I posted this a while ago but nobody gave critique, reposting with a few edits made to the subclass:
This is my second homebrew subclass, a ranger, and I could use some balance advice on it. For one thing, the concept is pretty unorthodox. Secondly, the language could probably be better, I make my fair share of mistakes with D&D lingo. Third, I don't know how good it is in general. It's meant to be a utility subclass, granting vision and guidance, as well as an Ethereal Plane portal and the ability to attack ethereal enemies even while you're in the material plane.
Without further ado, let me introduce you to the Bell Keeper:
It was ten days into my journey northward that I realized how truly and unequivocally lost I had become. The mountain roads were blocked by a recent rockslide, so I took what looked to be a deer path winding around the other side of the mountain. Little did I know at the time that the woods it ran through were cursed, and anyone who dared enter them had never returned. Until now, of course! A fogbank rolled in not long after I started on the trail, and soon it was so thick I could not see my own hand in front of me. The mist seemed unnatural, somehow. Ethereal.
I walked through that fog for three days on end, most likely in circles. Sometimes I thought I saw people on the same path as I was, but how could I see them through the rolling mists? I decided my mind was playing tricks on me. Especially considering the people I saw seemed to just fade away into the fog, like they themselves were made of air. Or ghosts, perhaps. Yes, it is only now that I realize I was seeing ghosts.
My provisions were running low and so was my sanity. It was at a point of complete despair that I heard it. A soft, ringing tone. Like the beat of an angel's heart. A beautiful sound that turned my head, and I saw a light shining through the curtains of fog. A pair of windchimes, if you can believe it. Floating right there in front of me and glowing with the warmth of a firefly as it made its music. A man draped in white cloth, with a longbow slung over his shoulder, accompanied the spirit instrument. He said nothing, only smiled at me, then seemed to convey some silent message to the windchimes. They began glowing brighter, their song echoing past the mists, and suddenly the path cleared itself. The fog parted for the chime! I saw the deer path stretch out before me and lead back to the main road, which would undoubtedly return me to civilization. I wished to thank the man for his help, but he had disappeared along with the mist. Whoever he was, he guided me back to the world of the living. Him and that chime of his.
-A Lost Traveler's Tale
Bell Keepers understand that there are incidents in which people from their plane get stuck in the Border Ethereal which overlaps their world, as well as incidents in which lost souls in the Ethereal Plane begin to torment the living. Bell Keepers use a Bell- a manifestation of ethereal energy taken visible form- to guide these travelers- both material and ethereal- back to their proper path. The soft glow and hollow ring of the Bell acts as a beacon for these people, and helps them find where they belong...and, when necessary, rings as their funeral bell. Sometimes, the proper path for a wrathful spirit is one that sees them in a material grave.
Ethereal Bell
At 3rd level, you gain a manifestation of ethereal magic in the form of a Bell. This Bell is made up of spectral light and can be any instrument that would make a hollow clang: a bell, a gong, windchimes, a triangle, etc. You can carry your Bell or have it float beside you. While the Bell is away from your side, the magic holding it together is weakened, and therefore it can be damaged. It can only be harmed by force damage, and has an amount of hit points equal to your ranger level. When its hit points are reduced to zero, it is destroyed and its current effects are deactivated. It fully regains its hit points if you recall it to your side and cannot be damaged until you send it away again. You can summon, recreate, or dismiss the Bell with a bonus action.
While your Bell is present, you can perform one or more of the following in a single bonus action:
You send the Bell to a point within 30 feet, or recall it to your side. The Bell can travel through solid objects, except those that extend into the Ethereal Plane such as wall of force. If you or the Bell strays past this distance, the Bell is destroyed.
You cause the Bell to start shedding bright light within a 10-foot radius and dim light for another 10 feet. This light travels through solid objects that do not extend into the Ethereal Plane. Creatures and objects in the Ethereal Plane within the light are made visible.
You cause the Bell to start ringing.
Mystic Chime
At 7th level, while your Bell is present, you gain access to chimes; mystical intonations that your Bell can produce to grant magical effects. Each chime costs an action to begin, and only one can be active at a time. A chime ends when dismissed with no action cost, or when the Bell is destroyed. You gain access to the following chimes:
Calling Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a strangely compelling tone. Choose a type of creature. Creatures of that type within 1 mile (or 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain) are drawn to the sound of your Bell. Only creatures of that type can hear the sound. If you are in the Ethereal Plane, creatures in a plane you border can still hear the sound, and vice versa.
