Questions tagged [homebrew]
For questions about homebrewing new rules content for an existing system, this tag should be used when locally-created, non-published content is at the heart of the question. (Note that soliciting ideas for creating homebrew is off topic for the site.) Not to be confused with the [house-rules] tag. ...
28
votes
7answers
6k views
How powerful would an always-on Truesight ability be for a PC?
How powerful would an always-on passive ability or magic item or whatever else that could grant truesight to a PC be? Let's say 60 ft. to match the range of races with Darkvision.
For reference, here'...
9
votes
5answers
1k views
Is this homebrew “Throwing Weapons Master” feat balanced?
I'm trying to create a Fighter/Warlock character based on Kratos in the newest God of War game, who wields a two-handed axe which he can throw and summon back to his hands.
Pact of the Blade Warlock ...
12
votes
1answer
759 views
How balanced is a feat that lets players round up instead of down, and win contest ties?
Saw someone on FB with this idea, and wanted to get some input.
Feat: Mathematician
Whenever an ability tells you to round up or tells you to round down a value, you can choose whether to ...
7
votes
2answers
250 views
How can I improve this homebrew magic item so that it remains balanced across a wide range of levels?
I am considering the following homebrew magic item for my campaign:
Ring, rare (requires attunement)
While attuned to this ring, when you cast a cantrip that targets a single creature (but ...
6
votes
2answers
523 views
Is this homebrew Spiritual Shield spell balanced?
I have a pacifist cleric in my party, so I created this spell to replace spiritual weapon for him:
Spiritual Shield
2nd-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 60 feet
...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
Is this homebrew “Acrobatic Grappler” feat balanced?
I find it unusual how a particularly dextrous adventurer is unable to hold on to and keep still a target purely because they lack the strength to do so, when there are cases in real life where ...
4
votes
3answers
604 views
Is this homebrew feat for bards balanced (or even useful)?
I've been toying with the idea of a feat for a bard to allow for more sneaky play with things like mass suggestion. I think it could be fun and I was thinking of suggesting it to my DM for the bard I ...
30
votes
4answers
4k views
Can my players abuse this homebrew Blade of the Thirst magic item?
I am designing a homebrew magic item. I think I have it balanced but need to know if there are any loopholes I have not seen.
Blade of the thirst, magical longsword, requires attunement, versatile,...
4
votes
3answers
949 views
What would be the challenge rating for this homebrew “Obelan Enforcer”?
Obelan Enforcer
Medium construct, lawful neutral
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 48(10d6+4)
Speed 30ft.
STR 18 (+4) DEX 10 (+0) CON 16 (+3) INT 8 (-1) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 6 (-...
6
votes
1answer
251 views
What are the potential downsides of this homebrew contacts system?
In a recent discussion I had with another GM we expressed displeasure at a few common archetypes that characters tend towards. More specifically, we both expressed reservations about newly created ...
4
votes
1answer
188 views
Coming up with a stat block for Cyrog from Out of the Abyss
This question contains spoilers for Out of the Abyss, although the spoilers are mostly for context (in case that influences anyone's answers at all; i.e. if there's a story-based reason why Cyrog ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
What should the rarity rating be for this homebrew Healing Brick?
I read about this item on reddit (with a different name) a while ago and planned to implement this in my campaign, but I'm unsure what its rarity should be.
Healing Brick
As an action, make ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the rarity of my homebrew melee weapon that banishes on critical hits?
I want to make a melee weapon that, if you score a critical hit, casts banishment on the target. I don't mind it being of a high rarity, but I don't want it to be broken. I wasn't planning on making ...
6
votes
1answer
353 views
What is the rarity of my homebrew shortbow?
I want to create a custom magic item - a shortbow in particular. I want it to have a illusion theme but also a psychic damage theme, so here's what I've come up with.
It will require attunement; it ...
3
votes
2answers
186 views
Is this homebrew Copy spell balanced? [closed]
A player created this homebrew copy spell:
Copy
2nd-level conjuration
Components: V, S, M (an amount of coins equal in worth to the (unenchanted version of) the copied item)
Casting ...
18
votes
1answer
2k views
Is this homebrew Mind Flayer race balanced?
I have found a homebrew Mind Flayer race* and am wondering if it is reasonably well balanced against other races.
I have removed the fluff like age etc and just left the important parts.
My personal ...
3
votes
1answer
242 views
Homebrewing a Naga: Is this option a balanced substitute for Magical Resistance?
I am homebrewing a Naga PC and using the Yuan-Ti Pureblood (Volo's Guide to Monsters, Page 120), but I felt that Magical Resistance (below quote) was a little too strong and didn't fit what I was ...
4
votes
0answers
133 views
How can I homebrew a unique demonic animal companion for my player's moon druid? [closed]
As a DM I get a question from one of my players in my group, there are five people. However, it is the third level tiefling moon druid who asked "if he can have an animal companion later on in the ...
12
votes
5answers
3k views
Does this cantrip have a fair risk/reward balance?
One of my players is a demonologist and requested a cantrip related to the field. So I took a crack at it and came up with the following thinking that an attack on the mind was fitting:
Three-Word ...
-2
votes
1answer
91 views
When dealing with possession will a stronger personality win [closed]
Since there's no demonic possession in D&D 5e's published material, how is PC possession handled in general when homebrewing: will a stronger personality, ex charisma, win out or is there more to ...
12
votes
6answers
1k views
Is this homebrew variant of True Strike too strong to be a cantrip?
Lethal Strike
Enchantment cantrip
Components: V S
Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
Range: Self
Duration: until the end of current turn
When you roll a 19 on a weapon attack, that ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Is this wolf DMPC overpowered or underpowered?
I am new to being a DM and soon will have my first session. Since we are with three players total (me as a DM plus two PC characters) I want to help them out a little. The players are a Dwarf Cleric ...
4
votes
2answers
684 views
Would reach as a racial trait for my homebrew Mutant race be unbalanced?
I am creating a race of Mutants for my dark fantasy campaign.
The core racial mechanic is that each Mutant character picks two mutations from a list. Each mutation gives +1 to an Ability Score and a ...
15
votes
2answers
3k views
What level would this homebrew Comatose spell be?
I have converted a Pathfinder side quest to D&D 5E and given my players a journal with a few spells in it. One of the spells is this:
Comatose: Target PC (or random if not targeted) must make a ...
22
votes
3answers
3k views
Would it be unbalanced for Dex-based Fighters to choose proficiency in Dex saving throws instead of Str saving throws?
Whilst building a Dex-based Fighter (an Arcane Archer), I decided to pick the Resilient feat at level 4 so that I could have proficiency in Dexterity saving throws, which makes sense given that they ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Is this flightless homebrew “riding bird” familiar balanced?
A player in the new campaign I am DMing wants their character, a halfling wizard, to ride around on a small bird, going for a Sir Didymus from Labyrinth feel. He suggested this could be his familiar, ...
4
votes
0answers
102 views
Freezing system for Arctic adventure [closed]
I will soon DM my first Game. I've created an Arctic story and want to implement a homebrew Freezing mechanic. I want to make a "Freezing status" update about 3 - 5 times per in-game Day. Each ...
5
votes
1answer
113 views
Is this Homebrew Totem Spirit for Grapplers v3.0 balanced?
Here we are with version 3 of the Serpent Spirit variant for the Path of the Totem Warrior for the grappling players. I think this is getting close to being balanced, at least getting there, while ...
6
votes
1answer
206 views
Is this Homebrew Totem Spirit for Grapplers v2.0 balanced?
After some great feedback from goodguy5 and linksassins on my first version of this homebrew (Original post
Is this homebrew Path of the Totem Warrior for grapplers balanced?), I did a lot of revising....
15
votes
2answers
469 views
Does replacing Metamagic with a delayed Arcane Tradition have glaring balance issues?
In an answer to a related question, linksassin suggests an untested variant rule to apply some wizard flavor to the sorcerer class. I've attempted to formalize this approach and want to verify that I ...
7
votes
2answers
403 views
Is this homebrew Path of the Totem Warrior for grapplers balanced?
After spending lots of time reading up on Grappling in 5e, the Grapple Manual 2.0, and all kinds of posts and what not... I felt kind of let down. It's neat and all, but I simply felt like something ...
9
votes
2answers
252 views
How to tell good homebrew from bad homebrew [closed]
I find there's a lot of homebrew out there that has good presentation and seemingly good effort. But that doesn't make a homebrew good or bad. Balancing abilities thinking carefully about how it will ...
6
votes
3answers
440 views
What would the effect be of eliminating the rule preventing other non-cantrip spells on a turn if a bonus-action spell is cast?
The rule on bonus-action spells states:
A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a ...
