#classes subclasses and archetypes

[soylent-crocodile]

Kakophoni (Prestige Class)

(Noise Marine by Yaroslav Lotsmanov)

(Kakophoni were the first of these that I made, and the build was obvious- evil bard! I realized later that "sex cultist with bardic performance" would be the perfect setup for an NPC that's a parody of sex pest bards, and so I made sure to include that in the flavor text.

Each marine class has my personal recommendations of equivalent fiendish lords that fit their theme. Slaanesh was by far the hardest god to find equivalent to in pathfinder. The unspoken truth is that she was and is the god of Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll; notably, noise marines tie themselves to that last part. In canon Slaanesh is described as the god of "excess", which is. Lame. I've leaned more on sadism and kept the drugs and seduction. Relevant lords include Doloras, Belial, and my pick; Socothbenoth.)

Kakophoni are the sadistic envoys and sentinels of dark forces, pledged to the mixture of pleasure and pain, sowers of agony and ecstasy as they see fit. They are perhaps a dark mirror to bards, performers who use their charm and song not to carry oral legacy or strengthen communities, but only to find carnal pleasures for themselves. At best, kakophoni can be flirts, and at worst, they are sexually aggressive, but always their focus is solely on their own desire.

In battle, a kakophoni can be a boon to their allies, driving them into sadistic pleasure and perfectionism, but they are most often a sower of chaos on the battlefield; kakophoni are followed by tales of madness, brother striking brother, of armies collapsing in formation while a kakophoni and their cult cut them down.

Role: Kakophoni are at their most dangerous when using their music to disrupt enemy strategies, but can also land devastating hits when they risk wading into combat. Alignment: A kakophoni is sworn to a fiendish lord, and is always evil.  HD: D10

Prerequisites

Alignment: Must be the same as the chosen fiend. BAB: +5 Feats: Fiendish Obedience Religion: Must worship a fiendish lord of music, hedonism, and/or sadism. Skills: Performance 5

Skills

A kakophoni gains 2+int mod skills per level.

A kakophoni’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Perform (Cha), and Swim (Str)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A kakophoni is proficient with basic weapons, kukri, rapiers, scimitars, and light and medium armor. 

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A kakophoni is proficient with basic weapons, kukri, rapiers, scimitars, and light and medium armor. 

Riotous Cacophony

A kakophoni is capable of using profane musical instruments to wound and debilitate their enemies. At 1st level, a kakophoni can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 6+their Charisma modifier. Each level thereafter, they can use their riotous cacophony 2 additional times per day. This otherwise functions as a bardic performance, except they always have auditory components, and the kakophoni has a different list of available performances. Rounds of cacophony are regained after performing their daily obedience.

Additionally, if a kakophoni has levels in bard, skald or another class that grants performances, they may select one of those classes. They may spend rounds of that class’s performance to perform cacophonies, and vice versa. Once this decision is made it cannot be changed.

Strain (Su) A level 1, a kakophoni can cause Strain in creatures that hear their wretched song, racking their brains with nightmarish thoughts and dark whispers. Non-allied creatures that hear a kakophoni’s strain cacophony take a -2 morale penalty to attack rolls and saving throws against fear and compulsion effects. At level 6, this penalty increases to -3. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Sonic Blast (Su) As a standard action while performing their Cacophony, a kakophoni can create a sonic blast, a burst of raw noise that deals 3d8 sonic damage to all non-allied creatures within 30ft of them, reflex save for half. The reflex save is equal to 10+½ the Kakophoni’s character level+his Charisma modifier. At level 3 and every two levels in Kakophoni thereafter, this damage increases by 1d8. A creature that fails its save is additionally deafened for 1 round.

Countersong (Su)  This ability functions as the bardic performance of the same name.

Inspire Perfection (Su) At level 3, a kakophoni can inspire a sadistic relish and drive for the art of combat in their allies, leading them to charge into battle and attack with grace and power. Allies affected by this cacophony get a +2 profane bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and combat maneuver checks, and may use their dexterity modifier in place of their strength modifier when dealing damage with weapons and when calculating their combat maneuver bonus. If an ally spends a round without attacking or making a combat maneuver, they lose access to these benefits for the duration of the performance. At level 8, this bonus becomes +3. This is a mid-affecting effect.

Murderous Command (Sp) At level 3, a kakophoni can command a creature subject to their strain cacophony to attack an ally, as with the spell Murderous Command. This ability does not disrupt the strain performance, but does cost a standard action to activate. Once kakophoni has attempted to command a creature this way, they cannot do so again for the duration of the performance. A will save with DC equal to to 10+½ the Kakophoni’s character level+his Charisma modifier negates the effect.

Madness (Su) At level 5, a kakophoni gains the ability to bring joyous madness upon those who can hear their song. All non-allies who hear this cacophony must make a will save with DC equal to to 10+½ the Kakophoni’s character level+his Charisma modifier or be affected as though with the spell Confusion for the duration of the performance. A creature who has the opportunity to act normally may spend a full round clearing its mind of the kakophoni’s influence, making an additional save at a +5 bonus to end the effect. Once a creature makes the initial save, whether they succeed or fail, they cannot be affected by subsequent performances of that kakophoni’s madness for 24 hours.

Ecstasy (Su) At level 9, a kakophoni’s song can create staggering ecstasy that overwhelms those who hear it. All non-allies who hear this cacophony must make a will save with DC equal to to 10+½ the Kakophoni’s character level+his Charisma modifier or be affected as though with the spell Waves of Ecstasy. Once a creature makes the initial save, whether they succeed or fail, they cannot be affected by subsequent performances of that kakophoni’s ecstasy for 24 hours. Allies who hear this cacophony instead become empowered by the pleasure; they are immune to pain effects and may continue to take actions when at or below 0 hit points, as though they had the Ferocity special quality.

Slave to Darkness (Ex)

In order to maintain the abilities of this class, a kakophoni must perform daily obedience to the fiend they worship. 

Cocksure Shot (Su)

Whenever a kakophoni of level 2 or higher makes a called shot, they may bequeath their master to witness their excellence and precision. If the called shot hits, it deals an amount of additional precision damage equal to twice the penalty taken. If it misses, the kakophoni takes an amount of negative energy damage equal to the penalty taken as their master expresses their thoughts on their failure.

Numb (Ex)

By level 2, a kakophoni has been exposed to enough noise and pain that they become particularly resistant to it. They gain a +2 competence bonus to saves against pain effects, sonic effects, and bardic performances. At level 5, this bonus becomes +4 and at level 8, they become completely immune.

Fiendish Boons

As a kakophoni gains levels, they get access to fiendish boons. The nature of these boons varies based on their fiendish lord; if possible, they always gain the Sentinel boon. At 4th level, they gain the first boon. At 7th level, they gain the second boon. At 10th level, they gain the third boon. 

[deconstructthesoup]

All right, quick rundown of our new PCs:

-While Maxwell seems to be continuing Murph's D20 trend of playing doofuses (only broken by Riz in JY because, well, he was reprising his very first D20 character), it looks like he might actually be our first balance between Murph's two different types of PCs---he's a reasonable, level-headed, intelligent guy who also happens to be a bit of a clueless rich boy. Also, to my knowledge, Maxwell may be our first instance of D20 having a PC whose class itself is homebrew---not just a homebrew subclass, like Pinnochio being a Destiny warlock or Gorgug being a Barbificer... barbarian/artificer, but full-on playing a homebrew class. To that, I say hell fucking yeah.

-Olethra is, of course, continuing Ally's trend of playing the most blatantly queer character at the table, and this time, their PC is a starry-eyed transfemme with a deep sense of wanderlust. I was, sadly, wrong about her being an Armorer artificer---at least, for now, and if I had to guess, I'd say that the mech suit is so she's not at a disadvantage as the only level two character in a party of level sixes---but honestly, I'm really curious to see how Olethra's gonna level up. I don't think we've ever gotten a straight martial character from Ally before, and if Olethra doesn't take some artificer levels (or becomes an Arcane Trickster), she might be their first. (Liam doesn't count, rangers are half-casters.)

-Daisuke appears to already be beating out Lapin and Ricky for the title of "hottest Zac character," and after that incredible introduction... oh, boy, do I fucking agree. It's so fun to see Zac play a genuinely smart and crafty character, which is honestly more common than most people think---Gorgug eventually found his smarts and confidence, Lapin was... Lapin, Skip was very intelligent and just needed time to get used to being in a human body, and Pib was obviously a little scheming stinker. Seriously, though, Daisuke is a delight, I love that he's a Gunslinger, and I think we all need to appreciate the poetry of the comedy sniper actually playing a sniper. Who is also an old divorced outlaw who kills people who try to mess with his ex-step-granddaughter.

