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  1. - Top - End - #1051
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Had a couple hours free so I put a started a sheet with a little automation Behold! Instead of tracking by time, I'm tracking by # of contest rounds to make the automation easier. I've picked 10 as an arbitrary number, which means some historical theme repetition won't be possible (e.g. "I Read This In a Book, Once" was the theme for contests 30 and 34).

    To facilitate this, I've also got a historical tab. Each time a new contest goes up, I'll update the historical tab, and the sheet will auto-highlight which themes are available. I figure this is also a good place to track previous winners since no one can edit molemage's post in the discussion thread.

    If anyone has new theme idea, hit me up and I'll put them on the list. I'd appreciate if you could also include a blurb, so I can easily paste it into voting.

    Still to do:
    • Fill out the contest history so we can celebrate our winners!
    • Integrate base classes here so I can pick base class themes.
    All work I do is CC-BY-SA. Copy it wherever you want as long as you credit me.

  2. - Top - End - #1052
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Awesome! thanks for doing all this.

    The ideas I had were:
    Crime and Punishment From theft, to arson, to murder, to jaywalking. Crime and the fighting thereof.
    The Inheritors Characters that must recon with their inheritance. Genetic, monetary, or otherwise.

  3. - Top - End - #1053
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    That is a fancy table, really well done.

    I feel less awkward suggesting themes now, so:
    • Start Spreading the News: All about collecting, trading, and spreading information.
    • Its Elemental: Building with the basic building blocks of the multiverse, of whichever tradition.
    • Heavens Above: Look far above to read omens, see celestials, or just move straight up.
    • Weapons Specialist: Pick a weapon type and make a master with those.
    • Civic Minded: Whether from the shadows or a throne, after the monsters are beaten is when the real work begins.

    I do think Keep it Simple should be removed however, given that I think most of the design space for that is covered in the PHB (the simplest subclasses are often the most obvious) and I'm not sure it would be interesting to write for. "Keep it Simple" should be advice for developing a subclass in general, and if you don't have anything else you're working toward I think it'll end up looking like Baby's First Subclass. There's a few other items that haven't been used which I think aren't specific enough or don't fit with making subclasses useable at the table, but that's the only one where I think the theme could sabotage how interesting the submissions get.
    Last edited by sandmote; 2024-02-17 at 10:41 PM.

  4. - Top - End - #1054
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Thanks for the themes, doc has been updated. The thoughts on Keep It Simple are interesting, though I don't want to be too unilateral here. If 2 more others agree, I'll pull it from the list.
    All work I do is CC-BY-SA. Copy it wherever you want as long as you credit me.

  5. - Top - End - #1055
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Well I got something up (unusually well organised for me). Not convinced its right yet - still needs a little more tweaking till its something I would really want to play.

  6. - Top - End - #1056
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    So, is my arsonist wizard any good? I tried to make something with at least a vague semblance of balance...

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

    Quote Originally Posted by TheHalfAasimar View Post
    So, is my arsonist wizard any good? I tried to make something with at least a vague semblance of balance...
    So its fine.

    However I am going to be as critical as posible, hopefully in order to help.

    The level 2 abiliy for adding spells for half price is kind of standard... but I also think its a badly designed feature to copy. Getting cut price additions provides an incentive to not take fire spells on levelling up because its cheap to get them later.

    Used to flame is OK, but its a bit passive. Nothing wrong with some passive abilities but this leaves you till level 6 till you get someting proactive from your subclass. As an ability that a number of races can pick up, it also feels a little underwhelming and just not special enough. It doesn't need to be powerful but something you could acively chose to use would be good.

    Enhanced flame is a cool ability but I think this is the wrong level. Fire damage is at its mose powerful at levels 5 and 6 when you get fireball and whilst that is at its strongest. Its a good mechanic to boost damage, but it kicks in at that point in time where you don't need it and the dearth of great higher level fire spells means that even with this, fire magic will drop off in Tier 3 and 4. I would be tempted to move this to level 10 and make it bigger (maybe rerolling any fire damage die) so that it provided the damage support when needed but not at a time where it makes fireball overwhelming. Things like the draconic sorcerer suffer from this a bit - fireball makes them awesome for a few levels, then they start to lose out again.

    Fire immunity a level 10 is OK, but its also a bit passive still. Its not bad... but there is still no specific abiliy to use.

    Pyromania at levl 14 is a modest ability. Its a bit niche but its great as its active (or at least reactive - should it take a reaction to do this). I think you might want to adjust the wording though, at present it does nothing as you will NEVER take any fire damage due to immunity. I would be tempted to add this in at level 2 (the way it scales would stop it being overpowered and i gives a nice, special thing to do).

    Balance is fine (for a wizard), especially averaged over a braod range of levels, and the thematics are strong. I just worry that mechanically it wouldn't be particularly fun to play with or to play alongside. For example, I worry that you throw in something like a a demon heavy campaign and you play one of these then that fire immunity will make you feel like you don't have a subclass. Some abilities that are fire themed without actually dealing fire damage would help the subclass remain relavent in more encounters.

  8. - Top - End - #1058
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Just posted the second version of the Sorcerer of The Flame, would love to hear the thoughts of you guys/gals. (Also if you look at my avatar, you can see Baron and what the Flame would look like.)
    Last edited by Psyche; 2024-03-04 at 06:27 PM.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by MrStabby View Post
    So its fine.

    However I am going to be as critical as posible, hopefully in order to help.

    The level 2 abiliy for adding spells for half price is kind of standard... but I also think its a badly designed feature to copy. Getting cut price additions provides an incentive to not take fire spells on levelling up because its cheap to get them later.

    Used to flame is OK, but its a bit passive. Nothing wrong with some passive abilities but this leaves you till level 6 till you get someting proactive from your subclass. As an ability that a number of races can pick up, it also feels a little underwhelming and just not special enough. It doesn't need to be powerful but something you could acively chose to use would be good.

    Enhanced flame is a cool ability but I think this is the wrong level. Fire damage is at its mose powerful at levels 5 and 6 when you get fireball and whilst that is at its strongest. Its a good mechanic to boost damage, but it kicks in at that point in time where you don't need it and the dearth of great higher level fire spells means that even with this, fire magic will drop off in Tier 3 and 4. I would be tempted to move this to level 10 and make it bigger (maybe rerolling any fire damage die) so that it provided the damage support when needed but not at a time where it makes fireball overwhelming. Things like the draconic sorcerer suffer from this a bit - fireball makes them awesome for a few levels, then they start to lose out again.

    Fire immunity a level 10 is OK, but its also a bit passive still. Its not bad... but there is still no specific abiliy to use.