2
votes
0answers
137 views
How to build an economy based on PCs’ sphere of influence? [closed]
First some context:
I have only been a PC rather than a GM so far, but my brother who is running a campaign (with his own homebrew system based on Shadowrun) with some of his friends asked me for help....
3
votes
2answers
448 views
How might this undead player character type unbalance combat?
In a recent session, a player character in my game died. Due to events involved in the player's backstory and their attachment to the character, I offered to have the character rise from death as ...
2
votes
3answers
426 views
Is this runecaster feat balanced? (Third Iteration)
Quite simply (and similarly to my other questions about previous versions of this feat 1 and 2) I want to know if this feat is balanced and if not then what should be done to improve it? Since the ...
3
votes
4answers
768 views
Is this runecaster feat balanced? (Second Iteration)
This is the second iteration of this question about the first iteration of this feat (I have now made a third iteration)
I have now added in some of the suggestions given by linksassin such as ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
Is this homebrew Bard College of Midnight balanced, compared to officially published subclasses?
I wanted to play a necromancer, but I wasn't all that thrilled by my options. Wizards obviously make great necromancer, but I was drawn in another direction. A charismatic puppet master, that was my ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Is this runecaster feat balanced?
This feat is intended to allow characters to store a spell in a rune (like you see in many dungeons) with activation conditions. It is intended to scale with the party as the party gets better spells. ...
-1
votes
1answer
76 views
In a homebrew campaign, how should I set CR for lesser and Boss monsters? [closed]
I am currently trying to make a campaign, and I am steadily homebrewing new monsters, all the way up to the boss at the end. I am aware of how CR works, but unsure how my monsters would shape up ...
4
votes
0answers
131 views
When making a campaign, how liberal can you get with “homebrewing” in 5e? [closed]
Unsure how far to go.
If you want to make your campaign really interesting, how far can you go in making new monsters, artifacts, and such?
Essentially, should you be able to create entire new ...
6
votes
1answer
221 views
Is this homebrew Dryad Sapling race (including its subraces) balanced compared to the official published races? (version 2)
I've done my best to address the concerns from the answers to my original question about my homebrew dryad sapling race. How does this look?
What I'm looking for is whether this is balanced vs the ...
1
vote
3answers
292 views
Is this homebrew Dryad Sapling race (including its subraces) balanced compared to the official published races?
This race is part of a conversion of a race I built for a 3.5e campaign years ago, and I want to start a new campaign in the same setting, so I need to have the same races available for the new ...
-3
votes
1answer
124 views
Homebrew Cryomancers? [closed]
So I was thinking of making a cryomancer for the next campaign I am in and as I was looking through all the spells I noticed that there weren't enough ice/water spells to create a fully focused ...
2
votes
2answers
373 views
Is this homebrew magic item balanced for a level 5 party?
I made a weapon to give to my party at level 5. Is this overpowered to give (one) to a level 5 party of 4 characters?
The Halting Rod
Uncommon (unique), 2 lbs.
2d4 force damage
...
5
votes
1answer
453 views
Is this homebrew archetype for Artificer balanced? [closed]
Here's the homebrew Artificer archetype I have created. It is a subclass for the artificer class from Unearthed Arcana: Artificer.
Note: The link contains the most recent iteration. The archetype ...
-1
votes
1answer
216 views
Is a class using strength as their spellcasting stat OP? [closed]
Trying my hand at making a homebrew class, and thought about making the spellcasting stat Strength, would that be OP? For reference, this class is kinda like a sorcerer but is more martial, combat-...
3
votes
1answer
207 views
Is this social reputation point system balanced?
I am planning a "Houses and Humans" or "Suburbs and SUVs" one-shot (yes, based on the meme, title-pending) for later this year using the "Roll for Shoes" system, but the systems isn't terribly ...
-5
votes
3answers
290 views
Is this homebrew Dartmaster class balanced compared to the other PHB classes? [closed]
Is this homebrew Dartmaster class balanced compared to the other classes in the PHB?
Hit Dice
Hit die: 1d10 per dartmaster level
Hit points at 1st level: 1d10 + your Constitution modifier
...
4
votes
2answers
404 views
How should this homebrew class be rebalanced? [closed]
A friend of mine will be hosting a game soon. Another friend of ours wishes to play a homebrew class he made up, as he was unsatisfied with the way 5e had no suitable (in his opinion) ways to do ...
