Before being an expansion, this is also an experiment and an exercise for me. Trying to balance new features with the current design philosophies while at the same time unraveling the design intent of the team behind the original Brancalonia is no easy task, but it was one I gladly took upon.
Ideally this document will be kept updated in case new subclasses or original classes are published for the setting, but keep in mind that it is also in a state of continuous improvement, thanks to playtesting and player's feedback, which I'll be eager to hear out and consider for future developments.
Spaghetti Fantasy
Brancalonia
Subclasses
Unspaghettification
Unspaghettification
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This document is merely an extension of content written for the 'Brancalonia' Campaign Setting.
Other content that this document expands on is written in the 'Macaronicon' Module.
The intent behind this contribution is to propose some higher-level class and subclass features
for the content presented in the published materials, filling the gap from 7th to 20th level.
Please support the original content, published by 'Acheron Games'.
Available both in English and Italian.
www.acheron.it
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Credits
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Introduction
Brancalonia
"Based on Italian tradition, folklore, history, landscapes, literature, and pop culture, Brancalonia is a Campaign Setting for the 5th Edition of the most famous role-playing game ever." - from Acheron Games
Subclasses Unspaghettification
What this document aims at, is offering an expansion from 7th to 20th level on the classes and subclasses published for the setting of 'Brancalonia'. As such, you won't find a copy of the original content here.
Some references may be done for brevity's sake though.
References to non-OGL content (like Xanathar or Tasha) may be present as well for spells.
So far, I don't have plans for an Italian translation of this document, but that might change once version 4.0 is reached and enough people ask for it.
Graphics
Layout
The layout of this documents tries to emulate the one present in the original books.
Artworks
Front Cover:
The seven spirits of forest. by Lorenzo Nuti
Front Cover Stain:
D&D Watercolor Stains by Jared Ondricek
Front Cover Ribbon:
Lineart ripped from the 'Brancalonia' cover.
Front Page:
Knight vol. 1 by Keshan Lam
Back Cover:
Project for fantasy illustration book! by Moreno Paissan
Fonts
Medieval Font:
Adlibitum by Zetafonts
Document Version 4.2
Changelog - 08/01/2022
- [0.0] Document created, Graphical Layout Design started, Cover completed, Front page completed, Credits completed, Table of Contents internal links added.
- [1.0] Base Structure of the Document completed.
- [2.0] 'Brancalonia' Extension completed.
- [3.0] 'Macaronicon' OGL Subclasses Extension completed.
- [4.0] 'Macaronicon' Puppeteer and Subclasses Extension completed.
Minor updates - 31/01/2022
- [.1] Added source labels in the spell tables for those found in Xanathar and Tasha.
- [.2] Changed Swordfighter Fighter 'Silver Needle' feature.
Planned Versions
- [5.0] Layout and content redesign.
Playtesting
[Since no material has been playtested yet, this is merely a placeholder.]
Table of Contents
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1 This element is contained in 'Macaronicon'.
Barbarian
Mountaineer Path
To be honest, this already felt like it was complete. It had a nice core mechanic that only elevated the thematic flavor of the subclass. I could have added a 'grappling hook as a weapon' mechanic, but it didn't feel right to be added so late in the subclass.
'Ancient Art of the Grappanel' is so versatile and pretty much always useful. The only issue is that a Barbarian doesn't really have a lot of Rages until higher levels, so your flexibility is limited. I don't feel like the list of Grappanels needs to be expanded, but it could be a nice inspiration for a specific feat to expand this list at higher levels. 'Blend' is a simple and effective boost to what already was a nice feature.
'Ancient Art of the Grappanel - Extension' adds a small addendum to the grappanels effectsvvvv. 'Spirits of the Distilled' may seem a bit annoying due to the time the drink takes to be ready, but it's offset by the 50% chance of working past half its brewing time and the fact that it's cheaper than the Revivify spell. I didn't want it to seem like a potion or something similar, so it needed a reasonable brewing time. And nothing's stopping you from making more than one batch at a time, if you have enough gp to sustain it. 'King in the Mountain' takes a page from folklore and offers much scenic potential, in my opinion. Though it is definitely strong, it has downsides that leave you drained and in a risky situation once your transformation ends.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Ancient Art of the Grappanel - Extension |
| 10th | Spirits of the Distilled |
| 14th | King in the Mountain |
Ancient Art of the Grappanel - Extension
At 3rd level, if any grappanel imposes a saving throw, that saving throw DC equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.
