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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Sensitive Half-Elf (Variant)



Keundt
2016-01-27, 11:12 PM
Made to be a mini class-in-a-race, built for players whose characters are supposed to be able to cast magic, but can't until 3rd or 4th level. I used the rating guide to build this, and is made to equal a score of 6.5, the same as the base half-elf. To make this work optimally, I had to homebrew two cantrips, which are going to need some criticism.

Sensitive Half-Elf
Half-Elf (Variant)

A sensitive half-elf is a half-elf with a special ancestry of magic users, etc. With the benefits of both human and elven genes, a half-elf with this kind of connection to magic provides them with an extraordinary sensitivity to it.

Size: 5-6 feet, Medium.
Speed: 30 feet.
Languages: Common, Elvish.
Darkvision: 60 feet.
Aura State: (Fluff) You can make your eyes and/or veins turn or glow a colour of your choice, which may reflect a particular emotional state, your spirit, or a crystal in your possession. This colour is set until a year has passed, your alignment changes, or you have a major shift in your personality or emotional state. If you chose the crystal's colour, the colour will always be its colour, but you must have the crystal in your possession to use this feature's effects. To set a new crystal, you must bond with it during a meditation session.
Force Sensitive: As an action, you can make a Wisdom (Insight) check against a DC of 15. On a successful check, you are under the effects of the Detect Magic spell, and you can also sense life force within range. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (at least one), and you regain these uses once you complete a long rest.
Cantrips: You learn the Eon Blast and Force Ward cantrips, and Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Skills: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Abilities: +2 Charisma, and +1 to any two ability scores of your choice.

Eon Blast
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 ft
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

You hurl a mote of energy at an opponent. Choose fire, force, or radiant damage and make a ranged spell attack against a target creature. You deal 1d6 + your spellcasting modifier of the chosen damage type on a successful hit. This cantriip is considered potent, and whenever a similar effect or feature calls for you to add your spellcasting modifier to this spell's damage, they do not stack. At 5th level, you can make another ranged spell attack with this spell as if you had the Extra Attack feature. You can do this again at 11th level and once more at 17th level.

(Note: Eon Blast's damage provides a dynamic that puts it above standard damaging cantrips when rolled below 3, but they have a higher maximum output (ex: EB does 10 damage while this one does 9 with a 16 Cha), unless you have a 20 Cha, which should be rewarded with an extra +1 when rolling max damage. Although, Eon Blast can easily be beaten by a Lv.2 Warlock, Lv.6 Sorcerer and Lv.8 Cleric/Etc. with Potent Magic. Also, I'm not sure if "Eon" is an appropriate word to define this spell. I just thought it sounded catchy.)

Force Ward
Abjuration cantrip
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or a spell or effect that deals force damage.
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, until the start of your next turn.

A barrier of magical force appears and protects you. Until the start of your next turn, you can add your proficiency bonus to your AC, including against the triggering attack, and gain resistance to force damage for the duration. To cast this spell, you must have a free hand and not be wearing a shield.

(Note: the point of this cantrip is that it's a concentration spell, so once you lose concentration, it's gone. It's not a formidable replacement for a shield, and casting Shield will always be a superior choice for safety, unless you are Lv.17-20 and prefer 1 more AC. The utility comes in handy, though, when you have nothing in your hands, or are out of spell slots.)

Comment your thoughts! :D

Ninja_Prawn
2016-01-28, 08:01 AM
Aura State: As a minor action, you can make your eyes and/or veins turn or glow a colour of your choice, which may reflect a particular emotional state, your spirit, or a crystal in your possession. This colour is set until a year has passed, your alignment changes, or you have a major shift in your personality or emotional state. If you chose the crystal's colour, the colour will always be its colour, but you must have the crystal in your possession to use this feature's effects. To set a new crystal, you must bond with it during a meditation session.

'Minor actions' aren't a thing in 5e. Either make it a bonus action, or not an action at all. Also, this ability... is a ribbon. Races shouldn't really have ribbons; these things just become part of the fluff. It's kind of like saying that humans can optionally grow hair on their heads... and then making it a racial feature. :smalltongue:


Force Sensitive: As an action, you can make a Wisdom (Insight) check against a spell save DC using your Charisma...

