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There's lots of good advice here. I just wanted to start by saying that the story outline is interesting and should make for some very memorable scenes. Good luck! When I'm designing an adventure, I usually have a small handful of "set piece" scenes like your castletop encounter with Dracula...

I agree that the 5E design philosophy precludes low-to-mid-level PCs from true mastery on the d20 range. The expertise class ability gets you part of the way there for Bards and Rogues. Maybe you could also introduce a feat that grants mastery in one skill where you are already proficient. I...

I can't really agree with this! There are several levers to pull when designing a "special powers" subsystem, and all you need to do is make sure that the different subsystems appeal to different styles of play. So far, in the core rules, we don't have much variation on the spell slot theme...

I think the core of your idea is interesting, but I would be less generous. Something like this: You can improve your proficiency in any weapon, skill, tool, or saving throw by spending gold and downtime on training, gaining a bonus that cannot exceed your potential proficiency bonus...

They wouldn't be worthless if the hit were sufficiently devastating, but no edition of D&D has given heavy crossbows that punch. ROF 1/2, damage 1d20 might be a reasonable tradeoff. Or possibly 1d10 damage and an armor-piercing mechanic (e.g. ignores piercing resistance, +2 to hit vs heavy...

Wow, this is getting deep. :-) It's been an interesting conversation. I think the spell/alignment interaction has also become more problematic because D&D has evolved from a PRIME + outer realms cosmology to a MULTIVERSE + outer realms cosmology. Consider: the alignment system sprang from...

It's my favorite version so far. Shouldn't making a potion in a short rest use a point from the craft reserve, if you don't want to drink it right away? It could use some thought/playtesting about the extent to which this class bends the concentration limit. It was smart to make certain...

Well, I see two possible differences that prevent simply reskinning the existing spell mechanic from other classes: 1) In HERO terms, the artificer's spells have the obvious accessible/inaccessible focus limitation, while everyone else's spells have the incantation and gesture limitations...

Thanks for the tip, I wasn't finding it through search either.

I've always loved that quote.

I think a concept deserves to be a class if it is broad enough to support subclasses/paths/archetypes. You can hack an artificer from a cleric, bard, or wizard. But it's better to make a new class that lets players specialize into Magical Researcher, Dr Frankenstein, Alchemist, or just That...

I'll probably buy Phoenix. I'm a firm believer in rules supporting the setting, and I think it's great that you've gone in that direction. I don't feel a need for conversion information. Thanks for writing this! Ben

If it were a first level spell, it would have to be really good to merit spending a spell slot.

It's only a cantrip, after all. It's not easy to design a cantrip that doesn't cross the line from "sometimes useful" into "I would use this all the time". Just out of curiosity, would you use it more if it gave +5 to hit, so that it can stack with advantage?

Well, its main use is that it conserves resources. If you're thinking of a melee attack, then it's nearly always more effective to attack twice than to cast TS, then attack. But for spellcasters, TS can greatly increase the expected damage of a spell at no cost in spell slots (just time). Of...

Bas-Lag! (China Mieville)

I liked this article. The animal companion sounds more like a mini-Commune With Nature ability, which is certainly appropriate. The Beasts & Birds druid is my favorite, but all three are good.

Finnish mythology for example, which was one of Gary's inspirations.

Cleric spells are prepackaged gifts from gods or their servants, a reward for service and faith. Clerics don't need to know how they work. Are my AD&D roots showing?

I played a long campaign as a dwarf fighter/psionicist using the "complete psionics" handbook. Was my character overpowered? I don't think so, even using psionics to boost my stats I regularly got my ass handed to me by pure fighters and my one death was from a high-level rogue backstab. Did I...