I'm putting together some homebrew which kind of works like mini-feats, the idea being that players can gain a more specific skill in exchange for a +1 Ability Score Increase.
What I'm curious about is this - what do you think +1 to an ability score is worth? Is gaining proficiency in a tool a fair deal? Advantage in a certain type of check or test (EG athletics)? More? Less?
Currently the main features I've come up with as mini-feats costing 1 ASI are:
proficient in strength checks
proficient in sleight of hand checks
+1AC if unarmed
ability to cast light like a torch
improved unarmed melee damage (1d6 slashing)
ability to make a basic ranged attack (1d4 piercing, 20/40 range)
advantage on unarmed attacks (probably too powerful for 1 ASI, may make this cost 2)
Increase swimming speed by 10ft.
So when you get an ASI for levelling up, you can spend 1 to get one of these, and put the other on a different one or on a skill.
So, which of these are too much for 1 skill increase (I'm thinking the proficiency in strength checks and advantage on unarmed attacks), which aren't worth it at all (swimming speed?) and which are about right, in your eyes?
Simplest way to think of this is a feat is regarded as the equivalent of 2 ASIs. (You choose between the two). Therefore the benefits of any feat that also gives you a single ASI is considered to be worth 1 ASI.
Having said that there is a huge difference in what these offer (compare athlete with elven accuracy) but the same applies to full feats.
Simplest way to think of this is a feat is regarded as the equivalent of 2 ASIs. (You choose between the two). Therefore the benefits of any feat that also gives you a single ASI is considered to be worth 1 ASI.
Having said that there is a huge difference in what these offer (compare athlete with elven accuracy) but the same applies to full feats.
That's a good way to look at it, I'll have a scoot through the Feats and see how these ones line up with my ideas! Cheers!
proficient in strength checks (this is tough to balance because STR checks would not be equal to CHA checks. I'd stick with proficiency)
proficient in sleight of hand checks (compare to the Skill Expert feat)
+1AC if unarmed
ability to cast light like a torch
improved unarmed melee damage (1d6 slashing)
ability to make a basic ranged attack (1d4 piercing, 20/40 range) (anyone can already do this as an improvised attack. so this would give proficiency?)
advantage on unarmed attacks (probably too powerful for 1 ASI, may make this cost 2) (I would not recommend this at any cost. Adv is supposed to be conditional)
Increase swimming speed by 10ft.
These seem fine for the most part, but to be honest I probably wouldn't take any of them. The first rule of homebrew is to question whether the content will actually be used, and the second is to compare the depth you've added relative to the complexity you've added. I'm not sure these would pass those tests for me.
The ASI's and feats already available provide some really good benefits (many of them covering the same design space) and I don't see anything here that feels competitive. I'm getting a vibe of wanting unarmed combat to be better, but applying several feat taxes to that end is not the way I'd go about it.
Yeah, you're basically talking about what some home brewers call "half feats". You also might want to look at the feats that offer a +1 to a particularly ability and then the feat's features and weight worth from there. Some folks claim the "half feat" is a purely balanced extrapolation of the feat and ASI and should be considered RAW. Many others question the balance of feats and ASIs in the first place. Truth is probably somewhere muddled between those poles.
What I'm curious about is this - what do you think +1 to an ability score is worth? Is gaining proficiency in a tool a fair deal? Advantage in a certain type of check or test (EG athletics)? More? Less?
A lot of existing feats grant +1 in an ability score as well as some other stuff.
Look at the "other stuff" of these feats to see what +1 is worth :-)
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I'm putting together some homebrew which kind of works like mini-feats, the idea being that players can gain a more specific skill in exchange for a +1 Ability Score Increase.
What I'm curious about is this - what do you think +1 to an ability score is worth? Is gaining proficiency in a tool a fair deal? Advantage in a certain type of check or test (EG athletics)? More? Less?
Currently the main features I've come up with as mini-feats costing 1 ASI are:
So when you get an ASI for levelling up, you can spend 1 to get one of these, and put the other on a different one or on a skill.
So, which of these are too much for 1 skill increase (I'm thinking the proficiency in strength checks and advantage on unarmed attacks), which aren't worth it at all (swimming speed?) and which are about right, in your eyes?
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
Simplest way to think of this is a feat is regarded as the equivalent of 2 ASIs. (You choose between the two). Therefore the benefits of any feat that also gives you a single ASI is considered to be worth 1 ASI.
Having said that there is a huge difference in what these offer (compare athlete with elven accuracy) but the same applies to full feats.
That's a good way to look at it, I'll have a scoot through the Feats and see how these ones line up with my ideas! Cheers!
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
These seem fine for the most part, but to be honest I probably wouldn't take any of them. The first rule of homebrew is to question whether the content will actually be used, and the second is to compare the depth you've added relative to the complexity you've added. I'm not sure these would pass those tests for me.
The ASI's and feats already available provide some really good benefits (many of them covering the same design space) and I don't see anything here that feels competitive. I'm getting a vibe of wanting unarmed combat to be better, but applying several feat taxes to that end is not the way I'd go about it.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Yeah, you're basically talking about what some home brewers call "half feats". You also might want to look at the feats that offer a +1 to a particularly ability and then the feat's features and weight worth from there. Some folks claim the "half feat" is a purely balanced extrapolation of the feat and ASI and should be considered RAW. Many others question the balance of feats and ASIs in the first place. Truth is probably somewhere muddled between those poles.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
A lot of existing feats grant +1 in an ability score as well as some other stuff.
Look at the "other stuff" of these feats to see what +1 is worth :-)