#granted there are buffs in this domain so his numbers are better here

[hydrodragons]

once i get wriothesley on his rerun it's over for y'all

[monstersdownthepath]

Spiritual Spotlight: Hanspur, the Water Rat (and Ashkaelae)

Chaotic Neutral God of Rivers, River Travel, and Smugglers

Domains: Chaos, Death, Travel, Water Subdomains: Exploration, Murder, Rivers, Trade

Inner Sea Faiths, pg. 58~63

Obedience: With the assistance of another priest of Hanspur or by yourself, simulate the act of drowning. You can do this by fully submerging yourself in a body of water, exhaling all of your breath, and painfully inhaling water instead of air. Alternatively, you can lie on your back with your head at a lower elevation than your legs while water is slowly poured on your face and up your nose. If you choose the latter method, you must cover your face with a cloth while the water is poured. When you conclude this simulated drowning, contemplate your life and how your goals coincide with the teachings of Hanspur and the Six River Freedoms. Benefit: You gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus on Survival checks attempted while on or near rivers.

Just reading this makes my sinuses burn and my lungs itch, and not just because it’s springtime and I have allergies! As anyone who’s ever been in a body of water large enough to slap their face with a wave can attest to, inhaling large amounts of water sucks. While this Obedience requires only one wet breath, some... well, some pretty severe complications can arise from it, if your DM ponders even slightly what doing this to yourself every day would do. Dry drowning and secondary drowning are both real dangers from brief immersion, let alone concentrated efforts at simulating one of the worst fates someone can experience (I say this a lot but basically anything that deprives you of air is pretty terrible). The ‘simulation’ will likely only last a few seconds while the rest of the hour is spent recovering from your experience and meditating, but even that may not be enough to offset the fluid likely building up in your lungs. Priests of Hanspur must sound atrocious, coughing themselves ragged every day! No wonder it’s recommended your ritual is overseen by another priest, either, because they’d likely be skilled in helping you manage your symptoms.

Dangers of daily drownings aside, keeping up with the demands of this ritual is pretty easy so long as you’re somewhere with easy access to water. In Hanspur’s homelands, the River Kingdoms, this is pathetically simple! Everywhere else? It’s a lot harder! While I do appreciate that there’s a secondary ritual you can do if total immersion is impossible, but what happens if you’re stuck somewhere with no easy water access? Your waterskins won’t carry you for very long, even if you pilfer them from your party as well. Better invest in a Decanter of Endless Water! Or do something ridiculous like fill the party’s Bag of Holding up so you can just hop in and out whenever you need to.

That benefit is also the weakest I’ve seen in a long time, granting a bonus to only a single skill type and only while near rivers. Survival checks aren’t even all that commonly made, unless your DM is kind enough to let you use Survival to navigate with river rafts rather than Profession or Ride checks. Hanspur really doesn’t want his faithful straying too far from the River Kingdoms, which is only further exacerbated by how his Boons work, so if you’re not the type to linger near rivers you may just want to skip him entirely.

Boons are gathered slowly, typically obtained when a given character has 12, 16, and 20 hit dice. Unlike fiend-worshipers, servants of the Eldest, and devoted of the Empyreal Lords, characters worshiping Neutral gods do not have catch-all classes… but Neutral-aligned characters can enter the Evangelist, Sentinel, and Exalted Prestige Classes earlier than Evil characters, classing in as early as level 6 (they need +5 BAB, 5 ranks in a single skill, or the ability to cast lvl 3 spells); entered ASAP, one can gain the Boons at levels 8, 11, and 14. 

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EVANGELIST

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Boon 1: River Sage. Gain Hydraulic Push 3/day, River Whip 2/day, or Hydraulic Torrent 1/day.

Hydraulic Push and Hydraulic Torrent live in the same niche of “giant water spouts what push stuff around,” with Torrent being obviously an order of magnitude more powerful than Push. While Push has a range of Close and can target only a single creature or square, Torrent is a 60ft line that Bull Rushes or attempts to destroy everything it encounters, so it really depends on if you’re thinking you’ll need three small streams or one really, really big one. Notably, Torrent can Bull Rush targets of any size, unrestricted by the limits of your pathetic frame, while Push contains no such limiter removal and thus likely means you can only blast creatures up to a size larger than you.

Also of note, Torrent attempts to shatter everything it comes into contact with until it runs into something or someone it cannot destroy or push past. The Strength score the Torrent uses is equal to your caster level plus your casting ability modifier, meaning it will start out barely stronger than you are but will eventually be able to punch holes in iron and shatter stone. Hell, with a lucky roll, it may be able to do that anyway. Your choice on which two to take wholly depends on if you want to push three Medium critters around or launch one Colossal one.

What? River Whip? I don’t see any spell like that here! Lets move on! (alright alright; i just don’t like it. it’s good as an emergency weapon but more or less anything else is better in any scenario)

Boon 2: River Scion. As a free action you can breathe underwater, as if affected by Water Breathing, for a number of hours per day equal to the number of Hit Dice you possess. These hours need not be used consecutively, but must be used in 1-hour increments.

A disappointingly weak Boon. Really, what else is there to see or say? If you need to go underwater, this ability is great and has zero downsides. If you don’t, this Boon doesn’t exist. It’s a very binary Boon that relies on your environment, which means that if you’re overjoyed if you’ve remained in the River Kingdoms, but in a desert or jungle or mountain peak, you’re going to be extremely disappointed upon hitting level 11.

Boon 3: River’s Embodiment. 1/day as a standard action, you can transform yourself into a Huge water elemental, as per Elemental Body IV. You can stay in this form for 1 minute per Hit Die you possess, and can dismiss this effect as a free action.

Finally, a transformation ability that doesn’t suck! What does suck is that this is a level 7 spell being granted to you 1/day, when other Boons are equivalent to level 9 spells in power. Hanspur could have at least given you a little bonus on top of it, or made it 2/day, but it’s hard to complain about the force you become under Elemental Body IV. You become immune to bleed, critical hits, Sneak Attacks, and on top of it all get insurmountable DR 5, and the stack of stats you get? Mmmm-mm! Chef’s kiss!

+6 AC, +8 Con, +4 Str, all for the price of -2 Dex (more than made up for with the +AC). And, of course, a swim speed and the power to collapse yourself into a destructive Vortex, but those are only useful if you’re in water, while the rest of the stat buffs are far more universally useful. You’re not exactly the destructive and terrifying Fire Elemental or the deceptively sneaky Earth Elemental, but a wall of surging water can still wreak all manner of havoc on your enemies, your new dual slams able to smash ships (and bones) to pieces, and since Water Elementals are capable of speech and gesture, you can merely bask in your new tank stats while still casting spells.

There’s also the much more amusing but niche use of transforming while already polymorphed by a hostile effect, as having a new polymorph effect used on you while you’re already changed can end the first automatically.

While I wish the effect was usable more often, or at least broken into 1-minute increments, I can’t call it a bad Boon by any means.

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EXALTED

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Boon 1: River Guide. Gain Obscuring Mist 3/day, Haunting Mists2/day, or Aqueous Orb 1/day.

I love the name of this ability because two of the three spells do the opposite of guiding people. Now I’m a big fan of Obscuring Mist; it’s a simple staple in my list for almost every caster I make just because of how versatile it is! But now that I know there’s an alternative, it may have competition. Both Obscuring Mist and Haunting Mists do roughly the same thing, but one could argue that Haunting Mists does it better; in addition to granting concealment and shutting off an enemy’s eyes, it deals 1d2 Wisdom damage and shakes up anyone starting their turn inside the mist... But as a Figment spell with the Fear descriptor, there are a great many creatures immune to its unique power, and True Seeing allows one to see through it perfectly, whereas Obscuring Mist remains impenetrable to the apex predator of the Illusion school.

While it cannot be dispelled by wind or motion like a tangible fog, it’s important to note that there’s no way to protect specific creatures from the sanity-damaging effects of Haunting Mists, and its casting distance of 20ft and 20ft spread means that you will likely always be caught in its radius. The range means using it offensively is painfully limited, unless you want to cast it from invisibility after sneaking into the middle of an enemy formation, which... you probably, definitely don’t want to make a habit of.

It’s great for covering your retreat, but not your advance or setup like the normal Mist is.

Aqueous Orb is a good choice if your party is getting screwed over by the mist more than the enemy, creating a big ol’ 10ft ball of water that intercepts and engulfs anything that moves into it, or which it moves into. It deals 2d6 nonlethal damage whenever it rams into a creature and a further 2d6 to everything it has engulfed each round, but the damage isn’t so much the main draw as the fact it’s a massive, roving Sphere of Grappling, snaring and drowning any creature it manages to get ahold of if they fail the Reflex save. It’s a fun little spell that’s great for mopping up and controlling minions, especially ones you don’t actually want to kill, and even at its worst it can become a makeshift barrier in a narrow hallway since there’s no written way to actually move through it beyond wasting 2, 3, or more rounds by slamming into it and swimming through to the other side while your party books it in the other direction.

Boon 2: River Traveler. As a free action, you can grant yourself and any allies within 30 feet of you a swim speed of 60 feet. This effect lasts for 1 round per Hit Die you possess or until you dismiss it as a free action, whichever comes first. Your allies must remain within 30 feet of you or lose this benefit. In addition, you gain a +2 profane or sacred bonus on saves against spells with the Water descriptor.

See, this should have been added to River Scion as a bonus. River Scion and River Traveler feel like they could have combined into a single Boon to make something decent, but as it is they both fall into the same niche: Solves the encounter they’re meant to solve, useless otherwise. This ability is noteworthy for having no restrictions about how many times it can be used, essentially letting you switch swimming off and on at will. The fact it doesn’t take an action is incredibly important, because using the massive 60ft swim speed the ability grants actually removes the bonus, as getting further than 30ft from you makes it fizzle.

I don’t really understand why it would grant 60ft of movespeed if they’re restricted to a 30ft bubble, nor do I understand the purpose of the bubble in the first place. It makes exploration a slog, and escape scenarios more finicky than they should be. Since it can be activated whenever you need to as a free action, the duration feels unneeded. There’s so much about this ability that conflicts with itself that it bugs me too much to say much in the way of positives. The +2 to saves vs Water spells is a fun little ribbon, though most Water spells tend to be harmless utility spells rather than ones you’d need to make a save against.

Boon 3: River’s Depths. 1/day as a standard action, you can cause one creature within 30 feet to begin drowning, filling its lungs with water. The target of this ability can attempt a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Wis mod) to negate the effect. If the target succeeds, it is staggered for 1 round. If it fails, the target immediately begins to suffocate. On the target’s next turn, it falls unconscious and is reduced to 0 hit points. One round later, the target drops to –1 hit points and is dying. One round after that, the target dies. Each round, the target can attempt a Fortitude save to end the effect. This ability affects only living creatures that must breathe and cannot breathe underwater. This is a curse effect.

Now this one’s just insulting, being a technically weaker version of a level 5 spell, Suffocation. It’s weaker in four ways: 1) It fails against creatures which are amphibious which, if you’re in the River Kingdoms, is many. 2) It’s curse effect, which can mean some creatures are resistant or immune to it. 3) It has a 30ft range, unlike Suffocation’s range of Close (25ft + 5ft/level). And, finally, 4) Just ONE successful save ends the effect entirely, while Suffocation continues to torment and stagger the victim for 3 rounds until its effects finally expire.

It’s hard to ignore fact that it’s a basically a Save-Or-Die with excellent DC scaling, but I can’t get over it being weaker than an existing level 5 spell! ... Granted, Suffocation could probably get away with being bumped an extra level or two higher given how frighteningly effective it is at shutting down any creature who needs to breathe even if they succeed their save. I’m probably slamming down too hard on an ability that, again, is a Save-Or-Die at best and an unavoidable stagger at worst (good for making some emergency repairs against a powerful full-attacker), and for extra fun can be used without any components involved, so you can just drop it on someone out of the blue and they’ll have no idea who just tried to kill them. While I am disappointed it doesn’t meet the power of other Boons, it’s undeniably effective against a large portion of the creatures you’ll be fighting, even at 1/day.

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SENTINEL

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Boon 1: River Warden. Gain Wave Shield 3/day, Masterwork Transformation 2/day, or Quench 1/day.

Wave Shield is one of those rare spells that are amazing to have, but not especially good to prepare or to waste a precious Spells Known slot on. It’s an immediate action spell that grants insurmountable DR and Fire Resistance equal to half your caster level in response to a single incoming attack, which isn’t stupendous at low levels but is a generous equivalent to immediate, on-demand temporary HP as you get higher and higher level. If a creature relies on a lot of little hits rather than a few big ones, blocking even one of them can save you in the long run, and if your DR cancels out the damage from a poisoned or diseased attack, all the better!

It’s not an especially strong spell given how it only works once before fading away, but it’s better than the other two options by a country mile. Masterwork Transformation is something you’ll rarely need more than a few times in a campaign before masterwork items fall into your laps (or you can simply buy them), and by the time you gain this ability it will likely no longer matter. That being said, if you’re in a low-wealth campaign or have been forced to scavenge for your gear, Masterwork Transformation will save you THOUSANDS of gp over the course of your life, because as a spell-like, the material components are ignored and thus you can slowly upgrade your entire party’s armaments for free. Given its ability to affect a generous 50 pieces of ammunition per casting as well means the Ranger and Gunslinger will adore you, and you can work in tandem with a mystic craftsman (PC or otherwise) to get all of your favorite gear enchanted without discarding your precious family heirloom sword for that masterwork one you looted.

Not to mention the simple joy in taking all the gear off a bandit clan, Masterworking all of it, and selling it for a tidy profit.

Compared to the combat utility of Wave Shield and noncombat utility of Masterwork Transformation, it’s hard to make a case for Quench, which falls into the category of ‘niche spell’ like Water Breathing and Water Walking in that it will instantly solve a handful of scenarios and be utterly useless in the rest. Yes, you may need to put out a forest fire or stop a building you’re in from burning to a crisp, but you’ll have to decide if it’s worth giving up three emergency DR 4/-- and Fire Resistance 4 bandages... as the martial-focused Sentinel. If you plan on fighting a fire that day or encountering a magic item that can generate fires (which Quench shuts off for 1d4 hours) and no one else in your party bothered learning Quench, by all means, but as the Sentinel having the DR is probably better in most cases.

Boon 2: River Champion. 3/day as a standard action, you can sculpt water into the form of a melee weapon that you are proficient with. You must have enough water to form the weapon, an amount equal to the weapon’s normal weight. Once formed, the weapon behaves as a weapon of its type with an enhancement bonus of +1, which increases by 1 for every 5 additional HD you have beyond 5 (max +4). This weapon deals double damage to creatures with the Fire subtype. The weapon dissolves into ordinary water after a number of rounds equal to your HD or as soon as it leaves your hand, whichever happens first.

Boons which call weapons to your hand are alright in cases where your signature weapon has been taken from you, and by the time you receive this ability you will have a signature weapon, but such times tend to come few and far between. This one also has the additional caveat that you don’t actually create the weapon from nowhere, there must already be water around to make it, at least enough water to match the weapon’s typical weight. The good news is that a gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds, and a trident--Hanspur’s holy weapon--weighs only 4, with most other weapons barely ever approaching 10, so you can reasonably carry around an emergency weapon in a waterskin or in your backpack... And you know, now that I think about it, it’s kind of cool to be able to turn a glass of water into a dagger.

But when will you need to? How often do you find yourself bereft of a usable weapon often enough to need an emergency armament like this? I can see the niche in front of me, making a new weapon as-needed against creatures whose DR makes them difficult to damage with your normal gear or taking advantage of that delicious little tidbit about doing double-damage to fire-based creatures, but they take your whole standard action to make and last for only a single combat (if that), and you can’t even shuffle around the +1 bonuses for additional effects!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s by no means bad (unless you’re both in a waterless area and haven’t filled your waterskin), especially at 3/day, but I can’t help but wonder when you’d actually need it at level 11+ when you likely already have a primary weapon and several backups. 

Boon 3: River’s Renewal. When completely submerged in water, you gain Fast Healing 2. You can recover a total number of hit points equal to twice your HD in this manner each day. At 20 HD, if you fall below 0 hit points and your body is fully submerged in a river, you automatically stabilize.

As a final Boon, I wish the Fast Healing had a higher threshold than just 28 points a day (+2 per level). In combat it likely won’t matter, and while out of combat it’s a decent amount of healing, usually enough to spare a couple spell slots from your healers or some potions, it’s just not all that impressive for a third and final Boon. Sentinels are the only followers of Hanspur who don’t get some method to easily navigate the seas, so taking advantage of this Boon to its fullest extent relies on an outside method of gaining water breathing or a swim speed.

Funnily enough, you can carry around a Bag of Holding filled with water and use it as a recuperative pod in case you don’t have access to a deep puddle, which is dubiously useful but not entirely terrible. HOWEVER, the little addition at the end is also a kick in the teeth; why does that only happen at level 20? Why can’t that be a base part of the Boon? It’s just insul--Wait, it only works if you’re submerged in a river, too? You can’t stabilize with some good old pond water? The mighty ocean? Can’t take a dip in a bathtub to stop bleeding out? Come on, Hanspur!!! Be a little more generous to your worshipers!

I dunno, maybe I’m underselling the out-of-combat healing this Boon offers, but it just doesn’t feel worth it to put up with the Water Rat for your entire adventuring career just for an extra 1/8th of an HP bar.

You can read more about him here.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

Voyager Analysis

Star Max HP: 15,592 Max ATK: 10,450 Star Absorption: 153 Star Generation: 15.1% NP Charge ATK: 0.56% NP Charge DEF: 3% Death Rate: 7% QQAAB Buster = 3 hits, Arts = 3 hits, Quick = 3 hits, Extra = 5 hits Base NP Gain: Arts = 1.68%, Quick = 1.68%, Extra = 2.80%

Voyager of the Stars A: Charges own NP gauge (30-50%) Grants self Debuff Immunity for 3 turns. Gains 10 critical stars. 8 -> 6 turn cooldown

Swingby A: Grants self Evasion for 1 turn. Increases own Quick performance for 3 turns. (10-20%) Reduces one enemy's Quick resistance for 3 turns. (10-20%) 8 -> 6 turn cooldown

Blessings from the End of the World (Cosmos) B: Increases own ally's critical star absorption for 1 turn (300-600%). Increases party's crtical damage for 3 turns. (20-30%) Increases party's critical attack chance resistance for 3 turns (10-20%). 8 -> 6 turn cooldown

Existence Outside the Domain C: Gains 2 critical stars ever turn. Increases own debuff resistance by 6%.

