D&D 5E The Aethernaut (WIP Gish class)

[doctorbadwolf]

NOTE: I neglected to mention some key things.

1. This is for a project that adds new classes and reworks the bottom tier classes a bit, as well as the fighter
2. The monk is an obvious comparison point, so I should have noted that I remade the monk as well,
   1. combining low level defense features into an Unarmored defense (shields allowed, can wear armor, benefits from not) with deflect attacks (all weapon attacks)
   2. Combined movement stuff into Step of The Wind, with speed increase also adding to jump distance, spend focus (ki) to gain double speed and jump equal to speed until end of next turn
   3. Combined martials arts and flurry into Masters-of-Arms, added “one martial weapon of your choice” to weapon proficiencies and replaced “monk weapons” with “weapons with which you are proficient
   4. Added focus techniques at level 2, that broaden the monk’s scope a bit
   5. Changed HD to d10
3. The class should end up playable at a 5e table, but it is aimed at the top half of the power band. Those classes that aren’t up there either aren’t mentioned in the project or are getting work done to them.

Tapping into the mysterious magical force that permeates all things, known as aether, the first Aethernaut was born in battle. An alchemist, sword master, and airship captain, called Mary Tych, deep in enemy territory, tested an experiment that probably should have killed her. No one outside the Schools knows how an Aethernaut is made, exactly, but it is known that involves alchemical elixors and complex magical rituals, and that if it isn't don't carefully, there's a better chance of death than of success.

Today, Aethernauts are known far and wide as fearless masters of arms and the arcane, who "ride the aether" across the battlefield with their dweomer-blades in one hand and flame or lightning or darkness in the other.
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This started as an alternate monk, became a swordmage, and then grew into it's own thing. It's not finished, it needs polish, and I haven't even written out very many esoteric techniques yet, but I'd love some feedback.

 

[Steampunkette]

So... few things.

1) Proficiency plus Int is probably too strong for the Aegis ability as an unarmored defense. The best a monk can hope for without magic items is 20 (20 dex, 20 wis, 10 base) and these guys hit 21 while also having a d10 instead of a d8 hit dice and only maxing out one stat.

2) 1d10+Int+Level with an optional +1d6 is a bit on the overpowered defenses side. Especially combined with the very high base AC these guys get. Adding the focus die perks to temp hp or damage is just icing on top of the icing.

3) Should probably put some kind of use-limit on the Deflecting Aegis.

4) Aethercasting... 20d12 is a ton of bonus damage, spells, and defenses. Consider shrinking that die size a bit, maybe. Also possibly count. As it is you're giving them 4 level 5 spells per short rest. Yes, I know it is limited by proficiency. But show me a warlock that gets to take more than 6 short rests in a day, each lasting 1 hour, and I'll show you a DM who is WAY too lenient.

5) Dweomer blade. So you get to make 2 attacks and a cantrip that scales with your level every time you swing your weapon, or you can make one melee attack and it deals the damage the cantrip can put out? If I made an Aethernaut with Eldritch Blast would I fire off two swings of my sword, then another 4 swings? Or one swing that deals 4d10+weapon damage, or two attacks, one of which deals 4d10+weapon damage?

6) Itenerate Scholar: Just eats up the Bard's whole core identity. As a ribbon. On top of two core identifying features at the same level.

7) Aegis of the Third Circle mentions spending Aether -to- make a melee attack, but that's not presented anywhere else in the class. Should that read "When you spend aether to add damage to an attack" instead?

8) Aegis of the Fourth Circle means that any save you make deals no damage on a successful save. Is that correct? It seems a bit strong, but also very narrow, since most spells that allow a save that isn't dex deal 0 damage on a successful save, anyhow. Lots of Wisdom Negates and the like.

9) Legendary Dwoemer: What is an Aether Strike? It's not defined as a class ability.

Overall it feels -really- frontloaded, PARTICULARLY defensively. Practically impossible to kill for the first several levels unless it's getting attacked by everyone on the battlefield. Splash 1 level of this as a fighter and woof. And this is all -before- adding the Mystic Orders and stuff.

Tack on Ritual Casting and Evasion and this is your fighter, mage, scout, and paladin all in one once they start 'smiting' and spreading their Aegis across the entire party.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

So, first things first, thank you for reading the document and providing feedback. I am an argumentative person, but I always appreciate feedback whether I agree or not, and I’m going to have your feedback in mind as I edit and clean up the class tomorrow.

So... few things.

1) Proficiency plus Int is probably too strong for the Aegis ability as an unarmored defense. The best a monk can hope for without magic items is 20 (20 dex, 20 wis, 10 base) and these guys hit 21 while also having a d10 instead of a d8 hit dice and only maxing out one stat.

They still need Dex or Str, they can’t attack with Int.

2) 1d10+Int+Level with an optional +1d6 is a bit on the overpowered defenses side. Especially combined with the very high base AC these guys get. Adding the focus die perks to temp hp or damage is just icing on top of the icing.

3) Should probably put some kind of use-limit on the Deflecting Aegis.

It’s the same damage mitigation as deflect missiles, which in this project is deflect attacks. (As I note below, I should have linked to my other recent threads and mentioned that it’s part of a whole project not just a standalone meant to be added to regular 5e games)

Basically ignore the existence of the bottom tier classes.

