Thoughts on this homebrew feat

[Dhuraal]

The idea for this came into my head literally 10 minutes ago, while thinking of some abilities for the Necro I plan on making, as the DM is open to custom ideas.

Anywho, here it is:

Blood Magic
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least 1 spell that deals damage.

Whenever you cast a spell, you can tap into your own reserves of strength to expend any number of hit dice, up to your current remaining number, and add them plus your constitution modifier to that spell as necrotic damage. The spell is now considered a Necromancy spell.

[Dhuraal]

Giving it a bit more thought small modification:

Blood Magic
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least 1 spell that deals damage.

Whenever you deal damage with a spell, you can tap into your own reserves of strength to empower it. Expend any number of hit dice, up to your current remaining number of hit dice, and add twice that many plus your constitution modifier to that spell as necrotic damage. The spell is now considered a Necromancy spell.



For persistent spells (Cloudkill, Black Tentacles, etc), you have to expend each time it does damage, and for every 1 hit die you expend, you get 2 damage dice, because giving up healing is a pretty big thing.

[Solunaris]

Hmm... Blood Magic is generally associated with giving up current life force, and not just strength. It's not directly affect the player's currently health so it isn't providing a meaningful risk-reward in the current situation.

Sure they're giving up healing for the rest of the day, but a good back line wizard should need many hit dice to begin with throughout the day anyway. In addition to that the trade of 1 hit die for 2 damage die is a bit much. You might find yourself eventually looking down the barrel of a 28d6 Fireball that completely obliterates some hapless BBEG because he used his reaction for the turn already.

I'd put a cap of 2 per round on it (so 4 extra damage dice), have it reduce maximum HP until the next short or long rest at a rate of half the extra damage dealt instead of consuming Hit Dice (though you get that lost HP back during the rest with no expenditure of Hit Dice), and remove the Constitution mod to damage.

[LudicSavant]

The idea for this came into my head literally 10 minutes ago, while thinking of some abilities for the Necro I plan on making, as the DM is open to custom ideas.

Anywho, here it is:

Blood Magic
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least 1 spell that deals damage.

Whenever you cast a spell, you can tap into your own reserves of strength to expend any number of hit dice, up to your current remaining number, and add them plus your constitution modifier to that spell as necrotic damage. The spell is now considered a Necromancy spell.

Breaks Magic Missile, but only because of the same bizarre sage advice ruling that made the Nuclear Druid a thing.

[Lawful Good]

Breaks Magic Missile, but only because of the same bizarre sage advice ruling that made the Nuclear Druid a thing.

Pardon me, but what's a nuclear Druid?

[LudicSavant]

Pardon me, but what's a nuclear Druid?

Take the UA druid's Harvest Scythe and combine it with this (http://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/10/17/magic-missile-do-you-roll-the-same-d4-for-all-darts/). Proceed to make a nova build like, say, Twilight Druid 17 / Arcana Cleric 1 / Fighter 2 that can deal around 1000 damage with Magic Missile without rolling to hit or save.

[Dhuraal]

Hmm... Blood Magic is generally associated with giving up current life force, and not just strength. It's not directly affect the player's currently health so it isn't providing a meaningful risk-reward in the current situation.

Sure they're giving up healing for the rest of the day, but a good back line wizard should need many hit dice to begin with throughout the day anyway. In addition to that the trade of 1 hit die for 2 damage die is a bit much. You might find yourself eventually looking down the barrel of a 28d6 Fireball that completely obliterates some hapless BBEG because he used his reaction for the turn already.

I'd put a cap of 2 per round on it (so 4 extra damage dice), have it reduce maximum HP until the next short or long rest at a rate of half the extra damage dealt instead of consuming Hit Dice (though you get that lost HP back during the rest with no expenditure of Hit Dice), and remove the Constitution mod to damage.

Yeah after talking with DM and in the Homebrew forum, the way we are looking at going now is that in addition to trading 1 HD for 2 on Damage then plus Con (which isn't terribly necessary), to take the theme of it further and the caster takes half of the bonus necrotic damage upon itself as well

[Kane0]

When you cast a damaging spell, you can choose to expend a number of Hit Die up to your proficiency bonus and add the rolls as bonus necrotic damage to the spell. When you do so you reduce your current and total HP by twice the spell's level and the spell's school is treated as necromancy.

How's that sound?

