5 each. If the Balor has strength 22 and the fighter has strength 20 and they both hit with all attacks, the fighter will do an average of 36 damage to the Balor's 49.5. The fighter can improve that with feats and subclass features, but the Balor will also get extra damage from the Body of Fire feature if attacked or if standing next to more than one creature. The fighter will also have at most 19 AC in full plate, 3 points fewer than is possible for the Balor, and will have no resistances to damage, though other class features will add to its survivability a bit. The fighter cannot be nearly as mobile as the Balor given its ability to teleport (which also doubles as a nigh-undefeatable defence mechanism in an emergency). It seems to me that the Balor is much more effective and versatile (apart from a weakness to low ceilings).

I think the root of the problem is that a monster is only designed to operate for one encounter, not an adventuring career, so its statblock isn't easily broken up into twenty level-sized chunks. The monster, unlike PCs, can also be assumed to be operating at peak power, rather than saving its resources for later battles. I'd guess that a level 20 PC sorcerer is probably about CR 19 as a monster, whereas a level 20 PC fighter is probably below CR 19, even though they are of similar power as PCs, because the sorcerer can blow its daily resources in one big go. I would suggest that you make some more of the Balor's abilities that are currently used at will into abilities that can be used X number of times per short rest, Body of Fire especially, but also perhaps some of the resistances (or shunt them into level 20 when it doesn't matter so much). That way it can act similarly to the monster statblock in short bursts, but not all day.

[Xefas]

I'm guessing the thought process behind the class is: a Balor is a CR 19 monster; that's roughly comparable in power to a level 20 character (I'm kind of unsure about this, but see below for more); so, if it's abilities are split up and gained from levels 1 to 20, it can be made comparable to a player character at every level.

The thought process was "I haven't seen anyone do a monster class yet. Balors are cool. Lets make it work."


You've clearly been exceptionally careful and diligent in making this class; I really like the detailed backgrounds for instance, and it's a good sign that you recognised the need to replace the backgrounds (and race) in the first place and put in all the necessary work.

Thanks. Backgrounds take a surprisingly long time to make. I appreciate that you appreciate that.


That said, I don't think the balancing act comes off. For instance, from levels 13 to 19 the Balor has one attack for damage equalling 6d10 (average: 33) plus strength bonus 6, and it automatically deals 3d6 (average: 10.5) damage to adjacent targets. It also has an AC of up to 22, resistance to almost everything, plus teleportation, flight, and a few spells. For comparison, a fighter of levels 13-19 with a greatsword will have three attacks doing damage equalling 2d6 (average: 7) plus strength bonus 5 each. If the Balor has strength 22 and the fighter has strength 20 and they both hit with all attacks, the fighter will do an average of 36 damage to the Balor's 49.5. The fighter can improve that with feats and subclass features, but the Balor will also get extra damage from the Body of Fire feature if attacked or if standing next to more than one creature. The fighter will also have at most 19 AC in full plate, 3 points fewer than is possible for the Balor, and will have no resistances to damage, though other class features will add to its survivability a bit. The fighter cannot be nearly as mobile as the Balor given its ability to teleport (which also doubles as a nigh-undefeatable defence mechanism in an emergency). It seems to me that the Balor is much more effective and versatile (apart from a weakness to low ceilings).

My yardstick as I was building was a Human Totem Barbarian, which is resistant to all damage types (other than psychic) and deals similar levels of damage. I don't think a fighter with no race, class features, or items is a fair comparison, given that some of the Balors' shortcomings involve not having a subclass, or being able to benefit from magical weapons or armor. Given how liberal the official 5e adventures are with magic weapons n' such, this may be more of a downside than is immediately apparent.

The one field in which the Balor excelled greatly over the Barbarian in my comparison was being a lot more difficult to hit. The Barbarian trades a lot of their Armor Class in exchange for damage. So, I may tone down the Armor Class portion of Fiendish Hide. I'm not sure. I'd like to mock up some stat blocks for various levels to more definitively compare. I'll post the results after.

[Xefas]

Okay, here are some numbers.


1st level

Human Totem Barbarian
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Attack Bonus: +5 (2 proficiency + 3 strength)
Damage: Greataxe 1d12 + 3 (Str) + 2 (Rage) = ~11.5
Defense: 14hp, AC 14 (Unarmored Defense)
Feat: Great Weapon Master

Balor
Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 13
Attack Bonus: +5 (2 proficiency + 3 strength)
Damage: Blade of Chaos 1d10 + 3 = ~8.5
Defense: 8hp, AC 14 (Fiendish Hide) + Fire/Poison Resistance

