I wrote up a few more totem options for the Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian (Constrictor, Hare, and Monkey) and wanted some feedback.
Totem Spirit (3rd level feature)
Constrictor: A creature that is grappled by you must use Strength (Athletics) to attempt to escape the grapple. While raging, any creature your size or smaller which is grappled by you takes additional bludgeoning damage equal to your rage damage at the start of each of its turns. The spirit of the constrictor snake aids in making your enemies quickly submit.
Hare: While raging and not wearing heavy armor, when a creature makes a melee attack against you, you can use your reaction to teleport up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. The spirit of the hare makes you difficult to pin down.
Monkey: While raging, you gain a bonus to the damage roll of ranged weapon attacks made using a weapon with the thrown property equal to your rage damage bonus. The spirit of the monkey empowers your grip.
Aspect of the Beast (6th level feature)
Constrictor: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make a special melee attack using your bite as a natural weapon in place of one of the attacks you would normally make. You use your Constitution modifier for the attack roll instead of Strength or Dexterity. When you hit with this special attack, you release a harsh venom into the target instead of dealing damage, causing the creature to become poisoned until the end of your next turn. (edited 7-21-21)
Hare: You gain the hearing of a hare. You enhanced hearing grants you blindsight with a range of 15 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that is not behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you know the location of an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you. You lose this blindsight if you are deafened.
Monkey: You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and gain proficiency in Acrobatics. If you are already proficient in Acrobatics, you can instead gain proficiency in another skill available to the Barbarian class which you are not yet proficient with.
Totemic Attunement (14th level feature)
Constrictor: While raging, immediately after grappling an enemy as part of the Attack action you can use your bonus action to make a single melee attack against that creature.
Hare: When you enter a rage, if you are not wearing heavy armor you are treated as if affected by the Freedom of Movement spell. This effect lasts until your rage ends.
Monkey: While raging, immediately after you make a ranged weapon attack against a creature using a weapon with the thrown property, you can use your bonus action to teleport to the weapon’s location (or the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied by another creature). Immediately after teleporting, you can make a single unarmed strike against a creature within your reach as part of the same bonus action.
These look pretty cool, but I think the Constrictor’s Aspect of the Beast is too damage-based to be balanced with the other options for the feature.
Do you mean that as "it deals too much damage" or "to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesnt deal damage at all" ?
I could see turning the bite into a special type of attack (which could still be used to replace one attack in the Attack action) that would only inflict the poisoned condition instead of dealing damage. A poisoned creature has disadvantage on ability checks. If the Barb is making a grapple based build (which is the intention of the Constrictor totem options), once it has a creature grappled it could choose to sacrifice one attack on its turn to have a chance to really lock the creature into its grapple. [The grappled creature would have to make their check to escape at disadvantage contested by the Barbs Athletics, which they would have advantage at while raging].
These look pretty cool, but I think the Constrictor’s Aspect of the Beast is too damage-based to be balanced with the other options for the feature.
Do you mean that as "it deals too much damage" or "to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesnt deal damage at all" ?
I could see turning the bite into a special type of attack (which could still be used to replace one attack in the Attack action) that would only inflict the poisoned condition instead of dealing damage. A poisoned creature has disadvantage on ability checks. If the Barb is making a grapple based build (which is the intention of the Constrictor totem options), once it has a creature grappled it could choose to sacrifice one attack on its turn to have a chance to really lock the creature into its grapple. [The grappled creature would have to make their check to escape at disadvantage contested by the Barbs Athletics, which they would have advantage at while raging].
I mean “to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesn’t deal damage at all.”
These look pretty cool, but I think the Constrictor’s Aspect of the Beast is too damage-based to be balanced with the other options for the feature.
Do you mean that as "it deals too much damage" or "to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesnt deal damage at all" ?
I could see turning the bite into a special type of attack (which could still be used to replace one attack in the Attack action) that would only inflict the poisoned condition instead of dealing damage. A poisoned creature has disadvantage on ability checks. If the Barb is making a grapple based build (which is the intention of the Constrictor totem options), once it has a creature grappled it could choose to sacrifice one attack on its turn to have a chance to really lock the creature into its grapple. [The grappled creature would have to make their check to escape at disadvantage contested by the Barbs Athletics, which they would have advantage at while raging].
I mean “to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesn’t deal damage at all.”
Thanks for the feedback.
I think I will change it to just attempting to poison a creature with their attack like I mentioned above. It will play well into a grappler's kit and can make sacrificing the damage from a weapon attack more worthwhile in the right situation.
I wrote up a few more totem options for the Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian (Constrictor, Hare, and Monkey) and wanted some feedback.
Totem Spirit (3rd level feature)
Constrictor: A creature that is grappled by you must use Strength (Athletics) to attempt to escape the grapple. While raging, any creature your size or smaller which is grappled by you takes additional bludgeoning damage equal to your rage damage at the start of each of its turns. The spirit of the constrictor snake aids in making your enemies quickly submit.
Hare: While raging and not wearing heavy armor, when a creature makes a melee attack against you, you can use your reaction to teleport up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. The spirit of the hare makes you difficult to pin down.
Monkey: While raging, you gain a bonus to the damage roll of ranged weapon attacks made using a weapon with the thrown property equal to your rage damage bonus. The spirit of the monkey empowers your grip.
Aspect of the Beast (6th level feature)
Constrictor: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make a special melee attack using your bite as a natural weapon in place of one of the attacks you would normally make. You use your Constitution modifier for the attack roll instead of Strength or Dexterity. When you hit with this special attack, you release a harsh venom into the target instead of dealing damage, causing the creature to become poisoned until the end of your next turn. (edited 7-21-21)
Hare: You gain the hearing of a hare. You enhanced hearing grants you blindsight with a range of 15 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that is not behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you know the location of an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you. You lose this blindsight if you are deafened.
Monkey: You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and gain proficiency in Acrobatics. If you are already proficient in Acrobatics, you can instead gain proficiency in another skill available to the Barbarian class which you are not yet proficient with.
Totemic Attunement (14th level feature)
Constrictor: While raging, immediately after grappling an enemy as part of the Attack action you can use your bonus action to make a single melee attack against that creature.
Hare: When you enter a rage, if you are not wearing heavy armor you are treated as if affected by the Freedom of Movement spell. This effect lasts until your rage ends.
Monkey: While raging, immediately after you make a ranged weapon attack against a creature using a weapon with the thrown property, you can use your bonus action to teleport to the weapon’s location (or the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied by another creature). Immediately after teleporting, you can make a single unarmed strike against a creature within your reach as part of the same bonus action.
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These look pretty cool, but I think the Constrictor’s Aspect of the Beast is too damage-based to be balanced with the other options for the feature.
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My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
Do you mean that as "it deals too much damage" or "to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesnt deal damage at all" ?
I could see turning the bite into a special type of attack (which could still be used to replace one attack in the Attack action) that would only inflict the poisoned condition instead of dealing damage. A poisoned creature has disadvantage on ability checks. If the Barb is making a grapple based build (which is the intention of the Constrictor totem options), once it has a creature grappled it could choose to sacrifice one attack on its turn to have a chance to really lock the creature into its grapple. [The grappled creature would have to make their check to escape at disadvantage contested by the Barbs Athletics, which they would have advantage at while raging].
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
I mean “to be balanced, it should be changed to something that doesn’t deal damage at all.”
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXVIII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
Thanks for the feedback.
I think I will change it to just attempting to poison a creature with their attack like I mentioned above. It will play well into a grappler's kit and can make sacrificing the damage from a weapon attack more worthwhile in the right situation.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!