Independent Navigation A: Increases own critical damage by 8%. Increases own Arts performance by 8%.

Contact with Civilization D: Increases own buff removal resistance by 10%.

Pale Blue Dot Quick 5 hit Increases own NP damage for 1 turn (20-40%, OC) Deals damage to all enemies (600%-1000%) Deals 150% extra damage to enemies with Sky Attribute. Charges party's NP gauge by 20%. Further charges the NP gauge of Living Human allies by 10%.

Living Human: Asagami Fujino, Astraea, Chloe von Einzbern, Gray, Great Statue God, Illyasviel von Einzbern, Ishtar, Ishtar (Rider), Jaguar Man, Mashu Kyrielight, Miyu Edelfelt, Parvati, Ryogi Shiki (Assassin), Sima Yi (Reines), Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)

Primary Role: Looper, DPS Secondary Role: Crit Support, Support Situational Role:

Voyager is a cute little satellite, and probably has an orbital cannon to take out creepy shotacons. Now that we've settled that, let's talk about Voyager for a moment. Voyager is our first Quick Foreigner, a class that honestly is rather unappreciated, and he comes out...not exactly swinging at first glance. He has a high HP, low ATK spread, which while isn't always bad, is usually not a strong point, and while his Arts card do okay in terms of NP generation, his Quicks and Extra are pretty terrible.

However, that doesn't really matter! Voyager's 1st skill is like Pioneer of the Stars, except it trades the 3 turns of Pierce Invul for 3 turns of Debuff immunity. Whether that trade is worth it probably is a YMMV moment, but I definitely quite enjoy that. Voyager of the Stars, as one might expect, is a fantastic skill, especially on an AoE Servant. It dramatically opens up CE choices and makes Voyager one of the lucky few who does not need to rely on K-Scope to loop. Which we'll get to, but keep that in mind for right now.

Voyager's second skill is both a survival skill and a rather good steroid. This ins't quite a Mana Burset since it is half buff and half debuff, but that also means that unless whatever you're fighting has both buff block and debuff immunity (DEMETERRRRRRRRRR), you'll always get some value offensively out of this skill. It's also Voyager's survival option, but thanks to the 3 turn duration on this skills damage buff and debuff, Voyager in a similar manner to Babbage can use this skill to defend himself and not lose damage.

Voyager's 3rd skill is similar to Lalters, except...stranger. It's a targetable, but somewhat weak, 1 turn star absorb, plus an AoE crit damage boost and crit chance defense boost. If you're wondering what that is, it's basically a buff form of critical chance down. This skill is fine and honestly not too bad, but its definitely the weakest of Voyager's skills. The crit buff is only 30% and the crit chance buff is only 20%, which hampers the usability. Voyager can easily enable crits, so its not too much of a problem to do extra damage, but its not the important part of Voyager's kit.

His NP is where things get, in a word: silly. An NP damage buff, increased damage against Sky enemies, and a guaranteed 20% NP gauge charge are all fantastic, but Voyager will even give an extra 10% towards specific Servants that I have listed above. The 20% NP gauge charge is the best bit though, and that's because Voyager is an AoE Quick NP user. His 20% NP charge lowers the amount of refund he needs to make from 50% to 30%, which makes Voyager much more consistent of a looper. However, he's not perfect in this regard as his NP gain is still pretty low, and most importantly, even with Skadi buffs his damage is super low for a 3-turn looper, meaning he'll either need to fight Sky enemies, use CEs other than K-Scope such as Golden Sumo, or be NP2+ in other to farm efficiently. His NP gain on his NP without his charge is roughly the same as Achilles, to put it in perspective.

On the other hand, you don't have to use Voyager as a looper, and this means that he's a pretty solid anti-Sky unit. His NQQ chain will generate quite a bit of stars and even an okay amount of NP. His big niche here is his NP charges on his NP, his good consistency, and counter-classing Berserkers. Maou Nobu is arguably better overall as she does way more damage, but Voyager still is pretty distinct.

Support: Skadi is the obvious choice, but Voyager also works really well with Sima Yi, Mash, and Waver due to being able to accelerate their NPs. Great Statue God can also work here as well. Voyager really likes supports who will increase his damage due to his damage being on the lower side, and not needing a ton in terms of consistency. 

CEs: Thanks to his 50% NP battery, a wide variety of CEs will work on Voyager. Quick up, critical damage up, Golden Sumo, NP damage up, you name it. He’ll even work well with his own Bond CE. The Berserker effective damage CE is also quite notable here, providing a strong stacking boost that will make Voyager do a ton of damage to Berserkers. 

Pros: -Fantastic NP consistency thanks to decent refund, amazing NP battery, strong steroid, and good crit star generation. -Provides good support for the party through his NP and 3rd skill. -3 turns of debuff immunity on a 6 turn cooldown -Anti-Sky niche making Voyager amazing against a fair number of Berserkers

Cons: -Very low NP damage if not fighting Sky enemies or Berserkers -Not completely consistent in DSS due to low damage and lower end NP generation -Quick cards have pretty poor performance overall

Voyager doesn't come out as one of the best Foreigners in the game. He's more niche, but probably the best overall for farming should you hit his sweet spots in that regard, and an amazingly consistent Servant. He can definitely perform well, despite his flaws.

Also, cute satellite.

[probablygoodrpgideas]

Wizards of the Coast released a new Unearthed Arcana with a Cleric, a Druid, and a Wizard subclass. If you’re interested in my opinion, read more:

Keep in mind that all of this is just my personal opinion and only based on reading, not on playing!

Twilight Domain

Flavor: A very nice addition to the domains that already exist. I added it to 9 gods of my setting and especially for the goddess of the moon, it feels like a needed addition.

Mechanics: 

Domain Spells: Yeah they look good. I don’t know every spell by heart, but I feel like they got all the spells I would associate with this domain

Bonus Proficiencies: Almost every Cleric domain gets either bonus cantrips or proficiency with heavy armor and/or martial weapons. So far, only Tempest and War get heavy armor and martial weapons, and I think Eyes of the Night and Vigilant Blessing aren’t stronger than those domain’s level 1 features. I also think the juxtaposition of the martial Twilight domain to the spellcasting Light domain is pretty cool

Eyes of Night: This is pretty good but also situational. I am currently running Dungeon of the Mad Mage and the party includes a drow so I know that longer-range darkvision is an advantage but nothing too major. The power of this feature widely varies depending on your own race and party composition, from very powerful in a no-darkvision party to next to useless in a party where everyone has darkvision.

Vigilant Blessing: Initiative can be very important and this is basically a +5 to initiative. I think it’s a bit weird that you have to give it to someone before rolling initiative, I think it would be better if you just had advantage on initiative permanently, without the option to give it to someone else. I like the inclusion of “including possibly yourself” because that’s something new players often forget with things like Lay on Hands

Channel Divinity: Wow. This is powerful. A 30-foot radius sphere is likely to catch your entire party, and then it allows you to grant 1d8 temporary hit points, which in battle is similar to casting healing word, or end a charm or frighten which is a limited lesser restauration. And it provides light. All that for the low price of 1 action, and it doesn’t even require concentration. I think it’s too strong.

Steps of the Brave: The only other domain that grants a flying speed is Tempest, and they get it at 17th level. The Sorcerer bloodlines that grant (unconditional) flight do so at 14th level. It feels weird to say because I am a big defender of Aarakocra not being OP, but this just might be too early for flying. I also don’t see the connection between twilight and being able to fly. The advantage against frightened is good though.  

Divine Strike: As a martial domain, of course, they get divine strike. I am not too sure about psychic damage, I feel like radiant might be more appropriate

Midnight Shroud: It’s a great feature that provides some good utility but there’s a problem if your party has more than 5 members (including pets) or if you chose to not max out Wisdom. I think you should be allowed to exclude any number of creatures from the spell.

Overall verdict: A needed addition to the Cleric class but I am not sure about the features. Many of them are situational, the channel divinity is very strong, and I feel like this subclass doesn’t have a real focus. You just get a lot of good stuff without a clear identity. 

Circle of WIldfire

Flavor: I like the idea of a druid that knows that destruction is important for growth, similar to how the circle of spores druid knows that death is important for life. I could see this as the subclass of a Gruul Shaman.

Circle Spells: I don’t like the trend of giving druidic circles extra spells, I thought that was the thing of the Circle of the Land. I do like the spells though, and the fact that for every level, there is one spell that nourishes, and one that destroys. I don’t think Druids need Raise dead though, they already have Reincarnate.

Summon Wildfire: I like the trend of giving druidic circles new things to do with their wild shape. Overall, I really like this feature, but Fiery Teleportation might be a bit too good at level 2, it might have been better to unlock that at a later point.

Enhanced Bond: This pretty good. A d8 bonus to damage might not seem too big a deal, but remember that this also applies to Cantrips that deal fire damage. A d8 bonus to healing is insane. Your Healing Word does more healing than that of a Life Cleric. I don’t like this feature but not because it’s too strong (I think it’s fine). It makes you very powerful while you have your spirit, and while you don’t have your spirit, you basically don’t have a subclass. This kind of win-more mechanic is usually not very fun. Another issue is that without metagaming, nobody except for the druid will know that it’s the spirit that causes these buffs, so if the DM wants the enemies to be more strategic, they can’t take out the source of the Druid’s power without at least some metagaming. On the other hand, an enemy immediately focusing down the spirit could be used to show that they did their research and prepared to fight the party. 