Illuminating Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a bright, cheery note. The Bell starts shedding bright light within a 10-foot radius and dim light for another 10 feet. This light travels through solid objects that do not extend into the Ethereal Plane, and pierces through magical darkness and magical effects which obscure surroundings such as fog cloud. Creatures and objects in the Ethereal Plane within the light are made visible and can be interacted with as if they were present in your current plane, and vice versa.
Soothing Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a clear, hollow song. Creatures that enter or start their turn within 10 feet of the Bell must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed until they leave the range of this chime. Creatures charmed by Soothing Chime cannot willingly move beyond 10 feet of the Bell. At the end of each of their turns, a creature can make the same saving throw again to attempt to break free of the charmed condition. If they succeed, they cannot be charmed again by this effect for 1 hour.
Echolocation
At 11th level, you can use your action to produce a resonation from your Bell that grants you a perfect yet momentary understanding of the area 30 feet around it. This allows you to detect the presence of unseen creatures, secret passages, or other things that might be revealed through echolocation. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, refreshed upon completing a long rest.
Traveler's Chime
At 15th level, you can use your action to create a 5-foot radius circle centered at your Bell's current location that lasts for 24 hours. This circle radiates spectral light and banks of fog, and acts as a gateway point into the Ethereal Plane. Any creature that steps into the circle is transported to the corresponding location in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa. You can use this feature twice per long rest.
I feel that it's really quite underpowered, though. The bell doesn't actually do anything besides shed light until level 7, which will mean this ranger will be a torch for the entire start of a campaign. I would give the bell more features at level 3, including an offensive and a defensive option or buff/debuff. Even at higher levels, in a general dnd encounter (you just met an angry hill giant who wants to eat the town, and now he wants to eat you too, for example), this class can't offer much - it can attract creatures, but not control them. It can charm nearby creatures, but if they save then that's gone for an hour. It can shed light, which it doesn't need to, and it can open portals to the border ethereal / interact with things there, which means more work for the DM and not much guidance on what that could involve!
I would suggest:
Start by being able to summon creatures, such as swarms of beasts, using the bell, and allow them to be controlled whilst the bell is alive. This would be the level 3 ability, and I'd make it limited by CR and environement.
Then I would allow them to summon ethereal beasts, which isn't limited by environment (you want a swarm of ethereal fish in a desert? you can summon one). Such swarms are identical, except swimming speed becomes flying speed and they ignore terrain.
Also worth noting (not sure if it's intentional) but you can't seem to move your bell without a bonus action, so if you were trying to use it whilst dashing, for example, it would be left behind and destroyed.
I do like this though, it's got a nice feel to it!
I'd rather not have it summon beasts or spirits, since other ranger subclasses already have those sorts of companions. Maybe the Bell can produce a thunder or force damage wave 10 feet around itself though? Creatures avoid it on a Wisdom save, if they fail they take 1d6 + your Wisdom mod damage? And then it scales up by 1d6 at each subclass level. Not a lot of damage but it only takes a bonus action and can deal damage to multiple foes.
I think another 7th level chime is in order, but I'm not really sure what sort of buff/debuff it should be.
I hadn't considered dashing. Hmm. Probably not a huge drawback though.
I feel like it's so rarely going to be destroyed if it's immune to all damage except force that it's probably just simpler to say that it can't be destroyed. Any you can just summon it back again anyway.
I do agree with the other statements too. Maybe something like "prof times/short rest you can choose a creature in your bell's light to aid/guide or harm/blind. Aid/Guide: Gain +1d6 to the next ability check, saving throw or skill check they make. Harm/Blind: Reverse of aid. Maybe a save?" Maybe the dice increases as you level like a bardic inspiration? I dunno, I'm just thinking it could be something like the guidance cantrip. Oh, maybe you just gain the guidance cantrip but can also cast it through your bell? Then maybe your bell can also harm and deal 1d6+wis radiant or force to those of your choice within the bright light prof/long(?) rest. Maybe it's a save and they take the damage and have dis on their next attack and on a success they just take half damage.
