Balance Fixes for all Classes (from survey results) and Capstones

[snafuy]

According to the recent survey, these classes are the most unbalanced:

Too Cold	Too Hot
Four Elements Monk Beastmaster Ranger Purple Dragon Knight Wild Magic Sorcerer Berserker Barbarian Undying Warlock Battlerager Barbarian Trickery Cleric Arcane Archer Fighter Storm Herald Barbarian Mastermind Rogue Champion Fighter Sun Soul Monk Redemption Paladin Inquisitive Rogue Transmutation Wizard Storm Sorcerer	Hexblade Warlock Divination Wizard Lore Bard Moon Druid Totem Barbarian Vengeance Paladin

So here are complementary sets of buffs and nerfs to bring everything closer together.

Battlerager Barbarian
improve Battlerager Armor: ... the target takes piercing damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus ...
improve Reckless Abandon: ... you also gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier + one quarter of your Barbarian level (minimum of 1)...
improve Spiked Retribution: ... the attacker takes piercing damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus ...
(This fix is just easy math.)

Berserker Barbarian
add Great Endurance: Beginning at 6th level, when you finish a short rest, you can recover from one level of exhaustion. After doing so, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
improve Intimidating Presence: Also, while you are in Frenzy, your Intimidate checks and Intimidating Presence DC use your Strength modifier instead of Charisma.
(Fix the two known flaws.)

Storm Herald Barbarian
improve Storm Aura: Desert: ... each creature of your choice in your aura takes fire damage equal to 1+one third of your Barbarian level.
improve Storm Aura: Sea: ... The target takes a number of d6 of lightning damage equal to 1+one third of your Barbarian level (reaching 7d6 at 18th level), or half as much on successful saving throw.
improve Storm Aura: Tundra: ... each creature of your choice in your aura gains temporary hit points equal to 1+one third of your Barbarian level, as icy spirits inure it to suffering.

Totem Barbarian
impair Totem Spirit: Bear: When you enter a rage, or as a reaction to taking damage during the rage, you gain resistance to all damage except psychic until the start of your next turn.
(Reduced economy.)

Lore Bard
impair Bonus Proficiencies: When you join the College of Lore at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Arcana, History, and Performance. If you are already proficient with one or more of those, gain skills of your choice as replacement.
(Lore Bard must know how to Lore and how to Bard.)
impair Additional Magical Secrets: At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from the spell lists for Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, and/or Wizard... Your Magical Secrets at later levels also must follow this restriction.
(Lore Bard is considered powerful due to its vast flexibility, so we take a little of that away.)

Trickery Cleric
add Bonus Proficiencies: At 1st level, you gain proficiency with Deception skill and weapons that have the finesse property.
improve Cloak of Shadows: As a bonus action, you become invisible ...

Moon Druid
impair Circle Forms: Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast with a challenge rating no higher than one third of your Druid level (e.g. CR 1/2 at level 2, up to CR 6 at level 18).
(2nd and 20th are the only levels Moon Druid is excessive.)

Arcane Archer Fighter
{Replace with a Ranger archetype.}

Champion Fighter
improve Natural Athlete: Starting at 7th level, you can add half your proficiency bonus (round up) to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check you make, except if you already add double your proficiency bonus.

Purple Dragon Knight
add Heroic Shield: At 7th level, you gain the Protection fighting style, or another fighting style if you already have that.
improve Inspiring Surge: ... In addition, any allies that benefit from your Rallying Cry, Inspiring Surge, or Bulwark abilities gain advantage on saving throws against fear for 1 minute.
(Drawing from 3E features.)

Four Elements Monk
improve Disciple of the Elements: You know the Elemental Attunement discipline and two other elemental disciplines of your choice. You learn two additional elemental disciplines of your choice at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
improve Elemental Disciplines: {all disciplines that cast spells have ki cost equal to the slot level, except maybe fireball.}
add discipline Bend the Blow: You can spend 1 ki point to cast Absorb Elements.

