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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Updated Acrobat Rogue (5e)



CarpathianCrown
2020-02-25, 02:43 PM
I recently created a revision to Mike Mearle's Acrobat Rogue from Happy Fun Hour, because I dearly love the concept and one of my players has been watning to try something with an acrobat flavor. I'm just looking for opinions on my final draft for the subclass.

My intention was to steer this subclass in a melee combat direction, since it gets this awesome movement mechanic and I think it'd be a total waste to use it getting to some unreachable spot just to pluck away with arrows and bonus action hide. Hopefully Tumble accomplishes this goal at an appropriate level gate.

Since I cannot post links yet I would recommend Googling "Mike Mearle Acrobat Rogue" for comparison to what I have here. it should come up on the very first search result. I tried cleaning up a lot of the phrasing/wording, since this was a very bare-bones framework and I wanted to make the movement open to as much creativity as possible.

Aerial Artistry

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to move with incredible control and precision. Your training in aerial maneuvers are a sight to behold and few obstacles can block your path.

When you move, you can instead take two shorter movements by flying. Each movement can be up to half your current speed, and if you don’t end a movement on a creature or solid surface able to support your base weight you you lose all momentum and fall directly downward.

Additionally, you gain proficiency with the Quarterstaff. It has the finesse property for you.

Freerunning

Starting at 9th level, you train in a variety of acrobatic techniques that compliment your agility and stamina. Few creatures can keep pace with movement as fluid and deliberate as yours.

You can use your Cunning Action feature to Tumble, which grants you the benefits of both the Dash and Disengage actions, and grants you a climbing speed equal to your current speed. You can run on vertical surfaces while Tumbling without falling during the movement.

Additionally, you no longer take damage from falling while conscious.

Catlike Agility

At 13th level, your nimbleness, speed, and finesse allow you to escape gracefully from almost anything that would limit your movement. You gain the following features:

• You gain the benefits of the Freedom of Movement spell.

• When you are knocked prone you can move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

•Standing from prone only costs 5 feet of movement

Movement Mastery

At 17th level, you have mastered your acrobatic maneuvers and have reached the pinnacle of balance and bodily control. Your skill at traversing through your environment is an art form, and few creatures boast reflexes as trained as yours.

• Your Aerial Artistry feature improves. When you move, you can instead take 2 shorter movements by flying at up to half your current speed each, or 4 shorter movements by flying at up to 1/4th your current speed each. With either choice if you don’t end a movement on a creature or solid surface able to support your base weight you lose all momentum and fall directly downward. Your first melee attack that lands when using this feature allows your next flying movement on this turn to be 10 feet further in length, propelled by the momentum of the strike.

• Your Tumble feature improves. When you use your Cunning Action to Tumble, all Acrobatics, Athletics, and Performance checks you make have advantage until the end of your turn.

•Your Catlike Agility feature improves. If you spent any of your turn falling before taking the attack action with a melee weapon, that attack has advantage.

Frozenstep
2020-02-25, 03:40 PM
While I like the idea, as written there are some unanswered questions.

What happens when you fall onto a creature? Do you both take damage? Where do you end up? Can you jump off a creature?

Can the flying be done from prone? (I think it can't RAW, but you may want to put a reminder in considering it'll come up).

Can you willingly take fall damage after 9th level? If so, does this count as getting knocked prone for your 13th level feature?

Can you stand as part of the movement-when-knocked-prone part of the 13th level ability? Or does it let you move that distance while ignoring the speed reduction of being prone?

I'm also...not a fan of how the flying thing is worded. Does a wall count as a solid surface? If you have climb speed/tumble?

CarpathianCrown
2020-02-25, 03:50 PM
While I like the idea, as written there are some unanswered questions.

What happens when you fall onto a creature? Do you both take damage? Where do you end up? Can you jump off a creature?

There are no official written rules for player characters causing falling damage to creatures they land on, so I did not include phrasing for that. You can continue flying movement when landing on a creature, because the feature specifically mentions allowing ending a flying movement on a creature.


Can the flying be done from prone? (I think it can't RAW, but you may want to put a reminder in considering it'll come up).

The rules of the Prone condition state "A prone creature’s only Movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition"


Can you willingly take fall damage after 9th level? If so, does this count as getting knocked prone for your 13th level feature?

