Leuku
2015-06-08, 07:05 PM
Halloa. I am working on a Warden class, thematically based on the primal class from 4e.
I played a Warden in 4e, but for some reason I am struggling to come up with class features for this 5e version, especially regarding Utility/Fluff features.
I want the community's input, suggestions, and inspirations to help fill in the gap I am struggling to close.
Here is the google doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AQL4LAMFlQCMeJHsy7GJTV2vnF9JZl1186wgZFbUl6I/edit?usp=sharing) where I'm building it. You will find you have Edit power.
I have notes all over in bold darkish red.
While editing, if you can make your text bold and a different color, that'd be greeeeaaat.
But don't worry about messing up the document. I've got a master document where I will port all significant changes to.
If you have no experience with a Warden's flavor, here is excellent flavor text by reddit user /u/EBzeros (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3WGYYxjQaX2bHI2djk1SnBaalE/view?pli=1) to inspire you. I have permission from him to draw whatever I want from his honestly unbalanced attempt at a 5e Warden for my Warden.
If 4e wasn't your bag, then perhaps a description found in Pathfinder (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advanced/prestigeClasses/natureWarden.html)might get the general gist.
And reddit user /u/jgclark has an impressive run down on Gish Statistics here. (http://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/388wrd/why_arcane_gish_builds_dont_stack_up_to_paladin/crt7lrf) The Warden as it's currently built would qualify as a "gish".
Thank you for your time and happy brewing. Cuz someone asked, I reproduced everything in the doc here:
Warden
Level
Proficiency
Bonus
Features
Half Caster Spell Slot Progression
1st
+2
Guardian Might, Nature's Guardian?
2nd
+2
Nature's Wrath?, Spellcasting
3rd
+2
Guardian Forms?
4th
+2
ASI
5th
+3
Font of Life, Primal Power
6th
+3
7th
+3
Guardian Might feature
8th
+3
ASI
9th
+4
--
10th
+4
Land Reclamation?
11th
+4
Improved Guardian Might, Primal Strike
12th
+4
ASI
13th
+5
--
14th
+5
15th
+5
Guardian Might feature
16th
+5
ASI
17th
+6
--
18th
+6
19th
+6
ASI
20th
+6
Class Features
As a Warden, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per Warden level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution
modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your
Constitution modifier per warden level after 1st.
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Intimidate, Medicine, Nature, Survival,
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
Guardian Might:
Choose one
Anyways, Guardian Might is the Warden’s Subclass options, chosen at level 1. Like Clerics.
Earthstrength: You gain proficiency in heavy armor and your carrying capacity is doubled. At 11th level, your carrying capacity triples and you can Shove targets up to one size category larger than usual.
Wildblood: While not wearing armor and not wielding a shield, you may calculate your AC with 10 + dexterity modifier + wisdom modifier. At 11th level, your base movement speed increases by 10 feet.
Lifespirit: As an action, you can expend one of your hit dice to allow ally within 10 feet of you to regain 1d12 hit points. You add your Warden level to this healing. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. At 11th, the range increases from 10 feet to 30 feet.
Stormheart: You gain the Shocking Grasp cantrip and you can fulfill the somatic components with a weapon you are wielding. At 11th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to Shocking Grasp damage.
Nature’s Guardian: However you draw your power, you have an intimate relationship with the natural world. (Insert Fluff/Utility related feature here)
Font of Life: Beginning at 5th level, you can regain 1 hit die as an action once between long rests. Additionally, you can spend a hit die as a bonus action once between short rests.
Primal Power: The might of nature flows… Once on your turn, when you miss with a melee weapon attack, you can deal damage equal to your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher.
So my imagination of the Warden is that any given warden hits HARD. So for now I’ve got no Extra attacks. Instead, I’m using a mix of Cleric’s Divine Strike/Paladin’s Divine Smite to add damage to the Warden’s attacks. But I’m thinking of making it greater damage dice, like 1d10, 1d12, or 2d6, rather than 1d8.
I’ve been having difficulty coming up with a way that allows a Warden to keep up in damage while not having Extra attacks. My tentative solution is Primal Power, which allows the Warden to basically always get to deal weapon damage on his turn. The Warden won’t be the king of damage any time soon, but it will become the king of Consistent damage.
Nature’s Wrath: Something that inspires enemies to target the Warden.