    Pyromania at levl 14 is a modest ability. Its a bit niche but its great as its active (or at least reactive - should it take a reaction to do this). I think you might want to adjust the wording though, at present it does nothing as you will NEVER take any fire damage due to immunity. I would be tempted to add this in at level 2 (the way it scales would stop it being overpowered and i gives a nice, special thing to do).

    Balance is fine (for a wizard), especially averaged over a braod range of levels, and the thematics are strong. I just worry that mechanically it wouldn't be particularly fun to play with or to play alongside. For example, I worry that you throw in something like a a demon heavy campaign and you play one of these then that fire immunity will make you feel like you don't have a subclass. Some abilities that are fire themed without actually dealing fire damage would help the subclass remain relavent in more encounters.

    Ah, I see! Thanks for the feedback! Always trying to improve.

    EDIT: I looked over Enhanced Flame, it's literally just the Flames of Phlegethos feat... I'll fix it.
    Last edited by TheHalfAasimar; 2024-03-04 at 08:00 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #1060
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyche View Post
    Just posted the second version of the Sorcerer of The Flame, would love to hear the thoughts of you guys/gals. (Also if you look at my avatar, you can see Baron and what the Flame would look like.)
    So what jumps out at me is:

    1) Its a sorcrer. There is already a sorcerer option associated with fire (well I guess two as there are both read and gold draconic sorcrers).

    2) It should be balanced against the other option.

    3) It should have a different re to the other option (i.e the draconic sorcerer adds a bit to survivability, damage and mobility (with wings))


    Flaming magic. Well this is really powerful. Firstly it gives you a load more spells known which is a massive buff over the existing SotA fire sorerer. Sorcerers can have nice things though... the ability to swap them makes this a really powerful ability though. There are always enough evocation/conjuration spells and as spells known are fungible this isn't much of a restriction. And you can get wizard spells. So wall of force becomes available. Bigby's Hand. Don't underestimate the power of this feature.

    The specific spells themselves seem a bit redundant with the draconic sorcerer. Sure you need to wait till level 15 to fly but there is a lot of mobility buffs in the spell list. THe level difference at which these is available though is sufficiently big that this is a weak criticism at worst.

    Herald of the Flame... well this is first level as well. Thats a lot of first level power. Even more so with the abilities. The line attack is not bad - probably doing about 9 damage which at low levels is obscene. You are double cantrip damage and probably out-damaging some martials even without hitting multiple enemies. Its prety good. At higher levels this quickly falls behind though, and its not like moon druid levels of busted at level 2.

    The shield ability... yeah thats pretty nuts. Not quite free shielding but the extra spell slots this represents at low levels is significant. Given you can basically run this effct for twice your level number of fights each day makes it a really big deal. And the no two consecutive turns stipulatation? Not really a hard cap.

    Cauterize... so once per 2 min of use. So once per level. To heal Cha + level of HP? Compare this to other pools like celestial warlock of dreams druid or paladin lay on hands. It quickly outstrips them as you get into tier 2. And its not the loly use for thei ability and this ability isn't evel the only level 1 abiliy.

    And there is more, you can empower this. All in all this is a crazy good ability.



    Master of the flame at level 6. Now your flame can power your metamagic. At high levels this might not be so bad, but at low levels you are trading off using a better source of damage than a cantrip against multiple enempies vs getting more sorcery points back. If is a no-brainer, I think its probaby a tinsy bit on the strong side. And now we ge to the issue with my writing comments as I go throuh the class - all that stuff about it being good at low levels falls down because it scales. Now this is very very powerful at even more levels.

    Ultimate commands. So level 14 is the level the draconic sorcerer picks up flying. Well this kickes off with the abiliy to do 14d8 fire damage. OK, now this is a powerful ability, but not really game-breaking. Fiend Warlock gets better. Then paralysed for a minute as the next ability? This seems... risky.

    A minute of paralysis is hold monster. A free level 6 spell. Only this doesn't allow repeated saves. Strength saving throw is probably a bit less good than wisdom, but this is no doubt a brutal effect. At level 15 you have 30 min of flame per day. If you used all your time for this then that is equivalent to 6 extra level 6 spells per day.

    Flight. THis is where the gulf in power is arguably clearest. Wings is equivalent to 24 hours of flight. That is three uses of this ability. That is half the total. You get what the draconic sorcerer gets at level 14 AND SO MUCH MORE.

    And your flame powers up again. If cauterize wasn't already leading the way, it is now. You are a sorcerer and a better healer than a life cleric.

    Lord of the Flames. Now the flames get doubled. Oddly enough, the phoenix form doesn't seem that overpowered compared to toher abilities (are you supposed to stil need spell slots for the 5th level fireballs? That might make a big impact).



    Generally I think this is too strong. Way too strong. On the other hand, I think a lot of it is very cool. The strength of the abilities are arguaby maybe about right for a base class so adding and tweaking those could be a good fit.

    For a subclass its just the best at damaging, best at healing, exceptonaly mobile, has the best control spells and is the best at using metamagic. Even in a campaign where every enemy is immune to fire, this is still a very strong class option.



    Edit: Eeesh. Reading back this all sounds a bit harsh. I think there are a lot of good ideas here, but thas kind of the problem. Enough good ideas all geting added together can get a bit overwhelming.
    Last edited by MrStabby; 2024-03-05 at 04:44 PM.

  11. - Top - End - #1061
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by MrStabby View Post
    So what jumps out at me is:

    1) Its a sorcrer. There is already a sorcerer option associated with fire (well I guess two as there are both read and gold draconic sorcrers).

    2) It should be balanced against the other option.

    3) It should have a different re to the other option (i.e the draconic sorcerer adds a bit to survivability, damage and mobility (with wings))


    Flaming magic. Well this is really powerful. Firstly it gives you a load more spells known which is a massive buff over the existing SotA fire sorerer. Sorcerers can have nice things though... the ability to swap them makes this a really powerful ability though. There are always enough evocation/conjuration spells and as spells known are fungible this isn't much of a restriction. And you can get wizard spells. So wall of force becomes available. Bigby's Hand. Don't underestimate the power of this feature.

    The specific spells themselves seem a bit redundant with the draconic sorcerer. Sure you need to wait till level 15 to fly but there is a lot of mobility buffs in the spell list. THe level difference at which these is available though is sufficiently big that this is a weak criticism at worst.

    Herald of the Flame... well this is first level as well. Thats a lot of first level power. Even more so with the abilities. The line attack is not bad - probably doing about 9 damage which at low levels is obscene. You are double cantrip damage and probably out-damaging some martials even without hitting multiple enemies. Its prety good. At higher levels this quickly falls behind though, and its not like moon druid levels of busted at level 2.

