BerzerkerUnit
2021-10-05, 12:26 AM
Aloha,
I hope everyone had a great start to their week!
I wrote up a Gambler built around Hex and Bestow Curse a few years back, but I decided to update it by repurposing a Gamemaster Artificer I wrote up. Please have a look, feedback is appreciated:
Rogue Archetype: Gambler
As a Gambler you have cultivated a unique relationship with luck. As long as you’re putting something on the line, luck may favor you. Iconic games of chance can also provide unique advantages to you in combat.
The Gambler’s Law:
1. It’s only cheating if you get caught.
2. A bet’s a bet.
3. You only bet what’s yours.
Among true Gamblers the Gambler’s Law is sacred. There are some so dedicated to the winds of fate or enchanted by random chance that they’d never cheat, but they quickly develop a keen eye to spot cheating as it happens because it’s part of the game. The rest cheat at every opportunity and thank you for your contributions. After a loss some may whine or try to finagle but they never welch. Good Gamblers celebrate the victories of both themselves and their opponents, evil gamblers are ungracious braggarts and vengeful schemers, but the goal is ever to win at the table or in the pit.
A Gambler that breaks this Law still knows how to play the games and can still slice a foe open with a card edge or bruise a backside with a die, but they lose the ability to draw out the unique powers of such games.
Save DC. A number of this subclass’ features force creatures to make saving throws. In all cases the save DC is Charisma based.
Bonus Proficiencies
At 3rd level you gain proficiency in 3 gaming sets: Cards, Dice, and your choice of Dragon Chess or Vanguard.
Games of Chance and Skill
Beginning at 3rd level after choosing this archetype, whenever you complete a long rest you can align your fate with one of your gaming sets. While so aligned you can employ pieces from that set as weapons: Cards deal 1d4 slashing damage, Dice deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and Chess or Vanguard pieces deal 1d4 Piercing damage. These objects have the finesse and thrown properties and a range of 20/60. When you deal sneak attack damage to a creature with one of these pieces you can use a bonus action to draw out a unique power of the gaming set as follows:
Dragon Chess/Vanguard. Check. When an ally that isn't incapacitated is adjacent to a creature, you can choose to deal no damage and instead Incapacitate the creature until the end of your next turn. The effect ends if the creature takes any damage or another creature uses an action to rouse it. Once this effect ends, the creature becomes immune to this effect until you complete a long rest.
Playing Cards. Trap Card. On a hit you sacrifice your sneak attack damage and declare the target has activated your trap card. Roll 1d4 to determine the suit of the card and the creature suffers an additional effect as described below. You must complete a short rest before using this feature again.
- Cups (Hearts). The creature becomes Charmed by a creature it can see until the end of your next turn.
- Pentacles (Diamonds). The creature becomes Stunned until the end of your next turn.
- Wands (Clubs). The creature is rendered Unconscious until it takes damage or would wake up normally.
- Swords (Spades). The creature becomes Restrained as if buried up to their neck. A creature Restrained by this effect can attempt to escape with a Strength check against your save DC.
Dice. Snake Eyes. By sacrificing your sneak attack damage, once before the end of your next turn if the target makes an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check you can use your reaction to make the roll fail.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all uses after a long rest.
Game Mastery
At 9th level and beyond you can more swiftly realign your fate with that of your gaming sets, able to align yourself at the end of a short rest. Further your ability to affect outcomes advances to a dangerous degree and empowers you to harshly enforce the rules of your game.
Dragon Chess. Check and Mate. Creatures that are incapacitated by your Check ability gain a level of exhaustion.
Playing Cards. Deadly Trap. You do not sacrifice your sneak attack dice when invoking your Trap Card and in addition to the original effect, the suit determines the damage type of your attack as follows:
- Cups (Hearts). Pyschic
- Pentacles (Diamonds). Radiant
- Wands (Clubs). Thunder
- Swords (Spade). Necrotic
Dice. Fumble. When you apply the effect of your Snake Eyes feature the creature suffers a failure so extreme and improbable it defies common sense. The creature's failed attack roll hits itself for maximum damage. A failed saving throw suspends any of the target's resistances or immunity to its effect allowing Red Dragons to be burned or a Yuan-Ti to be poisoned. A failed ability check ends the target's turn at a minimum but may have even more dire consequences depending on circumstance, such as an ogre attempting to hold open a portcullis being crushed beneath it.
You can use this feature once for each gaming set to which you align your fate and regain its use after a long rest.
Pay What’s Owed
Beginning at 13th level the gods of fate or force of chance will bind the wills of creatures that have lost wagers with you. Creatures that lose a wager with you are subject to the Geas spell with no saving throw until they pay their debt. In the event they cannot pay in currency, prices for labor as found in the DMG or PHB should be used. If a creature has some supernatural trait, use the price of an analogous spellcasting service or scroll when they use it on your behalf.
Soul of the Game
At 17th level you can gamble with the ultimate currency, mortal souls. When you engage a creature in a game of chance you can offer them a marker in exchange for their soul provided you ante up at least 500 x the target’s CR or level in gold pieces or equivalent treasure, your own soul, or another soul in your possession.
If they lose, their soul is transformed into a trinket or other token such as a tattoo on your flesh or page in a special tome you have prepared. The creature’s Charisma is reduced to 0, it becomes immune to Charm, Fear, and cannot dream or recover spell slots. Its statistics otherwise remain the same and it will perform any act you direct it to until it dies or its soul is returned by you, an act of divine intervention, or a Wish.
As an action you can transfer a soul to another. Returning a soul to its original owner restores their ability score but they will have no recollection of their actions while without a soul. A soul transferred into a soulless vessel not its own becomes a new being with fractured memories and personality fragments of both the vessel and soul.
I hope everyone had a great start to their week!
I wrote up a Gambler built around Hex and Bestow Curse a few years back, but I decided to update it by repurposing a Gamemaster Artificer I wrote up. Please have a look, feedback is appreciated:
Rogue Archetype: Gambler
As a Gambler you have cultivated a unique relationship with luck. As long as you’re putting something on the line, luck may favor you. Iconic games of chance can also provide unique advantages to you in combat.
The Gambler’s Law:
1. It’s only cheating if you get caught.
2. A bet’s a bet.
3. You only bet what’s yours.
Among true Gamblers the Gambler’s Law is sacred. There are some so dedicated to the winds of fate or enchanted by random chance that they’d never cheat, but they quickly develop a keen eye to spot cheating as it happens because it’s part of the game. The rest cheat at every opportunity and thank you for your contributions. After a loss some may whine or try to finagle but they never welch. Good Gamblers celebrate the victories of both themselves and their opponents, evil gamblers are ungracious braggarts and vengeful schemers, but the goal is ever to win at the table or in the pit.
A Gambler that breaks this Law still knows how to play the games and can still slice a foe open with a card edge or bruise a backside with a die, but they lose the ability to draw out the unique powers of such games.
Save DC. A number of this subclass’ features force creatures to make saving throws. In all cases the save DC is Charisma based.
Bonus Proficiencies
At 3rd level you gain proficiency in 3 gaming sets: Cards, Dice, and your choice of Dragon Chess or Vanguard.
Games of Chance and Skill
Beginning at 3rd level after choosing this archetype, whenever you complete a long rest you can align your fate with one of your gaming sets. While so aligned you can employ pieces from that set as weapons: Cards deal 1d4 slashing damage, Dice deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and Chess or Vanguard pieces deal 1d4 Piercing damage. These objects have the finesse and thrown properties and a range of 20/60. When you deal sneak attack damage to a creature with one of these pieces you can use a bonus action to draw out a unique power of the gaming set as follows:
Dragon Chess/Vanguard. Check. When an ally that isn't incapacitated is adjacent to a creature, you can choose to deal no damage and instead Incapacitate the creature until the end of your next turn. The effect ends if the creature takes any damage or another creature uses an action to rouse it. Once this effect ends, the creature becomes immune to this effect until you complete a long rest.
Playing Cards. Trap Card. On a hit you sacrifice your sneak attack damage and declare the target has activated your trap card. Roll 1d4 to determine the suit of the card and the creature suffers an additional effect as described below. You must complete a short rest before using this feature again.
- Cups (Hearts). The creature becomes Charmed by a creature it can see until the end of your next turn.
- Pentacles (Diamonds). The creature becomes Stunned until the end of your next turn.
- Wands (Clubs). The creature is rendered Unconscious until it takes damage or would wake up normally.
- Swords (Spades). The creature becomes Restrained as if buried up to their neck. A creature Restrained by this effect can attempt to escape with a Strength check against your save DC.
Dice. Snake Eyes. By sacrificing your sneak attack damage, once before the end of your next turn if the target makes an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check you can use your reaction to make the roll fail.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all uses after a long rest.
Game Mastery
At 9th level and beyond you can more swiftly realign your fate with that of your gaming sets, able to align yourself at the end of a short rest. Further your ability to affect outcomes advances to a dangerous degree and empowers you to harshly enforce the rules of your game.
Dragon Chess. Check and Mate. Creatures that are incapacitated by your Check ability gain a level of exhaustion.
Playing Cards. Deadly Trap. You do not sacrifice your sneak attack dice when invoking your Trap Card and in addition to the original effect, the suit determines the damage type of your attack as follows:
- Cups (Hearts). Pyschic
- Pentacles (Diamonds). Radiant
- Wands (Clubs). Thunder
- Swords (Spade). Necrotic
Dice. Fumble. When you apply the effect of your Snake Eyes feature the creature suffers a failure so extreme and improbable it defies common sense. The creature's failed attack roll hits itself for maximum damage. A failed saving throw suspends any of the target's resistances or immunity to its effect allowing Red Dragons to be burned or a Yuan-Ti to be poisoned. A failed ability check ends the target's turn at a minimum but may have even more dire consequences depending on circumstance, such as an ogre attempting to hold open a portcullis being crushed beneath it.
You can use this feature once for each gaming set to which you align your fate and regain its use after a long rest.
Pay What’s Owed
Beginning at 13th level the gods of fate or force of chance will bind the wills of creatures that have lost wagers with you. Creatures that lose a wager with you are subject to the Geas spell with no saving throw until they pay their debt. In the event they cannot pay in currency, prices for labor as found in the DMG or PHB should be used. If a creature has some supernatural trait, use the price of an analogous spellcasting service or scroll when they use it on your behalf.
Soul of the Game
At 17th level you can gamble with the ultimate currency, mortal souls. When you engage a creature in a game of chance you can offer them a marker in exchange for their soul provided you ante up at least 500 x the target’s CR or level in gold pieces or equivalent treasure, your own soul, or another soul in your possession.
If they lose, their soul is transformed into a trinket or other token such as a tattoo on your flesh or page in a special tome you have prepared. The creature’s Charisma is reduced to 0, it becomes immune to Charm, Fear, and cannot dream or recover spell slots. Its statistics otherwise remain the same and it will perform any act you direct it to until it dies or its soul is returned by you, an act of divine intervention, or a Wish.
As an action you can transfer a soul to another. Returning a soul to its original owner restores their ability score but they will have no recollection of their actions while without a soul. A soul transferred into a soulless vessel not its own becomes a new being with fractured memories and personality fragments of both the vessel and soul.