Maybe you set up Chime's at 3rd level and at 7th they each get improvements or you have say, 5-8 chimes and you can pick (prof) chimes at the end of a rest and can use them... I guess wisdom or prof times/rest.
Might also suggest giving an extended spell list here.
Ethereal Bell.
Bell is an ethereal object, can cast bright light within 10 feet and dim light within an additional 10 feet. You can move it up to 30 feet as a bonus action, but it cannot be further than 30 feet away from you. Additional things, though I wouldn't have it be breakable. I think it'd also be neat if you could have it be say, a lantern or other objects, since it seems to be doing things like sound and light? Maybe you could have it be attached to you or within you so it's not very conspicuous, but you can still gain its benefits and it moves with you? I'm not sure.
3rd level chimes. You could make it just be 'within 10 feet of the bell' instead of in the bright light so you can have it up but not be shining light, and be more about the sound.
At 3rd level, you can cause your bell to make mystical chimes; mystical intonations that your Bell can produce to grant magical effects. You gain a number of chimes of your choice equal to your proficiency modifier when you finish a long rest and can change the chimes you gain at the end of a long rest.
You can activate chimes a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses at the end of a long rest. Each chime costs a bonus action to begin and lasts for an hour, and only one can be active at a time. A chime ends when dismissed with no action cost or if you begin a new chime.
Illuminating Chime. The bell rings out with a bright, clear note and makes the hidden appear. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet (or in the bright light?) of your bell have advantage on Perception, Investigation and Insight checks. Guiding Chime. The bell makes a gentle, patient chime and aids your allies, helping them to find their way. As an action, you can cast the Guidance cantrip, which counts as a Ranger spell for you while this chime is active, and target a creature of your choice within your bell's bright light (or just within 10 feet?). Emboldening Chime. Your bell creates a clear, confident note that strengthens the resolve of your allies. Creatures of your choice within the bell's bright light have advantage on saving throws to resist the frightened condition and add +1 to all saving throws. Blinding Chime. The bell makes a loud, harsh chime and blinds your enemies. As an action on your turn, you can force a creature of your choice in the bright light of your bell to make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 force damage and gain disadvantage on all attack rolls until the start of your next turn. Calling Chime. You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a strangely compelling tone. When a creature is in the bright light of your bell, you can use your reaction to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw or be unable to voluntarily leave the bright light.
At 7th level, your skill with the mystical notes of the bell improves, granting you additional benefits when you begin a chime and additional chimes you can use.
Illuminating Chime Improvement. As an action, you can grant advantage on attack rolls to all creatures of your choice within the bright light until the end of your next turn. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again. Or maybe creatures within the light cannot benefit from being hidden or invisible or you can banish magical darkness etc. Guiding Chime Improvement. When you target a creature with Guidance through the chime, you can choose to target a second creature also within the bell's light. Emboldening Chime Improvement. As an action, creatures of your choice within the bell's bright light gain 1d6 + your Ranger level in temporary hitpoints and add 1d4 to the next saving throw or attack roll they make. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again. Blinding Chime Improvement. As an action, creatures of your choice within the bright light of your bell must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 + your Ranger level in force damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll they make before the end of your next turn. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again. Calling Chime Improvement. Not sure.
New
Soothing Chime. You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a clear, hollow song. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet/the aura of your bell have advantage on Charisma checks to interact socially with creatures. As an action, creatures of your choicethat enter or start their turn within 30 feet of the Bell must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until they leave the range of this chime. Creatures charmed by Soothing Chime move at half speed and cannot take actions or reactions. At the end of their turn, a creature can make the same saving throw again to attempt to break free of the charmed condition. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again. Relaxing Chime. If you use this chime as a part of a short rest, creatures that spend the rest within the light of your bell receive an additional (x) amount of healing. (Not sure about this one, it doesn't really follow what the rest do).
Other ideas: Strengthening Chime which might give you a bonus to athletics checks or carry capacity and as an action amp your/your allies damage (+your wisdom until the start of your next turn). Protecting Chime. Maybe advantage on stealth checks when within the aura and it doesn't need to produce light. As an action give adv on saves/dis on all incoming attacks. I dunno, go wild man.