-Marya Junkova, the woman of my dreams. Once again, Emily has created a character who I will become unreasonably obsessed with, and I am not just saying that because she's spooky (my favorite D&D character asethetic) and an artificer (my favorite D&D class). I love her accent, I love her look, I love the idea of her being a happy-go-lucky adventurer who has been turned sad and cynical by trauma, and I am so fucking excited to see the lore behind the crow-thing she's gonna kill. Also, I'm all in favor of the headcanon of her being undead... mainly because my current character is also a steampunk-heavy, spooky, undead artificer with a gun and weird pets. They have a mechanical heart.

-If it weren't for Iga Lisowski, Van would be a completely different direction for Siobhan, but I am so stoked to see her play an IDGAF old woman with a sweet, supportive husband again. She's a badass, she's a bicon, and I really wanna know how she lost that arm. Not much to say about Van as of right now, I'm excited to learn more, and I can't wait for Siobhan to repeatedly wreck everyone's ears with that whistle.

-And last but not least, we have a beautiful return to the Kingston Brown vibes with Monty, who doesn't really appear to have that "chaotic entitled" energy that Lou found so appealing after playing Squak, though of course there's something to be said about him playing a famous author again. I love seeing Monty be all warm and paternal and supportive, I love how he really encapsulates the energy of your archetypical nature caster, and I love how there's a little bit of chaos wound into this big, comforting soul. Though... that being said, I do hope he's got a decent subclass under his belt. If you're not playing a Gloomstalker or doing an insane multiclass build like Siobhan did with Rosamund, rangers can be tricky.

[bubblyernie]

Character cards!! I wanted to do some properly rendered art of them, so I made these!

(and paired em up with some ACTUAL character sheets over on patreon. Everyone is levelled to level 5, I got stats for em all!! There's one feat per character that I think is fitting! 2014 rules because I haven't accustomed to 2024 yet lol but yes, some basic NPC builds for anyone who needs something quick and archetypical!! Had a LOT of fun building them so if you're interested go check it out)

And if anyone can guess the class + subclass + race build off the dome for every single person then I'll give u a little prize uwu and its different from my non-comic versions of them so its really up to your intuition

BTW!! Interest check for physical copies still ongoing! Or you can read the whole thing digitally here! >:3 thanks for supporting the graphic novel everyone!!

art tag // commission info // passive perception tag

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

How the Arknights Community was Wrong on One of Arknight's Most Powerful Classes

Or, alternatively, you all need to apologize to Rosmontis right now.

Flingers are experiencing a modern Renaissance right now. Thanks to the release of Wis'adel and the introduction of Rosmontis's absolutely busted IS module, it seems like things are on the up and up for Flingers. Even Greyy the Lightningbearer is a common sight in high level IS runs, and he doesn't even have a broken module.

How on Earth did this happen, when it wasn't very long ago that Flingers were the butt and punchline of their own joke?

The Original Let's start with how the archetype was introduced into the game: Rosmontis. Rosmontis was released alongside Mudrock for the Chapter 8 release event, and the reception was pretty mixed. Rosmontis was a limited operator, and to this point, limited operators in Arknights had been pretty middling. Nian wasn't really conclusively better than Hoshiguma, and W was good but nothing special. We were not at the point yet where Dusk or Skadi the Corrupting Heart had been released, so the running joke was typically to roll on the other operator on a limited banner. Mudrock was a really strong laneholder that still sees a lot of use today, and Weedy is by far the strongest shifter operator ever released.

It's also worth noting that Rosmontis was released during a general downturn of opinions on AoE ranged operators. Leonhardt and Meteorite were considered actually quite strong in the early days of Arknights, and I know this must sound crazy, but Mostima and W were actually super hyped for their release. People thought Mostima, base-ass Mostima with no modules, was good. But after CC Blade, and a general stint of CCs where AoE operators made relatively poor performances, the tide had shifted. Operators like Eyjafjalla and Angelina (god remember when Angelina was considered really good. Well I guess she is now. Regardless) had AoE capabilities but were much cheaper in DP and had solid secondary skills for dealing with single enemies. So people were generally pretty down on AoE operators, which wasn't helped later on by the release of Passenger, an operator considered so bad it resulted in several attempts by Hypergryph to make him better (the retrospective view is that while Passenger was bad, he was made out to be a lot worse than he was, a view I agree with).

These two factors did not help the views of Rosmontis as an operator, but it was also further not helped by what content was available to use Rosmontis in: Contingency Contract. Rosmontis, tragically, released after the first theme of Integrated Strategies came and went, and so the only high level content available to use her in was CC. CC is particularly harsh to Flingers as we'll discuss, but this is also something that Wis'adel has managed to avoid as there hasn't been a CC since her release. The only difficult content since Wis'adel's release has been IS and RA, two game modes that honestly favor Flingers as we'll discuss later on. There was just nowhere to use Rosmontis in more difficult content where she didn't feel bad.

Flingers are a pretty interesting subclass, and Arknights has really not designed any subclasses to be like them, ultimately. They have a very impressive attack range, higher bulk than other ranged operators, and a unique gimmick to their attacks: they will deal an additional hit of damage, but one that only has 50% of their ATK. In addition to this, Flingers are the only Sniper subclass that cannot hit aerial enemies without certain conditions being met (Wis'adel's S3, Rosmontis S3 with an aerial blocker).

In general, this results in a class that is very good at dealing with large groups of enemies with only modest DEF stats. This is because DEF ends up having an increased effect on Rosmontis' damage, because it will apply to both of her hits. An enemy with 375 DEF will, after the 175 Def ignore from her talent, reduce her attack damage by a total of 400.

This for a lot of people was sort of the final straw that broke the Rosmontis back. Her vulnerability to enemies having DEF was a problem, and it was generally stated to be in a way that other DPS checks would avoid. In addition, if we take a look at ideal DPS scenarios with the introductory 6-star for each Sniper class:

Ray: 1,346.22 Narantuya: 1,062 Schwarz: 880.28 Exusiai: 815.99 Chen the Holungday: 647.17 Rosmontis: 601.71 Fartooth: 583.88 Rosa: 539 W: 373.93

Rosmontis is very middle of the pack, losing in particular to Exusiai. Now, Exusiai also had the problem of being very soft to enemy DEF stats. Honestly, it should be noted that Rosmontis was always hitting higher DPH than Exusiai would for her normal attack damage.

(I've been getting really into Desmos lately)

Now this is all just auto-attack stuff and I don't want this to be exclusively a Rosmontis analysis by any means (although it's coming). The point here is that there was a pretty common conception that Rosmontis didn't really have a place in the meta, because Exusiai was so dominant in that spot. It's not hard to understand why. If we look at their S3 DPS really quickly...

At low DEF values, Exusiai is overdominant. This isn't super surprising, as she has a lot of factors working in her favor: a busted 5 hit S3, an attack interval reduction as well as a sizable ASPD buff from her talent. But it doesn't take a huge amount of defense for Rosmontis to come out on top. The specific DEF number is 580, roughly. Then, the perks of Rosmontis's S3 come to light: it's larger DEF ignore, it's halved attack interval, and it's much larger ATK buff.

This being said, there are still things working against Rosmontis, like her skill cycle being very long, and her own ATK buff resulting in Warfarin's buff being diluted compared to Exusiai. If you take a look at CC results, it is true that Rosmontis only has one top to her name: CC Spectrum, where she is part of a Risk 31 clear alongside Exusiai, which is pretty cool. But CCs, which often increase enemy DEF while reducing friendly ATK, are just very harsh to Flingers. Given that it is a class so sensitive to DEF and ATK changes to hit breakpoints, most CCs just hit Rosmontis in a double bind.

Funnily enough, Exusiai also doesn't have any top clears in CC past this point too, which is interesting to point out.

(For those counting: Rosmontis: CC5 Exusiai: CC1, CC5)

Rosmontis' position probably wasn't helped past this point by the release of Chen the Holungday either, and the rest is history. Rosmontis goes down as one of the weaker 6-stars in the game. People feel bad when they roll her. People on this website nurse weird ass grudges against her.

The Blip

It would be remiss of me to not remind people about Greyy the Lightningbearer. Greyy was a 5-star, which means that 99% of players ignored his existence, Gamepress made a dogshit summary about him that was made by people who don't play the game, and life moved on. We're going to talk about Greyy in more detail later on because he is important to talk about...

Oh well right now

Lone Trail: The Update That Should Have Changed Everything

Lone Trail was a super massive event, releasing three 6-stars that can be kindly regarded as "good but nothing amazing, bad, and my wife". It also introduced to the game the Flinger Modules, and I'm going to tell you all a secret. You and me, real close now.

It's fucked up these modules didn't receive more hype.

These modules gave Flingers a second shockwave hit. Now that doesn't seem all that impressive. After all, you might think to yourself, that shockwave still deals 50% damage. But the addition of an extra shockwave really changed the numbers of the game, because it meant a huge chunk more damage.

At minimum (673 DEF roughly) this module improves her damage by about 45%. That's pretty crazy for a module as it stands, but if you want to see the full chart, here you go. Arknights Youtubers hire me.

The extremely high peak there, where Rosmontis is doing more than triple the damage she was originally is actually getting to the exact point where Rosmontis without a module moves towards dealing scratch damage. This is pretty common with modules involving physical DPS operators, such as Blaze, to have very unique high points.

But this is 45% just off of, what is essentially

An extra shockwave

60 more points of DEF Ignore

+75 ATK attribute

This is a remarkably tame talent upgrade. The base effect, the second shockwave, is pulling so much work here. These numbers will be a bit more tame when you compare with S2 (already comes with +2 shockwaves) or S3 (already has some DEF shred) but this is still a very impactful module.

It also impacts the stun chance on her S2. Without her module, and having 4 total hits per attack, this puts her stun chance at roughly 59.04% per attack. The additional hit raises those chances to 67.232%. Not a massive increase, but it does help to patch up her odds.

This is also why Greyy's module was so important. Greyy's slow is tied to his talent, and hence the jump from 2 hits to 3 hits is very notable. Without his module, Greyy has a 64% chance to slow the enemy with every attack. With his module, those chances go up to 78.4%! That's pretty significant! He also deals 15% more damage to Slowed enemies too, which is a pretty strong mod on top of the extra shockwave. I haven't actually done Greyy's numbers, but it really does make him a lot more consistent at slowing enemies.

So now we're here, with Flinger's getting a surprisingly good module. They now deal 3 hits per attack, with Rosmontis dealing 5 hits per attack with her S2, which is actually relevant for Lone Trail (Rosmontis can remove a clean 250 DEF with every one of her attacks during her S2 against Arc Screenguards). So what happened?

Well...Flingers weren't popular, were widely regarded as a flawed class, and mostly passed over. It just wasn't worth it to people to raise Rosmontis or Greyy the Lightningbringer even if you had some inkling their module was good.

The Return of Integrated Strategies and Reclamation Algorithm

A miracle the likes of which Hypergryph may never do again...well okay maybe they will, they do be kind of nailing it on the alternate gamemodes, we have the return of Integrated Strategies and Reclamation Algorithm. These modes are actually uniquely situated in comparison to CC to benefit Flingers over other classes. This is largely because of how these modes chose to scale difficulty and the tools they give you to combat this.

In IS, enemy difficulty typically results in scaling HP and ATK buffs, and that's it. It's rare to see enemy DEF buffs in IS. In addition, many relics in IS focus on increasing ATK or ASPD or improving damage dealt. Flingers get much and much better when they deal damage with their shockwaves, and it is pretty easy to do that in IS. Rosmontis's S2 is of special note here: with her module, it deals 5 hits of damage, which means it benefits from ATK buffs to the same degree as Exusiai does, but with a lot of added perks. DEF ignore, a moderate AoE radius, and a chance to stun. This skill is way more dangerous with additional ASPD.

Greyy also benefits a ton here. Extra ASPD allows him to basically permanently lock down entire groups of enemies with slow. This is something that can also sort of be done with Chain Casters, but notably, Chain Casters can only slow down a certain number of enemies at a time with each of their attacks. Since slowed enemies tend to create clusters, Greyy can slow down entire waves of enemies with his attacks, while still dealing pretty impressive damage.

The only issue is the aerial enemies. I haven't mentioned this up until now, because in my opinion, it is the single most overhyped drawback in the entire game. There are tons of events and chapter releases where this basically doesn't matter. Aerial enemies are, for all intents and purposes, rather rare in Arknights. But in IS this is important. Flingers need some degree of map knowledge to use well. But your Sniper ticket is not necessarily the only solution to aerial enemies in any IS, and chances are you'll find more than one. For IS3, you can pick up Kroos Alter and Rosmontis and in the grand majority of situations be completely fine.

Of course, if you play IS5, this basically isn't an issue and Rosmontis is the second stronger Flinger in the game, and I think arguably the second strongest Sniper pick?

I almost forgot RA by the time I went to post this, so it's a good thing I went back because, yes, Flingers and Rosmontis are also good there too. It's literally designed for Flingers to be good, it's huge mobs of enemies all clustered closely around each other. You can use Provisions to give Rosmontis a ton of ATK or ASPD and watch her go ham on like 115 exploding spiders. They also have amazing range for vision on resource maps and have multi-hit mechanics for those stupid locks.

It's like, impressive how nicely Flingers slot in here. I'm really curious how Greyy feels when you give him one of the ASPD provisions so he has +60 ASPD.

Rosmontis CRAVES your Coagulate Supplements!!!!

The End-Times: Wis'adel and Rosmontis's Busted Module

If you've ever wanted to know how we got to this renaissance, it was Wis'adel being released, having absolutely busted numbers on her kit that basically ensured that her shockwaves would always do damage, and then going and soloing IS3 A15 like it was fucking nothing.

Wis'adel proved Flingers could be fucking fantastic.

Rosmontis has actual problems in her kit, she's ultimately a pretty early Limited operator with all the design choices that carries. Wis'adel is what you get when you ask "how far can a Flinger go?" The shockwave mechanic works well with her huge numbers and her shadow status effect. Her summons work to keep as many enemies as possible attached with a shadow. Her blast radius is massive. Honestly the fact she can blow up the UFOs in IS3 barely matters.

Soon after that, Rosmontis got her specialized Module. I've seen people complain about this. You're wrong. There's no fucking way this module should be allowed to be used in general content. It is, in fact, maybe the most busted specialized module they've released. It completely changes Rosmontis as an operator. Benefitting from Caster relics is insane for themes like IS3 which has a ton of genuinely broken ones, her new and improved equipment are insanely powerful, and the fact that she allows every Sniper and Caster to create a free rather tanky blocker with a crazy debuff effect is like

You understand this module is nuts? Surely?

The trait wouldn't really make Rosmontis meta anyhow. It would improve her damage by a lot but puts her, rather frustratingly, into the camp of mixed offensive operators who now have to worry about enemy RES values coming into play. Plenty of the enemies with decent DEF stats that Rosmontis struggles with now also come with sizable RES stats. As I've mentioned in my brief thoughts on Dagda, there are a ton of enemies Dagda hits harder by brute force than Indra does by trying to side-step the bigger stat.

It's also okay that the module is IS only, because IS is where Flingers are just at their best. Nothing is stopping you from using Rosmontis in general content, especially with her still really good BOM-X module!

Flingers, ultimately, are just a well-designed class. They have great range, AoE, and having extra instances of damage is always incredibly powerful. I do think Rosmontis has some kit issues, but I also think that a lot of people immediately dismissed her as bad based on community consensus. You want to know a cool thing about Rosmontis I haven't brought up yet? She can attack invisible enemies with her S3. Invisible enemies feel a lot more common than aerial enemies do, hell Lappland the Decadenza's event is literally a bunch of invisible enemies.

But like, that's never seen as a positive to Rosmontis unless you're a Sniperknights player and then you might just say Totter is better (and I get that, he is a bit more consistent). Rosmontis can hit an entire enemy type with her S3 that Wis'adel can't, but it's seemingly never mentioned. It's just...this community is very strange, you know?

Try Rosmontis out, hell try her out with Shamare or Warfarin. If you use Exusiai a bunch (godspeed soldier it's been rough since the Chen days), you probably already have those operators. Try Greyy out too. Then, if you really want the challenge, E0 Level 1 Wis'adel. Come on. You know that's better than like half the cas-

[psychhound]

spiritkeep: a therapeutic ttrpg - playbooks

howdy howdy :)

so, talking about archetypes and paragons - the playbooks of spiritkeep - won the poll!!

