D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

[Old Harry MTX]

Ok guys, the Way of the Spider is almost finished. It need just some fixes and maybe more characterization of the final capstone: can you recommend me possible features suitable for a character with 6 arms?

For the rest, I unfortunately gave up on developing the Upgrade mechanics because the features I made are in that annoying amount that makes them too many to be handled as normal features, and too few to be handled as maneuvers or spells. However, considering that many are utility skills, I opted for the first option.

[animorte]

can you recommend me possible features suitable for a character with 6 arms?

Reaction: whenever a creature comes within melee range, you can attempt to grapple it.

Maybe you can grapple two creatures at a time, but can’t make any attacks against them (or move) while doing so.

For the rest, I unfortunately gave up on developing the Upgrade mechanics because the features I made are in that annoying amount that makes them too many to be handled as normal features, and too few to be handled as maneuvers or spells.

I feel this so much. I had far too many features and struggled organizing them for proper levels and figuring out what made the cut. At one point, I had a redundant single-target silenced effect, battle master maneuvers, and stunning strike for free during FoB.

[Psyche]

I am asking for an extra two weeks

[MutantDragon]

I am asking for an extra two weeks

I'll go ahead and second that request for you.

[animorte]

Putting this here as a placeholder until I finalise the details: be prepared for something almost certainly unbalanced, as I have never made a homebrew subclass before

We’ve also got this one in the submission thread cutting it close. Might as well leave enough time for the newest submissions to receive some constructive feedback.

[Old Harry MTX]

That's ok for me!

[BerzerkerUnit]

We’ve also got this one in the submission thread cutting it close. Might as well leave enough time for the newest submissions to receive some constructive feedback.

👍 I still have some tweaking but I’m liking where it’s going.

[Crim the Cold]

Spoiler: Path of Bul-Kathos

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Looks pretty good overall. It really captures the Diablo swarm-killing spirit.

Dual Wield: I wonder how this will work with Reach weapons? Is there expected to be any additional penalty, restriction, or just keep it the way it is?

If you re-read the entry you'll see that it does not work with reach weapons. I figured that reach weapons would be a bit too OP when combined with the path capstone ability Whirlwind Attack. Its already OP enough that greatswords and great axes can be wielded one handed.

[animorte]

👍 I still have some tweaking but I’m liking where it’s going.

Same here! I know mine still needs a couple nudges in the right direction. If anyone cares to give it a solid thwacking, I’d appreciate it! Otherwise, mine own eyes deceive me into believing it to be flawless.

If you re-read the entry you'll see that it does not work with reach weapons. I figured that reach weapons would be a bit too OP when combined with the path capstone ability Whirlwind Attack. Its already OP enough that greatswords and great axes can be wielded one handed.

Well, I stumbled right over that in broad daylight. I absolutely agree. Very nice.

Looks like the new deadline for final editing/submissions will be: December 14th

[Crim the Cold]

Well, I stumbled right over that in broad daylight. I absolutely agree. Very nice.

I do think that sword and boarding with a BFS, a BFH, or a BFA and/or dual wielding BFSs, BFHs or BFAs fits a very common but under-represented in D&D fantasy trope so I'm hoping it has a niche it fills nicely. That and a level 10 barbarian has the option of a Moment of Awesome if they have the Great Weapon Master feat.

Bul-Kathos Barbarian: "I guess I should take you seriously." *drops second sword or shield and places a second hand on the hilt of his weapon"

My only worry about the sub-class is it feels like I just added more barbarian to the barbarian kind of like champion is for someone who just wants a bit more fighter in their fighter. There is probably nothing wrong with that since its a niche that the other paths dont fill.

[animorte]

Bul-Kathos Barbarian: "I guess I should take you seriously." *drops second sword or shield and places a second hand on the hilt of his weapon"

This reminds me of Kirito in SwordArt Online. He hides the fact that he has the dual-wield feature for most of the series, but then it gets real.

My only worry about the sub-class is it feels like I just added more barbarian to the barbarian kind of like champion is for someone who just wants a bit more fighter in their fighter. There is probably nothing wrong with that since its a niche that the other paths dont fill.