Add some other cool, powerful chimes here. Generally I was aiming to have 1-2 ribbon abilities as the base ability that are minor abilities and aren't OP to have active for an hour. Then they get an action ability they can do in combat most likely when they upgrade or get them at 7th they can do once/chime.
11th level. This can probably be done better by saying "you gain blindsight out to 10-15 feet" or something. Maybe you have another ability here where the aura/light your bell produces is increased or you get additional uses or gain some back on a short rest.
15th level. Traveller's chime is pretty poor... maybe something additional happens when you activate a chime. You could also have some sort of teleport that is flavoured as going through the ethereal plane.
I agree with some of the feedback already given -- extremely cool idea, but it needs bulking up
1) I don't see any real reason for the Bell to be attackable, either. The bonus action to send it out makes sense, as it gives you more options for AoE features, but otherwise just have the ranger wink it out and make it re-appear next to them at will
2) I would look at the Rune Knight as a template for the chimes, much like Harry did above -- give the subclass a list of chimes (with some more powerful effects it can only access at higher levels) that do various cool things, and allow the player to select some at 3rd level, then add more later on as they level up. Either less powerful chines that you can swap in and out on a long rest, or chimes you're stuck with that have a couple effects including one than you can only use once per rest, a la Rune Knight
3) Maybe some direct combat utility for the Bell? faerie fire in an area centered on the Bell at 3rd level, usable proficiency bonus times per day, for instance. Things thematically tied to 'lighting/guiding the way'
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Ok I've gotten a lot of good feedback here, and I think I've made a lot of improvements to the subclass:
Ethereal Bell
At 3rd level, you gain a manifestation of ethereal magic in the form of a Bell. This Bell is made up of spectral light and can be any instrument that would make a hollow clang: a bell, a gong, windchimes, a triangle, etc. You can carry your Bell or have it float beside you. You can summon or dismiss the Bell with no action cost.
While your Bell is present, you can perform one or more of the following in a single bonus action:
You send the Bell to a point within 30 feet, or recall it to your side. The Bell can travel through solid objects, except those that extend into the Ethereal Plane such as wall of force. If you or the Bell strays past this distance, the Bell reappears at your side.
You cause the Bell to start shedding bright light within a 10-foot radius and dim light for another 10 feet. This light travels through solid objects that do not extend into the Ethereal Plane. Creatures and objects in the Ethereal Plane within the light are made visible.
You cause the Bell to start ringing.
In addition, you gain access to chimes; mystical intonations that your Bell can produce to grant magical effects. You can activate chimes a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses at the end of a long rest. Chimes cost an action to begin, last for an hour, and only one can be active at a time. A chime ends when dismissed with no action cost, or if you begin a new chime. You can select a number of chimes from the following list equal to your proficiency bonus, and switch between them at the end of a long rest:
Calling Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a strangely compelling tone. When you activate this chime, or during the chime by spending a bonus action, you may choose a type of creature. Creatures of that type within 1 mile (or 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain) are drawn to the sound of your Bell. Only creatures of that type can hear the sound. If you are in the Ethereal Plane, creatures in a plane you border can still hear the sound, and vice versa. You can only draw one type of creature at a time. When a creature enters or starts their turn within 10 feet of your Bell, you can use your reaction to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC or be unable to voluntarily move further than 10 feet away from the Bell until the end of their next turn.
Guiding Chime: The Bell makes a gentle, attentive jingle. As an action, you can cast the guidance cantrip, which counts as a ranger spell for you while this chime is active, and target a creature of your choice within 10 feet of the Bell.
Illuminating Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a bright, cheery note. When you use a bonus action to cause the Bell to start shedding light, creatures and objects within the Ethereal Plane within the light can also be interacted with as if they were present in your current plane, and vice versa. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of the Bell have advantage on Perception, Investigation and Insight checks.
Soothing Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a clear, hollow song. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of the Bell have advantage on saving throws to resist being frightened and charmed, and add +1 to all saving throws.
Dissonant Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a sickeningly loud rattle. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of the Bell have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that involve hearing and suffer disadvantage on saves to retain concentration on spells. You can use your action to produce a shockwave 10 feet around the Bell. Creatures who fail on a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC take 2d8 thunder damage or 1d8 on a successful save. This attack can also damage creatures in the Ethereal Plane, or creatures in the material plane if you are using it from the Ethereal Plane. You can use this action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses when you use this chime again.
