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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGuy

    Join Date
    Nov 2012

    Default Elemental Affinity

    I'm looking for critique and feedback on this homebrew.

    Goal: Elemental affinity is a change to the combat system of 5e which has a goal of making combat more engaging through embracing damage resistances and vulnerabilities as well as expanding the options on which a player can spend his bonus action. It does this by introducing a strict system of opposing elements.

    System: Damage types have been greatly altered. All spells and attacks with initially have a non-elemental damage type. Using a bonus action allows you to imbue all your attacks and cast spells with a damage type until the beginning of your next turn. Armor has also been greatly altered. Armor proficiencies no longer exist and instead of armor like leather, scale, or plate armor you instead have armor based off a given element. These elemental armors have an AC formula that is derived off your attribute modifiers and some include a static bonus. A player may switch between elemental armors by using a bonus action.

    As an example of armor formulas from the game I'm intending to run. These armors do not exceed 19 AC unless the creature exceeds 20 in a stat used in the formula. Each modifier's contribution is rounded down.
    Wind Armor: 11 + (Dex Mod * 1.75)
    Water Armor: 13 + (Dex Mod * 0.75)
    Earth Armor: 14 + (Con Mod * 1)
    Fire Armor: 10 + (Dex Mod * 1) + (Spellcasting Mod * 0.5)
    Lightning Armor: 11 + (Dex Mod * 1.5) + (Cha Mod * 0.25)
    Ice Armor: 13 + (Dex Mod * 0.75) + (Wis Mod * 0.75)
    Metal Armor: 14 + (Str Mod * 1)
    Life Armor: 10 + (Dex Mod * 0.75) + (Spellcasting Mod * 0.75)

    When a creature uses an elemental attack it will have one of five states. These are resistance (1/2 damage taken rounded down, advantage on saves), partial resistance (3/4 damage taken rounded down), neutral (full damage), partial vulnerability (1.5x damage taken rounded up), and vulnerability (2x damage rounded up, disadvantage on saves). It is important to note her that a give creature can either be manifesting an elemental armor or can be using a given formula due to being natively part of the element, like a fire elemental. A creature that is natively part of the elemental will immediately suffer the resistance and vulnerability. A creature that is manifesting the armor will be resistant or vulnerable to the next attack. If you are attacked water/water the only the second water attack will be resisted or have vulnerability. If you are attacked water/wind/water then none of those attacks will be resisted or have vulnerability.
    Quote Originally Posted by JusticeZero View Post
    i'm not going to act like a complete idiot and cripple myself, either, just so that YOU can feel like you are awesomely powerful playing your crossbow barbarian or whatever.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    MindFlayer

    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Elemental Affinity

    I think I am going to have to come back to work through the detail again to get my head round it but a couple of starter comments:

    Your formulae do not max out at 19 - were you suggesting they would?
    Wind armour with dex 20 gives AC 20.
    Ice armour with both dex and wis at 16 will give AC21

    Other than this it looks like the resistances might slow the game down a bit. Doubling or halving numbers is easier to do in your head than calculating three quarters and doubling is easier than multiplying by 1.5...

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGuy

    Join Date
    Nov 2012

    Default Re: Elemental Affinity

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Quote Originally Posted by MrStabby View Post
    I think I am going to have to come back to work through the detail again to get my head round it but a couple of starter comments:

    Your formulae do not max out at 19 - were you suggesting they would?
    Wind armour with dex 20 gives AC 20.
    Ice armour with both dex and wis at 16 will give AC21
    You're rounding up to get the values, not rounding down. I worded it poorly when I wrote "each modifier's contribution is rounded down".

    If it were an Excel formula it would be expressed as 13 + ROUNDDOWN(DexMod * 0.75) + ROUNDDOWN(WisMod * 0.75). In both the armors you mentioned that means they cap out at 19 AC, obviously it is possible to exceed 19 AC with these formula if your stats can exceed 20 such as is the case with certain magic items, you're a barbarian, or NPC monsters.

    I used Plate Armor as the basis (18 AC) and gave a +1 on top of it. The goal here was to allow for slightly higher AC values than in an normal 5e to help offset the increased potential for vulnerability on PCs.

    Quote Originally Posted by MrStabby View Post
    Other than this it looks like the resistances might slow the game down a bit. Doubling or halving numbers is easier to do in your head than calculating three quarters and doubling is easier than multiplying by 1.5...
    I don't think this idea is a good one to use with new players or experienced players who have weaker math skills but it's also worth pointing out that the partial resistance/vulnerability can only exist when your elements interact in a way that exceeds 4 elements. As a whole it's a little more mathy so it can take more time to calc numbers. You could also run a base fire/earth/wind water and only deal with resistance, vulnerability, and neutral results, which is actually how I intend to introduce players to the system. Once they're comfortable with the system, using elemental attacks and swapping armors in combat, then I can introduce other elements increasing the complexity and options.
    Quote Originally Posted by JusticeZero View Post
    i'm not going to act like a complete idiot and cripple myself, either, just so that YOU can feel like you are awesomely powerful playing your crossbow barbarian or whatever.

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