Been thinking about a 5e Bard College based on Pro Wrestling, and outside of the level 14 Feature which I'm still not sure on, I have some decent ideas.
Level 3: First Feature is that you Add your Charisma Bonus to Strength and Dex Rolls along with your AC, second is a choice between being a Face and a Heel (you can swap between these as a Downtime Action during a Long Rest) where each one replaces your Flat Charisma Bonus to Strength, Dex and AC with a either your bonus to Performance (Face) or Intimidation (Heel) and gives you an additional way to use of your Inspiration Dice in Combat (a Heel can spend one of theirs as a Reaction to Frighten an Enemy that missed an Attack against them, Face I haven't figured out yet.).
Level 6: You get an Extra Attack. That's basically it.
This would be stronger than Unarmored Defense just on the face of it, but just to be sure; Do you just mean Ability checks, or do you also mean Saves and Attacks?
second is a choice between being a Face and a Heel (you can swap between these as a Downtime Action during a Long Rest) where each one replaces your Flat Charisma Bonus to Strength, Dex and AC with a either your bonus to Performance (Face) or Intimidation (Heel)
Bards get Expertise. If this feature is incompatible with armor, which I'd assume but you haven't actually stated, that's +4 to AC at least, or +10 at level 14. Plus Dex, and Charisma.
Your first feature needs significant rework, being much too strong right now, as pointed out. I would do the following:
Unarmored Defense based off Charisma, so that you can be a properly unarmored Wrestler
an improved unarmed strike. Improved Damage Dice, maybe make it work off Dexterity too (this is a bit reduncant with Tavern Brawler which this build really will take, but hey)
Proficiency with Athletics and the ability to use Charisma instead of Strength for Athletics (this prevents too much Mulity Ability Dependency)
Heels can, after Grappling an enemy, or after moving a grappled enemy, Frighten an enemy as a Reaction, at the cost of a Bardic Performance
Faces can, after Grappling an enemy, or after moving a grappled enemy, Charm an enemy as a Reaction, at the cost of a Bardic Performance
Swapping between Face and Heel can be done during any Short Rest
When you succesfully grapple a target, or move a target with a grapple, as a Reaction you may expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to have one target within 30 feet make a Wisdom Saving Throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency bonus + Charisma Modifier). On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of the next turn.
Yeah, that could work. It could also be tweaked:
work off any succesful attack, rather than just grapples (though I really like the idea of encouraging Grapples, which Bards can also be good at thanks to Expertise)
deal additional damage equal to your Bardic Inspiration Die, which should work either with the Grapple or Attack version and be balanced in both cases
For Faces, you could go with
Menacing Attack (bonus damage, wisdom save or Frightened)
Disarming Attack (bonus damage, strength save or disarmed)
Distracting Strike (bonus damage, no save and next attack by someone other than you against the target has advantage)
If you do the above, this basically turns your Inspiration Die into specific-use Battlemaster Maneuvers (you only get 2 maneuvers, you have roughly the same uses, they work roughly the same, but yours cost a Reaction in exchange for greater range)
The final result could look like this:
When you succesfully grapple a target, or hit a target you have grappled with an attack, as a Reaction you may expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to deal that much extra damage to the target. In addition, you can select on target within 30 feet of you to affect with one of the following, depending on whether you are currently the Face or the Heel:
Face: the next attack by someone other than you against the target has Advantage
Heel: the target must make a Wisdom Saving Throw (your Spell Save DC). On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of the next turn
Been thinking about a 5e Bard College based on Pro Wrestling, and outside of the level 14 Feature which I'm still not sure on, I have some decent ideas.
In a related note the Delver's Guide To The Beast World setting has a WWE-alike called "The Storied Histories League", a kayfabe minigame, and even a Fighter sub-class focused on it called "The Main Event".
Level 3: First Feature is that you Add your Charisma Bonus to Strength and Dex Rolls along with your AC, second is a choice between being a Face and a Heel (you can swap between these as a Downtime Action during a Long Rest) where each one replaces your Flat Charisma Bonus to Strength, Dex and AC with a either your bonus to Performance (Face) or Intimidation (Heel) and gives you an additional way to use of your Inspiration Dice in Combat (a Heel can spend one of theirs as a Reaction to Frighten an Enemy that missed an Attack against them, Face I haven't figured out yet.).
It's also unnecessary. Bards (and rogues) are already the best wrestlers in the game, because you use the Athletics skill to grapple and those classes get Expertise, which doubles the proficiency bonus to skills.
There's a bit of a difference between 'local badger' and 'the Tarrasque' lol
I could see a whole backstory of the warlock being connected through dreams with the Tarrasque, and the sheer magical/fundamental presence of the Tarrasque is enough for the warlock to pick up some arcane secrets of their own.
Not every warlock character's pact requires that the patron actually even know the warlock exists.