Empowering Chime: You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a joyous melody. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of the Bell can take the Disengage action as a bonus action, and they can move an extra 5 feet on their turn when they start it from inside the Bell's range.
Improved Chime
At 7th level, the chimes you can use gain improved effects:
Calling Chime Improvement: When a creature fails a Wisdom saving throw against this chime's reaction effect, they cannot voluntarily move further than 10 feet away from the Bell until they succeed on the same saving throw at the end of their turn to break free of the effect. The effect also ends if you cause the Bell to move out of range of the creature.
Guiding Chime: When you target a creature with the guidance cantrip through this chime, you can choose to target a second creature within range of the Bell.
Illuminating Chime: When you use a bonus action to cause the Bell to start shedding light, creatures and objects that are hidden or invisible within the light are revealed as long as they remain in the light. The light also pierces through magical darkness. As an action, you can grant advantage on attack rolls to creatures of your choice within the Bell's range until the end of your next turn. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again.
Soothing Chime: As an action, creatures of your choice within the Bell's range gain 1d6 + your ranger level temporary hit points and add 1d4 to the next saving throw or attack roll they make. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again.
Dissonant Chime: This chime's action deals an extra 2d8 thunder damage and knocks creatures prone on a failed save, or an extra 1d8 on a successful save.
Empowering Chime: Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of the Bell can take the Dash and Dodge actions as bonus actions, and they can move an extra 10 feet on their turn when they start it from inside the Bell's range.
Echolocation
At 11th level, you gain blindsight of the area 20 feet around your Bell.
Traveler's Chime
At 15th level, you now regain half your chime uses upon completing a short rest, and the range of chime effects increases by 10 feet. You can use your action to create a 5-foot radius circle centered at your Bell's current location that lasts for 24 hours. This circle radiates spectral light and banks of fog, and acts as a gateway point into the Ethereal Plane. Any creature that steps into the circle is transported to the corresponding location in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa. While in the Border Ethereal, you can use your action to create a portal of the same makeup which leads to any other location in the Border Ethereal that corresponds to a location you have seen or been to on its partner plane. You can use each of these features twice per long rest.
I feel like Calling Chime is strange, any reason to make it a type of creature? Because if you choose Humanoid (which is what most characters and many monsters are), that's going to be a lot of trouble. It also adds a lot of text there for not much impact and sort of just hampers readability.
I feel like Calling Chime is strange, any reason to make it a type of creature? Because if you choose Humanoid (which is what most characters and many monsters are), that's going to be a lot of trouble. It also adds a lot of text there for not much impact and sort of just hampers readability.
It's intended to be part of the guiding concept of the subclass, plus situationally useful for tracking and setting ambushes. True, if you set it to beasts with the desire to draw out a specific one you'd probably get a lot of other random beasts you don't want to deal with. I guess its usefulness would be restricted by DM discretion. I'm open to suggestions on how to modify it but I still want it to exist in some concept. Some kind of 'draw/guide creatures' idea.
You could probably do that with an effect like compelled duel, but just having 'every creature within x miles comes to you' is going to be a hassle for the DM to figure out and doesn't really make a lot of sense, why would I want every undead in the area to come to me?
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I posted this a while ago but nobody gave critique, reposting with a few edits made to the subclass:
This is my second homebrew subclass, a ranger, and I could use some balance advice on it. For one thing, the concept is pretty unorthodox. Secondly, the language could probably be better, I make my fair share of mistakes with D&D lingo. Third, I don't know how good it is in general. It's meant to be a utility subclass, granting vision and guidance, as well as an Ethereal Plane portal and the ability to attack ethereal enemies even while you're in the material plane.
Without further ado, let me introduce you to the Bell Keeper:
Bell Keepers understand that there are incidents in which people from their plane get stuck in the Border Ethereal which overlaps their world, as well as incidents in which lost souls in the Ethereal Plane begin to torment the living. Bell Keepers use a Bell- a manifestation of ethereal energy taken visible form- to guide these travelers- both material and ethereal- back to their proper path. The soft glow and hollow ring of the Bell acts as a beacon for these people, and helps them find where they belong...and, when necessary, rings as their funeral bell. Sometimes, the proper path for a wrathful spirit is one that sees them in a material grave.
