I haven't started my 5e campaign yet and I'm already beginning to come up with homebrew ideas, some of which are just more options while others are balancing attempts, which is just slightly worrying because one of the reasons i switched to 5e is because I wanted to get a way from the four pages of balancing homebrew rules I wrote for Pathfinder in part because there are some players that are new to d20 games, so here's hoping I don't come up with (much) more.
So here goes
Druid Circle
The druid chooses her druid circle at 3rd level, and all druid circle features gained at 2nd level are instead gained at 3rd level.
Ranger's Companion
You can choose a beast with a CR 1/2 or less. At 6th level this maximum increases to CR 1 and the companion may be large size and at 10th level to CR 2. If not commanded to take an action, the companion will automatically use the Dodge action. If commanded to attack, the companion may use the multiattack action if it has this action available.
Additionally to all benefits listed your companion gains the following benefits based on your level and the animal's CR:
CR 1/4 or less | Ranger Level 3: Your companion benefits from your Hunter's Mark spell the same way you do | Ranger level 6: You can order your companion to attack as part of your own attack action. | Ranger level 10: Your companion's attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
CR 1/2 | Ranger level 3: none | Ranger level 6: Your companion benefits from your Hunter's Mark spell the same way you do | Ranger level 10: You can order your companion to attack as part of your own attack action.
CR 1 | Ranger level 3: n/a | Ranger level 6: none | Ranger level 10: Your companion benefits from your Hunter's Mark spell the same way you do
Bestial Fury
Starting at 11th level, your beast companion can make two attacks when you command it to use the Attack action or if it uses the multiattack action it may choose one type of attack it makes during a multiattack and attacks with that attack one additional time.
Combat Style
You are trained in advanced combat techniques, gaining the following benefits:
• Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Choose a fighting style from the Fighter's class feature. You gain the benefits of that style. You cannot choose a fighting style you already gained from any other source and conversely cannot gain a fighting style from another source that you have already gained from this feat.
the following fighting style is available for Fighters, Paladins and Rangers:
Versatile Grip: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls made with weapons with the versatile quality you wield in one hand and a +2 bonus to damage rolls made with weapons with the versatile quality you wield in two hands.
That's all I have for now, feedback would be appreciated.
I think Versatile Grip might be a little TOO versatile. It's good for tanking (sword/hammer/axe/spear & shield) AND for striking.
The ranger boost looks really good.
I'm not sure the druid needs the nerf, but I've only seen one in action, and it was around level 10 or so. I haven't seen a low level one in action. It's probably not a big deal, since levels 1 through 3 go by rather quickly.
You compared it to primarily martial classes (except the bard), but most primarily magic-using classes (except the bard) choose their specialties at levels 1 (cleric, sorcerer, warlock) or 2 (druid and wizard). Not sure if there is a reason for that difference or not...
The Warlock picks two specialties, odd duck that it is.
The Warlock picks two specialties, odd duck that it is.
A few other classes sort of do, too.
Bards and Rogues get Expertise.
Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers get Fighting Styles.
Sorcerers get so few metamagic options they're almost specialties.
And (some) people there aren't that many customization options for 5E....
;-)
Speaking of customization options, I homebrewed a terror domain, to fit some of the evil deities in my setting which don't really fit with any of the PHB domains or the Death Domain from the DMG
I designed it for my settings NE half of the two dragon gods, who juxtaposes the NG dragon god's ideal of Courage, for a warped CE deity of mutilation and torture, and for a LE god of tyranny. As well as the moon goddess whose alignment shifts between the 9 available alignments with the lunar phases and I needed another domain to fill all 9 phases.
Many evil deities wield fear and anguish as weapons against their enemies or simply delight in terrorizing mortals and feeding off their dismay.
Terror Domain Spells
1st - dissonant whispers, hex
3rd - crown of madness, ray of enfeeblement
5th - fear, bestow curse
7th - phantasmal killer, confusion
9th - geas, antilife shell
Bonus Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain Proficiency with whips, flails and the Intimidate skill.
Painful Words
At 1st level, you learn the vicious mockery cantrip. This counts as a cleric cantrip for you.
Channel Divinity: Torment
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to torture your enemies with nightmarish visions.
As an action you present your holy symbol and each hostile creature within 30 feet of you must make a charisma save. A creature takes psychic damage equal to 2d10 + your cleric level and becomes frightened by you for one minute on a failed saving throw, and half as much damage on a successful one.
Frightened creatures may attempt a wisdom saving throw to end this effect on each of their subsequent turns.
Agonizing Horror
Starting at 6th level, when you deal psychic damage to a creature, that creature must make a charisma saving throw or become stunned for one round.
Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. 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 psychic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Harbinger of Anguish
At level 17th, you ignore a creature’s immunity to the frightened and stunned conditions. Additionally, whenever a creature attempts a saving throw against a spell or ability of yours that inflicts the frightened or stunned condition and does not otherwise have immunity against the condition, it does so with disadvantage.
It looks good. I like it a lot.
For the Channel Divinity: Torment ability, the initial save is a Charisma saving throw, but the subsequent ones are Wisdom saving throws. Is that on purpose?
Other little nitpicky things: the 5th Ed. skill is Intimidation, not intimidate. For Painful Words, vicious mockery should be italicized, and is it a bonus cantrip, or does it count against the number of cantrips your cleric can know?
Also, saving throw types, like Charisma saving throws, should be capitalized.
But other than all those teeny tiny critiques I made, it looks really good! It follows the format of other domains, it has an excellent flavorful spell list, I like the idea of terror causing psychic damage.
My only concern is the possibility of "stun-locking" an opponent with Agonizing Horror + Divine Strike or vicious mockery.
It looks good. I like it a lot.
For the Channel Divinity: Torment ability, the initial save is a Charisma saving throw, but the subsequent ones are Wisdom saving throws. Is that on purpose?
Other little nitpicky things: the 5th Ed. skill is Intimidation, not intimidate. For Painful Words, vicious mockery should be italicized, and is it a bonus cantrip, or does it count against the number of cantrips your cleric can know?
Also, saving throw types, like Charisma saving throws, should be capitalized.
Ah thanks for pointing out those flaws.
Torment is supposed to be all charisma saving throws. I wrote it as wisdom first but then thought that charisma is more appropriate, but forgot to change it in the last paragraph.
Vicious mockery is supposed to be a bonus cantrip.
i have a bit of a difficult time with capitalization even when I know consciously how it works, I often subconsciously get it wrong, and in english often times i cannot tell how it is supposed to work.
But other than all those teeny tiny critiques I made, it looks really good! It follows the format of other domains, it has an excellent flavorful spell list, I like the idea of terror causing psychic damage.
Good to hear.
My only concern is the possibility of "stun-locking" an opponent with Agonizing Horror + Divine Strike or vicious mockery.
Perhaps Agonizing Horror should cost a use of Channel Divinity?
Maybe....but that seems kind of costly for a use of Channel Divinity for 1 round of stun.
Maybe:
Agonizing Horror
When you cause psychic damage, you can use your reaction to use one use of your Channel Divinity to make the target stunned for 1 minute. The target is allowed a Charisma saving throw at the end of each of its turns to remove the stunned condition.
I worded it as such now
Channel Divinity: Agonizing Horror
Starting at 6th level, when you deal psychic damage, you may expend one use of your Channel Divinity feature to stun all targets for one minute. At the end of each of its turns the target may attempt a Charisma saving throw to end the effect.
Perfect! :-)