| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I created a custom druid order for one of my players, and would greatly appreciate feedback on balance, flavor as well as rules language. Getting the low-level options exciting but not overpowered is my #1 priority at the moment, but any feedback helps.
Thanks in advance!
Sorry I didn't see this until today. Looks nice! Here's some feedback:
Temp HP always has a duration. Insect allies and animating swarm should have some time limit (1 minute is effectively end of combat).
Symbiosis body doesn't need to restate the 3 THP for an ally, as it isn't changing it.
I assume chittering swarm damages them every time they enter a new square? If not, it needs a little damage bump, even if it's no-save damage. As is it won't do anything to creatures with resistance, but that's totally thematic and appropriate so I think it's fine, just noting that.
The anathema seems kinda weak, seems likely to be totally ignored as just an "I'm assumed to throw my trash on the ground after eating".
---
Overall, it doesn't get any very exciting abilities, although they are pretty useful and thematic. I would like to see a higher level feat to fly on a cloud of flies or something ridiculous like that.
Thanks for the feedback! I've since updated the druid order quite a bit - I felt the order lacked a cohesive theme so I focused more on the "insect shield" angle with temporary hit points and a boon. I'll probably upload the whole thing later but two of the updated feats are:
Insect Allies [reaction] - Feat 1
[Druid] [Insect Shield]
Trigger combat starts Frequency Once per minute
Insect life prospers all around you, and their hard shells protect you or your allies when a fight breaks out. You or an ally within 30 feet is protected by a shield of hard-shelled insects, which grants 3 temporary hit points. The temporary hit points granted increase to 5 if you’re expert in nature, 7 if you’re master and 9 if you’re legendary. Your insect shield grants you or your allies an additional boon of your choice: while you or that ally still has those temporary hit points, they gain your choice of resistance 2 to bludgeoning, piercing or slashing. The temporary hit points last for 1 minute.
Symbiosis Body – Feat 6
[Druid]
Prerequisites Insect Order, Insect Allies
You allow insects to live in symbiosis with you within your body. The first time a creature succeeds or critically succeeds a melee strike against you in a turn, they must attempt a basic reflex save against your class DC or take 1d6 piercing damage from the insects swarming out of you. When you grant an ally a boon with your insect shield effects, you may instead choose to grant the effects of this feat for as long as the ally still has the temporary hit points.
In giving the order a stronger mechanical theme I hope to make it more exciting in play.
When I first wrote up the order, I could have sworn temporary hit points had a default duration of 10 minutes. It does not, as you say, so I fixed that too.
Chittering Swarm hits every time you move a square (at least that's the intention). The interaction with resistance is very flavorful! I didn't realize that.
I had a hard time with the anathema - you're right it might be too lenient, though it has been a source of great RP material for my druid player. For my first bigger homebrew project like this I think I'd prefer to err on the side of leniency, but maybe it could be improved somehow.
I like the direction. The idea of low damage, but applying many times, seems to fit the theme of a swarm of insects well, and I think you've captured that.
Besides the fly speed I mentioned before, another idea I had was some type of scouting advantage. Maybe you can use the Scout action for free, like a high Stealth character can Avoid Notice for free. This would represent a network of insect allies always pointing out dangers around you.
Another one would be some persistent piercing damage attack/spell, as a swarm of insects clings to and bites at them. Persistent physical fits the theme and also would be unique in the rules at the moment, as far as I know.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Based on Bellybeard's suggestions, I ended up creating a second focus spell for the insect order. The spell is obviously based on the other two big druid focus spells (Storm Lord and Impaling Briars), so I'm wondering if it's unique enough to stand on it's own? The spell obviously has a ton of moving parts so I'd be grateful for any feedback.
Pest Control – Focus 8
[Uncommon] [Druid] [Enchantment]
Cast [two-actions] somatic, verbal
Area ground within a 100-foot emanation
Duration sustained up to 1 minute
Insects gather in great numbers all around you, assisting your allies and impeding your foes. Each creature in the area and up to 40 feet under the area is automatically observed to you unless it has means to fool the large number of insects. Each round when you Sustain the Spell, you can select one of the following effects to occur in the area.
•Pillar A ginormous writhing mass rises from underground to elevate a creature. You can create a 40 foot tall pillar of insects in a single square which isn’t occupied by a creature taking up multiple squares. If that square is occupied by a creature or object no larger than a single square, it is elevated to the top of the pillar. If the creature is unwilling, it can leave the square before it is elevated with a successful reflex save against your spell DC. These pillars have AC 10, Hardness 16, and 65 Hit Points, and are immune to critical hits and precision damage.
