I think the first step is to look at the basic rigging of the classes, things like Extra Attack, Spellcasting, and even proficiencies. After that maybe look into some of the abandoned ideas like the mystic, or even the old Dndnext classes (Sorcerer in particular had a strong mechanical flavour from memory), alternatively take a look at some of the variant rules and options in stuff like the DMG.
The best features are the ones that fit your intended theme really well, and that's where you should always start; think about what you want to represent in the game, then think about how to make that actually work mechanically (as you can always tweak the specifics later). The worst features are the ones that make no sense for the theme, no matter how good they are mechanically.
In general terms the mechanics I like best are ones that build somehow on a core class feature; for example, see Barbarians and the number of sub-class features that enhance Rage. I'm also a big fan of anything that can synergise with a group; imposing conditions on a target can be extremely powerful if you and/or your party are ready to exploit them somehow. But those conditions need to make sense for the theme.
To give an example, the Alchemist Artificer is something of a mess, because it doesn't do a great job of capturing its theme; in fact the random experimental elixirs do the opposite, as they don't make you feel any better than anyone else with alchemist's supplies. It really needs an extra 3rd-level feature that makes crafting of regular potions and poisons more reliable to set them apart (and emphasise that this is something you should be doing). It also has some weird mechanical choices; Alchemical Savant for example is good for healing, but not great for damage due to the low number of suitable spells available (Artificer really needs better acid/fire/poison spells on its list), and while the later features are good features (free spells, effectively making Alchemist the only two-thirds caster on top of the spell and spell-like elixirs) they heavily emphasise the healer role which isn't really what an alchemist should be focused on. Once you realise it's more like a medic with lots of toys, I think it's not as bad as people make out, but it's not really all that a sub-class called "alchemist" should be. So theming matters.
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.
The best features are the ones that fit your intended theme really well, and that's where you should always start; think about what you want to represent in the game, then think about how to make that actually work mechanically (as you can always tweak the specifics later). The worst features are the ones that make no sense for the theme, no matter how good they are mechanically.
Yeah, I wanted to make sub-classes that would boost the core class mechanics, but I'm still under the debate of whether I should just add a dozen options to most of the class features or go with sub-classes; as well as what 1st level martial class features would be similar, but distinguishable from the monk's martial arts.
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Looking to get some perspective on what would make some good homebrew class features; what are some of the most fun and cool combat feature or spells?
I think the first step is to look at the basic rigging of the classes, things like Extra Attack, Spellcasting, and even proficiencies. After that maybe look into some of the abandoned ideas like the mystic, or even the old Dndnext classes (Sorcerer in particular had a strong mechanical flavour from memory), alternatively take a look at some of the variant rules and options in stuff like the DMG.
The best features are the ones that fit your intended theme really well, and that's where you should always start; think about what you want to represent in the game, then think about how to make that actually work mechanically (as you can always tweak the specifics later). The worst features are the ones that make no sense for the theme, no matter how good they are mechanically.
In general terms the mechanics I like best are ones that build somehow on a core class feature; for example, see Barbarians and the number of sub-class features that enhance Rage. I'm also a big fan of anything that can synergise with a group; imposing conditions on a target can be extremely powerful if you and/or your party are ready to exploit them somehow. But those conditions need to make sense for the theme.
To give an example, the Alchemist Artificer is something of a mess, because it doesn't do a great job of capturing its theme; in fact the random experimental elixirs do the opposite, as they don't make you feel any better than anyone else with alchemist's supplies. It really needs an extra 3rd-level feature that makes crafting of regular potions and poisons more reliable to set them apart (and emphasise that this is something you should be doing). It also has some weird mechanical choices; Alchemical Savant for example is good for healing, but not great for damage due to the low number of suitable spells available (Artificer really needs better acid/fire/poison spells on its list), and while the later features are good features (free spells, effectively making Alchemist the only two-thirds caster on top of the spell and spell-like elixirs) they heavily emphasise the healer role which isn't really what an alchemist should be focused on. Once you realise it's more like a medic with lots of toys, I think it's not as bad as people make out, but it's not really all that a sub-class called "alchemist" should be. So theming matters.
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.
Yeah, I wanted to make sub-classes that would boost the core class mechanics, but I'm still under the debate of whether I should just add a dozen options to most of the class features or go with sub-classes; as well as what 1st level martial class features would be similar, but distinguishable from the monk's martial arts.