homebrew

[bitter ginkgo]

but anyway subraces are a warforged thing probably

[faint sonnet]

If you want to keep dice, I would definitely move away from simulationism, tbh.

[vernal fable]

You and I don’t agree. I don’t think a rogue will tell you how they’re fainting your attacks to stab you in the back harder.

[faint sonnet]

Simulationism and dice are generally anathemas, because simulations remove the need for dice, as everything is resolved by how it is.

[bitter ginkgo]

when I looked at your pfp I thought it was that talking sprite of lancer when he says pants hole

[amber hollow]

Did you read that as unironically actually saying those things out loud to the enemy, and not in mechanical distinction terms?

I think you just take things way too literally.
You've seen how things are resolved via an abstraction, and have an issue with how the abstraction isn't one-to-one with something simulationist. When inherently, D&D's rules are not going to be 1:1 with exactly what happens in an exact way, because it is an abstraction in order to mechanically resolve things when things go time sensitive.

[vernal fable]

But we could. We could pick fighting styles that included bonuses to certain things and negatives to others. Allowing certain characters to pick up more they can switch between. Older editions did do this.

It’s why a lot of people prefer older editions. More details

[amber hollow]

Older editions were still turn based

[faint sonnet]

Aye, 2e had spells that took effect later in initiative, but was still very clearly turn-based.

[bitter ginkgo]

I would like my robo clown to be able to cut open the bbeg's stomach and pour in boiling hot extra chunky vegetable soup

that is a goal

[faint sonnet]

I'll be honest, I think the idea behind this all is fine, but I really think 5e is not the system to use, because this would basically un-5e 5e.

[bitter ginkgo]

idea

[vernal fable]

I don’t really thing so, I think you could still try to dodge reflexively while making an attack. Bixers do this all the time. Moving over 5 feet though, moving outside of that space you control and stance in? Not able to do that effectively. It’s why that zone exists in the first place. Set up right and you can do stuff within it optimally

[bitter ginkgo]

it constantly addresses an invisible "fourth wall" speaking directly to the players

[faint sonnet]

You'd probably want to do more research into the topic, in that case, as you're incorrect on the dodging and attacking at the same time. (The dodge precedes the counterattack.)

[bitter ginkgo]

I think that would be fun

[vernal fable]

It works out to the same thing, only I suppose you could look at it as getting that opportunity once each second. Instead of once every 6.

You COULD view it that way if YOU wanted too.

[amber hollow]

If you go down the path of simulationism you'll end up in the inner workings of a successor to TCfNA:TDW (a wargame that is estimated to take ~20 years to complete a game of due to how complex it is, like with research for fuel caps to reduce passive fuel evaporation rate)
But again that isn't real time due to being simulationist and not on a computer

[bitter ginkgo]

ok I'm making a mental character list

[amber hollow]

It isn't about how I want to view it, or how I could view it.
It's about what it is

[faint sonnet]

At this point, this should go to #character-discussion, if anything.

[bitter ginkgo]

yeah probably

[vernal fable]

This IS actually a thing I’ve run into. I think your turn as is is broken into seconds and the reaction takes a second up.

I was thinking of still giving the reaction, an making it once every round or once every so many rounds.

Like it’s a feat of instant speed you capitalize on but to not exhaust yourself you can only use it every so often.

Reactions are a thing I definitely don’t want to loose and thought about breaking a turn into multiple seconds.

So you can choose to save one of those seconds as a reaction. An it has to go off during that second. Like if someone moves during their first second and you chose to have a reaction on your second you can’t use it.

But that just leads to people attacking with both and not having a reaction at all.

So if you have thoughts about reactions, I would love to know what you think.

[vernal fable]

Might as well write a book. Not my cup of tea

[amber hollow]

I think your turn as is is broken into seconds and the reaction takes a second up.
And... do you have anything to point to that establishes this as the intention?

[vernal fable]

I don’t remember reading anywhere that how I’m supposed to view my personal fantasy.

But I suppose some people just think their way is right

[amber hollow]

Sometimes it's just as simple as "what do the rules say about how much damage they get to do"

the fighter got to level 11 uhhh give them even more potential damage

[faint sonnet]

I think that reactions (and saving throws) will basically be dead on delivery in your system, because the time chunks will be broken down so heavily that you won't be able to abstract away any sort of funky results of those game events not occuring when they seem like they should, which is exacerbated by the fact that your vision is to increase realism, which means that you have substantially less suspension of disbelief allowed by those engaging with those rules.

[true forge]

Artform

3rd level Stylist feature

Your creative mind mixes with your fighting prowess. You gain proficiency in Painter’s Tools or another artisan tool of your choice. As a bonus action, or when you use your Second Wind feature, you can enter an Artform, as seen below, for 1 minute. To enter an Artform, you must have the tool from this feature on your person, as you channel the power of creativity from it.

If the Artform you choose requires a saving throw, you use your Art Save DC

Art Save DC: 8 + Your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency Bonus

Flowing River, Rising Tide: Your movements become slender and graceful, as an ever following river, then as forceful as a mountainous wave. Your movement speed increases by 10 feet and your jumping distance doubles. Once per turn, when you jump, all creatures within 10 feet of you, as you jump and as you land, must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a fail, the creature takes 1d8 + your Charisma modifier cold damage and falls prone.

Roaring Ember, Primal Flame: Your body and weapons become engulfed in fiery determination. When you damage a creature, that creature takes 1d4 fire damage. At the start of that creature’s next turn, they take 1d4 + your Charisma modifier fire damage. This can happen once per creature damaged. If you touch a flammable object during this time, you can choose to ignite it.

**Living Spark, Jolting Arc:**Your arms are coated in the electric feeling of expression. Once per turn when you deal damage using a weapon, a jolt of lightning surges into a creature within 10 feet of the target. You must make another attack roll for this jolt, using the same modifier as the weapon you are welding. On a hit, the jolt deals 1d10 your Charisma modifier lightning damage to the new target. This target gains disadvantage on attack rolls that don't target you.

Caustic Gas, Poisonous Haze: Your body releases mist to make sure nobody destroys your art. While in this Artform, a 10 foot sphere of poisonous gas surrounds and follows you. When a creature ends their turn inside the gas, you can spend your reaction to cause the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, the creature takes 1d12 your Charisma modifier poison damage and has a -1 to their AC for as long as you are in this Artform. On a successful save the creature takes half damage.

**Decayed World, Lightless Ruins: **Your art turns morbid, resulting in your fighting turning more brutal and chaotic. When you deal damage using a weapon, you can swap the damage for Necrotic. Once hit with a weapon attack, a creature cannot regain any HP until the end of their next turn. When you reduce a creature you damage is reduced to 0 HP, you gain Temporary HP equal to your fighter level.

Inspired Hope, Banished Darkness: Your fighting becomes the shining light in the darkness that consumes. You emit bright light out to 10 feet and dim light out to 30 feet. When you make a weapon attack against a creature, you can instead cause an ally within 10 feet of you to make an attack roll in your stead, the ally must use their reaction to do this. This attack deals an extra 1d6 + your Charisma modifier radiant damage on hit.

can i get some eyes on this feature by chance?

[faint sonnet]

I don't mean for this to sound like destructive criticism, but if someone posed a set of mechanics specifically for enabling realism, I am going to be much less forgiving of any nonrealistic things that arise from it, such that I think you'll probably need to make some concessions to avoid rules that are dead on delivery in 5e's rules ecosystem.

[vernal fable]

I’m definitely the person to ask.

You get an object interaction, this takes time. I give it in a life or death situation a second to accomplish. You may attack, 1 second realistically, proper form. A bonus action, we can give this a second as well. An your reaction isn’t just an instantaneous thing, it still takes time to do this. I give it a second. Leaves 2 seconds to travel an average of 30 feet. an that’s actually quite fast. A decent speed for combat. Meaning you travel at 15ft a second assuming 30 movement 😄

[faint sonnet]

There's actually a big problem with this breakdown, which is that it assumes you can't be doing multiple things at once (you are assumed to be doing multiple things at once.)

[amber hollow]

Do you actually have anything to point to, to establish that "seconds budget" as what is going on?

[faint sonnet]

Not only are you doing multiple things at once, you are also technically doing all of the actions that you'd be forced to do on other creatures turns, such as dodging attacks, making saving throws, taking reactions, etc.

5e just vastly simplifies it so that all of that stuff is happening in an abstract timeframe.

[amber hollow]

Indeed.
Because a round is 6 seconds, and what you do on your turn is just what you performed in those 6 seconds, but there's also other things happening to you in those 6 seconds from other turns

We just have to resolve things in an order because we are people using rules and are not computers running it fast for real time

[vernal fable]

I think when I make a saving throw I don’t really allocate much time into it. I think it just kinda happens in the instant. There really isn’t time to think about it, you either make it right then or you don’t.

My changes to combat would allow you to actually dodge the effect area though and avoid the saving throw.

Something you cannot do at the moment.

[faint sonnet]

Oh, it definitely doesn't occur in just an instant.

[amber hollow]

incapacitated creatures autofail STR/DEX saves

[cerulean seal]

In this supposed system, if I don’t move I get more attacks? Does that mean a creature with no speed from a condition gets to make more attacks?

[amber hollow]

unironically if you put the passion in to making a good real time fantasy videogame RPG, with mechanical depth and timings involved, you could strike a niche of a unique nature of mechanical complexity and not just an excess of it. Or being obtuse with it like fromsoft

[vernal fable]

I appreciate realism, an I also appreciate fantasy at the same time. I consider myself quite average and have seen videos of others talking about this same subject.

I’ve repeatedly stated that there’s an element of fantasy to it still an I don’t want to go into perfect realism.

In my personal regards if you’re looking for that feel free to create it. I will not be playing with you lol

[cerulean seal]

Final fantasy/chrono trigger/xeboblade do the timed combat thing

With cooldowns

[amber hollow]

those are turn based are they not

[cerulean seal]

Yes and no

[amber hollow]

No I'm talking actual real time. Not turn based and waiting for timers to take turns (???)

[cerulean seal]

Turn based but all your features are on cooldowns so you can only do specific actions after your meter is ready tied to your speed

So it’s in theory timed

[amber hollow]

so why is it turn based if you can just wait on your turn

[vernal fable]

I think if you try to run and drink at the same time you’re spilling that potion in my opinion.

I just see so many issues with the game rules as is, and im not the only one. There’s plenty of free supplements that try’s to get around them.

[cerulean seal]

So for example in Chrono trigger. Every character can do an action, but then you have to wait for that characters bar to refill to do another action with them again. You can time this to make specific combos or lines of actions occur.

It’s hard to explain

Without showing you

[faint sonnet]

Sure, but how are you resolving this without actually going simulationist? What I'm getting at is that your goals seem self-contradictory for what you've stated, considering that you simultaneously want simulationism and don't.

[amber hollow]

seems like a very obtuse and convoluted system that defeats the point of not being real-time-based, then

[vernal fable]

I have timed how long it is. And looked up how long certain things are to do, that’s how I determined casting a spell is 3-6 seconds of verbal components.

[cerulean seal]

I mean, it’s a video game. It’s much more fluid in game

I’m not doing a good job at explaining

[faint sonnet]

I'd probably need a much longer write-up or something on the goals of this rework, tbh, as I'm very doubtful of the success of it (from having seen many a 5e rework.)

[vernal fable]

I’m actually feeling insulted the way I’m being spoken too. Maybe you shouldn’t be talking in home brew if you’re into the base game as is.

Just a thought

[amber hollow]

So can you point to me where those are so I can read the rules for them?
Or is this just made up and not remotely close to the published rules and commentary of the rules developers?

[vernal fable]

I also think we get trade value with what’s going on by reducing combat down into less of a time frame

[faint sonnet]

It's totally possible, though there'd likely need to be a playtesting assessment of this, with a determination of how long the resolution takes for certain actions.

[amber hollow]

You can't just... time things that happen in a turn based tabletop game. Things happen via rules, not ticking timers.

[vernal fable]

I’m basically deciding what I’m comfortable doing and playing and leaving it within those limits to what I personally want to play.

Based on my own personal common sense. If that wrong here? Or is that not what home brew is for?

[cerulean seal]

Again, I feel like this all works in a text based roleplay or book but mechanically as a ttrpg sounds tedious unless the system is designed around managing time

[faint sonnet]

There's nothing wrong with that at all, though it's worthwhile to mention that people often bring up ideas for others to critique them. I'm not actually trying to tear down your idea and instead seeing if you can focus it into something that's a bit more understandable for someone who doesn't implicitly know all of the considerations you're making and can see your vision. From that outside perspective, I'm a bit lost, because you mentioned liking the idea of using travel time, but (seemingly) dislike the idea of removing a lot of dice rolling.

[cerulean seal]

I think realistically Ttrpgs and DnD especially is designed with the theater of the mind as the focus. Things should feel and play good and easy for someone to understand without much hassle. Otherwise you are pulling someone out of a scene or situation to clarify mechanics and nuance.

Honestly thinking about the 6 second time frame in general isn’t even meant to be as big of a deal as it is. A lot of people would argue that a round of combat “feels” way longer than 6 seconds

Even if everything could happen in 6 seconds

[faint sonnet]

For example, if we are playing with travel time, there will likely be significantly less dice rolling, as one can (potentially) move out of the way of the vast majority of ranged things, but those ranged things still have to be resolved and calculated, as it's possible for something to get in the line of fire. If you have someone firing something like 4 arrows per turn, you'll need to track travel time for every set of arrows every turn, and if you have something like 5 combatants firing arrows, you'll need to track 20 discrete missile locations on the map at any given time. That's a lot of tracking and clutter on the map.

[cerulean seal]

Conversations happen, items are used, attacks are made, reactions are taken, etc.

[amber hollow]

And if one is trying to make this...
Unironically, making Fantasy SUPERHOT would be a cool idea.

[faint sonnet]

There's also the consideration that 5e combat is technically really fast already, with most combats being a real time of 18-24 seconds (imagine that compared to all of the movies that have combats taking entire minutes or even hours of offscreen time.) If we break combat down into even smaller chunks, you'll need to likely recalculate the entirety of the health and damage system, unless you want to move combats to be even unrealistically shorter (where the entire combat is literally done in maybe 6 seconds).

This is honestly where I think the AD&D 2e PHB describes combat much better than 5e, even though 2e rounds are a minute long

I would actually be curious to see your take on 2e's initiative/combat system, as it's a lot more "realistic" without being a huge pain.

