Dungeons & Dragons releases Villainous Options playtest

zero.exe · Saturday at 8:26 PM

Kurotowa said:
Again, I'll note that the Behemoth's Rampager ability has a "first time per turn" clause. You can trample a bunch of targets, especially if you knock them down with a Shock Wave first, but you can't tap dance back and forth over the same one.

Still, I broadly agree, if not for exactly the same reason. It isn't that the Titan Form options are especially good at AoE, it's that the Titan Druid is another gish built onto a full caster base class. With those, once you get past low level your spells are always the stronger option, and the gish offerings are the weaker but cheaper alternative. Something you use to clean up minor encounters. When you get to the boss fight, though, it's spells all the way.

I especially agree with this, where currently running a gauntlet style play test and our druid has essentially fallen into that their attacks are just way weaker than just spell slinging. Where allowing them to cast cantrips by replacing an attack and modifier they're Godzilla breath so that at level 8 they can replace an attack with the Kaiju ability. It's still not a perfect fix but I think allowing them to more consistently put damage on the board with their attack will be good. (THEY ALSO NEED MORE AC LIKE DAMM YOUR A BIG ASS KAIJU WHY IS YOU DYING IN 2 TURNS)

Paul Farquhar · Saturday at 8:30 PM

zero.exe said:
I especially agree with this, where currently running a gauntlet style play test and our druid has essentially fallen into that their attacks are just way weaker than just spell slinging. Where allowing them to cast cantrips by replacing an attack and modifier they're Godzilla breath so that at level 8 they can replace an attack with the Kaiju ability. It's still not a perfect fix but I think allowing them to more consistently put damage on the board with their attack will be good. (THEY ALSO NEED MORE AC LIKE DAMM YOUR A BIG ASS KAIJU WHY IS YOU DYING IN 2 TURNS)

Sticking Barkskin on the list of spells castable would sort AC.

zero.exe · Saturday at 8:36 PM

Paul Farquhar said:
Sticking Barkskin on the list of spells castable would sort AC.

This is true, but i think the main problem comes from again having to burn slots for anything. Id like for them to have a natural AC of around 18 while in Behemoth specifically (the rest are mostly fine AC wise) and have resistence to common damage types + theyre rend. That way Behemoth can Tank and DPS and it dosent feel like a slog. I think Barkskin is solid for this. But the spell dependency is real and kind of detracts from the coolness of it.

Jeremy E Grenemyer · Saturday at 8:48 PM

RE: Titan Druid - I’ll take any excuse to unleash gigantic monsters on a party.

These look like a lot of fun.

doctorbadwolf · Saturday at 9:08 PM

zero.exe said:
I especially agree with this, where currently running a gauntlet style play test and our druid has essentially fallen into that their attacks are just way weaker than just spell slinging. Where allowing them to cast cantrips by replacing an attack and modifier they're Godzilla breath so that at level 8 they can replace an attack with the Kaiju ability. It's still not a perfect fix but I think allowing them to more consistently put damage on the board with their attack will be good. (THEY ALSO NEED MORE AC LIKE DAMM YOUR A BIG ASS KAIJU WHY IS YOU DYING IN 2 TURNS)

I think they need to be able to boost attack damage and survival with spells while in kaiju form.

That is also what moon druid and every other full caster gish should be doing tbh.

Just allow the druid to cast Self spells while transformed and you solve a lot of it, and maybe let them refresh the thp somehow.

Paul Farquhar · Saturday at 9:13 PM

zero.exe said:
This is true, but i think the main problem comes from again having to burn slots for anything

Burning slots is fine to exchange spell power for martial power.

zero.exe said:
Id like for them to have a natural AC of around 18

Would be overpowered on a full caster, as well as making moon Druids obsolete.

zero.exe · Saturday at 9:34 PM

Paul Farquhar said:
Burning slots is fine to exchange spell power for martial power.

Would be overpowered on a full caster, as well as making moon Druids obsolete.

Nah like i get it, but ime reminded that Bladesinger is a class and have to

. Im fine with them burning slots for it. Its just DEPENDENCY. Overall i agree with your fix i just hope that they can still feel like the epic Kaiju without needing 3 turns to set up and do the damage (and survivability) that they should have.

Paul Farquhar · Saturday at 9:37 PM

zero.exe said:
Nah like i get it, but ime reminded that Bladesinger is a class and have to . Im fine with them burning slots for it. It’s just DEPENDENCY. Overall i agree with your fix i just hope that they can still feel like the epic Kaiju without needing 3 turns to set up and do the damage (and survivability) that they should have.

Barkskin is a bonus action now, if it was on the list there would be no set up needed.

Stormonu · Saturday at 11:05 PM

Everyone keeps saying this is “Book of Vile Darkness” stuff, but I feel like this is material we’ll see in the Ravenloft book this fall.

Kurotowa · Saturday at 11:15 PM

Stormonu said:
Everyone keeps saying this is “Book of Vile Darkness” stuff, but I feel like this is material we’ll see in the Ravenloft book this fall.

The problem is that the Ravenloft book isn't in the Fall. It's in mid-June, barely more than two months from now. And that means it's way too late to be circulating brand new content for it. Those books have to be in late editing and typesetting, if not already at the printer's. Maybe they could manage it for a digital only release, but something that has to be physically manufactured and shipped? No chance.