All Questions
98
questions
6
votes
1
answer
404
views
Is this homebrew Gloves of the Fire Fist magic item balanced as an uncommon item?
Just now I homebrewed the following item and gave it to a player:
Gloves of the Fire Fist
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
While wearing the gloves, once per day the wearer can cast ...
- 90.4k
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is allowing a player to choose the result on a d20 once per long rest more powerful than features like luck points or portents?
Obviously, allowing a character to critically hit or miss on demand is hugely impactful, but if it's only once a day is it appreciably overpowered compared to other similar features? Aside from the ...
- 73
3
votes
1
answer
619
views
Would absorb elements once per short rest be balanced vs psychic damage vulnerability for a monk?
I plan to make my character an astral self monk and plan to later on take rogue and possibly fighter for the psionic subclasses. For roleplay/backstory purposes I asked the DM if I could have ...
- 39
1
vote
1
answer
389
views
Is this homebrew creature well balanced?
I have created an homebrew creature. I would like to know if it could be a resonable fight for a level 8 team (an elf druid, a human barbarian, a human warrior, a ranger goblin). Have I used too many ...
- 933
4
votes
1
answer
281
views
Balance Considerations for Treating a Breath Weapon as 'Magic'
I just read this question here about increasing the range of a Dragonborn breath weapon, which says
Dragonborn's Breath Weapon isn't a magical effect, so does not benefit from any feats that affect ...
- 235
2
votes
1
answer
310
views
Is This Homebrew "Protective Ward" Spell/Ability Balanced?
I am in the process of creating a homebrew class.
or potentially a subclass...
I haven't decided yet if I wanted to make this class a type of caster or martial character, but either way, I want it to ...
1
vote
0
answers
86
views
(How) should I rebalance classes when playing a campaign with infinite long rests? [duplicate]
I'm preparing a D&D 5e campaign with the ability to reset time as a core mechanic. As the players will start each time loop fully rested and can choose to reset time when desired, they will start ...
- 760
13
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Would a magic item that lets you cast a spell (that normally requires concentration) without needing to concentrate on it be unbalanced?
I am designing some magic items and would like to add some abilities like the following to some of the items:
While holding this item you may cast one of the following spells from it, using your ...
- 16.6k
12
votes
7
answers
5k
views
How to fairly add a homebrew skill?
tl;dr
I want to add some extra skills to D&D 5e but can't figure out how to do it fairly in terms of awarding proficiency.
How do I add additional homebrew skills to D&D 5e?
Why I want to add ...
- 31k
1
vote
0
answers
178
views
How to balance magic item that utilizes gems? [closed]
I have a really cool idea for a magic item but I am trying to figure out how to balance it. The premise of it is that it is a hilt that changes form when a gem is inserted in the pommel. The type of ...
- 535
8
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Mini-dash as a general bonus action: what value would be balanced?
I'm considering adding the following homebrew bonus action. It's a general action, so it would be available for free to all players (not enemies):
Stride. You gain extra movement for the current turn....
- 786
0
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Are these 5e homebrew Metamagics balanced? [closed]
This is a follow-up to How do I determine appropriate Sorcery Point costs for homebrew Metamagics?, which I asked in preparation for this question.
I'm working on a homebrew version of the Sorcerer ...
- 2,293
5
votes
2
answers
926
views
What are good principles for determining whether and at what level a homebrew class feature is balanced?
I'm working on a homebrew revision (and slight buff) of the Sorcerer class in D&D 5e that includes some additional class features. I've read the Unearthed Arcana article about modifying classes, ...
- 2,293
13
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Would a race with bludgeoning, piercing or slashing resistance be overpowered?
The various subtypes of dragonborn in D&D 5e have different elemental resistances (acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison). Tieflings similarly have fire resistance, and I would estimate that a ...
- 83.1k
7
votes
2
answers
544
views
What bonus would be balanced against restricting a changeling's Shapechanger trait to only work once per day during a long rest?
I am playing as a changeling in a new campaign where every officially published races are accepted. We told the DM the races and classes we wanted to play in advance and he was OK with it. However, ...
- 1,192
14
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Mechanically speaking, what makes an item more useful, a raw bonus or advantage?
I'm looking at D&D 5e to homebrew a specific item and I'm debating what would be better: advantage or raw bonus? The item is a coin that you toss before an ability check or an attack roll. If the ...
- 141
2
votes
2
answers
196
views
Does adding multiple skills when combining creatures cause balance issues?
I'm creating a Svirfneblin Evil Mage by combining the stat blocks for each Evil Mage and Svirfneblin.
