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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next The Rythmist (New base class)



Rerem115
2016-08-26, 02:37 AM
I saw a comment earlier about building a class based around critical hits, which inspired me to try and craft the sort of methodical, accurate class to match the theme. Any thoughts?

Precision. Harmony. The flow of battle, the elegant pulse of strike and counterstrike desperately vying for superiority all leading up to that moment. Of silence.

The path of the Rythmist is not commonly walked. Most, if not all, are self-taught, and all share the same obsession with getting everything. Just. So. Considered mad by many, they find the art in war.



The Rythmist


Level
Proficiency
Features


1
2
Tempo, Unarmored Defense


2
2
Accelerando


3
2
Improved Tempo (d6), Rythmist Path


4
2
ASI


5
3
Crescendo


6
3
Path Feature


7
3
Evasion


8
3
ASI


9
4
Fermata


10
4
Path Feature


11
4
Improved Tempo (d8)


12
4
ASI


13
5
Grand Pause


14
5
Path Feature


15
5
Improved Tempo (d10)


16
5
ASI


17
6
Cued In


18
6
Perfect Timing


19
6
ASI


20
6
Finale




Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Rythmist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (5) + Constitution modifier per Rythmist level after the 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: Shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons
Tools: One type of artisan's tools or musical instrument
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Intelligence
Skills: Choose 3 from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
(a) a martial melee weapon and a shield or (b) two martial melee weapons
(a) a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows or (b) two hand crossbows and a quiver of 20 bolts
an explorer's pack.

Tempo -- Starting at 1st level, you learn to read the ebb and flow of the battlefield. When you successfully strike a hostile creature with a weapon attack, you gain a Beat of Tempo. For each Beat, your weapon attacks do an additional 1d4 damage and your base walking speed increases by 5 feet.
You can have up to 3 Beats at a time. Once you have 3 Beats, your next successful attack resets you to 0 Beats. You lose all your Beats if you go 1 minute without striking a hostile creature or if you fall unconscious.

Unarmored Defense -- Starting at 1st level, when you are not wearing armor, your AC is equal to 10+your Dexterity modifier+your Intelligence modifier.

Accelerando -- Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to pick up the pace of a fight. You can use your bonus action to Dash.

Improved Tempo -- Starting at 3rd level, you gain increased insight to the workings of battle. For each Beat of Tempo, your weapon attacks do an additional 1d6 damage instead of 1d4. This increases to 1d8 at 11th level and 1d10 at 15th level.

Rythmist Path -- When you reach 3rd level, you choose a path that defines you as a Rythmist. Choose between Path of the Dancer and Path of the Conductor, all detailed at the end of this class description. Your choice grants you a feature when you choose it, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Ability Score Increase -- When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Crescendo -- Starting at 5th level, when you have 3 Beats, your next successful strike is a critical hit. Once you inflict a critical hit using Crescendo, you lose all your Beats. If you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points using Crescendo, you lose all but 1 of your Beats.

Evasion -- At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Fermata -- Starting at 9th level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Intelligence modifier.

Grand Pause -- Starting 13th level, you can use your bonus action to carefully aim. If you do so, your next attack has advantage.

Cued In -- Starting at 17th level, when a hostile creature misses you with a spell or a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to make one attack against any target within range.

Perfect Timing -- Starting at 18th level, you gain proficiency in all saving throws. In addition, when you fail a saving throw, you can spend 1 Beat to reroll it and take the second result.

Finale -- If you have no Beats, you can, as an action, make 4 weapon attacks with advantage against a target within range. You must complete a long rest before you can use this again.

Path of the Dancer -- You know that all of life is part of a massive, elaborate, whirling dance, and only those that learn the steps and the beat can survive. To move is to dance, and to dance is to live. It's all as natural as breathing, and you shall leave your partners breathless.

Effortless Motion -- Starting at 3rd level, you are a continuous blur in battle as you dart in, attack, and slip away to safety. During your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature cannot make opportunity attacks against you for the rest of your turn.

Dancer's Grace -- Starting at 6th level, whenever you make a Performance or Persuasion check, you may add 1 Tempo die to the roll.

Quick Study -- Starting at 10th level, you gain advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, when you roll initiative, you gain one Beat.

Waltz Macabre -- Starting at 14th level, you learn how to slow things down while remaining in control. When you take the Dodge action, you can make one attack as a bonus action.

Path of the Conductor -- You shall not be stopped in your quest to craft a masterpiece. Your orchestra is crash of steel on steel, the throaty bass of the released bowstring, and the plaintive wails of the wounded. Truly great music leaves an impact on the audience; yours will last a lifetime.

