Homebrew Advice

[Camelot]

So, lately I'm trying to come up with a lot of my own homebrew stuff in all categories to try and shake up the game and just let loose my creativity. I fully agree with the philosophy of 4e that everything should be balanced, and I'm trying to keep my stuff balanced as well. Sometimes, though, it just isn't easy.

When I have some problems, I'll put the mechanic or rule here for people to look at and give advice on if they so desire. Everything I create is for anybody to use in their games; I do this to inspire, not get credit or money.

So, here is a power I've been writing and rewriting, and an item that troubles me.

Around and Back - Fighter Attack 1
You swing your weapon so that it hits your opponent in the back of the head, disorienting them for a few seconds.
At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
- Weapon: If you are wielding a flail, you gain a +1 bonus to the attack roll.
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modfiier damage, and the target takes a -1 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
- Level 21: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.

Originally, this power inflicted a -2 penalty, but had a -2 penalty to its attack roll unless you were wielding a flail. Then I changed it so that the attack roll was normal, but the inflicted penalty equaled your Dex mod if you were wielding a flail. Then I changed that to half your Dex mod. Finally, I ended up with this. I think it's balanced now, but after so much switching around, I can't be sure, so any comments are appreciated.

Whirling Weapon - Level 4+
This flail seems to have a mind of its own. When you swing towards a miss, it still manages to lash out at your target, and when you swing directly at your enemy, it finds the perfect place to deal a crippling blow.
Level 4, +1, 840 gp - Level 19, +4, 105,000 gp
Level 9, +2, 4,200 gp - Level 24, +5, 525,000 gp
Level 14, +3, 21,000 gp - Level 29, +6, 2,625,000 gp
Weapon: Flail
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus
Power (Encounter): Free Action. Use this power when you hit or miss with an attack using this weapon. Add this weapon's enhancement bonus to the natural d20 roll, treating it as if you had rolled the new number originally (even if the new number is over 20). So, if the new result is 20 or higher, the attack becomes a critical hit.

Magic items are really hard to create, because they're so varied, so there's not much to compare to, and if there is it's hard to find, and because the DMGs never actually tell you how to do it! It's like you're not supposed to or something. They let you make traps and monsters, so why not magic items? Anyway, if anyone knows of any items that are clearly better yet equal or lower level or clearly worse yet equal or higher level, please do share. Sharing is caring.

And thank you a billion times for any help you give my creative outbursts!

 

[Starfox]

Around and Back - Fighter Attack 1
You hit your opponent in the back, disorienting them for a few seconds.
At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target cannot make an attack of opportunity or trigger action until the end of your current turn.
- Level 21: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Weapon: If you are wielding a flail, target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

I wrote a variant here, illustrating a few points.

First, I don't really like the idea of an attack that has a conditional to-hit bonus. To-hit bonuses are few and far between in 4E.

Second, weapon effects are typically extras you get when you hit with a certain type of weapon, like outlined in my proposal.

Third, the power needs something to differentiate itself from a basic attack even if you are not using a flail. This is a problem caused by my revision (your power already did this). I had to invent an entirely new effect to do this. Consider this effect a sketch and/or placeholder, not sure my effect i balanced and appropriate, I just wanted to put something there to demonstrate. You could put the -2 attack penalty in that spot and invent some other bonus for the flail. Hm, I think I can quckly dream up such a variant too:

Around and Back - Fighter Attack 1
You hit your opponent in the back, disorienting them for a few seconds.
At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
- Weapon: If you are wielding a flail and the target is using a shield, you gain a +2 bonus on the attack roll.
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
- Level 21: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.

 

[Camelot]

- Weapon: If you are wielding a flail and the target is using a shield, you gain a +2 bonus on the attack roll.

I thought you didn't like the idea of conditional attack bonuses? =)

I see your point, but I want the penalty to attack to be core to the attack. The idea is that hitting your enemy where it's cerebellum is (depending on what you are fighting, flavor could change a lot) makes its vision temporarily out of focus, so it takes an attack penalty. This also is in line with the defender role, since it protects you and your allies from being hit. It could be that the penalty applied to attack rolls against other targets, but I don't really see the point in that, as it would just make the mark (you probably marked this target, I guess) -4 instead of -2 for a turn.

I do like your idea of having the flail effect be on a hit. The original idea was that using a flail makes it easier to reach the back of the creature, since it can swing around without the wielder having to move around. Then I tried to make it so that the flail increased the disorientation, but I couldn't find a good way to make it powerful enough without making it too powerful (using Dex mod is way too good at high levels, and using half-Dex mod isn't good enough until high levels).

Maybe the flail could introduce the inability to make opportunity attacks?

 

[FireLance]

Well, just based off the 1st-level paladin power enfeebling strike (which only imposes a -2 penalty if the target is marked), I think the -2 penalty to hit should be what you get when you hit with a flail. If you use any other weapon, the penalty is only -1.

I think the Whirling Weapon is fine. The Eberron Player's Guide has a 4th+ level implement staff that has a critical range of 19-20 when used to make weapon attacks and the Adventurer's Vault has a 12th+ level axe that has a critical range of 19-20. Since the power can only be activated once per encounter (and there is no guarantee that the opportunity to use it will come up in any encounter) it seems to be in the same ballpark, power-wise.

 

[the Jester]

I like Camelot's version much more than Starfox's. Taking away opportunity attacks and immediate actions with an at will seems extreme.

For that matter, it might be best to make the penalty apply only to the target's next attack before the end of its next turn, much like the bonuses that at-will leader powers tend to give

I also agree that giving a conditional attack bonus to flails might be a bit much, but you could make the inflicted penalty -2 with a flail, or -1 with any other weapon.

I also think the Whirling Weapon power would be more balanced as a daily, since it can create a free critical hit. On the other hand, if you want to keep it an encounter power, I'd change it so that the bonus must be used before rolling to hit, so that you might generate a free crit, but cannot be assured that the bonus will do you any good.

Just MHO.