I've been having a great time RPing my Gnome Bard with Thaumaturge free archetype. The party's Staff of the Serpent has become such a mascot for us, that I took a Cavalier dedication at level 6 So that I could ride it into battle. Along the way, I found that I enjoy the Thaumaturgy and Cavalier components of my kit way more than the Bard components, so I want to ask my DM if he'll let me re-spec to be a full-time Thaumaturge with Cavalier dedication once we hit level 7.
For reference, my party is:
- - me
- - A healing-focused Druid with Beastmaster dedication
- - A Magus with Wizard dedication for frontline damage
Clearly we're compensating for our small party by adding minions to fill in the gaps. The druid and I keep the magus standing and the battlefield favorable with our various spells. I want to keep some of that support flavor by going Amulet / Wand for my implements, and choosing the adept benefit for Wand. I hope that inflicting off-guard with the electric version of Wand will do as much for the Magus' crit-fishing as my bard song used to do, while providing a much-needed ranged damage option. Unfortunately, this means that I won't be Striking almost ever, and so Exploit Vulnerability and Implement's Empowerment are wasted on me.
The Question
I want to propose to my DM that I apply the benefits of Exploit Vulnerability and Implement's Empowerment to my magical, bonded snake mount, instead of my own Strikes. I love the flavor of my snake's scales and fangs changing color and shape as I apply my esoterica to trigger enemy weaknesses, but it feels like I'm trying to have my cake and eat it, too. Before I propose it to my DM, what are your thoughts about balance? Would it be good as-is? Maybe I should pay a gold tax for an Invested item that creates that bond with my companion? Or is it just a case of a player who wants to have it all?
Gold is cheap. Unless you are paying a percentage of your wealth by level for each level that you gain on the bond, then the gold tax will either be too much for a level 1 character to pay, or negligible by the time you hit level 3.
If you want to go all-in on having the mount as an Implement, then create an Implement variety that is a mount. Probably somewhat similar to a Weapon Implement. Look to the other Implement powers for balance in designing the three tiers of abilities that the Mount Implement would have. Realizing that one of the innate benefits of the Mount Implement would be that you are 'wielding' it when riding the mount. Which can be both good and bad. You aren't wielding the implement when you aren't riding the mount, so having the mount off on its own doing things means that neither you or it will be benefiting from Implements Empowerment (unless you are wielding a different implement, which would allow you to still use it). But it does mean that you could be wielding the mount implement, a weapon, and still have a hand free. You couldn't put anything else in that hand without losing Implement's Empowerment, but you could hold a second implement and have both available.
The point of doing it this way is that now having the mount and being able to use your Thaumaturge abilities with it's attacks is a meaningful choice. You are in fact giving up something meaningful (a different Implement) in order to get it.
That's great advice! I could definitely see a custom Minion or Mount implement coming into play here! Let me see if I can cook something up... You want in on this design?
You want in on this design?
It's not necessary.
You can, of course, post what you come up with if you want more ideas, or feedback regarding balance or other concerns.
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Some thaumaturges share such a deep connection with another creature that their bonded souls can act as one. You carry a memento of this creature with you, as a token of your mystical connection. Your implement might be the grooming brush of your loyal steed, the chew toy of a beloved pet, or a vial of blood from the re-animated corpse of an ancestor.
Whatever its form, your locket empowers the connection between you and one creature with the Minion trait that you control.
You mystically infuse your minion with your esoterica, granting them the power and insight you have gleaned.
Empowered Command (one action)
Frequency: Once per round
Requirements: You are holding your locket implement and are within 30 feet of the corresponding minion
Traits: Magical, Verbal, Thaumaturge
You command your minion. Your minion gains the following benefits until the end of your CURRENT turn:
- - If you could benefit from Exploit Vulnerability and Implement's Empowerment, Your minion's Strikes also gain those benefits.
- - Your minion gains a +5 status bonus to each of its speeds
You may inscribe weapon runes onto your locket implement, as with a Handwrap of Mighty Blows. While your minion benefits from the Empowered Command action, its unarmed strikes also benefit from these runes.
Your minion gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 2 + half your level. These temporary hit points last until the beginning of your next turn.
(Honestly, I have no clue what to put here)
The initiate benefit seems in line with other implements, and open up lots of new possible characters. However I'm not so sure for the adept benefit and intensify vulnerability.
The main problem I see with the adept benefit is the fact that animal companions (and other minions) are balanced around the idea that they won't have striking rune to increase their damage, so the increase of damage is already "built in" their rules. Companions go from 1 dice to 2 when they become mature, to 3 when they become specialized, and minions that can be built through something like create undead have damage dices based on their level. Introducing striking rune then make it weird because either it doesn't stack with the increase damage dice, in which case it's redundant until you can inscribe a major one, or it does, in which case it may massively increase the damage your companion deal, when the ability to use the exploit vulnerability already increase said damage. Simply saying that striking runes dont transfer could work, but some property runes might also have weird interaction, in which case it might be safer (but more boring) to state that only potency runes are transferable that way.
As for the intensify vulnerability, it's simply too good a source of hit point if you can spam it every round during the whole fight (or day). It's also not really in line with the other implements intensify vulnerability, as they all specifically pinpoint the target of your exploit vulnerability in some ways. Making it some sort of damage resistance that only protect the companion against damage from the exploit vulnerability target would make more sense. Something like :
"your companion gain a resistance to all damage from your target equal to 2 + half your level. This resistance last until your next turn, or until your companion takes damage from your target, whichever comes first".
If the adept benefit limit the rune to only potency runes, then perhaps the parangon benefits could be openning it up to every property rune? That or giving your companion reactive strike against your target (as you would get yourself with the weapon implement) would be the best option I think.