A Svirfneblin has the skills Investigation +3, Perception +2, Stealth +4.
An Evil Mage has the ...
- 10.2k
6
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Balance implications of +3 racial bonuses
Many races have a +2 bonus to one ability and a +1 bonus to another ability. They do not usually have +3 to a single ability.
I am wondering about the implications of having races with such bonuses in ...
- 16.6k
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How many two-skill +2/+4 bonus feats are there and is it balanced to homebrew more?
Each skill except for Appraise, Linguistics, Craft, Perform, and Profession corresponds to a core feat that has no prerequisites and grants +2 to two skills or +4 if you have 10 or more ranks. Those ...
- 2,181
3
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is Booming Blade that unbalanced? How could it be rebalanced? [closed]
Up until now, we had quite the terrible party lineup (a Rogue, two Paladins and a Barbarian; we soon discovered the game is simply not enjoyable without casters), and we all decided to fix this by ...
- 141
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
For a Portent feat based on the Lucky feat, how many Portent dice would be balanced against the 3 points (dice) from the Lucky feat?
I am looking to make a homebrew feat based on the Lucky feat but using the Portent mechanic, and am trying to find the balance point on the amount of dice.
Disclaimer: I don't think Lucky is ...
- 30k
6
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Would allowing Wizards to use Wisdom for AC be unbalanced?
I find myself frustrated that Wizards have high incentive to invest in Dexterity and Constitution so that the aren't quite so squishy whereas they have little incentive to increase Wisdom except to ...
user60913
2
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Can my players coat a +1 Plate Armor with Adamantine?
My Dwarf smith wants to merge both his Plate Armor +1 and his Adamantine Plate Armor. The idea is to melt Adamantine, obtain the raw material, and coat his +1 Plate with it, thus obtaining a +1 ...
- 46.7k
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What should I do when every PC has really low charisma (and it bothers me)?
I am currently working on a PnP which is a mixture of Traveller, DnD and some of my own game mechanics.
The attributes of PCs are pretty much the same as in DnD, and I also decided to have players ...
- 83
4
votes
2
answers
723
views
Is it at all possible to create/homebrew a class with half-subclasses?
Sonny is a great little game starring a zombie who starts out with limited skills (a super-basic attack and a self-healing spell) and gains more skills as he levels up. At two points in the game, you ...
- 273
14
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is gaining 1 AC in exchange for disadvantage on Perception checks a balanced trade?
Inspired by this answer, and to avoid lengthy back and forth comments, I decided to make this a question in itself.
You can put on your helmet for +1 AC and disadvantage on Perception checks. In ...
- 36.5k
20
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What RAW weirdness would arise from a PC being permanently Tiny?
Background
Every official playable race in D&D, to the best of my knowledge, is either Medium or Small. Even for creatures that should be Large (meaning where the "monster" versions of ...
- 79.3k
5
votes
1
answer
227
views
Creating a balanced spell [closed]
I'm currently playing a level 6 warlock (pact of the seeker) in a campaign right now. I want to develop a new spell in game. This is the spell that I'm trying to create:
Name: Xanlin's Secret ...
-4
votes
2
answers
708
views
Is there a balanced or allowable trade that would grant Shield proficiency as a starting proficiency for a class which normally would not have it?
Normally a character has to choose between wielding 2 of a shield, an arcane focus (or component pouch), and a weapon OR just a two-handed weapon. As a Warlock, I could choose to wield an arcane ...
- 143
3
votes
0
answers
213
views
Polearm, reach homebrew weapon for Kensei Monk balance [closed]
I will be running a campaign and one of my players wants to play specifically a Kensei Monk with a polearm weapon that has reach and is not heavy or special, so he can use it as kensei weapon. He ...
- 627
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is increasing the Primal Savagery spell's damage die to 1d12 unbalanced/unnecessary?
The primal savagery spell (XGtE, p. 163) states:
[...] Make a melee spell attack against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 acid damage...
The spell's damage increases ...
- 76.6k
22
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How can I decide if my homebrew item should require attunement? [duplicate]
Attunement slots are an important tool for maintaining game balance - especially in high magic settings where magic items are common.
If I've homebrewed a new magic item for my players, how can I ...
- 25.1k
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What balance issues would arise from a Chaotic Good Paladin?
I have long been annoyed by the inability of Chaotic Good warriors to become empowered by their unwavering faith in freedom and human decency, and so am considering a custom archetype that would allow ...
- 1,603
13
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Balance Implications of Divine Smite Doing Necrotic Damage?
