I've made a sorcerer subclass based on crystals being within them that slowly grow and work to protect them. I want help balancing it because I didn't really try to balance it against another subclass.
Crystillic Sorcerer:
Crystalline Fortitude (1st)
At 1st level, the shards in you bolster your health. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases again increases by 1 each time you gain a level in this class.
Additionally, the crystals in your body help to protect you from harm. You know the mage armor spell. It does not count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Crystal Armor (1st)
While you are under the effect of mage armor, you can use a bonus action to turn the invisible mage armor into crystal and receive the following effects for 1 minute:
You gain a +1 to your AC. This becomes a +2 at level 6 and a +3 at level 14.
You can use a bonus action while your crystal armor is active to turn the crystals around one of your hands into a weapon. The weapon must be one-handed, and the weapon cannot leave your hand. You can use your charisma score in place of dexterity or strength for that weapon. You can use a bonus action on a later turn to change the weapon into a different one.
You can use your crystal armor ability once per short rest.
Magic Veins (6th)
The magic that flows in your crystals works to help your spells be more powerful. Once per short rest, you can cause an ability that uses a sorcery point to cost one less sorcery point than normal. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
Shattering (14th)
The shards of crystal in your body start to manifest even when you don’t want them to, and they can fly out to strike enemies when you want them to. Whenever you cast a spell that deals damage to one or more creatures, you can choose one of the creatures that took damage and they take force damage equal to half your sorcerer level as crystals fly out of your body towards them.
Refractive Casting (18th)
Even more crystals start to appear on your body, and they protect even more than against spells. You have advantage on saving throws against spells.
In addition, when you fail a saving throw against a spell that targets only you, you can use your reaction to spend a number of sorcery points equal to that spell’s level and cause the spell to target both you and the caster, as if the spell had been cast using the Twinned Spell metamagic.
1: I didn't think about shield, I was only thinking that sorcerers don't usually have a really high dex. Do you think that removing the +3 and instead moving the +2 to level 14 would help?
2: Yes, but I like the idea of the subclass and couldn't think of any better crystal specific abilities.
3: That's true, but other subclasses are like that, like the stone sorcery subclass. Also, I think that the Magic Veins ability could be classified as an out-of-combat ability since a chunk of metamagic can be used out of combat, like Subtle or Heightened spell.
I say this a lot with homebrew subclasses, but I don't really understand what ties the subclass together. I like the idea, but I think it could be made more coherent by doing some of the following:
Create a 3rd-level ability that substantially changes the way the character plays the game. Consider making an ability on which the subclass builds later on. For instance, tie some defensive bonuses to the 5.24 "innate sorcery" feature, and boost it at later levels.
Take a moment to think carefully about how you want the sorcerer to play. If you want to give the sorcerer defensive boosts, does that mean you want them to act more tanky? Engage in melee? Because a sorcerer in melee is at a major disadvantage unless they have some major changes. On the other hand, if you don't mean for the sorcerer to absorb hits, then the bonus to AC and HP aren't doing much for them.
I'd also echo Agilemind. Subclasses should generally give some benefit outside of combat.
Here's an alternate design for a crystal-based melee-sorcerer:
Crystal Armour 1st level
Crystals grow over portions of your body, protecting you from harm. Your AC = 13+your Dexterity modifier. As a bonus action, you can channel magic into these crystals causing them to temporarily grow into a Crystalline weapon. You expend 1 spellslot of 1st level or higher to gain the following benefits for 10 minutes:
You gain temporary hit points equal to 3-times your sorcerer level.
Your crystals grow into the form of a one-handed melee weapon of your choice, you have proficiency with this weapon and use your Charisma for attack and damage rolls instead of your Strength or Dexterity. It deals force damage on a hit rather than it's normal damage type.
Prism Vision 1st level
One of your eyes becomes filled with crystals that refract and distort your vision. You can always see magic as if you had cast detect magic.
Crystal Spikes 6th level
When you activate your Crystal weapon, the weapon can be a ranged weapon of your choice that fires magically conjured shards of crystal. In addition, when you use an action to cast a spell you can make one attack with your Crystalline weapon as a bonus action.
Earth Glide 14th level
Your crystalline nature allows you to merge yourself with natural stone and earth. As a bonus action, you transform into a crystal form allowing you to burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone at a speed equal to your walking speed. While doing so, the you don't disturb the material you move through. You also gain Tremorsense with a 30 ft range.
This ability lasts for 10 minutes if you are still within earth or stone when this effect ends you are jettisoned out of the material to the nearest unoccupied space. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.
Absorb Crystals 14th level
As an action, you can absorb one crystal you are holding. The crystal merges into your body, and you regain a number of sorcerer points equal to the gold value of the crystal divided by 20 (minimum 1, maximum = your proficiency bonus). Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest. The crystal cannot be removed after being absorbed in this way.
Reflective Shell 18th level
Your crystal armour grows into a thick protective shell, your AC increases to 15+your Dexterity modifier and you have advantage on saving throws against spells.
In addition, when you succeed on a saving throw against a spell that targets only you, you can use your reaction to spend a number of sorcery points equal to that spell’s level and reflect it back towards the caster, causing the spell to also target the caster.
