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

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Spoiler: Masked Menace Rogue

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Alter Ego - Is there any mechanical gains you get from this? Does it give people disadvantage on an insight check to figure out who you are? Does it protect you from "Locate" spells or divination spells? It probably doesn't need it anything as this feels mostly flavourful, but I had to ask.

It is unusual that you don't get a bonus action usage for the rogue at level 3. I feel like Alter Ego and Quick Change are more fluff abilities than impactful combat abilities. I wouldn't mind seeing quick change and alter ego combined and a smaller thing be added for a bonus action. Maybe some sort of insult, quip, or other witty dialogue that does something to an opponent?

Rumored Reputation - Fear not my Friends seems pretty weak. You can replicate this ability with a healing kit that costs 2gp for 10 uses. When I saw the name of this, I really expected that it would provide a bonus against fear and charm for your allies.

There is a lot of good fluff and flavour in this subclass. I can feel the Zorro vibes to it. However, it feels a little bit combat light and weak to me. You aren't really giving the rogue much more to do during combat than they get from the base class Rogue. Other ideas that might fit into this theme if you wanted to add more.

Some sort of charm ability - Zorro is a charmer
Vicious Mockery as a bonus action - Insult sword fighting is a thing
Weakened deflect missiles as a reaction - doing amazing things with a sword
Dodge as a bonus action - How do they keep missing with ranged attacks?
Fancy jumps to get through enemy spaces safely

There is nothing bad about this subclass at all. It fits the theme really well and would make a very fun character to roleplay, I just don't feel it would keep up with other pre-existing options.

P.S. I haven't forgotten about this, thanks for the feedback! Nor have I forgotten about my promise to check at least some more competitors out. But the time I have for this stuff always seems to slip away for some reason. Going to give it a try on Sunday.

[Phhase]

Speaking of the Pyro, I've got a review for it.

Spoiler: Pyromaniac

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This is going to be silly, isn't it? Oh, good.

I'm surprised at the choice of sorcerer for the chassis, given that spells will give the character many more options than burning everything to a crisp. I feel like it dilutes the strength of the concept, but it's time to find out.

Mechanics

Flame Magic -
This is useful for getting fire-themed spells but given the subclasses in Tasha's I'm surprised you're not giving these as bonus spells known.

When all you have is a match -
I'm not sure this is a benefit at all. It makes your magic really hot and burning, but devils and anything fire resistant or immune are going to give you nightmares.

Consuming Inferno -
The longer a fight goes, the better this is. Its baseline use is worse than the Draconic sorcerer's Elemental Affinity, but given enough time, it's better. I'm cautiously saying this is balanced, but this is an ability I'd be keeping a close eye on in an actual game.

Slice the Wick -
I'm confused by this feature. Can you explain it? Most sorcerers aren't going to be great with weapons and nothing else in this subclass makes you better with them. Everything else focuses on your spells. Could this be replaced by some sort of spell attack in melee?

Everything Burns -
Soulflame and Magnesius Rage are obviously the best choices among the bunch. Imposing conditions at will that can't be saved against and have to be removed with an action is extremely strong. At a minimum, if you don't change the effects in any other way, I think they need saving throws to remove the penalty at the end of their turn. Soulflame could likely be limited to one type of save instead.

Thank! I appreciate .
I may have just made it unclear, those are bonus spells known, I just didn't use a table to organize them since there weren't enough.

The idea behind When All You Have is kinda of an intentional gimp. This way, it enforces the fire flavor, leaves room for power elsewhere, and increases synergy with Consuming Inferno. And if you really, really, really need something that isn't fire damage, you can still use Metamagic to change the element. That's part of why I picked sorcerer, as well as the fact that you can also get spells that don't have to do with burning things so you're you have a little utility outside of your gimmick.

Slice the Wick is the imported version of Pyro's Flare Gun and Axtinguisher. You trade momentary safety for a powerful finishing move with the potential to kill your opponent outright, solving the matter of the danger you put your fragile self in - if you're careful with it. This is something you'll want to use after stacking burn on your opponent several times, so that you cash out a fat stack of fire damage (the burn damage is maximized!). Additionally, while it is admittedly an edge case, a guaranteed critical hit can be very powerful, especially if you have rogue levels (Sneak Attack), paladin levels (any Smite), or warlock (Eldritch Smite). I was actually more worried about this being a problem than anything else.

Are they, though? I see your point on Soulflame's saves, what about a flat penalty instead? As to Magnesious Rage, while blinding is a good condition, I contest that other options are also pretty good. Sonic has serious AoE potential, more monsters can heal than you think, and poison causes them to be on fire no matter what - even underwater. Consider that if you blind someone and don't move position immediately after, they can still attack you at disadvantage, and there's nothing that says enemies can't put each other out or find some other way to defend against burning.

[Twelvetrees]

The idea behind When All You Have is kinda of an intentional gimp.

That makes more sense now. I appreciate the elaboration.

Slice the Wick is the imported version of Pyro's Flare Gun and Axtinguisher. You trade momentary safety for a powerful finishing move with the potential to kill your opponent outright, solving the matter of the danger you put your fragile self in - if you're careful with it. This is something you'll want to use after stacking burn on your opponent several times, so that you cash out a fat stack of fire damage (the burn damage is maximized!). Additionally, while it is admittedly an edge case, a guaranteed critical hit can be very powerful, especially if you have rogue levels (Sneak Attack), paladin levels (any Smite), or warlock (Eldritch Smite). I was actually more worried about this being a problem than anything else.

