My DM just granted each of us a Boon as a reward for completing part of our campaign. That is great, love the idea of a Boon instead of an item. Unfortunately the Boon I received is terrible for my character.
As an action I can create a 15 foot ring. Within that ring I become immune to the Charmed and Frightened conditions. That sounds good, until you realize that it is an action (2 attacks and possibly a 3rd) and locks me down into one place so I can't chase down the enemy.
I have decided not to say anything as I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I really don't see me using this ability more than once in every blue moon. Has anyone else ever found themselves getting a reward that they just didn't want?
Hmm... That does seem like something that would not be needed very often.
When it is needed, giving up the attacks and locking yourself in place is a reasonable downside, but you could ask about making it a bonus action.
It depends on the type of campaign whether you'd even need it though. Only dragons, fey, fiends, and other exotic enemies deal with charm and fear. And if you have a paladin, then it really isn't needed.
Just try bringing it up with DM in private sometime.
Yeah, I'd suggest talking to your DM one on one and explain that you don't feel this boon fits your character and as such, you're unlikely to use it. They might be able to work with you to fine tune it to something more in keeping.
Here's a question, which maybe you can answer having been in the campaign so far: Is it possible the DM has granted each character a boon that she (the DM) knows you will actually need in a later scenario?
Maybe some BBEG you are going to fight in a later mission will have a Fear or Charm ability and you will find yourself wishing you had a way to counteract it. Maybe you won't need to chase that BBEG down so standing in place won't matter. Maybe your whole party will be in this small space, and the others will need to use their boons as well, and your job is to protect them from being charmed or frightened while they use their boons. It would not have been wildly unusual for me to give out a boon a person that was seemingly non-useful when I have planned out a scenario in which the villain is in some way unable to be harmed by normal means (i.e., your vaunted 2 or 3 attacks that you are complaining this boon stops you from using), and the party will have to use the 6 boons (or however many) in the right way -- basically, an encounter that requires you to solve the puzzle of the boons in order to win.
I have done things like this in the past. I remember one Champions scenario in which I had Darkseid (from DC comic) trying to complete the Anti-Life equation and he had almost gotten to the point where he was going to do it. A mere group of mortal superheroes would not have been powerful enough to stop him. But the heroes had found these items (it's been decades so I don't remember what), that allowed four sentient beings (there were 8 heroes) to merge into one and become a new entity temporarily. This would have possibly seemed useless to the players, although they trusted that this ability would be useful eventually and hang onto the items. So here on the edge of space and time, after Darkseid defeated them easily and left them unconscious (dismissing them as non-threats) and turned away to complete the equation, they remembered the items, merged up, and became 2 more powerful beings. I handed the character sheets out to them and each team of 4 played the part of these new entities, which were tough enough to defeat Darkseid. After the battle was over, the power faded, and they went back to normal.
My point is -- your DM may have granted you this boon you think is "useless" right now, but it may turn out to be a critical element of a future adventure.
Also, not knowing what your character can do or even what class, since you didn't say -- this boon may be something wildly different from what your character normally does? It may be quite useful in situations in which your regular abilities, powers, spells, etc., do not work. I mean suppose you are a straight-line physical fighter with a Big Sword and Armor...and you come up against something that cannot be beaten by pure hit points. Would you rather stand there uselessly saying "I attack" twice or possibly 3 times a round knowing that it will do absolutely no good? Or would you rather put up the defensive circle and protect the members of the party who can affect the thing from running away?
It's not always about the attacks you make or the damage you deal -- even when your character is a "DPS" type.
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What's your character? I'd think that sort of ability could be incredibly useful for, say a Champion fighter with polearm master / sentinel.
It could also be pretty effective for a drunken master monk that can redirect missed attacks. Put the bubble up and hold the gap by yourself. (Yes, I know you get stillness of mind as a monk, but that still burns your action to get out from under a charm/fear effect. The boon gives you outright immunity.)
You can also play this into character and the DM will get the idea:
Who granted the boon? In character, could you try talking to them about it and speak to how - firstly - you're thankful to get one, but are interested in what other boons are/were possible? You (your character) wants to be the best that they can, and feel like the charm, although great, could be better granted to someone else.
That being said, it's very easy to just say to the DM that you think it could be cool to play into the boon evolving into something else - something you'd feel better suited for your character.
