sayaijin
2020-05-10, 07:14 PM
It seems likely that my arcane trickster may die in our campaign (self-sacrifice for story reasons), and my DM is open to homebrew content. He's agreed to let my character come back as a revived rogue. The flavor would be different as I would most likely become death's champion not just someone who randomly came back, and I've been given abilities to fight for death's cause. Since the flavor is different, I'm looking to homebrew the subclass.
I've taken most features from a rework I can't link because I'm new here.
Level 3:
Revived nature:
You have advantage on saving throws against disease, being poisoned, and death. You have resistance to poison damage.
Bolts from the Grave:
Starting at 3rd level, you have learned to unleash bolts of necrotic energy from within your revived body. As part of your Cunning Action, at any point in your turn you can make a ranged spell attack against a creature within 30 feet of you, provided you haven't used your Sneak Attack this turn. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls. A creature hit by this attack takes necrotic damage equal to your Sneak Attack. This uses your Sneak Attack for the turn and you cannot use your Sneak Attack again until your next turn.
Borrowed Experience:
Touching a corpse lets you gain a measure of the skills it had in life. You may gain one skill, saving throw, or equipment proficiency the body had while alive. This feature remains active until it is used again.
Level 9:
Taste of Death:
You can cast Soul Cage without using a spell slot or requiring any components, drawing the soul into yourself. Once you have used this ability you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.
Level 13:
Dark Omen:
You learn the spell Find Familiar and can cast it as a ritual without requiring material components. As part of your Cunning Action, you can merge with the familiar. While merged, you become Tiny, you replace your speed with the familiar's, and you can use your action only to Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, or Search. You can still use your Cunning Action.
Level 17:
Dance with Death:
When you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead and become immune to all forms of damage and negative spell effects until the end of your next turn. After 1 minute you are immediately reduced to 0 hit points and begin making death saving throws. Each time you used this feature within the 1 minute window counts as one failed death save. You cannot be stabilized by any means besides 3 successful saving throws and if you die this way you cannot be revived by any means.
Breakdown:
So I've neutered the Bolts from the Grave double sneak attack ability. Instead, I've made it more versatile allowing me to disengage, move out of disadvantage range, and then fire. It is literally now just another chance at SA instead of a chance to get double SA damage per round.
In addition, I've tied the bonus skill to what I can loot from corpses. This combined with the access to soul cage will encourage killing to get the answers I want from NPC's which I think will add tension to the good-aligned party, and it's thematic for someone serving Death.
My main question is are the Level 13 and 17 abilities too strong? Level 13 is essentially the Raven Queen warlock feature but with access to any familiar shape. That means it's nearly a better wild shape.
Level 17 is a great capstone ability, and it leads to great story moments. It will most often be used to survive one attack and then move to range and stay at range until the end of combat. If there's ever a moment I need to sacrifice myself for the team again, I can instead use it multiple times.
I've taken most features from a rework I can't link because I'm new here.
Level 3:
Revived nature:
You have advantage on saving throws against disease, being poisoned, and death. You have resistance to poison damage.
Bolts from the Grave:
Starting at 3rd level, you have learned to unleash bolts of necrotic energy from within your revived body. As part of your Cunning Action, at any point in your turn you can make a ranged spell attack against a creature within 30 feet of you, provided you haven't used your Sneak Attack this turn. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls. A creature hit by this attack takes necrotic damage equal to your Sneak Attack. This uses your Sneak Attack for the turn and you cannot use your Sneak Attack again until your next turn.
Borrowed Experience:
Touching a corpse lets you gain a measure of the skills it had in life. You may gain one skill, saving throw, or equipment proficiency the body had while alive. This feature remains active until it is used again.
Level 9:
Taste of Death:
You can cast Soul Cage without using a spell slot or requiring any components, drawing the soul into yourself. Once you have used this ability you cannot do so again until you have finished a long rest.
Level 13:
Dark Omen:
You learn the spell Find Familiar and can cast it as a ritual without requiring material components. As part of your Cunning Action, you can merge with the familiar. While merged, you become Tiny, you replace your speed with the familiar's, and you can use your action only to Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, or Search. You can still use your Cunning Action.
Level 17:
Dance with Death:
When you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead and become immune to all forms of damage and negative spell effects until the end of your next turn. After 1 minute you are immediately reduced to 0 hit points and begin making death saving throws. Each time you used this feature within the 1 minute window counts as one failed death save. You cannot be stabilized by any means besides 3 successful saving throws and if you die this way you cannot be revived by any means.
Breakdown:
So I've neutered the Bolts from the Grave double sneak attack ability. Instead, I've made it more versatile allowing me to disengage, move out of disadvantage range, and then fire. It is literally now just another chance at SA instead of a chance to get double SA damage per round.
In addition, I've tied the bonus skill to what I can loot from corpses. This combined with the access to soul cage will encourage killing to get the answers I want from NPC's which I think will add tension to the good-aligned party, and it's thematic for someone serving Death.
My main question is are the Level 13 and 17 abilities too strong? Level 13 is essentially the Raven Queen warlock feature but with access to any familiar shape. That means it's nearly a better wild shape.
Level 17 is a great capstone ability, and it leads to great story moments. It will most often be used to survive one attack and then move to range and stay at range until the end of combat. If there's ever a moment I need to sacrifice myself for the team again, I can instead use it multiple times.