What? Whose spell save DC? Which spell? How do you make a Wisdom check using Charisma? (You could just call it a Charisma (Insight) check.)


On a successful check, you are under the effects of the Detect Magic spell, and you can also sense life force within range. If you are in your Aura State, you can see auras,

That's already packaged into Detect Magic.


and your aura and magical signatures you leave glow your colour when you see them. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (at least one), and you regain these uses once you complete a long rest.
Cantrips: You learn the Eon Blast and Force Ward cantrips, and Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Skills: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Abilities: +2 Charisma, and +1 to any two ability scores of your choice.

Eon Blast
Evocation cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 ft
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous

You hurl a mote of energy at an opponent. Choose fire, force, or radiant damage and make a ranged spell attack against a target creature. You deal 1d6 + your spellcasting modifier of the chosen damage type on a successful hit. This cantrip is considered potent, and whenever a similar effect or feature calls for you to add your spellcasting modifier to this spell's damage, they do not stack. At 5th level, you can make another ranged spell attack with this spell as if you had the Extra Attack feature. You can do this again at 11th level and once more at 17th level.

(Note: Eon Blast's damage provides a dynamic that puts it above standard damaging cantrips when rolled below 3, but they have a higher maximum output (ex: EB does 10 damage while this one does 9 with a 16 Cha), unless you have a 20 Cha, which should be rewarded with an extra +1 when rolling max damage. Although, Eon Blast can easily be beaten by a Lv.2 Warlock, Lv.6 Sorcerer and Lv.8 Cleric/Etc. with Potent Magic. Also, I'm not sure if "Eon" is an appropriate word to define this spell. I just thought it sounded catchy.)

Force Ward
Abjuration cantrip
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or a spell or effect that deals force damage.
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, until the start of your next turn.

A barrier of magical force appears and protects you. Until the start of your next turn, you can add your proficiency bonus to your AC, including against the triggering attack, and gain resistance to force damage for the duration. To cast this spell, you must have a free hand and not be wearing a shield.

(Note: the point of this cantrip is that it's a concentration spell, so once you lose concentration, it's gone. It's not a formidable replacement for a shield, and casting Shield will always be a superior choice for safety, unless you are Lv.17-20 and prefer 1 more AC. The utility comes in handy, though, when you have nothing in your hands, or are out of spell slots.)

Comment your thoughts! :D

The rest is okay, I guess.

Keundt
2016-01-28, 02:01 PM
'Minor actions' aren't a thing in 5e. Either make it a bonus action, or not an action at all. Also, this ability... is a ribbon. Races shouldn't really have ribbons; these things just become part of the fluff. It's kind of like saying that humans can optionally grow hair on their heads... and then making it a racial feature. :smalltongue:

What? Whose spell save DC? Which spell? How do you make a Wisdom check using Charisma? (You could just call it a Charisma (Insight) check.)

That's already packaged into Detect Magic.

The rest is okay, I guess.

One of the DMs I played with used minor actions. It would be a free action, and yeah, it's just fluff, which was why I never gave it a score.

Lol I didn't realize that Detect Magic has the sight included in the spell. Guess I should change that.

Also, I'm changing the DC for the Insight check to be 15. I messed up. And should it be a Charisma (Insight) check or Wisdom (Insight) check? Using Charisma makes it seem more dynamic, but I'm not sure if people would like to overcomplicate things.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-01-29, 04:19 AM
Also, I'm changing the DC for the Insight check to be 15. I messed up. And should it be a Charisma (Insight) check or Wisdom (Insight) check? Using Charisma makes it seem more dynamic, but I'm not sure if people would like to overcomplicate things.

I don't have any objection to baking non-standard skill checks into the game (like Strength (Intimidate)), but what does Charisma (Insight) mean? Charisma represents confidence and your ability to project yourself into the world, while Insight is your ability to read other people's body language and tell when they're lying. I don't see how they fuse together at all. Honestly, I think Wisdom (Arcana) would be a better representation of a person's sensitivity to magical auras.

I'm inclined to wonder why it needs a check anyway... Wouldn't it be simpler and more balanced if it was just part of the innate magic? 2 cantrips and a once/day 1st level spell?