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Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)
Runespell Rager: A Berserker/Warlock Synergy Feat Chain
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<blockquote data-quote="VenerableBede" data-source="post: 8663312" data-attributes="member: 7032917"><p>I really appreciate this feedback! Here's a changelog:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Rune-linked Mind and Body</strong>: Now only grants half your per-turn rage HP added to your spell attack/save DC. Still only costs 1 exertion.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Spell-wrought Rage</strong>: Now costs 5 spell points, rather than a scaling cost. Figured a rage was roughly the same worth as a 3rd-level spell.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Mystic Maneuver</strong>: You may spend spell points to perform maneuvers, treating the maneuver degree as a spell level as far as spell point cost is concerned.</li> </ul><p>Now for discourse!</p><p></p><p>I just want to clarify, this section ONLY allows you to substitute your CON mod for your spellcasting mod with Eldritch Blast and your pact weapon—not with spells. That said, I do agree with your observation that this class will be a bit MAD—most berserker abilities scale with Constitution and most Warlock abilities (most notably spells) scale with your spellcasting ability modifier, and then most characters will either want a good Dexterity (for better AC with Rugged Defense) or a good Strength (if they want to use Strength and their pact weapon to make attacks rather than Constitution and Eldritch Blast/a pact weapon; also for better AC if they want Juggernaut). I personally have no issues with the MADness, as other absolutely excellent classes—the Herald come to mind—are a little MAD and still make it work, and I think this combination has enough going for it that it might need the MADness as a balancing factor. Berserker adds great hit points and, through rage, awesome tankiness (also, as you mentioned, improves Concentration checks by a mile), while warlock adds a lot of flexibility, range, and other gishy goodness that the berserker is sorely lacking.</p><p>I did initially <em>consider</em> swapping the warlock's spellcasting ability modifier for Constitution in every instance, but decided that was too much and instead went for the feature that lets you add your rage HP to spell attacks and DCs.</p><p></p><p>As noted, CON is only for Eldritch Blast and pact weapon attacks, not spellcasting. HOWEVER, I do agree that emphasizing Constitution will make for much easier Concentration checks, but I think this will be balanced by the fact that the berserker side of this combination heavily incentivizes getting into melee, so the character is very likely to be making more Concentration checks than the average caster. (Depending on your party's habits, I suppose.)</p><p></p><p>I did consider it, but I didn't go that direction for two reasons:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As a design goal for this synergy chain, I wanted to take what I viewed as the core berserker and warlock class features, which are normally entirely incompatible with each other, and make them synergize—that, to me, means Rage and Furious Critical/Crushing Blows for berserker, Eldritch Blast and spellcasting for warlock</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The fighter/wizard synergy feat chains both already do that (with melee/ranged attacks respectively for the two different chains) and I wanted to make something that really hadn't been done before (in A5e).</li> </ul><p></p><p>I ultimately decided you two were right and set a flat cost. My original concern here was that having a flat cost risked the runespell rager being able to rage too often, showing up regular berserkers—then again, regular berserkers eventually get to rage infinitely, and you already slow down how many rages you get per day a lot by multiclassing out of berserker (plus multiclassing means that your rages will overall be weaker), etc. In short, I was persuaded a change was necessary.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="VenerableBede, post: 8663312, member: 7032917"] I really appreciate this feedback! Here's a changelog: [LIST] [*][B]Rune-linked Mind and Body[/B]: Now only grants half your per-turn rage HP added to your spell attack/save DC. Still only costs 1 exertion. [*][B]Spell-wrought Rage[/B]: Now costs 5 spell points, rather than a scaling cost. Figured a rage was roughly the same worth as a 3rd-level spell. [*][B]Mystic Maneuver[/B]: You may spend spell points to perform maneuvers, treating the maneuver degree as a spell level as far as spell point cost is concerned. [/LIST] Now for discourse! I just want to clarify, this section ONLY allows you to substitute your CON mod for your spellcasting mod with Eldritch Blast and your pact weapon—not with spells. That said, I do agree with your observation that this class will be a bit MAD—most berserker abilities scale with Constitution and most Warlock abilities (most notably spells) scale with your spellcasting ability modifier, and then most characters will either want a good Dexterity (for better AC with Rugged Defense) or a good Strength (if they want to use Strength and their pact weapon to make attacks rather than Constitution and Eldritch Blast/a pact weapon; also for better AC if they want Juggernaut). I personally have no issues with the MADness, as other absolutely excellent classes—the Herald come to mind—are a little MAD and still make it work, and I think this combination has enough going for it that it might need the MADness as a balancing factor. Berserker adds great hit points and, through rage, awesome tankiness (also, as you mentioned, improves Concentration checks by a mile), while warlock adds a lot of flexibility, range, and other gishy goodness that the berserker is sorely lacking. I did initially [I]consider[/I] swapping the warlock's spellcasting ability modifier for Constitution in every instance, but decided that was too much and instead went for the feature that lets you add your rage HP to spell attacks and DCs. As noted, CON is only for Eldritch Blast and pact weapon attacks, not spellcasting. HOWEVER, I do agree that emphasizing Constitution will make for much easier Concentration checks, but I think this will be balanced by the fact that the berserker side of this combination heavily incentivizes getting into melee, so the character is very likely to be making more Concentration checks than the average caster. (Depending on your party's habits, I suppose.) I did consider it, but I didn't go that direction for two reasons: [LIST] [*]As a design goal for this synergy chain, I wanted to take what I viewed as the core berserker and warlock class features, which are normally entirely incompatible with each other, and make them synergize—that, to me, means Rage and Furious Critical/Crushing Blows for berserker, Eldritch Blast and spellcasting for warlock [*]The fighter/wizard synergy feat chains both already do that (with melee/ranged attacks respectively for the two different chains) and I wanted to make something that really hadn't been done before (in A5e). [/LIST] I ultimately decided you two were right and set a flat cost. My original concern here was that having a flat cost risked the runespell rager being able to rage too often, showing up regular berserkers—then again, regular berserkers eventually get to rage infinitely, and you already slow down how many rages you get per day a lot by multiclassing out of berserker (plus multiclassing means that your rages will overall be weaker), etc. In short, I was persuaded a change was necessary. [/QUOTE]
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Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)
Runespell Rager: A Berserker/Warlock Synergy Feat Chain
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