(for new folks: spiritkeep is an upcoming multiplayer campaign ttrpg designed around inducing healing from trauma in its players!!)

part of the design challenge of spiritkeep is doing something new while still remaining familiar enough to current ttrpg players (including the large number of players who will only be familiar with d&d 5e) for it to not be intimidating

for that reason, pcs in spiritkeep work kind of like a mix of d&d classes and pbta playbooks

how they work:

each pc has an archetype and a paragon. you can think of these as similar to classes and subclasses (though each pc starts with a subclass)

overall, spiritkeep has a storybook theming in its meta elements (such as mechanics titles and such). the archetype of your pc is, kind of as it says, the overall character archetype your pc falls into. these archetypes are united by emotional themes - the lonesome, for instance, are united by a theme of emotional isolation; the ardent is centered around drive for a cause

then, your paragon is a specific character trope that works under that emotional theme. for lonesome, you may be a wayfarer, never letting yourself settle down or stop moving, or a damsel, taught learned helplessness and kept dependent

both your pc's archetype and paragon grants them a keyword - the special abilities your pc has that lets them interact with the world in specific ways. some of these keywords may affect the in-game world, like the minder archetype's ability to do healing magic, or the mechanics, such as the othered's exploding dice

character creation:

at character creation, you choose your pc's archetype and paragon, and then their specific stats based on the options of that paragon. this gives them 5 keywords total (archetype, paragon, & 3 from stats)

however, each paragon also comes with a series of questions that work under that trope. your "goal" for the game is to find or modify the answers to these questions, therefore completing your character's arc. once these questions have been answered, you might retire your pc, take on new locked abilities, or even change your archetype or paragon

some (early draft) examples are, from the knight paragon, "what happens when you fail to prove yourself?" or, from the beast paragon, "who is hurt the worst when you're not in control?"

these questions dont come with prewritten answers. theyre character development prompts, storytelling guidelines, and goals for your character all in one. a beast pc may start by answering that question with "my children, because they can't trust me" but end up with the answer of "actually, i am, because other people's unfair perception of me is stopping me from getting support"

the playbooks:

the archetypes and paragons are based off of role-selves (the disingenuous persona we learn to put on to combat or embody effects of abuse and trauma) and healing fantasies (the stories we tell ourselves of how we might become happier and more stable in the future). the same paragon might be a role-self for one person but a healing fantasy for another - they're designed to be flexible and interpretable

spiritkeep is a game designed to be "high bleed". that means the barrier between your pc's emotions and your own is thinner than an average game. youre encouraged to choose a paragon that speaks to you, but why it speaks to you is up to you. it may be a character trope you always come back to, how you felt in your childhood, how you feel in your adult life, something you want from your future, or more. you can even play "against type" if you want - making a pc who is opposite from you in some big way. the thought is, if you know youre playing a game designed around therapeutic healing, and something Stands Out to you whether you can explain the reason or not - go for it! you dont have to overthink it, what jumps off the page?

at present, there are 18 different paragons to choose from when you make your pc. these include:

the ardent: alchemist, faithful, revolutionary

the champion: brute, knight, protector

the lonesome: damsel, urchin, wayfarer

the minder: caretaker, guardian, shepherd

the othered: beast, changeling, ghost

the wordsmith: beloved, poet, trickster

(if you like spiritkeep and want to see more like this, you can help me itchfund early game development as well as fund training to become a certified therapeutic game master!!)

next, i can go into a little more detail with the playbooks!!

vote below and i'll discuss the two archetypes with the top votes:

thanks for following along with this journey everyone :) feel free to put initial thoughts on the pc options in the replies & tags!!

[klimtsonian]

Hello! first off I love your art <3 I wanted to ask you about the homebrew campaign you're playing in, the sundered kingdom. what an interesting concept! did gildedruin mod the dnd classes/races to the victorian settings themselves or is there some kind of pre-existing framework they took inspiration or resources from to shape the world? thank you for satiating my curiosity, all the characters and npcs seem extremely cool and novel!

Hey, thanks so much for asking!! It’s such a cool campaign and I really love having an excuse to talk more about it, especially when it means I get to heap praise onto Jax as a dm!!

They have done a TON of the homebrew in the game themself, including the setting and pantheon, but also mechanics like our subclasses and special items. Valentin’s surgeon subclass, for instance, was something she created because I wanted to be able to heal without needing to rely on divine magic. Because of the regency setting, I wanted to fill the archetype of the enlightenment-era doctor, plus I was really obsessed with Pathologic while making him (and still am LOL) and wanted to incorporate the conflict of tradition vs progress into his character. I know Jax also pulled a lot of inspiration from Elden Ring, The Witcher, and Wheel of Time among other things to build the setting and story!!

[dartagnantt]

Assassin: Rehired | What if the assassin didn't focus on dress-up?

PDFs of this and more can be found over on at my Patreon here! I release everything for free, so your support makes this possible. I've also started making a new system based off of 5e, 6th Dawn! Become a patron and join the playtest.

This week, as part of a theme most foul, I decided to go upon a foul task and revise our hired killer.

The assassin archetype never really appealed to me as a player, and not as a theme either. First off, just over half of its features are based on disguise. Which is fine, but one of them is literally the charlatan background feature for a price. But also, you may have realised this about me, the guy that keeps making playable monsters, I don't play humans and human-likes very often, so being the only gnoll in this city of mostly humans, there is no disguise in hell that will conceal my identity without magic. So while the disguise kit has its uses, the more exotic a creature you play, the less they are outside of the arts.

Secondly, it's primary feature is very strong, auto crit on any creature that has yet to act in combat. Great vibes, see what they're going for. Because that window is variable (and not always there) and at most a round, you don't actually get that feature most of the time. So, I opted to go for a different approach.

Poisoner

The assassin, in addition to disguise, has poisoner's kit proficiency, why not expand on that instead? In this instance I discard disguise as a proficiency you can go out of your way for. Instead, give the assassin a limited use set of debilitating poisons. Ones that impart vulnerability to weapons (what I intend to get the most use), knock out a target (for sneaky sneaks) and one that inflicts sneak attack damage (for convoluted assassination plots).

Death's Shroud

Bringing more general versatility to the previous poisons, but not quite wanting to ape the cloudkill spell, just gaseous poison. Sneak attacking a whole room at once sounds pretty sweet to me.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Possibly the least exciting option, but kind of how I intend to get around the lack of disguise issue for getting close to a target. Do it the old fashioned way! Not being seen.

Marked for Death

I suspect that this feature name exists somewhere in the D&D's history for something similar, but I didn't really check. This is based on the old capstone feature of the rogue, where you just straight up murder people with a single con save. I mean, you're playing an assassin, of course the capstone was going to be the murder button

And now to plug my stuff. I release homebrews weekly over on my Patreon. Anyone who pledges $1 or more per post don't have to wait a month to see them, and also help fund my being alive habit.

At the moment, they have exclusive access to the following:

Scout Roguish Archetype

Poisons: Reapplied

Finding the Trail

Skill Challenges

I also have four classes, and two splatbooks over on DriveThruRPG to check out:

The Rift Binder. A class specialising in summoning monsters and controlling the battlefield.

The Witch Knight. A class that combines swords and sorcery in the most literal way.

The Werebeast. A class that turns you into a half beast to destroy your foes.

The Beguiler. A spellcaster dedicated to illusions, enchantments, and general fuckery.

d'Artagnan's Adventurer Almanac. A compendium of races, subclasses, feats, spells, monsters and more!

d'Artagnan's Lycanthrope Survival Guide. A book of lore, stats, and werebeast subclasses for lycanthropes.

[dolceaspidenera]

THE LADS MEN AS D&D CLASSES

I had to smash together my two favourite obsessions, and since this idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down, here we are.

Sylus

Fighter with the Battle Master archetype

Those who emulate the archetypal Battle Master employ martial techniques passed down through generations. To a Battle Master, combat is an academic field, sometimes including subjects beyond battle such as weaponsmithing and calligraphy. Not every fighter absorbs the lessons of history, theory, and artistry that are reflected in the Battle Master archetype, but those who do are well-rounded fighters of great skill and knowledge.

Among all the classes and subclasses in D&D, I think this is ultimately the best fitting for Sylus. A Battlemaster is not only an impressive fighter, but also a charismatic, intelligent, and tactical leader, who knows how to move the pieces on the board to turn every fight into a sure victory. I say that for someone as calculating as Sylus, this is the perfect class. It also allows his mentor side to shine, as the Battlemaster can use Maneuvers to empower his allies.

Also, the class has skills called “Combat Superiority” and “Relentless”, do I need say more?

Caleb

Paladin + Warlock

Whether sworn before a god's altar and the witness of a priest, in a sacred glade before nature spirits and fey beings, or in a moment of desperation and grief with the dead as the only witness, a paladin's oath is a powerful bond. Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through pacts made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular.

Paladins are virtuous fighters, pledge to serve a cause or deity. They are basically the poster child for the fighter classes, so I think they fit well with Caleb's outgoing and sunny persona/mask. We also know that for him, nothing is more important than MC and her wellbeing/protection. He pretty much has sworn his own oath to always keep her safe. Unfortunately, this also means that he is ready to do whatever it takes to save her, and if it has to come at the cost of his own soul, he’ll pay the price without hesitation. And here’s where the warlock's pact with a questionable entity comes into play. In the main story, Caleb is forced into a corner and has to make a tough call and work with Ever in order to keep MC safe. I would say this class combination is pretty spot on for him.

Zayne

Cleric: Nature Domain (a Mage could also fit him very well)

Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods. As varied as the gods they serve, clerics strive to embody the handiwork of their deities. No ordinary priest, a cleric is imbued with divine magic.