Spirits of the Distilled
At 10th level, you are immune to being poisoned from either food or drinks. In addition, you've learnt a secret recipe, passed down from generations of mountaineers, for a revivifying grappanel. You can concoct such drink by using your brewer supplies. It takes 3d10 days to distill and it needs 10 gp worth of plant material for each day spent brewing. Failing to provide the plant material for a day ruins the procedure and the drink becomes foul and ineffective. You can make a Humanoid that has died within the last minute drink this grappanel. That creature returns to life with 1 hit point, although it can't return to life a creature that has died of old age. If it's drank earlier than half its brewing time, it has no effect. And if it's drank past half its brewing time but it's still not ready, it has a 50% chance of not working
King in the Mountain
At 14th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can instead drop to 1 hit point and gain temporary hit points equal to your hit points maximum, entering a trance-like rage for a number of minutes equal to half your Barbarian level. While in this state, you can't be magically healed, but you gain the benefits of all your grappanels. At the end of the transformation or if you are knocked unconscious, you lose all your temporary hit points and you can't rage until you finish a short or long rest. Once you use this feature you have to finish a long rest in order to use it again.
Path of Unheard-of Ferocity
At first, I wanted to push more towards an 'unstoppable' feeling for this subclass, but it felt too distant from the original lore prompt. A more druidic gish didn't really match either, and I felt it would overlap too much with the Totem Warrior subclass. So then, what were the core feelings that this playstyle needed to evoke? A spark of predatory might and being at home in the wilderness.
The 'Savage Courage' feature already offered an extra use for the bonus action, and 'Unstoppable Rage' offered benefits from using your Rage to strategically move around.
Because of this, I wanted this Barbarian to feel more like a reliable hunter rather than a powerhouse. 'Hurting Grounds' offers a needed extra boost to your attacks and exploration skills, both boosts being quite specific but not too niche. It also helps giving the subclass a more ambusher feel, like a big carnivore. 'Keen Senses', instead, expands on the feral lifestyle and as such, the importance of fine-tuning their natural senses, to be able to confront even the trickier of preys.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 10th | Hurting Grounds |
| 14th | Keen Senses |
Hurting Grounds
At 10th level, whenever you make a Wisdom (Survival) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10. If you are not wearing heavy armor, you also gain advantage on any Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
In addition, when you roll a critical hit with a melee attack, the target makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, the creature falls unconscious for 1d4 hours. If the target has hit points equal to or less than half its hit points maximum (considering the total after the damage dealt by the critical attack roll), it makes the save with disadvantage.
Keen Senses
At 14th level, you gain the benefits of Danger Sense even when you're either blinded or deafened (but not both). Being blinded or targeting an invisible creature, that you can hear or smell, doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls.
Bard
College of Carnival
Honestly, I really like the concept of this Bard subclass. It flourishes in a crowd of allies, like a parade. This makes this subclass a wildcard among wildcards, so I didn't really feel like it needed a specific push in one direction.
It also has reasons to move and sometimes be at the front of that parade, with 'Unarmored Defense' providing baseline protection and 'Slapstick' to have an extra layer of melee defense. 'Bonus Proficiencies' also nails really well the self-sufficient street artist vibe that the lore presents. 'Silence Please' also gives you an edge over some spellcaster that might try an offensive from the backlines, while also not cutting you off from your own features.
'Silence Please - Extension' is a small addendum that fills in the lack of 'recharge type' of the feature uses. This capstone feature should allow you to still play and switch any roles you grew accustomed to. 'Round of Applause' is, in fact, a solid bonus albeit quite generic in flavor. It makes this subclass more dependent on Bardic Inspiration uses, but compensates this with powerful bonuses.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 6th | Silence Please - Extension |
| 14th | Round of Applause |
Silence Please - Extension
At 6th level, you regain all your uses of the Silence spell using this feature when you finish a long rest.
