Roguish Archetype: Freerunner

[UristMcRandom]

Spoiler: Information

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I've really got nothing to say here. I wanted to make a subclass that runs a lot with no particular thought about fluff or mechanical balance. If anyone finds this remotely interesting and actually manages to talk their DM into letting them play it, please let me know.

Inspired by my misreading of this Ranger subclass based on the Scout. I initially read the Skirmish Tactics rules as granting you a stacking extra 5 feet of movement speed every time you move 15 feet, and thought it would be funny to have a class that can move game-breakingly fast.

Freerunner
Most people know how to run. Many thieves and assassins advocate running as a vital adventuring skill that is useful in a wide variety of situations. To some rogues, however, running is more than just a skill. To these people, known as Freerunners, running is an art, a science, and a way of life.

Fast Movement
At 3rd level when you take this archetype, your speed doubles. Your speed doubles again at 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.

Freerunning
At 3rd level you can run fast, and gain exceptional agility while doing so. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action you gain advantage on any Strength (Athletics) checks, Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks, or melee attack rolls you make on that round.

Supersonic Speed
At 9th level you can run faster. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action your speed is doubled (this stacks with the speed boost granted by the Dash action) and you gain a Climb speed equal to your current movement speed. In addition, you can run in a straight line across the surface of bodies of water no wider one-quarter your current movement speed (minimum 5 feet). You fall if you stop moving and nothing else is holding you up.

Orbital Velocity
At 13th level you can run even faster. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action your speed is tripled (this stacks with the speed boost granted by the Dash action but not with the boost granted at 9th level) and you can Fly in a straight line at a speed equal to your current movement speed. You fall if you stop moving and nothing else is holding you up.

186,001 Miles per Second
At 17th level you can run fast enough to defy the laws of physics. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action your speed is quadrupled (this stacks with the speed boost granted by the Dash action but not with the boosts granted at 9th or 13th level). Additionally, once per long rest when you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action you can cast the spell dimension door, as the spell but with a range equal to twice your current movement speed.

Spoiler: Variant: DM-Friendly Version

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Freerunner
Most people know how to run. Many thieves and assassins advocate running as a vital adventuring skill that is useful in a wide variety of situations. To some rogues, however, running is more than just a skill. To these people, known as Freerunners, running is an art, a science, and a way of life.

Fast Movement
At 3rd level when you take this archetype, your speed increases by 10 feet. Your speed increases by a further 10 feet at 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.

Freerunning
At 3rd level you can run fast, and gain exceptional agility while doing so. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action you gain advantage on any Strength (Athletics) checks, Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks, or melee attack rolls you make on that round.

Supersonic Speed
At 9th level you can run faster. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action you gain a Climb speed equal to your current movement speed. In addition, you can run in a straight line across the surface of bodies of water no wider one-quarter your current movement speed (minimum 5 feet). You fall if you stop moving and nothing else is holding you up.

Orbital Velocity
At 13th level you can run even faster. When you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action you can Fly in a straight line at a speed equal to your current movement speed. You fall if you stop moving and nothing else is holding you up.

186,001 Miles per Second
At 17th level you can run fast enough to defy the laws of physics. Once per long rest when you take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action you can cast the spell dimension door.

[Final Hyena]

I love it, even at max level you're only barely setting a new world record for the 100 meter sprint.

[UristMcRandom]

Update:

• Buffed speed boosts. Should be sufficiently game-breaking now.
• No longer able to run across open air at 9th level, so the 13th level fly speed is a little more special.

[Final Hyena]

You can run 219 metres a second, or 489 miles an hour.
:'(

[UristMcRandom]

You can run 219 metres a second, or 489 miles an hour.
:'(

In that case, I'd call it mission accomplished. The entire idea is for this to be an utterly unfeasible and unbalanced subclass. Were I to actually balance it for gameplay I would probably have gone with the original speed progression.

[Cancer115]

I will be using this in future games!

[Final Hyena]

In that case, I'd call it mission accomplished. The entire idea is for this to be an utterly unfeasible and unbalanced subclass. Were I to actually balance it for gameplay I would probably have gone with the original speed progression.

I feel so dirty, the saddest part is the original one was good :'(

I will be using this in future games!

That 10 post before link thing is a bit annoying, isn't it. It's probably worth it though.

[UristMcRandom]

I feel so dirty, the saddest part is the original one was good :'(

Don't fret. I'm actually planning on reposting the original as the DM-friendly edition. For those times when you want to run fast but don't want your DM to have a heart attack.

[AvatarVecna]

Let's see...assuming that you're a Wood Elf Rogue (Freerunner) 20 with the Mobile feat...and assuming you have the Boon of Speed...and assuming that you're wearing Boots Of Speed, have taken a Potion of Speed, and are under the effects of a Longstrider spell...

