Author Topic: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime  (Read 308319 times)

Offline Garryl

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1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« on: November 07, 2011, 02:35:15 AM »
Behold! Ideas that aren't complete, but might be some day.
I'll be transferring things over from the old thread over the next few days.
Everyone is welcome to post here with their own half-formed ideas, too, by the way. Basically, anything you've got that you want to put up but isn't big enough or complete enough to warrant its own thread is all fine and dandy.

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« Last Edit: September 06, 2014, 03:28:40 AM by Garryl »

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2011, 12:21:54 AM »
Spellcasting Barbarian Variant
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« Last Edit: November 21, 2011, 12:35:27 AM by Garryl »

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2011, 06:41:54 PM »
Mental HP, Mind Control, and hopefully something that can later be used in a social combat system
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« Last Edit: November 28, 2011, 06:50:34 PM by Garryl »

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2011, 04:07:49 PM »
Some notes for a thieving martial discipline. Uses Sleight of Hand. A lot of other maneuvers will borrow from Setting Sun (mostly regarding moving your opponent around and fooling him/her) and Shadow Hand (Sneak Attack and sneaking around).
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Offline Jackinthegreen

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2011, 01:11:41 AM »
Int- and Wis-based invocation users.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2012, 02:43:22 PM »
Imagine a hypothetical, D&D-like system, but different.

Ability scores are normally found from -5 to +5 (instead of 1-20). Death (or equivalent) is at the ability score reaching -10. You add your full ability score to relevant things (not (score-10)/2).

Regardless of class, everyone gets +1/2 level on attack rolls and saving throws. There is no BaB or base saves. Classes boost ability scores as you level up. Classes that are traditionally full BaB-types give +1 Str every other level. Good Fort types give +1 Con every other level, good Will gives Wis, good Ref gives Dex, high skills give Int, and spellcasting gives Cha. Or something like that. Classes that have a minor emphasis towards something might give +1/3 to +1/5 levels (like Str for average BaB types).

More to come if I think of it.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2012, 03:05:22 PM »
Swift actions are used for various things. Usually, its a limiter on things that you're supposed to use on top of your normal attacks (standard/full-round actions), but can't use completely freely (free actions). But as you get to higher levels, you pick up more swift action things and more attacks per action, but unless you're popping off quickened spells or using ToB, your swift action options don't improve much for a given action compared to what you had at lower levels. So how about more of them?

You get 1 swift action per attack from BaB (or, more specifically, 1 swift action/round + 1 per 5 BaB beyond 1). ToB boosts cost 1 swift action per 4 maneuver levels (rounded up). Quickened spells cost 1 swift action + 1/3 spell levels (before the +4 metamagic adjustment). And then we add a few more options for swift actions that use varying amounts depending on their power and usefulness. Say, a souped up Anklets of Translocation that teleports you 60 feet split between before and after your actions for the round might take 2-3 swift actions. A Monk's Flurry of Blows instead lets you make an attack as a swift action (with the usual penalties and yadda yadda) and gives you extra swift actions when you full-attack. Weapon Focus/Spec will let you reroll attack/damage rolls and stuff as a swift action. Imp. Feint lets you feint as a swift action.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2012, 01:15:59 PM »
Natural Weapons and TWF: Why can't they just use (essentially) the same mechanics?

Attacks now have one of two designations: primary and secondary. Primary attacks are your normal BaB attacks (full Str to damage, etc.). Secondary attacks are your secondary natural weapon and off-hand weapon attacks. Regardless of what your weapons are, you can treat any weapon you wield as either primary or secondary as part of a single action.

Natural Attacks: Treat them just like manufactured weapon attacks. You get a number of primaries based on your BaB. Secondaries are based on the Multiweapon Fighting feat and multiweapon fighting in general. "Primary" natural weapons (bites, slams, tail slaps) are considered balanced weapons (one-handed), and "secondary" natural weapons (claws, tentacles, wing slaps) are considered light weapons.

Two-weapon Fighting: This is rolled into the general multiweapon fighting.

