That would be pretty worth it, yea. Expertise outside of Rogue is always welcome.
What's everyone's opinion on the Druidic/Holy Warrior fighting styles? I do like them flavor wise, but I can't deny that they are likely not as functional as just getting a fighting style, at least in terms of a flat out fight. I will say that Guidance and aoe cantrips like Word of Radiance make for an enticing prospect in my opinion. Also Thorn Whip maybe?
To be honest, the fighting styles are the only thing I don’t actually hate.
I think overall I haven't managed to convince myself to give up a fighting style that will help me in combat (either buffing attack, damage, or AC) over something that will either leave me with only 1 attack per round, but potentially do more damage. It'll have to wait until I build a less ranged ranger. For pally it's even more tempting, because I'm constantly annoyed that I don't have any cantrips. I think it's kind of a toss-up between 'take as first fighting style, add second via feat' and 'take other fighting style, take Magic Initiate.' Either way I think it's more likely to happen with the Paladin, for me.
I'm personally very partial to blind fighting myself. Blindsense is very hard to come by, and even if its only 10 feet, being able to fighting in magical darkness is a definite bonus for many character builds and parties in general. No longer will we have to shout at the Warlock for spamming Darkness with his Devil's Sight leaving him as the only decent combatant.
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It's ok Ranger, you'll always be cool to me.. Unless druid gets another use for its wild shape charges.
I think overall I haven't managed to convince myself to give up a fighting style that will help me in combat (either buffing attack, damage, or AC) over something that will either leave me with only 1 attack per round, but potentially do more damage. It'll have to wait until I build a less ranged ranger. For pally it's even more tempting, because I'm constantly annoyed that I don't have any cantrips. I think it's kind of a toss-up between 'take as first fighting style, add second via feat' and 'take other fighting style, take Magic Initiate.' Either way I think it's more likely to happen with the Paladin, for me.
Take the fighting style if the Cantrips you want are on the cleric list, that way you use Cha to cast them. Take Magic Initiate if you’re going for Cantrips off of Sorcerer, Warlock, or Bard lists for the same reason.
I have to say, I'll be interested to see if anyone takes a 1-level dip in ranger to get a d10 hit die, expertise in something, and a good range of proficiencies for armor and weapons. Might be tempting for some druids or clerics.
Eh, I'm not so sure. Clerics and Druids already get the same armor proficiencies that Rangers have. Weapon-wise, many Cleric domains get martial weapon proficiency, and what would a Druid get that will be that much more useful than just casting Shillelagh on a club or quarterstaff? A single d10 Hit die vs d8 is on average 1 extra HP. Expertise in a skill is nice, but dipping 1 level of Rogue gets you Expertise in two and you need a Dex of 13 for both level dips. That being said, Ranger is probably more on-brand thematically for a Druid to multiclass with, and probably some Clerics as well.
That would be pretty worth it, yea. Expertise outside of Rogue is always welcome.
What's everyone's opinion on the Druidic/Holy Warrior fighting styles? I do like them flavor wise, but I can't deny that they are likely not as functional as just getting a normal fighting style, at least in terms of a flat out fight. I will say that Guidance and aoe cantrips like Word of Radiance make for an enticing prospect in my opinion. Also Thorn Whip maybe?
Thematically, I think the Druidic & Holy Warrior fighting styles are awesome. I'm not sure either would be my first choice, but I love that they're available.
If I were to buy it as a digital copy on this site, I definitely would only buy it for bits and pieces of it. I would buy the whole book to get access to the subclasses that I'm interested in (Armorer, Rune Carver, Stars and Wildfire, Genie, and Phantom), the spells, the feats, and the magic items. It is cheaper to buy the whole book on this site than each individual piece that I want. So, yes, I would say it's worth buying (at least for me). If there are less things that you are interested in buying from it than me, and it's cheaper to buy those parts than the whole thing, definitely do not buy the whole book.
I'm disappointed in this book as others have stated, and wish that I didn't have to spend 32 bucks on this tiny book that is 50% garbage for me, but it is what it is. Hopefully WotC does better on their next attempt.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
That would be pretty worth it, yea. Expertise outside of Rogue is always welcome.
What's everyone's opinion on the Druidic/Holy Warrior fighting styles? I do like them flavor wise, but I can't deny that they are likely not as functional as just getting a normal fighting style, at least in terms of a flat out fight. I will say that Guidance and aoe cantrips like Word of Radiance make for an enticing prospect in my opinion. Also Thorn Whip maybe?
I think they're poorly balanced. We now know that a fighting style is the equivalent of a feat. Why then would you take a "fighting style" that just grants two cantrips when there's a feat that gives you two cantrips and a 1st level spell?
That would be pretty worth it, yea. Expertise outside of Rogue is always welcome.
What's everyone's opinion on the Druidic/Holy Warrior fighting styles? I do like them flavor wise, but I can't deny that they are likely not as functional as just getting a normal fighting style, at least in terms of a flat out fight. I will say that Guidance and aoe cantrips like Word of Radiance make for an enticing prospect in my opinion. Also Thorn Whip maybe?
I think they're poorly balanced. We now know that a fighting style is the equivalent of a feat. Why then would you take a "fighting style" that just grants two cantrips when there's a feat that gives you two cantrips and a 1st level spell?
I agree 2 cantrips isn't worth giving up a fighting style (if you're optimizing), but by choosing it they can gain the cantrips and choose a feat they would rather have.
Here's the quick answer: Not worth it. Now move on.
I warned you.
Where to begin? First of all, very little new here - most has been in Unearthed Arcana for some time. I get that if you adopt community development then surprise goes out the window; but I, for one, like surprises. I'd rather be slipped an imbalanced surprise than look at stuff I've already seen (that has been partially nerfed and is already less interesting than it was to begin with). Bold, WotC; bold like porridge.
Don't get me wrong; there are a few golden nuggets here; but on the whole it is an attempt to fix things that really aren't broken. Yes, we have inflexible classes (the four elements) that have a long, checkered past; fighter, thief, wizard, cleric. An accountant can't play piano, a piano player can't lift weights; likewise, a wizard can't learn to pick pockets and orcs have to be bad guys. Those are the rules - but that is part of what makes D&D what it is, and what gives each player a niche in the party.
So these classes (and the unending combinations of the elements that are the subclasses) are not enough? Figure the new things out for yourself. This game is supposed to be about imagination; make it up. Want an alchemist and the rules aren't good for that? Play around and make something on your own that works. Yes, orcs are stereotyped as bad guys. Well guess what - orcs have been bad guys since the dawn of Nordic civilization circa 1000AD (Read Beowulf? If not, then why the heck are you reading TCoE first? Prioritize!) BTW, same goes for Drow (originally drog - but you can go ahead an bust on WotC for making them black-skinned; that's not a drog thing). Anyhoo, don't want to be a bad orc? Here's an idea: play an orc that is not a bad guy (that's right - be a Finn); or how about this: play something else. We don't need rules for that. Next you'll tell me my high elf paladin can't be a cannibal.
What?
I accept the wrinkles as part of the system we play with and then I go off and do my GM thing. But no; we have a system that is not flexible at its core and so to provide variety and novelty (as well as ongoing income to WoTC), we somehow feel a need to 'tack more on'. Eventually, as always, this edition will sink under the weight of its own tweaks. Do you want to 'fix' D&D? Fine. Do the work, make the big, scary changes, and create an open race and class building system.
But no, we keep making up new subclasses and add-ons instead of just saying "Hey - it is what it is; now get out there and make up your own stuff, because imagination is what this is all about." And so we get...
Chapter 1: Character Options that we didn't really need (and that the book is at pains to point out as being optional) and that break the system more than they add to it. It's great to see a 1st level Fighter maneuver that would make your fresh-out-of-the-dojo monk want to spit on her sensei. At least she can adopt the way of mercy so she doesn't have to make excuses for lame fighting capability compared to a bare-fisted 1st level Fighter of any sort fresh out of the tavern. Ah yes, and blind-fighting. Apparently facing enemies in the dark or that are invisible is too scary and too hard, so let's throw a Fighting Style in at 1st level that just neutralizes that scary crap. Maybe next time we can also add in some new equipment, like foam rubber swords.
There are nice adds in here, as well; I like that if you boofed when you picked your cantrip or spell you can do a swap during an ASI upgrade. Good call there - that's the kind of built-in rule flexibility a player can use. The Ranger fix for the Beastmaster has merit for the same reason; it scales and is obliging of flavoring. Good on that. Same goes for adding feats that can help round out a character, too.
Chapter 2: Patrons; Acquisitions Inc did it first and did it better. Or, hey! DM! Here's an idea. Make some NPCs, organizations, and interesting resources to provide a cool setting and help your players. Moving on...
Chapter 3: Magic. The scalable summoning spells are an awesome addition and much needed (see ranger above). Personalizing Spells - that's called role-playing; I'll let you look that up. We've added magical tattoos so Faerun is gonna have so much tribal blackwork it's going to look like the burbs. So y'all get tatted up and the rest of us will go back to making our own magic items, thank you very much.
Chapter 4 is a hot mess. Apparently, we have come to a pass where game masters are incapable of learning things and modifying the rules to fit their own game (tell me again, why did you become a GM?). There are unlimited resources online that cover things like Session 0 (What? WOtC didn't make that up, you say??) and sites where loads of experienced GMs are happy to help newer ones through the learning curve and offer help and ideas (they even like doing that - can you believe it?); but no, we're going to pass on great opportunities for community and sharing in exchange for a long diatribe on sidekicks that further confines the group's imagination and creativity. And let's round it out with a section on parleying with monsters (we used to call this 'role play' and 'ingenuity'. Now we have tables [with a small take-out menu]); and last but not least, natural hazards - which had SO much potential but apparently there was a time crunch and we settled for 'spells as natural hazards'. Ugh. The section on puzzles may be a helpful guidepost to new GM's but again, there's so much great material available out in the interwebs. And hey - your players are going to read all this crap anyway, so your slick puzzle? Yeah, they already know the answer. Also, last I heard, the idea of puzzles is to figure them out; rolling for hints? No; just... no. So players: put on your big player pants and figure out the puzzle or face the music.
Like I probably will for wildly wielding my +3 unholy velvet hammer in this reply.
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed reading this (even if you disagree), and I hope you didn't take it too seriously - 'cause it's a game. Keep having fun; keep making it fun; and make it your own. The play's the thing.
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To be honest, the fighting styles are the only thing I don’t actually hate.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I think overall I haven't managed to convince myself to give up a fighting style that will help me in combat (either buffing attack, damage, or AC) over something that will either leave me with only 1 attack per round, but potentially do more damage. It'll have to wait until I build a less ranged ranger. For pally it's even more tempting, because I'm constantly annoyed that I don't have any cantrips. I think it's kind of a toss-up between 'take as first fighting style, add second via feat' and 'take other fighting style, take Magic Initiate.' Either way I think it's more likely to happen with the Paladin, for me.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
I'm personally very partial to blind fighting myself. Blindsense is very hard to come by, and even if its only 10 feet, being able to fighting in magical darkness is a definite bonus for many character builds and parties in general. No longer will we have to shout at the Warlock for spamming Darkness with his Devil's Sight leaving him as the only decent combatant.
It's ok Ranger, you'll always be cool to me.. Unless druid gets another use for its wild shape charges.
Take the fighting style if the Cantrips you want are on the cleric list, that way you use Cha to cast them. Take Magic Initiate if you’re going for Cantrips off of Sorcerer, Warlock, or Bard lists for the same reason.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Eh, I'm not so sure. Clerics and Druids already get the same armor proficiencies that Rangers have. Weapon-wise, many Cleric domains get martial weapon proficiency, and what would a Druid get that will be that much more useful than just casting Shillelagh on a club or quarterstaff? A single d10 Hit die vs d8 is on average 1 extra HP. Expertise in a skill is nice, but dipping 1 level of Rogue gets you Expertise in two and you need a Dex of 13 for both level dips. That being said, Ranger is probably more on-brand thematically for a Druid to multiclass with, and probably some Clerics as well.
Thematically, I think the Druidic & Holy Warrior fighting styles are awesome. I'm not sure either would be my first choice, but I love that they're available.
To me it was very worth it. I really like the new fighting styles. The feats didn't wow me, but like some of the new spells a lot.
Altrazin Aghanes - Wizard/Fighter
Varpulis Windhowl - Fighter
Skolson Demjon - Cleric/Fighter
If I were to buy it as a digital copy on this site, I definitely would only buy it for bits and pieces of it. I would buy the whole book to get access to the subclasses that I'm interested in (Armorer, Rune Carver, Stars and Wildfire, Genie, and Phantom), the spells, the feats, and the magic items. It is cheaper to buy the whole book on this site than each individual piece that I want. So, yes, I would say it's worth buying (at least for me). If there are less things that you are interested in buying from it than me, and it's cheaper to buy those parts than the whole thing, definitely do not buy the whole book.
I'm disappointed in this book as others have stated, and wish that I didn't have to spend 32 bucks on this tiny book that is 50% garbage for me, but it is what it is. Hopefully WotC does better on their next attempt.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I think they're poorly balanced. We now know that a fighting style is the equivalent of a feat. Why then would you take a "fighting style" that just grants two cantrips when there's a feat that gives you two cantrips and a 1st level spell?
I agree 2 cantrips isn't worth giving up a fighting style (if you're optimizing), but by choosing it they can gain the cantrips and choose a feat they would rather have.
Here's the quick answer: Not worth it. Now move on.
I warned you.
Where to begin? First of all, very little new here - most has been in Unearthed Arcana for some time. I get that if you adopt community development then surprise goes out the window; but I, for one, like surprises. I'd rather be slipped an imbalanced surprise than look at stuff I've already seen (that has been partially nerfed and is already less interesting than it was to begin with). Bold, WotC; bold like porridge.