•Flight A cloud of flying insects gather below your feet, lifting you up. You gain a fly speed of 30 until the end of your turn. As part of the action to sustain the spell, you can Fly. If you lose this fly speed while still in the air, the swarm carries you in place in the air for the duration of the spell or until you gain a fly speed again.
•Writhe Any number of targets within the area must succeed a reflex save against your spell DC or take 1d8 persistent piercing damage. If a creature leaves the area of your Pest Control or the spell ends, the persistent damage also ends.
In addition, once per round you can direct the insects to swarm any target in the area (or burrowing up to 40 feet below the area), which has the concentrate and manipulate traits. You deal 10d6 piercing damage to the target; it must attempt a basic Reflex save. On a failure, it is also ejected to the closest area it will fit in aboveground if it was burrowing.
Looks good, I would definitely allow this at my table. Mechanically interesting and flavorful without being too strong.
Looks good, I would definitely allow this at my table. Mechanically interesting and flavorful without being too strong.
I'm in the process of updating the order a fair bit - I'll post the next version soon-ish I hope. When I post that version I think it's something that's (at least almost) ready to be used at a table.
I really like that focus spell. What happens to pillars between rounds? Can you cause them to disperse, dropping an enemy? But also if you lift yourself or an ally, you wouldn't want that to happen. Or do they stay for the duration (but then what happens at the end)?
That's the kind of awesome mental imagery I was talking about, I think you really nailed it. Well done!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I really like that focus spell. What happens to pillars between rounds? Can you cause them to disperse, dropping an enemy? But also if you lift yourself or an ally, you wouldn't want that to happen. Or do they stay for the duration (but then what happens at the end)?
That's the kind of awesome mental imagery I was talking about, I think you really nailed it. Well done!
Since the spell doesn't specify, the pillars probably stay forever. I should probably change it so that they at least go away when the spell ends.
The intended use of the pillars (other than raising your allies to reach flying creatures) is to raise an enemy, forcing them to potentially waste actions and take damage in getting down.
EDIT: Maybe the pillars need to be an incapacitation effect? I feel like many creatures at level 16 could get down without too much trouble but it probably almost always causes them to waste one or two actions with is really really strong for a part of a bigger spell like this (and one that can be repeated every turn!)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Since the spell doesn't specify, the pillars probably stay forever. I should probably change it so that they at least go away when the spell ends.
The intended use of the pillars (other than raising your allies to reach flying creatures) is to raise an enemy, forcing them to potentially waste actions and take damage in getting down.
OK, understood. So you could dismiss them and cause enemies to fall, but only if you stop sustaining the spell. It would only be 20 fall damage, so probably not worth it as a tactic since it costs a focus point and you can do far better at this level.
Does the 10d6 part require another action, separate from sustaining the spell? If so maybe you should add a little "as an action which has the..." in the middle of that sentence. If not maybe it should indicate that's also part of sustaining the spell.
OK, understood. So you could dismiss them and cause enemies to fall, but only if you stop sustaining the spell. It would only be 20 fall damage, so probably not worth it as a tactic since it costs a focus point and you can do far better at this level.
Does the 10d6 part require another action, separate from sustaining the spell? If so maybe you should add a little "as an action which has the..." in the middle of that sentence. If not maybe it should indicate that's also part of sustaining the spell.
The fall damage isn't a huge concern, but falling also makes you prone. So just walking off the pillar would take 2 actions (one to walk off, and one to stand up). I figure most monsters at level 16 have flying or some other way to get off the pillar, but it still seemed too strong since you can keep making pillars. I ended up making the pillar reflex save into an incapacitation effect, which hopefully brings the power down to where I want it.
Anyone know a better place to host PDFs? The one I used for version 1 of the document kinda sucked. I guess Google Drive might work better?
Edit: Oh and the 10d6 thing was a typo. I was missing the action thing, fixed now.
I usually use Drive for PDF hosting.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Here's the latest version of the Insect Druid Order.
There are still a couple of things to work out - Pest Control might be a bit strong still, I haven't played high-level so I may have gotten the power level wrong. I like the idea behind taunting pheromones, but there's probably a better name for it. The wording might be a bit wrong too. I wasn't sure of the wording on insect reintegration either.
Google drive should be a better hosting website. I appreciate feedback!
Awesome! Thanks for making a polished version like that. I may have an insect order mitflit as a villain in the near future for my low level party. :)
Awesome! Thanks for making a polished version like that. I may have an insect order mitflit as a villain in the near future for my low level party. :)
I'm happy to hear it! That means I'm doing something right. If your mitflit has large insect minions, they can cover their large insect in small insects with insect allies. That would certainly be a creepy-crawly!