I have a True Neutral Paladin that is also a Fallen Aasimar. He has fully embraced darkness, letting it into his heart and spurned his celestial heritage. He hasn't gone fully evil purely because he ...
- 465
10
votes
1
answer
914
views
What would be the balance effects of adding extra Divination spells?
I am playing a Divination wizard at the moment and quite disappointed that there are only 17 Divination spells, so I thought I would look at some homebrew ones to talk to the DM about.
The question is,...
- 30k
14
votes
1
answer
543
views
How do you determine if a homebrew class is balanced with regards to its multiclassing potential?
When designing and balancing a homebrewed class, I want to avoid features that, while keeping the core class balanced, will cause multiclass builds with WotC classes to be game breaking.
An example ...
- 707
6
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Are these homebrew weapon attack cantrips balanced? [closed]
I have created some new cantrips which include making a weapon attack as there are only two official ones to choose from. I've tried to follow these principles based on Booming Blade and Green-Flame ...
- 725
17
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What are the mechanical balance issues with a playable race with more than two hands?
Somewhat inspired by this question: Can I use multiple hands for one attack, using this 6-Handed-Ones homebrew race?
As I started to explore with my question about playable Kuo-Toa, I'm interested in ...
- 79.3k
7
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Would increasing a Dragonborn's breath weapon damage help to balance them?
Dragonborn are arguably considered one of the weakest playable races, as supported by the answers to my other recent question: How would adding a darkvision racial trait to Dragonborn affect balance?
...
- 79.3k
14
votes
3
answers
13k
views
How would adding a darkvision racial trait to Dragonborn affect balance?
Dragonborn, as I understand it, are considered to be one of the weakest, if not the weakest, playable race. Their flavour is cool, especially for people who like dragons, but their being sub-par in ...
- 79.3k
2
votes
0
answers
4k
views
Are these homebrew shields balanced? [closed]
Ever since I first looked at the equipment tables in the PHB, I've been dissatisfied with the lack of different shield options. I suppose it makes sense in the 5e philosophy of making everything as ...
- 26.2k
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is multiple magic items in one inherently imbalanced?
I have an idea for a weapon that can permanently absorb items that require attunement to gain its properties (including its attunement requirement), up to 3.
For example, the item alone does not ...
- 7,222
-5
votes
1
answer
666
views
Is this homebrew race with a day/night-dependent racial trait balanced? [closed]
I want to create a homebrew race for D&D, so that I may use it when I'll find a group (with the DM's approval, of course). The race is wolf related, so what I want to do is give them a night ...
- 1,055
8
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Would this custom Sorcerer variant that can only learn any verbal-component-only spell be unbalanced?
I recently started reading through the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, and it got me thinking about how the notion of the wishsong would translate into a system like D&D.
My (very) rough idea ...
- 695
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How to balance a monster modification (zombie)?
I am DM'ing a campaign called "Army of the Damned" based on Magic the Gathering: Innistrad in which a horde of zombies is attacking a town. In the 5e Monster Manual, zombies have poison immunity but ...
- 1,102
3
votes
1
answer
551
views
What level would this cursed invisibility ring be best balanced for? [closed]
I am planning on running a campaign, and got an idea for a cursed ring of invisibility. Here are the technical (without the fluff) details.
Cursed Ring of Invisibility
Wearing this ring grants ...
- 1,570
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are the issues with an additional (limited) concentration slot instead of Bladesong?
My DM is frustrated with balancing encounters with my high AC as a Bladesinger and wants to make a modification for a more kiting/spell-heavy playstyle. The version of Bladesong my DM is looking to ...
- 1,137
4
votes
0
answers
752
views
Is this homebrew alternate Way of the Four Elements monk subclass balanced? [closed]
I've created a new version of the Way of the Four Elements monk. I don't have too many friends in the RPG community that could give me some good balance/playability feedback on such a thing, and was ...
- 291
2
votes
1
answer
614
views
How does my homebrew spell replacement for the Shadow Magic sorcerer's Hound of Ill Omen feature compare to the original?
We are starting a new campaign soon with 7 players. To avoid a lot of extra rolling and stuff, the DM banned summons (companions/mounts).
I still wanted to play a Shadow Magic sorcerer (XGtE, p. 50-51)...
- 4,840
35
votes
7
answers
55k
views
How powerful would an always-on Truesight ability be for a PC?
How powerful would an always-on passive ability or magic item or whatever else that could grant truesight to a PC be? Let's say 60 ft. to match the range of races with Darkvision.
For reference, here'...
- 79.3k