Ready with Critique -- Your vision cannot come together when the performers are inadequate. Starting at 3rd level, you can use the Help action as a bonus action. Additionally, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than 5 feet of you, if the target can see or hear you.

Conductor's Analysis -- Starting at 6th level, when you make an Insight or Investigation check, you may add 1 Tempo die to the roll.

Conductor's Strike -- Starting at 10th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack. If the attack lands, it applies Tempo (You gain a Beat, and it does extra damage if applicable). However, Conductor's Strike cannot trigger Crescendo.

True Direction -- You can turn even the most hopeless performers into tools for your masterpiece. Starting at 14th level, when you or an ally within 30 feet misses an attack, you may have them reroll that attack. You must complete a long rest before using this ability again.

Lalliman
2016-08-26, 04:20 PM
I like the ideas that went into this class. For some reason, I expected that adding up the numbers of Tempo and Crescendo would result in an excessive amount of damage, but I did the math and it really doesn't. So I don't see any immediate problems here.

Well, I should ask: Do you intend Tempo damage to be multiplied on a critical hit? By the rules, it is, just like sneak attack and divine smite. But the capstone implies that maybe you don't intend it that way. Anyways, even if you didn't intend it that way, you should leave it in, because removing that would neuter the class' damage output.

Multiclassing might be a problem, as Extra Attack will let people cycle through their Beats faster than intended. A 5th level monk or two-weapon fighter (who make 3+ attacks per round) can dip this for a big damage boost. In a higher-level game you could go rythmist 5 + fighter or monk 5 for a ton of automatic crits. I'm not sure how to prevent this, other than implementing a once-per-round limit on Tempo.

PapaQuackers
2016-08-26, 04:26 PM
This is a really interesting class concept, and I think it's probably one of the more creative things I've seen. My only question is that I don't see the three branching paths available in all of the other 5e classes. What kind of variations will we be seeing for a rythmist?

Rerem115
2016-08-26, 04:51 PM
Yeah, Tempo is supposed to be multiplied on a critical hit. The idea behind Finale was that criticals would deal 4 times Tempo's damage; that may be too much, though, and I'll probably change the capstone.

I realize that there could be an issue with multiclassing; that's why I limited it to weapon attacks only, so Monks can't abuse it with Flurry of Blows, and also why I set Crescendo at 5th level, making it difficult to dip. If 5th is still too early, I can put it at a different level.

I wrote the class at 2 in the morning on a cell phone; that's why there's no subclasses :smalltongue:. I'll try to add a few over the next week.

RakiReborn
2016-08-27, 06:30 AM
YES! I have been breaking my brains over a system like this, that doesnt use extra attack or SA as its core for a martial class. Do you mind if I steal the Tempo and Crescendo features to make the class i have in my head? (Probably changed a bit to fit my concept)

Rerem115
2016-08-27, 07:11 AM
Go for it. Not going to lie, I was kind of inspired by League of Legends' Jhin myself, so I can't call this an original idea anyway :smalltongue:.

PapaQuackers
2016-08-27, 07:18 AM
So I'm noticing this doesn't specifically bar using ranged weapons, was that intentional? If so I suggest you give some kind of incentive to use melee weapons because I can't imagine using them over ranged.

JNAProductions
2016-08-27, 12:49 PM
Didn't look over the whole class, since other people have, but one thing I did notice-Ritardando is OP for the level you get it at. You can basically dodge at no penalty, since you only have one attack anyway. Move it to level 5 at the earliest, when other classes get Extra Attack.

Edit: Although, overall, the concept is damn cool. Kudos to you!

Rerem115
2016-08-29, 02:49 AM
I modified Finale, moved Cued In to 17th level, and added two paths: Path of the Conductor and Path of the Dancer.

MrStabby
2016-08-29, 06:57 AM
I have got to say this is pretty well done - interesting and with little obviously wrong with it.

I would second the concerns that multiclassing might be an issue, but not a huge one. A one level dip into this class gets a moderately powerful feature in terms of Unarmoured defence but tempo is pretty good as well. Whilst a one level dip might be great for some characters, if the requirement is dex 13 and int 13 for multiclassing, it is something that will have bean paid for by having some less good stats elsewhere.

The only other issue I might have is consistancy - almost every level is a "good" level. This is fun, and in may ways how it should be but the cumulative effect may be quite strong. Running some numbers suggests that in terms of damage there isn't a problem but there are quite a lot of defensive and support abilities in the class as well. This kind of thing can only be tested by playing with it though.

