Questions tagged [homebrew]

For questions about homebrewing new 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. For creating entire new games, use [game-design]. This tag is not for reviewing already created content; for that use [homebrew-review].

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Are a Beholder's Legendary Action Eye Rays Also Bound to the "Reroll Duplicates" Rule?

This is a balancing question as I am currently in the middle of homebrewing a Beholder-esque monster and I'm trying to use the Beholder's stat block as a template for how my new monster's challenge ...
Raven Poe's user avatar
  • 297
4 votes
1 answer
339 views

Kid playing with a dog character

I want to include my 4 year old kid to our family's DnD 5th edition game. I was planning on giving him a dog character that would allow him to play along when he feels up to it. He could wander off ...
Webninja's user avatar
  • 157
4 votes
3 answers
559 views

Over time, how does doubling dice on a crit compare vs having another action? [closed]

Basic 5e rules for crits say that you double the values rolled on dice. I'm playing with a homebrew idea where instead of doubling the damage dice you instead get another action, which can also crit. ...
Orionox's user avatar
  • 157
5 votes
1 answer
282 views

Is this homebrew Gloves of the Fire Fist magic item balanced as an uncommon item?

Just now I homebrewed the following item and gave it to a player: Gloves of the Fire Fist Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing the gloves, once per day the wearer can cast ...
Dan B's user avatar
  • 86.9k
19 votes
4 answers
3k views

What rarity is appropriate for a homebrew item that lets a Wizard delay declaring a single spell preparation?

Consider the following homebrew magic item: Uncanny Bookmark Wizard only, requires attunement. When you complete a long rest, you may optionally delay choosing the spell for one of your spell ...
nben's user avatar
  • 2,407
2 votes
3 answers
212 views

Magic Items and their allocation [closed]

I have a predicament I've come across in a campaign I'm running. Here it is. In a past session my DM (a friend of mine) challenged me to complete the entire trial with strict restrictions. The ...
Mox's user avatar
  • 37
8 votes
1 answer
513 views

How to create a Homebrew Monk Ki feature using DnD Beyond?

I am trying to create a Homebrew, Ki fueled feature for a Monk. I would like to use DnD Beyond to create the feature and store it for my campaign. However, I can only see templates which lead me ...
Nathan Fischer's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
234 views

What would an organization of bounty hunters need to neutralize any player character? [closed]

I've never had an issue with murder hoboes in my own campaigns, but I want to be prepared in case players think they can bully figures of authority or cast powerful spells that would be considered ...
Austin Ballard's user avatar
5 votes
5 answers
2k views

Can I make a entirely homebrew D&D campaign? [closed]

Can I make a entirely homebrew D&D campaign? Or do I have to follow the books for D&D?
James's user avatar
  • 99
4 votes
1 answer
239 views

Is there a standard way to create homebrew monsters stat blocks?

Let's suppose that I want to create a homebrew monster with some equipments, like magic items such as necklaces, potions, ecc. My question is: is there a standard way to add to the monster stat block ...
Leonardo's user avatar
  • 597
2 votes
1 answer
172 views

Is this homebrew creature(s) balanced?

I was thinking this kind of question would be closed due to it would be "opinion-based", but turns out there're tons of similar questions exist (and answered) already. So I am going to give ...
Terry Windwalker's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
382 views

How balanced is this for a cursed item? part 2

Part 1 Emblem of the ever lasting plague Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement) As an action, you can summon 4 (8 at lvl 9, 12 at lvl 13 or 16 at lvl 17) swarm of insects. You can use their ...
Laurens Wolf's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
173 views

Looking for a way to make a cursed swarm item (squirrels, rats, flies...) while the item is slowly taking the person over [closed]

One of my players has a wicked idea for a story hook: He wants some kind of cursed item, that has like another person, god,... in it that slowly takes him over. Every time he does take over, he emits ...
Laurens Wolf's user avatar
21 votes
9 answers
4k views

What are some monsters or spells that could trap NPCs for a long time without killing them?

I'm currently working on a campaign where time is moving faster within a certain region than in the rest of the world. As the players enter this region, I have some NPCs that I want them to rescue. ...
CodeDependent's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
79 views

Need help with generating good and bad effects to magic [closed]

First time poster so sorry if this question already came up. I'm creating a D&D 3.5 campaign where PCs come to a cursed island where magic casting becomes... A bit weird. What I wanna do is every ...
Ziliad's user avatar
  • 11
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is allowing a player to choose the result on a d20 once per long rest more powerful than features like luck points or portents?

Obviously, allowing a character to critically hit or miss on demand is hugely impactful, but if it's only once a day is it appreciably overpowered compared to other similar features? Aside from the ...
aryst0krat's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
561 views

Would absorb elements once per short rest be balanced vs psychic damage vulnerability for a monk?