I like your version, but I'll admit that I don't like parts of it, just for the vision that I have for the subclass in my mind. For example, Earth Glide just doesn't seem right in my mind, and it seems like it would be annoying to have to buy crystals for Absorb Crystals.
I'm not trying to diss your subclass, I just would probably prefer to combine mine and yours rather than using yours how it is.
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I've made a sorcerer subclass based on crystals being within them that slowly grow and work to protect them. I want help balancing it because I didn't really try to balance it against another subclass.
Crystillic Sorcerer:
Crystalline Fortitude (1st)
At 1st level, the shards in you bolster your health. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases again increases by 1 each time you gain a level in this class.
Additionally, the crystals in your body help to protect you from harm. You know the mage armor spell. It does not count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Crystal Armor (1st)
While you are under the effect of mage armor, you can use a bonus action to turn the invisible mage armor into crystal and receive the following effects for 1 minute:
You gain a +1 to your AC. This becomes a +2 at level 6 and a +3 at level 14.
You can use a bonus action while your crystal armor is active to turn the crystals around one of your hands into a weapon. The weapon must be one-handed, and the weapon cannot leave your hand. You can use your charisma score in place of dexterity or strength for that weapon. You can use a bonus action on a later turn to change the weapon into a different one.
You can use your crystal armor ability once per short rest.
Magic Veins (6th)
The magic that flows in your crystals works to help your spells be more powerful. Once per short rest, you can cause an ability that uses a sorcery point to cost one less sorcery point than normal. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
Shattering (14th)
The shards of crystal in your body start to manifest even when you don’t want them to, and they can fly out to strike enemies when you want them to. Whenever you cast a spell that deals damage to one or more creatures, you can choose one of the creatures that took damage and they take force damage equal to half your sorcerer level as crystals fly out of your body towards them.
Refractive Casting (18th)
Even more crystals start to appear on your body, and they protect even more than against spells. You have advantage on saving throws against spells.
In addition, when you fail a saving throw against a spell that targets only you, you can use your reaction to spend a number of sorcery points equal to that spell’s level and cause the spell to target both you and the caster, as if the spell had been cast using the Twinned Spell metamagic.
1) The AC bonus is probably too much, remember Sorcerer also gets Shield so they have a pretty high AC.
2) It's not very ... crystal-y. Most of the abilities are very generic with a little bit a crystal flavour text added to them.
3) there are 0 out of combat features, meaning unless you are fighting you don't have a subclass.
1: I didn't think about shield, I was only thinking that sorcerers don't usually have a really high dex. Do you think that removing the +3 and instead moving the +2 to level 14 would help?
2: Yes, but I like the idea of the subclass and couldn't think of any better crystal specific abilities.
3: That's true, but other subclasses are like that, like the stone sorcery subclass. Also, I think that the Magic Veins ability could be classified as an out-of-combat ability since a chunk of metamagic can be used out of combat, like Subtle or Heightened spell.
I say this a lot with homebrew subclasses, but I don't really understand what ties the subclass together. I like the idea, but I think it could be made more coherent by doing some of the following:
I'd also echo Agilemind. Subclasses should generally give some benefit outside of combat.
Here's an alternate design for a crystal-based melee-sorcerer:
Crystal Armour
1st level
Crystals grow over portions of your body, protecting you from harm. Your AC = 13+your Dexterity modifier. As a bonus action, you can channel magic into these crystals causing them to temporarily grow into a Crystalline weapon. You expend 1 spellslot of 1st level or higher to gain the following benefits for 10 minutes:
Prism Vision
1st level
One of your eyes becomes filled with crystals that refract and distort your vision. You can always see magic as if you had cast detect magic.
Crystal Spikes
6th level
When you activate your Crystal weapon, the weapon can be a ranged weapon of your choice that fires magically conjured shards of crystal. In addition, when you use an action to cast a spell you can make one attack with your Crystalline weapon as a bonus action.
Earth Glide
14th level
Your crystalline nature allows you to merge yourself with natural stone and earth. As a bonus action, you transform into a crystal form allowing you to burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone at a speed equal to your walking speed. While doing so, the you don't disturb the material you move through. You also gain Tremorsense with a 30 ft range.
This ability lasts for 10 minutes if you are still within earth or stone when this effect ends you are jettisoned out of the material to the nearest unoccupied space. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.
Absorb Crystals
14th level
As an action, you can absorb one crystal you are holding. The crystal merges into your body, and you regain a number of sorcerer points equal to the gold value of the crystal divided by 20 (minimum 1, maximum = your proficiency bonus). Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest. The crystal cannot be removed after being absorbed in this way.
Reflective Shell
18th level
Your crystal armour grows into a thick protective shell, your AC increases to 15+your Dexterity modifier and you have advantage on saving throws against spells.
In addition, when you succeed on a saving throw against a spell that targets only you, you can use your reaction to spend a number of sorcery points equal to that spell’s level and reflect it back towards the caster, causing the spell to also target the caster.
I like your version, but I'll admit that I don't like parts of it, just for the vision that I have for the subclass in my mind. For example, Earth Glide just doesn't seem right in my mind, and it seems like it would be annoying to have to buy crystals for Absorb Crystals.
I'm not trying to diss your subclass, I just would probably prefer to combine mine and yours rather than using yours how it is.