Flames of Life: See above for issues with only buffing you while you have your spirit. I like this feature but I think “touches the flame” is very weird. Why would an enemy touch these flames? Maybe they saw an ally of your touch the flames and get healed and wanted to get healed themselves? Regardless, you don’t want enemies to touch the flames, because the healing is way stronger than the damage in most cases. I would change it so it triggers when a creature enters the space that was occupied by the deceased, and you can create a flame even if you don’t have your spirit.

Blazing Endurance: It reminds me of the Phoenix sorcerer which I really liked. I also really like this.

Overall verdict: A great subclass that has a bit of a win-more problem. It is great at dealing damage and healing, and pretty decent at tanking as well (Blazing Endurance and the extra hit points brought into combat through the spirit). I don’t know if it’s a Jack of all trades, master of none, or a one-person party that out-damages the Wizard, out-heals the Cleric, and out-tanks the Barbarian. I would love to hear some playtest reports of that.

Onomancy

Flavor: This is a tough one. Names having power is a concept taken from real-world belief, but it was never really a part of 5e before which makes it hard to buy. If Xanathar knows that some Wizards have more power over him if they know his true name, nobody would know he’s called Xanathar. I think “Do names have power in my setting” is a question every DM has to ask themselves. I did and decided they don’t. (I’ve been told Onomancy was in earlier editions of dnd but that doesn’t really change anything about this). I like the box on true names, and appreciate that a trans creature’s deadname isn’t their true name.

Bonus Proficiencies: It makes sense to have them here. Nothing else to say.

Extract Name: “You can’t use this feature on the target again” seems a little too harsh. “You can’t use this feature on the target again for 24 hours” is the same against most enemies, and for the reoccurring villains, you want to have the option to try again during your next confrontation. 

Fateful Naming: I like that your allies are encouraged to give you their true name, even though that means that if you betray them, you have more power over them. 

Resonant Utterance: I like them, but I think there should be more for buffing your allies. Right now, there’s only Nullification and Sympathy and those can also be used to hinder your enemies.

Inexorable Pronouncement: Getting more options is always a nice thing, and certainly not too strong.

Relentless Naming: Cool idea, but I think it should be limited to spells that target only that creature. I can’t suspend disbelief enough for a fireball that hits 8 people. 7 of them burn, and Vajra Safar, who I specifically called out, takes psychic damage. 

Overall Verdict: Flavor is up to everyone to decide, but mechanically, I love this class. It almost makes me want to change my mind about the power of names in my setting, just because I love it so much. Almost. 

[ffxivimagines]

FFXIVWrite 2019 | Prompt 27: Poor Unfortunate Souls

FFXIV Write 2019 | Prompt #27: Palaver | Rating: T

Warnings for: SHB spoilers, very possibly OOC emet, vague body horror (very vaguely creepy mer designs), Emet/WoL, general Emet-Selch related psychology

((If anyone would like continuations or to yell about the detailed designs I have for this, feel free to message or send an ask!))

Emet-Selch knows himself to be a rather generous individual. He has a gift, the power to spin countries into being, and uses it to help others. He charges a price, of course. Any self-respecting witch would do the same. The lawfulness of his contracts is known, each of them fulfilled to the last letter. He is fair with his terms. An eye for better hearing, a name for the ability to shapeshift, a voice for legs. That kind of thing. 

He has seen many an unexpected customer wander into his city, but the champion of Hydaelyn? He’s positively tickled. He flicks some poor, unfortunate specter aside and dismisses them without thought. It wouldn’t do for him to welcome such a prestigious traitor with his home in such disarray.

He does not hurry to greet them, but it is a very near thing. He covers his lack of regular nonchalance with a quick summoning. “Lahabrea.”

His fellow Amaurotine slithers out from Zodiark-knows-where and grins, rows of teeth peeking out from betwixt his lips at the expression. He doesn’t mind how his scales scrape against the walls (and Emet-Selch buffs those! He aims for authenticity since exile and he would suffer no immature immortals ruining it!) when he slithers forward to rest against the smooth surface of some nameless, faceless statue. “What is it?”

“They are here,” Emet-Selch replies, “and wish for a deal. Do not interfere.”

“Your Pers─”

“They are not deserving of that name,” he hisses. “Begone with you and take Elidibus with you. Sentimental fools, the lot of you.” Lahabrea shrugs and swims his way down the halls, cutting out via a window with a powerful flick of his tail. For a snake, he is so very prone to fits of unadulterated affection. Even more so toward Emet-Selch’s ex-intended. 

What a pair they’ve become; an exiled architect and an ostracized sentry of the state. He only wishes he had the person who forced this upon him stuck at his side. They could suffer together through the eons while the world completes its sundered death throes. Him and his actualized lover. 

The one coming to see him, only a handful of times Rejoined, cannot compare. 

They speak to him with hesitance and confidence bundled into one and glance all too openly at his many fins and stiletto-like claws. He can see the tremor in their gossamer aether where it ebbs and surges against his own. It’s too gentle, to intimate of them to let it loose in that way, but they do not seem to notice how they instinctively reach out toward him. Searching. Seeking. 

He will not allow them any of him. They are wholly undeserving of even so much as a fraction of his devotion.

He draws his aether back inside and allows it to burn hot inside his core. It would not be the first time he has spat out boiling water or allowed himself to flare brilliantly. His photophores light as if in warning, a low glow lighting his face eerily when he answers their query for his assistance. “What is it you desire that Hydaelyn has not yet given you? Beauty? A lack of chronic pain? Your true memories?”

“Mortality,” they respond, following after him and struggling against the current he creates. Ah, they’re so small like this. A truly pitiful being. “I know you can grant it to me, Hades.”

He frowns and looks down at them, snagging a long line of octopus eggs as they pass through one of the many caves among his domain and drapes it about his neck and robes as if playing at mortal fashions. There is not a bit of care in his voice when he warns, “Now, that’s a dangerous wish. Are you so keen to squander what little favor Hydaelyn has given you that you would forsake your fate for a Spoken princeling?”

They flush from their cheeks down to their chest, even their fins flicking about in agitation at his guess. “Yes,” they confirm. “What will it cost?”

“Well, only your heart,” Emet-Selch says, “which is a small price to pay, really. I am an exceedingly reasonable man.” He snaps and unfurls the length of a shimmering, golden contract before them. “All I need is your signature right here─” he instructs, tracing a line with one taloned finger “─on this contract and I can begin.”

“A heart, only?”

“Your heart, yes,” he clarifies. “Given willingly. You’ll have it back the moment the contract terms are completed.” He hands them the contract and they read through it. He can all but hear their brain attempting to process Amaurotine language and chooses to play the part of lawyer to break it down section by section. By the end, he’s tired and dead set on keeping them within his grasp (which is to say, within the Tempest. All those on land are far from his reach unless he is in the mood for a masquerade). It’s a shame they aren’t quite what he can trust with his beloved’s memories quite yet. Maybe one or two more Rejoinings and they would have been a passable vessel for such knowledge. In the meantime he asks, “Do you accept?”

They flounder before accepting and signing with a flash of aether from the tips of their fingers. “Three days. You’ll give me back my heart in three days.”

“As soon as the contract is fulfilled, yes,” he agrees. “Now, be grateful. I’m giving you a chance at mortality like your dearest little… what is its name again?”

“G’raha.”

“Like your G’raha,” Emet-Selch continues. “I do believe you’ll find it lacking, but never let it be said that I am not, at least, kind.” He sorts through a great number of materials, tossing potables and herbs into a cauldron of sorts, and pays no mind to the worryingly acidic taint to the water that is a result. Hydaelyn’s champion simply sets their jaw and watches him brew them the curse fit to steal their heart and grant them such a handicap as true mortality. They can already bleed. What else could they wish for? Death? A want to grow old? Wrinkles are passé among that society as much as they are among Amaurotines.

He reaches toward them and they press their hands to their chest when their heart jumps. He would have it as collateral at the least. It’s a foolish endeavor, their want to court and live with that Allagan prince (nevermind how Emet-Selch had allowed his family such a thing as the schematics for that empire) but he does not break his word. He’d hold their heart until the contract is fulfilled one way or another. 

If they manage to have their love reciprocated, he will give them back their heart and watch the Allagans crumble just to bring them despair. If they fail, well… he can keep all of them. It’s a win-win situation when either outcome will have them come crawling back to him like the imitation immortal they are. 

He pulls, rending their vital aether from their chest and watching their magic short circuit at the loss. They could die without, but that is none of his concern. It wouldn’t break the terms and he would still have what he wanted. With something like their heart, he could find the remaining pieces of them and slot them all together by force. The vessel may have perished, but he is not above making them a new one (a better one, the one that matched him in size and prowess). 

He inhales, consuming what they’ve given, and the cauldron fizzles, aether settling down into a stable curse. “Come here, little one, and let me grant your wish.”

They do and he watches them change. What blasphemy it is to discard their semi-blessed form for something so wretched as legs and a need for air. Their fins run ragged, thin membrane melting into the waters while bones merge and shift, until the thing before him is some combination of man and immortal. 

They struggle, a hand already wrapped about their throat for need of oxygen, and he allows them a breath of it in a current to sweep them off to the nearest beach. He settles down and watches, day by day, as they struggle against the growing stagnant aether in their body, limbs leeching of all color and veins turning golden. He watches them press closely to that princeling and kiss him, believing it to be a solution to their need for love, but he simply stares at them and asks if he knows them. 