DMs want the best for their players and we're usually guessing what you actually want. You might be surprised at how the DM is happy to hear the feedback.
Did the other characters get boons that are more obviously helpful to their specific characters? If everyone got the same boon then that makes sense to me. But if your DM clearly was trying to customize the boons to each player's characters and playstyle, then I think it would be worth talking to your DM out of combat how you feel like your boon isn't going to get much, if any use.
I play a Bear Totem Barbarian, Variant Human with the Athlete Feat. Took Great Weapon Master at 4th level (currently 6th). My character tends to be very mobile in combat, taking advantage of the 40' movement and athletics for jumping and climbing.
As we made characters it worked out that we each had a patron of sorts, Tabaxi Warlock had a Great Old One, Aasimar Favored Soul had a Celestial, the Human Samurai has a set of armor that has been in his family for generations and I stole a tetsubo made of jade that turned out to be cursed. At the end of the current story arc of the campaign each of us got a boon from said patron. The Warlock and Sorcerer got new spell abilities (I don't know the details, but they seem pretty excited), the Samurai's armor got flaming boots that made him move faster (extra 10') and allows him to do a fiery kick attack as a bonus action (1d6 + Str in fire damage) so pretty cool. I got the ring.
I don't think the ability is all that bad really, but it doesn't really fit how the character has been played up to this point. I am certain the boon was not created with any malice towards me or the character. Can't expect the DM to knock it out of the park ever time.
Also it only affects me, not the group and lasts 1 minute.
Ah, I can see now that it's not quite as useful as the other characters' skills. The Samurai's boon is just measurably stronger than yours... it provides a permanent boost to walk speed, and allows a repeatable d6 bonus attack. I'd say an equivalent would be for the ring to give you advantage to resist attempts to Charm or Frighten you, and to allow you some kind of bonus attack as well with it. Maybe allowing to make a psychic attack... although that might be too much of a copy of the Samurai's boon. Maybe the ring would allow you to make a shove attack as a bonus action... could be incredibly fun to be able to run up to somebody, knock them over, then just pummel them. Actually now that I'm writing that up that might be a bit imbalanced... maybe it would have a limited number of charges per day.
Ah, I can see now that it's not quite as useful as the other characters' skills. The Samurai's boon is just measurably stronger than yours... it provides a permanent boost to walk speed, and allows a repeatable d6 bonus attack. I'd say an equivalent would be for the ring to give you advantage to resist attempts to Charm or Frighten you, and to allow you some kind of bonus attack as well with it. Maybe allowing to make a psychic attack... although that might be too much of a copy of the Samurai's boon. Maybe the ring would allow you to make a shove attack as a bonus action... could be incredibly fun to be able to run up to somebody, knock them over, then just pummel them. Actually now that I'm writing that up that might be a bit imbalanced... maybe it would have a limited number of charges per day.
Maybe advantage on the save against charmed/frighten and if you crit on the save the caster becomes the target as if you had cast it?
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I had kind of a similar thing happen when I expressed to my DM my intent to multiclass. I asked for his thoughts on Mercer's Blood Hunter class, and if it would be allowed for my Ranger to dip into. After a bit of a conversation, he agreed to it and we made it happen. Unfortunately, before it could happen my character made a bad decision in game and ended up falling into a collapsing ruin. (long story).
Thus, my multiclass choice turned into making a deal with the devil, essentially, to continue living. Half a year later and we're still dealing with this issue, with no clear out. Honestly if I had to do it again I probably would've just let my ranger take the hit and moved on to another character, but it has made for some interesting moments and great RP, including a serious heart-to-heart with the group after a botched attempt at getting a piece of the puzzle that we believe will help in the pursuit.
In relation to your end, Communication with your DM is key with things like this. I've had several conversations about my situation with my DM throughout the half-year since multiclassing and it's worked wonders with resolving some issues that came up between how he was steering events with my character. (essentially made my blood hunter class feel like i took levels in warlock). Without being able to openly discuss the issues I had with my DM, I probably would've forcefully retired the character or maybe even left the group by now.
The boon was probably chosen with the thought that the worst thing for a barbarian is to be charmed and turned against the party.
On that note, I suggest the boon be advantage on WIS saving throws, and when you succeed a save against being charmed can use your reaction to do psychic damage to the charmer.
I would love to cause some kind of fear affect to be honest. Like Frightful Presence tied to my Rages or something.
