D&D 5E Here's something that (to my knowledge) hasn't been brought up. About homebrew and classes.

[seebs]

We did new classes for our game (local group is using 5e for an Iron Kingdoms game). I stared at the task a bit and ended up writing software to let me write YAML files describing classes and auto-generate class descriptions. So I write something like:

hitdie: d8

And the resulting output (in Markdown, which is used then to generate HTML and mediawiki format):

#### Hit Points

**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per engineer level
**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + your Constitution modifier
**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per engineer level after 1st

And so on.

 

[Evenglare]

We did new classes for our game (local group is using 5e for an Iron Kingdoms game). I stared at the task a bit and ended up writing software to let me write YAML files describing classes and auto-generate class descriptions. So I write something like:

hitdie: d8

And the resulting output (in Markdown, which is used then to generate HTML and mediawiki format):

#### Hit Points

**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per engineer level
**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + your Constitution modifier
**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per engineer level after 1st

And so on.

Can you share more? This is my first contact with YAML, I just looked it up and read the FAQ but I'm still not sure what exactly it is. I would love to have templates though to make the class porting/creation easier on myself.

 

[seebs]

Can you share more? This is my first contact with YAML, I just looked it up and read the FAQ but I'm still not sure what exactly it is. I would love to have templates though to make the class porting/creation easier on myself.

YAML => a markup language mostly used for data storage. It's one of the easy-to-hand-edit data storage formats, sorta like JSON or whatever but lighter weight. I was thinking about trying to clean the code up and make it more available but I haven't had the spoons.

Here's a full example:

https://www.seebs.net/tmp/engineer.yaml (The input)

https://www.seebs.net/tmp/engineer.html (The output)

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I actually really like the idea of WotC only releasing subclasses in the following books they put out. It makes it very easy for players to grow comfortable with the list of classes in 5E, and helps keep things under control. Instead of 20+ different classes by the time 5E's run is over, we might end up with 6+ subclasses per class. Players will understand the core of what makes a Fighter or Monk or Warlock, and the subclasses allow extra customization.

Only problem with that style, which I admit is a big one, comes when you have a class idea that just doesn't fit in the current class structure. Such as, say, psionics. Making a specific list of spells (in this case called powers) is easy, but such a subclass would need to add quite a bit for it be model Psions, Wilders, Soulknives, etc, that just as I suggested to the OP above, it would make more sense to do them as totally new classes.

Still, I'd prefer only new subclasses in the future, as I feel like it keeps with 5E's theme of simplicity in creation, complexity in play.

My problem with that is it limits a concept into about 4-5 features at levels pre-determined by the base class chassis. You're also stuck with all the features of the parent class, regardless of whether or not they fit. Which might be fine if its just a slight variation (like a new wizard tradition or cleric domain), but for a new concept, its kind of meh.

Take for example the artificer. I guess it sort of works as a wizard subclass, but it really doesnt feel like the older versions. I've seen another take where its a cleric subclass. That works a bit better, but you still have channel divinity, the cleric's skill selection, etc.

If a class concept has enough depth to warrant a full class, it should get it rather than be shoehorned into another.

 

[Pvt. Winslow]

My problem with that is it limits a concept into about 4-5 features at levels pre-determined by the base class chassis. You're also stuck with all the features of the parent class, regardless of whether or not they fit. Which might be fine if its just a slight variation (like a new wizard tradition or cleric domain), but for a new concept, its kind of meh.

Take for example the artificer. I guess it sort of works as a wizard subclass, but it really doesnt feel like the older versions. I've seen another take where its a cleric subclass. That works a bit better, but you still have channel divinity, the cleric's skill selection, etc.

If a class concept has enough depth to warrant a full class, it should get it rather than be shoehorned into another.

I'll admit that being restricted to subclasses can in fact make it difficult to port in classes from older editions and make them feel exactly like they used to. I guess I prefer the simplicity of a set class list with varying subclasses over a potentially large list of classes that basically only exist to honor old classes, or to fill a very specific niche.

 

[Evenglare]

Thanks [MENTION=61529]seebs[/MENTION] I'm still very interested if you have something I can use. This looks fantastic. It seems like something I should start learning since I do this quite a bit anyway. very nice and professional looking.

 

[ceiling90]

I'm very interested in seeing this Sci-fi campaign and your materials.