[Mhl7]

Take the UA druid's Harvest Scythe and combine it with this (http://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/10/17/magic-missile-do-you-roll-the-same-d4-for-all-darts/). Proceed to make a nova build like, say, Twilight Druid 17 / Arcana Cleric 1 / Fighter 2 that can deal around 1000 damage with Magic Missile without rolling to hit or save.

LOL, that such a cheap cheese! If I understood it correctly, it is also entirely based on the wording of some poor proof-read ability. This is not how you play this game and I doubt you would be able to pull it out in real play if your DM has only half a brain.

[Solunaris]

Yeah after talking with DM and in the Homebrew forum, the way we are looking at going now is that in addition to trading 1 HD for 2 on Damage then plus Con (which isn't terribly necessary), to take the theme of it further and the caster takes half of the bonus necrotic damage upon itself as well

If it is doing damage, I'd remove the HD cost. Instead, give the bonus dice a base value of a d8 and give the caster the ability to add up to their proficiency bonus of dice onto a spell that deals damage up to spellcasting modifier per long rest.

Now it has a cost that doesn't directly impact the other PCs (if it does damage and takes HD you'll be putting a huge strain on the rest of the parties non-HD healing resources; which means less cool spells for the cleric) while being limited in a way that should organically grow as the character grows.

Also, the ability would now scale with level so it remains relevant as a nova option but not something to depend on at all times.

I dunno, just some thoughts here.

[Dhuraal]

Going a bit off what Solunaris and Kane0 said, and talking with other members of my group, we are currently sitting at something like this:


Increase your XXXXXX by 1 to a maximum of 20

Pick 1 of the following:

A) When you complete a long rest you gain a pool of d8s up to your proficiency modifier, called blood magic dice. Whenever you cast a spell that causes you to roll dice or an effect from a spell you cast causes you to roll dice, you can spend as many blood magic dice from your pool as you want, to add to the spell or effect to empower it. You take necrotic damage equal to the total value rolled on the blood magic dice. When you do the a spell empowered this way is considered a Necromancy spell and any effect empowered this way is now considered to be from a Necromancy spell. If the blood magic dice are added to a spell as damage, their damage type is necrotic.

B) You may spend any number of your remaining hit dice in order to cast a spell of a level equal to the number of hit dice spent, up to the highest level spell slot you possess. This spell must be one you already know and have prepared. This spell can be boosted by other Blood Magic effects.

You may take this feat a second time, if you do, you receive the benefit you did not choose previously.

Do you think that the increased stat should be Con, your spell casting modifier (you choose if you have multiple), or your choice of either?
Do you think you should get the stat boost again if you take the feat a second time?
Is B letting you get spell slots too cheaply? A Sorcerer does not get to spend points 1-1 for spell slots after all

[Solunaris]

Going a bit off what Solunaris and Kane0 said, and talking with other members of my group, we are currently sitting at something like this:


Increase your XXXXXX by 1 to a maximum of 20

Pick 1 of the following:

A) When you complete a long rest you gain a pool of d8s up to your proficiency modifier, called blood magic dice. Whenever you cast a spell that causes you to roll dice or an effect from a spell you cast causes you to roll dice, you can spend as many blood magic dice from your pool as you want, to add to the spell or effect to empower it. You take necrotic damage equal to the total value rolled on the blood magic dice. When you do the a spell empowered this way is considered a Necromancy spell and any effect empowered this way is now considered to be from a Necromancy spell. If the blood magic dice are added to a spell as damage, their damage type is necrotic.

B) You may spend any number of your remaining hit dice in order to cast a spell of a level equal to the number of hit dice spent, up to the highest level spell slot you possess. This spell must be one you already know and have prepared. This spell can be boosted by other Blood Magic effects.

You may take this feat a second time, if you do, you receive the benefit you did not choose previously.

Do you think that the increased stat should be Con, your spell casting modifier (you choose if you have multiple), or your choice of either?
Do you think you should get the stat boost again if you take the feat a second time?
Is B letting you get spell slots too cheaply? A Sorcerer does not get to spend points 1-1 for spell slots after all

This feat is very strong, and shouldn't have a stat buff associated with it at all. I'd also limit the spell slot's gained in this manor to 5th level or lower so as to keep it in line with all the other spell slot recovery methods.

Also, is there a reason to have it as one feat where you pick one of two effects? Just split it into two separate feats and be done with it.