Round of Applause
At 14th level, you can Inspire as an Action. You also gain a bonus to you spell attack modifier and spell DC equal to half the number of creatures within 60ft of you that have your Bardic Inspiration die.
College of Guappary
I feel like this subclass is a bit wonky and on the weak side. I understand its usefulness in the original setting, but it doesn't translate properly in more high-magic campaigns. I really felt like this could use some buffs as well, but I didn't want to touch too much the original features.
The 'Competence Bonus' solidifies the idea that these Bards are not your usual horny or happy-go-lucky stereotypes, but instead charismatic individuals with a not so clean background. 'Implied Folksong' can be extremely situational and might feel underwhelming at first. But while this is a Bard that can throw hands, let's remember that it might not be its first option. 'Unambiguous Violence' is that feature that allows you to throw hands more efficiently, trying to impose yourself in combat with a quasi-psychological warfare. 'Do Be Cruel' offers more value to choosing spells and tools that can alter your enemies.
'Implied Folksong - Extension' tries to give a set of instructions to follow if one wanted to use this feature during combat. 'Unambiguous Violence - Extension' gives more value to this feature, since it requires a use of Bardic Inspiration at lower levels. And finally, 'Bewildering Intimidation' tries to make the prior features useful even in higher tiers of play, not by making the frightened condition suddenly overcome immunities and resistances, but by retaining some value regardless of target.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Implied Folksong - Extension |
| 3rd | Unambiguous Violence - Extension |
| 14th | Bewildering Intimidation |
Implied Folksong - Extension
At 3rd level, to perform during combat you can start by using an action. In the following turns, you can continue your performance by using a bonus action. The performance ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).
Unambiguous Violence - Extension
At 3rd level, if the attack doesn't hit, you regain one use of your Bardic Inspiration.
Bewildering Intimidation
At 14th level, if you try to frighten a creature immune to the condition or that creature succeeds in its initial saving throw against the condition, that creature takes psychic damage equal to half your Bard level + your Charisma modifier. In addition, when this feature applies as a consequence of 'Unambiguous Violence', you regain one use of your Bardic Inspiration.
Cleric
Calendar Domain
This is, overall, a 'bread and butter' Cleric. Someone whose goal is helping people around them, and generally not aiming to live an adventurous life.
'Call on the Saints' is the core and most defining feature of this subclass and it gets a straight up boost with 'By the Saints!', making it an abundant resource you shouldn't worry about using too often. 'Channel Divinity: Recite the Calendar' furthers the idea of this subclass being good, but not excellent, in every situation.
As for the domain spells, I didn't want any that dealt damage or that felt too 'blasphemous' compared to the original material (like reincarnation, summoning things, etc.). They also needed to be useful for everyday life in a community. Fabricate paired well with this philosophy, giving the Cleric a more 'practical' role, like an artisan. Private Sanctum could instead help in giving a safe haven to those in need. Another candidate was Dominate Beast, so feel free to swap one of those 2 with that if you feel it fits your character more. Skill Empowerment is generic, but specifically because of this felt right for this list, like asking for a more potent Guidance. Awaken, does fit the previous restrictions, but it is also a reference to some Saint stories and compensated the lack of Dominate Beast.
'Potent Spellcasting' felt more right compared to a version of 'Divine Strike', but I'm not fully satisfied with this choice. However, at the same time, I want to keep the class templates when they are so consistent. I might add an alternative 8th-level feature in the future for this subclass. 'Help from Above' builds upon the reliable resource that is ' Call on the Saints' after the 6th level. It doesn't build a more distinct flavor for the subclass, but is in line with the general playstyle: generic but most often useful.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 8th | Potent Spellcasting |
| 17th | Help from Above |
Calendar Domain Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 7th | Fabricate, Private Sanctum |
| 9th | Awaken, Skill Empowerment XGE |
Potent Spellcasting
At 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Help from Above
At 17th level, once per turn you can expend one use of Call on the Saints while casting a spell. That spell is then considered 1 level higher than the spell slot you consumed to cast it.
