I have been playing D&D 4th edition for years and my party recently decided to change things up and move over to 5th edition to take advantage of this website. Problem is my character is a human possessed by a fire demon. Two minds one body great fun to play as 90% of what my character does is one roll away from burn down the farm or saving the children. Needless to say had to make a homebrew race, would really like to hear what people think and if you have any suggestion id like to hear them. Keep in mind this is a working progress still some things i need to figure out how to make it work with in the limitations of the app but im getting there. The race is call Possessed if you can't find it here's the link below.
Two Minds is where we see the beginnings of an issue. Playing two classes is difficult for the player and for other party members, it slows down gameplay as the player switches mindsets and the other players may feel like the player is too powerful. A class is very defining and assuming you're working with the same stats across the board, you're not going to be good at one of those classes. On the issue of speed, switching personalities every round is probably too much. If I was playtesting this, I would forget this rule pretty quickly and perhaps switch minds before or after combat.
In 5e the small increases and decreases have been done away with for the more streamed line advantage and disadvantage, whenever you use a +/-, replace it with advantage or disadvantage. However, in the way you've written the trait, you've made it far too powerful, removing the incremental bonuses would be the best strategy.
Infernal is the language of devils, not demons.
Demons don't have elemental origins, unless they are tied to a specific demon lord or are a specific demon. I would give them something similar to the tiefling's traits.
In 5e there is no "Bloodied" condition. You could say when a creature is at half hit points. Consider the mechanics in the lizardfolk's hungry jaws.
Also, what happens to the Ability Score Increase?
Overall, this is a fun concept, however, I wouldn't use this race. I would make a tiefling warlock/barbarian, describe my character as human, and roleplay the split mind.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Thanks for you input as we have yet to start playing 5th its good to have someone's experience. You pointed out some flaws that i myself had notice and some new ones. Im aware that demons don't really have element ties but in a effort to give the class more options other than fire i used that wording just lack of a better idea at the time. Demon maybe the wrong word maybe more of a evil spirit. I don't know semantics i will figure it out.
You're definitely right about the advantage/disadvantage that was one of my main worry, i will revise it and come up with a more fair way.
As for game play i played this character for years now and find it does slow the game down. Often i will roll before my turn or keep the roll to myself that way what i choose to do is often a surprise to the party. I try to play the character like both minds are always present it's just the one mind speaks louder then the other whilst the other mind is like the little voice in your head telling you to be good or bad just one sided. But you're not wrong it does add a element of difficult to the game and it really isn't for first timers.
As for too powerful the idea for the character was always to be very inconsistent when its good, its good but when it's bad you tank hard. The number of time i have come close to dying far out ways the number of time iv cut a ogre in two but it has happened. For that reason i like the idea that you can never be the best at any one class. But there seems to be some major difference with 4th and 5th and i will review the stats and game play.
Thanks again for you input look forward to further input with future versions.
Reviced flavour text let me know what you think should have the new version of the race done by tomorrow.
Daeva are evil spirits that are spiteful, cruel and chaotic creature mainly due in part to the fact that they do not possesses a soul to call their own. Thus they do not fear the consequences of their action. There chaotic nature often means they are mistakenly called demons or devils by humans. These spirits are born from the remanence of a tortured soul or vanished demons that attaches itself to some form of magic usual from their past, most will tend towards the element spectrum magic as it is the most abundant in all realms. Most spirits favour the fire element as it both destruction and rebirth, but it is just as common to find them as other magic powers such as ice, earth, acid, necrotic. Some have even been known to have power over the un-dead, or control other forms of dark magic. It doesn't matter where they draw their power from they have little to no power in the mortal realm. In order to survive and harness their power they must possess a mortal beings soul and there is no easier prey than Humans. It is there strengths and adaptability that make them perfect physical host. Humans also possesses variety of flaws such as greed, lust, envy, even the allure of immortality make them easy targets for spirits to prey upon.
A possessed human is identical to any other human in appearance with the only distinct difference being the colour of their eyes. Which will often be a shade of red the brightness and colour will be dependent on the host original eye colour.
How someone becomes possessed can be broken into two main groups:
1: Involuntary. This is where the Daeva possesses a individual by force, the daeva can often be removed without too much trauma to the host. However due to the forceful nature of the possess the host soul tends to burn out much faster and thus the demons prefer the second option.
2: Voluntary: this is were a Daeva is accepted willingly by the host. Often this is done by trickery through promises of strength, weath, or immortality. This method fuse the daeva and host soul together thus it is said to be impossible to separate the two. In this form the daeva is able to survive for many years, while the host body will stay young and strong for as long as host soul still burns. However as time passes the hosts will to live fades and so does their soul. Although the soul is bound to a daeva it is still the property of the host and like any flame if you starve of oxygen it will eventually go out and in doing so the host body will wither and die.
Like any parasite the Daeva's take all it can from its host and in most cases the host usual dies not long after possession. In these circumstances the host is little more than a passenger or prisoner in there own body powerless to do anything.
However in rare case the hosts will to live has been stronger enough to fight back which cause a power struggle between host and daeva. Which almost always ends in mutual destruction but not always, sometimes a truce or agreement is reached were the Daeva takes on more of a symbiotic relationship. Although the two are joined forever they exist in a state of limbo where the Daeva gains the benefit of having a soul, but is unable to corrupt it or consume it. Which grants the Host immortality, along with a few other hand tricks as long as they can maintain the balance between the two of them. The downside is that only one mind can be in control at a time and the constant switch between minds often means the host is seen as insane and driven into a life exile.
I'm glad I could help. Demons typically have resistance to cold, lightning, and fire. Demons and devils are two distinct groups of fiends. Demons are chaotic and destructive, devils show more intention and are easier to make deals with.
I will differ to your experience, but I would watch this very closely and not be surprised when the DM nerfs it.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Please note that published homebrew content should be, to the best of your ability, complete and tested prior to publishing to the community. There will often be a need to publish revisions though due to feedback though - Wizards of the Coast does this themselves.
I can see that this race would certainly add a lot of chaos to any adventuring group that it is part of!
There's no current mechanic to be able to have multiple classes that can be switched between, so mechanically the race doesn't (can't) function as described - is your intention to maintain two separate character sheets?
In the past when i have played this race i use two separate spell lists one for ranger and one for the cleric. This was because i thought that multiclassing in 4th editions was to OP. As the ranger was the host body all the states class feats and etc stayed the same and only the spells of the clerics where used when he was the dominate mind. Now that we are changing over to 5th edition i thought it time to modify or at least streamline the race and found that the way multiclassing was set up worked a lot better and aloud me to play the race as i had originally intend. All though i have yet to play the race in 5th edition i have in fact had over 3 years play testing and adapting this race. That is why i am confident in what i have submitted, i have also strived to make the race more universal than it originally start, with the adding of other types of Daevas not just fire. Perhaps i should explain better how to play the race. As it stands i plan on using just one character sheets and roleplaying the split personality, by rolling a D20 to help determine which mind is dominate i found it streamline the decision making process and adds a element of chance or Chaos to the game. My intention was never to make a overpowered race but rather to make random underdog that would more than often let you down only to than somehow come out on top in the end.
I'd be happy to have any tips or points you might have as to how to improve what i have started. I'd be happy to hand the reins over to anyone that thinks they can do a better job i honestly think the race has potential and would like the experience of others to further its evolution.
