The Wishing Well - Barbarian & Druid Community Subclass Design Event

I love the idea of the community getting a chance to help out here!

I just want some more content. I don't care what it is.

Raargh!  Barbarian's in Solasta Raargh Yeah!   Tactical Myzzrym this is great news thank you!

I guess it might be worth mentioning for those why aren't well up on PnP rules that the barbarian that Tactical Adventures can do is the Path of the Berserker (hopefully without the horrible exhaustion penalty), and what they can't touch - animal totem barbarians.

For the druid, the one they can't touch - for which I suspect there will be much wailing! - is the shapeshifting moon druid. The one they can do is the Circle of the Land.

One fairly important question for designing druid subclasses - are Tactical Adventures going to implement the Shillelagh cantrip?

I already submitted my design in the link but wanted to share it because its kinda fun, certainly was to write it. It was based on a particular video some months ago I found fun to watch ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7blp_fW64QE ). Please note that the numbers were mostly made up and I have no idea what numbers are good and balanced.

Druid - Circle of the Bees

Themes: Bee Companion, Honey Magic

Note: To offset the gain of two Features, a Circle of the Bees Druid cannot shapechange and loses any related Feature.

Level 2 Feature:

Bee Companion 1: Youre followed by a tiny sized Bee Companion. You can name your Bee Companion but it is always a female bee, reason is that only female bees can be queens, see Level 14 Feature, so keep that in mind. In addition to flying, it has a bite attack for a tiny amount of damage and can use its sting 1x per encounter for a small amount of damage.

Honey Magic 1: You gain a special version of the Magic Stone Cantrip called Honey Stone. This is a Conjuration spell instead of a Transmutation spell. Instead of transmuting up to 3 magic pebbles, you create only 1 pebble made of honey. It does damage as normal vs enemies but also causes a -1 penalty to his next attack, gives the next attack against him that bonus or has a 10% chance of causing a spell failure for that enemy if it is a spellcaster, whatever comes first but within 1 round. You can also use your honeyed pebble vs your Bee Companion which causes it to miss the next round but be healed for half the amount of damage Magic Stone would cause. This Feature replaces the Wild Shape gained at Level 2. 

Level 6 Feature:

Bee Companion 2: Youre followed by a small sized Bee Companion. In addition to flying, it has a bite attack for a small amount of damage and can use its sting 1x per encounter for an average amount of damage.

Honey Magic 2: You gain a special version of the Erupting Earth 3rd level spell called Erupting Honey. This is a Conjuration spell instead of a Transmutation spell. Instead of creating a fountain of churned stone in an area, you create a fountain made of honey in an area. It does damage and effects as normal vs enemies but also causes a -1 penalty to each enemies next attack, gives the next attack against each enemy that bonus or has a 10% chance of causing a spell failure for that enemy if it is a spellcaster, whatever comes first but only for 1 round. In addition, your Bee Companion is healed for 1d6 HP every round it ends within the area of Erupting Honey. This Feature replaces the Wild Shape Improvement gained at Level 4.  

Level 10 Feature:

Bee Companion 3: Youre followed by a medium sized Bee Companion. In addition to flying, it has a bite attack for an average amount of damage and can use its sting 1x per encounter for a large amount of damage. Your Bee Companion also gains access to 1 damaging Cantrip of your choice of any spellbook origin and can use it every 3rd round.

Honey Magic 3: You gain a special version of the Cone of Cold 5th level spell called Cone of Honey. This is a Conjuration spell instead of an Evocation spell. Instead of creating a blast of cold air, you create a blast made of honey. It does damage and effects as normal vs enemies but also causes a -1 penalty to each enemies next attack, gives the next attack against each enemy that bonus or has a 10% chance of causing a spell failure for that enemy if it is a spellcaster, whatever comes first but only for 1 round. Enemies that die from this spell become a honeyed statue that you or your Bee Companion can 'use', Bonus Action, to regain 4d8 HP if adjecent to that enemy. The enemy remains in this condition for 3 rounds and each time it is used, the amount of healing is halved so youre able to use it 3 times at most. In addition, your Bee Companion is healed for 2d8 HP if it is within the area of Cone of Honey when cast. This Feature replaces the Wild Shape Improvement gained at Level 8.  