Multiweapon Fighting (MWF): You can get extra attacks as secondary attacks, as long as you use different weapons than you used for your primary attack(s). One extra secondary attack per extra weapon wielded. Secondary attacks have a -5 penalty on attack rolls and add only 1/2 Str to damage. Making any secondary attacks also causes a -4 penalty on all attack rolls for the round. If any of them are with weapons heavier than light, the penalty on all attacks increases by 2.

Feats:
Multiweapon Fighting: Reduces the attack penalties for MWF by 2. Reduces the secondary attack penalty by 3 (to -2).

Multiattack:  Reduces the MWF attack penalty by another 2 points  and gives you your full complement of BaB-granted attacks with secondary weapons (instead of just one per weapon).




Also, weapons are now categorized as light, balanced, and heavy instead of light, one-handed, and two-handed. It's functionally the same, but I had a reason (that I forgot). Something to do with the fact that you sometimes use a different number of limbs to wield a weapon (or don't have hands at all, like with natural attacks).

Oh, and while we're at it, how about tweaking the rules for wielding weapons in multiple hands? For every extra limb you use to wield a weapon, it's considered one category heavier (no maximum). Light weapons add 1/2 Str and 1/2 Dex to damage. Balanced add full Str. Heavy adds 1.5*Str to damage, with an extra 0.5*Str per category heavier. I dunno where I'm going with this.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2012, 03:50:24 PM »
Monks and whales. There may be more, or not.

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Offline Jackinthegreen

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2012, 08:29:36 PM »
If a Ranger uses the Favored Terrain ACF, each one gained should give him an exotic weapon proficiency related to that terrain type.

For instance, a ranger who favors mountainous or icy terrain should get proficiency with an Ice Axe.  Jungle terrain would be Machete, that sort of thing.

Likewise, Planar Rangers should get a related EWP too.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2012, 05:06:50 PM »
Conditions with degrees.

Snared (1/2 speed) -> Entangled (1/2 speed, minor penalties) -> Immobilized (0 speed, more significant penalties)
Dazed -> Stunned -> Paralyzed
Sickened -> Nauseated
Shaken -> Frightened -> Panicked -> Cowering
Fatigued -> Exhausted -> Sleeping
Dazzled -> Obscured (needs a better name) (20% miss chance, -4 on Spot checks) -> Blinded
Ringing (needs a better name) (-4 Listen, -2 initiative) -> Deafened

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2012, 04:30:08 PM »
Turning/Rebuking

Standard action, 60 foot radius, requires LoE but not LoS. Turnable subjects in the area must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your turning level + your Cha mod). No turning check, no turning damage. No destroying/commanding unless you spend a feat, though (in which case the subject has to fail a second consecutive Will save to be so affected). The feat probably boosts your save DC while it's at it or something. Knowledge (religion)'s synergy bonus should be changed to something else that's actually relevant for non-Clerics.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2012, 12:26:38 PM »
These aren't the feats you're looking for: Sorcery edition

Would it be unreasonable to give one of the casting/manifesting feats as a bonus feat to everyone in a high magic campaign?

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« Last Edit: May 19, 2014, 01:41:43 AM by Garryl »

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #13 on: February 21, 2012, 02:16:15 PM »
Racial Substitution Levels

Fighter
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Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2012, 12:39:04 PM »
Skills, training, and stuff.

Degrees of Training
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« Last Edit: February 27, 2012, 04:30:38 PM by Garryl »

Offline Jackinthegreen

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2012, 06:08:39 AM »
Practiced Invoker:

Your caster level for the chosen invocation-using class increases by 4. This benefit can't increase your caster level to higher than your Hit Dice.  This benefit increases your caster level for the purposes of Eldritch Blast damage as normal.  Etc, etc.

This feat assumes that the normal Practiced Spellcaster doesn't apply, which might be a valid argument.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2012, 03:47:12 PM »
Spells whose names I don't like

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« Last Edit: March 22, 2012, 11:59:21 AM by Garryl »

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2012, 11:57:51 AM »
Standardized durations for spells (and similar abilities). Not necessarily appropriate for everything, but certainly a lot of lower level buffs and combat effects.

