homebrew

[true forge]

burrow speed is very good

and why do they get a flying/swimming speed?

[restive hare]

Well they're pretty inventive
By themselves there slow but are good crafters so hand gliders and implements for water

[true forge]

well, thats way too much for a race

maybe make a feature for crafting stuff

[restive hare]

That's what I am going to do also thank you any more thoughts

[void jewel]

A burrow speed means invincibility.

There's a reason no features grant this to PCs except a wild shaping druid

99.8% of monsters can do absolutely nothing to a burrowing PC.

You won't be able to make burrow ever work in a race, even a 5 feet speed.

[native quail]

There’s also the fact that foxes can’t burrow

[hallow current]

I know people say you probably don't need to write down a functioning government system for your first homebrew campaign, but I can't help but feel it's necessary to do so

[eager mauve]

It def helps

Having some form of authroity and that jazz in campaigns really set the tone of the world

and how it works

[hallow current]

Yeah. And like, if it doesn't make sense to me its hard to continue on smaller details

Or bigger ones

[eager mauve]

Exactly. I have a problem with over planning and world making lmao. I want to try to include as much as I can and then it ends up overwhelming me and I have to go back to it later on a fresh mind

[hallow current]

My issue is I use the W,W,W,W,W,H method

Like, if I add something I need to ask myself all those questions to make sure it makes sense

[eager mauve]

Honestly, not a bad method. At least you have some planning with that method

[hallow current]

Yeah, only bad thing is I can start really drawing lines further back. Like "oh fishing village by river" "where do the fish come from?"
"Up river"
"How far up"
"Uhm"

Dang I guess I gotta make a fish migration system

[eager mauve]

Yeah I see what you mean. Those are the types of small things where I'd be like "yeah the fish came from up river." how far? "pretty far it seems" and just leave it at that lmao

[hallow current]

XD

[strange surge]

Hey homebrewers! Question for you all: how do you go about playtesting new content to ensure it's balanced?

[eager mauve]

i run some encounters with myself/ some friends

kind of like a one shot

owlbear rodeo stuff. if im doing some quick balancing or adding new features i just kind of use owlbear and run encounters by myself

you could also use comparisons to other systems like 5e if you have a mechanic you are not sure about that might be resembled in a different system to give you an idea

@strange surge

[strange surge]

Thank you :) I'll probably end up doing something similar and running one shots to test

[eager mauve]

Honestly, the one shots help a lot. Even if its just like 2 people that you are running a one shot with, it gives you an idea on how to scale some stuff, and they also could shoot some recommendations over to help

[strange surge]

Makes sense. I was worried about playtesting something like a class/subclass without perfect conditions like an adventure that's already established as "balanced" and a full party, etc

[eager mauve]

Yeah. I've been working on this new system for my campaign coming up soon and i made it to where the classes are playable lvl 3, and so far it worked out pretty well. Id say just run whatever VTT you are comfortable with, or in person, and just work out some kinks here and there and balancing

[blissful cedar]

Can I get some help on making a vestige? Or can some help on steps to make one

[strange surge]

What is a vestige?

[blissful cedar]

A vestige is a weapon or item that can upgrade with the player.
So a weapon can be a +1, and eventually become a +2 and then for its last upgrade could lead it to be a +3.
It can come with other attributes as well

[strange surge]

Is that an official thing or a homebrew item you're making?

[blissful cedar]

It is an official thing but I’m making a homebrew item

[strange surge]

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with vestiges

when would it upgrade?

[blissful cedar]

That’s what I’m trying to figure out

[strange surge]

oh

sorry, I couldn't help you then 😅 if it's an official kind of magic item, maybe there's advice on it in the DMG?

[true forge]

CR item with 3 forms

that upgrade over the course of a game

[strange surge]

huh. sounds pretty cool

[blissful cedar]

Where do you find this information?
I keep landing on unofficial websites that aren’t helping

[true forge]

vestiges are also not official content lol

[true forge]

i just know it lol

[woven hamlet]

Id assume that its from critical role

[blissful cedar]

Oh, thought they were eventually made official

[true forge]

nope

Crit Roll/Matt Mercer made them

[woven hamlet]

Theres no official accepted term for items similar to vestiges but they're basically growth items that get stronger with the player under certain circumstances

Vestiges were made as part of crit role but its likely been a thing prior to that

[blissful cedar]

Do you happen to know at what level the items upgrade?

[wet yarrow]

Aaah. I'm finally happy with this damn new Barbarian rage >_>

[woven hamlet]

Whenever the dm decides

[blissful cedar]

Oh

Well dang

[elder mountain]

When something says +Your Wisdom Modifier do I put Wisdom for Ability score type?

[scenic dew]

Sounds like something I need exactly.

Is there something like Brainrot monster, would anyone know about any monster like that ?

I mean like literally makes people's brains rot as magical effect of sorts.

[blissful cedar]

There’s an intellect devourer.
They can suck out peoples intelligence until they die.

They can even jump into that persons body

[scenic dew]

Right I forgot about them. Maybe I just reskin them for more thematic appearance and use them.

[blissful cedar]

Just reflavor how they work.
Make your players imagine some poor dude is actually having his brain rotted and melting out of his ears

[scenic dew]

Instead of walking brains, they will be walking mouths that never shut up.

[blissful cedar]

There you go

[true forge]

What name do you guys like more for a 3rd caster (cleric) rogue sub?

Divine Shadow or Divine Mirage?

[pastel mirage]

mirage is cold

[spring tusk]

Just beat Elden Ring, I officially have experienced every boss statblock I'm making

[weak lodge]

Forwarding this here because I feel it belongs here too :)

jumpscare HAAA

[weak lodge]

Wake up babe, new city just dropped

And again (man I'm good at this :) )

[novel cobalt]

this is lore tho not homebrew

[rancid basalt]

Quick idea:
A magic tattoo of adamantine ink - Unarmed Strikes on objects become crits, and crits against you while unarmored become normal hits

Ideal for monks, barbarians, fighters etc.

Should it be attunement or not?

[primal osprey]

I think it should be fine without attunement

[rancid basalt]

yeah like the normal adamantine options

arguably somewhat better getting two in one, but the downside being the benefits are for an unarmed, unarmored combatant

[wet bear]

Curse of the Night Owl

every time you make a long rest, your highest casting resource (spell slots, ki points, sorcery points) are simply not replenished. you have a 25% chance of finding a mundane item.

[weak lodge]

it's a homebrew city? I do apologize if I've misinterpreted where this goes. I thought this was for all homebrew stuff. Am I mistaken?

from what I understood the lore channels were for WOTC-published stuff not self-made

[weak lodge]

that's cool!

[wet bear]

the 25% chance is rolled on a d20. if this roll crits, you instead find any magic item. in this case, you wake up with NONE of your casting resources replenished, and two less hit points.

[weak lodge]

ooh I like that too!

[mighty yew]

So... I was thinking on this idea and I wonder if there any other final fantasy tactics fans that could help me with it but I wanted to make a subclass, probably a cleric, that is based off of law cards

[weak lodge]

as in the Tarot?

[native grove]

The existence of the quickling implies the existence of a quickle

my idea is basically that if a quickling manages to eat a ton of food they will simply keep growing and growing, increasing their lifespan and size until they grow to medium size, but it does actually slow them down slightly as they gain more strength and bulk.

they act as mob bosses, bullying weaker quicklings into stealing more food for them to maintain their bulk.

while they are slower than regular quicklings they use their speed much more effectively, letting them do things like build up static electricity for a devestating touch attack or to make a sonic boom wherever they move

[copper quest]

Hey, can I share 3.5e homebrew here ? Or is it 5e only ?

[coral delta]

Unfortunately, the server is 5e specific. We have #dnd-elder-editions for 3.5 content.

[rugged olive]

How is this for a "dueling" stance for my fighter subclass

Makashi Stance (Dueling Stance)
"While wielding a melee weapon and no other weapons and are in reach of up to 1 enemy, you have advantage on attacks against that enemy."

[restive hare]

I know that but I added it because looking underground kind of that's benefits to a species

[mighty yew]

No

Basically on the world of FFTA there was a game mechanic called laws that restricted certain actions otherwise you'd have repercussions like being sent to jail.

I wanted to possible convert that idea to a subclass that functions off a similar premise that would be cool.

[weak lodge]

I apologise for seeming obtuse, but I'm unfamliliar with what FFTA stands for, can I ask if you can elaborate?

[mighty yew]

Oh it stands for final fantasy tactics advance.

I'm not sure if laws were involved in the other games but yeah

[weak lodge]

Ah, I see

I'd love to assist. But I'm unfamiliar with the materials (I've never played any final fantasy game) So I'd be of no help.

I Apologise

[mighty yew]

Completely understand.

It's funny because sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that's played that game before so I just need to keep looking around until I find another fan of lat and dungeons & dragons.

Ironically the way that it plays is kind of compatible with D&D

[weak lodge]

Very interesting lol

[mighty yew]

Mulling over the idea I was thinking of something like you utilize a law card and restrict something from happening... Like the utilization of fire or enchantment magic.

If they use it they take some psychic damage and the keeper of the law cards gains a particular resource to do some kind of feature or ability.

[weak lodge]

Oh I see

Perhaps a magic item where you spend a hit dice, and restrict a school of magic (determined by the card) for that amount of rounds

Powerful but can be limited

Make it attunement, spellcaster

Or don't, a barbarian beung able to lock down necromancy would be terrifying

[mighty yew]

Lol

Yeah I want to do a full class not just a magic item to dedicate an entire support style on it.

You're absolutely right though. Just anyone having a power like that would be nuts

[weak lodge]

honestly sounds like either a Warlock or a Bard Subclass, but having a full class would be cool!

or maybe even a fighter subclass actually

[mighty yew]

I'm still super hanging on Cleric subclass.

[timid bone]

Is there a way I can program a homebrew magic item (on dndbeyond) that allows any spellcaster class to regain all spell slots after a short rest? Can't find the modifiers for it...

(Please feel free to ping me if you have a response so that I see it, thank you)

[mighty yew]

assuming through D&D beyond?

[timid bone]

Yes

[mighty yew]

there is not one tha would automatically do it.

[mellow crystal]

Any advice or improvements using a regular Salesman as a character in a D&D campaign?

Brief Description: Greg is a man out of time and place. A 34-year-old former military officer, he was inexplicably teleported into this world from the middle of a sales pitch in his previous life. He arrived with only the suit on his back and a shattered sense of reality. His past is defined by a significant military failure that ended his career and shattered his confidence. His present is a chaotic scramble for survival, using his cynical and pragmatic sales skills as a coping mechanism.

[timid bone]

Ok, that's kind of what I thought after poking around for quite some time. I'll just tell the player who ends up possessing it that they will have to manually reset them.

[timid bone]

Nice, haha! Maybe dig into what he sold specifically in his old life. Dictionaries? Software? Bobble head dolls?

There's so many tropes with such a character

[mellow crystal]

https://sordid-bovid-2b9.notion.site/The-Strategist-A-Complete-Dossier-for-the-Game-Master-28735e3c36fc80c3b1d9dd7e65eb4dd2

@timid bone I like where your mind is at. Something for me to brainstorm for sure!

[timid bone]

Well, you do have it here that he's got amnesia and can't remember the company or product he was selling.

[mellow crystal]

@timid bone Ya I originally did that because I was just trying to be general but I think if I go into his background and try to find a funny thing he sells that would add some fun to whatever campaign he is in

[timid bone]

Yea! That's kind of what I was thinking. And if he's a strategist type, he'll have concocted some wild and elaborate plan to get back to his old life. But the plan is so complicated and unrealistic, it never works.

[mellow crystal]

@timid bone I love that!!!

[timid bone]

(I'm not a salesman playing DND irl, I swear it...)

[mellow crystal]

@timid bone What has been your experience with home brewing. This is the first time I am considering it. I usually play as a wizard and switch it up with different schools, but I got pretty bored of it and wanted to do something that could add creativity to a campaign.

[timid bone]

I often sit in the DM chair, and thus... Homebrew a lot.

For player's homebrewing an engaging character, remember to give yourself flaws and room for growth. Don't be afraid to do things wrong, especially at first, even if you as the person know better.

