<div class=wide> <h1 style='text-align:center'> ABANDONED: Element Rebalance </h1> <p style='text-indent:1em;font-size:15px'><b> Tried it in a campaign, it was bad and didn't work as it created an insane power gap between players who really went into this system, and those who played more to roleplay. I found the disparity too difficult, unwieldly, and unfair to build encounters around.</b> <br> <br> Often players and DMs feel that damage types are just flavor, and don’t often impact the mechanics of the game or that it feels “random” when they do or do not apply. With some monsters having vulnerabilities and resistances that are unlike similar creatures. This homebrew hopes to re-balance the game’s elements and creature types to allow more player options and more strategic game-play, with as little overhead as possible.</p> <h1 style='text-align:center'> Changes to Magic </h1> <p style='text-indent:1em;font-size:15px'>All magic spells are no longer bound to their “initial” element, any creature who learns a damaging spell must also select the element it deals as damage. This version of the spell counts against their spells known and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">does not</span> grant knowledge of other elemental versions of the spell. The spell <span style="text-decoration: underline;">always</span> keeps its rider effects regardless of the element being used. <p>   <p style='text-indent:1em;font-size:15px;font-style:italic'>Examples: </p> <ul style='font-size:15px'> <li>A wizard who knows “<a href='https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Fireball#content'>Fireball</a>”, “Coldball”, “Necroticball”, and “Acidball” knows 4 separate spells. </li> <li>A “<a href='https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Ray%20of%20Frost#h-Ray%20of%20Frost'>Ray of Fire</a>” still slows enemies down, perhaps they spending movement trying to evade the flames. A “<a href='https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Burning%20Hands#h-Burning%20Hands'>Freezing Hands</a>” invokes a cold so deep that it shatters and destroys matter in the effected area until they warm up or a creature “puts out the cold-fire”. Etc.</li> <li>Some elements are stronger than others by design. To keep this balanced, if a player would select a spell to have Radiant, Necrotic, or Force damage, reduce the damage die of the spell by 1 step.</li> <ul style='list-style-type:square;'><li>Steps are: d4 – d6 – d8 – d10 – d12 – d20 - d100</li> <ul style='list-style-type:square;'><li>If the spell is already a d4 or lower, reduce the number of damage dice by 1.</li> <ul style='list-style-type:square;'><li>If a spell would have no dice as a result of the above ruling, it instead deals 1 damage of the associated type, no damage roll is made.</li></ul> <li>If a spell already deals Radiant, Necrotic, or Force damage by design, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">no change</span> is made to the damage dice. Regardless of the element chosen.</li> </ul></ul> </div> \pagebreak <div class=wide> <h1 style='text-align:center'> Resistance / Vulnerability / Immunity - Table </h1> <p style='text-indent:1em;font-size:15px'>What follows is a table listing all 5e enemy types <span style='font-style:italic'>(and some “assumed” types)</span> and whether they have a vulnerability, resistance, or immunity to a given type of damage. <p style='text-indent:1em;font-size:15px'>This table is for <span style="text-decoration: underline;">general use</span> and is assumed that <span style="text-decoration: underline;">all</span> creatures of a given type will have its stats replaced by those in the table, specific enemies should always be up to DM discretion. It is also assumed that <span style="text-decoration: underline;">this table does not apply to players</span>.<p>   <table> <tr> <th>Short-Hand</th> <th>What it Is</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Im</td> <td>Immune</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2x</td> <td>Vulnerable</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1/2x</td> <td>Resitant</td> </tr> </table>   <table> <tr> <th> </th> <th>Fire</th> <th>Cold</th> <th>Radiant</th> <th>Necrotic</th> <th>Lightning</th> <th>Thunder</th> <th>Force</th> <th>Psychic</th> <th>Acid</th> <th>Poison</th> <th>Slash</th> <th>Bludgeon</th> <th>Pierce</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Aberration</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Beast</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Celestial*****</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Construct</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Dragon*****</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>2x</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Elemental</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> <td>*</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Fey*****</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Fiend</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>F_Demon</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>F_Devil</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Shapechanger</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x**</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Giant</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> </tr><tr> <td>Humanoids</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> </tr><tr> <td>Monstrosity</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> <td>***</td> </tr><tr> <td>Ooze</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>2x</td> <td>Im</td> <td>1/2x</td> </tr><tr> <td>Titan*****</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> </tr><tr> <td>Plant</td> <td>2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> </tr><tr> <td>Swarm</td> <td>2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>1/2x</td> <td>2x</td> <td>Im</td> </tr><tr> <td>Undead</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x****</td> <td>-</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>1/2x</td> </tr><tr> <td>"Formless"</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>-</td> <td>2x</td> <td>Im</td> <td>-</td> </tr> </table> <p style='font-style:italic'>*Entity is immune to element of its own type, 2x | Vulnerable to it's superior type, and 1/2x | Resistant to its inferior type. If applicable. Refer to "Type Relationships" section.</p> <p style='font-style:italic'>**If a Fiend Shapechanger, 1/2x necrotic. If an Aberrant Shapechanger, normal damage from necrotic.