Edea
2020-08-26, 07:10 PM
I spoilered the main points of the path in question because they're not ready for use in play and haven't been flavored yet, but I wanted to get it out there now since I'm at a road-block for properly curbing my 'high-power' tendencies.
There are a lot of rule particulars that could make large swathes of this thing's benefits redundant or unnecessary. Also, I'm 100% sure this idea has been done before, so this is a big request for any homebrew references on doing something related to a 5e thrown weapon specialist.
Bloodstorm Style (3rd Level):
You treat any melee weapon with which you are proficient (except your unarmed strikes) as if it had the Thrown property, with range parameters of 30 (normal)/90 (long) (or its own range parameters if the weapon already has them, whichever is higher).
Whenever you throw a melee weapon as part of your Attack action, it automatically returns to you as part of that action. In addition, if the distance traveled by the thrown weapon is within its normal range, it returns quickly enough that you're able to use Extra Attack and other additional attack class features to make multiple throws with that weapon.
You no longer incur disadvantage for making thrown attacks with melee weapons while within 5 feet of a hostile creature, so long as those attacks are made using weapons with which you are proficient.
You can use your Reckless Attack class feature with thrown weapons.
Bloodstorm Rage (6th Level):
When raging and wielding a weapon with the Thrown property (including that imparted from Bloodstorm Style), you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against a single creature within the normal range of the weapon being wielded, as if the provoking creature were being threatened by you.
You can also now apply your rage damage bonus to thrown weapon attacks.
Bloodstorm Vortex (10th Level):
When throwing a melee weapon with which you are proficient, you can choose to forego any additional attacks you normally would have made with the weapon and instead make a single attack against any number of targets within the normal range of the weapon you're throwing.
Whenever you make a thrown weapon attack with a melee weapon with which you are proficient, you score a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20.
Your thrown weapons can no longer be caught except by you, unless you choose otherwise for a given thrown weapon attack. If the thrown weapon would normally be snatched or otherwise diverted off-course, it instead returns harmlessly to your hand as if you'd merely missed with the attack.
Hurricane of Blades (14th Level):
While raging, whenever you have advantage on a thrown weapon attack roll (including from using your Reckless Attack class feature), you can choose to instead make two separate attack rolls against the target at a disadvantage.
My main/basic rules questions:
1) Do thrown melee weapons automatically come back to you, anyway, or is an ability that makes a thrown weapon return to you relevant? This archetype lets your thrown weapons come back to you, but I'm not sure if that's necessary or not.
2) Can an enemy attempt to catch melee weapons thrown at them? Is this a common ability or does it require a special set-up? There is an ability in the archetype that makes said weapons uncatchable except by you, but if that doesn't happen anyway then it's pointless.
3) Are attack rolls made with thrown weapons treated as melee or ranged? The Thrown property describes them as being 'ranged'; would that mean abilities which let thrown weapons do things normally restricted to melee weapon attacks (such as Reckless Attack, opportunity attacks, etc.) are useful and not redundant?
4) The last archetype ability is completely busted in its current form. What I want to emulate is 'bloodstorm blade eyes something that just sends him over the edge, he channels all of his remaining rage into his weapon, and then he just hurls his greataxe into the big baddie's face over-and-over-and-over again'. I tried representing that accurately, but while I know it's too much as-is, I also don't know how to nerf it without rendering it completely useless/lame. Would LOVE balance suggestions for keeping that 'ORAORAORAORA' feel, while not breaking the game's DPR balance into itty, bitty pieces.
There are a lot of rule particulars that could make large swathes of this thing's benefits redundant or unnecessary. Also, I'm 100% sure this idea has been done before, so this is a big request for any homebrew references on doing something related to a 5e thrown weapon specialist.
Bloodstorm Style (3rd Level):
You treat any melee weapon with which you are proficient (except your unarmed strikes) as if it had the Thrown property, with range parameters of 30 (normal)/90 (long) (or its own range parameters if the weapon already has them, whichever is higher).
Whenever you throw a melee weapon as part of your Attack action, it automatically returns to you as part of that action. In addition, if the distance traveled by the thrown weapon is within its normal range, it returns quickly enough that you're able to use Extra Attack and other additional attack class features to make multiple throws with that weapon.
You no longer incur disadvantage for making thrown attacks with melee weapons while within 5 feet of a hostile creature, so long as those attacks are made using weapons with which you are proficient.
You can use your Reckless Attack class feature with thrown weapons.
Bloodstorm Rage (6th Level):
When raging and wielding a weapon with the Thrown property (including that imparted from Bloodstorm Style), you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against a single creature within the normal range of the weapon being wielded, as if the provoking creature were being threatened by you.
You can also now apply your rage damage bonus to thrown weapon attacks.
Bloodstorm Vortex (10th Level):
When throwing a melee weapon with which you are proficient, you can choose to forego any additional attacks you normally would have made with the weapon and instead make a single attack against any number of targets within the normal range of the weapon you're throwing.
Whenever you make a thrown weapon attack with a melee weapon with which you are proficient, you score a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20.
Your thrown weapons can no longer be caught except by you, unless you choose otherwise for a given thrown weapon attack. If the thrown weapon would normally be snatched or otherwise diverted off-course, it instead returns harmlessly to your hand as if you'd merely missed with the attack.
Hurricane of Blades (14th Level):
While raging, whenever you have advantage on a thrown weapon attack roll (including from using your Reckless Attack class feature), you can choose to instead make two separate attack rolls against the target at a disadvantage.
My main/basic rules questions:
1) Do thrown melee weapons automatically come back to you, anyway, or is an ability that makes a thrown weapon return to you relevant? This archetype lets your thrown weapons come back to you, but I'm not sure if that's necessary or not.
2) Can an enemy attempt to catch melee weapons thrown at them? Is this a common ability or does it require a special set-up? There is an ability in the archetype that makes said weapons uncatchable except by you, but if that doesn't happen anyway then it's pointless.
3) Are attack rolls made with thrown weapons treated as melee or ranged? The Thrown property describes them as being 'ranged'; would that mean abilities which let thrown weapons do things normally restricted to melee weapon attacks (such as Reckless Attack, opportunity attacks, etc.) are useful and not redundant?
4) The last archetype ability is completely busted in its current form. What I want to emulate is 'bloodstorm blade eyes something that just sends him over the edge, he channels all of his remaining rage into his weapon, and then he just hurls his greataxe into the big baddie's face over-and-over-and-over again'. I tried representing that accurately, but while I know it's too much as-is, I also don't know how to nerf it without rendering it completely useless/lame. Would LOVE balance suggestions for keeping that 'ORAORAORAORA' feel, while not breaking the game's DPR balance into itty, bitty pieces.