[mellow crystal]

@timid bone Any advice to make my character more engaging? I am going to tweak this character sheet before my campaign tomorrow!

[timid bone]

You've done a lot of hard work and Greg definitely has room to grow. I'd say you're in really good shape and now it's just coming up with the finer details. IMO, you're good to go.

[mellow crystal]

@timid bone Sweet thanks!

[void jewel]

High powered artifact tier.

Probably among the best artifacts ever

[rapid latch]

A Trait for my Jupiter Archon, thoughts?

All I Survey. the archon is permanently under the effects of the Telekinesis spell and can choose to target a creature or object it can see within 60 feet of itself with this spell once per turn as part of the attack Action (Save DC 22).

[timid bone]

Yes, extremely powerful. It was a primordial stone from before creation. Think... It's similar to Infinity stones from Marvel.

I'm excited to break my campaign. Only issue is taking these artifacts from the current bearer. 😆

[timid bone]

That's strong. Is it an enemy, player feat, something else?

[rapid latch]

Cr 18 enemy

[timid bone]

Ah, ok. Yea, sounds good. Maybe just define the range.

[rapid latch]

Gotcha.

[timid bone]

If you really want to break your players, make it a Strength Save. Wrecks every class except a couple.

[rapid latch]

Telekinesis is already a Strength save, part of why i chose it.

[timid bone]

👌 Perfect

[dreamy abyss]

Yo

Anyone wanna help me out with homebrew?

[patent grove]

what is it?

[dreamy abyss]

Um...

I find it hard to homebrew monsters.

[patent grove]

is it abt stats or other stuff?

[dreamy abyss]

Everything.

I feel like I make it too powerful or too weak.

[patent grove]

playtest it?

[dreamy abyss]

Uh ok

[patent grove]

in making the stats i think taking like a monster that is closest to what youre brewing and tweak their stats to your liking might be a good tip

its at least what ive done so far

[dreamy abyss]

Um

I'll start with overhauling glasstaff in LMOP

He was weak, my DM even said "boy this guy is weak."

Should I still use player rules for him or tweak him lots beyond the potential of a pc?

[patent grove]

maybe a unique ability or some stuff like that?

[dreamy abyss]

K

He does come with a glasstaff I'll make him use it.

[patent grove]

makes sense

[wet yarrow]

One thing I suggest is to start with modifying first.

Like, take a wolf. Try modifying the damage type and dice vs static number for their damage, or their HP or AC, and seeing how that shifts them up and down in CR.

Then take another creature of the same CR and do the same thing. Get a feel for that range.

Then try to take the features from one creature and swap them with one feature you consider equivalent in another.

14 has a clearer chart of stuff you can follow to know where monsters fall on the curve in the DMG

For 24 its a lot of reverse engineering, lol

[dreamy abyss]

I won't make any CR changes...

[wet yarrow]

Well, shifting the damage or HP or adding or removing features from a monster will affect its CR

And seeing the relationship between CR and damage input/output is what will give you that kind of base to lean on when youre building monsters from scratch imo

Though there are things that dont shift CR at all.

[dreamy abyss]

Okay...

[wet yarrow]

For example, if I make a tiger do fire damage instead of slashing, or do fire damage with its dice and slashing with its modifier.

[dreamy abyss]

Like will changing out spells change the CR?

Glasstaff has misty step and I take that out for scorching ray...

[wet yarrow]

Depends. CR is based on the highest damage output a monster can deal, their saves, HP and spell DCs, more or less.

So if you give a monster that could do X damage a spell that lets it do X + 5 damage, then yeah, it would affect CR

[dreamy abyss]

By how much?

[wet yarrow]

Depends how big of a jump it is. Chapter 9 of the DMG 14 has a good chart for how it worked for the balance in 14.

Itll tell you each CR, and the damage range, HP range, save, proficiency and DC for every CR

Those numbers have shifted a bit for 24, but the system is more or less working the same way

[dreamy abyss]

I was told I don't have to that... tho my campaign after LMOP is milestone, so players will need the XP.

[wet yarrow]

Well, milestone is still a kind of XP.

It's just bundling all of it at once so you don't have to calculate it along the way.

[dreamy abyss]

Ah

[wet yarrow]

It's good for when your table finds tracking XP tedious

You lose a bit of that carrot on a stick, that ability to add XP as a reward, but it makes the game a bit smoother.

Just make sure you tie your milestone to things the party is actually doing and wants to do.

[dreamy abyss]

Ah

I'll make it like the capra demon boss fight...

[wet yarrow]

Man, why do I insist on remastering everything lol.

I just wanted to make a new Barbarian and now I have 18 subclasses potentially planned :(

[flat ocean]

BARDbaraian? ba dum tsss

[primal osprey]

No such thing as too many subclasses

[wet yarrow]

I dunno. ```Path of the Guardian (Ancestral Guardian)
Path of the Forge (Battle Rager)
Path of the Moon (Beast)
Path of the Brewer (Belly Brewer)
Path of the Tornado (Berserker)
Path of the Avatar (Carrion Raven)
Path of the Titan (Giant)
Path of Hellfire (Infernal)
Path of the Volcano (Juggernaut)
Path of the Vessel (Muscle Wizard)
Path of the Hurricane (Storm Herald)
Path of the Beast (Totem Warrior)
Path of the Speaker (Wild Heart)
Path of the Feywild (Wild Soul)
Path of Ironwood (World Tree)
Path of Spellfire (Zealot)
Path of the Weave (Wild Magic)
Path of Shadowfell (Shadow Gnawer)

[primal osprey]

Oh HELL YES

All of those sound badass

[wet yarrow]

Lol. Just taking official stuff and giving it new mechanics so its SRD shareable >_>

I hadnt even heard of a few of them until I started to research.

Belly Brewer is neat. Its from Obojima.

[primal osprey]

I have never seen some of those subclasses in my life

[patent grove]

Path of te Brewer (Belly Brewer) fans when Road of Chef (Back Chef) enjoyers walk in:

[wet yarrow]

The things in parenthesis are all the official ones, with I think a couple from Grim Hollow and one from Obojima.

That's not technically 'all' of them, because things like Ancestral Guardian for example has several versions over UAs / XGE / PHB / whatever

But its all the unique ones that I think I could reimagine within the framework I rebuilt.

[primal osprey]

Darn, I know nothing about Grim Hollow

[wet yarrow]

Its just a 3rd party setting. Neat though.

[primal osprey]

Oh btw I've been trying to make some kind of boon system called "Divine blessings" for the gods of my homebrew setting, and I'm struggling to think of the abilities of one

It's one for a god named the "Forger of Life", who uses the elemental planes to create parts of the material plane

[void jewel]

What power level are we targeting

Level?

[wet yarrow]

How strong are these boons? Like Mold Earth strong or Meteor Swarm.

[primal osprey]

Any ideas for abilities the blessing could give? So far I only have it gives you elementalism and mending

[wet yarrow]

Druidcraft could fit too.

[primal osprey]

I don't have a specific level in mind

[void jewel]

Walmart prestidigitation

[wet yarrow]

It just makes me think environmental manipulation spells and life spells.

[primal osprey]

Although I can post a few of the other blessings to give you guys a reference

[void jewel]

It HIGHLY depends in when they're obtained. A boon that does a lot at level 2 might do nothing at 18

[wet yarrow]

Also lots of Animate spells.

[void jewel]

That'd be good

[wet yarrow]

Or Awaken, at that.

[primal osprey]

Blessing of the All-Loving

Empathy of Eilan. When you regain hit points from any source, you can choose one creature within 60 feet to regain an equal amount of hit points.
Hand of Eilan. As an action, you can restore 100 hitpoints to a creature you can touch. When you do so, the creature also no longer has the poisoned, exhausted, blinded, defened, paralysed, or stunned condition if it has them. You have three uses of this action. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

[wet yarrow]

Geezaloo.

[primal osprey]

I have more

[void jewel]

??????

This is level 20 capstone material

[wet yarrow]

Maybe a resurrection then, lol

It is technically a deity boon, which means it can last a scene or a year or forever.

[primal osprey]

Blessing of the Arcane Conqueror

Master of Arcane. You can cast the following spells once per long rest each: Magic Missile (6th level), fireball (6th level), lightning bolt (6th level), Dominate Person, Hold Monster.
Master of Knowledge. When you make an Ability Check that uses intelligence or wisdom, you can add a +5 bonus to the roll.
Master of War. At the start of your turn, you can increase your spell save DC by 5 and have a +5 bonus to your spell attack rolls until the start of your next turn. You have three uses of this feature. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Blessing of the Radiant Vengeance

Radiant Rebuke. When you or an ally within 15 feet are hit by a creature within 120 feet of you, you can make the creature take 3d8 radiant damage.
Fighting Spirit. As a bonus action, you gain 10 temporary hitpoints and advantage on all attack rolls until the end of your turn. You have three uses of this feature. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Gift of Mercy. At the end of your turn, if you did not take the attack action, dash action or the magic action to attack a creature, you have a +5 bonus to your Armour Class until the start of your next turn.

[primal osprey]

Oh sweet

[river sierra]

how weird would an alternate roll-under saving throw system be? I've been trying to come up with an alternate saves system because i dont like how it turns out at high levels, often resulting in impossible saves without a cleric being forced to conc on bless/being in 10 feet of a paladin
I'm trying to figure out a system where you try and roll under for the DC
the rough math would be 10+your PB+Stat-enemy PB. So at low levels your saving throws would be around 10-13 depending on good stats, which seems reasonable. And at the high levels your DCs would still probably hover around the 20% chance of success range. the math is still kinda just in my head so its not perfect

i just feel like it'd just be too weird that saves are roll under when skills and attacks are likely roll over

[void jewel]

????

They're all meet to beat

[wet yarrow]

Ive done that for what we call 'gamble rolls'

[void jewel]

Nvm

Can't read

[void jewel]

I don't like it because it punishes good character building. That's all.

[river sierra]

how so?

[wet yarrow]

Like when we're doing a duel for example, we use a mechanic sometimes where the player calls over or under, and then the DM and the player roll off against each other, unmodified.

[void jewel]

Find ways to challenge people that aren't "that thing you're good at? You're bad at it now"

[wet yarrow]

To kind of give that feel of a back and forth.

[void jewel]

I don't like reverse saves

[dreamy abyss]

Still making the glasstaff spell list. Should I let the party's cleric take lightning spells?

[wet yarrow]

But roll over vs roll under vs a static number does feel worse, yeah

[river sierra]

that's not my intent

[dreamy abyss]

Or at least some?

[river sierra]

you'll still be more likely to succeed if your stat is high

[void jewel]

Oh does your stat subtract?

[river sierra]

or it'd be more thatt success comes from rolling under the DC number instead of over

[wet yarrow]

In theory, you could do it in either direction, though you'd get into some wonky negatives, they would still track.

[void jewel]

Seems like a complicated way to adjust DCs.

[wet yarrow]

Its just a mirror DC

A DC 5 vs a DC 15

[void jewel]

Yeah it just seems kind of pointless is the thing.

[wet yarrow]

10 is 10, 15 v 5 the other way, etc

[void jewel]

And makes players increase their mental load

By introducing a new system

[wet yarrow]

Eh, its also pointless to change from 1d20 to 20 cards numbered 1 through 20.

But the feel is different.

And that's worth considering for certain framings.

[river sierra]

i think the way im trying to do it, it'd be more of an even range of DCs at all levels, so you dont end up with level 20 characters being unable to succeed in 4 of their 6 saves

[wet yarrow]

I agree its an extra system, but I think its one theyd do reflexively pretty quickly and could make them feel theres mechanical interest when its really just a sidegrade

[void jewel]

My understanding is you're effectively adding proficiency to all saves

[wet yarrow]

Though I personally only use it for dice v dice.

[river sierra]

yeah i'd probably want to make the stat more apparent in the calculation

[void jewel]

High levels auto-failing certain saves is a problem yes.