That's really where I get my idea that chunking down to seconds would do more harm than good, as 5e technically already makes a lot of shortcuts and ends up making stuff significantly quicker than it would reasonably be when you take everything into account. A few quotes from the 2e PHB:

In real life, combat is one of the closest things to pure anarchy. Each side is attempting to harm the other, essentially causing disorder and chaos. Thus, combats are filled with unknowns - unplanned events, failed attacks, lack of communication, and general confusion and uncertainty.

... However, a character in an AD&D game is not an Olympic sprinter running in a straight line. He is trying to maneuver through a battle without getting killed. He is keeping his eyes open for trouble, avoiding surprise, watching his back, watching the backs of his partners, and looking for a good opening, while simultaneously planning his next move, sometimes through a haze of pain. He may be carrying a load of equipment that slows him down significantly. Because of all these things, the distance a character can move is significantly less than players generally think.

I actually think you'd love 2e's crunchy initiative, as you reroll it every round too (and it's modified by various things.)

Oh, dang, I forgot about the most important quote. Lemme type it up quick.

[vernal fable]

I think the dice rolls are chances, a you can’t really remove chance.

You’d need to get into placing shots and things. Like a video game that would be far too difficult to do.

I’m an actual book keeper, so I don’t mind an extra step or two to my in game bookkeeping.

The seconds per round going down, obviously means the amount of things you can successfully do will go down.

That’s just common sense. So an easy way to limit what you can do is assigning things a one second slot of time.
Maybe I should include being able to do multiple things at once, but it’s going to require more booking than I think it’s worth. Like the fun factor doesn’t really increase so it’s unnecessary

[faint sonnet]

Found that I don't need to type it up, huzzah.

If an encounter escalates into a combat situation, the time scale of the game automatically goes to rounds (also called melee rounds or combat rounds). Rounds are used to measure the actions of characters in combat (or other intensive actions in which time is important).

A round is approximately one minute long. Ten combat rounds equal a turn (or, put another way, a turn equals 10 minutes of game time). This is particularly important to remember for spells that last for turns, rather than rounds.

But these are just approximations—precise time measurements are impossible to make in combat. An action that might be ridiculously easy under normal circumstances could become an undertaking of truly heroic scale when attempted in the middle of a furious, chaotic battle.

Imagine the simple act of imbibing a healing potion. First, a character decides to drink the potion before retiring for the night. All he has to do is get it out of his backpack, uncork it, and drink the contents. No problem.

Now imagine the same thing in the middle of a fight. The potion is safely stowed in the character's backpack. First, he takes stock of the situation to see if anyone else can get the potion out for him, but, not surprisingly, everyone is rather busy. So, sword in one hand, he shrugs one strap of the pack off his shoulder. Then, just as two orcs leap toward him, the other strap threatens to slip down, entangling his sword arm. Already the loose strap keeps him from fully using his shield.

Holding the shield as best as possible in front of him, he scrambles backward to avoid the monsters' first wild swings. He gets pushed back a few more feet when a companion shoulders past to block their advance. His companion bought him a little time, so he kneels, lays down his sword, and slips the backpack all the way off. Hearing a wild cry, he instinctively swings his shield up just in time to ward off a glancing blow.

Rummaging through the pack, he finally finds the potion, pulls it out, and, huddling behind his shield, works the cork free. Just then there is a flash of flame all around him—a fireball! He grits his teeth against the heat, shock, and pain and tries to remember not to crush or spill the potion vial. Biting back the pain of the flames, he is relieved to see the potion is still intact.

Quickly, he gulps it down, reclaims his sword, kicks his backpack out of the way, and runs back up to the front line. In game terms, the character withdrew, was missed by one attacker, made a successful saving throw vs. spell (from the fireball), drank a potion, and was ready for combat the next round.

• 2e PHB

[stuck raptor]

dice are for uncertainty, you dont ned to roll for everything

[vernal fable]

I agree here. That’s why I do the research ahead of time.

I already figured out how many attacks a master swordsman can make a second. Why it an archer as well? If the projectile speed is high enough there’s no need to lag your attack and the hit. It can happen within the same second as the attack, maybe at certain distances that changes. An the attack will be on a delay.

That’s actually a really good idea.

I think the point of coming up with good rules is doing the math for people ahead of time and determining what needs to be or can be static and what requires randomization for.

[vernal fable]

I’m trying to shorten that and allow you to trade more within that time frame. So you feel like you’re doing more

[vernal fable]

Well we don’t yet know how fast the projectile travels.

But we can determine a lag time once we know its travel time and work out how close impact happens in a second and then round time based by distance off to decide what round the impact happens in.

So it is possible to do and we can simplify it so it’s not so difficult.

[faint sonnet]

I think you are underestimating the difficulty, as that's just one of potentially hundreds of checks to make every round.

[vernal fable]

You’re still doing the exact same amount of things. You’re just able to make more choices of what to do in a shorter time frame.

Trading one option for another.

It’s the same amount of things. It’s just broken into a time frame that allows more trades to happen in the same time frame.

Rather than imagine I’m doing more. I can actually do more.

[vernal fable]

I’m not familiar with it to be perfectly honest is it based on attack time of the weapons you’re using?

[faint sonnet]

Uhhh, that and about 20 other things, with it being basically what you want but more realistic time-wise, which is interesting because it does the opposite direction of what you want. I pasted a few blurbs above.

I would describe 2e's approach to combat as being much more gritty and unforgiving.

When you're casting a spell, you can't move, you get no bonus from DEX to your AC, and if you get hit with an attack or fail a save, your spell is just gone (such as if you wasted a spell slot.)

[vernal fable]

I already like to address these sorts of things with how I play anyways.

Keeping potions on a belt or inside of a cloak where everyone knows they are. Everything kept within reach or else it takes your action to do it.

If you time how long it takes you to drink a small drink. I think a second is more than enough time to successfully drink a potion. If you haven’t put it in A easily accessible area, another second to get it off and find it.

I think making most things a second it far faster enough. It’s fantasy to do these things all together in a battle field. But that’s enough fantasy as I need to be excited about playing.

Maybe finding these points are difficult for some but I’m good with it lol

[vernal fable]

I think that’s where some people need to draw the line, by determining things that need a line drawn and why.

[faint sonnet]

The problem with this is that taking a second to drink a potion is realllllly unrealistic, even with all of that stuff you mentioned.

It may just be that you need to do more research to get better numbers, though.

Research could even be trying to emulate said things.

[vernal fable]

It’s fantasy, you do have to draw a line somewhere.

I just know I’m not alone in looking for a different place to draw that line.

I refuse to turn combat into bookkeeping that isn’t fun so I don’t really care what others do. But I will not be going that route. Hard pass

[polar timber]

I think someone made a video where they timed how long it takes them to drink a potion

like a variation of those "Is 30 ft of movement realistic?" videos

[vernal fable]

I’d simplify it like I stated and remove checks altogether.

But I like the lag. Because you might actually see the arrow coming the further away it is. An be able to dedicate your time to blocking it.

[faint sonnet]

Found the video, yeah; 9 seconds.

[stuck raptor]

did they swirl the potion though

[polar timber]

Every combat prepared individual knows you gotta use the swirl method to drink potions!

[faint sonnet]

5.36 seconds when swirled.

[stuck raptor]

thar we go

[vernal fable]

I feel like that is properly more realistic. I find casters have far too much free to do whatever they want in 5e.

So I’ll likely look up cannon facts on how long it takes to cast a spell, average it out and limit spells with a level within that time frame.

[faint sonnet]

I would honestly just see if you like 2e, as it might do all that you desire and more.

[polar timber]

it was a pretty mediocre swirl as well ,so you can probably get it down a bit

[faint sonnet]

2e is significantly more structured to do what you want, methinks.

[vernal fable]

I’ve timed it, it can be done in less than a second very easily.

I’m putting work and actual research into it.

[faint sonnet]

Out of combat, possibly. In combat, definitely not, hence you need to do some better tests probably.

[polar timber]

generally depends how much liquid you conceptualize a potion to contain

[faint sonnet]

Raising the potion and uncorking it would probably take about a second if done very quick (assuming you can get it out of your gear in a second as well), and the drinking would take probably about a second if it's 1oz like new D&D potions.

[vernal fable]

That’s how I did it. I used a small yogurt drink. Even thick. It can be done in less than a second. Just gotta untwist the top and I’m pretty sure most potions have a cork you push out of the way with your thumb

[vernal fable]

How big was the drink? Did not take me that long

[polar timber]

the potion they used was probably closer to like 2-3 ounces

[faint sonnet]

It was 4oz.

[vernal fable]

Actually time a second. It’s ALOT more time than you think.

[vernal fable]

Potion of healing contains a oz of liquid

[faint sonnet]

I have, and I've actually done a lot of stuff that is very tangential to this stuff. See how fast you can take your phone out of your pants pocket with a jacket on and then unlock it and take a picture. That's gonna be about how long it takes to do the full motion of drinking a potion.

[vernal fable]

So says the DMG anyways.

1 oz is a single shot. I can do a jello shooter in less than a second ffs lol

30ml’s

[faint sonnet]

The drinking itself is the quick part if it's 1oz.

The part that takes the majority of the time is getting it up to your lips, assuming it's stowed away.

[vernal fable]

Actually if you do try it.

It’s the razing it to your mouth that takes the most time

[polar timber]

pressurized potion injector

[vernal fable]

Again. I’ve done it. I’m not speaking out of my ass.

Go time yourself doing a shot. Getting it to your mouth is the hard part.

Adventurers have trained for these types of things anyways.

I just like the idea of getting more variety out of my 6 seconds than the original game gives you

[vernal fable]

Would allow artificers to create a automatic potion injection system lol

[faint sonnet]

I do wish you luck on your endeavors, I'm just a bit concerned (for your sake) on the quality control of your timings. It seems like they are based on what would be considered ideal scenarios, as opposed to realistic ones, y'know? If you want the best data, ask some military buddies, as they will know the experiences of stuff taking 5 times as long as it should because of high stakes scenario where your nerves aren't settled and you're making split second decisions that aren't "clean".

[vernal fable]

I think it’s pretty realistic.

If you stop moving to do something it’s going to have a higher chance of success. An in those situations you NEED to succeed. You don’t take the lesser success chance because your life’s on the line.

That’s why I don’t agree with things being done at the same time. That level of hand eye coordination is absolutely insane.

Not everyone can do that, it would be a task for a ambidextrous person even

You get one good thing in a second.

It’s slower than the half second. But that’s more a person under the haste effect. Getting two actions out of a second. Each thing becoming a half second to accomplish

[scenic urchin]

easy way to settle this, create a mechanic where to drink a potion, you the player IRL have to drink a flask of some juice or something

[vernal fable]

Milliseconds is inhuman.

[vernal fable]

My character moves faster than me, I refuse this premise

[stuck raptor]

also worth noting that dnd characters are not your average person

[faint sonnet]

I don't think it's particularly realistic, sorry, especially because I have military buddies who have seen said high pressure scenarios and have said stuff that directly contradicts your timings, and I gotta trust them more than a rando on the internet

I'd just tighten your quality control, probably.

[scenic urchin]

i dont think you get to dictate your character's speed >_> that's what stats are for

oh, unless like the player IRL has a drinking problem or something, then a handicap is permitted ofc

[faint sonnet]

If you truly want to test combat timings, you have to make it as obnoxious as possible and get away from "nice" tests. Actually do test how long it takes to get out your potion from a rucksack that has a strap over it and has multiple other pieces of gear in it, especially considering that bad moves could realistically break said potions. Stuff like that, y'know?

[vernal fable]

I do get to dictate that. I generate their stats lol.

[flint marsh]

I hope your table finds joy in this

[faint sonnet]

FYI, I'm not trying to hate; I assume you brought up the ideas because you wanted criticism on them.

[vernal fable]

I am less than average probably a -1 to dex. Realistically. I’m not so fit. But I can swing my arms and time how long it takes. A second is more than enough time without becoming inhuman

[stuck raptor]

PCs in general are inhuman

[faint sonnet]

Again, quality control them tests. Make it significantly harder.

[flint marsh]

You ever see that video of Mohammed Ali dodging 21 punches in 10 second then taking time to dance and smile

[vernal fable]

I mean … they just kinda assumed I can actually do all that stuff when creating the 5e rules. So I don’t feel generalizations or assumptions really hurt that much

[stuck raptor]

using commoner stats to see how a person more trained and hardier than you are to determine what someone can do is a bit flawed in of itself

[vernal fable]

I think you’re just being a negative Nancy about my ideas lol

[scenic urchin]

if you generate their stats then i'm missing the argument, just generate their stats to drink however fast you want them to drink and move on

[faint sonnet]

I'm trying to provide a critical eye because essentially no good ideas come about with zero criticism.

[vernal fable]

Very true. This sort of thing wouldn’t be for everyone. Personally when I host games we vote on all the rules in discord. Majority wins.

Gritty realism got the win. But spell points did not. Figure that lol

[faint sonnet]

I gain nothing from providing feedback on this, as I'll never use it. I just would rather your own system meet your expectations, but if you don't think you need advice on that, I'm not sure what you hope to gain from discussing it in a homebrew channel, y'know?

Crowdsourcing problems with ideas is a tale as old as time.

[stuck raptor]

the channel description does say this is for discussing and getting feedback

[vernal fable]

Not super human. They’re still just people who have the option to use magics to increase their effectiveness.

But I think half a second per attack is pretty good. If you have extra attack, that means two attacks in a second. With force, using perfect form. I think that pretty impressive.
Action surge puts that at .25 a second for a full followed through swing.

I looked it up and sword masters can swing in less than 1/8th of a second. Fighters when they’re masters can attack 8 times in a round without haste. Using action surge. But still possible. Ergo, every attack action can effectively be broken down into a second.
Meaning so can every other action. It’s all about limiting the bookkeeping and finding realistic comparisons

[faint sonnet]

I will say I am curious of where you got the 1/8 second, as I got 1.3 seconds (as an attempt to set the world record, mind you.)

EDIT: This is the world record, as of the blog post, oops.

[vernal fable]

Not really. I work in an office. a commoner works on a farm. They’re going to be physically superior to me. That’s just facts. Am I don’t exercise. So I’ll me less than the average person who does do more activities than I do

[stuck raptor]

... where does it say commoners work on farms

[scenic urchin]

for various definition of farm, perhaps

[stuck raptor]

im a framer, but at best im a commoner with 12 str and 11 con

[vernal fable]

I have not told any of you yet not to give me feedback. I’m not sure why you guys feel that I have. But that’s your prerogative.

