The last time I touched this one is three years ago? My god, how time flies.
I've got a backlog of revisions due a mile long, and I'm not content to just edit old content. I've learned so much in the time I've spent doing this, and I aim to re-imagine old options, making them distinct, well-rounded, and complete!
The jester, for one, had a unique casting system that I always felt was somewhat lacking. It was very much "Here are some spells! Make the spells happen!" without any distinguishing system mechanics behind them.
No longer! The jester thematically was always about blind luck, silly situations, and grim humor over sheer utility, so I've re-imagined it as an extremely variant 1/3-caster that relies mostly on luck to determine its spell list.
I expect that this won't be a final version (woe betide me, a sixth draft?!), but it's a bold reworking that I imagine will carve more of a niche for itself than the four other jesters that have come before it.
CHANGELOG:
- Arcane Buffoonery is now Arcane Wit, which comes with a full (if decidedly different) 1/3 caster spell progression!
- Harlequin's Mask doesn't specifically reference vicious mockery, because it created weirdness whether it or Arcane Wit should be first.
- New Ability: Tumbling Fool! Get some extra mileage out of your Disengage, roll around the battlefield like a maniac.
- Cruel Comedy has been raised from 9th to 13th level, which seems like a better space given what it does.
- Most of the spells you know are completely random! But don't worry, they reset every long rest.
- Now uses a 1/3-caster version of warlock spell mechanics, instead of eluding to it sidelong like it did before.
CONCERNS:
- Oh, so very many.
- Will randomized spellcasting be fun?
- Is 1/3-caster warlock progression balanced?
- Is Arcane Wit clear in its language as to what it does?
WHAT I LEARNED:
- I guess if I need to revise my entire catalog, I might as well start right now.
Just in time for a game! I had my character rolled up with the old version, but I'll be sure to let you know how this one plays.
ReplyDeletePlease do! I'm trying an incredibly new thing here, and playtest feedback is absolutely vital if I want this to feel like a finished product.
DeleteThe balance is excellent and the design is more elegant. The biggest pain point that I feel is the lack of customization in a casting subclass that should be making me feel clever. Random effects do make me feel clever when I get to skew the odds in my favor based on my build choices. For this reason I like that there is a blend of random and chosen spells, but I would prefer the proportion to be inverted from what it is currently.
ReplyDeleteTl;dr Right now most of the time you get saddled with spells from the mercy of the dice with a single bonus spell that's chosen per spell level. Consider giving the player a chance to choose their own spells with a single random bonus spell per level.
The way warlock spell slots work, most of the time I have a very good idea of what I'm going to cast in any given combat, and it's the same 1 (or 2) spells.
DeleteOriginally I was going to have NO spells be selectable, but I wanted some guarantee of viability. I figured that 1-3 selectable spells would keep the jester at a good baseline of adequacy, always giving it some reasonable expectation of having useful spells.
I'd argue that the level of customization is one of the big differentiating factors between this, the Arcane Trickster, and even my own Shadow-Weaver. Not every subclass needs many customization options (see the Thief, Assassin, et al), and I don't necessarily see offering a lesser level of choice as an inherently bad thing.
It's definitely worth playtesting! At this point, this conversation is about the very subjective *feel* that the mechanics bring, which is a good place to be at in design, I think.
DeleteAlso, thanks for the redesign! It's a subclass that makes me excited to play a class that I'm not usually drawn towards! Also, it inspires awesome character ideas for who would fit such a subclass. I love the flavor of it so much!
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ReplyDeleteAlso, no more multitarget vicious mockery? Was that just a way to reduce action complexity or was it never intended that you would cast vicious mockery as an action and bonus action on the same turn? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteAh, you know, multi-target VM didn't even occur to me.
DeleteThis was definitely a way to reduce action complexity, to keep from there being a VM *every* turn, and to build off of the existing design of the rogue.
One of the big pieces of feedback I got is that having a VM every single turn (especially two, now that I think about it) would be *annoying.* At the time I kind of wrote it off, because if anything should be slightly annoying it'd be a jester. But! I can't have that as an excuse to make poor design decisions.
This was an attempt to streamline the ability, and to lessen the level of annoyance to the DM that such an ability could cause.
I like the concept, but it seems like it might be a lot of rolling after the rest... One option I could think of would be to have single table with the spells from level 1-4 so that a single roll gives you your set of spells. It would allow you to not only balance the sets, but also guarantee their viability, maybe even without the need for chosen spells.
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ReplyDelete