Why is making a homebrew subclass so confusing and jank to work around? like seriously i can count how many times i screwed something up and then not being able to fix it thanks to the confusing interface.
plus when their is a problem with the subclass why doesn't it tell me what the requirements i am not meeting are? like yes i know my subclass doesn't have the required features at so and so level but could you tell me what levels i need them on?
it is just badly designed around a very interesting idea.
You are absolutely correct. The reason why the homebrewer sucks eggs is because it isn’t really a homebrewer at all, it is actually the system the website Devs for BBD (this website) designed for themselves to implement the official content. The reason everything is so confusing and janky is because the people it was actually designed for (those Devs) are the same folks who built it and they already know how it works, so it doesn’t have to be easy to use for them to use it.
Originally DDB was under contractual obligation with the games publisher (WotC) to not allow us to make homebrew on their system. It took the BadEye (Adam Bradford) over a year to convince WotC to allow them to let us homebrew. When WotC finally gave the okay, DDB rushed to get us access. That resulted in them taking their own banked creation software, slapping the most troublesome stuff behind Admin privileges, and opening the doors for us.
TL/DR: It sucks because it was never designed for public use.
*There is one notable exception, because of a glitch in the code, if you are making a Druid subclass, there is a glitch that requires an anomalous feature at 3rd level. There should not be a feature at that level, but it’s required because of how the program is designed and how it had to be jimmied by the Devs to input Circle of Land Druids.
I hope that helps.
PS- If you are still running into these issues, my personal recommendation is to hold off on publishing your homebrew. Once you publish it, you can no longer edit it without creating a new version and republishing the whole thing. That is a pain in the neck sometimes and has unpleasant side effects. You don’t need to publish it for you and your friends to use your homebrews. Taking some time to thoroughly play test and edit your homebrews carefully before publishing them will let you bang out all the kinks first so that when you do publish the finished product it is clean and tidy and everything works correctly and you look like a pro.
Why is making a homebrew subclass so confusing and jank to work around? like seriously i can count how many times i screwed something up and then not being able to fix it thanks to the confusing interface.
plus when their is a problem with the subclass why doesn't it tell me what the requirements i am not meeting are? like yes i know my subclass doesn't have the required features at so and so level but could you tell me what levels i need them on?
it is just badly designed around a very interesting idea.
Hi there Svartrbrisingr,
You are absolutely correct. The reason why the homebrewer sucks eggs is because it isn’t really a homebrewer at all, it is actually the system the website Devs for BBD (this website) designed for themselves to implement the official content. The reason everything is so confusing and janky is because the people it was actually designed for (those Devs) are the same folks who built it and they already know how it works, so it doesn’t have to be easy to use for them to use it.
Originally DDB was under contractual obligation with the games publisher (WotC) to not allow us to make homebrew on their system. It took the BadEye (Adam Bradford) over a year to convince WotC to allow them to let us homebrew. When WotC finally gave the okay, DDB rushed to get us access. That resulted in them taking their own banked creation software, slapping the most troublesome stuff behind Admin privileges, and opening the doors for us.
TL/DR: It sucks because it was never designed for public use.
As to which levels you need that depends. For which class is your subclass designed? Your subclass has to have stuff at all the same levels that every other subclass for that class has, and nothing at any of the other levels.* You can see the list here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/homebrew-house-rules/23242-creating-subclasses-guide.
*There is one notable exception, because of a glitch in the code, if you are making a Druid subclass, there is a glitch that requires an anomalous feature at 3rd level. There should not be a feature at that level, but it’s required because of how the program is designed and how it had to be jimmied by the Devs to input Circle of Land Druids.
I hope that helps.
PS- If you are still running into these issues, my personal recommendation is to hold off on publishing your homebrew. Once you publish it, you can no longer edit it without creating a new version and republishing the whole thing. That is a pain in the neck sometimes and has unpleasant side effects. You don’t need to publish it for you and your friends to use your homebrews. Taking some time to thoroughly play test and edit your homebrews carefully before publishing them will let you bang out all the kinks first so that when you do publish the finished product it is clean and tidy and everything works correctly and you look like a pro.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting