Assassin just seems like a class that should be rolling crits on 19 and 20. Keep the weird surprise crit thing, but add in 19 and 20 crits and I think it instantly goes up a tier.
I would limit it somewhat just to separate it from the champion subclass. Something like, attacks made with advantage can crit on 19/20. That gives it a bit of a distinct flair.
@@Valwryn00 I don't see why it needs to be distinct. Especially when it would already be part of the assassinate ability. Any further distinction can come from the flavor of it rather than mechanics. One is just that good at finding weak points, the other is just that strong with their blows.
@@eshansingh1 I don't think it needs to be a drastic change, just needs to be something that has a chance of happening more often than during surprise.
I feel they should have a once per long rest auto crit on a hit, and this will grow to 2 per long rest at some point sort of like the cleric's channel divinity.
DMing for a 4 elements monk: just make every discipline cost 1 less Ki than listed and let them use it as one of their attacks instead of a full action like the new Dragonborn breath. Some disciplines r now free but tbh they should be. Fire monk can have reach and fire damage for their attacks at will that’s the whole appeal of the subclass
The issue you will find with this is at higher levels. The "Spell" abilities will fall off pretty hard without pumping extra ki into them and the higher level "spells" just wont be effective. This is a fine solution I feel until around level 11, since most games don't go past that it likely works for most tables.
For me the big weakness of the elements monk is the lack of actual features, they should have a way to impose disadvantage on saves similar to eldritch knight(technically stunning strike does but it's on a Con save itself), Fangs of the Fire Snake should always be available and deal other damage types (cold and thunder for example) and you should be able to get a discount on disciplines maybe each one can be used once a day free so that you can do your cool stuff more often.
Honestly, if you take half of the average Monk's class and subclass features and make them cost *NO* Ki, that's still probably not going far enough to make them comparable to the other twelve classes.
@@dylandugan76 I think that's a bit extreme; As they are, Monks are still very good at locking down one or a couple targets via Flurry / Stunning Strike which are their cheapest features They can easily burn Legendary Saves from a boss as well. (Forcing up to 4 Saves in a turn which will prevent a boss from taking any Actions is pretty brutal) They can Tank easily if needed by spamming Patient Defense; Especially if a Dwarf Monk with Dwarven Fortitude That said, I do agree that they could use a bump for higher levels ~ especially for more power gamey tables. And if your table doesn't consider an unarmed strike a weapon attack
@@justinschmelzel8806 And I think at some point they get fireball and using that as one of your attacks is just ridiculous. I mean, using any spell as an attack when the class can have up to 5 attacks is too much. Except maybe a cantrip but even that’s pushing it and depends on the cantrip.
The one subclass I find to be underwhelming is Arcane Archer and how many times they can use their magical infused arrows. Instead of just twice per sort rest, it should be a proficiency bonus per sort rest.
I think even three times per short rest would be a good enough change, this would mean that you get to do your cool thing at least once per fight even on particularly active adventuring days.
@@WindFalcon I was literally thinking the same thing the other day! but, I would limit it to Cross bows and thrown Wepons. It would be kinda silly if this would work with Firearms. Although, it would be really cool if that could work hmmm 🤔
I agree on sorcerers. I’m playing a dragon sorcerer with a home brew expanded spell list right now. We handled it similar to the genie warlock list where there is one set that every dragon sorcerer gets and one that is unique to your element. Here is what my Ice Sorcerer got 1st- Chromatic Orb, Ice knife 2nd- Suggestion, Rime’s binding Ice 3rd- Fear, Slow 4th- Charm Monster, Ice Storm 5th- Dominate Person, Cone of Cold As you can see with the generic spells we leaned into a dragon’s overwhelming presence with some nice enchantment spells, also seems to fit in with sorcerer’s charisma casting.
@@samfleming4527 nothing set,following the system you would still take the first spell listed at each level and then replace the second spell with one that fits the element you want. Might have to get a bit creative for some of the underrepresented elements.
The second level generic spell should absolutely be dragon breath. Also, I would not give chromatic orb as a first level spell. It's great, very powerful, very useful for droconic sorcerers who don't have a whole lot of options, like poison. But a 50 gp diamond is pretty hard to come by at the beginning.
I actually made a spreadsheet for each sorcerer subclass. I haven't tested it yet so I'm not sure how good it is. What I did for draconic was I had all the types gain one spell the same that had a dragon feel to it, and each type then got a spell that was more tailored to that type. So for example every draconic sorcerer gets Absorb Elements, Dragon's Breath, Fly, Charm Monster, Hold Monster. Ice dragons then get Ray of Frost (I gave each a cantrip as well), Ice Knife, Snilloc's Snowball Swarm, Sleet Storm, Ice Storm, Cone of Cold. I will say I made the list before Fizban's so I might change some of these. If anyone wanted to see the whole thing I can share a link.
The Frenzy Rage is a real sore point. I imagine a barbarian in a field of corpses still surrounded by dozens of enemies, they breathe heavily, but let out an inhuman howl and push on to battle more - 5e does the opposite by making their rage increase Exhaustion. I house ruled Frenzy to include 'While in a Frenzied Rage, you treat your Exhaustion as 3 levels lower than it is." which lets them abuse their frenzy pretty much all they want in combat, but then as soon as the 4th rage ends, they CRASH hard going from frenzied and feeling 0 Exhaustion to level 4 Exhaustion and not recovering for a most of a week. Thats a barbarian.
one thing i would add to the frenzy barb is that while in a frenzied rage, your rage loses the portion that you fall out of rage if you fail to make an attack or take damage for a round, and lasts for the full duration of the rage, that way frenzy barbs cant be bullied by spells and fleeing enemies, drop their rage mid combat and end up looking stupid and exhausted, very unsatisfying. Maybe they could even have a caveat that should they be restrained or otherwise detained by a spell, and/or for as long as they are attempting to use their movement on their turn to advance towards an enemy, and cannot reach them, their rage gets extended by 6 seconds (the length of a round) as they become more frustrated by the underhanded tactics/fleeing enemy.
I also homebrew Ed the same basic idea, but mine was just ignores all levels of exhaustion (the setting allowed for multiple long rests before another big combat so it never mattered as the bar never got more than 2-3 levels of exhaustion)
@@jake120007 that's a really good idea, the harder it is for a frenzy barbarian, or just any barbarian, to reach an enemy the angrier they'd get from being slowed or stopped.
One idea I had for sorcerers is to give each subclass a unique metamagic option. Like wild magic sorcerers can cast a spell using a lower level slot at the cost of an immediate wild surge, or draconic sorcerers making their spells with a relevant damage type more powerful.
Personally, I thought of just reworking the Berserker's Frenzy drawback to line up with how the drawback of Haste is handled: Once he's done raging, have him pass a turn and no exhaustion to keep it fair
That would be pretty fair I think. Although maybe in the same vein as Haste, Frenzy could give you an extra attack instead of it being a bonus action. I don't think that would be too overpowered, and it doesn't invalidate duel-wielding barbs either.
Honestly, that is a great idea and I think I totally agree. Same with Neo, it being tied into the attac action would be awesome too. Therefore u could do duel wielding with it too! Which is summat that has always bothered me with Beserker, the fact that duel wielding has very little benefit with it. Cos when I imagine a berseker I think of a maniac with two axes
@@dylanschenkelberg7399 Yeah that's fair. But also barb rages can end early if u dont attack or take damage. And in my expirience that can happen often enough that I think this drawback is fair.
@@neog8029 I will respectfully disagree with taking the Frenzy attack away from the Bonus Action. That's a HUGE part of its versatility, because Frenzy has one benefit that no other "attack on a bonus action" ability gives you - you DON'T need to attack for your main action to do it. This allows your Berserker to Dash, then attack, or Dodge, then attack, or drink a healing potion, then attack, etc. It does mean Berserker doesn't mesh well with a dual-wield build, but a two-handed build with Frenzy will easily outpace a dual-wielder for damage anyway. That's why I am always happy to defend Berserker, they require a LOT more strategy in play than other Barbarian sub-classes in order to be effective, but the whole point of D&D is playing a game where your choices matter, and that should include in combat as a Barbarian, not just when you're building the character.
_„So, we ranked all the Sublcasses, what do we do now?“_ *„Hm, I don't know. How about fixing the bad ones?“* _„Sounds like something we could do.“_ *„I mean how hard can it be?“* _„Purple Dragon Knight.“_ *„Right... That will take a while.“*
Easy: Edited to align with some suggestion. Guess it wasn’t as easy as I thought. Lol 3rd Rallying Cry- as a bonus action you inspire a burst of vigor in your allies. Choose a creature other than yourself within 60ft that can see or hear you (Unconscious creatures can hear you unless something else effects their hearing). That creature regains hp equal to your CHA mod(minimum 1) and temp hp equal to your level in this class. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your half your proficiency bonus rounded down per long rest. Additionally you may use this feature as part of using your second wind feature without expending a use of this feature. 7th Royal Envoy- As written it already gives expertise in persuasion, but I would also add proficiency in CHA saving throws 10th- Inspire Surge (name change intentional)- as a bonus action you inspire an ally to fight swiftly. Choose a creature other than yourself within 60ft that can see or hear you, on their nest turn they may choose one of the following benefits: a) They gain an additional action that can only be used to dodge, hide or make one weapon attack, b) They gain an additional bonus action, c) Their movement speed is doubled and they don’t provoke opportunity attacks. You may use this feature once per short or long rest. Additionally you can forfeit a use of action surge to use this feature without expending a use of this feature. When used in this manner the target creature instead gains the benefit of action surge on their next turn. 15th Bulwark- If a creature other than yourself within 60ft that can see or hear you fails an Int, Wis, or Cha saving throw you may use your reaction to allow that creature to reroll the save and add your Cha mod to the roll. You may use this feature proficiency mod times per long rest. Additionally you may expend a use of indomitable to instead use this feature if you have no uses of this feature remaining. 18th Last to Fall- When you would drop to 0 hp but not killed outright you may choose to drop to 1 hp instead as long as one creature that considers you an ally can see or hear you within 60 ft a you. You may make this choice without penalty once per short or long rest. If you choose to use this feature again before resting you must make con save DC 10+ number of times you have used this feature since your last rest and gain a level of exhaustion on a failure.
@@Ubersupersloth fair point. I just figured it needed to be able to get a character who was at 0hp back in the fight. Temp hp makes more sense for theme, but doesn’t get a person who is down back in the fight. Could run it as temp but add if used on a creature with 0hp they gain 1hp and half fighter level as temp hp. Honestly the subclass was so bad I suppose there are multiple ways to fix it and keep the theme.
@@lamarwashington2718 Yeah, I was going to suggest getting twice as many HP -- half as regained as you laid out and the other half as temp. So, unwounded allies benefit and wounded allies really benefit. Also, for Inspire Surge, the last two sentences seem to just say that you give away your Action Surge to another character to be used on their turn. If that's what it is the wording there seems a little awkward. Is there more to it than that?
@@bitspersecond2006 giving an ally your action surge has 2 benefits. 1) In niche situations that it would be better for an ally to have full benefit of a second complete action eg: helping a spell caster cast two level 1 or above spells in the same turn or allowing a party member who deals more damage than you get more attacks like having the Barbarian attack 4 times instead of the 3 the the normal use would allow. You would still have the regular use of inspiring surge available if you haven’t used it. 2) If you have used the regular use of the ability but not your action surge and it would be better for your ally to use your action surge. Maybe you are out of position. Honestly it’s just there to add flexibility and allow creative play.
I feel warlocks tend to over protect their spell slots. Because they only have 2 they actually rarely use them at all and use their invocations or eldritch blast instead. Maybe they could start the day with 3 or 4 but only regain 2 on a short rest. Kinda keep them lean but not famished.
My main issue is that it's really hard to spend them out of combat. Anyone else can just blast their spells for RP, and it makes an overall minor impact on their spell pool. Warlocks on the other hand literally loose half their spell slots and therefore almost half their combat prowess. Imo the easiest fix would just be a "once per day regain a spell slot when you roll initiative" type effect. Also upcast Mystic Arcanum.
@@hieronymusnervig8712 90% of their combat prowess is Eldritch Blast, but I know what you are getting it. The msin thing I would change about Warlocks is Eldritch Blast first...
@@PerikleZ87 I don't think Eldritch Blast needs changing. I've made good warlock builds without it and the difference was literally a single magic item. It's the baseline for a reason, and everyone just keeps using it because the alternatives are lacking.
I did that in a game I ran because I noticed that my warlock player did essentially nothing but eldritch blast + hex spam. Around level 8, I think, I told him that from now on he could double the amount of spell slots the table says he has, but that on their first short rest of the day he would only regain half, and any further short rests would only grant 1 spell slot (gotta keep in mind that the spell slots ARE all 4th/5th level). What happened was that he started using his spells in much more creative ways and stopped relying entirely on eldritch blast. I highly recommend it. Also to note, the way my game was designed, short rests were often far and few between, so that especially hurt my warlock player. If a party constantly takes short rests, I'd probably tweak the numbers. I also told him straight away that if they ever got to level 20, I'd have to nerf the capstone ability because otherwise he would essentially have 20 5th level spell slots after 1 short rest (16 without), which is more spell slots than normal casters get from 1st to 5th level.
My warlock fix mixes their solution and yours to a degree. My solution was every time they gained a new spell level they could choose 1 spell on their patron spell list. They gained this spell as a spell known and it didn't count against their spells known. In addition, they could cast this spell once per long rest without using a spell slot. Example archfey warlock at level 3 chooses faerie fire at first and phantasmal force. In addition to the other lock spells and the 2 2nd level slots per short. They could also cast these once per long.
For the Berserker I simply did that you have to succeed at the end of a frenzy on a 8+your PB con save to avoid exhaustion, the DC increases by 2 each time you use it before taking a long rest. So 1 minute, frenzy, CON save and succeed. Leaving the possibility to get exhaustion, but it's a very low chance.
Wouldn’t that cause the DC to rise as you level up and increase your con and PB? I think simply having the DC set at 10 and then increasing it after each use works well enough
@@secretlyditto7716 it’s actually a trick question, because barbarians are proficient in Con saves. the DC increases at the same rate as your bonus to the roll, meaning you’re basically just seeing if you can beat a DC 8 Con ability check.
I'd just remove the line about exhaustion. IMO, the bonus action attack while raging isn't game breaking since they can't do it on the first round (since raging is a bonus action) and it comes 1 level before characters can start picking up feats like Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master, which give bonus action attack options anyway.
I reworked Berserker by reworking Exhaustion. It's the only condition that has no save. By incorporating a Con save, it gave a Con-based class a chance at shrugging off Exhaustion. To be honest, just tying Frenzy to Rage (frequency wise/times per day) works well too. EDIT: I think in a roundabout way, you stumbled on an Assassin fix. Give them the Whisper Bard ability to assume identities at the same level instead of what they have.
Honestly, there should just be a couple of Con skills. Having an entire ability score that is vital without any other kind of trainability feels like a big miss.
I have thought that a Berserker could still do the exhaustion bit, but make a level 3 ability the same as the new Ranger Tireless ability that they get at 10th level - that they recover a level of exhaustion each short rest (so remove all after a long rest).
I've done a similar rework for frenzy. Con was 10+1 for every turn spent raging. Has to make it at the end of every turn spent raging and then exhaustion kicks in when rage ended if they failed any. (rage doesn't end if they fail, just get exhausted at the end)
They gave it a Con save in Solasta as well. They try really hard to stick to the core but... some stuff even they have to fix cause it's that anti-fun.
Hey, great job with this video! You shared so many positive and useful ideas for improving the character mechanics and thematics. I like how you clarified "these are the parts that need to be fixed", and then you offered "here are some ideas of how you could fix if you want to do so".
I really like changing the Way of 4 Elements Monk into a straight 1/3rd caster like Arcane Tricksters and Eldrich Knight... it's a very simple, and powerful, way to fix an abysmal subclass. When you were talking about Assassins and Poisons, what came to mind was that each day the Assassin can make a number of doses of Poison equal to their Proficiency Mod, and the damage of their Poison could be a number of d8s equal to half their Sneak Attack dice; with a Save DC based on their Intelligence Modifier. This way, they can stack damage on damage, though the Poison would take a little bit of setup because it'll only last on a blade, or arrow, for so long.... I was also thinking it could do double damage if it's ingested instead of taken as part of an injury. Extra strong if they stack this with the Choosing Crits feature you mentioned...
For the false identity part of the assassin subclass, maybe let them have a retcon infiltration any time the DM feels the group knew of the organisation in advance? “Oh, infiltrating the wizard’s college? Sure, they think I’m a part time cleaner.” “Wait, when did you do that?” “Oh, while you were shopping three sessions ago.”
For the four elements monk. I like the custom spell list. What about maybe having them able to deliver touch range spells as part of a flurry of blows. Similar to the way of mercy's hand of harm/healing. Punch punch punch, shocking grasp!
I was thinking a way for them to repurpose AOE spells, since they won't want to be caught themselves. Any damaging AOE attack only affects the target hit, but the target is then pushed in the direction of the monk's choice as many feet as the spell's radius would have been. Empower a punch with a fireball and blow them back 20 feet through the air/out a window/off the drawbridge with 8d6 damage.
I actually made a whole new subclass, the center of which is that you have to choose your elemental discipline and you get different bonuses at levels, much like the totem warrior.
That's ba really great idea, give them the elemental cantrip and let them cast them as a bonus action instead of their extra unarmed attack/flurry of blows. This'll give them some range abilities too. Enemy too far away to punch? You can punch the nearest guy instead and then Firebolt the sucker. I'm not sure if this needs to cost a Ki point or not as the damage from Cantrips isn't all that much compared to their regular attack, and monks could really do with a bit of a boost in that regard.
In regards to the assassin ideas, remember that steady aim exists. A rogue can generate their own advantage whether they're melee or ranged. Ranged just has the benefit of raw distance.
In regards to adding spell slots to warlocks, I think something to consider instead is adjusting some of the Invocations. There are a handful of Invocations that allow the warlock to cast a specific spell that's normally outside their spell list, but it requires them to use a spell slot. If those invocations simply allowed you to cast them once per long rest or once per short rest (likely the former), then that could help in this area.
Most of this sounds fairly well thought out (Might want to give it a second watching and see if there was anything I missed) but for the Berserker Barbarian I have two fixes that I run that my players kind of like. First is the Frenzy Exhaustion which is just a super simple fix of the Berserker Barbarian (Might be 6th level since I don't have it pulled up right in front of me) get the same thing that Tasha's Ranger adds that they remove a level of exhaustion after a short rest. Second is I added an ability that makes them more deadly called "At Deaths Door" that allows them when they are at half HP or lower to add an extra d6 (and eventually a 2d6) while raging to melee attacks which I feel gives the class that idea that you make them mad by hurting them they just start hurting you more (I forget again don't have it right in front of me if they can only use the extra damage once per turn or if it's all attacks).
I like that Exhaustion is one of the few conditions which can last past a long rest. It makes it useful for other situations (exposure, starvation, dehydration etc). I'd be hesitant in it recovering a level over a short rest. At a lot of tables I've played on, Frenzy Barbs are the only ones who get Exhaustion (unless it's a survival situation). Personally, as a DM I like to use it to make my games a little grittier. e.g. adding a level of Exhaustion when a character fails a Death Save.
I feel like allowing the Assassinate ability to go off on anyone who hasn't acted yet in the first turn of combat might be a good alternative. It feels like you'd be way more likely to use it and you could even work to improve your chances of going first in the round with feats like Alert, multiclassing, etc. So while you'd likely be able to use it in every fight, there is still a chance you just roll crap and don't. Thematically it feels like you moved so fast you either hit them before they could tense up or you hit someone before they even registered you were there.
If you add this onto the original text it still makes it much better without being broken. Plus you can technically take expertise in initiative since it's a skill check to help with making it occur more often
@@blackpeoplestorytime802 I don't think you can gain proficiency in Initiative though, the closest thing was the combination of Jack of all Trades and reliable talent
@@DavidSmith-su4wl I feel it is broken as it is because it relies on the oft-misunderstood surprise mechanics. Any ability would be severely gimped by making it only usable on a surprise round but making a subclasses primary ability reliant on surprise is particularly harsh. I think making this ability usable in every round would be broken. But I think this should work in just about every combat...once. I also think the other subclass abilities need to be improved. Make the disguises more useful, maybe granting advantage on deception/persuasion checks while in those personas, I dunno. But this is the keystone ability and it should be useable in just about every fight.
@@dhaas4698 I was actually referring to your comment, not the original idea. I just have a feeling some dms would think having the ability in every combat would still be overpowered (I don’t think that) and my idea was a way to adjust it a tad more for those stricter dms.
Honestly, I feel that there already is a "fixed" version of the Purple Dragon Knight. It's called the Cavalier; has basically the exact same flavor but with abilities that actually *do* something. Also, I've tried the "spells known for old sorcerer classes" thing in a recent game of mine, and my divine soul sorceress loves her Arcana domain spells! 10/10 change, would recommend to everyone.
@@timob1681 No? None of its abilities work for that. You can be a strong stalwart leader as Cavalier, but it's not its core theme. Its abilities are all about protection and opportunity attacks.
@@antongrigoryev6381 the cavaliers whole thing is standing at the front of the party and protecting your allies, and possibly doing so while riding a horse. very "general" or "captain" vibe. you can play it as just a knight, but its abilities are very conducive to a stalwart leader type character
@@timob1681 Great. PDK's whole thing, however, is inspiring and commanding allies, not necessarily being the one at the front. And its abilities reflect that. Healing, additional attacks, helping with mental saves. There's very little similar with Cavalier. It may be similar roleplay-wise, but it's totally different mechanically so saying that Cavalier is a "fixed" version of PDK is totally wrong.
When I tried to play a shadow sorcerer, I always felt that not being able to see in magical darkness (except your own, and even then only sometimes) felt like it really tanked what would have made this subclass cool. Warlocks can get devil's sight, why can't shadow sorcerers?
My DM homebrewed it and allows me to see in all magical darkness. I also was given an expanded spell list to match the power of the sorcerer subclasses in Tasha’s. Sometimes you just have to ask your DM if they would allow certain homebrew changes to your subclass that would make your character on par with the rest of your party without being too broken of course.
I would love to see a little more love to the Whispers Bard. When I think of this bard, I think of a combination of the Faceless Men (from GoT) and a peddler of secrets. While I like the ideas brought forward to beef up the "adopting persona's" thing, I think more effort can be placed on the "Whispers" aspect of this subclass. What if they had something able to collect secrets from others? While "Words of Terror" may support this, I also think something like having a bump to insight or something would be nifty.
another solve I use for Elemental Monk. Each of the abilities can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier per long rest. Each "spell" you cast with these features are cast at spell level = to your proficiency modifier -1. You may spend 1 ki point to upcast 1 level. For water whip and fist of unbroken air again number of times equal to your proficiency mod, damage is a number of d10's = to proficiency modifier and you may spend 1 ki to increase it by an additional D10. For Fire Fang it costs 0 ki for 10 foot reach and fire damage it only costs the 1 for the additional D10 and you can spend a number of Ki points = to half your proficiency modifier (rounded down) to add that many D10's. At 6th level you can replace one of your extra attacks with one of your elemental abilities, at 10th level you can cast absorb elements a number of times = to your proficiency modifier per day, and 17th level you also gain the ability to cast one of the investitures spells once per day. For Clench of the North wind. "when you cast this as a 4th level spell or higher you can choose to cast it as Hold Monster instead). Edit: this is for those that want something a little simpler and do not want to have to come up with new spells or look up what spells are out there to solve the issues. Edit 2: a big reason for this instead of spell casting is also if you make them a 1/3rd caster like rogue or fighter you end up taking away cone of cold and the 5th level wall spells they normally get access to at 17th level. Edit 3: for those that want to make new elemental disciplines this template still technically works. Just look at what the spell is, if it is a 3rd level spell make it available at level 11, if it is a 2nd level spell available at 6th level. 4th and 5th level available at 17.
10:35 Yes, the combination of your melee fighting with spell casting is spot on. Combine a Flurry of Blows with an elemental damage spell like Burning Hands, Cone of Cold, Lightning Bolt, etc. So you strike with your fist while unleashing your Ki to evoke the spell as a result if the strike. The power balancing comes in the fact that while it could be OP if you land all the blows and nail the casting as well, the chance of failure is also raised in that the spell damage output would be tied to the number of blows landed. So if you miss all your blows, the spell fails and you wasted a spell slot. If only 1 blow hits, the spell is cast, but gets a penalty on the Spell Save DC. If 2 blows land, the spell is cast with normal DC. If all your blows hit, the spell gets a bonus to Save DC! If you manage that AND roll at least one crit on your attacks, you also add a damage die on the spell damage.
Assassin: "When you roll for advantage and two rolls would hit the target's AC, the attack is a critical hit." This grants expanded crit range, but only on targets that are easy to hit. Perhaps give them an ability that makes it easier to set up advantage. Or maybe just give them the True Strike cantrip for free. For poisoning: The Poisoner feat ignores resistance to poison damage, which isn't as effective as you'd think. Between the Monster Manual, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, you have about 30% of creatures take reduced damage from poison damage. However, upon closer inspection you find that out of all creatures, 3% resist poison damage and 27% are completely immune. For reference, the next most reduced damage types are fire (18%, 4% immune), cold (15%, 3% immune), and lightning (15%, 3% immune). So the feat doesn't even come close to making poison damage competitive. As a fix, u/KibblesTasty on Reddit suggests that you choose a creature type at the end of a long rest, and the poisons you make target that type specifically, ignoring the immunity and resistance of those creatures. Something like that would make it less bad.
Four Elements Monk I think you're right on the money with the spells. That being said, I would make Druid something of the default over Wizard as they are often the only casters with the watery options. Additionally, I may want to differentiate it a bit from the Eldritch Knight. For example, maybe you could spend Ki Points up to your proficiency level in order to cast Absorb Elements. Maybe even make that damage bonus last a full round. Maybe rather than being able to cast a spell as a bonus action they could charge their fists with the spell so that a hit with it centers the effect on the target and acts like a hit or a failed save. Monk could be immune to the AOE and others in the area save as normal. As for the Assassin, forget all the overcomplicated identity stuff. Just give them Disguise Self once per rest. I think the Proficiency times Assassinate is great. But maybe for balance purposes a target hit by this can't be affected by it again for an hour or something. In terms of poisons, give them proficiency in the kit, but also give them their own poisons that have unique effects other than damage. Maybe they can create x amount of special poisons only potent for 24 hours, and have a new Cunning Action option that invenoms the blade. It may deter them a bit from just Aiming every time. They could inflict some conditions like Poisoned, Stunned, Frightened, etc, but maybe some alternatives could work like reducing movement speed.
I made 1/3 revised four elements monk. When I made it, I didn't realize that you couldn't use unarmed strikes as a bonus action when you cast spells. So I'll definitely say, if they or anyone ever make a 1/3 caster monk, that's probably one of the most important things that should be looked at. Eldritch knight and arcane trickster get other abilities at third level alongside their spellcasting feature, so I'd say the ability to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action after casting a spell should be that feature for the four elements monk.
@@slamsM6 With Ki-Fueled Attack from Tasha's four elements monks already kind of get this, I think people have been overlooking how much of a buff that was for four elements. "3rd-level monk feature - If you spend 1 ki point or more as part of your action on your turn, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon as a bonus action before the end of the turn."
I think my favorite ideas here were for the assassin and whispers bard. Voluntary crits, fleeing the scene, and a portfolio of identities are all genius. What does this say about me!? For what it's worth, also, I'd love to see your take on a fix for the wild magic sorcerer. I know you loved it, but your comments about creating work for the DM really brought the wild magic sorcerer back into my mind as a broken subclass. The fact that a forgetful DM can essentially rob the character of most of their subclass really seems inexcusable, and I think these unhelpful mechanics have hidden far too long behind an admittedly super fun random table!
Having played whispers bard for a while I think psychic blades is actually super useful and I don't think I'd swap it for a limited sneak attack as an alternative. Automatic additional psychic damage at will for a bardic inspiration adds a layer of versatility to the bard and imo allows you to avoid taking certain damage spells as well as combining really well with bonus action spells like misty step or healing word. Aside from that though yeah your changes to the other abilities sound marvelous
Psychic blades is fine but the problem is that you have to be up-close to hit it and honestly, bards are just not made to take a hit. I didn't have a dedicated tank in the party and my college of whisper bards died so.damn.often.
For the beast master idea, I like the idea of separated beast masters but maybe they should apply to a whole group of animals, not specific ones? Ie, Hawk-Lord would be Bird of Prey, for cats you could have Feline Master, Something for Bears + Canids, and then another one for aquatic animals too.
MCDM is currently working on the Beastheart class, which is essentially like if the beastmaster were a bonafide class instead of a ranger subclass. you get a companion at level 1 that scales with you, and you also get a subclass at level 3 to specialize your role. the companions are really cool too, instead of generic blocks like Tasha’s or hyper specific minute changes like PHB, your options range from Blood Hawk to Dragon Wyrmling to Giant Spider to Gelatinous Cube. i playtested a halfling beastheart with a Deinonychus companion, and it was a lot of fun. most of the abilities were Jurassic Park references.
I would add to the idea of the more specialized beast masters that there should also be a more... well... The Beastmaster (1982) version that gets multiple animals at the cost of not being specialized. Like, y'know, one big one for actual fighting, built-in Find Familiar as part of the subclass, not super-sure how you'd handle the ferrets mechanically....
When will you guys be fixing the Twilight Cleric, Hexblade Warlock, and Moon Druid? Because those subclasses are cripplingly weak and almost unplayable.
Oh these are easy. Twilight clerics should get automatic invisibility all the time. Moon druids can now change in to any creature, not just beasts, and have unlimited wild shape, hexblade warlocks automatically get extra attack without having to take an invocation, and their subclass grants them twice the amount of spell slots. That should make them playable, right?
I’ve been having a look through all the first through fifth level spells in the game and I think I can justify the following expanded spell list for Wild Magic sorcerers. For starting ideas, anything that can happen on a wild magic surge is relevant enough for it to be one of your spells. After all, there’s precedent for it being a “wild magic spell”. First Level Spells: Chaos Bolt - This one is a gimmie. It’s practically made for a wild magic sorcerer. Magic Missile - It’s non-elemental (pretty raw-magic feeling to me) and you can cast it on yourself during a surge. Other options are colour spray (magical glowy lights seem pretty wild) or possibly even grease. Grease also seems reasonable as essentially magical incontinence. Second Level Spells: Mirror Image - It’s a surge plus making magical copies of yourself that don’t even really exist kinda fits the wild magic flavour, IMO. Nathair’s Mischief if Fizban’s is allowed. It’s a spell like Chaos Bolt in that it has a bunch of possible effects that you roll for. Other options are Detect Thoughts (your innate magic satisfying your natural curiosity), Enlarge/Reduce (fits in with your more malleable self) or Knock (the most noticeable and extravagant magical lockpick in existence). Third Level: Blink - It’s a spell that randomly pops you into the ethereal plane that you can’t really control. Your wild magic can already send you to the Astral Plane so there’s precedent for “dimension hopping that you can’t control”. Fly - You want to be a force of chaos, you gotta be flying around so you’re hard to pin down. That’s almost a rule. Other options are Fireball (big damage, it’s a possible surge and it’s iconic), Gaseous Form (transforming into a fart cloud is pretty funny), Hypnotic Pattern (same reasoning as Colour Spray), Stinking Cloud (magical incontinence) and Summon Fey (it’s IS the magic of Chaos/The Feywild). Fourth Level: Confusion and Polymorph. Both are possible surges and both play into the flavour. Other options are Freedom of Movement (can’t be pinned down. Same reasoning as fly) and Hallucinatory terrain (pretty tricksy) Fifth Level: Animate Objects - Imbuing life into random brooms and stuff. I like the flavour. Reincarnate - For one, this is a really interesting spell to have on a non-healer and a non-Druid. Two, this is a random resurrection spell which is pretty chaotic. Three, it’s nature/feywild-y. Other options are Destructive Wave (pretty big “just force of magic not being controlled” energy) or Seeming (illusions are pretty fey-like).
I love all of these! May I also add Alter Self and Disguise Self. Nothing seems more chaotic than looking at the party sorcerer and go "When did you grow horns?" or "Weren't you female an hour ago?"
I was hoping there might be some advice on overhauling the undying warlock patron. But it was really cool to see you guys discuss the whispers bard and assassin rogue.
There's a Homebrew called the Red Lion Knight on Drivethrurpg that's basically a combo of Purple Dragon Knight and the Champion with added perks for rallying allies and acting like a knight.
It's sad that taping the champion and Purp together is still only kinda okay. Not quite as sad as the fact that taping roughly half of all Monk subclasses together would still probably be worse than either Hand of Mercy, or a Fighter that took the Unarmed Fighting Style for giggles. Especially since this abomination monk still couldn't use any of their abilities if they wanted to Stunning Fist or Flurry. C'mon everyone, it's Morphin' Time! Way of the Open Hand! Way of the 4 Elements! Way of the Drunken Fist! Way of the Long Death! Way of the Ascendant Dragon! Way of the Astral Self! Way of the Sun Soul! Our seven lights spring to the task, to save the world with courage and hope! We are the Ultra Chroma Power Squad Prism Rangers! *Dazzling lights created by Prestigidation and at least 6 Ki points in the background* With our powers combined, we will take you down, NPC Warrior!
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 Yeah but it really lets you play into the knight fantasy. Helps that you get improved Critical and a Rally ability at level 3. And level 10 prevents you from being surprised and grants advantage on Initiative. Same creator also made a Monk Subclass that relies on creating/inflicting conditions and de-buffing enemies. It burns through Ki quickly but with the right party it can be brutal. Blinded/deafened enemies can be inflicted with the Confused spell from you and its concentration free.
3:15 In my class fixes I simply removed the purple dragon knight and distributed it's abilities between the champion and cavalier. The problem with the purple dragon knight is it hasn't got any abilities of it's own but rather just minor upgrades to the fighter abilities that allows them to be extended to allies. So it's not really cumbersome for the sub classes that got these abilities because it's only minor improvements to abilities they already have.
With “aim” as a cunning action giving rogues advantage at will, I strongly advise against the assassin auto crits proficiency/day. An assassin rogue could annihilate an encounter at will with this change by just using this 2-4 turns in a row. I do want to see it improved though, it’s the kind of rogue I want to play!
I had similar thoughts and was thinking that instead of that leave the third level ability as is and replace the level 9 and level 13 features (even together they seem to be worse than the Charlatan background features). To give the poisoner kit proficiency more use I was thinking perhaps let poisoned weapons auto-crit to reward the notion that assassination takes preparation. To prevent exploitation (i.e. 30 poisoned arrows) let that auto-crit be on anyone who has not had their turn in combat yet. For the other feature I saw some people mention that since Assassins are about killing things then to double down on that and improve the sneak attack die to d8s (or more). While that certainly is nice I feel that alone is kinda limiting. So I was thinking about maybe a successful kill on a surprised/unaware opponent can cause nearby enemies to be frightened or surprised for an extra round. My logic being a skilled assassin can seize the moment better than most. My main issue with these ideas though is that it kinda feels like too much combat and not enough rp potential baked into it.
Lots of people In the comments have suggested that the auto crit can only be used on sneak attacks with advantage & costs your bonus action to stop this from happening
For dragon sorcerers, Since they already get improved durability features, I’d like to double down on those at higher levels making the subclass into the sorc equivalent of hex blade or blade singer, perhaps having the capstone turn you into a dragon.
This session takes a good first step in addressing the weaker subclasses. To append to Monty’s idea of associating different subclasses of Rangers with a beast, let’s take a look at how the Totem Barbarian gets powers based on choosing an aspect of an animal. This makes the choices more personal and allows for much customization. To take it one step further, animals could be grouped by various types similar to how favored enemy is selected. Groups of forest animals, sea, desert, undead, celestial, etc. The more powerful selections could be restricted by the character gaining levels in ranger. Something to think about.
I love this idea, but we already have dragons with fizban’s, which covers both land and sky movement. The only other domain that would really change would be water, can you think of anything else?
I think there should be more adoption of the person's physique for the Whispers bard. Like when adopting someone's identity through the ability you get their strength Constitution and dexterity scores if yours were worse then their's. Maybe make the restriction that you have to kill them with your psychic blades to fully draw out their spirit.
I like this one. Another option is for it to function a bit like Polymorph or Wild Shape, let them wear the new flesh suit as a load of temp HP. Maybe give it concentration as a limiter, but I love the idea of the wounded Whispers bard killing one of their opponents, changing into them and resuming the fight with renewed energy.
@@LarsaXL oh I really like that idea. You could say that as long as that identity doesn't drop to zero hit points The Whispers Bard can use it for later.
About the Berserker Barbarian: An option could also be that Frienzy can be used a number of times per day, equal to half the proficiency, but if you use it more you get an level of exhaustion per use. I think that way you remove the main problem, but still keep the "going beyond your limits" theme the subclass seems to have
Warlocks: Have their expanded spell choices be automatically known spells they can cast for free once per long rest. The casting follows the regular rules for warlock spell casting, meaning that they are casted at the highest level which most of them don't really benefit from. What could possibly go wrong?
I agree that expanded spell choices should just be given to the Warlock for free, but I'm not sure about casting them for free. Between their invocations being able to cast once per long rest (some of them at will, whenever you want) and getting to spend their Mystic Arcanum spells once a day as well is kind of wild. If you think about it that's a lot of spells they can cast without slots, even if some of them are once per long rest, that's still strong.
@Snazzy Feathers well I say this with the fact that most invocations have the "once per long rest" bit added to it anyway. The ones that give spells anyway shy of the at will ones. Allowing access of their expanded list w/o a spell slot list once per long rest would give them the ability to do more at mid tier play, stacked against other casters, they falter a bit in terms of spellcasting. say it's at high levels though, what would they have? 3 5th level slots, 10 once per long rest free casts from their expanded spell list which most of them dont benefit from being upcasted anyway and... what? 4 arcanums? paired with let's say 4 invocations that give them spells, that is still a bit less than what full casters can do at base. It's not that nutty.
Hmm, I'd say no. Having a limited amount of spell slots is part of the Warlock's identity. I am absolutely on board with giving them more known spells though, especially since it feels like it's more that those are spells their patron knows and cast through the warlock. More known spells would allow the warlock to build their core strategy, but also be able to afford to spend a couple of those precious spells known slots on highly situational spells that could nevertheless be seen as their patron interfering on their behalf. "You dare strike my servant?! Infernal Rebuke!" Or needing a utility spell; "Yeah, we definitely can't climb this wall without being spotted... Uhm, maybe my patron will provide if... Oh look I made a hole in the wall... how did I do that?"
Great suggestions, I miss the 4th eddition battle Master and really wanted Purple Dragon to fill the niche... When I made my pdk build, I took the fighting style and feat to get superiority dice and took commander strike. Maybe this can be bonus action with limited use? That gives you the ability to manuver and give out attacks like a Battle Master did.
7:38 Good point. Also, bring a royal envoy doesn't just mean being good at Persuasion, but also might include things like Insight and even Deception. Perhaps this ability should give Proficiency in all 3 of those abilities, AND let you choose which of the 3 to also gain Expertise in.
Heavily agree with the added spell list for sorcerers. I actually made extended spell lists for all sorcerer subclasses currently in the game that I allow for players. This is an example that I have for Wild Magic, which I think was the hardest to make because they are so out there with random effects and spells, so I tried to match that randomness in there with some spells and decided that they can replace spells with evocation and transmutation spells from wizard, warlock, or sorcerer (or maybe any classes spell list because they are wild magic ya know, they could manifest random stuff). 1: Chaos bolt, absorb elements 3: Maximillian's earthen grasp, Web 5: Fireball, Thunder Step 7: Polymorph, Confusion 9: Creation, Conjure Elemental
100% agree with your take on Warlocks getting more spell slots and Sorcerers getting more spells known as they did for the Aberrant Mind and the Clockwork Sorcerer. In my experience, those classes are underrepresented at most tables and I think those two fixes would make both of the classes more like a good solid class rather than everyone's favorite one or two-level dip.
I love the suggestions that you brought here with this video, and it works perfectly with some patch ideas I had based on your older videos! Here are some specific ideas related to your suggestions: -Purple Dragon Knight: I love your idea of untethering the Rallying Cry from Second Wind, though I think giving them the option to use both at the same time is by no means broken. I also added a Rally effect to Rallying Cry (+1d4 to attack rolls & ability checks till end of turn). Furthermore, I decided to slide their abilities down a level (level 3 gets both Rallying Cry and Royal Envoy), slightly expand the scope of most other abilities, and add a captstone that gives Rallying Cry recipients Temp HP equal to your Fighter level and advantage on Wisdom saving throws while they have that HP. -Four Elements Monk: I still opted to keep Ki points for spells, but I gave them a blanket 1 ki point reduction at 11th level so you can go ham. I also specified that you can Flurry of Blows if you used an Elemental Discipline as an action, to further synergize with a bonus martial arts die of elemental damage on the next hit after you spend 1 or more Ki points on an Elemental Discipline. -Beserker Barbarian: I made it so that you only suffer Exhaustion if you go into a Frenzied Rage more than once per short/long rest. I do like your idea of giving the Barbarian a whirling blade action, so I might add that in! -Assassin: I liked your comments about expanding the scope of assassinate, so I opted to give them an additional Sneak Attack dice at each subsequent subclass level that they may use if and only if they have advantage. As well, I gave them advantage on checks when using Disguise kits or while disguised - making it more consistently rewarding for them to be using their non-combat abilities. -College of Whispers: I like your suggestion here, and it's making me think of giving you an instant change reaction option if you kill a target, or an action if they are just incapacitated. As well, having a selection of prof. bonus disguises you can wear for a spell slot seems cool. Same deal with Charm suggestion - will look at wording. -Sorcerers: I added expanded subclass spell lists - one for each level that the Clockwork or Aberrant Mind gets two. They can still swap out for other spells in the same fashion. I also looked at a couple other subclasses like the Battlerager Barbarian and Undying Warlock. All in all, fantastic videos, both this one and all your previous ones! If anyone would like to look at my notes or has suggestions, let me know and I can drop a link to the doc.
I homebrewed my own four elements monk subclass, though I haven't had anybody choose to play it. In my version, you have to choose one element and stick with it; I really tried to do the Avatar thing. I included special abilities related to manipulating your element, such as extra reach on melee attacks. The other main thing was straight bonuses as you become more like your element, such as a water monk not provoking opportunity attacks.
I like this one, skip the 4 Elements monk and give me 4 different elemental monks. A resilient Earth/Stone Monk who takes inspiration from the Barbarian. A Fire Monk who tries their best to invoke the feel of an Evoker Wizard while dodging and kicking. A Water Monk who is absolutely perfect for your naval campaign, swim speed, water breathing, being able to attack from a distance with watery whips or freezing it into thrown ice projectiles. And an Air Monk who gets a limited flying ability, is given the rogue's cunning action and can use it to dodge without spending a Ki point.
I love the revision you guys made for the Purple Dragon Knight. Almost in a same vein as a paladin yet very different. The old sorcerers definitely need those extra spells. It helps the sorcerers out a lot, but doesn't creep out the wizard in spell options, imo. Good vid!
25:00 Rather than having entirely separate subclasses for different Beastmaster types, maybe it whould be structured like Path of the Totem Barbarian, where you get thematically different options for your features dependent on what general form of beast your companion is
I run two weekly campaigns, and we have been following this series closely for two years and testing changes. Our goals are as follows: 1 ) Aim for A-tier. 2 ) Minimal changes are better than new features, where possible. 3 ) Do not overcomplicate. Here is what we did for some of the subclasses mentioned in this video: Purple Dragon Knight: - Royal Envoy moved to 3rd level. - Rallying Cry heals allies for the full d10 + Fighter level of Second Wind. - Inspiring Surge moved to 7th level, and now allows any action (just like Action Surge), rather than just an attack. - Bulwark moved to 10th level. Now allows you to share your uses of Indomitable with allies for *any* kind of saving throw, even if you are not targeted by the effect. - True of Heart added at 15th level. As an action, remove all frightened effects from allies within 120 feet. (Use # = Charisma modifier / long rest) Summary: the subclass is designed for sharing your core fighter features with allies with minimal restrictions. Way of the Four Elements: - WoFE has a limited spell list and operates as a half-caster class, like you suggested. - They can also spend 1 ki point to attune to a particular element during their turn, granting an on-activate effect and a lingering passive effect. - Too much to detail for this YT comment, but I can reply in comments if anyone cares. Summary: the subclass is designed for shifting elemental attunements to chain activated effects and spellcasting. Berserker: - Frenzy exhaustion is removed after 10 minutes. - Intimidating Presence uses Strength modifier for DC and also allows you to make your Charisma (Intimidation) checks with Strength instead. Summary: simple QOL changes to prevent this subclass from screwing itself too easily. Assassin: - Escape added at 3rd level, granting a free use of Cunning Action on reducing an enemy to 0 HP. - Improved Sneak Attack added at 9th level, granting an extra 1d6 to sneak attack dice. - Infiltration Expertise grants advantage on checks made to impersonate a creature. Also grants casting disguise self once per short rest, using Intelligence for the DC. - Imposter (13th level) replaced with Poison Expert, imposing disadvantage on the saving throws caused by poisons you use and making the poisons undetectable. Summary: the subclass is designed for get-in-get-out combat and subterfuge, with emphasis on killing rather than spying. Whispers Bard: - Words of Terror grants you advantage on all Charisma checks against frightened creatures. - Mantle of Whispers shadows can be retained indefinitely, but remain single-use. The shadow capture can be used at will without requiring a rest. - Shadow Lore charmed creatures will risk their lives for you and do everything they can to help you. Summary: the subclass is designed to use a versatile mix of fear, deception, and manipulation to further its ends. Draconic Sorcerer: - Elemental Affinity bonus has been clarified to apply to each target and each damage roll (for example, each ray of Scorching Ray). - Elemental Affinity resistance grants immunity if you are already resistant to that damage type. (Among other things, this makes a dragonborn draconic sorcerer of the same color practical.) Summary: this subclass is designed as a capable nuker, but it needed some boosting and clarification. Cheers, lads.
I like all of those, especially the last one. It felt kinda wrong that you were punished for picking the same type of ancestry when playing a dragonborn dragon sorcerer. Hi, I'm a red dragonborn who is using blue dragon elements.... No, stick to the same and get a bonus, it's much more thematically appropriate.
My fix for the berserker subclass is making it so that when you frenzy, your barbarian always uses the reckless attack feature. It’s a slight negative in that sometimes you really don’t want to reckless attack. All enemies having advantage on attacks against you can scale in favor of the enemy very quickly, even with rage resistance. it’s also thematically perfect for a berserker archetype to lose ones self in the brawl.
I'm hoping for a Part 2. Love to see how you would change the Circle of Spores. My thought was to cause the poison condition for 1 round to the Halo of Spores and the Spreading Spores features on a failed saving throw. Additionally boost up the HP (maybe have it scale somehow) of the zombie from the level 6 feature. But also cause anyone hit by it to make a saving throw or become poisoned.
I had kind of a wacky idea for the fighter class recently, I think it was inspired by something the Dungeon Coach said or maybe it just came from him directly I don’t remember. What if you took the maneuvers from battle master and treated them like eldritch invocations from warlock; making them a base class feature that every fighter subclass accumulates. This doesn’t mean you have to delete battlemaster, I think that you could keep the dice upgrades to that subclass and give them some abilities that buff maneuvers or something. I haven’t written or play tested anything around this but I thought it’s a pretty novel change for Fighter
I play a Wo4E monk who is HEAVILY homebrewed, picking components from, along with other things, a homebrew found on Beyond. The "punch-punch-hadoken" idea is called Spellfist Stance in this homebrew, and works pretty well.
I would honestly love to see a revision of the Ranger Class! I have always loved the concept of having your TRUE animal companion! I have made soo many characters that are Rangers that have unique animals that the old ranger allowed. Like one of mine had a Giant Centipede companion!
Next time, I'd love to see Arcane Archer. I feel like the big problem with Arcane Archer is twofold. * First problem is frequency. Eldritch Knight and Bladesinger kind of already do the magical-sword-attack thing and it's just far more exciting for them. They get to swing around their Booming Blades and Green Flame Blades at will, and it's kinda cool. Arcane Archers get two shots per short rest, or one shot per combat if you don't have time to rest. One arrow isn't fun. * The second problem is the lack of impact. Arcane Archer just feels like a worse Battlemaster. Which each arrow is a hair stronger than a Battlemaster maneuver, you get so many fewer of them. High level battlemaster does, what, an extra 6d12 over their various attacks per short rest. High level Arcane Archer does something like 8d6 over their two uses, and the add-on effects aren't even that potent. I'd like to see Arcane Archers get lesser and greater enchantments, for lots of small magical things, but when they go big, it's really big (even if less frequent). * Lesser arrow enchantments would be more along the lines of Eldritch Blast Eldritch Invocations or cantrips. A minor push on a regular attack. Perhaps attack once as a line rather than multiple individual attacks. Feeling magical all the time would be important. Think cantrip power level, since there's no real limit. * Greater arrow enchantments would be more like Mystic Arcanums (scaled down, of course). A few times per day, or once per short rest, I'd allow them truly encounter-shaping powerful arrows. A thorns arrow should dramatically alter the battlefield for a few rounds, rather than just slow one opponent down once. An explosive arrow should have a power level like an Eldritch Knight using Fireball, or maybe a bit higher. If Battlemasters get lots of moderate tricks, you should have very few but EPIC moments. That mix of more easy small magics, but fewer stronger effects, would be pretty neat for an Arcane Archer.
Perhaps AAs would benefit from functioning a little more like Kensei monks? Give them a small number of points they can spend for either those huge, Fireball-level strikes, or more minute abilities like being able to enchant their bow so it's a +1 weapon for a minute? Maybe at level 7 their arrows count as magical vs resistances by default, the way monks and moon druids do?
Battlemasters get to do really good damage but the arcane archer isn't all about damage. You have arrows that can banish people, charming enemies, there's an arrow that effectively blinds enemies (cannot see past 5 feet), an arrow that halves an enemies attacks etc....I agree that 2 shots isn't super great, especially considering the entire build is around the arrows, so a bump is needed but its important not to go hogwild. I've seen people talking about using arrows prof bonus per short rest and I think that would be too strong. I think at most they need 4 shots at max level, and maybe an ability at their capstone that allows them to spend an action to regain those arrows. The invocation thing is interesting though.
@@snazzyfeathers I guess what I'd do is make each individual "big" arrow stronger, more than one round of blind etc. Maybe rarer. Maybe even each once per long rest, but a power level appropriate to that, and all four or five arrows you know have separate cooldowns. Not slightly more than battlemaster utility, rather slightly less than wizard utility. That said, duration buffs on utility arrows at the same 2 uses count, changing the pure damage ones like line and aoe into cantrips that replace rather than enhance attacks, and adding a once-per-round debuff on arrow attacks similar to open hand Monk would go a long way. Yeah, that might work, IMHO. *E* one thing just struck me. One problem is that the arrows are all balanced around being usable at level 3. If stuff like banish waited until level 7 or higher, it could be more dramatic.
Arcane Archer should have been a bard subclass or something, as in earlier editions, arcane archer was a prestige class that usually was taken by multiclassed fighter/wizard characters due to it's requirements. And it's whole niche was delivering spells with their arrows, but this 5e arcane archer has no spellcasting whatsoever, which is really weird.
@@Klaital1 that might be right. Eldritch knight can already do a magic archer in a way, with spell + attack. And while the fighter certainly needed some kind of ranged attack subclass, AA being a Bard might have worked well. It could have stayed closer to the original Prestige Class, and been a neat way to Bard.
Having the subclass give additional Spells Known for Sorcerers and Warlocks would make the them a little more versatile, and give the player a little more breathing room when choosing spells. As for the Berserker Barbarian, replacing the bonus attack action attack with a maximized damage once per a Rage. Or allowing them to attack an additional attack action once a Rage.
First - I'm REALLY glad the dudes did this video, it's the main thing I wanted to see near the end of their ranking vids!! I've been thinking how to fix Way of the Four Elements monk and how to fix the fundamental issue of having to use their limited resource for two separate things -- monk abilities and elemental attunement (and their relatively high cost). The main ways to do this is 1) reduce cost [to nothing if just giving them spells], 2) increase ki or 3) recover ki. I'm toying with #3, with the idea being that the Wo4E monk would be given an Absorb Elements ability (-acid) that they could use PB times per long rest which would additionally allow them add 1 ki point per die of damage that they take, *whether they make their save or not* (but cannot go beyond their max). The idea is to incentivize them to get into combat and mix it up in order to get ki back. They would still benefit from buffing their attacks with elemental energy as with Absorb Elements. Also, since one of the main schticks of monks is their ability to break out of action economies via Flurry I think monks in general should get more reactions, with 2 at 5th level (shouldn't be too low to avoid abusive multi-casting by wizards seeking to break counterspell), and 3 at 15th level. Some sub-classes would need some additional tinkering to give them cool reactions abilities to make use of this.
For those Sorcerers, here’s a rough draft. Sorcerer Expanded Spells Draconic Spells Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Draconic Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a evocation or a transmutation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. Sorcerer Level - 1st Level - Absorb Elements, Chromatic Orb 3rd Level - Dragon’s Breath, See Invisibility 5th Level - Fear, Fly 7th Level - Elemental Bane, Polymorph 9th Level - Legend Lore, Summon Draconic Spirit Divine Spells Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, choose one of the Cleric Domain Spell Lists. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a abjuration or a divination spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. Shadow Spells Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Shadow Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a illusion or a necromancy spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. Sorcerer Level - Spells 1st Level - Disguise Self, Ray of Sickness 3rd Level - Phantasmal Force, Silence 5th Level - Fear, Summon Shadowspawn 7th Level - Phantasmal Killer, Shadow of Moil 9th Level - Dream, Negative Energy Flood Storm Spells Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Storm Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a conjuration or an evocation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. Sorcerer Level - Spells 1st Level - Fog Cloud, Thunderwave 3rd Level - Gust of Wind, Skywrite 5th Level - Call Lightning, Wind Wall 7th Level - Control Water, Storm Sphere 9th Level - Cone of Cold, Maelstrom Wild Spells Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Wild Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know. Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a enchantment or an evocation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. Sorcerer Level - Spells 1st Level - Chaos Bolt, Unseen Servant 3rd Level - Crown of Madness, Nathair’s Mischief 5th Level - Bestow Curse, Hypnotic Pattern 7th Level - Dimension Door, Hallucinatory Terrain 9th Level - Mislead, Synaptic Static
For Storm Sorcerer, in addition to the expanded spell list, my DM changed the 10ft of untargetable movement from a bonus action to a free action, and gave me the ability to move 30ft as a bonus action. So many of the abilities require close proximity to the target, so in order to survive those close encounters we figured giving the Storm Sorcerer that much movement would allow them to actually be a force of nature on the battlefield.
My friend and I worked Tasha's Beast Master and Ranger class feature options into a new base Ranger class where the Ranger is a genuine pet class. Then they can add a subclass. Sounds broken but you're still limited by action economy. It's balances out. The play test for it has been awesome so far.
Love these ideas and is easily my favorite topic as a DM. Some changes we made in my campaign include Bard - College of Whispers (Words of Terror: also learn the Cause Fear spell, it doesn’t count against the number of spells you know and can can cast a number of times equal to your Charisma mod. Mantle of Whispers: Added, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action). All Cleric gain the following options upon reaching level 8: • Potent Spellcasting - Once per turn, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip. At 14th level, this includes any ranged spell attack. At 20th level, it includes all spells that deal damage. • Divine Strike - Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant or force damage to the target. At 14th level, the damage increases to 2d8, and at 20th level, it increases to 3d8 extra damage. • Blessed Strikes - You are blessed with divine might. Once per turn, when a creature takes damage from one of your spells or weapon attacks, you can also deal 1d8 radiant or force damage to that creature. At 14th level, the damage increases to 1d10, and at 20th level, it increases to 1d12 extra damage. However the Trickery Domain gains: Stealth Strike At 8th level, once on each of your turns, you can Sneak Attack a creature with a weapon attack. You must meet the same qualifications as a Rogue (finesse or ranged weapon, advantage or distracted by ally, etc). If you hit, you deal an extra 1d6 poison or weapon damage to the target (your choice). This damage increases to 2d6 at 11th level, 3d6 at 14th level, 4d6 at 17th level, and 5d6 at 20th level.
I actually have no problem with the 3rd level feature of the Assassin, and I think the requirement to depend on surprise fits the subclass - it’s part of the challenge. The much bigger problem is the 9th and 13th level abilities, which really don’t provide very much. Most of your focus should be there. I like your idea of being able to disappear after a hit - maybe an automatic invisibility after killing someone?
My only concern with the idea for the assassin (though this also applies to anything using the proficiency bonus as the determinate for how often something gets used) is that it makes things VERY vulnerable for multiclassing abuse. Now, because rogues choose their archetype at level 3, I don't know if it actually merits as much concern as it would on a class like cleric, but it's always something I think about when making anything with proficiency bonus uses. Great video all around though! Always love hearing both of your ideas!
I think the Necromancy Wizard could use more love... specifically the first subclass ability they get is...well it's trash. It realize heavily on killing with leveled spells and gaining 2×spell level HP or 3×spell level with Necromancy spells(of which there are few at low level). just access to Inflict Wounds might put the Necromancy Wizard into C-Tier.
Great video. This is a topic I've spent many months considering and I agree with a lot of your ideas. I wrote "D&D Rebalanced: Classes and Subclasses" on the DMs Guild specifically to tackle this issue. It was a ton of work rebalancing all of the official classes and subclasses, but I've gotten a lot of good feedback so far.
Berserker : Removed exhaustion from the frenzy but the bonus action attack is made with disadvantage. Also the Intimidation is swapped to bonus action, so that the berserker now has an option of either trying for a soft CC, or extra damage.
To be honest, the main issue i have with berseker is that you can just pick up Polearm Master and get a bonus action attack that way, basically entirely bypassing the subclass. Because of this, a combination like Variant Human Zealot Barbarian with Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master can easily outdamage a Berserker. I feel like the Berserker really doesn't need as many restrictions as it has, so giving it disadvantage on that attack is honestly not necessary, especially when you consider that they already need to use one of their turns to Rage + another one to Frenzy to begin with, robbing them of their bonus action attacks for their turns. Additionally, the intimidation portion is MAD. A Barbarian already has to focus on Strength, Dex and Con and is unlikely to focus on charisma to begin with. I feel like it should be based on the Berserker's Strength or constitution and at that point it would be very solid.
Here are some of my changes/improvements: For the Purple Dragon Knight, I made its abilities more akin to a Bard. For the Four Elements monk, I used the elemental stances from the changes in the GM's binder with a little bit of my own reworkings. All Sorcerer subclasses previous to Tasha's get a spells known list with the Divine Soul being able to choose from the Cleric subclass lists. Warlocks get spell slots equal to their proficiency bonus and can automatically add their subclass spells to their spells known.
The best thing of the college of whispers bard is that you gain the basic memories of their life. This allows you to pass all of the checks that would catch you if you just altered self. I do agree that you should be able to create a log of people as an upgrade though.
For Four Elements Monk, in addition to just giving them Eldritch Knight-style spellcasting, I'd also include a rule that allows them to use Flurry of Blows after casting a spell. And for Assassin, instead of the False Identity ability, I'd replace that with the ability to cast Disguise Self proficiency bonus times per day, and if they attack someone while under the effects of Disguise Self, it triggers the Assassinate auto-crit, but ends the spell.
7:45 This already gives Expertise lol And even with this, it's a shitty ability. Such a Ribbon feature shouldn't be the only one at lvl 7. It should be moved to lvl 3 in addition to Rallying Cry, and you should get some totally new and actually useful ability at lvl 7.
To replace that 7th level ability give them an AoE spell like ability like the heroism spell or potion of heroism. Or just give them the Inspiring Leader feat for free.
I think your ideas for the sorcerer and warlock are excellent. Giving each class a few more spells reflecting the themes of specific subclasses make those characters much more intriguing.
I would make the purple dragon night more attuned to its title. You have the oath of conquest paladin following the ways of a red dragon and Dragonborn bloodline sorcerer following their lineage. Maybe give the fighter traits that you would see a purple dragon AKA a deep dragon have.