Level 14 Feature:

Honey Queen: Youre followed by a medium sized, special skinned (normal Bee Companion is black-yellow, Queen Bee Companion is also black-yellow but has one red ring, it is also slightly larger but still medium-sized), Bee Queen Companion. In addition to flying, it has a bite attack for an average amount of damage and can use its sting 2x per encounter for a large amount of damage. Your Bee Companion also gains access to another 1 damaging Cantrip of your choice of any spellbook origin and can use either of its Cantrips every 2nd round.

Royal Gelly: You gain the unique Bee Hive 7th level spell. This is a Conjuration spell. It creates at the point of target, a large golden shimmering bee hive of honeyed goodness. Each round, any enemy within medium range of the bee hive is harassed by annoyed bees and gets a -1 penalty to his attack, gives attacks against him a +1 bonus and has a 20% chance of causing a spell failure for that enemy if it is a spellcaster for as long as the bee hive persists. Enemies that die while withing the spell area become a honeyed statue 3 rounds later as bees from the hive start gathering honey around them that you or your Bee Queen Companion can 'use', Bonus Action, to regain 4d8 HP if adjecent to that enemy. The enemy remains in this condition for 3 rounds and each time it is used, the amount of healing is halved so youre able to use it 3 times at most. In addition, each round your Bee Queen Companion is serviced Royal Gelly by the Bees and healed for 2d8 HP if it is within the area of Bee Hive. The Bees also service you and your party members with honey, healing 1d6 HP for everyone that is within the area of Bee Hive. The Bee Hive persist until end of combat or it is destroyed. It has half the HP of your Bee Queen Companion and any enemy that attacks it is instantly attacked by all Bees, disabling any healing serviced and doing 4d8 damage to that enemy without fail. This Feature replaces the Beast Spells gained at Level 18.  

Level 20 Feature:

Archdruid - Circle of the Bees: You can ignore the verbal and somatic components of Druid spells like other Archdruids. In addition, your Bee Queen Companion now has access to the Honey Stone Cantrip and can cast Erupting Honey 2x and Cone of Honey 1x per Long Rest, healing you as if you were a Bee Companion. Your Honey Magic spells affect you as if you were a Bee Companion too.

Edit: Tweaked some aspects.

I#d love to suggest some ideas but I have no idea how to use the forms. Not sure if they are even working properly, as I can't answer any of the questions -- there is no space and when I click on the 'Primal Path' etc nothing happens...   I am not a member of 'Wishing Well', whatever that is...

BTW,  I have these ideas which are worth repeating (briefly!) here...

Barbarians -- humans, half elves and dwarves only.  Chaotic choices or (rarely) neutral ones, never Lawful.  Have their own unique Gods to pray to, which may grant them favours.  +1% chance per level. No plate or heavy armour, and also are supersticious of magical weapons or armour and won't use them. However they get +2 to strength or +1 to strength and +1 to constitution during creation.  Also at level 6 & 12 they automatically get an additional +1 to either strength or constitution.

Barbarians get chance to beserk/rage a set number of times a day similar to what we have before.

Because of their great superstitious fear of magical stuff, they automatically get a +2 to hit against any evil magic-user or magically summoned creature.  Or whenever within a certain radius of a delectable member of the opposite sex, which they take upon themselves to personally protect (chivalry)

Druids :   Must be Neutral (including NG, LN, NE or CN).  Humans, half elves or Sylvan Elves only.  :eather or studded only,  limited weapons, gets spells + an animal companion which they are stuck with for good, but levels up whenever they do. Can also summon other creatures from appropriate backdrop (Woodland, Grassland) to aid them in their fight to protect the Environment.

Get their own set of Druidic spells, plus addiitional spells to use in certain pre-deterrmine landscapes (eg woodland or grassland) only.  (See separate list I have been trying to submit on the dratted formS!)

Special bonus - are allowed to capture and sacrifice helpless foes to Merciful Earth Mother, Gaia, in order to gain additional bonuses and spells (I have suggested 'Manna points') which if not used, fade over time.  Again these are usually extra Druidic type spells or powers.