On a pure Sorcerer, it's likely underpowered. A few maximized d4s doesn't add up to a lot of damage, even when added to a weapon crit. I'd guess it would be a bit better than casting firebolt. The fact that it works best with multiclassing means I'm going to reiterate my question from before: Could you replace this with a special melee spell attack that does more damage based on how much damage the creature is taking from being on fire?

Are they, though? I see your point on Soulflame's saves, what about a flat penalty instead? As to Magnesious Rage, while blinding is a good condition, I contest that other options are also pretty good.

A flat penalty would be an improvement to Soulflame, yes.

I'm doubling down on my assertion that they're better for a couple of reasons - consistency and power. Piranha Solution is the only other option to offer the same consistency and 1 more damage per burn isn't on the same level at all. Every other option is contingent on something being true.

Right now, Soulflame is a free Heighten on all mental saves on every creature that is burning. It can only be removed by a creature taking an action, roughly the equivalent of becoming Incapacitated for one round. Magnesius Rage gives your allies advantage to attack any time you set a creature on fire, which will be all the time. Nigh-permanent advantage on attacks is strong.


More reviews!

Spoiler: Dragonstone Warrior

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A draconic fighter is not something I can remember seeing before, so I'm curious how you're going to go about this.

Mechanics

Dragonstone Transformation -
+1 to AC is good, but needing to use light or Medium armor means this just puts you on equal footing with heavy armor. The rest of these abilities are cool, but feel underpowered. The weapon is a little bit better than a whip and Arcane Blast is comparable to a Dragonborn's breath weapon (which is generally seen as underpowered). Arcane Blast is probably fine, but would you consider bumping the damage die of the arcane spear to 1d8?

Edit: I noticed I'm directly contradicting an earlier comment from nickl_2000, so I'm going to math this out and compare to the Battle Master.

Spoiler: Math

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At 3rd level, a Battle Master using a whip can do an extra 4d8 damage with it, average of 18. With the arcane spear doing 1d6 (and an average of 1 more damage per hit than a whip), it would take 18 attacks to draw even.

At 11th level, the Battle Master does 5d10, for an average of 27.5 damage. The arcane spear will take an equal number of attacks to draw even and even at three attacks a turn, it still takes 9 rounds.

At 20th level, the Battle Master does 6d12, for an average of 39 damage. The arcane spear at four attacks a turn will take 10 rounds to draw even.

With the damage being 1d8, 3rd level is closer (9 attacks), 11th level is a reasonable 4-5 rounds, and 20th level is 5 rounds.

I'm standing by my statement: It could be bumped up to 1d8.


Is there a reason the transformation has a specific number of uses instead of being based off an ability modifier?

This feature does an excellent job of showing your draconic nature, which is really cool.

Blood of the First Dragons -
That's an uncommon resistance and it continues your established theme. Balanced and good synergy.

Dragonfang -
Oh, that's cool. The math of Arcane Blast in place of an attack is quite on par with a Battle Master using all of their Superiority Dice to add to damage. 4d6 to ~2 creatures versus 5d10 total damage to single creatures. It's even a little weaker because of the saves.

Spamming Arcane Blast at this level is no issue and I like that the option now exists to do so.

Dragon-kin -
Woohoo, flying Fighter!


Overall
Everything works together well and builds atop what has come before. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do with subclasses in future competitions.

Spoiler: Masked Menace

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From the description, I'm hearing what sounds like Assassin and Swashbuckler features. I'm interested to see how you differentiate this build.

Mechanics

Alter Ego -
Ah ha! Calling out the disguise as clearly a disguise works brilliantly to distinguish this subclass from anything that the Assassin gets and fits really well with the media you're imitating. Cool.

Quick Change -
*snort* Heh, this is a fluff feature that hits the exact note you want with this subclass. It's not likely to see much use in play, but when it does it'll be awesome.

No Surprises -
I'm not seeing any issues with this at low levels but Reliable Talent will apply to your initiative rolls at 11th level and higher now. Given that none of your other subclass abilities gain a benefit from going early in the initiative order, I'm cautiously optimistic about this.

Rumored Reputation -
Leading by Example and Fear Itself have vague wording. It would be more straightforward to just give advantage on the associated checks and then follow that statement up with the descriptor so players don't have to justify why they should have advantage on each check. Something like "While wearing your disguise you have advantage on Persuasion checks. Your stirring words call people to action" for Leading by Example.

Fear not my Friends is quite weak for a 9th level feature, especially when in direct comparison to advantage on skill checks. I think you could get away with giving an ability that provides a small amount of actual healing. You could also improve their ability to use Spare the Dying in some fashion.

Skilled for Two -
More skills at this level aren't quite as exciting as they are at lower levels, especially for a rogue who likely is already proficient in the skills they care about. If you want to do something with skills, can I suggest an ability that implies such a character's flair for the dramatic, allowing them to add their Charisma modifier to a skill?

Superb Reputation -
Being locked into this feature based on your level 9 choice feels bad.

Superb Leading by Example: This is extremely open ended. If you've called some of the other characters to action once, can you use this ability at will as long as you remain within 60 feet of one of them?

Superb Fear not my Friends: This is underpowered for 17th level. It's equivalent to feeding someone a Goodberry. There's so much untapped potential for wild abilities at this point in the game, so throw something spectacular out there, like a Revivify equivalent at will.

Spoiler: Path of the Reaver

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I'm feeling trepidation with this one. Trade-offs can cause a character's effectiveness to swing wildly back and forth, so I'm hoping your accounted for that in some fashion.

