One thing I'm sorta disappointed with is the rune feats; specifically the runes themselves. I wish they were all their own powersets, rather than just all first level spells, especially since the Rune Knight's runes aren't just first level spells, but full blown features themselves.
"Using Runes to do magic" fits Artificers better than Wizards. The name fits better for Artificers (although I think "Runecarver" sounds cooler).
Nah, this is one of those things where Runes are IRL things and there's a primeval association that undercuts the Artificer (I have some, and roll them for amusement). There's no cultivated "art" to them or artisanalness. They're primal and much more associated with shamanic sort of rites, so Barbarians, and honestly I think they should've done a sorcerer instead of a wizard but again you need a deep lore diver which Artificer just ain't. Artificer is D&D's "steampunk" class ... runes are more primordially.
Heck, I'd put runes in with druidic and barbarian magical capacities, that Wizards have learned how to capture, some Giant blood lines grant it to sorcerers, Fighters have their Rune Knights, I could see thieves accessing them through an empowered cant ... basically I can see almost every class getting access to runes before the artificer, clerics second to last.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Nah, this is one of those things where Runes are IRL things and there's a primeval association that undercuts the Artificer (I have some, and roll them for amusement). There's no cultivated "art" to them or artisanalness. They're primal and much more associated with shamanic sort of rites, so Barbarians, and honestly I think they should've done a sorcerer instead of a wizard but again you need a deep lore diver which Artificer just ain't. Artificer is D&D's "steampunk" class ... runes are more primordially.
Artificers are not Steampunk. They're "magitek" or "magipunk", but not "steam". They've never used steam for their abilities or theme. It's always been magic that they store in items (infusions and Spell Storing Items).
"Storing magic in items" is the Artificer's whole shtick. Their core identity. And fantasy Runes are special symbols that create magic when you carve them into/draw them on something. Very similar concepts. And the Alchemist being an Artificer proves that the class has quite a bit of versatility. It's not just "magipunk crafters/artisans". Runes could definitely fall under that category. Especially when you take into account how Runes have been depicted in previous Giant products in D&D 5e (in Storm King's Thunder the primary use of Runes is for Giants to create magic items, which fits Artificers really well).
Heck, I'd put runes in with druidic and barbarian magical capacities, that Wizards have learned how to capture, some Giant blood lines grant it to sorcerers, Fighters have their Rune Knights, I could see thieves accessing them through an empowered cant ... basically I can see almost every class getting access to runes before the artificer, clerics second to last.
Eh, I'm fine with a Giant-connected Sorcerer bloodline, but I think Rune Magic would be the wrong way to do that. Runecarving is a skill you develop, not something you're inherently born with. I firmly believe that this subclass would fit better thematically for Artificers than Wizards, but even I admit that it would work better for Wizards than Sorcerers.
Just read the flavor for how the Rune Knight gets their power. It's very similar to Artificers. "Carve a magical symbol into your equipment and get a magical benefit" is extremely similar to Artificer Infusions. (Also, Monks and Sorcerers would be the worst class to get a "Runecarver" subclass. Or maybe Paladins. Rangers are almost as bad. Warlocks could work if you flavored it as "being taught rune magic by a powerful Titan".)
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While I personally don’t think runes offer enough to an Artificer to justify an entire subclass; there has been enough of an outcry that they should consider giving it something.
Having said that: they should NOT remove this subclass from the Wizard, just to placate those who feel cheated.
That perpetuates a feeling of disappointment; it takes a good thing from the Wizard fans who were waiting for a subclass like this.
Manufacture a separate subclass, I say at this point…who knows; maybe it’s already in the works.
Nah, this is one of those things where Runes are IRL things and there's a primeval association that undercuts the Artificer (I have some, and roll them for amusement). There's no cultivated "art" to them or artisanalness. They're primal and much more associated with shamanic sort of rites, so Barbarians, and honestly I think they should've done a sorcerer instead of a wizard but again you need a deep lore diver which Artificer just ain't. Artificer is D&D's "steampunk" class ... runes are more primordially.
Artificers are not Steampunk. They're "magitek" or "magipunk", but not "steam". They've never used steam for their abilities or theme. It's always been magic that they store in items (infusions and Spell Storing Items).
"Storing magic in items" is the Artificer's whole shtick. Their core identity. And fantasy Runes are special symbols that create magic when you carve them into/draw them on something. Very similar concepts. And the Alchemist being an Artificer proves that the class has quite a bit of versatility. It's not just "magipunk crafters/artisans". Runes could definitely fall under that category. Especially when you take into account how Runes have been depicted in previous Giant products in D&D 5e (in Storm King's Thunder the primary use of Runes is for Giants to create magic items, which fits Artificers really well).
Heck, I'd put runes in with druidic and barbarian magical capacities, that Wizards have learned how to capture, some Giant blood lines grant it to sorcerers, Fighters have their Rune Knights, I could see thieves accessing them through an empowered cant ... basically I can see almost every class getting access to runes before the artificer, clerics second to last.
