My idea was to have a character that gets their power from the ancestral sword of their late husband, but she has almost no idea how it works. It was the family sword that she stole after her husband was murdered by his brother at dinner, for reasons unclear. She knows that the user is empowered by it and that periodically some ritual strengthens it and thereby every wielder becomes more powerful than the last if given time, though she doesn't know what the ritual is. Because of this, my DM made the class and I don't actually know what I'm going to get at the next level up (sometimes I won't even know I've gotten something this level up until it becomes obvious in play).
At first level: Gain proficiency in simple weapons, great-sword, light armor, medium armor, and two skills from the fighter skill list
Saves: Con, and Dex saves (having two of the big three seems too powerful to me)
Class hit die:1d10
Features: Sword Link - You feel a connection between you and the sword, which is more noticeable when you are below 50% health. You add damage equal to CON MOD to attacks with the sword
Montabaur’s Prestige - You hear a voice in your mind that guides your words. Once per long rest, you may give yourself advantage on any persuasion or intimidation roll as long as the sword is on your person (I suggested adding a time limit to this as it seems RAW it would mean as long as I don't leave the sword somewhere I always gain advantage on persuasion and intimidation).
Yeah, this seems a little wonky. I might suggest to the DM having you be a Warlock with the Hexblade patron? That seems it could flavour well to the backstory (the patron being whatever ancestral power the sword has/the late husband/whatever), while allowing you to use a class with proven balance.
Yeah, this seems a little wonky. I might suggest to the DM having you be a Warlock with the Hexblade patron? That seems it could flavour well to the backstory (the patron being whatever ancestral power the sword has/the late husband/whatever), while allowing you to use a class with proven balance.
I would have to agree with Mellie, using the Warlock Hexblade option from Xanathar's Guide would fit the theme of what you're going for. If however there's something from that class that doesn't quite feel right, it might be a bit difficult to gauge power balances/levels but you could swap out said feature with something of similar power from possibly another class or subclass, thought with Dungeon/Game Master's permission and such. And if such a swapped ability does prove to be underpowered or overpowered, no real harm in adjusting in between sessions.
As I read Montabaur's Prestige, you have advantage once per long rest if you have the sword, not always.
This reminds me of the old Cavalier class, a bit. It sounds like it might be fun. Making it the Hexblade Warlock sounds ideal if you want it standardized. Maybe your DM will go with that. Besides being in the dark (which sounds to me like it might be a really fun twist) what troubles you about it? I can see how it could be frustrating for a player to have no idea what features the character will gain as it advances. On the other hand, having a new and mysterious PC class could be a lot of fun for certain sorts of players.
It's not that I don't like it, I actually quite like the idea I just want to make sure it isn't overly powerful. I don't want to make the rest of the party feel like I have an advantage because of it so I figured I would ask if it seems ok to you guys. I definitely didn't mean to make it seem like I didn't like the idea of being surprised by my abilities as that seems like it could make for some really memorable moments.
Oh, I see. That could be a valid concern. I'm sure you're DM will notice if that begins to happen and perhaps make some adjustments as the character advances. Simply limiting some of the future features as compared to the other characters' classes would solve that, probably. Good luck!
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Recently returned to D&D after 20+ years.
Unapologetic.
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My idea was to have a character that gets their power from the ancestral sword of their late husband, but she has almost no idea how it works. It was the family sword that she stole after her husband was murdered by his brother at dinner, for reasons unclear. She knows that the user is empowered by it and that periodically some ritual strengthens it and thereby every wielder becomes more powerful than the last if given time, though she doesn't know what the ritual is. Because of this, my DM made the class and I don't actually know what I'm going to get at the next level up (sometimes I won't even know I've gotten something this level up until it becomes obvious in play).
At first level: Gain proficiency in simple weapons, great-sword, light armor, medium armor, and two skills from the fighter skill list
Saves: Con, and Dex saves (having two of the big three seems too powerful to me)
Class hit die:1d10
Features:
Sword Link - You feel a connection between you and the sword, which is more noticeable when you are below 50% health. You add damage equal to CON MOD to attacks with the sword
Montabaur’s Prestige - You hear a voice in your mind that guides your words. Once per long rest, you may give yourself advantage on any persuasion or intimidation roll as long as the sword is on your person (I suggested adding a time limit to this as it seems RAW it would mean as long as I don't leave the sword somewhere I always gain advantage on persuasion and intimidation).
Yeah, this seems a little wonky. I might suggest to the DM having you be a Warlock with the Hexblade patron? That seems it could flavour well to the backstory (the patron being whatever ancestral power the sword has/the late husband/whatever), while allowing you to use a class with proven balance.
I would have to agree with Mellie, using the Warlock Hexblade option from Xanathar's Guide would fit the theme of what you're going for. If however there's something from that class that doesn't quite feel right, it might be a bit difficult to gauge power balances/levels but you could swap out said feature with something of similar power from possibly another class or subclass, thought with Dungeon/Game Master's permission and such. And if such a swapped ability does prove to be underpowered or overpowered, no real harm in adjusting in between sessions.
As I read Montabaur's Prestige, you have advantage once per long rest if you have the sword, not always.
This reminds me of the old Cavalier class, a bit. It sounds like it might be fun. Making it the Hexblade Warlock sounds ideal if you want it standardized. Maybe your DM will go with that. Besides being in the dark (which sounds to me like it might be a really fun twist) what troubles you about it? I can see how it could be frustrating for a player to have no idea what features the character will gain as it advances. On the other hand, having a new and mysterious PC class could be a lot of fun for certain sorts of players.
Maybe the DM would let you swap her out?
Good luck.
Recently returned to D&D after 20+ years.
Unapologetic.
It's not that I don't like it, I actually quite like the idea I just want to make sure it isn't overly powerful. I don't want to make the rest of the party feel like I have an advantage because of it so I figured I would ask if it seems ok to you guys. I definitely didn't mean to make it seem like I didn't like the idea of being surprised by my abilities as that seems like it could make for some really memorable moments.
Oh, I see. That could be a valid concern. I'm sure you're DM will notice if that begins to happen and perhaps make some adjustments as the character advances. Simply limiting some of the future features as compared to the other characters' classes would solve that, probably. Good luck!
Recently returned to D&D after 20+ years.
Unapologetic.