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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next The Fey Trickster - For those who think Fey Wanderer could be more fey.



Eno Remnant
2021-05-08, 11:06 PM
Fey Trickster




Ranger Level
Feature


3rd
Fey Trickster Magic, Green Archery


7th
Beguiling Misdirection


11th
Wending Arrow


15th
Seeing Double




Fey Trickster Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Fey Trickster Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.




Ranger Level
Spell


3rd
find familiar


5th
misty step


9th
blink


13th
confusion


17th
mislead




Green Archery

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to create Green arrows, a special kind of fey enchantment. Once per turn, when you successfully hit a creature with an arrow or bolt, you may use one of the following options:

Charm Arrow - The attack deals an additional 1d6 radiant damage. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw. If it fails, it is charmed by you until the start of your next turn, and must use its action to attack a creature of your choice in its range on its next turn.

Fear Arrow - The attack deals an additional 1d6 necrotic damage. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, it is frightened by you until the start of your next turn.

Bramble Arrow - The attack deals an additional 1d6 piercing damage. The creature must make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, it is grappled until the start of your next turn. If you have Extra Attack, and you hit two creatures with ranged weapon attacks this turn, you may instead choose to apply the effects of this arrow to both (only the first creature suffers the additional damage). Additionally, if both creatures fail the saving throw you may choose to have one or both of them move up to 30 ft. towards the other.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one time), regaining expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you have no uses available, you may expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to use this feature again.


Beguiling Misdirection

At 7th level, you can use fey magic to trick an opponent into redirecting their attack. If you or an ally within 30 feet of you would be hit by an attack or forced to make a saving throw against a targeted effect from a creature, you may use your reaction to make the creature responsible roll a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they must change their target to a creature of your choice in 30 feet. If there is no appropriate target, the attack or saving throw resolves as normal.

After you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before doing so again. At 15th level, you gain one additional use of this feature.


Wending Arrow

At 11th level, your Green magic allows you to alter an arrow's flight midair. As an action, you may make a single ranged weapon attack with a bow or crossbow. The attack is resolved against a number of creatures of your choice within range of the attack up to or equal to your proficiency bonus, which all take damage if hit. This attack ignores half and three-quarters cover. You may apply Green Archery to this attack, but it only applies to the first target hit. However, you may apply Bramble Shot to every target hit.

After you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before doing so again.


Seeing Double

At 15th level, you learn the greatest trick of all - being in two places at once. As a bonus action, you can split yourself into two identical creatures. Each possesses half of your current and maximum hit points, can only make a single attack, and cannot cast spells. The duplicate appears within 100 ft. of you, and acts on your initiative.

Each duplicate is able to use the Green Archery feature, drawing from the same pool of uses and spell slots as required. However, only one duplicate can use the Charm Arrow option, and only the other can use the Fear Arrow option. A creature hit by the ranged weapon attacks of both duplicates in the same turn that is then subjected to the Bramble Arrow option becomes restrained instead of grappled on a failed saving throw. Additionally, if the original and duplicate are in flanking positions with one another against a creature within close range of their weapons, that creature has disadvantage on saving throws against their Green Archery arrows.

If the original or duplicate would be hit by an attack, they may use their reaction to teleport to their counterpart, causing the attack to have disadvantage and reintegrating them as a single creature with hit points equal to the combined total of the original and duplicate. A bonus action may be used to separate them again.

The duplicate remains for a minute, after which time it is rejoined with the original. After you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before doing so again.

---

Please PEACH and review, it's been a while since I've had my work critiqued by the Playground and I could use the kick in the pants.

Eno Remnant
2021-05-20, 06:58 PM
While I appreciate that over 9000 (insert meme here) people have looked upon my works and found them too perfect to criticise--only logical conclusion, clearly--but I feel like there's room to debate how perfect it is. Your participation in this survey would be appreciated.

