I'm working with some aura effects for a homebrew class. And I'm struggling to find the right balance. Auras in DnD are not very common, but they're strong. The easiest way to limit an aura is to limit its number of uses. Either through a spell slot, or a rest mechanic refresh.
A Paladin's Aura of Protection is one of its best features. It is always 'On.' But it's limited in a few ways. It has a short range. It doesn't come online until 6th level. And even though Saving Throw bonuses are a big deal, it doesn't happen all the time. It's not something that normally has any effect on the party when sitting around the tavern, haggling with merchants, or even fighting every monster. It's a bonus that is very important when you need it, but not especially common. The DM controls how often it's useful.
A spore druid's Halo of Spores comes into play at only level 2, but it's not very strong. It does 1d4 damage, and the target has to fulfill a condition (move within 10 feet of the druid), and fail a CON save. The druid also has to use their Reaction. And even though it's technically a kind of 'aura,' it can only affect one person a turn. A druid probably doesn't have a ton of Reactions competing for their attention, but it does serve as the limiter for one target per turn.
Something like Aura of Vitality grants a very nice benefit of healing someone 2d6 HP per turn. But it's a spell, so it is limited by its spell level (3), requiring a spell slot to cast, and concentration. This effect is obviously way too strong for an 'always on aura.'
So I see some examples to limit persistent auras as:
Level requirement
Range
Action Economy
Number of targets
Frequency of application
Saves to avoid effects
Is there anything else anyone can think of? I'm hoping to make nice features without breaking the game. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Yeah that's fair. Sorry about that, I worried that might make it harder after I posted.
I'm planning to have a number of different auras, with more options based on subclasses. Once I have the specifics I will post them here to fine tune them. I basically just wanted to get them at least decent from the start so I didn't waste a lot of time scrapping the whole system if it doesn't work.
They will mostly be along the lines of Divine powers. Healing and buffs. Healing is really hard without having 'uses' limited by slots or rest mechanics refresh. The only thing I can think of is Temp HP, which is self-limiting and can't be used on characters at 0. For buffs anything is on the table. I'm trying to avoid spell slots entirely. Short or Long Rest uses are okay, but would be a last resort if I can't think of anything else.
I guess at this stage, I'm just looking for the right dials to turn, so to speak. I'm sorry if that's not very helpful yet. I might post some concepts in stages if needed.
One other existing guideline to look at would be the Ascendant Dragon monk subclass. They get a limited-use, 1-min aura with a couple choices at 11 and an additional effect upon activation at 17.
I'm working with some aura effects for a homebrew class. And I'm struggling to find the right balance. Auras in DnD are not very common, but they're strong. The easiest way to limit an aura is to limit its number of uses. Either through a spell slot, or a rest mechanic refresh.
A Paladin's Aura of Protection is one of its best features. It is always 'On.' But it's limited in a few ways. It has a short range. It doesn't come online until 6th level. And even though Saving Throw bonuses are a big deal, it doesn't happen all the time. It's not something that normally has any effect on the party when sitting around the tavern, haggling with merchants, or even fighting every monster. It's a bonus that is very important when you need it, but not especially common. The DM controls how often it's useful.
A spore druid's Halo of Spores comes into play at only level 2, but it's not very strong. It does 1d4 damage, and the target has to fulfill a condition (move within 10 feet of the druid), and fail a CON save. The druid also has to use their Reaction. And even though it's technically a kind of 'aura,' it can only affect one person a turn. A druid probably doesn't have a ton of Reactions competing for their attention, but it does serve as the limiter for one target per turn.
Something like Aura of Vitality grants a very nice benefit of healing someone 2d6 HP per turn. But it's a spell, so it is limited by its spell level (3), requiring a spell slot to cast, and concentration. This effect is obviously way too strong for an 'always on aura.'
So I see some examples to limit persistent auras as:
Level requirement
Range
Action Economy
Number of targets
Frequency of application
Saves to avoid effects
Is there anything else anyone can think of? I'm hoping to make nice features without breaking the game. Thanks in advance for any advice!
What exactly are you thinking for your auras to do/be? It’s hard to come up with balancing factors without knowing what is being balanced.
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Yeah that's fair. Sorry about that, I worried that might make it harder after I posted.
I'm planning to have a number of different auras, with more options based on subclasses. Once I have the specifics I will post them here to fine tune them. I basically just wanted to get them at least decent from the start so I didn't waste a lot of time scrapping the whole system if it doesn't work.
They will mostly be along the lines of Divine powers. Healing and buffs. Healing is really hard without having 'uses' limited by slots or rest mechanics refresh. The only thing I can think of is Temp HP, which is self-limiting and can't be used on characters at 0. For buffs anything is on the table. I'm trying to avoid spell slots entirely. Short or Long Rest uses are okay, but would be a last resort if I can't think of anything else.
I guess at this stage, I'm just looking for the right dials to turn, so to speak. I'm sorry if that's not very helpful yet. I might post some concepts in stages if needed.
One other existing guideline to look at would be the Ascendant Dragon monk subclass. They get a limited-use, 1-min aura with a couple choices at 11 and an additional effect upon activation at 17.
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
Thank you! I don't have Fizban's so I hadn't thought of that one. Another nice example to help me figure this out.