Finally it could use a couple of ribbon abilities - maybe an ability to recognise people by the rhythm of their footsteps or to never forget a tune.

To be honest, this is probably the most promising homebrew i have seen this year.

StickFan291
2016-08-29, 02:08 PM
Conductor's Strike -- Starting at 10th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack. If the attack lands, it applies Tempo (You gain a Beat, and it does extra damage if applicable). However, Conductor's Strike cannot trigger Crescendo.

This class is very interesting and I like it a lot. One question though. Conductor's Strike says to forgo one of your attacks. However, at no place in the class does it seem to grant an extra attack. Is this written in case the character is multi-classing and has an extra attack from another class, or was the Rythmist intended to have an extra attack?

Rerem115
2016-08-29, 02:17 PM
Yes, I left it at "One of your attacks" in case somebody who got Extra Attack through multiclassing picked up the ability.

MrStabby
2016-08-29, 07:52 PM
Maybe an oddity with feats/abilities that say "when you take the attack action you may...". You forgo all your attacks but your action is still the attack action thereby allwoing you to use the ability.

Not wrong, just an oddity.

Grod_The_Giant
2016-08-31, 07:41 AM
You might consider having Tempo specify the attack action, to help circumvent accelerated Tempo gathering, or stacking with things like Booming Blade. Maybe even "attack with a single weapon"-- I'm not sure how TWF would affect things, but that looks like by far the best option here, at least if you're not a high-level Dancer.

clash
2016-08-31, 10:31 AM
Is finale intended to trigger Cresendo?

Rerem115
2016-08-31, 10:42 AM
Yes, Finale is intended to trigger Crescendo.

clash
2016-08-31, 03:13 PM
The numbers work out really well on this class so long as there is no multi-classing. Also as written twf might provide this with too much of a boost. I would try to limit tempo generation per turn. The conflict being finale which draws its benefit from temp not being limited. As written though a fighter 5/rythmist 5 has essentially the capstone of this class by level 10 every short rest. Very interesting class and well written but I think you need to limit the multiclassing potential.

MrStabby
2016-09-01, 02:25 AM
I am not that worried about accelerated tempo gathering, the more attacks you have the quicker it builds but also the quicker it drops to zero. It will only really make much of a difference in short fights. Less of an impact than Quick Study gives (which is admittedly higher level).

I think crescendo is the bigger worry. Rogue or paladin that can bring a lot more damage to a single hit could abuse this. Cantrips like booming blade are easy to add and could break this. This is the only situation where I do worry about the accelerated tempo gathering from multiple attacks - waiting to turn 3 for a critical hit is pretty late on. Getting that same critical on T2 does mean that you can probably take a key enemy out of the combat before they have too much of an effect.

Rerem115
2016-09-01, 02:51 AM
And here I thought that putting Crescendo at 5th level would make it too difficult to dip; 5 levels is a pretty significant investment :P.

Would pushing Crescendo to level 11 and putting a ribbon at 5th work? It's pretty atypical to have 5th be fluff, but if it works I could try to think something up.

On the the topic of Booming Blade, I sppose I could try to edit it so you can't trigger Crescendo with spells. I feel like it would be a bit of a clunky solution, though; pack too many rules on one feature and it gets tedious. Dammit, WotC, why'd you gotta make cantrips scale with character level :smallannoyed:?

PotatoGolem
2016-09-01, 03:14 AM
Don't make 5th level a ribbon. Every class gets a big boost at 5th level (like 3rd level spells or two attacks)- it'll feel really crap in comparison for the rythmist player

MrStabby
2016-09-01, 04:28 AM
Don't make 5th level a ribbon. Every class gets a big boost at 5th level (like 3rd level spells or two attacks)- it'll feel really crap in comparison for the rythmist player

I agree with this.

Maybe a flat damage boost instead of a critical could work? Same principle but fewer adverse interactions to worry about. Even a scaling ability could work - 2 x proficiency added to damage?

Rerem115
2016-09-01, 05:20 AM
I want to keep the critical theme, though. What if I made Crescendo only double weapon and Tempo damage? That would leave the class more or less the same, but would clean up most of the issues with multiclassing.

PotatoGolem
2016-09-01, 06:31 AM
That could work. Instead of calling it a crit, just say it doubles your weapon and tempo damage dice.

clash
2016-09-01, 01:02 PM
I want to keep the critical theme, though. What if I made Crescendo only double weapon and Tempo damage? That would leave the class more or less the same, but would clean up most of the issues with multiclassing.

I like the critical hit idea as it had good synergy with other things that are flavorful and not OP. Ie half orcs savage attacks.

