Hey everyone, me and my brother (we share this account togheter) are huge fans of the Dragon Age - series of games from Bioware. We are relatively new to Dungeons and Dragons and just started our first campaign with a couple of friends, me as a Paladin (I'm a huge Paladin fanboy) and him as a Barbarian. However, due to our fan for Dragon Age (and our DM:s love for the series aswell) I decided to try to make a homebrewed subclass, inspired by the Reaver specialization from the Dragon Age series of games. But since I, first of all, is a "newbie" to Dungeons and Dragons and second of all have never been a huge fan of Barbarians over all. I lack both the practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge to know if the subclass is both balanced and, most of all, fun. So I figured I'd ask for help and critique.
Here's the class:
Path of the Reaver
“To drink the blood of a dragon is to be changed at your very core, some could see it and knew I was more than I had been. Some could not, they had no warning. I am better, stronger, above I see where my blade must go. I see through you.” - Unknown Reaver
Barbarians beholden to the Path of the Reaver, known as Reavers or Dragon Knights are bound to a dark, forbidden, path. Frowned upon in human society as madmen or heretics Reavers worship dragons as the pinnacle of physical power. Indeed all Reavers must undergo a trial where they drink the ritual-prepared blood of a dragon or wyvern. This change the reaver immensely, the power in the life of such a creature transforming them at their core. Some, most in fact, go mad or die from this transformation. But those who are strong enough, those who survive, will become more than they once were - they will become reavers.
Reavers turn the chaos and pain of the battlefield to their advantage, a reaver gets even more powerful when they’re wounded as the pain they feel fuels their terrifying offense. Due to the dragon blood coursing through their veins reaver have a physical control that is beyond mortal means. As blood, not fire, is the fuel for a reavers power they are linked to death in a way normal beings can’t understand. The closer they are to their own demise - the more powerful they get.
Feature List:
Dragon Knight:
When you chose this path at 3rd level you gain proficiency in heavy armor, due to the increased physical prowess from the dragon blood, in addition you can use all Barbarian skills (except unarmored defense) in heavy armor.
Blood Frenzy:
Starting when you chose this path at 3rd level your body and mind is forever changed due to the draconic blood coursing through your veins. When you are below half your health and raging you can add 1d6 necrotic damage to your melee weapon attacks. This damage is raised to 1d8 at 6th level, 1d10 at 10th level and 1d12 at 14th level.
Draconic Rage:
Power has a price and greater power has a greater price. You survived the transformation but your body still suffer from it’s effects. When you chose this path at 3rd level the force of your rage is harmful to you as well, when you rage you take 1d4 psychic damage at the end of each of your turns, this damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level and 1d10 at 14th level. This damage ignores immunities, but not resistance.
Terrifying Fury:
Showing weakness is the worst thing an enemy can do, at 6th level when you rage and critically hit an opponent you double your strength modifier for the damage roll. If the opponent survive they have to take a wisdom save (DC 10 + STR modifier and proficiency bonus). If they fail they become frightened of you until the end of their next round. You can also add your strength modifier, as well as your charisma modifier, to your intimidation checks.
Devour:
At 10th level you can rip into your target and devour a piece of their life force. As an action you make an unarmed attack roll to rip through your target, your hand transforming into a massive spectral draconic claw dealing 1d12 necrotic damage, plus your strength modifier, healing yourself for the damage dealt. If you would kill your opponent with this attack you devour their entire life essence, healing yourself for an extra 3d12. You can use this feature three times per short rest.
Painbringer:
Life is pain and pain is power, you know this better than most. When you reach 14th level the pain you suffered has granted you it’s reward. When you rage and take the attack action you can use your bonus action to gain another attack, this attack always gain the necrotic damage effect from Blood Frenzy and this necrotic damage is always maximized.
In addition the draconic blood in your veins make you immune to the drawbacks of old age (you do however still age naturally), and you can’t be aged magically.
Sources:
This class was inspired by the “Reaver” subclass from the Dragon Age - series of games, developed by Bioware. Names, and intellectual material is the property of Bioware.