That’s exactly how I feel about my Monk. It’s just more Monk. Certainly an improvement, but nothing to write home about.

[Old Harry MTX]

My only worry about the sub-class is it feels like I just added more barbarian to the barbarian kind of like champion is for someone who just wants a bit more fighter in their fighter. There is probably nothing wrong with that since its a niche that the other paths dont fill.

That’s exactly how I feel about my Monk. It’s just more Monk. Certainly an improvement, but nothing to write home about.

I haven't read your entries yet, but consider that the champion is nothing more than a more fighter fighter, so...

[Persolus]

We’ve also got this one in the submission thread cutting it close. Might as well leave enough time for the newest submissions to receive some constructive feedback.

Thank you! I still plan to have my subclass posted by the end of the day today, but the extra time + feedback possibilities are greatly appreciated

[Crim the Cold]

This reminds me of Kirito in SwordArt Online. He hides the fact that he has the dual-wield feature for most of the series, but then it gets real.


That’s exactly how I feel about my Monk. It’s just more Monk. Certainly an improvement, but nothing to write home about.

I was thinking more of Kenpachi during his fight with Noitra in Bleach.

Since you've reviewed my sub-class you're going first on my list of reviews. I'll get to more if I have the time. Work normally would be slowing down this month but its not.

Way of Ki Blocking Review

Initial reaction: Positive.

Pros - This is a grab bag of abilities attempting mimic the abilities of Ty Lee from Avatar with a D&D flavor. Also Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda. Deflect Spells reminds me a bit of Po's Inner Peace from Kung Fu Panda 2. Does not seem like the Ki blockers from Legend of Korra. Funny that two characters that have Ki Blocking skills have very similar names. It succeeds on a lot of this as their (Ty Lee and Tai Lung) success as combatants was their ability to evade attacks and then attack with precision during openings. This subclass would be very good at closing the distance with a ranged spellcaster and then shutting them down.

Cons - The Ki control is there all the way through but the Ki Blocking aspect isn't really present until the capstone at 17th level.

Suggestions:

Swap Acupressure and Deflect Spells. Then add an additional expansion onto the Acupressure ability at level 6 that allows them to use an action to make a hit roll, spend a Ki point, and inflict one of those conditions for 1 minute subject to a con save DC equal to the stunning strike DC. Expand the capstone to include acupressure saves as well.

This will not make the monk OP mostly because this monk sub-class has the same problem every monk has. At low levels you never have enough Ki points. By the time you have enough Ki points spellcasters are reality altering munchkins and being a credible threat to one does not make this subclass too powerful.

Separate gripe - I have never liked the name for the Poisoned condition in 5e. I wish they had named it Sickened because that better represents what's going on. You're nauseous and its affecting your ability to fight.

[animorte]

Since you've reviewed my sub-class you're going first on my list of reviews.

Initial reaction: Positive.

Greatly appreciated!

Spoiler: Quotes and responses

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Funny that two characters that have Ki Blocking skills have very similar names. It succeeds on a lot of this as their (Ty Lee and Tai Lung) success as combatants was their ability to evade attacks and then attack with precision during openings. This subclass would be very good at closing the distance with a ranged spellcaster and then shutting them down.

Yay, that’s the goal! I wanted to encompass all of that Ki-Blocking concept while adding some of my own flair for the D&D universe.

Cons - The Ki control is there all the way through but the Ki Blocking aspect isn't really present until the capstone at 17th level.

Yes, more than anything, I basically wanted to empower Stunning Strike, as that’s pretty much the basis of Ki-Blocking.

Suggestions:

Swap Acupressure and Deflect Spells. Then add an additional expansion onto the Acupressure ability at level 6 that allows them to use an action to make a hit roll, spend a Ki point, and inflict one of those conditions for 1 minute subject to a con save DC equal to the stunning strike DC. Expand the capstone to include acupressure saves as well.

The reason I have Acupressure at 6th level is because of how similar it is to the Mercy Monk’s Physician’s Touch ability and I don’t want to… (how shall I say?) …make that obsolete, step on its toes, steal its thunder.

