I haven't seen these threads but I like to make homebrew magic items. One of the first things I think about when I make a character is what cool item or weapon would they use if they had their choice. I think this would be a neat unique item for a bard.
Deep Didgeridoo
The party barely reached the center of the canyon when a skeletal giant appeared ahead. Fawnix, the satyr bard, turned around to see a dark spellcaster with a half dozen skeletons closing in from behind. "I got the big guy", the paladin yells and charges forward. The party's wizard and the townsfolk they were escorting moved to the center. "I guess y'all are my problem" Fawnix chuckles as she removes a large and long instrument from across her back and slams it onto the ground.
When played by a bard the Deep Didgeridoo sends powerful soundwaves into the ground causing violent tremors. The ground affected is a 60ft. cone for one minute and the direction can be changed as a bonus action on each turn.
Area is difficult terrain
Creatures failing Dex saving throw fall prone
Creatures have disadvantage on Dex attacks
Casters failing Con saving throw lose concentration
The bard may focus the sound to make more targeted attacks, in which case...
Numbers 2-4 above do not apply, area is still difficult terrain.
A strong ripple of earth shoots under the feet of a single enemy (or more if in a straight line). A failed Dex save with disadvantage causes the victim to be flung 10 feet into the air and landing prone. Takes 2d6 blunt attack and fall damage.
Optionally, the ripple stops at the enemy thrusting a pillar of earth into the victim's midsection. On a failed normal Dex save the victim takes 4d6 damage, save for half damage.
Deep Didgeridoo can be used like a quarterstaff +2 for melee damage. It can also be used as the bards focus for other spells.
That's it... I admit I see a lot of items with charges or limited uses. I never knew how to approach this but for this item I guess I would just say all of it's powers are usable once per long rest. Thanks.
Here's my submission for the PC option, "Magic... but not spells." The Shadow Knight is a fighter subclass that is based off their special magical ability to merge their body with their shadow.
Shadow Knight
Shadow knights are fighters born with innate magical shadow based capabilities. These warriors are usually quite stealthy, but their main ability is their power to merge their body with their shadow. In other words, don't get into a fight with a Shadow Knight.
See in the dark
Beginning at third level you gain darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.
Sneak through the shadows
Beginning at third level, you gain proficiency in the stealth skill. if you already have stealth proficiency, you gain expertise in it instead.
Shadow Merge
Beginning at 7th level, you may use a bonus action to merge your body with your shadow. When you do this, you no longer have a shadow and appear as you regularly do, except parts of you seem to be made of black shadow (though they function as normal while you are shadow merged).
While shadow merged, you gain the following benefits:
You are immune to necrotic damage.
Weapons seem to go through your skin, you have resistance to damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks.
Your shadow merged form last for one minute, or until you end it as a bonus action. You can only shadow merge once, and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Improved shadow merging
Beginning at tenth level, whenever you shadow merge, you also get the following additional benefits:
You gain an extra 2D10 necrotic damage.
Your attacks deal an extra 1D4 necrotic damage due to the shadow energy swirling around your body.
In addition, while shadow merged, you are resistant to all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, regardless of whether or not they are from magical attacks.
More shadow to merge with
Beginning at fifteenth level, you can now shadow merge twice before needing a long rest.
Longer shadow merging
Beginning at eighteenth level, you can stay shadow merged for up to ten minutes.
Translucence and incorporeality
Beginning at eighteenth level, when shadow merged, you may spend a bonus action to become incorporeal and translucent. In addition, everything that you are carrying or wearing also becomes incorporeal and translucent to everyone but you.
While incorporeal and translucent, you can choose to move through solid objects or people, though you take 5 (1d10) force damage if you end your turn inside either one.
Though, due to some incredible magic, you can walk on the floor without falling through it, you or any equipment that is incorporeal and translucent along with you cannot physically interact with any objects or creatures that are corporeal.
While incorporeal and translucent, you gain the following benefits:
You do not make any noise, due to this, you automatically succeed on any stealth that almost solely relies on whether or not someone heard you.
Since you are translucent, you are harder to see. This gives you advantage on stealth checks that rely, at least partially, on not being seen.
You gain the following additional resistances and immunities:
The second you are no longer shadow merged, you are no longer shadow merged, you are no longer incorporeal and translucent too. You can also use a bonus action to end your incorporeality and translucence (but not necessarily your shadow merged form).
You can only become incorporeal and translucent once, before needing a long rest to regain usage of this ability.
A quick comment: find a way to move the 7th-level feature into a 3rd-level slot. The 3rd-level ability is meant to change the play style and give the character a new core ability. Shadow Merge is that ability. You could probably just merge the original 3rd-level abilities into one as they're not very powerful in isolation.
Ok, that makes sense. Do you think it would work if I made shadow merge third level in the place of the other abilities as is? Or would I need to make modifications to it?
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Another Entry for the PC option, "Magic... but not spells": The Fabricator Unit, which is an upgrade for the Steel Defender, or with a different flavor any other artificer subclass (Magic Cauldron, armor-integrated Transmutative Gloves, Item Spewing Cannon mode). It is useful for layered dungeons, offroad adventures or delves into the underdark, where the ability to exchange your Gold for new items and gear without visiting a shop might come in handy. Also it can be quite potent in preparation for combat, when combined with an alchemy jug, as you can provide the neccessary bottles, vials or flasks. Another use would be the ability to provide crafting materials, if your adventures include time for crafting items. The focus on non-consumable mundane utility items is intentional, as anything else might require higher rarity or other balancing restrictions or is already covered by spells. It is deliberately not a weapon- or armor-dispenser, as its purpose is to enable creative gameplay uses of mundane adventuring gear and crafting/tinkering game mechanics.
Item Description:
Fabricator Unit (Steel Defender Upgrade) - Wondrous Item, rare
Developed by crafty Battlesmiths on the road without reliable access to stores, this fabrication unit enabled them to provide necessary gear, tools and materials on their adventures. It integrates itself into the Steel Defender and is not visible from the outside, when not in use. The fabricator functions as a small "forge" of transmutation magic and can transmute coin into mundane items.
This item is unable to manufacture liqids (like acid, poison or holy water), food, armor or weapons. But it may be capable of providing the necessary materials or tools for crafting such items, if the materials are common enough to be bought by the players (DM's discretion). To fabricate a mundane piece of adventuring gear, you simply need it's value in coin and a piece of the material or materials it is made of (DM's discretion), similar to a spell component. For example, in addition to it's cost in coin, 50 ft. of hempen rope might require a piece of rope or hempen fiber, a knife or iron ingot might require iron pellets or iron ore, a vial or bottle might require a piece of broken glass, etc. The value of any item transmuted by the fabricator cannot excceed 25 gp and it's size cannot exceed the size of a backpack or chest (a bundle of a two person tent might work as an exception). The fabricator is able to transmute a maximum total value of 50 gp into items until the next dawn.
If you want your Artificer to invent this as an upgrade for their Steel Defender, please consult your DM. For narrative sense you might consider doing so, after you gained the Fabricate Spell at level 13 or after you were able to attain any variety of the All-Purpose Tool, as it gives you proficiency with all artisans tools involved in making a lot of the items you could transmute with the fabricator. You would still need to craft the fabricator unit according to rules for crafting magic items (DM's discretion) which may inlcude time, gold or even a quest for blueprints or components. Sourcebooks for such rules include Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Player's Handbook.
Alternatively, you cold treat the fabricator unit as a magic item introduced by your GM. This would make the upgrade a magic item instead of a permanently integrated feature of the Steel Defender's design. Therefore, it would drop as a physical item in a compacted form, if the Steel Defender gets destroyed, and could be picked up, forgotten or stolen in this form.
Here's my submission for the PC option, "Magic... but not spells." The Shadow Knight is a fighter subclass that is based off their special magical ability to merge their body with their shadow.
Shadow Knight
Shadow knights are fighters born with innate magical shadow based capabilities. These warriors are usually quite stealthy, but their main ability is their power to merge their body with their shadow. In other words, don't get into a fight with a Shadow Knight.
See in the dark
Beginning at third level you gain darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.
Sneak through the shadows
Beginning at third level, you gain proficiency in the stealth skill. if you already have stealth proficiency, you gain expertise in it instead.
Shadow Merge
Beginning at 7th level, you may use a bonus action to merge your body with your shadow. When you do this, you no longer have a shadow and appear as you regularly do, except parts of you seem to be made of black shadow (though they function as normal while you are shadow merged).
While shadow merged, you gain the following benefits:
You are immune to necrotic damage.
Weapons seem to go through your skin, you have resistance to damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks.
Your shadow merged form last for one minute, or until you end it as a bonus action. You can only shadow merge once, and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Improved shadow merging
Beginning at tenth level, whenever you shadow merge, you also get the following additional benefits:
You gain an extra 2D10 necrotic damage.
Your attacks deal an extra 1D4 necrotic damage due to the shadow energy swirling around your body.
In addition, while shadow merged, you are resistant to all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, regardless of whether or not they are from magical attacks.
More shadow to merge with
Beginning at fifteenth level, you can now shadow merge twice before needing a long rest.
Longer shadow merging
Beginning at eighteenth level, you can stay shadow merged for up to ten minutes.
Translucence and incorporeality
Beginning at eighteenth level, when shadow merged, you may spend a bonus action to become incorporeal and translucent. In addition, everything that you are carrying or wearing also becomes incorporeal and translucent to everyone but you.
While incorporeal and translucent, you can choose to move through solid objects or people, though you take 5 (1d10) force damage if you end your turn inside either one.
Though, due to some incredible magic, you can walk on the floor without falling through it, you or any equipment that is incorporeal and translucent along with you cannot physically interact with any objects or creatures that are corporeal.
While incorporeal and translucent, you gain the following benefits:
You do not make any noise, due to this, you automatically succeed on any stealth that almost solely relies on whether or not someone heard you.
Since you are translucent, you are harder to see. This gives you advantage on stealth checks that rely, at least partially, on not being seen.
You gain the following additional resistances and immunities:
The second you are no longer shadow merged, you are no longer shadow merged, you are no longer incorporeal and translucent too. You can also use a bonus action to end your incorporeality and translucence (but not necessarily your shadow merged form).
You can only become incorporeal and translucent once, before needing a long rest to regain usage of this ability.
A quick comment: find a way to move the 7th-level feature into a 3rd-level slot. The 3rd-level ability is meant to change the play style and give the character a new core ability. Shadow Merge is that ability. You could probably just merge the original 3rd-level abilities into one as they're not very powerful in isolation.
Ok, that makes sense. Do you think it would work if I made shadow merge third level in the place of the other abilities as is? Or would I need to make modifications to it?
I think that would be fine. It would be nice to have some kind of spooky quality to it, right now the benefits it grants are a lot like Rage, and adding/changing something to better distinguish it might make it feel more "shadowy."
You gain an extra 2D10 necrotic damage.
What does this mean? I think we're missing some context here.
Then to make it official: My DM submission is Zephyros, the Storm Herald: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2719060-zephyros-the-storm-herald He is a monster that you can use as a boss, but also as a friendly NPC that helps the party with buffs and other support abilities in epic fights against powerful foes :-)
Just made a small update for Zephyros, the Storm Herald. Also, I would be happy for some feedback so that I can improve his statblock :)
Then to make it official: My DM submission is Zephyros, the Storm Herald: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2719060-zephyros-the-storm-herald He is a monster that you can use as a boss, but also as a friendly NPC that helps the party with buffs and other support abilities in epic fights against powerful foes :-)
Just made a small update for Zephyros, the Storm Herald. Also, I would be happy for some feedback so that I can improve his statblock :)
Cut some of it, it’s very, veryloo—oong. There’s no way a DM’ll ever be able to use anything close to even half of that in a single combat.
So I doubt I'll have the time to put in my submission this time. Finals are coming up and my schedule is getting filled up faster and faster. Still, I should be able to at least vote on submissions so there's that!
Statblocks like this one are not meant to be just run in a single combat and then thrown away though. They are meant to be used either in an epic boss fight a DM invests a lot of time in to prepare, as reoccuring big bads throughout a campaign or especially in Zephyros's case as a powerful ally for a high-level party.
I do not know your DMing style, but at least for myself, I can say, I use more complex statblocks even at lower levels to make encounters more interesting and dynamic - for example I am DMing Rime of the Frostmaiden and last session did the lake monster encounter in Bremen. It is supposed to be a normal awakened plesiosaurus, but I homebrewed it heavily, gave it a slam attack (it slammed down with its whole body onto the boat, throwing the players, who failed their checks, into the freezing water), lair actions to interact with the dynamic battlefield that was the lake with several ice floes and the players' boat and even turned it into a Mythic monster where the second phase would have been essentially an undead version of it now with a cold-damage aura and a breath weapon, only held alive by the frostmaiden's wrath. The encounter was cut short by my players being creative (which I am proud of) and managing to befriend the lake monster; but my point is that longer statblocks are necessary for more intricate encounters. This becomes even more true at higher levels where statblocks need to account for a lot more stuff both on the monster's side and on the player's side. And then there are statblocks that either are for versatile monsters like Zephyros that are not just meant to be fought as bad guys or need a lot of space to describe a mechanic unique to the monster such as in the case of my revised Kraken or Primus; or the monster simply has many abilities.
In addition, I think even if a statblock is too long for a DM to use it, it will still give them inspiration and ideas for an encounter or a monster's abilities - and if it does that it has served its purpose, right? I also often take inspiration from homebrew statblocks I find in the web and then write up my own statblock, adjusted to my needs, instead of running the statblock I found as written.
What would you cut out of this statblock? Any other suggestions to improve it?
Here's my submission for the PC option, "Magic... but not spells." The Shadow Knight is a fighter subclass that is based off their special magical ability to merge their body with their shadow.
Shadow Knight
Shadow knights are fighters born with innate magical shadow based capabilities. These warriors are usually quite stealthy, but their main ability is their power to merge their body with their shadow. In other words, don't get into a fight with a Shadow Knight.
See in the dark
Beginning at third level you gain darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.
Sneak through the shadows
Beginning at third level, you gain proficiency in the stealth skill. if you already have stealth proficiency, you gain expertise in it instead.
Shadow Merge
Beginning at 7th level, you may use a bonus action to merge your body with your shadow. When you do this, you no longer have a shadow and appear as you regularly do, except parts of you seem to be made of black shadow (though they function as normal while you are shadow merged).
While shadow merged, you gain the following benefits:
You are immune to necrotic damage.
Weapons seem to go through your skin, you have resistance to damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks.
Your shadow merged form last for one minute, or until you end it as a bonus action. You can only shadow merge once, and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Improved shadow merging
Beginning at tenth level, whenever you shadow merge, you also get the following additional benefits:
You gain an extra 2D10 necrotic damage.
Your attacks deal an extra 1D4 necrotic damage due to the shadow energy swirling around your body.
In addition, while shadow merged, you are resistant to all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, regardless of whether or not they are from magical attacks.
More shadow to merge with
Beginning at fifteenth level, you can now shadow merge twice before needing a long rest.
Longer shadow merging
Beginning at eighteenth level, you can stay shadow merged for up to ten minutes.
Translucence and incorporeality
Beginning at eighteenth level, when shadow merged, you may spend a bonus action to become incorporeal and translucent. In addition, everything that you are carrying or wearing also becomes incorporeal and translucent to everyone but you.
While incorporeal and translucent, you can choose to move through solid objects or people, though you take 5 (1d10) force damage if you end your turn inside either one.
Though, due to some incredible magic, you can walk on the floor without falling through it, you or any equipment that is incorporeal and translucent along with you cannot physically interact with any objects or creatures that are corporeal.
While incorporeal and translucent, you gain the following benefits:
You do not make any noise, due to this, you automatically succeed on any stealth that almost solely relies on whether or not someone heard you.
Since you are translucent, you are harder to see. This gives you advantage on stealth checks that rely, at least partially, on not being seen.
You gain the following additional resistances and immunities:
The second you are no longer shadow merged, you are no longer shadow merged, you are no longer incorporeal and translucent too. You can also use a bonus action to end your incorporeality and translucence (but not necessarily your shadow merged form).
You can only become incorporeal and translucent once, before needing a long rest to regain usage of this ability.
A quick comment: find a way to move the 7th-level feature into a 3rd-level slot. The 3rd-level ability is meant to change the play style and give the character a new core ability. Shadow Merge is that ability. You could probably just merge the original 3rd-level abilities into one as they're not very powerful in isolation.
Ok, that makes sense. Do you think it would work if I made shadow merge third level in the place of the other abilities as is? Or would I need to make modifications to it?
I think that would be fine. It would be nice to have some kind of spooky quality to it, right now the benefits it grants are a lot like Rage, and adding/changing something to better distinguish it might make it feel more "shadowy."
You gain an extra 2D10 necrotic damage.
What does this mean? I think we're missing some context here.
My mistake, I meant to write temporary hits points but had a complete brain lapse.
I've updated that now.
PS- I'll try to make other changes and remodel it this week or next, I'm rather busy currently.
Statblocks like this one are not meant to be just run in a single combat and then thrown away though. They are meant to be used either in an epic boss fight a DM invests a lot of time in to prepare, as reoccuring big bads throughout a campaign or especially in Zephyros's case as a powerful ally for a high-level party.
I do not know your DMing style, but at least for myself, I can say, I use more complex statblocks even at lower levels to make encounters more interesting and dynamic - for example I am DMing Rime of the Frostmaiden and last session did the lake monster encounter in Bremen. It is supposed to be a normal awakened plesiosaurus, but I homebrewed it heavily, gave it a slam attack (it slammed down with its whole body onto the boat, throwing the players, who failed their checks, into the freezing water), lair actions to interact with the dynamic battlefield that was the lake with several ice floes and the players' boat and even turned it into a Mythic monster where the second phase would have been essentially an undead version of it now with a cold-damage aura and a breath weapon, only held alive by the frostmaiden's wrath. The encounter was cut short by my players being creative (which I am proud of) and managing to befriend the lake monster; but my point is that longer statblocks are necessary for more intricate encounters. This becomes even more true at higher levels where statblocks need to account for a lot more stuff both on the monster's side and on the player's side. And then there are statblocks that either are for versatile monsters like Zephyros that are not just meant to be fought as bad guys or need a lot of space to describe a mechanic unique to the monster such as in the case of my revised Kraken or Primus; or the monster simply has many abilities.
In addition, I think even if a statblock is too long for a DM to use it, it will still give them inspiration and ideas for an encounter or a monster's abilities - and if it does that it has served its purpose, right? I also often take inspiration from homebrew statblocks I find in the web and then write up my own statblock, adjusted to my needs, instead of running the statblock I found as written.
What would you cut out of this statblock? Any other suggestions to improve it?
I couldn’t say what to cut, just that it’s a massive block. Trust me, I use a beefy statblock for an epic BBE, but I also use lesser monsters too, and I know I miss stuff in combat all the time just because it’s too many much things to juggle all at once. Like, all the times. For example, here’s the last BBE I just used, the epic final battle had 18 other various lesser baddy buds, and took 2½ sessions to wrap up, and he’s been the BBE for a campaign that took over a year and a half just under 2 years:
LanguagesCommon, Daelkyr, Primordial, Quori, Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge16 (15,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus+5
Alien Mind. If a creature tries to read the Scion’s thoughts or deals psychic damage to it, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Sanity saving throw or be suffer the effects of a Short-Term Madness. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Scion fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The Scion has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Regeneration. The Scion regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn. If the Scion takes radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The Scion only Returns to Worms if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Return to Worms. The Scion breaks apart into a swarm of insects with Max HP in the same space and immediately begins to burrow into the ground. Unless the swarm is destroyed before the beginning of its next turn it escapes, and the Scion reforms from it 24 hours later.
Spellcasting (Psionic). The Scion’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components:
Mmulti-Action. Can cast a spell, or choose two of the following, or one twice:
Tentacle Arm (3/Action). Melee Weapon Attack:+10 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If all three attacks hit a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and restrained.
Manhandle. If a creature is grappled in the Scion’s Tentacles, the Scion can attempt to move the creature. The Scion can make an opposed Strength check against the grappled creature, if the Scion wins the contest it can knock the creature prone, or move the grappled creature up to 10 feet directly towards himself or in any horizontal direction, or 5 feet vertically. The creature can never be more that 15 feet from the Scion.
Eldritch Blast (3/Action). Ranged Spell Attack:+10 to hit, range 240 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 5) Force damage, and any of the following once per turn each: pushed 10 ft., pulled 10 feet., knocked prone, or speed reduced by half.
Psychic Blast (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 30-foot Cone. Failed Save:19 (4d6 + 5) psychic damage and stunned for 5 (2d4) rounds. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Bonus Actions
Teleportation. As a bonus action, the Scion can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Legendary Actions
The Scion can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Scion regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Tentacle Arm. The Scion makes three attack with its Tentacle Arm.
Spawn Aberration (Costs 2 Actions). The Scion spawns a star spawn grue in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. The star spawn grue is under the Scion’s control and acts immediately after him in the initiative order.
Mind Blast (Costs 3 Actions). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 60-foot Cone. Failed Save:27 (5d8 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
It was exhausting, and I didn’t even get to use everything on that statblock, that👆was too big.
In addition, I think even if a statblock is too long for a DM to use it, it will still give them inspiration and ideas for an encounter or a monster's abilities - and if it does that it has served its purpose, right? I also often take inspiration from homebrew statblocks I find in the web and then write up my own statblock, adjusted to my needs, instead of running the statblock I found as written.
While I agree that the statblock is bigger than anything I'd use, I'll also agree that it is good for inspirational purposes. And I think is the most likely way people would use a monster statblock at this level of play. BBEGs are a labor of love, and I think anyone comfortable enough to use homebrew content is probably going to at least tweak if not completely dismember and scramble up this stuff if their goal is to make a BBEG for their own campaign.
I'd probably have a completely different statblock for the function of a party ally though. And that statblock would have like 2-3 actions tops. Party allies should be very simple to run IMO.
Ok, that makes sense. Do you think it would work if I made shadow merge third level in the place of the other abilities as is? Or would I need to make modifications to it?
Not in place, in addition! I do agree with some of the others though, the vibe is ragey. You could consider making changes that have the character interact in new ways with darkness or dim light, like the shadow stealth monster ability. Shadows also notably have the ability to drain strength, which may be powerful, but may also provide inspiration.
Statblocks like this one are not meant to be just run in a single combat and then thrown away though. They are meant to be used either in an epic boss fight a DM invests a lot of time in to prepare, as reoccuring big bads throughout a campaign or especially in Zephyros's case as a powerful ally for a high-level party.
I do not know your DMing style, but at least for myself, I can say, I use more complex statblocks even at lower levels to make encounters more interesting and dynamic - for example I am DMing Rime of the Frostmaiden and last session did the lake monster encounter in Bremen. It is supposed to be a normal awakened plesiosaurus, but I homebrewed it heavily, gave it a slam attack (it slammed down with its whole body onto the boat, throwing the players, who failed their checks, into the freezing water), lair actions to interact with the dynamic battlefield that was the lake with several ice floes and the players' boat and even turned it into a Mythic monster where the second phase would have been essentially an undead version of it now with a cold-damage aura and a breath weapon, only held alive by the frostmaiden's wrath. The encounter was cut short by my players being creative (which I am proud of) and managing to befriend the lake monster; but my point is that longer statblocks are necessary for more intricate encounters. This becomes even more true at higher levels where statblocks need to account for a lot more stuff both on the monster's side and on the player's side. And then there are statblocks that either are for versatile monsters like Zephyros that are not just meant to be fought as bad guys or need a lot of space to describe a mechanic unique to the monster such as in the case of my revised Kraken or Primus; or the monster simply has many abilities.
In addition, I think even if a statblock is too long for a DM to use it, it will still give them inspiration and ideas for an encounter or a monster's abilities - and if it does that it has served its purpose, right? I also often take inspiration from homebrew statblocks I find in the web and then write up my own statblock, adjusted to my needs, instead of running the statblock I found as written.
What would you cut out of this statblock? Any other suggestions to improve it?
I couldn’t say what to cut, just that it’s a massive block. Trust me, I use a beefy statblock for an epic BBE, but I also use lesser monsters too, and I know I miss stuff in combat all the time just because it’s too many much things to juggle all at once. Like, all the times. For example, here’s the last BBE I just used, the epic final battle had 18 other various lesser baddy buds, and took 2½ sessions to wrap up, and he’s been the BBE for a campaign that took over a year and a half:
LanguagesCommon, Daelkyr, Primordial, Quori, Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge16 (15,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus+5
Alien Mind. If a creature tries to read the Scion’s thoughts or deals psychic damage to it, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Sanity saving throw or be suffer the effects of a Short-Term Madness. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Scion fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The Scion has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Regeneration. The Scion regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn. If the Scion takes radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The Scion only Returns to Worms if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Return to Worms. The Scion breaks apart into a swarm of insects with Max HP in the same space and immediately begins to burrow into the ground. Unless the swarm is destroyed before the beginning of its next turn it escapes, and the Scion reforms from it 24 hours later.
Spellcasting (Psionic). The Scion’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components:
Mmulti-Action. Can cast a spell, or choose two of the following, or one twice:
Tentacle Arm (3/Action). Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If all three attacks hit a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and restrained.
Manhandle. If a creature is grappled in the Scion’s Tentacles, the Scion can attempt to move the creature. The Scion can make an opposed Strength check against the grappled creature, if the Scion wins the contest it can knock the creature prone, or move the grappled creature up to 10 feet directly towards himself or in any horizontal direction, or 5 feet vertically. The creature can never be more that 15 feet from the Scion.
Eldritch Blast (3/Action). Ranged Spell Attack: +10 to hit, range 240 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 5) Force damage, and any of the following once per turn each: pushed 10 ft., pulled 10 feet., knocked prone, or speed reduced by half.
Psychic Blast (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 30-foot Cone. Failed Save:19 (4d6 + 5) psychic damage and stunned for 5 (2d4) rounds. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Bonus Actions
Teleportation. As a bonus action, the Scion can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Legendary Actions
The Scion can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Scion regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Tentacle Arm. The Scion makes three attack with its Tentacle Arm.
Spawn Aberration (Costs 2 Actions). The Scion spawns a star spawn grue in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. The star spawn grue is under the Scion’s control and acts immediately after him in the initiative order.
Mind Blast (Costs 3 Actions). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 60-foot Cone. Failed Save:27 (5d8 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
It was exhausting, and I didn’t even get to use everything on that statblock, that👆was too big.
This statblock also has its text shortened quite a bit compared to what an official statblock would do (and what I would do if I was writing it to publish it).
Now rewrite it, add something terrible he can do to a grappled creature as a legendary action such as infecting it with a worm that then does certain things with the target and its brain. And the statblock will be basicially as long as most of my statblocks.
Statblocks like this one are not meant to be just run in a single combat and then thrown away though. They are meant to be used either in an epic boss fight a DM invests a lot of time in to prepare, as reoccuring big bads throughout a campaign or especially in Zephyros's case as a powerful ally for a high-level party.
I do not know your DMing style, but at least for myself, I can say, I use more complex statblocks even at lower levels to make encounters more interesting and dynamic - for example I am DMing Rime of the Frostmaiden and last session did the lake monster encounter in Bremen. It is supposed to be a normal awakened plesiosaurus, but I homebrewed it heavily, gave it a slam attack (it slammed down with its whole body onto the boat, throwing the players, who failed their checks, into the freezing water), lair actions to interact with the dynamic battlefield that was the lake with several ice floes and the players' boat and even turned it into a Mythic monster where the second phase would have been essentially an undead version of it now with a cold-damage aura and a breath weapon, only held alive by the frostmaiden's wrath. The encounter was cut short by my players being creative (which I am proud of) and managing to befriend the lake monster; but my point is that longer statblocks are necessary for more intricate encounters. This becomes even more true at higher levels where statblocks need to account for a lot more stuff both on the monster's side and on the player's side. And then there are statblocks that either are for versatile monsters like Zephyros that are not just meant to be fought as bad guys or need a lot of space to describe a mechanic unique to the monster such as in the case of my revised Kraken or Primus; or the monster simply has many abilities.
In addition, I think even if a statblock is too long for a DM to use it, it will still give them inspiration and ideas for an encounter or a monster's abilities - and if it does that it has served its purpose, right? I also often take inspiration from homebrew statblocks I find in the web and then write up my own statblock, adjusted to my needs, instead of running the statblock I found as written.
What would you cut out of this statblock? Any other suggestions to improve it?
I couldn’t say what to cut, just that it’s a massive block. Trust me, I use a beefy statblock for an epic BBE, but I also use lesser monsters too, and I know I miss stuff in combat all the time just because it’s too many much things to juggle all at once. Like, all the times. For example, here’s the last BBE I just used, the epic final battle had 18 other various lesser baddy buds, and took 2½ sessions to wrap up, and he’s been the BBE for a campaign that took over a year and a half:
LanguagesCommon, Daelkyr, Primordial, Quori, Telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge16 (15,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus+5
Alien Mind. If a creature tries to read the Scion’s thoughts or deals psychic damage to it, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Sanity saving throw or be suffer the effects of a Short-Term Madness. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Scion fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The Scion has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Regeneration. The Scion regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn. If the Scion takes radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The Scion only Returns to Worms if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Return to Worms. The Scion breaks apart into a swarm of insects with Max HP in the same space and immediately begins to burrow into the ground. Unless the swarm is destroyed before the beginning of its next turn it escapes, and the Scion reforms from it 24 hours later.
Spellcasting (Psionic). The Scion’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components:
Mmulti-Action. Can cast a spell, or choose two of the following, or one twice:
Tentacle Arm (3/Action). Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If all three attacks hit a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and restrained.
Manhandle. If a creature is grappled in the Scion’s Tentacles, the Scion can attempt to move the creature. The Scion can make an opposed Strength check against the grappled creature, if the Scion wins the contest it can knock the creature prone, or move the grappled creature up to 10 feet directly towards himself or in any horizontal direction, or 5 feet vertically. The creature can never be more that 15 feet from the Scion.
Eldritch Blast (3/Action). Ranged Spell Attack: +10 to hit, range 240 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 5) Force damage, and any of the following once per turn each: pushed 10 ft., pulled 10 feet., knocked prone, or speed reduced by half.
Psychic Blast (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 30-foot Cone. Failed Save:19 (4d6 + 5) psychic damage and stunned for 5 (2d4) rounds. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Bonus Actions
Teleportation. As a bonus action, the Scion can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Legendary Actions
The Scion can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Scion regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Tentacle Arm. The Scion makes three attack with its Tentacle Arm.
Spawn Aberration (Costs 2 Actions). The Scion spawns a star spawn grue in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. The star spawn grue is under the Scion’s control and acts immediately after him in the initiative order.
Mind Blast (Costs 3 Actions). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 60-foot Cone. Failed Save:27 (5d8 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
It was exhausting, and I didn’t even get to use everything on that statblock, that👆was too big.
This statblock also has its text shortened quite a bit compared to what an official statblock would do (and what I would do if I was writing it to publish it).
Now rewrite it, add something terrible he can do to a grappled creature as a legendary action such as infecting it with a worm that then does certain things with the target and its brain. And the statblock will be basicially as long as most of my statblocks.
And like I said, it was too much. But hey, you do what you want. You ask’a for input, I gave’a my input. I’ma no be upset if’a you no wanna take’a my suggestion.
My submission for the DM Options is the Pressure Wyrd, an elemental creature which is spawned beneath magical storms, and live out their brief existence by wanting to play with everything they see!
Monks of the Way of the Water Stream are masters of both martial arts combat and ki manipulation, flowing harmoniously with their surroundings as if they were a stream of water. They can use their knowledge to read their opponents stance and manipulate the flow of combat, deflecting their attacks and counterattacking when the timing is right.
Those who follow the Way of the Water Stream have spent most of their lives studying the flow of ki in the universe, sharpening their minds and pushing their bodies to perfection. They have keen senses for reading the energy streams around them and know how to masterfully lead its courses through both their bodies and minds and become one with the flow.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this monastic tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics and Perception skills.
Your martial arts technique and fluid body movement let you gracefully flow through the air while performing acrobatic maneuvers. Also, your understanding of ki and ability to perceive its flow allow your trained eyes to see what others cannot.
Water Stream Fist
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect a melee attack when you are hit by one. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by your Martial Arts die + your Monk level.
Additionally, when you deflect an attack and you have at least one free hand, you can spend 1 ki point to make an unarmed strike as part of the same reaction. When you reach 6th level, you can instead make two unarmed strikes using this feature.
Awakened Water Stream Fist
At 6th level, you learn to let go of all distractions and subconscious restrictions. Your martial arts mastery allows you to heighten your senses and focus entirely on dodging and counterattacking:
Evasive Reaction
Whenever you take the Dodge action or use the Patient Defense feature, you also have advantage in any reaction you make until the start of your next turn.
Opportunistic Counterattack
When an enemy misses you with an attack, you can immediately use your reaction to make a melee attack against that enemy if it is within your reach.
Flurry of Streaming Blows
By 11th level, your mastery of the Water Stream is approaching perfection. When you use the Flurry of Blows feature, you can spend 1 additional ki point to make two extra unarmed strikes as part of the same bonus action.
Alternatively, if you use the Flurry of Blows feature and have advantage on attack rolls against a target, you can forgo the advantage for those rolls to make two extra unarmed strikes against that target as part of the same bonus action and without spending the additional ki point.
Abandonment
At 17th level, your mastery of the Water Stream Fist has reached its peak. You can perform a breathing technique that lets you flow in perfect harmony with your surroundings, with both the tranquility of a calm sea and the intensity of a raging river smashing the rocks that attempt to block its course.
As a bonus action, you can spend 10 ki points to add your proficiency bonus to your AC if you are not wearing armor and not wielding a shield. Any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see or hear the attacker, and you also have advantage in attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws.
This feature lasts for 1 minute and you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Really like this. Its a creature of a reasonble CR that features some unique mechanics and fun lore. Great job
Thanks! I like to give some good reasons for encountering or fighting monsters in the lore, I have never been a fan of "this beast is found in biome A, and is hostile, so go kill it"!
I also like to make the motivations for such things go beyond "they are histile, so they will fight you". The Pressure Wyrd just wants to play - it's not it's fault that you end up dying!
I haven't seen these threads but I like to make homebrew magic items. One of the first things I think about when I make a character is what cool item or weapon would they use if they had their choice. I think this would be a neat unique item for a bard.
Deep Didgeridoo
The party barely reached the center of the canyon when a skeletal giant appeared ahead. Fawnix, the satyr bard, turned around to see a dark spellcaster with a half dozen skeletons closing in from behind. "I got the big guy", the paladin yells and charges forward. The party's wizard and the townsfolk they were escorting moved to the center. "I guess y'all are my problem" Fawnix chuckles as she removes a large and long instrument from across her back and slams it onto the ground.
When played by a bard the Deep Didgeridoo sends powerful soundwaves into the ground causing violent tremors. The ground affected is a 60ft. cone for one minute and the direction can be changed as a bonus action on each turn.
The bard may focus the sound to make more targeted attacks, in which case...
Deep Didgeridoo can be used like a quarterstaff +2 for melee damage. It can also be used as the bards focus for other spells.
That's it... I admit I see a lot of items with charges or limited uses. I never knew how to approach this but for this item I guess I would just say all of it's powers are usable once per long rest. Thanks.
Ok, that makes sense. Do you think it would work if I made shadow merge third level in the place of the other abilities as is? Or would I need to make modifications to it?
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HERE.✍️ Three weeks down, three weeks to go! ✏️
It’s a pretty good turnout so far, but let’s see how many entries we can get!!
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Another Entry for the PC option, "Magic... but not spells": The Fabricator Unit, which is an upgrade for the Steel Defender, or with a different flavor any other artificer subclass (Magic Cauldron, armor-integrated Transmutative Gloves, Item Spewing Cannon mode).