Composer99
2021-05-22, 11:15 AM
Please PEACH and review, it's been a while since I've had my work critiqued by the Playground and I could use the kick in the pants.

Sometimes, ye ask, and ye shall receive.

As an overall general remark, I would recommend going through other ranger subclasses, especially the Xanathar's and Tasha's ones, and just making sure you feel confident this calibrates well with those subclasses' power levels. I know this is an adaptation of the Tasha's Fey Wanderer, so something like that has already been done. It just feels a little overtuned, overall - or, at least, the 3rd-level feature does.





Fey Trickster




Ranger Level
Feature


3rd
Fey Trickster Magic, Green Archery


7th
Beguiling Misdirection


11th
Wending Arrow


15th
Seeing Double




Fey Trickster Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Fey Trickster Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.




Ranger Level
Spell


3rd
find familiar


5th
misty step


9th
blink


13th
confusion


17th
mislead




These are fine. They seem more or less thematic. Charm person might also work as the 1st-level spell, but find familiar works well enough.



Green Archery

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to create Green arrows, a special kind of fey enchantment. Once per turn, when you successfully hit a creature with an arrow or bolt, you may use one of the following options:

Charm Arrow - The attack deals an additional 1d6 radiant damage. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw. If it fails, it is charmed by you until the start of your next turn, and must use its action to attack a creature of your choice in its range on its next turn.

Fear Arrow - The attack deals an additional 1d6 necrotic damage. The creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, it is frightened by you until the start of your next turn.

Bramble Arrow - The attack deals an additional 1d6 piercing damage. The creature must make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, it is grappled until the start of your next turn. If you have Extra Attack, and you hit two creatures with ranged weapon attacks this turn, you may instead choose to apply the effects of this arrow to both. Additionally, if both creatures fail the saving throw you may choose to have one or both of them move up to 30 ft. towards the other.

You may use these arrows for free a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier and must then take a long rest before doing so again. You can also use them by expending spell slots of 1st level or higher - for each level above 1st, the arrow deals an additional d6 of damage.

So, I don't think the Charm Arrow is overpowered, generally speaking. A warlock casting crown of madness can almost get the same effect about the same number of times in an adventuring day, and as far as I am aware, crown of madness isn't highly thought of.

However, the Charm Arrow definitely is overpowered relative to the Fear Arrow. The Fear Arrow is a solid control option, and can reduce incoming damage during an encounter (because the frightened target has disadvantage), but it's not as good as not only reducing incoming damage (perhaps massively so, since the target might be losing out on a Multiattack) but also effectively increasing your own damage (because the charmed target attacks someone else).

The Bramble Arrow is also, I would reckon, a stronger pick than the Fear Arrow when it comes to battlefield control. It reduces incoming melee damage (because a grappled creature can't move), and you can cause a forced-movement effect once you have Extra Attack, which leads to synergies with your teammates - want to bunch up enemies before the party sorcerer casts fireball or drag enemies through damaging zones? Now you can.

So it seems to me that Fear Arrow could do with a slight buff.

One final thing apropos of Fear Arrow, although it's not a criticism as such. I'm curious why you chose necrotic damage instead of, say psychic damage.

I also have wording nitpicks about the final paragraph. I would suggest something more like the following:

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one time), regaining expended uses when you finish a long rest. Alternatively, you can expend a spell slot to use this feature without expending one of these uses. When you expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage each arrow inflicts increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

Now, having said that, a ranger subclass getting what amounts to a smite lookalike feels kind of bad, and I'm not sure ranger needs the damage boost anyway.



Beguiling Misdirection

At 7th level, you can use fey magic to trick an opponent into redirecting their attack. If you or an ally within 30 ft. of you would be hit by an attack or forced to make a saving throw against a targeted effect from a creature, you may use your reaction to make the creature responsible roll a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they must change their target to a creature of your choice in range. If there is no appropriate target, the attack or saving throw resolves as normal.

