Warlock Eldritch Invocations Table

Introducing the Warlock Eldritch Invocations Table including effect summaries, prerequisites, action economy, recharge, and source info.

Pole Position: PAM over GWM

Why to take the Polearm Master feat before the Great Weapon Master feat.

Artificer Teardown

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 →

The Fletcher (Ranger)

I love the concept of a Ranger that's just out in the wilderness, living off the land. This survivalism should be reflected in the Ranger's craftsmanship. Since most Rangers are ranged attackers, it makes sense that they should be able to craft their own projectiles. Even special projectiles that will help them in the variety of situations they may encounter in the wilderness. Meet the Fletcher!

Martial Adept vs. Magic Initiate

We're comparing the Martial Adept feat and the Magic Initiate feat. While the effect of linear fighters vs. quadratic wizards most often manifests in class design (mostly due to spell access), there’s an interesting reflection of this design in the 5e feats, which we expect to be balanced against each other.

Conditions Chart by Effect

I've digested the Conditions into their various effects: ability checks, attack rolls, attacks against, movement, special attributes (generally aimed at limiting spellcaster efficacy), and what causes them to end. I've also marked an asterisk on the conditions that have incapacitated as a sub-condition.

Non-Metal Druid Armor

Since the Druid's non-metal armor restriction is purely thematic, we're taking a close look at the rules and reskinning the metal options to give Druids access to the full armory!

The Evil of Mandating Equipment

D&D 5e is great because it allows you the flexibility to build on top of the system. Sometimes we rush to fill gaps that are empty for a reason. Designing good content requires knowing these pitfalls so you can navigate them. Character features mandating equipment are one such case. What can we learn from Mike Mearls about how to design them?

Called Shots

A "called shot" in Dungeons & Dragons is an attack that aims for a specific part of a target's body. While this mechanic has been removed from 5th Edition in the interest of greater simplicity, the system is fluid enough to layer on complexity where you want.

The Agnostic Adventuring Day

We're going to make the adventuring day agnostic as to character class. That way, everyone's going to be on a level playing field, regardless of how many encounters you run. How do we do this with linear fighters and quadratic wizards? It's simple. We kill the short rest.