[wet yarrow]

Well, if youre altering d20 test mechanics you kind of have to shift a lot of stuff like passive checks

[river sierra]

like, i think it could also be based on the stat number minus enemy PB, where being proficient in a save would add PB. So for example a level 4 with a 16 stat against a CR monster forcing a save against that stat would be a DC 15, roll under or 75% chance of success

might be a little generous but it would result in a more even array

[golden temple]

bawaahh,,, mmy dm wants opinions on some spells he made,,,,

hhe's unsatisfied with how powerful they are (in the sense that they are not powerful))

[river sierra]

i saw someone else suggest a worlds without number inspired idea where it's still roll-over, but DC is default 16-stat-PB if applicable. It would mean that DC is completely independant on the source of the save but i dont think thats the worst thing, and would have you max out around 80% success and minimum (+0 stat non proficient) around a 20% success chance

[white bison]

Send em

[golden temple]

tthis is a 5e game, just in cyberpunk world, , ,

i'm gonna have to write them out 😭

Access Systems
Bonus Action | Single Target | Divination | Cantrip | Unlimited Range | Concentration | Instantaneous

Attempt to access the systems and files of a device or Synthetic being.

[rough leaf]

Is this to punishing for the reward? it’s a legendary longsword for a hexblade character. (sorry for the long message) Okaran is the demon that the hexblade is packed with

Essence Absorption (Bonus Action).
You may pour a portion of your life force into the blade. The sword swells with shadow and emits a trail of smoke and whispers.
• You take 1d6 necrotic damage per progression level.
• For 1 minute (10 turns), the weapon’s damage die increases by one step:
• 1d8 → 1d10 (one-handed)
• 1d10 → 1d12 (two-handed).
• The sword emits dim light (10 ft.) of eerie black flame that extinguishes normal light in that radius.

⸻

Cursed Corruption

Each time you use Essence Absorption, Okaran’s influence grows. The corruption manifests physically and spiritually, marking the wielder as a vessel of shadow.
• Corruption Thresholds: Track every usage of Essence Absorption each adding to your Corruption Threshold
• 10+ — Eyes begin to glow faintly red or violet; whispers of Okaran are audible in the wielder’s dreams.
• 25+ — The sword’s hilt fuses with the wielder’s arm when drawn. Disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws vs. charm or domination.
• 50+ — Okaran gains partial control. In moments of rage or weakness, the DM may require a Charisma save (DC 16) to resist Okaran’s will. Failure may result in the sword attacking allies or striking down enemies without command.
• 75+ — The wielder’s soul becomes permanently bound to Okaran. Resurrection becomes impossible except through demonic or divine intervention.

Only through acts of willpower, sacrifice, or holy cleansing can the corruption be reversed.

[river sierra]

being unlimited range, it seems good depending on the scope of "accessing systems and files" is

but it's weird that its concentration and instnataneous

i think if a cantrip lets anyone obtain nuclear launch codes and bank accounts as a bonus action, it probably has the ability to turn the world over pretty immediately

although the word "attempt" implies there is some sort of chance for failure involved i suppose, it just doesnt list what that chance is

[golden temple]

mhm that came to me rather quickly,,, i'll send it,,

[river sierra]

assuming there's not much chicanery allowed, it's still just gonna be as useful as there is stuff to hack

[dreamy abyss]

I just revised glasstaff.

[wet yarrow]

Whelp, Lv 3 of Ancestral Guardian has been rebuilt >(

[dreamy abyss]

I gave him an intresting touch.

He is now an undead who was revived by the black spider.

Well, he was dead but the black spider used a scroll to bring him back to life.

And so now he has to serve black spider.

[white bison]

What’s the rarity? For anything above uncommon it’s not that good, it’s a way worse +1 longsword

Like, a +1 longsword is several times better than this but it’d still be uncommon since common magic items follow the trend of being p much useless

[rough leaf]

im making it a legendary but it’ll be progressive, gaining a +1 at level 1 then +1 every 4 levels

[white bison]

I’d give more effects to a legendary weapon, not everything should be about numbers

Sure a +5 weapon at lv 20 is crazy good, but weapons with effects are cooler and legendary items feel unique

On top of that the ability is p much useless

The only good thing about the weapon would be the fact that it is +X

[rough leaf]

i was debating on doing an extra damage die per “progression level” at least. probably an extra d4 necrotic per

but didn’t know if it would be too much

[white bison]

Why don’t you look at critical role’s progression magic items?

They’re magic items which evolve over time

I don’t think you should make everything about numbers

Give them cool abilities n shit

Players don’t want a weapon that adds 10d4 damage to a hit, they want a cool ability from the demon sword

You could also take a look at the vecna items from the official manuals for inspiration about a drawback for using the item

[rough leaf]

i think you’re right i just don’t know exactly how to use the homebrew menu on dnd beyond to actually make things but i will do more research on it and probably add more. it’s also for my character so i have to make sure its reasonable to my DM

[white bison]

Can’t help with that, never used dnd beyond

However if you have a cool idea ping me, i could help

[rough leaf]

will do thank you 👍

[gloomy flower]

chat hear me out:
magic shotgun
+2
bonus action to pull a creature within 60 feet to melee range, strength save DC 10 + dex mod + proficiency bonus
meathook from doom

[gloomy flower]

dormant/awakened/exhalted is great for magic items that level up with you

[rough leaf]

i came up with the idea of abilities based off progression and corruption and this is what i’ve got so far but i kinda don’t have any idea what the user can gain from the full. all i’ve got rn is extra flight speed

Demonic Transformation

Based on Progression Level and Corruption Threshold you can activate a Demonic Transformation

Minor Transformation: Shadows envelop the arm that’s wielding the sword and the users chest, sprouting a wing of shadow from the users back granting them the ability to Fly and gaining a flying speed of 30 feet (Bonus Action) (Duration: 1 minute) (prerequisite: Progression Level 1 + Corruption Threshold 25)

Major Transformation: The shadows venture further down the users body covering their legs. From there feet they can conjure a 20-foot-radius sphere of darkness. Any hostile target in the radius is blinded and must make a saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage. The caster is able to see as if in dim light while inside the sphere. (Action) (Duration 1 minute) (Concentration up to 1 minute) (Prerequisite: Progression level 2 + Corruption Threshold 50)

Full Transformation: The shadows spread covering the users body entirely and sprouting a second wing marking them as a servant to Okaran.

(Prerequisite: Progression Level 3 + Corruption Threshold 75)

[patent radish]

yeah, 5-10-15 as the lvs that those are best to set upgrades at.

i do brefer non combat items when i give out that kind of item though.

[vague dune]

i came up with a wicked holy monster. it is called the Dreaded Angel. basically, think a gray, potato body with a long neck and a face. four spider-like legs, and 2 wings without the membrane (basically, think the wing of a bat but without skin or muscle)

[royal dew]

Intriguing.

[iron pulsar]

Does anyone have any ideas for homebrew spells for a paladin? I'm mostly wanting spells that help with tanking or smite spells that give more tactical decision making in combat. Or more utility spells, I'll never be opposed to those.

I've made a couple spells and have added them to my character with DM approval already

[golden temple]

Bypass Security
Action | Single Target | Divination | Cantrip | Unlimited Range | Concentration | Instantaneous

Attempt to bypass security, firewalls, and passwords of a system.

i should probably just share with him my method of like, hacking in a system like this,,

[strange surge]

Friends! Huge question about CR balancing. I have a homebrew feature that lets you summon a monster as a familiar which you gain at Level 2, then it upgrades at Levels 9 and 13. What CRs seem fair to summon for those levels? The monster isn't meant to be the primary force in combat, simply an aide that may not even be used for combat.

[golden temple]

i mean if the familiar isn't meant for combat at all i;d stick with 0 CR,,?

ccreatures and such, , ,, ,

[strange surge]

I meant that it could certainly be used in combat, but it isn't my intention that this feature be used explicitly for combat, if that makes sense. It's not "Summon Battle Familiar" as a main class or subclass feature, it's just a feature that lets you summon a creature, so at higher level with a higher CR cap it might be more useful in a fight but that isn't its main focus.

[mighty yew]

So a friend of mine actually wrote up a framework of the idea and I'd love to post it here for y'all to have a look.

[golden temple]

yyes ik- but higher CR creatures oftentimes have non-negligible attacks, and, while 0 CR creatures don't do damage, your players can still find something to do with them,,

using a bonus action as a confirmed object interaction is in fact Useful-!

[strange surge]

I know :) but I want the option to try using them in combat to be there, so restricting the entire feature to CR 0 is not what I want to do. Maybe for the Level 2 feature, but at 9 and 13 I am still seeking advice for what CR would be a fair "utility or weak fighter" summon

[weak lodge]

That sounds awesome!

[mighty yew]

Domain Spells
Level 1: Command, Compelled Duel
Level 3: Zone of Truth, Hold Person
Level 5: Counterspell, Bestow Curse
Level 7: Banishment, Guardian of Faith
Level 9: Wall of Force, Gaes

Law Cards
1st-level Law Domain feature

At 1st level, you gain a mystical deck of divine cards called Laws. Each Law represents an edict that shapes the flow of battle.

As a Bonus Action, you can present one Law Card, declaring it active.
Each Law lasts for 1 minute, until you become incapacitated, or until you present another Law.

When you present a Law, choose whether it is an Encouraged Law or an Outlawed Law. Each Law lists what happens when a creature performs the relevant act while the Law is in effect.

You can know a number of Laws equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your Cleric level (rounded down), and can prepare a number equal to your Wisdom modifier each day. You may change your prepared Laws after a long rest.

Law of Flames
Type: Outlaw
Trigger: A creature deals fire damage Effect: That creature takes 1d8 psychic damage; you gain 1 Judgment Die

Law of Healing
Type: Encourage
Trigger: Creature casts a healing spell
Effect: Healer ads 1d8 to the healing effect

Law of Silence
Type: Outlaw
Trigger: A creature casts a spell with verbal components
Effect: The creature takes 1d8 thunder damage and must succeed on a Con save or fall prone

Law of Motion
Type: Encourage
Trigger: A creature takes the dash action on its turn
Effect: That creature gains temporary HP equal to your Cleric level

Law of Retribution
Type: Outlaw
Trigger: A creature damages an ally within 10 feet of you
Effect: Creature takes 2d8 radiant or psychic damage; you gain 1 Judgment Die

Judgement Dice
1st-level Law Domain feature

You maintain a pool of divine energy called Judgment Dice, which start as d6s and increase as your cleric level does.

You can hold a number of Judgment Dice equal to your proficiency bonus.
You gain one each time a creature triggers a Law (by breaking or obeying it, depending on the Law’s type).

You can expend a Judgment Die to:

Empower a spell: Add the die to the healing or damage of a Cleric spell you cast.,
Condemn a foe: Impose disadvantage on one saving throw made against your Cleric spell.,

You regain all expended Judgment Dice when you finish a long rest.

Channel Divinity: Divine Decree
2nd-level Law Domain feature

You can use your Channel Divinity to amplify your divine order.

As an Action, you can present two Laws simultaneously for 1 minute.
Each Law functions independently; creatures may trigger both if applicable.

Alternatively, you can use your Channel Divinity to rewrite a Law, changing one active Law from Encourage to Outlaw (or vice versa) as an Action.

Edict Mastery
6th-level Law Domain feature

Your control over divine order grows. You can maintain two active Laws at once without using Channel Divinity.
When a creature triggers one of your Laws, you may immediately use your Reaction to:

Grant an ally within 30 ft a Judgment Die to add to their next attack roll or save,
Impose Infraction: the creature that triggered the Law has disadvantage on its next attack roll or saving throw before the end of its next turn.,

Law Absolute
17th-level Law Domain feature

You can invoke a Grand Law, a perfect edict that overrides all others for 1 minute.

As an Action, you may expend 3 Judgment Dice to declare one Absolute Law of your choice. While it is active, no other Laws can be presented.

Law of Silence Absolute: All spells with verbal components automatically fail unless the caster succeeds a Charisma save.

Law of Blades Absolute: All melee weapon attacks deal +1d8 radiant damage and heal their wielders for the same amount.

Law of Calm Minds:
Any attempt to charm, frighten, poison, blind, or dominate another creature automatically fails; creatures take 4d8 psychic damage if they attempt it.