They had dragged him from the depths and imbued his soul with their own aether and he does not know them? Emet-Selch laughs to himself. How frail mortal minds are to be manipulated by a lack of that same life-giving aether. Only someone like his Persephone could doom themself so thoroughly. 

He watches them transform back and rises from the waters to collect them. “Have you had enough fun, little fool?”

They quake at the reality that they’ve failed, but their heart rushing back into their body is more of a concern when it sets recognition filtering through their princeling’s eyes. He reaches for them, attempting to take them back and to give them the love he holds, but Emet-Selch simply snaps. 

They vanish from the land and the Allagan empire falls the very next turn of the century, a newborn immortal nestled among the halls of a necropolis oblivious to that which they’ve left behind. “Dearest Hades, have I been gone all that long?”

“Only a few millennia, nothing much. Elidibus has missed you.” He offers a hand when he asks, “Would you like to visit him?”

They smile, happy and oblivious, and take his hand.

Askbox | Ask Rules | Commissions | FFXIVWrite 2019 Fills

[tacticsroom]

Kronya: Gleaming Blade (Unit Review)

Available at 3-4★ (Grand Hero Battle Reward)

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward, Kronya does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 41/44/47 

Atk: 27/31/34

Spd: 36/39/42

Def: 19/22/25 

Res: 22/26/29 

Neutral BST: 162

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Athame (300 SP)

Mt: 14. Rng: 2. Grants Res+3. At the start of combat if foe’s HP < 100%, grants Atk/Spd+5 during combat and, if foe initiates attack, unit can counterattack before foe’s first attack.

After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res -7 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target for the duration of their next action.

Colorless Dagger. Cannot be inherited. Cannot be refined.

Assist: None

Special: Luna (200 SP)

Resolve combat as if foe suffered Def/Res -50%.

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

A: None

B: Desperation 3 (200 SP)

If unit initiates combat with HP ≤ 75%, unit’s follow-up attack occurs immediately after first attack.

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

C: Distant Guard 3 (240 SP)

Allies within 2 spaces gain following effect: “If unit is attacked by foe who uses tome, dagger, bow, or staff, grants Def/Res +4 during combat.”

Can be inherited.

Analysis

Kronya, while a bit late to the party, arrives alongside the rest of the Three Houses cast as a dagger unit with an interesting niche to boot. While the rest of her kit fails to stand out in comparison, her dagger’s unique effect solidifies her role against opponents that rely on falling below an HP threshold - particularly blade tome users.

Her dagger carries with it multiple effects to help her stand out from the ever growing dagger pool while helping patch up her subpar Atk of 45 with her weapon equipped. The first part of her dagger’s effect relies on her foe having less than their max HP. If this requirement is fulfilled not only will she gain an invisible Atk/Spd +5 during combat but she’ll also hit her opponent back first before her opponent can even initiate their first attack. This built in Vantage effect arguably makes Kronya a great candidate for Close Counter setups as well as a counter for ranged units that commonly use Fury setups like Nino. The rest of her base kit, while serviceable, does have room for improvement. Desperation leaves Kronya with more options as she can both be used in player and enemy phase. Her special, Luna, can be easily swapped for a lower cooldown special if desired. Her C skill mainly provides support and can be swapped out for another C skill if desired.

Kronya is not without her weaknesses though: being a colorless dagger she will take extra damage from raven tome users such as Robin and Cecilia. Her Atk is still on the lower end of the spectrum and her dagger’s effect can be tricky to implement without proper care. Needless to say Kronya can still be made into a formidable force and serve as a great counter to common ranged threats.

On her first merge, Kronya will gain +2 HP/Spd and +1 Atk.

Reasons to Invest in Kronya

You like Kronya and intend to use her in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or an Infantry

You’re interested in building Kronya due to her weapon’s built in Vantage effect and player phase potential

You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost

Reasons NOT to Invest in Kronya

You don’t intend on using her as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest

You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails

You consider Kronya’s playstyle and base kit uninteresting and would rather fodder her skills off to other heroes you use

You already have an invested dagger unit that you already use on your core Infantry, Arena & or Aether Raids team

Similar Units

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle Reward Kronya does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units. 

Legault: The Hurricane (39/31/38/24/19)

Kronya: Gleaming Blade (+5/+0/+1/-2/+7)

Note: Kronya has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable.

Felicia: Maid Mayhem (34/23/37/18/35)

Kronya: Gleaming Blade (+10/+8/+2/+4/-9)

Note: Kronya and Felicia have access to uninheritable skills and are thus not directly comparable.

Builds

Budget/Low Investment:

Kronya can make do with minimal inheritance and still perform her job well. Here we’ll take advantage of her dagger’s built in effects to help her hold her own better.

The set on the left will focus on bolstering her lackluster attack on both phases, helping her reach 56 Atk so long as her foe doesn’t have full HP with the help of Fierce Stance and Death Blow. The build on the right in contrast will focus instead on netting doubles on her foes helping her reach 50 Spd unbuffed if her foe doesn’t have full HP with the help of her dagger’s in combat buffs and Darting Blow. Both sets will be using Desperation and Savage Blow to help set up her dagger’s built in effects and to allow her to be used on both player and enemy phase. Savage Blow’s chip damage after combat will catch any foes within 2 spaces of her target granting Kronya an additional +5 Atk/Spd in combat from her dagger and activating her dagger’s Vantage effect.

Kronya’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Attack+3, Spd+3, Atk/Spd 2, Atk/Res 2, Stance skills, Flashing Blade, Bond skills, and Chill skills.

Special Oriented:

Whether with her dagger or without, Kronya is an excellent candidate for sets that make use of having specials up and ready to go; these sets also known as “Special Sprial” sets.

The build on the right focuses on making the most out of Kronya’s high Spd, improving her offenses with Life and Death 3 and setting her up with additional damage with Red-Hot Ducks+. The main idea here is that once Blazing Wind activates in combination with the Flashing Blade seal, Kronya will almost always have her special up and ready to go. It’s important to note that Kronya must have more Spd than her opponent to reliably activate Flashing Blade which, with a nice 46 Spd, won’t be hard to reach. To help with her low Atk, Red-Hot Ducks+ will deal extra damage based on how much faster a unit is than their opponent for a max of +7 extra damage. 

The build on the right in contrast opens her up to more opponents as Close Counter grants her the ability to counterattack regardless of a foe’s range. Once she activates Moonbow in combat she will always have it up and ready to go for the next fight. Fierce Stance is used as the seal of choice to better combo with her dagger’s in-combat buff of +5 Atk/Spd if her foe has less than full HP. Savage Blow may be taken here as her C skill or she can be paired with allies who provide chip damage such as Wrazzle Dazzle healers or Duma, whose C skill does 7 Chip damage at the start of his turn.

High Investment:

Kronya, being a colorless infantry dagger, has access to some of the most powerful weapons and skills in game and can be quite versatile in what she runs. The following sets are best intended for players who plan on heavily investing in Kronya.

The build on the left will focus on utilizing her dagger’s effects to their max potential. Alongside her in-combat advantages her dagger provides an additional Res+3. With Fort. Def/Res and the Atk/Res seal we can push Kronya’s Res to a respectable 41 making her capable of reliably running Sabotage Def, which will ploy foes for -7 Def if said foes are adjacent to one another and have 1 less Res than Kronya. This will allow Kronya to do more damage outright as well as help her set up her combat bonuses with Savage Blow as the C skill. With her high Res we take Iceberg as her special but this can be substituted for another special if desired.

The build on the right in contrast pushes her Special Spiral setups from before to their max. We leave her old dagger behind in favor of Starfish+, which has Desperation built into it. This better ensures that even if she falls to a low HP level she’ll still be able to finish offer her opponents as long as she doubles them which, with 51 Spd when initiating combat, is incredibly likely. Once she activates Growing Wind once in combat, with the help of Flashing Blade as the seal of choice she will always have it ready to go. Odd Atk Wave and an Atk refine are taken to improve her otherwise middling Atk pushing it on Odd Numbered turns to a high 61 Atk.

[tendertatti-blog]

For Honor Steel Hack

For Honor Steel Hack

At first look, you could be forgiven for speculation For Honor is a basic hack-and-slice diversion in a comparative vein to Ryse: Child of Rome, however once you're behind the controller you'll rapidly understand that there is quite a lot more to be found in Ubisoft's new "Specialty of Fight" control framework. Behind the activity enterprise style lies a profound and complex battle framework that feels special.

The "Specialty of Fight" battle framework in For Honor is the establishment whereupon the diversion is fabricated, and for that reason it has significantly more just the same as customary battling amusements like Road Warrior and Mortal Kombat than hack-and-slice recreations like Ryse or activity experience recreations that its third-individual, over the shoulder point of view and medieval setting may propose.

When going head to head against an adversary rival, holding the left trigger places you into "Watch Mode," where you can modify your position between the right, left and top positions. To square approaching assaults, you should read which bearing your rival is utilizing and afterward reflect their position, and to perpetrate your own particular harm you should change to one of the two headings that they aren't as of now securing to arrive effectively utilizing the accessible light and substantial assaults.

It sounds like straightforward stuff until you leave the instructional exercise and the adversaries start to battle back vigorously. Nothing will truly set you up for the multiplayer diversion modes where you'll rapidly find that basic those essential standards there are stamina levels you'll have to watch out for, avoids, repels, protect breaks, counters, bluffs, combos, unique assaults that can't be intruded, natural dangers, unlockable capacities called deeds, and a list of 12 distinctive legends you'll confront who all utilization them in various courses and to shifting degrees of adequacy.