Not sure what Paladins would say about live prisoner sacrifices, but there you go...

Solasta is based on the 5e ruleset, which has no alignment or racial restrictions on classes.

Solasta itself is alignment-optional for PCs.

Gotta check my hearing - I thought they announced "Bard'-barians - or was that wishful thinking?

Bards are a lot more work to implement. Not only does inspiration require an interface mod for every class, most of the bard spell list isn't in the game. The druid competition limits you to spells that are already implemented.

You could always design a musical subclass for barbarian or druid.

I've already entered, so feel free to steel ;)

Barbarian Primal Path: Path of Metal

Level 3: Pounding Beat: Whenever you rage you are accompanied by a ponding beat that distracts all who hear it. At the end of your turn anyone concentrating on a spell within 300 ft. (including allies) must make a concentration check, DC equal to 8 + prof bonus + CHA bonus. You are proficent in the Performance skill (which does nothing in the OC).

Level 6: Air Guitar: As a bonus action you manifest an air guitar, which is a two handed melee weapon that does 2d8 thunder damage. You gain resistance to thunder damage.

Level 10: Terrifying Beat. Whilst ranging your beat is so terrifying that at the end of each of your turns your enemies must save or run in fear with their hands over their ears.

Level 14: Death Metal: In addition to it's other effects, your pounding beat is now so loud that it does thunder damage equal to your class level to everyone who can hear it (including yourself).

I already submitted my design in the link but wanted to share it because its kinda fun, certainly was to write it. It was based on a particular video some months ago I found fun to watch ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7blp_fW64QE ). Please note that the numbers were mostly made up and I have no idea what numbers are good and balanced.

Druid - Circle of the Bees

Themes: Bee Companion, Honey Magic

Note: To offset the gain of two Features, a Circle of the Bees Druid cannot shapechange and loses any related Feature.

(...)

I have not checked if it is somewhat balanced with other Druids in 5e, BUT I really like the concept and it fits nicely with Solasta memes about the Honey Bee cantrip.  Maybe bees play a very important role in the world of Solasta (I mean even more so than in real life); pollination to regrow new wildlife.

Yay for bees!

I submitted one for Barbarian. I don't play enough Druids to have anything huge in mind, but I'm looking forward to seeing what other people come up with.

Thanks for liking it.

The Bee Companion was intended to work like Familiars in Neverwinter Nights 1 which, in addition to standard attacks, had some form of spell-like abilities, E.g. Hell Hounds Fire Breath, and one introduced in an expanion, a mini-Beholder, even had his own set of spells.

The Subclass was intended to sport what the 'Antman' movie offered, giving animals normally outside of movies a central role. Since almost all games stick to the same assortment of bland Animal Companions with no abilities whatsoever, adding much more exotic ones like Bee Companions and / or giving them spells easily sets the game apart from the rest and could lead to a tiny increase of customers.

Bees are growing more and more important in real-life as the effect of their decline is increasingly perceived. Although personally Im afraid of bees and other insects like butterflies due to entomophobia, I find them very important and like seeing them work flowers from a distance. I hope that if Tactical Adventures choses this Subclass, the Bee Companion doesnt look overly terrifying.

The later levels turn the Bee Companion into a hybrid spellcaster with Cantrips of the players choice. This should make it much more appealing over having just the basic set of Animal Companions. I also thought about adding Flower spells in addition to Honey spells, naming the Subclass something like 'Meadow-Weaver' or 'Dancer of the Meadows', meaning a Druid outside of forests, dancing in fields of flowers, but it would probably overpower the Subclass.

Tactical Myzzrym on Discord Edit: We've seen some confusion, this is a paid DLC with free content on the side for everyone

Good news for those that are in a position to support TA financially and good news for those who aren't.

Good news all around!

Previous in the dev stream TA had said there were technical hurdles in making DLC without splitting the codebase and supporting multiple forks. Looks like they have solved this so I'm hoping that means they can put out core game upgrades AND sell us DLC at the same time.

Take my money! I missed the Kickstarter and I want to support more than I currently am allowed to :)