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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next A subclass for wizards who want to attack with spells(PEACH)



Witty Username
2020-01-26, 11:47 PM
This is my first homebrew for 5e, and my first that is being posted online. Hopefully I will be as brave as this in the future. In any case, this is a class to make use of spell attacks, which seem to be a bit rare this edition, and have some feeling similar to a roguish wizard in the vain of the 3.5 sniper archetype. I hope you like it (and that it is not absurdly broken).

Arcane Sniper
Some wizards train or study a more subtle style of destructive magic than traditional evokers or war mages. Picking out key targets, keeping one’s distance, and rely on pinpoint applications of power to twist battles in the favor of the caster. The follower of the tradition of the arcane sniper is likely to prefer many kinds of spells that obscure one’s position, allows quick movement, and locate/disrupt their targets in addition to spells that deliver deadly blasts of magical power. Colleges that teach this tradition tend to keep quiet, for a much as armies may enjoy having their enemies quickly dealt with, many arcane snipers have a well earned as dangerous killers and professional assassins.


Wizard Level
Feature


2nd
Ambush Arts, Magical Aim


6th
Spell Snipe


10th
Splitting Spell Shot


14th
Mindful Targeting



Ambush Arts
Starting at 2nd level, you are capable of more mundane abilities to get into position and pick out key targets. You gain proficiency in the Perception and Stealth skills.

Magical Aim
At 2nd level, you learn the true strike cantrip. If you already know this cantrip, you learn a different wizard cantrip of your choice. This cantrip doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known. Additionally, you may cast true strike as a bonus action.

Spell Snipe
At 6th level, you may infuse your Arcane blasts with additional power. When you hit with a spell attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal an extra 1d8 damage to the target plus another 1d8 per level of the spell slot expended.

Splitting Spell Shot
At 10th level, you may use your enemies’ distraction to prepare powerful barrages. When you make a spell attack and have advantage on the attack roll you can forgo advantage for that roll to make an additional spell attack against the same target or another target within 30 ft of the original as part of the same action. This additional attack uses the same damage dice as the original spell attack. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Mindful Targeting
At 14th level, when you hit with a spell attack you can add your intelligence modifier to the damage dealt to the target.

Garfunion
2020-01-27, 02:40 AM
Spell Snipe
At 6th level, you may infuse your Arcane blasts with additional power. When you hit with a spell attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal an extra 1d8 damage to the target plus another 1d8 per level of the spell slot expended.

Splitting Spell Shot
At 10th level, you may use your enemies’ distraction to prepare powerful barrages. When you make a spell attack and have advantage on the attack roll you can forgo advantage for that roll to make an additional spell attack against the same target or another target within 30 ft of the original as part of the same action. This additional attack uses the same damage dice as the original spell attack. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

These two abilities are way too powerful especially when you combined them with each other. Spitting spell slot is an extremely better version of metamagic twin spell.

Your ability to do more damage than the average wizard will actually come from your ability to bonus action true strike cantrip.

I would drop the twin spell and extra damage of these two features and maybe focus on more utility features.

Maybe a ricochet features that does additional damage equal to your wizard level to an “adjacent” creature.

Old Harry MTX
2020-01-27, 02:05 PM
Casting True Strike as bonus action seem to me very broken... I would suggest to add something like "you can choose to expend a spell slot to cast True Strike as bonus action. ", or easily add a number of uses/long rest, like the Intelligence modifier or you current Prof. Bonus. You can also change one of the high level feature adding the ability to regain the expended uses during short rests.

Garfunion
2020-01-27, 02:36 PM
Casting True Strike as bonus action seem to me very broken... I would suggest to add something like "you can choose to expend a spell slot to cast True Strike as bonus action. ", or easily add a number of uses/long rest, like the Intelligence modifier or you current Prof. Bonus. You can also change one of the high level feature adding the ability to regain the expended uses during short rests.
Not really, true strike requires you to concentrate on the cantrip. Most of the powerful wizard spells require concentration and/or saving throw. So either you are true striking or concentrating on another spell.

