ive never played devil may cry and one of my players wanted me to try to make a 5e version of this sword....i think he might want it. :P
anyways, if anyone else HAS played DMC, look over the sword and let me know what you think. having never played the game, maybe it has something not listed in the DMC wiki for the sword i missed? hmmm.... well, here it is, leave comments on the document or here. i could do MORE with the sword, but i didnt wanna do extensive work unless i knew he was gonna actuaklly use the sword....we'll see at our next game :I
I would like to preface this post by mentioning something very specific. Since the games invention in the mid ‘70s, D&D has always been absolutely atrocious at doing one thing in particular: representing stuff from other games and intellectual properties. D&D doesn’t work like any other game, the ways in which things are abstracted for D&D are very peculiar, and very inflexible. Whenever attempts are made to force it to try and act like something else, the vast majority of those attempts generally have one (or both) of two outcomes:
People make their adaptation conform to D&D to the extent that it ends up feeling like a pale imitation of the original.
People adhere too closely the original source mechanics and it ends up being either brokenly OP, or woefully underpowered for D&D.
Finding a Goldilocks spot so an adaptation that both feels like the original, but still fits into D&D is always a challenge.
As you read ahead, please keep in mind that I am in no way criticizing anyone for anything, simply making observations and suggestions.
Observations and Commentary
Your current design appears to be a +1 Longsword that has been permanently enchanted with Searing Smite and a pseudo equivalent-ish version of Magic Weapon, only it consumes a character resource (spell slots) instead of charges, and it relies heavily on the character using multiple instances of their 1ce/turn Free Action.
So on Turn 1 they use their 1 free Action to draw the sword, and presumably their action to attack. On turn 2 they could use their free action for Exceed, but if they want to use High Roller during this combat and they plan to attack this turn they must use their action Attack before they use their free action to Exceed make sure it doesn’t go off, and then they also have to not use their reaction to attack with it either. On turn 3 they could finally use their free action for High Roller.
Most combat encounters are over in 4 rounds or less, so waiting 3 rounds to do anything special is a bummer. The way you designed High Roller, the cost to activate it ends up totaling a 1st-level spell slot and a 2nd-level spell slot, but benefits only affect the initial hit so it’s only an average of +1 Slashing damage, and +1 Fire Damage. That is a very steep cost for very little bonus.
And even if they only use the feature that basically duplicates searing smite, if they use it frequently it can be... well... there are some things to consider. Very few things deal DoT (damage over time) in 5e, and that’s because this system really isn’t designed for it to be either effective or convenient. 5e is all about action economy. Leaving an enemy alive to slowly die on subsequent rounds is less than wonderful since creatures fight at full capacity all the way down to 1 HP. Plus, it requires “the creature” (read “the DM”) to make a saving throw on each of its turns. That is also less than thrilling IMO, especially if they use it on more than one creature per combat. The more things need to be remembered every round the more likely that some will be forgotten, and the more instances of multiple creatures having to roll and roll and roll, the longer combat takes. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t do it, those are just my insights is all.
And as a final note, IMO Nero was totally a Warlock.
As Promised
So, I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of including an early draft of how I would have done it, or at least what direction I would have started in. I tried like heck to make it still felt very DMC. I condensed some stuff down because it didn’t make sense to be separate in 5e. (For example, Streak and Caliber are the same except on is in the air and the other is on the ground, but D&D doesn’t care about that, so I dropped Caliber.)
I hope you like at least some parts of it, enjoy!
Red Queen
Longsword, Legendary (requires attunement by an Artificer, Paladin, Ranger, or Warlock)
A heavily customized anti-fiend weapon, this magi-mechanical sword sports a powerful fuel injection system, and a powerful exhaust. Revving the hilt activates the Exceed system, injectors spray a propellant onto the blade allowing it to unleash attacks of great power.
Anti-Fiend
You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon, +2 against fiends.
Exceed
This sword can hold up to 3 charges. Whenever you take the attack action you can rev Red Queens hilt in place of one or more of your attacks. Each attack used to rev the hilt adds a single charge to Red Queen. In addition, whenever you hit a creature with Red Queen you can use your reaction to rev the hilt and add a single charge to Red Queen after the attack has been resolved, or up to three charges on a critical hit.
