Garret Dorigan
2016-08-30, 12:45 AM
The Blade was by far my favorite class kit to come out of all of the "The Complete ... Handbook" series in 2nd, so upon first hitting the link to the UA article that I'd seen it was reimagined in I was a bit stoked. Upon reading the entry, located here (http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/04_UA_Classics_Revisited.pdf), that devolved into trying to make sense on how it is supposed to function efficiently.
I came to the conclusion that it had an interesting chassis but it lacked in the aforementioned efficiency, and to a lesser extent cohesion, I decided I'd take a stab at some homebrew on "Wizards homebrew". I came down to two slight variations though, and I'm hoping some Playgrounders could give me a hand on which is more reasonable.
Bard: College of Swords
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and scimitars.
Fighting Style
The College of Swords emphasizes mastery with weapons, granting you access to the two-weapon fighting option for the Fighting Style Class feature.
Two-Weapon Fighting- When you engage in two-weapon fighing, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack
Weapons Display (Option A)
At 3rd level, you learn to conduct impressive displays of skill with your weapons. When you use the Attack action on your turn and attack with a dagger, longsword, rapier, scimitar, or shortsword, you can attempt one of the following displays.
Defensive Spin- You spin your weapon around you in swift circles, creating a hypnotic display. As a bonus action, you expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and applying the number rolled as a bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Offensive Spin- Your deadly display of Combat prowess unnerves your opponents, leaving them cowering in fear and at your mercy. After making an Attack action against a creature that hits, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, Rolling a Bardic Inspiration die. This creature must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to your spellcasting DC + a bonus equal to the roll of your Bardic Inspiration die. If the creature fails this saving throw, the creature is frightened of you for a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier.
Trick Throw- You have mastered the art of throwing weapons when your opponents are least expecting it. When an opponent that is frightened of you moves or is moved away from you, you may make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon with the thrown property without as a reaction. If this attack hits, roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add this to the damage done by the attack.
Extra Attack (Option A)
Beginning at 6th level, you can attack twice,
instead of once, whenever you take the Attack
action on your turn.
Weapons Display (Option B)
At 3rd level, you learn to conduct impressive displays of skill with your weapons. When you use the Attack action on your turn and attack with a dagger, longsword, rapier, scimitar, or shortsword, you can attempt one of the following displays.
Defensive Spin- You spin your weapon around you in swift circles, creating a hypnotic display. As a bonus action, you expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and applying the number rolled as a bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Offensive Spin- Your deadly display of Combat prowess unnerves your opponents, leaving them cowering in fear and at your mercy. After making an Attack action against a creature that hits, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, Rolling a Bardic Inspiration die. This creature must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to your spellcasting DC + a bonus equal to the roll of your Bardic Inspiration die. If the creature fails this saving throw, the creature is frightened of you for a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier.
Trick Throw (Option B)
At 6th level, you have mastered the art of throwing weapons when your opponents are least expecting it. Once per round when an opponent that is frightened of you moves or is moved away from you, you may make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon with the thrown property without using your reaction. If this attack hits, you add your Charisma modifier to the damage.
Handle Weapon
Beginning at 14th level, when you are wielding different melee weapons in each hand, you add the weapon die of each weapon to the damage of a weapon attack. If making ranged weapon attacks with melee weapons with the thrown property, your target must be within 30 feet.
I think I lean toward Option B, as it cements Valor as the Bard that gets Extra Attack (the Skald) and Option B's Trick Throw acts as, basically, the Blade's version of Sneak Attack and doesn't use up an already taxed resource of your Bardic Inspiration dice. Plus, Extra Attack and Handle Weapon with Bard casting (i.e. not having to multiclass for Extra Attack) seems a bit much, but I haven't done the math on it.
Other than the obvious standouts, all I did was some nomenclature changing to use some of the ability titles from the 2nd edition kit instead of what was in UA. Overall, I think this version (either option) hearkens back to the "Selfish Bard" type from 3.5/Pf, where you are more often than not using your bonuses for yourself (Snowflake Wardance, Dancing Dervish, etc.) while doing something that no other archetype in the game has done so far... focused on Two-Weapon Fighting as it is presented in the game without modification.