Exorcism Domain
While this Cleric might feel a bit too niche, it is also something that can offer interesting character choices. While you might have a build with a similar functionality, this subclass presents it like a bundle that doesn't require you to stretch the definition of some features and spells. But because of this, I had a hard time deciding what could have been a good capstone ability, since I wanted to keep the flavor flexibility of the lower level features.
'Between the Hammer and the Evil' offers a standardized martial buff we've already seen for some Clerics. 'The Revelation Gab' grants you insight on specific threats you might have to face with little time or info to prepare for. While 'True Mirror' solidifies the objective of the class of explicitly being a counter to enemy types that might rely on specific tactics. 'The Flame of the Just' allow to gain even more informations about the dangers you are facing while at the same time providing a new way to safely take care of them.
While there were a multitude of spells that I felt fit the Domain Spells, I mostly chose the ones unavailable to Clerics. Banishment feels extremely in line the the flavor of the subclass and I could not exclude it. Compulsion feels a bit odd, but I think can provide more utility against troublesome foes. Banishing Smite had the same motives as the other banishing spell. Hold Monster I felt offered more versatility to this monster-hunter Cleric, but feel free to swap this or the other 5th-level spell with Dispel Evil and Good if you feel fits your character better.
This version of 'Divine Strike' is not too different from many others, but offers a way to guarantee damage to specific types of targets that this subclass already focused on with previous features. 'Sealing Relic' gives a more impactful use to your banishments in the long run, and opens up interesting narrative options. You can also choose to change the last sentence with an alternative option:
"When you die, all your relics begin deteriorating, ceasing to function after a number of years determinated by your DM. A creature can reset this magical decay by casting a 9th level Ceremony spell on the relic."
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 8th | Divine Strike |
| 17th | Sealing Relic |
Exorcism Domain Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 7th | Banishment, Compulsion |
| 9th | Banishing Smite, Hold Monster |
Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. If that creature is a Fey or Fiend, you deal force damage instead of the regular radiant damage. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Sealing Relic
At 17th level, when you succesfully banish an Undead, Fiend, or Fey that is native to a different plane of existence than the one you're on, you can transform a holy symbol (or a similar appropriate item) into a Wondrous item (Very Rare) called a 'Sealing Relic'. When you create one, you lose one attunement slot, regaining it again when the relic is destroyed. You can't create one if you don't have at least one free attunement slot. As long as the item is not destroyed, the banished creature can't travel to the same plane where the relic is located. Moving the relic to the same plane of the banished creature destroys the item. You can destroy one of your relics at will with an action and the relic cannot be dispelled. When you die, all your relics are destroyed.
Druid
Circle of the Dance Macabre
From the lore blurb, the main concept behind this subclass is to consider it a proto-Cleric, with an antagonistic nature against Undead. Even though it's more concerned with restoring the natural balance of life, rathen than the divine for the sake of the divine.
'Glimps Beyond the Veil' helps you solidify your effectiveness against dark powers and the dark itself. While the 'Circle Spells' offer you more tools specifically against these foreign and malevolent entities. In line with those already present in the list, Aura of Life pairs while with the general playstyle of Druid while Faithful Hound leans more towards an affinity with my expanded features. Dispel Evil and Good felt like it needed to be available as Protection from Evil and Good was already present. And Hallow was picked to let this subclass overlap a bit more with Cleric, at least in flavor. 'Dance Macabre Guardian' offers you a passive protection from Undead, letting you be less reliant on spells for protection against these creatures.
Building upon this features, 'Ghostly Gaze' is not simply and upgrade of the first feature, but also offers an alternative use for your Wild Shape, to not let this resource go to waste at higher tiers of play. 'Revivifying Aura' also upgrades a previous feature. This is because the subclass identity was already well defined, and I didn't think it needed to detour too much from the base content.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 10th | Ghostly Gaze |
| 14th | Revivifying Aura |
Circle of the Dance Macabre Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 7th | Aura of Life, Faithful Hound |
| 9th | Dispel Evil and Good, Hallow |
Ghostly Gaze
At 10th level, as an action, you can expend one use of your Wild Shape feature to see in the ethereal plane for a number of hours equal to half your druid level. During this effect, you also gain the ability to see invisible creatures. While you are using Wild Shape, you retain all your special senses regardless of the beast's senses.