Mechanics

Blood Frenzy -

• Removing damage resistances hacks away at the core idea of a 5e barbarian and acts as a huge penalty. I was aware something like this was coming, so I'm hoping the survival and endurance aspects are brought back somewhere else.
• The damage bonus is about 0.5 damage more now. Okay, that's not much.
• More crits means more damage, that makes sense.
• Improved damage when at low health. You'd mentioned that in the description.

It looks like you end up with a little bit better damage than a Zealot when at low health at the cost of losing damage resistances. That doesn't seem like a great trade-off, especially because damage resistance is something barbarians are known for. Encouraging being at low health is also counter to how health usually works and will embolden players to yo-yo heal such a barbarian and for such a barbarian to remain at low health instead of healing to full.

Could you pare this back and keep the damage resistances but lower the bonus damage?

Devour -
I'm not a big fan of being dependent on killing high CR monsters to make best use of this feature. The effectiveness of this is entirely out of the player's control. I get why you've done this so I don't think a suggestion to avoid using CR to balance this will help.

Aura of Pain and Terrifying Fury both encourage being at low health as well and I'm convinced by this point that more benefits at low health will cause detrimental behavior to game play.


Overall

A Reaver is most effective at 1 hit point. All of their subclass abilities except Devour work best at low health and even Devour benefits tangentially because you can kill foes faster and trigger it more. Having one member of the party who wants to be at really low health plays all kinds of havoc with the game expectations. I fear that Reaver characters would have an unusually high death rate because of the inherent risky play they promote.

Despite all of my comments, you accomplished what you set out to do: Making a character that works best when close to death, so kudos for that.

[Snowben Gaming]

A draconic fighter is not something I can remember seeing before, so I'm curious how you're going to go about this.

Mechanics

Dragonstone Transformation -
+1 to AC is good, but needing to use light or Medium armor means this just puts you on equal footing with heavy armor. The rest of these abilities are cool, but feel underpowered. The weapon is a little bit better than a whip and Arcane Blast is comparable to a Dragonborn's breath weapon (which is generally seen as underpowered). Arcane Blast is probably fine, but would you consider bumping the damage die of the arcane spear to 1d8?

Edit: I noticed I'm directly contradicting an earlier comment from nickl_2000, so I'm going to math this out and compare to the Battle Master.

Spoiler: Math

Show

At 3rd level, a Battle Master using a whip can do an extra 4d8 damage with it, average of 18. With the arcane spear doing 1d6 (and an average of 1 more damage per hit than a whip), it would take 18 attacks to draw even.

At 11th level, the Battle Master does 5d10, for an average of 27.5 damage. The arcane spear will take an equal number of attacks to draw even and even at three attacks a turn, it still takes 9 rounds.

At 20th level, the Battle Master does 6d12, for an average of 39 damage. The arcane spear at four attacks a turn will take 10 rounds to draw even.

With the damage being 1d8, 3rd level is closer (9 attacks), 11th level is a reasonable 4-5 rounds, and 20th level is 5 rounds.

I'm standing by my statement: It could be bumped up to 1d8.


Is there a reason the transformation has a specific number of uses instead of being based off an ability modifier?

This feature does an excellent job of showing your draconic nature, which is really cool.

Well, the math has spoken: back to 1d8 it is. As for basing the uses off an ability mod: That is a good idea, I guess Con would make the most sense?

Blood of the First Dragons -
That's an uncommon resistance and it continues your established theme. Balanced and good synergy.

Dragonfang -
Oh, that's cool. The math of Arcane Blast in place of an attack is quite on par with a Battle Master using all of their Superiority Dice to add to damage. 4d6 to ~2 creatures versus 5d10 total damage to single creatures. It's even a little weaker because of the saves.

Spamming Arcane Blast at this level is no issue and I like that the option now exists to do so.

Dragon-kin -
Woohoo, flying Fighter!


Overall
Everything works together well and builds atop what has come before. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do with subclasses in future competitions.

Thanks! I'm glad everything holds up. I'm real excited to do more of these competitions, they're really fun.

[Ilerien]

Spoiler: Path of the Reaver

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Mechanics

Blood Frenzy -

• Removing damage resistances hacks away at the core idea of a 5e barbarian and acts as a huge penalty. I was aware something like this was coming, so I'm hoping the survival and endurance aspects are brought back somewhere else.
• The damage bonus is about 0.5 damage more now. Okay, that's not much.
• More crits means more damage, that makes sense.
• Improved damage when at low health. You'd mentioned that in the description.

It looks like you end up with a little bit better damage than a Zealot when at low health at the cost of losing damage resistances. That doesn't seem like a great trade-off, especially because damage resistance is something barbarians are known for. Encouraging being at low health is also counter to how health usually works and will embolden players to yo-yo heal such a barbarian and for such a barbarian to remain at low health instead of healing to full.

Could you pare this back and keep the damage resistances but lower the bonus damage?

Devour -
I'm not a big fan of being dependent on killing high CR monsters to make best use of this feature. The effectiveness of this is entirely out of the player's control. I get why you've done this so I don't think a suggestion to avoid using CR to balance this will help.

Aura of Pain and Terrifying Fury both encourage being at low health as well and I'm convinced by this point that more benefits at low health will cause detrimental behavior to game play.


Overall

A Reaver is most effective at 1 hit point. All of their subclass abilities except Devour work best at low health and even Devour benefits tangentially because you can kill foes faster and trigger it more. Having one member of the party who wants to be at really low health plays all kinds of havoc with the game expectations. I fear that Reaver characters would have an unusually high death rate because of the inherent risky play they promote.