It can be severe and unforgiving at to start with, however as your aptitudes enhance and you locate a playable saint that supplements your battling style, you'll get that eureka minute where everything bodes well and you start to feel comfortable in fight. Despite everything you'll see that your legend's head moves around on the floor frequently, however experiences transform into a move of timing, methodology, and ability instead of an uneven butcher that abandons you confounded.

Making utilization of the battle framework are 12 legends which are similarly partitioned between the three warring groups of Knights, Vikings, and Samurai. Every group offers its own minor departure from four unique classes of saint. A balanced Vanguard, a slower yet hard hitter Substantial, a nimble and quick Professional killer, and a Half and half that is a harmony between the others and is fit with a long range weapon. There's a genuine refinement between each of the 12 accessible legends on account of the distinctive expertise sets, weapons and accomplishments accessible which implies that on the off chance that one class didn't work for you with one group, you may find that it does in an alternate one. Adapting each of them is one of the highlights of For Honor's battle.

There is an extensive variety of customisation choices accessible for each character, including some which permit you to change the sex of your warriors. New things will be granted through movement, while some can be obtained utilizing as a part of diversion cash called Steel. The main problem here is that Steel is granted so inadequately for contending in matches. With a few things costing 5,000, 10,000 and 15,000 Steel, being compensated 20 for match means you're either must do a ton of crushing for that glossy new outfit you truly need or spend genuine cash.

Before each match, you can look over any of the accessible characters to battle with, albeit some are at first bolted behind a paywall that will require in-diversion money to open. At an opportune time, every saint feels very much adjusted giving you can take in the subtleties of their solid and frail focuses. That begins to change as you advance, notwithstanding, as in three of the accessible five multiplayer amusement mode equip details become possibly the most important factor.

Each of the saints has his or her own particular autonomous rank that will ascend through use in diversions. At level 20 your notoriety level will increment — consider it like renown levels in Obligation at hand — however dissimilar to Activision's shooter, which resets every one of your weapons and obliges you to open them once more, For Honor remunerates these characters with better levels of apparatus that straightforwardly influence qualities, for example, assault harm, safeguard and stamina costs. This combined with a matchmaking framework that now and again unjustifiably puts all the more elevated amount characters on one group can make for some matches where the situation is anything but favorable for the other group from the begin. Higher details don't really ensure triumph, obviously, however it more often than not gives them preference that feels like it could without much of a stretch be remedied amid matchmaking.

The complexities of For Honor's battle framework truly come to play in the Duel (1 v. 1) and Fight (2 v. 2) amusement modes where equip details aren't considered. It absolutely comes down to the expertise of the contender or twosome to win the day. Each match is battled about five rounds, implying that you get the chance to take in your rivals' strategies and devise an answer regardless of the possibility that you lose the early lead.

A portion of the better purposes of For Honor's battle are lost in the 4 versus 4 amusement methods of Domain, End and Conflict where you can frequently be dwarfed with substantial assaults descending upon you from various headings. Fortunately, this is countered with Retribution mode — a meter that gradually fills each time you hinder a rival's assault - and when activated gives you a hostile and cautious buff that can be accustomed to swing the fight back to support you. It's not ensured to work, but rather when it does there is no preferred feeling over observing at least two aggressors lay dead on the ground while you are as yet remaining to tell the story.

The 4 versus 4 modes additionally permit players to utilize unlockable abilities called Accomplishments which are allocated to the D-cushion. Each character has four accessible and they highlight capacities like Second Wind, which will recoup some of your lost wellbeing, to having the capacity to flame shots into a focused on zone.

The entire multiplayer experience is wrapped in a metagame called the Group War. As you begin the amusement you'll be solicited to pick one from the three groups to call your own. After each match, you'll have the capacity to send War Resources onto a regional guide where a progressing war is being battled. You can guard your own domain or assault a neighboring one. Like clockwork the outcomes are noted and the domains controlled are rearranged. It's a fascinating idea, and despite the fact that it may sound silly you'll be allowed in-amusement rewards if your group does well over a two week round or 10 week season. The aftereffects of a season will change the presence of multiplayer maps as time advances and constructs the account of the diversion.

On a par with the multiplayer is, For Honor suffers from some association issues which can go from somewhat irritating to rankling. I've been detached as I've stacked into recreations, been evacuated halfway through amusements, had bots supplant each other player and the odd event where slack has been bad to the point that adversaries appear to transport from place to put before me. The issues feel like they have enhanced somewhat over the previous week of playing, yet they are still there, which is not as much as perfect for such a multiplayer centered amusement.

While For Honor is unashamedly a multiplayer centered diversion, it includes a four to six-hour single-player crusade that tells the historical backdrop of the group war and goes about as an instructional exercise to a significant number of the subtleties of the amusement's battle framework. While it positively doesn't feel like an "attached on" experience on account of its cutscenes, setpieces and a lot of extra discourse, it feels like a missed chance to educate an important story concerning these notable groups. Rather, we're left with empty and forgettable characters that will abandon you supposing how great it could have been as opposed to getting a charge out of it for what it is.

On the off chance that you do appreciate the battle, there is a different rank that is earned as you advance which will give you some customisation opens for multiplayer, and with three shifting trouble levels and bunches of collectibles to discover, there is motivation to replay on the off chance that you need to see and do everything accessible.

For Honor's accomplishment rundown isn't particularly troublesome, however it will take some devotion in case you're searching for the culmination. The crusade has accomplishments for completing every group's part, discovering every one of the collectibles, and three in view of trouble. Most of the accomplishments are granted in the PvP multiplayer amusement modes which will require some ability and practice yet shouldn't be an issue in case you're playing the diversion all the time. There are additionally accomplishments for partaking in the Group War, which means will need to continue returning and playing the diversion to ensure you put resources in five distinctive two week rounds, return to see the aftereffects of a 10 week season in which you have taken an interest, and furthermore put resources on the guide in 50 of the distinctive six-hour long turns.

[tacticsroom]

Death Knight: The Reaper (Unit Review)

Available at 3-4★ (Grand Hero Battle Reward)

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward, Death Knight does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 36/40/43 

Atk: 32/35/38

Spd: 23/25/29

Def: 26/30/33 

Res: 23/27/30 

Neutral BST: 157

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Scythe of Sariel (400 SP)

Mt: 16. Rng: 1. Accelerates Special Cooldown Count by -1. If bonus granted from buff (ex. Rally, Hone) or if movement buff is present (ex. Armored March, Armored Boots), grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res +4 to unit during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Lance. Cannot be inherited. Cannot be refined.

Assist: None

Special: Blazing Flame (300 SP)

Before combat, target and foes within area near target take damage equal to 1.5 x (unit’s Atk minus foe’s Def or Res)

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

A: None

B: Escape Route 3 (240 SP)

If unit’s HP ≤  50%, unit can warp to any space next to an ally.

Can be inherited.

C: Close Guard 3  (240 SP)

Allies within 2 spaces gain following effect: “If unit is attacked by foe who uses sword, lance, dagger, or dragonstone, grants Def/Res +4 during combat.”

Can be inherited.

Analysis

Following the recent Three Houses cast added into FEH is the Death Knight, a powerful lance unit in his own right. While his statline leaves much to be desired, Death Knight brings with him a new playstyle meant to punish the current in-game meta. 

His statline aims to focus on his high Atk and mixed defenses. This however leaves him with low Spd making any combat outside of enemy phase difficult to achieve. His weapon however seems to counteract what worries he would normally have from faster opponents. The Scythe of Sariel will, if a foe has a visible buff whether on their stats or a movement buff, not only deny the foe any follow-up attack they would normally have but will also grant Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 to Death Knight during combat. This means that a ranged armor opponent with Bold Fighter and Armored Boots equipped will effectively have their Bold Fighter skill nullified due to their movement buff from Armored Boots. The same will apply if instead of Armored Boots the ranged armor has a +6 visible buff in Atk from Odd Atk Wave. 

This unique effect, however, will not apply if an enemy team fails to use visible buffs such as Ward Armor teams. His base kit outside of his lance will have to be completely revamped to compete with other lance units. He may act as a supporting unit with Close Guard but his B skill, Escape Route, will be tricky to use as it requires him to fall below 50% of his HP. The lance cavalry pool is also a vastly overpopulated pool and with limited copies of him available at this time Death Knight leaves much to be desired outside a niche effect. 

On his first merge, Death Knight will gain +2 HP/Atk and +1 Def.

Reasons to Invest in Death Knight

You like Death Knight and intend to use him in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or a Cavalry team

You’re interested in building Death Knight due his powerful enemy phase and his ability to ignore follow-up attacks

You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost

Reasons NOT to Invest in Death Knight

You don’t intend on using him as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest

You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails

You consider Death Knight’s playstyle and base kit uninteresting and would rather fodder his skills off to other heroes you use

You already have an invested lance unit that you already use on your core Arena & or Aether Raids team

Similar Units

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle Reward Death Knight does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units. 

Berkut: Prideful Prince (43/34/22/31/24)

Death Knight: The Reaper (-3/+1/+3/-1/+1)

Note: Death Knight has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable. 