5th level

Human Totem Barbarian
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Attack Bonus: +8 (3 proficiency + 4 strength + 1 weapon - 5 Great Weapon Master + 5ish for Reckless Attack)
Damage: Greataxe 1d12 + 4 (Str) + 2 (Rage) + 10 (Great Weapon Master) + 1 (weapon) x2 (Extra Attack) = ~47
Defense: 50hp, AC 12 (Half Plate + 2 Dex - 5ish for Reckless Attack) + Resistance To Everything But Psychic
Feat: Great Weapon Master

Balor
Str 19, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 13
Attack Bonus: +7 (3 proficiency + 4 strength)
Damage: Blade of Chaos 4d10 + 4 (Str) = ~26
Defense: 44hp, AC 16 (Fiendish Hide) + Fire/Poison/Cold Resistance

11th level

Human Totem Barbarian
Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Attack Bonus: +11 (4 proficiency + 5 strength + 2 weapon - 5 Great Weapon Master + 5ish for Reckless Attack)
Damage: Greataxe 1d12 + 5 (Str) + 3 (Rage) + 10 (Great Weapon Master) + 2 (weapon) x2 (Extra Attack) = ~53
Defense: 104hp, AC 13 (+1 Half Plate + 2 Dex - 5ish for Reckless Attack) + Resistance To Everything But Psychic
Feat: Great Weapon Master

Balor
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 13
Attack Bonus: +10 (4 proficiency + 6 strength)
Damage: Blade of Chaos 6d10 + 6 (Str) = ~39
Defense: 104hp, AC 19 (Fiendish Hide) + Fire Immunity + Cold/Lightning/Poison/Nonmagical Resistance

20th level

Human Totem Barbarian
Str 24, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Attack Bonus: +16 (6 proficiency + 7 strength + 3 weapon - 5 Great Weapon Master + 5ish for Reckless Attack)
Damage: Greataxe 1d12 + 7 (Str) + 4 (Rage) + 10 (Great Weapon Master) + 3 (weapon) x2 (Extra Attack) = ~61
Defense: 245hp, AC 15 (+3 Half Plate + 2 Dex - 5ish for Reckless Attack) + Resistance To Everything But Psychic
Feat: Great Weapon Master

Balor
Str 26, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 15
Attack Bonus: +14 (6 proficiency + 8 strength)
Damage: Blade of Chaos 6d10 + 8 (Str) + 10.5 (Body of Fire) = ~51.5
Defense: 265hp, AC 19 (Fiendish Hide) + Fire/Poison Immunity + Cold/Lightning/Nonmagical Resistance + Advantage vs Spells


There will, of course, be fluctuations. Until Body of Fire becomes permanent, it can be used for one encounter a day to get closer to the Barbarian's damage output. If a day goes exceptionally long, a Barbarian might run out of Rages, but by that point, the Balor will have run out of their Body of Fire/Otherworldly Steps for the day, and they'll have fewer hit points to truck on with for the first half of their career. Balors can use their Otherworldly Steps to get out of danger, but Barbarians get advantage on reflex saves, initiative checks, and can eventually save vs not-dying when they die during a rage. The Balor can eventual fly, and the Barbarian becomes god of the grapple, as well as getting stuff like super-eyesight and granting their allies advantage when they attack the same target.

The Balor consistently has a much higher Armor Class across the board. Perhaps I should nerf Fiendish Hide and give them a scaling version of their fiery whip to up their damage? Hmm.

[Amechra]

You really should nerf their AC. AC values for PCs really aren't intended to get higher than 20 without bringing in some pretty good magic items.

They're class table feels overly busy to me; that might be just because most classes in 5e get one feature a level, with some rare levels getting two or three. Maybe there's some way you can consolidate a few features?

[Rawrawrawr]

First of all, I love the fluff on this. The backgrounds are really, really awesome, and the introduction is very well-written. Unfortunately, with that being said, the actual class design feels a little... uninspired?

I guess my biggest sticking point is that most of the class abilities are fairly passive bonuses, or very limited in use. In combat, the Balor doesn't have many more options than "get in melee range, make a single sword attack." Since the teleport takes an action, it won't see to much use, and since Body of Fire is only usable once per day, it's basically "use on BBEG only." Meanwhile even the Fighter has Action Surge, Second Wind, Indomitable, and the ability to attack different people to let it make meaningful choices in combat.

The abilities also seem a bit generic to me. Damage increases, size increases, natural armor increases, and resistances are nice, but they don't feel especially demonic. When I want to play a Balor, it's not for a good AC and elemental resistances - it's because I want my presence to strike fear in the hearts of mortals. I want to be able to utter blasphemes so vile that they burn the souls of the pure and crush the minds of the weak. I want to be able to wreath myself in abyssal hellfire for... more than one minute a day :smalltongue: I know that these abilities don't quite match up with the MM Balor statblock, but you've already established in the fluff that this PC is unique case - a mutant Balor, so you already have a justification for deviating from the MM statblock.

