Royal Burden | Anchor Subclass, and on brewing for homebrew classes

Hey all, a friend of mine just released a homebrew class called the Anchor. It's pretty cool (and just edgy enough) and I recommend checking it out—here's a link. I decided to make a subclass for that class, mainly to challenge myself, and here it is!

The combat loop of this class is pretty similar to the rest of the Anchor. During most of the big fights, you'll be unshackled (one way to think about it is if a barbarian would be raging in a fight, you'll be unshackling), and get the benefits of Regal Commands. With Regal Commands, you'll be knocking people prone, giving yourself and allies advantage on attack rolls against them (which is the damage boost Anchor subclasses all give at L3). 

While you're below half your max hit points, you'll get a buff to Regal Commands allowing even better movement control. It is still limited to once per turn, but it'll help keep one significant enemy from escaping or moving to a better position.

At higher levels, you'll start using your reaction each turn on Glorious Authority for a defense bump (and later to share damage back with that creature, so also offensive). At L18, you'll get Heavy Lies the Gilded Crown, which will change the combat loop to also using up your action every once and a while for a hefty defense boost. When you have it active, one creature won't be able to target you with attacks or harmful abilities at all, making you a perfect candidate for getting right in their face. The target can move 30 ft from you, but hopefully you'll be able to use Regal Commands to stop that movement.

Anyways, onto the mini talk. Homebrew classes are one of the biggest thing a homebrew creator can make. They take much, much, much more effort, for a whole bunch of reasons. In broad terms, a homebrew class needs to:

- Create a novel core mechanic that feels really special. This is a really hard thing to do, but when it's done well, it's awesome.
- Create a thematic concept. Some classes have this a bit easier when they use pre existing tropes (like gunslinger), but a thematic concept for a class needs to be really well thought out for the class to be successful.
- Make a bunch of interesting subclasses. Not only do you need to make the class, you need to make a bunch (I like around 2-5) of subclasses that support the class. Creating great subclasses is hard on its own!

There's also a lot of reasons to brew a full class. I've mainly seen reasons like wanting a big challenge, having ideas too big for a subclass and just wanting the freedom of doing something new. Now, there's a pretty easy solution for the first and third of those ideas: creating homebrew for someone else's homebrew class!

Creating homebrew for a homebrew class is very similar to creating homebrew for an official class, though it has a few differences. The main issue is that less is known about any single homebrew class compared to a full class, which means you'll run into issues with not being able to get reliable feedback and not knowing the structure of the class. I normally recommend just reaching out to the class' creator for feedback—I know personally that I'd be delighted to help anyone who made a subclass for a class I released. Otherwise, I recommend looking at each of the features and organizing them into three categories: Offense (for attacking options, like Anchor's L3), defensive (for defensive options, like Anchor's L6), and Utility (for ribbons/everything else, like Anchor's other L3). You can also label some features as Enhancements (for thing that enhance a previous feature, like Anchor's L14) and as "Varied" (for things that are unique to each subclass, like Anchor's L18). Knowing the structure of the class is really the most important step in making the subclass, and getting general feedback on wording/broad strokes balance things (not fine details, like specific numbers on a feature, but broad strokes like deciding if truesight belongs at L3 somehow).

I really recommend trying to brew a subclass for a homebrew class. It'll be a change of pace for what you're used to, and it'll be a fun challenge. If you see a class on r/UnearthedArcana or wherever else you get your homebrew, try making a subclass and sending it over to the creator!

Otherworldly Patron: The Calamity | Warlock Subclass, and on warlock capstones

Welp, I went on another "little" break... but never mind that, here's a cool warlock!

The Calamity is an idea I had a while ago, though it originally started as a Great Wyrm patron. The concept was a great being of destruction that wanted to lay waste to the world, and you as a warlock took power to spread that destruction. Kind of edgy, but sometimes that style is fun!

