Fifth Edition - Tumblr Posts

My Fifth Edition Ruminations

My Fifth Edition Ruminations

I like the idea of the Death Save and strikes and I love the simplicity of it and hate negative hit points, so I’d like to see the end of negative integer hit points in favor of a death strike system.  I thought it would be interesting to see hit points also reflect the differences in classes, and play a more central role in determining how often you drag out your big guns.  Using the 2E power sources and 4E skills and statuses, check out how I’d have hit points working in 5E.

Saving throws are considered in the 4E 10+ sense.  The saving throw resumes its place as the core device for deciding what happens when someone uses magic on you, with the casters attack score modifying the roll alongside your appropriate defense score such as Dexterity or Wisdom.

In the end, the character is comprised of a Race-Type-Class-Feats-Gear creation process, limiting the time it takes to create and also providing a wider range of rules in an exception-based combat system, while leaving room open for more formalized roleplaying rules than the fourth edition featured.

Races

Here’s an example:

Elf You gain +2 Guile at level one. You can spend a point of Guile to reroll a ranged attack made using a shortbow or longbow.  You can do this once per attack. You gain a +2 bonus to saving rolls against charm and enchantment effects. You have low-light vision. Your speed is 6.  (I’m not dictating grids, but I’m leaving it open) You get a +2 bonus to Stealth and Nature rolls.

Hit Points and Character Types: your character has a number of hit points gained at first level equal to a number marked in your class plus a modifier from the appropriate statistic.

The Warrior Type (Fighter, Barbarian etc.)

Your hit points are called Mettle.  When you are attacked with a weapon, you lose 1 less hit point per die than other types on a hit.  You may spend a point of Mettle once per encounter to force an enemy to reroll an attack roll against you with a weapon-type attack.  When you hit an opponent, you can sacrifice a point of Mettle to deal +1[W] damage to the target you hit.  You can use your Mettle for Athletics and Endurance checks you make.  If you don’t like the result of an Athletics or Endurance roll, you can spend a point of Mettle to reroll the die.

The Rogue Type (Thief, Bard etc.)

Your hit points are called Guile.  When you are targeted with a ranged attack (including certain spells), you take one less hit point of damage per die than other types on a hit.  When you are attacked with magic, you may spend a point of Guile to roll your saving throw twice and take either result.  When you hit an opponent from combat advantage, you can spend a point of Guile.  If you do, you maintain combat advantage against the target for your next attack, even if you would not normally have it. You can use your Guile for skill checks.  Choose two skills as your Guile Skills.  If you don’t like the result on the die when you make a Guile Skill check, you can spend a point of Guile to reroll the die.

The Priest Type (Cleric, Paladin so on)

Your hit points are called Faith.  When you are the target of an attack against your spirit or mind, such as one with the Psychic, Enchantment, or Fear keywords, you lose one less hit point of damage per die, or you may spend a point of Faith to roll two saving throws and take either result. You can spend points of Faith to power Divine Magic spells.  The efficacy of a spell is determined by how much faith you spend to power it. You can use your Faith for Religion and Heal checks.  If you don’t like the result on the die, you can spend a point of Faith to reroll the die.

The Wizard Type (Mage, Witch, whatever wacky thing is next)

Your hit points are called Focus.  When you are the target of a spell, you can add 1/4 of your remaining focus to your saving throw.  You can spend a point of focus to reroll a failed saving throw against a magical attack. You can spend Focus to power Arcane Magic spells.  The efficacy of the spell is determined by how much Focus you spend to power it. You can use your Focus for Arcana and History checks.  If you don’t like the result on the die, you can spend a point of Focus to reroll it.

Class Examples:

Cleric

Priest Type Leader

You begin with 10+wisdom modifier points of Faith, and you gain 5 points of Faith per level.  You can use simple weapons as well as the mace, and a weapon determined by your reigning deity.  You may wear up to chain mail armor.

Features

You can cast spells from the Divine Magic list, including three Orison powers.  Orison powers do not cost faith to cast, more advanced spells require one or more points of faith to cast.  You begin with any two Divine Magic spells, learning more as you advance in level.  Your spells are more potent the wiser you are.  Your targets suffer a penalty to saving throws against your spells equal to your Wisdom modifier.

You have the benefit of a monastery education, choose three skills and take a +3 training bonus in each.

You can bolster the courage of your allies.  When an ally is targeted by an attack that your Faith could guard you against, you can give the ally to use their hit points to resist the Fear, Enchantment, or Psychic attack as though they had Faith hit points.  You may use this power once each encounter.

Once each encounter, you can turn away the undead.  All undead must make a saving throw or flee your presence as best they are able until the end of the next turn.  For each point of Faith you spend to power the turning, the affected undead take a penalty of -2 to the saving throw.

Mage

Wizard Type Controller

You begin with 7+intelligence modifier points of Focus.  You gain 4 points of Focus per level.  You can use a dagger or quarterstaff.  You can wear only cloth armor.

