I have put together 2 homebrew subclasses. You can view them by clicking the header for the subclass, but I have included an overview of the class features in this post.
I would love some creative criticism / feedback. Personally, I feel that the Battlerager - Revisisted may be a bit over tuned, so more than happy to get feedback and suggestions!
Monks of the Way of the Iron Fist are the counterpart to those who train in the Way of the Open Hand and rival them as the ultimate Masters of Martial Arts combat but with a greater emphasis on unarmed attacks. They focus on Techniques that strengthen their resistances and crush their opponents, manipulating their own ki to achieve devastating results.
Overview of Class Features:
L3: Iron Fist Technique: When hitting a creature with one of the attacks granted by Flurry of Blows, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:
It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take a −2 penalty to AC and Dexterity saving throws until the start of your next turn.
It must make a Strength saving throw. If it fails, you can push it up to 15 feet away from you.
It can’t take reactions until the end of your next turn.
L6: Body of Steel: Gain the ability to bolster your defence and offence further using your ki.
Iron Vest. As a bonus action, spend 2 Ki and gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for 1 minute.
Heavy Hands. You gain the following benefits:
Once per turn, before making an unarmed attack, you may spend 1 Ki and take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
You can sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to roll 2 additional martial arts die when making an unarmed attack.
L11: Unwavering: As a reaction you can adopt a rooted stance, reducing melee damage you take by 1d10 + your Constitution modifier + your monk level. Reducing the damage to 0 in this way allows you to make an athletics check to grapple the opponent in place if you have at least one hand free. You can then spend 1 ki to make another athletics check to attempt to pin the grappled creature as part of the same reaction.
L17: Erupting Fist: Once per long rest, when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 ki points to empower your fist. When you do so, the target takes an additional 10 martial arts die damage. When you use this action, the creature and every creature within a 15 ft cone behind it must make a Constitution saving throw. If the creatures fail, they are knocked prone and take 10d10 force damage. If they succeed, they take half the damage and are not knocked prone.
Known as Kuldjargh (literally “axe idiot”) in Dwarvish, battleragers were originally dwarf followers of the gods of war and take the Path of the Battlerager. They specialize in wearing bulky, spiked armor and throwing themselves into combat, striking with their body itself and giving themselves over to the fury of battle.
Overview of Class Features:
L3: Battlerager Armor: You gain the ability to attack using Spiked Armor and proficiency in Smiths Tools
Spend 1-hour crafting and fitting spikes to your armor.
Spiked armor can be any medium armor, but not hide.
If the armor you are attaching the spikes to is magical, the spikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. If the armor grants a bonus to AC, then it grants the same bonus to hit and damage rolls when using your spikes to attack.
Spikes deal 1d6 piercing damage, you are proficient with this attack and use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls.
When you grapple or are grappled by a creature you deal 1d6 piercing damage. At the start of your turn, a grappled creature takes 1d6 piercing damage.
Armor Info
Cost to purchase premade: Base armor cost + 25 gp
Cost to purchase materials to modify armor: 20 gp
AC: Base armor AC + Dexterity modifier (max 2)
Stealth: Disadvantage
Weight: Base armor weight + 5 lbs.
L3: Combat Madness: Learn gambits that are fueled by special dice called madness dice.
Learn 3 gambits. You can use only one gambit per attack and only while you are raging.
Learn two additional gambits of your choice at the 6th and 10th levels.
You have four madness dice, which are d8s. You regain all expended dice when you finish a short or long rest. Gain another madness die at 6th level and one more at 10th level.
Saving DCs: 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Constitution modifier (your choice)
L3: Gambits:
Barbed- When hit with a melee attack, as a reaction expend a die and attack the creature with your spiked armour. If you hit, you add the die to your damage roll.
Bloodlust- When rolling for initiative, you can expend a die to embolden yourself and allies equal to your CHA modifier (minimum of 1) adding the die to the roll.
Brawlers Spirit - After hitting with a melee attack, spend a die and attempt to grapple the target, adding the die result to your athletics check.
