Old subclass that could use some more critique

[sleepyhead]

So my character is in the process of being stabbed in the back so I might need a new one. Thinking of using this old subclass I made for the Something Borrowed (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?585284-D-amp-D-Subclass-Contest-VIII-Something-Borrowed&p=23831912&viewfull=1) contest. Figured it could use a bit more of a look sense there was a lot going on over there.


Forbidden Knowledge
(wizard of a bit of GOO Warlock spice)
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
Some seek to understand...

Many believe that knowledge is the ultimate goal in life. They spend part their lives in libraries and schools learning everything they can. But some delve to deep and seal themselves up in ancient ruins and endanger themselves searching for forgotten knowledge. Those who follow Forbidden Knowledge often consider themselves protectors and sharers of such knowledge, but not all are so keen to share what they have strived for years to discover.


Boons of Knowledge

When you choose this subclass at second level you gain an Invocation from the Warlocks Invocation list, you gain an additional Invocation every time you gain a new feature with this subclass (6th, 10th, 14th). You may take invocations that require The Great Old One prerequisite as well as any invocation that requires the Pact of the Tome. You may switch any amount of invocations each time you gain a feature in this class (6th, 10th, 14th). In addition, you may use your wizard level for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.


Cognition from the Shadows

Your study and exploration lead to the discovery of lost knowledge. Starting at second level you add 3 cantrips form any spell list to your spellbook and in addition you add a number of level one spells, from any one spell list, equal to your intelligence modifier to your spellbook.


Guardians Of Knowledge

Starting at 6th level you can use your action to summon a number of tentacles equal to your level divide by 4 rounded down. These tentacles appear within 20ft. of you. The health of these tentacles equal to your level*three. Tentacles share their round with there creator.
You can use this feature once per short or long rest.

Tentacle
Medium aberration, unaligned
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Speed 15 ft.

STR
18(+4)

DEX
8(-1)

CON
17(+3)

INT
7(-2)

WIS
16(+3)

CHA
6(-2)



Senses Shares senses with creator.

Actions
Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained and has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

Reel. The tentacle pulls each creature grappled by it up to 5 ft. straight toward it.


Bringer of Madness

Starting at level 10 when casting a spell you can instead spend the spell slot to fill your opponents mind with overwhelming knowledge. Force a target within 30ft. to make an Intelligence saving throw. On failure your target takes damage equal to the expanded spell slot level worth of 1d10s of psychic damage and is frightened for 1 min per spell slot level. On success target takes 1d6s of damage rather than 1d10s of psychic damage and is frightened for half of the duration.

You can use this feature an amount equal to your Intelligence Modifier. Regain uses on a long rest.

Trip to the Far Realm

Starting at level 14 you gain the ability to send targets to the Far Realm as a free action. When you hit a creature with an attack roll or spell attack you can use this feature to instantly transport the target through the Far Realm. The target gets removed for 1 minute, after it returns it takes 5d10 psychic damage and it is frightened for 1 minute.

You regain the use of this feature after a long rest.


Cognition from the Shadows

Your study and exploration lead to the discovery of lost knowledge. Starting at second level you add 3 cantrips form any spell list to your spellbook and add additional spells from any one spell list equal to your intelligence modifier to your spellbook.

Bringer of Madness

Starting at level 10 when casting a spell you can instead spend the spell slot to fill your opponents mind with overwhelming knowledge. Force a target within 30ft. to make an Intelligence saving throw. On failure your target takes damage equal to the expanded spell slot level worth of 1d10s of psychic damage and is frightened for 1 min per spell slot level. On success target takes 1d6s of damage rather than 1d10s of psychic damage and is frightened for half of the duration.

You can use this feature an amount equal to your half intelligence modifier (minimum of once). Regain uses on a short or long rest.

[Trandir]

Ok this seems fun. These wizards found some warlock scripts so they can just skip the whole sell your soul part, NOICE.


Now some questions:

Cognition from the Shadows is a bit foggy in his wording. Could you explain how it works a little more clearly?

Guardians Of Knowledge's tentacles are weird. They should have a proficiency bonus of +3 but it is ignored in the attack they make. This might be intentional tho. Also I would advice you to create a table for the tentacles. Like the fighter one for the eldritch knight so you can save some text and put as few math as possibe in your D&D game. You should also add what is the "casting time" of this ability.

Why half your Int mod uses of Guardians Of Knowledge? Can't you use the full mod and make it recharge on a long rest or just put 2 uses from the start? It's a bit weird to see half modifier in 5e.


Does Trip to the Far Realm also work with magic missile or other save for half damage spells? Also since it isn't specified that the target isn't incapacitated a monster could use spells, magic items an such to heal during that minute right?

[sleepyhead]

Cognition from the Shadows: hopefully that's better
Guardians Of Knowledge: where is the +3 coming from? I'm fine with dealing with the math.
Trip to the far realm: has been specified for requiring a spell attack roll/ attack roll.

[Trandir]

Cognition from the Shadows: hopefully that's better
Guardians Of Knowledge: where is the +3 coming from? I'm fine with dealing with the math.
Trip to the far realm: has been specified for requiring a spell attack roll/ attack roll.


It is.

From the grapple save DC. With a DC of 15 and if that follows the usual formula, 8+ Str mod+proficiency bonus, you get 12 covered by 8+4 so the proficiency bonus is a 3. It's weird that the tentacle isn't proficient with his own attack just that.

Nice.