In combat, the Calamity's main combat loop will be just like any other warlock. You cast cantrips (or make weapon attacks if you have the Pact of the Blade) and occasionally sprinkle in a spell. What differs is the addition of Inescapable Destruction, which eats your bonus action each round for a control effect. They also get to reroll one instance of damage per turn, which would normally be used on a standard attack, but becomes best when they cast a spell such as fireball. Overall, this subclass is encouraged most to be casting their spells, getting benefits from Armageddon and Armour of the Apocalypse.

Anyways, onto to the mini rant of the day: Warlock Capstones.

You may have noticed that End of Days is a crazy ability, and you're right—it is crazy. Warlock capstones in general are normally crazy things, usable once per long rest (or once per short or long rest). One great example is that Fiend gets Hurl through Hell, letting them throw an enemy through the horrors of the lower planes without requiring a saving throw. Now, there are definitely some that differ: the Great Old One creates thralls at will and Hexblade gets to move its Hexblade's Curse feature when it kills a creature. While I have no problem with Great Old One (it is definitely an awesome capstone), I don't like Hexblade's Master of Hexes feature at all since it simply doesn't feel as epic as it could if it were limited in uses with a more impactful mechanic.

The other big weird thing End of Days does is that it has a recharge of 7 days, instead of the normal long rest. There is some precedent here—Genie's capstone recharges after 1d4 long rests—but I think that 7 days just feels so much cooler than 1d4 days. 

That's all really just circling around the main idea here: warlock capstones have such great potential as massive, epic abilities. End of Days is meant to really lean into that. Regardless of the mechanics of it, it has phrases such as "you can bring immense ruin to the world around you", "the ground is churned and blackened" and "If you kill a creature in this way, it is reduced to ash." That stuff isn't really important if you just look at the numbers of a feature, but it feels really awesome to use. To add to that, it's not just narratively epic, it also does 150 flat damage, which always feels massive, and a 7 day cool down, both of which make it feel mechanically epic too. 

To conclude, warlock capstones, and capstones in general, shouldn't be afraid to be awesome things. It's a fact that most campaigns will never reach higher levels, meaning capstones are rarely actually used. This just serves to double down on the message—if people are mainly just going to be looking at the feature, you need to make sure it's really awesome even to look at!

Sorry it's been so long since I've been making stuff. I have some other things ready in the pipeline now, so keep an eye out! The next subclass I have planned is one for a friend's homebrew class, which should be going public at the end of August or early September!

Vampire Hunting | Three Magical Items, and on Playing Dead and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft releases today, and it's been getting me pretty excited. While I'm not the fondest of the player content (that Undead Warlock wasn't the best in UA, and it hasn't improved that much) in the book, I love an opportunity to make gothic style homebrew! 

In addition to the three vampire hunting items, I've also been a part of a team making a new DMsguild product. The supplement is called Playing Dead and can be found here! You can find my contributions in the barbarian Variant Class Features, the Path of the Grave (a zombie themed barbarian set around the ideas of ripping off your own limbs to fight others!), the Martyr Greater Undead (they're like Prestige Classes) and some smaller miscellaneous things. Currently, we're #1 on the guild and have become a Copper bestseller!

Anyways, for the items, I think my favourite out of the three is the Wooden Stake. Mechanically, it's identical to the Vorpal Sword, but deals piercing instead of slashing and can kill undead even if they don't need the body part it takes away (in this case, it destroys the target's heart). Just like the Vorpal Sword, it's concept is part of a classic fantasy, and should feel just as gruesome.

Well, this was just a short advertising post, but I hope these items or something in Playing Dead can be useful for your campaign!

Path of the Chameleon | Barbarian Subclass, and a bit on barbarian subclass design

It's been a while since I've released anything, but I can promise there will be a whole bunch of content being released in the next couple days!

This subclass is a weird one. The concept is an elusive and charismatic barbarian, two things that aren't usually associated with barbarians. In addition to being weird thematically, it's also kind of weird mechanically. 

Now, barbarian structure is pretty simple—at 3rd level, you get a feature that augments you rage, alongside a potential secondary feature. Some examples of that feature are Totem Warrior getting rituals or Zealot getting a resurrection ribbon. Path of the Chameleon inverts that a bit. Skinshifter is the big feature, and it keys itself off of prof/lr uses, while the rage augment builds off of Skinshifter. The main combat feature allows you to move the target around the battlefield, making this a control barbarian (as opposed to defensive or damage), which I feel is the one that keys best into the ever-changing thematic. 

Didn't have much to say this time, but I hope you enjoy the path! This one is definitely one of my favourites, on virtue of just being so, so weird!

Circle of Time | A Time-themed Spell, and on higher level spell design

Most D&D campaigns don't reach Tier 3 (that is to say levels 11+), which is a real shame when it comes to features and spells. At those levels, there is room for a lot of really, really funky stuff—stuff that doesn't necessarily break balance, but does break universal laws.

Now, I'm not a D&D lore guy, but one thing I know for sure (as it is used in the majority of fantasy settings, even beyond D&D) is that high level magic just isn't as common as low level magic. Even in magic rich settings such as Eberron, high magic is rare at best. The reason is simple: this is the magic that is simply beyond the scope of what many people should be able to do; if multiple parties could use this magic, the world would be changed heavily.

That is where the fun homebrew comes in!

At lower levels, most spells will focus around usability. Things like fireball, haste and shield are staples because they are good spells for what they do, and nothing can really stand up to those sorts of spells in the competition of limited spell lists. At higher levels, while this competition is still common, I've noticed that spells become less about the players, and more for the DMs to give to powerful rivals. Spells like disintegrate are good, great even, but what makes it a 6th-level spell isn't the damage (after all, all damage can be tweaked to fit the appropriate spell level), it's really the fact that things killed by this spell can only be brought back with the highest level of magic: wish and true resurrection. This shows us how serious spells can be at these levels, and that's where Circle of Time really draws its roots.

Recently, I read the novel Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman and it immediately had me thinking how magic in D&D could emulate the amazing worlds described. While most of the different models shown in the book were worldwide, stuff like time moving slower the higher you are, or the fastest you are going, a couple caught my eye as being perfect for a spell. Those criteria were simple, the effect described needed to not affect everything, but to still be impactful enough that if it were seen in the world, a player would be amazed. Circle of Time was based on a concept of a center of time somewhere in the world. The closer you were to the center, the slower time was for you, and the further you were, the faster time was (time is relative, after all). The novel talked about some people journeying to this center of time to endlessly receive good emotions such as pride, getting themselves frozen in time at the very center to forever enjoy the moment. 

In the spell, these sorts of mechanics are reflected by paralysis at the center, and slower speeds as you grow closer. The spell is not really usable in combat, as it affects the entire area evenly, ally or foe, and is designed to trap you in it. Regardless, it's quite usable as a feature of a campaign. Perhaps a BBEG wishes to not grow old, trapping themselves in a Circle of Time to never lose their youth, or maybe a character is scared of something of their past, wishing to remove the problem through the passage of time by waiting in such a spell.

I hope this sort of spell is usable in your campaigns, whether by players or DMs. High level spells have always fascinated me, simply because of their astounding potential for world shattering effects, and I certainly plan on releasing others I've made! 

P.S. I promise I'll be back to my regularly scheduled barbarians soon haha. I plan on having a couple other non-barbarian brews first, one post on the artificer class, one for some thematic magic items, and maybe one post on revising official content, but I think they'll all be pretty fun!

Canadian Animal Totems | Path of the Totem Warrior expansion, and on brewing totem spirits

This brew was inspired by Rain-Junkie's Australian Animal Totems. When I saw that brew, I thought to myself how if they're Australian and did that, I could do it as a Canadian. 

The Totem Warrior is a really great example of what I call subsubclasses. With a choice of different animal 'paths' through the levels, a player has not only chosen a subclass (Path of the Totem Warrior), they also get to customize their character further, gaining features related to bears, wolves, and eagles (and later in WotC's development, elk and tigers.) To me, this kind of customization is awesome—even though I love simplicity, getting to tailor your character perfectly is really enjoyable.