Obviously, Zayne is associated with snow and ice, but I wanted to highlight his side which is more about life (especially evident in his myth, Trace of Divinity). There are a lot of elements that are so druid-coded, and it’s sad to see that Zayne’s punishment was to be relegated to a barren land where nothing grows. I think a cleric would suit him well, as they are The HealersTM, they are also inextricably linked and dependent on a deity. I chose a nature domain to add spells linked to the natural elements, and to sprinkle in that druidic vibe as homage to his myth.

Rafayel

Bard + Rogue

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Rogues rely on skill, stealth, and their foes' vulnerabilities to get the upper hand in any situation. They have a knack for finding the solution to just about any problem, demonstrating a resourcefulness and versatility that is the cornerstone of any successful adventuring party.

Hear me out. Bards are, of course, the classic go-to D&D class for characters who are artists, so it perfectly fits Rafayel. They are also insanely OP. People tend to dismiss them, but really, they are absurdly powerful and have access to so many spells from all the other classes; it’s almost unfair. I’d add some levels as a rogue to highlight his shady and ruthless side; this man knows how to kill without leaving a trace.

Xavier

Fighter with the Echo Knight archetype

A mysterious and feared frontline warrior of the Kryn Dynasty, the Echo Knight has mastered the art of using dunamis to summon the fading shades of unrealized timelines to aid them in battle. Surrounded by echoes of their own might, they charge into the fray as a cycling swarm of shadows and strikes.

For our star boy, I think this is the perfect class. Nimble and feared warriors who can use the echo of their shades from different timelines to fight. They can teleport around the field and are incredible sword masters. It really can’t get any cooler than this.

[trippygalaxy]

My Opinion on the LU Boys DND Classes

as a DM of 3 years and a enjoyer of dnd for MUCH LONGER, i have so sososos many thoughts on what classes the boys would be. This will also include subclasses CAUSE ITS MY POST AND IMMA DO WHAT I WANT! /LH SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!!!

Time -> Fighter, Eldritch Knight

Twilight -> Barbarian, Path of the Ancestral Guardian

Warriors -> Fighter, Battle Master

Sky -> Paladin, Oath of Devotion

Wild -> Ranger, Gloomstalker

Legend -> Wizard, Bladesinging

Hyrule -> Warlock, The Celestial

Four -> Fighter, Echo Knight

Wind -> Rogue, Swashbuckler

Taglist cause I know somepeople were interested! @catreginae @next-hero-in-line @unexpectedstormy @nancyheart11 @majorproblems77 @ladye-zelda @ajscico @mishwanders @violetregrets1837 @1dragon-mustard1

Under the cut will be explanations as to why i picked these classes! (as well as the official descriptions of the subclasses for context)

Time, The Eldritch Knight

Subclass Description; They focus their study on two of the eight schools of magic: abjuration and evocation. Abjuration spells grant an Eldritch Knight additional protection in battle, and evocation spells deal damage to many foes at once, extending the fighter's reach in combat. These knights learn a comparatively small number of spells, committing them to memory instead of keeping them in a spellbook.

--

Fighter is a go to for all the boys, but I think Time is a perfect fit for the class as he is shown time and time again to be a frontline fighter. He's quick to draw his sword and quicker to swing it.

Though Time is not a heavy magic user in the LU comics, he is known to have quite a few spells/magical abilities in his games and comics! Many of these abilities are defensive or to deal with large 'groups' of enemies at once, which is what Abjuration and Evocation spells are used for -respectively. The Class is still heavily rooted in melee rather than magic -like Time- but the magic they do use is to add a extra kick to their punch.

There are also abilities that make the Eldritch knight much harder (if not impossible) to disarm!

In higher levels, the subclasses allows the user to be more effective and quick with their spell casting who their actions are free for melee attacks, which would be a perfect fit for the quick and preciseness Time uses in battle.

Twilight, The Barbarian of Ancestral Guardians

Subclass description; Some barbarians hail from cultures that revere their ancestors. These tribes teach that the warriors of the past linger in the world as mighty spirits, who can guide and protect the living. When a barbarian who follows this path rages, the barbarian contacts the spirit world and calls on these guardian spirits for aid.

--

Barbarian is a common pick for Twilight as it is the most strength based class and while I agree with it always never quite sat right with me due to the violence the class is stereotyped to lean towards.

The subclass itself was picked because I connected it with not only the Hero's Shade but also the light spirits that Twilight encounters on his journey. Its very much a spirit heavy class that deals with a lot of themes regarding 'guardian' like figures which fit perfectly for the 'guardian' spirits Twilight runs into -and is trained by- during his adventure. I also choose this one because of how defensive it is, especially when it comes to protecting others!

Twilight is a protector, in the LU comics, in his games, in his manga, he is shown time and time again to protect others so to have a subclass to reflect his protective nature is a perfect match for his character!

Warriors, the Battle Master

Subclass Description; Those who emulate the archetypal Battle Master employ martial techniques passed down through generations. To a Battle Master, combat is an academic field, sometimes including subjects beyond battle such as weaponsmithing and calligraphy. Not every fighter absorbs the lessons of history, theory, and artistry that are reflected in the Battle Master archetype, but those who do are well-rounded fighters of great skill and knowledge.

--

Another fighter! Like I said for Time, this class is very much a 'go-to' class for any and all of the LU boys! But warriors fits so well for this class, a undeterred and seemingly never ending energy in a fight, Fighter fits perfectly!

I think that we all can agree that Warriors is one of the top 3 swordsmen in the group, his way with his sword is unlike the others as he holds an elegance and swiftness that can be rivalled by very few. The Battle Master subclass is built upon the idea of 'Yeah, you can try to hit me but get ready for your shit to get rocked.' It is about countering, using the enemies weaknesses to your gain and getting your hits in whenever you can.

A Captain in a war would be a battle master without a doubt!

Sky, Paladin of Devotion

Subclass description; --They hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct, and some, for better or worse, hold the rest of the world to the same standards. Many who swear this oath are devoted to gods of law and good and use their gods' tenets as the measure of their devotion. They hold angels – the perfect servants of good – as their ideals, and incorporate images of angelic wings into their helmets or coats of arms.

--

Is...Is this a surprise to anyone? A little cliche yes, but how can you blame me when it suits him so well!

First, Divine smite? PERFECT for the Skyward Strike, without a doubt and I don't think theres anything that could fit it so well! A mighty strike blessed with divine power and -depending on what spell/ability- can shed a great amount of light and cause lightning/thunder to burst from the strike! There is also abilities with the subclass that makes your weapon a beacon of light for a short period of time

Sky is devoted to many things. But its obvious hes devoted to his Zelda -the reincarnation of Hyila, a goddess- so much so that before he knew of her divine spirit he was willing to head into a world unknown just to look for her. He is so devoted to her and Skyloft that he fought a GOD to keep everyone he loved safe and sound.

Wild, The Gloom Stalker

Subclass description; Gloom stalkers are at home in the darkest places: deep under the earth, in gloomy alleyways, in primeval forests, and wherever else the light dims. Most folk enter such places with trepidation, but a gloom stalker ventures boldly into the darkness, seeking to ambush threats before they can reach the broader world.--

--

Since TOTK I feel like this would be fitting for the hero to be proficient in fighting in the darken places of the world. The name of the subclass is also suits him considering a huge part of the game -The Gloom- is apart of this class in a way.

Ranger is a great class for Wild, it is the definition of a hunter, an explorer, one that finds there own path in the wildness. Wild, though seen to get lost in the comics, has a great understanding of his Hyrule and its geographic locations and terrain, both surface and depths. He is also a great archer, and a even better hunter!

The hero is a survivor of the wilds, and Rangers are the best suited to do such a thing

Legend, The BladeSinger

Subclass Description: Bladesingers master a tradition of wizardry that incorporates swordplay and dance. In combat, a bladesinger uses a series of intricate, elegant maneuvers that fend off harm and allow the bladesinger to channel magic into devastating attacks and a cunning defense.

----

Legend is one of the more magically inclined Heros, and though thats mostly through his artifacts and magic items that doesn’t take away the fact that the hero has a broad knowledge when it came to magic.

I picked bladesinging specifically because while it’s main focus is magic it still uses the sword and it’s connection to ones-self. Legend is still a fighter at heart so i don’t think he would toss away those skills in this situation. He is shown in a few panels to have some sort of connection/bond to the mastersword and likely his own weapon, so it was important for me to somehow intertwine his two biggest skills together.

And a bit selfishly, i think he would look very very cool dancing around with his sword-

Hyrule, The Holy Warlock

Subclass description: Your patron is a powerful being of the Upper Planes. You have bound yourself to an ancient empyrean, solar, ki-rin, unicorn, or other entity that resides in the planes of everlasting bliss.

