[Homebrew] Warlock Patron: The Bestower(Magical Girl Inspired Archtype)(Reworked Hexblade)

[Bringer]

Okay, so I appreciate the feedback you have given me. Here are the changes I have made.


Magical Warrior- Lasts 1 hour. Can only be used once. Recharges on a short or long rest.

Mark of Defeat- Can only be used a number of times equal to Charisma modifier. Regain all expended uses on a long rest.

Unwavering Vigor- No longer negates damage on a 4. Must roll a 5 or higher on a d6.

 

[neogod22]

Yes, having an AC of 18 for 30 minutes per short rest at level 1 is different then a Hexblade having 24/7 Medium Armor at level 1.



I'm not sure which part this was directed at. Is this a response to the curse being a reaction? This does limit it. Let's say a Hexblade and Bestower wants to ambush someone. Hexblade uses their Hexblade Curse on target, and then attacks. The Bestower wouldn't be able to use their Curse/Mark because neither them nor an ally has been targeted by an attack. It's worse off than a Hexblade cursing someone with a bonus action on their own terms.



Just how many short rests is being taken in the game?

Would it be better if I changed it to 1 hour, and made it twice per short rest?


That's like saying that a Hexblade gets unlimited healing if it plays its character right.


You can't add your dexterity modifier to your transformation armor class. Also, at this point in the game, the Hexblade would have magical armor.



Only cursed enemies.

So my mistake on the Spector, but you can only have 1 per long rest.

Now back to your abilities.

Magic Warrior:
"Your armor class becomes 18. When you reach level 9, it becomes 19, at 17, 20."

It never says this is armor at all, so by your wording it is assumed you can use your DEX modifier. Which makes this overpowered. Even a level 1 warrior can't afford full plate, so giving an equivalent to a caster is overpowered whether you can use your DEX modifier or not.

Upon transforming you may choose to,magically arm yourself with a weapon and shield, 2 weapons a 2h weapon or bow.

So you're also giving them a magic weapon at lvl 1. All other Warlocks have to wait until lvl 3 and take pact of the blade to get a magic weapon, by doing this, you allow a warlock to ignore that pact all together and gain the benefits of 2 pacts when they take pact of the tome or chain.

When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can drop to 1 instead, it ends your transformation prematurely

Transformation lasts half your level in hours.

The combination of all of these abilities are more powerful than any 1 level 20 ability in the game.




Mark of Defeat:
"As a reaction, when you or an ally is targeted by an attack, you may use your reaction to mark a target."

"There is no limit to how many times you can use this feature"

Again, you can use this every turn. It doesn't matter if you can't use it to ambush someone. Because it's a reaction, what makes this worse is that you can Hex someone and mark them in the same turn. There isn't even a range on this. Someone is getting attacked every turn. Plus with the actual abilities this give "automatic max damage on a crit and recover a spell slot upon the creature's death" makes this stronger than a level 20 ability.

Unwavering vigor:
"If the marked target hits you with an attack, roll a d6, on a 4 or higher the attack does no damage."
Again, since you have unlimited uses of your mark, and you can apply it as a reaction, this ability is unlimited.

Magic Warrior Mastery:
At this point, your transformation lasts 7 hours. You should be activated, and have 1 on standby, so this ability probably won't be needed.

Everything about this pact is way overpowered, you can't even compare this to a Hexblade for balance, or anything, because there is no balance. I feel like I've done a good job explaining why everything is overpowered. If someone else has something else, feel free to chime in.



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[neogod22]

Okay, so I appreciate the feedback you have given me. Here are the changes I have made.


Magical Warrior- Lasts 1 hour. Can only be used once. Recharges on a short or long rest.

Mark of Defeat- Can only be used a number of times equal to Charisma modifier. Regain all expended uses on a long rest.

Unwavering Vigor- No longer negates damage on a 4. Must roll a 5 or higher on a d6.

It's not only the durations, it's the abilities themselves. It's just too much.

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[Bringer]

Now back to your abilities.

Magic Warrior:
"Your armor class becomes 18. When you reach level 9, it becomes 19, at 17, 20."

It never says this is armor at all, so by your wording it is assumed you can use your DEX modifier. Which makes this overpowered. Even a level 1 warrior can't afford full plate, so giving an equivalent to a caster is overpowered whether you can use your DEX modifier or not.

This wasn't intended at all. While transformed, the armor class becomes 18. Not 18 + dex. The transformation armor class is an entirely different armor class calculation. Just like when a character has two different armor class abilities, they choose which one they go with, not combine them.

Upon transforming you may choose to,magically arm yourself with a weapon and shield, 2 weapons a 2h weapon or bow.

So you're also giving them a magic weapon at lvl 1. All other Warlocks have to wait until lvl 3 and take pact of the blade to get a magic weapon, by doing this, you allow a warlock to ignore that pact all together and gain the benefits of 2 pacts when they take pact of the tome or chain.

This wasn't intended at all. Magically creating weapons doesn't mean the weapons are considered magical. The Bestower is magically creating mundane weapons, the magic part is poofing them to existence, that's it.

When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can drop to 1 instead, it ends your transformation prematurely

Transformation lasts half your level in hours.

The combination of all of these abilities are more powerful than any 1 level 20 ability in the game.

I don't really see what's the problem about the 1 hit point ability. To avoid death, but you are no longer transformed, and you have 1 hit point now.

As stated, I revised the transformation from half level in hours to just one hour.

Mark of Defeat:
"As a reaction, when you or an ally is targeted by an attack, you may use your reaction to mark a target."

"There is no limit to how many times you can use this feature"

Again, you can use this every turn. It doesn't matter if you can't use it to ambush someone. Because it's a reaction, what makes this worse is that you can Hex someone and mark them in the same turn. There isn't even a range on this. Someone is getting attacked every turn. Plus with the actual abilities this give "automatic max damage on a crit and recover a spell slot upon the creature's death" makes this stronger than a level 20 ability.

Crits have a 5% chance of happening. I'm sure if someone calculated the damage a Hexblade would get critting on a 19(which they get at level 1) and a Bestower doing a maximum damage on a crit, it would average out.

Unwavering vigor:
"If the marked target hits you with an attack, roll a d6, on a 4 or higher the attack does no damage."
Again, since you have unlimited uses of your mark, and you can apply it as a reaction, this ability is unlimited.

As stated, I have revised mark to be only usable a number of times to Charisma modifer per long rest.

Magic Warrior Mastery:
At this point, your transformation lasts 7 hours. You should be activated, and have 1 on standby, so this ability probably won't be needed.

As stated, I have revised transformation to last 1 hour per short rest.

 

[Bringer]

It's not only the durations, it's the abilities themselves. It's just too much.

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The duration is pretty crucial to it all. Unlike Hexblade, who's features last 24/7, the Bestower's abilities only last while transformed.

I have limited the transformation to 1 hour, meaning the Bestower has less access to its abilities.

I have limited the amount of marks(which I only made unlimited in the first place because I thought Hexblade's get unlimited curses level 14) to a certain amount of times per long rest.

 

[neogod22]

You fail to see why this is overpowered because, I you've never DM's 5th edition. I also suspect that you looked at the Hexblade thinking you'll be able to be some kind of tanking warlock and was sorely disappointed so you decided to try and create your own. Here are a couple things.
1. Warlocks are spellcasters, not tanks. You want your warlock to tank, then take the proper feats or multiclass.
2. Your Patron abilities are overpowered because you are attempting to give a lvl 1 character the equivalent of the Paladin's lol 20 abilities. I mean you're giving them, a magic weapon, magic armor, and an anti death effect. No class gets any of those at level 1, and definitely not all 3.
3. When anything is magically created it's magical, period.
4. Wording is everything, and lack of wording means it's subject to interpretation.

There's a reason why Hexblades get martial weapon profiency at level 1, it's so that they aren't forced to go pact of the blade at level 3. They can take any pact and be effective.

Anti-death effects are definitely a high level ability and is always a long rest recharge, except for the barbarian's which is always active, but high level.

You also didn't follow the warlock ability formula.
Lvl 1. Weak ability, usually always active, sometimes grow with the character, sometimes a short rest recharge.

Lvl 6. Utility ability, usually a short rest recharge. Sometimes a long rest.

Lvl 10. Utility ability, usually always active.

Lol 14. The most powerful ability, usually a short rest recharge sometimes a long rest.

Warlocks usually only have 1 always active ability and 1 long rest recharge ability.

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[jaelis]

I guess that what you are trying for here is a character who is very effective while transformed, but pretty ineffective while not transformed. That matches your archetype idea anyway. But that is always going to be hard to balance. It doesn’t work here because while she is not transformed, your class is essentially just as powerful as a baseline warlock. Rather than Sailor Moon gaining temporary superpowers, you are giving temporary superpowers to Doctor Strange.

 

[TwoSix]

You fail to see why this is overpowered because, I you've never DM's 5th edition. I also suspect that you looked at the Hexblade thinking you'll be able to be some kind of tanking warlock and was sorely disappointed so you decided to try and create your own. Here are a couple things.

I think you're being a little overdramatic, and discouraging people who are trying to do thoughful homebrew isn't kosher.

1. Warlocks are spellcasters, not tanks. You want your warlock to tank, then take the proper feats or multiclass.

Warlocks are pretty flexible, and there is no requirement that homebrew is designed with the assumption that feats and multiclassing are allowed. (Granted, it's a good idea to consider it when you do design the homebrew if it's intended for a broader audience.)
Also, the AC ability seems to be intended to be more thematic than to fill a mechanical niche, so I'm certainly going to give OP the benefit of the doubt.

