PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Feats for Light Mysteries [peach]



Stan
2016-05-29, 09:37 PM
After a long dry spell, I'm getting back to wanting to run a game. So, I'm messing around with ideas. One thing I've wanted to try is a light mystery, along the lines of Scooby Doo or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In this style, especially with Scooby Doo, the villains might be too tough to fight directly in combat. Instead, the heroes come up with something clever. The feats here are intended to help characters survive to trigger their traps and to solve the mystery, but don't add to damage output. They may be useless or too good in a serious or combat heavy game.

A Clue! You are the one who can be relied on to figure out what is going on.
You have advantage Investigation and Insight rolls to find clues at crime scenes and places where villains have been.

Artful Dodger You are trained in the art of noncombat.
On any turn in which you are not wearing armor, you do not make an attack, and you do not cast an offensive spell, you may use a bonus action to take the dodge action.

Container of Improvisation You seem to always have the right tool for the job.
You have a purse, backpack or other container that is full of random items. Once per short rest, you may retrieve one item worth 2 gp or less. In addition, once per short rest, you can pull out an item that will give advantage to an ability check. These items go back into the container after use and cannot be sold.

Coward You are really good at running away.
If a creature larger than you moves adjacent to you or you have to make a fear saving throw, you may use a reaction to take a dash action. This movement does not trigger opportunity attacks.

Cunning Plan You are good at novel methods for taking out baddies.
If you have a minute to plan prior to a combat with a known enemy, you can devise a plan. The plan can affect a group of creatures who all have the same stat block. Once combat has started, you can use a reaction to trigger your plan. You apply one of the following effects on the enemy. Effect
• The enemy falls prone
• The enemy is blinded for one round
• The enemy is restrained for one round
• The enemy moves up to 10 feet in the direction of your choice.

Eat Anything Your consumption abilities are beyond belief.
You have advantage on saving throws vs poison, alcohol, and drugs. Once per long rest, you may also take one minute to consume a day’s worth of food and gain all of the benefits of a short rest.

Induce Monologue You have a sweet face that makes people want to talk to you.
If you spend an action talking to a villain, they must make a wisdom save (DC=8+your proficiency bonus+your Charisma bonus) or spend their next action talking about their plans. If someone attacks the villain between the failed save and the villain’s turn, the effect is ended.

Final Hyena
2016-05-30, 10:27 AM
Artful Dodger You are trained in the art of noncombat.
On any turn in which you are not wearing armor, you do not make an attack, and you do not cast an offensive spell, you may use a bonus action to take the dodge action.
What is an offensive spell? Is it one that does damage, or targets an enemy? What about bless? It doesn't affect enemies in and of itself but may help someone else be offensive against them.


Induce Monologue You have a sweet face that makes people want to talk to you.
If you spend an action talking to a villain, they must make a wisdom save (DC=8+your proficiency bonus+your Charisma bonus) or spend their next action talking about their plans. If someone attacks the villain between the failed save and the villain’s turn, the effect is ended.
That is hilarious, however it's the kind of thing that many DMs would allow you to try without the feat.

Grynning
2016-05-30, 10:39 AM
Nice feats! I would change the advantage on "A Clue!" to a flat modifier, so it can stack with advantage from other sources. I also like Cunning Plan, but "same stat block" is a weird meta-concept. I would say something like "affects a number of creatures equal to your intelligence modifier" or something like that. I would also say to add a requirement of forming the plan during a long rest.

By the way, great minds think alike! Our theme over at the blog all month has been Scooby-Doo (seriously). I did some backgrounds that might fit that type of game, and Rob did one on how to swipe some rules from GUMSHOE to incorporate. Not to be too shameless-plug here, but you may want to check it out.
http://forgotmydice.com/index.php/2016/05/09/the-lives-of-ghost-hunters-cowards/
http://forgotmydice.com/index.php/2016/05/23/mysteries-incorporated/

Stan
2016-05-30, 02:16 PM
Thanks for the comments, I was being lazy on not defining offensive spell.

I'm not sure how best to say it other than same stat block. Suppose you're fighting a band of goblins. There might be 3 stat blocks - basic goblins, the chief, and either a priest or a few veteran fighters. One plan could affect 20 basic goblins, 4 veterans or the chief. Generally, the only time you face >5 of the same stat block, they are mooks and deserve to be tricked en masse. If it was a long rest, I'd expect bigger results. Even a minute lead implies successful scouting without getting caught. It would be cool to make bigger effects possible but they require a roll for them to work, along the lines of Fred Jones, though I haven't thought of anything specific.


Adding Gumshoe is a good idea. I've read the game but not had a chance to play it. I like the idea of 2 levels of clues but I think I'd add rolls back in along these lines:

no proficiency and successful roll gives basic clue
proficiency and unsuccessful roll gives basic clue
proficiency and successful roll gives basic and bonus clue

That way, even the unskilled get a chance. Overall, I like the idea of being fairly free with the basic info to keep the game moving.