1 round/level -> 5 rounds, or possibly 1 minute. Long enough to last the fight without running into the next one.
1 minute/level -> 10 minutes. Long enough to last a couple of fights, depending on how long you dilly-dally in between. Unlikely to last the whole day unless you're rushing. Long enough that you can precast it upon entering a potential combat zone and still expect it to be up when you need it.
10 minutes/level -> 2 hours. All the adventuring day most likely. Doesn't last across the rest period.
1 hour/level -> 24 hours. If it's all day, it might as well be all day.

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2012, 09:35:46 PM »
Completed: Marshal is part of the Aura Classes project

The Marshal, a revamp.
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This version of the Marshal is a bit more active than the original. In addition to auras (which should be a bit more interesting and useful now), the Marshal has a variety of Shouts to use which provide a variety of temporary buffs and debuffs. This Marshal uses a new mechanic, Presence, which ebbs and flows based on how much you use your abilities. The more you shout about, the less effect each shout will have, but if you take the time you make every order and command count, they'll keep their prime potency.


1       +0           +2   +0   +2      Major Aura +1, Presence, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)      -
2       +1           +3   +0   +3      Aura Shift (2 auras)                                  -
3       +2           +3   +1   +3      Dilate Aura (90 feet)                                 -
4       +3           +4   +1   +4      Major Aura +2                                         -
5       +3           +4   +1   +4      Extra Aura (Minor)                                    -
6       +4           +5   +2   +5      Dilate Aura (120 feet), Leadership                    -
7       +5           +5   +2   +5      Aura Shift (immediate)                                -
8       +6/+1        +6   +2   +6      Major Aura +3                                         -
9       +6/+1        +6   +3   +6      Dilate Aura (150 feet)                                -
10      +7/+2        +7   +3   +7      Extra Aura (Major)                                    -
11      +8/+3        +7   +3   +7                                                            -
12      +9/+4        +8   +4   +8      Dilate Aura (180 feet), Major Aura +4                 -
13      +9/+4        +8   +4   +8      Aura Shift (3 auras)                                  -
14      +10/+5       +9   +4   +9      Contingent Command                                    -
15      +11/+6/+1    +9   +5   +9      Dilate Aura (210 feet)                                -
16      +12/+7/+2    +10  +5   +10     Major Aura +5                                         -
17      +12/+7/+2    +10  +5   +10                                                           -
18      +13/+8/+3    +11  +6   +11     Dilate Aura (240 feet)                                -
19      +14/+9/+4    +11  +6   +11                                                           -
20      +15/+10/+5   +12  +6   +12     Aura Mastery, Aura Shift (all auras), Major Aura +6   -


                 Minor   Major
        Shouts   Auras   Auras
Level   Known    Known   Known
1       1        2       2
2       2        3       3
3       2        4       3
4       3        4       3
5       3        5       4
6       4        5       4
7       4        6       4
8       5        6       4
9       5        7       5
10      6        7       5
11      6        8       5
12      7        8       5
13      7        9       5
14      8        9       6
15      8        10      6
16      9        10      6
17      9        11      6
18      10       11      6
19      10       12      6
20      11       12      7


Commander: Many Marshal abilities rely on your commander level. You commander level is equal to your Marshal level, plus your total levels in other classes that grant Presence, shouts, or auras (such as Paladin and Divine Mind), plus one half your levels in other classes.

Presence: Your Presence is a numerical representation of ability to lead in the heat of battle. You use your Presence for various effects of your shouts. Each time you use a shout, your Presence decreases after resolving that ability's effects, which may reduce your Presence below 0. The amount decreased depends on the shout used. Lost Presence returns at a rate of 1 point per round. If your Presence is 0 or lower, you cannot use shouts, although stronger shouts have higher minimum Presence values required to use them. Your maximum Presence is equal to your commander level.