Despite all of my comments, you accomplished what you set out to do: Making a character that works best when close to death, so kudos for that

Thanks for the review! :)
All the points you've made here are very much valid (except the one with most effectiveness at 1 HP - a reaver has admittedly narrow window from 1 to barb level HP). It's just... not much could be done when the core idea of the subclass is "it kills better when at low health". Removing resistances actually helps a reaver to reach half hit points more quickly.
The features tend to hand control from a player over to the DM/chance/etc., but it's nothing new in 5e. Wild magic sorcerer is a textbook example.
I have a couple ideas to tweak it a bit.
First, upgrade the damage bonus to d6/d8/d10 so it's more in line with zealot's damage output. Though the zealot doesn't get that fancy crit range improvement.
Second, give some bonus or advantage to death saves?..
Both merit consideration, but I'm unsure if I should implement them.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Going for "I know this source material!" this time, rather than sticking to the reverse order.

Spoiler: The Cannibal Witch Wizard

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I know this source material!

Mystical cook is good for flavor. Gingerbread house is silly, but not unbalanced. It seems fun!

Fatten them up seems good.

Into the Oven is... confusing me. It turns the house from a goodberry alternative and a werid thematic shelter for the night into some sort of trap. It looks like it works both mechanically and thematically, I just have trouble seeing all the applications and the actual power of this here. It feels a bit strong. Then again, it's for a tenth level wizard, those are strong...

Cook and Eat them is... Don't change it. This is the only place this subclass should go. That just makes me more comflicted about Into the Oven. This feature is certainly not OP in itself, just adding a little bit of healing.

Spoiler: The Dunedain Ranger

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I know this source material too! Although the one time I've read the whole thing through was before the movies even came out, so...

The bonus spells are good picks.

Hands of a healer seems super strong for a 3rd level feature. Not in a vacuum maybe, but in combination with any half decent healer in the same party? That's massiveT Up to 2x the average hit points, dependably. The extra skill here is fine.

Typically ranger subclasses get a defensive feature at level 7 and an offensive one at level 11, when the fighter gains a third attack and cantrip damage goes up. I do not disagree with these two having been switched around, their power level seems fitting like this, but it is atypical. Ancient Lore in particular feels very thematic too.

Return of the King is a very good ability too, can turn a fight around up to several times per day. Rangers have a bit of an early subclass capstone at level 15, which makes this close to overpowered for that level. Then again, having a high wisdom stat as a ranger is a significant investment, so it's probably okay overall.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Spoiler: Masked Menace Rogue

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Alter Ego - Is there any mechanical gains you get from this? Does it give people disadvantage on an insight check to figure out who you are? Does it protect you from "Locate" spells or divination spells? It probably doesn't need it anything as this feels mostly flavourful, but I had to ask.

It is unusual that you don't get a bonus action usage for the rogue at level 3. I feel like Alter Ego and Quick Change are more fluff abilities than impactful combat abilities. I wouldn't mind seeing quick change and alter ego combined and a smaller thing be added for a bonus action. Maybe some sort of insult, quip, or other witty dialogue that does something to an opponent?

Rumored Reputation - Fear not my Friends seems pretty weak. You can replicate this ability with a healing kit that costs 2gp for 10 uses. When I saw the name of this, I really expected that it would provide a bonus against fear and charm for your allies.

There is a lot of good fluff and flavour in this subclass. I can feel the Zorro vibes to it. However, it feels a little bit combat light and weak to me. You aren't really giving the rogue much more to do during combat than they get from the base class Rogue. Other ideas that might fit into this theme if you wanted to add more.

Some sort of charm ability - Zorro is a charmer
Vicious Mockery as a bonus action - Insult sword fighting is a thing
Weakened deflect missiles as a reaction - doing amazing things with a sword
Dodge as a bonus action - How do they keep missing with ranged attacks?
Fancy jumps to get through enemy spaces safely

There is nothing bad about this subclass at all. It fits the theme really well and would make a very fun character to roleplay, I just don't feel it would keep up with other pre-existing options.

I added the missing clarification that Fear not my Friends takes a bonus action to use, like the spell I was basing it on. I agree that without that part it is weak. I added a Chandelier Swinger "showoff" option for the reputation features (alongside the existing leader of the masses, team player, lone wolf surviving stuff and scary person options), as well as the option to at level 17 take 2 extra level 9 features instead of an upgrade to the feature you already have. Dodge as a bonus action sounds really thematic and I want to put it in... I just feel like maybe it's a bit much and now the character is just permanently resistant (well, sort of, after a fashion) to all damage.

If I have another epiphany or change my mind on the dodge before the voting thread goes up I might sneak in something else.

I kind of wish I was making a base class or something, so I could just stuff all of these weak but kind of fun ideas into it.

[Twelvetrees]

Spoiler: The Cannibal Witch Wizard

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I know this source material!

Mystical cook is good for flavor. Gingerbread house is silly, but not unbalanced. It seems fun!

Fatten them up seems good.

Into the Oven is... confusing me. It turns the house from a goodberry alternative and a werid thematic shelter for the night into some sort of trap. It looks like it works both mechanically and thematically, I just have trouble seeing all the applications and the actual power of this here. It feels a bit strong. Then again, it's for a tenth level wizard, those are strong...

Cook and Eat them is... Don't change it. This is the only place this subclass should go. That just makes me more comflicted about Into the Oven. This feature is certainly not OP in itself, just adding a little bit of healing.

