Gain an additional attack at levels 5, 9, 13 and 17.
Greater Defense
+3 bonus to AC.
Resilient Warrior
You have unlimited uses for your hit die.
You recover one expended use of long rest abilities when you short rest.
Buffs to Wizard, Cleric, Druid, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock
Superior Magic Initiative
Gain the Magic Initiative feat of your respective class.
You can cast any spell on your list whenever you use the feat.
You can cast and upcast the spell learned by the feat with a regular spell slot as if you have learned or prepared it.
Buffs to Ranger, Paladin
Multiattack Levels
Gain an additional attack at levels 5 and 13.
Defense
+1 bonus to AC.
Resilient Magic Initiative
Gain the Magic Initiative feat of a specific class as follows:
Ranger: Druid.
Paladin: Cleric.
Regain the use of this feat after a short rest.
Buffs to everyone
Extra Action
If you have not used your movement or bonus action this turn, you can combine both to perform any actions except for the Attack, Cast a Spell, or Dodge actions.
Faster Short Rest
Short Rests take 30 minutes.
Notes for martials:
I never understood why your ability to cast spells progresses, but your attacks only progress at level 5. You could argue it's to balance magic weapons... but what about wands and staffs? I think it's also lame from a role-playing perspective that a 5-level and a 20-level barbarian attack the same way.
Greater defense strengthens their role as tanks and gives critical help to the frontline Monks and Rogues with d8 for health and 14 AC. If they are going to tank strong creatures with 10+ to hit or be surrounded by multiple minions (all with an advantage), they need it.
Everyone knows about the "resourceless" fallacy, that hit die ends faster than spell slots. Also, having a unique way of recharging your abilities adds value to them. Even though they are not as numerous or good as spells, you can recover them easily, balancing it out and making them really resourceless.
Note for casters: This gives a pretty cool buff to Wizards so they do not feel sad to not get anything.
Note for half-casters: It gives their casting a more personality of being an "encounter-based" caster, fitting for being half martial, and tightens the gap between full casters while not outshining full martials.
Note for general buffs: Now, players have the opportunity to do their standard thing (attack or cast a spell) and still have the option to think about an interesting outside-of-the-box Action to do. I think that makes combat more interesting, as players will have the opportunity to: drink potions, use the environment in their favor, trip/shove/intimidate enemies, the sky is the limit!
The short rest buff is to help martial classes and the warlock mostly. Also, it is more fitting that a short rest is short instead of taking a full hour.
Last but not least, addressing mass combat. Wizards have Meteor Swarm, Fire Ball, and Cone of Cold. However, there's no mechanic in the game to satisfy the fantasy of the one high-level fighter that can beat multiple weaker enemies. So I created a mechanic that, if the opponents are weak enough, you can treat a cluster of them as a swarm, as a Swarm of Rats, or Swarm of Bats, meaning whenever you attack the swarm you uniformly deal damage to all of them:
Swarming
Conditions:
It must be a weapon or an unarmed attack
Your level must be at least equal to 5+ 2*[highest CR in swarm]
For melee: Creatures within reach and adjoined
For range: Creatures within reach and in a contiguous line
Number of creatures: your level.
Under these conditions, when you attack the creatures, they are a swarm to you, meaning each attack counts for all of them.
The highest AC within the creatures is the AC of the swarm.
Players may choose which creatures to swarm as long as they follow the conditions.
Weapon or unarmed damage affects the whole swarm, additional effects may affect a creature of choice within the swarm.
Note: IDK I just really like the idea that I can throw normal creatures and the martial will be able to do cool stuff, instead of having to keep homebrewing low level creatures into swarms.
The problem with the above is that it would take forever to combat in a very boring way. If you want martials to "progress" more, I'd suggest just have them add their level to the damage from a weapon attack / unarmed strike. Then your level 20 barbarian dealing 2x 1d12+7 (STR) + 6 (Rage) +20 (level) damage feels much more powerful than your level 5 barbarian dealing 2x 1d12+4+2+5 damage. As a side benefit it also makes your choice of weapon less important at higher levels, a level 20 barbarian will do more damage using an improvized table leg than a level 5 barbarian will do with a greataxe.
Gain an additional attack at levels 5, 9, 13 and 17.
Greater Defense
+3 bonus to AC.
Resilient Warrior
You have unlimited uses for your hit die.
You recover one expended use of long rest abilities when you short rest.
Buffs to Wizard, Cleric, Druid, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock
Superior Magic Initiative
Gain the Magic Initiative feat of your respective class.
You can cast any spell on your list whenever you use the feat.
You can cast and upcast the spell learned by the feat with a regular spell slot as if you have learned or prepared it.
Buffs to Ranger, Paladin
Multiattack Levels
Gain an additional attack at levels 5 and 13.
Defense
+1 bonus to AC.
Resilient Magic Initiative
Gain the Magic Initiative feat of a specific class as follows:
Ranger: Druid.
Paladin: Cleric.
Regain the use of this feat after a short rest.
Buffs to everyone
Extra Action
If you have not used your movement or bonus action this turn, you can combine both to perform any actions except for the Attack, Cast a Spell, or Dodge actions.
Faster Short Rest
Short Rests take 30 minutes.
Notes for martials:
I never understood why your ability to cast spells progresses, but your attacks only progress at level 5. You could argue it's to balance magic weapons... but what about wands and staffs? I think it's also lame from a role-playing perspective that a 5-level and a 20-level barbarian attack the same way.
Greater defense strengthens their role as tanks and gives critical help to the frontline Monks and Rogues with d8 for health and 14 AC. If they are going to tank strong creatures with 10+ to hit or be surrounded by multiple minions (all with an advantage), they need it.
Everyone knows about the "resourceless" fallacy, that hit die ends faster than spell slots. Also, having a unique way of recharging your abilities adds value to them. Even though they are not as numerous or good as spells, you can recover them easily, balancing it out and making them really resourceless.
Note for casters: This gives a pretty cool buff to Wizards so they do not feel sad to not get anything.
Note for half-casters: It gives their casting a more personality of being an "encounter-based" caster, fitting for being half martial, and tightens the gap between full casters while not outshining full martials.
Note for general buffs: Now, players have the opportunity to do their standard thing (attack or cast a spell) and still have the option to think about an interesting outside-of-the-box Action to do. I think that makes combat more interesting, as players will have the opportunity to: drink potions, use the environment in their favor, trip/shove/intimidate enemies, the sky is the limit!
The short rest buff is to help martial classes and the warlock mostly. Also, it is more fitting that a short rest is short instead of taking a full hour.
Last but not least, addressing mass combat. Wizards have Meteor Swarm, Fire Ball, and Cone of Cold. However, there's no mechanic in the game to satisfy the fantasy of the one high-level fighter that can beat multiple weaker enemies. So I created a mechanic that, if the opponents are weak enough, you can treat a cluster of them as a swarm, as a Swarm of Rats, or Swarm of Bats, meaning whenever you attack the swarm you uniformly deal damage to all of them:
Swarming
Conditions:
It must be a weapon or an unarmed attack
Your level must be at least equal to 5+ 2*[highest CR in swarm]
For melee: Creatures within reach and adjoined
For range: Creatures within reach and in a contiguous line
Number of creatures: your level.
Under these conditions, when you attack the creatures, they are a swarm to you, meaning each attack counts for all of them.
The highest AC within the creatures is the AC of the swarm.
Players may choose which creatures to swarm as long as they follow the conditions.
Weapon or unarmed damage affects the whole swarm, additional effects may affect a creature of choice within the swarm.
Note: IDK I just really like the idea that I can throw normal creatures and the martial will be able to do cool stuff, instead of having to keep homebrewing low level creatures into swarms.
Im really sorry but this is really strong. Like its busted bro.
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Buffs to Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian, Monk
Multiattack Levels
Greater Defense
Resilient Warrior
Buffs to Wizard, Cleric, Druid, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock
Superior Magic Initiative
Buffs to Ranger, Paladin
Multiattack Levels
Defense
Resilient Magic Initiative
Buffs to everyone
Extra Action
Faster Short Rest
Notes for martials:
I never understood why your ability to cast spells progresses, but your attacks only progress at level 5. You could argue it's to balance magic weapons... but what about wands and staffs? I think it's also lame from a role-playing perspective that a 5-level and a 20-level barbarian attack the same way.
Greater defense strengthens their role as tanks and gives critical help to the frontline Monks and Rogues with d8 for health and 14 AC. If they are going to tank strong creatures with 10+ to hit or be surrounded by multiple minions (all with an advantage), they need it.
Everyone knows about the "resourceless" fallacy, that hit die ends faster than spell slots. Also, having a unique way of recharging your abilities adds value to them. Even though they are not as numerous or good as spells, you can recover them easily, balancing it out and making them really resourceless.
Note for casters: This gives a pretty cool buff to Wizards so they do not feel sad to not get anything.
Note for half-casters: It gives their casting a more personality of being an "encounter-based" caster, fitting for being half martial, and tightens the gap between full casters while not outshining full martials.
Note for general buffs: Now, players have the opportunity to do their standard thing (attack or cast a spell) and still have the option to think about an interesting outside-of-the-box Action to do. I think that makes combat more interesting, as players will have the opportunity to: drink potions, use the environment in their favor, trip/shove/intimidate enemies, the sky is the limit!
The short rest buff is to help martial classes and the warlock mostly. Also, it is more fitting that a short rest is short instead of taking a full hour.
Last but not least, addressing mass combat. Wizards have Meteor Swarm, Fire Ball, and Cone of Cold. However, there's no mechanic in the game to satisfy the fantasy of the one high-level fighter that can beat multiple weaker enemies. So I created a mechanic that, if the opponents are weak enough, you can treat a cluster of them as a swarm, as a Swarm of Rats, or Swarm of Bats, meaning whenever you attack the swarm you uniformly deal damage to all of them:
Swarming
Note: IDK I just really like the idea that I can throw normal creatures and the martial will be able to do cool stuff, instead of having to keep homebrewing low level creatures into swarms.
The problem with the above is that it would take forever to combat in a very boring way. If you want martials to "progress" more, I'd suggest just have them add their level to the damage from a weapon attack / unarmed strike. Then your level 20 barbarian dealing 2x 1d12+7 (STR) + 6 (Rage) +20 (level) damage feels much more powerful than your level 5 barbarian dealing 2x 1d12+4+2+5 damage. As a side benefit it also makes your choice of weapon less important at higher levels, a level 20 barbarian will do more damage using an improvized table leg than a level 5 barbarian will do with a greataxe.
Im really sorry but this is really strong. Like its busted bro.