Expanded and Exotic Weapons [Seventh Draft]

Available on the DM's Guild (pay what you want) at this link!

And I thought having six drafts was note-worthy!

Expanded and Exotic Weapons has been due for a revision for a little while now, to bring it up to speed with most of my modern content. 

Come to think, that's been my thought process for most of my later revisions for this project. I learn more, I want to apply what I've learned.

What have I learned, and what have I changed? Let's take a look-see:

CHANGELOG:

• New art by Douglas Wright!
• Exotic Weapon Proficiency is now half a feat, also giving you your choice of +1 to Strength or Dexterity!
• Added the Garrote! A weapon loved by rogues, and hated by whomever the rogue is sneaking up on.
• Moved the Harpoon from Exotic to Expanded Weapons and modified its stats accordingly.
• Modified the Double Weapon property to be more intuitive, basing it on the double scimitar found in Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. 
• Added more magical weapons, making sure to have at least one magical weapon per each exotic weapon!
• Multiple crunch changes, most weapons got at least a minor textual edit.

CONCERNS:

• The static numbers for sap and garrote still don't sit well with me, but apparently that's how weapons are done.
• All double weapons are now two-handed weapons as well, so GWF comes into play. I can imagine that's going to be pretty major for the spiked chain, but we'll see.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Honestly? To expect an eighth draft of this same project, maybe a year down the line. So it goes.

Magic Items: Warforged Components [Second Draft]

Available on the DM's Guild (pay what you want) at this link!

Sometimes, I just have something kicking around in my head that needs to be let out. A concept that just won't leave me alone until I create it.

When the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron was released, I was overjoyed, but reasonably disappointed that they only included 3 options as warforged components. In previous editions, warforged components were my favorite thing about warforged, the idea that you could upgrade yourself into a whole new creature, just by the magic items you build into yourself.

So, I went back, found all the warforged components I loved back in the day, and adapted them to 5th edition with all new rules. 

FEATURES:

• 24 New Items, ranging from shovel hands to scorpion tails!

CONCERNS:

• Assigning item rarities is always wishy-washy, but I think I did a good enough job of it.
• There may be minor bugs and textual problems I didn't find, but nothing gamebreaking I hope.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Sometimes staying up to 4 in the morning working on D&D stuff can actually be a good idea!
• Coffee is, beyond a doubt, my best friend in the whole world

Class: The Witch [Second Draft]

Available on the DM's Guild (pay what you want) at this link!

It's been a long time coming, but the second take on the witch is finally fully revised and ready to go!

This time, the witch has two new subclasses, several new jinxes, the inclusion of Xanathar's spells, not to mention new, beautiful art by the talented Diana Nock (@jinxville)! 

This is a full rules revision, and not a single part of the witch remains untouched. Let's give a rundown of what's been changed.

CHANGELOG:

• General reorganization of features, giving the class a more reasonable progression in line with existing classes
• Added rules for applying potions to food and drink with Imbue Potion
• Added a new feature: Fine Fettle
• Streamlined casting to be INT-only, though WIS casting exists as an optional rule
• Revised the spell list, adding Xanathar's spells and defining the witch's role as a support caster
• Added personality tables and roleplaying advice for familiars
• Coven of the Dark Moon has received a re-kit, adding undead and scarecrows to their repertoire
• Coven of the Full Moon is now the only coven that can heal, focusing strongly on doing excellent healing with low-level spells
• Coven of the Half Moon has a new low-level feature, and has had its capstone expanded significantly
• Coven of the Crescent Moon, a gish-witch, has been added!
• Coven of the Eclipse, a subclass focusing on forbidden magic and demonology, has been added!
• Added several new jinxes, and revised existing options

CONCERNS:

• Balance, as always!
• How does the class scale vs. other classes?
• How do the subclasses measure against each other?
• Is the familiar sufficiently survivable?
• Are jinxes clear in their functions? Are they well balanced against each other?

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Commission art for everything, all the time. All. The. Time.