Sun Soul Monk
improve Radiant Sun Bolt: You gain a new attack option equivalent to your unarmed strike, except that its damage is radiant, and it can be used as either a melee spell attack or a ranged spell attack with a range of 30 feet. Any time you could make an unarmed strike, such as Flurry of Blows, you may use this attack in its place...
improve Searing Arc Strike: ... you can spend 1 ki point to cast the Burning Hands spell ...

Redemption Paladin
add Armor of Peace: When you take this oath at 3rd level, while you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Vengeance Paladin
add Armor of Faith: When you take this oath at 3rd level, you forsake all proficiency with armor and shields. While you are not wearing any armor or shield, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifer + your Charisma modifier.
(Here you go, Avenger fans.)

Beastmaster Ranger
{Replace archetype with UA Revised Beastmaster (but not the UA base class).}

Inquisitive Rogue
improve Eye for Detail: Starting at 3rd level, you can make an Investigation or Perception check as a free action once on each of your turns.

Mastermind Rogue
improve Master of Tactics: ... Also, you can use an action to tell an ally where to strike an enemy within 30 feet. If that ally's next attack hits the enemy, they add your Sneak Attack dice to the damage roll. Starting at 9th level, you can use the Help action as a reaction, before an ally makes an attack roll or ability check.
(Update: specify.)

Storm Sorcerer
add Bloodline Bonus Spells: You know Gust and Thunderwave in addition to your Spells Known.
(Just a tiny nudge up.)

Wild Magic Sorcerer
add Bloodline Bonus Spells: You know Prestidigitation, Chaos Bolt, and Detect Magic, in addition to your Spells Known.
improve Bend Luck: Also, you can use your reaction and spend 2 sorcery points to re-roll a result on the Wild Magic Surge table once. After doing so, you cannot use Bend Luck again until you complete a long rest.
add Flexible Metamagic: Starting at 6th level, when you complete a long rest, you can choose to replace one of your Metamagic options with a different one.

Warlock
improve Pact of the Chain: ... Your familiar uses your proficiency bonus, and its maximum hit points are increased by twice your Warlock level...
improve Pact of the Blade: ... If your pact weapon lacks the Heavy property, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.

Hexblade Warlock
impair Hex Warrior: {remove the paragraph about the special weapon. It comes with Blade Pact instead.}
(Obvious balance fix.)

Undying Warlock
improve Defy Death: Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
improve Undying Nature: You also gain resistance to necrotic damage, and advantage on saving throws against poison.

Divination Wizard
impair Portent: When you finish a long rest, roll a d20 and record the number rolled...
change Greater Portent: Starting at 14th level, if you have used your foretelling roll, you can make a new one when you finish a short rest.

Transmutation Wizard
improve Minor Alchemy: The change has a duration of Concentration 1 hour, but you can make it permanent if you expend alchemical reagents of equal or greater worth than any increase in the object's value.
(This is the First Law of Equivalent Exchange.)
improve Shapechanger: ... you can target only yourself and transform into a beast whose challenge rating is no higher than one sixth of your Wizard level...

*****

Balance Fixes for Capstones

impair Barbarian: {change 20th level "Unlimited" Rages to "6+Con".} Primal Champion: ... Also, your uses of Rage increase by your Constitution modifier, and you regain 1 expended use per 10 minutes.
(effectively unlimited for combat use, but not out of combat)

improve Bard: Superior Inspiration: At 20th level, you gain 4 more uses of Bardic Inspiration, and you regain 1 expended use per 10 minutes.
(Update: better now?)

improve Cleric: Divine Mastery (added): At 20th level, choose one of your Domain Spells of 2nd level or higher. You cast it as if it were one spell level lower.
(Miracle is strong, but a capstone should help you every day.)

Druid:
improve Wild Shape: ... You can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating no higher than one sixth of your Druid level (e.g. CR 1/4 at level 2, up to CR 3 at level 18)...
impair Archdruid: At 20th level, your uses of Wild Shape increase by your Wisdom modifier, and you regain 1 expended use per minute.
(effectively unlimited for out of combat use, but not combat)
Additionally, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components ...