Eh, I'm fine with a Giant-connected Sorcerer bloodline, but I think Rune Magic would be the wrong way to do that. Runecarving is a skill you develop, not something you're inherently born with. I firmly believe that this subclass would fit better thematically for Artificers than Wizards, but even I admit that it would work better for Wizards than Sorcerers.
Just read the flavor for how the Rune Knight gets their power. It's very similar to Artificers. "Carve a magical symbol into your equipment and get a magical benefit" is extremely similar to Artificer Infusions. (Also, Monks and Sorcerers would be the worst class to get a "Runecarver" subclass. Or maybe Paladins. Rangers are almost as bad. Warlocks could work if you flavored it as "being taught rune magic by a powerful Titan".)
I respectfully disagree. You could make an awesome runic Sorcerer… if not Matt Mercer’s version, then something else. Having been a practicing pagan before turning to Catholicism, I can say that the Norse viewed runes as the building blocks of our universe (vaguely similar to Bards’ perception of the Weave). And of course, this has direct ties to language and the spoken word… Wittgenstein’s philosophy, with broad implications for the nature of existence. It’s fitting that Odin - rune master - was first and foremost a poet.
Therefore, the most obvious subclass would be Wizard (duh), but I could totally see a Sorcerer one too - inheriting the chaotic essence of the giants/perhaps Vanir, which is expressed through use of runes. Similar to Joanne Harris’ interpretation in Runelight.
Hey, does anyone else remember about a year or so ago when someone in these forums was asking what people would do/want from a set of prehistoric subclasses?
Hey, does anyone else remember about a year or so ago when someone in these forums was asking what people would do/want from a set of prehistoric subclasses?
A couple of things that I think I will address in the Survey for the Barbarian Path of the Giant is the language used for the character's reach (is it 10 or 15 when huge) and the range of throwing Elemental Cleaver while huge. I know you can still throw it that extra 10 feet (or 5 feet if the reach is meant to be 15 feet) if your target is just out of reach, but that kind of seems lame. I am not sure about that range thing, but it something that has been bothering me.
I respectfully disagree. You could make an awesome runic Sorcerer… if not Matt Mercer’s version, then something else. Having been a practicing pagan before turning to Catholicism, I can say that the Norse viewed runes as the building blocks of our universe (vaguely similar to Bards’ perception of the Weave). And of course, this has direct ties to language and the spoken word… Wittgenstein’s philosophy, with broad implications for the nature of existence. It’s fitting that Odin - rune master - was first and foremost a poet.
I mean really, this is a great argument for a bard College of Runes subclass more than anything else
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Going to go over everything in the UA and why I think it mostly sucks.
Barbarian Path of the Giant: So I'm looking over this subclass and all I'm thinking for each feature is "how do the designers think this is equivalent to the other barbarian options?" and I'm stumped. Totem barbarians have resistance against everything, Beast has a bunch of interesting attack and utility options, Ancestral Guardian is the best "tank" option in the game, Zealot is economic and has some good simple but effective bonuses to damage and durability, Wild Magic gets some fun randomness and synergy with party casters. This subclass gets to throw their weapon better, having an in class effect to increase their size for grappling foes (remember that you can only go once size category up, so this means huge is an option), a reach increase, and an impressive synergy with anyone who can cast Spike Growth (40 ft diameter and 2d4 for every 5 feet means it's not unreasonable to think it'll be 16d4 damage if they fail the save against being moved).
Where does this all go wrong? Reach doesn't work with throwing weapons, so while you can do your best to mimic some sort of Thor knockoff, the two concepts don't work well together. The rage bonus to thrown weapon damage isn't that impressive either considering that's only a +2 for most of the game. Being able to throw your flaming greatsword has some nice visual to it, but it still doesn't seem that appealing to me compared to Beast barbarians' options or how Zealots get their damage bonus earlier and likely do more damage.
How to improve this subclass? Break it up, throwing weapons are a concept to build a subclass around and so is the giant growth grappler niche. Make two subclasses where each actually support the playstyles, since I think I'd rather play some artificer/fighter Multiclass for throwing things assuming you can't just convince the dm to give you a magical throwing weapon. The giant growth atm is worse than just having enlarge/reduce cast on you by the wizard and could use a buff. Level 14 the subclass gets pretty good, but that's all the way at level 14 and even then I don't think it's significantly better than other options.
Final score: 4/10 I wouldn't really want to use this over most of the other barbarians and there are better ways to fulfill the niches it attempts to cover.
Druid Circle of the Primeval: I'm a big fan of druid, it's probably my most played class. The campaign I was in for more than 2 years that hit level 20 I played a druid. Looking at this subclass though, it feels a little bit lacking somehow. It brings back something lost in change of edition, the druid animal companion. I think it handles it fairly well, I've seen a lot of druid players want an animal companion, or just don't care for wildshaping often.
I think it's weaker than the Wildfire Spirit. As a comparison it lacks a fly speed, ranged attack, attack bonus that scales with your spell attack bonus, teleportation, and good damage/condition immunities. The things it's better at is +5 hp, proficiency bonus to AC, one damage dice higher in damage, intercept attack, and being able to eventually cast spells from it.