It is useful for layered dungeons, offroad adventures or delves into the underdark, where the ability to exchange your Gold for new items and gear without visiting a shop might come in handy. Also it can be quite potent in preparation for combat, when combined with an alchemy jug, as you can provide the neccessary bottles, vials or flasks. Another use would be the ability to provide crafting materials, if your adventures include time for crafting items. The focus on non-consumable mundane utility items is intentional, as anything else might require higher rarity or other balancing restrictions or is already covered by spells. It is deliberately not a weapon- or armor-dispenser, as its purpose is to enable creative gameplay uses of mundane adventuring gear and crafting/tinkering game mechanics.
Item Description:
Fabricator Unit (Steel Defender Upgrade) - Wondrous Item, rare
Developed by crafty Battlesmiths on the road without reliable access to stores, this fabrication unit enabled them to provide necessary gear, tools and materials on their adventures. It integrates itself into the Steel Defender and is not visible from the outside, when not in use. The fabricator functions as a small "forge" of transmutation magic and can transmute coin into mundane items.
This item is unable to manufacture liqids (like acid, poison or holy water), food, armor or weapons. But it may be capable of providing the necessary materials or tools for crafting such items, if the materials are common enough to be bought by the players (DM's discretion).
To fabricate a mundane piece of adventuring gear, you simply need it's value in coin and a piece of the material or materials it is made of (DM's discretion), similar to a spell component. For example, in addition to it's cost in coin, 50 ft. of hempen rope might require a piece of rope or hempen fiber, a knife or iron ingot might require iron pellets or iron ore, a vial or bottle might require a piece of broken glass, etc.
The value of any item transmuted by the fabricator cannot excceed 25 gp and it's size cannot exceed the size of a backpack or chest (a bundle of a two person tent might work as an exception). The fabricator is able to transmute a maximum total value of 50 gp into items until the next dawn.
If you want your Artificer to invent this as an upgrade for their Steel Defender, please consult your DM. For narrative sense you might consider doing so, after you gained the Fabricate Spell at level 13 or after you were able to attain any variety of the All-Purpose Tool, as it gives you proficiency with all artisans tools involved in making a lot of the items you could transmute with the fabricator. You would still need to craft the fabricator unit according to rules for crafting magic items (DM's discretion) which may inlcude time, gold or even a quest for blueprints or components. Sourcebooks for such rules include Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Player's Handbook.
Alternatively, you cold treat the fabricator unit as a magic item introduced by your GM. This would make the upgrade a magic item instead of a permanently integrated feature of the Steel Defender's design. Therefore, it would drop as a physical item in a compacted form, if the Steel Defender gets destroyed, and could be picked up, forgotten or stolen in this form.
I think that would be fine. It would be nice to have some kind of spooky quality to it, right now the benefits it grants are a lot like Rage, and adding/changing something to better distinguish it might make it feel more "shadowy."
What does this mean? I think we're missing some context here.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Just made a small update for Zephyros, the Storm Herald. Also, I would be happy for some feedback so that I can improve his statblock :)
Cut some of it, it’s very, very loo—oong. There’s no way a DM’ll ever be able to use anything close to even half of that in a single combat.
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So I doubt I'll have the time to put in my submission this time. Finals are coming up and my schedule is getting filled up faster and faster. Still, I should be able to at least vote on submissions so there's that!
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My best brews: Berserker (Fire Emblem - barbarian subclass) | Swordmaster (Fire Emblem - fighter subclass) | Deserter (background) | Flame Atronach (Skyrim - monster)
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Statblocks like this one are not meant to be just run in a single combat and then thrown away though. They are meant to be used either in an epic boss fight a DM invests a lot of time in to prepare, as reoccuring big bads throughout a campaign or especially in Zephyros's case as a powerful ally for a high-level party.
I do not know your DMing style, but at least for myself, I can say, I use more complex statblocks even at lower levels to make encounters more interesting and dynamic - for example I am DMing Rime of the Frostmaiden and last session did the lake monster encounter in Bremen. It is supposed to be a normal awakened plesiosaurus, but I homebrewed it heavily, gave it a slam attack (it slammed down with its whole body onto the boat, throwing the players, who failed their checks, into the freezing water), lair actions to interact with the dynamic battlefield that was the lake with several ice floes and the players' boat and even turned it into a Mythic monster where the second phase would have been essentially an undead version of it now with a cold-damage aura and a breath weapon, only held alive by the frostmaiden's wrath.
The encounter was cut short by my players being creative (which I am proud of) and managing to befriend the lake monster; but my point is that longer statblocks are necessary for more intricate encounters. This becomes even more true at higher levels where statblocks need to account for a lot more stuff both on the monster's side and on the player's side. And then there are statblocks that either are for versatile monsters like Zephyros that are not just meant to be fought as bad guys or need a lot of space to describe a mechanic unique to the monster such as in the case of my revised Kraken or Primus; or the monster simply has many abilities.
In addition, I think even if a statblock is too long for a DM to use it, it will still give them inspiration and ideas for an encounter or a monster's abilities - and if it does that it has served its purpose, right? I also often take inspiration from homebrew statblocks I find in the web and then write up my own statblock, adjusted to my needs, instead of running the statblock I found as written.
What would you cut out of this statblock? Any other suggestions to improve it?
My mistake, I meant to write temporary hits points but had a complete brain lapse.
I've updated that now.
PS- I'll try to make other changes and remodel it this week or next, I'm rather busy currently.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
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HERE.I couldn’t say what to cut, just that it’s a massive block. Trust me, I use a beefy statblock for an epic BBE, but I also use lesser monsters too, and I know I miss stuff in combat all the time just because it’s too many much things to juggle all at once. Like, all the times. For example, here’s the last BBE I just used, the epic final battle had 18 other various lesser baddy buds, and took 2½ sessions to wrap up, and he’s been the BBE for a campaign that took
over a year and a halfjust under 2 years:Alien Mind. If a creature tries to read the Scion’s thoughts or deals psychic damage to it, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Sanity saving throw or be suffer the effects of a Short-Term Madness. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Scion fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The Scion has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Regeneration. The Scion regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn. If the Scion takes radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn. The Scion only Returns to Worms if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Return to Worms. The Scion breaks apart into a swarm of insects with Max HP in the same space and immediately begins to burrow into the ground. Unless the swarm is destroyed before the beginning of its next turn it escapes, and the Scion reforms from it 24 hours later.
