long time lurker, first time poster, yada yada to the point. Some time ago I written a homebrew class for D&D 5e called Death's Incarnate. I would like to ask for any opinions and critique about this class' features and abilities, their overall balance and applicability to different types of campaigns. I would also be grateful if you could say some sentences about my three foundations for this class:
- Diversity in subclasses - I wanted to make something like bard/monk subclasses, where your choice of subclass would greatly influence your playstyle and/or roleplay aspect.
- Collection of skills - Class should offer different and unique abilities rarely found in original D&D classes, keeping in mind ambiguity of origin and overall hard-to-die aspect, without "normal" spellcasting.
- Emphasis on versatility - Class should have skills specialized in some tasks, working better in one situation that in the other, but majority of skills should be able to be used in broad spectrum.
To preface, I did run one campaign for a player for this class for a while to test, and overall it was "good", if outright boring till level 3. I would also want to hear basic explanations for your reviews, like comparing to existing classes in one term or another. And sorry in advance for my English. If anyone would like to read for a class description overview, here it is: Death's Incarnate. Thank you in advance for your time.
Class Features
As a Death's incarnate you gain the following class features.
Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per Death's incarnate level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Death's incarnate level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light, medium and heavy armor(Death's incarnate will not wear armor not made mostly from metal)
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: One type of artisan’s tools or one instrument
Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from animal handling, Athletics, Acrobatics, Nature, Religion, Arcana
Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- one simple or martial weapon (a)
- Ring mail or (b) Chain mail (a)
- Scholar's Pack or (b) Priest's Pack
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 3d4*10gp in funds.
Table: The Death's incarnate
Level PB Features 1st +2 Visage of The End, One of the Numbers 2nd +2 Avatar feature 3rd +2 Omen of Undeath 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 5th +3 Extra attack 6th +3 Avatar feature 7th +3 Steps between the strings, One of the Numbers improvement 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 9th +4 Avatar feature 10th +4 Magic Conduit 11th +4 Broken body 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 13th +5 Full Armament 14th +5 Avatar feature 15th +5 Avatar feature, One of the Numbers improvement 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 17th +6 Call of the Other Side 18th +6 Avatar feature, Steps between the strings inprovement 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 20th +6 Power Beyond Reason Visage of The End
Your ungraspable nature needs a catalyst to manifest outside of your own mind, and takes form of the most possible decayed form your race can become before crumbling to nothingness. Mostly it is a skull shaped face cover, but others(like ash for demons, so face covered in metallic powder etc.) are possible. It is always a face cover, sometimes extending to wrap the whole head.
You can cover your face with your visage in any circumstances, materializing it from thin air, no action required. If someone knows you or your face you will be recognized instantly. Your visage cannot be removed from you if you do not want that, and you cannot benefit from any of this class' features other than One of the Numbers if mask is not on your face.
One of the Numbers
Even though impossible to describe why, every Death's incarnate has a number. That number is always a prime number, and does not mean nothing, not order of age, power or knowledge. Yet every death incarnate present on any given plane of existence knows about all the others that are there. Pick your number, but Second is already taken. You know number, name and one-sentence description of any Death's incarnate present on plane of existence you are on, as well as you magically learn about any who come to that plane of existence, and any other know about you.
Additionally, you can call into the void to ask for knowledge, and others like you can answer. As an action, you can add your proficiency modifier to any skill check, using wisdom of others. You can use this feature number of times equal to your proficiency modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Avatar
At 2nd level, you chose an Avatar type. Choose between avatars of Creation, Destruction, Life, Knowledge and Neverending Cycle, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 2nd and again at 6th,9th,14th,15th and 18th level.
Omen of Undeath
Beginning at 3rd level, you start showing signs of your unintelligible nature. You do not age beyond point you deem right, and are immune to spells and effects that modify age. You also does not need food or water to survive.
Additionally, twisting nature of time in a moment of pain you can drag your future vitality to you. When taking damage you can use your reaction to spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and regain a number of hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1). You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Steps between the strings
You learned to walk between the most elementary parts of reality. Starting from 7th level, if you walk out of clear vision of all observing creatures(for example walking behind a pillar, jumping through smoke etc.) you can emerge in another unobserved place within 120 feet. You must know the place you walk to. When you use this feature two times you cannot do so until you finish a long rest, regaining all expended uses.