I think making Cresendo an action (ie whenever you have 3 beats as an action you may make a single attack roll. If it hits it is a critical hit and resets your beats to 0) would solve the Paladin and cantrip problem in a more organic way. Paladin could still smite on the attack but wouldnt get extra attack that turn which allows 2 smites. So his burst damage wouldn't increase he would just save on spell slots and considering this class doesn't progress spell slots that should be an even trade. To make finale still work you could either have it read "make three attacks with advantage as a bonus action" still allowing cresendo as the action or "You make make 3 consecutive attacks with advantage. If you finish the sequence with 3 beats you may immediately use cresendo attacking with advantage"

If you run the numbers rogue actually isnt a problem. Below level 10 he either doesnt have cresendo or is a rythmist dipping rogue. At level 10 he only does an average of 3.5 extra dmg per turn and has slowed his rogue progression considerably. By level 15 the dpr works out to be the same even whether 15 rogue or 10 rogue/5 rythmist. And by level 17 the rogue actually surpasses the dpr single classed because of abilities like thieves reflexes or death strike which he misses out on to get crecendo. Its just a mild boost at mid levels. Nothing I would worry about.

MrStabby
2016-09-01, 03:01 PM
The more I think about this the more I like it as a class. The style and the use of intelligence as an ability score and so on appeals to me. I do have one issue though.

I think it might not be fun to play. I think it suffers from the same problems as the champion fighter. Everything is automatic/passive. You hit things and nice bonus things happen when you do but you don't really chose to do much more than hit things. Tempo is like the expanded critical range - sometimes you roll more dice and do more damage but practically you won't chose to do it, it will just happen. Even a champion is better at things like shoving and grappling so has more choices to make.

You have no resources like casters (spells), monks (ki) or barbarians (rage). Even fighters get to activate an action surge. Rogues are not resource based but they have to manage situational abilities - sneak attack requires advantage or positioning to have a team-mate nearby. Sure it doesn't need genius level play to make it work but it adds a tactical element to the game. The Rythmist (to me) feels it needs the player to make more choices - either by situational/contingent abilities or by resource management or even by providing a meaningful choice over which action to take on a given turn.

You do get abilities at 18 and 20 that are limited use, so require a choice but this is quite late on.

I wonder if you could make tempo/beat dice a resource. You build them up through your actions and spend them to get effects. There would be a natural tradeoff - early use of the dice would help tip the balance of the encounter earlier, having more unspent would increase your damage and allow you to respond to changes in the battle better. It would give your class activated abilities to chose between, simple resource management with a different dynamic to any other class and I don't think it would break the theme you are looking at?

clash
2016-09-01, 03:11 PM
I wonder if you could make tempo/beat dice a resource. You build them up through your actions and spend them to get effects. There would be a natural tradeoff - early use of the dice would help tip the balance of the encounter earlier, having more unspent would increase your damage and allow you to respond to changes in the battle better. It would give your class activated abilities to chose between, simple resource management with a different dynamic to any other class and I don't think it would break the theme you are looking at?

Adding to his point, something as simple as adjusting it so you can have a maximum of 3 beats and only crescendo uses them up would make this immediately more decision driven. Do you maintain your attacks at the current level of beats or use them on Cresendo and have to build them up again?

Rerem115
2016-09-01, 03:25 PM
The first draft originally had the Beats remain indefinitely, with only Crescendo consuming them, but I found out that did too much damage.

At first level, instead of adding ~2d4 (if using a shield) or 3d4 (if dual wielding) per round ([0+1d4+2d4+3d4]/[4]=1.5d4, [0+1d4+2d4+3d4]/[2]=3d4), you would add 3d4 (if using a shield) or 6d4 (if dual wielding) per round. For a 1st level ability, that's a tad excessive. I did the math, and if you had Crescendo, you'd actually be better off just attacking, since you'd lose so much damage charging up for Crescendo.

Rerem115
2016-09-01, 03:27 PM
You're probably right about the class being too static; I'll see what I can do about giving the player more choice. Part of the problem probably stems from the fact that I was thinking what it would be like to fight against this guy as I was writing it; using a high leveled Rythmist as a boss.

Round one, he deals a little damage, then backs off, dodging most of your attacks. Round two, he deals a fair bit of damage, then backs off, cackling. Round 3, he deals a ridiculous amount of damage, downing a party member, then pauses to see the beauty in their death, and terrifying the *** out of your players in the process. Half the fun of this class is the steady, reliable build up to one crazy attack; no matter what it's actual numbers are, the anticipation is there.