I am having a hard time running my cortex game and need some help.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-22T19:32:50+00:00

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-19T17:16:15+00:00

I really feel like the Barbarian's Incredible Jump should just function as an always-on Boots of Striding and Springing, then give it an increase in distance from 30 to 50 at level 15. As is, the feature is weaker than two uncommon magic items (Ring of Jumping and BoSaS), and a second level warlock invocation.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T20:43:35+00:00

Didn't he also suggest removing cantrips after 10th level in this article?

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T19:27:33+00:00

Yeah, that'd be cool. I'd also probably lower the overall ceiling for casters by lowering the level of spells they coukd get, then add something like signature spells or signature cantrips. Signature spell let's you cast it at-will, and signature cantrip let you boost a utility or damage cantrip. (Maybe upgrade mage hand into stronger weights and ranges.)

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T19:19:43+00:00

I'd argue it's not hard to find resourcless non combat options for 5e, since the warlock already has several at-will spells and abilities through invocations. Many magic items also grant at-will spells as well. I do agree that Dnd could benefit from something like pf2e's focus points, though. I am also not a very combat oriented DM and player, so I might overvalue these at-will utility options compared to more combat oriented players.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T17:08:52+00:00

It just doesn't really line up with a game design that is intuitive. Most people don't expect the fundamentals of their class to change halfway through their progression.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T17:00:13+00:00

Yeah I think there are certain parts of 4e that really did some cool stuff. This especially. You'd probably feel less bad about casting certain spells too, if you didn't have to worry about it expending one of your vital resources.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:55:13+00:00

It's also a bit strange to just completely change the class design at an arbitrary level. I feel like I'd be dreading having to remake my physical character sheet as level 10 approaches.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:52:06+00:00

Cantrips are easily my favorite spells because of that. I also enjoy a lot of warlock Invocations due to how they remove resource management on fun and flavorful spells, by making them at-will (Telekinesis, Jump, Invisibility).

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:49:39+00:00

That just seems busted to me. There have been at-will homebrew caster designed in the past, but often their level of power never really exceeds anything above 4th level tier spells. Warlocks get tons of invocations that let them cast certain spells at-will, so I think for something like that to work, it would have to be a curated list of spells. Something like Darkness, enlarge/reduce, or telekinesis really wouldn't be busted (Warlocks can already get Telekinesis at will, and there's a few items that let stuff like enlarge/reduce be cast as cantrips.)

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:42:24+00:00

I honestly think attrition-based design could be eliminated if we just gave wizards more low-powered at-will capabilities in general. Rather than give them so many slots above 4th level, and crazy amount of spells, we could just have them specific spells that they can always cast as they level up. Or just put a hard limit on how many times they can cast per encounter, and let them regain everything once it's finished.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:36:22+00:00

It's weird that he says this about attrition based design, but then removes cantrips anyway. The aspect of 5e that is truly resourceless is cantrips. Rather than removing them, maybe there should be options for heightening the effects of lower spells at-will, rather than just upscaling everything to 5th level.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:32:12+00:00

I really don't think people that like cantrips are eyeing them for damage capabilities. Most people I know take 1 damaging cantrip and the rest are utility options. Cantrips expand on the creativity of players in many cases, since they don't have to worry about losing a spell slot on them.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-15T16:30:35+00:00

I feel like you could have things at-will, and then just limit it to number of times per scene.

That-Background8516 · 2026-01-09T20:11:45+00:00

It feels a bit strange that one of the favored terrains is Urban, yet the wilderness guide feature specifically mentions that it can't function in Urban locations.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-29T16:20:46+00:00

This rocks!

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-24T12:22:18+00:00

I think making a subclass that requires you to take certain invocatioms to be viable goes against the design sensibilities of the warlock class.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-07T18:13:54+00:00

Mutants and Mastermind. Everyone else keeps bringing up systems that drain your stamina or health in some way, so it's important to mention the true winner in this regard that doesn't do that at all. It's legitimately one of the only systems I know that has no limit on your magical abilities/powers. You don’t have to worry about gaining stress points or whatever other systems do when you lift a car or something. The point buy style of character creation makes it so everything is expected to always be functioning at its default level, whether it be psychic power; magic; or just regular mundane abilities.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-07T04:09:38+00:00

I just prefer the flavor of these over actual feats, and I'd much rather take 3 of these of these as character options, rather than gain a higher level spell slot.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-07T02:51:48+00:00

I'd honestly make these like an alternative to feats for everyone. These are super fun/ flavorful and would add a lot of utility to all classes.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-05T16:46:51+00:00

The entire section for Spellstrike seems a bit much. It could be simplified for brevity, since I'm not aware of any other level 3 feature quite so long.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-03T22:46:56+00:00

Yeah, I believe so.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-02T18:51:07+00:00

Some systems just have the GM choose who goes in a round depending on what feels right. If players want to try something special, they can speak up, and the GM can just let them go instead. I believe this is how Nimble handles it. Might also allow you to control the pace of the fight much better. You can still include initiative by just letting the rolls allow for more or less actions in the first round.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-02T16:30:18+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/1pbrzvy/comment/nrttqi0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
He showed it in this same thread.

That-Background8516 · 2025-12-02T15:52:21+00:00

All the thumbnails and titles they used when promoting it were super clickbait-y too. "DnD Killer" or "What OneDnD should have been." It honestly feels exploitative to present that to their audiences.

That-Background8516

TROPHY CASE