    The shield ability... yeah thats pretty nuts. Not quite free shielding but the extra spell slots this represents at low levels is significant. Given you can basically run this effct for twice your level number of fights each day makes it a really big deal. And the no two consecutive turns stipulatation? Not really a hard cap.

    Cauterize... so once per 2 min of use. So once per level. To heal Cha + level of HP? Compare this to other pools like celestial warlock of dreams druid or paladin lay on hands. It quickly outstrips them as you get into tier 2. And its not the loly use for thei ability and this ability isn't evel the only level 1 abiliy.

    And there is more, you can empower this. All in all this is a crazy good ability.



    Master of the flame at level 6. Now your flame can power your metamagic. At high levels this might not be so bad, but at low levels you are trading off using a better source of damage than a cantrip against multiple enempies vs getting more sorcery points back. If is a no-brainer, I think its probaby a tinsy bit on the strong side. And now we ge to the issue with my writing comments as I go throuh the class - all that stuff about it being good at low levels falls down because it scales. Now this is very very powerful at even more levels.

    Ultimate commands. So level 14 is the level the draconic sorcerer picks up flying. Well this kickes off with the abiliy to do 14d8 fire damage. OK, now this is a powerful ability, but not really game-breaking. Fiend Warlock gets better. Then paralysed for a minute as the next ability? This seems... risky.

    A minute of paralysis is hold monster. A free level 6 spell. Only this doesn't allow repeated saves. Strength saving throw is probably a bit less good than wisdom, but this is no doubt a brutal effect. At level 15 you have 30 min of flame per day. If you used all your time for this then that is equivalent to 6 extra level 6 spells per day.

    Flight. THis is where the gulf in power is arguably clearest. Wings is equivalent to 24 hours of flight. That is three uses of this ability. That is half the total. You get what the draconic sorcerer gets at level 14 AND SO MUCH MORE.

    And your flame powers up again. If cauterize wasn't already leading the way, it is now. You are a sorcerer and a better healer than a life cleric.

    Lord of the Flames. Now the flames get doubled. Oddly enough, the phoenix form doesn't seem that overpowered compared to toher abilities (are you supposed to stil need spell slots for the 5th level fireballs? That might make a big impact).



    Generally I think this is too strong. Way too strong. On the other hand, I think a lot of it is very cool. The strength of the abilities are arguaby maybe about right for a base class so adding and tweaking those could be a good fit.

    For a subclass its just the best at damaging, best at healing, exceptonaly mobile, has the best control spells and is the best at using metamagic. Even in a campaign where every enemy is immune to fire, this is still a very strong class option.



    Edit: Eeesh. Reading back this all sounds a bit harsh. I think there are a lot of good ideas here, but thas kind of the problem. Enough good ideas all geting added together can get a bit overwhelming.
    Okay, so ty for this. I'm going on vacation tommorow but here are my ideas for fixing it. First though, I'm balancing this not agianst the draco sorcerer (which is a subclass that sucks imo) but against clockwork and abberant ones from TCOE, as those are the newest.
    Lv. 1: I did not realize that cauterize was this strong, mb. Something like a number of uses equal to proficiency bonus, or changing it to a dice pool maybe?
    Advance i'm gonna change to 1d6 + cha to first target, or cha in a line.
    Maybe make shield a once per level thing like cauterize is now?
    I should probably cause the Ultimate effects to remove 10 minutes (For three uses total) and what if I make it so an Ultimate "locks" you from using your flame unless you spend 3 sorcery points?
    The metamagic thing I think it balanced fairly well, strong but not mega strong, and as for Lord of the flames I think it's good right now.
    What do you think? would that solve the problem somewhat?

  12. - Top - End - #1062
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyche View Post
    Okay, so ty for this. I'm going on vacation tommorow but here are my ideas for fixing it. First though, I'm balancing this not agianst the draco sorcerer (which is a subclass that sucks imo) but against clockwork and abberant ones from TCOE, as those are the newest.
    Lv. 1: I did not realize that cauterize was this strong, mb. Something like a number of uses equal to proficiency bonus, or changing it to a dice pool maybe?
    Advance i'm gonna change to 1d6 + cha to first target, or cha in a line.
    Maybe make shield a once per level thing like cauterize is now?
    I should probably cause the Ultimate effects to remove 10 minutes (For three uses total) and what if I make it so an Ultimate "locks" you from using your flame unless you spend 3 sorcery points?
    The metamagic thing I think it balanced fairly well, strong but not mega strong, and as for Lord of the flames I think it's good right now.
    What do you think? would that solve the problem somewhat?
    I would caution against balancing aainst closckwork or aberrant mind- they are both clearly above average power, not only of sorcerers, but of any character options in general.

    First pass I would remove access to wizard spells in general. There doesn't really seem to be a strong thematic reason for them and getting additonal access ot these strongest spells boosts the power without boosting the flavour and steps on the Wizard's uniqueness.

    Secondly, I would remove the additonal spells known. I don't think there is anything here not already on the sorcerer list - given the ability to swap spells ths just gives the sorcerer access to more speels that needn't be thematic at all.

    Remove the damage scaling from the Flame. A powerful abiliy at low levels is kind of OK and its still good at higher levels. What this would mean is you actually have to treat turns to recharge your Empowered Flame as an investment rather than just doing good damage and geting the levelling up for free.

    Flame on minuetes equal to level is probably a better fit than twice level. At 6 to 9 encounters per day, from 4th level you pretty much can have this always on. Sparser uses not only brings the class closer in line with other character options but also gives a richer tactical choice about when to use it an when to keep it. It isn't like the class doesn't already have both metamagic and spells to use to keep things interesting - better off than a barbarian not raging for example.

    Even then there are big issues - things like the power of getting additional hold monster type effects with no repeat saves as just one example.

    Versaility is a kind of power. Being able to use the right tool at the right time. Number of spells known is part of this, but also the span of spells. THis class keeps addiitng to that by not only giving loads of spells, but also by gving magic effects that act like spells. Every spell like effect the flame provides either directly broaden's the pool of things the character can do or means you don't need to take a spell that overlaps with it and just provides more power by giving (effectively) more spells known. Look at the divine soul sorcerer - plenty popular and plenty powerful. Its power largely comes from geting access to buffs and healing from he cleric list.

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

    Just to Browse, we had the same idea for an ultimate feature!

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyche View Post
    Just to Browse, we had the same idea for an ultimate feature!
    Resurrection is just too cool lol

    I'm trying to get a quick review of subclasses by the end of the weekend. Got 2 up for now.

    Pyromaniac Wizard
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    Absorbing fire damage to deal more is my favorite part of this subclass. I think you should spell out how this interacts with Resistance and the later Immunity. Ideally the class also gets some way to deal fire damage to itself quickly (i.e. not an action) the level 1 features don't depend on fighting enemies that deal fire damage.