I plan to make my character an astral self monk and plan to later on take rogue and possibly fighter for the psionic subclasses. For roleplay/backstory purposes I asked the DM if I could have ...
hexagonal's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Homebrew Monk "Way of the Dog" Review request

Way of the Dog (Monk Sublcass) Certain monastaries in the forgotten parts of the world train in an obscure form of martial arts. Each monk is gifted a puppy of a highly specialized dog breed and the ...
Wizurd's user avatar
  • 107
1 vote
1 answer
328 views

Is this homebrew creature well balanced?

I have created an homebrew creature. I would like to know if it could be a resonable fight for a level 8 team (an elf druid, a human barbarian, a human warrior, a ranger goblin). Have I used too many ...
Leonardo's user avatar
  • 597
4 votes
3 answers
567 views

If a character could replace the result of weapon die rolls with their proficiency bonus, what's the average die result for weapons that use 2d6?

I'm trying to figure out how to calculate the above and keep getting stuck on the greatsword (mace too I suppose) average damage specifically. I'm trying to estimate how much each weapon would benefit ...
Dominic Murphy's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
359 views

Is this half-feat version of sharpshooter balanced?

I am considering letting my players pick an altered version of the Sharpshooter feat, or replacing the existing one. The idea is to remove the -5/+10 mechanic and make it into a half-feat. We don't ...
Joakim M. H.'s user avatar
  • 2,233
4 votes
1 answer
192 views

Balance Considerations for Treating a Breath Weapon as 'Magic'

I just read this question here about increasing the range of a Dragonborn breath weapon, which says Dragonborn's Breath Weapon isn't a magical effect, so does not benefit from any feats that affect ...
Onyz's user avatar
  • 235
2 votes
1 answer
194 views

Is This Homebrew "Protective Ward" Spell/Ability Balanced?

I am in the process of creating a homebrew class. or potentially a subclass... I haven't decided yet if I wanted to make this class a type of caster or martial character, but either way, I want it to ...
Elongated_Musket's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
84 views

(How) should I rebalance classes when playing a campaign with infinite long rests? [duplicate]

I'm preparing a D&D 5e campaign with the ability to reset time as a core mechanic. As the players will start each time loop fully rested and can choose to reset time when desired, they will start ...
Nijin22's user avatar
  • 750
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Would a magic item that lets you cast a spell (that normally requires concentration) without needing to concentrate on it be unbalanced?

I am designing some magic items and would like to add some abilities like the following to some of the items: While holding this item you may cast one of the following spells from it, using your ...
Anagkai's user avatar
  • 16.2k
7 votes
3 answers
851 views

Best base class for a homebrew subclass inspired by Doric from the movie?

A lot of D&D fans have noted that, unlike how Doric’s Wild Shape is presented in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, D&D druids have almost never had the ability to transform into ...
KRyan's user avatar
  • 343k
5 votes
1 answer
703 views

How do I create a Feat with charges in D&D Beyond?

I'm trying to create a homebrew feat on D&D Beyond that allows the PC to cast two different spells, in any combination, a total of 5 times per day. The specific spells are not the important part, ...
aaron9eee's user avatar
  • 10k
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

How do I make a version of Armor of Agathys on D&D Beyond that scales with my Pact Magic spell slot levels?

A while ago I was given a free spell from my benevolent GM, and I chose Armor of Agathys with the caveat that I could change the damage type (let's leave aside the balance concerns of that for now) ...
AncientSwordRage's user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
5k views

Backtracking from multiclassing with consequences

A wannabe full sorceress A player of the group for which I am DMing is playing a cleric 4/sorceress 6 character: she started as a cleric, and once reached level 5 she decided to multiclass into ...
Eddymage's user avatar
  • 23.5k
8 votes
1 answer
774 views

At what character levels should this homebrew maul be upgraded?

One of my player (playing a level 3 warforged barbarian) came to me with a request to be given a multi-staged legendary maul. I came up with the following item, but I'm still wondering at which ...
Olivier Grégoire's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
166 views

Making Golems out of New materials [closed]

For an upcoming Encounter, I want my group to to fight golems made out of paper. I've looked at a few Nearly 2d monsters, such as a Palimpsest, or a Rug of Smothering, bit I haven't found quite the ...
Xisnue's user avatar
  • 357
6 votes
1 answer
616 views

In D&D Beyond, how can I make a homebrew melee weapon that uses a spellcasting stat's bonus instead of STR/DEX?

I have a new druid player who is using a normal staff with the Shillelagh spell on it. While the spell is active, [...] you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and ...
aaron9eee's user avatar
  • 10k
5 votes
1 answer
780 views

Non-commercial RPGs in the 40k universe?

I’m trying to figure out to what extent fan RPGs set in the 40k universe are allowed, clearly anything commercial is off the table — but as soon as it is explicitly non-commercial, it does seem in ...
Corgi Aurellian's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
851 views

If a (homebrew) feat lets me learn a 5th-level spell whilst I can only cast 2nd-level spells, can I still use the higher-level spell?

