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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4 votes
0 answers
97 views

Homebrew world: What sort of events would keep gods from interacting in a world? [closed]

I have a dnd world I am working on creating at the moment. It is a spinoff of the original dnd concepts. However, I have run into an issue. My big bad guy of this campaign is trying to become a lich. ...
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Selecting Hit Die for Half Casters

I'm in the process of homebrewing an arcane half-caster for one of the players in my next campaign. One point that concerns me is whether I should give a d10 or a d8 hit dice. I want it to be ...
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

Mini-dash as a general bonus action: what value would be balanced?

I'm considering adding the following homebrew bonus action. It's a general action, so it would be available for free to all players (not enemies): Stride. You gain extra movement for the current turn....
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

How is the flavor text at the beginning of class descriptions in PH organized?

At the beginning of each class description, before getting to the class features, are four sections of flavor text, the first of which is a depiction of three possible class members and a closing ...
6 votes
6 answers
2k views

How do I handle my possession mechanic fairly?

In my campaign, the goal is to find ten major god-level artifacts, each linked to a specific god in the setting. Each artifact has a part of the soul of the god it’s linked to, and that soul has the ...
5 votes
3 answers
3k views

How can I design a boss that shifts between two dimensions to avoid attacks?

This boss character, Omega, is inspired by Zhylaw, leader of the Necromongers, in the Riddick film series Tobi, Akatsuki member from the Naruto anime This boss, meant for a level 16 boss fight (...
5 votes
1 answer
4k views

In homebrewing a subclass on D&D Beyond, how do I add a feature that does extra damage based on an ability score modifier?

I'm adding a version of the UA Phoenix Soul sorcerer to my homebrew stuff, and I'm a little perplexed when it comes to adding damage for Mantle of Flame. The relevant text of the feature reads: Any ...
4 votes
1 answer
945 views

Are the consequences of this Magic drug balanced with its benefits?

I'm planning to have my players deal with a drug ring in a city with a prominent magic university. I wanted to have a drug that would make sense as a drug to be a problem in this particular city and ...
4 votes
1 answer
987 views

How can I fold Sorcery Points into Spell Points without over- or underpowering the sorcerer class?

I'm working on a homebrew Sorcerer class and was thrilled to run across @user55434's and @Akixkisu's answers to How does the Variant: Spell Points system from the DMG affect game balance?: if the idea ...
0 votes
3 answers
4k views

Are these 5e homebrew Metamagics balanced? [closed]

This is a follow-up to How do I determine appropriate Sorcery Point costs for homebrew Metamagics?, which I asked in preparation for this question. I'm working on a homebrew version of the Sorcerer ...
16 votes
2 answers
3k views

Are PC Natural Weapons particularly useful?

At my table, it is generally understood that Dragonborn are mechanically underpowered but flavourwise really cool. For the purpose of this question, I'd like to just take these opinions for granted. ...
2 votes
0 answers
96 views

How much damage would a sting from a jellyfish-like creature deal? [closed]

I'm doing some homebrew for a campaign, and theres a jellyfish-like aquatic creature with stinging tentacles, and I'm not sure how much damage it should deal. My players are new to the game, and ...
2 votes
0 answers
51 views

Does a hierarchy of specificity exist when using "specific beats general" to resolve rules conflicts? [duplicate]

The Introduction (page 7) of the 5e Player's Handbook states That said, many racial traits, class features, spells, magic items, monster abilities, and other game elements break the general rules in ...
7 votes
2 answers
898 views

What are the ramifications of an arcane caster becoming a divine caster?

In a campaign I'm in, I'm playing as an Eldritch Scion Magus who believes that he's a paladin of the dead god Aroden. My GM and I have been discussing everything that would happen once Aroden is ...
19 votes
2 answers
41k views

How to handle a Tiny Player Character in 5e?

Are there any official rules for tiny characters in 5e? I have a player who is wanting to play a Sprite character. I have found what seems to be a balanced race build here, but I can't find any ...
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

What are the implications of this very short stun ability?

In the process of homebrewing, I came up with this rough outline of an ability: As an action on your turn, you can speak words of rebuke. Creatures [in the area] must make a Constitution saving throw ...
8 votes
5 answers
6k views

What class archetypes can replace a Witch's spellcasting ability?