    Oath of Purification
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    Vibe is great. Some notes:
    • Ignite the Flame is mispelled.
    • Aura of Holy Flame's aura feature doesn't seem related to the radiant damage thing. I think it would read better if you split it out into 2 features: one for the aura, the other for the damage effect.
    • I think Titan of the Torch's save vs incapacitated is probably too strong, even for lv20. That's a lot of repeatable control.
    Last edited by Just to Browse; 2024-03-20 at 12:59 PM.
    All work I do is CC-BY-SA. Copy it wherever you want as long as you credit me.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Resurrection is just too cool lol

    I'm trying to get a quick review of subclasses by the end of the weekend. Got 2 up for now.

    Pyromaniac Wizard
    Absorbing fire damage to deal more is my favorite part of this subclass. I think you should spell out how this interacts with Resistance and the later Immunity. Ideally the class also gets some way to deal fire damage to itself quickly (i.e. not an action) the level 1 features don't depend on fighting enemies that deal fire damage.

    Basically, if you get hit by an effect that does fire damage, you get to do more, whether or not you take damage.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Resurrection is just too cool lol

    I'm trying to get a quick review of subclasses by the end of the weekend. Got 2 up for now.


    Oath of Purification
    Vibe is great. Some notes:
    • Ignite the Flame is mispelled.
    • Aura of Holy Flame's aura feature doesn't seem related to the radiant damage thing. I think it would read better if you split it out into 2 features: one for the aura, the other for the damage effect.
    • I think Titan of the Torch's save vs incapacitated is probably too strong, even for lv20. That's a lot of repeatable control.
    I think my lack of experience at this level shows Re Titan of the Torch! Only really played a few campaigns that got that far.

    My logic (or lack thereof) was something like:
    Most enemies that actually want to close with you a this level wil be melee brutes with awesome Con saves
    For ranged enemies, closing them down will be an effort on a melee class and this isn't a disproportionate investment for a once per day capstone and the effect.
    As a once per day ability you probably want to use in in the hardest fights - magic resistance and legendary resistance probably come into play but also lair actions and legendary actions that can partialy dodge a lot of the effect.
    Once per day effects at this level include Wish and Meteor Swarm.

    As I say, this is based on limited experience though, not all campaigns/enemy compositions will be like my limited experience. I will tone this down a bit (now condition is downgraded to blinded). Thanks.

    The spelling... good spot. My speling is usually bad but I at least frequently look at someting and see it doesn't quite look right, or its just misstiking the keyboard... here. Just a mess. Corrected

    The aura thing - yeah, I get that. Toally agree in retrospect. It was more trying to retain symmetry with other Oaths, but arbitrarily pushing symmetry is maybe a bit pointless. Changed.

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

    Sorcerer of the Flame
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    This has some of the most interesting and imaginative mechanics I've seen on any sorcerer subclass. I love the guardian flame idea as a novel take on fire magic (not sure what the lore is; is this from a video game?), and the use of lines for attacking & healing as a positioning tool are 10/10.

    My concerns are mostly about power:
    • The shielding mechanic, which (at 20 Cha) becomes a free casting of shield every 2 rounds.
    • The repeatable healing on cauterize (I think you can fix this one easily by making it temp HP)
    • The power of both Devour and Bind. Compared to a caster class like a warlock which is hurting for strong attacks, sorcerers already get a lot of power in their high-level slots, so LVd8 fire damage seems too high.


    Blood War Scion
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    I like the melee sorcerer inclination, and the rage-ish bonuses. I think the class needs more defenses to survive in melee combat, though, light armor isn't going to be enough. Bladesinging has a +AC effect that seems like it would be appropriate? Or maybe put an early version of the temp HP effect from Fiendish Protection.


    Circle of Hell
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    This is a wild take on a druid. Not sure how I feel about it, but it's inspiring.

    Some of the passive features feel too weird to put under an active. Like having fire bolt only work if you have a familiar out, and having fire resistance only during Infernal Form.

    Even with Sunlight Sensitivity, I think the 6th-level feature's see invisibility and magical darksight are too strong to put at 6th level. I'd prefer to see this in Tier 3.


    Serial Arsonist
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    Love the way of unlocking alchemist's fire as a combat tool. I think the quantity produced should be a little higher because it's such a core part of the class's identity -- maybe go the way of the Smuggler in Sebastian Crowe's and just say that the items can't be sold (or maybe can't even be used by others?) so it guarantees the rogue has their toys without making a DM worry about a rogue handing out legions of alchemist's fire.

    I also think the fire sneak attack damage on Playing With Fire should be an option between fire and something else, so you can huck vials of fire at someone and still deal normal damage. Just a safeguard for fire-resistant / fire-immune foes.
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Yeah, I got nothing for this one. Notes on the submissions:


    Pyromaniac wizard
    There doesn't feel like enough flavor for this one?
    Anyway:
    The first half of the Arsonist feature really should be part of the base rules. The second half would be really cool if it had more flexibility. "You can use a match, torch, or other handheld burning object as a spellcasting object," would open up the options for flavor a lot.
    For mechanical I'd move Used to flame back to 6th level to match when most other subclasses give resistance. Then swap when they get One with flame and True Flame: enemies with fire resistance and immunity are relatively common, so I think 14th level is a bit late to let you hit theme decently, while damage immunities for PCs tend to be very rare and very late game.

    Oath of Purification Paladin
    Two 7th level features is a little odd, but is probably fine. Otherwise I'd restrict the first bullet of Titan of the Torch slightly more: either a 5 foot radius or at the end of the target's turn (so the NPC can choose between taking and opportunity attack or dealing with this) and adding a few more options for flavor. Off the top of my head, I'd add swirling winds which instantly destroys effects which can be dispersed by wind.

    Flaming Magic Sorcerer
    Herald of the Flame doesn't seem to specify whether a "charge" of your flame is one minute or two. I get the impression its one minute, but that makes the ratio of two charges per use of Cauterize odd. Otherwise, I'd move listed power ups to Advance/et. to the Herald of the Flame feature, mainly to list everything one of the flame's feature's does to one spot. When you're unlocking something you can do with the flame it makes sense to list at that level, but having to checking through all the features to see how powerful Advance doesn't feel good.

    Path of the Phoenix
    Phoenix Mantle is a straight upgrade of the Path of the Storm Herald's Desert option, and the flight granted by Fire in the Skies is a straight upgrade of the Path of the Totem Warrior's 14th level Eagle option. Not necessarily bad, but I figured it was worth noting.

    I would make Fire in the Skies' speed boost a generic +10 or +15 foot increase if you already have a fly speed. That would leave more room for the party to try to make use of it with other effects rather than letting you get in so much more damage for starting as an aarakocra. Otherwise its really flavorful.