[scenic urchin]

toiling away on that frame farm?

[stuck raptor]

again, literally in channel description. its the base assumption

[faint sonnet]

Additonal context: Isao (the guy who generally gets speed records for striking fast), is also known for slicing the BB pellet and stuff.

[stuck raptor]

Discuss home-made game options and get feedback from the community.

if you dont want feedback thats fine, but thats the assumption here

[rugged olive]

Been reading back a few messages and am trying to figure out what the main discussion is over

[scenic urchin]

same, i've just been tryna fake it...

[faint sonnet]

1.3 seconds per swing as the current world record (with a katana, mind you) actually makes Extra Attack beyond two interesting, as that starts approaching exceedingly fast strikes with something like a greatsword.

[vernal fable]

Isao Machii over 100 swings in a minute with movement.

[vernal fable]

It’s faster than that

[faint sonnet]

Did he beat his own record lol? That's the same person I linked to.

I doubt that Isao went from 1.3 slices per second (I said 1 slice every 1.3 seconds above, oops) to 8 slices per second in a span of 8 years.

[vernal fable]

It’s 87 cuts in a minute pardon me. With movement. Notice how he has the get back into stance to cut properly? He can’t just cut at any angle

[vernal fable]

Actually it’s 1/8 seconds to attack with a follow up swing.

Is what I said, I just used it for a simple and easy comparison for 8 attacks in a second. Limed up one after another it would be

[faint sonnet]

I'm unsure where you are getting this number, though.

Like, can you link to it directly?

[scenic urchin]

is the argument that fighters should be able to make 48 attacks in a round sometimes...?

[faint sonnet]

It's a discussion on timings for 5e discrete events. I happen to think that Kull is being a bit optimistic with timings

[vernal fable]

I got it from googles AI, it’s pretty good at researching and it’s a consistent answer.

https://www.swordsofnorthshire.com/blogs/theblade/who-is-isao-machii-modern-day-samurai?srsltid=AfmBOooqf0dOBM1fOTOGP4ANilcBb9wLKgJ8o0QKiWIJCTcLfdHPubFv

[polar timber]

Oh man, ive never understood the whole thing about literally interpretting d&d Attacks as actual single swings

[faint sonnet]

Ah, that's your first mistake; never trust AI without being able to cite a source still. The link you sent says nothing of the sort.

[polar timber]

ik the conversation isnt exactly about that, and I dont mean to side track, but what a terrible interpretation of how attacks work to actually think that a fighter "attacking" 4 times is 4 literal swings

[vernal fable]

200 km/h (124 mph) for the fastest swing. He swings faster than a billet can travel

Because he cuts bullets

[scenic urchin]

but even if I grant that its theoretically possible to swing a sword 8 times a second ... what's the conclusion

[faint sonnet]

...do you know how fast bullets travel?

A slow bullet travels about 400 feet per second (272.75 miles per hour).

[polar timber]

400 ft/s is unfathomably subsonic

are there bullets that actually go that slow?

[scenic urchin]

subsonic ammo is a thing for sure

[faint sonnet]

Muskets, LMAO

Modern ammo is like 3.75K ft/s, iirc.

[polar timber]

doesnt seem like it? from a quick google search

[scenic urchin]

i want to say you'd use it with a silencer to get pretty silent firearms but idk i could be making that up

[polar timber]

oh dang, actually maybe

[vernal fable]

I don’t know I guess it doesn’t work. I’m still going to follow through and finish my project

No you’re right it was a BB gun, I misread it as gun that he deflected

[faint sonnet]

Oh, absolutely work on your project. I'm not trying to dissuade you at all. If anything, I think that the idea sounds a lot more fun once you iron out all of the kinks.

I think the idea sounds fine if Foundry can do the majority of the heavy lifting, though I think the difficult part is that the game might become less about actually feeling as if you're playing D&D and more feeling like you're moving a Chess piece.

[vernal fable]

I absolutely won’t be dissuaded lol.

But maybe I need to go back to the drawing boards and determine what I think in a fantasy game is realistic if that makes sense.

I still have the problem of the reaction to figure out

[faint sonnet]

I'd also check out PF2e if you want crunch. It's basically "D&D, but crunchier."

[vernal fable]

I feel that way already to be honest. I don’t feel there’s enough back and fourth in games as is.

I need more trade

[faint sonnet]

PF2e even has the three action system that you'd probably like, where you get three actions per turn and each of those actions is meant to take up a discrete amount of time.

[vernal fable]

Basically breaking your turn in half to 3 seconds.

[faint sonnet]

To an extent, yes. Each action can be movement, an attack, or something else.

[vernal fable]

Though you get 1 extra thing out of that time frame. 6 opposed to 5

[scenic urchin]

spend one action attacking, spend second action attacking, spend third action attacking, turn don

[faint sonnet]

I will say that I'd be much more inclined to go with PF2e's route, as having 1 thing per second is going to not really feel like a TTRPG anymore.

I think that approaches the line of "Regardless of the rules, a videogame is better."

[vernal fable]

I was thinking of making it 1 second per turn. So you get to choose 1 action to spend the time on.

It would slow down the strategy of the board allowing you to react better to things changing more, just smaller changes

[vernal fable]

It’s the same concept is it not?

[faint sonnet]

PF2e has 3 action turns, so the game moves faster.

[vernal fable]

It’s the exact same concept

Only each action takes 2 seconds

[scenic urchin]

i'm a big fan of the game moving faster, i have about 15 RL minutes of patience then I space out when it comes to combat

[faint sonnet]

Not at all, no, considering that you get one attack within an action.

[vernal fable]

They also don’t have extra attack do they?

[faint sonnet]

Not in the same format as 5e, nope.

[stuck raptor]

thats what the other actions are for

[faint sonnet]

You can spend all three actions attacking, but you get no movement or other things.

[stuck raptor]

you either focus your turn on attacking, moving, other things, or a mix

[vernal fable]

Well I suppose in game without magical aide the max attack speed is 0.75 seconds. Assuming you don’t take time to do anything else. I doubt you can swing that fast effectively and drink a potion at the same time. I think it’s realist to expect you to focus on 1 attack at a time

[faint sonnet]

PF2e may be your jam, honestly. It's also more likely to get players, because it's established.

[vernal fable]

As uh, the format I’m looking at implementing.

[vernal fable]

It’s kinda shit. It doesn’t have the lore behind it.

I think d&d’s been my jam for like almost 30 years. It’s probably going to stay my jam.

Pathfinder just breaks actions down into 2 seconds a turn. So it’s slower than 5e is.

[faint sonnet]

Galarion has a ton of lore, though.

I'm not even a PF shill, I just think you should check it out because you're seemingly doing the classic 5e homebrew move of reinventing PF2e

[vernal fable]

I think 2 seconds is far too slow. Time a full swing at 2 seconds. That’s ass lol

[faint sonnet]

That's a bit more normal, yeah.

[scenic urchin]

Golarion budded from D&D too :X

[stuck raptor]

if it helps, an entire round is 6 seconds

[vernal fable]

I get that …

[stuck raptor]

turns are merely there for game's sake

[faint sonnet]

I think the biggest flaw in the thinking on timings is that there seems to be an assumption that the prereq for making a good swing is just totally lined up for you.

[bronze delta]

Hi

[faint sonnet]

You can easily swing a weapon really fast. You then get it blocked because you were sloppy and then get counterattacked and potentially killed. HEMA channels can go over that, too.

If anything, a lot of your questions could be answered by HEMA forums and the like.

[vernal fable]

Yeah I don’t know.

I usually do combat as a kinda stop frame thing. So how someone ended their turn is the position they’re in until something happens to them where there’s interaction.

That’s probably just me though.

Kinda up to you to take that position and find your realistic openings from there.

I don’t remember asking how fast a sword can be swong. I remember asking peoples opinions of some equipment durability home brew I’m working on tonight ^_^

[stuck raptor]

only comment on that is hella a lot of hp bars to track

[vernal fable]

I mean our current hp isn’t broken down into parts so I see no need to break the equipment down that way. Feels like extra for no reason to me

[faint sonnet]

Heck, you might even get another hobby from researching all of this, too, that being some sort of HEMA

[vernal fable]

I’m an office worker. I’m not into exercise. I rather play my tabletop games.

Kinda getting the feeling you’re trying to tell me to not play D&D. You’ve been kind of passive aggressively been telling me that a while.

I wonder why you’re in home brew if you don’t like changes to the game >_>

Try being supportive in the future. That’s real people behind the screen ^_^

[faint sonnet]

I'm an office worker too, for context

It's just that you seem like you want something from D&D that will take so much energy to make and won't resemble D&D anymore that it would be easier to find something that reduces your workload.

[vernal fable]

I feel like using my brain isn’t too much for me. Probably why I’m taking the project on.

Why not just reflavour another classes abilities to fit your vision? Less work.

That’s not really the spirit of home brew an is counter productive

At least you’d figure it is here.

[faint sonnet]

It's the idea that "changing the game" eventually tips into "making a new TTRPG" and that's not an isolated opinion I hold, as it can be found in wider homebrew communities. It ends up causing burnout and misaligned expectations, and it's happened to so many people that it seems like a disservice to allow people to constantly fail at it.

[vernal fable]

In your opinion.

[faint sonnet]

Also in many other's opinions, yeah, in said wider homebrew communities.

[vernal fable]

I’ve seen plenty of combat overhauls. My current favourite is called gritt realistic .

[scenic urchin]

Perhaps an "agree to disagree" is in order followed by a "best of luck" to all parties

[faint sonnet]

It is getting rather late for me, aye.

[vernal fable]

I don’t know why they’d shit on someone else’s ideas of game changes if they’re into it. I just find yourself kinda aggressive here and I shouldn’t have to defend myself is all.

Not every change is really for me either. Usually why I create my own.

Wonderful game to allow that

https://www.kurry.fi/viki/images/a/ac/Gritty_Realistic_D&D_5e.pdf

^ very fun “overhaul”. Someone who put the effort into creating a decent change to a system that gets stale after a while

[faint sonnet]

Apologies if my criticism comes across as aggressive; my job and my own creation style is to point out flaws with design ideas so that they don't slip through and cause significant damages. A lot of the time the criticism needs to be very specific, and because you were responding to things specifically, I assumed you were actually continuously wanting to engage in that feedback loop.

With that said, I don't think there's much else I can help on with this, and I do gotta go.

Best of luck with the rework, of course. Hopefully it works out well in play (Foundry will be pulling some serious weight, it seems, which would be interesting to see how it handles it.)

[bronze delta]

Hi can I talk about a boss here?(just for my curiosity and what would you guys think, and no I’m not a dm)

[wide citrus]

Hey yall I'm coming up with a custom evolving greatsword that ties to a players background, they named the blade Bloodfang.

I want the sword to grow over time so they continue to use it but unsure about what abilities I should give it. Only thing is it activates upon his own bloodline being wiped on the scabbard

Any fun ideas? I got a couple but wanna see what ya'll think of!

[restive tusk]

Depends on the boss. Do you have its statblock?

[native grove]

https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDHomebrew/comments/1pi5v8z/revised_circle_of_the_land_druid_subclass/

This is a link to a homebrew subclass i made, how does it look?

[restive tusk]

At base I’d say there’s not enough specifics to really lean into a mechanical theme yet. If it deals with ancestry perhaps it has some kind of curse, or uses curses in some way

[bronze delta]

Already talked about it, but no stats(and no I’m not a dm), just to sate my curiosity about the boss’ unique mechanic/gimmick.

[molten basin]

How would you all setup Yathrinshee abilities... custom subclass or a feat like drow magic?

They get the ability to resist necrotic energies, can raise an undead from something they kill, and get a banshees wail type abiltiy...

Figure could be level locked. Necrotic resistance early levels, once a day or someth when a creature dies to your blade it animates for 1 minute, then late levels some banshee scream...

Does it make more sense as a subclass to my bard or as a feat?

Or would you do something else entirely?

[native grove]

Anyone have any opinions on this?

[peak inlet]

all of your subclasses have way too many options

ok, you can’t just give them Arcane Recovery straight up

you can make the level 6 feature the exact same always, but the biome is different

probably something like a difficult terrain, but since you’re a Druid that’s not really ideal

you’re usually not planning on being in melee

which makes most of this reading kinda useless

the always-on sanctuary doesn’t need to be limited by monster type if you’re going to give it almost all of them

just make it while you’re in the biome

I’m not gonna look throught the spell lists, the level 3 features are fine, but so many words for the extra ribbon parts

I would genuinely prefer dropping half the words and losing the extra effects than having to read all that text

make it exhaustion resistance when you’re in the biome if you wanna keep it

and scrap the replacement resistances

and cantrips honestly

or put the cantrips in the spell lists

[peak inlet]

you already have 8 choices, but now, you have like 14 choices because you can choose a different species or plan for a future Wish spell or random temporary resistance spell that gives you a resistance through this feature

[cerulean seal]

Idk the context or how many abilities you will be getting and so on, so a subclass might be fine. If its just 1 ability then a custom feat is fine

[native grove]

I mean personally I like customization in a class/subclass

[cerulean seal]

I mean, circle of land has always been designed with customization in mind

but to an extent

[peak inlet]

how powerful is this as a subclass feature?

You can use a Magic action to allow a creature within 60 feet of you to use their Reaction to immediately take an Action. That Action can only be used to take the Attack (one attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Utilize action.

I currently have it at 6th level

it’s a Wizard subclass

-# might wanna add a spell slot cost

[burnt cipher]

Has anyone made a 5e Tripkee?

[native grove]

What do you think of the subclass?

[woven hamlet]

Not very i think, you have to consume an action from your turn and a reaction from someone else to use. Its alright in terms of repositioning and can give some decent mobility but can be quite limited outside of that

[peak inlet]

yeah, that’s kind of my hope, I don’t wanna limit it to a specific number of uses

but I’m wondering whether I can make it a Bonus Action for a 2nd level spell slot

[molten basin]

Details on the Yathrinshee for the wiki page is like only a few paragraphs if ya wanna read it.I detailed the abilities they have already tho.