Your subclass looks very flavorful. Mechanically, assuming you want a balanced subclass, here is my critique:
Dragon Knight - I wouldn't grant this proficiency. Part of the balance of a barbarian is that they really want high physical stats (STR, DEX, CON), which normally necessitates weaker mental stats (INT, WIS, CHA), thus giving barbarians a 'weakness'. If a barbarian can use heavy armor, they can lower DEX and improve a mental stat (probably WIS), which gets rid of the weakness.
Blood Frenzy - I would change "you can add 1d6 necrotic damage to your melee weapon attacks" to "the first creature you hit on each of your turns with a melee weapon attack takes extra necrotic damage equal to 1d6". This limits the extra damage to once per turn, keeping the increased damage output inline with other barbarian paths.
Draconic Rage - Looks fine to me.
Terrifying Fury - I would change "wisdom save (DC 10 + STR modifier and proficiency bonus)" to "Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier)". This keeps the save similar to other saves.
Devour - I would change "healing yourself for the damage dealt" to "you regain hit points equal to half the amount of damage dealt". Again, keeping this inline with similar effects.
Painbringer - I would get rid of "this attack always gain the necrotic damage effect from Blood Frenzy and this necrotic damage is always maximized".
Thanks for the critique, I really appreciate it. I do agree with most of your thoughts, but not all. However, since I am still relativley new to the scene I'm just going to add what I think and my thoughts I am not sure that they are the way to go though for reaching my goal of a balanced subclass. Since that assumption was correct.
Dragon Knight - While I do really love the flavour of this idea, I see where your argument stems from and I do agree with you. I think removing this would be a good thing for the balance of the class overall.
Blood Frenzy - The "biggest" thing here for me is the time it takes for the blood frenzy feat to kick in, and the value you gain with only adding the damage on one of your attacks. What I mean is that you, as a Reaver, can't simply rage and go since your "rage" effect comes into play when you're below 50% health. This will take atleast some time and, as such, time will be a factor. But I do agree with you overall that adding it for all attacks can be far to powerful, I can see that.
Draconic Rage - Sweet, thanks.
Terrifying Fury - The save was an overlook on my part, thanks for that. I do agree with you that the DC should be in line with similar effects.
Devour - Sure, I can agree with that. However would the extra healing if you manage to kill the target still be okay?
Painbringer - I think that with the mentioned change to blood frenzy painbringer would be fine like this, change is in italic.
"... When you reach 14th level the pain you suffered has granted you it’s reward. When you rage and take the attack action you can use your bonus action to gain another attack, this attack gain the extra necrotic damage from blood frenzy if you're under half your health even if you already hit a foe this round.
Something like that? Again thanks for the critique, always nice to get someones thoughts.
Blood Frenzy - While it does take time for the feature to kick in, once at half health, it's not hard to stay there. Anyway, I looked at the numbers again (comparing to the Path of the Zealot), and, if you want the damage bonus to apply to all attacks, I would suggest dropping all dice sizes by 1 (so start at 1d4). And for simplicities sake, I would drop the "when you are below half your health" clause. The Draconic Rage is punishment enough. Also, you won't later have the conflict between using Devour to gain life but also wanting to be at less than half health.
Devour - On a kill, I'd add just 1d12 of extra healing.
Painbringer - Assuming you agree with my Blood Frenzy suggestions above, I think it's fine to change to only "when you rage and take the attack action you can use your bonus action to gain another attack".
Hey everyone, me and my brother (we share this account togheter) are huge fans of the Dragon Age - series of games from Bioware. We are relatively new to Dungeons and Dragons and just started our first campaign with a couple of friends, me as a Paladin (I'm a huge Paladin fanboy) and him as a Barbarian.
However, due to our fan for Dragon Age (and our DM:s love for the series aswell) I decided to try to make a homebrewed subclass, inspired by the Reaver specialization from the Dragon Age series of games. But since I, first of all, is a "newbie" to Dungeons and Dragons and second of all have never been a huge fan of Barbarians over all. I lack both the practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge to know if the subclass is both balanced and, most of all, fun.
So I figured I'd ask for help and critique.
Here's the class:
Path of the Reaver
“To drink the blood of a dragon is to be changed at your very core, some could see it and knew I was more than I had been. Some could not, they had no warning. I am better, stronger, above I see where my blade must go. I see through you.”