Ethereal Bell
At 3rd level, you gain a manifestation of ethereal magic in the form of a Bell. This Bell is made up of spectral light and can be any instrument that would make a hollow clang: a bell, a gong, windchimes, a triangle, etc. You can carry your Bell or have it float beside you. While the Bell is away from your side, the magic holding it together is weakened, and therefore it can be damaged. It can only be harmed by force damage, and has an amount of hit points equal to your ranger level. When its hit points are reduced to zero, it is destroyed and its current effects are deactivated. It fully regains its hit points if you recall it to your side and cannot be damaged until you send it away again. You can summon, recreate, or dismiss the Bell with a bonus action.
While your Bell is present, you can perform one or more of the following in a single bonus action:
Mystic Chime
At 7th level, while your Bell is present, you gain access to chimes; mystical intonations that your Bell can produce to grant magical effects. Each chime costs an action to begin, and only one can be active at a time. A chime ends when dismissed with no action cost, or when the Bell is destroyed. You gain access to the following chimes:
Echolocation
At 11th level, you can use your action to produce a resonation from your Bell that grants you a perfect yet momentary understanding of the area 30 feet around it. This allows you to detect the presence of unseen creatures, secret passages, or other things that might be revealed through echolocation. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, refreshed upon completing a long rest.
Traveler's Chime
At 15th level, you can use your action to create a 5-foot radius circle centered at your Bell's current location that lasts for 24 hours. This circle radiates spectral light and banks of fog, and acts as a gateway point into the Ethereal Plane. Any creature that steps into the circle is transported to the corresponding location in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa. You can use this feature twice per long rest.
I really like it, it's very thematic.
I feel that it's really quite underpowered, though. The bell doesn't actually do anything besides shed light until level 7, which will mean this ranger will be a torch for the entire start of a campaign. I would give the bell more features at level 3, including an offensive and a defensive option or buff/debuff. Even at higher levels, in a general dnd encounter (you just met an angry hill giant who wants to eat the town, and now he wants to eat you too, for example), this class can't offer much - it can attract creatures, but not control them. It can charm nearby creatures, but if they save then that's gone for an hour. It can shed light, which it doesn't need to, and it can open portals to the border ethereal / interact with things there, which means more work for the DM and not much guidance on what that could involve!
I would suggest:
Start by being able to summon creatures, such as swarms of beasts, using the bell, and allow them to be controlled whilst the bell is alive. This would be the level 3 ability, and I'd make it limited by CR and environement.
Then I would allow them to summon ethereal beasts, which isn't limited by environment (you want a swarm of ethereal fish in a desert? you can summon one). Such swarms are identical, except swimming speed becomes flying speed and they ignore terrain.
Also worth noting (not sure if it's intentional) but you can't seem to move your bell without a bonus action, so if you were trying to use it whilst dashing, for example, it would be left behind and destroyed.
I do like this though, it's got a nice feel to it!
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I'd rather not have it summon beasts or spirits, since other ranger subclasses already have those sorts of companions. Maybe the Bell can produce a thunder or force damage wave 10 feet around itself though? Creatures avoid it on a Wisdom save, if they fail they take 1d6 + your Wisdom mod damage? And then it scales up by 1d6 at each subclass level. Not a lot of damage but it only takes a bonus action and can deal damage to multiple foes.
I think another 7th level chime is in order, but I'm not really sure what sort of buff/debuff it should be.
I hadn't considered dashing. Hmm. Probably not a huge drawback though.
I feel like it's so rarely going to be destroyed if it's immune to all damage except force that it's probably just simpler to say that it can't be destroyed. Any you can just summon it back again anyway.
I do agree with the other statements too. Maybe something like "prof times/short rest you can choose a creature in your bell's light to aid/guide or harm/blind.
Aid/Guide: Gain +1d6 to the next ability check, saving throw or skill check they make.
Harm/Blind: Reverse of aid. Maybe a save?"
