"Greetings, foundlings, and salutations! You have decided to enter the mystical halls of the ‘Brews, where you might learn some most astonishing mysteries and solve the most tangled of puzzles. Your task is to present us with something we haven't seen before, and have it make us look upon it with delight. You have but a few tendays to create your product and show it to us, so we suggest you get to work!"
- Meyonmon Merridith, Ex-Candlekeep Scholar
The purpose of this thread is to spread a little bit of fun in the form of a friendly competition! Your task: Create an item of homebrew (see below) that is totally original and makes us go “wow!” The end products will be rated by members of the community, and the victor will create the next Finest ‘Brew contest! The previous contests are linked below:
All competitions thus far have contained a multitude of spectacular and inspired entries, so I suggest you check them out if you haven't already . Now, onto the important stuff:
Timeframe
Entries must be submitted before midnight (EST) on September 5th to be considered part of the competition.
Contest Categories
In each Finest Brew contest, there are three categories. These are so that people with skill in creating, say, monsters, don't end up stuck having to make dungeons. Each category is judged separately. There can only be one entrance per category per account. The category types are as follows:
DM Options: Things such as magic items, monsters, terrain, and traps.
PC Options: Things such as classes, subclasses, spells, feats, or race/lineage options.
Inspirational Options: Things such as dungeons/encounters, stories, puzzles and random tables - or even character builds.
This time, our category themes are:
DM Options: Blinding Radiance
Whether it be natural or divine, light holds the power to dispel darkness and evil. Submit options for this category which pertain to light, the sun and stars, or positive energy and divinity. (This theme was picked by MilestoGo_24, one of the winners of the previous DM category. The other two co-winners rescinded their input on this category so that they could compete in it).
PC Options: Toril Drift
Competitors start your engines! For this category, design a player option which seeks to play into the use of mounts, vehicles, mounted combat, races, and chase sequences.
Inspirational Options: Meyonmon Merridith
Many of you have likely noticed the blurb of text at the beginning of each of these competitions, written by an ex-candlekeep scholar by the name of Meyonmon Merridith. To celebrate the 10th iteration of this competition, this category will seek to explore who Meyonmon Merridith is, why he left Candlekeep, and what he has been up to since. This might include encounters with Meyonmon as an important NPC or quest-giver, a character build, or something related to what he was researching at Candlekeep.
Yamana_Eajii (the character's creator and founder of this competition) has given the following details pertaining to him which can be used as a foundation to build your homebrew off of:
Male human, 50-60 years of age
Appears as a skinny, liver-spotted old man who seems pretty spritely in his old age, despite the fact he rests on a walking cane whenever he isn't moving.
He wears stained grey robes and has a sky blue sash on.
His hair is mostly grey but a few strands of black still poke out of his eyebrows - he is also clean-shaven.
Beyond this, Yamana has indicated that there is not much else already established for this character, and has given us their blessing to build Meyonmon's lore with our homebrew.
Voting will start September 6th and will end at noon (EST) on September 18th 19th. A Google Forms poll for each category will be posted on this thread, and all may vote on it - including contestants. Scores are assigned using a numerical value from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)
Changes to Voting: After discussing with the other winners of the previous competition, we have decided to try a small change to how voting works for this iteration and see how it goes. Instead of assigning a single vote, each entry will receive three numerical scores, one for each of the following criteria:
Balance - How balanced you feel the entry is mechanically and how well you think it would play in game
Lore/Flavor - How well the entry's description paints a picture and evokes the imagination. This score may also be influenced by how well you think the entry fits to the category's theme.
Formatting - The quality of the grammar and language used as well as how clearly it is written and understood. You should also consider giving a higher score if the entry has been formatted to fit into the tools of D&D Beyond or has been formatted to have stylized pages and artwork to complement its content
We are hoping that by giving everyone more criteria to vote on for each entry, you will think about each aspect and not feel the need to cram all of your thoughts into a single number. We are also hoping that having multiple scores contribute to the total will make ties less likely to occur.
Please try to take the time to review and vote for every entry in the categories you vote in, as even one vote can easily sway a competition like this. If there's anything you feel very strongly about, also feel free to review it in the thread! Reviews won't count for anything, but it's nice to get feedback!
Determining Winners
Each of the final scores will be added together to constitute the entry's total score, with the highest score determining the winner of each category.
The entry with the highest score across all categories will then be coronated as the contest winner and become the judge of the next competition.
If two or more entries are tied for highest score, the contestant with the highest overall score for all entries will take the crown.
The winner of each, individual category will pick the theme for that category in the next competition. If there is a tie, then they can work together to come up with a theme. If you pick the theme for a category, then you cannot compete in it in the next competition.
For the DM options, I'll probably pull some inspiration from two articles on the "Plane of Radiance" described in Dragon magazine #321, entitled "The Limitless Light" and "Creatures of Brilliance". I recommend them. Perhaps I'll create a more advanced version of the couatl that actually lives up to the mesoamerican winged serpents and the deity Quetzalcoatl.
For the PC option, I'm thinking some sort of gnomish car... the Alfa Gnomeo!
No idea about the inspirational option. I could imagine a magical researcher going rogue and studying things that ought not be studied, so maybe I'll push on that angle.
I suppose I ought to think about what I could submit for the DM category, since I did not pick the theme. I have two wizard subclasses that would work well, but sadly cant submit those for the DM category.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Here is my DM submission: The mighty Bahamut himself! https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2795351-platinum-dragon Likely I will make some updates to the statblock, and of course I am looking forward to some feedback to improve that statblock :-)
Nice! The Inspirational category is intriguing, the PC awesome, and the DM unexpected but still cool. I can’t wait to see what this iteration holds.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Join the Competition of the Finest 'Brews XIX!(Or just spectate and vote, that's cool too. Either way, go there. It's awesome, and it'll be even more awesome if you join.)
I'm going to reserve this post for my "Alfa Gnomeo", a gnomish version of the BG:DiA infernal war machine. The Alfa Gnomeo uses the infernal war machine rules, with the exception that its mishap table is unique.
Alfa Gnomeo
Huge vehicle (2,000 lb.)
Creature Capacity 4 Small creatures
Cargo Capacity 200 lb.
Armor Class 18 (15 while motionless)
Hit Points 50 (damage threshold 5, mishap threshold 10)
Crushing Wheels. The Alfa Gnomeo can move through the space of any Medium or smaller creature. When it does, the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. If the creature was already prone, it takes an extra 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage. This trait can’t be used against a particular creature more than once each turn.
Prone Deficiency. If the Alfa Gnomeo rolls over and falls prone, it can’t right itself and is incapacitated until flipped upright.
Action Stations
Helm (Requires 1 Crew and Grants Three-Quarters Cover). Drive and steer the Alfa Gnomeo.
Tomato Flinger (Requires 1 Crew and Grants Half Cover).Ammunition: 100 tomatoes. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the its next turn.
Bonus Actions
Faerie Fire Cloud. The vehicle’s driver can activate this magical device as a bonus action, causing the vehicle to expel a 30-foot cube of colorful smoke directly in front of it or behind it. The cloud is stationary and lasts for 1 minute. The area within it is heavily obscured. Any creature or object that enters the cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 21 (6d6) radiant damage and is outlined in colorful light as if by the faerie fire spell for 1 minute. A strong wind disperses the cloud. This device needs 24 hours to recharge before it can be used again.
Reactions
Juke. If the Alfa Gnomeo is able to move, the driver can use its reaction to grant the Alfa Gnomeo advantage on a Dexterity saving throw.
Mishaps
d20
Mishap
Repair DC
1
Engine Flare. Lightning erupts from the engine and engulfs the vehicle. Any creature that starts its turn on or inside the vehicle takes 10 (3d6) lightning damage until this mishap ends.
15 (Dex)
2–4
Wild Steering. The vehicle can move only in randomly determined directions. It automatically fails Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws until this mishap ends.
15 (Str)
5–7
Accidental Conjuration. Until this mishap ends, a flumph appears in an unoccupied space within 15 feet of the vehicle on initiative count 20 each round.
15 (Int)
8–10
Ejector Seats. Until this mishap ends, one randomly determined passenger is ejected 30 feet in a random direction from the vehicle, taking 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone, on initiative count 20 each round.
15 (Int)
11–13
Magical Leak. The vehicle's magical engine springs a leak. Until the mishap ends, roll on the chart for the wand of wonder on initiative count 20 each round. Any effects that specify a target or would affect the wielder of the wand instead affect all creatures in the vehicle.
20 (Int)
14–16
Friendly Fire. The vehicle's Tomato Flinger misfires, making an attack against one random passenger on initiative count 20 each round, until the mishap ends.
15 (Dex)
17–19
Flip. The vehicle flips over, falls prone, and comes to a dead stop in an unoccupied space. Any unsecured creature holding on to the outside of the vehicle must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be thrown off, landing prone in a random unoccupied space within 20 feet of the overturned vehicle. Creatures inside the vehicle fall prone and must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage.
None
20
Unexpected Boost. An inefficient component is knocked loose, unleashing a surge of magical energy that increases the vehicle's speed by 30 feet for 1 minute.
I'm going to reserve this post for my DM option, which will likely be the resplendent couatl, a more powerful and intelligent couatl with abilities tied to the air and the sun. I just returned from a trip to Mexico and had the pleasure of visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan, and I was inspired by the ancient culture (and the modern one too)!
Aura of Majesty. Any creature who targets the couatl with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw, provided the couatl isn't incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to this couatl’s Aura of Majesty for the next 24 hours.
Detect Lies. The couatl knows if it hears a lie.
Freedom of Movement. The couatl ignores difficult terrain, and magical effects can't reduce its speed or cause it to be restrained. It can spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled.
Magic Resistance. The couatl has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Shielded Mind. The couatl is immune to scrying and to any effect that would sense its emotions, read its thoughts, or detect its location.
Actions
Multiattack. The couatl makes two Bite attacks and one Constrict attack. Additionally, it uses Spellcasting once.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack:+13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) force damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 24 hours. While poisoned in this way, the target falls asleep and is unconscious. A sleeping target awakens if it takes damage or if someone uses an action to shake or slap it awake.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack:+13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) force damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and it takes 13 (2d6 + 6) force damage at the start of each of its turns. The couatl can constrict only one creature at a time.
Cloud Break (Recharge 6). The couatl conjures four 30-foot-radius, 120-foot-high cylinders of sunlight centered on four different points it can see within 120 feet of it. The sunlight lasts for 1 minute or until the couatl’s concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any creature that enters the sunlight’s area or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or take 28 (8d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On a failure, the target is also blinded for 1 minute. The blinded target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature in the area of more than one cylinder is affected only once.
Change Shape. The couatl magically transforms into a Humanoid or a Beast with a challenge rating of 6 or less. The couatl can choose whether its equipment falls to the ground, melds with its new form, or is worn by the new form. The couatl reverts to its true form if it dies or falls unconscious. The couatl can revert to its true form using a bonus action.
While in a new form, the couatl’s stat block is replaced by the stat block of that form, except the couatl keeps its current hit points, its hit point maximum, this bonus action, its languages and ability to speak, and its Spellcasting action.
The new form’s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunity to nonmagical attacks.
Spellcasting. The couatl casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 22):
The couatl can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The couatl regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Bite. The couatl makes one Bite attack.
Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions). The couatl uses Spellcasting.
Shimmering Aura (Costs 3 Actions). The couatl positive energy into its Aura of Majesty. Until the end of the couatl’s next turn, it sheds bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. Any creature that starts its turn in the bright light must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the couatl’s next turn.
This is the post for my DM and PC options (I don't think it would be fair if I did the inspirational option): the Deathly Light (or the Light Vampire), and the Equestrian background. I only have the Light Vampire down so far, please offer me any advice you can, I haven't homebrewed in several months so I'm very rusty!
@Kaboom979 please change my submission's name to Bahamut or Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon in the OP. I was forced to remove "Bahamut" from my monster's name due to certain d&D Beyond moderators not allowing it for copyright reasons :-(
Also, I am considering creating an Artificer subclass for the player submissions, either based around building a race car or a flying machine.
Join the Competition of the Finest 'Brews XIX!(Or just spectate and vote, that's cool too. Either way, go there. It's awesome, and it'll be even more awesome if you join.)
I have my DM submission ready (well, I think). If I can get on my computer later, I’ll put the link in his post.
EDIT:
And here it is! Blazeguard, a radiant sword that can melt into a whip of pure light! (The link to the whip form is in the comment section.)
Looks very cool!
I think you should allow the wielder to cast the spells that have a casting time of one action in place of one of their attacks. As it is, there is no reason ever for a level 15+ character to give up their entire action to cast a spell like flame strike or guiding bolt. However, if they instead can cast these spells as part of their attack action, they suddenly become quite decent. You could even say they automatically cast flame strike (without friendly fire) centered on the attack's target if they score a critical hit with an attack using the sword.
Another thing I would change is making reactive smite either related to the aura of light or an actual attack with the sword; and I would make the blindness an additional effect (or just in the form of the blinding smite that you can cause at any time by spending charges when you hit with the sword. For me it feels a bit weird that the light-sword can blind enemies for 1 minute, but to blind an enemy, you have to use a reaction in response ot their attack against an ally.
Finally I would increase the sword's DC to at least 19 or maybe even to 20 or 21 (scaling with the attuned creature's DC would be a good alternative, but that only works for spellcaster-exclusive items). 17 is way too low to be meaningful at level 15+, especially on Constitution saving throws and with no way to increase it (whereas other DCs can be increased by magic items that boost stats or directly increase the character's spell save DC). On the other hand I might remove the disadvantage on attack rolls from the aura of the sun, as it seems a bit much to me (regardless of the save DC).
I have added the text for the Equestrian and the Light Vampire now! You can find it here.
The Equestrian background uses the new format presented in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. If anyone wants an alternative version using the old background rules, please let me know and I'll see if I can chuck that in as a bonus.
The Competition of the Finest Brews I - Judged by Yamana_Eajii.
The Competition of the Finest Brews II - Judged by Thauraeln_The_Bold.
The Competition of the Finest Brews III - Judged by TabaxiRogueFighterClericWarlock
The Competition of the Finest Brews IV - Judged by Kaboom979
The Competition of the Finest Brews V - Judged by ThorukDuckSlayer
The Competition of the Finest Brews VI - Judged by Semako
The Competition of the Finest Brews VII - Judged by MilestoGo_24
The Competition of the Finest Brews VIII — Judged by Heartofjuyomk2
The Competition of the Finest Brews IX— Judged by IamSposta
All competitions thus far have contained a multitude of spectacular and inspired entries, so I suggest you check them out if you haven't already . Now, onto the important stuff:
Timeframe
Entries must be submitted before midnight (EST) on September 5th to be considered part of the competition.
Contest Categories
In each Finest Brew contest, there are three categories. These are so that people with skill in creating, say, monsters, don't end up stuck having to make dungeons. Each category is judged separately. There can only be one entrance per category per account. The category types are as follows:
This time, our category themes are:
DM Options: Blinding Radiance
Whether it be natural or divine, light holds the power to dispel darkness and evil. Submit options for this category which pertain to light, the sun and stars, or positive energy and divinity. (This theme was picked by MilestoGo_24, one of the winners of the previous DM category. The other two co-winners rescinded their input on this category so that they could compete in it).
PC Options: Toril Drift
Competitors start your engines! For this category, design a player option which seeks to play into the use of mounts, vehicles, mounted combat, races, and chase sequences.
Inspirational Options: Meyonmon Merridith
Many of you have likely noticed the blurb of text at the beginning of each of these competitions, written by an ex-candlekeep scholar by the name of Meyonmon Merridith. To celebrate the 10th iteration of this competition, this category will seek to explore who Meyonmon Merridith is, why he left Candlekeep, and what he has been up to since. This might include encounters with Meyonmon as an important NPC or quest-giver, a character build, or something related to what he was researching at Candlekeep.
Yamana_Eajii (the character's creator and founder of this competition) has given the following details pertaining to him which can be used as a foundation to build your homebrew off of:
Beyond this, Yamana has indicated that there is not much else already established for this character, and has given us their blessing to build Meyonmon's lore with our homebrew.
Voting
Survey for CotFB X
Voting will start September 6th and will end at noon (EST) on September
18th19th. A Google Forms poll for each category will be posted on this thread, and all may vote on it - including contestants. Scores are assigned using a numerical value from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)Changes to Voting: After discussing with the other winners of the previous competition, we have decided to try a small change to how voting works for this iteration and see how it goes. Instead of assigning a single vote, each entry will receive three numerical scores, one for each of the following criteria:
We are hoping that by giving everyone more criteria to vote on for each entry, you will think about each aspect and not feel the need to cram all of your thoughts into a single number. We are also hoping that having multiple scores contribute to the total will make ties less likely to occur.
Please try to take the time to review and vote for every entry in the categories you vote in, as even one vote can easily sway a competition like this. If there's anything you feel very strongly about, also feel free to review it in the thread! Reviews won't count for anything, but it's nice to get feedback!
Determining Winners
The winner of each, individual category will pick the theme for that category in the next competition. If there is a tie, then they can work together to come up with a theme. If you pick the theme for a category, then you cannot compete in it in the next competition.
Contestants
DM Options: Blinding Radiance
Fellowship of Eilistrae - Semako
Resplendent Couatl - Heartofjuyomk2
Deathly Light - Yamana_Eajii [CATEGORY WINNER]
Blazeguard - Helmut_McQuack
Astral Stream - Kaboom979
Flarebrand - Drumitch
PC Options: Toril Drift
Street Jockey - MilestoGo_24 [CATEGORY WINNER]
Alfa Gnomeo - Heartofjuyomk2
Equestrian - Yamana_Eajii (located further down document)
Revised Mount Rules - quindraco
Four Horsemen Warlock - _Nano
Cloudweaver Ranger - Fornez
Bind Steed - Helmut_McQuack
Inspirational Options: Meyonmon Merridith
The Captured Sage - Boring Bard [CATEGORY WINNER]
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Looks like fun.
For the DM options, I'll probably pull some inspiration from two articles on the "Plane of Radiance" described in Dragon magazine #321, entitled "The Limitless Light" and "Creatures of Brilliance". I recommend them. Perhaps I'll create a more advanced version of the couatl that actually lives up to the mesoamerican winged serpents and the deity Quetzalcoatl.
For the PC option, I'm thinking some sort of gnomish car... the Alfa Gnomeo!
No idea about the inspirational option. I could imagine a magical researcher going rogue and studying things that ought not be studied, so maybe I'll push on that angle.
I suppose I ought to think about what I could submit for the DM category, since I did not pick the theme. I have two wizard subclasses that would work well, but sadly cant submit those for the DM category.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Here is my DM submission: The mighty Bahamut himself! https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2795351-platinum-dragon
Likely I will make some updates to the statblock, and of course I am looking forward to some feedback to improve that statblock :-)
Nice! The Inspirational category is intriguing, the PC awesome, and the DM unexpected but still cool. I can’t wait to see what this iteration holds.
Join the Competition of the Finest 'Brews XIX! (Or just spectate and vote, that's cool too. Either way, go there. It's awesome, and it'll be even more awesome if you join.)
Here’s my PC submission: the Street Jockey background, complete with the fast and the furious reference!
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
I'm going to reserve this post for my "Alfa Gnomeo", a gnomish version of the BG:DiA infernal war machine. The Alfa Gnomeo uses the infernal war machine rules, with the exception that its mishap table is unique.
Alfa Gnomeo
Huge vehicle (2,000 lb.)
Creature Capacity 4 Small creatures
Cargo Capacity 200 lb.
Armor Class 18 (15 while motionless)
Hit Points 50 (damage threshold 5, mishap threshold 10)
Speed 120 ft.
Damage Immunities fire, poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, stunned, unconscious
Crushing Wheels. The Alfa Gnomeo can move through the space of any Medium or smaller creature. When it does, the creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. If the creature was already prone, it takes an extra 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage. This trait can’t be used against a particular creature more than once each turn.
Prone Deficiency. If the Alfa Gnomeo rolls over and falls prone, it can’t right itself and is incapacitated until flipped upright.
Action Stations
Helm (Requires 1 Crew and Grants Three-Quarters Cover). Drive and steer the Alfa Gnomeo.
Tomato Flinger (Requires 1 Crew and Grants Half Cover). Ammunition: 100 tomatoes. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the its next turn.
Bonus Actions
Faerie Fire Cloud. The vehicle’s driver can activate this magical device as a bonus action, causing the vehicle to expel a 30-foot cube of colorful smoke directly in front of it or behind it. The cloud is stationary and lasts for 1 minute. The area within it is heavily obscured. Any creature or object that enters the cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 21 (6d6) radiant damage and is outlined in colorful light as if by the faerie fire spell for 1 minute. A strong wind disperses the cloud. This device needs 24 hours to recharge before it can be used again.
Reactions
Juke. If the Alfa Gnomeo is able to move, the driver can use its reaction to grant the Alfa Gnomeo advantage on a Dexterity saving throw.
Mishaps
I'm going to reserve this post for my DM option, which will likely be the resplendent couatl, a more powerful and intelligent couatl with abilities tied to the air and the sun. I just returned from a trip to Mexico and had the pleasure of visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan, and I was inspired by the ancient culture (and the modern one too)!
Aura of Majesty. Any creature who targets the couatl with an attack or a harmful spell must first make a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw, provided the couatl isn't incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the attack or spell. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to this couatl’s Aura of Majesty for the next 24 hours.
Detect Lies. The couatl knows if it hears a lie.
Freedom of Movement. The couatl ignores difficult terrain, and magical effects can't reduce its speed or cause it to be restrained. It can spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled.
Magic Resistance. The couatl has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Shielded Mind. The couatl is immune to scrying and to any effect that would sense its emotions, read its thoughts, or detect its location.
Multiattack. The couatl makes two Bite attacks and one Constrict attack. Additionally, it uses Spellcasting once.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) force damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 24 hours. While poisoned in this way, the target falls asleep and is unconscious. A sleeping target awakens if it takes damage or if someone uses an action to shake or slap it awake.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) force damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and it takes 13 (2d6 + 6) force damage at the start of each of its turns. The couatl can constrict only one creature at a time.
Cloud Break (Recharge 6). The couatl conjures four 30-foot-radius, 120-foot-high cylinders of sunlight centered on four different points it can see within 120 feet of it. The sunlight lasts for 1 minute or until the couatl’s concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any creature that enters the sunlight’s area or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or take 28 (8d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On a failure, the target is also blinded for 1 minute. The blinded target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature in the area of more than one cylinder is affected only once.
Change Shape. The couatl magically transforms into a Humanoid or a Beast with a challenge rating of 6 or less. The couatl can choose whether its equipment falls to the ground, melds with its new form, or is worn by the new form. The couatl reverts to its true form if it dies or falls unconscious. The couatl can revert to its true form using a bonus action.
While in a new form, the couatl’s stat block is replaced by the stat block of that form, except the couatl keeps its current hit points, its hit point maximum, this bonus action, its languages and ability to speak, and its Spellcasting action.