Idea 1: Allies within 30’ gain thornlike growths on their body, dealing 1d8 damage to a creature when it attacks them.
Idea 2: Grasping vines rise within 30’ pulling enemies 5’ towards you and granting disadvantage on attacks versus anyone but you for one turn.
Guardian Form: Starting at 3rd level, you can spend a bonus action to assume a Guardian Form. Your Guardian Form is related to whichever Guardian Might you chose at 1st level. It lasts up to one minute and automatically ends if you lose consciousness.
Designed to be like Barbarian’s Rage. Dunno how many uses should be allowed per day.
Earthstrength: You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and grow one size category larger. While enlarged, your melee weapon attacks deal 1d4 additional damage of the same type.
Wildblood: Attacks of Opportunity made against you suffer disadvantage, you can dash as a bonus action, and you gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to smell the precise location of blood that is up to 24 hours old and hasn’t been washed away up to a distance of 300 feet. In addition, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
Lifespirit: You and allies within 30 feet of you can ignore up to a number of levels of Exhaustion equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down and cannot have max hitpoints reduced and…
In addition, you gain Regeneration equal to your Warden levels. (Might be a bit much. But much more in line with the power level of Rage.) Perhaps instead 2 x your proficiency bonus?
Stormheart: Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to you must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, they take lightning damage equal to your Wisdom modifier. And when you move you can fly with a maximum altitude equal to your movement speed, but you must end your turn on solid ground. Otherwise you will begin to fall.
In addition, all your attacks do an extra 1d6 Lightning damage on a hit and you may push the target back 5’ if you so choose.
Land Reclamation: You and allies within 60 feet of you can regain one level of Exhaustion at the end of a 1 minute ritual. You can do this once between long rests. You must be in contact with the earth to use this feature. Additionally, the land you are in contact with within a 60’ radius circle will grow in abundance of flora. Poisoned land will rejuvenate, infertile land will become fertile, and crops will double.
Primal Strike: At 11th level. Once on each of your turns, when you make a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d12 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon to the target.
Subclasses: Earthstrength, Wildblood, Lifeblood, Stormheart
Just ideas. Earth is extra defensive type. Wildblood is mobile type. Life is healing. Storm is obvious.
Strength of Stone (This should be the name of one of the ES’ features)
(I am wondering if I should give the ES subclass once per day access to spells like Earthquake and Move Earth at high levels as subclass features)
Earthquake Spell (8, 236)?
Enlarge/Reduce (2, 237)?
Move Earth (6, 263)?
Spell List: These spells are not finalized. I just grabbed every spell in the PHB that looked potentially appropriate. Warden is not a damage-focused spell caster. There should be greater emphasis on Utility and Support spells. The numbers refer to the spell’s level and page number in PHB.
Animal Friendship (1, 212)
Animal Messenger (2, 212, Ritual)
Augury (2, 215, Ritual)
Barkskin (2, 217)
Beast Sense (2, 217, Ritual)
Commune with Nature (5, 224, Ritual)
Conjure Animals (3, 225)
Conjure Woodland Beings (4, 226)
Continual Flame (2, 227)
Control Water (4, 227)
Create or Destroy Water (1, 229)
Daylight (3, 230)
Detect Poison and Disease (1, 231, Ritual)
Ensnaring Strike (1, 237)
Entangle (1, 238)
Giant Insect (4, 245)
Goodberry (1, 246)
Grasping Vine (4, 246)
Hallucinatory Terrain (4, 249)
Insect Plague (5, 254)
Locate Animals or Plants (2, 256, Ritual)
Plant Growth (3, 266)
Protection from Poison (2, 270)
Speak with Animals (1, 277, Ritual)
Speak with Plants (3, 277)
Spike Growth (2, 278)
Tree Stride (5, 283)
Subclass restricted spells: (Like domain spells for a Cleric)
EarthStrength: Dominate Beast (4, 234), Meld into Stone (3, 259, Ritual), Enhance Ability (2, 237), Sanctuary (1, 272), Shatter (2, 275), Stone Shape (4, 278), Stoneskin (4, 278), Wall of Stone (5, 287), Warding Bond (2, 287),
Wildblood: Alter Self (2, 211), Blur (2, 219), Darkvision (2, 230), Expeditious Retreat (1, 238), Freedom of Movement (4, 244), Pass without Trace (2, 264),
Lifespirit: Aid (2, 211), Animate Object (5, 213), Aura of Vitality (4, 216), Aura of Vitality (3, 216), Awaken (5, 216), Cure Wounds (1, 230), Death Ward (4, 230), Gentle Repose (2, 245, Ritual), Mass Healing Word (3, 258), Revivify (3, 272),
Stormheart: Blindness/Deafness (2, 219), Call Lightning (3, 220), Fear (3, 239), Feather Fall (1, 239), Fly (3, 243), Fog Cloud (1, 243), Gust of Wind (2, 248), Lightning Bolt (3, 255), Thunderous Smite (1, 282), Wind Wall (3, 288),
Maaaybe: Darkness (2, 230) for Stormheart,
Elemental Evil Player’s Companion Spells: There should be a choice whether a DM incorporates Elemental Evil spells in their game, right?