    Blood War Scion
    I think this needs to pick an overall direction. Infernal Wrath lets you cast a version of hellish rebuke against melee attackers for 1 minute; Wrathful Strike and the Smite spells want you making melee attacks. Meanwhile, Fiendish Protection at 18th level is your first feature to help a Sorcerer stay alive in melee. So you want to be making and taking melee attacks, but you've no boost to your AC or HP and advantage on spell attack rolls.

    If you avoid making them work for multiclass characters with heavy armor, sorcerer and wizard do have distinctly more design space for defensive features to keep you alive, so I would recommend trying to figure out some such options to roll in at 1st or 6th level.

    Circle of Hell (ha)
    Master Diabolist technically doesn't give you the option not to give up your familiar when you use it. The rest of this seems very thematic for transforming into a demonic force.

    Serial Arsonist Rogue
    I would rework Fahrenheit 451 to have you roll the d6 first and check for either armor or a weapon after, to clarify what happens if the target has one but isn't using the other. Similarly, I'd allow a saving throw to resist having your scrolls and books burned in case you get mind controlled to attack the PC wizard or the DM wanted to get some scrolls into the hands of the Party Wizard by giving them to an NPC.

    Otherwise my only complaint is that I don't like the idea of making an arsonist character inherently use Wisdom for their abilities. All three mental ability scores can reasonably fit different sorts of savvy arsonists, but low wisdom is probably the best way to represent an arsonist that doesn't think through what they're lighting/where they're lighting it/other risks involved. Maybe make this stuff Int based, to represent how their skills include figuring out how to light things on fire no one expected to be able to combust?

  19. - Top - End - #1069
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Thank you for the feedback! My intent was to create a magical barbarian-like class, so I tried to translate a rage-like feature into spells. I see where I missed some key elements though.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post

    Blood War Scion
    I think this needs to pick an overall direction. Infernal Wrath lets you cast a version of hellish rebuke against melee attackers for 1 minute; Wrathful Strike and the Smite spells want you making melee attacks. Meanwhile, Fiendish Protection at 18th level is your first feature to help a Sorcerer stay alive in melee. So you want to be making and taking melee attacks, but you've no boost to your AC or HP and advantage on spell attack rolls.

    If you avoid making them work for multiclass characters with heavy armor, sorcerer and wizard do have distinctly more design space for defensive features to keep you alive, so I would recommend trying to figure out some such options to roll in at 1st or 6th level.
    My intent was to give the sorcerer both melee and ranged(magical) options, but it does feel like it's being pulled in two different directions as a result. I'm going to double down on helping the sorcerer make melee attacks, and move the spell attack boost to later in the class.

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post

    Blood War Scion
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    I like the melee sorcerer inclination, and the rage-ish bonuses. I think the class needs more defenses to survive in melee combat, though, light armor isn't going to be enough. Bladesinging has a +AC effect that seems like it would be appropriate? Or maybe put an early version of the temp HP effect from Fiendish Protection.

    I'm hesitant to draw on the Bladesinger, because my personal opinion is that it's too good as a wizard archetype, but there's plenty of room to build survivability features without drawing on the Bladesinger's features specifically.

    Here's what I'm thinking:
    • Bonus Proficiencies: Add shields for +2 AC bonus. Make melee weapons spellcasting implement as well.
    • Infernal Wrath: Remove bonus to spell attacks and shift to higher level; add temp HP gained per turn; remove reaction requirement from fire damage so Hellish Rebuke is still a viable option.
    • Wrathful Strike: Should probably rename so it doesn't sound like Wrathful Smite, now that I think about it. Move advantage on spell attacks to this level.
    • Infernal Sight: If no one has concerns about this, I'll keep this feature as flavor.
    • Fiendish Protection: improves temporary HP gain from Infernal Wrath, adds resistance to damage from bludgeoning/piercing/slashing


    I'll edit my original post with these changes.

    EDIT: I realized that I should probably allow Infernal Wrath to be used more often, since it's the major feature of this subclass. I've bumped up the number of uses, and it recharges on a short or long rest now.
    Last edited by Gondolin01; 2024-03-23 at 01:29 PM.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Gondolin01 View Post
    I'm hesitant to draw on the Bladesinger, because my personal opinion is that it's too good as a wizard archetype, but there's plenty of room to build survivability features without drawing on the Bladesinger's features specifically.
    Changes seem reasonable to me. If you're adding shield prof, I think you'll need the Warcaster feat's special rules about somatic components. There's some rules weirdness that comes up when one hand has a weapon and another has a shield.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    Path of the Phoenix
    Phoenix Mantle is a straight upgrade of the Path of the Storm Herald's Desert option, and the flight granted by Fire in the Skies is a straight upgrade of the Path of the Totem Warrior's 14th level Eagle option. Not necessarily bad, but I figured it was worth noting.
    Appreciate the notes. This brings up a larger thing I've been waffling on; please forgive me for dumping a bunch of text here. It's not meant as a direct response to you so much as a way for me to share something that's been nagging at me.

    Background: For anyone interested, here's the problem I'm looking at:
    • Path of the Totem Warrior's Totemic Attunement (Eagle) option comes at 14th level. It gives you a flying speed while raging, but the flight fails at the end of your turn.
    • My subclass gives flight while raging at only 6th-level, and doesn't force you to fall, and has some other benefits besides.
    A feature coming 8 levels earlier with bonuses on top seems crazy... why the big discrepancy?

    Problem 1 - Flight Sources
    WotC has published a handful of other ways to get flight, both in the PHB alongside Totem Warrior and in subsequent publications:
    • fly is available at 5th-level and lasts 10 minutes (C).
    • tasha's otherworldly guise and investiture of wind are available at 11th-level and last 10 minutes (C).
    • A couple spells make you fly while gaseous that might be worth noting: gaseous form and wind walk
    • Druid's can wildshape into a creature with a flying speed at level 8
    • An Ascendant Dragon Monk gains an Eagle-style flying speed PB/LR when using Step of the Wind... at level 6.
    • Various uncommon and rare items grant flight, including the broom of flying, winged boots, and wings of flying. Weirdly, the uncommon broom seems the strongest and doesn't require attunement?
    • Multiple races (aarakocra, owlin, fairy, winged tiefling if you use SCAG) have unlimited flight from level 1, so long as you don't wear medium or heavy armor, which barbarians don't necessarily care for.