2. Your Patron abilities are overpowered because you are attempting to give a lvl 1 character the equivalent of the Paladin's lol 20 abilities. I mean you're giving them, a magic weapon, magic armor, and an anti death effect. No class gets any of those at level 1, and definitely not all 3.
3. When anything is magically created it's magical, period.

That's not true at all. Minor conjuration creates specifically non-magical items. If you use fabricate to make a sword, that sword is specifically non-magical.

That being said, I don't think the weapon summoning is specifically necessary, mostly because it becomes redundant with pact of the blade. The spell list and the abilities push you towards pact of the blade, much like Hexblade, but it isn't necessarily required.

To suggest some feedback, I would say:

1) Lower the AC bonus to 16 or 17 to start. There's a reason that full plate (which is AC 18, with no Dex requirement) costs 1,500 gp; it's because PCs shouldn't have it at 1st level. We don't have a PHB example of a magical ability that gives you a heavy armor equivalent AC calculation, so I would look at the text in the equipment section for heavy armor for the best way to word it. Emphasize that it specifically doesn't gain AC from a higher Dex, it doesn't have a Strength requirement, and that it stacks with shields, but no other armor. (And don't use barkskin as a model, that spell has some of of the worst wording in the entire PHB.)

2) The +Cha to attack ability is probably overly broad for level 1. Remember, Hexblade only allows it for 1-handed weapons until you hit level 3 and take blade pact. The current conception would allow you to take a one level dip, and then do a bard build with +Cha to bow attacks, Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter, and Swift Quiver, which would be amazing.

3) Remember that giving out armor with no Dex requirement means this character can dump both Str and Dex (normally not doable if you want a decent AC.) That's quite strong in a point buy environment, and means the other abilities need to be considered in that context.

4) Remember, you can always add higher level powers in the form of new, patron-specific, invocations. Not everything needs to fit into the 1-6-10-14 ability paradigm.

 

[neogod22]

I think you're being a little overdramatic, and discouraging people who are trying to do thoughful homebrew isn't kosher.


Warlocks are pretty flexible, and there is no requirement that homebrew is designed with the assumption that feats and multiclassing are allowed. (Granted, it's a good idea to consider it when you do design the homebrew if it's intended for a broader audience.)
Also, the AC ability seems to be intended to be more thematic than to fill a mechanical niche, so I'm certainly going to give OP the benefit of the doubt.


That's not true at all. Minor conjuration creates specifically non-magical items. If you use fabricate to make a sword, that sword is specifically non-magical.

That being said, I don't think the weapon summoning is specifically necessary, mostly because it becomes redundant with pact of the blade. The spell list and the abilities push you towards pact of the blade, much like Hexblade, but it isn't necessarily required.

To suggest some feedback, I would say:

1) Lower the AC bonus to 16 or 17 to start. There's a reason that full plate (which is AC 18, with no Dex requirement) costs 1,500 gp; it's because PCs shouldn't have it at 1st level. We don't have a PHB example of a magical ability that gives you a heavy armor equivalent AC calculation, so I would look at the text in the equipment section for heavy armor for the best way to word it. Emphasize that it specifically doesn't gain AC from a higher Dex, it doesn't have a Strength requirement, and that it stacks with shields, but no other armor. (And don't use barkskin as a model, that spell has some of of the worst wording in the entire PHB.)

2) The +Cha to attack ability is probably overly broad for level 1. Remember, Hexblade only allows it for 1-handed weapons until you hit level 3 and take blade pact. The current conception would allow you to take a one level dip, and then do a bard build with +Cha to bow attacks, Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter, and Swift Quiver, which would be amazing.

3) Remember that giving out armor with no Dex requirement means this character can dump both Str and Dex (normally not doable if you want a decent AC.) That's quite strong in a point buy environment, and means the other abilities need to be considered in that context.

4) Remember, you can always add higher level powers in the form of new, patron-specific, invocations. Not everything needs to fit into the 1-6-10-14 ability paradigm.

I was trying to,make him understand why his Patron was overpowered without creating his class for him. Also, like I said, wording is everything. If you want something a certain way, word it that way.
I'm not part of the generation that's gotten everything handed to me and I don't feel I should have to do all the work for someone else. But what I tell him and what I focused on were the parts that were overpowered. Granted, it was almost everything.
In truth he could actually build this character using the Hexblade, and it would be fair. He wouldn't wouldn't get everything he wanted, but it seems like this is what he's trying to do anyway. He could make a human Hexblade and take the heavy armor profiency feat and be good. Take pact of the blade at lvl 3, that takes care of everything but the Mark, I guess the sentinel feat at lvl 8 covers that in a way.

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[TwoSix]

I'm not part of the generation that's gotten everything handed to me and I don't feel I should have to do all the work for someone else.

That's fortunate, baby boomers do tend to be insufferable.