I actually had an idea of spending additional Ki points in order to extend the effect of Stunning Strike. So instead of just spending 1 to attempt it, spend 3 total to extend the duration to 3 rounds instead of just one. Though I settled on the improvement of just a flat minute with attempts to save. Much more stream-lined and Ki friendly.

Separate gripe - I have never liked the name for the Poisoned condition in 5e. I wish they had named it Sickened because that better represents what's going on. You're nauseous and its affecting your ability to fight.

I’ve always felt like nauseous was a condition at some point in D&D, but I started in 3.5e, been on 5e longer, and I don’t recall.

So, I kept Acupressure where it’s at, for the reason mentioned above. I moved the improved Stunning Strike duration up to 6th level. I added Acupressure Enmity (your additional idea) to 11th level. I added the saves for those same effects to the capstone.

Again, I really appreciate your input!

[Old Harry MTX]

Ok guys, here some reviews! Nothing major to report, all entries look very good.

Spoiler: Rogue Archetype: Web-Slinging Wall-Crawler

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Rogue Archetype: Web-Slinging Wall-Crawler

Overall I like it, very similar to my version up to the last capstone. Maybe you could have dared a little more with the mechanics, but it's certainly more balanced than mine.

Spider's Gifts. Wall-Crawling is mandatory, Web-Slinging is very nice. I've also tried something similar, but I ended up considering it a bit overcomplicated.

Web Master. Nice.

Superior Spider Gifts. Again, nothing to say here. It's fun to see how the features we've created tend to look alike, but no wonder I'd say!

Gift of the Other. Mmm, this one seems a bit out of context to me, but maybe i’m missing the reference.

Spoiler: Sorcerous Origin: Psychokinetic

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Sorcerous Origin: Psychokinetic

Psionic Spells. All of them make sense.

Psionic Sorcery. Totally cool!

Mage Hand Master. Strong, but comparable to an Eldritch Blast.

Reckless Force. The mechanic is very cool, but I can't honestly determine how strong it is until I study it thoroughly. Adding such effects to spells without cost is maybe a bit excessive, I would add a cost in sorcerer points.

Mobile Magic. Again, veeeery cool and themed, but I find it difficult to determine its power level.

Psychokinetic Storm. The range increases by 10 feet in diameter or radius?

Spoiler: Sorcerous Origin: Bitten by a Magic-Infused Spider

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Sorcerous Origin: Bitten by a Magic-Infused Spider

I like the flavor, I too have tried to incorporate the Web of Life and Destiny into the context of the Weave.

Arachnoid Aspects. Wow, I'm torn on this one. I can't figure out how balanced or unbalanced it is, and whether I consider it fun or not.

Webbing. Mmm, I'm not a huge fan of features that don't go into action right away. Why don't you create a "lesser web" spell (or cantrip), maybe single target, and leave the normal one for later? You might add them as normal bonus spells.

Spider Senses. Nice. I would probably have used the monk's formulation of patient defense.

Seeing the Weave. Cool.

Great Power (Responsibility Optional). I have the same concerns about Arachnoid Aspects, but overall it is a standard nice upgrade.

Spoiler: Path of the Symbiote

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Path of the Symbiote

Symbiotic Mobility. Classic and mandatory.

Symbiotic Weapons. Nice, but maybe not alluring enough to prefer it to a longsword. Why don't you add an increasing with level die like the monk's martial arts die?

Symbiote Stretching. Good and themed. I like the differences between rage and not rage.

Danger Sense Cancelation. That's very cool and original! A bit situational, but cool.

Symbiote Shifting. Considering that Disguise Self is a 1st level spell, I'd probably have it cast at will, with no limit on uses.

Proportionate Strength of a Symbiotic Spider. Great! It seems that, together with the climbing speed, this is a constant of all the "spidy" subclasses of this contest! XD

Spoiler: Path of Bul-Kathos

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Path of Bul-Kathos

Interesting! The barbarian from Diablo is originally inspired from the D&D one (as well the D&D one is inspired by Conan), so I'm curious to see this short wire.

Shout. Cool and themed, but isn’t it a bit too much? Also, how long do temporary HPs last? Are they cumulative?

Scavenger. Ok, I guess. Very situational, but interesting.

Dual Wield. Cool.

Berserk. Ok. So you basically throw three dice instead of two, like a super advantage!