Finally, the abilities don't compliment each other all that well. The Balor is designed as a melee bruiser, but starts off with fairly few hit points and AC. Later on, the Balor has a lot of hit points, resistances, and a truckload of AC, but nothing to do with it - compare that with Barbarians, for example, who use their durability to fuel risky/aggro-drawing abilities like Reckless Attack, Frenzy, the Bear Attunement, etc. The Balor is also incredibly mobile, having both the ability to fly and teleport, but has not real way to take advantage of that - it only has one attack, so it can't spread damage around; it doesn't have Sneak Attack/Opportunist/other abilities that reward mobility; it doesn't have any real nova ability to reward maneuvering itself next to high-priority targets. It just doesn't quite feel cohesive.


All-in-all, the class is a really awesome idea, and like I said, I love the writing, but I personally think the implementation could use a bit of work.
P.S. This is unrelated but I'm a huge fan of your Mythos homebrew :smallsmile:

[eleazzaar]

I don't play evil characters, but i find the idea delightful of playing Balor-- used to being a massive fiend of destruction-- suddenly reduced to something small and feeble.

[weaseldust]

Until Body of Fire becomes permanent, it can be used for one encounter a day to get closer to the Barbarian's damage output.

I actually thought it was permanent at all levels. Even after specifically double checking whether that was true. That changes my view on the damage output entirely - it's fine as is. I was originally going to post on how pleasing it was that the damage worked out to be appropriate for each level before I somehow convinced myself that Body of Fire screwed it up. Apologies for the error.

(That said, I'm uncomfortable balancing it against a barbarian with feats; I'd prefer to balance the class against the barbarian without feats and then invent a Balor-specific feat or two to make up the difference in games that use feats. But it's your class.)


The Balor consistently has a much higher Armor Class across the board. Perhaps I should nerf Fiendish Hide and give them a scaling version of their fiery whip to up their damage? Hmm.

You could perhaps give them the option to alternate between dual-wielding sword and whip, with increased reach and perhaps special effects based on the whip (tripping, pulling, starting fires), and wielding the sword in two hands, with extra lightning damage? If both weapon options require two hands they can't use a shield, which makes the AC slightly less of an issue. I'd still decrease it, though, as your numbers suggest.

[Xefas]

They're class table feels overly busy to me; that might be just because most classes in 5e get one feature a level, with some rare levels getting two or three. Maybe there's some way you can consolidate a few features?

This is something I've considered (my first pass consolidated the death explosion and stat boosters for level 20, the cantrips and body of fire, and the resistances and scaling armor into Fiendish Hide for just this reason), but I'm not sure exactly what to do. Maybe create a fourth column and put all of (the eventually nerfed) Fiendish Hide into it?


First of all, I love the fluff on this. The backgrounds are really, really awesome, and the introduction is very well-written. Unfortunately, with that being said, the actual class design feels a little... uninspired?

This is exactly intentional. The class's mechanics are meant to mimic, as well as I could manage, the exact stats of the Balor's stat block, with scaling. D&D monster design has always been boring, and 5e is no exception*, and that is also intentional, because the monsters are meant to show up, die, and be looted.

*Legendary and Lair actions are cool, though.

I could design a 'big fiery demon' class with some interesting, non-generic, non-passive mechanics, but it wouldn't be a Balor. You'd run into other Balors and they'd be like "Why can you do that? Why can't you do this? Demons are made of infinite chaos but only show up in a dozen incredibly specific pre-defined packages." And suddenly there's dissonance between mechanics and narrative (more than the standard mountainous load in all D&D games).


P.S. This is unrelated but I'm a huge fan of your Mythos homebrew :smallsmile:

I'm working on some more of that, too. Just poking at 5e a little bit for now. :smalltongue:


I don't play evil characters, but i find the idea delightful of playing Balor-- used to being a massive fiend of destruction-- suddenly reduced to something small and feeble.

Yeah! I think the most fun would be playing a Balor with the magic-anchor Bond included in each of the special backgrounds, stuck in a party of generally good aligned characters. Do all the normal adventurer stuff, but constantly complain about how you want to burn down the countryside, and have one gruesome, horrible suggestion planned every time the party makes a decision.

"Alright, gang, we need to infiltrate that orc stronghold and rescue the village herbalist. He's the only one who knows how to cure the plague sweeping across Herotown! But how... Does anyone have an idea?"

"I SAY WE CONSTRUCT A TREBUCHET FROM THE SPINES OF ORPHANED CHILDREN AND PELT GUTTED PUPPIES FULL OF SEWAGE INTO THEIR FOOD SILOS UNTIL THEY ARE FORCED TO LEAVE THE STRONGHOLD IN SEARCH OF UNTAINTED PROVISIONS AND THEN WE SHALL CRUCIFY THE HERBALIST AND RAISE HIM AS A ZOMBIE AND MAKE HIM TELL US HIS SECRETS."

