D&D 3E/3.5 Homebrew: Story based Feats for converted 3.5 adventures

[SatanasOz]

I am running the three final 3.5 adventures (Cormyr, Shadowdale and Anauroch) based in the Forgotten Realms. One of my players (Rogue [thief] 11) was instrumental in healing a rift in the weave and we have discussed giving him "blessing of Mystra" style Feats option for the remaining 3 ASI choices.

Do you see any huge balance issue with the following three?

Sylune’s Memory
You gain advantage on arcana concerning the nature of the weave, representing a deeper attunement to it.

As an action, you can summon the memory of Syluné’s kiss to attune yourself to the weave around. While you do so, regardless of their previous colour your eyes change to bright silver and emit a faint glow. You can see any spell effect or magic item as a faint glow in your vision. You can sense if a creature is capable of employing magic either innately or in the form of spells.

Further, you can instinctively identify any spell you can see being cast. You can maintain the attunement by concentrating on it for up to 8 hours, as if on a spell requiring concentration.
Once per long rest as an action while drawing on Sylune's memory, you can gain truesight for 10 minutes. You can see things as they actually are, notice secret doors hidden by magic, and can see into the Ethereal Plane, all out to a range of 120 feet. This does not end your concentration on Sylune's memory.

Mystra’s Silver Fire
Prerequesite: Sylune’s Memory, Rogue Mystra’s Chosen Champion

You can replace the spellcasting attack modifier or spellcasting DC with your own when using magic items. If you don’t have the spellcasting feature from your class, you can choose Int or Cha as your spellcasting ability when gaining this feature.

Once per long rest, you can unleash from within your body a legendary magical whitish flame known as silver fire as an action. This beam is 5 feet wide and can be made to extend as far as 70 feet if desired. The beam penetrates any magical or physical barrier. A creature within the beam must make a dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 5d6 + 20 force damage and 5d6 + 20 radiant damage on a failure. Silver Fire automatically disintegrates a huge or smaller magical object and any size creation of magical force. Artifacts are unaffected by Silver Fire.

Alternatively, you can choose to expel the silver fire in the shape of a cloud that fills a 70 foot cone. This silver cloud causes no damage, but banishes dead magic areas forever, instantly restoring such an area's connection with the Mystra, but not Shar.

Mystra’s Chosen Champion
Prerequisite: Sylune’s Memory

Mage Defense: While channelling Sylune’s memory, You are so attuned to the weave that you can sense an magic coming your way and assess the nature of it before others do. You have advantage on saving throws against magical effects (magical effects is left to the DM’s decision).

Mystra’s Light: As a reaction, you can cast the Shield spell. This feature can be used a number of times per day equal to your intelligence modifier.

 

[Coroc]

I am running the three final 3.5 adventures (Cormyr, Shadowdale and Anauroch) based in the Forgotten Realms. One of my players (Rogue [thief] 11) was instrumental in healing a rift in the weave and we have discussed giving him "blessing of Mystra" style Feats option for the remaining 3 ASI choices.

Do you see any huge balance issue with the following three?

Sylune’s Memory
You gain advantage on arcana concerning the nature of the weave, representing a deeper attunement to it.

As an action, you can summon the memory of Syluné’s kiss to attune yourself to the weave around. While you do so, regardless of their previous colour your eyes change to bright silver and emit a faint glow. You can see any spell effect or magic item as a faint glow in your vision. You can sense if a creature is capable of employing magic either innately or in the form of spells.

Further, you can instinctively identify any spell you can see being cast. You can maintain the attunement by concentrating on it for up to 8 hours, as if on a spell requiring concentration.
Once per long rest as an action while drawing on Sylune's memory, you can gain truesight for 10 minutes. You can see things as they actually are, notice secret doors hidden by magic, and can see into the Ethereal Plane, all out to a range of 120 feet. This does not end your concentration on Sylune's memory.

Mystra’s Silver Fire
Prerequesite: Sylune’s Memory, rogue

You can replace the spellcasting attack modifier or spellcasting DC with your own when using magic items. If you don’t have the spellcasting feature from your class, you can choose Int or Cha as your spellcasting ability when gaining this feature.

Once per long rest, you can unleash from within your body a legendary magical whitish flame known as silver fire as an action. This beam is 5 feet wide and can be made to extend as far as 70 feet if desired. The beam penetrates any magical or physical barrier.

A creature within the beam must make a dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 5d6+ 20 force damage and 5d6+20 radiant damage on a failure. Silver Fire automatically disintegrates a huge or smaller magical object and any size creation of magical force. Artifacts are unaffected by Silver Fire.
Alternatively, you can choose to expel the silver fire in the shape of a cloud that fills a 70 foot cone. This silver cloud causes no damage, but banishes dead magic areas forever, instantly restoring such an area's connection with the Mystra, but not Shar.

Mystra’s Chosen Champion
Prerequisite: Sylune’s Memory

Mage Defense: While channelling Sylune’s memory, you have advantage on saving throws against magical effects (magical effects is left to the DM’s decision).

Mystra’s Light: As a reaction, you can cast the Shield spell. This feature can be used a number of times per day equal to your intelligence modifier.

Sylune’s Memory

A detect magic at will and 1/rest true seeing? Not at all overpowered. Rather weak because needs context

Mystra’s Silver Fire

I nearly overread that the other feat is precondition, that one makes judging this feat harder.
If it were takeable w/o the first it is extremely overpowered, not because of the damage but bec. of the disintegrating property. The damage alone is already pretty hard though. So even with precondition (not a 5e principle, where feat chains no longer exist) it is to strong imho.

Mystra’s Chosen Champion

Not only precondition this time but also the property from the first feat must be in effect.
This one would be balanced even w/o the precondition feat. Gnomes get advantage on int wis cha so this feat is not so terrible strong. Shield at will but eats up reaction? no prob.

Conclusion: if you insist to make the feats dependable from each other then rather do it like
Sylune’s Memory -> Mystra’s Chosen Champion (leave out the While channelling Sylune’s memory part) -> Mystra’s Chosen Champion but give items a saving throw and make a DC competition for created objects.

So the strongest feat requires the other two as precondition. Then it is adequate, also given the reward is in context for a task.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

True seeing is pretty powerful at low levels. Might want to stick a minimum level prerequisite.

I would avoid having a specific class as a pre-requisite. Making "sneak attack" the prerequisite is more consistent with 5e and has the same effect. I would take advantage of the pre-requisite and have the power do damage = sneak attack dice (see Returned subclass UA).

 

[SatanasOz]

Thanks heaps so far - intresting regarding Sylune’s Memory that gets feedback both ways. Hard for me to judge, because in reality there is a story prerequesite to this one, but 9th level would not worry me. This is end-game kind of stuff, in the context of the Forgotten Realm's.

Taking Coroc's advice into account, I made it a chain with Silver Fire at the end. That, plus a level requirement (more generic than to say "a story reward") means for most characters, level 16 would be the earliest to get silver fire.

Regarding the damage: I took this from another homebrew, but I see where you are coming from. I'd have issues linking it to sneak attack for thematic reasons, but have no good idea what else to do. Maybe scaling with character level?

I was actually more worried about the last part of the Mystra’s Silver Fire ability - given that dead magic zones are a big part of the adventures I am running. I guess it is like water breathing - either useless or gamechanging