4) Aethercasting... 20d12 is a ton of bonus damage, spells, and defenses. Consider shrinking that die size a bit, maybe. Also possibly count. As it is you're giving them 4 level 5 spells per short rest.

That specific issue can be solved with a limit column in the class table, but also…okay? I’m not sure it’s actually a problem to have a class that can burn all their juice at level 20 to basically cast like a warlock, only doing the highest level thing.

Like the game isn’t balanced at level 20 in the first place, but even ignoring that I’m not sure it’s a big deal.

Yes, I know it is limited by proficiency. But show me a warlock that gets to take more than 6 short rests in a day, each lasting 1 hour, and I'll show you a DM who is WAY too lenient.

I’m not sure what you’re saying here. It may be the late hour though, so I’ll read it again in the morning.

5) Dweomer blade. So you get to make 2 attacks and a cantrip that scales with your level every time you swing your weapon, or you can make one melee attack and it deals the damage the cantrip can put out? If I made an Aethernaut with Eldritch Blast would I fire off two swings of my sword, then another 4 swings? Or one swing that deals 4d10+weapon damage, or two attacks, one of which deals 4d10+weapon damage?

That isn’t what the ability says. I can add more clarifying language, though.

You can cast a cantrip as the attack action. Not in place of an attack, not in addition to anything, when you take the attack action you can cast a cantrip. All that means, and I will add language to make this explicitly clear, is that when you cast an attack cantrip, doing so counts as taking the attack action, rather than the Cast A Spell action, which in turn means that any feature that triggers on or requires that you take the attack action works with your cantrip attacks.

6) Itenerate Scholar: Just eats up the Bard's whole core identity. As a ribbon. On top of two core identifying features at the same level.

Oh the Bard is a worthless pile of garbage that sets my teeth on edge every time I look at it, in spite of being my favorite class concept, so it’s getting a full group up rewrite. Like, damn near nothing will survive from the SRD version, and the absolute first thing to go is Jack of all trades.

7) Aegis of the Third Circle mentions spending Aether -to- make a melee attack, but that's not presented anywhere else in the class. Should that read "When you spend aether to add damage to an attack" instead?

8) Aegis of the Fourth Circle means that any save you make deals no damage on a successful save. Is that correct? It seems a bit strong, but also very narrow, since most spells that allow a save that isn't dex deal 0 damage on a successful save, anyhow. Lots of Wisdom Negates and the like.

9) Legendary Dwoemer: What is an Aether Strike? It's not defined as a class ability.

Legacy language I didn’t catch. It’ll get changed to factor in that the Aether strike doesn’t exist anymore.

Overall it feels -really- frontloaded, PARTICULARLY defensively. Practically impossible to kill for the first several levels unless it's getting attacked by everyone on the battlefield. Splash 1 level of this as a fighter and woof. And this is all -before- adding the Mystic Orders and stuff.

Tack on Ritual Casting and Evasion and this is your fighter, mage, scout, and paladin all in one once they start 'smiting' and spreading their Aegis across the entire party.

So, I guess I should have linked my other recent threads in the OP.

This is for a project wherein the Monk gets renamed and gets the upgrade it needs.

The dice are the same number as a Monk’s ki points, and they scale the same as the monk’s martial arts die, for the most part.

The “monk” has its scaling upgraded to start at a d6, gets a d10 hit die, and gets deflect attacks as a compliment to Unarmored defense at level 1. (Level 6 it upgrades to include magic attacks)

The Aethernaut being 1 point of AC ahead of the monk at level 20 (they can both use shields, now) is…completely fine.

Most of the rest great feedback especially in that it tells me where I need to clarify the language of different features. I’ll update and repost tomorrow. I did want to clarify the above since I failed to in the OP.

 

[Steampunkette]

Ahhh. So you're basically creating a whole new level of balance significantly higher than I was expecting. It's not OP by nature, just on par with higher baseline.

Gotchya. Gotchya. In that case aside from the legacy issue of Aether Strike I've got no baseline to go off of to make any suggestions or inferences!

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Ahhh. So you're basically creating a whole new level of balance significantly higher than I was expecting. It's not OP by nature, just on par with higher baseline.

Gotchya. Gotchya. In that case aside from the legacy issue of Aether Strike I've got no baseline to go off of to make any suggestions or inferences!

Well, kind of. Like I said, the intention is for the final product to be around the upper half of the 5e power scale

 

[doctorbadwolf]

So, while I don't think it was overpowered by any means, rather just in the top teir or 5e classes, it was indeed too frontloaded, in that it had too many complex abilities in the first two levels.

I moved the more complex parts of several low level abilities to either the aether technique list or to a later level.

Level 1 is still spellcasting and aether techniques, aegis (the reaction ability is just the basic damage mitigation until level 5), and dweomer blade (just the bonded weapon parts.

Level 2 is itinerant scholar (jack of all trades) and dweomer mark (just the basic part, not the two special dweomers).

Levels 3 and 4 are the same

level 5 is extra attack, and enhanced aegis and dweomer blade

I also cleared up a bunch of language