From 18th level you can use this ability to walk to other planes of existence.
One of the Numbers improvement
You are starting to accommodate to the usage of strings. Starting from 7th level you can call into the void to contact other death incarnates, as in a manner of a friendly chatter. Your call can be left unanswered however, everyone has a free will. You can also use this ability to send specific dreams to others. You do not know what your target does in this dream, you only place them in a situation of your choosing.
Magic Conduit
Weave flows through your empty husk of a body like no other. Starting from 10th level, as an reaction, provided you can see casting of a spell, you can contest caster's of this spell spellcasting ability versus your ability (your proficiency modifier + your Constitution modifier). On a success, you force that spell casted to target you instead. If spell has an area of effect, center of this area is your person. If this spell requires concentration you are concentrating on that spell. When you use this feature you cannot do so until you finish a long rest.
You gain another use of this ability at level 15th.
Broken body
Some things, once broken, are harder to be completely destroyed. Starting from 11th level, when you are below half your hit points maximum you reduce any incoming damage for amount equal to your constitution modifier(minimum of 1).
Full Armament
Beginning at 13th level, you can doff and don your armor as part of covering and uncovering your face with your visage. Your armor, alongside with your weapon and all your belongings, provided that they do not encumber you, vanish and reappear on you and like your visage it cannot be forcibly taken away from you.
One of the Numbers improvement
You flow in strings, you are one of many. Starting at 15th level you can call to the void to contact other incarnates. You can ask them for particular item or resource, or ask a question regarding some inforamtion. It is almost certain you will find someone willing to share with you what you are searching for, but anyone you ask will state his price, in gold, item, knowledge or favour. And sometimes someone can ask you for something, and you always need to state your price, and uphold your bargain, as anyone else needs to. You can expend one of your step between the strings feature to move your price away, and reclaim what you wanted.
Call of the Other Side
You personify the neverending cycle beyond comprehension. All undeath instinctively feel your power affecting them. Starting from 17th level, at the start of its turn, any undead creature of your choice in 30 feet radius from you take necrotic damage equal to your level in this class. This damage cannot be reduced or prevented in any way. Beings which died and were brought back to life can be affected by this feature.
Power Beyond Reason
At 20th level your strength echoes through creation, drawing attention of Second. He visits you and bestows to you knowledge about your very being, giving you just enough to spit in face of even the most powerful. Choose one spell of 9th level from any spell list. You can now cast this spell, ignoring cost of material components of it. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Once used, you cannot cast it again until 7 days have passed.
Avatar (Subclass)
Avatar of Knowledge
For you Death is wisdom. In its infinite compexcity dwells all sorts of lore, just waiting to be unraveled.
Eternal Student At 2nd level you can choose a two skills in which you do not have proficiency. You gain proficiency in those skills.
Vital Knowledge Your knowledge sometimes acts on its own, just like independent being trying to shield you from harm. Starting at 6th level you can add your wisdom modifier to the saving throws you are not proficient with.
Personification Your wisdom does not like when you ignore it like some inanimate thing. When making long rest roll dice to randomly determine one of your skills in which you are proficient. Until next long rest you have expertise in that skill.
Laws of Defiliance Your being overflows with eldrith wisdom, and sometimes it shows. Starting at 14th level when you are suspected to wisdom saving throw and fail roll d6. On 4 or higher you are unaffected by the spell.
Answer to Questions You understend one thing, that you do not know so much after all. Starting at 15th level you can reroll a failed skill check in which you are proficient, and you need to take the second result. If you have expertise in skill, you instead succed, no roll required. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier (minimum of one). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Eyes of Death Your eyes change their colour to one you desire, to accomodate unreal power they hold. At 18th level you gain truesight out to a range of 30 feet. Additionally, you can read and write all languages that can be used to communicate, as long as they are possible to read, and know meaning of any rune or symbol.