Maybe the dice increases as you level like a bardic inspiration? I dunno, I'm just thinking it could be something like the guidance cantrip. Oh, maybe you just gain the guidance cantrip but can also cast it through your bell? Then maybe your bell can also harm and deal 1d6+wis radiant or force to those of your choice within the bright light prof/long(?) rest. Maybe it's a save and they take the damage and have dis on their next attack and on a success they just take half damage.
Maybe you set up Chime's at 3rd level and at 7th they each get improvements or you have say, 5-8 chimes and you can pick (prof) chimes at the end of a rest and can use them... I guess wisdom or prof times/rest.
Might also suggest giving an extended spell list here.
Ethereal Bell.
Bell is an ethereal object, can cast bright light within 10 feet and dim light within an additional 10 feet. You can move it up to 30 feet as a bonus action, but it cannot be further than 30 feet away from you. Additional things, though I wouldn't have it be breakable. I think it'd also be neat if you could have it be say, a lantern or other objects, since it seems to be doing things like sound and light? Maybe you could have it be attached to you or within you so it's not very conspicuous, but you can still gain its benefits and it moves with you? I'm not sure.
3rd level chimes. You could make it just be 'within 10 feet of the bell' instead of in the bright light so you can have it up but not be shining light, and be more about the sound.
At 3rd level, you can cause your bell to make mystical chimes; mystical intonations that your Bell can produce to grant magical effects. You gain a number of chimes of your choice equal to your proficiency modifier when you finish a long rest and can change the chimes you gain at the end of a long rest.
You can activate chimes a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses at the end of a long rest. Each chime costs a bonus action to begin and lasts for an hour, and only one can be active at a time. A chime ends when dismissed with no action cost or if you begin a new chime.
Illuminating Chime. The bell rings out with a bright, clear note and makes the hidden appear. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet (or in the bright light?) of your bell have advantage on Perception, Investigation and Insight checks.
Guiding Chime. The bell makes a gentle, patient chime and aids your allies, helping them to find their way. As an action, you can cast the Guidance cantrip, which counts as a Ranger spell for you while this chime is active, and target a creature of your choice within your bell's bright light (or just within 10 feet?).
Emboldening Chime. Your bell creates a clear, confident note that strengthens the resolve of your allies. Creatures of your choice within the bell's bright light have advantage on saving throws to resist the frightened condition and add +1 to all saving throws.
Blinding Chime. The bell makes a loud, harsh chime and blinds your enemies. As an action on your turn, you can force a creature of your choice in the bright light of your bell to make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 force damage and gain disadvantage on all attack rolls until the start of your next turn.
Calling Chime. You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a strangely compelling tone. When a creature is in the bright light of your bell, you can use your reaction to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw or be unable to voluntarily leave the bright light.
At 7th level, your skill with the mystical notes of the bell improves, granting you additional benefits when you begin a chime and additional chimes you can use.
Illuminating Chime Improvement. As an action, you can grant advantage on attack rolls to all creatures of your choice within the bright light until the end of your next turn. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again. Or maybe creatures within the light cannot benefit from being hidden or invisible or you can banish magical darkness etc.
Guiding Chime Improvement. When you target a creature with Guidance through the chime, you can choose to target a second creature also within the bell's light.
Emboldening Chime Improvement. As an action, creatures of your choice within the bell's bright light gain 1d6 + your Ranger level in temporary hitpoints and add 1d4 to the next saving throw or attack roll they make. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again.
Blinding Chime Improvement. As an action, creatures of your choice within the bright light of your bell must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 + your Ranger level in force damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll they make before the end of your next turn. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again.
Calling Chime Improvement. Not sure.
New
Soothing Chime. You cause the Bell to start ringing out with a clear, hollow song. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet/the aura of your bell have advantage on Charisma checks to interact socially with creatures. As an action, creatures of your choicethat enter or start their turn within 30 feet of the Bell must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until they leave the range of this chime. Creatures charmed by Soothing Chime move at half speed and cannot take actions or reactions. At the end of their turn, a creature can make the same saving throw again to attempt to break free of the charmed condition. You cannot use this action again until you use this chime again.
Relaxing Chime. If you use this chime as a part of a short rest, creatures that spend the rest within the light of your bell receive an additional (x) amount of healing. (Not sure about this one, it doesn't really follow what the rest do).