I like that idea... maybe something like, "When activating Rage, a creature who can see you within 30 feet must make a WIS saving throw. On a failure, the creature is frightened of you. The creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns". I'd say the DC should be 8+STR+Proficiency. That or just allow you to make an intimidation roll contested by their Wisdom roll.
Of my games, I want players to have fun. If an RP point (such as a boon) isn't adding to the game, then what's the point?
Recommendation: Just politely say "hey, I don't feel that I got much out of this boon". Maybe the DM will say "hey, it'll be a big deal later". Maybe it's a case of "I'm not sure but let's see what happens over time". Maybe they'll say that you need to trust them that it's part of a story, or a monster set or maybe they'll want to make a change.
The biggest thing is to remember that most DM's put in work. There's a reason that your character got this power. There was thought behind it; be respectful of that investment from the DM. And be honest as to how you feel about the game. DM's are people, ya know.
A few things to consider. You are a GWM barbarian and at these levels you are likely greatly out damaging the rest of the party, have decent mobility, and defense abilities. As a DM I would be hard pressed to make that build even more over powered compared to the rest of the party by giving a boon that boost those abilities.
As a barbarian in one of my games I have been charmed multiple times and have killed my party members a few times while charmed. Iv been also been feared. The 3 biggest fights our party has dealt with had my character next to worthless. A lich, vampire, and demi-lich.
The boons may have been something the DM made to make the rest of the party more useful and not get over shadowed by you the barbarian.
With reckless attack, GWM, and a decent str you are likely doing 40+ damage a round compared to the others 10-15 damage unless they burn thru limited resources. You are also more tanky than them and more mobile. You are optimized and they do not seem to be.
A few things to consider. You are a GWM barbarian and at these levels you are likely greatly out damaging the rest of the party, have decent mobility, and defense abilities. As a DM I would be hard pressed to make that build even more over powered compared to the rest of the party by giving a boon that boost those abilities.
As a barbarian in one of my games I have been charmed multiple times and have killed my party members a few times while charmed. Iv been also been feared. The 3 biggest fights our party has dealt with had my character next to worthless. A lich, vampire, and demi-lich.
The boons may have been something the DM made to make the rest of the party more useful and not get over shadowed by you the barbarian.
With reckless attack, GWM, and a decent str you are likely doing 40+ damage a round compared to the others 10-15 damage unless they burn thru limited resources. You are also more tanky than them and more mobile. You are optimized and they do not seem to be.
As I stated before, I don't really want or need a boon to make me more powerful, I just would like something more inline with how the character has been played.
Anyway, I took everyone's advice and spoke to her about it and she said that the boon she gave me was the only one she thought was "ify" so she is going to think it over and make some changes.
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My DM just granted each of us a Boon as a reward for completing part of our campaign. That is great, love the idea of a Boon instead of an item. Unfortunately the Boon I received is terrible for my character.
As an action I can create a 15 foot ring. Within that ring I become immune to the Charmed and Frightened conditions. That sounds good, until you realize that it is an action (2 attacks and possibly a 3rd) and locks me down into one place so I can't chase down the enemy.
I have decided not to say anything as I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I really don't see me using this ability more than once in every blue moon. Has anyone else ever found themselves getting a reward that they just didn't want?
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
Hmm... That does seem like something that would not be needed very often.
When it is needed, giving up the attacks and locking yourself in place is a reasonable downside, but you could ask about making it a bonus action.
It depends on the type of campaign whether you'd even need it though. Only dragons, fey, fiends, and other exotic enemies deal with charm and fear. And if you have a paladin, then it really isn't needed.
Just try bringing it up with DM in private sometime.
Yeah, I'd suggest talking to your DM one on one and explain that you don't feel this boon fits your character and as such, you're unlikely to use it. They might be able to work with you to fine tune it to something more in keeping.
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Here's a question, which maybe you can answer having been in the campaign so far: Is it possible the DM has granted each character a boon that she (the DM) knows you will actually need in a later scenario?
