Undrave
Legend
Here I am again, after a long hiatus, with a new take on a 5e Warlord!
Link to the Homebrewery: The Homebrewery - NaturalCrit
Do note that the Homebrewery is designed for Chrome and it usually works for Firefox, but you may encounter issues with the layout on other browsers.
I think those of you who have followed the development of this class (take 1, take 2, take 3) will be quite surprised by this new overhaul! A lot of the design notes from the previous version can still apply, but I'll comment on some of the changes I made.
Frankly I felt I had let the fiddliness get away from me and I tried to reign it back in. I kept the concept of generating your ressource as the fight goes on, but I made away with the idea of shuffling dice around on enemies and stuff. I drastically cut down on the signals, but threw in a saving throw in there to make them more in line with other mechanics (even if the formula is a bit odd) and you no longer have to choose from a large list. The list of signal was fun, but felt like trying to shove a caster into a game without casters. It was too much for a single class. One of the advantage of trading 'coded signals' for 'expose weaknesses' is that now the Warlord can take advantage of their own Insight without having to rely on allies. You can use a Bonus Action to set up an effect and then attack yourself to trigger it. I think it helps the class stand on its own a little better.
Obviously, the biggest departure, is that Battlefield Insight now uses your reaction. I decided that aspect felt the most straight forward, and it also gave you the most tactical choice since you only have 1 reaction. It also gave me opportunity to improve that aspect later on, by granting 1 free use per round and, as an epic capstone, essentially a free reaction each turn. Upgrading a 'button' you already have rather than adding a new one always feel easier to design in my mind.
On the subclass front...
I had to rework the Ardent Soul so it had more ways to produce Temp HP by itself.
The Ballistarius has their Legendary Archer feature rework to play in the frame of the Battlefield Insight. A level 20 Ballistarius with a couple of ranged buddies can be pretty frigtening I bet. But its epic level so I don't care if it breaks something
For the Borderland Marshal, it mostly remained the same. I added a new Frontier Gear Specialist option, mostly because I wanted to push the next header to the next column. Their Relentless Tracker feature was reworded since you no longer apply Insight Dice, but the concept remains. They also had a feature integrated into the Battlefield Insight framework.
The Chosen One had the least ammount of change, since its abilities already worked independently. I mostly allowed just now allow them to use Battlefield Insight at a greater range.
The Rabble Rouser was a concept I had in the previous thread but I wasn't super keen on the version I presented. I think this new one fits the idea of a 'Rogue multiclass' type of subclass mixed with a 'Fight against overwhelming odds' concept much better. I'm rezlly fond of the new Presence I created. Especially since you can now customize your shouts and make one of them really REALLY potent if you want to. I hope the balance feels okay. The Underdog Tricks letting you use shouts silently is a nice touch I think for stealth missions. I shamelessly stole Expertise from the Rogue for the level 9 feature because I couldn't think of anything better. It's straightforward but it works. Rousing Speech is pretty much un changed, except maybe some wording, from its original version. I like the concept of the level 17 feature but I don't know how well it would translate into play. I considered making a new use of Battlefield Insight but it started to feel redundant at this point. I might still change it in the future if you guys think its way too strong... though, again, it's a level 17 ability.
The Silverblade Captain can not pick up Investigation instead of Arcana if they wish, especially useful if they already have Arcana from another source. The only real difference otherwise is that you can recharge your Silverblade Riposte by removing 6d6 from your Insight Pool in addition to the short rest requirement.
The Steel Protector is also roughly unchanged until Protector's Revenge being folded into Battlefield Insight, gaining a cost in Insight Dice.
The White Raven Tactician had some wording changes more than anything, and a new Shout (Search Formation) added to their repertoire to take the place of a signal I had. I'm considering adding the ability to let Support Formation grant the Use an Object action as well as the Help Action. Potent Analysis was, on the whole, made a little better and now improves your starting Insight Pool when you roll initiative.
I'm also pondering a more social-savy/noble Warlord under the tentative moniker of 'Vermillion Sparrow Herald' that can use Battlefield Insight in social situations, but I haven't quite worked out the details. I was thinking they would also be ready for 1 on 1 duels with Rapier proficiency and Charisma bonus to AC while not wearing armor.
Thank you all for your opinion and I hope you enjoy my work!
Going to tag the usual suspects now: @Cap'n Kobold @Garthanos @doctorbadwolf and, why not, @FrogReaver
Link to the Homebrewery: The Homebrewery - NaturalCrit
Do note that the Homebrewery is designed for Chrome and it usually works for Firefox, but you may encounter issues with the layout on other browsers.
I think those of you who have followed the development of this class (take 1, take 2, take 3) will be quite surprised by this new overhaul! A lot of the design notes from the previous version can still apply, but I'll comment on some of the changes I made.
Frankly I felt I had let the fiddliness get away from me and I tried to reign it back in. I kept the concept of generating your ressource as the fight goes on, but I made away with the idea of shuffling dice around on enemies and stuff. I drastically cut down on the signals, but threw in a saving throw in there to make them more in line with other mechanics (even if the formula is a bit odd) and you no longer have to choose from a large list. The list of signal was fun, but felt like trying to shove a caster into a game without casters. It was too much for a single class. One of the advantage of trading 'coded signals' for 'expose weaknesses' is that now the Warlord can take advantage of their own Insight without having to rely on allies. You can use a Bonus Action to set up an effect and then attack yourself to trigger it. I think it helps the class stand on its own a little better.
Obviously, the biggest departure, is that Battlefield Insight now uses your reaction. I decided that aspect felt the most straight forward, and it also gave you the most tactical choice since you only have 1 reaction. It also gave me opportunity to improve that aspect later on, by granting 1 free use per round and, as an epic capstone, essentially a free reaction each turn. Upgrading a 'button' you already have rather than adding a new one always feel easier to design in my mind.
On the subclass front...
I had to rework the Ardent Soul so it had more ways to produce Temp HP by itself.
The Ballistarius has their Legendary Archer feature rework to play in the frame of the Battlefield Insight. A level 20 Ballistarius with a couple of ranged buddies can be pretty frigtening I bet. But its epic level so I don't care if it breaks something
For the Borderland Marshal, it mostly remained the same. I added a new Frontier Gear Specialist option, mostly because I wanted to push the next header to the next column. Their Relentless Tracker feature was reworded since you no longer apply Insight Dice, but the concept remains. They also had a feature integrated into the Battlefield Insight framework.
The Chosen One had the least ammount of change, since its abilities already worked independently. I mostly allowed just now allow them to use Battlefield Insight at a greater range.
The Rabble Rouser was a concept I had in the previous thread but I wasn't super keen on the version I presented. I think this new one fits the idea of a 'Rogue multiclass' type of subclass mixed with a 'Fight against overwhelming odds' concept much better. I'm rezlly fond of the new Presence I created. Especially since you can now customize your shouts and make one of them really REALLY potent if you want to. I hope the balance feels okay. The Underdog Tricks letting you use shouts silently is a nice touch I think for stealth missions. I shamelessly stole Expertise from the Rogue for the level 9 feature because I couldn't think of anything better. It's straightforward but it works. Rousing Speech is pretty much un changed, except maybe some wording, from its original version. I like the concept of the level 17 feature but I don't know how well it would translate into play. I considered making a new use of Battlefield Insight but it started to feel redundant at this point. I might still change it in the future if you guys think its way too strong... though, again, it's a level 17 ability.
The Silverblade Captain can not pick up Investigation instead of Arcana if they wish, especially useful if they already have Arcana from another source. The only real difference otherwise is that you can recharge your Silverblade Riposte by removing 6d6 from your Insight Pool in addition to the short rest requirement.
The Steel Protector is also roughly unchanged until Protector's Revenge being folded into Battlefield Insight, gaining a cost in Insight Dice.
The White Raven Tactician had some wording changes more than anything, and a new Shout (Search Formation) added to their repertoire to take the place of a signal I had. I'm considering adding the ability to let Support Formation grant the Use an Object action as well as the Help Action. Potent Analysis was, on the whole, made a little better and now improves your starting Insight Pool when you roll initiative.
I'm also pondering a more social-savy/noble Warlord under the tentative moniker of 'Vermillion Sparrow Herald' that can use Battlefield Insight in social situations, but I haven't quite worked out the details. I was thinking they would also be ready for 1 on 1 duels with Rapier proficiency and Charisma bonus to AC while not wearing armor.
Thank you all for your opinion and I hope you enjoy my work!
Going to tag the usual suspects now: @Cap'n Kobold @Garthanos @doctorbadwolf and, why not, @FrogReaver