I wanted to use this to talk about your proposed fixes, and what I did. Purple Dragon Knight: I think splitting the abilities alone is not enough of a fix. Giving them a "healing word" style ability is very cool, and appropriate I think, but giving a full action is... debatable. It is very powerful, and as long as it is limited it should be okay, but +1 Action means "Cast Spell" and there are some very powerful spells that could be leveraged. I note, Haste absolutely does not give a second action, for exactly this reason. Expertise in Persuasion is a great idea. My Changes: I ripped it up by the roots, for the most part. I focused more on the other title "Banneret" as that gave me an angle, the guy who carries the banner into battle, who does that to inspire in the way you were talking about. I then used that banner as a focal point for a version of Paladin auras. Give +CHA to saves vs fear/charm, as a baseline. Then you can use your action to inspire fear in enemies and increase the +CHA to all mental saves. Then I greatly increased the group healing value, as well as giving them more second winds. This also gives a very different feel and look to the character, which I felt was important. I also had the banner give +1 AC to help make it worth using the hand for. Four Element Monk: I can understand the idea of giving them spells in theory, I just wish there was a way to expand on the abilities like Water Whip and Fist of Unbroken Air, because those were actually good. I like the concept of the smite spells as well. For a completely different way to go about this, I'd suggest revisting the Wu Jen from the Mystic UA. The Elemental Psionics were built in a way that made me immediately think of the Monk. It could be useful for a non-spellcasting version. Because while it works to just give them spells it feels... to strict. The Monk is going for the Bending idea, and being so rigid in what they can do with the elements feels like it misses the fantasy in favor of just casting spells. Frenzy Barbarian: I think just removing it is fine, because you can only do it during rage. You were thinking of, for example, limiting it to proficiency mod times per day. Well, if it is "activate frenzy" as that limit... you are alreayd limited to only 2 or 3 rages per day anyways. You have to get very high level before any "per day" limit would be outstripped by the built in limit of rage. One change I made that felt very necessary is that Intimidating Prescence only takes a Bonus action to maintain. It felt bizarre that the Barbarian just has to... constantly spend an action to partially debuff a single target. Assassin Rogue: You guys forgot about Steady Aim. It locks the rogue down, but it works in melee and ranged, and gives advantage on the next attack you make. This makes the Assassin basically "X times per day, Crit". Whether or not this is fine, I'm not sure, but advantage is not a gate for the Rogue anymore. For the Poisoner idea, one thing I've been playing with for a while is the idea of allowing people to make custom poisons that can bypass poison immunity with the right components. But, I agree that this is more of a general thing. I think it makes more sense to have this with alchemists and anyone else who wants to specialize in poison, not just the Assassin. One thing that could be interesting, is giving an X per day ability to not break stealth when attacking. That is something no one else can currently do. One problem with too many "assassin" abilities is the classic issue of "solo gameplay, team game" Whispers Bard idea of the Rollodex is AMAZING. That is something I'm implementing. I might switch out the psychic blades too.
I have this rule for building content I call "The Fireball Rule". It essentially states that any new content you include in the game should be a viable alternative to the best current option on the board. Meaning, if you consider that Fireball is objectively the best 3rd level evocation spell, any new 3rd level evocation spells an arcane caster could take, should be strong enough, that taking either this new spell or Fireball should result in a character that feels just as viable a character. By that standard, I feel any new subclasses, feats, etc should all be built based on a reasonable comparison of similar content, and be as effective at doing what it's designed to do as that core content is. That doesn't mean per se, that I should be hard pressed to choose between a homebrewed sewing feat or Polearm Mastery as a fighter... But it does mean that the variety of useful and effective bonuses a great feat like Polearm Mastery provides to a Polearm wielder should be a basis for how potent and useful the abilities a new feat grants a character specializing in whatever that feat does.
This is a pretty dangerous rule. It can lead to some serious power creep. You won't be able to keep power level at the exact same level, and with a goal like this, you're more likely to make new things much stronger than before.
@@antongrigoryev6381 I agree. Fireball is a purposefully overpowered spell for its level. It should not be the standard against which all other content is measured. Nor should you look exclusively at Hexblades, or Battlemasters, or the Oath of Vengeance, etc, etc, as the path to go for a subclass. Flavor, done well and in a mechanically rewarding way, should be the goal.
@@antongrigoryev6381 I am in the middle ground. Yes, it could easily lead to power creep. But the alternative is that you end up making changes that rarely get implemented. For example, while I know many people consider these OP, look at GWM and PAM. I was talking to a friend about just letting my Barbarian have the two-weapon fighting style if he took the feat, and someone was worried about power creep. But, I demonstrated that (using averages) the GWM option nets around 46 damage, with the bonus action attack getting them to 69. PAM has 31.5 and with the reaction AoO you'd have 42. And with the two weapon fighting homebrew? 31.5. The only reason I'm considering it is because I'm planning on being a beast barbarian, giving me a fourth attack and netting me 38... which is still worse. But, I'm comparing it to two of the best melee feats.... because of course I am. Anything else and it wouldn't really be a truly equal choice.
@@antongrigoryev6381 thing is though: i am not WOTC. i’m not running adventurers league, i’m not doing any sort of competitive D&D or anything, i’m not even publishing what i make (nor is @The Overnight). my players aren’t trying to gain this system, so if i introduce something that’s a bit too powerful it’s not a huge deal, because i can tweak it afterwards and a player isn’t going to want to do the same thing twice. by making other options as good as good options, there’s no actual creep happening because i simply don’t have a large sample size. if i were a third party publisher making D&D content, it would be a different story, because then i’d be beholden to a larger audience who 1) is paying me for content and expect to get something that they don’t have to worry about and 2) doesn’t understand it as well as i do, and has different assumptions about the game from me and my table. i might have a house rule that i’ve used for so long that i’ve forgotten it’s a house rule!
WotC has explicitly identified Fireball as a spell given excessive damage for its level because they considered it iconic to D&D and wanted it to be highlighted. You are balancing to an intentionally unbalanced spell.
For the purple dragon Knight, I found a really fun Homebrew. Rallying cry let’s you and 2 others (4 others at 15th level) within 60 feet roll and expend one hit die and add your fighter level to the total healing as a bonus, and can be used a number of times equal to your charisma per long rest. Royal envoy basically gives you Jack of all trades for all charisma checks that you don’t add proficiency for, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for all persuasion and intimidation checks. Inspiring surge is moved to 18th level and is replaced with Inspiring action, which has it that whenever you use an action, you can 1 person (2 at 18th) within 60 feet temp hp equal to your fighter level and they can use their reaction to make a melee or ranged weapon attack (if you use your attack with this, you lose one of your attacks), and can be used a number of times equal to your charisma mod per long rest. Bulwark is now its own use and applies to three others once per short or long rest. You also get Resolve at 15th level (think battlemasters relentless feature but for both Rallying cry and Inspiring action) And lastly, at 18th level Inspired Surge has it that when you use action surge, 2 other creatures within 60 feet can use their reaction to take an action (you can only cast a 3rd level or lower spell with this action). All in all, it’s been really fun all the way through and all the abilities are actually useful.
I personally like Warlocks having limited spell slots at lower levels because it really gives the vibe of an individual having to prove themselves to their patron for more power. What I do want is some more space for Cantrips to make up for it
I feel like that's why Tome Warlocks exist though, so that you can choose that to diversify into a utility spellcaster, compared to a gish (Blade), support (Chain) or buff (Talisman)
I had some ideas for the assassin, you only automatically crit on the sneak attack if you have two advantages(Kinda like how Liam at the start of critical roll thought that was how the assassinate feature worked) and you forgo the second advantage(If you think it’s too strong, make them forgo both advantages). The second feature now gives you climbing speed, you gain proficiency with acrobatic checks(Expertise if you already had proficiency), you can always make stealth rolls and acrobatics checks combined to make them silently, stealth checks on walls and ceilings gain a +5 bônus, finally when attacking from up high you add the falling damage to your sneak attack and you only take half the falling damage. On the third feature, when you take damage you can use your reaction to fall prone and fake unconsciousness, enemies make perception checks to discern if you’re faking or not, the DC of the check is equal to your 8 + twice your proficiency bônus + Intelligence or Charisma Modifier(If you are with more than half your health enemies gain advantage on the checks, but if you only have a third of your health they gain disadvantage, you can also fake wounds before the battle to make it seem like you’re about to be knocked unconscious), if the enemy fails the check the moment he enters your space, cast a spell right next to you, leaves your space or goes for a melee attack, you can as a free action attack them with a advantage and automatically dealing critical sneak attack damage. You can do this features at will, but the enemy can’t fall for the trick twice on the same combat.
The assassin seems like one of the easiest to fix. At our table, we added proficiency to Initiative at 3rd level. Replaced Infiltration Expertise with weapon and food poisoning abilities. Moved the 13th level to 9th level (alongside poisoning abilities) and made it take 10 minutes since it's so niche anyway. 13th level, Sneak Attack dice increase to d8s. And the Death Strike capstone actually reduces the creature to 0 hp on a failed save, if anyone actually gets to 17th level. (In true Rogue fashion, I think we stole ideas from other subclasses, feats, and homebrews to make an appropriate assassin that was an A-tier but not S-tier).
Way of 4 Elements - How about when attacking with martial weapon or unarmed strike, spend 1 Ki on hit to add extra elemental damage of your choosing, equal to the Martial Die? To balance it, limit it maybe to proficiency bonus number of times? Assassin - mark a target for assassination and spend 1/2 of the necessery movement to reach it, or in case of difficult terrain it does not affect you while moving toward the marked target, or in case of ranged attack attacking from further range doesnt cause dissadvantage?
I feel like a couple of changes to Warlock would be really appreciated. I think first of all, give some more generous scaling to the spell slots they get. Every other full caster gets 3 3rd levels spells at 6th level. I'm not advocating they end up with more slots, just change the levels at which they get them. Second, I agree with DD here, Warlocks need some love in the total number of spells known too, it feels bad to know less spells after selling your soul to a Devil in exchange for power than a Ranger who has bees that really like him. Just let the spells from their pact expansion count as known automatically and not count against the number known. Finally, I think one way to counter Warlocks hesitancy to use spell slots is to change the way invocations work slightly. Invocations that let you cast spells usually come in one of two varieties. They either A. Let you cast a low level utility spell, such as disguise self or mage armor, infinitely, but only on yourself. B. Let you cast some support or damage spell, such as Confusion from Dreadful Word, but only once per long rest, and you have to spend a warlock spell slot. In the first case, I think these tend to be fine, but I don't see the harm in letting you cast these spells on other creatures. They tend to be incredibly minor buffs (mage armor will likely not be a big deal to the paladin) but they might fit certain niche situations or save other spellcasters some low level slots for things like magic missile, bless, etc. For the second type, I think just giving you one free casting of the listed spell per long rest at it's current level would be fine, and give the Warlock some breathing room when it comes to choosing what to spend their spell slot on. You might also allow a Warlock to swap out one eldritch invocation on a long rest, giving them a much more strategic and perhaps party oriented reason to choose certain invocations, rather then just whatever best suits their build. If I know we're going to be doing some exploration, I might bring ascendant step this time because it suits the situation instead of devil's sight because it fits my 68 damage per turn hexshit great weapon master polearm master build. All that being said, I think the one change I would really like to see hit Warlock is an increase in spells that are concentration and give you either an action or bonus action that does damage each turn, as with dragon's breath, moonbeam, flame blade, flaming sphere, heat metal, Maximilian's earthen grasp, bestow curse (no action involved but seriously why can a Wizard curse someone but a Warlock can't? Also in before Sign of Ill Omen, I'm talking about spells not invocations), call lightning, Melf's minute meteors, storm sphere, Bigby's hand... You get the picture. All of the above are concentration spells that would all be excellent on Warlock, considering getting the most out of their limited spell slots is the best idea for a Warlock, but aren't on the Warlock spell list. At the very least if they don't add a smattering of these to the Warlock spell list they should create some brand new Warlock spells that have mechanics similar to these ones. This has been PSA.
What about linking lock spell slots to PB? It gips you 4th level sure but after 10th level you only have 4 spell slots normally. Getting up to 6 by 17th wouldnt be that bad of a change and you still have the one use MAs. Sure it doesnt fix the scaling per say but gives more in the end. Agreed on the exanded spell list. Just give it to them. I like the change to ELInv depending on the situation could be a bit broken but no more different than some clerics or druids with access to their entire spell list and preparing them. Who can ritual cast some of those anyway. Concentration added spells would be nice but maybe gaining ritual casting without having to burn an entire pact on? Warlocks need some love.
I tend to tie warlock spell slots to proficiency bonus in relation to the class, but not the actual character level. So a Warlock 5 and Cleric 6 still only gets 3 Pact Magic slots at 3rd level. I think it should depend on your campaign most likely, based on how many short rests you normally take, though some have suggested the diminishing returns method, where you frontload the number of slots the Warlock gets and get fewer slots back from a short rest. Whatever the case is, everybody agrees that Warlock needs some love, and I think a better spell list and the "domain" spells is a good start. Idk if I agree that all Warlocks should necessarily get ritual spells, but the ritual spell invocation should just be default for pact of the tome
@@eainjones9509 ya no the PB tied to spell slots being based off lock level than character level is something i meant to insinuate my bad lol You know i completely forgot you had to get the pact AND the invocation for ritual spells...shows how long ago i played a tome lock. I usually play rogues or locks (assassin was my last one now onto hexblade!)
I like it, especially giving them more concentration spells, that's the warlock does anyway, except they cast one big spell and then fight with cantrips or blades, this'd just give them some much needed variety. I'd also like to give Witchbolt a greater range or/and be allowed to switch targets like Hex. That'd make it a viable alternative to Eldritch Blast rather than a trash spell.
I feel like it could use a "Turn Undead" ability once per SR instead of the sanctuary against undead. The healing isn't bad. Maybe a "Phylactery" ability at level 9 that allows resurrection without material components. Also, they should have the not needing sleep, food, or air right away, or else give that to the undead warlock. The theme they seem to be going with was baby lich, but then they leaned too far into the undead part instead of the not dying part.
@@Painteagle Not dying seems pretty heavily covered in my opinion. I think it needs more Undead interaction. Undying should have been the Necromancy Warlock.
For the Whispers Bard and spell slots, if you want to keep it on the more limited side still, then have different spell levels offer upgrades to the illusion gained. Like, 1st level transforms their appearance, 2nd level also changes the voice, 3rd make the illusion physical, 4rd level allows for mannerisms to be copied instinctively, 5th level grants last 10 minutes of memories before death/unconsciousness/the time the identity was stolen, etc.
Yeah, it is kind of underwhelming when a simple choice in player race (changeling) can have your character perform far better at the Whisper bard's main feature than the subclass itself. And you don't even need to kill the target.
@@MellonVegan Naw, I'd agree with that. I hadn't gotten far enough into the segment when I made that comment, and realized Whisper bard had way better stuff.
I like the races like that, that might require 2-3 levels in classes to add up to the list of cool stuff they can do, at the cost of not doing much else. Bugbears. You get like, half a level in both rogue and fighter stapled to you. Grung. You end up with like, half a level of Ranger, and essentially the Athletic feat thrown in for good measure. All for the low, low cost of slowly dying without water, not speaking common without a background, and poisoning your friends. Tortle is just an entire experience. Tortle/Class is almost always totally unique to literally any other race/class. Loxodon. Show up naked with an AC that makes the fighter blush, push and grapple things with your trunk, load crossbows, retrieve items, and sniff out clues. So much fun.
I actually created a new version of the Four Elements about three years ago that I have had people use. They did have spell casting in the way the arcane trickster does. I did give the metamagic abilities, allowing the monk to change the damage type of the spells. I also gave them an option to flexibly turn ki into spell slots and vice versa, similar to sorcerer. I of course gave them elemental damage with their fists, and the ability to use unarmed strike as a bonus action when the action was used to cast a spell.
I'm thinking the assassin rogue could have an increased crit range, say 17-20 (i.e. 20%) when they attack while hidden. To me, surprise should also include the hidden condition.
It almost does that. If they are spotted they ain’t hidden so no surprise. Assassin depends heavily on the dm allowing strategies to get the surprise round if they play well
I really like your idea of making the Four Elements Monk a Tertiary caster like the Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster and it really got me brainstorming. Some idea's for features I had include perhaps giving them the ability to use Flurry of Blows if you used your action to cast a spell. Maybe the evocation spells they learn can only be of certain damage types, Another one would be to give an option to use Ki points to cast spells (if your out of spell slots) by using a number of points equal to the level of the spell and/or increase the level of your spells using ki points (1 point per level and no higher then the highest level you can cast of course). You also talked about given them metamagic like abilities which I think maybe you could give them a unique ability to spend a ki point to take an element from one of the spells they know and enhance your unarmed strikes with that element, maybe make it an extra D4 of that elements damage and the damage die goes up whenever your martial arts die does, and perhaps make it a concentration effect. For a final ability at level 17, I would perhaps give them the ability to cast Steel Wind Strike without needing components (so you can use your unarmed strikes if you want) once per long rest for free and then it can be cast again this way for a certain number of Ki Points (maybe somewhere around 3-5)
I’ve already made a revision of the Bard College of Whispers in which I didn’t set out to improve the College of Whispers but rather make an improved Arcane Trickster using Bard as the base class. It’s called the Bard College of Mischief and you can check it out on DND Beyond.
Can we PLEASE get some "official" reworks for these? These are amazing, and things I have thought about, especially ones like the way of 4 elements monk and assassin, for years
For Berserker Barbarian: At LV 7 While in a Frenzied Rage, you gain the following effect: The first time you hit on a turn, you can use your reaction to decrease the number on the dice required to achieve a critical hit by 1. Once this has happened: on each consecutive attack that hits, the number decreases by 1. This continues either until an attack misses, critical hit is achieved, or five consecutive attacks hit without a critical hit. On the fifth consecutive hit, all damage modifiers are doubled.
Hearing your thoughts about the Berserker is funny because I recently made a Berserker Barbarian 3/ Hunter Ranger 12 for a small campaign focused on the short rest exhaustion recovery of the ranger (optional rule from Tasha's (works wonderfully if someone in the party knows the catnap spell)) to let me use frenzy more often and the whirlwind multiattack feature that basically worked exactly as you described. I had a blast playing it.
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Assassin just seems like a class that should be rolling crits on 19 and 20. Keep the weird surprise crit thing, but add in 19 and 20 crits and I think it instantly goes up a tier.
I would limit it somewhat just to separate it from the champion subclass. Something like, attacks made with advantage can crit on 19/20. That gives it a bit of a distinct flair.
@@Valwryn00 I don't see why it needs to be distinct. Especially when it would already be part of the assassinate ability. Any further distinction can come from the flavor of it rather than mechanics. One is just that good at finding weak points, the other is just that strong with their blows.
It sounds dramatic, but it's seriously incredibly minor. Critfishing has never been a good strategy, even on Rogues.
@@eshansingh1 I don't think it needs to be a drastic change, just needs to be something that has a chance of happening more often than during surprise.
I feel they should have a once per long rest auto crit on a hit, and this will grow to 2 per long rest at some point sort of like the cleric's channel divinity.
DMing for a 4 elements monk: just make every discipline cost 1 less Ki than listed and let them use it as one of their attacks instead of a full action like the new Dragonborn breath. Some disciplines r now free but tbh they should be. Fire monk can have reach and fire damage for their attacks at will that’s the whole appeal of the subclass
The issue you will find with this is at higher levels. The "Spell" abilities will fall off pretty hard without pumping extra ki into them and the higher level "spells" just wont be effective. This is a fine solution I feel until around level 11, since most games don't go past that it likely works for most tables.
For me the big weakness of the elements monk is the lack of actual features, they should have a way to impose disadvantage on saves similar to eldritch knight(technically stunning strike does but it's on a Con save itself), Fangs of the Fire Snake should always be available and deal other damage types (cold and thunder for example) and you should be able to get a discount on disciplines maybe each one can be used once a day free so that you can do your cool stuff more often.
Honestly, if you take half of the average Monk's class and subclass features and make them cost *NO* Ki, that's still probably not going far enough to make them comparable to the other twelve classes.
@@dylandugan76 I think that's a bit extreme; As they are, Monks are still very good at locking down one or a couple targets via Flurry / Stunning Strike which are their cheapest features
They can easily burn Legendary Saves from a boss as well.
(Forcing up to 4 Saves in a turn which will prevent a boss from taking any Actions is pretty brutal)
They can Tank easily if needed by spamming Patient Defense; Especially if a Dwarf Monk with Dwarven Fortitude
That said, I do agree that they could use a bump for higher levels ~ especially for more power gamey tables. And if your table doesn't consider an unarmed strike a weapon attack
@@justinschmelzel8806 And I think at some point they get fireball and using that as one of your attacks is just ridiculous. I mean, using any spell as an attack when the class can have up to 5 attacks is too much. Except maybe a cantrip but even that’s pushing it and depends on the cantrip.