TODO: Actions that influence presence
- Passive: +1/round
- Backup Plan feat (swift action a few times/day, recover all presence)
- Standard action: Recover 1/4 of max presence
-

Shouts: You know a total number of shouts based on your Marshal level. You can learn any shout whose prerequisites you meet.
   Despite their name, shouts don't require you to yell, or even speak. Any sort of communication that the subject or subjects are aware of is sufficient, even if it isn't understood fully. Usually this requires speech, but telepathic communication is also sufficient. When no shared language (or equivalent) exists, tone and body language are usually enough to get the message across.

TODO:
-> effective level = marshal + other presence classes + 1/2 non-presence classes
-> max presence = effective level
-> shouts require minimum effective level to learn, not minimum max presence
-> Shouts are usable as long as you have presence >0, not based on the minimum needed to learn them


Auras (Ex): As a Marshal, your presence and leadership exerts an effect on allies in your vicinity. You can learn to produce different effects, or auras, over the course of your career. You may project one minor aura and one major aura at a time. If you possess the ability to project auras from multiple sources, the number of auras of any given type that you can project at once does not stack. For instance, a Divine Mind 2/Marshal 2 would be able to project both a major aura and a mantle aura at the same time, but only a single minor aura.

Activating an aura is a swift action. The aura remains in effect until you use a free action to dismiss it or you activate another aura of the same kind (major or minor). You can have an aura active continually; thus, an aura can be in effect at the start of a combat encounter even before you take your first turn.

As a Marshal, activating an aura is a purely mental action. Unless otherwise noted, your auras affect all allies within 60 feet (including yourself) that you can communicate with, even if you don't share a language. An ally must have an Intelligence score to gain the bonus (mindless creatures cannot benefit from your auras). Your aura is dismissed if you are dazed, unconscious, stunned, paralyzed, or otherwise unable to communicate.

Some auras affect your enemies instead of, or in addition to, your allies. Unless otherwise stated, the save DC of your aura is equal to 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier.

All modifiers granted by your auras are morale bonuses (or penalties) that do not stack with each other. These morale bonuses and penalties still affect targets immune to mind-affecting effects that are otherwise subject to your aura.

Skill Focus (Diplomacy): Because you have a way with people, you gain Skill Focus (Diplomacy) as a bonus feat. If you already have that feat, you can choose a different one that you qualify for.

Leadership: Count as having it at 6th, but you don't get the cohort. If you ever take the Leadership feat, you gain a +2 bonus to your Leadership score and can use your Leadership score in place of your Presence when determining the effects of your shouts on your followers (this doesn't let you use shouts for which you have an insufficient Presence).

Dilate Aura (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, the range of your auras increases by 30 feet (to a total of 90 feet). Their range increases by 30 feet again every 3 levels thereafter.

Aura Shift (Ex): You can activate multiple auras at once. Beginning at 2nd level, you can activate two auras as part of the same swift action. At 13th level, this improves to 3 auras at once. Once you reach 20th level, you can activate any number of auras at once.
   In addition, starting at 8th level, you can dismiss an aura and activate a new one of the same type in its place as an immediate action.

Extra Aura (Ex): Starting at 5th level, you can project one more minor aura at once than normal (for a total of 2 minor auras and 1 major aura). Beginning at 10th level, you can also project one more major aura at once than normal (for a total of 2 minor auras and 2 major auras). You must activate or dismiss your auras separately.

Contingent Command: ... I don't remember what I intended with this. Probably a shout on a contingency-type trigger.

Aura Mastery (Ex): Beginning at 20th level, once per day as a swift action, you can project up to 5 additional major auras at once (for a total of 7) for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round). You can change which major auras you are projecting and activate new ones as part of this action.


Shouts
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Minor Auras
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Major Auras
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Feats
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« Last Edit: June 05, 2022, 12:36:55 AM by Garryl »

Offline Garryl

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Re: 1001 Homebrew Ideas to Flesh Out Sometime
« Reply #19 on: March 26, 2012, 05:49:19 PM »
Wizard as Warlock. Inspired by Prime32's reserve feats as cantrips thread.
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