One of our players does not enjoy the metagame of spell memorization / resource management that comes with spellcasting. Our GM has allowed us to retcon her archetype to replace or scale back the ...
8 votes
2 answers
620 views

With a known probability, how can I determine a roll to fit that probability to a population of n?

I'm working on making some homebrew settlement downtime activity, and I'd like to create a table that can provide some various outcomes for a group. So I"m looking for the math that allows to figure ...
1 vote
1 answer
653 views

How much would a weapon cost that grants advantage on damage rolls?

Given the answers to these questions: Advantage on damage rolls - is it still balanced? 'Advantage' or 'Disadvantage' on damage rolls What should a weapon cost that grants advantage on damage rolls, ...
4 votes
6 answers
2k views

How do you cast Mending on a clockwork character?

I'm playing a DnD campaign (my first real one). My DM is pretty new to it as well and we are unsure of the following rules and how they work together. I am playing a custom race: Clockwork. I realise ...
6 votes
1 answer
906 views

How problematic is this Exhaustion Pulse ability on a ~CR 30 monster?

I'm homebrewing an aberration monster to serve as a major BBEG and endgame threat for the campaign I'm running. The monster theme is "avatar of a sealed elder God". It should be able to, at ...
2 votes
2 answers
370 views

Are there any weapon attacks that are not considered to be either melee or ranged?

I'm creating a new cantrip to be used that would allow several targets to be hit in a line, with diminishing damage (half the damage of the target hit before it), and my initial idea was to word it ...
8 votes
1 answer
5k views

Playing a Half-dragon

I am planning on playing a campaign, and I want to play a gold half-dragon. I haven't found any information about how I would create one, and what abilities it would have. Is it canon?
17 votes
3 answers
18k views

Guidelines for creating homebrew classes (base/PrCs)

Is there any (official or not) guidebook to the creation of classes, both prestige and base, that does not simply state what you must pick for a class (BaB, saves, concept, profficiences), but ...
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

How to balance a monster modification (zombie)?

I am DM'ing a campaign called "Army of the Damned" based on Magic the Gathering: Innistrad in which a horde of zombies is attacking a town. In the 5e Monster Manual, zombies have poison immunity but ...
12 votes
2 answers
929 views

Is this homebrew variant of Leomund's Tiny Hut a problem?

I am playing a wizard with the spell tiny hut. The DM came up with the idea of having Strahd change the spells in my spell book, just slightly. This makes a little sense because my current character ...
1 vote
0 answers
110 views

Homebrew: Divorcing Skills from Attributes in 5e [duplicate]

I was reading this article/post, and wondered about changing the standard 5e attributes to something that makes more sense. Some hours later, I dug my way out of that rabbit hole with the realization ...
3 votes
1 answer
455 views

When homebrewing Warforged, is Integrated Protection more of a benefit or a drawback?

Warforged have a lot of cool, useful abilities that would be nice to have for creatures that aren't strictly "warforged". But one thing I've never been a fan of is their Integrated ...
10 votes
3 answers
5k views

What Resources Are Available For Poison? [closed]

I find myself stopped up short in my efforts to create a major...well, not antagonist, but let us call him a very shady ally, for my PCs. The individual in question, Mykael the Grinner, is the master ...
12 votes
4 answers
5k views

Can I design my own weapons?

I'm a DM in a campaign and I was wondering if I could make my own weapons. I would like to create both mundane and magical weapons. Yes, the ones already in the Dungeon Master's Guide are pretty cool, ...
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Would these changes to the Arcane Archer be imbalanced?

The Arcane Archer seems to be pretty underwhelming, mostly because of its limited uses of the Arcane Shot feature. Would it be imbalanced to increase its number of uses per rest to match the number of ...
19 votes
3 answers
33k views

How could I play a Half-Dwarf Half-Elf?

Half-human half-elf is a race mentioned in the D&D handbook. Is there also a half-dwarf half-elf combination? And would that be common? If it doesn't exist, how could I create the stats for it ...
-1 votes
2 answers
269 views

Would allowing wizards to use custom spells break the game? [closed]

I'm really fond of the notion of ancient wizards locked up in their towers and conducting innovative research into the arcane arts. Given how vast and ancient the Forgotten Realms are, I get the ...
2 votes
2 answers
214 views

Does D&D 5e have an equivalent of 3.5e "Augmented [type]"?