    Even without looking at the 14th-level Totem Eagle feature, there's a wide range of ways to access flying speed. Most of these classes could just play an MPMM Fairy or Aarakocra to get a decent flying speed, or play any race while riding their broom of flying like a surfboard. What does that mean for Totem Eagle's 14th-level feature, or the Dragon Monk's 6th-level feature, or druid wildshape? Are those options too weak? Are the races too strong? Should DMs nerf broom of flying to require hands the way cloak of the bat does? Opinions are going to vary on that.

    Problem 2 - Flight in General
    This also gets muddled by conversations over flight in general. As far back as at least D&D 3e (maybe earlier, my experience doesn't go back any further) people on the internet have argued about whether low-level flight is bad for the game, and how to handle it. Some DMs ban flying races entirely, others design their encounters around fliers, some games aren't tightly balanced so flight access doesn't matter. Opinions vary a lot on GitP, enworld, and elsewhere. How can you balance flight at all?

    Problem 3 - Downside or..?
    If those two problems weren't enough, let's muddy the waters even more: In combat, losing flight at the end of your turn can be good, because it lets you grapple an enemy in the air and then drag them into the ground so they take fall damage. This strategy is only good for Strength characters, but that's what all Barbarians are. Are other people considering this? Do other people think that the 14th-level Totem Eagle feature even designed with air-grappling in mind? That answer to that is going to vary a lot by how much folks play optimized T2/3 games, how much they trust WotC, what adventures they run...

    Generalizing the Question(s)
    Variants on this problem show up all over subclass designs. Should I nerf the damage on the Phoenix Barb's aura so it matches the Storm Herald even though I think the Herald's damage is too weak? Is it appropriate to write more spells that provide +1d4 bonuses to d20 rolls even though it's bad for bounded accuracy, since guidance and bless do it? Should voters have docked points from last contest's winner, the Extradimensionalism Wizard, for getting a level 1 feature that seems stronger than demiplane (an 8th-level spell)?

    Sometimes the combination of these feels impossible. The brews we post are judged by our peers, but every reviewer is probably going to have a different opinion on power level, design norms, usability at the table, yadda yadda. And even though I can't vote on my own brews, I also feel compelled to write subclasses that I would want to see across the table. So sometimes I write features that work at my table, sometimes I write them based on what seems popular on reddit, sometimes I write them to match existing WotC products... I feel like I should pick a lane, but what lane? I can never choose.

    In the case of flight, I've started with something that would fit at my table (T1 flight is banned, T2 flight is infrequent, T3 flight can be at-will). But I could see going back on that, maybe lining this flight up with the Ascendant Dragon Monk's flight. Or maybe I should go further and make it more like Totem Eagle Barb's flight. What's the better option? What does "better" even mean? I keep overthinking it.

    Side note: Back in the 3e days, there was this sort of gestalt understanding that some effects just belonged at certain levels. We just sort of picked level benchmarks for things, which is why there was a lot of 5th-level flight (example 1, example 2) and 9th-level flight (example 1, example 2) in old 3e classes. It was arbitrary, but the shared understanding helped ground designs. I wonder why the 5e brewing community didn't do something similar. Maybe we're too fractured nowadays?
    Last edited by Just to Browse; 2024-03-25 at 01:51 PM.
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Changes seem reasonable to me. If you're adding shield prof, I think you'll need the Warcaster feat's special rules about somatic components. There's some rules weirdness that comes up when one hand has a weapon and another has a shield.
    Ooh, I forgot that rule. Does the weapon being a spellcasting implement work around that particular issue? My understanding was you didn't need a hand free if you had your implement in hand.

    As to the rest of your post: similar thoughts actually burned me out on creating D&D home-brew for a long while. D&D 5e is particularly frustrating to create new stuff for, in my opinion, because so much of it is designed with "does this feel right in this moment?" as its guiding principle, rather than "does this make mathematical sense and support a given fantasy or story?". Mechanical rigor can take a backseat to gut feeling if that's the game's guiding principle, but then you have inconsistencies like the various Barbarian archetypes. It can become maddening if you overthink it.

    I think some gestalt understanding of game balance does exist among the 5e crowd, but it's much more nebulous than before. For D&D 3.5, you had tier lists and optimization guides, made by people who understood it well. Among 5e's demographic, it seems like the only consensus is "some book options aren't great, and I want to fix that." Couple that with online reactions/drama/how-tos being much more common, and you have a dozen different Ranger fixes/homebrews/re-writes/what have you within the first year of 5e. Plus, with the large influx of new players to 5e, you had a lot of bad home-brew drowning out the good stuff, making it harder to build consensus in the first place.

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

    I appreciate the commiseration lol.

    I believe you need a rule about somatic components. War Caster's line is "You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands."
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by Gondolin01 View Post
    Ooh, I forgot that rule. Does the weapon being a spellcasting implement work around that particular issue? My understanding was you didn't need a hand free if you had your implement in hand.As to the rest of your post: similar thoughts actually burned me out on creating D&D home-brew for a long while. D&D 5e is particularly frustrating to create new stuff for, in my opinion, because so much of it is designed with "does this feel right in this moment?" as its guiding principle, rather than "does this make mathematical sense and support a given fantasy or story?". Mechanical rigor can take a backseat to gut feeling if that's the game's guiding principle, but then you have inconsistencies like the various Barbarian archetypes. It can become maddening if you overthink it.I think some gestalt understanding of game balance does exist among the 5e crowd, but it's much more nebulous than before. For D&D 3.5, you had tier lists and optimization guides, made by people who understood it well. Among 5e's demographic, it seems like the only consensus is "some book options aren't great, and I want to fix that." Couple that with online reactions/drama/how-tos being much more common, and you have a dozen different Ranger fixes/homebrews/re-writes/what have you within the first year of 5e. Plus, with the large influx of new players to 5e, you had a lot of bad home-brew drowning out the good stuff, making it harder to build consensus in the first place.
    I think the problem is that we all have very different experiences with different DM styles and even with the same DM there can be a big difference in campaigns. I have a few favourite examples of this.The monk is what I think is the best. The monk can suck or it can be awesome. If the DM has lots of bag-of-meat enemies that need to just be worn down then the lackluster monk damage sucks. If they have casters behind the back line with poor con saves, few HP and tactical choices to be made on which spells to break concentration on, monks are awesome. If enemies start fights close, then monk mobility doesn't help them. If they get an extra round of attacks in combat as they are faster than a melee fighter, then that closes the gap. If feats are in play monks don't benefit so much and kind of suck but without them monks still shine. The same for magic items - a lot either let other martials do the kind of supernatural stuff monks can or it boosts their damage moe effectively than monk items do for the monk and generally cuts down on the monk's ability to be awesome.The monk isn't better or worse than other martial classes, its just better in some games and worse in others.And then spellcasting... the experience I have had in a campaign focussed on giants as enemies is different to the one that just followed it focussed on fiends. The same character but in the former campain I contributed a LOT as enemies sometimes failed wisdom saves. In the latter legendary resistance and magic resistance and better stats meant my bard did almost nothing that campaign.