Revivifying Aura
At 14th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have advantage on saving throws caused by Undead. Within the same range, each friendly creature gains the benefits of Dance Macabre Guardian. Creatures that succesfully save against one Dance Macabre Guardian saving throw are considered immune to the same effect of each friendly creature in the area.
Fighter
Bravo
So, this is a Battle Master with a different flavor and less options, there's no reason to dance around the point. As such, this subclass already has its core done and finished, with few spaces for extra ribbons. There is little reason to deviate from the Battle Master scaling of its special moves. Hopefully though, the secondary features will differentiate this Fighter enough and offer a satisfactory playstyle despite its low number of low blows.
'Disheartening Presence' is simple, but direct to communicate the flavor of this subclass. 'Street Fighter' is the bread and butter of this subclass, being a parallel to the Battle Master 'Combat Superiority' feature. It is much more limited in the number of options, but it makes up for it with a number of secondary options granted by other features, while still scaling up the power of the Foul Play.
'Bravado' highlights your cockiness during fights and a way to represent mechanically the confidence you display in your violence. 'Oppressive Persuasion' might seem a bit powerful, but the foul play saving throws are present only in half of the low blows, so it's not a feature that synergies everytime with the core feature. 'Seasoned Lawbreaker' gives more value to the few dice you have and makes the low blows feel more impactful at higher tiers of play. 'The Foulest' is a simple dice recovery feature. While it's not as consistent as the Battle Master capstone, it is more in tune to the pushing and oppressing playstyle of the subclass.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 7th | Bravado |
| 10th | Oppressive Persuasion |
| 15th | Seasoned Lawbreaker |
| 18th | The Foulest |
Bravado
At 7th level, you learn an additional low blow of your choice and gain one additional foul play die.
Whenever you drop a creature to 0 hit points or below and an hostile creature can see you, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma (Intimidation) skill modifier until the start of your next turn.
Oppressive Persuasion
At 10th level, your foul play dice turn into d10s.
A creature that fails a saving throw against one of your low blows is also frightened by you for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw with a DC equal to your Low Blow save DC at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. When an hostile creature within 30 feet of you attempts a saving throw against the frightened condition, it rolls with disadvantage.
Seasoned Lawbreaker
At 15th level, you learn an additional low blow of your choice and gain one additional foul play die.
In addition, whenever you roll a foul play dice and its result is lower than your Strength or Dexterity modifier, you can instead replace the result with the chosen ability modifier.
The Foulest
At 18th level, your foul play dice turn into d12s.
Also, when you use your Second Wind feature, you regain a number of foul play dice equal to half the result of the Second Wind roll (rounded up) .
Swordfighter
I'm honestly not much confident in my writing skills for martial classes, since I have less experience playing them. And I honestly couldn't pin down a more distinguished flavor for this subclass given the only published feature.
So I tried building one from the various bonuses granted by 'School of Fencing'. My choice was to lean more in the dual-wielding bonus, and expand on some aspects presented by the lore. These aspects were a hinted weapon specialization and their effectiveness in smaller-scale combat scenarios.
The feature 'Fencing Weapons' simply gives a collective name to a list of weapons, which will be referred to in other futures of the subclass. While 'Compound Attack' makes dual wielding more effective in combat by triggering the offhand attack in more situations, if you stay within the restrictions of the Fencing Weapons. 'Silver Needle' is a way to threaten higher tier enemies given your mastery of specific weapons and your ability to use them to overcome resistances. 'Point-in-Line' builds on another bonus of 'School of Fencing' by giving it an extra incentive to take the Dodge action in dangerous situations. As a capstone feature, 'Fencing Master' is pretty simple but offers more reliability in the abilities your training focused on.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 7th | Fencing Weapons, Compound Attack |
| 10th | Silver Needle |
| 15th | Point-in-Line |
| 18th | Fencing Master |
Fencing Weapons
At 7th level, you gain benefits from using a subset of melee weapons. These are called Fencing Weapons and are the dagger, longsword, rapier, scimitar, and shortsword. Feel free to talk with your DM to expand this list however you see fit.