At any rate, thoughts?
I came to the conclusion that it had an interesting chassis but it lacked in the aforementioned efficiency, and to a lesser extent cohesion, I decided I'd take a stab at some homebrew on "Wizards homebrew". I came down to two slight variations though, and I'm hoping some Playgrounders could give me a hand on which is more reasonable.
Bard: College of Swords
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and scimitars.
Fighting Style
The College of Swords emphasizes mastery with weapons, granting you access to the two-weapon fighting option for the Fighting Style Class feature.
Two-Weapon Fighting- When you engage in two-weapon fighing, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack
Weapons Display (Option A)
At 3rd level, you learn to conduct impressive displays of skill with your weapons. When you use the Attack action on your turn and attack with a dagger, longsword, rapier, scimitar, or shortsword, you can attempt one of the following displays.
Defensive Spin- You spin your weapon around you in swift circles, creating a hypnotic display. As a bonus action, you expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and applying the number rolled as a bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Offensive Spin- Your deadly display of Combat prowess unnerves your opponents, leaving them cowering in fear and at your mercy. After making an Attack action against a creature that hits, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, Rolling a Bardic Inspiration die. This creature must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to your spellcasting DC + a bonus equal to the roll of your Bardic Inspiration die. If the creature fails this saving throw, the creature is frightened of you for a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier.
Trick Throw- You have mastered the art of throwing weapons when your opponents are least expecting it. When an opponent that is frightened of you moves or is moved away from you, you may make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon with the thrown property without as a reaction. If this attack hits, roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add this to the damage done by the attack.
Extra Attack (Option A)
Beginning at 6th level, you can attack twice,
instead of once, whenever you take the Attack
action on your turn.
Weapons Display (Option B)
At 3rd level, you learn to conduct impressive displays of skill with your weapons. When you use the Attack action on your turn and attack with a dagger, longsword, rapier, scimitar, or shortsword, you can attempt one of the following displays.
Defensive Spin- You spin your weapon around you in swift circles, creating a hypnotic display. As a bonus action, you expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and applying the number rolled as a bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Offensive Spin- Your deadly display of Combat prowess unnerves your opponents, leaving them cowering in fear and at your mercy. After making an Attack action against a creature that hits, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of Bardic Inspiration, Rolling a Bardic Inspiration die. This creature must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC equal to your spellcasting DC + a bonus equal to the roll of your Bardic Inspiration die. If the creature fails this saving throw, the creature is frightened of you for a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier.
Trick Throw (Option B)
At 6th level, you have mastered the art of throwing weapons when your opponents are least expecting it. Once per round when an opponent that is frightened of you moves or is moved away from you, you may make a ranged weapon attack with a weapon with the thrown property without using your reaction. If this attack hits, you add your Charisma modifier to the damage.
Handle Weapon
Beginning at 14th level, when you are wielding different melee weapons in each hand, you add the weapon die of each weapon to the damage of a weapon attack. If making ranged weapon attacks with melee weapons with the thrown property, your target must be within 30 feet.
I think I lean toward Option B, as it cements Valor as the Bard that gets Extra Attack (the Skald) and Option B's Trick Throw acts as, basically, the Blade's version of Sneak Attack and doesn't use up an already taxed resource of your Bardic Inspiration dice. Plus, Extra Attack and Handle Weapon with Bard casting (i.e. not having to multiclass for Extra Attack) seems a bit much, but I haven't done the math on it.
Other than the obvious standouts, all I did was some nomenclature changing to use some of the ability titles from the 2nd edition kit instead of what was in UA. Overall, I think this version (either option) hearkens back to the "Selfish Bard" type from 3.5/Pf, where you are more often than not using your bonuses for yourself (Snowflake Wardance, Dancing Dervish, etc.) while doing something that no other archetype in the game has done so far... focused on Two-Weapon Fighting as it is presented in the game without modification.
At any rate, thoughts?