Once you invoke an Absolute Law, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

[foggy narwhal]

Homebrew magic item: shield of shielding, statistically a +1 shield (granting a +3 to ac) 2 charges per day the user can as a reaction cast shield

[viral raft]

ORC-

[Darkvision] See in the dark up to 60ft.

[Menacing] Proficiency on Intimidation. Choose STR, CON or CHA to be the modifier.

[Orc Tenacity] You have advantage on rolls against be Grappled or physically Restrained

[Powerful Build] You're one size larger for the weight you can carry, push, drag or lift

[Relentless Endurance] Drop to 1 HP instead of be Downed when reaching 0. Refill it with a Long Rest

[Adrenaline Rush] You can take the Dash Action as a Bonus Action and gain Temporary HP equal to your PB. You can use it as many as your PB.

Guys what y'all think about this orc version based on the 2024phb?

[scenic urchin]

thats a lot of power

[viral raft]

Are you sure? Because it's actually based on the current 2024phb, but I nerfed their current features

[scenic urchin]

what did you nerf?

[viral raft]

like Adrenalise Rush had as many uses as your PB, but recovered at SR, not anymore, which halves it's amount of uses in a day. And darkvision was halved, instead of current 2024 superdarkvision

[scenic urchin]

and in exchange you give them an additional proficiency, advantage on grapple/restrain, and powerful build...?

[viral raft]

yes?

maybe removing powerful build

[scenic urchin]

yeah that's a lot of power

[viral raft]

is adv on grappled and restrain that powerful?

honestly asking

[wet yarrow]

Whether or not its more powerful or less powerful than advantage against other conditions, adv vs condition is still kind of beefy.

I'd chop out the darkvision completely >_>

[viral raft]

I thought of it, but it feels so fitting for orcs thematically

but in a balancing sense it would be really good to remove it

[wet yarrow]

I dont really see it, I guess. To me theyre more plains / savannah types

I dont really think orcs and think undergrounds ig lol

[viral raft]

You know what? Maybe you're right

I'm gonna remove it

That helps another problem of design that is everyone having darkvision

[void jewel]

WOF shouldn't be on a divine caster imo

Highlight of the arcane lists.

[mighty yew]

WOF? I'm not familiar with this acronym

[spring tusk]

Just got done with this draft for the formatting of my Elden Ring boss statblock document

I also plan to add magic items and spells at some point, but for now i'm just using it as an excuse to learn more about homebrew

would anyone be willing to check this out? its on google docs, if anyone has trouble accessing it just let me know but there shouldnt be a problem.. i'm hoping for some insight from a second pair of eyes on if all the CR's look accurate to the power levels of the creatures in the game, and if just in general y'all like the formatting i've presented- I have it all alphabetically, and then about 5 pages down i've got it all categorized and alphabetical, similar to how they did it in the new MM

I plan on formatting alphabetically and by category but I plan on having the table of contents alphabetical

then at the end i'll have tables for creature types, CR's, groups, and locations,

[woven hamlet]

Any of the dlc bosses?

[spring tusk]

nay

havent played it yet

[woven hamlet]

Ah valid, its a pretty good addition imo, the bosses are great as well

[spring tusk]

I believe it :)

what do you think of the document I posted though?

[spring tusk]

Is that good

[warm fractal]

I just got in here to look how's it going
😅 ✌️

[spring tusk]

How so?

[spring tusk]

Ah, it's not a subclass :)

It's a statblock

The Blackflame Monk is an acolyte of a concept called destined death, soldiers beneath a godskin apostle or godskin noble, who wield the power of the Blackflame with a serrated greatsword and white robes

[warm fractal]

Oh!! Sorry!!
I'll be silent then!!✌️🙏

[spring tusk]

While the Fire Monk is an acolyte of the Flame of Ruin, alongside Thorn Sorcerers, they work to burn their way through the world but otherwise reside and protect this Flame of Ruin high up in the mountaintops by guarding the path way to the forge the holds it

[spring tusk]

Nono you're all good :), just clearing up any confusion is all

[coral jackal]

hemlo chat, just needed to see if this subclass is balanced, need feedback
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/Ps9Q3sOp8yVJ

[warm fractal]

Nice one 👍

[warm fractal]

Sounds good 👍

[warm fractal]

Sounds good 👍

[spring tusk]

So we'll move to level 7+ in just a minute, let's start with level 3

There are no restrictions on the added damage, or the corrosion effect

Nevermind I just found the "twice per long rest"

I'm assuming it's some form of fighter subclass? I do really like the concept of a status effect fighter that marks it's targets, that sounds really fun and interesting,

Typically though added damage from subclass effects is closer to 1d6-1d8

[coral jackal]

yep, it's a fighter subclass
should I change the extra damage from Scarred from 1d8 (later 1d10) to 1d6 (later 1d8) then?

[spring tusk]

Well no I'm more concerned about the base 2d6 necrotic damage that comes with the effect that corrodes people in the first place

I think that either having it just be the corrosion effect against a DC and then having the 1d8 bonus damage to corroded creatures might be better

Maybe have the restrictions on its uses equal to your PB per long rest

but alternatively all attacks against a corroded target deal an additional.. say, 1d6, maybe 1d8

Ehh actually no, I think the damage does help

Hm

Just cause creating a subclass ability that's mostly dependent on a saving throw is funky

Because it means that sometimes the subclass gets to do.. nothing

[coral jackal]

Hm.

yeah I suppose it does

how about reducing the damage from 2d6 to something like 1d8

[spring tusk]

Maybe as part of unchained instead of giving yourself advantage you impose disadvantage on the opponent making the saving throw

And then reduce the damage taken to 1d6 and then 1d8

[coral jackal]

that does sound better yeah

[spring tusk]

I think that would be better yeah

Shadow of the Gladiator feels a little weak for level 10

I'm sure it's flavorful but it might be better to focus more towards that corrosion

Also maybe change the increased damage from the scarred ability to say it levels from 1d4 to 1d6 to 1d8 to 1d10 over the tiers of play

I feel like swan song and promises unturned are a little confusing flavor wise

Overall I think it's a really cool subclass

Very flavorful

Could just use some tweaks

[true forge]

Shadow of the Divine

3rd level Divine Shadow feature

Your divine magic blends with your innate stealthiness. you now can cast Minor Illusion as apart of your Cunning Action feature. In addition, when you cast Minor Illusion in this way, you can choose the following effect to occur instead of creating a sound or object:

• You can create a blinding flash of light that briefly fills the area in a 10 foot radius around you. If you do so, you can attempt to hide even when you are unobscured. You may attempt to hide when you use this. Any other creature within this area has disadvantage on its next Wisdom (Perception) check. The range of this radius increases as you level in rogue, it increases to a 20 foot radius at 6th level and finally a 30 radius at 11th level.

This can cause Minor Illusion to do this a number of times per long rest equal to your Wisdom modifier. You can spend a spell slot to regain uses of this feature equal to the spell slot level (no action required).

so, thoughts?

[spring tusk]

But if anything I feel like it's more underpowered than over powered and that's pretty much always a good thing

[true forge]

3rd casting rogue btw, so they get Minor Illusion as well as 2 other cantrips :P

[spring tusk]

"Divine Shadow feature"
"Shadow of the Divine"
Wuau /lh

[true forge]

(cleric list if it wasnt apparent)

[true forge]

crap

i forgot to change the name of the subclass on that lol

[spring tusk]

Hehehehe

[true forge]

its Divine Mirage

[spring tusk]

Oh that's cool

[true forge]

i didnt come up with it lol, i was struggling with names until somebody suggested that lol

[coral jackal]

do you have any suggestions for that?
I didn't really have any ideas, I just stole the idea from the samurai 7th level feature for it

[coral jackal]

sounds good, I'll make the adjustments in a bit

[spring tusk]

Using one Cunning Action to both cast a 1st level spell and hide is a bit much, I'd say one or the other

[true forge]

minor illusion is a cantrip.....

[coral jackal]

most of the other subclasses I have planned have two main themes- corrosion and purification, I just thought to give knight a 2nd option, but yeah that's fair I think
should I just keep the other options and remove these ones, maybe putting them in another subclass instead?

[spring tusk]

Well my first thought was maybe give yourself an AoE, or an extra effect from the corrosion.. I will note as well that corrosion makes me think of rust on armor, and also less of necrotic damage and more of poison damage,

Maybe at 10th level you can once per long rest AoE, force the saving throw against corrosion, and then also inflict anyone with corrosion with a -2 to AC until it's cured

[spring tusk]

I think so yeah, the thing about subclasses is that they're the niche that a class takes, so funneling more towards either purification or corrosion but not both at the same time I think is better

[true forge]

Hide is one of the more useless actions i feel, this is basically an upgrade to hide but as apart of a cantrip :)

[coral jackal]

that's fair, yeah

[true forge]

(and rogues get BA hide already because of cunning action lol

[spring tusk]

Besides that adds the opportunity for contrasting party dynamics.. like having a light cleric and a fiend warlock in the same party

[spring tusk]

Hide is a more niche action sure, but one that rogues heavily rely on, and certainly not useless,

I keep getting the spells wrong so sorry for messing that up, but I will note that even as a cantrip you are giving a level 3 PC the ability to take two actions as a bonus action, for free

What about that sounds balanced

Unless you're not going for balanced, which if that's the case then more power to you

But those are my thoughts on it

[true forge]

i mean, the goal of the subclass is to be stealthly, ive been blessed by a trickster god after all :P

[coral jackal]

alright then, thank you for the feedback, it really helped

[true forge]

(also the gap of features is really annoying to balance around, hence why it has limited uses)

[spring tusk]

So when trying to be stealthy I will note throwing a flash bang into the room usually doesn't help, but that's neither here nor there

My point still stands that with this ability you are allowing a level 3 PC to take two actions, as a bonus action, for free

[true forge]

well, 'free' (you can do it WIS mod uses per LR)

[spring tusk]

I saw that, and I'll admit it makes it significantly more balanced of an ability than if it weren't there, but either you're focusing a lot of this subclass on the Wisdom modifier, which means that the rogue is doing this 3-4 times per long rest, and can without even spending an action or bonus action- or even a reaction get more uses by spending spell slots, or you're not focusing a lot of this subclass on the Wisdom modifier which is- bad game design

[true forge]

i mean

[spring tusk]

Absolutely, hey while you're here would you be up to checking out that document I'd posted before?

[true forge]

it casts spells with wisdom......

it's spell saves are calculated with wisdom...

[spring tusk]

Right, so it's a wisdom focused "divine trickster" so to speak

[coral jackal]

sure, I can take a look, where is it?

[spring tusk]

I can repost if you'd like

Or here I'll just reply to it actually one sec

[spring tusk]

Here you go :)

[true forge]

yep

[spring tusk]

Yeah,

[true forge]

cleric casting

[spring tusk]

So then my point still stands

Alright well

Me personally, I think it's too much

Like way too much

But those are just my thoughts, which you did ask for- do whatever you're gonna do :3 /nm

[true forge]

i mean, Hide has some really annoying requirements to it, this trys to help it

basically gives you on demand hideable area

[true forge]

i mean, you can use your action to cast the spell then BA hide lol

[spring tusk]

Much better

[true forge]

(if i got rid of the BA casting/hide when use)

[spring tusk]

Much much better

[true forge]

its not that broken as it stands lol

[coral jackal]

I don't really know like, anything about elden ring, but the formatting does look pretty good
I would suggesting adding headings to make it easier to navigate though

[spring tusk]

Oh for sure, this is all just the storyboarding anyway, I'm gonna be fleshing it out properly in homebrewery

[true forge]

AOE still effects the rogue, you need to be inside a 10ft radius (very small) and creatures with special sights ( blind mainly) can still see you

[coral jackal]

all looks good then, good luck with your writing

[spring tusk]

I would agree with you on this if it were randomized and you had no control over where and when it triggered, but it's not a time bomb. Combat in D&D is about strategizing and for rogues thats even moreso the case, playing a rogue is about maneuvering to give yourself the advantage and if your ability is such a niche use case that you're able to use it as an argument against your ability being too strong then that is still bad game design

Veering slightly off topic for the sake of an allegory

I had a friend once, who had this Tai Wakeen Magic: The Gathering deck she really liked to play, and admittedly it could be interesting to see at the table, one problem, the deck didn't work if Tai Wakeen wasn't out on the board. Meaning that the group either had to let Tai Wakeen live, so that this player got to play the game, or take her out.. but the problem is that if they do let Tai Wakeen live, then she wins the game, everytime,

The point I'm trying to make is that just because it only works in a specific use case, doesn't mean that when it does work it's not still broken

[spring tusk]

Also I'll note that flash bang doesn't even come with a save, and the rogue also being affected by disadvantage to perception checks isn't nearly as much of a downside as you're making it out to be, unless for some reason the rogue is trying to find themself

[true forge]

thats an easy fix

[spring tusk]

If course it is, balancing this out in general would be an easy fix, in fact we glossed over the best way to fix this, but it not having a save is the smallest of issues with that ability and I'm genuinely not understanding how you're missing how strong the ability is

[spring tusk]

Like

[true forge]

why waste a full turn doing this? wouldnt it be better to, idk, attack?