"...Does anyone other than Throshmok The Annihilator have an idea?"



(That said, I'm uncomfortable balancing it against a barbarian with feats; I'd prefer to balance the class against the barbarian without feats and then invent a Balor-specific feat or two to make up the difference in games that use feats. But it's your class.)

You could perhaps give them the option to alternate between dual-wielding sword and whip, with increased reach and perhaps special effects based on the whip (tripping, pulling, starting fires), and wielding the sword in two hands, with extra lightning damage? If both weapon options require two hands they can't use a shield, which makes the AC slightly less of an issue. I'd still decrease it, though, as your numbers suggest.

Interesting ideas. I do keep forgetting that feats aren't always a thing. And shields.

[Inevitability]

Minor issue: all classes have one common saving throw (Dex, Con, Wis) and one uncommon (Str, Int, Cha).

This class, however, has two uncommon saving throws (strength and charisma). May I suggest changing it to constitution and charisma?

[ImSAMazing]

I REALLY LIKE THIS CLASS! Hopefully my DM allows me to play this class in our next campaign. Great work! Really proud of you ;) Also I totally agree with dire_stirge

[Xefas]

Minor issue: all classes have one common saving throw (Dex, Con, Wis) and one uncommon (Str, Int, Cha).

This class, however, has two uncommon saving throws (strength and charisma). May I suggest changing it to constitution and charisma?

I don't suppose you have some literature I can read about this? This seems really silly considering, for example, Word of God is that Psionics will be tremendously weighted towards Int and Cha saves. If you base your saves on one being more or less common, it's going to have to change with every supplement that comes out!


I REALLY LIKE THIS CLASS! Hopefully my DM allows me to play this class in our next campaign. Great work! Really proud of you ;) Also I totally agree with dire_stirge

Sweet. If you do end up using it, I'd love to hear whatever feedback/stories you have.

(edit: The above said, I think I am going to change it to Con and Cha. For now.)

[Draken]

I don't suppose you have some literature I can read about this? This seems really silly considering, for example, Word of God is that Psionics will be tremendously weighted towards Int and Cha saves. If you base your saves on one being more or less common, it's going to have to change with every supplement that comes out!



Sweet. If you do end up using it, I'd love to hear whatever feedback/stories you have.

(edit: The above said, I think I am going to change it to Con and Cha. For now.)

It is more PvE based than PvP based as a decision. Con, Wis and Dex saves are overwhelmingly common anyway. Followed either by Str saves if you look exclusively at monster entries or by Int saves if you consider how many creatures have illusions and how illusions run on int.

Anyway, the Balor is proficient in Str, Con, Wis and Cha. You should probably start the class out with Con/Cha or Str/Wis and give the other two at some point.

[Xefas]

The Balor's Armor Class has been nerfed; it progresses more slowly and increases half as much.

Demon Whip feat also added.

What are some opinions on if/when/where/how Telepathy and Truesight can be shoved into the class's progression?


It is more PvE based than PvP based as a decision.

Right, but I assume that new Psionic classes also means new Psionic monsters. The point is kind of moot now, though.


Anyway, the Balor is proficient in Str, Con, Wis and Cha. You should probably start the class out with Con/Cha or Str/Wis and give the other two at some point.

I don't know where I would put it!

Someone needs to playtest this class and tell me its weak so I can justify my feelings in wanting to buff it.

[JNAProductions]

I'd be willing to playtest it if you've got a DM up your sleeve.

[ImSAMazing]

Going to playtest it soon!

[mictrepanier]

I'm guessing the thought process behind the class is: a Balor is a CR 19 monster;

It is not, most of the time. cr x = level x+1 and more... I used my points system and found out than with limitations, the Balor may not so outshine a 20th barbarian or fighter..

1) No equipment allowed (let's say it will ignite)- no magical trinkets, no money
2) No epic boons expect for truesight and telepathy, that i would add as a 16th and 17th level features

That way, it is not overpowered. But the huge size is an issue. A shrink spell might be useful...

[thewark]

Amazing work I salute you just registered to say that :smallsmile:, as a DM I am going to push one of my players to play one.

[sephorth]

Looks interesting. Can't wait to test and see how it plays out.

[abramblett]

The thought of being a chaotic demon of fire and lightning is very appealing to me and the group of friends I will be playing with! The class looks great overall and I made an account just to say how awesome it is! :smallbiggrin:

One thing I wanted to know is if any archtypes would be added or was previously thought of. As it being a monster, I don't expect three different types of Balors or anything. However, with it being 5e and archtypes being a big thing in this edition, I was curious. ^_^

It was just a slight wonder I had. Thanks for the awesome class once again. Can't wait to try it out in a game! :smallwink: