Looking for some constructive criticism of this work in progress subclass. I haven't played a sorcerer before, so struggling with how to balance ability activision.
Sirens are individuals who have acquired incredible, mysterious powers, and are physically distinguished by elaborate tattoos that cover half of their bodies. It is said that only six Sirens can exist at any given time, and when a Siren dies, their powers pass on to another individual. All Sirens are inexplicably drawn to the city of Troia at some point in their lives.
Siren Magic
1st-level Siren feature
You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Siren Spells table. Each spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. These spells can’t be replaced when you gain a level in this class.
Starting at 1st level, you can use a Bonus Action to enter a Phasewalk. Phasewalk renders you invisible to the enemy, resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and increases your speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. Entering or leaving Phasewalk produces a 5 foot radius blast of radiant energy. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier.
Phaseshift
At 6th level, you gain the ability to manipulate the magical weave to your advantage.
When an ally or enemy you can see makes an attack roll, an ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction and spend 2 sorcerery points to roll 1d4 and apply the number rolled as a bonus or penalty (your choice) to the creature’s roll. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.
Phaselock
At 14th level, your phase energy manifests in the ability to create unstable bubbles of demiplanes and trap foes inside them for short periods of time. As an action, you target a Large or smaller creature of your choice within 60 feet of you that you can see. The target must make a dexterity saving throw, DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier, taking 6d6 force damage and enclosed within a sphere of shimmering force, or half damage and the target is not enclosed in the sphere.
An enclosed target is considered incapacitated and restrained and all attacks have advantage on them while they are in your phaselock. Your phaselock ends at the start of your next turn. Once you use this action, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest or until you expend 5 sorcery points to use it again.
Your Phaselock's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 17th level (7d6) and 20th level (8d6).
Phasecast
At 18th level, as an action you harness your Phase energy to summon an Astral Projection of yourself. Each creature in a 60 foot line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 8d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lightning Strike - A rebranded Fire Bolt for Wizards & Sorcerers.
Spirit Bomb - A holy fireball for Clerics, Paladins, & Divine Soul Sorcerers!
Sword Dancer - A Cleric subclass specifically for the Drow goddess Eilistraee.
Bit too on the nose, methinks. Have not played the latest Borderlands because Gearbox done pissed me off, but nevertheless. Simply giving the character all of the Siren powers in order doesn't feel much like a D&D subclass to me.
Consider instead playing with the overall themes of Sirens, i.e. spatial manipulation and reality warping (i.e. Metamagic). Off the top of my head, as an example only:
1st: "Siren Spells, Phase Magic" Gain the ability to manipulate space, making your spells harder to resist. When you cast a spell that deals damage, spend one Sorcery point to change the damage to force damage. This counts as a Metamagic option (you cannot apply another Metamagic option to the spell unless that option specifically allows you to, such as Empowered Spell).
6th: "Phase Anomaly" Gain your choice of one of the following Phase Anomaly abilities: Walk, Lock, Cast. You may expend three sorcery points to use the chosen Anomaly as an action.
14th: "Anomalous Enhancement" When you use your Phase Anomaly, you may apply any of your known Metamagic options to it where it makes sense to do so. When you do, it only costs one additional Sorcery point, no matter what the normal cost of that Metamagic option is. When you complete a long rest, you may change which Phase Anomaly you are currently using.
18th: "Phase Shift" When an ally you can see within thirty feet of you casts a spell, you may use your reaction to apply one of your known Metamagic options to that spell. It costs twice as many Sorcery points to apply Metamagic to a spell you are not casting as it does normally.
Siren Spells: Expanded spell lists draw from the PHB unless there's a dang good reason not to, per Wizards' own stated rules; homebrew subclass folks in turn only get to use Basic Rules spells if we want to publish our shit. Consider switching things like Pulse Wave and Malestrom for PHB/BR spells. I would also consider switching Entangle for Shield; Sirens aren't known for manipulating plants, but being able to protect themselves with a barrier of warped space is right on brand.
Agreed. For starters, any given Siren in the BL universe only ever has access to one of those powers. I would also generally caution against making a subclass that leans too heavily on combat mechanics.
As for the interpretations of each ability, the BL lore gives us a few hints. Phaseshifting is an ability that allows a siren to speak and remotely interact with technology. It's rarely used in combat. In D&D we have a few choices. One would be to give the siren an ability to charm, frighten, and command constructs. Maybe pair it with a few uses of identify, arcane lock, knock, and mending. Still lacking IMO, but it's a first brush.
Phaselocking is simple: it's hold person/hold monster. I suppose the Calypso version allowed them to buff their minions into anointed.
Phasewalking is a bit more difficult. Lilith uses this ability in BL1 to become invisible, full stop. Later on she uses it for teleportation. I would treat it as a combination of invisibility and short range teleportation that requires concentration and can be used a limited number of times per rest.
Finally, phasetrance is more portable than the attack in the OP. Amara uses it to attack as either a radius centered on her, or as a line. It's not very interesting until she unlocks the ability to maintain her floating arms for defense, but that's not very D&D-esque. It also steps on the Astral Self monk, which is more appropriate for Amara anyway IMO.
If I were to really make a crack at this class, I would lean more on Maya for inspiration, making it more of a support/defense subclass.
Looking for some constructive criticism of this work in progress subclass. I haven't played a sorcerer before, so struggling with how to balance ability activision.