Fighter: (no change)

improve Monk: Perfect Self: At 20th level, you regain 1 expended ki point per minute.
(increase utility usage)

Paladin: (no change)

improve Ranger:
replace Spells Known with Preparing and Casting Spells: ... choose a number of Ranger spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your Ranger level (minimum of 1)...
Foe Slayer: Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to an ability check, attack roll, or damage roll that you make...
(allow utility usage)

improve Rogue: Stroke of Luck: At 20th level, if you make a d20 roll that fails or misses, you can treat the roll as a 20...

improve Sorcerer: Sorcerous Restoration: At 20th level, if you have no Sorcery Points remaining, you regain one in 10 minutes. Also, you regain 4 when you finish a short rest.

improve Warlock: {Increase 20th level Spell Slots to 5.}

Wizard: (no change)

*****

Thoughts?

[OdinTGE]

I'm sure I just have a case of the dumbs, but what is the change to the Sun Soul Monk's Radiant Sun Bolt?

Oh...as I was re-reading it all I think I picked up on it. The published version seems to omit the standard monk bonus action unarmed strike...right? Or am I still suffering from the dumbs?

[snafuy]

Oh...as I was re-reading it all I think I picked up on it. The published version seems to omit the standard monk bonus action unarmed strike...right?

Right, the bonus action attack, and making it usable in melee. Sun Soul was rated only half a point below average, so a small boost is enough to put it in the right power range.
Four Elements was rated 3 times as bad, so it needs a lot more.

[nickl_2000]

Lore Bard nerf - I would consider learning 3 total that have to include Performance and either History or Arcana (both History and Arcana are pretty Lorey).

Moon Druid nerf - I'm not sure about this one. I do understand what you are going for, but I think it may be to much.
Maybe 1 combat Wild Shape per long rest and infinite utility combat shapes (for example, being able to wild shape into a badger gives you utility with burrowing, but not combat prowess). The DM and the player work together to decide what is considered a combat and utility shape. Then have you Prof bonus added to AC and Moon Druid level*Wisdom added to your HP in your combat shape. Yes, this makes it much more complicated, but having only one shape per long rest severely limits you in combat. However, with the unlimited utility it still gives you the fun and versatility.

Mastermind Rogue - What is the situation where you can use the help action as a reaction? What are you reacting to? If you give your sneak attack to someone else, you cannot sneak attack anyone that turn (as in you can't use a reaction from an AoO to sneak attack someone).


Bard Capstone - Bards already get all their uses of inspiration back after a short rest with Font of Inspiration at level 5.

[snafuy]

Lore Bard nerf - I would consider learning 3 total that have to include Performance and either History or Arcana (both History and Arcana are pretty Lorey).

Hmm... why not both? I'll add Arcana.

Moon Druid nerf - I'm not sure about this one. I do understand what you are going for, but I think it may be to much.

Do you mean too much value or too much nerf? 2+Wis wild shapes per combat.

Mastermind Rogue - What is the situation where you can use the help action as a reaction? What are you reacting to? If you give your sneak attack to someone else, you cannot sneak attack anyone that turn (as in you can't use a reaction from an AoO to sneak attack someone).

As a reaction to your ally doing something that could benefit from Help.
Yes, the sneak grant thing is only for lazy warlord situations where you aren't attacking.

Bard Capstone - Bards already get all their uses of inspiration back after a short rest with Font of Inspiration at level 5.

D'oh! I forgot about that. Will change.

[nickl_2000]

Do you mean too much value or too much nerf? 2+Wis wild shapes per combat.

It's to much of a nerf in my opinion. A Druid currently gets 2 Wild Shapes per short rest, not 2+Wis shapes. The shape they are in lasts 1/2 of the Druid level hours rounded down. Th issue with the Moon Druid wildshape is more of an issue of power at certain points. They are extremely powerful at early levels, but much less so at level 6-10. Then they get another spike from about 10-12, then a final spike at 18 to 20.

That is why I added that option after. Give the Moon Druid move versatility overall with wild shapes, but limit them move in combat. I'm not saying it is perfect, but it is certainly something to consider

As a reaction to your ally doing something that could benefit from Help.
Yes, the sneak grant thing is only for lazy warlord situations where you aren't attacking.