I just relised what you ment about the race not working with the game mechanics didn't even accure to me that at 1st level you cant multiclass i will review and find a solution. I over looked it cause we are playing with old charictors we are starting at level 8. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Hi fellow homebrewers,
I have been playing D&D 4th edition for years and my party recently decided to change things up and move over to 5th edition to take advantage of this website. Problem is my character is a human possessed by a fire demon. Two minds one body great fun to play as 90% of what my character does is one roll away from burn down the farm or saving the children. Needless to say had to make a homebrew race, would really like to hear what people think and if you have any suggestion id like to hear them. Keep in mind this is a working progress still some things i need to figure out how to make it work with in the limitations of the app but im getting there. The race is call Possessed if you can't find it here's the link below.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/homebrew/creations/view?entityTypeId=1228963568&id=30682
Welcome to the forums LordCarnage!
I assume you're referring to this race.
Two Minds is where we see the beginnings of an issue. Playing two classes is difficult for the player and for other party members, it slows down gameplay as the player switches mindsets and the other players may feel like the player is too powerful. A class is very defining and assuming you're working with the same stats across the board, you're not going to be good at one of those classes. On the issue of speed, switching personalities every round is probably too much. If I was playtesting this, I would forget this rule pretty quickly and perhaps switch minds before or after combat.
In 5e the small increases and decreases have been done away with for the more streamed line advantage and disadvantage, whenever you use a +/-, replace it with advantage or disadvantage. However, in the way you've written the trait, you've made it far too powerful, removing the incremental bonuses would be the best strategy.
Infernal is the language of devils, not demons.
Demons don't have elemental origins, unless they are tied to a specific demon lord or are a specific demon. I would give them something similar to the tiefling's traits.
In 5e there is no "Bloodied" condition. You could say when a creature is at half hit points. Consider the mechanics in the lizardfolk's hungry jaws.
Also, what happens to the Ability Score Increase?
Overall, this is a fun concept, however, I wouldn't use this race. I would make a tiefling warlock/barbarian, describe my character as human, and roleplay the split mind.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Hi Astromancer,
Thanks for you input as we have yet to start playing 5th its good to have someone's experience. You pointed out some flaws that i myself had notice and some new ones. Im aware that demons don't really have element ties but in a effort to give the class more options other than fire i used that wording just lack of a better idea at the time. Demon maybe the wrong word maybe more of a evil spirit. I don't know semantics i will figure it out.
You're definitely right about the advantage/disadvantage that was one of my main worry, i will revise it and come up with a more fair way.
As for game play i played this character for years now and find it does slow the game down. Often i will roll before my turn or keep the roll to myself that way what i choose to do is often a surprise to the party. I try to play the character like both minds are always present it's just the one mind speaks louder then the other whilst the other mind is like the little voice in your head telling you to be good or bad just one sided. But you're not wrong it does add a element of difficult to the game and it really isn't for first timers.
As for too powerful the idea for the character was always to be very inconsistent when its good, its good but when it's bad you tank hard. The number of time i have come close to dying far out ways the number of time iv cut a ogre in two but it has happened. For that reason i like the idea that you can never be the best at any one class. But there seems to be some major difference with 4th and 5th and i will review the stats and game play.
Thanks again for you input look forward to further input with future versions.
Reviced flavour text let me know what you think should have the new version of the race done by tomorrow.
Daeva are evil spirits that are spiteful, cruel and chaotic creature mainly due in part to the fact that they do not possesses a soul to call their own. Thus they do not fear the consequences of their action. There chaotic nature often means they are mistakenly called demons or devils by humans. These spirits are born from the remanence of a tortured soul or vanished demons that attaches itself to some form of magic usual from their past, most will tend towards the element spectrum magic as it is the most abundant in all realms. Most spirits favour the fire element as it both destruction and rebirth, but it is just as common to find them as other magic powers such as ice, earth, acid, necrotic. Some have even been known to have power over the un-dead, or control other forms of dark magic. It doesn't matter where they draw their power from they have little to no power in the mortal realm. In order to survive and harness their power they must possess a mortal beings soul and there is no easier prey than Humans. It is there strengths and adaptability that make them perfect physical host. Humans also possesses variety of flaws such as greed, lust, envy, even the allure of immortality make them easy targets for spirits to prey upon.