Thanks for the review!

I should point out that you don't have to add an oven to the house when you create it, which preserves its original usages. I wanted some way to make sure the oven from the story made an appearance and because I already have this subclass creating the house, I thought having the option to add an oven would work.

Would it make more sense to remove the line about being able to automatically succeed on the saving throw? If I did that a Cannibal Witch could end up in their own oven and I'd have a stronger thematic connection to the original fairy tale.

Spoiler: The Dunedain

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This ought to be interesting. My first thought is that you'll need to differentiate it from the Hunter subclass somehow because this reads like another archetypal ranger. Time to dig into the details and see how that went!

Mechanics

Dunedain Magic -
I was expecting more nature-based magic, but spells that emphasize leadership and force of presence make sense. I am a little bit worried that because all but one of them require Concentration, they won't see a ton of use.

Dunedain Endurance -
I don't know how to judge the balance of this. It's really strong in it's niche, but doesn't do anything if exhaustion doesn't come up in game. I'd probably categorize it as a mostly fluff ability, in which case it works well for its purpose

Hands of a Healer -
Subtly strong. This feature allows your party to stretch their resources out much longer and keeps everyone on their feet with ease. I am wondering if you intentionally left out some sources of healing by specifying that the healing had to be from spells or hit dice. It doesn't look like this feature would apply to a Celestial Warlock's Healing Light feature, for example.

Ancient Lore -
This ability runs into the usual issue ranger from previous editions of the game had to deal with. Namely, not being able to use it when the creature type you chose isn't present.

The Foe option becomes incredibly strong when the creature type you chose is present. Always-on advantage on attacks is better than the defining ability of Vengeance Paladins.

Given the source material, would you instead consider a feature that allows you to call ghostly undead to serve you?

Will of the Dunedain -
Rangers usually gain some ability at this level that gives them more attacks or more attack options, so passive benefits are a little unusual. That being said, immunity to charm and fear nullifies some of the most potent effects that can be used against you. I think you could get away with adding some sort of minor active ability as well.

The Return of the King -
Cool. I'm not seeing any issues.


Overall
I think the source material is imitated pretty well and thought it was intriguing that you managed to convey leadership ability without the need for Charisma.

Spoiler: Draconic Elementalist

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This sounds extremely similar to the Draconic Bloodline but feeding off the elements is new. I'm expecting that this subclass will explore that aspect in detail. Time to see if I'm right.

Mechanics

Dragon Link -
This reads like an improved version of the Draconic Bloodline subclass's 1st level features.

I think you could do something to give different draconic abilities instead, like a dragon's senses or their tail/claws/teeth.

Draconic Element -
An at-will ability to take no damage from your chosen element at 1st level is ludicrously powerful, not least because it's in addition to the aforementioned feature.

This probably needs to be bumped up to be a feature you receive at a higher level if you're trying to have this subclass be on par with other sorcerer subclasses.

Elemental Dragon's Roar -
The name tricked me into thinking this was going to be a fear effect. Other than that, I think this is cool. It's a dragon's breath weapon.

Dracoelemental Body -
Again, this reminds me of the Draconic Bloodline but improved. This is much later in your progression, but it still feels like retreading old ground.

Dragon Force -
I understand why most of these bullet points are present. The resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing is one I don't. What draconic aspect is it supposed to represent? A dragon's toughness? I usually imagine scales deflecting blows for dragons instead of meaty hide that absorbs any hit.

[CountDVB]

Spoiler: Draconic Elementalist

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This sounds extremely similar to the Draconic Bloodline but feeding off the elements is new. I'm expecting that this subclass will explore that aspect in detail. Time to see if I'm right.

Mechanics

Dragon Link -
This reads like an improved version of the Draconic Bloodline subclass's 1st level features.

I think you could do something to give different draconic abilities instead, like a dragon's senses or their tail/claws/teeth.

Draconic Element -
An at-will ability to take no damage from your chosen element at 1st level is ludicrously powerful, not least because it's in addition to the aforementioned feature.

This probably needs to be bumped up to be a feature you receive at a higher level if you're trying to have this subclass be on par with other sorcerer subclasses.

Elemental Dragon's Roar -
The name tricked me into thinking this was going to be a fear effect. Other than that, I think this is cool. It's a dragon's breath weapon.

Dracoelemental Body -
Again, this reminds me of the Draconic Bloodline but improved. This is much later in your progression, but it still feels like retreading old ground.

Dragon Force -
I understand why most of these bullet points are present. The resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing is one I don't. What draconic aspect is it supposed to represent? A dragon's toughness? I usually imagine scales deflecting blows for dragons instead of meaty hide that absorbs any hit.

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it's a dragon's toughness. This takes inspiration from the anime/manga Fairy Tail, specifcially those who use Dragon Slayer Magic, such as the protagonist Natsu. See here if you see what I mean

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Would it make more sense to remove the line about being able to automatically succeed on the saving throw? If I did that a Cannibal Witch could end up in their own oven and I'd have a stronger thematic connection to the original fairy tale.

True, true. It would also be weirder to properly use as a class feature.

I don't actually really mind having some form of security in your shelter. I mostly feel out of depth judging where this falls on a power scale.

[Lvl45DM!]

Thanks for the review!

[spoiler=The Dunedain]This ought to be interesting. My first thought is that you'll need to differentiate it from the Hunter subclass somehow because this reads like another archetypal ranger. Time to dig into the details and see how that went!