- Unknown Reaver
Barbarians beholden to the Path of the Reaver, known as Reavers or Dragon Knights are bound to a dark, forbidden, path. Frowned upon in human society as madmen or heretics Reavers worship dragons as the pinnacle of physical power. Indeed all Reavers must undergo a trial where they drink the ritual-prepared blood of a dragon or wyvern. This change the reaver immensely, the power in the life of such a creature transforming them at their core. Some, most in fact, go mad or die from this transformation. But those who are strong enough, those who survive, will become more than they once were - they will become reavers.
Reavers turn the chaos and pain of the battlefield to their advantage, a reaver gets even more powerful when they’re wounded as the pain they feel fuels their terrifying offense. Due to the dragon blood coursing through their veins reaver have a physical control that is beyond mortal means. As blood, not fire, is the fuel for a reavers power they are linked to death in a way normal beings can’t understand. The closer they are to their own demise - the more powerful they get.
Feature List:
Dragon Knight:
When you chose this path at 3rd level you gain proficiency in heavy armor, due to the increased physical prowess from the dragon blood, in addition you can use all Barbarian skills (except unarmored defense) in heavy armor.
Blood Frenzy:
Starting when you chose this path at 3rd level your body and mind is forever changed due to the draconic blood coursing through your veins. When you are below half your health and raging you can add 1d6 necrotic damage to your melee weapon attacks. This damage is raised to 1d8 at 6th level, 1d10 at 10th level and 1d12 at 14th level.
Draconic Rage:
Power has a price and greater power has a greater price. You survived the transformation but your body still suffer from it’s effects. When you chose this path at 3rd level the force of your rage is harmful to you as well, when you rage you take 1d4 psychic damage at the end of each of your turns, this damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level and 1d10 at 14th level. This damage ignores immunities, but not resistance.
Terrifying Fury:
Showing weakness is the worst thing an enemy can do, at 6th level when you rage and critically hit an opponent you double your strength modifier for the damage roll. If the opponent survive they have to take a wisdom save (DC 10 + STR modifier and proficiency bonus). If they fail they become frightened of you until the end of their next round.
You can also add your strength modifier, as well as your charisma modifier, to your intimidation checks.
Devour:
At 10th level you can rip into your target and devour a piece of their life force. As an action you make an unarmed attack roll to rip through your target, your hand transforming into a massive spectral draconic claw dealing 1d12 necrotic damage, plus your strength modifier, healing yourself for the damage dealt. If you would kill your opponent with this attack you devour their entire life essence, healing yourself for an extra 3d12. You can use this feature three times per short rest.
Painbringer:
Life is pain and pain is power, you know this better than most. When you reach 14th level the pain you suffered has granted you it’s reward. When you rage and take the attack action you can use your bonus action to gain another attack, this attack always gain the necrotic damage effect from Blood Frenzy and this necrotic damage is always maximized.
In addition the draconic blood in your veins make you immune to the drawbacks of old age (you do however still age naturally), and you can’t be aged magically.
Sources:
This class was inspired by the “Reaver” subclass from the Dragon Age - series of games, developed by Bioware. Names, and intellectual material is the property of Bioware.
Pre-Thanks for the help
/Two lost brothers.
Your subclass looks very flavorful. Mechanically, assuming you want a balanced subclass, here is my critique:
Thanks for the critique, I really appreciate it. I do agree with most of your thoughts, but not all. However, since I am still relativley new to the scene I'm just going to add what I think and my thoughts I am not sure that they are the way to go though for reaching my goal of a balanced subclass. Since that assumption was correct.
"... When you reach 14th level the pain you suffered has granted you it’s reward. When you rage and take the attack action you can use your bonus action to gain another attack, this attack gain the extra necrotic damage from blood frenzy if you're under half your health even if you already hit a foe this round.
Something like that? Again thanks for the critique, always nice to get someones thoughts.
No, problem, my pleasure to help.
I do agree with those changes, to be fair I think they're rather good (or great, actually).
Thanks for the help. Really needed to get someones thoughts on it. =)