Compound Attack
At 7th level, you can use two-weapon fighting even when one weapon isn't light, but they both have to be Fencing Weapons.
You can draw or stow two Fencing Weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
In addition, when you take the Attack action and you miss one or more attack rolls, your offhand attack can benefit from the Extra Attack feature.
Silver Needle
At 10th level, if you attack with a Fencing Weapon, you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. In addition, when you score a critical hit while attacking with a Fencing Weapon, you ignore resistances to nonmagical damage.
Point-in-Line
At 15th level, when you take the Dodge action, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. In addition, when an attack roll made with disadvantage targets you and misses, you can immediately move 5 feet (this movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity).
Fencing Master
At 18th level, whenever you fail a Dexterity or Wisdom saving throw after using Indomitable, you regain one use of Indomitable at the end of the current turn.
Monk
Way of the Brawly Rule
I'll begin by saying that this is my favorite subclass in the original material. I just love the flavor, references and the playstyle of a good Strength-based Monk. My goals were to make this playstyle a reliable heavy hitter, a frightening presence in and out of combat, without relying on any magical effects to do so.
'Turn the Other Cheek' is a crucial feature for this subclass, but that doesn't really need any further boosts in these custom features. 'The Iron and Feather Hand Technique' offers a multitude of simple options that can take advantage of any physical shortcoming, depending on the enemy.
I wanted to lean more into the imposed physical saving throws, and 'Stunning Strike' has perfect synergy with the previous feature. So I gave more options to use 'Stunning Strike' with 'Between the Two Litigants'. So that this subclass can more reliably apply its after-hit effects. While 'Heavy Hand' grants a reliability when it comes to damage and to your Ki consumption. Simple, but effective.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 11th | Between the Two Litigants |
| 17th | Heavy Hand |
Between the Two Litigants
At 11th level, when you use Stunning Strike, and another creature is within 5 feet of the target creature, you can use Stunning Strike on the other creature too, without expending Ki points. You can target only one extra creature with this feature. In addition, when you roll Initiative, you gain one use of Stunning Strike that doesn't spend Ki points, until the end of combat.
Heavy Hand
At 17th level, whenever you roll a 1 on a damage roll, you regain 1 Ki point. Also, whenever you roll lower than your Strength modifier on your damage roll, you can replace the damage roll result with your Strength modifier.
Way of the Svanzic
While this subclass kinda wants to put you in a specific box, I think this constraint fits the theme itself and manages to still opens up a number of roleplay options.
'Training of the Guard' is of course the most defining feature of this subclass, giving a core of abilities that delineate the specific flavor and playstyle. 'Sacred Svanzic Dogma' offers instead a specialized way to expend Ki points that puts this subclass a smidge closer to a Divine caster.
'Sacred Svanzic Dogma - Extension' is a simple clarifying extension on the use of spells. 'The Blade from Above' extends your Ki-Empowered Strikes to the specific weapon this subclass specializes in, while also providing a thematic way to overcome other resistances and overlap with other Divine-based classes. 'Dogmatic Aura' extends the usefulness of your limited lowe level spell list. Since I didn't feel like giving more magical abilities fit this subclass, I simply offered simple extra bonuses to a feature it already had.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 6th | Sacred Svanzic Dogma - Extension |
| 11th | The Blade from Above |
| 17th | Dogmatic Aura |
Sacred Svanzic Dogma - Extension
At 6th level, if any spell cast with the 'Sacred Svanzic Dogma' feature requires a saving throw, you use the Ki save DC as DC for that spell.
The Blade from Above
At 11th level, an halberd that you are wielding counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Magical weapons wielded by you and your unarmed strikes can deal radiant damage instead of their normal damage type.
Dogmatic Aura
At 17th level, you automatically succeed on Concentration checks required by spells cast through the 'Sacred Svanzic Dogma' feature. In addition, you gain an aura radiating 30 feet from you, which effect depends on the spell you are concentrating on.