The one subclass I find to be underwhelming is Arcane Archer and how many times they can use their magical infused arrows. Instead of just twice per sort rest, it should be a proficiency bonus per sort rest.
I think even three times per short rest would be a good enough change, this would mean that you get to do your cool thing at least once per fight even on particularly active adventuring days.
Testify!
I agree. When you read about the class you think these are going to be some of the best archers in the game. That fantasy gets put down pretty quick.
Honestly? I wish it wasn't bound to bows. This would be intriguing with other ranged weapons or even thrown weapons
@@WindFalcon I was literally thinking the same thing the other day! but, I would limit it to Cross bows and thrown Wepons. It would be kinda silly if this would work with Firearms. Although, it would be really cool if that could work hmmm 🤔
I agree on sorcerers. I’m playing a dragon sorcerer with a home brew expanded spell list right now. We handled it similar to the genie warlock list where there is one set that every dragon sorcerer gets and one that is unique to your element. Here is what my Ice Sorcerer got
1st- Chromatic Orb, Ice knife
2nd- Suggestion, Rime’s binding Ice
3rd- Fear, Slow
4th- Charm Monster, Ice Storm
5th- Dominate Person, Cone of Cold
As you can see with the generic spells we leaned into a dragon’s overwhelming presence with some nice enchantment spells, also seems to fit in with sorcerer’s charisma casting.
Daaaamn that’s a REALLY solid spell list lol, did y’all make up expanded lists for the other dragon sorcerers?
@@samfleming4527 nothing set,following the system you would still take the first spell listed at each level and then replace the second spell with one that fits the element you want. Might have to get a bit creative for some of the underrepresented elements.
The second level generic spell should absolutely be dragon breath. Also, I would not give chromatic orb as a first level spell. It's great, very powerful, very useful for droconic sorcerers who don't have a whole lot of options, like poison. But a 50 gp diamond is pretty hard to come by at the beginning.
not a bad spell list
I actually made a spreadsheet for each sorcerer subclass. I haven't tested it yet so I'm not sure how good it is. What I did for draconic was I had all the types gain one spell the same that had a dragon feel to it, and each type then got a spell that was more tailored to that type. So for example every draconic sorcerer gets Absorb Elements, Dragon's Breath, Fly, Charm Monster, Hold Monster. Ice dragons then get Ray of Frost (I gave each a cantrip as well), Ice Knife, Snilloc's Snowball Swarm, Sleet Storm, Ice Storm, Cone of Cold. I will say I made the list before Fizban's so I might change some of these. If anyone wanted to see the whole thing I can share a link.
The Frenzy Rage is a real sore point. I imagine a barbarian in a field of corpses still surrounded by dozens of enemies, they breathe heavily, but let out an inhuman howl and push on to battle more - 5e does the opposite by making their rage increase Exhaustion.
I house ruled Frenzy to include 'While in a Frenzied Rage, you treat your Exhaustion as 3 levels lower than it is." which lets them abuse their frenzy pretty much all they want in combat, but then as soon as the 4th rage ends, they CRASH hard going from frenzied and feeling 0 Exhaustion to level 4 Exhaustion and not recovering for a most of a week. Thats a barbarian.
That's a good idea. I made all barbarians immune to the effects of exhaustion while they are raging. I like your idea better.
This is great, I'd say an excellent fix.
one thing i would add to the frenzy barb is that while in a frenzied rage, your rage loses the portion that you fall out of rage if you fail to make an attack or take damage for a round, and lasts for the full duration of the rage, that way frenzy barbs cant be bullied by spells and fleeing enemies, drop their rage mid combat and end up looking stupid and exhausted, very unsatisfying.
Maybe they could even have a caveat that should they be restrained or otherwise detained by a spell, and/or for as long as they are attempting to use their movement on their turn to advance towards an enemy, and cannot reach them, their rage gets extended by 6 seconds (the length of a round) as they become more frustrated by the underhanded tactics/fleeing enemy.
I also homebrew Ed the same basic idea, but mine was just ignores all levels of exhaustion (the setting allowed for multiple long rests before another big combat so it never mattered as the bar never got more than 2-3 levels of exhaustion)
@@jake120007 that's a really good idea, the harder it is for a frenzy barbarian, or just any barbarian, to reach an enemy the angrier they'd get from being slowed or stopped.
One idea I had for sorcerers is to give each subclass a unique metamagic option. Like wild magic sorcerers can cast a spell using a lower level slot at the cost of an immediate wild surge, or draconic sorcerers making their spells with a relevant damage type more powerful.
THAT IDEA IS AWESOME!
Personally, I thought of just reworking the Berserker's Frenzy drawback to line up with how the drawback of Haste is handled: Once he's done raging, have him pass a turn and no exhaustion to keep it fair
That would be pretty fair I think. Although maybe in the same vein as Haste, Frenzy could give you an extra attack instead of it being a bonus action. I don't think that would be too overpowered, and it doesn't invalidate duel-wielding barbs either.
Honestly, that is a great idea and I think I totally agree. Same with Neo, it being tied into the attac action would be awesome too. Therefore u could do duel wielding with it too! Which is summat that has always bothered me with Beserker, the fact that duel wielding has very little benefit with it. Cos when I imagine a berseker I think of a maniac with two axes
Most combats don’t go for a minute so he’d be fine
@@dylanschenkelberg7399 Yeah that's fair. But also barb rages can end early if u dont attack or take damage. And in my expirience that can happen often enough that I think this drawback is fair.
@@neog8029 I will respectfully disagree with taking the Frenzy attack away from the Bonus Action. That's a HUGE part of its versatility, because Frenzy has one benefit that no other "attack on a bonus action" ability gives you - you DON'T need to attack for your main action to do it. This allows your Berserker to Dash, then attack, or Dodge, then attack, or drink a healing potion, then attack, etc. It does mean Berserker doesn't mesh well with a dual-wield build, but a two-handed build with Frenzy will easily outpace a dual-wielder for damage anyway.
That's why I am always happy to defend Berserker, they require a LOT more strategy in play than other Barbarian sub-classes in order to be effective, but the whole point of D&D is playing a game where your choices matter, and that should include in combat as a Barbarian, not just when you're building the character.
_„So, we ranked all the Sublcasses, what do we do now?“_
*„Hm, I don't know. How about fixing the bad ones?“*
_„Sounds like something we could do.“_
*„I mean how hard can it be?“*
_„Purple Dragon Knight.“_
*„Right... That will take a while.“*
Easy: Edited to align with some suggestion. Guess it wasn’t as easy as I thought. Lol
3rd Rallying Cry- as a bonus action you inspire a burst of vigor in your allies. Choose a creature other than yourself within 60ft that can see or hear you (Unconscious creatures can hear you unless something else effects their hearing). That creature regains hp equal to your CHA mod(minimum 1) and temp hp equal to your level in this class. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your half your proficiency bonus rounded down per long rest. Additionally you may use this feature as part of using your second wind feature without expending a use of this feature.
7th Royal Envoy- As written it already gives expertise in persuasion, but I would also add proficiency in CHA saving throws
10th- Inspire Surge (name change intentional)- as a bonus action you inspire an ally to fight swiftly. Choose a creature other than yourself within 60ft that can see or hear you, on their nest turn they may choose one of the following benefits: a) They gain an additional action that can only be used to dodge, hide or make one weapon attack, b) They gain an additional bonus action, c) Their movement speed is doubled and they don’t provoke opportunity attacks. You may use this feature once per short or long rest. Additionally you can forfeit a use of action surge to use this feature without expending a use of this feature. When used in this manner the target creature instead gains the benefit of action surge on their next turn.
15th Bulwark- If a creature other than yourself within 60ft that can see or hear you fails an Int, Wis, or Cha saving throw you may use your reaction to allow that creature to reroll the save and add your Cha mod to the roll. You may use this feature proficiency mod times per long rest. Additionally you may expend a use of indomitable to instead use this feature if you have no uses of this feature remaining.
18th Last to Fall- When you would drop to 0 hp but not killed outright you may choose to drop to 1 hp instead as long as one creature that considers you an ally can see or hear you within 60 ft a you. You may make this choice without penalty once per short or long rest. If you choose to use this feature again before resting you must make con save DC 10+ number of times you have used this feature since your last rest and gain a level of exhaustion on a failure.
@@lamarwashington2718 Congratulations, you’ve done it.
I’d make the rallying cry temp hit points, though.
@@Ubersupersloth fair point. I just figured it needed to be able to get a character who was at 0hp back in the fight. Temp hp makes more sense for theme, but doesn’t get a person who is down back in the fight. Could run it as temp but add if used on a creature with 0hp they gain 1hp and half fighter level as temp hp. Honestly the subclass was so bad I suppose there are multiple ways to fix it and keep the theme.
@@lamarwashington2718 Yeah, I was going to suggest getting twice as many HP -- half as regained as you laid out and the other half as temp. So, unwounded allies benefit and wounded allies really benefit. Also, for Inspire Surge, the last two sentences seem to just say that you give away your Action Surge to another character to be used on their turn. If that's what it is the wording there seems a little awkward. Is there more to it than that?
@@bitspersecond2006 giving an ally your action surge has 2 benefits.
1) In niche situations that it would be better for an ally to have full benefit of a second complete action eg: helping a spell caster cast two level 1 or above spells in the same turn or allowing a party member who deals more damage than you get more attacks like having the Barbarian attack 4 times instead of the 3 the the normal use would allow. You would still have the regular use of inspiring surge available if you haven’t used it.
2) If you have used the regular use of the ability but not your action surge and it would be better for your ally to use your action surge. Maybe you are out of position.
Honestly it’s just there to add flexibility and allow creative play.
I feel warlocks tend to over protect their spell slots. Because they only have 2 they actually rarely use them at all and use their invocations or eldritch blast instead. Maybe they could start the day with 3 or 4 but only regain 2 on a short rest. Kinda keep them lean but not famished.
My main issue is that it's really hard to spend them out of combat. Anyone else can just blast their spells for RP, and it makes an overall minor impact on their spell pool. Warlocks on the other hand literally loose half their spell slots and therefore almost half their combat prowess. Imo the easiest fix would just be a "once per day regain a spell slot when you roll initiative" type effect. Also upcast Mystic Arcanum.
@@hieronymusnervig8712 90% of their combat prowess is Eldritch Blast, but I know what you are getting it. The msin thing I would change about Warlocks is Eldritch Blast first...
@@PerikleZ87 I don't think Eldritch Blast needs changing. I've made good warlock builds without it and the difference was literally a single magic item. It's the baseline for a reason, and everyone just keeps using it because the alternatives are lacking.
I did that in a game I ran because I noticed that my warlock player did essentially nothing but eldritch blast + hex spam. Around level 8, I think, I told him that from now on he could double the amount of spell slots the table says he has, but that on their first short rest of the day he would only regain half, and any further short rests would only grant 1 spell slot (gotta keep in mind that the spell slots ARE all 4th/5th level).
What happened was that he started using his spells in much more creative ways and stopped relying entirely on eldritch blast. I highly recommend it.
Also to note, the way my game was designed, short rests were often far and few between, so that especially hurt my warlock player. If a party constantly takes short rests, I'd probably tweak the numbers. I also told him straight away that if they ever got to level 20, I'd have to nerf the capstone ability because otherwise he would essentially have 20 5th level spell slots after 1 short rest (16 without), which is more spell slots than normal casters get from 1st to 5th level.
My warlock fix mixes their solution and yours to a degree. My solution was every time they gained a new spell level they could choose 1 spell on their patron spell list. They gained this spell as a spell known and it didn't count against their spells known. In addition, they could cast this spell once per long rest without using a spell slot.
Example archfey warlock at level 3 chooses faerie fire at first and phantasmal force. In addition to the other lock spells and the 2 2nd level slots per short. They could also cast these once per long.
For the Berserker I simply did that you have to succeed at the end of a frenzy on a 8+your PB con save to avoid exhaustion, the DC increases by 2 each time you use it before taking a long rest. So 1 minute, frenzy, CON save and succeed. Leaving the possibility to get exhaustion, but it's a very low chance.
Wouldn’t that cause the DC to rise as you level up and increase your con and PB? I think simply having the DC set at 10 and then increasing it after each use works well enough
@@secretlyditto7716 it’s actually a trick question, because barbarians are proficient in Con saves. the DC increases at the same rate as your bonus to the roll, meaning you’re basically just seeing if you can beat a DC 8 Con ability check.
Just make it a flat DC15, like tenser’s transformation.
I'd just remove the line about exhaustion. IMO, the bonus action attack while raging isn't game breaking since they can't do it on the first round (since raging is a bonus action) and it comes 1 level before characters can start picking up feats like Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master, which give bonus action attack options anyway.
@@secretlyditto7716 a!!aaaa
I reworked Berserker by reworking Exhaustion. It's the only condition that has no save. By incorporating a Con save, it gave a Con-based class a chance at shrugging off Exhaustion.
To be honest, just tying Frenzy to Rage (frequency wise/times per day) works well too.
EDIT: I think in a roundabout way, you stumbled on an Assassin fix. Give them the Whisper Bard ability to assume identities at the same level instead of what they have.
what's the berserker dc you designed ?
Honestly, there should just be a couple of Con skills. Having an entire ability score that is vital without any other kind of trainability feels like a big miss.
I have thought that a Berserker could still do the exhaustion bit, but make a level 3 ability the same as the new Ranger Tireless ability that they get at 10th level - that they recover a level of exhaustion each short rest (so remove all after a long rest).
I've done a similar rework for frenzy. Con was 10+1 for every turn spent raging. Has to make it at the end of every turn spent raging and then exhaustion kicks in when rage ended if they failed any. (rage doesn't end if they fail, just get exhausted at the end)
They gave it a Con save in Solasta as well. They try really hard to stick to the core but... some stuff even they have to fix cause it's that anti-fun.
Hey, great job with this video! You shared so many positive and useful ideas for improving the character mechanics and thematics. I like how you clarified "these are the parts that need to be fixed", and then you offered "here are some ideas of how you could fix if you want to do so".
Thanks a ton!
I really like changing the Way of 4 Elements Monk into a straight 1/3rd caster like Arcane Tricksters and Eldrich Knight... it's a very simple, and powerful, way to fix an abysmal subclass.
When you were talking about Assassins and Poisons, what came to mind was that each day the Assassin can make a number of doses of Poison equal to their Proficiency Mod, and the damage of their Poison could be a number of d8s equal to half their Sneak Attack dice; with a Save DC based on their Intelligence Modifier.
This way, they can stack damage on damage, though the Poison would take a little bit of setup because it'll only last on a blade, or arrow, for so long.... I was also thinking it could do double damage if it's ingested instead of taken as part of an injury.
Extra strong if they stack this with the Choosing Crits feature you mentioned...
For the false identity part of the assassin subclass, maybe let them have a retcon infiltration any time the DM feels the group knew of the organisation in advance?
“Oh, infiltrating the wizard’s college? Sure, they think I’m a part time cleaner.”
“Wait, when did you do that?”
“Oh, while you were shopping three sessions ago.”
🤣 I kinda like that idea.
If you've played blades in the dark that system revolves around that idea
I like this, reminds me of the "I know a guy" ability.
For the four elements monk. I like the custom spell list. What about maybe having them able to deliver touch range spells as part of a flurry of blows. Similar to the way of mercy's hand of harm/healing. Punch punch punch, shocking grasp!
I was thinking a way for them to repurpose AOE spells, since they won't want to be caught themselves. Any damaging AOE attack only affects the target hit, but the target is then pushed in the direction of the monk's choice as many feet as the spell's radius would have been. Empower a punch with a fireball and blow them back 20 feet through the air/out a window/off the drawbridge with 8d6 damage.
@@abydosianchulac2 that sounds pretty neat.
I actually made a whole new subclass, the center of which is that you have to choose your elemental discipline and you get different bonuses at levels, much like the totem warrior.
That's ba really great idea, give them the elemental cantrip and let them cast them as a bonus action instead of their extra unarmed attack/flurry of blows.
This'll give them some range abilities too. Enemy too far away to punch? You can punch the nearest guy instead and then Firebolt the sucker. I'm not sure if this needs to cost a Ki point or not as the damage from Cantrips isn't all that much compared to their regular attack, and monks could really do with a bit of a boost in that regard.
In regards to the assassin ideas, remember that steady aim exists. A rogue can generate their own advantage whether they're melee or ranged. Ranged just has the benefit of raw distance.
In regards to adding spell slots to warlocks, I think something to consider instead is adjusting some of the Invocations. There are a handful of Invocations that allow the warlock to cast a specific spell that's normally outside their spell list, but it requires them to use a spell slot. If those invocations simply allowed you to cast them once per long rest or once per short rest (likely the former), then that could help in this area.
Yes, I always give warlocks the ability to cast their invocation spells 1/day for free.
Most of this sounds fairly well thought out (Might want to give it a second watching and see if there was anything I missed) but for the Berserker Barbarian I have two fixes that I run that my players kind of like. First is the Frenzy Exhaustion which is just a super simple fix of the Berserker Barbarian (Might be 6th level since I don't have it pulled up right in front of me) get the same thing that Tasha's Ranger adds that they remove a level of exhaustion after a short rest. Second is I added an ability that makes them more deadly called "At Deaths Door" that allows them when they are at half HP or lower to add an extra d6 (and eventually a 2d6) while raging to melee attacks which I feel gives the class that idea that you make them mad by hurting them they just start hurting you more (I forget again don't have it right in front of me if they can only use the extra damage once per turn or if it's all attacks).
I actually like this a ton. Might pitch the idea to my players.
I like that Exhaustion is one of the few conditions which can last past a long rest. It makes it useful for other situations (exposure, starvation, dehydration etc). I'd be hesitant in it recovering a level over a short rest.
At a lot of tables I've played on, Frenzy Barbs are the only ones who get Exhaustion (unless it's a survival situation). Personally, as a DM I like to use it to make my games a little grittier. e.g. adding a level of Exhaustion when a character fails a Death Save.
I feel like allowing the Assassinate ability to go off on anyone who hasn't acted yet in the first turn of combat might be a good alternative. It feels like you'd be way more likely to use it and you could even work to improve your chances of going first in the round with feats like Alert, multiclassing, etc. So while you'd likely be able to use it in every fight, there is still a chance you just roll crap and don't. Thematically it feels like you moved so fast you either hit them before they could tense up or you hit someone before they even registered you were there.
If you add this onto the original text it still makes it much better without being broken. Plus you can technically take expertise in initiative since it's a skill check to help with making it occur more often
@@blackpeoplestorytime802 I don't think you can gain proficiency in Initiative though, the closest thing was the combination of Jack of all Trades and reliable talent
I love this idea. But if you still feel like this is broken, make it only usable once (or half your prof bonus) per short rest.
@@DavidSmith-su4wl I feel it is broken as it is because it relies on the oft-misunderstood surprise mechanics. Any ability would be severely gimped by making it only usable on a surprise round but making a subclasses primary ability reliant on surprise is particularly harsh. I think making this ability usable in every round would be broken. But I think this should work in just about every combat...once. I also think the other subclass abilities need to be improved. Make the disguises more useful, maybe granting advantage on deception/persuasion checks while in those personas, I dunno. But this is the keystone ability and it should be useable in just about every fight.
@@dhaas4698 I was actually referring to your comment, not the original idea. I just have a feeling some dms would think having the ability in every combat would still be overpowered (I don’t think that) and my idea was a way to adjust it a tad more for those stricter dms.
We need a part 2 here. Would love to see you fix the sun soul monk and some of the others that were ranked low.
Honestly, I feel that there already is a "fixed" version of the Purple Dragon Knight. It's called the Cavalier; has basically the exact same flavor but with abilities that actually *do* something.
Also, I've tried the "spells known for old sorcerer classes" thing in a recent game of mine, and my divine soul sorceress loves her Arcana domain spells! 10/10 change, would recommend to everyone.
Nah, Cavalier is a totally different thing. It's all about protection, while PDK is about inspiring and being a leader on the battlefield.
@@antongrigoryev6381 cavalier is about being a strong, stalwart leader
@@timob1681 No? None of its abilities work for that. You can be a strong stalwart leader as Cavalier, but it's not its core theme. Its abilities are all about protection and opportunity attacks.