Roguish Archetype: The Jester [Fifth Draft]

Download a selectable-text, printsafe version here!

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.

Martial Archetype: Centurion [rough draft]

Download a selectable-text, printsafe version here!

Sometimes in the middle of a big project, I'll start working on a small side-project just to clear my mind a little bit. The augmented actually started that way as well, believe it or not, until it spiraled off into a project even bigger than the one I was taking a break from!

I was doing a lot of research into Rome for reasons I won't get into just yet, and a friend of mine expressed interest in seeing a Centurion realized in 5e. The more I researched, the more I realized how possible a Centurion fighter was, and so I took a break and decided to give it a go.

Turns out, the idea had legs. And now we've got a full-fledged Centurion fighter, ready for a test drive!

FEATURES:

• Three different postures to hold your Tower Shield, depending on what you think the enemy will throw at you next!
• A wealth of options that build on core fighter mechanics, creating great synergy with the base class.
• The ability to be the tankiest tank of them all, just don't expect to move very quickly.

CONCERNS:

• Maybe too tanky? It's powerful within that one focus, but it doesn't have a whole lot of latitude outside of it.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Sometimes, ideas happen really quickly, and it's good to be prepared when they do!

Class: The Augmented [Rough Draft]

Available on the DM's Guild (pay what you want) at this link!

So here's what I've been working on all this time!

It's been very hard to get perfect, but I finally got it into a state that I'm happy with. New classes are always tough (half-casters most of all), and building a technology-based class in a mostly non-technological game is additionally tricky!

But enough of my woes, I'm sure you want to hear what the Augmented has to offer!

FEATURES:

• 3 subclasses, ranging from protecting your allies with conjured barriers to hacking into the minds of your foes!
• 34 augments, allowing you to customize your augmented and create something truly unique.
• A progressive system for upgrading your body as you level, allowing you to build new augments into your newly-upgraded parts.
• Battlestrikes that deal additional damage, and allow you to control the flow of battle.
• Personal shielding, to give you that much additional survivability!

CONCERNS:

• Augments are varied, and hard to balance. So far, they seem acceptable.
• This class dabbles in a lot of kits that may belong to other classes, but with enough caveats that hopefully that shouldn't matter too much. 

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Yep, this is DEFINITELY the hardest thing I've worked on so far. Balancing half-casters is no joke!

Oh, and special thanks to Douglas Wright for the artwork I commissioned! Be sure to check out his blog at this very long link.

Otherworldly Patron: The God-King [ROUGH DRAFT]

Download a selectable-text, printsafe version here!

Ok, hiatus over, back on track!

The God-King warlock has been one of the most challenging warlocks I've worked on to-date, and it took me a good bit of back-and-forth (and no small help from fans and friends) to get it in a workable state. Commissioned by zriegel, a Walrock-level backer on my Patreon (thanks again!), the God-King is an ancient Egyptian themed warlock ready for multiclassing, viable as a Stygian cultist, a devotee of Athasian Sorcerer-Kings, or as a wanderer of the wastes, using dark magics to survive the perils of the desert sands.

Pact with an ancient and forgotten God-King, receive their blessing and their curse, and enforce their fell will across the wasteland and beyond!

FEATURES:

• Use a Soul Jar to keep your friends close, probably closer than they would like.
• Transmute your wounds into Hungering Scarabs and share that pain with your foes!
• Use the damage you take to bolster your allies with Pain Into Life!
• Drink the life from those around you, Desiccating all those nearby.

CONCERNS:

• Soul Jar is probably the most ambitious level 1 I've done so far. It has a lot of moving parts, but between all the complication it feels balanced. At least, as far as I can tell.
• Hungering Scarabs has no saving throw by design. It's built upon the damage math for magic missile, which should make it more reasonable?
• Pain Into Life is very versatile. It's balanced around the Fiendlock level 10, but is better and worse in certain areas. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED:

• Things will come together eventually. Sometimes I just have to back up, look at the whole, and be unafraid of weeding out anything that's not working.