You can only use this feature three times. You regain all uses when you complete a long rest. At 14th level, you gain an additional two uses per long rest.

The "in range" towards the end of the first paragraph doesn't really make sense, even in context. Assuming that the new target must also be within 30 feet of you, it would be better to specify that instead.

Also, the final sentence of that first paragraph seems needless: you're only going to use this feature (I assume) if you want to tank a hit, if you want one of your tougher allies to tank a hit, or if you want an enemy to tank a hit, so there's always going to be an appropriate target. If you're thinking of, say, re-directing an effect to an illegitimate target (such as an effect that can't target constructs being redirected to a construct), then the effect just fails to take effect.

Also, you may need to specify that only Dexterity saving throws can be redirected by this feature. Unless you mean for effects that aren't necessarily perceptible by you (putting someone under the mind whammy or what-have-you) to be legitimately targets of this feature, in which case I daresay it starts getting overpowered.

Finally, I think you could make this feature usable a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.



Wending Arrow

At 11th level, your Green magic allows you to alter an arrow's flight midair. As an action, you may make a single ranged weapon attack with a bow or crossbow. The attack is resolved against a number of creatures of your choice within range of the attack up to or equal to your proficiency bonus, which all take damage if hit. This attack ignores half and three-quarters cover. You may apply Green Archery to this attack, but it only applies to the first target hit. However, you may apply Bramble Shot to every target hit.

After you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before doing so again.

Seems fine. About comparable with, say, Hunter's Multiattack. Since you're getting some stronger features compared to Hunter earlier on, it's just as well this isn't usable at will the way Hunter's Multiattack is.



Seeing Double

At 15th level, you learn the greatest trick of all - being in two places at once. As a bonus action, you can split yourself into two identical creatures. Each possesses half of your current and maximum hit points, can only make a single attack, and cannot cast spells. The duplicate appears within 100 ft. of you, and acts on your initiative.

Each duplicate is able to use the Green Archery feature, drawing from the same pool of uses and spell slots as required. However, only one duplicate can use the Charm Arrow option, and only the other can use the Fear Arrow option. A creature hit by the ranged weapon attacks of both duplicates in the same turn that is then subjected to the Bramble Arrow option becomes restrained instead of grappled on a failed saving throw. Additionally, if the original and duplicate are in flanking positions with one another against a creature within close range of their weapons, that creature has disadvantage on saving throws against their Green Archery arrows.

If the original or duplicate would be hit by an attack, they may use their reaction to teleport to their counterpart, causing the attack to have disadvantage and reintegrating them as a single creature with hit points equal to the combined total of the original and duplicate. A bonus action may be used to separate them again.

The duplicate remains for a minute, after which time it is rejoined with the original. After you use this feature, you must complete a long rest before doing so again.



I would recommend changing the wording of this feature, and its overall theme. Fey aren't really "clone"-creating types, at least not to my mind. They like illusions and tricksy stuff, so an illusory double, or something akin to a shadow conjuration (like the way the creation spell makes objects of shadowstuff or the old 3.5 spell line) might be a more appropriate representation.

At 15th level, you learn the greatest trick of all - being in two places at once. As a bonus action, you can create a semi-solid illusory duplicate of yourself in an unoccupied space that you can see within 100 feet of you. This duplicate shares your game statistics, except that it has half your maximum and current hit points. It takes its turn immediately after yours, can't cast spells, and can only make a single attack whenever it takes the Attack action. The duplicate can share space with you, but not any other creature or object.

I'm not a fan of the second paragraph. The first half is a bit fuzzy, to my mind. The final sentence, with flanking, doesn't really make sense with default 5e combat rules. Here's how I recommend cleaning the paragraph up:

You can cause your duplicate to use your Green Archery feature when it hits with a weapon attack made using an eligible weapon by expending a use of that feature, or by expending a spell slot instead. If, on your turn, you created either a Charm Arrow or Fear Arrow using Green Archery, your duplicate can't create the same arrow until the start of your next turn. If your duplicate creates a Bramble Arrow when it hits a target you also hit with a Bramble Arrow, the target becomes restrained instead of grappled on a failed saving throw.

In addition, whenever you and your duplicate are both within 30 feet of the same creature, that creature has disadvantage on saving throws against a Green Archery effect used by you or your duplicate.

If you changed the nature of the duplicate, you'd have to adjust the third and fourth paragraphs.

Eno Remnant
2021-06-04, 09:08 PM
Sometimes, ye ask, and ye shall receive.

Heavens have mercy, reviews do exist! I appreciate your response, and apologise for the time I've taken to reply. But I am here now, and my response shall follow forthwith.


As an overall general remark, I would recommend going through other ranger subclasses, especially the Xanathar's and Tasha's ones, and just making sure you feel confident this calibrates well with those subclasses' power levels. I know this is an adaptation of the Tasha's Fey Wanderer, so something like that has already been done. It just feels a little overtuned, overall - or, at least, the 3rd-level feature does.

I suppose I should make a couple of overall remarks in kind, before I get started. First, I posted this subclass with the knowledge that it was overtuned. It's been a while since I was on GitP, so I figured something with obvious flaws would drum up easy attention. You can see how well that's worked out.

Second, this is not an adaptation of Fey Wanderer, and should probably not be compared to it. This was a case of me looking at Fey Wanderer, deciding it didn't stay true enough to theme, and creating something that took things I had enjoyed about fey and that felt like a stronger identity than what Tasha's gave us.


These are fine. They seem more or less thematic. Charm person might also work as the 1st-level spell, but find familiar works well enough.

And the great thing about homebrew is that if a player/DM doesn't like Find Familiar there, they are more than welcome to change it to Charm Person. My own version of this subclass (which is edited to this form for the sake of simplicity and balance) gives Find Familiar a scaling CR of fey creatures, and lets them function like a Chain Warlock's familiar. I have a soft spot for sprite familiars.



So, I don't think the Charm Arrow is overpowered, generally speaking. A warlock casting crown of madness can almost get the same effect about the same number of times in an adventuring day, and as far as I am aware, crown of madness isn't highly thought of.

It's a pity Crown of Madness isn't very good. But, it's very in flavour for fey, so I figured a little touch up would make it a nice addition here.


However, the Charm Arrow definitely is overpowered relative to the Fear Arrow. The Fear Arrow is a solid control option, and can reduce incoming damage during an encounter (because the frightened target has disadvantage), but it's not as good as not only reducing incoming damage (perhaps massively so, since the target might be losing out on a Multiattack) but also effectively increasing your own damage (because the charmed target attacks someone else).

I'll be honest, I'm not sure if that means I should scale Fear Arrow up, or Charm Arrow down. Because frightened, as the more common class feature function, should probably be my balance point. I had felt charmed wasn't a good enough effect by itself, which is why I added the rider, but maybe being unable to attack you is enough of a benefit...


The Bramble Arrow is also, I would reckon, a stronger pick than the Fear Arrow when it comes to battlefield control. It reduces incoming melee damage (because a grappled creature can't move), and you can cause a forced-movement effect once you have Extra Attack, which leads to synergies with your teammates - want to bunch up enemies before the party sorcerer casts fireball or drag enemies through damaging zones? Now you can.

So it seems to me that Fear Arrow could do with a slight buff.

Yeah, okay, finding a better effect for Fear Arrow might be the more sensible option. I just need to consider how I'm going to do that.


One final thing apropos of Fear Arrow, although it's not a criticism as such. I'm curious why you chose necrotic damage instead of, say psychic damage.

It's the complimentary damage type to radiant. I could have made both psychic and been done with it, but I wanted to represent fey duality in the feature.


I also have wording nitpicks about the final paragraph. I would suggest something more like the following:

Yeah, the wording definitely needs a touch-up. That's easy enough.



