Sparky McDibben
2021-05-15, 06:15 PM
Hey y'all,
This is a revised version of something I accidentally posted in the D&D 5e board. Moving it here to save the mods time. This is for D&D 5e, it's a rogue subclass, and I'd like some feedback on it. This has been revised for feedback from Ilerien.
Roguish Archetype: Sanguinary
Sanguinaries are rogues that steal life itself from their victims. Though the first sanguinaries were trained by the vampire blackguard Lord Banal, members of sanguinary orders can be found on several planes. Sanguinaries serve as spies, diplomats, and saboteurs, draining the strength from their opponents before inviting their allies inside. While most sanguinaries are serving wicked masters, there are some (very) open-minded clerics willing to use sanguinaries to fight fire with fire, as it were.
Sanguinary Abilities
Whenever an ability references your sanguinary abilities, the difficulty class and attack roll are calculated thusly:
Difficulty Class: 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus
Attack Roll: Your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus
Charisma is your spellcasting ability modifier for any spells referenced.
Vampire's Blade
At 3rd level, you can steal some of your opponent's strength away to amplify your own. When you successfully hit a living creature with a Sneak Attack using a melee weapon attack, spend one Hit Die and choose one of the following effects:
Red Harvest. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your sanguinary DC. If they fail, you gain one rogue Hit Die, or two if this attack was a critical hit. If this would take you over your maximum rogue Hit Dice, those extra dice are lost.
Sap the Will. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your sanguinary DC. If they fail, you break their will to resist you. The target is charmed by you, remains in place, and takes no actions. These effects end at the start of your next turn.
What Blood Can Tell. Learn one secret the target knew.
When you spend the Hit Die to use this ability, you may choose to roll it and add the result as either temporary hit points or to the damage of your Sneak Attack.
So the goal of this subclass is a rogue that uses Hit Dice to power their abilities and also draws strength from weakening others. You can gain a Hit Die because that lets you keep using some of your abilities over longer adventuring days. Now, about the secrets. For some reason, this is controversial. Personally, as a DM, I like having a lot of ways to deliver scenario hooks and information. That's why this is here - I want this player to be able to engage with multiple pillars of play, lead the party towards multiple scenarios, and just have some worldbuilding fun.
Children of the Night
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast the spells animal messenger and beast sense by expending a Hit Die. You can only cast these spells upon bats, rats, or wolves. You may cast speak with animals at will, but only upon bats, rats, and wolves. In addition, you have advantage on death saving throws, your eyes have a slight reddish glow in areas of dim light or darkness, and your canines become noticeably more pointed.
Bleed Them Dry
At 9th level, whenever you hit a living creature with a Sneak Attack using a melee weapon, you can spend two Hit Dice to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw vs your sanguinary DC. If it fails, it takes one level of exhaustion. In addition, spending so long in shadow has sharpened your senses - you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, its range increases by 30 feet.
There are three significant limitations on this ability: you have to hit them (with a Sneak Attack in melee), they have to fail their saving throw, and setup time. Standard 5e design philosophy is that fights take three rounds. Even if you hit every time, and they fail their saving throw every time, the worst effect they get is disadvantage to attack rolls and saving throws. Before that it's a speed reduction and disadvantage on all ability checks. Unless your BBEG is a grappler or a monk, it takes three rounds and some solid luck before this starts to effect combat. But I can see uses for interrogation, tracking, or even setting a combat up.
Slip the Net
At 13th level, you can cast the spells gaseous form and spider climb on yourself by expending three rogue Hit Dice without requiring any components or your concentration. Dismissing a spell you cast this way requires your action. Additionally, as long as you're conscious, you can expend two rogue Hit Dice and end one of the following conditions on yourself: grappled, restrained, or paralyzed on your turn (no action required). If you do, you can't take actions or reactions until the beginning of your next turn.
Thanks to Ilerien for the great feedback!
Blood Is My Strength
At 17th level, you can swap hit point pools. Choose any two living creatures you can see, including yourself. You must expend ten Hit Dice which forces both creatures to make a Constitution saving throw against your sanguinary DC. If you are one of the creatures, you do not need to make a saving throw. If both creatures fail, they swap hit point totals. If this would bring one creature above their maximum hit points, they instead gain the difference as temporary hit points. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest to use it again.