Titanic Bond is a cool feature, Frightened is a nasty condition to get to apply for relatively free. Scourge of the Ancients seems a bit iffy to me, I'm not sure how well most of the math shakes out for the benefit vs cost ratio. Prehistoric Conduit is pretty cool, but I'm not actually sold on how well the casting form it is just from personal experience. I've rarely had much issue with spell range as a druid, but I can maybe see some interesting ideas if you are using it as a sort of bait/forward scout to lay down difficult terrain while the party is 500 ft back pelting the enemy with longbow shots. Similar thing with the advantage/evasion effect against your spells, I don't have much trouble with safely laying down damage spells, but it might enable some silly stuff with things like grappling an enemy and holding them in a Wall of Fire.
How to Improve this subclass? I think the stat block needs more/better scaling somehow. Scaling bonus to speed based on your PB, some skill proficiencies, maybe some sort of eventual extra attack. Ideally though we would get multiple form options like the Tasha's Beastmaster so we can have some different flavours of companions. One more bulky like a mammoth, one that is higher movement speed/damage like a Velociraptor, one that flies, and maybe one that swims for the half a dozen aquatic campaigns that actually exist.
Final Score: 6/10 Like the Path of the Giant, I don't think it's mechanically equivalent to existing options. Wildfire Spirit is a flying ranged attacker after all, but I also think it's not too far off of that level and is serviceable for those players that want an animal companion.
Wizard Runecrafter: Oh boy it's another attempt at a metamagic wizard! The three rune options seem to all be pretty great as well and I can see reasonably common use cases for all of them. An auto succeed on physical saving throws is also pretty great considering how it includes concentration saves. Engraved Enmity seems like it's sort of spell selection reliant though, eating up your concentration sucks but being able to apply disadvantage to saves vs your spells is pretty nice for a bonus action. The bonus damage and invisibility stuff is basically just ribbons. Good for some sort of blaster oriented wizard if you have stuff like Disintegrate.
The problem with the subclass though, is that most of it is reliant around a limited resource that scales with your proficiency bonus per long rest. This SUCKS if you have very long adventuring days. The only other subclass that does this is Bladesinger, but Bladesong can easily last you an entire combat. The only other subclass with so limited a resource pool is Divination's Portent, but that feature forces either automatic fails or successes. Considering how all but the 14th level feature is about this very limited resource it'll suck.
How to improve this subclass? I know WotC want to use proficiency scaling for a lot of their features, but I think making this scale on Int mod would be better. It's more uses until tier 4 where basically nobody plays anyway. Maybe I'm way off base and underestimating how powerful runic empowerment is and it's actually nearly equivalent to portent, I'd need to playtest that a lot to figure it out. I'd also actually want to switch the levels for Sigils of Warding and Rune Maven, since I think that getting some resource recovery is more useful early on into a character's lifespan.
Final Score 5/10 I like the metamagic options and they are pretty good, but the VERY limited uses on the core class resource means that the general impact on your play is equivalent to picking Divination. That doesn't mean it's weak or bad, but that it just doesn't have it's features come up very often and makes you mostly play like a vanilla wizard.
Overall I think all of these options are interesting in concept and design, but need a bit of a tune up to make them more even with already existing options.
Onto the Feats!
Elemental Touched: Both cantrips suck, I've had builds where I have more than ten cantrips and neither of these even registered to me as options worth taking. Earth and Air are kind of nice for specific builds, but I don't really see them as being priority options even on those builds. You could probably make this into a half feat and I still wouldn't rate it as very worthwhile. I'm betting this is an option as a starting feat in whatever book this ends up in. 3/10
Ember of the Fire Giant: I like this a lot for fighters, not really sure if I would consider it as worthwhile for other martials though. If you want fire resistance because of multiple party spellcasters that like to drop fireballs I can also see that being some amount of an argument for taking this feat. 8/10
Fury of the Frost Giant: I'm not entirely sure how much to rate the cold resistance, it feels like a much more campaign dependent damage type than something like fire. The reaction seems decent though if you're playing a martial without a better way to spend your reaction, but I feel like most of those would rather take something like Sentinel or one of the Touched feats. 4/10
Guile of the Cloud Giant: Spend an action to make the vast majority of enemies have disadvantage to hit you for a minute is a pretty great deal, ideally you can pop this before combat starts but otherwise it's functionally a dodge action that lasts for 10 rounds instead of 1. Social Expertise is also a great way to make a character into a pretty good face character even if they have a lackluster charisma. Alone I'd say that both features are kinda lame but if you are interested in both then the feat can be worth taking. 6/10
Keenness of the Stone Giant: On first glance I wasn't very impressed with this feat, then I realized it's a way to get Shield onto casters who don't get it. If you don't have the stats for a one level dip of sorcerer, warlock, or wizard then it's a pretty decent choice. Darkvision is also nice if you play in a campaign where that can come up but you aren't playing a race with it. 5/10