@@antongrigoryev6381 the cavaliers whole thing is standing at the front of the party and protecting your allies, and possibly doing so while riding a horse. very "general" or "captain" vibe. you can play it as just a knight, but its abilities are very conducive to a stalwart leader type character
@@timob1681 Great. PDK's whole thing, however, is inspiring and commanding allies, not necessarily being the one at the front. And its abilities reflect that. Healing, additional attacks, helping with mental saves. There's very little similar with Cavalier. It may be similar roleplay-wise, but it's totally different mechanically so saying that Cavalier is a "fixed" version of PDK is totally wrong.
When I tried to play a shadow sorcerer, I always felt that not being able to see in magical darkness (except your own, and even then only sometimes) felt like it really tanked what would have made this subclass cool. Warlocks can get devil's sight, why can't shadow sorcerers?
how often were you running into magical darkness?
My DM homebrewed it and allows me to see in all magical darkness. I also was given an expanded spell list to match the power of the sorcerer subclasses in Tasha’s. Sometimes you just have to ask your DM if they would allow certain homebrew changes to your subclass that would make your character on par with the rest of your party without being too broken of course.
Because Wizards hate Sorcerers and always have.
Shadow Sorcerers can get Devil's Sight through a Feat.
@@theuncalledfor any PC with any type of spellcasting can gain devil's sight through a feat
For the Purple Dragon Knight, a great example of the inspirational leader - style buffs is the Envoy class from Starfinder.
I would love to see a little more love to the Whispers Bard. When I think of this bard, I think of a combination of the Faceless Men (from GoT) and a peddler of secrets. While I like the ideas brought forward to beef up the "adopting persona's" thing, I think more effort can be placed on the "Whispers" aspect of this subclass. What if they had something able to collect secrets from others? While "Words of Terror" may support this, I also think something like having a bump to insight or something would be nifty.
Maybe just straight up expertise in insight?
another solve I use for Elemental Monk. Each of the abilities can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier per long rest. Each "spell" you cast with these features are cast at spell level = to your proficiency modifier -1. You may spend 1 ki point to upcast 1 level. For water whip and fist of unbroken air again number of times equal to your proficiency mod, damage is a number of d10's = to proficiency modifier and you may spend 1 ki to increase it by an additional D10. For Fire Fang it costs 0 ki for 10 foot reach and fire damage it only costs the 1 for the additional D10 and you can spend a number of Ki points = to half your proficiency modifier (rounded down) to add that many D10's. At 6th level you can replace one of your extra attacks with one of your elemental abilities, at 10th level you can cast absorb elements a number of times = to your proficiency modifier per day, and 17th level you also gain the ability to cast one of the investitures spells once per day. For Clench of the North wind. "when you cast this as a 4th level spell or higher you can choose to cast it as Hold Monster instead).
Edit: this is for those that want something a little simpler and do not want to have to come up with new spells or look up what spells are out there to solve the issues.
Edit 2: a big reason for this instead of spell casting is also if you make them a 1/3rd caster like rogue or fighter you end up taking away cone of cold and the 5th level wall spells they normally get access to at 17th level.
Edit 3: for those that want to make new elemental disciplines this template still technically works. Just look at what the spell is, if it is a 3rd level spell make it available at level 11, if it is a 2nd level spell available at 6th level. 4th and 5th level available at 17.
10:35 Yes, the combination of your melee fighting with spell casting is spot on. Combine a Flurry of Blows with an elemental damage spell like Burning Hands, Cone of Cold, Lightning Bolt, etc. So you strike with your fist while unleashing your Ki to evoke the spell as a result if the strike. The power balancing comes in the fact that while it could be OP if you land all the blows and nail the casting as well, the chance of failure is also raised in that the spell damage output would be tied to the number of blows landed. So if you miss all your blows, the spell fails and you wasted a spell slot. If only 1 blow hits, the spell is cast, but gets a penalty on the Spell Save DC. If 2 blows land, the spell is cast with normal DC. If all your blows hit, the spell gets a bonus to Save DC! If you manage that AND roll at least one crit on your attacks, you also add a damage die on the spell damage.
Assassin: "When you roll for advantage and two rolls would hit the target's AC, the attack is a critical hit." This grants expanded crit range, but only on targets that are easy to hit. Perhaps give them an ability that makes it easier to set up advantage. Or maybe just give them the True Strike cantrip for free.
For poisoning: The Poisoner feat ignores resistance to poison damage, which isn't as effective as you'd think. Between the Monster Manual, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, you have about 30% of creatures take reduced damage from poison damage. However, upon closer inspection you find that out of all creatures, 3% resist poison damage and 27% are completely immune. For reference, the next most reduced damage types are fire (18%, 4% immune), cold (15%, 3% immune), and lightning (15%, 3% immune). So the feat doesn't even come close to making poison damage competitive. As a fix, u/KibblesTasty on Reddit suggests that you choose a creature type at the end of a long rest, and the poisons you make target that type specifically, ignoring the immunity and resistance of those creatures. Something like that would make it less bad.
You could also allow them to move after using the Steady Aim feature and make a nice combo.
Genius.
I can't believe it. you've found a way for true strike to make sense.
I really love that idea, assassin are skilled to hit where it hurts.
Four Elements Monk I think you're right on the money with the spells. That being said, I would make Druid something of the default over Wizard as they are often the only casters with the watery options.
Additionally, I may want to differentiate it a bit from the Eldritch Knight. For example, maybe you could spend Ki Points up to your proficiency level in order to cast Absorb Elements. Maybe even make that damage bonus last a full round.
Maybe rather than being able to cast a spell as a bonus action they could charge their fists with the spell so that a hit with it centers the effect on the target and acts like a hit or a failed save. Monk could be immune to the AOE and others in the area save as normal.
As for the Assassin, forget all the overcomplicated identity stuff. Just give them Disguise Self once per rest.
I think the Proficiency times Assassinate is great. But maybe for balance purposes a target hit by this can't be affected by it again for an hour or something.
In terms of poisons, give them proficiency in the kit, but also give them their own poisons that have unique effects other than damage. Maybe they can create x amount of special poisons only potent for 24 hours, and have a new Cunning Action option that invenoms the blade. It may deter them a bit from just Aiming every time. They could inflict some conditions like Poisoned, Stunned, Frightened, etc, but maybe some alternatives could work like reducing movement speed.
I made 1/3 revised four elements monk. When I made it, I didn't realize that you couldn't use unarmed strikes as a bonus action when you cast spells. So I'll definitely say, if they or anyone ever make a 1/3 caster monk, that's probably one of the most important things that should be looked at. Eldritch knight and arcane trickster get other abilities at third level alongside their spellcasting feature, so I'd say the ability to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action after casting a spell should be that feature for the four elements monk.
I LOVE the spell punch idea, it's similar to the magus in pf2e
@@slamsM6 With Ki-Fueled Attack from Tasha's four elements monks already kind of get this, I think people have been overlooking how much of a buff that was for four elements. "3rd-level monk feature - If you spend 1 ki point or more as part of your action on your turn, you can make one attack with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon as a bonus action
before the end of the turn."
@@nyteraven I heard about that, but I don't think it's enough. Edit: At least not for the four elements monk.
I think my favorite ideas here were for the assassin and whispers bard. Voluntary crits, fleeing the scene, and a portfolio of identities are all genius. What does this say about me!?
For what it's worth, also, I'd love to see your take on a fix for the wild magic sorcerer. I know you loved it, but your comments about creating work for the DM really brought the wild magic sorcerer back into my mind as a broken subclass. The fact that a forgetful DM can essentially rob the character of most of their subclass really seems inexcusable, and I think these unhelpful mechanics have hidden far too long behind an admittedly super fun random table!
Having played whispers bard for a while I think psychic blades is actually super useful and I don't think I'd swap it for a limited sneak attack as an alternative. Automatic additional psychic damage at will for a bardic inspiration adds a layer of versatility to the bard and imo allows you to avoid taking certain damage spells as well as combining really well with bonus action spells like misty step or healing word.
Aside from that though yeah your changes to the other abilities sound marvelous
Agree
Psychic blades is fine but the problem is that you have to be up-close to hit it and honestly, bards are just not made to take a hit. I didn't have a dedicated tank in the party and my college of whisper bards died so.damn.often.
@@chaonis24601 I use psychic blades with my crossbow. You dont have to be up close to use it
^ this. And same.
I love the idea of giving the Assassin Rogue a free cunning action whenever it kills a target.
For the beast master idea, I like the idea of separated beast masters but maybe they should apply to a whole group of animals, not specific ones? Ie, Hawk-Lord would be Bird of Prey, for cats you could have Feline Master, Something for Bears + Canids, and then another one for aquatic animals too.
MCDM is currently working on the Beastheart class, which is essentially like if the beastmaster were a bonafide class instead of a ranger subclass. you get a companion at level 1 that scales with you, and you also get a subclass at level 3 to specialize your role. the companions are really cool too, instead of generic blocks like Tasha’s or hyper specific minute changes like PHB, your options range from Blood Hawk to Dragon Wyrmling to Giant Spider to Gelatinous Cube.
i playtested a halfling beastheart with a Deinonychus companion, and it was a lot of fun. most of the abilities were Jurassic Park references.
so like how the totem warrior chooses its beast totems? I love that idea. I think one of the grim hollow barbarians have something similar.
I would add to the idea of the more specialized beast masters that there should also be a more... well... The Beastmaster (1982) version that gets multiple animals at the cost of not being specialized. Like, y'know, one big one for actual fighting, built-in Find Familiar as part of the subclass, not super-sure how you'd handle the ferrets mechanically....
When will you guys be fixing the Twilight Cleric, Hexblade Warlock, and Moon Druid? Because those subclasses are cripplingly weak and almost unplayable.
that's gotta be satire xD
Bahaha
Oh these are easy.
Twilight clerics should get automatic invisibility all the time. Moon druids can now change in to any creature, not just beasts, and have unlimited wild shape, hexblade warlocks automatically get extra attack without having to take an invocation, and their subclass grants them twice the amount of spell slots.
That should make them playable, right?
@@DungeonDudes I guess 🤷♂️
LOL very funny 🤣
I’ve been having a look through all the first through fifth level spells in the game and I think I can justify the following expanded spell list for Wild Magic sorcerers. For starting ideas, anything that can happen on a wild magic surge is relevant enough for it to be one of your spells. After all, there’s precedent for it being a “wild magic spell”.
First Level Spells:
Chaos Bolt - This one is a gimmie. It’s practically made for a wild magic sorcerer.
Magic Missile - It’s non-elemental (pretty raw-magic feeling to me) and you can cast it on yourself during a surge.
Other options are colour spray (magical glowy lights seem pretty wild) or possibly even grease. Grease also seems reasonable as essentially magical incontinence.
Second Level Spells:
Mirror Image - It’s a surge plus making magical copies of yourself that don’t even really exist kinda fits the wild magic flavour, IMO.
Nathair’s Mischief if Fizban’s is allowed. It’s a spell like Chaos Bolt in that it has a bunch of possible effects that you roll for.
Other options are Detect Thoughts (your innate magic satisfying your natural curiosity), Enlarge/Reduce (fits in with your more malleable self) or Knock (the most noticeable and extravagant magical lockpick in existence).
Third Level:
Blink - It’s a spell that randomly pops you into the ethereal plane that you can’t really control. Your wild magic can already send you to the Astral Plane so there’s precedent for “dimension hopping that you can’t control”.
Fly - You want to be a force of chaos, you gotta be flying around so you’re hard to pin down. That’s almost a rule.
Other options are Fireball (big damage, it’s a possible surge and it’s iconic), Gaseous Form (transforming into a fart cloud is pretty funny), Hypnotic Pattern (same reasoning as Colour Spray), Stinking Cloud (magical incontinence) and Summon Fey (it’s IS the magic of Chaos/The Feywild).
Fourth Level:
Confusion and Polymorph. Both are possible surges and both play into the flavour.
Other options are Freedom of Movement (can’t be pinned down. Same reasoning as fly) and Hallucinatory terrain (pretty tricksy)
Fifth Level:
Animate Objects - Imbuing life into random brooms and stuff. I like the flavour.
Reincarnate - For one, this is a really interesting spell to have on a non-healer and a non-Druid. Two, this is a random resurrection spell which is pretty chaotic. Three, it’s nature/feywild-y.
Other options are Destructive Wave (pretty big “just force of magic not being controlled” energy) or Seeming (illusions are pretty fey-like).
I love all of these! May I also add Alter Self and Disguise Self. Nothing seems more chaotic than looking at the party sorcerer and go "When did you grow horns?" or "Weren't you female an hour ago?"
@@LarsaXL One of those can replace Magic Missile (Chaos Bolt has to be one of the Wild Magic Spells I mean, come on).
I was hoping there might be some advice on overhauling the undying warlock patron. But it was really cool to see you guys discuss the whispers bard and assassin rogue.
I actually have advice on that front: just play the undead warlock instead. It's the same flavor but with better abilities.
There's a Homebrew called the Red Lion Knight on Drivethrurpg that's basically a combo of Purple Dragon Knight and the Champion with added perks for rallying allies and acting like a knight.
It's sad that taping the champion and Purp together is still only kinda okay.
Not quite as sad as the fact that taping roughly half of all Monk subclasses together would still probably be worse than either Hand of Mercy, or a Fighter that took the Unarmed Fighting Style for giggles.
Especially since this abomination monk still couldn't use any of their abilities if they wanted to Stunning Fist or Flurry.
C'mon everyone, it's Morphin' Time!
Way of the Open Hand!
Way of the 4 Elements!
Way of the Drunken Fist!
Way of the Long Death!
Way of the Ascendant Dragon!
Way of the Astral Self!
Way of the Sun Soul!
Our seven lights spring to the task, to save the world with courage and hope! We are the Ultra Chroma Power Squad Prism Rangers!
*Dazzling lights created by Prestigidation and at least 6 Ki points in the background*
With our powers combined, we will take you down, NPC Warrior!
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 Yeah but it really lets you play into the knight fantasy. Helps that you get improved Critical and a Rally ability at level 3. And level 10 prevents you from being surprised and grants advantage on Initiative.
Same creator also made a Monk Subclass that relies on creating/inflicting conditions and de-buffing enemies. It burns through Ki quickly but with the right party it can be brutal. Blinded/deafened enemies can be inflicted with the Confused spell from you and its concentration free.
3:15 In my class fixes I simply removed the purple dragon knight and distributed it's abilities between the champion and cavalier. The problem with the purple dragon knight is it hasn't got any abilities of it's own but rather just minor upgrades to the fighter abilities that allows them to be extended to allies. So it's not really cumbersome for the sub classes that got these abilities because it's only minor improvements to abilities they already have.
With “aim” as a cunning action giving rogues advantage at will, I strongly advise against the assassin auto crits proficiency/day. An assassin rogue could annihilate an encounter at will with this change by just using this 2-4 turns in a row. I do want to see it improved though, it’s the kind of rogue I want to play!
I had similar thoughts and was thinking that instead of that leave the third level ability as is and replace the level 9 and level 13 features (even together they seem to be worse than the Charlatan background features). To give the poisoner kit proficiency more use I was thinking perhaps let poisoned weapons auto-crit to reward the notion that assassination takes preparation. To prevent exploitation (i.e. 30 poisoned arrows) let that auto-crit be on anyone who has not had their turn in combat yet.
For the other feature I saw some people mention that since Assassins are about killing things then to double down on that and improve the sneak attack die to d8s (or more). While that certainly is nice I feel that alone is kinda limiting.
So I was thinking about maybe a successful kill on a surprised/unaware opponent can cause nearby enemies to be frightened or surprised for an extra round. My logic being a skilled assassin can seize the moment better than most.
My main issue with these ideas though is that it kinda feels like too much combat and not enough rp potential baked into it.
Lots of people In the comments have suggested that the auto crit can only be used on sneak attacks with advantage & costs your bonus action to stop this from happening
For dragon sorcerers, Since they already get improved durability features, I’d like to double down on those at higher levels making the subclass into the sorc equivalent of hex blade or blade singer, perhaps having the capstone turn you into a dragon.
This session takes a good first step in addressing the weaker subclasses. To append to Monty’s idea of associating different subclasses of Rangers with a beast, let’s take a look at how the Totem Barbarian gets powers based on choosing an aspect of an animal. This makes the choices more personal and allows for much customization.
To take it one step further, animals could be grouped by various types similar to how favored enemy is selected. Groups of forest animals, sea, desert, undead, celestial, etc. The more powerful selections could be restricted by the character gaining levels in ranger. Something to think about.
I love this idea, but we already have dragons with fizban’s, which covers both land and sky movement. The only other domain that would really change would be water, can you think of anything else?
I think there should be more adoption of the person's physique for the Whispers bard. Like when adopting someone's identity through the ability you get their strength Constitution and dexterity scores if yours were worse then their's. Maybe make the restriction that you have to kill them with your psychic blades to fully draw out their spirit.
I like this one. Another option is for it to function a bit like Polymorph or Wild Shape, let them wear the new flesh suit as a load of temp HP.
Maybe give it concentration as a limiter, but I love the idea of the wounded Whispers bard killing one of their opponents, changing into them and resuming the fight with renewed energy.
@@LarsaXL oh I really like that idea. You could say that as long as that identity doesn't drop to zero hit points The Whispers Bard can use it for later.
About the Berserker Barbarian: An option could also be that Frienzy can be used a number of times per day, equal to half the proficiency, but if you use it more you get an level of exhaustion per use.
I think that way you remove the main problem, but still keep the "going beyond your limits" theme the subclass seems to have
Warlocks: Have their expanded spell choices be automatically known spells they can cast for free once per long rest. The casting follows the regular rules for warlock spell casting, meaning that they are casted at the highest level which most of them don't really benefit from. What could possibly go wrong?
I agree that expanded spell choices should just be given to the Warlock for free, but I'm not sure about casting them for free. Between their invocations being able to cast once per long rest (some of them at will, whenever you want) and getting to spend their Mystic Arcanum spells once a day as well is kind of wild. If you think about it that's a lot of spells they can cast without slots, even if some of them are once per long rest, that's still strong.
@Snazzy Feathers well I say this with the fact that most invocations have the "once per long rest" bit added to it anyway. The ones that give spells anyway shy of the at will ones. Allowing access of their expanded list w/o a spell slot list once per long rest would give them the ability to do more at mid tier play, stacked against other casters, they falter a bit in terms of spellcasting. say it's at high levels though, what would they have? 3 5th level slots, 10 once per long rest free casts from their expanded spell list which most of them dont benefit from being upcasted anyway and... what? 4 arcanums? paired with let's say 4 invocations that give them spells, that is still a bit less than what full casters can do at base. It's not that nutty.
Hmm, I'd say no. Having a limited amount of spell slots is part of the Warlock's identity.
I am absolutely on board with giving them more known spells though, especially since it feels like it's more that those are spells their patron knows and cast through the warlock.
More known spells would allow the warlock to build their core strategy, but also be able to afford to spend a couple of those precious spells known slots on highly situational spells that could nevertheless be seen as their patron interfering on their behalf.
"You dare strike my servant?! Infernal Rebuke!"
Or needing a utility spell; "Yeah, we definitely can't climb this wall without being spotted... Uhm, maybe my patron will provide if... Oh look I made a hole in the wall... how did I do that?"
Not necessary. The spells should be learned automatically, but we don't need extra casts.
Great suggestions, I miss the 4th eddition battle Master and really wanted Purple Dragon to fill the niche...
When I made my pdk build, I took the fighting style and feat to get superiority dice and took commander strike. Maybe this can be bonus action with limited use? That gives you the ability to manuver and give out attacks like a Battle Master did.
7:38 Good point. Also, bring a royal envoy doesn't just mean being good at Persuasion, but also might include things like Insight and even Deception. Perhaps this ability should give Proficiency in all 3 of those abilities, AND let you choose which of the 3 to also gain Expertise in.
I think you meant Insight rather than Perception.
@@DurandalsFate you are correct!
Heavily agree with the added spell list for sorcerers. I actually made extended spell lists for all sorcerer subclasses currently in the game that I allow for players. This is an example that I have for Wild Magic, which I think was the hardest to make because they are so out there with random effects and spells, so I tried to match that randomness in there with some spells and decided that they can replace spells with evocation and transmutation spells from wizard, warlock, or sorcerer (or maybe any classes spell list because they are wild magic ya know, they could manifest random stuff).
1: Chaos bolt, absorb elements
3: Maximillian's earthen grasp, Web
5: Fireball, Thunder Step
7: Polymorph, Confusion
9: Creation, Conjure Elemental
100% agree with your take on Warlocks getting more spell slots and Sorcerers getting more spells known as they did for the Aberrant Mind and the Clockwork Sorcerer. In my experience, those classes are underrepresented at most tables and I think those two fixes would make both of the classes more like a good solid class rather than everyone's favorite one or two-level dip.