Cowing Strike - When you hit a target, you can expend a die to have them make a WIS save. On a fail, they are frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Dig Deep - When you take the dodge action, spend 1 die and heal yourself 1 Hit Die + the expended die + your CON modifier.
Excessive Force - Before making a weapon attack against a creature, you may take a -5 penalty to the attack roll and expend one madness die. If the attack hits, you add +5 and the number rolled to the attack’s damage.
Hounding Attack - When you hit a target, you can expend a die to have them make a WIS save. On a fail, they have disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone but you until the end of your next turn.
Intimidating Presence - When you making an Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion check, you can expend a die and add the result to the ability check.
Meat Shield - If within 5 feet of a friendly attacked creature, you may spend a die and use your reaction to switch places with that creature. Roll the die, until the start of your next turn, the creature you switched places with gains a bonus to AC equal to the number rolled. You can choose to use this gambit after the attacker makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll succeeds or fails. You become the recipient of the attack.
Reckless Tackle - After taking the dash action and moving at least 20ft, spend a die and throw yourself at a target. They must make a DEX save or be knocked prone, taking damage equal to the number rolled. You may make a Grappled check as a bonus action to try and pin the creature.
Shoulder Barge - When making a melee weapon attack with your spiked armor, you can expend a die to increase your movement before that attack by 10 feet
Spiked Armor Slam - As a bonus action, you can expend a die and make an attack using your spiked armor. If you hit, add the madness die to the weapon’s damage roll.
L6: Reckless Abandon: When using Reckless Attack while raging, you also gain temporary hit points equal to your CON modifier (minimum of 1). They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends. Additionally, if you expended a madness die as part of a Reckless Attack, you may add the number rolled to your temporary hit points.
L10: Fighting Style: (all of these are pretty much your standard fighting style, Overbearing Madness is basically Superior Technique)
Defense
Dueling
Great Weapon Fighting
Overbearing Madness
Two-weapon Fighting
Unarmed Fighting
L14: Battle Fever: Gain the ability to make an overwhelming number of attacks against a group of enemies. When attacking using your Spiked Armor, you can make up to 3 additional attacks with it (up to a total of 5 Spiked Armor attacks), provided that each Spiked Armor attack targets a different creature this turn.
So there are my 2 homebrews (currently), I hope you enjoy them. And I'm always happy to receive feedback.
Thing's I'm not super happy with:
Battlerager level 10 features - feels a bit meh giving it a fighting style at this point. But ran out of creative juices. A lot of its features were added in some way, shape or form as Gambits. Originally, Gambits were supposed to be high risk / high reward type thing, but that dropped away.
Battlerager gambits - A few of them are just reflavoured. I feel this ok(ish), but ultimately still sort of on the fence about it.
Hi all,
I have put together 2 homebrew subclasses. You can view them by clicking the header for the subclass, but I have included an overview of the class features in this post.
I would love some creative criticism / feedback. Personally, I feel that the Battlerager - Revisisted may be a bit over tuned, so more than happy to get feedback and suggestions!
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First up, for the Monk - we have the monastic tradition: Way of the Iron Fist.
Way of the Iron Fist
Monks of the Way of the Iron Fist are the counterpart to those who train in the Way of the Open Hand and rival them as the ultimate Masters of Martial Arts combat but with a greater emphasis on unarmed attacks. They focus on Techniques that strengthen their resistances and crush their opponents, manipulating their own ki to achieve devastating results.
Overview of Class Features:
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Next up, for the Barbarian - we have the primal path: Path of the Battlerager - Revisited.
Path of the Battlerager - Revisited
Known as Kuldjargh (literally “axe idiot”) in Dwarvish, battleragers were originally dwarf followers of the gods of war and take the Path of the Battlerager. They specialize in wearing bulky, spiked armor and throwing themselves into combat, striking with their body itself and giving themselves over to the fury of battle.
Overview of Class Features:
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So there are my 2 homebrews (currently), I hope you enjoy them. And I'm always happy to receive feedback.
Thing's I'm not super happy with:
A lot of its features were added in some way, shape or form as Gambits. Originally, Gambits were supposed to be high risk / high reward type thing, but that dropped away.