New answers tagged homebrew-review
3
Define 'breaking the game'
As far as feats go this is actually quite lacklustre, so power wise definitely not game breaking. What you are doing here is effectively losing spell slots in order to gain a single limited use option, and spell slots are a casters primary currency so very valuable.
However:
D&D is based on classes, and giving class features ...
2
No, it does not risk breaking the game.
In fact, I'd even argue that it's a little under-powered. Let's look at some of the current Feats available to spellcasters.
Elemental Adept: slight increase in damage due to rolled 1s counting as 2s, basically double damage vs creatures with resistance to your elemental type (as opposed to the damage you'd do ...
3
It is a nice Homebrew idea and I think this works as a feat but I would modify it so it becomes more adaptable and change what limits it.
I think it is wise that you added a restriction, such as it only being usable with one spell, but this also makes it quite a weak option as a feat. Take for instance the feat Elemental Adept (PHB p.166) for instance ...
2
This is Most Likely a Little Stronger Than Insightful Fighting
Insightful Fighting usually isn't a great ability, it requires a successful check (although usually a easy one), for automatic Sneak Attack. It is usually quite easy to activate Sneak Attack as a rogue, beyond the first turn, and even then, there are often opportunities to use hiding. The ...
3
It's mostly fine, with a small caveat.
Animate Plants is basically the same as the Animated Dead spell, with the cantrip being a cantrip tax on the spell. And as @Tigerguy Said, this is mostly balanced.
However, Decompose only requires the corpse of a body, while Animate Dead requires the corpse of a humanoid. This means you can use the corpses of non-...
1
I'll address this in parts. In terms of phrasing, you're a bit off from something I'd expect to see in officially published material. Try something like this:
When you cast a spell that targets one or more creatures using a spell
slot of a higher level, you may use your reaction to make one weapon
attack against a creature that was a target of the ...
13
My assessments are largely based of comparisons with the Barbarian class, which this class seems to emulate most closely.
Hit Points and Proficiencies:
Aligns relatively closely to the Barbarian, but is weaker due to the lack of shield proficiency. The AC difference will be felt for the entirety of the game.
Additionally, the lack of armor proficiency ...
6
It’s too strong, especially at low levels
Feats don’t have levels or level restrictions, but the few explicitly supernatural feats are for non-humans, and so can’t be taken until at least fourth level. Having access to any feat at first level is considered very powerful (in a widely used ranking system for balancing homebrew races, feat selection is given ...
8
The Dread Zombie should make the Undead Fortitude save each time that it drops to zero hit points.
Like the Troll, this means that the Dread Zombie will have the Incapacitated condition in the time between being reduced to zero hit points and regenerating health via Regeneration.
Essentially, the Dread Zombie uses its Undead Fortitude feature to stave off ...
3
The Leveled Spell is Balanced, the combination is close enough
Obviously you have taken the Animate Dead spell and changed it to create plant-based zombies and skeletons (with shortbows? I digress). So Animate Plants is fine.
The Cantrip ends up being a tax on the spell. The spell is worthless without the Cantrip, so you are forced to forego another ...
4
It's mostly balanced
Honestly, all you've done is reflavor the animate dead and left the mechanics completely intact. The only thing you've added is the requirement for the cantrip, which I'm not sure is totally needed. That does reduce more usable cantrips that you could pick whereas a normal animate dead doesn't require that particular step.
If you're ...
2
Once per short rest would almost certainly be too much. That means you might get as many or more castings of a 2nd level spell than a dedicated Wizard of your level (they get 3 at level 4, for all of their spells).
Once per long rest might be okay. This is more in line with Magic Initiate (gaining a slightly better spell once per day but losing out on the ...
12
In general, I find this subclass equal parts overpowered and poorly thought out.
Tread Down The Sword
The added proficiency is fine; eventually, you'll be using the monk damage die and weapon damage ceases to be relevant.
The disarm ability is fine.
The disadvantage ability is very strong when acquired, more than any other monk subtype gets this level, but ...
24
This subclass is riddled with problems and is too strong
This homebrew has a lot of problems that aren't really things you'd expect to see in an official class, and several of them are a lot stronger than what you could realistically expect to get.
Save vs. two rounds of disadvantage is really weird. These kinds of effects tend to be the next attack, or ...
2
Your re-design is balanced.
Using the Detect Balance Sheet:
ASI +4: CHA is good, and two options are great for almost all builds = 16 points.
Breath Weapon: even with heavy con-builds only a sometimes useful feature, no choice that defines your resistance = 2 points.
Draconic Swimming Training: 30 ft swimming speed = 2 points; almost amphibious = 2 ...
4
Possibly Underpowered
As an FYI, whenever I do these reviews, I try to break your thing to pieces by being as power gamey as possible. I had some difficulty doing that with this, which is a good thing, but play testing is advisable to confirm results as well as to confirm if it's fun to play.
Shield Mastery, Agile Defense, Way of the Brush
Fairly ...
2
As other answers have pointed out, grappling at range is a serious balance issue, as is the fact that you're applying this grapple on hit without a contest, which is something that only certain monsters can do. Not only that, but the grappling rules prevent movement in any direction, and there's no way a whip would prevent the enemy from being able to move ...
8
There is a very clear mechanical issue with this proposed feature, which is:
It's useless at 1st level
You're endeavouring to make a replacement for a class feature gained at first level, but your feature triggers off casting a spell using a slot of a level above the minimum level for that spell (so that you can downgrade the effective level); but 1st-...
1
Whips can't prevent an enemy from getting closer
Considering that a whip is a flexible length leather or other material, unless you are able to restrain the creature's legs, that creature should still be able to move within the whip's range.
Perhaps it's worth considering a "special" type of grapple, where the creature still maintain's its walking/flying/...
3
I think you might be trying too hard to come up with a solution to a problem that isn't as bad as it seems.
The DMG already provides the disarm action (pg 271) which allows the player to make an attack roll (so it'd benefit from finesse) contested by strength (athletics) or dexterity (acrobatics) check. Success is a disarm and failure means nothing happens....
5
Grappling from a distance is inherently broken
A whip has a range of 10 feet because of its reach property. You're suggesting that hitting with this weapon will enable you to initiate a grapple instantly, which has a DC of at least 10, and that is at level 1 and a 10 in your dominant stat, a very unlikely scenario. Let's assume instead that you went for 16 ...
4
It's Problematic
You have moved the grapple away from the standard mechanic onto an auto-grapple on a hit. You also move from using an action to grapple to allowing a grapple as part of any attack, which then lets it be used as a reaction. It could also be used with a Shield Master knock-down, which would be very powerful. Also, the grapple-on-hit mechanic ...
Top 50 recent answers are included