I love the suggestions that you brought here with this video, and it works perfectly with some patch ideas I had based on your older videos! Here are some specific ideas related to your suggestions:
-Purple Dragon Knight: I love your idea of untethering the Rallying Cry from Second Wind, though I think giving them the option to use both at the same time is by no means broken. I also added a Rally effect to Rallying Cry (+1d4 to attack rolls & ability checks till end of turn). Furthermore, I decided to slide their abilities down a level (level 3 gets both Rallying Cry and Royal Envoy), slightly expand the scope of most other abilities, and add a captstone that gives Rallying Cry recipients Temp HP equal to your Fighter level and advantage on Wisdom saving throws while they have that HP.
-Four Elements Monk: I still opted to keep Ki points for spells, but I gave them a blanket 1 ki point reduction at 11th level so you can go ham. I also specified that you can Flurry of Blows if you used an Elemental Discipline as an action, to further synergize with a bonus martial arts die of elemental damage on the next hit after you spend 1 or more Ki points on an Elemental Discipline.
-Beserker Barbarian: I made it so that you only suffer Exhaustion if you go into a Frenzied Rage more than once per short/long rest. I do like your idea of giving the Barbarian a whirling blade action, so I might add that in!
-Assassin: I liked your comments about expanding the scope of assassinate, so I opted to give them an additional Sneak Attack dice at each subsequent subclass level that they may use if and only if they have advantage. As well, I gave them advantage on checks when using Disguise kits or while disguised - making it more consistently rewarding for them to be using their non-combat abilities.
-College of Whispers: I like your suggestion here, and it's making me think of giving you an instant change reaction option if you kill a target, or an action if they are just incapacitated. As well, having a selection of prof. bonus disguises you can wear for a spell slot seems cool. Same deal with Charm suggestion - will look at wording.
-Sorcerers: I added expanded subclass spell lists - one for each level that the Clockwork or Aberrant Mind gets two. They can still swap out for other spells in the same fashion.
I also looked at a couple other subclasses like the Battlerager Barbarian and Undying Warlock. All in all, fantastic videos, both this one and all your previous ones!
If anyone would like to look at my notes or has suggestions, let me know and I can drop a link to the doc.
I homebrewed my own four elements monk subclass, though I haven't had anybody choose to play it. In my version, you have to choose one element and stick with it; I really tried to do the Avatar thing. I included special abilities related to manipulating your element, such as extra reach on melee attacks. The other main thing was straight bonuses as you become more like your element, such as a water monk not provoking opportunity attacks.
I like this one, skip the 4 Elements monk and give me 4 different elemental monks.
A resilient Earth/Stone Monk who takes inspiration from the Barbarian.
A Fire Monk who tries their best to invoke the feel of an Evoker Wizard while dodging and kicking.
A Water Monk who is absolutely perfect for your naval campaign, swim speed, water breathing, being able to attack from a distance with watery whips or freezing it into thrown ice projectiles.
And an Air Monk who gets a limited flying ability, is given the rogue's cunning action and can use it to dodge without spending a Ki point.
I love the revision you guys made for the Purple Dragon Knight. Almost in a same vein as a paladin yet very different. The old sorcerers definitely need those extra spells. It helps the sorcerers out a lot, but doesn't creep out the wizard in spell options, imo. Good vid!
Sorcerers having the expanded spell lists pretty much revolutionised the class
25:00 Rather than having entirely separate subclasses for different Beastmaster types, maybe it whould be structured like Path of the Totem Barbarian, where you get thematically different options for your features dependent on what general form of beast your companion is
Yeah more like sub sub classes
I run two weekly campaigns, and we have been following this series closely for two years and testing changes. Our goals are as follows:
1 ) Aim for A-tier.
2 ) Minimal changes are better than new features, where possible.
3 ) Do not overcomplicate.
Here is what we did for some of the subclasses mentioned in this video:
Purple Dragon Knight:
- Royal Envoy moved to 3rd level.
- Rallying Cry heals allies for the full d10 + Fighter level of Second Wind.
- Inspiring Surge moved to 7th level, and now allows any action (just like Action Surge), rather than just an attack.
- Bulwark moved to 10th level. Now allows you to share your uses of Indomitable with allies for *any* kind of saving throw, even if you are not targeted by the effect.
- True of Heart added at 15th level. As an action, remove all frightened effects from allies within 120 feet. (Use # = Charisma modifier / long rest)
Summary: the subclass is designed for sharing your core fighter features with allies with minimal restrictions.
Way of the Four Elements:
- WoFE has a limited spell list and operates as a half-caster class, like you suggested.
- They can also spend 1 ki point to attune to a particular element during their turn, granting an on-activate effect and a lingering passive effect.
- Too much to detail for this YT comment, but I can reply in comments if anyone cares.
Summary: the subclass is designed for shifting elemental attunements to chain activated effects and spellcasting.
Berserker:
- Frenzy exhaustion is removed after 10 minutes.
- Intimidating Presence uses Strength modifier for DC and also allows you to make your Charisma (Intimidation) checks with Strength instead.
Summary: simple QOL changes to prevent this subclass from screwing itself too easily.
Assassin:
- Escape added at 3rd level, granting a free use of Cunning Action on reducing an enemy to 0 HP.
- Improved Sneak Attack added at 9th level, granting an extra 1d6 to sneak attack dice.
- Infiltration Expertise grants advantage on checks made to impersonate a creature. Also grants casting disguise self once per short rest, using Intelligence for the DC.
- Imposter (13th level) replaced with Poison Expert, imposing disadvantage on the saving throws caused by poisons you use and making the poisons undetectable.
Summary: the subclass is designed for get-in-get-out combat and subterfuge, with emphasis on killing rather than spying.
Whispers Bard:
- Words of Terror grants you advantage on all Charisma checks against frightened creatures.
- Mantle of Whispers shadows can be retained indefinitely, but remain single-use. The shadow capture can be used at will without requiring a rest.
- Shadow Lore charmed creatures will risk their lives for you and do everything they can to help you.
Summary: the subclass is designed to use a versatile mix of fear, deception, and manipulation to further its ends.
Draconic Sorcerer:
- Elemental Affinity bonus has been clarified to apply to each target and each damage roll (for example, each ray of Scorching Ray).
- Elemental Affinity resistance grants immunity if you are already resistant to that damage type. (Among other things, this makes a dragonborn draconic sorcerer of the same color practical.)
Summary: this subclass is designed as a capable nuker, but it needed some boosting and clarification.
Cheers, lads.
I like all of those, especially the last one. It felt kinda wrong that you were punished for picking the same type of ancestry when playing a dragonborn dragon sorcerer. Hi, I'm a red dragonborn who is using blue dragon elements.... No, stick to the same and get a bonus, it's much more thematically appropriate.
@@LarsaXL Absolutely. The original version majorly discourages the single most natural choice.
My fix for the berserker subclass is making it so that when you frenzy, your barbarian always uses the reckless attack feature.
It’s a slight negative in that sometimes you really don’t want to reckless attack. All enemies having advantage on attacks against you can scale in favor of the enemy very quickly, even with rage resistance. it’s also thematically perfect for a berserker archetype to lose ones self in the brawl.
I like this.
I'm hoping for a Part 2. Love to see how you would change the Circle of Spores. My thought was to cause the poison condition for 1 round to the Halo of Spores and the Spreading Spores features on a failed saving throw. Additionally boost up the HP (maybe have it scale somehow) of the zombie from the level 6 feature. But also cause anyone hit by it to make a saving throw or become poisoned.
I had kind of a wacky idea for the fighter class recently, I think it was inspired by something the Dungeon Coach said or maybe it just came from him directly I don’t remember. What if you took the maneuvers from battle master and treated them like eldritch invocations from warlock; making them a base class feature that every fighter subclass accumulates. This doesn’t mean you have to delete battlemaster, I think that you could keep the dice upgrades to that subclass and give them some abilities that buff maneuvers or something. I haven’t written or play tested anything around this but I thought it’s a pretty novel change for Fighter
I play a Wo4E monk who is HEAVILY homebrewed, picking components from, along with other things, a homebrew found on Beyond. The "punch-punch-hadoken" idea is called Spellfist Stance in this homebrew, and works pretty well.
I've waiting so much for this and IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! Thank you so much!
I would honestly love to see a revision of the Ranger Class! I have always loved the concept of having your TRUE animal companion! I have made soo many characters that are Rangers that have unique animals that the old ranger allowed. Like one of mine had a Giant Centipede companion!
Next time, I'd love to see Arcane Archer. I feel like the big problem with Arcane Archer is twofold.
* First problem is frequency. Eldritch Knight and Bladesinger kind of already do the magical-sword-attack thing and it's just far more exciting for them. They get to swing around their Booming Blades and Green Flame Blades at will, and it's kinda cool. Arcane Archers get two shots per short rest, or one shot per combat if you don't have time to rest. One arrow isn't fun.
* The second problem is the lack of impact. Arcane Archer just feels like a worse Battlemaster. Which each arrow is a hair stronger than a Battlemaster maneuver, you get so many fewer of them. High level battlemaster does, what, an extra 6d12 over their various attacks per short rest. High level Arcane Archer does something like 8d6 over their two uses, and the add-on effects aren't even that potent.
I'd like to see Arcane Archers get lesser and greater enchantments, for lots of small magical things, but when they go big, it's really big (even if less frequent).
* Lesser arrow enchantments would be more along the lines of Eldritch Blast Eldritch Invocations or cantrips. A minor push on a regular attack. Perhaps attack once as a line rather than multiple individual attacks. Feeling magical all the time would be important. Think cantrip power level, since there's no real limit.
* Greater arrow enchantments would be more like Mystic Arcanums (scaled down, of course). A few times per day, or once per short rest, I'd allow them truly encounter-shaping powerful arrows. A thorns arrow should dramatically alter the battlefield for a few rounds, rather than just slow one opponent down once. An explosive arrow should have a power level like an Eldritch Knight using Fireball, or maybe a bit higher. If Battlemasters get lots of moderate tricks, you should have very few but EPIC moments.
That mix of more easy small magics, but fewer stronger effects, would be pretty neat for an Arcane Archer.
Perhaps AAs would benefit from functioning a little more like Kensei monks? Give them a small number of points they can spend for either those huge, Fireball-level strikes, or more minute abilities like being able to enchant their bow so it's a +1 weapon for a minute? Maybe at level 7 their arrows count as magical vs resistances by default, the way monks and moon druids do?
Battlemasters get to do really good damage but the arcane archer isn't all about damage. You have arrows that can banish people, charming enemies, there's an arrow that effectively blinds enemies (cannot see past 5 feet), an arrow that halves an enemies attacks etc....I agree that 2 shots isn't super great, especially considering the entire build is around the arrows, so a bump is needed but its important not to go hogwild. I've seen people talking about using arrows prof bonus per short rest and I think that would be too strong. I think at most they need 4 shots at max level, and maybe an ability at their capstone that allows them to spend an action to regain those arrows.
The invocation thing is interesting though.
@@snazzyfeathers I guess what I'd do is make each individual "big" arrow stronger, more than one round of blind etc. Maybe rarer. Maybe even each once per long rest, but a power level appropriate to that, and all four or five arrows you know have separate cooldowns. Not slightly more than battlemaster utility, rather slightly less than wizard utility.
That said, duration buffs on utility arrows at the same 2 uses count, changing the pure damage ones like line and aoe into cantrips that replace rather than enhance attacks, and adding a once-per-round debuff on arrow attacks similar to open hand Monk would go a long way. Yeah, that might work, IMHO.
*E* one thing just struck me. One problem is that the arrows are all balanced around being usable at level 3. If stuff like banish waited until level 7 or higher, it could be more dramatic.
Arcane Archer should have been a bard subclass or something, as in earlier editions, arcane archer was a prestige class that usually was taken by multiclassed fighter/wizard characters due to it's requirements. And it's whole niche was delivering spells with their arrows, but this 5e arcane archer has no spellcasting whatsoever, which is really weird.
@@Klaital1 that might be right. Eldritch knight can already do a magic archer in a way, with spell + attack. And while the fighter certainly needed some kind of ranged attack subclass, AA being a Bard might have worked well. It could have stayed closer to the original Prestige Class, and been a neat way to Bard.
I love the ideas with the beastmaster. Ranger was my favorite thematic class when I first got into d&d. That changed later but its a great idea.
Having the subclass give additional Spells Known for Sorcerers and Warlocks would make the them a little more versatile, and give the player a little more breathing room when choosing spells. As for the Berserker Barbarian, replacing the bonus attack action attack with a maximized damage once per a Rage. Or allowing them to attack an additional attack action once a Rage.
First - I'm REALLY glad the dudes did this video, it's the main thing I wanted to see near the end of their ranking vids!! I've been thinking how to fix Way of the Four Elements monk and how to fix the fundamental issue of having to use their limited resource for two separate things -- monk abilities and elemental attunement (and their relatively high cost). The main ways to do this is 1) reduce cost [to nothing if just giving them spells], 2) increase ki or 3) recover ki. I'm toying with #3, with the idea being that the Wo4E monk would be given an Absorb Elements ability (-acid) that they could use PB times per long rest which would additionally allow them add 1 ki point per die of damage that they take, *whether they make their save or not* (but cannot go beyond their max). The idea is to incentivize them to get into combat and mix it up in order to get ki back. They would still benefit from buffing their attacks with elemental energy as with Absorb Elements. Also, since one of the main schticks of monks is their ability to break out of action economies via Flurry I think monks in general should get more reactions, with 2 at 5th level (shouldn't be too low to avoid abusive multi-casting by wizards seeking to break counterspell), and 3 at 15th level. Some sub-classes would need some additional tinkering to give them cool reactions abilities to make use of this.
For those Sorcerers, here’s a rough draft.
Sorcerer Expanded Spells
Draconic Spells
Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Draconic Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a evocation or a transmutation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list.
Sorcerer Level -
1st Level - Absorb Elements, Chromatic Orb
3rd Level - Dragon’s Breath, See Invisibility
5th Level - Fear, Fly
7th Level - Elemental Bane, Polymorph
9th Level - Legend Lore, Summon Draconic Spirit
Divine Spells
Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, choose one of the Cleric Domain Spell Lists. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a abjuration or a divination spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list.
Shadow Spells
Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Shadow Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a illusion or a necromancy spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list.
Sorcerer Level - Spells
1st Level - Disguise Self, Ray of Sickness
3rd Level - Phantasmal Force, Silence
5th Level - Fear, Summon Shadowspawn
7th Level - Phantasmal Killer, Shadow of Moil
9th Level - Dream, Negative Energy Flood
Storm Spells
Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Storm Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a conjuration or an evocation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list.
Sorcerer Level - Spells
1st Level - Fog Cloud, Thunderwave
3rd Level - Gust of Wind, Skywrite
5th Level - Call Lightning, Wind Wall
7th Level - Control Water, Storm Sphere
9th Level - Cone of Cold, Maelstrom
Wild Spells
Starting at 1st level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Wild Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.
Whenever you gain a sorcerer level, you can replace one spell you gained from this feature with another spell of the same level. The new spell must be a enchantment or an evocation spell from the sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list.
Sorcerer Level - Spells
1st Level - Chaos Bolt, Unseen Servant
3rd Level - Crown of Madness, Nathair’s Mischief
5th Level - Bestow Curse, Hypnotic Pattern
7th Level - Dimension Door, Hallucinatory Terrain
9th Level - Mislead, Synaptic Static
This would just revolutionise sorcerer and make older subclasses more playable
For Storm Sorcerer, in addition to the expanded spell list, my DM changed the 10ft of untargetable movement from a bonus action to a free action, and gave me the ability to move 30ft as a bonus action. So many of the abilities require close proximity to the target, so in order to survive those close encounters we figured giving the Storm Sorcerer that much movement would allow them to actually be a force of nature on the battlefield.
My friend and I worked Tasha's Beast Master and Ranger class feature options into a new base Ranger class where the Ranger is a genuine pet class. Then they can add a subclass. Sounds broken but you're still limited by action economy. It's balances out. The play test for it has been awesome so far.
Love these ideas and is easily my favorite topic as a DM. Some changes we made in my campaign include Bard - College of Whispers (Words of Terror: also learn the Cause Fear spell, it doesn’t count against the number of spells you know and can can cast a number of times equal to your Charisma mod. Mantle of Whispers: Added, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action).
All Cleric gain the following options upon reaching level 8:
• Potent Spellcasting - Once per turn, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip. At 14th level, this includes any ranged spell attack. At 20th level, it includes all spells that deal damage.
• Divine Strike - Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant or force damage to the target. At 14th level, the damage increases to 2d8, and at 20th level, it increases to 3d8 extra damage.
• Blessed Strikes - You are blessed with divine might. Once per turn, when a creature takes damage from one of your spells or weapon attacks, you can also deal 1d8 radiant or force damage to that creature. At 14th level, the damage increases to 1d10, and at 20th level, it increases to 1d12 extra damage.
However the Trickery Domain gains: Stealth Strike
At 8th level, once on each of your turns, you can Sneak Attack a creature with a weapon attack. You must meet the same qualifications as a Rogue (finesse or ranged weapon, advantage or distracted by ally, etc). If you hit, you deal an extra 1d6 poison or weapon damage to the target (your choice). This damage increases to 2d6 at 11th level, 3d6 at 14th level, 4d6 at 17th level, and 5d6 at 20th level.
I actually have no problem with the 3rd level feature of the Assassin, and I think the requirement to depend on surprise fits the subclass - it’s part of the challenge. The much bigger problem is the 9th and 13th level abilities, which really don’t provide very much. Most of your focus should be there. I like your idea of being able to disappear after a hit - maybe an automatic invisibility after killing someone?
My only concern with the idea for the assassin (though this also applies to anything using the proficiency bonus as the determinate for how often something gets used) is that it makes things VERY vulnerable for multiclassing abuse. Now, because rogues choose their archetype at level 3, I don't know if it actually merits as much concern as it would on a class like cleric, but it's always something I think about when making anything with proficiency bonus uses.
Great video all around though! Always love hearing both of your ideas!
I think the Necromancy Wizard could use more love... specifically the first subclass ability they get is...well it's trash. It realize heavily on killing with leveled spells and gaining 2×spell level HP or 3×spell level with Necromancy spells(of which there are few at low level). just access to Inflict Wounds might put the Necromancy Wizard into C-Tier.
Great video. This is a topic I've spent many months considering and I agree with a lot of your ideas.
I wrote "D&D Rebalanced: Classes and Subclasses" on the DMs Guild specifically to tackle this issue. It was a ton of work rebalancing all of the official classes and subclasses, but I've gotten a lot of good feedback so far.
Berserker : Removed exhaustion from the frenzy but the bonus action attack is made with disadvantage. Also the Intimidation is swapped to bonus action, so that the berserker now has an option of either trying for a soft CC, or extra damage.
To be honest, the main issue i have with berseker is that you can just pick up Polearm Master and get a bonus action attack that way, basically entirely bypassing the subclass.
Because of this, a combination like Variant Human Zealot Barbarian with Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master can easily outdamage a Berserker. I feel like the Berserker really doesn't need as many restrictions as it has, so giving it disadvantage on that attack is honestly not necessary, especially when you consider that they already need to use one of their turns to Rage + another one to Frenzy to begin with, robbing them of their bonus action attacks for their turns.
Additionally, the intimidation portion is MAD. A Barbarian already has to focus on Strength, Dex and Con and is unlikely to focus on charisma to begin with. I feel like it should be based on the Berserker's Strength or constitution and at that point it would be very solid.
Here are some of my changes/improvements:
For the Purple Dragon Knight, I made its abilities more akin to a Bard.
For the Four Elements monk, I used the elemental stances from the changes in the GM's binder with a little bit of my own reworkings.
All Sorcerer subclasses previous to Tasha's get a spells known list with the Divine Soul being able to choose from the Cleric subclass lists.
Warlocks get spell slots equal to their proficiency bonus and can automatically add their subclass spells to their spells known.
The best thing of the college of whispers bard is that you gain the basic memories of their life. This allows you to pass all of the checks that would catch you if you just altered self. I do agree that you should be able to create a log of people as an upgrade though.
For Four Elements Monk, in addition to just giving them Eldritch Knight-style spellcasting, I'd also include a rule that allows them to use Flurry of Blows after casting a spell.