---

I know most people would make Hyrule either a wizard or nature based magic user but in all fairness, I dont think Hyrule is one to learn magic by the traditional means (reading/studying it). This isn’t to say the kid isn’t capable of doing so, but with the whole “hero of Hyila,” you’d think there would be a bit more a divine connection there.

Warlocks make deals, pacts, with some sort of higher being for their magic intentionally or not and Hyila ,a holy celestial, being fits perfectly to be his patron. The magic granted to a celestial warlock is based on a clerics abilities, healing, protecting from the undead and fiends, lighting a path etc. Warlocks also are also a little more focused on melee/combat and if picking the right pact boon, can have a special relationship/connect to their sword!

Four, The Echo Knight

Subclass description: Echo knights harness fading shades of unrealized timelines, pulling a shadowy duplicate of themself called an "echo" to fight by their side. The echoes are somewhat fragile, but the echo knight can summon another at any time.

--

Okayokayokay— HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE!!!

One of the echo knight’s main abilities is being able to make shadowy versions of themselves to fight alongside them in a battle. These shadows or ‘echoes’ are an extension of the person’s form/soul and are able to communicate and aid the original knight. They are able to project their consciousness into these shadows to get the information they have seen/witness and collects it all once they all fuse back together.

TELL ME THAT AINT PERFECT FOR FOUR!!!

Wind, The Swashbuckler

Subclass Description: You focus your training on the art of the blade, relying on speed, elegance, and charm in equal parts. While some warriors are brutes clad in heavy armor, your method of fighting looks almost like a performance. Duelists and pirates typically belong to this archetype. A Swashbuckler excels in single combat, and can fight with two weapons while safely darting away from an opponent.

--

….i feel like this is pretty straightforward as to why i picked this for Wind.

Wind, shown to be quite a sneaky Link in his games, is probably the most rogue like in the Chain. He’s a strong kid, but he specializes in quick strikes and keeping his opponents on their toes and unexpecting. He is also, very clearly, a pirate! So it isn’t surprising for the hero to have one of (if not the only) pirate theme-d subclass! The class is very agile, but the subclass specifically is focused on disarming, ‘backstabbing’ and overall being sneaky in plain sight!

And thought i do think this is a great fit for the hero, i could also see him as a Storm sorcerer, which was my second pick!

UHHHH! YEAH THATS IS! if you're reading this, thank you so much for listening to me ramble and if you have any ideas/thoughts of your own i would LOVE to hear them!!!

[utilitycaster]

hi! maybe you've spoken about this before, but i was curious from a mechanics why you dislike dnd rogues! And if you dislike them not from a mechanics perspective i'm interested in that too lol

Hey! It's a combination of a mechanics thing though also for lack of a better way to put it a flavor thing. I like most D&D (and other) rogue characters, though my personal preference for what I like to play, even for works in which rogue classes are good, remains either "person with powerful magic" or "person with huge fuck off sword".

Really, the issue is that D&D has a pretty strongly defined class system with a ton of class-specific features, and this is especially prominent in the martial classes (since a lot of casting classes have levels where the only real benefit is More Spells, which allows for more customization). Rogues are additionally screwed over because "sneaky guy" is an incredibly general archetype compared to, for example, "martial arts specialist" (monk) or "melee tank whose healing powers derive from an oath" (paladin). Ranger and Barbarian similarly have very strong class identities, even if Ranger isn't mechanically great; meanwhile, Fighter is genuinely extremely versatile as a base class - any weapons, any armor, either strength or dex as your main stat, tons of feats/ASIs, and fairly adaptable/generally useful abilities (hitting a bunch of times per turn, healing factor). Rogue, meanwhile, has pretty specific stat requirements and weapon/armor limitations, and fairly specific abilities to boot, mostly surrounding "not getting hit by things" but the concept, again, of "sneaky guy" is very general! It doesn't even do a great job of handling "sneaky but working on your own" given the tight requirements on sneak attack, and you end up spreading yourself thin if you want to play a mastermind - honestly, if you wanted to go for a smooth talking rogue archetype I'd recommend just playing a bard with good dex, and if you wanted to go for an assassin I'd tell you to play swashbuckler since they can actually land a sneak attack face to face on their own.

Which brings me to the mechanics: Rogues only get one attack per turn whereas every other martial plus the martial-focused caster subclasses of Hexblade and College of Swords get two. Sneak attack is nice but as burst damage isn't terribly important in D&D, the ability to do it is kind of useless. And expertise, a genuinely good ability, is also a bard ability to nearly the same degree - and bards get the full suite of casting spells and Jack of All Trades kicks in well prior to Reliable Talent and is more versatile.

Now, because this was prompted by me sideswiping rogues in D&D to talk about why Daggerheart is good I figured it's worth talking about how Daggerheart addresses a lot of these issu.es. The first, of course, is that the system philosophy is much less concerned with You Must Play This Core Class As Such. Again, you can play Seraph as close to a cleric, or as close to a paladin/fighter multiclass, to put it in D&D terms.

Rogue in Daggerheart still has the same core vibes (hope feature is an evasion boost; class features are the ability to hide real good and sneak attack, which functions similarly to how it does in D&D) but that's all accessible immediately and the rest is all in subclasses. No class is terribly limited by a specific stat - you have a spellcast trait of finesse, but you could dump agility in favor of presence (the finesse/agility split also does a lot of work here) - and anyone can use whatever weapons and armor they want. Also, burst damage in Daggerheart actually matters because of the threshold system; dealing major damage twice is better than dealing minor damage three times. (The fact that no one by default gets two attacks per action does a lot of work too in leveling the playing field for rogues).

Perhaps the one downside is that it is genuinely kind of limiting to build a nonmagic rogue - both domains (grace and midnight) are a mix of magic and abilities so you kind of have to pick the abilities available - and the nightwalker subclass is inherently magical. However, if this is an issue for people (not me, I love magic) it's way easier to add new subclasses and domain cards than work around the core features and requirements of the class itself, as you have to in D&D. I also think the emphasis the system puts on reskinning and flexibility is very good; syndicate rogue could very easily be anyone from a criminal to a private detective to a spy, depending on the domain cards you pick.

[quirkwizard]

So between the popularity of the last D&D post I did and the upcoming revisions to D&D 5E, I thought it'd be fun to talk about Class 1-A and D&D again. This time, instead of playing D&D, this will be students in D&D. For this, I will be picking out classes and races that I believe fit them the most based on the descriptions and lore presented in the books. Official material only, so no Blood Hunter Tokoyami. However, characters and their "stats" will take precedent over Quirks. The Gravity Wizard is a thing, but I don't think that Uraraka would fit as a Wizard.

Sato-Half Orc Berserker Barbarian: A perfect encapsulation of Sato. A big ole beefcake that runs up, hits stuff as hard as possible, and then immediately burns himself out because that's all he can do.

Mineta-Kender Rogue Thief: The classic "jerk thief" archetype with a set of quick hands and mobility options to replace his orbs with. And like Mineta, Kender are also a small race that everyone despises, so it's fitting.

Aoyama-Eldarin Warlock Celestial: A natural fit for Warlocks. He only shoots out beams, gets tired after a few big attacks, and owes all his power to a patron. Eldarin are just extra Elves, so that works out as well.

Mina-Satyr Bard Dance: The class is a pretty obvious choice given Mina's natural charisma and acrobatic abilities. I was tempted to pick Yuan Ti for the poison abilities, but I figured that Satyr would fit her look and character better.

Denki: Dragon Sorcerer Dragonborn: Just going all in on the lightning damage here. Denki is someone coasting entirely on talent, fitting with a Sorcerer, and everything else is letting him gave off as much electricity as possible.

Ojiro-Harengon Open Hand Monk: Open Hand Monk is a pretty obvious fit given Ojiro's martial abilities. As for the race… Look, there isn't any race that uses a tail. Harengon was about as close as I was going to get with it's other abilities.

Hagakure-Fairy Arcane Trickster: Rogues are good at sneaking and Arcane Tricksters can reliably become invisible. Fairies fit well into the sneaky part of it and their generally cheery disposition fits even better with Hagakure's chipper personality.

Kirishima: Goliath Battlerager Barbarian: A race that is made out of resilient rocks, a class that's all about getting and taking hits, and subclass that is all about being covered in sharp armor. It's great. You can even have the Rage be his Red Riot: Unbreakable move.

Koda-Firbolg Shepard Druid: I know I did this before, but it's too perfect with his role as the friend to all animals. Firbolgs are the soft, gentle giants of the forest and the Shepard Druid fits nicely with his tendency of overwhelming foes with countless animals.

Jiro-Tiefling Glamour Bard: No surprise with the class and the subclass fits with her role as punk rocker. Tiefling may seem like an odd pick, but I think that her generally closed off disposition can fits well with how Tieflings tend to be characterized.

