sandmote
2019-08-16, 08:12 PM
I've been trying to buff the Strength skill in 5e slightly, and think I've come up with a reasonable skill to do that.
Bodily Autonomy
A Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check can be used to have your body fight off effects on your mind, as well as to resist foreign agents affecting your ability to act. It can be used in cases like to following.
Disguise Revulsion. When you become poisoned, recoil from something you sense, or must spend time retching and reeling, you may make a DC 15 Constitution (Bodily Autonomy) check to avoid outwardly showing this effect. You still suffer the effects of the disguised activity, such as becoming poisoned or losing an action.
Ignore Caltrop Wound. If physically injured as by a caltrop, you may attempt to have your body move despite the pain. On a sucessful DC 20 Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check, you can ignore the effects of caltrops for one round. You can repeat this check one per round.
Overcome Poison. While poisoned, you may make a Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check with advantage against the save DC of the effect, ignoring a single source of the poisoned condition on your next attack roll or skill check in a success. You cannot repeat this check against the same instance of the condition
Stave Petrification. When you fail a saving throw to avoid being petrified, you can make a Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check against the save DC of the petrification effect as a reaction. On a success, you can ignore the effects of the saving throw, and repeat the saving throw at the end of your next turn. You cannot repeat this check if you used it against the same source of petrification since the start of your last turn.
Steady Fear. While frightened, you may use a bonus action to make a Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check against the save DC of the fear effect. On a successful save, your body overrides the effects of your mind and allows you to move toward the source of your fear. Doing so costs an additional two feet of movement for every foot you move closer to the source of your fear. You can make this check when you must move away from the source of your fear as fast as possible, and aren't forced to do so on a success, although you still cannot willingly end your turn within 30 feet of the source of your fear.
Changes to existing materials:
Taking damage from a bag of caltrops reduces your speed to 10 feet instead of by 10 feet.
If a character attempts to "Quaff an entire stein of ale in one go," they would make a Constitution (Bodily Autonomy) check instead of a straight Constitution check.
Medicine
The following are additional uses for the medicine skill
Treat Wound from Caltrop. A Wisdom (Medicine) check can be made as an action to remove and heal minor injuries that limit movement of a character within 5 feet of you. The DC for such a check is the save DC of the effect, or 15 if one is not listed.
Stave Poison. You can make a Wisdom (medicine) check as an action on a creature within 5 feet of you against the save DC of the condition. On a success the target can ignore a single source of the poisoned condition on their next attack roll, action, or skill check. You cannot repeat this check against the same instance of the poisoned condition.
Bodily Autonomy is themed as a reverse of Autohypnosis from 3.5e psionics. Rather than the mind or subconscious overriding the body or conscious, the body or subconscious overrides the mind or conscious. Overcome poison is with advantage to cancel the disadvantage from being poisoned.
I took this moment to reduce the chance of being Petrified a bit, although I'm not sure it fits. Particularly given I don't want to allow a character to replace a saving throw with an ability check. Maybe as part of a feat (ex: other gish features and Strength (Bodily Autonomy) checks instead of saves to maintain concentration) but certainly not by default.
Medicine has also been expanded, hopefully to the point it isn't pretty much flat out worse than learning spare the dying.
This was initially intended to buff Strength a bit, as I tend to default it to me dump stat whenever my build doesn't explicitly use it. I have also taken the opportunity to weaken a few conditions, and to
Bodily Autonomy
A Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check can be used to have your body fight off effects on your mind, as well as to resist foreign agents affecting your ability to act. It can be used in cases like to following.
Disguise Revulsion. When you become poisoned, recoil from something you sense, or must spend time retching and reeling, you may make a DC 15 Constitution (Bodily Autonomy) check to avoid outwardly showing this effect. You still suffer the effects of the disguised activity, such as becoming poisoned or losing an action.
Ignore Caltrop Wound. If physically injured as by a caltrop, you may attempt to have your body move despite the pain. On a sucessful DC 20 Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check, you can ignore the effects of caltrops for one round. You can repeat this check one per round.
Overcome Poison. While poisoned, you may make a Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check with advantage against the save DC of the effect, ignoring a single source of the poisoned condition on your next attack roll or skill check in a success. You cannot repeat this check against the same instance of the condition
Stave Petrification. When you fail a saving throw to avoid being petrified, you can make a Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check against the save DC of the petrification effect as a reaction. On a success, you can ignore the effects of the saving throw, and repeat the saving throw at the end of your next turn. You cannot repeat this check if you used it against the same source of petrification since the start of your last turn.
Steady Fear. While frightened, you may use a bonus action to make a Strength (Bodily Autonomy) check against the save DC of the fear effect. On a successful save, your body overrides the effects of your mind and allows you to move toward the source of your fear. Doing so costs an additional two feet of movement for every foot you move closer to the source of your fear. You can make this check when you must move away from the source of your fear as fast as possible, and aren't forced to do so on a success, although you still cannot willingly end your turn within 30 feet of the source of your fear.
Changes to existing materials:
Taking damage from a bag of caltrops reduces your speed to 10 feet instead of by 10 feet.
If a character attempts to "Quaff an entire stein of ale in one go," they would make a Constitution (Bodily Autonomy) check instead of a straight Constitution check.
Medicine
The following are additional uses for the medicine skill
Treat Wound from Caltrop. A Wisdom (Medicine) check can be made as an action to remove and heal minor injuries that limit movement of a character within 5 feet of you. The DC for such a check is the save DC of the effect, or 15 if one is not listed.
Stave Poison. You can make a Wisdom (medicine) check as an action on a creature within 5 feet of you against the save DC of the condition. On a success the target can ignore a single source of the poisoned condition on their next attack roll, action, or skill check. You cannot repeat this check against the same instance of the poisoned condition.
Bodily Autonomy is themed as a reverse of Autohypnosis from 3.5e psionics. Rather than the mind or subconscious overriding the body or conscious, the body or subconscious overrides the mind or conscious. Overcome poison is with advantage to cancel the disadvantage from being poisoned.
I took this moment to reduce the chance of being Petrified a bit, although I'm not sure it fits. Particularly given I don't want to allow a character to replace a saving throw with an ability check. Maybe as part of a feat (ex: other gish features and Strength (Bodily Autonomy) checks instead of saves to maintain concentration) but certainly not by default.
Medicine has also been expanded, hopefully to the point it isn't pretty much flat out worse than learning spare the dying.
This was initially intended to buff Strength a bit, as I tend to default it to me dump stat whenever my build doesn't explicitly use it. I have also taken the opportunity to weaken a few conditions, and to