[cerulean seal]

If you are getting all of those abilities then maybe a subclass works. I think if your dm is kind they could make it a series of feats too

[plush flame]

If you do party setup, very powerful with a rogue

I'd probs restrict to INT mod uses per long rest

[peak inlet]

I know it probably should be INT times per LR, but I really don’t wanna do that

I changed it to be a Study Action (the whole subclass is kind of dependent on that)

but now it costs a spell slot to use

You can expend a spell slot when you use the Study action to allow a creature within 60 feet of you to use their Reaction to immediately take an Action. That Action can only be used to take the Attack (one attack only), Dash, or Utilize action.

I’m still thinking it through, you can get the same effect with Haste

but 3 1st level spell slots is still better than 1 3rd level spell slot + concentration + risk of Lethargy even with Circle casting

I guess you can remove the concentration and Lethargy risk with Circle casting

I’ll definitely end up having to make it INT times per LR

I’m turning it back to a Magic Action and keeping the spell slot use

it’s kinda like having a 1st level Action spell that allows an ally to use their Reaction to attack or move

[peak inlet]

I’m making it Magic action and INT/LR

[void jewel]

Very, as is. Needs a limit yeah

Int limit is good

Nvm I can't read

Its actually kind of mid

You won't use your action for it a ton imo

But its still a decent feature that will see use

[peak inlet]

yeh, that’s what I was thinking, it’s a full Magic Action and you’re a Wizard

and your ally also needs to spend their own Reaction, Rogues can do that with a Haste and their own actions

but it’s fine, I’ll limit it to INT/LR, just a bit less worrying imo and I don’t imagine people using it that much anyway

especially since my current level 14 feature allows you to cast a 2nd level spell as part of the same action

[void jewel]

In that case yeah some form of limit is good

[peak inlet]

yeah, that’s why I was flip flopping, I was deciding what the most balanced combination of the level 6 and level 14 features is and INT/LR became pretty reasonable

[river sierra]

RAW, dash and disengage dont do anything as a reaction, since they dont give you another chance to move, they just augment the movement you can do on your turn

[mild cove]

Then just add “and move up to their speed”

[unique parrot]

The attack action will be especially strong on rogues since they can trigger sneak attack

[peak inlet]

I know, that was the old wording I had on there, I changed part of the feature but forgot to update the whole wording

[peak inlet]

Rogues can Ready to trigger Sneak Attack off-turn already

you are basically trading your full turn as a Wizard for an additional turn on the Rogue

[peak inlet]

also, your statement is not quite right afaik, I’m pretty sure Dash does allow you to move even if you use it out of turn

When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn.

you are just moving as part of the action basically

your movement on the Wizard’s turn is 0, you use Dash, you get extra movement equal to your speed

which allows you to move on that turn

very technically

[faint sonnet]

The key is more that no rule allows you to use movement outside of your turn.

So you could have movement, but nothing would allow you to spend it.

[stuck raptor]

only thing that comes to mind is Relentless Avenger or something from vengeance paladin

[peak inlet]

either way, yeh it was old wording, it’s changed now to be a choice between an Attack, Cantrip, Utilize, and movement without provoking OA

it does technically allow you to target yourself rn which at level 14 means you can use a Magic action to cast a 2nd level spell and a cantrip at once INT modifier times per LR

so I’ll have to specify it’s a creature other than yourself

[unique parrot]

Indeed, but it’s as strong as a full turn for a rogue, where for other classes it won’t usually be

[peak inlet]

I mean a Cantrip on a Warlock is also a pretty full turn

you are going to be looking for the ones that can actually use it since it is taking away your Action to give them an Action

[unique parrot]

it does feel a bit strange that it's only worth it when used on certain characters/classes

[peak inlet]

I have also already decided to make it INT/LR, I didn’t wanna do it previously because it woulda made the upgrade at level 14 too weak, so I changed the upgrade at level 14 to make it more impactful

[peak inlet]

it’s not only useful for certain classes, Utilize is useful for puzzle or objective rooms, movement without provoking attacks can be useful in a lot of cases, casters using cantrips is also pretty useful

it’s just that it’s not as good when used specifically on something like a Fighter/Paladin/Ranger

but I have special feats that also make it useful for Paladins and Rangers

so it’s literally just the Fighter

even assuming you’re 1 Wizard with 3 Fighters, it’s still useful for repositioning the group with the movement option

and repositioning like this is pretty powerful

[rancid basalt]

Initial idea for an artifact, not sure how to flesh it out:

Crown of Eternity
Wondrous Item, Artifact (Requires Attunement)

While wearing the crown, you gain the following benefits.

Eternal Vigor. You are immune to Exhaustion, and your Constitution score changes to 23, if it isn't already 23 or higher.

Unbound Mortality. You cease aging entirely, and are immune to any effect that would alter your age or lifespan.

[river sierra]

if you wanna add fluff to artifacts, let the user roll a couple of the minor/major beneficial properties, some detrimental properties too if you feel this item might have some downsides to immortality

[rancid basalt]

immunity to Exhaustion feels beneficial enough tbh

since that means no need to eat, drink, sleep, breathe or rest

well, rest for regaining limited use features but yeah it's a lot

[river sierra]

sounds like you're really undervaluing how powerful artifacts are

[mild cove]

Then specifically mention that. As it is now, it doesn’t say that

[rancid basalt]

I don't think it needs to mention all that, since the rules for each of those states how Exhaustion is gained

same way that anything which grants Resistance to Fire or Cold doesn't state the benefits of automatically succeeding saves to endure condition of Extreme Heat or Cold

[mild cove]

Because it doesn’t

Tieflings still need to deal with extreme heat

[remote lance]

I’m pretty sure they don’t

“When the temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, a creature exposed to the extreme heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain 1 Exhaustion level. The DC is 5 for the first hour and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing Medium or Heavy armor have Disadvantage on the save. Creatures that have Resistance or Immunity to Fire damage automatically succeed on the save”

[mild cove]

Oh

Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve read this rules

[peak inlet]

but it does state it in the rules

if it wasn’t written there, they would

might as well also add Aspect of the Moon to it

and it’ll still be pretty weak compared to other artifacts

give it some rolled qualities and a spellcasting list, probably also 1 big feature over that

the artifacts I can think of also have a greed drawback

if you abuse a feature, you get some negative effect

[viscid folio]

Can anyone tell me if these lil' starting buffs for different teams are balanced? Players can pick a team to get these buffs when they make their characters, and the idea is that very slowly over time they improve a bit, but never replace like class abilities and stuff:

1. As part of Team A, you gain proficiency with smith’s tools along with the ability to quickly craft. Once per day, provided you have the tools and materials, as an action, you may attempt to craft a simple item. You make a check utilizing smith’s tools and, if successful, craft 1 simple item, or 5 pieces of ammunition.
2. As part of Team B, you receive a Technique Notebook, a compilation of combat arts, tactics, maneuvers, and skills. Once per day when you begin a challenge such as combat, traps, puzzles, or negotiating, you may consult your notebook, granting you advantage on your first roll within the challenge.
3. As part of Team C, you gain proficiency with Cartographer's Tools. Once per day, you can call upon your memory while within a building, cave, or dungeon, conjuring a magelight that guides you to your choice of the nearest exit, monster, or valuable. It lasts 1 hour, and sheds dim light in a 15 foot radius.
4. As part of Team D, you gain proficiency with a musical instrument of your choice. Once per day, you may inspire comrades, granting an ally advantage on one non-combat roll. This must be used before the roll is made.
5. As part of Team E, you gain proficiency with water vehicles, and a swim speed of 5 feet. Once per day, you automatically succeed the first save you make against nonmagical sources.
6. As part of Team F, you gain proficiency with shields. Once per day, when an ally takes damage while not in combat, you may reduce the damage taken by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus plus your wisdom modifier.

[peak inlet]

they’re not balanced against each other

for Team A, just use the new Tinker’s Magic feature from the 2024 Artificer

E has a very weak and a very strong feature

genuinely allowing it to do better than team B in team B’s work

you can make the swim speed 30 feet and give them amphibious if they’re going to do water stuff

[viscid folio]

The idea with that was that I don't want them to be a fish, but the 5 feet is just to remove the disadv from underwater fighting

[peak inlet]

proficiency in shields is again, pretty strong by itself, it bypasses all the once per day features except the Legendary Resistsnce

[peak inlet]

you could’ve just said that they don’t get disadvantage from underwater fighting

it’s fine overall, but I don’t see why anyone who doesn’t have shield proficiency and can use shields wouldn’t go for that one

and then all adventurers are going for Legendary Resistance over advantage

C is actually pretty fun, but very technically speaking, that’s a 6th level spell

[stable radish]

Bag of Withholding:

similar to BoH but will only dispense when conditions are met (such as a wait time)

[vernal leaf]

How do we feel about a floating gemstone elemental construct that uses legendary actions to fire small (1d4 damage) gems at players. With every gem fired becoming an on-board pylon placed at the characters location that is then used as a centered fireball type thing after the construct spends a round charging them

[steep brook]

That sounds really cool

I’m getting ready to make a stat block for a giant spider lady that my players might fight

Later on down the road

[vernal leaf]

Where are they going to maybe fight it

[steep brook]

I’d need to find my map for that world

[stable radish]

I think attacks that force you to move are cool

[vernal leaf]

A giant spider lady in my mind shouldn't have a cool stat block. It should have a cool lair

[stable radish]

I eventually wanna do a big guy with a huge sweeping attack that he telegraphs

[vernal leaf]

Lair actions

[steep brook]

Well she’s also the creator of the multiverse that everytime she gives birth to a new spider a new world is born

[silk halo]

What do I gotta do here?

[steep brook]

I mean- nothing really?

[vernal leaf]

Great so...they dont fight her the fight inside a world she creates and traps them in to convince her to let them live

Thats like. mega powerful enemy

[steep brook]

Oh shit?

[vernal leaf]

At that point youre doing like...every round the map changes to a new scene

[steep brook]

That’s dope

I might steal that

I’m gonna steal that

[vernal leaf]

Volcano now... next round its a field of flower. Next its a train station

Youre falling through cracks of realities. See everything everywhere all at once

[steep brook]

Hope you don’t mind I sent you a friend request

[steep brook]

And it makes sense since they’ve already fallen through a reality once

They’ve been through 3 I think?

Maybe 4

[vernal leaf]

You could also go watch sinbad the animated movie

Characters like that dont seem appropriate to...fight in person

[steep brook]

I was thinking the Kronika fight in mk11

[vernal leaf]

Maybe an avatar of the spider multiverse character?

Good luck

[steep brook]

I still have a lot of writing to do sadly

Players are impatient

[analog torrent]

What is a good way to balance an encounter for a strong lvl 3 party with 5 players?

For a single monster

[void jewel]

Add more monsters

But depends on the party and the monster

We need more context to help you

[analog torrent]

I have a swashbuckler rogue that’s been slightly tweaked, oath of slaughter paladin from grim hollow, battle master fighter, a tanky inventor class that hones in on ranged attacks, and an abjuration wizard

I have a monster concept thought out but I just need a little guidance for how strong to make it

All the players have min maxed a little and each have a small homebrew elements that make them a little on the stronger side so I know they are gonna be a fair bit stronger than your average party

But they aren’t meta gamers

They will be fighting a creature from a class I call the null which are like anti matter beings in my world. Mm I had a thought I could give it lair actions for where they encounter it or once it drops below a certain hp it breaks apart into smaller forms of itself

[thorn trench]

Hey, new here and new to creating stuff in home brew but I would like some opinions on a subclass I am making

[spring tusk]

Heyhey

Just wondering if I could get an opinion on a winged kobold variant

I'm thinking of 1 of 2 things

Either

Fly speed is half normal speed
Or
Resistance to damage taken from falling, and no need to get a running start to long or high jump

[thorn trench]

I would say the second one in my opinion

So I am making a child of Poseidon fighter subclass and want to know if this should be nerfed a bit

The sea's energy courses through your veins. You have a number of Surge Points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended Surge Points when you finish a long rest.

[mild cove]

How does this look (the mantis is a homebrew race and the mantis claw is an uncommon attunement item):

Traitor’s javelin. Legendary magic weapon (javelin). You gain a +3 to attack and damage rolls with this magic weapon.

Attunement ability: you can only attune to this item if you are a mantis and are also attuned to a mantis claw. You don’t have disadvantage on attacks made when throwing this weapon at its long range. When you hit a creature with a thrown attack with this javelin, you can use your bonus action to move up to your speed towards the creature you hit, without provoking opportunity attacks. In addition, you can let yourself enter a state of madness to increase your physical prowess. As a bonus action, you gain advantage on all Strength ability checks and saving throws, and attack rolls with this weapon for 1 minute. During that time, you have disadvantage on all intelligence and wisdom ability checks and saving throws, and cannot concentrate on spells. You can use this ability once, and regain the ability to do so at the next dawn.

[smoky sand]

Ranger weapon - +3 weapon, Melee sword 15 foot reach, bow (200/800 ft range), Improvised weapon 5 foot reach. deals 1d12 bludgeoning, piercing, slashing damage. Deals 3d12 damage on a critical hit + 1d6 force damage times the highest level spell slot character has. Target makes Con save equal to spell save DC or become paralyzed. (Cleave, Vex, Nick)

[lucid kraken]

How mechanically could I do a creature that grows continuously during battle?

[cerulean seal]

You mark features that the creature gains at specific hit points. So as they lose X number of hit points they go into the next phase and so on

Or you can do it by number of rounds if you preferred

Whichever is easier or more thematic for you

Just write it as like, “they become X size and gain Y features at this criteria” etc.

[lucid kraken]

I would want it to be like a bit of both, like fighting it fast pace will make it grow faster, fighting it slower will make it grow a bit slower but won’t stop it from growing and the difference won’t be proportional, the only real way to beat it is to overwhelm it’s ability to grow and adapt.