Base Speed: 75 (Base 30+Race 5+Feat 10+Boon 30)
Freerunner: x16
Boots: x2
Haste: x2

Taking the Dash action normally just lets me take my movement a second time; a Freerunner 20's Dash does that, but also quarduples speed. Thus, my speed during a round in which I Dash (while all of these effects are going) is 19200 ft. In such a round, I get my standard Movement, and I can Dash three times (once as an action, bonus action, and haste action, respectively), letting me move my speed (19200 ft) four times.

Total distance covered per round: 76800 ft.

Speed: 12800 ft/s, or 8727 mph.

That's how fast I'm going for a full minute with such a build...and that's without taking that 38400 ft Dimension Door into account.

[UristMcRandom]

Let's see...assuming that you're a Wood Elf Rogue (Freerunner) 20 with the Mobile feat...and assuming you have the Boon of Speed...and assuming that you're wearing Boots Of Speed, have taken a Potion of Speed, and are under the effects of a Longstrider spell...

Base Speed: 75 (Base 30+Race 5+Feat 10+Boon 30)
Freerunner: x16
Boots: x2
Haste: x2

Taking the Dash action normally just lets me take my movement a second time; a Freerunner 20's Dash does that, but also quarduples speed. Thus, my speed during a round in which I Dash (while all of these effects are going) is 19200 ft. In such a round, I get my standard Movement, and I can Dash three times (once as an action, bonus action, and haste action, respectively), letting me move my speed (19200 ft) four times.

Total distance covered per round: 76800 ft.

Speed: 12800 ft/s, or 8727 mph.

That's how fast I'm going for a full minute with such a build...and that's without taking that 38400 ft Dimension Door into account.

Ooooh, I didn't even think of all of that! My mission to break the game with raw speed is officially accomplished. DM-friendly version will be up in a second.

[AvatarVecna]

Ooooh, I didn't even think of all of that! My mission to break the game with raw speed is officially accomplished. DM-friendly version will be up in a second.

I think there's also an artifact bonus that gives you a bit of extra speed, but I don't think that's dependable enough to include. Still, a full minute of going Mach 11 isn't too shabby. And after that full minute, you get at least two full days to relax, while the rest of the party catches up (and more likely you'll get 5 full days, or maybe even forever if they get tired of you running off all the time).

[UristMcRandom]

Update:

• Added DM-friendly version to original post. This version is significantly slower than its Mach 11 counterpart, but at least slightly more likely to be allowed in an actual game.

[AvatarVecna]

Assuming that the DM-Friendly version is supposed to see real play, I would make sure to mention what action the Dimension Door spell uses; that is to say, mention whether it costs an action (and must therefore be used with a Cunning Action or the turn after the Dash/Disengage/Dodge) or part of the Dash/Disengage/Dodge action that triggers it.

[Final Hyena]

With the broken one, how do you see where you're going? I'm reminded of that darker than black fellow who had super speed, but not reactions.

[Amnoriath]

The DM friendly one is still overpowered. Freerunning is in every way a better version of Elegant Manuever and even applies to melee attack rolls as well as to all of them for the round. This effectively gives you the intended Swashbuckler aside from Panache at level 3 but better. Orbital Velocity is questionable as the Eagle totem is the same but more limited. Though your 9th and 17th level features though are kind of weak. Ultimately though you 3rd level is way too strong to balance and therefore needs a different base.

[AvatarVecna]

With the broken one, how do you see where you're going? I'm reminded of that darker than black fellow who had super speed, but not reactions.

This is a magic elf fantasy world where people fighting dragons the size of houses by poking them with metal sticks a few times, dodge explosions when they're standing at ground zero, and literally reshape time and space to suit their whims; I'm sure we can assume they react much quicker than we mere magicless mortals.

[Final Hyena]

This is a magic elf fantasy world where people fighting dragons the size of houses by poking them with metal sticks a few times, dodge explosions when they're standing at ground zero, and literally reshape time and space to suit their whims; I'm sure we can assume they react much quicker than we mere magicless mortals.

The game mechanics allow you to do that, but seeing as there isn't a game mechanic to react to incoming objects when you're breaking every intergalactic traffic law. Why not just add in an addendum that you can?

[Sicarius Victis]

Funny part is, you can still go faster than this with a snake demon Paladin and vigorous applications of pigeons.

[AvatarVecna]

Funny part is, you can still go faster than this with a snake demon Paladin and vigorous applications of pigeons.

*points to signature*

I'm well aware.

[Sicarius Victis]

The fun thing is, your signature specifically was where I first found out about that idea.