The feature specifically mentions you do not take falling damage while conscious.


Can you stand as part of the movement-when-knocked-prone part of the 13th level ability? Or does it let you move that distance while ignoring the speed reduction of being prone?

The feature does not mention standing from prone, only that you can move up to half your speed when knocked prone. Perhaps I should include wording that makes it more obvious that is not an intended part of the feature.


I'm also...not a fan of how the flying thing is worded. Does a wall count as a solid surface? If you have climb speed/tumble?

Yes, a wall counts as a solid surface. A climbing speed is not a requirement to end a flying movement on a wall, as that falls within the category of a solid surface. Walls, pillars, trees, the ceiling inside a room, any solid surface would be valid targets as long as they can support your base weight.

Hope this helps clear up the questions here! :smallsmile:

Frozenstep
2020-02-25, 04:24 PM
There are no official written rules for player characters causing falling damage to creatures they land on, so I did not include phrasing for that. You can continue flying movement when landing on a creature, because the feature specifically mentions allowing ending a flying movement on a creature.



The rules of the Prone condition state "A prone creature’s only Movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition"



The feature specifically mentions you do not take falling damage while conscious.



The feature does not mention standing from prone, only that you can move up to half your speed when knocked prone. Perhaps I should include wording that makes it more obvious that is not an intended part of the feature.



Yes, a wall counts as a solid surface. A climbing speed is not a requirement to end a flying movement on a wall, as that falls within the category of a solid surface. Walls, pillars, trees, the ceiling inside a room, any solid surface would be valid targets as long as they can support your base weight.

Hope this helps clear up the questions here! :smallsmile:

Even if there's no written rules, it'd still be handy to mention. I'm always a fan of features that leave everyone with the same interpretation of how things work in general, so that during play the rules themselves are never a source of conflict.

Being unable to take fall damage at will is a little strange. Balance wise this is good, but in-character it'd be a bit weird. Especially because it'd still apply while paralyzed (until you become immune to that as well).

So how does the 17th level aerial artist work when you have only 30 feet of speed? Do you only get 5 feet jumps?

CarpathianCrown
2020-02-25, 04:34 PM
So how does the 17th level aerial artist work when you have only 30 feet of speed? Do you only get 5 feet jumps?

If an Acrobat normally had 30 feet of movement and did not tumble, each of the 4 flying movements would be 7 feet in length (rounded down from 7.5, because of the round-down written PHB rules.) While Tumbling, each flying movement would be 15 feet in length.

During the Happy Fun Hour stream Mike did specifically mention how some of the rounding down might be a little awkward for the 4-movements-by-flying, but that the creativity it allowed was worth it in his mind.

Frozenstep
2020-02-25, 07:25 PM
If an Acrobat normally had 30 feet of movement and did not tumble, each of the 4 flying movements would be 7 feet in length (rounded down from 7.5, because of the round-down written PHB rules.) While Tumbling, each flying movement would be 15 feet in length.

During the Happy Fun Hour stream Mike did specifically mention how some of the rounding down might be a little awkward for the 4-movements-by-flying, but that the creativity it allowed was worth it in his mind.

Dashing doesn't actually increase your speed, it gives you extra movement equal to your speed. You might have to re-word some things (base it off movement, not speed).

The way the thinkdm presents the 17th level class feature, it doesn't split your speed into 4, you can just make 4 short movements instead of 2, and seems to imply each of those would be a 15 foot movement since it doesn't redefine how far it goes.

CarpathianCrown
2020-02-25, 08:09 PM
The way the thinkdm presents the 17th level class feature, it doesn't split your speed into 4, you can just make 4 short movements instead of 2, and seems to imply each of those would be a 15 foot movement since it doesn't redefine how far it goes.

Yeah I can understand that, and it's partly why I worked on this subclass. His wording in the written document is definitely a rough first draft created within a 30ish minute timespan and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of clarity. However on the stream he was specifically talking about some potential small annoyances with dividing your speed by 4, particularly in cases of a Wood Elf or Halfling PC.

I appreciate your feedback today though, I think the wording on the movement from being knocked prone could be a bit more specific or reworded.