Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Eldritch Knight cantrips

Once an Eldritch Knights achieves War Magic at level 7, I think that True Strike (as revised below) and Blade Ward become good choices for cantrips.  Here are my reasons why:

By level 5, an Eldritch Knight can attack twice with his attack action.  That means 2 attack rolls and 2 damage rolls in 1 round of combat; and consequently, 4 attack rolls and 4 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat.  I will continue to discuss my reasoning within the context of two rounds of combat.

By virtue of War Magic, an Eldritch Knight can use Blade Ward with the following effect:  3 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat, plus resistance against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage for those two rounds.

Here is how I would revise the True Strike cantrip:

True Strike
On Until the end of your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack rolls against the target, provided that this spell hasn’t ended.

I believe that this revision would not provide an added benefit to most wizards; however, an Eldritch Knight, by virtue of War Magic, would benefit from this revision as follows: 6 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat.

Thus, an Eldritch Knight with both True Strike (as revised below) and Blade Ward would have 3 meaningfully different combat options:

i) Normal Attack Option: 4 attack rolls and 4 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat;

ii) Defensive Attack Option: 3 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat, plus resistance against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage for those two rounds; and

iii) Precise Attack Option: 6 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Drow and Scout modifications

Drow

Challenge 1/4 1/2 (50 100 XP)

Hit Points 13 16 (3d8 + 3)

CON 10 12 (+0 1)

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The drow makes two shortsword attacks.

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Scout

Shortsword Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing slashing damage.

Drider redux

Lolth eventually summons a drow house's matron mother to the Hadesweb for a test of faith and strength.  Those matron mothers that pass the test rise higher in the Spider Queen's favor:  they are transformed by Lolth into driders, the blessed image of Lolth. Those matron mothers that fail the test prove that they are unworthy to lead a drow house to Lolth's satisfaction.  They are stripped of their role as matron mothers and remain in the Hadesweb to spend an eternity serving Lolth, rather than leading her drow.  In this way, Lolth surrounds herself with powerful drow.

As the favored of Lolth, all driders enjoy considerable power and authority in drow society.  The drow believe that a drow house that does not have a drider for a matron mother is experiencing the displeasure of Lolth. Such houses face stigma and disdain from the greater drow community.

DRIDER
Large monstrositychaotic neutral evil
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)

Hit Points 123 (13d10 +52)
Speed 30ft., climb 30ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 16 (+3)
CON 18 (+4)
INT 13 (+1) 14 (+2)
WIS 14 (+2) 17 (+3)
CHA 12 (+1) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Con +7, Wis +6, Cha +7
Skills 
Insight +6Perception +5+6Religion +4Stealth +9
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned

Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 15 16
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Elvish Sylvan [Elvish does not exist in my world], Undercommon.
Challenge 
6 (2,300 XP) 10 (5,900 XP)

Fey Ancestry. The drider has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put the drider to sleep.

Leap.  The drider can expend all its movement on its turn to jump up to 90 feet vertically or horizontally, provided that its speed is as least 30 feet.

Spider ClimbThe drider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Spider Affinity.  Driders have a special kinship with spiders.  Even untrained spiders recognize arachnoloths as allies and don't prey on them.

Spider Telepathy.  Driders can magically command any spider of CR2 or less that is within 120 feet of it, using a limited telepathy.


Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the drider has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Innate Spellcasting. The drider's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13 15). The drider can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: dancing lights
1/day each: darkness, faerie fire, spider climb, web


Spellcasting. The drider is a l2th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The drider has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will) : guidance, poison spray, resistance, spare the dying, thaumaturgy
lst level (4 slots): animal friendship, cure wounds, detect poison and disease, ray of sickness
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoratlon, protection from poison, web
3rd level (3 slots): conjure animals (2 giant spiders), dispel magic
4th level (3 slots): divination, freedom of movement
5th level (2 slots): conjure arachnoloth, raise dead
6th level (1 slot): word of recall

Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the drider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Web Walker. The drider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Magic Weapons. The arachnoloth's weapon attacks are magical.

ACTIONS
MultiattackThe drider makes three claw attacks, either with its longsword or its longbow. It can replace one of those attacks with a bite attack.


Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.  Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) poison damage.

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1dl0 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.  Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Web (Recharge 5-6}. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 17 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 10; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Ettercap redux

Spider Affinity.  Ettercap have a special kinship with spiders, which they shepherd on behalf of the drow. Even untrained spiders recognize ettercap as allies and don't prey on them.