Spellcasting (Psionic). The Scion’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components:
At Will: calm emotions, detect magic, detect thoughts, disguise self, false life (2nd-level), charm person, mage hand (invisible, 60 ft.), minor illusion, psychic infestation, raise dead
3/day: dominate monster, greater invisibility, hold monster
1/day: teleport
Mmulti-Action. Can cast a spell, or choose two of the following, or one twice:
Tentacle Arm (3/Action). Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d4 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If all three attacks hit a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and restrained.
Manhandle. If a creature is grappled in the Scion’s Tentacles, the Scion can attempt to move the creature. The Scion can make an opposed Strength check against the grappled creature, if the Scion wins the contest it can knock the creature prone, or move the grappled creature up to 10 feet directly towards himself or in any horizontal direction, or 5 feet vertically. The creature can never be more that 15 feet from the Scion.
Eldritch Blast (3/Action). Ranged Spell Attack: +10 to hit, range 240 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 5) Force damage, and any of the following once per turn each: pushed 10 ft., pulled 10 feet., knocked prone, or speed reduced by half.
Psychic Blast (Recharge 5–6). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 30-foot Cone. Failed Save:19 (4d6 + 5) psychic damage and stunned for 5 (2d4) rounds. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Teleportation. As a bonus action, the Scion can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
The Scion can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Scion regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Tentacle Arm. The Scion makes three attack with its Tentacle Arm.
Spawn Aberration (Costs 2 Actions). The Scion spawns a star spawn grue in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. The star spawn grue is under the Scion’s control and acts immediately after him in the initiative order.
Mind Blast (Costs 3 Actions). Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 18, 60-foot Cone. Failed Save:27 (5d8 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
It was exhausting, and I didn’t even get to use everything on that statblock, that👆was too big.
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While I agree that the statblock is bigger than anything I'd use, I'll also agree that it is good for inspirational purposes. And I think is the most likely way people would use a monster statblock at this level of play. BBEGs are a labor of love, and I think anyone comfortable enough to use homebrew content is probably going to at least tweak if not completely dismember and scramble up this stuff if their goal is to make a BBEG for their own campaign.
I'd probably have a completely different statblock for the function of a party ally though. And that statblock would have like 2-3 actions tops. Party allies should be very simple to run IMO.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Not in place, in addition! I do agree with some of the others though, the vibe is ragey. You could consider making changes that have the character interact in new ways with darkness or dim light, like the shadow stealth monster ability. Shadows also notably have the ability to drain strength, which may be powerful, but may also provide inspiration.
This statblock also has its text shortened quite a bit compared to what an official statblock would do (and what I would do if I was writing it to publish it).
Now rewrite it, add something terrible he can do to a grappled creature as a legendary action such as infecting it with a worm that then does certain things with the target and its brain. And the statblock will be basicially as long as most of my statblocks.
And like I said, it was too much. But hey, you do what you want. You ask’a for input, I gave’a my input. I’ma no be upset if’a you no wanna take’a my suggestion.
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My submission for the DM Options is the Pressure Wyrd, an elemental creature which is spawned beneath magical storms, and live out their brief existence by wanting to play with everything they see!
Please let me know what you think!
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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Really like this. Its a creature of a reasonble CR that features some unique mechanics and fun lore. Great job
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How can I submit my Monk Homebrew Subclass to compete in the Player's Options? I just have to comment it on this thread?
It's the Way of the Water Stream.
Way of the Water Stream
Monks of the Way of the Water Stream are masters of both martial arts combat and ki manipulation, flowing harmoniously with their surroundings as if they were a stream of water. They can use their knowledge to read their opponents stance and manipulate the flow of combat, deflecting their attacks and counterattacking when the timing is right.
Those who follow the Way of the Water Stream have spent most of their lives studying the flow of ki in the universe, sharpening their minds and pushing their bodies to perfection. They have keen senses for reading the energy streams around them and know how to masterfully lead its courses through both their bodies and minds and become one with the flow.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this monastic tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics and Perception skills.
Your martial arts technique and fluid body movement let you gracefully flow through the air while performing acrobatic maneuvers. Also, your understanding of ki and ability to perceive its flow allow your trained eyes to see what others cannot.
Water Stream Fist
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect a melee attack when you are hit by one. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by your Martial Arts die + your Monk level.
Additionally, when you deflect an attack and you have at least one free hand, you can spend 1 ki point to make an unarmed strike as part of the same reaction. When you reach 6th level, you can instead make two unarmed strikes using this feature.
Awakened Water Stream Fist
At 6th level, you learn to let go of all distractions and subconscious restrictions. Your martial arts mastery allows you to heighten your senses and focus entirely on dodging and counterattacking:
Evasive Reaction
Whenever you take the Dodge action or use the Patient Defense feature, you also have advantage in any reaction you make until the start of your next turn.
Opportunistic Counterattack
When an enemy misses you with an attack, you can immediately use your reaction to make a melee attack against that enemy if it is within your reach.
Flurry of Streaming Blows
By 11th level, your mastery of the Water Stream is approaching perfection. When you use the Flurry of Blows feature, you can spend 1 additional ki point to make two extra unarmed strikes as part of the same bonus action.
Alternatively, if you use the Flurry of Blows feature and have advantage on attack rolls against a target, you can forgo the advantage for those rolls to make two extra unarmed strikes against that target as part of the same bonus action and without spending the additional ki point.
Abandonment
At 17th level, your mastery of the Water Stream Fist has reached its peak. You can perform a breathing technique that lets you flow in perfect harmony with your surroundings, with both the tranquility of a calm sea and the intensity of a raging river smashing the rocks that attempt to block its course.
As a bonus action, you can spend 10 ki points to add your proficiency bonus to your AC if you are not wearing armor and not wielding a shield. Any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see or hear the attacker, and you also have advantage in attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws.
This feature lasts for 1 minute and you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Yup
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Thanks! I like to give some good reasons for encountering or fighting monsters in the lore, I have never been a fan of "this beast is found in biome A, and is hostile, so go kill it"!
I also like to make the motivations for such things go beyond "they are histile, so they will fight you". The Pressure Wyrd just wants to play - it's not it's fault that you end up dying!
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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