A possessed human is identical to any other human in appearance with the only distinct difference being the colour of their eyes. Which will often be a shade of red the brightness and colour will be dependent on the host original eye colour.
How someone becomes possessed can be broken into two main groups:
1: Involuntary. This is where the Daeva possesses a individual by force, the daeva can often be removed without too much trauma to the host. However due to the forceful nature of the possess the host soul tends to burn out much faster and thus the demons prefer the second option.
2: Voluntary: this is were a Daeva is accepted willingly by the host. Often this is done by trickery through promises of strength, weath, or immortality. This method fuse the daeva and host soul together thus it is said to be impossible to separate the two. In this form the daeva is able to survive for many years, while the host body will stay young and strong for as long as host soul still burns. However as time passes the hosts will to live fades and so does their soul. Although the soul is bound to a daeva it is still the property of the host and like any flame if you starve of oxygen it will eventually go out and in doing so the host body will wither and die.
Like any parasite the Daeva's take all it can from its host and in most cases the host usual dies not long after possession. In these circumstances the host is little more than a passenger or prisoner in there own body powerless to do anything.
However in rare case the hosts will to live has been stronger enough to fight back which cause a power struggle between host and daeva. Which almost always ends in mutual destruction but not always, sometimes a truce or agreement is reached were the Daeva takes on more of a symbiotic relationship. Although the two are joined forever they exist in a state of limbo where the Daeva gains the benefit of having a soul, but is unable to corrupt it or consume it. Which grants the Host immortality, along with a few other hand tricks as long as they can maintain the balance between the two of them. The downside is that only one mind can be in control at a time and the constant switch between minds often means the host is seen as insane and driven into a life exile.
I'm glad I could help. Demons typically have resistance to cold, lightning, and fire. Demons and devils are two distinct groups of fiends. Demons are chaotic and destructive, devils show more intention and are easier to make deals with.
I will differ to your experience, but I would watch this very closely and not be surprised when the DM nerfs it.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Here It Is Version 3 Possessed
Let me know what you think.
Please note that published homebrew content should be, to the best of your ability, complete and tested prior to publishing to the community. There will often be a need to publish revisions though due to feedback though - Wizards of the Coast does this themselves.
I can see that this race would certainly add a lot of chaos to any adventuring group that it is part of!
There's no current mechanic to be able to have multiple classes that can be switched between, so mechanically the race doesn't (can't) function as described - is your intention to maintain two separate character sheets?
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If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
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I do apologize if i jumped the gun on publish.
In the past when i have played this race i use two separate spell lists one for ranger and one for the cleric. This was because i thought that multiclassing in 4th editions was to OP. As the ranger was the host body all the states class feats and etc stayed the same and only the spells of the clerics where used when he was the dominate mind. Now that we are changing over to 5th edition i thought it time to modify or at least streamline the race and found that the way multiclassing was set up worked a lot better and aloud me to play the race as i had originally intend. All though i have yet to play the race in 5th edition i have in fact had over 3 years play testing and adapting this race. That is why i am confident in what i have submitted, i have also strived to make the race more universal than it originally start, with the adding of other types of Daevas not just fire. Perhaps i should explain better how to play the race. As it stands i plan on using just one character sheets and roleplaying the split personality, by rolling a D20 to help determine which mind is dominate i found it streamline the decision making process and adds a element of chance or Chaos to the game. My intention was never to make a overpowered race but rather to make random underdog that would more than often let you down only to than somehow come out on top in the end.
I'd be happy to have any tips or points you might have as to how to improve what i have started. I'd be happy to hand the reins over to anyone that thinks they can do a better job i honestly think the race has potential and would like the experience of others to further its evolution.
I just relised what you ment about the race not working with the game mechanics didn't even accure to me that at 1st level you cant multiclass i will review and find a solution. I over looked it cause we are playing with old charictors we are starting at level 8. Thanks for pointing that out.