Maybe some BBEG you are going to fight in a later mission will have a Fear or Charm ability and you will find yourself wishing you had a way to counteract it. Maybe you won't need to chase that BBEG down so standing in place won't matter. Maybe your whole party will be in this small space, and the others will need to use their boons as well, and your job is to protect them from being charmed or frightened while they use their boons. It would not have been wildly unusual for me to give out a boon a person that was seemingly non-useful when I have planned out a scenario in which the villain is in some way unable to be harmed by normal means (i.e., your vaunted 2 or 3 attacks that you are complaining this boon stops you from using), and the party will have to use the 6 boons (or however many) in the right way -- basically, an encounter that requires you to solve the puzzle of the boons in order to win.
I have done things like this in the past. I remember one Champions scenario in which I had Darkseid (from DC comic) trying to complete the Anti-Life equation and he had almost gotten to the point where he was going to do it. A mere group of mortal superheroes would not have been powerful enough to stop him. But the heroes had found these items (it's been decades so I don't remember what), that allowed four sentient beings (there were 8 heroes) to merge into one and become a new entity temporarily. This would have possibly seemed useless to the players, although they trusted that this ability would be useful eventually and hang onto the items. So here on the edge of space and time, after Darkseid defeated them easily and left them unconscious (dismissing them as non-threats) and turned away to complete the equation, they remembered the items, merged up, and became 2 more powerful beings. I handed the character sheets out to them and each team of 4 played the part of these new entities, which were tough enough to defeat Darkseid. After the battle was over, the power faded, and they went back to normal.
My point is -- your DM may have granted you this boon you think is "useless" right now, but it may turn out to be a critical element of a future adventure.
Also, not knowing what your character can do or even what class, since you didn't say -- this boon may be something wildly different from what your character normally does? It may be quite useful in situations in which your regular abilities, powers, spells, etc., do not work. I mean suppose you are a straight-line physical fighter with a Big Sword and Armor...and you come up against something that cannot be beaten by pure hit points. Would you rather stand there uselessly saying "I attack" twice or possibly 3 times a round knowing that it will do absolutely no good? Or would you rather put up the defensive circle and protect the members of the party who can affect the thing from running away?
It's not always about the attacks you make or the damage you deal -- even when your character is a "DPS" type.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
If the ring lasts a long time, you can create it before combat, too.
What's your character? I'd think that sort of ability could be incredibly useful for, say a Champion fighter with polearm master / sentinel.
It could also be pretty effective for a drunken master monk that can redirect missed attacks. Put the bubble up and hold the gap by yourself. (Yes, I know you get stillness of mind as a monk, but that still burns your action to get out from under a charm/fear effect. The boon gives you outright immunity.)
You can also play this into character and the DM will get the idea:
Who granted the boon? In character, could you try talking to them about it and speak to how - firstly - you're thankful to get one, but are interested in what other boons are/were possible? You (your character) wants to be the best that they can, and feel like the charm, although great, could be better granted to someone else.
That being said, it's very easy to just say to the DM that you think it could be cool to play into the boon evolving into something else - something you'd feel better suited for your character.
DMs want the best for their players and we're usually guessing what you actually want. You might be surprised at how the DM is happy to hear the feedback.
Did the other characters get boons that are more obviously helpful to their specific characters? If everyone got the same boon then that makes sense to me. But if your DM clearly was trying to customize the boons to each player's characters and playstyle, then I think it would be worth talking to your DM out of combat how you feel like your boon isn't going to get much, if any use.
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I play a Bear Totem Barbarian, Variant Human with the Athlete Feat. Took Great Weapon Master at 4th level (currently 6th). My character tends to be very mobile in combat, taking advantage of the 40' movement and athletics for jumping and climbing.
As we made characters it worked out that we each had a patron of sorts, Tabaxi Warlock had a Great Old One, Aasimar Favored Soul had a Celestial, the Human Samurai has a set of armor that has been in his family for generations and I stole a tetsubo made of jade that turned out to be cursed. At the end of the current story arc of the campaign each of us got a boon from said patron. The Warlock and Sorcerer got new spell abilities (I don't know the details, but they seem pretty excited), the Samurai's armor got flaming boots that made him move faster (extra 10') and allows him to do a fiery kick attack as a bonus action (1d6 + Str in fire damage) so pretty cool. I got the ring.
I don't think the ability is all that bad really, but it doesn't really fit how the character has been played up to this point. I am certain the boon was not created with any malice towards me or the character. Can't expect the DM to knock it out of the park ever time.
Also it only affects me, not the group and lasts 1 minute.
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Ah, I can see now that it's not quite as useful as the other characters' skills. The Samurai's boon is just measurably stronger than yours... it provides a permanent boost to walk speed, and allows a repeatable d6 bonus attack. I'd say an equivalent would be for the ring to give you advantage to resist attempts to Charm or Frighten you, and to allow you some kind of bonus attack as well with it. Maybe allowing to make a psychic attack... although that might be too much of a copy of the Samurai's boon. Maybe the ring would allow you to make a shove attack as a bonus action... could be incredibly fun to be able to run up to somebody, knock them over, then just pummel them. Actually now that I'm writing that up that might be a bit imbalanced... maybe it would have a limited number of charges per day.
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Maybe advantage on the save against charmed/frighten and if you crit on the save the caster becomes the target as if you had cast it?
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I don't really care about the power discrepancy, just that the ability I got does not really match the character.
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I would love to cause some kind of fear affect to be honest. Like Frightful Presence tied to my Rages or something.
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I had kind of a similar thing happen when I expressed to my DM my intent to multiclass. I asked for his thoughts on Mercer's Blood Hunter class, and if it would be allowed for my Ranger to dip into. After a bit of a conversation, he agreed to it and we made it happen. Unfortunately, before it could happen my character made a bad decision in game and ended up falling into a collapsing ruin. (long story).
Thus, my multiclass choice turned into making a deal with the devil, essentially, to continue living. Half a year later and we're still dealing with this issue, with no clear out. Honestly if I had to do it again I probably would've just let my ranger take the hit and moved on to another character, but it has made for some interesting moments and great RP, including a serious heart-to-heart with the group after a botched attempt at getting a piece of the puzzle that we believe will help in the pursuit.
In relation to your end, Communication with your DM is key with things like this. I've had several conversations about my situation with my DM throughout the half-year since multiclassing and it's worked wonders with resolving some issues that came up between how he was steering events with my character. (essentially made my blood hunter class feel like i took levels in warlock). Without being able to openly discuss the issues I had with my DM, I probably would've forcefully retired the character or maybe even left the group by now.
The boon was probably chosen with the thought that the worst thing for a barbarian is to be charmed and turned against the party.
On that note, I suggest the boon be advantage on WIS saving throws, and when you succeed a save against being charmed can use your reaction to do psychic damage to the charmer.
I like that idea... maybe something like, "When activating Rage, a creature who can see you within 30 feet must make a WIS saving throw. On a failure, the creature is frightened of you. The creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns". I'd say the DC should be 8+STR+Proficiency. That or just allow you to make an intimidation roll contested by their Wisdom roll.
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I'd take it and be thankful. I'd suspect there to be a plan in the works. And us saying so is kind of spoiling your surprise later =)
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Of my games, I want players to have fun. If an RP point (such as a boon) isn't adding to the game, then what's the point?
Recommendation: Just politely say "hey, I don't feel that I got much out of this boon". Maybe the DM will say "hey, it'll be a big deal later". Maybe it's a case of "I'm not sure but let's see what happens over time". Maybe they'll say that you need to trust them that it's part of a story, or a monster set or maybe they'll want to make a change.
The biggest thing is to remember that most DM's put in work. There's a reason that your character got this power. There was thought behind it; be respectful of that investment from the DM. And be honest as to how you feel about the game. DM's are people, ya know.
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A few things to consider. You are a GWM barbarian and at these levels you are likely greatly out damaging the rest of the party, have decent mobility, and defense abilities. As a DM I would be hard pressed to make that build even more over powered compared to the rest of the party by giving a boon that boost those abilities.
As a barbarian in one of my games I have been charmed multiple times and have killed my party members a few times while charmed. Iv been also been feared. The 3 biggest fights our party has dealt with had my character next to worthless. A lich, vampire, and demi-lich.
The boons may have been something the DM made to make the rest of the party more useful and not get over shadowed by you the barbarian.
With reckless attack, GWM, and a decent str you are likely doing 40+ damage a round compared to the others 10-15 damage unless they burn thru limited resources. You are also more tanky than them and more mobile. You are optimized and they do not seem to be.
As I stated before, I don't really want or need a boon to make me more powerful, I just would like something more inline with how the character has been played.
Anyway, I took everyone's advice and spoke to her about it and she said that the boon she gave me was the only one she thought was "ify" so she is going to think it over and make some changes.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master