Beast Bond (1, 15)
ES: Catapult (1, 15), Earth Tremor (1, 17), Erupting Earth (3, 17), Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp (2, 20), Transmute Rock (5, 22), Wall of Sand (3, 23),
WB:
LS:
SH: Control Winds (5, 16), Warding Wind (2, 23),
As the spell list currently stands, it may be too small of a list. Even with the incorporation of the Elemental Evil spells, the total number of spells available is less than the amount afforded to the Paladin. Feel free to add spells, or invent spells, that seem appropriate.
Rejected Features:
Stormheart: Wind and lightning suffuse your body, Whenever you hit with a weapon attack on your turn, you can use a bonus action to make any number of creatures or objects adjacent to you move 5 feet. Additionally, you have advantage against ability checks that would cause you to fall prone. At 11th level, the distance pushed increases to 15 feet.
Font of Life: Once between short rests, you can automatically succeed a death saving throw. At ____ level, you can do it twice between short rests. At ____, thrice. You can only do so once per turn and only when you would normally make a death saving throw. Alternatively, if you would automatically fail a death saving throw, you can choose to roll the death saving throw instead.
Alternatively: Once between long rests, when you are at 0 hitpoints but not dead, you can at the end of your turn regain hit points equal to 1d12 + your Warden level. Alternatively, if you would fail a death saving throw, you can make it a success instead. At ____ level, you can do this twice between long rests.
I played a Warden in 4e, but for some reason I am struggling to come up with class features for this 5e version, especially regarding Utility/Fluff features.
I want the community's input, suggestions, and inspirations to help fill in the gap I am struggling to close.
Here is the google doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AQL4LAMFlQCMeJHsy7GJTV2vnF9JZl1186wgZFbUl6I/edit?usp=sharing) where I'm building it. You will find you have Edit power.
I have notes all over in bold darkish red.
While editing, if you can make your text bold and a different color, that'd be greeeeaaat.
But don't worry about messing up the document. I've got a master document where I will port all significant changes to.
If you have no experience with a Warden's flavor, here is excellent flavor text by reddit user /u/EBzeros (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3WGYYxjQaX2bHI2djk1SnBaalE/view?pli=1) to inspire you. I have permission from him to draw whatever I want from his honestly unbalanced attempt at a 5e Warden for my Warden.
If 4e wasn't your bag, then perhaps a description found in Pathfinder (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advanced/prestigeClasses/natureWarden.html)might get the general gist.
And reddit user /u/jgclark has an impressive run down on Gish Statistics here. (http://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/388wrd/why_arcane_gish_builds_dont_stack_up_to_paladin/crt7lrf) The Warden as it's currently built would qualify as a "gish".
Thank you for your time and happy brewing. Cuz someone asked, I reproduced everything in the doc here:
Warden
Level
Proficiency
Bonus
Features
Half Caster Spell Slot Progression
1st
+2
Guardian Might, Nature's Guardian?
2nd
+2
Nature's Wrath?, Spellcasting
3rd
+2
Guardian Forms?
4th
+2
ASI
5th
+3
Font of Life, Primal Power
6th
+3
7th
+3
Guardian Might feature
8th
+3
ASI
9th
+4
--
10th
+4
Land Reclamation?
11th
+4
Improved Guardian Might, Primal Strike
12th
+4
ASI
13th
+5
--
14th
+5
15th
+5
Guardian Might feature
16th
+5
ASI
17th
+6
--
18th
+6
19th
+6
ASI
20th
+6
Class Features
As a Warden, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per Warden level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution
modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your
Constitution modifier per warden level after 1st.
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Intimidate, Medicine, Nature, Survival,
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
Guardian Might:
Choose one
Anyways, Guardian Might is the Warden’s Subclass options, chosen at level 1. Like Clerics.
Earthstrength: You gain proficiency in heavy armor and your carrying capacity is doubled. At 11th level, your carrying capacity triples and you can Shove targets up to one size category larger than usual.
Wildblood: While not wearing armor and not wielding a shield, you may calculate your AC with 10 + dexterity modifier + wisdom modifier. At 11th level, your base movement speed increases by 10 feet.
Lifespirit: As an action, you can expend one of your hit dice to allow ally within 10 feet of you to regain 1d12 hit points. You add your Warden level to this healing. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. At 11th, the range increases from 10 feet to 30 feet.
Stormheart: You gain the Shocking Grasp cantrip and you can fulfill the somatic components with a weapon you are wielding. At 11th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to Shocking Grasp damage.
Nature’s Guardian: However you draw your power, you have an intimate relationship with the natural world. (Insert Fluff/Utility related feature here)
Font of Life: Beginning at 5th level, you can regain 1 hit die as an action once between long rests. Additionally, you can spend a hit die as a bonus action once between short rests.
Primal Power: The might of nature flows… Once on your turn, when you miss with a melee weapon attack, you can deal damage equal to your Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher.
So my imagination of the Warden is that any given warden hits HARD. So for now I’ve got no Extra attacks. Instead, I’m using a mix of Cleric’s Divine Strike/Paladin’s Divine Smite to add damage to the Warden’s attacks. But I’m thinking of making it greater damage dice, like 1d10, 1d12, or 2d6, rather than 1d8.
I’ve been having difficulty coming up with a way that allows a Warden to keep up in damage while not having Extra attacks. My tentative solution is Primal Power, which allows the Warden to basically always get to deal weapon damage on his turn. The Warden won’t be the king of damage any time soon, but it will become the king of Consistent damage.
Nature’s Wrath: Something that inspires enemies to target the Warden.
Idea 1: Allies within 30’ gain thornlike growths on their body, dealing 1d8 damage to a creature when it attacks them.
Idea 2: Grasping vines rise within 30’ pulling enemies 5’ towards you and granting disadvantage on attacks versus anyone but you for one turn.
Guardian Form: Starting at 3rd level, you can spend a bonus action to assume a Guardian Form. Your Guardian Form is related to whichever Guardian Might you chose at 1st level. It lasts up to one minute and automatically ends if you lose consciousness.
Designed to be like Barbarian’s Rage. Dunno how many uses should be allowed per day.
Earthstrength: You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and grow one size category larger. While enlarged, your melee weapon attacks deal 1d4 additional damage of the same type.
Wildblood: Attacks of Opportunity made against you suffer disadvantage, you can dash as a bonus action, and you gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to smell the precise location of blood that is up to 24 hours old and hasn’t been washed away up to a distance of 300 feet. In addition, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
Lifespirit: You and allies within 30 feet of you can ignore up to a number of levels of Exhaustion equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down and cannot have max hitpoints reduced and…
In addition, you gain Regeneration equal to your Warden levels. (Might be a bit much. But much more in line with the power level of Rage.) Perhaps instead 2 x your proficiency bonus?
Stormheart: Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to you must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, they take lightning damage equal to your Wisdom modifier. And when you move you can fly with a maximum altitude equal to your movement speed, but you must end your turn on solid ground. Otherwise you will begin to fall.
In addition, all your attacks do an extra 1d6 Lightning damage on a hit and you may push the target back 5’ if you so choose.
Land Reclamation: You and allies within 60 feet of you can regain one level of Exhaustion at the end of a 1 minute ritual. You can do this once between long rests. You must be in contact with the earth to use this feature. Additionally, the land you are in contact with within a 60’ radius circle will grow in abundance of flora. Poisoned land will rejuvenate, infertile land will become fertile, and crops will double.
Primal Strike: At 11th level. Once on each of your turns, when you make a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d12 damage of the same type dealt by the weapon to the target.
Subclasses: Earthstrength, Wildblood, Lifeblood, Stormheart
Just ideas. Earth is extra defensive type. Wildblood is mobile type. Life is healing. Storm is obvious.