Kane0
2020-01-27, 03:30 PM
Level 2 looks good, although to keep in theme with other wizard subclasses i'd put in half cost scribing of spells that use spell attack rolls instead of the free profs.

Level 10 and 14 could probably be swapped around. +Int to damage at the last point is pretty late for a relatively minor boost, and basically doubling your attack spell by using your BA (with your level 2 BA True Strike granting advantage) is definitely the stronger of the two.

Blasting is an all-or-nothing way of casting which is why many avoid it if they can use something else for a guaranteed effect with their limited resources. BA True Strike is a good start to making it more lucrative, but in the level 6 place instead of burning even more spell slots for increased damage (which isn't strictly needed unless you're picking lacklustre spells) I suggest a feature to recoup losses as a way to sweeten the deal and really encourage actually spending slots on attack roll spells. You could repurpose the Diviner feature pretty easily, if you miss with a spell that requires a spell attack roll you recover one expended spell slot of a level lower than the one you missed with. This also separates it from the Evoker which focuses on increasing raw damage output and keeping allies out of harms way.

Witty Username
2020-01-27, 11:27 PM
Level 2 looks good, although to keep in theme with other wizard subclasses i'd put in half cost scribing of spells that use spell attack rolls instead of the free profs.

I was more looking to the bladesinger and war mage, with one active effect that can be used regularly and a passive ability both in theme with the archetype, for the war mage: arcane defection and tactical wit, and for the bladesinger: bladesong and training in war and song.



Level 10 and 14 could probably be swapped around. +Int to damage at the last point is pretty late for a relatively minor boost, and basically doubling your attack spell by using your BA (with your level 2 BA True Strike granting advantage) is definitely the stronger of the two.


That's fair, I was looking at the enchanter when I made that decision, and split enchantment being 10th level felt right at the time.


These two abilities are way too powerful especially when you combined them with each other. Spitting spell shot is an extremely better version of metamagic twin spell.

Twin spell applies to many more spells then this effect, my justification is split enchantment which is similar to twin spell but more restricted in exchange for a lower resource cost.
I think I should clarify something, the intention of splitting spell shot(I may rename that blast to avoid the tongue twister) is that it copies the original spell attack, it can be combined with spell snipe but that would require the investment of two spell slots, I will change the wording of the ability if that is not the case in how it is read.

Spell snipe is almost straight pulled from eldritch smite, so I have some confidence that it is at least in the ball park of what I want.


Blasting is an all-or-nothing way of casting which is why many avoid it if they can use something else for a guaranteed effect with their limited resources. BA True Strike is a good start to making it more lucrative, but in the level 6 place instead of burning even more spell slots for increased damage (which isn't strictly needed unless you're picking lacklustre spells) I suggest a feature to recoup losses as a way to sweeten the deal and really encourage actually spending slots on attack roll spells. You could repurpose the Diviner feature pretty easily, if you miss with a spell that requires a spell attack roll you recover one expended spell slot of a level lower than the one you missed with. This also separates it from the Evoker which focuses on increasing raw damage output and keeping allies out of harms way.
I like that idea in theory but one of the problems with this kind of character is the lack of spells that require spell attacks. the highest level wizard spell in the phb that does is Mordenkainen's Sword, the next highest is Vampiric Touch. which gives us 2 spells between 3rd and 7th.
Given this I figured that allowing cantrips and low level spells to deliver higher damage in exchange for spell slots would patch this problem and happen to allow for more utility in spell selection.

Kane0
2020-01-28, 04:10 AM
I like that idea in theory but one of the problems with this kind of character is the lack of spells that require spell attacks. the highest level wizard spell in the phb that does is Mordenkainen's Sword, the next highest is Vampiric Touch. which gives us 2 spells between 3rd and 7th.