[spring tusk]

Level 3, half caster cleric rogue, give access to the cleric spellcasting trait

Bonus action, you can cast minor illusion with your cunning action, when you do this way you can choose to use it to create a large flash of light centered on yourself that temporarily staggers each person within a 10-foot radius, imposing disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks until the end of your next turn

[spring tusk]

That's kinda the point of a niche use case ability,

Again,

Taking two actions as a bonus action for- and I'll give credit where it's due, near free, with a way to regenerate the resource required to do so without even taking a reaction, is too strong

And if changing it to be balanced would make the ability bad, then that doesn't mean the ability should stay unbalanced, that means the ability is bad game design

[true forge]

keep in mind it is for one of the weakest classes in 2014

[spring tusk]

Luckily for you, it's actually not bad game design, and it's actually not a bad ability while properly balanced

I'm keeping everything in mind just fine

You asked for thoughts on the ability

[true forge]

ive had multiple people say its fine, your the only one to say its not lol

[spring tusk]

For some reason I doubt that

But also, if that's the case, then why ask?

Did you need a 5th opinion on it?

And if you were going to avoid listening to an opposing opinion on it, then why even post looking for thoughts in the first place?

That's not looking for thoughts that's looking for praise

[true forge]

i am listening, but im trying to get your point beside "2 actions for 1 BA"

[spring tusk]

Sorry sorry let me rephrase

You're not avoiding listening

You're listening just fine

You're just denying, and effectively ignoring it

And I'm not sure what point you're looking for besides "it's two actions for one bonus action", that's.. an extremely valid point??

Even without the other things I did mention that you're blatantly ignoring in favor of making a claim that you're just looking for another point

[true forge]

its a cantrip, a very useless cantrip for combat (besides the thing you can do with it) and hide, an underused action and kinda very dependant on terrain

[spring tusk]

Hide is niche, so yes it's underused, but not by rogues, it's.. mostly designed for rogues, and while I could agree with you that forming a minor illusion could be useless in combat, especially depending on the situation, the specific new use case you're granting as part of the ability is absolutely not

Which is something, I've already stated, that you're again ignoring

Repeating it doesn't change anything

Like I said before, the lack of saving throw for this specific use of minor illusion is the smallest issue in a list of them, and the fact that this ability let's you take two actions, without even taking one action, for free, is busted, regardless of how useless or niche you think those actions are

[true forge]

why would it need a saving throw? to save the dis on the perception check?

the creature can just, move away?

[spring tusk]

And I'll say it again, if its so much of a niche use case that it's somehow not busted despite all the benefits, then that's still bad game design

[warm fractal]

@coral jackal
Wouldn't it be good to include body immunity towards necrotic damage as a feature in first warning??

[spring tusk]

its a loaded gun that can only be fired in the presence of a rainbow balloon.., it can rarely be used but when it can it's still a gun

And rogues again are all about maneuvering for the advantage

So why not just.. start carrying around a rainbow balloon??

[true forge]

so, flanking is more balanced then this?

a 'free' hide

[spring tusk]

Absolutely

[spring tusk]

It's not about it being a free hide

[true forge]

which still reqiures a stealth check btw

[spring tusk]

Rogues get cunning action, that's completely fine

The big issue here

Is that it's two actions

Without even taking one action

If you are in a situation where you need to flashbang and then hide for safety or the advantage- especially if the flashbang sticks around, then yeah, you use your action and bonus action, to flash bang and hide, or flash bang and run away, and prepare for the next turn, it's called using your resources, and strategizing for the advantage

It's no different then using your action to go invisible and then your bonus action to dash and reposition

but if you DO give a cunning action flashbang, I still think that's really cool

And using your action to then hide or dash away is still completely fair, and completely expected

There are ways to buff rogue, and I can admit the class needs some love, but this isn't it

I want to note as well something I just realized

Minor illusion is only a 5 foot cube

So having a 10-foot area of effect for this prolonged flashbang is a DOUBLE buff on a spell just for this specific niche use case,

Alright, listen to the thoughts, don't listen, but I lost track of time and was supposed to be asleep an hour ago, so good luck with this, I'm going to bed

[summer ivy]

What kind of traits could I use for a table to add additional challenges to creatures during a campaign?

[worthy karma]

After watching a video on pre-Warhammer White Dwarf's Fiend Factory article, considering bringing some monsters from it to 5e that haven't already

Like the psy mule. Though thinking of taking a 5e mule, toughinging its con and giving some psyonics. The idea was in the original it was a mutated mule that had developed psychic abilities and a taste for humanoid flesh. Likes to project images of packed saddlebags as bait

[void jewel]

Depends on a lot

[summer ivy]

such as?

[void jewel]

How talented your players are at combat, how hard your existing encounters are

[summer ivy]

well it's for a module book so idk how to answer those

[void jewel]

Do you know your players?

And how hard are the counters in the module?

[summer ivy]

again, it's a module book so I don't know how to answer the first question, and no answer to my original question has even been given so I have no idea what would be considered a counter, and it's far too large for me to explain every single thing within it

[keen wyvern]

Does anything change initiative post initiative ?

[summer ivy]

There's stuff that adds to initiative rolls but not anything that changes it during combat or anything like that (except things like summon spells, which just adds to the creatures in initiative)

[summer ivy]

Wait, were you asking in relation to the previous conversation or just in general? I'm not sure about if it's in general

[keen wyvern]

nope, just in general

thanks

what if I use a spell that takes me out of initiative then summons me back in, I would remain my original initiative?

[summer ivy]

I feel like that'd just be a time travel spell, lmao

[true forge]

Trickster's Gambit

9th level Divine Mirage feature

Your god has given you the power to create illusions of objects creatures are holding. As an action, you can attempt to create an illusion of an item a creature within 30 feet is holding or have on their person that you can see and teleport the real object into your hands. This object cannot be armour or any type of spellcasting focus.

The target must make a contested Wisdom (Perception) check against a Dexterity (Slight of Hand) check made by you. If the target rolls a lower number then you, the creature's object teleports into your hands and a illusionary replacement is created in its place without them noticing. If the item was a weapon and the creature attacks another creature with it, the illusionary weapon deals no damage but instead heals the creature equal to your Rogue level.

An affected creature, either as a action or at the end of their turn, can make Intelligence (Investigation) check with the DC being your spell save DC to determine if the item is real or an illusion. On a success the creature knows that the item is an illusion.

An illusionary item lasts for 1 minute or until the creature realises it is an illusion. You can use this feature once per short rest.

so, a big one

[void jewel]

Ah, so you don't have players yet?

I'd find the players and then determine if you need to edit the module. You are putting the cart before the horse.

[summer ivy]

This is a serious question, do you understand what a "module book" is?

[void jewel]

Yup.

[summer ivy]

This isn't like, an edit to the module book, this is me writing it. I can't edit something that's unfinished

[void jewel]

Ah I thought you were editing it.

In that case if you are trying to increase the challenge I say do it through any way that is not "you know that player ability? This monster ignores that" which is how a lot of people choose to increase difficulty.

Reducing interactiveness is a lazy person's way to increase difficulty

This includes: adding immunities to a bunch of common spells, traits that ignore/reflect spells of X level, things that outright ignore class abilities, piercing tempHP, and so on.

Any other way is fine imo

[summer ivy]

I was thinking more things like adding traits that would make them harder to defeat but doesn't directly effect the players. So far the only one I've added is "Astral Breath", which allows creatures that normally wouldn't be able to breathe in a vacuum, instead able to breathe in one

[void jewel]

Increasing to-hit bonuses can be a good way to effectively increase damage and threat while making players sweat, while keeping interactiveness.

[void jewel]

This prevents shoving them into a bag of holding I suppose

Not sure I see the correlation, maybe it is the environment though?

[summer ivy]

I should mention this is a science fantasy space module so basically able to breathe in space. For like, any creature

[void jewel]

Oh yeah that's probably an excellent start.

I'd highly consider adding it to players abilities. Otherwise races that don't need to breathe become mandatory.

Anytime there is "game warping problem that can be solved by taking one build decision" it only serves to make that decision mandatory and reduce overall choice.

[summer ivy]

There's an uncommon magic item that essentially allow infinite breathing time in a vacuum and double underwater breathing time

correction, I made an uncommon magic item*

[void jewel]

Solid, if it's non-attunement. Which is fair since in this setting it seems like goggles of dark vision

[midnight elk]

Is this a stupid idea?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QphtK0rNvxvxsBdfB-P8u2rLhD3MDTOx4-uwCtBLOIk/edit?usp=sharing

[flint marsh]

Posting a link without context? I wouldn't say stupid, but probably hasty

[void jewel]

Not-a-virus .com

[keen wyvern]

With Banishment, once returned do I re-roll initiative? Could I have it where they do?

[upper tinsel]

I don’t think they leave Initiative by being banished

[grim ledge]

Im working on a small boss fight of a giant cephalpod that is in the hold of a ship. The ship is cracked and broken and is bei g held together by this mult tentacles beast.

Here is the backstory the pampers are getting.
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/b8ZLC6bEQYTA

Im trying to figure out how to make mechanics where the party needs to both maneuver inside this ever shifting hold of this ship while fighting.

Im thinking some legendary actions where the monster can pull the boards bellow the party members resulting in a dex save or falling into the water between the planks.

Also, at the top of every round the boards shift leaving new holes for the players to fall/avoid.

What do yall.think? Im still brewing

[void jewel]

Ant fan is correct, they do not leave initiative.

Nothing states they do

[keen wyvern]

So it would have to be specified to remove them from Initiative along with Banishment?

[void jewel]

It would.

[keen wyvern]

I guess the better question is: Is there anything preventing me from writing something that would re-roll Initiative?

[void jewel]

The banished target could, for instance, start buffing themselves in the other plane of existence so they're stronger when they return, if they know how banishment works.

[void jewel]

Nope. You could make this.

However removing them from initiative has a number of other consequences. They can do more stuff, for one.

[grim ledge]

Yeah it can be both a perk and downside.

[wise berry]

I'm looking to find (potentially a homebrew creature/spell) for a two stage boss fight. Players will fight a spirit that will use the Flaming Skull stat block. After it's taken X damage, it will fly into the empty armor that's looming over its coffin. I'd like for this new stat block/creature to use a great sword (multiattack is fine) and some AoE like a wide cone and circles to do some magic with. Maybe something with cool Lair action. The wide cone will be telegraphed as a flaming giant sword sweeping across a large area. The circles could be telegraphed pillars of flame or summoning circles for minions.

I'm basically searching for any creature that exists or homebrewed that could rock this vibe and any spells that exists or homebrewed that could function in these ways. Anything I can do to not reinvent the wheel for Monday

[midnight elk]

To be fair it's just a Doc with some ideas

[flint marsh]

now pinging someone who has asked not to be pinged that is definitely teetering on it

[midnight elk]

My apologies I forgot to turn off the ping

[azure needle]

Thinking of making a bard subclass that borrows aspects of warlock in a similar way that Divine Soul Sorc does with Cleric, any suggestions?

[remote lance]

Maybe stop using AI if you want feedback

[midnight elk]

I don't

[woven hamlet]

?

