What works at your table?
We used to build characters a different way. Back in 3.x, the splat got so numerous that you were practically forced to "work backwards from 20." In other words, you would build your ultimate character concept and work backwards to see what you needed to take at each level. For example, failure to properly plan … Continue reading Design Tips: Trap Features
Examining damage outputs of cantrips vs. crossbows for the new Unearthed Arcana Artificer. It seems crossbows can outscale cantrips, but at what cost?
Buffing the Artificer spell list with spells that fit its casting themes of object manipulation, fabrication, healing, defensive fortifications, and personal buffs. 14 new Artificer spells from Xanathar's Guide to Everything are included on a handy chart to track your prepared spells.
As a follow up to last week's Artificer teardown, we're taking a dive into the Artificer subclasses: Artillerist and Alchemist. We'll analyze the subclasses and develop a template for brewing your own subclasses. Structure The subclass features unlock at 3rd, 6th, and 14th levels. This mirrors the Bard progression, which is notoriously difficult to design … Continue reading Artificer Subclass Template
It happened. On February 28, 2019, The Artificer Revisited was released to much fanfare. What did we get? Let's chew up the crunch. We'll start with the base class mechanics and move into the subclasses next week, when we build a template for how to homebrew an Artificer subclass. Base Class Hit Die (d8). A … Continue reading Artificer Teardown
Among new class options, the Warlord is highly coveted. Especially so among 4th Edition (4e) veterans. In fact, the Warlord is probably the most popular class concept that hasn’t been graced with a playtest treatment via Unearthed Arcana. With no expectations as to when we might see an official Warlord (sub)class, how close can we get with the current options in 5th Edition (5e)?
Natural weapons are weapons that are "built in" to a player character race. We're taking a look at how the D&D designers have built natural weapons through the history of 5th Edition and making a template of our own.
On July 23, 2018, along with the release of the Eberron setting for 5e, D&D released the Races of Eberron Unearthed Arcana, featuring updated versions of three races (Warforged, Shifter, Changeling) and one new race (Kalashtar). Today's focus is the Warforged. Integrated Protection The thematic highlight of the Warforged is its armored body. Great design … Continue reading Warforged AC
Dungeons & Dragon’s May 2018 Unearthed Arcana released the Centaur race. There was mixed reception of the decision to shrink playable Centaurs to Medium size. Due to D&D 5th Edition's design, it was the right decision to keep them medium, as depicted through most of art history.
Dungeons & Dragon’s May 2018 Unearthed Arcana updated the Minotaur race. With three years since the original release, the improvements in the race design can tell us a lot about what lessons the Wizards of the Coast D&D team learned in that time.