Thats easy, just make some. To start with try stealing some ray spells from prior editions. Its probably the cleaner way to solve the problem too.

Edit: Some that i’ve made in the past if you want ‘em.

Battering Ram
3rd-Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 60 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

Make a ranged spell attack against one creature or object you can see within range. On a hit the target takes 5d10 force damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw. On a failure the target is pushed 20 feet in a straight line away from you and knocked prone. Objects struck by this spell take an additional 2d10 damage.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot above 3rd.


Glacial Grasp
3rd Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 90 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

Make a ranged spell attack against one creature you can see within range. On a hit, the target takes 8d8 cold damage and has their speed reduced to 0 until the end of their next turn.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 2d8 for each slot above 4th.


Ray of Exhaustion
3rd Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 120 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

Make a ranged spell attack against one creature you can see within range. On a hit, the target takes 6d6 necrotic damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot above 3rd.


Enervation
5th Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 90 feet
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Make a ranged spell attack against one creature you can see within range. On a hit, the target takes 5d8 necrotic damage, and you regain Hit Points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt. On each of your turns for the duration if the target is visible and within range you can use your bonus action to repeat this damage to the target automatically.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the initial and recurring damage increases by 1d8 for each slot above 1st.


Prismatic Ray
5th Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 120 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

Make a ranged spell attack against one creature you can see within range. On a hit, roll a d8 to determine which color ray affects the target, and the target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn.
1. Red. The target takes 14d8 fire damage
2. Orange. The target takes 14d6 acid damage
3. Yellow. The target takes 14d6 lightning damage
4. Green. The target takes 14d8 poison damage
5. Blue. The target takes 14d8 cold damage
6. Indigo. The target takes 14d6 necrotic damage
7. Violet. The target takes 14d6 radiant damage
8. Special. Roll twice more, ignoring any further 8s
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the damage increases by 2 die for each slot above 5th.


Avasculate
7th Level Transmutation

Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 30 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

Make a ranged spell attack against one creature you can see within range. On a hit, the target's current HP is halved and they must succeed on a constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn. This spell has no effect on undead and constructs.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8th level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 7th.

Witty Username
2020-01-29, 02:27 AM
I never thought I would see Avasculate again. A friend of mine, back when I was in junior high had a character where he used it so much it was basically his signature spell. I will always jump at the chance for more spells.
I still like the idea of giving bonus damage with spells, I was thinking when I wrote this either swiping smite mechanics or the sneak attack mechanics. I was thinking that smite mechanics would be more flexible and easier to balance.

here is an idea.

swap instead of split shot at 10, move it to 14 change it to this:

Subtle recovery
At 14th level, failure to land a spell becomes a set back rather then lost attempt. When you miss a spell attack if it was part of spell that requires a single attack roll of 2nd level or higher, you regain one expended spell slot. The slot you regain must be of a level lower than the spell you cast.
(making it a little less restrictive that expert divination since it will only come up if you effectively wasted an action)

Or perhaps
Escape the limelight
At 14th level, a true master learns to cope with failure as well as maximize success. When you miss a spell attack if it was part of spell that requires a single attack roll, if you had advantage on the roll, you can turn invisible until the beginning of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you can not use it again until you finish a long rest.
(the idea of this is to make this more of a sneaky character, if your ambush fails you can avoid some of the backlash)

Kane0
2020-02-23, 05:39 AM
Or even of you miss with a spell attack you can try it again on your next turn once per short rest

Witty Username
2020-02-24, 03:16 PM
So, something like this?
Rebound Ray
At 14th level, when you miss a spell attack from a spell of 1st level or higher, you may concentrate on the spell until the end of your next turn. while you are concentrating you may use your action to make the same spell attack against the same target. Once you use this feature you may not use it again until you finish a short rest.

Kane0
2020-02-24, 06:45 PM
Yeah that looks good, though I would specify how long you can maintain concentration for (else you can do multiple repeats) and allow a new valid target (since by the next round the original target might be dead)