Oddly hostile for no apparent reason 🤷

[remote lance]

Last time he sent that document he did, so I assumed he did again

[void jewel]

Womp womp. I use chatgpt to find formatting issues in my stuff, because other things like google docs and grammarly don't pick up on this stuff. It has good uses.

Obviously, entirely ai content isn't ideal. But it is a tool, and has uses

Have that reaction all you want. Here, it serves the same roll as google docs spell checker. I presume you take no issue with that

It's more nuanced than "ai bad" and that's just a modern boomer take.

Stealing art is bad. As an assistive tool, it is extremely helpful.

[midnight elk]

Thank you for defending me. It's actually very hard. for me to put myself out there like this and it really hurts when people assume things like that without looking. Yes, I use AI and I'm not ashamed of it because it is the exact reasoning you described. Thanks again.

[void jewel]

Hey man it depends on HOW you're using the AI.

I don't know what you did

If you're generating whole content from it, it'll be dumpster bin quality (it hasn't learned enough yet) and unfortunately does work by stealing.

It is decent at critiquing ideas when you have it be harsh, and for formatting, and catching logical issues in homebrew spells.

[midnight elk]

I use it because google docs will look at something written in a more poetic way and call it a grammar error which makes ME think I was wrong and sends me into a panic spiral

[flint marsh]

"modern boomer take" is that generative AI as managed by the corporations who are bleeding our planet dry for the art theft machine so line goes up?

modern boomer take? get out of here man

critique of an actively harmful process that is not being made less harmful is not "a boomer take" of any kind

cool spelchecker though

[void jewel]

Iirc the usage of resources for that has been minimal, but I'm genuinely open to being wrong

[flint marsh]

belittling the idea as a modern boomer take does not imply that you are open to being wrong

boomers (The stereotypical boomer anyways, there are plenty of great folks in generations before and after mine) are the type to see a polite request to not be pinged and ping someone anyways for the convenience of it

"Doesn't bother me, might as well do it"

[midnight elk]

Did I unintentionally start a massive debate?

[flint marsh]

you can do whatever you want of course, but don't paint critics as soem kind of written off stereotype

[void jewel]

Imply anything from that yeah. Here's why I used that phrase:
-AI is not going anywhere, and will only get smarter and more capable
-It is a tool. It does of itself only what it is asked (until we get terminator)

Ai is only as bad as the people using it.

[spring tusk]

Generally showing a positivity for AI is frowned upon

[midnight elk]

Hey I merely forgot to deactivate the auto-ping

[flint marsh]

absolutely disrespectful behaviour that does not, in fact, say that you are open to changing your mind

[void jewel]

What I was asking for sources for was the "bleeding our planet dry"

[void jewel]

I mean, again, I am, but if you want to believe I'm not you can. Genuinely, what do you mean by bleeding the planet dry

[spring tusk]

The amount of uninformed you have to be to make the claim "AI is only as bad as the people using it" is crazy

[void jewel]

Inform me. Genuinely.

[flint marsh]

please stop pinging me on replies.

[void jewel]

Sure. Reflex, I don't mind not pinging you.

[flint marsh]

convenience, I get it

[void jewel]

You guys don't seem to understand that this is my current understanding and take, but I don't identify with it lmao. If I'm wrong, I'll totally change my mind.

[flint marsh]

well educate yourself then

there's a lot of information out there and it's exhausting to have to go get it for people all the time

[void jewel]

You see, I believe I have, which I might be wrong about. I'll look into it again, but I don't think I'll find anything else.

I think you're referring to the water issue primarily.

[flint marsh]

hey maybe ask grok or something. despite how harmful it is it seems to love to tell on itself

[void jewel]

I will say, grok is hilarious in that regard.

Sorry. Ping

[flint marsh]

have a good day

[void jewel]

You too

[grim ledge]

yeah ignore the trolls like that. I use AI as well. is it a crutch yeah prob. does it make me a more efficient dm? absolutley. games and smiles thats all that matters at the end of the day. this is a game that we partake in for fun

[void jewel]

I don't think they're trolling

[flint marsh]

hey man, critiquing AI use isn't trolling

stop with that nonsense

[void jewel]

Like, do we disagree? Maybe. But they're absolutely not trolling.

I'll still call you names if you start generating art or something.

[rough leaf]

The moral implications of AI is just so nuanced rn because of how new it is that’s it’s not worth the argument until it as progressed further

[midnight elk]

I shouldn't have said anything.

[flint marsh]

"AI" as a concept is not the problem. "AI" as it is executed in our daily world right now is a big problem.

[void jewel]

If you are using AI to create content directly, definitely don't. It'll be bad, for starters.

[spring tusk]

By all means, I'm gonna list off the three big issues

Modern learning algorithms that we call "AI" require a lot of computing power, computing power that uses a lot of water for cooling and releases a lot of pollution into the air.. on every question, every sentence, every word

Depending on the form of generative AI you're using, it also both steals from artists works and steals potential commissions, giving people an easy access tool to plagiarize and Frankenstein together whatever they want

And the use of generative AI greatly inhibits someone's creativity, because it's giving an easy answer or creation instead of asking for someone to use their brain to come up with an idea or create something, which in the long run is in my belief the most detrimental thing that will come out of it

You are right, AI isn't going anywhere, but neither are nukes, and you wouldn't go claiming a nuke isn't destructive

[rough leaf]

nah bro you’ve got a right to defend yourself

[flint marsh]

to be honest nobody is going after Zach

[grim ledge]

critiquing someone who is putting themselves out there based on your personal feelings about a tool is a scummy move no matter how you look at it. help people be better, give them examples to make better work. or let them use AI without your snarky comments

[flint marsh]

we are discussing AI use.

and how writing off critique as "boomer" or "trolling" is disrespectful

go hard in the paint if you lack the ability to make bad art/writing yourself. you can do anything and I can't stop you. you won't be allowed to post it on this server of course

[void jewel]

The art thing I agree with. The water one from my understanding is odd, because you need to account for the environmental coat of the labor that AI removed the need for, which is quite hard to measure (the person's computer, their time spent on it, and any other resources they used to do the task the AI did). I do agree it may limit creativity if used as a crutch to generate actual ideas, which is why I recommend that.

[flint marsh]

AI can blow through power and water to make you bespoke bad media

[grim ledge]

the amount of AI generated stuff I see in this server daily says thats a lie.

[flint marsh]

well start reporting them then

[void jewel]

People get banned daily

[spring tusk]

Using barbed wire as a leash for your dog is still effective, does that mean you shouldn't critique or criticize when you see someone pulling a dog along by it??

[void jewel]

Again. I'm not entirely with Dave here, but we agree that you shouldn't be using AI to create your content, at the very least.

[flint marsh]

the amount of water used by an artist is nowhere near the amount of water used by a data center

[void jewel]

Art I think as a whole is its own category that I agree is bad in both its use and needs. I am meaning other aspects. If all you're meaning is art, I agree.

My bad. Ping.

Habits die hard

[spring tusk]

So your defense for that first point is the issue that was my second point? Seriously?

[void jewel]

No, I'm granting that point for the sake of argument.

Not agreeing with it.

I'm assuming you're right on that

[spring tusk]

Fair enough

[flint marsh]

generative AI currently, is wasteful, harmful, and it's being pushed down our throats by every shareholder out there who wants to be ahead of the curve

[void jewel]

I will do more looking into water thing (genuinely)

[spring tusk]

And mental cognisance, that's also generally important

[flint marsh]

because they think AI = less people to pay so line goes up

and damn the planet for getting in the way of that

[spring tusk]

Calling people who argue against AI usage trolls is crazy work

[void jewel]

Definitely not trolling.

Though there's a tendency to call anyone who disagrees with you a troll these days and eh.

OR being a concerned citizen

[rough leaf]

if it’s a topic of environmental awareness then the argument will exist perpetually. How many people use AI daily compared to those that drive a car daily? how many people continue to eat food that was processed at an environmentally impacting factory? it’s an empty argument because we, as a people, will always continue to do things that impact the environment in major ways. (want to throw out i also don’t support 90% of usage of AI)

[flint marsh]

don't "be better" while looking down your nose at people who don't want to ruin the hobby with AI

[grim ledge]

yeah because someones home game sitting in their kitchen with custom magic items is ruining the hobby lmao

[void jewel]

I will actively tell you that content produced by AI for 5e is actual trash. You know what, for a thoughy experiment, I'm going to go ask chat gpt to come up with three metamagic ideas. Let's judge them.

They'll be miserable.

[flint marsh]

honestly please don't

all that'll happen is you'll burn cycles to prove a point we all agree with

[void jewel]

Fair enough.

[rough leaf]

cape of billowing times 3

[flint marsh]

I love the idea that "other things bad, so let's lean in and invest all of our moeny and resources on this other bad thing that also doesn't produce anything of value while we're at it"

[void jewel]

I do think the original poster of this comment would learn a lot from some design philosophy on YouTube though. I've read their stuff at times. I think they just need to learn a bit more about 5e design principles.

[spring tusk]

Again, barbed wire leash, it's not trolling to criticize someone for using a harmful tool, your stern "do better." means nothing because I genuinely can't fathom what I'm even done wrong. All I'm seeing is someone getting defensive and hostile over criticism of a harmful thing they like to do, which really doesn't look good on you

[flint marsh]

we could just spend a bunch of money on lightng forests on fire instead of AI, it'll pollute nearly as much, poison some water, and hey, people drive cars so who cares

[spring tusk]

STOP bshxhsh

[rough leaf]

outrageously missing my point

[void jewel]

Could use some controlled forest burn. Get the old growth gone.

Reduce fire risk

[grim ledge]

"Hey man, generative AI doesnt produce good content. Here is what is wrong with what you built..... Also, here is a guide on how to build magic items without AI they will be much more thought out and give you a better understanding of the system

[void jewel]

So bad analogy, that actually does something lmao

Need more useless analogy

[flint marsh]

no I'm hitting your point on the head. you said "why should we care if it ruins the environment, other things do"

[void jewel]

Criticism, even harsh or mean criticism, is not trolling. Do you know what trolling is?

[spring tusk]

So see that's what happened

Minus the offering a guide to making magic items, but by all means if anyone would like a comprehensive explanation just let me know

[void jewel]

Wild

[rough leaf]

even if i don’t agree with it im saying its gonna have an impact. you cant pick and choose what matters to the environment if its both negative. its hypocritical to say something is bad because it hurts the planet then continue to do other things that also hurt it

that’s why i originally stated it’s an empty argument until it’s developed further

[void jewel]

It's really not.

I own a car. I bike to work, but I own the car. Doesn't mean I can't condemn burning coal for fun

[spring tusk]

So in fact the society we live in has engrained a million naturally harmful things into our daily lives.. existing and living requires certain things to be done because the world said so, it's still bad

AI is not one of those things, you can in fact.. choose not to use AI

[flint marsh]

it's not hypocritical to make decisions based on weighing good vs bad. AI produces nothing of value for humanity at this point. it actively harms industries by pushing out skilled labour and replacing it with hallucinating no-accountability software, and it is intensely more harmful to the environment at this time than my ass on a bus going to the office is.

[grim ledge]

Im not really teh right person to have an AI conversation with> I work for an AI company that does crop monitoring and recognition lol

[severe bolt]

Folk please slow down and refocus. This seems to have wildly derailed

[spring tusk]

Hi lich lady

Blasphemy

[rough leaf]

My apologies everyone i get heated in my own head about things

[severe bolt]

Let's try to get back to actually discussing D&D Homebrew, but gentle reminder that we don't allow AI generated content to be shared on the server, including text or images.

But you've got a lot of fellow humans here who'll help you figure out how to word and tweak mechanics.

Well... I assume we're mostly human >.>

[slender condor]

https://media-waterdeep.cursecdn.com/attachments/0/828/c2-16.png

[severe bolt]

Moving on.

[grim ledge]

sweats in Binary

[spring tusk]

I'm so confused

[sturdy knoll]

A moderator has said it's time to move on - it's time to move on

Discussing moderations in public channels is off-topic and against server rules

So... back to homebrew!

[grim ledge]

yeah. I do need help with a boss fight im working on

Im working on a small boss fight of a giant cephalpod that is in the hold of a ship. The ship is cracked and broken and is bei g held together by this mult tentacles beast.