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

    True. That's part of the reason why I love this game though despite occasional frustrations: each time you play, it turns out completely different. That's best saved for another post though.

    I think I'm going to remove shield proficiency from the Blood War Scion sorcerer. Kind of sucks for the sorcerer, but I think I can make them harder to hit without using a shield. Besides, it kind of fits with my original "infernal cannon fodder" idea.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Serial Arsonist
    Love the way of unlocking alchemist's fire as a combat tool. I think the quantity produced should be a little higher because it's such a core part of the class's identity -- maybe go the way of the Smuggler in Sebastian Crowe's and just say that the items can't be sold (or maybe can't even be used by others?) so it guarantees the rogue has their toys without making a DM worry about a rogue handing out legions of alchemist's fire.

    I also think the fire sneak attack damage on Playing With Fire should be an option between fire and something else, so you can huck vials of fire at someone and still deal normal damage. Just a safeguard for fire-resistant / fire-immune foes.
    Increasing it makes sense, especially with a "not of a quality that can be sold" rider. My initial thought had been just cranking them out with Bonus actions, but that doesn't make sense with Rogues' abundance of bonus actions. I'll also add a bandolier effect so there's no issues getting the flasks into their hand.

    I had forgotten how common fire resistance is. I should include fixing that in the scaling somewhere, removing natural resistance and dropping immunity to resistance. I don't know what changing it to "normal" damage would imply... I guess the thud of the glass flask against the target could be bludgeoning damage? Piercing/Slashing for when the glass breaks? Another option would be upgrading the damage type to radiant or something. I don't think that'd make a ton of sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    Serial Arsonist Rogue
    I would rework Fahrenheit 451 to have you roll the d6 first and check for either armor or a weapon after, to clarify what happens if the target has one but isn't using the other. Similarly, I'd allow a saving throw to resist having your scrolls and books burned in case you get mind controlled to attack the PC wizard or the DM wanted to get some scrolls into the hands of the Party Wizard by giving them to an NPC.

    Otherwise my only complaint is that I don't like the idea of making an arsonist character inherently use Wisdom for their abilities. All three mental ability scores can reasonably fit different sorts of savvy arsonists, but low wisdom is probably the best way to represent an arsonist that doesn't think through what they're lighting/where they're lighting it/other risks involved. Maybe make this stuff Int based, to represent how their skills include figuring out how to light things on fire no one expected to be able to combust?
    That's a good point. I'll rework it slightly, because if you're facing down something that isn't wearing armor (like a dragon or wizard) the feature technically stopped working. Since there is no way to quickly get armor off (even doffing light armor takes a minute), they'll use the normal alchemist's fire saving throw to just put it out. I'll also switch it around so that if you drop a burning spellbook/scroll, it burns up - if you keep hanging onto it, you'll take damage and gain disadvantage, but the thing will still exist

    I can see the Wisdom issue - I had chosen it because medicine and perception are also Wisdom skills, and figured there would be a high connection there. But Yes, Int (Nature) is likely the better connection.

    I'll keep Wisdom as a sub for the 9th level passive wink ability, so they can dump Charisma. I'll also add Intimidation, so Hot as Hell can mean both "I'm sexy" and also "That's some nice stuff you've got there, it'd be a shame if anything... happened to it"
    Always looking for critique of my 5E homebrew!


    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarkmundur View Post
    ... does this stuff just come naturally to you? Do you even have to try anymore xD
    Quote Originally Posted by Man_Over_Game View Post
    Vogie is the sh**. I don't really have anything to contribute to the topic, just wanted to point that out.

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

    On the topic of existing WotC features, I just saw a recent reddit thread with homebrew buffs for the storm herald's fire aura. Funny little coincidence.

    Toned the Phoenix barb's Fire in the Skies feature a bit, aarakocra will zoom less now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Gondolin01 View Post
    I think I'm going to remove shield proficiency from the Blood War Scion sorcerer. Kind of sucks for the sorcerer, but I think I can make them harder to hit without using a shield. Besides, it kind of fits with my original "infernal cannon fodder" idea.
    Makes sense. Avoiding AC generally as a defense also helps it feel more distinct from the Bladesinger.

    Quote Originally Posted by Vogie View Post
    Increasing it makes sense, especially with a "not of a quality that can be sold" rider. My initial thought had been just cranking them out with Bonus actions, but that doesn't make sense with Rogues' abundance of bonus actions. I'll also add a bandolier effect so there's no issues getting the flasks into their hand.
    Agreed re:bonus actions, rogues playing this class will still want their bA available to hide/steady aim.

    I had forgotten how common fire resistance is. I should include fixing that in the scaling somewhere, removing natural resistance and dropping immunity to resistance. I don't know what changing it to "normal" damage would imply... I guess the thud of the glass flask against the target could be bludgeoning damage? Piercing/Slashing for when the glass breaks? Another option would be upgrading the damage type to radiant or something. I don't think that'd make a ton of sense.
    When I wrote the Chemister a couple contests ago, I had flasks deal slashing damage because the must be breaking if the fire is pouring out. Agreed that radiant doesn't feel right.
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    This brings up a larger thing I've been waffling on; please forgive me for dumping a bunch of text here. It's not meant as a direct response to you so much as a way for me to share something that's been nagging at me.
    I like seeing thought processes in action, so I enjoyed reading this very much, even though it wasn't intended as a direct response.

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Generalizing the Question(s)
    Variants on this problem show up all over subclass designs. Should I nerf the damage on the Phoenix Barb's aura so it matches the Storm Herald even though I think the Herald's damage is too weak? Is it appropriate to write more spells that provide +1d4 bonuses to d20 rolls even though it's bad for bounded accuracy, since guidance and bless do it? Should voters have docked points from last contest's winner, the Extradimensionalism Wizard, for getting a level 1 feature that seems stronger than demiplane (an 8th-level spell)?

    Sometimes the combination of these feels impossible. The brews we post are judged by our peers, but every reviewer is probably going to have a different opinion on power level, design norms, usability at the table, yadda yadda. And even though I can't vote on my own brews, I also feel compelled to write subclasses that I would want to see across the table. So sometimes I write features that work at my table, sometimes I write them based on what seems popular on reddit, sometimes I write them to match existing WotC products... I feel like I should pick a lane, but what lane? I can never choose.
    I don't think picking one lane and sticking with it the whole way is going to make good or interesting homebrew, so I'd say this is for the best. For starters, actually stopping to weigh these different standards against each other and how well your homebrew matches each one likely mean that you're putting in the effort to make good homebrew, rather than just slapping something together.