Then you need to spell it out. The Mastermind can use their special help action as a reaction when an ally does a skill check or makes an melee, ranged, or spell attack. That way it's defined and specific

[demonslayerelf]

This might just be me, but I don't think there's any problem with Archdruid. It's an awesomely powerful effect; But you also get it at your LITERAL height of power, so it's not much an issue for me. It's just that the other capstones absolutely suck.
And honestly, the proposed changes don't help them.

Let's start with the bottom-of-the-barrel 20th level abilities; The bard, sorcerer, and monk. You can also include a few subclasses in there, because while they don't get the effect at 20, you get it at their subclass capstone.
What these do, is when you roll initiative, you get a few resources back, but only if you have absolutely nothing. The monk has it a little better, because their Ki is used for a lot of things, but the Sorcerer and Bard get utterly screwed. Totally out of spells? You get nothing! Thank Pelor you didn't run out of Inspiration or Sorcery Points, otherwise you would've gotten something. It's useless outside of a couple circumstances.

And the changes don't help that. A capstone should be great and awe-inspiring; Not a bit of resource gathering. For example, the Monk capstone should be something like...

Absolute Balance. When a creature dies within 60 feet of the monk, the monk may use a reaction to gain 10 Ki points, stealing the dying soul's energy. A soul such drained may only be returned to life via True Resurrection or a similar effect. Alternatively, the monk may use their reaction to expend 10 Ki points to cast True Resurrection on the creature. This creature is placed under the effects of sanctuary for 1 minute after being resurrected in this manor.

The monk may use this feature a number of times equal to their wisdom modifier each day.


(The idea here being that the monk has near absolute control over a person's Ki, and can manipulate it to draw massive amounts of power, or use massive amounts of power to do better than the actual spellcasters.)

Does that seem powerful, maybe a little extreme? Yes? Good. You've hit 20th level, mate, here's your prize.
I'm only gonna actually make the monk's capstone here, to make the point. I hope it's been made.

This applies a little less to Fighters, but the 4 attacks is a bit weak. Barbarian's capstone isn't good, because it's really just a bit more health and a bit more damage. It also has nothing to do with rage, which is the barbarian's thing. So on and so forth. It's not that the Druid is too powerful, it's that the others are just too weak.

[snafuy]

It's to much of a nerf in my opinion. A Druid currently gets 2 Wild Shapes per short rest, not 2+Wis shapes.

I don't think we understand one another. Let me clarify:
I made two changes to Moon Druid. At 2nd level, I reduced their wild shape CR from 1 to 1/2. Levels 3-19 are unchanged. Then at 20th I reduced them from infinity wild shapes to 7 (aka 2+Wis). If combat lasts less than 8 rounds, and you have some minutes in between fights to recharge, then my change actually doesn't affect them at all.

The only time my change matters is when an epic battle runs long. For example, if you try to solo a thousand Perytons, eventually you run out of resources and have to retreat or die, just like any other class would. That's powerful but fair, unlike the PHB Moon Archdruid.

[snafuy]

And the changes don't help that. A capstone should be great and awe-inspiring; Not a bit of resource gathering. For example, the Monk capstone should be something like...

Absolute Balance. When a creature dies within 60 feet of the monk, the monk may use a reaction to gain 10 Ki points, stealing the dying soul's energy. A soul such drained may only be returned to life via True Resurrection or a similar effect. Alternatively, the monk may use their reaction to expend 10 Ki points to cast True Resurrection on the creature. This creature is placed under the effects of sanctuary for 1 minute after being resurrected in this manner.

You may be right. There are certainly places where I would be in favor of completely redoing features. Dozens of spells, for starters.

But my goal in this thread is to make simple changes that fit with the existing content and reduce imbalances. Evolutionary, not revolutionary.

[snafuy]

Complete except for Arcane Archer, which really should have been Ranger (as a swap with Monster Slayer).

[Talamare]

Lv 2 Sorcerous Restoration: At 2nd level, you regain 1 Sorcery Point after a Short Rest. This value increases to 2 at level 5, 3 at Level 11, 4 at level 16, 5 at level 20.


Sorcerer needs a fundamental fix, not a patch at level 20.


Edit - Also...
Warlock - Agonizing Blast - Level 5