Level Up (A5E) Level Up Class Preview: Adept

The Kickstarter has launched and already has nearly 2000 backers! Over the next month, we have plenty of fun stuff to show you. Let’s start with a class — and we’ll start at the beginning with the Adept.

Class Preview: Adept — Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)

The Kickstarter has launched! Over the next month, we have plenty of fun stuff to show you. Let’s start with a class — and we’ll start at the beginning with the Adept.

www.levelup5e.com

 

[Timespike]

I really got the feeling that Adept, with all of the specific flavor aspects turned into choices, makes for a REALLY good general light speedy combatant Class now if that's what you're building for, which just feels right.

Yeah, I have a feeling with a lot of these classes, the surface has barely been scratched where the possibilities are concerned. It'll be really cool to see what folks do with them once the books are out there in the wild.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Oooh I want to build a way of mercy adept and see how that stacks.

 

[lichmaster]

Other small but fun ideas/considerations I got while perusing the class options:

• shadow step: teleport up to 60ft in a shadowy area as bonus action that does not cost resources. Makes for an exceptional infiltrator or assassin.
• unlikely wield + additional attack + battering shield : 3 attacks with main and + 2 attacks with off hand without spending resources. If you hit with at least 2 attacks against the same target, you also gain 2 ac against it. You can mix and match attacks with maneouvers, for an exertion cost.
• to the above add last dance + hooked swords dance, aka "the blender": round 1, bonus action and 2 exertion for hooked swords dance (gain range until end of next round), 3 main hand attacks. Round 2 onwards: attack from range, 3 main hand + 2 offhand attacks, if 2 attacks hit the same target +2 ac against it, if one attack with each hand hit do additional 1d10 damage. Use last dance (free action, 2 exertion) to keep hooked swords dance. Rinse and repeat. Upkeep cost: 2 exertion per round, plus eventual cost for maneuvers.

 

[lichmaster]

Beyond size: can perform basic maneuvers regardless of opponent size. If opponent is larger it has disadvantage on saves against manuvers: is this meant to grapple and knockdown (i.e. pin down) the mighty Tarrasque?

 

[Kerrus]

Reading through now, but one immediate concern, the Exertion Focus section at no point ever communicates how much exertion you get. There's a bit later that talks about bonus exertion where you can infer it works like 5e monk's ki pool and is = class level. But it doesn't say that.

It needs to say how many you get.

There's no way to replenish exertion. As written, once you expend your exertion, you never get it back. Ever. This is probably not intended? A level 20 adept probably has 0 exertion because they spent the 1 point they got when they leveled up in a fight, and have better things to spend their Hit Die on then regaining 1d4 exertion to make their class features work. Or worse, they didn't take battle meditation, and can't regain exertion at all.

Especially since this version of the monk doesn't regain exertion/ki when combat starts, which means that the only way to get it back is battle meditation.

Is that intended?


Aside from that, I definitely agree with other comments that the Adept's abilities generally cost too much exertion- lots of two cost for cool things that aren't actually useful. The 1 turn mirror image spell for 2 exertion is particularly egregious- it should either cost 1, or cost 3 and actually just cast the full spell and last a minute.

Actually, given that you can't realistically replenish exertion, I feel like adepts should get like, a lot. If I have to ration out a potential maximum of 30 exertion across the duration of my entire adventuring career, I'm just never going to choose class features that expend it, because once it's gone it's gone forever.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Reading through now, but one immediate concern, the Exertion Focus section at no point ever communicates how much exertion you get. There's a bit later that talks about bonus exertion where you can infer it works like 5e monk's ki pool and is = class level. But it doesn't say that.

It needs to say how many you get.

There's no way to replenish exertion. As written, once you expend your exertion, you never get it back. Ever. This is probably not intended? A level 20 adept probably has 0 exertion because they spent the 1 point they got when they leveled up in a fight, and have better things to spend their Hit Die on then regaining 1d4 exertion to make their class features work. Or worse, they didn't take battle meditation, and can't regain exertion at all.

Especially since this version of the monk doesn't regain exertion/ki when combat starts, which means that the only way to get it back is battle meditation.

Is that intended?


Aside from that, I definitely agree with other comments that the Adept's abilities generally cost too much exertion- lots of two cost for cool things that aren't actually useful. The 1 turn mirror image spell for 2 exertion is particularly egregious- it should either cost 1, or cost 3 and actually just cast the full spell and last a minute.

Actually, given that you can't realistically replenish exertion, I feel like adepts should get like, a lot. If I have to ration out a potential maximum of 30 exertion across the duration of my entire adventuring career, I'm just never going to choose class features that expend it, because once it's gone it's gone forever.

It’s explained in the combat maneuvers section. Exertion focus seems to be a specialized rule for Adepts, but combat maneuvers are more generalized so the explanation is found there.

 

[Waller]

Reading through now, but one immediate concern, the Exertion Focus section at no point ever communicates how much exertion you get. There's a bit later that talks about bonus exertion where you can infer it works like 5e monk's ki pool and is = class level. But it doesn't say that.

It needs to say how many you get.

There's no way to replenish exertion. As written, once you expend your exertion, you never get it back. Ever. This is probably not intended? A level 20 adept probably has 0 exertion because they spent the 1 point they got when they leveled up in a fight, and have better things to spend their Hit Die on then regaining 1d4 exertion to make their class features work. Or worse, they didn't take battle meditation, and can't regain exertion at all.

Especially since this version of the monk doesn't regain exertion/ki when combat starts, which means that the only way to get it back is battle meditation.

Is that intended?


Aside from that, I definitely agree with other comments that the Adept's abilities generally cost too much exertion- lots of two cost for cool things that aren't actually useful. The 1 turn mirror image spell for 2 exertion is particularly egregious- it should either cost 1, or cost 3 and actually just cast the full spell and last a minute.

Actually, given that you can't realistically replenish exertion, I feel like adepts should get like, a lot. If I have to ration out a potential maximum of 30 exertion across the duration of my entire adventuring career, I'm just never going to choose class features that expend it, because once it's gone it's gone forever.

It says it right there. Look again.

 

[Kerrus]

It’s explained in the combat maneuvers section. Exertion focus seems to be a specialized rule for Adepts, but combat maneuvers are more generalized so the explanation is found there.

It is badly placed, then. There's no way I would have noticed it nestled at the top of the second paragraph. The order should probably be: you get an exertion pool, which you can use to fuel maneuvers and other class features, list your exertion DC, etc, how you regain it, etc, THEN list the maneuvers, then show the class features like exertion focus, etc.

As it is, it's very overlookable.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

It is badly placed, then. There's no way I would have noticed it nestled at the top of the second paragraph. The order should probably be: you get an exertion pool, which you can use to fuel maneuvers and other class features, list your exertion DC, etc, how you regain it, etc, THEN list the maneuvers, then show the class features like exertion focus, etc.

As it is, it's very overlookable.

That’s one opinion I guess. Seems like reading a sorcerers font of magic section discussing spell slots being recovered and getting upset that they don’t mention what spells do in that description. But we all have our own opinions I suppose.

 

[Kerrus]

That’s one opinion I guess. Seems like reading a sorcerers font of magic section discussing spell slots being recovered and getting upset that they don’t mention what spells do in that description. But we all have our own opinions I suppose.

I didn't say anything about listing what spells/maneuvers do, but thanks for the strawman I guess.