There's a bit of a difference between 'local badger' and 'the Tarrasque' lol
I could see a whole backstory of the warlock being connected through dreams with the Tarrasque, and the sheer magical/fundamental presence of the Tarrasque is enough for the warlock to pick up some arcane secrets of their own.
Not every warlock character's pact requires that the patron actually even know the warlock exists.
There's a bit of a difference between 'local badger' and 'the Tarrasque' lol
I could see a whole backstory of the warlock being connected through dreams with the Tarrasque, and the sheer magical/fundamental presence of the Tarrasque is enough for the warlock to pick up some arcane secrets of their own.
Not every warlock character's pact requires that the patron actually even know the warlock exists.
This was pretty much the idea, that the warlock was somehow tapped into the same source of primal magic without the Tarrasque itself being actively aware of the leech.
My take would be to borrow from the old, old /tg thread which came up with "the City of the Tarrasque". [This is a 3.5e-era idea, to clarify.]
To summarize, it's the idea of a world where the Tarrasque was dealt with by an archmage who responded to hearing of the beast's immortality with something to the effect of, "What sort of fool would treat that as some insurmountable obstacle?"
So they beat the Tarrasque to mangled pulp, and then bound its writhing, ever-regrowing corpse in great barbed chains of adamantine, and then drove immovable rods the size of watchtowers through its joints, and otherwise set about demonstrating that "immortal" and "unstoppable" were very, very different things.
In time, settlements sprang up around the ever-living carcass, and in time they came together to become the City of the Tarrasque.
Everything in their city begins with the beast beneath their feet; the land is hopelessly barren, and so they drink the tarrasque's blood and eat its flesh in lieu of any other source of sustenance...
"Of course, being a powerful magical creature, the tarrasque's blood, flesh and other body parts have certain useful properties. A side effect of keeping the tarrasque imprisoned like this was a neverending supply of powerful magical components. A city grew up around the fortress to house the various wizards, scholars and alchemists that came to exploit the tarrasque's bounty. Eventually, it was almost as if the neverending stream of tarrasque blood, flesh and bone was more important than imprisoning the beast itself."
I'm picturing decadent nobles made immortal by their continuued consumption of tarrasque flesh. Warrior-butchers wielding vorpal greatswords to hack away at the tarrasque, and channels cut into the stone underneath the beast to channel the valuable blood away. The tarrasque's distant screams and roars would be a continuous background noise for the people in the city, with "tarrasque-quakes" common. Almost an industry of ludicrously expensive magic items crafted from its body parts - tarrasquehide armour, tarrasquebone spears and potions and other alchemical miscellania of course.
You could play up the creepiness of the whole thing, maybe eating the flesh and blood of the tarrasque has unwanted side-effects. I'm thinking of tarrasque blood being analogous to the spice from dune - in this city the blood's used in just about everything and it has unusual effects on the populous.
Where I would then butt in is to have a warlock whose pact is with the City's rulers, who have grown so old and so great by their endless, bloody Communion with the beast that they are exactly the sort of strange, alien entities which a warlock might swear himself to. Alternatively, the warlock is a distant descendant of the City's nobility, and the lingering ichor of the Tarrasque has fermented and flowered within their body and soul.
My take would be to borrow from the old, old /tg thread which came up with "the City of the Tarrasque". [This is a 3.5e-era idea, to clarify.]
To summarize, it's the idea of a world where the Tarrasque was dealt with by an archmage who responded to hearing of the beast's immortality with something to the effect of, "What sort of fool would treat that as some insurmountable obstacle?"
So they beat the Tarrasque to mangled pulp, and then bound its writhing, ever-regrowing corpse in great barbed chains of adamantine, and then drove immovable rods the size of watchtowers through its joints, and otherwise set about demonstrating that "immortal" and "unstoppable" were very, very different things.
In time, settlements sprang up around the ever-living carcass, and in time they came together to become the City of the Tarrasque.
Everything in their city begins with the beast beneath their feet; the land is hopelessly barren, and so they drink the tarrasque's blood and eat its flesh in lieu of any other source of sustenance...
"Of course, being a powerful magical creature, the tarrasque's blood, flesh and other body parts have certain useful properties. A side effect of keeping the tarrasque imprisoned like this was a neverending supply of powerful magical components. A city grew up around the fortress to house the various wizards, scholars and alchemists that came to exploit the tarrasque's bounty. Eventually, it was almost as if the neverending stream of tarrasque blood, flesh and bone was more important than imprisoning the beast itself."
I'm picturing decadent nobles made immortal by their continuued consumption of tarrasque flesh. Warrior-butchers wielding vorpal greatswords to hack away at the tarrasque, and channels cut into the stone underneath the beast to channel the valuable blood away. The tarrasque's distant screams and roars would be a continuous background noise for the people in the city, with "tarrasque-quakes" common. Almost an industry of ludicrously expensive magic items crafted from its body parts - tarrasquehide armour, tarrasquebone spears and potions and other alchemical miscellania of course.
You could play up the creepiness of the whole thing, maybe eating the flesh and blood of the tarrasque has unwanted side-effects. I'm thinking of tarrasque blood being analogous to the spice from dune - in this city the blood's used in just about everything and it has unusual effects on the populous.
Where I would then butt in is to have a warlock whose pact is with the City's rulers, who have grown so old and so great by their endless, bloody Communion with the beast that they are exactly the sort of strange, alien entities which a warlock might swear himself to. Alternatively, the warlock is a distant descendant of the City's nobility, and the lingering ichor of the Tarrasque has fermented and flowered within their body and soul.
Ah, my opinion of them comes more from 2e Spelljammer where you find out that there's a "home" planet for them, where they gather in huge herds and are relatively docile. They just turn hyperaggressive when exposed to any other planet's atmosphere. (Based on a quick check, it may be that it's too much oxygen that makes them go berserk as their atmosphere is mostly CO2.)
Kinda still thinking on building my kobold warlock, would it be a good idea to multiclass into a Paladin or cleric of Null? Because my kobold is a follower of Null and one of his long term goals to to either get wings or immortality so he believes Null can at least get him one of those.
Kinda still thinking on building my kobold warlock, would it be a good idea to multiclass into a Paladin or cleric of Null? Because my kobold is a follower of Null and one of his long term goals to to either get wings or immortality so he believes Null can at least get him one of those.
I picked the Great old one as my patron though, currently level 5 and I kinda want to multiclass though, I already got agonising blast on lock but I don't want to die to a goblin shaking me and was thinking of a beat more versatility. Thus, mukticlassing into a Paladin or cleric.
True but hey, create thrall and dreams are very fun spells and features, and hey, as cleric of Null I could find a way into some form of lichdom if my dm allows me to.
So, playing 5e in a west marches server, level 9 tortle Totem!barbarian, going bear, bear, and eventually eagle for the 'Hulk Jump.'
But I'm finding I don't really have much way to recuperate damages except with expensive health potions or a team-mate healing me, and I can go down pretty easily just by a thousand cuts, and I got to thinking about a multiclass into either druid or cleric, based on my stats. Fighter is possible too, but I'm not seeing anything except Second Wind or the Samurai subclass that could help solve my problems. I looked through both of the wis caster classes, and it's looking like Twilight cleric might be my best bet to get a pseudo-heal while raging.
Having never played a cleric, however, is there any general advice on this whole situation, or am I'm going in the wrong direction on this problem?
So, playing 5e in a west marches server, level 9 tortle Totem!barbarian, going bear, bear, and eventually eagle for the 'Hulk Jump.'
But I'm finding I don't really have much way to recuperate damages except with expensive health potions or a team-mate healing me, and I can go down pretty easily just by a thousand cuts, and I got to thinking about a multiclass into either druid or cleric, based on my stats. Fighter is possible too, but I'm not seeing anything except Second Wind or the Samurai subclass that could help solve my problems. I looked through both of the wis caster classes, and it's looking like Twilight cleric might be my best bet to get a pseudo-heal while raging.
Having never played a cleric, however, is there any general advice on this whole situation, or am I'm going in the wrong direction on this problem?
That you've made it to level 9 would indicate that this should be somewhat less of an issue than you're maybe putting out. Is the DM particularly stingy with rests, or something?
That you've made it to level 9 would indicate that this should be somewhat less of an issue than you're maybe putting out. Is the DM particularly stingy with rests, or something?
I've had good luck with teammates that can heal me, but like I said the only other effective mid-combat option are potions, and the gold rewards are oftentimes only just enough to recoup my losses if I have to drink a greater or superior health pot, to not even speak of the other expenses that money can go towards. I've been managing to hold even at about 1-1.5k GP for now, but that amount hasn't changed for quite a while now, regardless of the session loot, just because it all immediately goes back to restocking on supplies.
And there's occasionally been time to rest, but resting doesn't exactly help me in the middle of a fight. This all is more just something I've been noticing as I climbed in level and fought tougher enemies, along with the uncomfortable reality that sometimes nobody in the party has any healing ability beyond, yet again, more expensive potions.
edit; there's also a hard limit on the number of potions we can carry during a session, so I can't just load up with ten health potions.
From what I've seen of 5E in Actual Plays, PCs taking a lot of damage seems to be the norm and having a healer in the party to get them up when they go down seems to be a necessity. There's more non-magical means to regain hit points outside of combat than in previous editions, due to the ability to expend hit dice during short rests and regain all their hit points on a long rest, but non-magical options to regain hit points in combat are... limited.
Barbarians get resistance to weapon damage when raging, right?