Outsized Might: This feat just kind of sucks. You get one basic skill proficiency, a bonus to dealing with some niche rules that a lot of DMs handwave, and advantage on saving throws vs some very niche things that can happen to you in combat. If this was a half feat, gave expertise instead of just proficiency, or let you also count as a size larger for grappling it might have been worth a feat slot but as is it sucks. Probably another free starting feat. 2/10
Rune Carver Apprentice: It's an interesting feat that lets you pick from a pool with some decent spells and get a free casting as well as access to using spell slots for the spell. I'm not sure how much that ability to swap them is worth though. It doesn't really feel like it would be worth taking as a feat. I'm willing to bet that this ends up as a starting option though since we've seen that exist in a few books as limited lists of free feats at level 1. 4/10
Rune Carver Adept: Oh boy now you can have nearly all the good 1st level spells! I'm not exactly sold on this being worth much though unless you were in a game that banned multiclassing. 3/10
Soul of the Storm Giant: Maelstrom aura helps prevent enemies from running away from you, which is kinda nice. Divination as a spell kinda sucks though, so I think this feat is almost strictly worse compared to Guile of the Cloud Giant with the exception of some build that is for some reason concerned about enemies running away from you in melee to the point they need a feat for it. 5/10
Vigor of the Hill Giant: Bulwark has the same issue that Oversized Might does in that these effects just aren't all that common and therefor not really worthwhile as a feat. Hearty Health is kind of nice but at the same time is likely only worth the equivalent of a single attack at any given level across all the uses combined. 3/10
Overall the feats are a bit lackluster. There is only really 2 of them I can really see being taken by anybody and even then are likely at the level of "well my main stat is pretty high and I already have the core feats for my build" so its probably only fighters who will take them.
I think you're missing the point when it comes to Path of the Giant. It's not a subclass built around the need to make throwing weapon attacks, it simply makes it so that you can do so whenever its useful. Crushing Hurl's main utility kicks in once Elemental Cleaver arrives because it means that you can throw you flaming greataxe for exactly as much damage as you can inflict with a melee attack. Every other barbarian's damage drops once the enemy steps outside of their melee reach. And speaking of Elemental Cleaver, it's something that buff's the barbarian's damage on every attack. That's a pretty rare effect in 5E, most of the time you get powers that boost your damage once per round, like the Rune Knight.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Honestly, I think ELEMENTAL CLEAVER is very strong. Being able to change the damage type allows you to bypass resistances, something that is hard to see in combat classes. Crushing Hurl is a bit situational, as you'll generally want to be in melee to absorb aggro (your main role as a barbarian), but it can come in handy in some situations. MIGHTY IMPEL gives you some control over the battlefield, offering interesting interactions with many area spells, or taking teammates out of melee without suffering OA.
In general I find it a very interesting barbarian subclass. Maybe not one of the best, but definitely one that I would like to try.
Nah, this is one of those things where Runes are IRL things and there's a primeval association that undercuts the Artificer (I have some, and roll them for amusement). There's no cultivated "art" to them or artisanalness. They're primal and much more associated with shamanic sort of rites, so Barbarians, and honestly I think they should've done a sorcerer instead of a wizard but again you need a deep lore diver which Artificer just ain't. Artificer is D&D's "steampunk" class ... runes are more primordially.
Artificers are not Steampunk. They're "magitek" or "magipunk", but not "steam". They've never used steam for their abilities or theme. It's always been magic that they store in items (infusions and Spell Storing Items).
"Storing magic in items" is the Artificer's whole shtick. Their core identity. And fantasy Runes are special symbols that create magic when you carve them into/draw them on something. Very similar concepts. And the Alchemist being an Artificer proves that the class has quite a bit of versatility. It's not just "magipunk crafters/artisans". Runes could definitely fall under that category. Especially when you take into account how Runes have been depicted in previous Giant products in D&D 5e (in Storm King's Thunder the primary use of Runes is for Giants to create magic items, which fits Artificers really well).
Heck, I'd put runes in with druidic and barbarian magical capacities, that Wizards have learned how to capture, some Giant blood lines grant it to sorcerers, Fighters have their Rune Knights, I could see thieves accessing them through an empowered cant ... basically I can see almost every class getting access to runes before the artificer, clerics second to last.
Eh, I'm fine with a Giant-connected Sorcerer bloodline, but I think Rune Magic would be the wrong way to do that. Runecarving is a skill you develop, not something you're inherently born with. I firmly believe that this subclass would fit better thematically for Artificers than Wizards, but even I admit that it would work better for Wizards than Sorcerers.
Just read the flavor for how the Rune Knight gets their power. It's very similar to Artificers. "Carve a magical symbol into your equipment and get a magical benefit" is extremely similar to Artificer Infusions. (Also, Monks and Sorcerers would be the worst class to get a "Runecarver" subclass. Or maybe Paladins. Rangers are almost as bad. Warlocks could work if you flavored it as "being taught rune magic by a powerful Titan".)
I respectfully disagree. You could make an awesome runic Sorcerer… if not Matt Mercer’s version, then something else. Having been a practicing pagan before turning to Catholicism, I can say that the Norse viewed runes as the building blocks of our universe (vaguely similar to Bards’ perception of the Weave). And of course, this has direct ties to language and the spoken word… Wittgenstein’s philosophy, with broad implications for the nature of existence. It’s fitting that Odin - rune master - was first and foremost a poet.
Therefore, the most obvious subclass would be Wizard (duh), but I could totally see a Sorcerer one too - inheriting the chaotic essence of the giants/perhaps Vanir, which is expressed through use of runes. Similar to Joanne Harris’ interpretation in Runelight.
. . . Wouldn't that be more of a Bard subclass? WotC has said that Bards and Wizards are really similar concepts for classes, but that the main difference between the two is that "Bards are of the spoken word, Wizards are of the written word".
Again, Runecarving is something that you need to study in order to get. It usually comes at a price (Odin had to give up an eye and hang himself on the Yggdrasil for 9 days and nights), but it still isn't something you're inherently born with.
I don't like the Runecrafter as a Wizard subclass, I think it would work better as an Artificer, but Sorcerer makes about the least sense for the concept. A Giant-descended Sorcerer would make sense . . . but one that has innate rune magic really doesn't.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Hey, does anyone else remember about a year or so ago when someone in these forums was asking what people would do/want from a set of prehistoric subclasses?
I'm pretty sure that was me. I've been fond of the idea for quite awhile.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Elemental Touched is pretty interesting, but those cantrips are poor choices. I've been messing around with Druidcraft on my fairy character and there's VERY little I can see to do with it that's interesting. I can live with limited usefulness, but being boring is no fun. Thaumaturgy is at least good for playing around.
Elemental Touched is pretty interesting, but those cantrips are poor choices. I've been messing around with Druidcraft on my fairy character and there's VERY little I can see to do with it that's interesting. I can live with limited usefulness, but being boring is no fun. Thaumaturgy is at least good for playing around.
While thaumaturgy is admittedly easier to use (dead easy to fish for advantage on your next Intimidation, obvious distraction mechanic, and I love the idea of doors flying open and slamming shut as I walk through them), I think druidcraft is still useful.
In many ways it's a druid version of prestidigitation (one of my favourite spells), my main complaint is that druids don't get it as standard (they have to take it from their measly two starting cantrip choices). However it has some fun features:
Harmless sensory effects are as useful as you want to make them, but they're fairly easy to argue as a distraction. In the right circumstances you could also maybe argue advantage for a social check, but it's a bit harder than the classic inthaumidation.
Causing a plant to bloom is super situational, but it's nice flavour for a character in touch with nature.
Predicting the weather is most useful if your campaign has good handling of survival elements, as knowing it's going to rain or snow means you can be prepared, possibly avoiding exhaustion, making better time and so-on, though sadly many groups don't handle travel well. You could possibly use it to cheat money out of gamblers by betting on what the weather's going to be. 😉
Lighting and snuffing candles/campfires is probably the most consistently useful feature as you can use it to impress, or you can use it to plunge an area into non-magical darkness, or light it up. Druidcraft has a much better range than prestidigitation (30 feet rather than 10 feet) so it's a lot more useful for this, especially in a stealth situation (don't need to be standing right next to the bandit campfire you want to snuff out).
It's a tough sell as a cantrip choice on most casters, especially those with fewer picks, but as a "free" cantrip I'm much more inclined to take it, especially on a character that wants some extra out of combat utility and is probably already good at being loud and kicking doors open.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
My only question is when will we see the UA added the D&D beyond? I want to experement with it badly
They won't. DnD Beyond stopped supporting UA. They'll get added if/when they get officially published. Meantime, you can recreate using the homebrew tool.
One thing I'm sorta disappointed with is the rune feats; specifically the runes themselves. I wish they were all their own powersets, rather than just all first level spells, especially since the Rune Knight's runes aren't just first level spells, but full blown features themselves.
Nah, this is one of those things where Runes are IRL things and there's a primeval association that undercuts the Artificer (I have some, and roll them for amusement). There's no cultivated "art" to them or artisanalness. They're primal and much more associated with shamanic sort of rites, so Barbarians, and honestly I think they should've done a sorcerer instead of a wizard but again you need a deep lore diver which Artificer just ain't. Artificer is D&D's "steampunk" class ... runes are more primordially.
Heck, I'd put runes in with druidic and barbarian magical capacities, that Wizards have learned how to capture, some Giant blood lines grant it to sorcerers, Fighters have their Rune Knights, I could see thieves accessing them through an empowered cant ... basically I can see almost every class getting access to runes before the artificer, clerics second to last.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Artificers are not Steampunk. They're "magitek" or "magipunk", but not "steam". They've never used steam for their abilities or theme. It's always been magic that they store in items (infusions and Spell Storing Items).