Other ideas: Strengthening Chime which might give you a bonus to athletics checks or carry capacity and as an action amp your/your allies damage (+your wisdom until the start of your next turn). Protecting Chime. Maybe advantage on stealth checks when within the aura and it doesn't need to produce light. As an action give adv on saves/dis on all incoming attacks. I dunno, go wild man.
Add some other cool, powerful chimes here. Generally I was aiming to have 1-2 ribbon abilities as the base ability that are minor abilities and aren't OP to have active for an hour. Then they get an action ability they can do in combat most likely when they upgrade or get them at 7th they can do once/chime.
11th level.
This can probably be done better by saying "you gain blindsight out to 10-15 feet" or something. Maybe you have another ability here where the aura/light your bell produces is increased or you get additional uses or gain some back on a short rest.
15th level.
Traveller's chime is pretty poor... maybe something additional happens when you activate a chime. You could also have some sort of teleport that is flavoured as going through the ethereal plane.
Not entirely sure, anyway, hope this was helpful.
I agree with some of the feedback already given -- extremely cool idea, but it needs bulking up
1) I don't see any real reason for the Bell to be attackable, either. The bonus action to send it out makes sense, as it gives you more options for AoE features, but otherwise just have the ranger wink it out and make it re-appear next to them at will
2) I would look at the Rune Knight as a template for the chimes, much like Harry did above -- give the subclass a list of chimes (with some more powerful effects it can only access at higher levels) that do various cool things, and allow the player to select some at 3rd level, then add more later on as they level up. Either less powerful chines that you can swap in and out on a long rest, or chimes you're stuck with that have a couple effects including one than you can only use once per rest, a la Rune Knight
3) Maybe some direct combat utility for the Bell? faerie fire in an area centered on the Bell at 3rd level, usable proficiency bonus times per day, for instance. Things thematically tied to 'lighting/guiding the way'
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)
Ok I've gotten a lot of good feedback here, and I think I've made a lot of improvements to the subclass:
Ethereal Bell
At 3rd level, you gain a manifestation of ethereal magic in the form of a Bell. This Bell is made up of spectral light and can be any instrument that would make a hollow clang: a bell, a gong, windchimes, a triangle, etc. You can carry your Bell or have it float beside you. You can summon or dismiss the Bell with no action cost.
While your Bell is present, you can perform one or more of the following in a single bonus action:
In addition, you gain access to chimes; mystical intonations that your Bell can produce to grant magical effects. You can activate chimes a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses at the end of a long rest. Chimes cost an action to begin, last for an hour, and only one can be active at a time. A chime ends when dismissed with no action cost, or if you begin a new chime. You can select a number of chimes from the following list equal to your proficiency bonus, and switch between them at the end of a long rest:
Improved Chime
At 7th level, the chimes you can use gain improved effects:
Echolocation
At 11th level, you gain blindsight of the area 20 feet around your Bell.
Traveler's Chime
At 15th level, you now regain half your chime uses upon completing a short rest, and the range of chime effects increases by 10 feet. You can use your action to create a 5-foot radius circle centered at your Bell's current location that lasts for 24 hours. This circle radiates spectral light and banks of fog, and acts as a gateway point into the Ethereal Plane. Any creature that steps into the circle is transported to the corresponding location in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa. While in the Border Ethereal, you can use your action to create a portal of the same makeup which leads to any other location in the Border Ethereal that corresponds to a location you have seen or been to on its partner plane. You can use each of these features twice per long rest.
I feel like Calling Chime is strange, any reason to make it a type of creature? Because if you choose Humanoid (which is what most characters and many monsters are), that's going to be a lot of trouble. It also adds a lot of text there for not much impact and sort of just hampers readability.
It's intended to be part of the guiding concept of the subclass, plus situationally useful for tracking and setting ambushes. True, if you set it to beasts with the desire to draw out a specific one you'd probably get a lot of other random beasts you don't want to deal with. I guess its usefulness would be restricted by DM discretion. I'm open to suggestions on how to modify it but I still want it to exist in some concept. Some kind of 'draw/guide creatures' idea.
You could probably do that with an effect like compelled duel, but just having 'every creature within x miles comes to you' is going to be a hassle for the DM to figure out and doesn't really make a lot of sense, why would I want every undead in the area to come to me?