This was fully inspired by the "Gentleman Class" released by Old Spice a while back. Most abilities were either over the top or just plain silly, but the idea of swapping initiative places with an ally struck a chord as an ability that was unique and could actually work. So I kept the framework of being a Gentleman/Lady, and built a new subclass around that ability. This was made as an attempt to have someone who gets no real combat bonuses with their subclass features, and only has roleplay and exploration bonuses. Hopefully it still feels viable as a class. Let me know any feedback you would have, as I consider this to be the weakest (not in power, but in my own creativity) of the subclasses I have created.
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Hrm..... forewarning, but I tend to be rather heavily critical of things, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Your subclass at level 3 is foucsed around negating surprise, something that's actually not that common. Every other subclass gives you some kind of tool that is consistantly useful with the style of the class. Valor gives you the ability to buff your allies damage as well as fight in melee. Lore gives you a bit of Virtuoso PrC like debuffing as a form of magical Control option. Sword makes you better at fighting. Whispers gives you a sneak attack like ability, matching the subterfuge style of the subclass. Glamour lets you buff and position your allies. Your Genteel subclass really only gives a minor Initiative boost, with the occasional negation of surprise. If that even comes up - your ability at level 3 is almost entirely DM dependent. Every other subclass Bardic Inspiration is in the hands of the PC to utilize, when and where.
Level 6 gives a second use for Bardic Inspiration, which is different from how all other subclasses do things. This is the ability that should have been at level 3. That said, Bardic Inspiration is meant to be rolled. You shouldn't be giving Advantage, you should be rolling the Inspiration dice. Beyond that, you're effectively trying to give out what appears to be Favored Enemy / Natural Explorer features for the cost of a Bardic Inspiration. AND you get all the information about classes and different scores? Its a bit inconsistant with how Bardic Inspiration works. It would be much more in line to just allow Bardic Inspiration to be used on the bard character for purposes of Ability Checks. Simpler, cleaner, and more in line with how the rest of Bardic Inspiration works. It would also allow the bard to make Survival or appropriate Knowledge checks as necessary, fitting for the gentleman explorer theme.
Personally, I would recommend dropping level 6 ability to level 3, and then have the anti-surprise ability at level 6 alter the Counterspell ability and not use any Inspiration at all. Perhaps some more bonuses than just anti-surprise, and allow it to be fluffed as random chatter instead of actual music.
At level 14, you're again relying on Bardic Inspiration dice. A bit to heavily, I might say - you'll generally have 5 dice between rests at most. That's way too many options for something so limited. And this ability is, frankly, underwhelming. Its little better than a level 2 False Life spell, and its a combat ability, something you said you didn't want to do for the subclass.
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Link is here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/subclasses/35823-college-of-the-genteel
This was fully inspired by the "Gentleman Class" released by Old Spice a while back. Most abilities were either over the top or just plain silly, but the idea of swapping initiative places with an ally struck a chord as an ability that was unique and could actually work. So I kept the framework of being a Gentleman/Lady, and built a new subclass around that ability. This was made as an attempt to have someone who gets no real combat bonuses with their subclass features, and only has roleplay and exploration bonuses. Hopefully it still feels viable as a class. Let me know any feedback you would have, as I consider this to be the weakest (not in power, but in my own creativity) of the subclasses I have created.
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Hrm..... forewarning, but I tend to be rather heavily critical of things, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Your subclass at level 3 is foucsed around negating surprise, something that's actually not that common. Every other subclass gives you some kind of tool that is consistantly useful with the style of the class. Valor gives you the ability to buff your allies damage as well as fight in melee. Lore gives you a bit of Virtuoso PrC like debuffing as a form of magical Control option. Sword makes you better at fighting. Whispers gives you a sneak attack like ability, matching the subterfuge style of the subclass. Glamour lets you buff and position your allies. Your Genteel subclass really only gives a minor Initiative boost, with the occasional negation of surprise. If that even comes up - your ability at level 3 is almost entirely DM dependent. Every other subclass Bardic Inspiration is in the hands of the PC to utilize, when and where.
Level 6 gives a second use for Bardic Inspiration, which is different from how all other subclasses do things. This is the ability that should have been at level 3. That said, Bardic Inspiration is meant to be rolled. You shouldn't be giving Advantage, you should be rolling the Inspiration dice. Beyond that, you're effectively trying to give out what appears to be Favored Enemy / Natural Explorer features for the cost of a Bardic Inspiration. AND you get all the information about classes and different scores? Its a bit inconsistant with how Bardic Inspiration works. It would be much more in line to just allow Bardic Inspiration to be used on the bard character for purposes of Ability Checks. Simpler, cleaner, and more in line with how the rest of Bardic Inspiration works. It would also allow the bard to make Survival or appropriate Knowledge checks as necessary, fitting for the gentleman explorer theme.
Personally, I would recommend dropping level 6 ability to level 3, and then have the anti-surprise ability at level 6 alter the Counterspell ability and not use any Inspiration at all. Perhaps some more bonuses than just anti-surprise, and allow it to be fluffed as random chatter instead of actual music.
At level 14, you're again relying on Bardic Inspiration dice. A bit to heavily, I might say - you'll generally have 5 dice between rests at most. That's way too many options for something so limited. And this ability is, frankly, underwhelming. Its little better than a level 2 False Life spell, and its a combat ability, something you said you didn't want to do for the subclass.