Mechanics

Dunedain Magic -
I was expecting more nature-based magic, but spells that emphasize leadership and force of presence make sense. I am a little bit worried that because all but one of them require Concentration, they won't see a ton of use.

Dunedain Endurance -
I don't know how to judge the balance of this. It's really strong in it's niche, but doesn't do anything if exhaustion doesn't come up in game. I'd probably categorize it as a mostly fluff ability, in which case it works well for its purpose

Hands of a Healer -
Subtly strong. This feature allows your party to stretch their resources out much longer and keeps everyone on their feet with ease. I am wondering if you intentionally left out some sources of healing by specifying that the healing had to be from spells or hit dice. It doesn't look like this feature would apply to a Celestial Warlock's Healing Light feature, for example.

Ancient Lore -
This ability runs into the usual issue ranger from previous editions of the game had to deal with. Namely, not being able to use it when the creature type you chose isn't present.

The Foe option becomes incredibly strong when the creature type you chose is present. Always-on advantage on attacks is better than the defining ability of Vengeance Paladins.

Given the source material, would you instead consider a feature that allows you to call ghostly undead to serve you?

Will of the Dunedain -
Rangers usually gain some ability at this level that gives them more attacks or more attack options, so passive benefits are a little unusual. That being said, immunity to charm and fear nullifies some of the most potent effects that can be used against you. I think you could get away with adding some sort of minor active ability as well.

The Return of the King -
Cool. I'm not seeing any issues.

Yes this went under several revisions before even posting because thematically its just...a Ranger. THE Ranger maybe, but still.

I did realize that they are Concentration, but I figured Rangers dont cast that many spells in combat usually. They'll slap on their strongest one and go to work. Besides, Aragorn don't be casting often, so Concentration spells seemed apt.

Endurance is mostly fluff, but also it can make the Ranger stand out in nasty wilderness survival games.

Hands of a Healer, well I didnt want to balance it with every possible version of healing so I simplified it. I always feel like rangers are like thieves from early editions, at their strongest outside of combat so thats what this is for.

Ancient Lore...Yeah I do dislike the limitations of needing your enemy there. Hrng.
Ok I adjusted it. Removed the rider affect from Friend, weakened advantage from Foe, and added Fell Power, for activatable Resistance whenever you want. Its not strong, but its neat.

Will of the Dunedain now lets them cast Command a few times as a bonus action.

Spoiler: The Dunedain Ranger

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I know this source material too! Although the one time I've read the whole thing through was before the movies even came out, so...

The bonus spells are good picks.

Hands of a healer seems super strong for a 3rd level feature. Not in a vacuum maybe, but in combination with any half decent healer in the same party? That's massive Up to 2x the average hit points, dependably. The extra skill here is fine.

Typically ranger subclasses get a defensive feature at level 7 and an offensive one at level 11, when the fighter gains a third attack and cantrip damage goes up. I do not disagree with these two having been switched around, their power level seems fitting like this, but it is atypical. Ancient Lore in particular feels very thematic too.

Return of the King is a very good ability too, can turn a fight around up to several times per day. Rangers have a bit of an early subclass capstone at level 15, which makes this close to overpowered for that level. Then again, having a high wisdom stat as a ranger is a significant investment, so it's probably okay overall.

Thanks. Maybe I'll limit Hands of a Healer to Wis mod people/long rest. So you cant just short rest after every little skirmish and gain the advantage.

Yeah I know how rangers normally go, but the ideas suit the levels better. So yknow, screw normal.

Cheers guys.

[MoleMage]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Voting-Thread

Voting is upon us!

[nickl_2000]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Voting-Thread

Voting is upon us!

Will be voting soon, but just so you know you gave Barbarian: Path of the Titan a bit of a bonus this time around (copy and paste error)

Battling Bowman Artificer - Now this is some good stuff. I'd play this... Heck, I might actually ask my DM if I can next time I need a character.

Thanks, and please do if you can. If you do, I would absolutely love to hear how it played and could/should be adjusted.

[Damon_Tor]

will be voting soon, but just so you know you gave barbarian: Path of the titan a bit of a bonus this time around (copy and paste error)

Such is the power!

[CountDVB]

2 days left everyone for this one!

[MoleMage]

Hokay calling it now. Sorry for my late vote, I got caught up in yardwork yesterday during my usual computing time (darn springtime).

We had some breakout entries this time, scoring far ahead of the otherwise fairly equal distribution.

Our third place winner, with 14 points tallied, MoleMage's Way of the Mists! You don't need to eat metal, your ki has you covered.

Our second place winner, with 18 points tallied (and a whopping 4 picks for first place), Damon_Tor's Path of the Titan! I guess we all just really wanted giant weapons.

And our first place winner, with 19 points tallied (receiving a vote from 9 out of 13 voters), nickl_2000's Battling Bowman! Trick arrows like Arcane Archer wishes it had.

In the theme category we had the opposite problem, coming in at nearly a 3-way-tie! We did have a 2-way tie, meaning contests XXII and XXIII are locked in for theme now. Follow Me!'s points came in before Bunch of Fives's, so we'll do that one first. Congrats everyone! I'll get the new contest thread up in a bit here.

Voting is called, new contest is made! Let's see some leadership!

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Follow-Me!-II

EDIT: I also updated the class representation records in the first post with the data from the last two contests, and the Fighter has unseated the Monk as our most popular base class! The monk's sat on that position for a long while now, so I thought that was interesting.

[CountDVB]

For those who wish to make a deal to become the leader, then I present the Pact of the Regulator.

