D&D 5e Base Class Contest IV Chat Thread

[MoleMage]

It has a lot going on in that it has a lot of special action options. Sure, almost all of them use Heroics Dice, but they still add complexity. I will add Commune to Divine Quest starting at level 11 (two levels after Clerics get it). Augury and Contact Other Plane I am leaving off as the former is outright weaker than Commune/Divination and the latter is non-divine in nature.

Cross the Threshold was the big status-quo breaker more than anything. I'll make the wording more explicit in my next update push.

Spoiler: Damage Estimates

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Expected Damage dealt per round by Hero 11 (not using Heroic Strike): ~19 (includes the Gladiator parrying each round, assuming a Relic Weapon: Greatsword/Maul and max Charisma).
Expected Damage dealt per round by Fighter 11 (not using Action Surge): ~24 (includes the Gladiator parrying each round, assuming a Greatsword and max Strength).

Turns to kill Gladiator straight damage (CR 5 from MM): 6 for Hero, 5 for Fighter.

Heroic Strike adds 5.5 damage per use to the Hero (as it, like smite, is used after the hit is known and never wasted). Assume the hero uses it once a round on average: Turns to kill Gladiator: 5.
Action Surge doubles fighter damage one round (actually slightly more as the Gladiator can't parry, but not enough to knock off an extra turn), so 4 turns to kill gladiator.

Gladiator expected damage per round to Hero 11 (with +2 Dex and Half Plate): 18.15
Gladiator expected damage per round to Fighter 11 (with Full Plate): 16.5

Turns to kill a Hero, assuming +2 Con (he had to invest in Dex while the fighter didn't): 4 (without spending Heroics Dice on Fortitude)
Turns to kill a Fighter, assuming +3 Con: 6 (without using Second Wind)

Each round that the Hero uses Heroic Fortitude the damage it takes drops to 12.65. Fortitude every round gives the hero 5 turns of living instead of 4.
Second wind gives the fighter one extra turn of life, bringing it to 7.

Envelope math suggests you are correct in your estimation. The fighter has a full round over Mighty Hero both on offense and defense against the CR 5 Gladiator, assuming both use their combat resources aggressively The Hero matches offensively and loses defensively if the fighter uses no resources and the Hero uses all Heroics dice. Buffs for the Hero will be incoming.

My current plan is as follows: Increase the number of Heroics Dice to Level+Cha (up from half level + Cha), and make them short rest instead of long rest by default. Hero's Boon (level 6 feature that gave short rest Heroics Dice) now adds a "free" variation for core Heroics functions (Fortitude and all of the level 6 subclass ones). For example, Hero's Boon Fortitude will now give "free" temporary hit points on any turn where Heroic Fortitude is not used. This means that all of the passives are folded in as "improvements" to existing features.

Also adding Easy Integration at 3 (ignore language barriers through wording that I am still settling) and Just That Lucky at 9 (find exactly the item you need 1/long rest so long as that item is not a specific item, magical item, or mundane item worth more in GP than twice your level) as extra social interaction.

EDIT: Relic Trinket considered upgrade: Allow upcasting of selected spells by spending extra heroics dice. Alternately, no optional upcasting, but every time you cast it it's as a third level spell. Thoughts?