    Which I realize is probably isn't a comfort if you're worrying about it, but that's kind of a major aspect of quality control...everywhere. There is no single method of checking that's going to catch all the potential problems, so you use multiple ones which support each other and can catch problems the others can't. If you wouldn't want to see it at the table, that's a problem. If it blows all the published versions out of the water (and I mean the strong ones; I don't think the the Desert Herald or Eagle Totem are benchmarks to worry about) its likely to get banned at most tables. And of course popular opinion is going to influence how much the homebrew would get used.

    In fact, rather than trying to stick to one lane, I'd maybe add the general opinion of the people you play with most often as a fourth standard. These are the other people whose reactions to mechanical effects you see at the table in an actual game, rather then those of us pontificating on games in general which may or may not reflect the sorts of games you're writing homebrew for.

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Side note: Back in the 3e days, there was this sort of gestalt understanding that some effects just belonged at certain levels. We just sort of picked level benchmarks for things, which is why there was a lot of 5th-level flight (example 1, example 2) and 9th-level flight (example 1, example 2) in old 3e classes. It was arbitrary, but the shared understanding helped ground designs. I wonder why the 5e brewing community didn't do something similar. Maybe we're too fractured nowadays?
    Entirely unrelated, but the fact the "reattach or regrow limbs" and "reattach or regrow limbs and bring the target back from the dead" spells are both 7th level has been nagging at me for a couple years now, and I think this explains where the principle comes from.

    I do think the influx of new people not learning from an established DM has fractured the community somewhat, but I also think there's some older assumptions that most people just went with that weren't grounded in anything but tradition and are now getting challenged. I want to specify I don't think the latter is a majority of cases, but I also don't think the fracturing is the only thing going on.

  28. - Top - End - #1078
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    Quote Originally Posted by Just to Browse View Post
    Generalizing the Question(s)
    Variants on this problem show up all over subclass designs. Should I nerf the damage on the Phoenix Barb's aura so it matches the Storm Herald even though I think the Herald's damage is too weak? Is it appropriate to write more spells that provide +1d4 bonuses to d20 rolls even though it's bad for bounded accuracy, since guidance and bless do it? Should voters have docked points from last contest's winner, the Extradimensionalism Wizard, for getting a level 1 feature that seems stronger than demiplane (an 8th-level spell)?

    Sometimes the combination of these feels impossible. The brews we post are judged by our peers, but every reviewer is probably going to have a different opinion on power level, design norms, usability at the table, yadda yadda. And even though I can't vote on my own brews, I also feel compelled to write subclasses that I would want to see across the table. So sometimes I write features that work at my table, sometimes I write them based on what seems popular on reddit, sometimes I write them to match existing WotC products... I feel like I should pick a lane, but what lane? I can never choose.

    In the case of flight, I've started with something that would fit at my table (T1 flight is banned, T2 flight is infrequent, T3 flight can be at-will). But I could see going back on that, maybe lining this flight up with the Ascendant Dragon Monk's flight. Or maybe I should go further and make it more like Totem Eagle Barb's flight. What's the better option? What does "better" even mean? I keep overthinking it.

    Side note: Back in the 3e days, there was this sort of gestalt understanding that some effects just belonged at certain levels. We just sort of picked level benchmarks for things, which is why there was a lot of 5th-level flight (example 1, example 2) and 9th-level flight (example 1, example 2) in old 3e classes. It was arbitrary, but the shared understanding helped ground designs. I wonder why the 5e brewing community didn't do something similar. Maybe we're too fractured nowadays?
    So my approach for evaluation is really based on three factors.

    1) Would I wan't to play it, or can I see someone else wanting to do so. Does it bring something another class doesn't? Is it mechanically unique and fun? Will it tend to be anoyingly underpowered in some fights? Is it one dimensional? Does it have clear strengths? If I were to play this, would I feel cool? Does it fill an unfilled niche?

    2) Can I be confident it wouldn't make anyone else at the table feel bad? Is it filling the role of another class or subclass but does it better. If there exists a character option that is similar but worse, then that's a black mark. This get paricularly accute when a subclass overlaps with another for the same class - say if in this curent example there is a fire themed sorcerer I would be checking to ensure that anyone playing a draconic sorcerer would not be regretting that choice and would still have a place to excel. A fire themed wizard on other hand would be losing the con save profciency, the metamagic from sorcerer so would get a tiny bit more leeway.

    I also don't want a PC to just be the right power on average, it matters how it is distribued. A PC that dominates a couple of fights per day sucks fun from other players on those fights, even if they otherwise underperform.

    3) How would it be for me as a DM? Does it cater to me to be able to flext its power level up or down easily without being prescriptive. A class great at fighting casts can have its power level tweaked by adjusting the number of enemy casters - and this is usually easy enough as a DM without needing big changes. If they were great at fihting oozes then that forces me as DM to consider Oozes as part of the campaign seting which is more prescriptive. The same goes for the different pillars of a campaign. As a DM I want to be able to tweak the levels of exploration, social and combat to give everyone a chance to shine. A class that only excells or has unique abilities in one pillar is not going to rate highly with me.


    Now there is a tension beween these. 1 wants more power but 2 leans towards less. Both push towards having options that are functionally different from other classes. 3 wants something a bit different - though probably not wildy so.

    I am not saying this is the only way to look at evaluating homebrew, just my way - and good to be open about it. Come to think of it, when it comes to ranking/scoring I should probably be more explicit there also.

  29. - Top - End - #1079
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    Default Re: D&D Subclass Contest Chat Thread 2: Joke Entries Win with Alarming Frequency

    [QUOTE=Just to Browse;25983561]Sorcerer of the Flame
    Spoiler: Review
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    This has some of the most interesting and imaginative mechanics I've seen on any sorcerer subclass. I love the guardian flame idea as a novel take on fire magic (not sure what the lore is; is this from a video game?), and the use of lines for attacking & healing as a positioning tool are 10/10.

    My concerns are mostly about power:
    • The shielding mechanic, which (at 20 Cha) becomes a free casting of shield every 2 rounds.
    • The repeatable healing on cauterize (I think you can fix this one easily by making it temp HP)
    • The power of both Devour and Bind. Compared to a caster class like a warlock which is hurting for strong attacks, sorcerers already get a lot of power in their high-level slots, so LVd8 fire damage seems too high.


    Lore is from my brain
    Edit: Just edited the subclass, check it out if you have time.
    Last edited by Psyche; 2024-03-28 at 07:29 PM.

  30. - Top - End - #1080
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

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

    I wish that I had been able to participate in this one or at least do some reviews. Corporate buyouts/mergers are not fun.

    If I have time this weekend I will try to do some last minute reviews.

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