[cerulean seal]

That sounds like you make it based off the hit points then

If they do a lot of damage quickly then it jumps straight to a later phase and is much stronger

If they take their time and set up and such then they can overwhelm them

[peak inlet]

I’m wondering if this steps on the Bard’s territory too much for a Wizard’s spell prep feature

Tales of Arcane Creation

3rd level Wizard subclass feature

When you witness a spell being cast by hearing and seeing its Verbal and Somatic components, you can choose to prepare the spell immediately (no action required) regardless of whether or not it is in your spell book or on the Wizard’s spell list, given the spell is of a level you can cast of 7th level or lower. The spell is prepared in this way until you finish a Long Rest; and once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

[true forge]

Not really

Seems like something a wizard could do more then a bard lol

[peak inlet]

yeh but bards are the only ones who can access other spell lists rn afaik

using Magical Secrets and Lore Bard’s 6th level feature

but I definitely feel like this is a very Wizard-like feature

[true forge]

Oh thats what you mean

Bard getting one to four spells from other lists is not really something too unique

[peak inlet]

2024 bard straight up just gets access to all Druid/Cleric/Wizard spells at 10th level

they’re all just added to their spell list

[true forge]

I mean this one means you can get any lists spells

[peak inlet]

I guess in 2014, the other classes get subclass spell lists which gives them access and Bard doesn’t get as much from it except for the fact they can choose the specific spells they want

I just realized that my feature technically gives you access to Eldritch Blast

I’ll have to specify leveled spells

[true forge]

Sadge

No eb for this wizard

[peak inlet]

using 9th level CME to blast creatures from 10 feet away

[past parrot]

How do I join a dnd session?

Where do I go?

[peak inlet]

#find-a-game

[past parrot]

Ok thx

[peak inlet]

yeh, but that’s why they limited the spell list to Druid/Cleric/Wizard for a lot of those things

Warlock for EB, half-casters for their signature spells that full casters would surpass them in

[late falcon]

So I'm trying to incorporate a firearm into our fantasy setting and I think I've landed somewhere that works. What do you guys think about a pretty primitive looking rifle that shooting elemental energy? I'm thinking that it shoots a random elemental shot if it hits that you roll a d8 to determine

That or it shoots a random cantrip like firebolt, frostbite, acid orb, poison spray, etc

[fast cove]

Vengeful Viscera
1st level Sanguinomancy
Duration: 1 minute
Range: Self
Casting Time: 1 action
Components: V, S
You imbue your blood with poisonous vengeance. When you take damage from a weapon attack, your acidic blood splatters around you, dealing 2d6 acid damage to all creatures within 5 feet of you.
At Higher Levels. The damage increases by 1d6 for every two spell slot levels above 1st.

thoughts on the balance of this spell?
I was going to add a dexterity save for the damage but it was designed for a wizard subclass so i dont think they'll have enough HP to actually exploit this spell as a consistent damage source

[steady laurel]

GAUNTLETS OF THE SPIDER (rare, attunement)
These gauntlets give you a +1 to Unarmed attack and damage rolls.
The gauntlets have 3 charges that reset at sunset. On a successful hit with these gauntlets, you can use one charge on your Bonus Action to have the target must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target is [[Restrained]] for 1 round, or 1d4 rounds if they fail the saving throw by 5 or more. On their turn, the target can repeat this check to end the Restrained condition.

Is this item too much for a Lvl3 paladin?

[fast cove]

+1 item that grants free buffed Hold Person on Bonus action to a paladin that has yet to even unlock the hold person spell

it wont break the game but you'll make your paladin significantly more powerful than the rest of the party

[steady laurel]

true, it does require the paladin to be in melee range and use unarmed attacks which is both suboptimal and dangerous

also Hold Person causes Paralyzed which is far more powerful than Restrained*

[unique parrot]

The 1d4 rounds does seem a bit much

[steady laurel]

It's based on the Claws of the Predator which doesn't even have a saving throw repeat https://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/magic-items/magic-items-by-other-publishers/magic-items-fat-goblin-games/claws-of-the-predator/

but that's not an official item so idk

could change to fail by 10 or more?

[unique parrot]

It just doesn’t feel like it’s consistent with official 5e content as much, which is fine

[steady laurel]

yea thats homebrew for ya ig

eh five is fine

[unique parrot]

Saves are pretty standard for spells, it’s still situationally better than Hellish Rebuke (although a Wizard should typically avoid being surrounded, so you could increase the damage dice to d8 if you make it a save)
Casting time should say reaction

[unique parrot]

The main problem I see is that it could slow down combat, since you’d need to roll a d8 then the attack

[peak inlet]

old rifles are just a ball, gunpowder, and ignition

[patent radish]

2024 help needed

so i need some help thinking in the way to make create undead work past 9th lv.

a necromancer from the new UA with a eberron manifest zone (mabar)at the bastion can cast "is if" using an 11th lv spellslot.

and no maximum "up to" is listed, and yes i onow it is beyond the scope of the rules as indended, but im atemptti g to get the scale and scope of undead created i cr terms.

[native grove]

Can someone help me with a 2014 5e class I’m working on?

[cerulean seal]

Historically guns and knights existed at the same time.

[cerulean seal]

Sup?

[native grove]

The class in question is known as the star knight, an intelligence based half caster that uses astronomy and astrology to battle. Their subclasses are based on celestial bodies and goes as follows:star, moon, planet, comet, black hole and nebula

Right now I’m struggling to think of higher level class abilities

[cerulean seal]

In my personally experience, higher levels its okay to do general improvement on this early level defining features. Your early levels should be the most iconic and unique features of your class. Mid level introduces some new and also defining features, then your late levels should improve your early features in some capacity

Not necessarily all of them but one or two of them probably

[cerulean seal]

You’ll want to look at Paladin, Ranger and Artificer for comparable class design and progression since those are the existing half casters.

[loud pasture]

Hello fabulous people! I am homebrewing a weird thing and I have no idea how to type this up into dnd beyond. My player had a parasite dig into his arm and has now fused with his body. It's gonna let him transform his body into different weapons. The player is a turtle druid and has primal savagery, however most circumstances won't let him use that ability. I want this to act as a weapon that stacks with primal savagery

I want it to make it easier for him to use so that he can have the option to use primal savagery more often, cause he does like that ability

[native grove]

Wanna see what I’ve made so far?

[cerulean seal]

Sure, send it to me.

[cerulean seal]

Well, being a druid means it’s a bit tricky for him to be in melee range. You basically need to make the arm a magic “natural weapon” that has specific features in it like… “when you make a successful attack with this weapon, you can also cast primal savagery on they target as part of the same attack roll” or something like that

[loud pasture]

Yes indeed. That works well with I'm going for. I'm also thinking if it should be sort of a shoot out arm kind of thing. Like a go go gadget extend arm spear thing

[cerulean seal]

Yeah, you can give it the reach property

[loud pasture]

I think we might be einstein cause that's smart

I think I might do it where he has 2 options for attack, one that's the reach weapon and one that's a sort of close range sweep

[cerulean seal]

Yeah, just design it like a magic weapon with specific properties and such.
Also if you wanna be extra cool, make it a spell casting focus for them

[loud pasture]

How would the focus work? I'm not well depthed on spellcasters since ei have not played one

[cerulean seal]

Spellcasting focus is just the item or thing they use to cast their spells. Like wands, staffs, amulets, etc.
in this situation the player has the option to use this magic arm as their spell casting focus

[loud pasture]

Ohhh that's cool. Do I have to write that into dnd beyond with a bunch of modifier things or do I just write in the description that it's a focus

[native grove]

I sent the class to you in PM’s

[cerulean seal]

Description. Since this is a magic item, you just add it into the item description.

[loud pasture]

Awesome sauce

Thanks for helping I was so stumped on how to write this thing

It's so weird

[cerulean seal]

All good. You can probably steal a lot of the wording from existing magic items and weapons

[loud pasture]

Cool beans

[urban bay]

SLING SAVANT (Feat)

You have mastered a weapon many look down upon, and for that you gain the following benefits

• Your Sling’s normal range is doubled
• As a Bonus Action, You can make an additional attack with your Sling within its unmodified normal range.
• If you take the Attack Action with your Sling, you can load up to 2 pieces of Ammunition at once, doubling your damage die.

How's this?

[coral delta]

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the fact that it just basically increases all the numbers on the weapon.

I personally think feats should add utility and complexity, not just flat numbers.

[urban bay]

I agree but like what else can you do with a Sling?

[coral delta]

I'd recommend looking at the Crusher Slasher Piercer feats for inspiration

[urban bay]

ok wait I think I have a funnier idea then

SLING SAVANT (Feat)

You have mastered a weapon many look down upon, and for that you gain the following benefits

• Your weapon attacks with a Sling score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19 or 20.
• As a Bonus Action, You can make an additional attack with your Sling.
• When you score a Critical Hit against a creature that is larger than you, you and any ally within 30ft of you gain Heroic Inspiration.

[coral delta]

Maybe some kind of giant slaying joke/reference?

[sharp lotus]

Against large opponents, you get like extra damage idk

[urban bay]

Maybe if you crit on an enemy that is larger than you...

Ok well Crusher does this:

• When you score a critical hit that deals bludgeoning damage to a creature, attack rolls against that creature are made with advantage until the start of your next turn.

it combos well with this

[urban bay]

ok idea, if you do this, you and adjacent allies get a 1d6 Inspiration die lol

works like base bardic inspiration

[coral delta]

Maybe Heroic Inspiration?

[urban bay]

oooh I see

[urban bay]

wait does that exist in 2014 rules?

[coral delta]

It kind of does, instead called Inspiration, and with slightly different mechanics

[urban bay]

ok this is a lot more fun tho

it's not as good but crits are fun

especially if you score them with this dinky little thing

ok I was told No for the Heroic Inspiration thing

I'll do this instead

Sling Savant

You have mastered a weapon many look down upon, and for that you gain the following benefits

• Your weapon attacks with a Sling score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
• As a Bonus Action, You can make an additional attack with your Sling.
• When you score a Critical Hit against a creature that is larger than you with a Sling, you can roll one additional damage die when determining the extra damage the target takes.

[flint marsh]

Expect your rogues to take this every time

[urban bay]

Pro: Lotta dice and crits
Con: You have to use a Sling which does a 1d4

[amber zinc]

So if I'm making a homebrew monster, how do I calculate the new Initiatives, and determine if it's the "normal" way, or if they should get the new "Nobody goes before the monster" way?

[native gale]

The damage die of the weapon doesn't matter for a rogue. The majority of their damage comes from sneak attack. So letting sneak attack crit on an 18, 19, or 20 is INSANELY strong for that class

[amber zinc]

Keeping in mind that is giving anyone with a simple Feat the power of a high level Champion Fighter class ability, as well.

[urban bay]

ok I forgot about Crit Sneak Attacks

yeah lowering it to 19

that seems more reasonable

[native gale]

If you're talking about the "Initiative" section on the 2024 stat block, it is literally just 10+dex unless the monster has a special feature that boosts their initiative

[amber zinc]

And yet I can't find a special reason why a Liche has a +17 to Initiative.

[urban bay]

if it's just 19, is it still as good?

[native gale]

Its still strong. That's literally the 3rd level feature for a fighter subclass

[urban bay]

limited to 1 weapon

but yeah

[amber zinc]

Limited to 1 weapon, but usable by anyone and not just that class.

IMHO if you want to make a Sling Mastery Feat, base it off the existing Marksman type feats

[native gale]

Best as I can tell, the Lich stat block seems to have “expertise” in initiative. They have +3 dex, and 17-3=14, which is double their PB of 7

[amber zinc]

Yeah, I'm just wondering when you decide if a beastie has Proficiency or Expertise in Initiative.

[native gale]

I think that’s just up to the designer. It’s incredibly unusual for a monster to have either of those. There’s no formula or design principle that can tell you whether a monster should or shouldn’t have that

[urban bay]

I mean I am pretty satisfied with what I have landed on. Feels unique

has many fun combos tho they do come online at later levels

[rugged olive]

So we have a feat for most dnd weapons, but what about versatile and sword and board (besides shield master)

Trying to make one for each or fighting style, anyone got ideas?

[nova basin]

Shield master seems sufficient

Versatile is meant to be flexible, but I guess you could do some kind of combo system

Like your one handed attacks have +1 to hit while yoir two handed hits have +2 damage

Idk this feels like an unnecessary design space

[grim lark]

I like this potion idea, but it doesn't seem irresponsible enough.

Zathan's Irresponsible Mana™
Very rare

Upon consumption, you regain half of your total spell points,¹ you cannot exceed your maximum number of spell points. In addition, you lose 1 hit point per point restored.

¹Prerequisite: you must be using spell points, not slots(DMG p.288-289)

[nova basin]

Your next spell upcasts for free but the points you wouldve spent on upcasting you instead take as damage?

Or they roll wild magic

[grim lark]

I love that

[nova basin]

Wild magic is always a good irresponsible consequencd

[grim lark]

Wild magic is fun, but I want there to be some control

I like the idea of hit points getting reduced based on the upcast

[wispy otter]

For Charger you can switch out the push to knock prone instead with DM approval. Then your attack with your sword with advantage. There are maneuvers you can use or develop as well to flavor your sword and board fighting style.

[nova basin]

Actually I'd make it Xd4 damage where X is the number of points you wouldve spent

[grim lark]

Oooh that's cool

[nova basin]

I forgot a 9th level slot is worth way more than however much hp (idk spell point numbers)

[wispy otter]

What I hate about this feat is the order. Attack then bash. It really only gets good once you have three attacks.

[nova basin]

Wym its good at 2

Its alroght at 1 but respurceless prone chance every turn is super good

[grim lark]

How about now?

Zathan's Irresponsible Mana™
Very rare

Upon consumption, you regain half of your total spell points,¹ you cannot exceed your maximum number of spell points. You lose 1 hit point per point restored.

In addition, the next spell you cast is upcasted for free. You lose hit points equal to the number of spell points it would have costed to upcast.

¹Prerequisite: you must be using spell points, not slots(DMG p.288-289)

[nova basin]

Remember that dnd isnt single player

[nova basin]

Looks good, you can mess woth the numbers later if you need to

[spring tusk]

Could I get y'all's opinion on a magic item I just made and a magic item idea I have

[native gale]

Yep, that's what this channel is for. Just post your content and people will review it when they have time. You don't have to ask for permission

[spring tusk]

for sure, thank you

Executioner's Greataxe

Weapon (Greataxe), Rare
You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon

On a hit with this weapon, deal an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage, then regain that many Hit Points

And the other item idea I had, was a gauntlet that allows you to wield a two handed weapon one handed

[native gale]

Both of these items seem a bit too strong. The gauntlet idea is probably not a good idea at all, because there are a lot of features in the game that are balanced around how many hands you can use for weapons. The axe is much closer to being a reasonable item, but I think the fact that it has infinite uses is an issue. A weapon that heals you should have a limit on how many times it can do that

For example, there is a legendary magic item called the Blood Fury Tattoo. It has 10 changes. You expend 1 charge to deal an extra 4d6 necrotic damage on your attack, and heal that amount. Now obviously 4d6 is a lot stronger than +1 and 1d6, but the fact that the legendary one has 10 changes and yours is infinite shows the power difference

[near lake]

Phoenix feather
(Rare)

• keeping the feather attached to your characters body would grant it power to survive an attack with 1 hp and 50 temp hp

[warm radish]

what do you guys think a ghoul race should have for racial traits? im leaning towards mimicry of voices and natural claws but idk

[near lake]

infini bento

• putting food inside this magical box serves like a bag of holding but for food, allowing for you go have many sections of food and able to bring it out as you think of the food you've put in.

