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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Skinweavers, My Homebrew Druid Archetype



Evorox
2019-06-27, 05:27 PM
Skinweaving

Skinweavers are a select group of individuals who take the art of shapeshifting to an, ethically questionable level.

Druids who become skinweavers often are those driven by immense hatred, sorrow, or some other intense emotional driver. Skinweaving is not an art that is accepted by most circles, and often forces one into solidarity, until their power consumes them.


Skinweave
At 2nd level when you take this archetype, you have decided that merely shapeshifting into beings of nature isn't enough, The Wolf is a powerful predator, but its hide is too thin and most weapons slice through it, The Bear is tough and rather unbreakable, but is too slow, leaving itself open to critical attacks. The eagle can soar high above the clouds, but its claws cannot penetrate most armors. The Skinweaver sees only the weaknesses of these animals, and seeks to clog as many of these flaws as possible.

When you use your Wild shape ability, you can expend two uses, instead of one, to Skinweave.
When skin weaving, you still must abide by all standard restrictions on the druid shapeshift table, in addition to those listed here:

All physical attribute scores (str dex con) of the chosen form increase by 4
The size category of the creature is one larger than it normally is.
Whenever you take enough damage to be knocked out of wild shape, you instead fall unconscious
The maximum HP of your chosen form is increased by an amount equal to your current druid level
You can choose one trait (such as keen sense or charge) of another creature for which you also can wild shape into, and add it to this transformation



Horrid Transformation
At 6th level you have woven your form enough to know your own boundaries, and more importantly how to push them. You gain the following abilities when you skinweave, if any abilities overlap with those gained at 2nd level, you ignore those and replace them with these.

The maximum HP of your chosen form is increased by an amount equal to three times current character level
Whenever you take enough damage to be knocked out of wild shape, you instead fall unconscious.
You fall unconscious whenever you chose to shift back, if you willingly shift back you succeed your first death saving throw automatically
You can choose three traits (such as keen sense or charge) of another creature for which you also can wild shape into, and add it to this transformation



Terrifying presence
At 10th level you have torn yourself apart enough times that it has taken a permanent toll on your natural body. You have a +4 bonus to intimidation checks, and are also immune to all poison and disease, magical or non magical.


Unending thread
At 14th level you have become so adjusted to the physical pains of twisting your form that you only need expend one use of wild shape, not two, in order to Skinweave.



I appreciate any and all feedback on this, (particularly criticism) Thank you all for the help

Nutmeggnog
2019-06-27, 08:00 PM
I feel that a +4 bonus to all physical ability scores is very, very powerful, especially for Level 2. I'd lower it to maybe a +2 in one or two of the scores? Secondly, the choosing of any one trait from any other form seems a bit too vague and easily breakable. Maybe make a specific list of traits that you can choose from (Keen Sense and Charge are good starts). Lastly, for the Terrifying Presence ability, straight bonuses to rolls aren't given out often in 5e. I'd definitely replace the +4 with advantage, proficiency and double proficiency bonus, or rework the entire ability. Don't forget to include immunity to both Poison Damage and the Poisoned Condition! Other than that, it looks pretty fun and decently flavourful :smallbiggrin:

Evorox
2019-06-27, 08:43 PM
I feel that a +4 bonus to all physical ability scores is very, very powerful, especially for Level 2. I'd lower it to maybe a +2 in one or two of the scores? Secondly, the choosing of any one trait from any other form seems a bit too vague and easily breakable. Maybe make a specific list of traits that you can choose from (Keen Sense and Charge are good starts). Lastly, for the Terrifying Presence ability, straight bonuses to rolls aren't given out often in 5e. I'd definitely replace the +4 with advantage, proficiency and double proficiency bonus, or rework the entire ability. Don't forget to include immunity to both Poison Damage and the Poisoned Condition! Other than that, it looks pretty fun and decently flavourful :smallbiggrin:


Thank you so much! I initially told myself that by limiting the skinweavers to the normal druid shape shifting table would be a downgrade enough for a archetype bent on, well, shape shifting, but I had this nagging feeling that I overcompensated a little too much with the bonus to ability scores. I didn't even think about the level 10 ability being a problem, as for a fix on the traits, perhaps if I made the specification that the traits you added also had to be from creatures you could shape into? just to ensure there is no confusion on whether or not you can add a brown bears improved grab trait onto your much lover CR wolf transformation.

Potato_Priest
2019-06-28, 12:30 AM
Do you intend for a skinweaver Druid to return to their original fork and be knocked unconscious when they reach 0 hp, or for them to stay in their animal form and be knocked unconscious?

If it’s the former, you should specify that their original form is also reduced to 0 hp where applicable, since otherwise being knocked unconscious doesn’t really make much sense.