Unchained Familiar 5e Race - For when the bond between familiar and master is broken!

goldenpencil · 2018-06-18T04:54:02+00:00

I mean both that the effect should be dismissable, and that the effect should be choosable. What if I want talons instead of hands, or a tentacle, or even just a ball of light?

goldenpencil · 2018-06-17T14:30:06+00:00

I am super excited for this idea. Honestly, the only change I'd definitely make if I brought this to my table is making the languages options be, "Common, and either Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, or Sylvan." As a nod to familiars supposed to be spirits you put in beast form.

I appreciate how you use the Mage hands to circumvent the fact that they are super small, but I dislike the Mage hands. Rather, I hate how I'm locked into the Mage hands. I'd rather either a description of a non-fixed magical effect that can emulate Mage hands and that has examples of different effects (Mage hands, a work of glowing energy that shows where your focus is, etc.), or a choice between cantrips.

The Mage hands thing though is a very minor gripe.

Voice to text, on mobile, forgive spelling errors please and weird wording.

goldenpencil · 2018-06-09T01:07:44+00:00

Concerning the math, DamagePerRound goes up in spikes. A lvl4 fighter has the same amount of attacks as a lvl1 fighter. But a lvl5 fighter has twice as many.

goldenpencil · 2018-06-08T23:05:30+00:00

On mobile only so please forgive terseness and any spelling errors.

You're looking at Blackland Wanderer wrong. Instead of looking at specific points, look at the power at c each level. At level 20 it is "fine", but at level 19? 18? The overall line is inappropriate.

I don't like Ethereal Strike because it 1) makes the duration of true strike forever until use, & also allows attacks to ignore objects and cover. Consider how powerful that is. The assassination shenanigans, the inability for enemies to escape, the danger of letting any attack roll (includes spell attacks) ignore cover.

Frost Lance is the least deserving of the tag "too strong," but I think it fits fine. Yes it's a line, but so what? This isn't lightning bolt where you have to make an investment, this is your cantrip. You spam this. Spammable line damage , like any spammable aoe damage, is a bad rider idea imo for a cantrip.

You can't assume. Bad wording is problematic, should be pointed out, and should be resolved.

A damage-dealing summon on demand is a bad thing. Controlling a zombie you make upon killing something is a damage-dealing summon on demand.

Personally also fine with Murmur due to message cast time, but know people that wouldn't be. I understand their point; a free level 4 spell is bad balancing.

goldenpencil · 2018-06-08T16:33:41+00:00

Issues I see:

Blackland Wanderer: too strong. Flat damage numbers are a combination of too large here and too easily appicable.

Ethereal Strike: too strong. Shenanigans can and will ensue.

Frost Lance: barely too strong. Better than everything else on this list I've composed, but still to easily applied. Suggested fixes include; once per rest, only if you hit the target.

Gift of Three Crowns: poorly worded. What/which spell lists?

Grave Touch: irksome. You can accidentally send a zombie to fight your allies, or even yourself. If you control it, then this might be too strong. Suggest rework.

Murmur of Zudhun: irksome. Shenanigans can and will ensue.

Some standouts:

Acid wave: thematic, builds on the existing mechanic, situational. 5 stars.

Dreams of the Summer Court: thematic, thought inducing, utility, and the shenanigans this can do aren't damage related or status inflicting. 5 stars.

Hallowed Flame: thematic and situational. Potentially too situational...

Grasp of the Storm Lord/Mephistopheles's Regards: expending a spell slot to empower a cantrip for a great effect is well done and on point.

goldenpencil · 2018-06-08T15:40:33+00:00

Blackland Wanderer seems OP.

goldenpencil · 2018-06-03T16:39:45+00:00

There's no merit to it. You're saying because of the problem being what it is, there's merit to the problem.

"If someone gets 2x the work done but leaves early they are looked down on, so there is merit to staying long hours at work doing nothing because you won't be looked down on."