[Leathalsandwich]

Instead of dividing up your level why not just expend a spell slot and then have it make a number of tentacles per spell slot level
Other than this I love it

[Composer99]

So my character is in the process of being stabbed in the back so I might need a new one. Thinking of using this old subclass I made for the Something Borrowed (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?585284-D-amp-D-Subclass-Contest-VIII-Something-Borrowed&p=23831912&viewfull=1) contest. Figured it could use a bit more of a look sense there was a lot going on over there.


Forbidden Knowledge

(wizard of a bit of GOO Warlock spice)
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
Some seek to understand...

Many believe that knowledge is the ultimate goal in life. They spend part their lives in libraries and schools learning everything they can. But some delve to deep and seal themselves up in ancient ruins and endanger themselves searching for forgotten knowledge. Those who follow Forbidden Knowledge often consider themselves protectors and sharers of such knowledge, but not all are so keen to share what they have strived for years to discover.


Boons of Knowledge

When you choose this subclass at second level you gain an Invocation from the Warlocks Invocation list, you gain an additional Invocation every time you gain a new feature with this subclass (6th, 10th, 14th). You may take invocations that require The Great Old One prerequisite as well as any invocation that requires the Pact of the Tome. You may switch any amount of invocations each time you gain a feature in this class (6th, 10th, 14th). In addition, you may use your wizard level for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.


Overall, this is a really interesting concept. However, the fact that you get a full feature and an invocation at every level of this subclass makes this arcane tradition look overpowered relative to other wizard subclasses. The PHB arcane traditions, for instance, get the ability to more easily scribe spells of their chosen school into their spellbooks and some other, more significant feature, at 2nd level. Some of these features aren't exactly the equal of warlock invocations to begin with (the transmuter's Minor Alchemy, for instance).



Cognition from the Shadows

Your study and exploration lead to the discovery of lost knowledge. Starting at second level you add 3 cantrips form any spell list to your spellbook and in addition you add a number of level one spells, from any one spell list, equal to your intelligence modifier to your spellbook.


This really lets you fill out a number of roles at low levels that wizards normally couldn't. Despite the flexibility you gain, though, I don't think this feature is exceptionally overpowered since you're still limited by your spell slots, where the other arcane traditions give you something you can do that doesn't depend on having spell slots.

Having said that, this feature is the equivalent of the base Pact of the Tome feature plus a more powerful version of the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation, on top of already getting a warlock invocation thanks to Boons of Knowledge.


Guardians Of Knowledge

Starting at 6th level you can use your action to summon a number of tentacles equal to your level divide by 4 rounded down. These tentacles appear within 20ft. of you. The health of these tentacles equal to your level*three. Tentacles share their round with there creator.
You can use this feature once per short or long rest.

Tentacle
Medium aberration, unaligned
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Speed 15 ft.


STR
18(+4)


DEX
8(-1)


CON
17(+3)


INT
7(-2)


WIS
16(+3)


CHA
6(-2)



Senses Shares senses with creator.

Actions
Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained and has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

Reel. The tentacle pulls each creature grappled by it up to 5 ft. straight toward it.



This feature is a stronger combat feature compared to most other arcane traditions, but not significantly stronger. (Although, this tradition is giving out an invocation along with it.)

Fun fact: it turns out some monsters' saving throw DCs for grappling and similar physical effects is 10 + their Strength modifier, instead of the standard DC. The tarrasque, for instance, has escape DC of 20 for its restraining bite and its tail's knockdown effect. If it used the standard DC formula, the DC for those effects would be 27. (Meanwhile, its frightful presence has the DC you'd expect.) The tyrannosaurus also uses 10 + Strength for its restraining bite. But there are monsters who use the normal DC formula: the giant crocodile has a restraining bit and tail that knocks creatures down (just like the tarrasque), but the DC is 8 + its proficiency + its Strength modifier.



Bringer of Madness

Starting at level 10 when casting a spell you can instead spend the spell slot to fill your opponents mind with overwhelming knowledge. Force a target within 30ft. to make an Intelligence saving throw. On failure your target takes damage equal to the expanded spell slot level worth of 1d10s of psychic damage and is frightened for 1 min per spell slot level. On success target takes 1d6s of damage rather than 1d10s of psychic damage and is frightened for half of the duration.

You can use this feature an amount equal to your Intelligence Modifier. Regain uses on a long rest.


Most spells you can cast at most levels are probably better than this feature, and at low levels you're competing with having slots available to, say, cast shield and mage armour. So this feature isn't overpowered.

The part about "when casting a spell" seems redundant. It does allow stretching the action economy, although not too much since you still count as casting a spell. You could cast a bonus action spell, swap it out for this, and still cast a cantrip with your action. If that's intended, well and good. If not, consider some sort of re-wording.

I'm also not a fan of the rest of the wording. Maybe try something like:

Choose a creature you can see within 30 feet. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC, taking 1d10 psychic damage per level of the expended spell slot and becoming frightened for 1 minute per level of the expended spell slot on a failed save, and half as much damage and becoming frightened for half as much time on a successful one.




Trip to the Far Realm

Starting at level 14 you gain the ability to send targets to the Far Realm as a free action. When you hit a creature with an attack roll or spell attack you can use this feature to instantly transport the target through the Far Realm. The target gets removed for 1 minute, after it returns it takes 5d10 psychic damage and it is frightened for 1 minute.

You regain the use of this feature after a long rest.


This feature feels kind of redundant next to the 10th-level feature. (Or maybe the 10th level feature is the redundant one next to this one?)

In and of itself, it's not overpowered though, compared to features such as Overchannel.

There's no such thing as a "free action" in 5e. The effect happens as part of hitting with the attack, so just leave it at that. Also, I assume you mean "a weapon or spell attack"?