[BerzerkerUnit]

Monastic Tradition: Way of the Cruel Master is posted.

Not sure if I want to buff it to allow you to order Stunning strikes through your Aspirants.

Brutal Instruction is a step above Commander's strike since it costs no resource and allows you to have the wizard kick for a d10, but Monks are understood to be weaker than fighters as a class and unarmed damage stays behind weapon damage for all 20 levels so I'm not too worried.

[CountDVB]

Monastic Tradition: Way of the Cruel Master is posted.

Not sure if I want to buff it to allow you to order Stunning strikes through your Aspirants.

Brutal Instruction is a step above Commander's strike since it costs no resource and allows you to have the wizard kick for a d10, but Monks are understood to be weaker than fighters as a class and unarmed damage stays behind weapon damage for all 20 levels so I'm not too worried.

It definitely looks pretty nice and I like the student becoming the master angle. I would suggest changing the name to like Way of the Sifu or something, since Cruel Master seems kinda on the point (and when it comes to martial arts, a bit redundant since harshness was kinda the default if I remember correctly).

[Ilerien]

Brutal Instruction is a step above Commander's strike since it costs no resource and allows you to have the wizard kick for a d10, but Monks are understood to be weaker than fighters as a class and unarmed damage stays behind weapon damage for all 20 levels so I'm not too worried.

This monk will be stuck using this feature to sic party rogue on enemies. And if there's a battlemaster in the party as well, the rogue will be able to make 3 sneak attacks per round.

While your Aspirants can see you, losing face is unconscionable. When you fail an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw you can expend a point of ki to gain a bonus to the roll equal to the number of Aspirants that can see you, possibly turning a failure into a success.

I think you want to cap this number at your proficiency or wisdom bonus. I mean, if this monk has 20 disciples...

For those who wish to make a deal to become the leader, then I present the Pact of the Regulator.

A very dedicated face of a party. I like it.
The 10th level feature is a bit clunky not offering an alternative in case a warlock has the proficiencies already, but I think expertise makes up for it.
The martial aspect is less powerful than that of a hexblade, but, well, it's still an opportunity to make a frontliner warlock with pact of the blade and invocations to back it.

[MrStabby]

Added the guide - a ranger subclass focussed on supporting those around them.


https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...64&postcount=5

[CountDVB]

A very dedicated face of a party. I like it.

The 10th level feature is a bit clunky not offering an alternative in case a warlock has the proficiencies already, but I think expertise makes up for it.

The martial aspect is less powerful than that of a hexblade, but, well, it's still an opportunity to make a frontliner warlock with pact of the blade and invocations to back it.

True though it does say weapon attack so it could apply to any weapon attack, so there’s no limits. I guess it would be including improvised weapons or unarmed strikes.

Yeah, thank you very much for the nice words!

[sengmeng]

Wasn't feeling inspired lately, until today. In the spirit of the thread title, I present: The Eldritch Pyramid Schemer Patron. Yes, it's a bookkeeping nightmare, but I hope it's funny enough to overcome that.

[BerzerkerUnit]

This monk will be stuck using this feature to sic party rogue on enemies. And if there's a battlemaster in the party as well, the rogue will be able to make 3 sneak attacks per round.I think you want to cap this number at your proficiency or wisdom bonus. I mean, if this monk has 20 disciples...

Pretty sure I limited the number of Aspirants you can have at proficiency, I’ll tighten the language if it read differently. RAW, rogues can’t sneak attack with unarmed strikes, so I think that solves that issue.

[Damon_Tor]

The Deathtouched Sorcerer is feature-complete, except that there are a few new spells I need to write.

As noted, its core feature is very similar to one I came up with for my College of Fellowship bard a while ago, with a few important differences. This version is significantly stronger, with the sorcerer's shambling horde being both more durable and dealing more damage than the bard's mob: this is because the sorcerer's horde is built out of entities the sorcerer needs to spend spell slots to create, while the bard's followers just show up eager to serve, purely the product of class features.

[Ilerien]

Pretty sure I limited the number of Aspirants you can have at proficiency, I’ll tighten the language if it read differently. RAW, rogues can’t sneak attack with unarmed strikes, so I think that solves that issue.

Must've been sleepy when reading your entry. *facepalm* Apologies, this was indeed my bad.

True though it does say weapon attack so it could apply to any weapon attack, so there’s no limits. I guess it would be including improvised weapons or unarmed strikes.

It does allow more options than hexblade's feature, though I can't think of anything more appealing than taking pact of the blade and spirit shroud spell from Tasha's at least for a single-class warlock. If one gets extra attack from multiclassing, there might be alternatives worthy of consideration. Anyway, it's for sure a very good subclass on par with the hexblade.

[KragBrightscale]

Sengmeng! You’ve done it haha.

Pyramid scheme or MLM was exactly where my mind went when I was thinking about this contest’s theme.

I was playing around with some ideas for how it could be pulled off as a patron but only had a few points sorted out before seeing that you beat me to it.

I got stuck figuring out what resource those below could provide those above. The other way around had plenty of options. Why didn’t I think of HP haha or even a hit dice. Nicely done.

I’ll write up my thoughts on what you’ve got so far along with some of my half baked ideas. I won’t be submitting anything this round as I don’t have the time to bring it to the level that is functional.