Here is the backstory the players are getting.
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/b8ZLC6bEQYTA

Im trying to figure out how to make mechanics where the party needs to both maneuver inside this ever shifting hold of this ship while fighting.

Im thinking some legendary actions where the monster can pull the boards bellow the party members resulting in a dex save or falling into the water between the planks.

Also, at the top of every round the boards shift leaving new holes for the players to fall/avoid.

What do yall.think? Im still brewing

[spring tusk]

Oo!!! I'm amazing with boss fights!!

[spring tusk]

Only issue I'm seeing is that forcing a save to avoid falling into the water is really just asking for someone to fall into the water.. and then what happens?..

[grim ledge]

The the boss "model" is a central octopus then there are 8 tenticles models as well. Im thinking the health pool for teh tenticles are seperate and they function as their own entity. but the main body can use its reaction to move damage to the tenticles. when a tenticle hits zero it is destroyed and the boss needs at least 1 tenticle to perform actions

There will always be space for the players to be able to swim back up. it will jsut impose being in the water and taking their movement away. cant really fight if you are under the ship.

[spring tusk]

Gotcha, so they can fall through the boards but then they just get caught, and the penalty is needing to skip your turn to climb back out- which still feels a little iffy but def much better than the party just falling into the water lol

What level are they?

[grim ledge]

they are still low. level 3. they faced off against a sun eater owl bear with like 150hp and a ton of attacks. I think they can handle it. BUT I cant go full on 8 combatants against them. they would never be able to survive just from action economy. So im thinking on the bosses turn they have a set number of actions they can use any remaining tenticle to accomplish.

I want the fight to be a very disruptive fight

[rough leaf]

i don’t know how much help i’d be since i’ve never made a boss from scratch but if you don’t want to overload them you can do tentacles in pairs of 2 where each pair acts as 1 entity. so main body and 4 other hostiles

[grim ledge]

Rough numbers Im thinking

200 base health, each tentacle has 15hp and damage done to the tenticles is also done to the main monster. when a tentacle drops to zero it is destroyed.

boss has multi attack 2 prob some sort of slam

Reactions, move a board to impove disadvantage on an attack or move a tenticle infrom of an attack (damage only goes to the tenticle)
then legendary actions

then lair actions (shifting boat parts)

HOw does that sound?

[spring tusk]

Sun eater?

I'm intrigued

[grim ledge]

its from helianas guide to monster huntering. super fun fight.

[spring tusk]

I remember during a Hydra boss fight I had each of the heads act as their own entity that could only target and we're only targetable if within range.. you could have it so this boss takes up so much space that only the like.. front 4 tentacles are in range, and the others are holding together the ship, then you can give it like 2-3 attacks and like a swallow move like the giant octopus has

[spring tusk]

Awh man I don't have that one, I have Ryokos guide for the crafting and Kaiju but I've been wanting Helianas for so long, I should look back into that

[grim ledge]

Dude......
PERFECT. 4 tentacles are holding the ship together. 4 are fighting.

This splits up resources and the players will also realize when they kill this thing the ship is going down

[spring tusk]

Yippee yippee :3

[grim ledge]

Ill have a finished stat block later tonight. Im so slow at using homebrewery

[spring tusk]

I loooove homebrewery

Making statblocks is so much fun

[gloomy flower]

chat hear me out
weapon expertise

not talking about 24 weapon mastery

i'm talkin double proficiency for attacks

[flint marsh]

wouldn't get anywhere near my table but if you don't mind busting bounded accuracy go hard in the paint, chat.

[grim ledge]

Just game breaking.

[spring tusk]

So doubling your proficiency for skill checks isn't overpowered but doubling your proficiency for attack rolls is?

It's definitely stronger but we don't even have all the facts, there's definitely room for some balancing

[spring tusk]

Elaborate

[rough leaf]

plus double modifier on damage as well correct?

[gloomy flower]

no?

[gloomy flower]

double your proficiency on attacks
same as expertise for skills

[spring tusk]

You don't add prof to damage

[spring tusk]

Do that's not elaboration that's just repeating what you said

Would this be for a feat? A class? A spell?

[gloomy flower]

there's not much to elaborate on here

[gloomy flower]

feat

[rough leaf]

i must be mistaken

[gloomy flower]

same as skill expert

[spring tusk]

There very much is

[gloomy flower]

but for 2 weapons

[spring tusk]

Gotcha,

I think

Hmm

Yeah, doesn't sound bad

2 weapons get +PB×2 to attack

[gloomy flower]

yeah

[spring tusk]

Sounds good to me

[void jewel]

Each?

Bg3's tavern brawler is a lesson in what happens when you add twice the PB to the to hit modifier

Hint - it's wildly overpowered.

@gloomy flower don't do that, wildly powerful

Everything will be 90 or 95% to hit

[spring tusk]

Tavern brawler

Doesn't do that

[void jewel]

Bg3

[spring tusk]

I'm aware thank you

[void jewel]

It does do that

Nvm STR

But same effect

Still going to be +3-5 to hit. Same difference.

[spring tusk]

Not the same effect, it's also only for unarmed strikes and improvised weapons

[gloomy flower]

at the point that they'll have it (level 10+ is the req) at the point where it won't make a difference

[spring tusk]

Yeah that sounds fair to me, giving it a level prerequisite

[void jewel]

+4-5 to hit makes a massive difference

At level 10

[faint sonnet]

Weapon expertise is one of those things that is better served by just removing AC and shifting to a "levels of damage" framework.

[void jewel]

But in short, this would be such a massive DPR boost that it actually restricts choice by becoming mandatory.

And is a massive, massive power bump.

[faint sonnet]

Aye, baseline/paradigm shifts are rarely looked upon positively in games such as 5e.

[void jewel]

When you introduce something so good it's ridiculous not to use it, you make character customization less interesting.

Sometimes, more options are less.

[rough leaf]

it almost sounds like an option that’d be better as a class feature. like a whole new fighter subclass

[void jewel]

You could replace an entire fighter subclass with just that feature and it'd still be too good

[rough leaf]

that’s fair

[void jewel]

My understanding is that PB to attacks is not meant to increase power but to roughly maintain power when combined with ASIs. So to hit rate remains the same as you level.

Minus any +X weapons of course.

[rough leaf]

if that person really wanted to make it work it could be an option to take instead of extra attack. so either 2 attacks that have the chance to miss or 1 that is almost sure to hit

[void jewel]

That's also kind of awkward. Tbh, adding a lot to hit just doesn't work super well.

I agonized over changing saving throw types on spells as an ability, even in very limited form, before finally realizing I was just high on hopium and scrapped the idea.

[rough leaf]

fair. it’s definitely strong in any capacity it’s just that it may work for some people. i’ve met plenty who like that power fantasy in there games where they feel like the chosen one

[primal osprey]

Working on the blessings of my setting's gods again. This time I'm making the blessing for the god of justice and storms

I'll just post the abilitiy I need some help with

Bolt of Justice. As an action, you can throw a bolt of golden lightning in a 300 foot-long, 5-foot wide line. All creatures of your choice within range must make a DC 20 dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 3d8 lightning damage and 3d8 radiant damage. Ona success, they take half damage

This can be done every turn. Is 6d8 total damage a little too much?

I think maybe I could tone it down to 4d8

[rough leaf]

what level would the characters get access?

[primal osprey]

I'm still uncertain about that

One of the other abilities someone else said it sounded like a level 20 capstone ability

It would normally be given through story moments

I'm thinking at least tier 3 for power level of the blessings though

[rough leaf]

cause the best way would be to just level it similar to whatever other spells are possible for a character at that level. so say a character is level 5 most average spell would be fireball so any damage remotely close to 6d6 would be fine yknow

[primal osprey]

Although this can be done every turn

[rough leaf]

oh yeah that’s right

[primal osprey]

For reference, I can post one of the other blessings

Empathy of Eilan. When you regain hit points from any source, you can choose one creature within 60 feet to regain an equal amount of hit points.

Hand of Eilan. As an action, you can restore 100 hitpoints to a creature you can touch. When you do so, the creature also no longer has the poisoned, exhausted, blinded, defened, paralysed, or stunned condition if it has them. You have three uses of this action. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

I tend to go for a permanent passive ability and a three per long rest ability for each god

[rough leaf]

they are definitely strong. at least for the first one considering it is given somewhat earlier and every turn i think maybe 2d6 of each type?

total damage of 24 for an attack action isn’t crazy for that level

[primal osprey]

Maybe I could tone down the damage but give it an effect

Maybe some lore context could help?

[rough leaf]

could even just have it scale with level adding an extra die to each damage every so often

[rough leaf]

i’d be happy to read

[primal osprey]

The god itself is a Githzerai that ascended to godhood after being a martyr for the freedom of his people. He was once a commander in the githyanki army but turned against their leaders and fought for their freedom and for the protection of the people the githyanki oppressed

in my setting, they were never slaves for mindflayers, instead the gith were made by the tyrannical god of magic

He became a god of storms, using the lightning of limbo to strike down evil

And that's pretty much it

[rough leaf]

at least with Bolt of Justice considering it’s a blessing of sorts, lore wise would it be the gods power directly?

like the caster is channeling the gods specific abilities

[primal osprey]

Not exactly. Just mean to be a gift from the god to someone they deam worthy

Like the blessing of the god of magic is just giving you spells you can cast once per long rest each

works for casters and martials

[rough leaf]

in that case i do believe dumming it down but adding an effect is the way to go i’m just stumped on what effect that could be

[primal osprey]

It could be a mini wild magic thing, being the lightning of limbo and that

Although I'll have to change it to be the 3 per long rest ability then

And now I need to think of the passive

[rough leaf]

maybe the passive could be something similar to how the lightning charges in bg3 work. like maybe for each enemy the bolt hits you gain a charge and for each charge you can gain extra movement or a flying speed to fit the storm vibe

[primal osprey]

Hmmmm, maybe

I'm just trying to think about what would fit the god

The passive I gave to a similar god - The goddess of war and peace - was one where if you didn't attack an enemy on your turn, you have a +5 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn

But this is the god of justice, of balance. He's neutral, unlike the other goddess

[rough leaf]

so you’re aiming for the passives to be separate of the ability but still similar in theme

like they don’t directly play off of each other

[primal osprey]

Yeah

[rough leaf]

hmmmmmmm

[primal osprey]

Hmmmm

I appreciate your help by the way

I think I'll work on it in the morning

[rough leaf]

no problem. but idea i had pop in my head would be something of an equal exchange type thing. like maybe when you fail a saving throw or take a certain amount of damage you then gain a bonus whether that be damage, or bonus health or something. it’s bake sense for the justice and balance aspect

just food for thought. best of luck

[primal osprey]

Hmmm, ty

[spark magnet]

Would a spell that implants false memories of you and the target that creates a bond that could only be shared by brothers an illusion spell or Enchantments

[primal osprey]

Wait I just arose out of bed with a new idea. When you or an ally within 30 feet is damaged by a creature, when you next damage that creature, you can choose to deal the exact amount of damage they dealt to your or your ally

An eye for an eye

Perfectly balanced, as all things should be

[rough leaf]

that’s peak. seems like a few charge per test kinda thing though

[primal osprey]

You're right. That would be terrifying as a DM

[rough leaf]

imagine getting smacked by a boss for 50 damage and a player being able to redirect that right back at no cost

[primal osprey]

I'd be absolutely terrified when planning to make a strong attack against that player

[rough leaf]

for sure

[primal osprey]

Or something like powerword kill (the 2024 variant)

12d12 damage..... knocked right back at ya

(Is it 12d12? I can't remember what it is above 100 HP)

[rough leaf]

oh shit. i wasn’t even thinking that. forgot that it said allies too. i was just thinking “well you couldn’t redirect that damage if you’re dead” lol

maybe put a cap on the damage you can redirect too

cause it would immediately stop any boss from using mega attacks

[primal osprey]

While I completely see that gameplay wise..... it doesn't make it perfectly balanced, as all things should be /hj

Maybe instead I could change it so that it can only be done on your next turn, and if you don't hit anyone you can't use it. as well as have that it only happens upon a successful hit or a failed damage saving throw against an enemy, making it possible for it to never land

[rough leaf]

that would work out nicely i think. so creature hits player for 50 damage, on players next turn that’d have to attack to deal that 50 back or else that’d 50 damage is gone and they can no longer deal it?