[near lake]

If you want that then look for their stareotype and develop a race from there, keep in mind of the balance because you don't want to outshine your friends

[flint marsh]

instead of healing, which doesn't really do anything to evoke "Executioner" maybe the necrotic damage could be "On a hit with this weapon, deal an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage. If the target is prone, this damage is increased to 2d6. creatures damaged by this weapon cannot regain hitpoints until the start of your next turn"

[near lake]

Or have wisdom saving throw or kneel in a way to be beheaded

[native gale]

I love this idea

[native gale]

"beheading" enemies is a legendary tier ability. That's what the Vorpal weapons do

[near lake]

Didn't know that

[warm radish]

the problem is that everyone else is very experienced in homebrew and i wanna make my character cool and fun to play…(cough cough sorcerer cough cough)

[near lake]

Look at anime and go from there

That's how I usually homebrew 😭

[flint marsh]

dhampir is a pretty nice fit

[warm radish]

fair here’s the next thing and last thing what class best fits a ghoul…i can’t decide and it’s very annoying

[near lake]

Either wizard, or other magical class

Edgy stuff

Maybe dark knight

Eldritch stuff

You can be a lych haha

[warm radish]

the claws feel kinda meaningless because they count as natural weapons but a lych or dark night sounds cool

i mean to be fair i could remove the mimicry and add some time of debuff type thing to the claws idk now

[cobalt river]

I need help coming up with balanced funtion of dwarven artifacts/weapons descriptions. These weapons/items serve as instruments for the Ancestor Gods to aid my players during times of great crisis. Basically magical corrupted conquering army. This is for series of one shots in my forever DM's homebrew world. Items fit for Dwarf only one shots.

What I came with so far:

Harp of Plenty (Based off Harp of Gilded Plenty No sentience)

Runesmith hammer (Dwarven Thrower)

Axe of the Storms (Bloodrage Greataxe, lighting and cold dmg)

Trickster's Tankard (Wakened Dragon Vessel)

Lantern Wayfinder (Ghost Lantern)

Rune powered Gauntlets (+2 All-Purpose Tool)

If anyone can help with some suggestions on these that would be much appreciated

[spring tusk]

As the DM making these items was a lot less of an issue because I loved just giving my players whatever they wanted, but as a player I'm learning I still have some stuff to pick up on when it comes to properly balancing them

In this case, I actually really love that concept for the greataxe you mentioned

[spring tusk]

I love this

I'm gonna bring it up to my DM

The main reason for the one handed gauntlet is because I want to be able to wield said Greataxe and wield a shield

Would that be too much?

[native gale]

Yes, it would

[flint marsh]

Well depends on your level tbh

[mild cove]

How does this look (the mantis is a homebrew race and the mantis claw is an uncommon attunement item):

Traitor’s javelin. Legendary magic weapon (javelin). You gain a +3 to attack and damage rolls with this magic weapon.

Attunement ability: you can only attune to this item if you are a mantis and are also attuned to a mantis claw. You don’t have disadvantage on attacks made when throwing this weapon at its long range. When you hit a creature with a thrown attack with this javelin, you can use your bonus action to move up to your speed towards the creature you hit, without provoking opportunity attacks. In addition, you can let yourself enter a state of madness to increase your physical prowess. As a bonus action, you gain advantage on all Strength ability checks and saving throws, and attack rolls with this weapon for 1 minute. During that time, you have disadvantage on all intelligence and wisdom ability checks and saving throws, and cannot concentrate on spells. You can use this ability once, and regain the ability to do so at the next dawn.

[flint marsh]

If this were simply a vicious battle axe it'd be doing 1d8+2d6 in one hand, instead 1d12+1d6 and a conditional additional d6

[native gale]

If that's what you really wanted, it would be better to just design an axe that boosts the wielder's AC. Making a weapon one-handed creates a ton of rules headaches and causes unintended interactions between abilities that were designed to never be used together

[flint marsh]

I have a feat that covers it in my home games, we've been rolling with it quite a bit since 2021, and it hasn't really broken anything (as it takes an asi spot. Presumably a gauntlet that takes an attunement slot is an even bigger dip)

ultimately even in 2024, strength is underrepresented in terms of versatility and potency compared to all the other ability scores. so I figured (at the time) investing into making it slightly better isn't going to break anything and lo, it did not

it's more potent in 2024 because 2 handed weapons get some more mastery options but... ultimately it's the same as giving them +2 armor for the shield as a feat(+ the equipment itself).

it also enables historical stuff like pike and shield or whatnot

when I'm off work I'll post it up!

[burnt cipher]

Was looking at the Kobold Stat Sheet to see if I could figure out a good +1 Ability... Everything's negative except DEX!!!

I don't know what to give the +1 to

[native gale]

Are you talking about the Kobold monster, or the playable species? I'm confused to why this was posted in the homebrew channel

[coral delta]

This reads as "Unknowingly using the Kobold monster stat block to try and build my Kobold player character".

[burnt cipher]

No, it's for the Player Race. I was using the Stat Block as an aid.

[coral delta]

Have you considered using the player Kobold option as a base instead?

[burnt cipher]

I did. It was +2 DEX and that's it.
I decided to make it +1 of your choice.

[coral delta]

I think you're looking at the outdated Volo's Kobold.

The current Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse Kobold uses a different set of options for their Ability Scores.

[stuck raptor]

it got updated in mordenkainen's monsters of the multiverse

[burnt cipher]

Yeah, but most of it is choose whatever you want on both Score Increases. I'm HBing to make it more restrictive and specialised.

[coral delta]

More specifically, it uses the Tasha's lineage ability score set, which is +2/+1 in any two Scores or +1/+1/+1 in any three Scores

Oh.

I suppose I hadn't considered that the purpose of your homebrew was to make the species worse for some reason.

[burnt cipher]

In terms of ASIs, that wasn't the intention. I did have a look through most of the Races' Traits to bump them down a bit and try to make it more balanced across the board. The fact that Base Human gets nothing but +1 in every Ability Score, and some Variants get entire Spell Lists or Halflings get Lucky seemed imbalanced.

I made Feats and Lucky 2-Point Traits. If anything good came from this, players have more choices.

[coral delta]

I'd recommend looking into the 2024 rules. It seems like they fix a lot of the problems you seem to have.

[spring tusk]

Even at like.. level 9-12??

[native gale]

As I said earlier, the issue isn’t the fact that holding a shield and a greatsword at the same time is too powerful, it’s the fact that the designers use how many hands you use to hold a weapon as one of their primary ways to differentiate what features work together and which ones do not. You’d be opening the door to a million weird rules interactions and headaches that the designers specifically tried to avoid.

That’s why I suggested the alternative of creating a magic greataxe that gives the holder +2 AC

[spring tusk]

Oh, fair

I mean, ignoring the massive can of worms it'd open, actual gameplay wise, does it work?

Like as a very rare item or something

[midnight elk]

So I mistakenly made a massively overpowered weapon:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-3WdJ9PASAWQDqhSqwBXuGLbBwKatdsUneGt8MIkj5k/edit?usp=sharing
Can anyone help me fix it? I may have made it be able to deal 4096 damage in one shot...

[steady laurel]

least overpowered ChatGPT-made homebrew item:

[midnight elk]

What do you mean?

[steady laurel]

The way to have it not do 4096 damage is to either:

• reduce the amount of cores it can store
• Reduce the damage that each core does
• Not have it have an ability that triples that damage

[midnight elk]

Fair point

[steady laurel]

what exactly is this item for? youve made a Legendary item that does a lot of damage and thats what it does?

because if this is for spaceship combat its a bit less egregious

[midnight elk]

I thought it would be neat for a sci-fi campaign, maybe even like a star wars theme.

[steady laurel]

Definitely would be cool, but if you're worried about it doing too much damage you can just reduce the amount of damage it can do 🤷‍♂️ Or make it only affect ships/shields or something

everybody loves solar cannons for sure

[midnight elk]

Thanks!

I'm currently trying to remake the Avengers with homebrews.

[elder hollow]

How about a necromantic dagger that works as an adrenaline shot?

[midnight elk]

So Epipen but dagger?

[elder hollow]

PC goes unconscious "I'm helping!" STABS

Maybe restores a Rage on a barbarian?

Or a comical way to cast Spare the Dying without a spell slot

[midnight elk]

RUBBER DUCK OF REVIVE

[true forge]

thats a cantrip lol

[elder hollow]

Or a way to cast it from a distance?

[solid lake]

Working on a Corgseir (Corgi + Pirate) species homebrew.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JQLltjiF_cHBN9t9suUtxdjP_vLza79f/view?usp=sharing
Would love feedback. Am I missing anything / Tweaks I should consider?

[remote lance]

What rarity would be a magic item that casts gust as a bonus action 2 times a day?

[remote lance]

Or should it be unlimited?

[sacred current]

The cantrip? Feels like it should be unlimited

[remote lance]

Ok, what rarity should that be?

[sacred current]

Rare or uncommon would be a good guess

Rainfall
Level 2 Evocation
Casting Time: Action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a vial of rainwater)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Druid

Cleansing rain falls on a creature within range that you can see, restoring hit points equal to 3d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier, and removing the Poisoned condition if the creature has it.

If you target a plant creature or a magical plant, the spell restores maximum hit points to it.
This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 2nd.

Is this spell balanced?

[worthy ether]

I think so

[true forge]

hmmmmm, how would you guys word a radius but the effect only happens on the border of said radius? (if there is a spell i could yoink it off, please do tell)

[elder hollow]

What about a feat that supports those of small size and allows advantage on specifically targeted areas?

THE PUNCH UP FEAT: advantages on attacking enemy; specifically striking below the belt or headbutting

add Dex bonus for climbing up arms

[true forge]

nvm about this lol

changed my mind on it

[midnight elk]

Just spoof it off the event horizon of a black hole (point of no return)

[true forge]

i dont think that has a dnd type thing lol

unless its in spelljammer which i wouldnt be surpised lol

[midnight elk]

I meant like call it smthn like "cast horizon" or "spells edge" or "THE DANGER SPELL ZONE"

[true forge]

oh its nothing like that lol

its for a subclass

for one of the forms it has

[midnight elk]

Oh

[obtuse tusk]

do you think it would be unreasonable to ask for a familiar that attacks? what would be a reasonable exchange? (For bargaining. "IF you let it attack you can make it so it cant ___") if this makes any sense

[true forge]

You call flame into being, surrounding all within a flaming prison. A 20 foot cube of flaming chains engulfs a point you can see within 60 feet of you. Creatures that are inside when you create it or enter it on their turn must make a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, the creature takes 2d4 fire damage and cannot leave the cube until the end of their next turn. At the start of a new round, if any creatures are inside this cube, they must make the saving throw. This cube lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier.

thats it

although, uses is being annoying

is it too muck for CHA uses for every form use (which lasts for CHA minutes)? i think it is but :P

[raw flare]

What item would you all attribute to giving a character the extra attack ability? Considering it for a war cleric

[peak inlet]

Gust? or Gust of Wind?

just giving you access to Gust is an attunement Common

[peak inlet]

not really balanced

the second part is an issue

[remote lance]

Gust

[peak inlet]

if this is 2014, it’s a bit too much healing for a 2nd level spell, 2024 it’s too low and 2024 spells no longer have an issue with Constructs and Undead

either way, the Plant part is the issue with this spell

[remote lance]

Well it also makes it a bonus action

[peak inlet]

Uncommon attunement should be fine

Gust isn’t a damaging spell, turning it into BA doesn’t screw with damage to action

[spring tusk]

Familiars are extremely useful as is me thinks, maybe you could argue that holding a knife and dropping it on someone counts as an object interaction?

[obtuse tusk]

Hm, for more detail, I would very much enjoy a snake who hangs around on my left arm. I use my claws as weapons, so i was wondering how i could make a hypothetical extra damage/sttack on (left hand) claw attacks fair within the constrants of dnd rules

i swipe it bites

[spring tusk]

I mean

I think your familiar being able to attack is the closest thing

[obtuse tusk]

well, yes. Im asking for advice on how to bargain for my familiar attacking

as its against the find familiar spell

[stuck raptor]

you can transfer attack roll spells through your familiar

[obtuse tusk]

only when its a touch spell no?

And my claw attacks have nothing to do with magic unfortunately

[cerulean seal]

Have you seen the new Sylune’s Viper spell?

It feels very fitting here

From the new Heroes of Faerun book

[obtuse tusk]

The snake only lasting an hour is saddening, and most of the benefits i sortve already have. It is a good suggestion though

this will be plan B, thank you

[cerulean seal]

Don’t forget… the spell causes both the Poisoned and Incapacitated condition no saving throw

If you hit of course

It’s pretty damn good

[obtuse tusk]

it is very good, and i am a druid

it just isnt quite what im looking for. Akin but i am simply looking for a {snake} that is {mine} that can {bite}. The most efficient way of doing this seems to be by taking the find familiar spell and tweaking it to allow for familiar attacks, although i want to be fair. The original question was what in Find Familiar should i offer to exchange in turn of it having an attack. if that makes sense

Sorry, this is usually how i approach my DM with homewbrew, by bargaining certain utility's of {thing} in exchange for homebrew {thing} haha

[cerulean seal]

You might need to use Summon Beast instead. I do think the familiar having some sort of attack would be too busted. You might want to do what other people say though and take a touch ranged spell or cantrip and use that as the “attack”

[obtuse tusk]

the main issue with this is that it isnt permanate. I do want a pet snake for RP/Aesthetic reasons aswell

im sure ill figure something out

[cerulean seal]

I mean, mechanically the snake maybe isn’t active in combat. But flavor wise you could have the snake be on your person at all times just not “active” and your spells are channeled through your little companion

[dry lintel]

I need some help in coming up with a capstone for a 2024 cleric subclass I call the Spider Domain (for those who worship Lolth).

