D&D Subclass Contest IV Voting Thread

[MoleMage]

Our fourth contest is over already! We had 8 entries this time, down from the last few but still a solid number.

Simple rules. Vote for your number 1, number 2, and number 3 picks. You can't vote for yourself. A number 1 vote is worth 3 points, a number 2 is worth 2, and a number 3 is worth one.

Also enter your top two picks for the next theme from those randomly pulled from the list of future themes. The winner will be our next theme, while the runner-up will be guaranteed to be in the voting next cycle. A number one pick is worth 2 points, and a number two pick is worth 1.

Entry	Creator	Inspiration	1st	2nd	3rd
Barbarian: Path of the Mad Chemist	Vogie	League of Legends (Singed)	0	1	0
Fighter: The Bulwark	pygmybatrider	The Iliad (Ajax)	2	1	2
Warlock: The Heart of the Cards	gloryblaze	Yu-Gi-Oh!	1	0	0
Wizard: Pinball Wizard	nickl_2000	The Who: Pinball Wizard	1	3	3
Warlock: Maker of Masks	MoleMage	Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Happy Mask Salesman)	1	0	0
Fighter: Final Hero	Ninja_Prawn	Final Fantasy Series (Various Protagonists)	0	1	2
Fighter: Combat Medic	SleeplessWriter	Star Trek (Bones)	0	1	0
Cleric: Gluttony Domain	Ivellius	League of Legends (Tahm Kench)	3	1	1

Classes unrepresented in contest 2: Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer. This is the lowest class distribution to date, with only 5 classes represented.

Theme	Description	1st	2nd
The Pen Is Mightier	Subclasses that scale based on writing, drawing, or print	1	0
Keep it Simple, Stupid	Simple subclasses	1	1
Calling Card	Subclasses about summoning	0	0
Odd Man Out	Paladins, using any of the themes from contests I to IV	0	1
Five Star	Subclasses based on luxury or opulence	3	1
Bunch of Fives	Subclasses which use their fists or the "five-finger discount"	1	1

Some of the theme options this time are special because we've reached a small milestone: we are about to start our fifth contest! Not only that, around the time the fifth contest starts we will have been making Subclasses for about half a year! (Technically it will start 6 days before half a year, but I'm not gonna not start it on a Monday).

That said, I don't want to force everyone to vote only for special options, so there are still three options in there from the normal suggestion list. Special options can still carry over if they're the runner-up, but I'll also carry over The Pen is Mightier (unless of course, it wins).

This thread will stay open until the end of the day November 11. The following day I will recheck all vote counts and declare a winner, then post the next contest thread. Good luck everyone!

[gloryblaze]

1. Bulwark
2. Pinball Wizard
3. Final Hero

1. Five Star
2. Bunch of Fives

[Ivellius]

Submissions Voting:
1. The Bulwark by pygmybatrider
This has a distinct feel that also occupies a fairly unique mechanical niche when it comes to the Fighter class. Basically a mobile, friendly siege tower that evokes Ajax quite effectively? I'm sold. I'd want to let someone use it if they asked: the highest praise I can give.

2. The Final Hero by ninjaprawn
This is not only quite creative, but it also doesn't feel like most Fighter archetypes and would enable more "underdog" heroes to have a role in the party. The mechanics reinforce the flavor effectively. And it makes me laugh!

3. Pinball Wizard by nickl_2000
I would have never expected this to come out as a class option. Surprise creativity pushes this into the final spot for me. It also fits surprisingly well as a wizard school. Well done.

Themes Voting:
1. Five Star
2. Keep It Simple, Stupid

[SleeplessWriter]

1. Maker of Masks
2. Bulwark
3. Pinball Wizard

1. Five Star (I've already got an idea for a draconic warlock patron)
2. Odd Man Out

[Ninja_Prawn]

1. Pinball Wizard is definitely the best entry here (that wasn't written by me).
2. Gluttony Domain comes second. Mechanically it's solid. An absolute unit, you might say. But I'm not 100% sold on the fluff.
3. The Bulwark is in third. The whole "creature to which you are conferring cover" thing seems really cumbersome (especially because, as written, it doesn't exclude people that you might be passively providing half cover to) and the "move with them" for half your speed thing just doesn't feel like good design. But I appreciate the Ajax reference and the power level seems about right.

I'll abstain from the theme vote, since I think I need a break from contests for a while.

[pygmybatrider]

Wooo, another contest down! Well done to everybody who submitted.

1. The Heart of the Cards Patron by gloryblaze. To invent an entirely new mechanic for a subclass contest is impressive enough, but the more times I re-read this, the more I love it. It addresses one of the main drawbacks of the warlock in limited spell slots, but without making it blatantly overpowered (I think. It is a little difficult to comment on this one without playtesting.) The element of randomness/chaos might be frustrating to some, but I think there's something to be said for that feeling of triumph a player would get when they pull the card at just the right time. Trap Card would need to be discussed with your DM, but if one of my players brought this subclass to me as is, we'd definitely be able to work something out. Creative, flavourful, and fun - exactly what you want from your homebrew.

2. Pinball Wizard by nickl_2000. Inspiring inspiration in the form of an old earworm. Follows the wizarding tradition pattern of some very strong features and some more niche ones. I still don't think No Distractions needs the bit about keeping advantage/disadvantage, but that's a very minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. Looks like it would be a lot of fun to play.

3. Gluttony Domain by Ivellius. A unique theme I've never seen before, and fitting spell list/mechanics. I particularly like how the features are split between boosting melee capabilities and buffing potential, allowing for a support character that doesn't feel pigeonholed into do-nothing-while-I-concentrate-on-a-spell. I would love to play a morbidly obese Goliath Gluttony cleric as a sort of half-ogre on a ravenous hunger pilgrimage.

Congrats to everyone involved! It was a tough decision to pick a final 3.

My two cents for the next contest:

1. Keep it Simple, Stupid
2. Bunch of Fives

[nickl_2000]

1. Gluttony Domain
2. Path of the Mad Chemist
3. The Bulwark

[Vogie]

1) Gluttony Domain
2) Combat Medic
3) Pinball Wizard


1) Pen is Mightier
2) Five Star

[MoleMage]

1: Gluttony Domain
2: Pinball Wizard
3: Final Hero

I am abstaining from the theme vote this time around.

[MoleMage]

How come nobody told me I had failed to start the next contest? I've been thinking I still had time all week!

Votes are tallied, and it looks like it went so:

In 3rd place, with 10 points, we have pygmybatrider's Fighter Archetype: The Bulwark! Defend your allies! Throw spears at people!

In 2nd place, with 11 points, we have Ivellius's Gluttony Domain for clerics! Eat your allies (it's for their own good!) and your enemies (it's for your own good!).

And in 1st place, with 12 points, we have nickl_2000's Pinball Wizard for, uh...wizards! Rebound your spells! Earn replays! Rock out!


Congrats to our winners, and thanks everyone who submitted entries or votes for this contest. I will put together the next contest shortly, and our winner for theme was: Five Star! with 7 points. We have a tie for runner up at 3 points a piece between Keep It Simple and Bunch of Fives, so both of those will appear on the next round of voting.

[nickl_2000]

Thanks Molemage for running it and thank you everyone for the kind words and voting for me