Level Up (A5E) What's In A Capstone?

A capstone feature represents the highest point of your adventuring career: that special ability you get when you reach 20th level in your chosen class. It’s a reward for countless adventures — and, of course, you usually get it just as your adventuring career ends.

With that in mind, we wanted our capstone class features to be something special. Not an interation of a previous ability. Not a numerical improvement in something you can already do. Something new, something special, something to strive for. Something big.

Capstones are intended to feel a little overpowered. After all, you’ll only get to use it for a short time. This is where you get to show off!

The below features are playtest material. With the Kickstarter only 10 weeks away, this will be the final public playtest. As always, we fully expect you to not like some of this stuff — that’s the point of playtesting. It lets us adjust course based on the feedback we get.

All capstone features are gained in their relevant class at 20th level.

What’s In A Capstone? — Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)

A capstone feature represents the highest point of your adventuring career: that special ability you get when you reach 20th level in your chosen class. It’s a reward for countless adventures — and, of course, you usually get it just as your adventuring career ends.

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[MatthewJHanson]

Is the intent that the capstone for each class is basically balanced with all the others, because right now these are definitely not.

To echo what some others have said, herald is quite weak. It's basically a weakened version of death ward, which is a 4th level spell and even on the paladin list.

Contrast that with warlock, which give a better version of a 9th level spell. (Preminant forsight! Yes Please). plus enemies are vulnerable to a damage type of your choice! Either one of those by itself is super good and way better than the herald's ability. Both of them together is pretty insane.

 

[Morrus]

Is the intent that the capstone for each class is basically balanced with all the others, because right now these are definitely not.

We are putting items of various strengths out for playtest and looking at the survey data for them.

 

[Tonguez]

Some feel suitably OP to me. The Archdruid comes to mind.

I think Capstone abilities should evoke flavour rather than just eschew mechanics and while unlimited wildshape is nice , I'm not sure the Archdruid is all that OP really. Sure they get to kill or ressurect one creature per day and gain a high powered alt-fireball. up to 4d8 damage to someone within 20 or 30 feet

But I'm looking at the Storm of Vengeance Spell which is a flavourful 'weather control' effect, has a 360 ft radius and does (round 1) 2d6 thunder damage (deafened), (round 2) 1d6 acid damage to all creatures, (round 3) 10d6 lightning damage to 6 creatures, (round 4) 2d6 bludgeoning damage and then turns the area into difficult terrain, nerfs ranged weapons, becomes a severe distraction to spell concentration and causes 1d6 cold damage (rnds 5 - 10)

a 20th Level Druid invoking a natural disaster - changing the terrain around them as they batter their enemies would be an epic capstone to me, more so than just a strong gust of wind, exploding clumps of dirt or a giant snowball.

So put me in the camp of wanting the capstones to be more powerful but also flavourful (eg the Berserkers Garrison of followers is flavourful and potentially useful, the clerics is flavourful but being commoners and not garrisoned (in a temple) not so useful)