Relatively new DM here, have a problem with one of my Barbarian players. They are getting frustrated by only being able to walk up and hit things and is starting to get bored with his character. I have been toying with the idea of something that may help him but I've never created any homebrew before and wanted to see if anyone can look over what I got and make sure it won't break the game. See below for item details
Storm Lords Mark
Ancient tattoos that mark the bearer as the chosen of the Storm Lord. The chosen one wears the Mark on the backs of their hands upon first obtaining the boon, as the favor of the Storm Lord grows the markings begin to extend up the bearers arms, granting greater gifts and powers.
The Mark passes from warrior to warrior and must always have a bearer. If a chosen is slain while bearing the Storm Lord's Mark it will pass to the one who dealt the killing blow. If none are around to receive the Mark they will lie dormant, waiting for a host to disturb the previous occupants remains.
The Mark awakens with greater power as the bearer gains strength and accomplishes feats that please the Storm Lord.
Initial Power (on acquiring the Mark)
The Mark fuels your Rage with the power of the Storm Lord. (Lightning Strike) When you enter a Rage your weapon becomes imbued with lightning and deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage each time you strike with your weapon. This effect lasts until your rage dissipates.
Awakening 1
The power of storms begins to exude from your body and you move with the speed and fury of a bolt of lightning. When you enter a Rage you gain resistance to lightning damage. (Lightning Dash) While Raging you may choose a point within visible range and move up to your movement speed directly towards it. If you move through a space occupied by another creature you deal lightning damage equal to half your Barbarian level plus your strength modifier to that creature and that creature must succeed on a DC 15 strength saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn. You can use this feature once per long rest.
Awakening 2
You are the Storm Lords Chosen. Your lightning Strike ability now deals 2D6 lightning damage, additionally up to 3 creatures within 15 feet of the struck creature also take 2D6 lightning damage. Each creature can only be struck once per attack.
Your Lightning Dash ability affects creatures 5 feet either side of your chosen path. These creatures take the same damage as the ones you pass through however instead of becoming stunned they will be knocked prone on a failed save. DC increases to 17.
Thanks in advance for any ideas you guys have or if you think this is too broken or whatever.
He's a Beserker. His main gripe is not so much the just hitting things he just feels that the other characters (a Bard, Wizard, Rouge, Cleric) tend to have more versatility. He gets frustrated when he's not able to get into combat with ranged enemies or anything flying (our wizard has a tendency to detonate most things before he gets a chance to really do anything). I figured the Storm Lord's Mark was a way to give him some mobility to get into combat faster and he's a big fan of Thor so lightning damage to kinda let him revel a bit. The first awakening I was intending to make reasonably soon after he acquires the Mark, then let them level a bit before he gets the second upgrade
Honestly, a far simpler item that would allow that PC to cast Misty Step up to 2ce/short rest usually makes my Barbarian PCs ecstatic! All of a sudden they can actually get where they need to be in 1 turn and can actually threaten flying enemies too. An item that just lets them do more damage doesn’t change the character’s “utility”, one that lets them “bamf” around the battlefield does.
That's true I'll see what he has to say about possibly changing his path, or class for that matter. I'll have a chat to him and see what he wants to get out of his characters. Thanks heaps for the help.
I may still use the mark at a later stage in the game because I'm kinda liking this whole empowered tattoo's idea. Any suggestions on the item as just a cool legendary item, not just for a barbarian, maybe any class. Might tweak it a bit if a spellcaster is the one to gain it.
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Hey All,
Relatively new DM here, have a problem with one of my Barbarian players. They are getting frustrated by only being able to walk up and hit things and is starting to get bored with his character. I have been toying with the idea of something that may help him but I've never created any homebrew before and wanted to see if anyone can look over what I got and make sure it won't break the game. See below for item details
Storm Lords Mark
Ancient tattoos that mark the bearer as the chosen of the Storm Lord. The chosen one wears the Mark on the backs of their hands upon first obtaining the boon, as the favor of the Storm Lord grows the markings begin to extend up the bearers arms, granting greater gifts and powers.
The Mark passes from warrior to warrior and must always have a bearer. If a chosen is slain while bearing the Storm Lord's Mark it will pass to the one who dealt the killing blow. If none are around to receive the Mark they will lie dormant, waiting for a host to disturb the previous occupants remains.
The Mark awakens with greater power as the bearer gains strength and accomplishes feats that please the Storm Lord.
Initial Power (on acquiring the Mark)
The Mark fuels your Rage with the power of the Storm Lord. (Lightning Strike) When you enter a Rage your weapon becomes imbued with lightning and deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage each time you strike with your weapon. This effect lasts until your rage dissipates.
Awakening 1
The power of storms begins to exude from your body and you move with the speed and fury of a bolt of lightning. When you enter a Rage you gain resistance to lightning damage. (Lightning Dash) While Raging you may choose a point within visible range and move up to your movement speed directly towards it. If you move through a space occupied by another creature you deal lightning damage equal to half your Barbarian level plus your strength modifier to that creature and that creature must succeed on a DC 15 strength saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn. You can use this feature once per long rest.
Awakening 2
You are the Storm Lords Chosen. Your lightning Strike ability now deals 2D6 lightning damage, additionally up to 3 creatures within 15 feet of the struck creature also take 2D6 lightning damage. Each creature can only be struck once per attack.
Thanks in advance for any ideas you guys have or if you think this is too broken or whatever.
Walking up and hitting things is kinda the whole schtick for Barbarians, that and taking a lot of damage.
What kind of barbarian is he, and what is he looking for his character to be able to do (outside of hitting things)?
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He's a Beserker. His main gripe is not so much the just hitting things he just feels that the other characters (a Bard, Wizard, Rouge, Cleric) tend to have more versatility. He gets frustrated when he's not able to get into combat with ranged enemies or anything flying (our wizard has a tendency to detonate most things before he gets a chance to really do anything). I figured the Storm Lord's Mark was a way to give him some mobility to get into combat faster and he's a big fan of Thor so lightning damage to kinda let him revel a bit. The first awakening I was intending to make reasonably soon after he acquires the Mark, then let them level a bit before he gets the second upgrade
So is Berserker a good fit, or would something like the Storm Herald fit better? The Berserker path is all about raging and thats it.
As far as getting to the fight, move + dash will get you 60 feet, 80 at 5th level. Or try starting more fights at a closer range.
For range, the best by default for a barbarian is a javelin, but are you aware of the javelin of lightning?
I don't think the mark really solves the problem, as its just a damage boost and once / long rest dash.
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Honestly, a far simpler item that would allow that PC to cast Misty Step up to 2ce/short rest usually makes my Barbarian PCs ecstatic! All of a sudden they can actually get where they need to be in 1 turn and can actually threaten flying enemies too. An item that just lets them do more damage doesn’t change the character’s “utility”, one that lets them “bamf” around the battlefield does.
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That's true I'll see what he has to say about possibly changing his path, or class for that matter. I'll have a chat to him and see what he wants to get out of his characters. Thanks heaps for the help.
I may still use the mark at a later stage in the game because I'm kinda liking this whole empowered tattoo's idea. Any suggestions on the item as just a cool legendary item, not just for a barbarian, maybe any class. Might tweak it a bit if a spellcaster is the one to gain it.