</p> <p style='font-style:italic'>***Catch-all category, use best guess or monster’s normal stats. Some general rules you can apply are: <ul style='font-style:italic'><ul> <li>-“bleeds" 2x pierce, "hard" 2x bludgeon</li> <li>-”Inorganic” is 2x thunder and 1/2x poison</li> <li>-”dumb” is 2x psychic, ”alien” or “insane” is 1/2x psychic </li> <li>-”alive” is 2x necrotic </li></ul></ul></p> <p style='font-style:italic'>****If it is a "smart" undead, normal damage from psychic attacks.</p> <p style='font-style:italic'>*****Celestials, Dragons, and Titans are immune to all "mundane" damage (natural lightning, average weapons, etc). Fey are vulnerable to "mundane" damage and are resitant to all "magic" damage (+1 weapons, cantrips, etc)</p>   </div> \pagebreak <div class=wide> <h1 style='text-align:center'> Type Relationships </h1> <p style='text-indent:1em;font-size:15px'> As referenced by the Dragon and Elemental rows. Some types are considered “superior” or “inferior” to others. Superior elements deal 2x damage to their inferior type, the inferior can only deal 1/2x damage to their superior. These relationships are as follows:<p> <ul style='font-size:15px'> <li>Cold > Fire > Acid > Lightning > Thunder > Cold</li> <ul> <li>Cold starves Fire</li> <li>Fire ignites Acid</li> <li>Acid is conducts Lightning (Electricity)</li> <li>Lightning (Light) is faster than Thunder (Sound)</li> <li>Thunder (Sound) shatters Cold (Ice)</li> </ul> <li> Bludgeoning > Slashing > Piercing > Bludgeoning <ul> <li> Rock (Bludgeoning) interrupts the flow of Air (Slashing) </li> <li> Air (Slashing) can carry and move Water (Piercing) </li> <li> Water (Piercing) can seep into and break apart Rock (Bludgeoning) </li> </ul> <li>Force is true neutral damage, it is assumed if no other damage type is listed. It has no inferior or superior element.</li> <li>Psychic and Poison are situational damage types. They also have no inferior or superior elements.</li> <li>Radiant and Necrotic are simultaneously superior and inferior to each other.</li> <ul> <li>A radiant elemental is 2x vulnerable to necrotic damage. Likewise a necrotic elemental is 2x vulnerable to radiant damage.</li> </ul> </ul> <h1 style='text-align:center'> Clarifications and Tips </h1> <ul style='font-size:15px'> <li>DMs may of course choose to apply the vulnerabilities and resistances of the player’s race anyway, but it should be communicated clearly that this is the case and players are entering a game with higher lethality.</li> <ul> <li>The reason players are “immune” from the type table is to reduce overhead so players and the DM will not have to constantly remember element interactions involving the players themselves. Having vulnerabilities also increases lethality for players.</li> <li>In lore, it is because the players are simply hardier than most people, they wouldn't take a life threatening occupation if they weren't!</li></ul>  <li>At the DM’s discretion. The Radiant-Necrotic relationship can be changed to 1/2x, or simply be neutral. These changes can apply to individual creatures to signify important or unusual entities.</li> <ul> <li>The 2x is assumed as a baseline to imply that beings of pure light and dark avoid direct conflict for how fatal it would be to them, and so they employ heroes to fight and act on their behalf instead.</li></ul>  <li>Class abilities or Feats which change spell damage types or affect resistance / vulnerabilities are still valued even with these rules. It allows those classes to not have to worry about memorizing more spells of each element.</li></ul> </div> \pagebreak <div class="wide"> <ul style='font-size:15px'> <li>Force damage always “works as intended”, Necrotic is twice as effective to most creatures in existence, but Radiant is considered a “powerful” element because we assume most players will always be hostile and fight against demonic or undead entities and almost never fight celestials. Radiant is twice as effective when it needs to be, and neutral in most other cases. Some DMs may also give radiant vulnerability to other important “evil” creatures that players need to slay.</li> <ul> <li>As always, a DM may simply decide their own ruling. Perhaps Radiant is just as devastating to living beings as Necrotic. Or perhaps the players are agents of dark sent to destroy Heaven, so treating Radiant as a “superior” element makes no sense when most entities will be resistant to it.</li> <li>Characters who go around throwing Necrotic damage should in lore be treated with fear, if not an outright witch hunt, given how blatantly fatal the dark arts can be.</li></ul>  <li>The reason there is no change to spells which already deal Force / Necrotic / Radiant damage, is because these are already considered to be “strong” damage types in baseline 5e. So the balance of those spells should already account for this.</li> <ul><li>Spells do not increase in power for choosing a “weaker” element, because this can lead to abuse. Imagine a 4d20 damaging fire cantrip, which no creature can have resistance to? No thanks.</ul></li>  <li> Creatures obviously can have multiple typings. Here's the math you want for that:</li> <ul><li>If a creature is 1/2x to an element from multiple templates, it still takes 1/2x damage. Likewise for 2x.</li> <li>If a creature is 1/2x and 2x to an element due to its types, they cancel each other out and it takes normal damage.</li> <li>Immunity always takes priority, regardless of other types and damage modifiers. <li>If in doubt, just be sane and make the damage neutral, or apply whatever "feels" right in that situation. </ul>  <li> Many other homebrews and rulings use 1d12 → 2d12 as a damage step, rather than 1d12 → 1d20 → 1d100. Use what is appropriate for your game and sensibilities.</li>  <li> "Formless" creatures are extreme shapeshifters, but who generally have a "center of mass" which can be targeted no matter how much they can shrink, grow, or twist their form. I felt enough enemies met this unique criteria to merit its own typing.</li>  <li>As a DM, if you know that you will be running a campaign with a very common creature type, you should heavily consider whether you should use these rules or not before opening the campaign. Players will play optimally against the enemy’s weaknesses, which can result in encounters being far too easy.</li>  <li>Finally, remember all these rules can always be applied or changed at will. What you see only reflects my personal sensibilities and experiences with 5e D&D. Make whatever changes you see fit for you and your group.</li> </div> Made by Reddit user- Armaemortes <br> AKA "Desknight"