Don't get me wrong; there are a few golden nuggets here; but on the whole it is an attempt to fix things that really aren't broken. Yes, we have inflexible classes (the four elements) that have a long, checkered past; fighter, thief, wizard, cleric. An accountant can't play piano, a piano player can't lift weights; likewise, a wizard can't learn to pick pockets and orcs have to be bad guys. Those are the rules - but that is part of what makes D&D what it is, and what gives each player a niche in the party.
So these classes (and the unending combinations of the elements that are the subclasses) are not enough? Figure the new things out for yourself. This game is supposed to be about imagination; make it up. Want an alchemist and the rules aren't good for that? Play around and make something on your own that works. Yes, orcs are stereotyped as bad guys. Well guess what - orcs have been bad guys since the dawn of Nordic civilization circa 1000AD (Read Beowulf? If not, then why the heck are you reading TCoE first? Prioritize!) BTW, same goes for Drow (originally drog - but you can go ahead an bust on WotC for making them black-skinned; that's not a drog thing). Anyhoo, don't want to be a bad orc? Here's an idea: play an orc that is not a bad guy (that's right - be a Finn); or how about this: play something else. We don't need rules for that. Next you'll tell me my high elf paladin can't be a cannibal.
What?
I accept the wrinkles as part of the system we play with and then I go off and do my GM thing. But no; we have a system that is not flexible at its core and so to provide variety and novelty (as well as ongoing income to WoTC), we somehow feel a need to 'tack more on'. Eventually, as always, this edition will sink under the weight of its own tweaks. Do you want to 'fix' D&D? Fine. Do the work, make the big, scary changes, and create an open race and class building system.
But no, we keep making up new subclasses and add-ons instead of just saying "Hey - it is what it is; now get out there and make up your own stuff, because imagination is what this is all about." And so we get...
Chapter 1: Character Options that we didn't really need (and that the book is at pains to point out as being optional) and that break the system more than they add to it. It's great to see a 1st level Fighter maneuver that would make your fresh-out-of-the-dojo monk want to spit on her sensei. At least she can adopt the way of mercy so she doesn't have to make excuses for lame fighting capability compared to a bare-fisted 1st level Fighter of any sort fresh out of the tavern. Ah yes, and blind-fighting. Apparently facing enemies in the dark or that are invisible is too scary and too hard, so let's throw a Fighting Style in at 1st level that just neutralizes that scary crap. Maybe next time we can also add in some new equipment, like foam rubber swords.
There are nice adds in here, as well; I like that if you boofed when you picked your cantrip or spell you can do a swap during an ASI upgrade. Good call there - that's the kind of built-in rule flexibility a player can use. The Ranger fix for the Beastmaster has merit for the same reason; it scales and is obliging of flavoring. Good on that. Same goes for adding feats that can help round out a character, too.
Chapter 2: Patrons; Acquisitions Inc did it first and did it better. Or, hey! DM! Here's an idea. Make some NPCs, organizations, and interesting resources to provide a cool setting and help your players. Moving on...
Chapter 3: Magic. The scalable summoning spells are an awesome addition and much needed (see ranger above). Personalizing Spells - that's called role-playing; I'll let you look that up. We've added magical tattoos so Faerun is gonna have so much tribal blackwork it's going to look like the burbs. So y'all get tatted up and the rest of us will go back to making our own magic items, thank you very much.
Chapter 4 is a hot mess. Apparently, we have come to a pass where game masters are incapable of learning things and modifying the rules to fit their own game (tell me again, why did you become a GM?). There are unlimited resources online that cover things like Session 0 (What? WOtC didn't make that up, you say??) and sites where loads of experienced GMs are happy to help newer ones through the learning curve and offer help and ideas (they even like doing that - can you believe it?); but no, we're going to pass on great opportunities for community and sharing in exchange for a long diatribe on sidekicks that further confines the group's imagination and creativity. And let's round it out with a section on parleying with monsters (we used to call this 'role play' and 'ingenuity'. Now we have tables [with a small take-out menu]); and last but not least, natural hazards - which had SO much potential but apparently there was a time crunch and we settled for 'spells as natural hazards'. Ugh. The section on puzzles may be a helpful guidepost to new GM's but again, there's so much great material available out in the interwebs. And hey - your players are going to read all this crap anyway, so your slick puzzle? Yeah, they already know the answer. Also, last I heard, the idea of puzzles is to figure them out; rolling for hints? No; just... no. So players: put on your big player pants and figure out the puzzle or face the music.
Like I probably will for wildly wielding my +3 unholy velvet hammer in this reply.
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed reading this (even if you disagree), and I hope you didn't take it too seriously - 'cause it's a game. Keep having fun; keep making it fun; and make it your own. The play's the thing.