The new form’s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunity to nonmagical attacks.
Spellcasting. The couatl casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 22):
At will: blur, daylight, detect thoughts, gust of wind, warding wind
3/day each: aura of purity, cure wounds (6th-level version), hypnotic pattern, magic circle (as an action), sunbeam
1/day each: control winds, etherealness, greater restoration, plane shift, prismatic spray, whirlwind
The couatl can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The couatl regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Bite. The couatl makes one Bite attack.
Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions). The couatl uses Spellcasting.
Shimmering Aura (Costs 3 Actions). The couatl positive energy into its Aura of Majesty. Until the end of the couatl’s next turn, it sheds bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. Any creature that starts its turn in the bright light must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the couatl’s next turn.
This is the post for my DM and PC options (I don't think it would be fair if I did the inspirational option): the Deathly Light (or the Light Vampire), and the Equestrian background. I only have the Light Vampire down so far, please offer me any advice you can, I haven't homebrewed in several months so I'm very rusty!
homebrewery link
Frequent Eladrin || They/Them, but accept all pronouns
Luz Noceda would like to remind you that you're worth loving!
Reserving my spot as well, how loose is the term mount? I have some creative ideas but it stretches the term a little
@Kaboom979 please change my submission's name to Bahamut or Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon in the OP. I was forced to remove "Bahamut" from my monster's name due to certain d&D Beyond moderators not allowing it for copyright reasons :-(
Also, I am considering creating an Artificer subclass for the player submissions, either based around building a race car or a flying machine.
These categories look fun! I'm gonna get working on an adventure with Merridith, got the hook in my head but still thinking out the basic premise:)
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!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Im sure whatever it is is fine, but how loose it is could affect how well you score in the "flavor" aspect of voting.
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 have my DM submission ready (well, I think). If I can get on my computer later, I’ll put the link in his post.
EDIT:
And here it is! Blazeguard, a radiant sword that can melt into a whip of pure light! (The link to the whip form is in the comment section.)
Join the Competition of the Finest 'Brews XIX! (Or just spectate and vote, that's cool too. Either way, go there. It's awesome, and it'll be even more awesome if you join.)
Looks very cool!
I think you should allow the wielder to cast the spells that have a casting time of one action in place of one of their attacks. As it is, there is no reason ever for a level 15+ character to give up their entire action to cast a spell like flame strike or guiding bolt. However, if they instead can cast these spells as part of their attack action, they suddenly become quite decent. You could even say they automatically cast flame strike (without friendly fire) centered on the attack's target if they score a critical hit with an attack using the sword.
Another thing I would change is making reactive smite either related to the aura of light or an actual attack with the sword; and I would make the blindness an additional effect (or just in the form of the blinding smite that you can cause at any time by spending charges when you hit with the sword. For me it feels a bit weird that the light-sword can blind enemies for 1 minute, but to blind an enemy, you have to use a reaction in response ot their attack against an ally.
Finally I would increase the sword's DC to at least 19 or maybe even to 20 or 21 (scaling with the attuned creature's DC would be a good alternative, but that only works for spellcaster-exclusive items). 17 is way too low to be meaningful at level 15+, especially on Constitution saving throws and with no way to increase it (whereas other DCs can be increased by magic items that boost stats or directly increase the character's spell save DC). On the other hand I might remove the disadvantage on attack rolls from the aura of the sun, as it seems a bit much to me (regardless of the save DC).
Awesome, I'm excited to get 'brewing! I have some basic ideas so far but nothing more than that.
Good luck everyone!
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
I have added the text for the Equestrian and the Light Vampire now! You can find it here.
The Equestrian background uses the new format presented in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. If anyone wants an alternative version using the old background rules, please let me know and I'll see if I can chuck that in as a bonus.
Frequent Eladrin || They/Them, but accept all pronouns
Luz Noceda would like to remind you that you're worth loving!