Fallen Berkut: Purgatorial Prince (40/35/17/35/30)

Death Knight: The Reaper (+0/+0/+8/-5/-3)

Note: Both Fallen Berkut and Death Knight have access to uninheritable skills and are thus not directly comparable.

Builds

Budget/Low Investment:

Death Knight will for the most part require an overhaul of his base kit. Even in terms of budget sets this will be necessary. 

The build on the left focuses on boosting his stats both with the help of Fury and his seal, Brazen Atk/Def 3. Fury will provide +3 to all of his raw stats at the cost of -6 HP after each round of combat. We can use this recoil to our advantage by giving him Brazen Atk/Def, effectively boosting his Atk/Def by +7 while in combat. Once at or below 50% HP he will then be able to move next to an adjacent ally with Escape Route. He can then freely teleport to safety, teleport next to an ally and escort them to safety or surprise his foes by appearing in front of them. Ignis is taken due to his relatively high defense and for its cooldown which becomes 3 if the Scythe of Sariel is equipped.

The build on the right focuses on the same concept of lowering his HP to effectively boost his stats. Here we use double brazens (in this instance Brazen Atk/Def and Brazen Atk/Res) to boost his Def/Res by +7 and his Atk by +14. On top of his potential +4 to all his stats if his opponent has a visible buff applied to them, Death Knight can reach a total of +18 Atk, +4 Spd, and +11 Def/Res. Vantage is taken to allow him to have the first hit once at or below 75% of his HP and, keeping in mind how high his Atk can reach, will allow him to do a massive amount of damage if not outright take out his opponent.

Death Knight’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Def+3, Res+3, Atk/Res 2, Atk/Def 2, Close Def, Stance skills, and Brazen skills.

Physical Tank:

Death Knight is arguably one of the most powerful enemy phase cavalry units in game. One of his strongest attributes, he can go far with the right investment.

The first set aims to bulk up his defenses while protecting him from enemy specials while in combat. Close Def will grant +6 Def/Res to Death Knight when attacked by a physical unit. On top of +4 from his lance this becomes an easy +10 Def/Res before any further ally buffs. Guard is taken to protect him from enemy specials from activating while in combat while Quick Riposte is taken to guarantee Death Knight multiple counterattacks. Ignis is taken for its cooldown decrease and higher damage output but can be swapped for Bonfire if desired.

The build on the right follows the same logic albeit with different skills. While Brazen Def/Res will require him to first fall at or below 80% of his HP, it will grant a constant +7 to his Def/Res while in combat. Quick Riposte and Bonfire are taken for their synergy together as explained in the prior build. To better bolster his defenses, we alternate Wave skills using Odd Def Wave on odd numbered turns and Even Res Wave on even turns. Alternatively, Even Res Wave can be swapped to Even Def Wave. The same goes for Odd Def Wave being swapped out for Odd Res Wave.

High Investment:

It’s needless to say that Death Knight functions best as an enemy phase unit. With a wide variety of enemy phase skills available to him he can become a formidable force. The following sets are best intended for players who plan on fully merging Death Knight.

The first set fully focuses on his ability to act as a tank against both ranged and melee foes. Distant Counter will allow Death Knight to counterattack regardless of distance. Because his Scythe’s effect requires a visible buff to be on his opponent and can, at times, be fairly inconsistent we use Berkut’s Lance instead which will grant him an additional +7 Res when attacked. Steady Stance is used as his seal to grant him +6 Def when attacked pairing well with his lance. Quick Riposte will allow him to make multiple follow-up attacks while Atk Smoke is taken to help survive multiple encounters on the same turn, ploying foes within 2 spaces of the attacking foe for -7 Atk.

The build on the right in contrast simply focuses on countering melee opponents. Warding Stance will, along with granting +8 Res when attacked, will grant Guard to Death Knight protecting him from enemy specials while in combat. This frees up his B skill which we swap for Lull Atk/Def. Lull Atk/Def will neutralize any visible buffs on a foe’s Atk/Def while inflicting Atk/Def -3 to said foe at the same time. This may counteract with his lance, the Scythe of Sariel, so it’s best used against opponents granted a movement buff such as armors. Rouse Atk/Def 3 will grant Death Knight a visible Atk/Def +6 when separate from his allies allowing him to better function on his own. Renewal is taken to help keep him healthy but can be swapped out for another seal such as Quick Riposte if follow-up attacks are a higher priority.

[tacticsroom]

Oliver: Admirer of Beauty (Unit Review)

Available at 3-4★ (Grand Hero Battle Reward)

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward, Oliver does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 39/42/45 

Atk: 29/32/35

Spd: 17/20/23

Def: 20/23/26 

Res: 31/34/37 

Neutral BST: 151

Max Dragonflowers: 10

Skills

Weapon: Shine+ (300 SP)

Mt: 13. Rng: 2. 

Blue Tome. Can be inherited. Can be refined.

Assist: None

Special: Blazing Light (200 SP)

Before initiating combat, foes in the area near target take damage equal to 1.5 x (unit’s Atk minus foe’s Def or Res).

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

A: Mirror Strike 2 (240 SP)

If unit initiates fight, grants Atk/Res +4 during combat. 

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

B: None

C: Atk Ploy 3 (240 SP)

At start of turn, foes in cardinal direction of unit with 1 Res less than unit suffer Atk-5 for the duration of their next action.

Can be inherited. 

Analysis

Oliver returns along with several other of last year’s GHB units to remind all of us of not only his beauty but of flawless beauty itself. Unfortunately for Oliver in terms of competing against other blue tome units he finds himself in a difficult position. His stat line lines him up to be an enemy phase magic tank but his base kit conflicts this role slightly. Suffice to say Oliver certainly has his strengths.

Oliver’s most noteworthy stats here are his Atk and Res, both sitting at decent 32 and 34 respectively. His base kit further compliments both stats as he carries Mirror Strike as his A skill of choice and Atk Ploy as his C. His tome, unlike most GHB weapons released nowadays, can be refined for Res to expand the number of units he can ploy reliably. However this is where Oliver begins to fall off when compared against his competition. Having lackluster speed and defense, carrying a player phase A skill does more harm than good. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to survive a foe’s counterattack unless they happen to be a red mage. While his tome may be kept for players who plan on highly investing in Oliver it would be more worthwhile to switch his tome for another. He does, however, have a considerable amount of bulk for a blue tome and can easily be kitted out to be a ranged tank similar to the likes of M!Robin. Oliver can prove his worth - he just requires more investment than most GHB units.

On his first merge, Oliver will gain +2 HP/Atk and +1 Res.

Reasons to Invest in Oliver

You like Oliver and intend to use him in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or an Infantry

You’re interested in building Oliver due to his potential as a magic ranged tank

You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost

Reasons NOT to Invest in Oliver

You don’t intend on using him as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest

You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails

You consider Oliver’s playstyle and base kit uninteresting and would rather fodder his skills off to other heroes you use

You already have an invested blue tome unit that you already use on your core Infantry, Arena & or Aether Raids team

Similar Units

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle Reward Oliver does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units. 

Saias: Bishop of Flame (36/33/30/18/34)

Oliver: Admirer of Beauty (+6/-1/-10/+5/+0)

Note: Saias has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable. 

Robin: High Deliverer (40/29/29/29/22)

Oliver: Admirer of Beauty (+2/+2/-9/-6/+12)

Note: M!Robin has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable.

Builds

Budget/Low Investment:

Oliver can be easily made into a unit counter or a magic tank with little investment.

The build on the left keeps the majority of his base kit making him out to be a red mage counter. He may also swap out R Tomebreaker for Swordbreaker if a sword counter is more desired. Here we simply give him a Res refine to improve his odds of activating Atk Ploy on his foes. Atk/Res Bond and Mirror Strike are kept so that when he initiates against a foe while next to an ally he receives +9 Atk/Res while in combat. Iceberg is taken for his high Res but can be swapped to a lower cooldown special like Moonbow if desired.

The build on the right simply kits him out to be a magic counter taking Fury as his A skill to boost his raw stats by +3. Renewal is taken to help regenerate his HP after every 2 turns and to help him climb back into Quick Riposte range. We take an Atk refine to boost his damage output and Iceberg is used to make use of Oliver’s high Res. It’s important to note with the following setup it’s crucial that Oliver be kept as healthy as possible for if he takes too much damage it may take too long for him to get back into Quick Riposte’s range.

Oliver seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Res+3, Atk/Res 2, Distant Def 3, Bond skills, Stance skills, and Ploy skills.

Mixed Phases:

Oliver has unique options at his disposal being a blue tome unit. He’s not limited to a strict role as a magic tank.

The set on the left showcases the basic raven tome setup. Oliver has decent mixed defenses and as such can not only perform as a counter against red tom units but also as a counter for common colorless threats such as bows and daggers. The crux of the following build is Triangle Adept. Triangle Adept, when combined with a raven tome, will subject colorless units to the weapon triangle and place them at a disadvantage while in combat. Quick Riposte is taken to ensure follow-ups against all non-bow units but can be swapped out for Distant Def 3 if desired.

The set on the right stirs in the opposite direction kitting him out as a pseudo player phase unit utilizing the infamous Desperation/Brash Assault combination. Once Oliver fall around or below 50% of his HP he will be able to double any units that can counterattack against him even if originally he wouldn’t be able to double them. Mirror Strike is kept mainly for the sake of budget but can be swapped out for Death Blow if more damage is desired. We use a Blarblade here to improve his overall damage output and Even Atk Wave to both bolster his Attack and to make better use of his blade tome. Because Oliver will be (ideally) subjected to multiple buffs to his stats with a blade setup we can afford to take Glimmer as our special.

High Investment:

Oliver is a man of true beauty. Beauty must stand in the face of adversity (or in this case, powercreep). The following setups are best intended for players who plan on heavily investing in a beautiful man.

The set on the left shows a mixed defense close counter build. Oliver can easily mix his defenses so that he can take on more than just magic opponents. To do this, we take both a Def refined tome and Steady Stance. His tome, Blarowl, is taken not only for its refine but for its additional effect granting a +2 bonus for each adjacent ally next to Oliver for a max bonus of +6. Atk Smoke is used to help Oliver survive multiple encounters ploying enemies for -7 Atk if they're within 2 spaces of the attacking foe. Iceberg is taken due to Oliver's high Res and for its synergy with Quick Riposte.

The build on the right sets Oliver up to be a direct counter to not only magic units but to firesweep users and, more importantly, Wrazzle Dazzle staff units. Distant Def 4 will not only provide Oliver with +8 Def/Res when a foe initiates combat against him but will also nullify buffs on said foe completely negating any damage they would have originally done. Blarserpant+ has Distant Def 3 built into it, resulting in Oliver having +14 Def/Res if any ranged foe initiates him in combat. Null C Disrupt will allow Oliver to counterattack against Wrazzle Dazzle staves and Firesweep bow users while Quick Riposte will allow him to always make a followup attack. Even Def Wave is taken to further improve his physical bulk.

[monstersdownthepath]

Spiritual Spotlight: Ng, Lord of the Crossroads

True Neutral Eldest of Seasons, Secrets, and Wanderers

Domains: Knowledge, Magic, Travel, Weather Subdomains: Exploration, Seasons, Thought, Trade

The First World: Realm of the Fey, pg. 30~31

Obedience: Wear gloves, a veil, or both at all times. Wearing the items for 24 continuous hours counts as meeting the terms of the Obedience. Benefit: Gain a +4 sacred bonus on saving throws against spells and effects that damage, drain, or penalize ability scores.

Ng (which I’ve learned is pronounced “ing” like in “going” or “moving”) continues the trend of Eldest Obediences that are comically easy to perform, with his own being one of the easiest of all. Has your character crossed a pair of really nice, comfortable, magical gloves that they’d never logically take off, and they also have access to Prestidigitation? Congratulations on never failing your Obedience ever again unless forcibly stripped of your clothes. Note that you can freely switch between gloves and veil so long as one of them is still on your body at all times, so if you really need to wash your hands or hair you’ve got a way out.

There is the minor caveat in that breaking your Obedience, either through negligence or because something stopped you from wearing your uniform, costs you your bonuses and Boons for at LEAST 24 full hours rather than just until you have an hour to beg Ng for forgiveness. If you’re not Faesworn, then this loss can be painful but not debilitating... But if you ARE Faesworn, losing access to all of your class abilities for a full day can be fatal.

The bonus you get for remaining in uniform won’t allow you to keep your uniform on and unharmed, but a +4 bonus to anything that would harm or penalize your ability scores in any way is actually a LOT more amazing than it looks at first glance. For example, do you know what two extremely common conditions penalize ability scores? Fatigue and exhaustion, and thus anything that causes either condition (either by itself or as a side effect) has to get through your +4 bonus to affect you, including things like staying up all night to keep watch, marching across harsh territory, or pushing yourself beyond your normal bodily limits. Ng is a god of explorers rather than exploration itself, blessing his faithful against anything that would impact their body’s ability to carry them across the land. 

As mentioned before, the Eldest do not possess the average Evangelist/Exalted/Sentinel spread, and use the Feysworn Prestige Class. The Feysworn Prestige Class can be entered at level 6; if taken as early as possible, you get the Boons at character level 8, 11, and 14 instead of 12, 16, and 20. Yes I’m going to clarify this for every Eldest.

Boon 1: Pass Freely. Gain Expeditious Retreat 3/day, Invisibility 2/day, or Blink 1/day.

Right off the bat, Invisibility 2/day is useful in a generous handful of scenarios. From sneaking around enemy encampments to giving an ally a free Sneak Attack to just eavesdropping on a conversation you can’t be seen anywhere near, becoming invisible for minutes at a time is invaluable. Since spell-like abilities require no components to perform, you can even trick people into thinking you’ve escaped their clutches by false-casting Teleport while fading from view.

Blink is an incredible defensive action, as well, fading back and forth between two planes to avoid incoming attacks. Useful for people who really don’t want to be hit, though Invisibility is, in general, better for getting the drop on enemies to prevent you from being targeted at all. It really depends on what sort of character you are or what you plan to do later on in the day. Hell, even Expeditious Retreat has its uses when cast onto archers, mages, or otherwise-immobile tanks and bruisers.

Personally, I’d always lean towards Invisibility--the other two are better in specific situations, but turning invisible is good in just about every situation.

Boon 2: Planeswalker. You may cast Plane Shift 1/day as a spell-like ability.

.. Hm. Only once? That’s... A little disappointing, actually. Now don’t get me wrong--easily hopping from one plane to another at level 11, two levels before Wizards can do it, is quite the ability... But Clerics and Oracles can do it two levels before you can, and can do it three times per day when you’re finally able to cast it once. Now if your party doesn’t HAVE a Cleric or an Oracle, you run into a completely different problem with this ability in that you have no real way to quickly get out of the plane you just shifted into without some outside help.

All that being said, though, one of the biggest limiting factors of Plane Shift is that, normally, you need a special tuning fork aligned with a specific plane in order to visit that area, often requiring a quest by itself to find, steal, or create. Not so with Planeswalker, which bypasses that need completely and grants you access to any plane you’re aware of and the power to hone in on any specific locations you’ve gained the knowledge of. Know that Devils will soon be launching an invasion upon That Poor Town and its only means of salvation is divine intervention? Why not step directly up to Heaven’s Gate (or Nirvana’s doorstep, or Elysium’s cool tree gate, etc etc etc) and personally ask for assistance? What about bringing some angels to Hell for some personal justice? Er, so long as you can get past the doorman, I mean.

Or, hey, has one of your Faesworn allies died and you need to get into the First World to bargain with their Eldest for their freedom? Ng has given you the power to do that.

Still, not being able to shift back without outside assistance can be a huge limiter with this ability. Until you or your party has some means of returning to the Material Plane, one of the better uses for Planeswalker is body slamming your enemies out of reality. Unbound by the need for tuning forks or silly incantations, you’re free to send your foes to the furthest reaches of the Multiverse to any plane you desire, either stranding them without any hope of getting back or dying outright from a hostile atmosphere (or lack of atmosphere). It’s easy to mislead your foe into accepting this ability and denying them their saving throw, too, since it’s a spell-like--perhaps you lull your enemy into thinking you’re going to heal them, buff them, or harmlessly send them on their way.

Remember, though, what I said about Imprisonment in the Lost Prince’s article. because it applies to Plane Shift as well. If your target has something valuable on them, teleporting them across reality will just mean you have to undertake another questline to get them back.

Boy that was long! And we still have one more Boon to go over!

Boon 3: Home at the Crossroads. You may cast Maze 1/day as a spell-like ability. The target is transported into an extradimensional space consisting of an endless series of roads through a lonely, darkened forest. You may instead target yourself with this ability if you choose, transporting yourself and any number of willing targets within 100ft to the crossroads, where you may remain indefinitely without the need for food or drink. Any creature peacefully invited into the crossroads may leave by willing it (reappearing in the location they disappeared from, if possible), but cannot re-enter unless invited with another use of this ability.

Maze is an impressive spell to slap right onto something you don’t want to be around, locking a single enemy out of reality until they figure their way through the endless twists and turns, only to drop back into the fire once they find their way out. Locking a singular powerful foe, such as either half of the typical Caster And Bodyguard duo, while dealing with the lesser minions makes lots of fights much easier. Even without mooks in play, Maze can give the party a much-needed respite from a battle, enough time to recollect themselves, heal up, and prepare for when the target manages to get back out.

The secondary function, however, is infinitely more interesting. Having a sort of base to retreat back to if things get hairy is useful, especially since it has no natural hazards, and the only way in is to be a follower of Ng. It’s not elaborated on if you go to the same section of the crossroads with each use of this power, or if the crossroads can be altered in any way, and what happens to anything left behind in it, but I like to think that a powerful follower of Ng would be able to carve out a little hovel for themselves in this endless realm and return to it when needed. DMs not wanting to hand over a tool as powerful as an extradimensional home-away-from-home could simply say No to building a base of operations inside the crossroads, but the option for the DM to consider is there once the player reaches level 18+ and have proven themselves to be a truly powerful follower of the Lord of the Crossroads.

Much like how bopping an enemy into the Maze gives your team a bit of breathing room, so too does allowing your allies into it. Scrambling into the crossroads in order to rest, heal up, recuperate, and plan against whatever made them retreat in the first place is a viable tactic, especially since enemies won’t know that you and your party haven’t actually teleported away. Once you and your allies have finally gotten themselves together, you appear in the location you vanished from (if possible), which may potentially be right in the villain’s throne room or base of operations. Vanishing into the crossroads during a “collapsing lair” scenario is also effective, because like a normal Maze, if you really don’t want to reappear in the same spot you left, the crossroads can be exited via Plane Shift... Which you just so happen to be able to cast!

You can read more about him here.