And for Assassin, instead of the False Identity ability, I'd replace that with the ability to cast Disguise Self proficiency bonus times per day, and if they attack someone while under the effects of Disguise Self, it triggers the Assassinate auto-crit, but ends the spell.
This is a very simple fix for the Assassin, I like it a lot.
7:45
This already gives Expertise lol
And even with this, it's a shitty ability. Such a Ribbon feature shouldn't be the only one at lvl 7. It should be moved to lvl 3 in addition to Rallying Cry, and you should get some totally new and actually useful ability at lvl 7.
wait you're right that's kind of hilarious
To replace that 7th level ability give them an AoE spell like ability like the heroism spell or potion of heroism.
Or just give them the Inspiring Leader feat for free.
Definitely
I think your ideas for the sorcerer and warlock are excellent. Giving each class a few more spells reflecting the themes of specific subclasses make those characters much more intriguing.
I would make the purple dragon night more attuned to its title. You have the oath of conquest paladin following the ways of a red dragon and Dragonborn bloodline sorcerer following their lineage. Maybe give the fighter traits that you would see a purple dragon AKA a deep dragon have.
Make it a psionic support fighter
@@orionar2461 interesting suggestion.
I wanted to use this to talk about your proposed fixes, and what I did.
Purple Dragon Knight: I think splitting the abilities alone is not enough of a fix. Giving them a "healing word" style ability is very cool, and appropriate I think, but giving a full action is... debatable. It is very powerful, and as long as it is limited it should be okay, but +1 Action means "Cast Spell" and there are some very powerful spells that could be leveraged. I note, Haste absolutely does not give a second action, for exactly this reason. Expertise in Persuasion is a great idea.
My Changes: I ripped it up by the roots, for the most part. I focused more on the other title "Banneret" as that gave me an angle, the guy who carries the banner into battle, who does that to inspire in the way you were talking about. I then used that banner as a focal point for a version of Paladin auras. Give +CHA to saves vs fear/charm, as a baseline. Then you can use your action to inspire fear in enemies and increase the +CHA to all mental saves. Then I greatly increased the group healing value, as well as giving them more second winds. This also gives a very different feel and look to the character, which I felt was important. I also had the banner give +1 AC to help make it worth using the hand for.
Four Element Monk: I can understand the idea of giving them spells in theory, I just wish there was a way to expand on the abilities like Water Whip and Fist of Unbroken Air, because those were actually good. I like the concept of the smite spells as well.
For a completely different way to go about this, I'd suggest revisting the Wu Jen from the Mystic UA. The Elemental Psionics were built in a way that made me immediately think of the Monk. It could be useful for a non-spellcasting version. Because while it works to just give them spells it feels... to strict. The Monk is going for the Bending idea, and being so rigid in what they can do with the elements feels like it misses the fantasy in favor of just casting spells.
Frenzy Barbarian: I think just removing it is fine, because you can only do it during rage. You were thinking of, for example, limiting it to proficiency mod times per day. Well, if it is "activate frenzy" as that limit... you are alreayd limited to only 2 or 3 rages per day anyways. You have to get very high level before any "per day" limit would be outstripped by the built in limit of rage.
One change I made that felt very necessary is that Intimidating Prescence only takes a Bonus action to maintain. It felt bizarre that the Barbarian just has to... constantly spend an action to partially debuff a single target.
Assassin Rogue: You guys forgot about Steady Aim. It locks the rogue down, but it works in melee and ranged, and gives advantage on the next attack you make. This makes the Assassin basically "X times per day, Crit". Whether or not this is fine, I'm not sure, but advantage is not a gate for the Rogue anymore.
For the Poisoner idea, one thing I've been playing with for a while is the idea of allowing people to make custom poisons that can bypass poison immunity with the right components. But, I agree that this is more of a general thing. I think it makes more sense to have this with alchemists and anyone else who wants to specialize in poison, not just the Assassin.
One thing that could be interesting, is giving an X per day ability to not break stealth when attacking. That is something no one else can currently do. One problem with too many "assassin" abilities is the classic issue of "solo gameplay, team game"
Whispers Bard idea of the Rollodex is AMAZING. That is something I'm implementing. I might switch out the psychic blades too.
I have this rule for building content I call "The Fireball Rule". It essentially states that any new content you include in the game should be a viable alternative to the best current option on the board.
Meaning, if you consider that Fireball is objectively the best 3rd level evocation spell, any new 3rd level evocation spells an arcane caster could take, should be strong enough, that taking either this new spell or Fireball should result in a character that feels just as viable a character.
By that standard, I feel any new subclasses, feats, etc should all be built based on a reasonable comparison of similar content, and be as effective at doing what it's designed to do as that core content is.
That doesn't mean per se, that I should be hard pressed to choose between a homebrewed sewing feat or Polearm Mastery as a fighter...
But it does mean that the variety of useful and effective bonuses a great feat like Polearm Mastery provides to a Polearm wielder should be a basis for how potent and useful the abilities a new feat grants a character specializing in whatever that feat does.
This is a pretty dangerous rule. It can lead to some serious power creep. You won't be able to keep power level at the exact same level, and with a goal like this, you're more likely to make new things much stronger than before.
@@antongrigoryev6381 I agree. Fireball is a purposefully overpowered spell for its level. It should not be the standard against which all other content is measured. Nor should you look exclusively at Hexblades, or Battlemasters, or the Oath of Vengeance, etc, etc, as the path to go for a subclass.
Flavor, done well and in a mechanically rewarding way, should be the goal.
@@antongrigoryev6381 I am in the middle ground. Yes, it could easily lead to power creep. But the alternative is that you end up making changes that rarely get implemented.
For example, while I know many people consider these OP, look at GWM and PAM. I was talking to a friend about just letting my Barbarian have the two-weapon fighting style if he took the feat, and someone was worried about power creep.
But, I demonstrated that (using averages) the GWM option nets around 46 damage, with the bonus action attack getting them to 69. PAM has 31.5 and with the reaction AoO you'd have 42. And with the two weapon fighting homebrew? 31.5. The only reason I'm considering it is because I'm planning on being a beast barbarian, giving me a fourth attack and netting me 38... which is still worse. But, I'm comparing it to two of the best melee feats.... because of course I am. Anything else and it wouldn't really be a truly equal choice.
@@antongrigoryev6381 thing is though: i am not WOTC. i’m not running adventurers league, i’m not doing any sort of competitive D&D or anything, i’m not even publishing what i make (nor is @The Overnight). my players aren’t trying to gain this system, so if i introduce something that’s a bit too powerful it’s not a huge deal, because i can tweak it afterwards and a player isn’t going to want to do the same thing twice. by making other options as good as good options, there’s no actual creep happening because i simply don’t have a large sample size.
if i were a third party publisher making D&D content, it would be a different story, because then i’d be beholden to a larger audience who 1) is paying me for content and expect to get something that they don’t have to worry about and 2) doesn’t understand it as well as i do, and has different assumptions about the game from me and my table. i might have a house rule that i’ve used for so long that i’ve forgotten it’s a house rule!
WotC has explicitly identified Fireball as a spell given excessive damage for its level because they considered it iconic to D&D and wanted it to be highlighted. You are balancing to an intentionally unbalanced spell.
For the purple dragon Knight, I found a really fun Homebrew.
Rallying cry let’s you and 2 others (4 others at 15th level) within 60 feet roll and expend one hit die and add your fighter level to the total healing as a bonus, and can be used a number of times equal to your charisma per long rest.
Royal envoy basically gives you Jack of all trades for all charisma checks that you don’t add proficiency for, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for all persuasion and intimidation checks.
Inspiring surge is moved to 18th level and is replaced with Inspiring action, which has it that whenever you use an action, you can 1 person (2 at 18th) within 60 feet temp hp equal to your fighter level and they can use their reaction to make a melee or ranged weapon attack (if you use your attack with this, you lose one of your attacks), and can be used a number of times equal to your charisma mod per long rest.
Bulwark is now its own use and applies to three others once per short or long rest.
You also get Resolve at 15th level (think battlemasters relentless feature but for both Rallying cry and Inspiring action)
And lastly, at 18th level Inspired Surge has it that when you use action surge, 2 other creatures within 60 feet can use their reaction to take an action (you can only cast a 3rd level or lower spell with this action).
All in all, it’s been really fun all the way through and all the abilities are actually useful.
I personally like Warlocks having limited spell slots at lower levels because it really gives the vibe of an individual having to prove themselves to their patron for more power. What I do want is some more space for Cantrips to make up for it
I feel like that's why Tome Warlocks exist though, so that you can choose that to diversify into a utility spellcaster, compared to a gish (Blade), support (Chain) or buff (Talisman)
I had some ideas for the assassin, you only automatically crit on the sneak attack if you have two advantages(Kinda like how Liam at the start of critical roll thought that was how the assassinate feature worked) and you forgo the second advantage(If you think it’s too strong, make them forgo both advantages).
The second feature now gives you climbing speed, you gain proficiency with acrobatic checks(Expertise if you already had proficiency), you can always make stealth rolls and acrobatics checks combined to make them silently, stealth checks on walls and ceilings gain a +5 bônus, finally when attacking from up high you add the falling damage to your sneak attack and you only take half the falling damage.
On the third feature, when you take damage you can use your reaction to fall prone and fake unconsciousness, enemies make perception checks to discern if you’re faking or not, the DC of the check is equal to your 8 + twice your proficiency bônus + Intelligence or Charisma Modifier(If you are with more than half your health enemies gain advantage on the checks, but if you only have a third of your health they gain disadvantage, you can also fake wounds before the battle to make it seem like you’re about to be knocked unconscious), if the enemy fails the check the moment he enters your space, cast a spell right next to you, leaves your space or goes for a melee attack, you can as a free action attack them with a advantage and automatically dealing critical sneak attack damage. You can do this features at will, but the enemy can’t fall for the trick twice on the same combat.
The assassin seems like one of the easiest to fix. At our table, we added proficiency to Initiative at 3rd level. Replaced Infiltration Expertise with weapon and food poisoning abilities. Moved the 13th level to 9th level (alongside poisoning abilities) and made it take 10 minutes since it's so niche anyway. 13th level, Sneak Attack dice increase to d8s. And the Death Strike capstone actually reduces the creature to 0 hp on a failed save, if anyone actually gets to 17th level. (In true Rogue fashion, I think we stole ideas from other subclasses, feats, and homebrews to make an appropriate assassin that was an A-tier but not S-tier).
Way of 4 Elements - How about when attacking with martial weapon or unarmed strike, spend 1 Ki on hit to add extra elemental damage of your choosing, equal to the Martial Die? To balance it, limit it maybe to proficiency bonus number of times?
Assassin - mark a target for assassination and spend 1/2 of the necessery movement to reach it, or in case of difficult terrain it does not affect you while moving toward the marked target, or in case of ranged attack attacking from further range doesnt cause dissadvantage?
What you're describing for the first one is the way of the ascendant dragon monk. It's terrible.
I feel like a couple of changes to Warlock would be really appreciated. I think first of all, give some more generous scaling to the spell slots they get. Every other full caster gets 3 3rd levels spells at 6th level. I'm not advocating they end up with more slots, just change the levels at which they get them.
Second, I agree with DD here, Warlocks need some love in the total number of spells known too, it feels bad to know less spells after selling your soul to a Devil in exchange for power than a Ranger who has bees that really like him. Just let the spells from their pact expansion count as known automatically and not count against the number known.
Finally, I think one way to counter Warlocks hesitancy to use spell slots is to change the way invocations work slightly.
Invocations that let you cast spells usually come in one of two varieties. They either
A. Let you cast a low level utility spell, such as disguise self or mage armor, infinitely, but only on yourself.
B. Let you cast some support or damage spell, such as Confusion from Dreadful Word, but only once per long rest, and you have to spend a warlock spell slot.
In the first case, I think these tend to be fine, but I don't see the harm in letting you cast these spells on other creatures. They tend to be incredibly minor buffs (mage armor will likely not be a big deal to the paladin) but they might fit certain niche situations or save other spellcasters some low level slots for things like magic missile, bless, etc.
For the second type, I think just giving you one free casting of the listed spell per long rest at it's current level would be fine, and give the Warlock some breathing room when it comes to choosing what to spend their spell slot on.
You might also allow a Warlock to swap out one eldritch invocation on a long rest, giving them a much more strategic and perhaps party oriented reason to choose certain invocations, rather then just whatever best suits their build. If I know we're going to be doing some exploration, I might bring ascendant step this time because it suits the situation instead of devil's sight because it fits my 68 damage per turn hexshit great weapon master polearm master build.
All that being said, I think the one change I would really like to see hit Warlock is an increase in spells that are concentration and give you either an action or bonus action that does damage each turn, as with dragon's breath, moonbeam, flame blade, flaming sphere, heat metal, Maximilian's earthen grasp, bestow curse (no action involved but seriously why can a Wizard curse someone but a Warlock can't? Also in before Sign of Ill Omen, I'm talking about spells not invocations), call lightning, Melf's minute meteors, storm sphere, Bigby's hand... You get the picture. All of the above are concentration spells that would all be excellent on Warlock, considering getting the most out of their limited spell slots is the best idea for a Warlock, but aren't on the Warlock spell list. At the very least if they don't add a smattering of these to the Warlock spell list they should create some brand new Warlock spells that have mechanics similar to these ones.
This has been PSA.
What about linking lock spell slots to PB? It gips you 4th level sure but after 10th level you only have 4 spell slots normally. Getting up to 6 by 17th wouldnt be that bad of a change and you still have the one use MAs. Sure it doesnt fix the scaling per say but gives more in the end.
Agreed on the exanded spell list. Just give it to them.
I like the change to ELInv depending on the situation could be a bit broken but no more different than some clerics or druids with access to their entire spell list and preparing them. Who can ritual cast some of those anyway.
Concentration added spells would be nice but maybe gaining ritual casting without having to burn an entire pact on?
Warlocks need some love.
I tend to tie warlock spell slots to proficiency bonus in relation to the class, but not the actual character level. So a Warlock 5 and Cleric 6 still only gets 3 Pact Magic slots at 3rd level. I think it should depend on your campaign most likely, based on how many short rests you normally take, though some have suggested the diminishing returns method, where you frontload the number of slots the Warlock gets and get fewer slots back from a short rest.
Whatever the case is, everybody agrees that Warlock needs some love, and I think a better spell list and the "domain" spells is a good start. Idk if I agree that all Warlocks should necessarily get ritual spells, but the ritual spell invocation should just be default for pact of the tome
@@eainjones9509 ya no the PB tied to spell slots being based off lock level than character level is something i meant to insinuate my bad lol
You know i completely forgot you had to get the pact AND the invocation for ritual spells...shows how long ago i played a tome lock.
I usually play rogues or locks (assassin was my last one now onto hexblade!)
I figured that's what you meant, I was just sort of elaborating.
I like it, especially giving them more concentration spells, that's the warlock does anyway, except they cast one big spell and then fight with cantrips or blades, this'd just give them some much needed variety. I'd also like to give Witchbolt a greater range or/and be allowed to switch targets like Hex. That'd make it a viable alternative to Eldritch Blast rather than a trash spell.
I love these guys they talk so clearly about how they ether work with groups to do dnd or even change things well enough to help us.
I'm loving all of these ideas! I gotta admit, though, I really wanted to hear what you would do for the Undying Warlock.
I feel like it could use a "Turn Undead" ability once per SR instead of the sanctuary against undead. The healing isn't bad. Maybe a "Phylactery" ability at level 9 that allows resurrection without material components. Also, they should have the not needing sleep, food, or air right away, or else give that to the undead warlock.
The theme they seem to be going with was baby lich, but then they leaned too far into the undead part instead of the not dying part.
@@Painteagle Not dying seems pretty heavily covered in my opinion. I think it needs more Undead interaction. Undying should have been the Necromancy Warlock.
For the Whispers Bard and spell slots, if you want to keep it on the more limited side still, then have different spell levels offer upgrades to the illusion gained. Like, 1st level transforms their appearance, 2nd level also changes the voice, 3rd make the illusion physical, 4rd level allows for mannerisms to be copied instinctively, 5th level grants last 10 minutes of memories before death/unconsciousness/the time the identity was stolen, etc.
Yeah, it is kind of underwhelming when a simple choice in player race (changeling) can have your character perform far better at the Whisper bard's main feature than the subclass itself. And you don't even need to kill the target.
I'd argue that the whisper bard's main feature is getting sneak attack with the bard spell list.
@@MellonVegan Naw, I'd agree with that. I hadn't gotten far enough into the segment when I made that comment, and realized Whisper bard had way better stuff.
I like the races like that, that might require 2-3 levels in classes to add up to the list of cool stuff they can do, at the cost of not doing much else.
Bugbears. You get like, half a level in both rogue and fighter stapled to you.
Grung. You end up with like, half a level of Ranger, and essentially the Athletic feat thrown in for good measure. All for the low, low cost of slowly dying without water, not speaking common without a background, and poisoning your friends.
Tortle is just an entire experience. Tortle/Class is almost always totally unique to literally any other race/class.
Loxodon. Show up naked with an AC that makes the fighter blush, push and grapple things with your trunk, load crossbows, retrieve items, and sniff out clues. So much fun.
I actually created a new version of the Four Elements about three years ago that I have had people use. They did have spell casting in the way the arcane trickster does. I did give the metamagic abilities, allowing the monk to change the damage type of the spells. I also gave them an option to flexibly turn ki into spell slots and vice versa, similar to sorcerer. I of course gave them elemental damage with their fists, and the ability to use unarmed strike as a bonus action when the action was used to cast a spell.
I'm thinking the assassin rogue could have an increased crit range, say 17-20 (i.e. 20%) when they attack while hidden. To me, surprise should also include the hidden condition.
It almost does that. If they are spotted they ain’t hidden so no surprise. Assassin depends heavily on the dm allowing strategies to get the surprise round if they play well
I really like your idea of making the Four Elements Monk a Tertiary caster like the Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster and it really got me brainstorming. Some idea's for features I had include perhaps giving them the ability to use Flurry of Blows if you used your action to cast a spell. Maybe the evocation spells they learn can only be of certain damage types, Another one would be to give an option to use Ki points to cast spells (if your out of spell slots) by using a number of points equal to the level of the spell and/or increase the level of your spells using ki points (1 point per level and no higher then the highest level you can cast of course). You also talked about given them metamagic like abilities which I think maybe you could give them a unique ability to spend a ki point to take an element from one of the spells they know and enhance your unarmed strikes with that element, maybe make it an extra D4 of that elements damage and the damage die goes up whenever your martial arts die does, and perhaps make it a concentration effect. For a final ability at level 17, I would perhaps give them the ability to cast Steel Wind Strike without needing components (so you can use your unarmed strikes if you want) once per long rest for free and then it can be cast again this way for a certain number of Ki Points (maybe somewhere around 3-5)
Oh, this is gonna be fun and have a comments section full of "criticism"
I’ve already made a revision of the Bard College of Whispers in which I didn’t set out to improve the College of Whispers but rather make an improved Arcane Trickster using Bard as the base class. It’s called the Bard College of Mischief and you can check it out on DND Beyond.
Can we PLEASE get some "official" reworks for these? These are amazing, and things I have thought about, especially ones like the way of 4 elements monk and assassin, for years
For Berserker Barbarian:
At LV 7 While in a Frenzied Rage, you gain the following effect:
The first time you hit on a turn, you can use your reaction to decrease the number on the dice required to achieve a critical hit by 1. Once this has happened: on each consecutive attack that hits, the number decreases by 1. This continues either until an attack misses, critical hit is achieved, or five consecutive attacks hit without a critical hit. On the fifth consecutive hit, all damage modifiers are doubled.
Oh wow I can't wait to watch this Monk and Ranger video!
😥 sad but likely true
*and PHB sorcerers 😆💜
@@InLiquidColor what's wrong with either phb sorcerers
@@InLiquidColor oof u rite
@@doimanator9999 the tasha's sorcerer subclasses are how strong they should all be, because the base sorcerer class is very weak
Hearing your thoughts about the Berserker is funny because I recently made a Berserker Barbarian 3/ Hunter Ranger 12 for a small campaign focused on the short rest exhaustion recovery of the ranger (optional rule from Tasha's (works wonderfully if someone in the party knows the catnap spell)) to let me use frenzy more often and the whirlwind multiattack feature that basically worked exactly as you described. I had a blast playing it.
I still think it's stupid a Storm sorcerer can't cast Call Lightning.
What a good video, would love a continuation going deep into each subclass.