Features

You can cast spells from the Arcane Magic list, including three Cantrip powers.  Cantrip powers do not cost Focus to cast, more advanced spells cost one or more points of Focus to cast.  You begin with any three Arcane Magic spells from the list.  If you wish, you can choose to specialize in a school of magic.  If you do, you cannot learn spells from the opposed school, however you gain 2 points of School Focus, which can be used only to cast spells from the school you have chosen.  If you take damage from any source, these points of Focus are not deducted, however they do not count against your hit points, so if you are reduced to zero Focus you fall unconscious even if you retain points of School Focus.  Your spells are potent the more intelligent you are.  Your targets suffer your intelligence modifier as a penalty to saving throws against your spells where applicable.

You have the education of a master wizard, learning as an apprentice or at a wizarding academy.  Choose four skills and add a +3 training bonus to each of them.

You can shield your allies from harmful magic.  Once per encounter, you can add ½ of your remaining Focus to an allies saving roll against magical effects.

You have a spell book.  It contains each of your Arcane Magic spells.  Each time you gain a level, you can add an Arcane Magic spell to your spell book.

Bard

Rogue Type Leader

You begin with 10+Charisma modifier Guile points.  You gain 5 Guile points per level.  You can use simple weapons and wear up to studded leather armor.

Features

Bards are respected in all parts of the world.  When you are in a settlement or other civilized area, you can spend a point of Guile to make a saving roll whenever someone takes offense at you or your companions.  As long as violence has not broken out, a successful saving roll calms the heads those nearby and allows you to treat with them.

You have the education of a worldly vagabond.  Choose four skills and add a +3 training bonus to each.

You can use some magic spells.  Choose one spell from any spell list.  When you reach level 4, level 7, level 10, level 13, level 16, and level 19 you may add another spell from any list to your repertoire.  You are limited in that you may not learn spells that deal damage.  You can use Guile to power the spells that you learn as though you had Faith or Focus.  Your spells are more powerful the more forceful your personality, your targets suffer a penalty to saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier.

You can help your allies maintain an edge in battle.  Your allies are considered to have combat advantage against any target you have combat advantage against.

You have the power of Countersong.  If you or an ally is subjected to a magical mind-influencing effect such as Fear, Enchantment, Domination, Stunned, Dazed, or any Illusion power, you may spend a point of Guile to grant you and all your allies a saving roll to cast off the effect.  For each additional point of Guile you spend, the saving roll is made at a +1 bonus.  Any penalties to the saving roll apply as normal.

Magic Spell Examples:

Heal

Divine Magic spell When you cast this spell, you choose one of the following:

·         For one Faith, allow an ally to make a saving throw against an ongoing effect

·         Allow an ally to recover hit points equal to a healing surge +1d6 for each point of Faith you spend.  If the ally has no remaining surges, you can heal them for 1d6 hit points per point of faith you spend.  You can cast the spell upon yourself; you cannot heal yourself if you have no more healing surges however.

·         For two Faith return from unconscious or dying condition one ally.  The ally returns with hit points equal to one healing surge; for each additional point of Faith you spend, the ally returns with +1d6 hit points.

Magic Missile

Arcane Magic spell When you cast this spell, your target takes Force damage equal to 1d4 for each point of Focus you spend as the magical attack unerringly strikes its target.  If you spend a point of focus in addition to this, you can spread the damage of the attack different targets, assigning each d4 of Force damage to targets as you see fit.  This spell bypasses the damage reduction of Guile.

Charm (Person/Animal/Monster etc.)

Arcane Magic Spell If you cast this spell in combat, you must declare how much Focus you will spend before casting the spell and the target must make a saving roll.  If the target fails, they become dazed and prefer not to attack you or your allies for one turn for each point of Focus you gambled in casting the spell.  If you double the amount of Focus wagered, the subject is instead stunned for the duration.

If you cast the spell out of combat, the same roll applies, but the target will treat you as a trusted friend and ally and go out of its way to help you, so long as favors you ask seem reasonable to its moral code and do not put it in direct harm.  The subject of the Charm will act according for one hour for each point of Focus you gambled.  You can choose to double to amount of Focus gambled.  If you do, the subject will even take actions that they are morally against or that will put them in harms way, however they retain all memories of such coercion and can seek retribution against you later.  Even this powerful Charm cannot cause a subject to commit suicidal acts.

Feat Examples

Skill Specializtion Choose a skill, you can spend any kind of hit point you possess to reroll a skill check that you do not like that skill.

Arcane Spell Focus Choose a school of magic such as Necromancy or Enchantment.  Targets of your spells suffer an additional point of damage per die or suffer a -2 penalty to saving throws, whichever applies to the spell at hand.

Divine Light When you turn undead or cast a spell with the Radiant keyword, your targets suffer a -2 penalty to saving rolls or take +1 damage per die, whichever is applicable.

I’ll always post links to new content here, but if you want to see my full gallery of DnD 5e Homebrew and articles containing my thoughts on official DnD content, click through!

Commissions are Open!

The document may say email me, but feel free to drop me a message here as well! In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/Hk5fmNSlr Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry

I’ve always loved the freedom that comes with playing humans, but hated how 5th Edition DnD stripped them of their identity. This lets you play a human that’s distinctly, well, human!

In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/ryzHFVw_Q Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry

Everybody wants to time travel, right? The Chronomancer makes this possible, at least in the short term, for your local 5th edition sorcerer.  In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/ryRG9GCK- Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry 

This one should please folks that miss the 3.5 era Druid! The Circle of the Emissary, drawing inspiration from the Beast Master Ranger, grants an animal companion whose combat prowess is nothing compared to their support skills! In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/B1zWZ6zRW Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry

The Unseen Seer was one of my favorite prestige classes back in 3.5, so I decided to update it for 5e. If you can’t cast, you’ll go in yourself, of course... But isn’t it much more fun to sit back and let your invisible eyes do all the work? In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/ryieTfmqW Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry 

The Fighters of DnD 5e are just as adaptable as ever, but some old favorite builds have been left out in the cold by its simplified mecanics. These three archetypes can help support fighting styles that may seem mundane on the surface, but take practice to execute.

The Bastion is a classic fighter archetype, wielding weapons and armor normally reserved for soldiers in formation as personal arms, and putting themselves in harm’s way so that their allies don’t have to.

The Skirmisher relies on thrown weapons, nimble feet, and an even more nimble mind to overcome their foes.

The Shock Trooper is a tank, to be sure. Shock troopers inhibit their foes, making such a nuisance of themselves that they are dangerous to engage, but fatal to ignore. In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/SyQyDhOViZ Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry

Conversion Kit: The Assassin

Continuing my Conversion Kit series of articles, we discuss the Assassin subclass! Turn any character into a master of ambushes and terribly efficient killer with just three levels of Rogue.

Below the readmore, you can find Additional Support for this kit, as well as Pitfalls and Character Suggestions.

Kit Overview

Investment Type: Multiclass Dip

Minimum Investment: Take 3 Levels of Rogue, selecting the Assassin archetype at level 3.

Overall Impact: Your character now has the mechanical backing to follow through on clever schemes with lethal force.

Investment

Much like our last conversion kit, once you select the Assassin subclass, you can immediately set off to do what assassins do best. Once again, you'll need to satisfy the multiclassing requirement- just a score of 13 in Dexterity, plus a score of 13 in whatever attribute your other class of choice requires.

You don't necessarily need a Dexterity higher than this, but remember that your bonus to Stealth rolls keys off of it. You can mitigate the problems of a low Dexterity score by taking proficiency in Stealth and using the Rogue's Expertise feature to double your proficiency bonus.

Truth be told, you can abandon Stealth entirely if it doesn't fit your concept. However,  you'll want to keep in mind that the assassin's primary feature requires Surprise. While by the Rules as Written, Stealth is the only way to gain surprise, many GMs will allow betrayals or sudden strikes to grant surprise.

Perhaps you can take advantage of Deception or Persuasion to lure your target into a false sense of security, or use a spell like Dimension Door or Invisibility to suddenly appear behind (or even before) a foe and strike them down.

All that said, regardless of the method you'd like to use, you're very likely to want stealth proficiency. It's the least reliant on GM interpretation and applies to the greatest variety of situations.

Narrative Impact

Though the most apparent Narrative for a character using this kit is that of a professional murderer, it is by no means the only route you can take.   Your character is now mechanically incredibly reliant on first strikes. Hunters-turned-warriors (such as most rangers) gravitate to this approach to combat by default, but characters lacking the stomach for battle might turn to this path to end fights quickly. Elite warriors might prefer ambush tactics, and even certain paladins may find a swift death to be all that their foes deserve. In truth, you could utterly ignore this kit's narrative impact and carry on as if you had never taken a single level in another class. However, I'm inclined to see that as something of a wasted opportunity to set your character apart- where did your character learn to fight dirty? Do they see it as a necessary evil and regret their actions, or do they believe they're justified as there's no justice on the battlefield?

Mechanical Impact

From a mechanical perspective, the Assassin offers lethal first-strikes. Whatever your method of attack- a greatsword, a spell, thrown dagger- your Assassinate feature guarantees you a Critical Hit, as long as the attack hits a surprised target.

I cannot emphasize enough how unbelievably good a Guaranteed Critical Hit is in Fifth Edition D&D, and believe me, if I had a way to highlight that bolded, italicized, underlined phrase I would use it. I thought about including a gif of someone slapping a desk. I need you to see those words and realize what they mean.

A critical hit multiplies all of your damage dice. If you can find bonus dice, you're going to hit incredibly hard. If you have multiple attacks, they will all be critical hits. A critical hit on a Paladin's Smite or Rogue's sneak attack is a lucky break. A full round's worth of critical hits on a Fighter's attack routine or a Wizard's Scorching Ray is a dream. Get the drop on an enemy, and that dream is your reality.

The simple truth is, the Assassinate feature alone is enough to enable ambushes as a tactic.