Sero-Tabaxi Fey Wanderer Ranger: Hands down the hardest person to pick out for this. His abilities and personality don't fit a lot of races or classes that much. I just went with this set up for his pension for movement and trapping as well how personable he can be.

Momo-High Elf Artillerist Artificer : A natural builder that can create whatever she wants, especially her powerful canons. The elf part was mostly for personality given how distant Momo tends to be from other in terms of wealth and overall intelligence.

Tokoyami-Owlin Fiend Warlock: I know the Kenku is right there, but I believe that Owlin fits Tokoyami better. And with how his power comes entirely from a monster and how much it protects him, the defensive abilities of the Warlock Fiend fit well.

Tsuyu-Grung Cleric Peace: Grung is obvious since it's literally a frog, but her class may be confusing for some. I did consider Monk, but none of the subclasses fit her that well. I just thought that having her be a Peace Cleric fits with her wise and supportive nature.

Uraraka-Halfling War Cleric: I honestly went with Cleric because fit her general disposition. That kind of support centric person with a few fighting options that come with the War Cleric. The Halfling was mostly because she's very brave and focused on her family.

Shoto-Half Elf Lunar Sorcerer: Sorcerer is an obvious pick with how much of his story is tied to his ancestry and divided nature, complimented further by the Half Elf race. I went with Lunar Sorcery since it multitude of options works with his multifaceted power.

Tenya-Wizard War Magic Warforged: I was tempted to go with Paladin for him, but I believed that Wizard fit better with his natural intellect. Having him be a War Magic Wizard seemed like a good comprise. And of course Warforged fits him nicely.

Shoji-Simic Hybrid Astral Self Monk: Shoji fits in well with the reserved and disciplined types that often make up Monks, especially with how many times he can punch, but the real flavor comes from the Simic Hybrd. A terrifying monster of a man with gliders and tendrils? It's perfect.

Bakugou-Fire Genasi Eldritch Knight Fighter: I believe that Fighter fits best with Bakugou's upfront and aggressive way of fighting as well as his immense physical resilience, with the subclass fitting with his intelligence. And the Fire Gensai was just made to be Bakugou with it's firepower and hyper aggression.

Izuku: Variant Human Devotion Paladin: I was tempted to go with Wizard here, but I think that Izuku's unwavering devotion to a cause and heroic spirit fits too well with a paladin. Plus, you could easily reflavor all of his smites as smashes. Because I don't care what they say, you can smite with your fists.

[soylent-crocodile]

Hexxus Boons

(Mutagen Connoisseur by Alex Brock)

The second of my boon list done with @thecreaturecodex's delightfully awful Daemonic Harbingers, this one her take on Hexxus! I watched Ferngully as research for this and I have to say? Surprisingly good movie, despite its reputation. I had so much fun blending the songs and lines from this kid's movie into a genuinely evil being.

As with Caracalla, I imagine this is for if Hexxus ever takes his place as one of the four horsemen (RIP Appolyon).

Obedience: Kill an animal or plant, burn its body and inhale the smoke until you begin to cough and choke. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against poisons

Evangelist Boons

First Boon  Spirit of Destruction- Pyrotechnics 3/day, Defoliate 2/day, or Phantasmal Killer 1/day

Second Boon Toxic Performance- Gain the toxic serenade  performance. This functions as a bardic performance with verbal components that uses song, and if you have levels in bard or a class that grants similar performance, you may spend rounds of that performance on your toxic serenade. Non-allied creatures that can hear this performance take 2d6 poison damage at the start of their turn and gain a -4 penalty to saves against poisons and poison effects. Nondaemon creatures immune to poison lose their immunity, but do not take the -4 penalty. A fortitude save with DC equal to 10+½ your character level+your Charisma modifier negates the damage. If you do not have the bardic performance ability or an equivalent, gain the bardic performance ability as a bard with level equal to your character level -4. You do not gain any performances other than toxic serenade.

Third Boon Despoil- As a 10 minute ritual that costs 17,000gp in material components, including the heart of a plant or animal that dwells within the area, you may defile and curse an area of nature. This functions like the spell Greater Curse Terrain, but it is automatically permanent and you cannot dismiss it. 

Exalted Boons

First Boon All That’s Foul- Obscuring Mist 3/day, Aggregate Affliction 2/day, or Absorb Toxicity 1/day

Second Boon First Class Smoke- When casting spells that create areas of fog or smoke, such as  Obscuring Mist or Fog Cloud, you may cast or prepare them at one level higher to cast them as Polluted Spells. This functions like metamagic. Creatures that are not Neutral Evil must hold their breath or begin suffocating in such clouds. The constitution DC to continue holding their breath after they’ve started running out is equal to the spell DC, rather than 10.

Third Boon Encroach the Wild- When building a construct, you may imbue it with the power of your foul master; that construct’s natural attacks deal an additional 2d6 damage to creatures of the plant, animal, vermin, or fey type, as with the Bane enchantment.

Sentinel Boons

First Boon Pollution’s Crusader- Mount 3/day, Wartrain Mount 2/day, or Phantom Steed 1/day

Second Boon Mechanical Marvels- Gain Animate Objects as a spell-like ability usable 2/day. Objects animated this way grow an assortment of saws and shearing surfaces; their attacks become slashing and are considered evil for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance. 

Third Boon Strike the Heart- You can see the magic of creation that resides in the center of every living creature, and know how to seek and destroy it. 3/day as a standard attack action, you can attempt to drive your weapon into the heart of a living creature. Make an attack with any weapon, ignoring the target’s natural armor; on a hit, the creature is stricken. In addition to the damage dealt, it takes a -3 penalty to all attack rolls, damage rolls, and skill checks, as well as to concentration and caster level checks. This effect can only be cured by Restoration or more powerful healing effects.

[henwicks-library]

D&D Homebrew | Rogue: Street Rat

Roguish Archetype - Street Rat

Some rogues hone their skills with the blade or stealth, while others rely on their innate gifts to get by. For you, the only thing you can truly rely on is your own instinct. Maybe you grew up on the streets witnessing constant brawls, or maybe you never quite took the the ki side of monk teachings. Whatever the case, Street Rats excel in weaving in and out of combat, landing a few crucial blows before backing off to protect themselves.

Fisticuffs

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the following benefits:

You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.

You can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strikes.

Your unarmed strikes can now trigger your Sneak Attack.

For Dungeon Masters

If your campaign starts at a level below 3, consider giving a player that plans to take this subclass the benefits of this feature at levels 1 and 2, so that they may better use Unarmed Strikes prior to choosing this subclass.

Street Smarts

Also at 3rd level, your instincts are sharpened in and out of combat. This instinct is represented by your Instinct dice, which are d6s. You have a number of Instinct dice equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). You regain all of your expended Instinct dice when you finish a short or long rest.

You can expend Instinct dice to fuel various techniques, which are detailed under the "Techniques" section below. You start knowing two such techniques: Bob and Weave and The One-Two. You learn more techniques as you gain levels in this class.

Unerring Instinct

By 9th level, your instinct has been further honed through time spent fighting. You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to detect traps and hidden creatures, and Wisdom (Insight) checks to determine if a creature is lying. Additionally, you cannot be surprised while you are conscious.

Skill Monkey

By level 13, your instinct has been perfected to the point that you excel even in things you have little experience with. You learn the Instinctual Skill technique.

Dirty Fighting

At 17th level, you've mastered the art of following your instinct to best take advantage of your opponent. You learn the Sucker Punch technique.

Additionally, you have advantage on opportunity attacks.

Techniques

Bob and Weave. When a creature you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to roll an Instinct Die. You add the number rolled to your AC for the rest of your turn, including against the triggering attack.

The One-Two. When you use your action to make a melee attack that misses, you can expend an Instinct Die to make additional melee attack with advantage, as part of the same action. If this attack hits, you add your Instinct Die to the damage

Instinctual Skill. When you fail a skill check that doesn't include your proficiency bonus, you can roll an Instinct die and add the number rolled to the check, potentially turning a failure into a success. You expend the die only if the roll succeeds.

Sucker Punch. When a creature within 5 feet hits you with an attack, you may use your reaction to expend 1 Instinct die to immediately make an opportunity attack against the creature. If the attack hits, you add the Instinct die to the damage dealt, and the creature must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier). On a failed save, they instead miss their attack and become stunned until the end of its turn.

DM me for commissions, or find me on Fiverr starting at $5!

