Hey i would love to get some feedback about my homebrewed paladin subclass. I have never homebrewed something before so this is my first try and i tried to keep it balanced.
Oath of Blood
A paladin taking a blood oath, is taking a major decision in his life. In contrary to other oaths, a blood oath is a ritual that requires a sacrifice of his own blood to create a powerful bond which he holds sacred. Breaking this bond would not only be a disgrace to his fellowship but to himself as well. A person who has sworn this sacred oath by which whom he is bounded by blood to a person, deity, idea or following. Being bounded by blood means willing to sacrifice your own lifeforce to protect others.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Blood Empowerment. You can use your Channel Divinity to empower your Hemocraft for 1 minute. As a bonus action you can chose to empower the next spell you cast, by sacrificing some lifeforce. When you cast a spell that allows you to roll damage or healing die, you can decide to choose to roll one extra die and add that roll to the total. You take that much health damage. Empowering your spells in this manner must be stated before rolling the extra die.
Sanguine Shield. You can use your Channel Divinity to empower thy mind, body and soul. As a reaction you can use Channel Divinity to focus on oneself and add your proficiency bonus to a saving throw.
Aura of Bloodletting
7th-level Oath of Blood feature
Beginning at 7 level, your mind body and soul has endured so much sacrifice where you have become attuned to the loss of lifeforce. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage from non-magical sources.
At 18 level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Sanguine Endowment
15th-level Oath of Blood feature
Starting at 15 level, your Hemocraft magic has evolved to a point where you have almost mastered it. When using Blood Empowerment, you can choose to add an additional die to the spell rolls. Also, you gain resistance to the health damage taken while using Blood Empowerment.
Your focus on oneself has made you attune to your surroundings. When using Sanguine Shield, you may also add your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class. Also, your passive perception is increased by your proficiency modifier, and you gain proficiency to the Perception skill.
Ultimate Sacrifice
20th – level Oath of Blood feature
At 20 level, sacrifice has been a major part of your life and giving your lifeforce away to help others is nothing but second nature to you. Once per long rest you can transfer your own health to one willing creature and healing them for the same amount. For example, if you remove 40 hit points from yourself, another willing creature can add this to their health pool.
Please leave a comment on the subclass it self or on this thread with your suggestions. I would also loved if you would quickly answer the poll so i get a more broader spectrum, since i would love to improve it further.
The Channel Divinity options are rather weak, and using the 15th level ability to buff one of them is essentially an empty bonus because you only get to use Channel Divinity once per rest, so likely no more than three per day. Each use should be powerful and capable of turning the tide of combat. I would lean into the hemocraft with this one; huge buffs that make you take a lot of damage. For context on how weak these options are, some of the others let you: retroactively add +10 to an attack roll after you see the result; after being hit by an attack, the attacker must make a wisdom save. On a fail they take damage equal to the damage dealt, or half as much on a success: give you advantage on all rolls against a chosen creature for the next minute; and the Storm Cleric's infamous divine wrath, maximizing thunder and lightning damage for one spell. In contrast, the options here will give somewhere between an average of 2.5-6.5 extra damage for one spell, or or a +2-6 to one saving throw depending on your level. I would make Blood Empowerment deal a huge flat damage bonus determined by the level of the spell, but deal a lot of damage to you in return. Sanguine Shield could either give a large boost to one save (enough to make it an almost guaranteed success; +10 or greater) or a weaker boost over time. (say over the next minute) I would also choose a new 15th level ability, as Channel Divinity should be good on its own at all stages of the game.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I write homebrew and don't publish it. (evil, I know)
Thank you for taking a look and adding your perspective to it. When making the subclass i kind off forgot that channel divinity is basically once per short rest, so i will make some changes to make that a little bit stronger . Also you are right the level 15 ability is way underpowered compared to other level 15 paladin abilities.
I would reword blood empowerment so that it can also be used on Smites, because I feel like that's a thing the player may want to do.
The 7th-level feature is probably too good, and that's kind of the Barbarian's whole deal anyway. A paladin walking around in full plate with a shield AND a permanent version of the Barbarian's most powerful and distinguishing defensive feature that can also be granted to nearby allies is too much. And I'm not sure it fits thematically anyway.
"Aura of Bloodletting" sounds like an offensive buff to me. +CHA to damage rolls or something like that.
"sacrifice for the greater good" Is a tenet, then right below "Neither good nor evil" saying they are neutral always. these tenets as worded, contradict each other, you cannot sacrifice for the greater good while staying neutral. and you can't be neutral if you sacrifice always for the greater good. The Oath of blood even describes as "A person who has sworn this sacred oath by which whom he is bounded by blood to a person, deity, idea or following. Being bounded by blood means willing to sacrifice your own lifeforce to protect others." This does not seem neutral either.
Because I am a firm believer in you actually play the tenets of the paladin or your paladin becomes an "oathbreaker" and once a paladin breaks an oath to one god, what other gods would believe them to follow the tenets and oath to them? This is a problem. I like the overall concept. The tenets, is a problem from jump.
I did not vote, as there was no option on the vote that fit the thing I noticed.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blank
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hey i would love to get some feedback about my homebrewed paladin subclass. I have never homebrewed something before so this is my first try and i tried to keep it balanced.
Oath of Blood
A paladin taking a blood oath, is taking a major decision in his life. In contrary to other oaths, a blood oath is a ritual that requires a sacrifice of his own blood to create a powerful bond which he holds sacred. Breaking this bond would not only be a disgrace to his fellowship but to himself as well. A person who has sworn this sacred oath by which whom he is bounded by blood to a person, deity, idea or following. Being bounded by blood means willing to sacrifice your own lifeforce to protect others.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
Paladin Level
Spells
3rd
Cure Wounds, Inflict Wounds
5th
Prayer of healing, Wither and Bloom
9th
Bestow curse, Life Transference
13th
Aura of life, Shadow of Moil
17th
Dispel Evil and Good, Mass Cure Wounds
Channel Divinity
3rd -level Oath of Blood feature
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
Blood Empowerment. You can use your Channel Divinity to empower your Hemocraft for 1 minute. As a bonus action you can chose to empower the next spell you cast, by sacrificing some lifeforce. When you cast a spell that allows you to roll damage or healing die, you can decide to choose to roll one extra die and add that roll to the total. You take that much health damage. Empowering your spells in this manner must be stated before rolling the extra die.
Sanguine Shield. You can use your Channel Divinity to empower thy mind, body and soul. As a reaction you can use Channel Divinity to focus on oneself and add your proficiency bonus to a saving throw.
Aura of Bloodletting
7th-level Oath of Blood feature
Beginning at 7 level, your mind body and soul has endured so much sacrifice where you have become attuned to the loss of lifeforce. You and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have resistance to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning damage from non-magical sources.
At 18 level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Sanguine Endowment
15th-level Oath of Blood feature
Starting at 15 level, your Hemocraft magic has evolved to a point where you have almost mastered it. When using Blood Empowerment, you can choose to add an additional die to the spell rolls. Also, you gain resistance to the health damage taken while using Blood Empowerment.
Your focus on oneself has made you attune to your surroundings. When using Sanguine Shield, you may also add your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class. Also, your passive perception is increased by your proficiency modifier, and you gain proficiency to the Perception skill.
Ultimate Sacrifice
20th – level Oath of Blood feature
At 20 level, sacrifice has been a major part of your life and giving your lifeforce away to help others is nothing but second nature to you. Once per long rest you can transfer your own health to one willing creature and healing them for the same amount. For example, if you remove 40 hit points from yourself, another willing creature can add this to their health pool.
Please leave a comment on the subclass it self or on this thread with your suggestions. I would also loved if you would quickly answer the poll so i get a more broader spectrum, since i would love to improve it further.
Link to subclass
Much thanks and would love to see a comment soon.
LessThan3 <3
Don't Forget to Love all
<3
The Channel Divinity options are rather weak, and using the 15th level ability to buff one of them is essentially an empty bonus because you only get to use Channel Divinity once per rest, so likely no more than three per day. Each use should be powerful and capable of turning the tide of combat. I would lean into the hemocraft with this one; huge buffs that make you take a lot of damage. For context on how weak these options are, some of the others let you: retroactively add +10 to an attack roll after you see the result; after being hit by an attack, the attacker must make a wisdom save. On a fail they take damage equal to the damage dealt, or half as much on a success: give you advantage on all rolls against a chosen creature for the next minute; and the Storm Cleric's infamous divine wrath, maximizing thunder and lightning damage for one spell. In contrast, the options here will give somewhere between an average of 2.5-6.5 extra damage for one spell, or or a +2-6 to one saving throw depending on your level. I would make Blood Empowerment deal a huge flat damage bonus determined by the level of the spell, but deal a lot of damage to you in return. Sanguine Shield could either give a large boost to one save (enough to make it an almost guaranteed success; +10 or greater) or a weaker boost over time. (say over the next minute) I would also choose a new 15th level ability, as Channel Divinity should be good on its own at all stages of the game.
I write homebrew and don't publish it. (evil, I know)
Thank you for taking a look and adding your perspective to it. When making the subclass i kind off forgot that channel divinity is basically once per short rest, so i will make some changes to make that a little bit stronger . Also you are right the level 15 ability is way underpowered compared to other level 15 paladin abilities.
Don't Forget to Love all
<3
I would reword blood empowerment so that it can also be used on Smites, because I feel like that's a thing the player may want to do.
The 7th-level feature is probably too good, and that's kind of the Barbarian's whole deal anyway. A paladin walking around in full plate with a shield AND a permanent version of the Barbarian's most powerful and distinguishing defensive feature that can also be granted to nearby allies is too much. And I'm not sure it fits thematically anyway.
"Aura of Bloodletting" sounds like an offensive buff to me. +CHA to damage rolls or something like that.
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
"sacrifice for the greater good" Is a tenet, then right below "Neither good nor evil" saying they are neutral always. these tenets as worded, contradict each other, you cannot sacrifice for the greater good while staying neutral. and you can't be neutral if you sacrifice always for the greater good. The Oath of blood even describes as "A person who has sworn this sacred oath by which whom he is bounded by blood to a person, deity, idea or following. Being bounded by blood means willing to sacrifice your own lifeforce to protect others." This does not seem neutral either.
Because I am a firm believer in you actually play the tenets of the paladin or your paladin becomes an "oathbreaker" and once a paladin breaks an oath to one god, what other gods would believe them to follow the tenets and oath to them? This is a problem. I like the overall concept. The tenets, is a problem from jump.
I did not vote, as there was no option on the vote that fit the thing I noticed.
Blank