In D&D 3.5 there was a way to change type, like Animal, into a subtype, like Magic Beast (Augmented Animal) Augmented Subtype A creature receives this subtype whenever something happens to change ...
17 votes
5 answers
12k views

Would giving Sorcerer archetypes extra “spells known” unbalance them?

Sorcerers don't have many spells. If I compare them to other full casters (I'm not including Warlocks in this because they work entirely differently), namely Bards, Clerics, Druids and Wizards, then ...
0 votes
2 answers
275 views

Can a homebrew classes starting hit points be higher than it's hit dice? [closed]

So I was wonder if I could make a class that's starting hit points were higher than it's hit dice? Hit points Hit Dice: 1d10 per ______ level Hit Points at 1st level: 12 + your Constitution modifier ...
11 votes
5 answers
631 views

I need help with distance scaling in a homebrew RPG - from "your body" to "the whole planet" in 10 simple steps

Years ago, I developed and play tested a simple RPG system, in which magic-alike powers were driven by 2 parameters, namely Power and Precision. With high precision and minimal power you could burn a ...
8 votes
8 answers
2k views

How much should this Infectious Zombie homebrew change a zombie's challenge rating?

When you are bitten by a zombie, you have to make two checks against Fort DC 10+HD of the zombie. If one fails, you turn into a zombie in 1d4 days, if both fail, you turn into a zombie in 1d2 days. In ...
6 votes
2 answers
264 views

Are there rules I should follow to create a non-traditional weapon for one of my players?

One of my Barbarian players created a hat that has a bladed "tail" (like a raccoon hat, but in the shape of a dragon's tail) and I'd like to make this into an improvised martial melee weapon ...
6 votes
1 answer
400 views

Can I have Godzilla and the Titans as gods?

I'm running a homebrew D&D 5e game in which I'd like to use Godzilla and the other Titans from the Godzilla canonical universe as gods. I've looked online about how I can do this but I found ...
12 votes
2 answers
4k views

"Delay Action" instead of "Ready Action"

I really don't like the Ready Action. Smart (and/or tactical) players might be able to use readied actions to great effect and without problems, but my players and I find this game mechanic to be ...
25 votes
6 answers
7k views

How can I make perpetually hovering not broken?

One my players who's a monk was interested in taking up a Home-brew Monastic Tradition called 'Way of Transcendence' which is based on the Overwatch Character Zenyatta. However, one of the abilities ...
15 votes
5 answers
13k views

What benefit would races with extra hands have?

So what, exactly, are the mechanical benefits of a PC race having extra hands in 5e without houseruling anything? Would a house rule be necessary to even make the extra hands make sense in combat, or ...
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

How much HP does a mountain range have?

How much HP does a mountain range have? And I don't mean a mountain, I mean a mountain range. Specifically Kondyor Massif It's technically a crater, but close enough. Basically I'm homebrewing a ...
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

Less-lethal Wild Magic Surge homebrew

I'm playing a (Wild Magic) Sorcerer in a game of D&D 5e. My DM has house-ruled the Wild Magic rules and I am not privy to the details, but here's what I've pieced together: As usual, a d20 roll ...
6 votes
5 answers
4k views

Balance implications of +3 racial bonuses

Many races have a +2 bonus to one ability and a +1 bonus to another ability. They do not usually have +3 to a single ability. I am wondering about the implications of having races with such bonuses in ...
2 votes
1 answer
196 views

What would happen if a slab of stone materialized in a spot where a PC is?

My next adventure involves a trapdoor slab of stone (well, marble) dematerializing, and materializing back in place after 2 rounds. I haven't decided yet what will happen if a PC is holding on to the ...
52 votes
8 answers
9k views

What are the dangers of renaming spells and changing their flavour, without changing mechanics at all?

I'm about to help get a bunch of interested new players into D&D, running a one-shot for them to give them a feel for the game and hopefully a fun first-taste of tabletop roleplaying. Before ...
6 votes
1 answer
738 views

Would it be unbalanced to allow the Darkvision spell to see through magical darkness?

Darkvision is so prevalent among races that the spell Darkvision rarely sees use. Even with casters who do not have darkvision, it still seems unlikely to be taken, as a cantrip is able to provide ...
16 votes
5 answers
72k views

Is an item that increases spell save DC balanced?

One of my players' characters likes to use illusion spells in combat. To improve their effectiveness, he is asking me for an item that increases his spell save DC. The Rod of the Pact Keeper provides ...

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