Kit Support

There are several feats you can take advantage of to make this kit more effective. However, even if feats aren't allowed in your game, or all of yours are already accounted for, you're not out of luck. If you keep some rules of thumb in mind, you'll find yourself faring better than someone who approached their build haphazardly.

This list is in no particular order. This is not an optimization guide, and I don't want to commit to the math necessary to rank these options, nor do I want to limit your creativity. That said, as an Assassin, you want to look for:

More attacks. These are easy enough to get: engage in two weapon fighting, pick a class that has the Extra Attack feature, or find a way to get Haste applied to you.

Extra dice for your attacks: Smite and Sneak Attack are good examples. If you have your eyes on a higher level Rogue feature, the extra sneak attack dice will help with this (if you're using an appropriate weapon).

Similarly, spells that grant multiple attack rolls such as Eldritch Blast or spells that have large dice counts like Chaos Bolt. Both of those can be picked up by classes that can't normally access them using the Magic Initiate feat.

You might also consider certain feats, depending on your build and game:

Alert gives you a large bonus to initiative. Depending on how your GM runs Surprise, you may need to win initiative to take advantage of Assassinate- Alert all but guarantees that you'll move first, especially if your Dexterity is already high.

Lucky adds some reliability to your assassination attempts by letting you try again when you roll poorly. Lucky is good to the point of being considered 'cheese' by the community, and many games ban it, but there is objectively no better way to ensure you don't ruin your big moment.

Skulker is somewhat similar to Lucky for ranged characters, though not as effective. If you're a ranged Assassin, this keeps your position from being revealed. You'd be hard pressed to convince your DM that the enemy is still surprised, but maybe you can retreat and try again. The other miscellaneous stealth bonuses are a nice plus.

Spell Sniper doubles your range for attack roll based spells- it'll be easier to surprise foes from a couple of hundred feat away. As a bonus, you ignore all but total cover and even get access to an attack roll based cantrip if you didn't have one already.

Actor might improve your odds of pulling off a social skill based assassin, just check with your GM to make sure they'll rule in your favor before you invest too heavily in the approach.

Pitfalls

There's not a whole lot you can do as a player to make this kit go wrong. Your biggest obstacles are overspecialization and, potentially, your DM.

In the first case, there will be times when Assassinate will fail you. Perhaps the situation isn't right, perhaps you missed your attack, maybe the enemy got the drop on you. None of that matters though- just keep in mind when making choices about your character that not everything needs to improve their critical damage. Dealing hundreds of points of damage with your first strike only matters if you pull it off.

In the second case, some DMs are combative. You might have a DM that feels as though you're somehow "cheating" by assassinating big threats and coaxing your party towards ambush tactics. Some DMs will simply grumble about it and you may need to back off somewhat.

Others will attempt to sabotage you, either by presenting scenarios that make assassinations difficult or impossible, overwhelmingly pitting you against foes that are impossible to surprise or are immune to critical hits, or, in the most egregious cases, abusing their power and arbitrarily depriving you of surprise when you should have it.

The best thing you can do here is keep a level head and talk to your DM. They likely don't actively want to ruin the game for you, and perhaps they have a reasonable motive- maybe you're taking the spotlight away from other players or even making the game less fun for the DM themselves (believe it or not, this is a reasonable concern for the DM- they should have simply been honest with you in the first place, but berating them now won't help either of you).

Whatever your DM's reasons, you can likely compromise if they're honest with you. If your DM gives you any variation of "this is your fault for picking a specialized feature" or "it's just the way it is", you may need to ask if you can rebuild, as they're unlikely to sympathize with your position. Ultimately, your playstyle may just not align with the DM's or group's. There are hundreds of articles about conflict resolution, some specifically tailored for D&D groups, so for the moment I'll table the specifics and perhaps update this article with a link to a quality one at a later date.

A Few Suggestions

I don't want to leave this article on a low note, so I'll close with some classes you can combine with the Assassin subclass for some exciting (if somewhat obvious) character concepts:

Way of Shadow Monk: This monk path offers several supernatural abilities relating to darkness, silence, and hiding- not the least of which is the ability to teleport between patches of shadow. If that doesn't scream "ninja" to you, I don't know what will. The monk also has access to Flurry of Blows, which can make your assassinations quite potent.

Oath of Vengeance Paladin: The Paladin's Smite might be the easiest on-demand way to take advantage of your Assassinate feature. Very few of this Archetype's features synergize with this kit, but access to Haste and Hunter's Mark doesn't hurt, and the narrative of an avenger fits well with the style of combat you'll be employing. If you liked Pathfinder's inquisitor class, this may be for you.

Fiend Patron Warlock: Eldritch Blast is always good, but you have an extra edge with it. Honestly, there's not much too this other than having an easy on-demand ranged damage option, but something about being a contract killer for your Patron seems like an exciting narrative. Works just as well for other patrons, but the fiend seems most likely to employ contract killers. You can take the Blade Pact Boon and Eldritch Smite invocations if you want to step on the Paladin's turf.