[lucid kraken]

Can I share a creature stat block I made about a year ago? I think it's one of my best works, but want some input

[true forge]

imo cleric subs should have a wide array of gods to worship rather then 1, me ranting dw nothing to do with your thing

[dim sun]

Capstone? What are the other abilities you have added?

[dry lintel]

Level 3: Domain Spells:
-1st: Command, Entangle
-2nd: Suggestion, Web
-3rd: Hypnotic Pattern, Slow
-4th: Greater Invisibility, Phantasmal Force
-5th: Dominate Person, Wall of Force

Level 3: Web of Intrigue
You gain proficiency in two of the following skills: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion, and you learn one additional language of your choice. You also add your Wisdom modifier to any Charisma-based skill check.

Level 3: Channel Divinity: Sacred Silk
You can use your Channel Divinity to conjure divine spiderwebs that bind your foes. As an action, you present your holy symbol and cause thick, divine spiderwebs to lash out from a point you can see within 30 feet. Each creature of your choice within a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC.
On a failed save, a creature is Restrained for 1 minute by the webs.
While restrained by this feature, a creature suffers the following additional effects:
-The creature can’t take reactions or bonus actions
-The creature has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws
-When the creature takes the Attack action, it can make only one attack, regardless of how many attacks it could normally make
A restrained creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Level 6: Silken Malediction
Your divine magic carries a subtle venom that clouds the body and mind.
When a creature fails a saving throw against a cleric spell you cast or against your Channel Divinity, you can impose one of the following effects on that creature (your choice):
The creature is Poisoned until the end of its next turn

The creature has disadvantage on its next saving throw before the end of its next turn

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all uses when you finish a Long Rest.
In addition, you gain resistance to poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Here is what I got so far

[stuck raptor]

Deepfin Blade

Weapon (Any weapon that deals slashing damage), Very Rare (Requires Attunement from a follower of a sea deity)
This blade has been blessed by the touch of a minor ocean and sea goddess whose name has been lost to time.
Deepsea Slash. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon, and you deal an additional 2d6 Cold damage when you hit with this weapon.
Blessing of the Sea. You can breath air and water while holding this weapon, and you gain a Swim Speed equal to your walking speed.
Kraken's Eye. While underwater, you gain Blindsight up to a range of 30 feet.

[stuck raptor]

Blackguard

Weapon (Glaive, Greatsword, or Halberd), Very Rare (Requires Attunement)
This heavy blade were made for the bodyguards of powerful mages in the nation of Zhalf. Specialized in defense and redirecting attacks, these blackguard blades were adept in protecting their wards.
Bodyguard. You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class while holding this weapon.
Vigilant Protector. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and Initiative.
Defense Runes. The blackguard has three charges, and regains all expended charges at dawn. At the appropriate trigger, you can expand a charge to use one of the following Reactions:

• Strike Back. When a creature misses you or an ally within 5 feet of you, you can make an attack against that creature, and if the attack hits, the creature is pushed 10 feet away.
• Spirit Parry. When a creature hits you or an ally within 5 feet of you, you can add +2 to the hit creature, which lasts until the end of its next turn. Additionally, that creature gains 2d6 Temporary Hit Points.

[true forge]

You call lightning to shock everybody in your path. You fire out a 15 foot wide, 5 foot long wave of lightning, which you can move by spending your bonus action to move it 10 feet in any direction. When a creature is hit by this wave or ends their turn within it, they take 3d10 lightning damage. This wave lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. If you summon a new wave during this time, the oldest one disappears.

does this make sense?

[void jewel]

Me when I add the best possible spells as domain spells

Damn AND int based web ability?

With no reactions and no multi attack on the web??

Tl;DR divine spell list is insane, adding was to charisma checks allows you to also be an amazing face, and the channel divinity is bonkers (better int-based web)

I'd tune this down substantially

[nova basin]

Yeah fr

That sub reads as "what is the most min maxed optimized features and spells can I give this within some sort of loose theme"

The premise of the sub doesnt even make sense bc clerics fall under domains, not specific deities, and there's nowhere near enough arachnoid gods or spider worship to justify a whole new domain

A wis based party face is really good (even though rp doesnt really have balance, having a single character good at lying and detecting lies from one stat is big), the CD being an INT save makes no sense, all the extra riders on the INT save Web are crazy, and level 6 isnt too bad in a vacuum but combos too well with the CD and spell list

[true forge]

i did say that more as a rant lol

[nova basin]

Serving Lolth would probably fall under death domain or trickery domain

This sounds more like a warlock than anything

[true forge]

anyway, bump

[nova basin]

Feels too slow to be applicable outside of hallways or small arenas

Probably 15 ft move and specify whether or not it can turn

Also aoes don't "hit" things, things enter the space

What level is this at?

[true forge]

its apart of a fighter subclass, 15th level

one of the forms special actions they get

[nova basin]

I would play into rhe extra attacks then

[true forge]

fair enough

[nova basin]

How set are you on this being a wave

Bc I'm thinking balls of lightning that you can attack to refire

[true forge]

i have it for all of them you can sub an attack for one of these actions lol

some (like the fire one) have different usage amounts because of the effect, but this is only the 3rd out of 6 lol

[nova basin]

You would be making something big

[true forge]

like spawn balls then attack said balls to fire?

[nova basin]

Yeah

[true forge]

could work, more just writing idea i had in the moment lol

[nova basin]

The balls are always an active "hitbox" but you can move them around for extra damage

Idk how I feel about the wave in its current form

[true forge]

fair

[nova basin]

Its slow and takes significant economy to reposition

It almost feels like itd be better off as just a wall effect bc thats the only way itd be used anyway

Either make it move on its own or make moving it worth the ba

[true forge]

yeah i like the ball bullet thing more lol

Flowing River, Rising Tide: Glacier Impact. You call forth a torrent of chilling water to hit a creature. You must make an attack roll for this torrent, using Charisma as the attack modifier. On hit, this torrent deals 3d8 cold damage and reduces the target's movement to 0.

Roaring Ember, Primal Flame: Warden of Flame. You call flame into being, surrounding all within a flaming prison. A 20 foot cube of flaming chains engulfs a point you can see within 60 feet of you. Creatures that are inside when you create it or enter it on their turn must make a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, the creature takes 2d4 fire damage and cannot leave the cube until the end of their next turn. At the start of a new round, if any creatures are inside this cube, they must make the saving throw. This cube lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. You can use this action once per use of the Artform feature, unless you spend your Second Wind or Action Surge to recharge it (no action required).

here are the other two

the 2nd one is prob not worded the best lol

[nova basin]

The damage profiles are off and the cold isnt siper evocative

Honestly neither of these feel super on theme except for the cold dropping speed to 0

[true forge]

i mean, yeah, but thats kinda the point in a way?

Stylist

Stylists are fighters that are trained in the ways of Artforms, a technique made by using art and other creative methods to channel power from the elements and beyond. Using these new forms, Stylists become the embodiment of creative freedom, creating new ways of fighting as easy as a stroke from a brush.

thats the flavour text

[nova basin]

Why would the point be to not have thematic consistency

Fire damage is almost always higher than its peers bc its a super common resistance

The cold damage being a single target ranged "root" is alright but kinda lackluster

And the fire cage doesnt do nearly enough damage for level 15, and I think it'd make more sense for the cage to be difficult terrain with extra damage if a creature wants to leave instead of being a hard stop

[true forge]

welllllll, the 3rd level effect for it is just 1d4 fire on hit and 1d4+CHA burn at the start of the creatures turn

[nova basin]

Burns are never fun to track, but that still doesnt change my point

[true forge]

fair, i wasnt really happy with fire's effect (mainly 3rd level)

[nova basin]

My guilty pleasure fire effect is setting/drtonating charges

Like on hit plant a stacking charge until the end of your turn, ba detonate

[true forge]

hmmmmmmmm

ig i could do that, makes 3 weapon effects at 3rd with fire, lightning and necrotic

[true forge]

do you think 1d4 fire is too little for it? maybe 2d4?

(i kinda want each effect to have a different dice lol

[bitter whale]

For a faywild plot hook I need to make a reverse centaur kraken. How should I alter the statblock ? It’s gonna be a kraken with human legs and arms

[peak inlet]

I wanna make a Summon spell that’s 9th level

I don’t understand why it doesn’t already exist in the game, but I have a feeling I’ll find out soon

[tacit leaf]

What does it summon?

[peak inlet]

I am playing a character whose familiar has been recognized by the other deadly sins as the sin of despair

long story but I’m currently using Spirit of Death as the stat block

he is supposed to have a ceremony at the end of the game to officially be recognized by the Kings of Hell as an actual Sin, and thus, my plan is to have a 9th level spell to summon him with once he goes through that ceremony

it’ll probably be some kind of higher version of Spirit of Death and Summon Dragon combo

[true forge]

So it would be Summon Sin?

[peak inlet]

(also, making a template sheet for a deadly sin summon now would be very helpful to play off of)

[peak inlet]

yeh, probably

they’ll have the same everything except for the breath weapon type and the special trait

[true forge]

And ofc, increased health, AC and other goodies

[peak inlet]

for Lust, the special trait is a targeted charmed, Despair would have the same haunting as Spirit of Death, etc.

[peak inlet]

yeh, my plan for the stats is that they are gonna be a +6 spread throughout which allows all forms to share stats

[sacred current]

That is problematic, seeing as it was meant to be a form of mirror to Blight

[peak inlet]

for the extra traits, I’m probably going to create 7/8 spells that I specifically tag to be replaceable in the stat block

[peak inlet]

plus, Nystul’s Magic Aura

immediately breaks that spell

[sacred current]

...oh right

I keep forgetting to think about potential exploits

[peak inlet]

or if someone plays some creature that is a plant creature

or a 10,000 year old magical tree that you can now instantly revive from 0 to max

any plot point regarding a dead plant is completely destroyed

[sacred current]

Right

Thanks for the help Lemon

[heady surge]

What do you guys think of this weapon?...
A bladed Pistol like weapon. Can attack in melee(5ft) or at range(20/80ft). Light and finesse. Both melee and ranged attacks to 1d6 piercing damage and both have the nick weapon mastery.
Later can enhanced via some background story related event/skill/whatever to be a +1/2/etc. weapon and have this unique passive:
"When ever you make a ranged attack with this weapon and the attack hits, you may roll a d10. If you roll a 9 or 10, the target is Marked. On an 8 or lower, it does not expend a usage. You may do this only once per turn and an up to amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all uses on a short or long rest."
"Marked: The target receives 50%(rounded down) more damage from the next instance of damage that hits it. If the damage is from an attack, this affects all instances of damage caused by that attack (does not include start/end of turn damage effects or damaging terrain effects). Once this buff is applied, the target is no longer Marked."

[heady surge]

TLDR: A light, finesse, melee + 20/80ft ranged d6 weapon with nick that has a 1/5 chance when it hits at range to buff the next attack/spell's damage against that same target by 50% (1 buff max per turn).

What y'all think?

[cerulean seal]

Buffing spell damage by 50% is pretty crazy. Imagine a fireball doing 50% more damage only because you landed a hit.

Really depends on your level

[heady surge]

Even on the 1/5 chance and only 1 buff per turn, huh? How would you balance it?

[peak inlet]

don’t buff spell damage probably

or attack for that matter

[heady surge]

The weapon is inspired by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The melee weapon users in that game also have a free aim mechanic with hand guns. And there is also an equippable buff that gives those free aim shots a 20% chance on hit to apply a Mark to enemies with the same effect I wrote. And that Mark buff everything that isn't dot or self damage, so single target and aoe damage.

[peak inlet]

you can make it so the next attack lands an autocrit if you crit with this weapon or something

next attack on that target

which would allow both spell and weapon buffs, but it’s restricted to a specific target

[cerulean seal]

I don’t think buffing damage is the way to go

[peak inlet]

just make it depend on the d20 roll, no additional die

[heady surge]

It's already restricted to that same target

[heady surge]

Buffing damage was the whole point, tho...

[peak inlet]

I don’t think an autocrit is an issue

the issue is that you can increase crit damage with that

or do specific shenanigans that shouldn’t work with AoE spells

[cerulean seal]

Yeah, fireball with 50% more damage sounds crazy

[heady surge]

50% more on just that 1 target

[peak inlet]

autocrit should be fine, but at best, you can give it a 10% chance to do that

unless it’s a legendary magic item

then 20% chance to give an autocrit should also be fine

[cerulean seal]

Maybe limit the auto crit for cantrips only? Not leveled spells?

[peak inlet]

Paralyze gives autocrits anyway

this would be an autocrit if you land the attack

so it still goes through that barrier with leveled spells

I’d think it’s fine

[cerulean seal]

But how often is an enemy creature paralyzed?

[peak inlet]

what attack roll spell do you think would be an issue with that

best I can think of is an overleveled Chromatic Orb

forces the first bounce

but that’s all it does

[peak inlet]

on a Legendary Magic Item, you’re looking at pretty high level players where the casters have Hold Monster anyway

[heady surge]

So the reason why we're scared if the 50% version is that it can be applied on top of crits, which we're scared of on leveled spells, but level spell attack rolls aren't common/concerning??

[timber portal]

How do i set up a jujutsu kaisen campaign with my mates, all i have is a laptop and a bose speaker

[peak inlet]

it’s not just that it can be applied to crits, there are so many reasons why a 50% increase like that is an issue

[timber portal]

im actually so stuck

[peak inlet]

part of it is just that it’s not bound by anything

+50% damage on Disintegrate?

[peak inlet]

I don’t think this is a Homebrew question

#dnd-newcomers I assume

[timber portal]

Oh dang

oh sweet i didnt even see that

thanks

[heady surge]

Hmm. The Mark is likely to only ever be on 1 enemy at a time, if at all, during a turn. Because of that things like Fireball being affected by it is on purpose, but I see what you're saying with things like Disintegrate. I'll workshop it more.

[lilac saffron]

lightsaber for homebrew?

[cerulean seal]

Already exists. Sun blade magic weapon.

[bitter whale]

For a faywild plot hook I need to make a reverse centaur kraken. How should I alter the statblock ? It’s gonna be a kraken with human legs and arms

[primal osprey]

I always imagined lightsabers doing force damage, but radiant damage works I suppose

[lucid kraken]

What? Lmao how does that look or work logistically?

