D&D 5E Assaying a change to Elemental Adept

[Stalker0]

I will also note that part of the initial feats issue isn’t so much it’s power as it is it’s clumsiness.

it’s already time consuming to gather up all the d6, roll them, and add them together. Now you have to pick out the 1s and reroll them (while not touching the previously rolled die). It’s a lot of mechanical resolution for a feat.

so I also like the +1 damage per die for that reason, much much simplier to resolve.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I will also note that part of the initial feats issue isn’t so much it’s power as it is it’s clumsiness.

it’s already time consuming to gather up all the d6, roll them, and add them together. Now you have to pick out the 1s and reroll them (while not touching the previously rolled die). It’s a lot of mechanical resolution for a feat.

so I also like the +1 damage per die for that reason, much much simplier to resolve.

Wait rerolling 1s is clumsy!?

Man...you and I view gameplay vastly differently.

 

[Horwath]

Wait rerolling 1s is clumsy!?

Man...you and I view gameplay vastly differently.

few dice are OK, meteor storm is not.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

few dice are OK, meteor storm is not.

Completely disagree. It’s not like you’re rolling a fireball or meteor swarm every turn. The idea that doing so is particularly time consuming is itself odd to me, but the idea that it’s somehow clumsy to reroll 1s…

 

[cbwjm]

Perhaps something that synchs better with Empowered Spell, like count 6s as 7s?

That would actually be cool, maybe add 1 if you roll the maximum number on a die to take into account spells like fire bolt. It provides a small boost to damage allowing the adept to reach levels others are unable to reach.

Actually, I guess fire bolt would benefit already since you can roll a 6 on a d10.

 

[NotAYakk]

This needs work, but I prefer an approach that is more evocative, like:

Hellfire Blood (New Feat)​

Fiendish blood, born or grafted, powers your fire magic.

• Spells you cast ignore resistance to fire. In addition, when you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals fire damage, you can treat any 1 on a damage die as the maximum value on the die
• You can choose to make your Fire damage spells deal ½ of its damage as necrotic. If you do so, you gain temporary HP equal to the necrotic damage done. This temporary HP is gained at the end of the turn.
• If you deal Fire damage with a spell and have temporary HP, you can sacrifice the temporary HP to deal ½ of the sacrificed HP as additional fire damage to one target of the spell.

 

[clearstream]

This needs work, but I prefer an approach that is more evocative, like:

Hellfire Blood (New Feat)​

Fiendish blood, born or grafted, powers your fire magic.

• Spells you cast ignore resistance to fire. In addition, when you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals fire damage, you can treat any 1 on a damage die as the maximum value on the die
• You can choose to make your Fire damage spells deal ½ of its damage as necrotic. If you do so, you gain temporary HP equal to the necrotic damage done. This temporary HP is gained at the end of the turn.
• If you deal Fire damage with a spell and have temporary HP, you can sacrifice the temporary HP to deal ½ of the sacrificed HP as additional fire damage to one target of the spell.

In the past, I have tried revising many feats for balance. Savage Attacker is a great example! Writing new feats isn't too difficult, and given they should equate to +2 on an ability score we get a nice head start on balancing. These days, I only change feats that I believe will make a play style viable. For example, I've changed Dual Wielder so that the off-hand weapon strike is free instead of a bonus action. That makes it work for rogues and monks, opening up a play style.

Here with Elemental Adept, I believe there are a few play styles that can be better supported if player is given control of damage type. The fire-focused caster is one, but we can also think of some interesting options for a fighter who can change their weapon damage types. The part of Elemental Adept that uniquely matters is changing damage type. Extra damage is nice, but not unique!

Design-wise, my first step was to lower the cost of taking the feat by making it a half-feat. Lowering the cost means more characters will be able to benefit from it. Then I wanted to try a very broad damage type switch: something that does that very powerfully. As written, my version is possibly too broad (e.g. I make my bludgeoning damage into psychic.)

Your new feat is very flavourful. On the other hand, it loads in effects that aren't tied to the problem, which is defined as PCs/NPCs being able to get around resistances if they want to. That's why I wrote out the problem to solve up-front. Still, I don't reject desiring a flavourful feat, but then the real challenge is - can you think of a version more flavourful than mine that is focused on my problem-to-solve ?

 

[NotAYakk]

I think half feats aren't a substabtial reduced cost. It either relies on a careful min maxing at level 1 to have an odd stat, then requires that stat to be top tier for your build, or takes up to 8 levels of planning to pay off.

Second, I do not think good feats should be focused on one mechanical effect. They can be inspjred by a mechanical problem, but should remain story first.

Here the problem is "character that chooses to pick all fire spells".

Faced with a foe immune to fire, this character sucks, is near useless. And a fire mage sucking when fighting a fire creature seems a bit off.

The core of my feat is allowing not energy substitution - no "radiant ball" that makes damage types barely irrelevant - but admixture.

For this one (I have a bunch) we take the idea of hell corrupted fire. Ignoring resistance (because hellfire cares not for it), and for immunity providing half penetration by necrotic (because you cannot burn a fire elemental, we don't ignore immunity).

But feats should not just do one thing.

Temporary HP from the hellfire is a kind of life stealing. Then a damage boost if you aren't attacked.

While it is up to a 25% damage boost, it is intentionally awkward; it works on one target, and if you fired 5 rays of fire you get 25% of one of them on your next turn. You can't really get 25% basically.

Meanwhile, your fire spells are laced with corruption.

For other damage types the end goal - not useless against immune creatures - is paramount. A thunder/lightning feat, a poison/acid, and a cold one cover most of the most commonly resisted/immune types of damage.

Radiant and Force and Necrotic don't really need it.

Thunder/Lightning lets you split damage in half between types, and has a bonus kicker (thunder pushes, lighting kills reactions).

Poison/Acid similarly, split damage, kicker (adv on attacks/saves on damaged foes, and alchemist tools)

Cold you can split damage to do movement reduction, even on immune foes. So not quite the same; still useful. To play the damage game, you get a fire/cold reaction "protection" ability.

 

[Yaarel]

I tweaked the feat to pick one element, for a flavorful thematic. But the feat taker can convert other elements to this favored element, and it bypasses resistance. It is a reliable damage dealer unless the target is fully immune. Altho, it is situational at lower levels it is decent flavor, with a slight bump in damage. It becomes more frequent versus higher level targets, and more useful. I consider the tweak a potent half feat, 5 points compared to expected 4 points.



Elemental Adept
5 points - Elemental Adept (at feat, choose acid, fire, radiant, lightning, thunder, or cold: it can replace these damage types of spells and other magical effects, ignore resistance, 1 on damage die becomes 2)

 

[Stalker0]

Wait rerolling 1s is clumsy!?

Man...you and I view gameplay vastly differently.

When you watch players take an agonizingly long time to get enough dice, roll, and add up to determine the damage of a fireball…you desire to remove any possible complexity you can