Spider Telepathy.  Ettercap can magically command any spider of CR2 or less that is within 120 feet of it, using a limited telepathy.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Reincarnate, More Important Than You Think

In D&D, the only ways to regain youth are through the Potion of Longevity and the spells Clone, Wish, and Reincarnate.  No other spell provides the means to extend life.  The Potion of Longevity reduces one's age only by 7 to 12 years, whereas each of the above spells can provide a new (young) adult body.  An important benefit of a new (young) adult body is that it extends the overall life of the person.  Note that the spells Revivify, Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection all return the original dead body to life, and do not provide a new (young) adult body.

The Clone spell is Wizard only, and the Wish spell is Wizard and Sorcerer only.  The Reincarnate spell appears only on the Druid spell list.  No class other than the Druid has the Reincarnate spell.  In my opinion, because of this exclusivity, the Old (Druidic) Faith holds more sway over the world than other faiths.  By perpetuating the lives of its Druids through the use of the Reincarnate spell, the Old Faith accumulates more Druids than other faiths amass Clerics.  Also, since Druids tend to live longer, there exist more Druids in the uppermost echelons of the Old Faith (high level druids) than their equivalents (Clerics) in other faiths.  Further, Timeless Body (Druid level 18 class feature), which ages a druid's body only 1 year for every 10 actual years, allows the most powerful Druids to live for centuries with need of only a few castings of Reincarnate.  The practitioners of the Old Faith have long been aware of this impact, and thus make a concerted effort to preserve the lives of their Druids, resulting in a sizable number of Druids that are older than the oldest of dragons.

As a 5th level spell, Reincarnate is more readily available than the Clone (8th level) and Wish (9th level) spells.  Therefore, Reincarnate would be more widely used than Clone or Wish.  And as previously mentioned, the practitioners of the Old Faith work in concert to preserve their Druids, whereas Wizards and Sorcerers function far more independently of each other.

In addition to returning a person to life and singlehandedly bolstering the strength of the Old Faith, Reincarnate also facilitates the learning of racial tolerance on a level otherwise unattainable.  By living life as more than one race, none of which were of their own choosing, Druids learn to understand and respect the perspectives of those races, allowing the Old Faith to be race neutral in a way that other faiths aren't. Thusly, the Reincarnate spell has a tremendous impact on the world.
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From a gaming perspective, it is my opinion that a Druid should begin its career with a race that provides no bonus to wisdom because reincarnating to another race would then impose no reduction in the Druid's wisdom score.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Jackalwere redone as Hyenawere

The demon lord Yeenoghu created hyenaweres from ordinary hyenas to serve as spies and infiltrators for gnoll tribes, and advisors to gnoll pack lords.

Jackalwere Hyenawere
Medium humanoid (shapechanger), chaotic evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 18 (4d8)
Speed 4050ft.
STR 11 (+0)
DEX 15 (+2)
CON 11 (+0)
INT 13 (+1)
WIS 11 (+0)
CHA 10 (+0)
Skills Deception +4, Perception +2, Stealth +4
Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non magical weapons that aren't silvered
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Abyssal (can't speak in jackal hyena form)
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Shapechanger. The jackalwere hyenawere can use its action to polymorph into a specific Medium human or a jackal-humanoid hybrid specific gnoll, or back into its true form (that of a Small jackal hyena). Other than its size, its Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed.  It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Keen Hearing and Smell. The jackalwere has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Pack Tactics. The jackalwere hyenawere has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the jackalwere's hyenawere's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

ACTIONS
Bite (Jackal Hyena or Hybrid Gnoll Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage .

Scimitar (Human or Hybrid Gnoll Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (ld6 + 2) slashing damage.

Sleep Gaze. The jackalwere hyenawere gazes at one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target succumbs to a magical slumber, falling unconscious for 10 minutes or until someone uses an action to shake the target awake. A creature that successfully saves against the effect is immune to this jackalwere's hyenawere's gaze for the next 24 hours. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren't affected by it.

On Lycanthropy

Each form of lycanthropy is limited to one base race.  For example:

Werewolves come from humans;
Wererats come from halflings;
Wereboars come from dwarves;
Weretigers come from elves/half-elves;
Werebears come from orcs/half-orcs; and
Werecrocodiles come from lizardfolk.

As a curse, lycanthropy generally is meant to conflict with the nature of the base race.  Thus, werewolves, wererats and wereboars are evil (whereas humans, halflings and dwarves are generally good), but werebears are good (whereas orcs are generally evil).  Weretigers are neutral (whereas elves are generally good).  Werecrocodiles are evil (whereas lizardfolk are generally neutral).

In all three forms, wererats are size small.

Werebears, weretigers, and werecrocodiles are size medium in hybrid form.