Spoiler: Feedback: Eldritch Pyramid Schemer

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I love what you’ve got, there is a clear structure that could be extended to huge sizes. Still, there are some points which might need tweaking due to that. As it is now, what stops a pyramid schemer from recruiting the whole village they pass through and gaining 50 temp hp + 10 5th lvl longrest slots? other than the fact that there isn’t much in it for around 80% of the villagers due to not having access to spell slots as they will likely be out of stock or used by you.

Consider adding a cap to max direct recruits or max temp hp. Charisma Modifier + proficiency bonus? Class lvl based? Regular Incremental increase? No idea.

My idea was for recruits to start with access to limited use cantrips (mainly utility ones or low damage ones) and maybe eventually an invocation (that you already have selected for yourself) if they recruited enough followers. This would make joining your pyramid scheme tempting enough.

Only the best would get access to a spell slot (but again I limited its level to lvl 1) though I wasn’t sure if that should cost the use of your own spell slots. You solved the resource issue nicely by giving them a slot their own per 5 recruits.

Question: can other PC characters offer 1hp and recruit 5 followers to effectively get an extra spell slot each? Why wouldn’t they. Small price to pay for a lvl 5 slot, or eventually a lvl 9 spell once a day.

At higher levels, I considered allowing the highest ranking followers to take a single class level in warlock (even if they didn’t have the required multi class ability scores) with you as the patron. The cost for them? They spend their XP (to level up) but again, what would you gain from that? So I got stuck.

Question about lvl 14 ability. Say you bring along a couple of your direct followers, can you now effectively cast each mystic arcanum 3 times? Pretty powerful.

Thoughts on the Spell list: it makes sense as spells the top of the pyramid should use. Lots of enchantment, you are manipulating the masses. Great, however, are these spells you want your followers to use?

As the leader of the pyramid, spells are the products you are marketing. Consider throwing in a couple practical spells that you learned specifically because you knew others would want them. Ones that you can use in your elevator sales pitch.

Plant growth would be great for farmers who follow you. Aura of vitality or a minor healing spell could allow your followers to create a positive brand image in various towns. Faithful hound would be popular amongst travelers and merchants that need to spend the night outside. Visually impressive evocation magic like burning hands or ice storm would be an instant hit amongst youngsters who failed to get into a Wizards’ university.

Just some ideas.

Overall, it’s a fun entree. You’d probably end up playing a eldritch blasting meat shield with all that temp hp. At least in the morning after a good long rest. Ability to tank drops as day goes on.

[Snowben Gaming]

My entry for this contest is up, I present to thee: the Circle of the Pack.

I have reservations about my entry, for multiple reasons:

• I may have diluted the leadership aspect with melee weapon-ness (it's designed to be the druid's equivalent of bladesinger or swords bard with a bunch of leadership thrown in.)
• Balance Issues, mostly with Pack Hunting and Alpha's Command
• The wording of Pack Hunting was hard to do. Its intended to allow all other creatures have advantage on their first melee weapon attack against the designated target as long as this occurs before your next turn.
• I'm not sure how "druidy" it really feels.

[Damon_Tor]

Finished adding the new spells for the deathtouched Sorcerer. All three are wizard/cleric spells available to the Deathtouched sorcerer only through his bonus spells.

EDIT: Lesser Animate Dead is renamed "Grim Puppet". This is a more interesting name, and draws attention to the fact that the summoned creature has no autonomy.

[CountDVB]

Circle of the Pack: A Druid Circle

Many animals are pack hunters, and druids of the Circle of the Pack seek to emulate this method of combat with their allies. Regarding their traveling companions and allies as pack mates, these druids often end up as the "alphas" of raiding bands or shock troops and don't shy away from the front lines of a combat.

Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in simple and martial weapons.

Pack Hunting
Also at 2nd level, you become a true pack hunter, leading your allies in tactics designed to pick off the opposition through numbers. Once on your turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can designate that creature as your prey. Until the start of your next turn, the first time a creature makes a melee attack against your prey, they have advantage on the attack roll. Multiple creatures can benefit from this advantage, although they can only do so once each time you designate a creature as your prey.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), regaining all uses upon completing a long rest.

Extra Attack
Begining at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Alpha's Command
By 10th level, you have become adept at leading your pack into battle. When you use your Pack Hunting feature, you can choose a friendly creature within weapon range of your prey. That creature can use its reaction to make a weapon attack against your prey.

Heart of the Pack
Starting at 14th level, you are an inspiration for your packmates, strengthening their resolve. Friendly creatures that can see you are immuned to the frightened and charmed conditions and have advantage on saving throws made to resist being compelled to act in a manner contrary to their own desires.

Spoiler: Changelog

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1st April

• First playable draft
• Reworded Pack Hunting to limit it to once on your turn (so you can't have multiple prey when you get extra attack)

Pack Hunting seems to be pretty all right though let me try with wording:

Spoiler

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Also at 2nd level, you see your comrades as your pack and your wild instincts help you in leading the offensive with your pack on your prey. Once on your turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can designate that creature as the your pack's prey. Until the start of your next turn, all creatures you deem friendly have advantage on melee attack rolls against the creatue designated, though only on their first attack on the creature.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), regaining all uses upon completing a long rest.

I would recommend changing Alpha's Command to something else (maybe a free usage of Conjure Animals with buff to them?) if you are insecure on your subclass being sufficiently druid-flavored.

Heart of the Pack is also good Here is another potential way of wording it if you like:

Spoiler

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Starting at 14th level, you are an inspiration for your packmates, strengthening their resolve. All friendly creatures within 60 ft of you that can see or hear you are immune to being charmed and frightened along with having advantage on Wisdom saving throws.