Exceed Enhanced Attacks
While this sword has one or more charges, the injection system automatically coats the blade in flammable liquid, which ignites. Red Queen gains the reach property, and the next time you hit a creature with Red Queen, one charge is immediately expended and the attack deals an additional 3d6 fire damage.
While this sword has two or more charges, you can activate special Exceed Enhanced Attacks with Red Queen. These attacks utilize Red Queen’s powerful exhaust system to propel the attack, and occasionally you, at incredible speeds allowing you to perform maneuvers in combat with style. When you activate an Exceed Enhanced Attack, all of Red Queen’s remaining charges are expended immediately after the attack is resolved.
Streak. As an action you can activate Red Queen’s exhaust causing it to instantly pull you horizontally in any direction to an unoccupied space you can see up to 10 feet away per expended charge. This movement ignores all terrain, does not count against your movement for the turn, and does not provoke Opportunity Attacks. If you end within 5 feet of a creature you can use Red Queen to make a single melee weapon attack against that creature. If Red Queen had three charges when this feature was activated, the attack is made with advantage.
Spin. As an action, you can activate Red Queen’s exhaust to whirl you in place as you lash out with it at nearby foes. Each creature within 5 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d6 slashing damage, and an additional 1d6 fire damage for each expended charge, or half as much damage on a successful save. If Red Queen had three charges when this feature was activated, the range increases to 10 feet.
High Roller. As an action you can activate Red Queen’s exhaust cause it to rising high into the air as you strike upwards at a creature. Make a melee weapon attack with Red Queen against a creature you can see within Reach. On a hit, the attack does damage as normal, and you cause the creature to rise into the air 10 feet for each expended charge. At the end of your turn the creature immediately falls to the ground, taking damage from the fall as normal. If Red Queen had three charges when you activated this feature, the attack is made with advantage.
Shuffle. When you are hit with a melee attack be a creature you can use your Reaction to activate Red Queens exhaust to quickly pull you out of range before pulling you back in to immediately follow up with a devastating counterattack. Until the beginning of your next turn you gain a +1 bonus to your AC for each expended charge, including against the triggering attack. Immediately Make an attack with Red Queen against that creature. If Red Queen had three charges when you activated this feature, your attack is made with advantage.
ive never played devil may cry and one of my players wanted me to try to make a 5e version of this sword....i think he might want it. :P
anyways, if anyone else HAS played DMC, look over the sword and let me know what you think. having never played the game, maybe it has something not listed in the DMC wiki for the sword i missed? hmmm.... well, here it is, leave comments on the document or here. i could do MORE with the sword, but i didnt wanna do extensive work unless i knew he was gonna actuaklly use the sword....we'll see at our next game :I
The Red Queen (DMC sword)
I got something coming for you, hold up ‘til tomorrow.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Disclaimer
I would like to preface this post by mentioning something very specific. Since the games invention in the mid ‘70s, D&D has always been absolutely atrocious at doing one thing in particular: representing stuff from other games and intellectual properties. D&D doesn’t work like any other game, the ways in which things are abstracted for D&D are very peculiar, and very inflexible. Whenever attempts are made to force it to try and act like something else, the vast majority of those attempts generally have one (or both) of two outcomes:
Finding a Goldilocks spot so an adaptation that both feels like the original, but still fits into D&D is always a challenge.
As you read ahead, please keep in mind that I am in no way criticizing anyone for anything, simply making observations and suggestions.
Observations and Commentary
Your current design appears to be a +1 Longsword that has been permanently enchanted with Searing Smite and a pseudo equivalent-ish version of Magic Weapon, only it consumes a character resource (spell slots) instead of charges, and it relies heavily on the character using multiple instances of their 1ce/turn Free Action.
So on Turn 1 they use their 1 free Action to draw the sword, and presumably their action to attack. On turn 2 they could use their free action for Exceed, but if they want to use High Roller during this combat and they plan to attack this turn they must use their action Attack before they use their free action to Exceed make sure it doesn’t go off, and then they also have to not use their reaction to attack with it either. On turn 3 they could finally use their free action for High Roller.
Most combat encounters are over in 4 rounds or less, so waiting 3 rounds to do anything special is a bummer. The way you designed High Roller, the cost to activate it ends up totaling a 1st-level spell slot and a 2nd-level spell slot, but benefits only affect the initial hit so it’s only an average of +1 Slashing damage, and +1 Fire Damage. That is a very steep cost for very little bonus.