Strength of Stone (This should be the name of one of the ES’ features)
(I am wondering if I should give the ES subclass once per day access to spells like Earthquake and Move Earth at high levels as subclass features)
Earthquake Spell (8, 236)?
Enlarge/Reduce (2, 237)?
Move Earth (6, 263)?
Spell List: These spells are not finalized. I just grabbed every spell in the PHB that looked potentially appropriate. Warden is not a damage-focused spell caster. There should be greater emphasis on Utility and Support spells. The numbers refer to the spell’s level and page number in PHB.
Animal Friendship (1, 212)
Animal Messenger (2, 212, Ritual)
Augury (2, 215, Ritual)
Barkskin (2, 217)
Beast Sense (2, 217, Ritual)
Commune with Nature (5, 224, Ritual)
Conjure Animals (3, 225)
Conjure Woodland Beings (4, 226)
Continual Flame (2, 227)
Control Water (4, 227)
Create or Destroy Water (1, 229)
Daylight (3, 230)
Detect Poison and Disease (1, 231, Ritual)
Ensnaring Strike (1, 237)
Entangle (1, 238)
Giant Insect (4, 245)
Goodberry (1, 246)
Grasping Vine (4, 246)
Hallucinatory Terrain (4, 249)
Insect Plague (5, 254)
Locate Animals or Plants (2, 256, Ritual)
Plant Growth (3, 266)
Protection from Poison (2, 270)
Speak with Animals (1, 277, Ritual)
Speak with Plants (3, 277)
Spike Growth (2, 278)
Tree Stride (5, 283)
Subclass restricted spells: (Like domain spells for a Cleric)
EarthStrength: Dominate Beast (4, 234), Meld into Stone (3, 259, Ritual), Enhance Ability (2, 237), Sanctuary (1, 272), Shatter (2, 275), Stone Shape (4, 278), Stoneskin (4, 278), Wall of Stone (5, 287), Warding Bond (2, 287),
Wildblood: Alter Self (2, 211), Blur (2, 219), Darkvision (2, 230), Expeditious Retreat (1, 238), Freedom of Movement (4, 244), Pass without Trace (2, 264),
Lifespirit: Aid (2, 211), Animate Object (5, 213), Aura of Vitality (4, 216), Aura of Vitality (3, 216), Awaken (5, 216), Cure Wounds (1, 230), Death Ward (4, 230), Gentle Repose (2, 245, Ritual), Mass Healing Word (3, 258), Revivify (3, 272),
Stormheart: Blindness/Deafness (2, 219), Call Lightning (3, 220), Fear (3, 239), Feather Fall (1, 239), Fly (3, 243), Fog Cloud (1, 243), Gust of Wind (2, 248), Lightning Bolt (3, 255), Thunderous Smite (1, 282), Wind Wall (3, 288),
Maaaybe: Darkness (2, 230) for Stormheart,
Elemental Evil Player’s Companion Spells: There should be a choice whether a DM incorporates Elemental Evil spells in their game, right?
Beast Bond (1, 15)
ES: Catapult (1, 15), Earth Tremor (1, 17), Erupting Earth (3, 17), Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp (2, 20), Transmute Rock (5, 22), Wall of Sand (3, 23),
WB:
LS:
SH: Control Winds (5, 16), Warding Wind (2, 23),
As the spell list currently stands, it may be too small of a list. Even with the incorporation of the Elemental Evil spells, the total number of spells available is less than the amount afforded to the Paladin. Feel free to add spells, or invent spells, that seem appropriate.
Rejected Features:
Stormheart: Wind and lightning suffuse your body, Whenever you hit with a weapon attack on your turn, you can use a bonus action to make any number of creatures or objects adjacent to you move 5 feet. Additionally, you have advantage against ability checks that would cause you to fall prone. At 11th level, the distance pushed increases to 15 feet.
Font of Life: Once between short rests, you can automatically succeed a death saving throw. At ____ level, you can do it twice between short rests. At ____, thrice. You can only do so once per turn and only when you would normally make a death saving throw. Alternatively, if you would automatically fail a death saving throw, you can choose to roll the death saving throw instead.
Alternatively: Once between long rests, when you are at 0 hitpoints but not dead, you can at the end of your turn regain hit points equal to 1d12 + your Warden level. Alternatively, if you would fail a death saving throw, you can make it a success instead. At ____ level, you can do this twice between long rests.