In a brewing sense, I'm also a big fan of the Totem Warrior. The PHB only provides a very limited amount of animals to play with, and SCAG offers even fewer, which is really a shame as there are a lot of animals out there. To return to Rain-Junkie's brew, when I read it, I felt that some people would find a good connection to being able to use those animals; being able to play something that feels like home is almost always a good feeling. Knowing of that feeling, I decided that it would be really cool if I made some similar totems that felt like Canada. (Of course, the idea then went into an ideas folder and wasn't touched for several months until I got it out a couple weeks ago!)

Now, I also wanted to talk a bit about the design space of totems. Right off the bat, at 3rd level, we can see that there is a definite variation in power level between these. Bear gives resistance to all damage, covering all the elements and such that rage normally can't cover, but Tiger only gives a jump increase. Now, the other PHB totems do lean closer to Bear than Tiger, but this shows that we have a lot of room to play with.

At 6th level, most of the totems get ribbons or otherwise weak features. Of course, as the 3rd level is normally quite potent, the budget here is smaller. At 14th level, they normally get something pretty decent. Wolf, Elk, and Tiger being offensive, and very potent when stacked with how prone never really dips to being bad, and Bear's kiting ability allows it to tank very consistently for the whole party. At these two levels, the power level is a lot closer to itself than at 3rd level.

Anyways, that's enough rambling for today. I hope you enjoy the brew as much as I do!

Path of the Garden | Barbarian Subclass, and on ribbons

This is a relatively new subclass I started working on last weekend. Barbarian is definitely my favorite class to brew for, and it shows in the amount I make of them!

To start, this brew's combat loop is about the same complexity as the Path of the Tempest's. At the start of your turn while raging, or when you enter a rage, you create a bloom of flowers, essentially a land mine. When another creature gets too close, you can use your reaction to trigger it, causing damage. Sometimes, it may be wise to let a couple creatures move in first, then trigger, and it can also be used to control the space, blocking off certain routes on the battlefield. 

For this homebrew, I tried to get some features that were very much ribbons (Flowercraft and Orchard Walk), and features that essentially scaled off each other (the other three). With the combat loop of placing blooms, the class is encouraged to move through the field, potentially drawing others towards bombs, or moving around to control an area. It could equally spend its time staying on one target in melee, forcing them to make saving throws or choose to take opportunity attacks.

I'd also like to talk about ribbon features. In 5e, most abilities can be split between "rocks" and "ribbons". Rocks are core features; in this subclass, Blooming Petals, Sakura Flurry, and Seasonal Bloom are rocks. Ribbons are thematic features, adding to the flavor of a brew without messing with its balance; in this subclass, Flowercraft is a ribbon, while Seasonal Bloom is somewhat of a mix between a ribbon and a rock (leaning heavily towards ribbon).

In brewing, one of the most important things of a brew is it's thematic, specifically how the player can feel that thematic when playing it. A ribbon feature can be something small, such as borrowing an effect from a cantrip or minor feat (like Flowercraft does, taken from druidcraft), or could be a bit larger, but only situationally useful. If you look at some official content, you'll see ribbon features all over the place, which is a great place to start adding these thematics into your own games. Some prime examples include Storm Sorcerer's Storm Guide, Paladin's Divine Sense, Ranger's Primeval Sense, the second half of Ranger's Vanish, Horizon Walker Ranger's Detect Portal, and Grave Cleric's Eyes of the Grave. Another good place to look is in cantrips and feats, such as druidcraft, prestidigitation, Observant, Keen Mind, and others of that style. Adding ribbons into a brew helps a lot, and in my opinion, the best homebrews are often set apart by the inclusion of ribbons (either as stand alone features, or integrated into other features), which allow them to masterfully make the flavour of the brew really stand out!

Next time, I plan on releasing some new animal tokens for the Totem Warrior Barbarian!