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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Alternative Idea for Holy Avenger or Other Divine Weapons



Mith
2018-01-19, 01:07 AM
Hello Playground,

Recently looking at Holy Avengers, I was wondering about a different theme for Holy Avengers that could branch out to make a theme based on the four corner alignments of the D&D alignment chart. This isn't intended to "force alignment on PCs" but to have four different origins for this weapon types.

The core premise of the idea is that Holy Avengers and the like are the investment of a specific powerful supernatural being invested into a weapon to have greater freedom to pursue agendas, but less personal power. A paladin, as the champion of specific tenants is the chosen wielder of a Divine Weapon as they are warriors that have demonstrated to be dedicated to the cause that the divine weapon would be aligned to. The investment of a divine creature can be into any weapon, changing it into a Divine Weapon. So it's a more in game reasoning for a reskin.

My first thought is that the the various alignment categories (Good,Evil,Law, and Chaos) all grant specific abilities, with the combination of two giving the properties of the weapon.

Category names: LG:Holy Avenger , CG: Celestial Crusader, LE: Hellish Harbinger CE: Demonic Doomblade


General Properties
- Attuned by a Paladin
- +3 Attack/Damage
- Gain Proficiency in Religion and History. If already Proficient, gain Expertise (Borrow experience from the Outsider in the blade).
- Can only be attuned to 1 Divine Weapon at a time

Good
- Allies in 10' gain adv. on saving throws vs. spells and spell effects. If 17th level Paladin or higher, aura extends out to 30'
- Do an extra 2d10 damage to fiends and Undead

Reasoning: Good focuses on helping others, so the aura effect is about benefiting others. Fiends and Undead are considered abominations to all that is good and holy, and must be destroyed.

Law
- Order of Battle: 1/long rest, grant adv. on attack rolls to up to your Charisma modifier allies within aura for up to Charisma modifier rounds.
- Commander's Strike: 2/ short rest, 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, adding 1d6 to the damage roll.

Reasoning: I picture a Lawful agent to be a general, aiding the coordination among allies. I say 1 per long rest for Charisma modifier rounds, because it means 1 fight a day can get fairly easy, or can get them out of a tight spot. Commander's Strike is also about coordination, and a took the idea from the Martial Adept feat.

Evil
-Enemies in 10' gain dis. on saving throws vs. spells and spell effects. If 17th level Paladin or higher, qura extends out to 30'
-Do an extra 2d10 damage to Celestial and Fey

Reasoning: Sort of flipping the Good Properties, with Fey replacing Undead as more "nature spirit".

Chaos
-Fog of War: 1/long rest, grant dis. on attack rolls to up to your Charisma modifier enemies within your aura
-Disrupting Strike: 2/short rest, when you attack an opponent concentrating on an effect, you may spend a bonus action to add your Charisma modifier to the Concentration

Reasoning: Fog of War is the reverse of the Order of Battle for Law. Not sure about Disrupting Strike, as a likely +5 to a Concentration check is pretty brutal, making a minimum DC 15. I like the idea of a Chaotic agent being good at breaking the focus of an opponent, but forcing disadvantage makes a redundant feature with the Evil effect. Perhaps 1d4 - 1d6 to the DC would be better? 1d8 would mirror the Law Commanding Strike, but the average roll isn't much lower then + CHA will likely be.

So what are your thoughts on this idea? I know it is a power boost, but I do like the theme of investing a divine being into the creation of a weapon with a purpose.