[cerulean seal]

It’s called a light saber though. That’s pure lasers

[primal osprey]

Okay yeah, it makes more sense for it to be radiant

[bitter whale]

it doesnt its the faywild. Imagine an octopus with 2 human arms with too many joints, and 6 human legs with too many joints

[primal osprey]

Classic feywild abomination

[bitter whale]

yup

[lucid kraken]

I mean, maybe give it the ability to grab with the hands, but other than that sounds like the limbs aren’t particularly functional. They’d just kinda thrash and flail around like a regular kraken. Maybe lower AC and give it more attacks per turn

[bitter whale]

The Centaurates call it "The reversecentauraken"

[bitter whale]

What do you mean arent functional. They are going to kick everyone

[lucid kraken]

Yeah but that’s no different then a regular kraken tentacles just lacking the armor plating, it wouldn’t be able to stand or balance on the legs

[undone oxide]

I made a statblock for my bbeg, planning to use him in a level 8-10 party with 6 players. Any thoughts on the balancing? Theyre essentially a glass tank. (IF MY PARTY SOMEHOW SEES THIS, DO NOT UNCENSOR IF YOU DONT WANNA SPOIL 💔)

||Guild Master Viktor Holloway
Medium humanoid, Lawful Evil
Armor Class 20 (Holloway Plate)
Hit Points 113
Speed 40 ft.
STR
14 (+2)

DEX
20 (+5)

CON
17 (+3)

INT
20 (+5)

WIS
14 (+2)

CHA
18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dex +10, Con +8, Wis +7
Skills Arcana +10, Deception +9, History +10, Intimidation +9, Perception +7, Persuasion +9
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered; holloway guild weapons
Damage Immunities acid, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses passive Perception 17
Languages Common, Deep Speech, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Undercommon

Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)||

|| Crystal Core. While below half HP, he takes double damage on all melee weapon attacks, but his ac increases by 2+, and advantage on all saving throws.
Rebound Engine. Whenever Victor takes 25+ damage before his next turn, he gains 1 Crystal Charge.
If he takes 50+ damage, he gains 2 Crystal Charges.
If he takes 75+ damage, he gains 3 Crystal Charges.

He cannot gain more than 5 charges.

Fog of War. A 15ft circle of green fog surrounds Victor. When a creature ends their turn inside of the fog, they take 1d6 poison damage, and Victor gains a Crystal Charge.

Actions

Multiattack. Victor makes three attacks: Crystal Saber, Crystal Charges, or Holloway Guild Gas Pistol

Gem Saber. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5ft. Hit: 15 (2d8+5) Slashing

Holloway Guild Gas Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: 15 (4d4+5) Piercing

Piercing Gas. Using 2 Crystal Charges, as an action, Victor can send a burst of fog in a straight 15ft. line, causing all creatures within range to roll a constitution saving throw, as shards of crystal enter their lungs. (DC: 18) On a failure, their movement is halfed until their next turn, and they deal (24) 3d12 Piercing damage, and half as much on a success.
Harnessed Fog. Using 3 Crystal Charges, as an action, Victor selects a point within 60ft. On the start of his next turn, Victor invokes all creatures within 30ft of that point to roll a constitution saving throw. (DC 25) On a failure, The creature takes 4d10 Poison Damage, and falls prone in a fit of coughing.

Bonus Actions
Prism Step. Spending 1 Crystal charge, as a bonus action, Victor teleports 40ft. and crystal fragments shatter around where he once was. The echo explodes, causing creatures within 10ft to roll a dexterity saving throw. (DC 18) If failed, they take 2d8+2 Piercing damage, and half as much on a failure||

For the fight theres ofc gonna be some minions too

[frozen knot]

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some help as I try to make a home brewmagic item on D&DBeyond.

It’s an arcane firearm that I would like to use INT for hit/damage instead of DEX. Is there a way to do that cleanly?

[frozen knot]

Based on the pistol ^^ I should add

[mild cove]

#ddb-support

[dry lintel]

well, can you help me figure out a capstone for the subclass? and how would I tone it down?

[dry lintel]

btw, it is not just lolth, she was just an example. Any spider goddess works

[void jewel]

I'd consider neutering the spell list. As is, it is the best cleric domain spell list by a wide margin

Here are the spells there that are easily among the best in the game:
Entangle (best first level area control bar none, not normally on cleric list)
Suggestion (the game's best save or suck)
Web (everyone knows how strong web is. The best second level spell, really)
Hypnotic pattern (a wizard must-pick for how it instantly ends encounters. Insanely potent)
Wall of force (same as above, immediately wins encounters. The best fifth level spell in the game)

Command always prepared is also great, since you're almost forced to prep that anyways with how good command is, its basically +1 slot.

And the channel divinity is web (already a spell that is like third-level power) but with debilitating extra effects and targeting the best save in the game to target.

each spell on a spell list is its own independent feature. This subclass has among the best ones in the game, not normally available to clerics (in fact, some wizard exclusives even)

[grim lark]

I gave the cleric a boon that gives him another way to use channel divinity: Reverse Healing spell.

When casting a healing spell, the user can choose for it to deal damage instead of healing. No save or nothing, just straight damage.

Surely the conse won't quence on this one, right?

[stuck raptor]

watch out for 70 damage no save with heal

[grim lark]

That's exactly what he said too

It's a scary thought, but screw it we ball

[dry lintel]

hmmm what would you suggest I would remove and replace with? We have to keep web since this is the Spider Domain though

[mild cove]

Wish. Instant 700 damage

[stuck raptor]

ok, tbf, its wish

and that incurs wish stress

[dry lintel]

then use mass heal

[grim lark]

We're at the end of the campaign, so I thought, why not?

[lethal cedar]

So I've been making companion stuff for prehistoric animals and I had a bit of a weird crazy idea for one of them

The dinosaur Coelophysis I already planned early level stuff it gains but later levels I've been hard to determine. But it was found in Ghost Ranch.

The idea I had is: They become able to fight ghosts

[buoyant badge]

That's kinda cool! but how does it works?

[lethal cedar]

Basic idea I got: level 8 it gains the ability to see into the etheral plane out to 30 feet. and the final level up it gains the ability to ignore the resistance a ghost gets to non magical attacks

[buoyant badge]

That's actually cool

[lethal cedar]

The book base I'm using gives features at 1,4,8, and 10 (for a beastmaster the companion will level up every 2 levels)

So a level 8 beasmaster has a level 4 Coelophysis

[buoyant badge]

So the creature at level 8 see in the etheral plane? Player level 16?

[lethal cedar]

The level 16 player I suppose does not

So i suppose it would be a scenario of a dog barking at nothing

at least for the player's POV

Currently the level 1 and 4 options Coelophysis gets are effectively the same level up options a mastiff gets.

[buoyant badge]

Ok, i think that's cool, but for only seeing i would put it lower level. Its just not that strong, since still cant affect it, and juste seeing your Dino angry at air for like 5 levels is so much more funny and cahotic

But that's me! I find the idea really good tho!

[lethal cedar]

It's using the companion rules from Pets and Sidekicks so it gains pet tricks

So at level 4 you get to pick one of these

• Trained Hunter. The Coelophysis gains proficiency in the Survival skill. It learns the Hunt and Track pet tricks
• Trained Herder. The Coelophysis gains proficiency in the Intimadtion skill. It learns the Herd pet trick.
• Trained Scout. The Coelophysis gains proficiency in the Stealth skill. It learns the Guard and Scout pet tricks.
• Trained Worker. The Coelophysis gains proficiency in the Athletics skill. It learns the Labor pet trick.

[buoyant badge]

Ouhh! I didn't know those, looks fun tbh

[lethal cedar]

Pretty cool book I've been basically making a bonus to it for some prehistoric animals

I've added Dimetrodon, Dicynodon, Gorgonopsid, Gallimimus, Hadrosaur, Tyrannosaurs, Carnotaurus, Coelophysis, Heterodontosaurus, and Amphicyon

[buoyant badge]

Are you running a campaing (i speak french, that word feels so wrong? ) with those creature involved

[stuck raptor]

campaign

[lethal cedar]

I have a D&D setting where Permian to present fauna all coexist

[sand peak]

Has anyone taken a look at Retroactive Reestablished?

[buoyant badge]

Thanks, much better lol

[lethal cedar]

So like: Nanuqsaurus, polar bears, pachyrhinosaurs, and moose all share a region

Daeodon is definitely going to be added

[nova basin]

Fire should have higher damage but probably bigger dice instead of more dice

Acid usually gets a lot of d4s

[velvet stag]

Help me come up with a fitting Curse for this Magic Item?

Soul Threaded Needle of Stealing

1 Action

Range: 30 Feet

Hit: Charisma Modifier + Proficiency Bonus

Piercing Damage: 1+charisma Modifier + Proficiency Bonus.

Soul Threaded Theft (Recharge 5-6)

Once Per Turn when you hit a creature with this needle and Thread, they must make a Charisma Saving throw against your Spell Save DC. On a Failure, The Needle Threads itself through something belonging to the Target causing it to be stolen from the Target.

Roll a 1d12 to determine what is Stolen.

1-3 = 1d20 gold pieces

4-6 = 1d6 HP, transferred from the target, to you, or an ally within range. Excess healing is gained as temp HP until the beginning of your next turn.

7-8 = You steal a random resistance from the Target determined by the DM. Until the beginning of your next turn The target loses that resistance, and you, or an ally within range gains the resistance. If the target has no resistances to steal, they instead take damage as if they were hit by an attack.

9-11 = You steal a random Item from the Target determined by the DM.

12 = You Steal a single lowest level available Spell Slot from the Target. You can either keep the spell slot, or give it to an ally within range. If there are no spell slots to steal, they instead take damage as if they had been hit by an attack.

[lethal cedar]

Kleptomania

[cerulean seal]

The intense desire to sew

[cerulean seal]

The spirit of an elderly lady thief haunts them and nags them all the time. She also provides great recipes

[stone wren]

I need idea pitches for my homebrew subclass for warlock pact of bedtime terror

A sleep and illusion melee based warlock

[cerulean seal]

Why not just call it nightmare?

[stone wren]

Too cliche and basic

[cerulean seal]

Bedtime terror imo doesn’t sound better

[stone wren]

Because the pact weapon is a onesie light armor and its your patreon

[stone wren]

Name is in the works

[cerulean seal]

Ong

Pact of snuggle bugs

[stone wren]

Pact of snuggle monster

[cerulean seal]

Pact of sleepy time junction

That’s amazing

[stone wren]

Hell yeah

[cerulean seal]

Okay ideas. Uhh… so sleep is really scary to deal with in DnD and there are not a lot of ways to induce it.

[stone wren]

Thats what kinda inspired it

[cerulean seal]

So maybe you can have the subclass deal with exhaustion and eventually the unconscious condition

Also traversing dream spaces and peoples minds might be cool

Being able to see surface level thoughts/day dreams and when people are asleep, you can literally go into their dreams

[stone wren]

Maybe inflict disadvantages on wisdom stuff?

[cerulean seal]

That could work depending on the exact context

[stone wren]

Enter people's dreams like a pact of genie

How could I implement the onesie to transform into a bedtime monster

[cerulean seal]

So that would probably be your first feature. A transformation you can go into, maybe Wis mod times per long rest. And you get a list of benefits from the form.

You can either make this like as complex as a Wildshape or just a “mode” you go into that provides you a set number of benefits

I think the mode will give you more flexibility about the power budget

[hidden wing]

I've been trying to make something that would let characters have a pet at level one without having to take Magic initiate for Find Familiar a two cantrip. Sometime you just want to bring your pet dog or family goat on the road without becoming a spell-caster.

Tamer

Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Bound compagnon. You always have the Find Familiar spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. When you cast this spell, instead of summoning a familiar, you can choose to bond with an existing Medium or smaller Beast you touch that has a CR of 1/8 or less. This Beast then becomes your bonded companion and benefits from the Telepathic Connection and Disappearance of the Familiar effects as if it had been summoned by your spell. Your bound compagnon's maximum hit points are equal to its normal maximum plus three times your Proficiency Bonus.
Coordinated combat. The bonded companion is your ally and that of your allies, and it is not trained to serve as a mount. It rolls its own initiative and acts in turn. When your bonded companion is 1.5 m or less from you and you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow it to make its own attack with its Reaction.
Special bond. You cannot change the form of your bonded companion by casting the Find Familiar spell again, nor can you summon another familiar with this spell while you are bonded to your bonded companion. To end your bond, you must spend a Long Rest concentrated on your bonded companion after it has been sent back to its pocket dimension after falling to 0 health points.
Although I think it works as written, I not sure if I haven't over-tuned it for an origin feat.

[stone wren]

Any other ideas for features?

Im going to need 4 of them up to level 14

[obtuse tusk]

I adore this, i was just asking yesterday about something akin to this... would you mind if I used this as an example feat to my DM/take inspiration from it?

[hasty lotus]

here so i had this boss passive effect in mind

"Verdict"
all evil or chaotic creatures that make an ability check or saving throw against this creature have disadvantage

is that like too niche?

i don't plan to use it in a campaign it's more just to get me used to making boss kits

[cerulean seal]

What do you have so far? Also 2014 or 2024 rules?

[stone wren]

2024 rules

1. Lulling Horror

1st-level subclass feature

Your presence carries a dreadful calm that pulls creatures toward sleep.

When you deal psychic or necrotic damage to a creature, you may force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC.

Failure: The creature becomes drowsy until the end of its next turn.

Success: The creature is immune to this feature until the end of your next turn.

Drowsy (Condition):

The creature has disadvantage on Perception checks

If the creature ends its turn without having taken damage since the end of its last turn, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious until the start of its next turn or until it takes damage

You can apply this effect once per turn.

[cerulean seal]

Remember that 2024 warlocks get their subclass features starting at 3rd level.

[cerulean seal]

Also I like the condition however I think having to make the enemy fail 2 saving throws to make the feature work is a bit weak. Also the base condition as is without the unconscious is a bit weak in combat

Basically what this will be is you effecting enemies, your entire party having to not target that person at all for a whole round, then finally they fall asleep and then you can utilize this feature

That’s a lot of conditions

[void jewel]

This is just better MI: find familiar really

CR 1/8 is way better than CR 0 and it can also attack, as this is written

More importantly, you can be a human and take both this AND mi:find familiar or take this on a wizarf

[obtuse tusk]

wizarf made me giggle a tad, thank you