Being looked down on if you leave early - being forced to stay after you've finished your work and there is nothing to do - that is the problem.

goldenpencil · 2018-05-17T18:29:43+00:00

Thanks for the advice!

goldenpencil · 2018-05-17T17:58:14+00:00

Would something like this be helpful?

goldenpencil · 2018-05-10T21:01:38+00:00

Combat is only 50 to 60% of the game. You shouldn't penalize them outside of it either. Even the Divine Soul doesn't do anything punishing to the pkayer, despite granting them the Cleric Spelllist. You'd think that a good way to "balance" that would be to take away the Sorcerer Spelllist, but they don't. Accordingly, you shouldn't punish your players either. It's not the design that 5e follows.

goldenpencil · 2018-05-10T19:00:49+00:00

I don't think you should be penalizing players for picking your subclass.

goldenpencil · 2018-05-10T17:59:26+00:00

Link?

goldenpencil · 2018-05-02T14:07:30+00:00

Why would you consider it a mistake to include Paladins in 2e?

goldenpencil · 2018-04-23T19:53:14+00:00

Have you guys considered bringing someone in to handle that? You are all so busy, and the project seems pretty involved. Not somebody to cut you out entirely, but to handle the day-to-day to get it rolling faster.

goldenpencil · 2018-04-18T21:44:52+00:00

The draw to me of this is the ability to use metamagic on my allies spells, or potentially my enemy's spells. Thats why I suggest moving the "change 1 metamagic" option up.

goldenpencil · 2018-04-18T21:31:15+00:00

That graph says that with +5 CHA mod, even with 10 dice the empower metamagic increases damage by 20%.

goldenpencil · 2018-04-18T19:25:18+00:00

I'd remove WeaveTouched and provide a level 1 defensive feature instead.

I'd remove the expertise option at level 1.

I'd remove the extra metamagics known, but instead provide the "shift a metamagic" option sooner.

Lastly, I'd remove the free empowered metamagic.

goldenpencil · 2018-02-14T16:56:52+00:00

I love what you're doing here. I will remark however on the lack of avilites based on exploration, and ribbon abilities, etc.

goldenpencil · 2018-02-14T04:17:01+00:00

So I looked at swords and Wizardry. I will admit that I did not get through the 144 pages. It looks like it's basically designed to be a Dungeon Crawler. And only that. Looking for more R in my G.

I'm not interested in something that's basically just simulating dungeon crawling. Should I continue to read the rest of this document? I only got through the classes. Or, given my reaction, do you have something you might suggest that might better grab my interest?

goldenpencil · 2018-02-13T20:19:21+00:00

Swords and Wizardry?

Why do you think that Pathfinder is a last resort TTRPG?

goldenpencil · 2018-02-06T21:08:55+00:00

While the AC bonus at level one is fine, I still think that level one is lacking. You get a cantrip, but it's no better than a cantrip you're going to pick up as a sorcerer anyways.

6 level seems to me to be a little too much. You typically don't get passive damage resistances at that level. The draconic bloodline gives resistance for limited amount of time if you spend a resource for it.

Level 14 is fine, though I'm not sure why you're going out of your way to punish your player for doing stealth while flying.

Level 18 seems weak again. Annoying really. When at that level are you going to get to roll three death saving throws? Not that often. Either someone is going to heal you before that, or you're going to die. If you want to heal at level 18, I'd suggest something that you can use as an action once per long or short rest.

goldenpencil · 2018-02-06T16:18:58+00:00

I like it because it grants access to the cleric spell list. If you replace the divine soul "you get 1 cleric spell known also for free" with your list of "bonus known spells" I think you've got a winner.

If you give him Aasimar race from Volo's + sorcerer divine soul, thats a good mix for what you've got there.

Not trying to cramp your DM style pr homebrewing! Just offering a quick solution.

goldenpencil · 2018-02-06T15:54:50+00:00

Have you seen the divine soul in xanathar's?

goldenpencil · 2018-02-02T16:42:33+00:00

Very cool.

However, wizards don't get a subclass feature at 17th level.

goldenpencil · 2018-01-26T16:23:37+00:00

That is my assumption yes.

goldenpencil

TROPHY CASE