[robotbeetle]

As much as I love the idea of bard Wyll or paladin Wyll post pact, I’m really surprised at the lack of fics depicting him becoming a ranger. I think it fits his story the most logically seeing how both hunter and monster slayer are subclasses of ranger and fit his archetype almost exactly. He’s basically been living the lifestyle of a ranger too seeing how he’s been surviving on his own in nature unwillingly for the past 7 years. Dude would be hella knowledgeable in survival and the wilderness after all that time. Also as the son of the marshal of the flaming fist, I assume lore wise he has some pretty adequate melee training. This dancer would definitely lean more towards finesse weapons too and guess what class specializes in those? Rangers. He really is just a ranger at this point, he just doesn’t know it yet.

And while Wyll definitely has the same level of devotion to justice as a Paladin does, i really don’t think he would take any life committing oaths after he just broke one. Paladins are known to adhere to a strict code of law as well and though Wyll has a strong moral compass he has a flexible view of good and evil. He’s able to make compromises that a paladin probably wouldn’t because he’s experienced first hand just how justice can’t always be served neatly with a bow. I mean I find it hard to imagine a lawfully good aligned paladin letting Durge killing Alfira slide as easily as Wyll did. Or getting on with a sharran and vampire as well as he does.

But alternatively I absolutely live for aus where Wyll becomes Ansur’s chosen and gets granted with draconic powers. Would that make him a warlock still? Or would that promote him to sorcerer? Anyways, he deserves it seeing how his storyline emphasizes that he is the heart of the gate. Plus he needs rehab from his previous toxic source of power.

[roserysttrpggarden]

The Accursed Playtest 1

Hi there~! I hope these...Interesting times have treated you well, if you want some reprive from the horrors of life, I come bearing you all a gift. My second custom class for Dungeons and Dragons 5th-edition. The Accursed! An individual who became cursed, and has since learned to control it, turning it into a source of power. If you've ever wanted to play frankenstein's monster, a werewolf, or something like the lich king then this is the class for you.

Playing an Accursed

As previously mentioned, the accursed is a half caster similar to your rangers and paladins, focusing on debuffing and other control effects, unlike all other casters, the accursed uses constitution as its spellcasting ability, for your power now derives itself from your now cursed vitality.

Hex Points: Rather than using spell slots, the accursed gains a tiny pool of points, known as hex points to cast their spells, as well as use other accursed abilities. Similar to ki points or the warlocks spell slots, your hex points are recovered upon completing a short or long rest, allowing you to quickly regain your powers on the fly.

Overchannel: Overchannel is a type of stance the accursed can enter as a bonus action, unleashing their afflictions full power, this could take form as a bestial transformation, or a storm of raw arcane energy. While you overchannel your curse you can spent hit dice, rather than hex points when using your accursed abilities, as well as gaining additional benefits determined by your subclass. However, this power comes at a price, for the entire time your cursed is overchanneled, you suffer from a penality.

Accursed Adaptations: As the accursed gains levels, it gains adaptations, ways its curses evolves to be even more debilitating, these are essentially the accurseds eldritch invocation. However, I tried to design these much more as additional abilities the accursed can use, rather than just passive effects they get, though there are absolutely adaptations that are more passive. Some of my favorite adaptations include Evil eye, which lets you see hostile creatures under the effects of your spells as if you had blindsight. Scourge strike, which lets you spend hex points to deal additional necrotic damage on a weapon attack or unarmed strike (Essentially the accursed version of divine smite). And Manifested affliction allows you to summon a ghostly representation of your curse to aid you in battle.

Subclasses

The accursed document features 8 subclasses for your accursed subclass to choose from, while I won't go into great detail for each, I will list what each one does.

The Curse of The Beast is a lycanthrope subclass that turns an accursed into a ravenous beast, unleashing flurries of strikes against their foes.

The Curse of The Immolated is a blaster subclass focused on dealing as much fire damage as possible, burning enemies to a crisp

The Curse of The Immortal turns the accursed into a healer, bestowing them plenty of temporary hit points.

The Curse of Rebirth is a necrotic tank that empowers itself with temp HP, gaining benefits while it has said temp HP.

The Curse of The Sickened is a potent debuff that slowly chips away at its opponents health with powerful poisons and diseases

The Curse of The Parasite is a flexible striker that uses its variety of mutations to adapt to any combat scenario.

The Curse of Misfortune is your archetypal accursed that debuffs foes and bends fate to its will.

And lastly, The Curse of The Warrior is your archetypal gish that turns the accursed into a potent weapon wielder (Especially if you pick up the more martial oriented adaptions)

Design Goals

The overall goal of the accursed was to create a unique caster that played with the idea of "power at a price" while you wield explosive debuff and control potential (As well as other roles depending on your subclass) you also suffer from severe debuffs and lack much in the way of resistances through the accursed itself. This created an interesting "power budget" when designing the class as I felt like I could get away with bolder abilities due to those debuffs being there. It was also interesting to design for since, to quote someone who's intelligence score is higher than my own (That I don't remember the name of as of writing) 5th-edition is not a system of downsides, the only feature I can think of that debuffs you off is frenzy on the berserker barbarian, and even then that got patched out with the new PHB, so it feels rather interesting to design a class that's build around downsides (Even if you do have a way to get around it temporarily) I also wanted to create an experimental caster for the simple fact that casters arn't my favorite to design for. They're fun to play absolutely! But designing for them feels a little tedious since spellcasting inevitably takes up so much of the classes power budget, not to mention that there's a good chance you'll have to write new spells to fit a specific class theme, and that I don't want to just make a slightly altered paladin or wizard. Here's hoping I succeeded at the later.

That's all you need to know about the accursed before testing the class out for yourself, the document also comes with several new spells, most of which were written for the accursed itself, as well as a 2024 rules conversion guide for those wanting to play the class with the updated PHB. I hope you enjoy the accursed, leave feedback and possibly play the class in your own games.

Have fun and make sure to play some D&D

Link to the PDF here

[psychhound]

an in depth look at spiritkeep archetypes

okay brief delay but howdy everyone!! today we're gonna talk about two archetypes (the playbooks of Spiritkeep): the lonesome, and the minder! those were the archetypes that won this poll here (since second place had a three way tie, i had someone roll a d3 for me to determine the other archetype to talk about)

as a brief overview, archetypes are kind of like the classes of Spiritkeep while paragons are the subclasses, but overall they work closer to pbta playbooks than something like a d&d class

archetypes and paragons are based off of role-selves and healing fantasies. theyre meant to be storybook tropes that dig at the personas we became to endure trauma and the stories we tell ourselves for the better person we'll be one day

so … lets get to our examples

the lonesome

the lonesome works through themes of isolation and lack of power. for various reasons, these characters feel as though there is no one else they can or should rely on to support or know them. these characters have the power to sense insecurities in others - probably because they feel overwhelmed by their own

the lonesome comes with three paragons: the damsel, the urchin, and the wayfarer

the damsel is a character who has learned to be helpless. they've been told that they are not safe in the world or not capable of navigating it on their own. they've been made to rely on others but without true emotional support and connection. they're particularly capable of spotting loopholes and flaws in logic - but do they have the confidence and experience to use that to their advantage?

the urchin is a young character who does not have a typical support system. orphaned, abandoned, or a runaway, the urchin has learned through experience that safety is conditional and the world is not as stable as most people think. used to relying only on themself, the urchin starts with extra resources at the beginning of each arc

the wayfarer has never let themself settle down. they travel from place to place, not staying in anyone's lives for long - more of a collection of stories than a person. they may be a quiet observer or the life of the party, but, either way, they don't let anyone truly get to know them. the wayfarer has an uncanny knack for always finding their way - even out of dangerous situations

the minder

the minder is an archetype about serving others. to the minder, they will never be the most important person in the room. whether through choice or circumstance, there are others to look after, and the minder is the one to do that. the minder has tapped into the magic of the world in order to heal the people around them

the minder is split into three paragons: the caretaker, the guardian, and the shepherd

the caretaker thinks other people are more important than they are. they have to be prepared and available to take care of anyone who might need it at any time. whether this drains them, or whether they resent it, is not a factor worth consideration. why would they ever need care back? the caretaker has the ability to connect their emotions with another, though they grow more exhausted with each attempt

the guardian has been tasked with looking after someone. whether their own child, a sibling, a friend, or someone else, they have dedicated themself to another person who they see as more vulnerable and in need than they could ever be. the guardian can tap into their own strength to bolster that of another - lending other characters their big dice for better rolls

the shepherd looks after their flock - whether that be animals, children, or spirits. the most important thing about the shepherd is that they're a guide for others and people know they can be relied on. whether anyone really understands them in return is not nearly so important. the shepherd has tapped into magic that allows them to teleport themself and others short distances. anything to keep the flock safe and together

next time i'll be talking about the worldbuilding in Spiritkeep!!

also, i'm still itchfunding for early costs of development!! you can find the sale for art and consultants here and the sale for certified therapeutic gm training here :D with yalls help i've been able to lock in my first two commissions for promo art!! thanks!!