And even if they only use the feature that basically duplicates searing smite, if they use it frequently it can be... well... there are some things to consider. Very few things deal DoT (damage over time) in 5e, and that’s because this system really isn’t designed for it to be either effective or convenient. 5e is all about action economy. Leaving an enemy alive to slowly die on subsequent rounds is less than wonderful since creatures fight at full capacity all the way down to 1 HP. Plus, it requires “the creature” (read “the DM”) to make a saving throw on each of its turns. That is also less than thrilling IMO, especially if they use it on more than one creature per combat. The more things need to be remembered every round the more likely that some will be forgotten, and the more instances of multiple creatures having to roll and roll and roll, the longer combat takes. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t do it, those are just my insights is all.
And as a final note, IMO Nero was totally a Warlock.
As Promised
So, I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of including an early draft of how I would have done it, or at least what direction I would have started in. I tried like heck to make it still felt very DMC. I condensed some stuff down because it didn’t make sense to be separate in 5e. (For example, Streak and Caliber are the same except on is in the air and the other is on the ground, but D&D doesn’t care about that, so I dropped Caliber.)
I hope you like at least some parts of it, enjoy!
Red Queen
Longsword, Legendary (requires attunement by an Artificer, Paladin, Ranger, or Warlock)
A heavily customized anti-fiend weapon, this magi-mechanical sword sports a powerful fuel injection system, and a powerful exhaust. Revving the hilt activates the Exceed system, injectors spray a propellant onto the blade allowing it to unleash attacks of great power.
Anti-Fiend
You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon, +2 against fiends.
Exceed
This sword can hold up to 3 charges. Whenever you take the attack action you can rev Red Queens hilt in place of one or more of your attacks. Each attack used to rev the hilt adds a single charge to Red Queen.
In addition, whenever you hit a creature with Red Queen you can use your reaction to rev the hilt and add a single charge to Red Queen after the attack has been resolved, or up to three charges on a critical hit.
Exceed Enhanced Attacks
While this sword has one or more charges, the injection system automatically coats the blade in flammable liquid, which ignites. Red Queen gains the reach property, and the next time you hit a creature with Red Queen, one charge is immediately expended and the attack deals an additional 3d6 fire damage.
While this sword has two or more charges, you can activate special Exceed Enhanced Attacks with Red Queen. These attacks utilize Red Queen’s powerful exhaust system to propel the attack, and occasionally you, at incredible speeds allowing you to perform maneuvers in combat with style. When you activate an Exceed Enhanced Attack, all of Red Queen’s remaining charges are expended immediately after the attack is resolved.
Streak. As an action you can activate Red Queen’s exhaust causing it to instantly pull you horizontally in any direction to an unoccupied space you can see up to 10 feet away per expended charge. This movement ignores all terrain, does not count against your movement for the turn, and does not provoke Opportunity Attacks. If you end within 5 feet of a creature you can use Red Queen to make a single melee weapon attack against that creature.
If Red Queen had three charges when this feature was activated, the attack is made with advantage.
Spin. As an action, you can activate Red Queen’s exhaust to whirl you in place as you lash out with it at nearby foes. Each creature within 5 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d6 slashing damage, and an additional 1d6 fire damage for each expended charge, or half as much damage on a successful save.
If Red Queen had three charges when this feature was activated, the range increases to 10 feet.
High Roller. As an action you can activate Red Queen’s exhaust cause it to rising high into the air as you strike upwards at a creature. Make a melee weapon attack with Red Queen against a creature you can see within Reach. On a hit, the attack does damage as normal, and you cause the creature to rise into the air 10 feet for each expended charge. At the end of your turn the creature immediately falls to the ground, taking damage from the fall as normal.
If Red Queen had three charges when you activated this feature, the attack is made with advantage.
Shuffle. When you are hit with a melee attack be a creature you can use your Reaction to activate Red Queens exhaust to quickly pull you out of range before pulling you back in to immediately follow up with a devastating counterattack. Until the beginning of your next turn you gain a +1 bonus to your AC for each expended charge, including against the triggering attack. Immediately Make an attack with Red Queen against that creature.
If Red Queen had three charges when you activated this feature, your attack is made with advantage.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting