D&D 5e Base Class Contest XVII Voting Thread (Open to All)

[MoleMage]

This is the voting thread for the seventeenth 5e base class contest Contest XVII: Who Needs Swords or Sorcery II (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?637228-D-amp-D-5e-Base-Class-Contest-XVII-Who-Needs-Swords-or-Sorcery-II)!

The rules are simple. Vote for your top three picks, in order. You can't vote for yourself. A number 1 vote is worth 3 points, a number 2 vote is worth 2, and a number 3 vote is worth one. You can (and are encouraged) to vote even if you didn't submit an entry this time around.

You can also suggest or vote on what you would like the next contest's theme to be. Currently in the suggestion box are Dragons, Heroes from Myths, Other Media, and Breakfast Cereal Mascots, and Not In Kansas Anymore, but don't feel as though you need to limit your suggestions to those themes; a larger pool means more options to vote on next time. I'm also going to allow votes for any theme that hasn't been used for at least six contests (so right now that adds Terror, The Elements, Doesn't Meet Expectations, Chill Out, Remix Mastery, Magic Without Slots, It's Time for Time, Blast from the Past, and Signature Creation). If you missed a contest or had another idea for a previous theme, you may get your chance again!



Entry
Creator
1st
2nd
3rd



The Dungeoncrasher (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25222147&postcount=2)
sengmeng
3
2
1



The Commander (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25223344&postcount=3)
Isocahedron
0
4
2



The Falconer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25231207&postcount=4)
MoleMage
3
1
1



The Keymaster (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25241145&postcount=5)
Lanth Sor
1
0
3



Themes:
Chill Out |
Elements ||
Terror ||||
Expectations |

The voting period will be three weeks, ending at the end of the day on January 2nd. The following day I will tally these results and declare a winner. For the curious, the tiebreakers I will be using are:

1st tiebreaker is whether both participants voted. If one did not, they lose the tie.
2nd tiebreaker is total number of 1st place votes. The entry which got more 1st place votes will win the tie.
There is no 3rd tiebreaker. If both entrants voted and both entries reached their total score with the same number of 1st place votes, the tie will stand.

[MoleMage]

My votes are based on completeness this time around.

1) Dungeoncrasher. It has all its features. Seems to be pretty well put together too.
2) Commander. Has some dead levels in the middle that I'd rather see filled. The main feature seems a little too uninteractive for my preference, but I think it's balanced for what it's worth.
3) Keymaster. The most interesting, design-wise, but it's got very little of the actual features written, sadly.

Since we're into wintertime I think I like Chill Out as the next theme, but I also think The Elements will be easier to find an idea for most people.

[sengmeng]

1) Falconer

2) Commander

3) Keymaster

Terror

[MoleMage]

Officially there's only two days left to vote! Unofficially I'm not gonna call this after two votes.

I'll put a new contest up next week either way because this one has run long enough already. Just won't declare a winner on this one until more votes come in.

Remember, Voting is open to all! Whether you participated or not. Even if you've never participated!

[LecternOfJasper]

1) Dungeoncrasher

2) Falconer

3) Commander

I'll also go for Terror.

[tzurk]

Hello dudes,

First time posting in one of these threads. Congrats to everyone who put in - a lot of effort goes into these, often unnoticed and unseen, but I know I am not alone in following along with these and stealing ideas and mechanics along the way so a big thank you and well done to you all. My votes are -

1) Falconer - I like the Warlock-like layers of customisation, the officialness of language, and the fluffy sidebar. It does sometimes seem like a lot of different things to keep track of (e.g. Called Target @ 17th level, Flockmaster's Shared Instinct), but it reads like a well-thought-out and constructed class that manages to feel different to a Ranger and companion. I wonder about the purpose in differentiating between the bird's attribute bonus and your proficiency bonus. Overall this is something I'd like to try and be willing to offer to my players.
2) Dungeoncrasher - mechanically unique and exciting but thematically similar enough to the Barbarian that I could see this being redone as a subclass. Dungeoncrash scales at odd levels. Stomp + Deadly Reflexes = BIG pow (8d6+20 just for a bad guy standing up in front of you). Some wording is a little unclear. e.g. Dropkick - is it just the d6s that are tripled or the Str bonus as well - @ level 15 = 12d6+15 or 12d6+60 damage? In either case, probably too much at-will damage just for ending up prone.
3) Commander - a good start to a Warlord-like class, but missing a bit of meat, both in terms of features and defenses - 1d8 with no heavy armour/shield feels a bit squishy for this role.

For the next contest:

Terror sounds interesting - sign me up!

[Jervis]

1: Dungeon Crasher

2: Commander

3: Keymaster

as for my vote on the next theme, the elements

[BerzerkerUnit]

1. Keymaster
2. Dungeon Crasher
3. Falconer

Next time: Doesn't Meet Expectations

[Lanth Sor]

1. Falconer: This provided a very good way to RP the classic scout/falconer which is sorely missing from the ranger. It really exemplifies the animal.
2. Commander: This made me happy as it is a class that has a lot of noncombat focus. Unfortunately it has alot of dead space where it could have used maybe alternate types of rallies or refinement of its own combat ability.
3. Dungeoncrasher: Enjoyed the idea but it needs some refinement on descriptions.

Terror

[MoleMage]

I'll leave this up until Sunday night. That makes it an even number of weeks, and I didn't specify how long the extension would be for. Current leader is Dungeoncrasher followed by Falconer and Commander.

I am going to call theme voting now so I can get the next contest up and running though. Terror had a solid lead anyway. If you vote in the next 48 hours go ahead and toss a theme vote out of you like; if Terror isn't the final winner I'll lock in the following contest with whatever does win.

[MoleMage]

Alright I forgot about it last week while I was getting everything else ready but I'm calling it now!

Terror indeed won theme, so we're already on track for that.

As for the entrants, our 1st place winner was the Dungeoncrasher! Once a fighter variant, now its own thing; you don't need a weapon when you have walls.
In 2nd place we had the Falconer with his one to four birds.
And our 3rd place winner was the Commander. Bolster your allies with tactical know-how!

Congrats to our participants. Hope to see you in Terror if you're not there already!