Now, having said that, a ranger subclass getting what amounts to a smite lookalike feels kind of bad, and I'm not sure ranger needs the damage boost anyway.

It feels a little bad making them spend higher level spell slots for the same effect, but you may have a point.


The "in range" towards the end of the first paragraph doesn't really make sense, even in context. Assuming that the new target must also be within 30 feet of you, it would be better to specify that instead.

Also, the final sentence of that first paragraph seems needless: you're only going to use this feature (I assume) if you want to tank a hit, if you want one of your tougher allies to tank a hit, or if you want an enemy to tank a hit, so there's always going to be an appropriate target. If you're thinking of, say, re-directing an effect to an illegitimate target (such as an effect that can't target constructs being redirected to a construct), then the effect just fails to take effect.

Point the first, as written it was intended to trigger within 30 feet, but they could attack anyone in their weapon's/spell's range, which could be much wider. That being said, and having looked at it, I probably do want to limit it to other targets in 30 feet.

Point the second, the line about appropriate targets is quite intentional. It allows the player to attempt to use the ability when it wouldn't work, in cases they think it would. It basically exists to say that if you try it and you don't actually have another viable target, your use of the ability is wasted. It's a DM adjudication tool more than anything else.

Point the third, just for clarity, a creature of your choice can also include an enemy. So you don't need it for tanking as much as to mess with your enemies.


Also, you may need to specify that only Dexterity saving throws can be redirected by this feature. Unless you mean for effects that aren't necessarily perceptible by you (putting someone under the mind whammy or what-have-you) to be legitimately targets of this feature, in which case I daresay it starts getting overpowered.

Oh I know it's overpowered. Part of that recognition was putting it on GitP for people to help me improve it. It was intended to work on any saving throw, and it wouldn't do much if it was only Dexterity saving throws given how few single target spells there are for that save.


Finally, I think you could make this feature usable a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.

Part of keeping it from being too insane is keeping down the usage for as long as possible. I think my balance point is going to have be changing it to once per short or long rest, because I can't find a way I like to reduce the power elsewhere.


Seems fine. About comparable with, say, Hunter's Multiattack. Since you're getting some stronger features compared to Hunter earlier on, it's just as well this isn't usable at will the way Hunter's Multiattack is.

Part of that is also because it can be annoying for everyone else at the table to wait while you check the AC of every creature in range. It's why there's a single attack roll to begin with.


I would recommend changing the wording of this feature, and its overall theme. Fey aren't really "clone"-creating types, at least not to my mind. They like illusions and tricksy stuff, so an illusory double, or something akin to a shadow conjuration (like the way the creation spell makes objects of shadowstuff or the old 3.5 spell line) might be a more appropriate representation.

The wording is admittedly a bit rough. The reason the ability creates two creatures (other than that being true to the original concept I borrowed this from) is balance. I could make the second creature have a set hitpoint value, but you're likely to get more out of it--and have a built in risk/reward to it--if it has significantly more hitpoints.

That being said, I'm not opposed to the idea of giving it a low, set hitpoint value. I will continue to mull this over.


I'm not a fan of the second paragraph. The first half is a bit fuzzy, to my mind. The final sentence, with flanking, doesn't really make sense with default 5e combat rules. Here's how I recommend cleaning the paragraph up:


If you changed the nature of the duplicate, you'd have to adjust the third and fourth paragraphs.

Alright, so your wording is definitely a cleaner way to do it (this was my first draft, and I often don't refine my text because I know what it means, and if I or one of my players are using it it's easy enough to clarify in person. Obviously doesn't work here), and I will made adjustments to that effect.

However, while I do need to change the flanking term, I don't want to lose the requirement that you and the copy must be opposite the target. It's a harder prerequisite to meet, which is preferable for an ability which imposes disadvantage.

Thank you for your input, it is greatly appreciated, and I will make attempts to improve my work in the near future.