[primal osprey]

Yes

It doesn’t matter if they have an effect that deals half damage or a little bit of damage on a miss, it has to be a successful attack or failed saving throw

I’m happy with that

Ty

Anyway I must really sleep now. Gn

[rough leaf]

No problem. good shit

[grim ledge]

@spring tusk This is what I have so far for the Ship Kraken

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/sdcYcJBFNXJl

[spring tusk]

You sent the link to the editor page not the share page

[grim ledge]

work in progress. but the idea is a very 3 dimentional fight with a very small kraken

[grim ledge]

lmao fixed!

For anyone else I am working on a kraken boss fight for a low level party. They are investigating a floating hulk of a ship that is being held together by a young kraken. The battle will take place inside the cargo hold of the ship. The objective for the party is to get the cargo safely off the ship. Then, if they can, kill the kraken. The ship is then theirs to keep for salvage rights. This battle is meant to be a lot of environmental BS with the kraken controlling holes in the floor, using its arms for footing and causing a lot of distruptive jossling of the ship

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/sdcYcJBFNXJl

[spring tusk]

Not bad at all

Interesting homebrewery formatting, but it works

Might be a little hefty for CR 4 but other than that

[grim ledge]

oh why do you say that? Im still learning

im still adding a few features btw

[spring tusk]

I think it having multi-brained and the clause about destroying the limb not dealing damage to the body if the sacrificial limb reaction is used feels cheaty

Shifting ship also isn't an action but is mentioned in the multiattack

And the formatting in that text is typically "the octopus makes 3 tentacle attacks, it can replace one of these with a bite attack",

Attempt to flee and Unsteady Environment are unnecessary

Tentacle attacks and fling should be 1 action

The moving boards should be two, if a legendary action at all, I think that'd be better as a lair action

[remote lance]

also this monster is really complicated

It would be hard to run

[grim ledge]

hold up. I would refresh it. I made a lot of changes

[spring tusk]

Also, 1d10 + 2 isn't 20, and 1d6 + 3 isn't 17,

Also, 51 damage per round not including legendary actions is WAY too much for a CR 4

With the legendary actions even if you only do tentacles that's 102 damage

[remote lance]

Yeah, that’s a TPK if I’ve ever seen one

[spring tusk]

Legendary actions and Legendary Reactions are also redundant, Legendary Actions are already between rounds and in response to the end of a turn

[grim ledge]

Thats what everyone said about the sun eater owl bear at level 2 and they mopped the floor with it

[spring tusk]

The suneater owlbear doesn't do 102 damage per round

And the suneater owlbear isn't CR 4

[grim ledge]

its cr3

[spring tusk]

And doesn't do 102 damage per round

[grim ledge]

but i see your point

I think I added in a lot "attack OR use of shifting ship options

[grim ledge]

because I dont plan on attacking with tentacles more than 3 times per round. I should just cut the attacks out and put the other abilities more front and center

[spring tusk]

I think maybe 1 attack and 1 bite

3 legendary actions

Fling costs 2, tentacle costs 1

[grim ledge]

but im still not seeing the 100 damager per round. unless im blind lol.

[spring tusk]

17 damage, three attacks, that's 51, then you have legendary actions for another three attacks, 102

[remote lance]

Also why does this thing have 10 charisma

[grim ledge]

oh yeah the damage numbers were a typo from porting over the kraken profile

the dice numbers were correct so the bite doing 1d10+3 and the tentacles doinf 1d6+3

[remote lance]

You’re telling me a giant kraken thing is as charismatic as the average person?

[grim ledge]

hey man people are into tentacles..... (good point ill change it lol)

[spring tusk]

That's also like.. weird, why would you port over the Kraken.. a titan, and not the Giant Octopus

[grim ledge]

just for formatting I found one already in Homebrewery so i used it for the TExt editor stuff not the actual content

[void jewel]

Kraken is well designed

[grim ledge]

since this brew is like 93 lines of text

[spring tusk]

Oh so you're not even just using the kraken, you're using some random homebrewery kraken

Would you be alright if I went and drafted something up for you?

[grim ledge]

yeah this is for a specific fight

Its basically a giant octopus monstrosity held up in the cargo hold of a ship using it as a shell and holding it together.

The idea is to have a very enviromental manipulative battle. The real objetive for the players is to get the cargo out the cargo hold without losing any of it to the shifting floor and well, not die

honestly I prob should have just gave this thing 112 hp and just winged the fight lol

[grim ledge]

Im thinking taking the attacks, dropping it down to 2, and part of multiattack gets 1 use of shifting ship.

oh and removing the grapple mechanic

or adding a grapple check. just not auto grapple. That I think is a bit too strong for them right now

[grim ledge]

kraken was prob the wrong word for this guy. since its meant to fight more like a huge staionary octopus

Okay I think its all good at this point. Removed a main attack. Now it can have a max of 4 attacks per turn if going full damage for a total of 3d6+9 + 1d10+3 damage (31 Max per round) and a lot more disruption

anyone just tuning in this is what im working on

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/sdcYcJBFNXJl

[sweet ore]

lets say i wanted to make a big-bad similar to Sonic.exe but not make it too obvious, what would yall say i should make it like?

[ripe badge]

A thing that is like another thing but is not obviously like that thing is not actually like that thing

Make villains that are interesting rather than familiar

[faint sonnet]

I feel like I'm actually fine with Psychic being a damage type that gets a cantrip, after looking through the books to see what monsters that deal it do.

Probably should give context: #homebrew message

I've gotten a bit more confidence in narrowing it down to "specifically aiming to cause mental harm", which means it's more easily separated from stuff like "making a creature afraid of you" and "making a creature like you".

[true forge]

Trickster's Gambit

9th level Divine Mirage feature

Your god has given you the power to create illusions of objects creatures are holding. As an action, you can attempt to create an illusion of an item a creature within 30 feet is holding or have on their person that you can see and teleport the real object into your hands. This illusion cannot be armour or any type of spellcasting focus.
:
The target must make a contested Wisdom (Perception) check against a Dexterity (Slight of Hand) check made by you. If the target rolls a lower number then you, the creature's object teleports into your hands and a illusionary replacement is created in its place without them noticing. If the item was a weapon and the creature attacks another creature with it, the illusionary weapon deals no damage but instead heals the creature equal to your Rogue level.

An affected creature, either as a action or at the end of their turn, can make Intelligence (Investigation) check with the DC being your spell save DC to determine if the item is real or an illusion. On a success the creature knows that the item is an illusion.

An illusionary item lasts for 1 minute or until the creature realises it is an illusion. You can use this feature once per short rest.

thoughts?

[void jewel]

Me when I yoink the mcguffin out of the bad guys hands and then cast wristpocket.

Joking, that's dunamancy

But I think this is a bit much, it also violates illusion rules so you need to clarify those.

I can't think of another instance outside of very high level illusion magic where you can interact physically with the illusion.

Like, its not tricking them into thinking you stole the thing. This will be used to actually just steal the thing

If I'm casting this, I usually don't CARE about if they do the check or not. Obviously I want an action wasted, but that's just bonus. I want whatever they are holding.

Also, it lends itself to weird abusive edge cases.

Undoubtedly, armor is an object they have on their person. If I yoink full plate armor off your big evil knight, does his AC decrease by 8?

And even if he gets it back from me, he can't put it back on.

That takes too long.

It'd totally be worth your action and a use of this feature to permanently halve a boss's AC, if they're wearing armor

[true forge]

i added you cant do that lol

well it was there anyway so idk why you would bring it up lol

[void jewel]

Ah.

Yeah unfortunately this is more of a utility to steal something than it is an illusion spell/ability. That's functionally just a rider.

But if that's the intention, mission accomplished.

It doesn't state they reveal it to be an illusion after they heal someone with the weapon. It probably should

As this is written they need to stop and take their entire action to succeed on the check, or they believe their sword is still real and would, presumably, just keep healing you?

[true forge]

i mean if they know its an illusion, it dissappears lol

but i can add something lol

[void jewel]

But nothing states they'd know it's an illusion if it didn't deal damage.

yeah that needs to be spelled out.

I am a stickler for illusions being typed properly so that they work as expected, I main illusionist wizards.

all end conditions for the targets belief in the illusion should be spelled out.

Like, minor illusion RAW the targets believe the illusion is real until they pass the check or physically interact with it, but many DMs will do something like call for a perception, deception, ect. Check (this is wrong)

[true forge]

Once done, the illusionary weapon becomes known to the creature.

added that

which then it will disappear as stated in the last thing

[void jewel]

Solid. Still useful because it disarms them, gives you their stuff, AND turns a single attack into a heal.

Still potent.

This is a wisdom (perception) check which is distinct from most illusions as intelligence (investigation) is standard, but that's for the switcheroo, so it's appropriate, and you use the correct check for the subsequent checks.

This is flavorful on a rouge as well (who don't usually get to interact with illusion magic) so it works.

Oh, you need to specify that the illusion can be physically interacted with as if it were the normal item, including touch, temperature, sounds, and all other aspects except dealing damage.

Because if you don't, the illusion general rule takes over and its incorporeal

[true forge]

somebody said to remove the healing part but make it include items that arent worn

which could work lol

[void jewel]

That would be a buff in power and is appropriate. The healing is a bit out of flavor anyways.

And that'd allow you to steal the ritual idol without knowledge.

This is wristpocket on steroids, but it's a ninth level feature, and on a rouge, so that's fine.

If you make it other physical items not worn or carried, add a qualifier such as "you must be able to hold the item in one hand" in order to prevent such abuse as "I steal those stairs out from under him, they're one object right"

Notably it'd allow you to yoink an item across a distance based on sight alone, so you could take something through a wall of force or similar.

[true forge]

Trickster's Gambit

9th level Divine Mirage feature

Your god has given you the power to create illusions of objects creatures are holding. As an action, you can attempt to create an illusion of an item a creature within 30 feet is holding or have on their person that you can see. This object can also be any within range that isn't held or on a creature that you can see. The real object is teleported into your hands. This illusion cannot be armour or any type of spellcasting focus, as the magical properties of the spellcasting focus counteracts your illusions.

If you target a held object or an object on the target's body, they must make a contested Wisdom (Perception) check against a Dexterity (Slight of Hand) check made by you. If the target rolls a lower number then you, the creature's object teleports into your hands and a illusionary replacement is created in its place without them noticing. If the item was a weapon and the creature attacks another creature with it, the illusionary weapon deals no damage. Any illusionary item retains its current temperature, feel, sounds (if it makes any) and any other aspects it may have if not magical in nature.

A creature, either as a action or at the end of their turn, can make Intelligence (Investigation) check with the DC being your spell save DC to determine if the item is real or an illusion. On a success the creature knows that the item is an illusion.

An illusionary item lasts for 1 minute or until the creature realises it is an illusion. You can use this feature once per short rest.

stealing an item not on any creature doesnt require you making a contested check ofc, that would be abit weird

but the investigation check still applies

[limber dawn]

After playing around with vtt and movement in 5e i am for sure sticking to theatre of the mind movement system. This whole thing with slower mobs that lose initiative can dash and force disengage. A slower creature has no chance and can be kited if they make chase, thats just logic, the game just doesn't make physical sense at this point.

[stuck raptor]

never really had that issue

[limber dawn]

also the notion of all movement happening at the same time is lost replaced by mechanics that don't track, if all movement happens at the same time as in reality a slower mob cannot force disengage on a faster one.

[limber dawn]

your probably not visualizing the problem, faster player wants to keep his attack, so does not want to dash or disengage, he wants to keep ahead of the slower mob, but that mob dashes and last on init, so in the next round he has moved in range on the faster one and forces disengage or dash. and attack of opptunity.

[stuck raptor]

ok? that sounds like a typical case of empty wide room

[limber dawn]

or a field above ground and its a chase, either way i would never do this in my game because its assumed in a chase all movement is happening at the same time. So a little homebrew to solve the janky game disadvantage for a faster player. The mob would never get within range to force an opperunity.