"Storing magic in items" is the Artificer's whole shtick. Their core identity. And fantasy Runes are special symbols that create magic when you carve them into/draw them on something. Very similar concepts. And the Alchemist being an Artificer proves that the class has quite a bit of versatility. It's not just "magipunk crafters/artisans". Runes could definitely fall under that category. Especially when you take into account how Runes have been depicted in previous Giant products in D&D 5e (in Storm King's Thunder the primary use of Runes is for Giants to create magic items, which fits Artificers really well).
Eh, I'm fine with a Giant-connected Sorcerer bloodline, but I think Rune Magic would be the wrong way to do that. Runecarving is a skill you develop, not something you're inherently born with. I firmly believe that this subclass would fit better thematically for Artificers than Wizards, but even I admit that it would work better for Wizards than Sorcerers.
Just read the flavor for how the Rune Knight gets their power. It's very similar to Artificers. "Carve a magical symbol into your equipment and get a magical benefit" is extremely similar to Artificer Infusions. (Also, Monks and Sorcerers would be the worst class to get a "Runecarver" subclass. Or maybe Paladins. Rangers are almost as bad. Warlocks could work if you flavored it as "being taught rune magic by a powerful Titan".)
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
While I personally don’t think runes offer enough to an Artificer to justify an entire subclass; there has been enough of an outcry that they should consider giving it something.
Having said that: they should NOT remove this subclass from the Wizard, just to placate those who feel cheated.
That perpetuates a feeling of disappointment; it takes a good thing from the Wizard fans who were waiting for a subclass like this.
Manufacture a separate subclass, I say at this point…who knows; maybe it’s already in the works.
I respectfully disagree. You could make an awesome runic Sorcerer… if not Matt Mercer’s version, then something else. Having been a practicing pagan before turning to Catholicism, I can say that the Norse viewed runes as the building blocks of our universe (vaguely similar to Bards’ perception of the Weave). And of course, this has direct ties to language and the spoken word… Wittgenstein’s philosophy, with broad implications for the nature of existence. It’s fitting that Odin - rune master - was first and foremost a poet.
Therefore, the most obvious subclass would be Wizard (duh), but I could totally see a Sorcerer one too - inheriting the chaotic essence of the giants/perhaps Vanir, which is expressed through use of runes. Similar to Joanne Harris’ interpretation in Runelight.
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Hey, does anyone else remember about a year or so ago when someone in these forums was asking what people would do/want from a set of prehistoric subclasses?
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Sounds like we have an imposter amungus.
A couple of things that I think I will address in the Survey for the Barbarian Path of the Giant is the language used for the character's reach (is it 10 or 15 when huge) and the range of throwing Elemental Cleaver while huge. I know you can still throw it that extra 10 feet (or 5 feet if the reach is meant to be 15 feet) if your target is just out of reach, but that kind of seems lame. I am not sure about that range thing, but it something that has been bothering me.
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I mean really, this is a great argument for a bard College of Runes subclass more than anything else
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Going to go over everything in the UA and why I think it mostly sucks.
Barbarian Path of the Giant: So I'm looking over this subclass and all I'm thinking for each feature is "how do the designers think this is equivalent to the other barbarian options?" and I'm stumped. Totem barbarians have resistance against everything, Beast has a bunch of interesting attack and utility options, Ancestral Guardian is the best "tank" option in the game, Zealot is economic and has some good simple but effective bonuses to damage and durability, Wild Magic gets some fun randomness and synergy with party casters. This subclass gets to throw their weapon better, having an in class effect to increase their size for grappling foes (remember that you can only go once size category up, so this means huge is an option), a reach increase, and an impressive synergy with anyone who can cast Spike Growth (40 ft diameter and 2d4 for every 5 feet means it's not unreasonable to think it'll be 16d4 damage if they fail the save against being moved).
Where does this all go wrong? Reach doesn't work with throwing weapons, so while you can do your best to mimic some sort of Thor knockoff, the two concepts don't work well together. The rage bonus to thrown weapon damage isn't that impressive either considering that's only a +2 for most of the game. Being able to throw your flaming greatsword has some nice visual to it, but it still doesn't seem that appealing to me compared to Beast barbarians' options or how Zealots get their damage bonus earlier and likely do more damage.
How to improve this subclass? Break it up, throwing weapons are a concept to build a subclass around and so is the giant growth grappler niche. Make two subclasses where each actually support the playstyles, since I think I'd rather play some artificer/fighter Multiclass for throwing things assuming you can't just convince the dm to give you a magical throwing weapon. The giant growth atm is worse than just having enlarge/reduce cast on you by the wizard and could use a buff. Level 14 the subclass gets pretty good, but that's all the way at level 14 and even then I don't think it's significantly better than other options.
Final score: 4/10 I wouldn't really want to use this over most of the other barbarians and there are better ways to fulfill the niches it attempts to cover.
Druid Circle of the Primeval: I'm a big fan of druid, it's probably my most played class. The campaign I was in for more than 2 years that hit level 20 I played a druid. Looking at this subclass though, it feels a little bit lacking somehow. It brings back something lost in change of edition, the druid animal companion. I think it handles it fairly well, I've seen a lot of druid players want an animal companion, or just don't care for wildshaping often.
I think it's weaker than the Wildfire Spirit. As a comparison it lacks a fly speed, ranged attack, attack bonus that scales with your spell attack bonus, teleportation, and good damage/condition immunities. The things it's better at is +5 hp, proficiency bonus to AC, one damage dice higher in damage, intercept attack, and being able to eventually cast spells from it.
Titanic Bond is a cool feature, Frightened is a nasty condition to get to apply for relatively free. Scourge of the Ancients seems a bit iffy to me, I'm not sure how well most of the math shakes out for the benefit vs cost ratio. Prehistoric Conduit is pretty cool, but I'm not actually sold on how well the casting form it is just from personal experience. I've rarely had much issue with spell range as a druid, but I can maybe see some interesting ideas if you are using it as a sort of bait/forward scout to lay down difficult terrain while the party is 500 ft back pelting the enemy with longbow shots. Similar thing with the advantage/evasion effect against your spells, I don't have much trouble with safely laying down damage spells, but it might enable some silly stuff with things like grappling an enemy and holding them in a Wall of Fire.
How to Improve this subclass? I think the stat block needs more/better scaling somehow. Scaling bonus to speed based on your PB, some skill proficiencies, maybe some sort of eventual extra attack. Ideally though we would get multiple form options like the Tasha's Beastmaster so we can have some different flavours of companions. One more bulky like a mammoth, one that is higher movement speed/damage like a Velociraptor, one that flies, and maybe one that swims for the half a dozen aquatic campaigns that actually exist.
Final Score: 6/10 Like the Path of the Giant, I don't think it's mechanically equivalent to existing options. Wildfire Spirit is a flying ranged attacker after all, but I also think it's not too far off of that level and is serviceable for those players that want an animal companion.
Wizard Runecrafter: Oh boy it's another attempt at a metamagic wizard! The three rune options seem to all be pretty great as well and I can see reasonably common use cases for all of them. An auto succeed on physical saving throws is also pretty great considering how it includes concentration saves. Engraved Enmity seems like it's sort of spell selection reliant though, eating up your concentration sucks but being able to apply disadvantage to saves vs your spells is pretty nice for a bonus action. The bonus damage and invisibility stuff is basically just ribbons. Good for some sort of blaster oriented wizard if you have stuff like Disintegrate.
The problem with the subclass though, is that most of it is reliant around a limited resource that scales with your proficiency bonus per long rest. This SUCKS if you have very long adventuring days. The only other subclass that does this is Bladesinger, but Bladesong can easily last you an entire combat. The only other subclass with so limited a resource pool is Divination's Portent, but that feature forces either automatic fails or successes. Considering how all but the 14th level feature is about this very limited resource it'll suck.
How to improve this subclass? I know WotC want to use proficiency scaling for a lot of their features, but I think making this scale on Int mod would be better. It's more uses until tier 4 where basically nobody plays anyway. Maybe I'm way off base and underestimating how powerful runic empowerment is and it's actually nearly equivalent to portent, I'd need to playtest that a lot to figure it out. I'd also actually want to switch the levels for Sigils of Warding and Rune Maven, since I think that getting some resource recovery is more useful early on into a character's lifespan.
Final Score 5/10 I like the metamagic options and they are pretty good, but the VERY limited uses on the core class resource means that the general impact on your play is equivalent to picking Divination. That doesn't mean it's weak or bad, but that it just doesn't have it's features come up very often and makes you mostly play like a vanilla wizard.
Overall I think all of these options are interesting in concept and design, but need a bit of a tune up to make them more even with already existing options.
Onto the Feats!
Elemental Touched: Both cantrips suck, I've had builds where I have more than ten cantrips and neither of these even registered to me as options worth taking. Earth and Air are kind of nice for specific builds, but I don't really see them as being priority options even on those builds. You could probably make this into a half feat and I still wouldn't rate it as very worthwhile. I'm betting this is an option as a starting feat in whatever book this ends up in. 3/10
Ember of the Fire Giant: I like this a lot for fighters, not really sure if I would consider it as worthwhile for other martials though. If you want fire resistance because of multiple party spellcasters that like to drop fireballs I can also see that being some amount of an argument for taking this feat. 8/10
Fury of the Frost Giant: I'm not entirely sure how much to rate the cold resistance, it feels like a much more campaign dependent damage type than something like fire. The reaction seems decent though if you're playing a martial without a better way to spend your reaction, but I feel like most of those would rather take something like Sentinel or one of the Touched feats. 4/10
Guile of the Cloud Giant: Spend an action to make the vast majority of enemies have disadvantage to hit you for a minute is a pretty great deal, ideally you can pop this before combat starts but otherwise it's functionally a dodge action that lasts for 10 rounds instead of 1. Social Expertise is also a great way to make a character into a pretty good face character even if they have a lackluster charisma. Alone I'd say that both features are kinda lame but if you are interested in both then the feat can be worth taking. 6/10
Keenness of the Stone Giant: On first glance I wasn't very impressed with this feat, then I realized it's a way to get Shield onto casters who don't get it. If you don't have the stats for a one level dip of sorcerer, warlock, or wizard then it's a pretty decent choice. Darkvision is also nice if you play in a campaign where that can come up but you aren't playing a race with it. 5/10
Outsized Might: This feat just kind of sucks. You get one basic skill proficiency, a bonus to dealing with some niche rules that a lot of DMs handwave, and advantage on saving throws vs some very niche things that can happen to you in combat. If this was a half feat, gave expertise instead of just proficiency, or let you also count as a size larger for grappling it might have been worth a feat slot but as is it sucks. Probably another free starting feat. 2/10
Rune Carver Apprentice: It's an interesting feat that lets you pick from a pool with some decent spells and get a free casting as well as access to using spell slots for the spell. I'm not sure how much that ability to swap them is worth though. It doesn't really feel like it would be worth taking as a feat. I'm willing to bet that this ends up as a starting option though since we've seen that exist in a few books as limited lists of free feats at level 1. 4/10
Rune Carver Adept: Oh boy now you can have nearly all the good 1st level spells! I'm not exactly sold on this being worth much though unless you were in a game that banned multiclassing. 3/10
Soul of the Storm Giant: Maelstrom aura helps prevent enemies from running away from you, which is kinda nice. Divination as a spell kinda sucks though, so I think this feat is almost strictly worse compared to Guile of the Cloud Giant with the exception of some build that is for some reason concerned about enemies running away from you in melee to the point they need a feat for it. 5/10
Vigor of the Hill Giant: Bulwark has the same issue that Oversized Might does in that these effects just aren't all that common and therefor not really worthwhile as a feat. Hearty Health is kind of nice but at the same time is likely only worth the equivalent of a single attack at any given level across all the uses combined. 3/10
Overall the feats are a bit lackluster. There is only really 2 of them I can really see being taken by anybody and even then are likely at the level of "well my main stat is pretty high and I already have the core feats for my build" so its probably only fighters who will take them.
I think you're missing the point when it comes to Path of the Giant. It's not a subclass built around the need to make throwing weapon attacks, it simply makes it so that you can do so whenever its useful. Crushing Hurl's main utility kicks in once Elemental Cleaver arrives because it means that you can throw you flaming greataxe for exactly as much damage as you can inflict with a melee attack. Every other barbarian's damage drops once the enemy steps outside of their melee reach. And speaking of Elemental Cleaver, it's something that buff's the barbarian's damage on every attack. That's a pretty rare effect in 5E, most of the time you get powers that boost your damage once per round, like the Rune Knight.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Honestly, I think ELEMENTAL CLEAVER is very strong. Being able to change the damage type allows you to bypass resistances, something that is hard to see in combat classes.
Crushing Hurl is a bit situational, as you'll generally want to be in melee to absorb aggro (your main role as a barbarian), but it can come in handy in some situations.
MIGHTY IMPEL gives you some control over the battlefield, offering interesting interactions with many area spells, or taking teammates out of melee without suffering OA.
In general I find it a very interesting barbarian subclass. Maybe not one of the best, but definitely one that I would like to try.
. . . Wouldn't that be more of a Bard subclass? WotC has said that Bards and Wizards are really similar concepts for classes, but that the main difference between the two is that "Bards are of the spoken word, Wizards are of the written word".
Again, Runecarving is something that you need to study in order to get. It usually comes at a price (Odin had to give up an eye and hang himself on the Yggdrasil for 9 days and nights), but it still isn't something you're inherently born with.
I don't like the Runecrafter as a Wizard subclass, I think it would work better as an Artificer, but Sorcerer makes about the least sense for the concept. A Giant-descended Sorcerer would make sense . . . but one that has innate rune magic really doesn't.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I'm pretty sure that was me. I've been fond of the idea for quite awhile.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I think it would be great.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Elemental Touched is pretty interesting, but those cantrips are poor choices. I've been messing around with Druidcraft on my fairy character and there's VERY little I can see to do with it that's interesting. I can live with limited usefulness, but being boring is no fun. Thaumaturgy is at least good for playing around.
While thaumaturgy is admittedly easier to use (dead easy to fish for advantage on your next Intimidation, obvious distraction mechanic, and I love the idea of doors flying open and slamming shut as I walk through them), I think druidcraft is still useful.
In many ways it's a druid version of prestidigitation (one of my favourite spells), my main complaint is that druids don't get it as standard (they have to take it from their measly two starting cantrip choices). However it has some fun features:
It's a tough sell as a cantrip choice on most casters, especially those with fewer picks, but as a "free" cantrip I'm much more inclined to take it, especially on a character that wants some extra out of combat utility and is probably already good at being loud and kicking doors open.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
My only question is when will we see the UA added the D&D beyond? I want to experement with it badly
They won't. DnD Beyond stopped supporting UA. They'll get added if/when they get officially published. Meantime, you can recreate using the homebrew tool.
Not my favorite decision they've made, tbh
Well thats dissapointing. Its one of the reasons i had a subscription. Oh well.