With some examples out of the way, I'll take my leave. There's near limitless potential for this kit, as there's some synergy to be had with nearly every class, so you can experiment with confidence.

New Conversion Kit: Battlemaster

Techinically, I posted this a little while ago, but it never got its own post, so here it is again! This Conversion Kit uses the first few levels of the Battle Master fighter archetype to turn any character into a grizzled veteran! 

With a small set of maneuvers, give your character a unique martial style and a toolkit to get them out of tight situations!

Kit Overview

Investment Type: Multiclass Dip

Minimum Investment: Take 3 Levels of Fighter, selecting the Battlemaster archetype at level 3.

Overall Impact: Your character now has a distinct martial style, perhaps breaking them away from the combat archetype of their class. The small but expandable set of maneuvers you gain lets you specialize while remaining tactically flexible.

Investment

There's not a lot to say here. Once you declare the Battlemaster as your subclass, you'll reap the benefits immediately. However, it's worth noting that there's a little more to it than that. Multiclassing does have a few restrictions. Whether you start as a Fighter or take it as your second class, you'll need at least a score of 13 in Strength or Dexterity. Depending on what you're multiclassing as, you may need a score of 13 in another attribute as well.

This isn't a tax though, far from it. These restrictions are more often than not there to save you from yourself- many of the Battlemaster's maneuvers rely on a Strength or Dexterity based DC, so you'll want these stats to be high. If you don't have at least a 14, you may wish to look elsewhere, but 13 is indeed the minimum.

You'll also want to keep in mind that the Battlemaster requires you to think on your feet. You'll get four uses of your maneuvers per short rest, which is plenty. You don't want to burn them for no benefit, but you should be more afraid of missing opportunities than running out of maneuvers. If you have a go-to attack cycle, you'll need to get used to looking for chances to break it.

Narrative Impact

From a narrative perspective, those three short levels of Battlemaster offer a unique martial style. Whatever subset of the Battlemaster's list of 16 maneuvers you choose, it's rather unlikely that anyone at the table will have precisely the same set.

According to my somewhat rusty statistics skills and an internet calculation tool, there are 560 possible combinations of three maneuvers from this short list alone. Of course that doesn't mean that every combination is viable or interesting, but what is absolutely unplayable for one character can easily become game-changing for another. Regardless, your martial style might not be as flashy as a Monk's, but you could easily play with ten or so other characters who dipped battlemaster and not see your precise set of abilities repeated.

This martial style makes your character appear and feel as though they have practiced extensively with their chosen weapons and role. Whether you proclaim your character to be a prodigy, a veteran, or a well-trained elite, three levels of Battlemaster can back up that claim with power.

(Remainder after the cut.)

Mechanical Impact

Mechanically, the Battlemaster offers tactical and strategic flexibility. Since 5e puts your character on a sort of "railroad" after you select your subclass after level 3, many martial builds in 5e rely on repeating the same cycle of attacks every round. Generally, there's little special about the individual attacks on a character's turn. Certain feats and class features offer characters special attacks, but they are likely to use them every chance they get.

The Battlemaster breaks this mold for characters by burning a limited resource to open up new possibilities. Rogues that normally attack only in combination with another character can use Tripping Attack to gain advantage on attacks and go solo, while Sorcerers might use Rally to leverage their high charisma and otherwise stagnant bonus action.

Even better, the Battlemaster maneuvers reduce the chances of a wasted action. Many of the attack maneuvers can't be wasted by a missed attack, since they don't have to be declared until the attack hits, and even if the foe successfully makes their save, you get bonus damage from your superiority die. Rather than burning an entire action to Shove your opponent, you can simply use Tripping or Pushing Attack, opening up the Battlefield Control role to Barbarians and of course, Fighters.

This flexibility does make it difficult to pin down what sort of precise mechanical impact the Battlemaster will have on your character. While this isn't meant to be a guide, I have taken the liberty of categorizing some maneuvers below by Action Type and Role after the body of the article.

Kit Support

The best way to enhance this kit's effects might at first seem to be taking more levels of Battlemaster. While this will work, you'll have to take several levels- one or two won't give you more maneuvers or even a larger superiority die.

Your best alternative is to take the Martial Adept feat. One more level of Battlemaster after the third will give you a feat, and if you take Martial Adept, you'll get two new maneuvers and an additional use of those maneuvers per rest. Quite the shot in the arm for any Battlemaster multiclass.

You could hypothetically mimic a few levels of Battlemaster by taking this feat once or twice, but the main draw is the two maneuvers- the single die makes the choice to use your maneuvers quite difficult if you don't have the Battlemaster's four base superiority die in the first place.

Pitfalls

The Battlemaster dip usually goes wrong in two circumstances:

You've chosen maneuvers that conflict with your character.

You’re frequently taking your turn without thinking to use your maneuvers.

Really, that's it.

In the first case, remember two simple rules. If you're relying on your Bonus Action to attack with an off-hand weapon or a Reaction to make an Opportunity Attack with Sentinel, then you aren't going use maneuvers like Rally or Parry. Similarly, if you aren't making weapon attacks, then the various attack enhancements aren't going to see use.

In the second case, perhaps you prefer a more stable playstyle or employ improvised tactics that don't use the game's existing mechanics at all.

In either case, if you don't want to adapt, you can always talk to your DM about rethinking your choices. However, keep in mind that it will likely be easier to convince your DM to allow you to swap one maneuver for another than to allow you to switch out levels in the Fighter class for another.

Maneuvers Categorized:

Attack Enhancements

Disarming Attack [Debuff]

Distracting Strike [Support]

Goading Attack [Battlefield Control]

Lunging Attack [Self-Buff]

Maneuvering Attack [Support, Battlefield Control]

Menacing Attack [Debuff]

Precision Attack [Self-Buff]

Pushing Attack [Battlefield Control]

Sweeping Attack [Self-Buff]

Trip Attack [Debuff, Battlefield Control]

Bonus Actions

Commander's Strike [Support]

Feinting Attack [Self-Buff]

Rally [Support]

Movement Enhancements

Evasive Footwork [Self-Buff, Battlefield Control]

Reactions

Riposte

Parry

Since there are so many maneuvers to choose from, dipping Battlemaster could be overwhelming for players used to 5e's usual railroad after 3rd level. With that in mind, I'll take the slight risk of overstepping and provide some maneuver sets that support certain playstyles or archetypes:

The Archer: Evasive Footwork, Menacing Attack, and Precision Attack. (If feats are allowed in your game, take the Sharpshooter feat and combo the -5 attack/+10 damage benefit with Precision Attack for a low-cost damage boost.)

The Bully: Menacing Attack, Pushing Attack, and Tripping Attack. (This setup focuses on disrupting your opponents rather than killing them outright. Great for Rogues to help set up Sneak Attack opportunities, or anyone else whose style relies on having foes right where you want them.)

The Defender: Goading Attack, Maneuvering Attack, and Menacing Attack. (You might also consider taking the Protection Fighting Style with your first Fighter level to add another tool to your kit.)

The Duelist/Two Weapon Fighter: Disarming Attack, Riposte, and Parry. (If you frequently find yourself facing unarmed foes, replace Disarming Attack with Menacing Attack for a similar effect. If you're using two weapons, remember that your Bonus Action is accounted for if you try to modify this set!)

Great Weapon Fighter: Riposte, Precision Attack, Tripping Attack (If feats are allowed in your game, take the Great Weapon Master feat and combo the -5 attack/+10 damage benefit with Precision Attack orTripping Attack for a low-cost damage boost.) 

The Leader: Commander's Strike, Maneuvering Attack, and Rally. (Make sure you don't dump your charisma if you use this kit- or any other kit with Rally for that matter. This is a great kit for those of you who aren't using your bonus action, or those of you who don't always need it! Your allies will love you!)

Polearm Fighter:  Menacing Attack, Pushing Attack, and Tripping Attack. (This kit takes advantage of reach- so the classic Polearm Master/Sentinel feat combo works especially well.)

New Showroom Reflection: The Leviathan

Every once in a while, I look back on my work and consider the decisions I’ve made and why I’ve made them. If you ever find yourself wondering why a piece came out the way it did, or just want some insight into the thought behind homebrew in general, you’ll find these articles interesting.

Today, I’m looking back at my Leviathan Warlock Patron, and considering its similarities to and differences from the new Unearthed Arcana Warlock Patron, The Lurker in the Deep. 

Full article here, and a preview below the read-more!

Showroom Reflection: The Leviathan Patron

This reflection addresses my Leviathan otherworldly patron for the Warlock class. Click through here to view the Leviathan patron as a PDF, or see the end of this article to view it in image form.

While I did produce this before the similarly themed Lurker in the Deep patron was released in the official UA articles, I'll address some differences in design philosophy, since comparisons are inevitable.

Groundwork

Some time ago, I ran a campaign that took place in the depths of the sea. With a player looking to branch out into spellcasting with the Warlock, I offered to produce a new patron- which soon came to be called the Leviathan- to fit the player's character as smoothly into the campaign as possible. If memory serves, my two major goals at the time were the following:

Make sure that no matter what Race my player chose, they felt at home in the water.

Building off of that last goal, make sure that none of the subclass' features conflict with an already aquatic race.

I did have a third goal, though, which I address in all of my designs:

This content must accommodate more than one character or campaign type.

What I mean by that, in this case, is that if a player is drawn to this patron in a non-aquatic campaign setting, there should still be something to draw them to the class.

After setting my goals, I looked over the core Warlock Patrons found in the Player's Handbook to determine what sort of abilities were given to the Warlock at any given level. I left out the Xanathar's patrons because what I wanted was a baseline, not a comprehensive analysis of trends in Warlock design. I was prepared to break these 'rules', but I thought it best to know what they were first:

1st Level: The Mark- These features are low on mechanical impact, but heavy on Narrative flavor.

6th Level: Intervention- These features provide some sort of fail-safe for the warlock when things aren't going their way, usually costing them their Reaction.

10th Level: Adaptation- These features grant the warlock a passive resistance to effects that their patron would normally resist or be immune to.

14th Level: Taste of Power- These features grant the warlock a powerful active ability that channels the wrath of the warlock's patron.

I'll break down the rest of this reflection by feature, to make this more digestible.

A Quick Update

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything of substance, so I just wanted to take some time to talk about what I’ve got in the works right now.

To keep a long story short, I’ve been sleeping in the forge lately. That is to say, I’ve been working on a wide variety of projects, and I haven’t stepped out to show any of that work- mostly because I’ve been mulling a lot of things over and very little of has taken a solid form yet.

I have a few new subclasses on the horizon that I should be ready to post soon: The Trapper, a Ranger archetype that does exactly what it sounds like and capitalizes on trap triggers..  The Sapper, a Rogue archetype that includes trapping and sabotage as part of their arsenal. The Barbarian Path of the Rageborn and the Monk Way of the Long Stride. The first double’s down on the Barbarian’s aggression and bloodlust, while the second focuses on mobility and rewards the monk for staying on the move- and, well, to be honest with you, you become a little bit like The Flash. 

Those last two are a little different from my normal fare because they’re commissions, so if you’ve considered trying to get one of my brews for yourself, make sure you check them out.

I’ve also been working on a couple of DM-side Homebrews, namely:

A monster type I’m referring to as Paragon Creatures, which behave more dynamically than your average monster but is less overwhelming than legendary creatures.

Monster Units, which are basically blended statblocks for foes such as mounted units, hordes of zombies, or monsters with some sort of symbiotic relationship (such as a horde of insects infesting a zombie).

A ruleset for travel that focuses on turning it into something swift and impactful. Travel makes it sound boring though... I really want to capture all the little moments of travel that are actually interesting and exciting and condense them down into something that can be handled without rolling for encounters six times a day and hoping for the best. I also plan on including some tweaks for the Ranger, Outlander, and similar game features so that they don’t shut down the system entirely, as well as rules for hirelings and the like.

Updated Commission Information

It’s been some time since I posted my original commission sheet, and a lot of the info there is outdated. Since the above is an image file and not the PDF, I’ve included links below if you want to see examples of my work (the ‘+’s are links to additional examples):

Race + Subclass + +

If tumblr mangles the document, you can view it directly through the homebrewery here.

Check out my full range of content over on The Foundry!

If you’ve got any questions, you can email me at [email protected].

October Brew Fest: Week 0

This is our first warmup post for the October Brew Fest, and our first update!  These images are an updated version of the document. I’ve added a few boring wording changes, but I also added a new fluff paragraph acknowledging humans with lower or higher degrees of empathy and ambition, as well as a note box explaining the once-obscure alert sleeper trait.

I’ve always loved the freedom that comes with playing humans, but hated how 5th Edition DnD stripped them of their identity. This lets you play a human that’s distinctly, well, human!

In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/ryzHFVw_Q Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry

October Brew Fest: Week 0

We’re still in the blog warmup phase for now, so I’m bringing back Conversion Kits.

This is an article series I’ll be bringing back (and continuing) this month, where the goal is to transform your character with just a few choices. The motto is Minimum Investment, Maximum Impact.

Now that I have more eyes on them, if these articles do well, I may post more in the future. 

Conversion Kit: The Assassin

Continuing my Conversion Kit series of articles, we discuss the Assassin subclass! Turn any character into a master of ambushes and terribly efficient killer with just three levels of Rogue.

Below the readmore, you can find Additional Support for this kit, as well as Pitfalls and Character Suggestions.

Kit Overview

Investment Type: Multiclass Dip

Minimum Investment: Take 3 Levels of Rogue, selecting the Assassin archetype at level 3.

Overall Impact: Your character now has the mechanical backing to follow through on clever schemes with lethal force.

Investment

Much like our last conversion kit, once you select the Assassin subclass, you can immediately set off to do what assassins do best. Once again, you’ll need to satisfy the multiclassing requirement- just a score of 13 in Dexterity, plus a score of 13 in whatever attribute your other class of choice requires.

You don’t necessarily need a Dexterity higher than this, but remember that your bonus to Stealth rolls keys off of it. You can mitigate the problems of a low Dexterity score by taking proficiency in Stealth and using the Rogue’s Expertise feature to double your proficiency bonus.

Truth be told, you can abandon Stealth entirely if it doesn’t fit your concept. However,  you’ll want to keep in mind that the assassin’s primary feature requires Surprise. While by the Rules as Written, Stealth is the only way to gain surprise, many GMs will allow betrayals or sudden strikes to grant surprise.

Perhaps you can take advantage of Deception or Persuasion to lure your target into a false sense of security, or use a spell like Dimension Door or Invisibility to suddenly appear behind (or even before) a foe and strike them down.

All that said, regardless of the method you’d like to use, you’re very likely to want stealth proficiency. It’s the least reliant on GM interpretation and applies to the greatest variety of situations.

Narrative Impact

Though the most apparent Narrative for a character using this kit is that of a professional murderer, it is by no means the only route you can take.   Your character is now mechanically incredibly reliant on first strikes. Hunters-turned-warriors (such as most rangers) gravitate to this approach to combat by default, but characters lacking the stomach for battle might turn to this path to end fights quickly. Elite warriors might prefer ambush tactics, and even certain paladins may find a swift death to be all that their foes deserve. In truth, you could utterly ignore this kit’s narrative impact and carry on as if you had never taken a single level in another class. However, I’m inclined to see that as something of a wasted opportunity to set your character apart- where did your character learn to fight dirty? Do they see it as a necessary evil and regret their actions, or do they believe they’re justified as there’s no justice on the battlefield?

Mechanical Impact

From a mechanical perspective, the Assassin offers lethal first-strikes. Whatever your method of attack- a greatsword, a spell, thrown dagger- your Assassinate feature guarantees you a Critical Hit, as long as the attack hits a surprised target.

I cannot emphasize enough how unbelievably good a Guaranteed Critical Hit is in Fifth Edition D&D, and believe me, if I had a way to highlight that bolded, italicized, underlined phrase I would use it. I thought about including a gif of someone slapping a desk. I need you to see those words and realize what they mean.

A critical hit multiplies all of your damage dice. If you can find bonus dice, you’re going to hit incredibly hard. If you have multiple attacks, they will all be critical hits. A critical hit on a Paladin’s Smite or Rogue’s sneak attack is a lucky break. A full round’s worth of critical hits on a Fighter’s attack routine or a Wizard’s Scorching Ray is a dream. Get the drop on an enemy, and that dream is your reality.

The simple truth is, the Assassinate feature alone is enough to enable ambushes as a tactic.

Keep reading

October Brew Fest: Week 0

This is the last post for the brew festival warmup week, and as classic as it gets for my content: The Chronomancer origin was the first homebrew subclass I ever made, and one of the few I’ve gotten to play a character for! His name was Nabi, a Kenku who managed to escape the curse that stripped his people of their voice, but still had his mind ravaged and his wings taken. Anyway, onto the bits you might care about, I’ve updated this a small bit. Primarily, I replaced an old text box with some weak advice about handling time travel, and replaced it with explanations of what I mean by ‘Temporal Anchor’ and what abilities can interact with the Dislodge Temporal Anchor feature. It’s not much- really, to support using this in more interesting ways, I’d need to brew up some spells. If there’s interest for this subclass, I might brew some up when the festival is over.

Everybody wants to time travel, right? The Chronomancer makes this possible, at least in the short term, for your local 5th edition sorcerer.  In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/ryRG9GCK- Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry 

The Leviathan patron should appeal to seadwelling spellcasters who want to double down on their theme and land-dwellers looking to take a plunge into the depths alike.

Crush your opponents with the weight of the oceans, plunge them into its darkness, and when they know longer know how to raise a hand against you- strike them down. If the Tumblr wrecks the document, or you just want a PDF, click through this link!

You can also check me out on my Wix site, where all my articles and best homebrews are compiled!

Week 1: Titanic Beasts

Today, we have our first New Content Drop of the October Brew Festival. Meet the Hobgoblin War Elephant- a blended statblock designed to make an encounter with the warbeast easier for DMs to track. This is a Preview of my Unit Rules, and a taste of the monsters to come later in the month. This is the first monster stat block I’ve shared here, so be sure to let me know what you think!

If tumblr destroys the document you can find it here, and you can check out a full range of my content here.

Week 1: Titanic Beasts

These druids may work with beasts substantially more subtle than the druids you’ll meet tomorrow, but we’re finishing off this week’s classic brews with the Circle of the Emissary Druid.

Fun fact about this one, I made it for my lovely wife who always plays druids and loves animal friends- and she’s never once played it in a real game! Turns out she likes fire better than animal friends. (Wildfire druids are pretty cool, in fairness). Anyway, whether this druid circle is your speed or not, stick around for tomorrow’s content drop: The Circle of the Chimera and The Circle of the Titan, both of which utilize wild shape in new and exciting ways!

This one should please folks that miss the 3.5 era Druid! The Circle of the Emissary, drawing inspiration from the Beast Master Ranger, grants an animal companion whose combat prowess is nothing compared to their support skills! In case tumblr destroys the document, click through here: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/B1zWZ6zRW Alternatively, check me out on: https://5eforge.wixsite.com/foundry

Week 1: Titanic Beasts

We’re rounding out Week 1 of the October Brew Festival with two new Druid circles, each using wildshape in unique ways. The Circle of the Chimera blends forms together, creating unique forms that no other druid can utilize. If you’re not careful you’ll chew through your daily shapes, but a well placed hybridization can turn the tides. The Circle of the Titan, as the name implies, focuses on towering forms. These forms allow for area of effect attacks, enabling the druid to occupy multiple foes at once.

If tumblr wrecks the document, it can be found here. Be sure to check out my full range of work at the Foundry!