This is a revised version of something I accidentally posted in the D&D 5e board. Moving it here to save the mods time. This is for D&D 5e, it's a rogue subclass, and I'd like some feedback on it. This has been revised for feedback from Ilerien.
Roguish Archetype: Sanguinary
Sanguinaries are rogues that steal life itself from their victims. Though the first sanguinaries were trained by the vampire blackguard Lord Banal, members of sanguinary orders can be found on several planes. Sanguinaries serve as spies, diplomats, and saboteurs, draining the strength from their opponents before inviting their allies inside. While most sanguinaries are serving wicked masters, there are some (very) open-minded clerics willing to use sanguinaries to fight fire with fire, as it were.
Sanguinary Abilities
Whenever an ability references your sanguinary abilities, the difficulty class and attack roll are calculated thusly:
Difficulty Class: 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus
Attack Roll: Your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus
Charisma is your spellcasting ability modifier for any spells referenced.
Vampire's Blade
At 3rd level, you can steal some of your opponent's strength away to amplify your own. When you successfully hit a living creature with a Sneak Attack using a melee weapon attack, spend one Hit Die and choose one of the following effects:
Red Harvest. The target must make a Constitution saving throw against your sanguinary DC. If they fail, you gain one rogue Hit Die, or two if this attack was a critical hit. If this would take you over your maximum rogue Hit Dice, those extra dice are lost.
Sap the Will. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your sanguinary DC. If they fail, you break their will to resist you. The target is charmed by you, remains in place, and takes no actions. These effects end at the start of your next turn.
What Blood Can Tell. Learn one secret the target knew.
When you spend the Hit Die to use this ability, you may choose to roll it and add the result as either temporary hit points or to the damage of your Sneak Attack.
So the goal of this subclass is a rogue that uses Hit Dice to power their abilities and also draws strength from weakening others. You can gain a Hit Die because that lets you keep using some of your abilities over longer adventuring days. Now, about the secrets. For some reason, this is controversial. Personally, as a DM, I like having a lot of ways to deliver scenario hooks and information. That's why this is here - I want this player to be able to engage with multiple pillars of play, lead the party towards multiple scenarios, and just have some worldbuilding fun.
Children of the Night
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast the spells animal messenger and beast sense by expending a Hit Die. You can only cast these spells upon bats, rats, or wolves. You may cast speak with animals at will, but only upon bats, rats, and wolves. In addition, you have advantage on death saving throws, your eyes have a slight reddish glow in areas of dim light or darkness, and your canines become noticeably more pointed.
Bleed Them Dry
At 9th level, whenever you hit a living creature with a Sneak Attack using a melee weapon, you can spend two Hit Dice to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw vs your sanguinary DC. If it fails, it takes one level of exhaustion. In addition, spending so long in shadow has sharpened your senses - you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, its range increases by 30 feet.
There are three significant limitations on this ability: you have to hit them (with a Sneak Attack in melee), they have to fail their saving throw, and setup time. Standard 5e design philosophy is that fights take three rounds. Even if you hit every time, and they fail their saving throw every time, the worst effect they get is disadvantage to attack rolls and saving throws. Before that it's a speed reduction and disadvantage on all ability checks. Unless your BBEG is a grappler or a monk, it takes three rounds and some solid luck before this starts to effect combat. But I can see uses for interrogation, tracking, or even setting a combat up.
Slip the Net
At 13th level, you can cast the spells gaseous form and spider climb on yourself by expending three rogue Hit Dice without requiring any components or your concentration. Dismissing a spell you cast this way requires your action. Additionally, as long as you're conscious, you can expend two rogue Hit Dice and end one of the following conditions on yourself: grappled, restrained, or paralyzed on your turn (no action required). If you do, you can't take actions or reactions until the beginning of your next turn.
Thanks to Ilerien for the great feedback!
Blood Is My Strength
At 17th level, you can swap hit point pools. Choose any two living creatures you can see, including yourself. You must expend ten Hit Dice which forces both creatures to make a Constitution saving throw against your sanguinary DC. If you are one of the creatures, you do not need to make a saving throw. If both creatures fail, they swap hit point totals. If this would bring one creature above their maximum hit points, they instead gain the difference as temporary hit points. Once you use this feature, you must complete a long rest to use it again.