Whirlwind Attack. Make sense.

Overall it seems to me that it lacks something useful to do outside of combat, but I suppose that it is not easy to find something like that taking inspiration from a Diablo class. XD

Spoiler: Monk: Way of Ki-Blocking

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Monk: Way of Ki-Blocking

Path to Clarity. Nice one.

Deflect Spells. Very nice, maybe it is just a bit weird that you get this at 3rd level while Deflect Missiles at 9th level.

Acupressure. Cool.

Nimble Evasion. Very nice.

Acupressure Enmity. Good. Can you inflict more conditions on the same creature? Inflicting the charmed, frightened and poisoned conditions seems a bit weird, but ki works in mysterious ways i guess. Have you tried considering the silenced and paralyzed conditions instead?

Acupressure Enmity. Good.

[BerzerkerUnit]

Ok guys, here some reviews! Nothing major to report, all entries look very good.

Spoiler: Rogue Archetype: Web-Slinging Wall-Crawler

Show

Rogue Archetype: Web-Slinging Wall-Crawler

Overall I like it, very similar to my version up to the last capstone. Maybe you could have dared a little more with the mechanics, but it's certainly more balanced than mine.

Spider's Gifts. Wall-Crawling is mandatory, Web-Slinging is very nice. I've also tried something similar, but I ended up considering it a bit overcomplicated.

Web Master. Nice.

Superior Spider Gifts. Again, nothing to say here. It's fun to see how the features we've created tend to look alike, but no wonder I'd say!

Gift of the Other. Mmm, this one seems a bit out of context to me, but maybe i’m missing the reference.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Gift of the Other is a reference to Madame Web and the Other plot line where Peter finds out about his connection to Anansi the Spider-god.

[Old Harry MTX]

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Gift of the Other is a reference to Madame Web and the Other plot line where Peter finds out about his connection to Anansi the Spider-god.

Makes sense, I had actually confused Contact Other Plane with Astral Projection... Basically, it have the same origin of mine Divination at 17th level. Can you cast it as ritual too?

[animorte]

Ok guys, here some reviews! Nothing major to report, all entries look very good.

Spoiler: Monk: Way of Ki-Blocking

Show

Monk: Way of Ki-Blocking

Path to Clarity. Nice one.

Deflect Spells. Very nice, maybe it is just a bit weird that you get this at 3rd level while Deflect Missiles at 9th level.

Acupressure. Cool.

Nimble Evasion. Very nice.

Acupressure Enmity. Good. Can you inflict more conditions on the same creature? Inflicting the charmed, frightened and poisoned conditions seems a bit weird, but ki works in mysterious ways i guess. Have you tried considering the silenced and paralyzed conditions instead?

Acupressure Enmity. Good.

Deflect Missiles is actually also at 3rd level.

Acupressure Enmity: I mirrored the same conditions from Acupressure, but then the Paralyzed condition is perfect for Ki-Blocking, I just couldn’t remember why I didn’t include it until reading through all the conditions again… Oh yeah, because several conditions included being incapacitated, which the Stunned condition already does. (I know they have minor differences though.) I’ll give it a more thorough look.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and feedback!

[MutantDragon]

[QUOTE=Old Harry MTX;25651233]

Spoiler: Path of the Symbiote

Show

Path of the Symbiote

Symbiotic Mobility. Classic and mandatory.

Symbiotic Weapons. Nice, but maybe not alluring enough to prefer it to a longsword. Why don't you add an increasing with level die like the monk's martial arts die?

Symbiote Stretching. Good and themed. I like the differences between rage and not rage.

Danger Sense Cancelation. That's very cool and original! A bit situational, but cool.

Symbiote Shifting. Considering that Disguise Self is a 1st level spell, I'd probably have it cast at will, with no limit on uses.

Proportionate Strength of a Symbiotic Spider. Great! It seems that, together with the climbing speed, this is a constant of all the "spidy" subclasses of this contest! XD

Thanks for reviewing this! I'll try and make some adjustments today.

[Old Harry MTX]

Deflect Missiles is actually also at 3rd level.