The Siren Soul
Sirens are individuals who have acquired incredible, mysterious powers, and are physically distinguished by elaborate tattoos that cover half of their bodies. It is said that only six Sirens can exist at any given time, and when a Siren dies, their powers pass on to another individual. All Sirens are inexplicably drawn to the city of Troia at some point in their lives.
Siren Magic
1st-level Siren feature
You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Siren Spells table. Each spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. These spells can’t be replaced when you gain a level in this class.
Siren Spells
Phasewalk
Starting at 1st level, you can use a Bonus Action to enter a Phasewalk. Phasewalk renders you invisible to the enemy, resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and increases your speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. Entering or leaving Phasewalk produces a 5 foot radius blast of radiant energy. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier.
Phaseshift
At 6th level, you gain the ability to manipulate the magical weave to your advantage.
When an ally or enemy you can see makes an attack roll, an ability check, or saving throw, you can use your reaction and spend 2 sorcerery points to roll 1d4 and apply the number rolled as a bonus or penalty (your choice) to the creature’s roll. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.
Phaselock
At 14th level, your phase energy manifests in the ability to create unstable bubbles of demiplanes and trap foes inside them for short periods of time. As an action, you target a Large or smaller creature of your choice within 60 feet of you that you can see. The target must make a dexterity saving throw, DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier, taking 6d6 force damage and enclosed within a sphere of shimmering force, or half damage and the target is not enclosed in the sphere.
An enclosed target is considered incapacitated and restrained and all attacks have advantage on them while they are in your phaselock. Your phaselock ends at the start of your next turn. Once you use this action, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest or until you expend 5 sorcery points to use it again.
Your Phaselock's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 17th level (7d6) and 20th level (8d6).
Phasecast
At 18th level, as an action you harness your Phase energy to summon an Astral Projection of yourself. Each creature in a 60 foot line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 8d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Lightning Strike - A rebranded Fire Bolt for Wizards & Sorcerers.
Spirit Bomb - A holy fireball for Clerics, Paladins, & Divine Soul Sorcerers!
Sword Dancer - A Cleric subclass specifically for the Drow goddess Eilistraee.
Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch - A pair of magical firearms for your Gunslinger or Artificer.
Bit too on the nose, methinks. Have not played the latest Borderlands because Gearbox done pissed me off, but nevertheless. Simply giving the character all of the Siren powers in order doesn't feel much like a D&D subclass to me.
Consider instead playing with the overall themes of Sirens, i.e. spatial manipulation and reality warping (i.e. Metamagic). Off the top of my head, as an example only:
1st: "Siren Spells, Phase Magic"
Gain the ability to manipulate space, making your spells harder to resist. When you cast a spell that deals damage, spend one Sorcery point to change the damage to force damage. This counts as a Metamagic option (you cannot apply another Metamagic option to the spell unless that option specifically allows you to, such as Empowered Spell).
6th: "Phase Anomaly"
Gain your choice of one of the following Phase Anomaly abilities: Walk, Lock, Cast. You may expend three sorcery points to use the chosen Anomaly as an action.
14th: "Anomalous Enhancement"
When you use your Phase Anomaly, you may apply any of your known Metamagic options to it where it makes sense to do so. When you do, it only costs one additional Sorcery point, no matter what the normal cost of that Metamagic option is. When you complete a long rest, you may change which Phase Anomaly you are currently using.
18th: "Phase Shift"
When an ally you can see within thirty feet of you casts a spell, you may use your reaction to apply one of your known Metamagic options to that spell. It costs twice as many Sorcery points to apply Metamagic to a spell you are not casting as it does normally.
Siren Spells:
Expanded spell lists draw from the PHB unless there's a dang good reason not to, per Wizards' own stated rules; homebrew subclass folks in turn only get to use Basic Rules spells if we want to publish our shit. Consider switching things like Pulse Wave and Malestrom for PHB/BR spells. I would also consider switching Entangle for Shield; Sirens aren't known for manipulating plants, but being able to protect themselves with a barrier of warped space is right on brand.
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Agreed. For starters, any given Siren in the BL universe only ever has access to one of those powers. I would also generally caution against making a subclass that leans too heavily on combat mechanics.
As for the interpretations of each ability, the BL lore gives us a few hints. Phaseshifting is an ability that allows a siren to speak and remotely interact with technology. It's rarely used in combat. In D&D we have a few choices. One would be to give the siren an ability to charm, frighten, and command constructs. Maybe pair it with a few uses of identify, arcane lock, knock, and mending. Still lacking IMO, but it's a first brush.
Phaselocking is simple: it's hold person/hold monster. I suppose the Calypso version allowed them to buff their minions into anointed.
Phasewalking is a bit more difficult. Lilith uses this ability in BL1 to become invisible, full stop. Later on she uses it for teleportation. I would treat it as a combination of invisibility and short range teleportation that requires concentration and can be used a limited number of times per rest.
Finally, phasetrance is more portable than the attack in the OP. Amara uses it to attack as either a radius centered on her, or as a line. It's not very interesting until she unlocks the ability to maintain her floating arms for defense, but that's not very D&D-esque. It also steps on the Astral Self monk, which is more appropriate for Amara anyway IMO.
If I were to really make a crack at this class, I would lean more on Maya for inspiration, making it more of a support/defense subclass.
I just have one question (and it may just be a stupid one so bear with me), what race should I be using for this? (Mind you, I'm still a rookie.)