Note: I am extremely new to D&D. Our DM approved a homebrew feat I picked out on Dandwiki called "Blood Magic". This feat grants a number of benefits, including letting me learn a few (...
wing's user avatar
  • 59
2 votes
1 answer
119 views

Gloomstalker Umbral Sight Alternative [closed]

We are running an “3 shot” campaign at our table, and I chose to be a Gloomstalker. The problem is that all the enemies at this adventure have blindsight, effectively muting one of the main ...
Giannis Papoutsakis's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
4k views

Create the most broken race that is 'balanced' according to Detect Balance

Any discussion for a homebrew race will always have Detect Balance used to calculate how balanced the race is. I'm curious to see how much the tool can be abused. Thus my challenge is to create a ...
dsollen's user avatar
  • 694
10 votes
1 answer
434 views

Homebrewing a Weapon in D&DBeyond for a campaign

I received a custom magic weapon in our last campaign, and I want to build it in D&D Beyond so its effects can be used more automatically online/in virtual table tops. The name of it is Ice Blink ...
JRadimus's user avatar
  • 101
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

When making ranged spell attacks with a bow (The Ranger) do you use you dexterity or wisdom Mod?

So I started playing a Homebrew recently and the DM has a set of Ranged-spells attacks that require a bow (I already have one). One of the spells is as stated: For the duration of this spell you ...
jazz's user avatar
  • 79
-3 votes
1 answer
170 views

Is this a good homebrew pantheon? [closed]

For my homebrew setting, I was wondering if this pantheon was balanced, with enough deities for every role and not too much overlap. Ink-The god of knowledge, study, and learning. They have made it ...
NielIGuess's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
152 views

Pricing guide for a necromantic item

Hello I'm looking for some help pricing an item that specifically only uses the animate dead option to maintain control of the animated dead once per day. I know there won't be a RAW solution but was ...
zane brain's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
153 views

Looking for a term, maybe an app [closed]

So my campaign setting uses a major adjustment to the class, subclass, and leveling aspects of 5e. While all 13 classes cam be chosen, the campaign only has a few subclasses unlocked I have set up a ...
Xisnue's user avatar
  • 357
12 votes
3 answers
2k views

What is stronger: an ability that can be used proficiency bonus times, or one that can be used once per short rest?

A lot of races and classes have abilities that can either be used proficiency bonus times per long rest, or that can be used once per short or long rest. For evaluating homebrew races, you often need ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
11 votes
7 answers
5k views

How to fairly add a homebrew skill?

tl;dr I want to add some extra skills to D&D 5e but can't figure out how to do it fairly in terms of awarding proficiency. How do I add additional homebrew skills to D&D 5e? Why I want to add ...
linksassin's user avatar
  • 30.5k
0 votes
2 answers
148 views

Does a reaction count as "[taking] another action"? [duplicate]

I recently created a homebrew spell which, among its other language, lasts until the start or your next turn or until you take another action or are incapacitated. My question is, would the caster ...
vonBoomslang's user avatar
  • 7,830
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

How can I create a mechanic for players to evolve the relationship with their deity?

For context: recently one of my players asked me if a mechanic could be created to evolve his relationship with his deity (Eldath), like he had seen in another game. I suspect this request was made ...
É o Gabs's user avatar
  • 143
17 votes
1 answer
7k views

On D&D Beyond, as a DM, how can I make custom weapons available to all of my players in a specific Campaign?

From what I've found online, it looks like it may not be possible to add homebrew nonmagical weapons. I could not, however, find information that was more recent that 2020, nor do I know the homebrew ...
mkdir's user avatar
  • 2,409
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the wording to determine whether extra damage is or is not multiplied on a critical hit?

I am trying to figure out some hard and fast, or at least unambiguous ways to specify how extra damage interacts with a critical hit. Consider the following effect: When you hit a marked creature ...
vonBoomslang's user avatar
  • 7,830
35 votes
4 answers
4k views

What is Detect Balance?

In a lot of homebrew reviews and discussions, I keep seeing something called Detect Balance employed. Often with little to no context despite it and its points being the core of the response. So I'd ...
Someone_Evil's user avatar
  • 47.7k
9 votes
4 answers
2k views

How could you balance a Druid transforming into an owlbear and other monstrosities?

The buzz around the new trailer for the Dungeons & Dragons movie includes much discussion of a scene in which the druid character transforms into an owlbear. As far as I know there’s no RAW way ...
Guybrush McKenzie's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
338 views

Banker class long-term viability [closed]

I find home-brewing a banker class kind of fun. The gist is he/she can fast-track funds for the group, start a subscription ledger and have the local affluent commit funds for the next adventure. The ...
Arash Howaida's user avatar

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