:embarassed: hum... I know perfectly well, I just... hem... wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Acupressure Enmity: I mirrored the same conditions from Acupressure, but then the Paralyzed condition is perfect for Ki-Blocking, I just couldn’t remember why I didn’t include it until reading through all the conditions again… Oh yeah, because several conditions included being incapacitated, which the Stunned condition already does. (I know they have minor differences though.) I’ll give it a more thorough look.

Consider that two conditions could technically be identical, but have different monsters that are immune to them, and different effects that apply them...

[Old Harry MTX]

Guys, since in my Monastic Tradition: Way of the Spider I had created three sub-features for each feature except for the final capstone, I added a third one there as well, called Arachnid Mindset. Now, I like it a lot from a flavor point of view, but in a nutshell it's more of a handicap than a feature, even if in my opinion it can help to balance everything (the subclass can already do a lot of things...) and give interesting RP cues. Do you think it makes sense to leave it?

[MutantDragon]

Guys, since in my Monastic Tradition: Way of the Spider I had created three sub-features for each feature except for the final capstone, I added a third one there as well, called Arachnid Mindset. Now, I like it a lot from a flavor point of view, but in a nutshell it's more of a handicap than a feature, even if in my opinion it can help to balance everything (the subclass can already do a lot of things...) and give interesting RP cues. Do you think it makes sense to leave it?

I say leave it. It's not a big enough weakness to drive people away from using it and, like you said, there are some solid benefits to keeping it in.

[animorte]

Consider that two conditions could technically be identical, but have different monsters that are immune to them, and different effects that apply them...

Then add an additional expansion onto the Acupressure ability at level 6 that allows them to use an action to make a hit roll, spend a Ki point, and inflict one of those conditions for 1 minute subject to a con save DC equal to the stunning strike DC. Expand the capstone to include acupressure saves as well.

Separate gripe - I have never liked the name for the Poisoned condition in 5e. I wish they had named it Sickened because that better represents what's going on. You're nauseous and its affecting your ability to fight.

So I looked over all of those conditions and made some adjustments to make more sense, as per your suggestion, both of you.*

I also modified Stun Lock to apply to any save you force. But I have another concern: Is that too strong for 3 Ki (+1, forcing the save to begin with) or should it be 5 (+1) Ki?

I added a third one there as well, called Arachnid Mindset…

Do you think it makes sense to leave it?

Honestly, it’s situational enough (being only arachnids and other insect-like creatures) that I don’t think it needs the drawback. Either way, it has cool RP potential.

Have some more feedback:

Spoiler: Roguish Archetype: Serial Killer

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First off, I’ve always loved me some LoL. You might appreciate this thing and this other thing I appreciate (and sometimes disagree with).

I think Slay being restricted to crossbows might limit potential build preferences. Any ranged (not thrown) weapon should be fine.

Curtain Call is actually perfect, love it.

I was surprised you didn’t try to fit in a trap type thing to resemble his, but the way you captured Jhin nicely while adding your own stealthy flair, it doesn’t need it.

*(Edit: I misplaced this initially, wanted to properly give thanks where it’s due.)

[Ilerien]

Here's a makeshift version of the Faerie Knight fighter. I realize I'm jumping into the last car of a moving train, so probably won't get any reviews, but, unfortunately, I find myself almost devoid of free time lately. Hence the lack of reviews by myself as well.

[Crim the Cold]

I find myself almost devoid of free time lately. Hence the lack of reviews by myself as well.

I feel this. Good grief I feel this.

[Psyche]

Is there a league of legends thread?

[Persolus]

Also going to withdraw, life decided to get way too busy for me to finish. Hopefully next time though!

[animorte]

I feel this. Good grief I feel this.

This site has kept me going through a tough time lately.

Is there a league of legends thread?

I don’t believe so, but nothing says we can’t start one over in Gaming!

Also going to withdraw, life decided to get way too busy for me to finish. Hopefully next time though!

No problem. Hope you’ll stick around!

Just a reminder, the submission thread is closed! Thanks for all the wonderful entries everybody! I will wait another day or two before opening up the voting thread, give Psyche some time.

[Psyche]

After the voting thread can we take a break for christmas?
I need to take a break and cannot post voting thread. Animorte?
Sorry guys