Aura of Hope. (Beacon of Hope)
Whenever a friendly creature rolls a saving throw, they are considered proficient in it.
Aura of Fervor. (Searing Smite)
Fire damage dealt by friendly creatures in the aura can be instead radiant damage. In addition, hostile creatures inside the aura have disadvantage on Constitution saving throws.
Aura of Faith. (Shield of Faith)
Friendly creatures within the aura gain the same benefits of Shield of Faith, except the creature that was already the target of the spell. You can extend the aura to 60 feet when you cast the spell, but the AC bonus becomes +1.
Aura of Sanctity. (Spirit Guardians)
The spell area increases to 30 feet from you.
Paladin
Oath of Knightly Erring
I'm a bit worried that this take on the subclass might outshine the Cavalier Fighter too much. But then again, this Paladin is even more mount-centric than the Cavalier itself, so I believe it has a justified niche. I feel like the original playstyle they had in mind had a less symbiotic relationship with the 'Erring' part of the oath. Despite this, I believe it still brings something interesting in almost every table.
'Channel Divinity: Inspire Comrades' is a bit generic, but communicates mechanically that travelling on your own is not your only option, on the contrary. 'Channel Divinity: Protect the Needy' fits well with the tenets, but can also be used on your mount.
Life Transference might feel a bit out of place, but I think it pairs well with the making amends tenet from a roleplay perspective. Tongues is just straight up useful if one of your main oath goals is to travel to many different places that might speak very different languages. The spell Aura of Purity helps you and your allies stay strong against unknightly tactics, while Freedom of Movement can provide more efficiency to your mount. Find Greater Steed didn't feel necessary or very in line with the overall theme, since I liked the idea of elevating an average beast to be on par with magical creatures. Both Legend Lore and Skill Empowerment build on the idea that at this point you've experienced and learned a lot of things, so it stands to reason that your magic might want to push you more towards sparks of scholarly or practical intellect.
'Found Steed' is the core feature of this subclass, giving you a magical bond with either a spirit or an actual beast if you've grown fond of one in particular. I feel that, given the restrictions and the effects of Find Steed, allowing it to be at will is not that strong, even considering that it's a 2nd-level spell. 'Intercession' is, in short, a Smite Parry, which pairs well with the flavor of the subclass other than giving you a powerful optiont that doesn't rely on your mount. 'Tireless Traveler' is more of a capstone ability for your mount, so it might feel a bit underwhelming. But hey, what other subclass would let a horse use a Smite spell?
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 7th | Found Steed |
| 15th | Intercession |
| 20th | Tireless Traveler |
Oath of Knightly Erring Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 9th | Life Transference XGE, Tongues |
| 13th | Aura of Purity, Freedom of Movement |
| 17th | Legend Lore, Skill Empowerment XGE |
Found Steed
At 7th level, you can cast the Find Steed spell at will, without expending a spell slot. As a part of casting Find Steed, you can alternatively target a Beast: that Beast gains the benefits granted by Find Steed and is considered your bonded steed, though it retains its normal type instead of celestial, fey, or fiend. As an action, you can dismiss the bonded Beast to revoke the benefits granted by Find Steed. When the bonded Beast drops to 0 hit points, it makes Death saving throws instead of being killed outright.
If your mount is not barded, its AC has a bonus equal to your Charisma modifier. Your mount also has a bonus to its Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saving throws equal to your proficiency bonus.
Intercession
At 15th level, you can use your reaction to intercept an attack aimed at a creature within 5 feet of you. When you do so, you consume a spell slot and then you reduce the damage by 1d8 + 1d8 for each level of spell slot consumed.
Tireless Traveler
At 20th level, as an action, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:
- Your mount is immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
- On its turn, your mount can cast spells you have prepared, as long as they don't require somatic or material components. The mount expends your spell slots and uses your Spell DC if needed. If the spell requires a weapon attack to take effect, that weapon attack can be made by you on your turn instead.
- If you or your mount fail a Concentration check, you regain a spell slot of level equal to that of the spell you were Concentrating on.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.
Oath of Love
This is another subclass that might draw thematic parallels to an existing one: the Oath of Devotion Paladin, but that's only on the surface level. This subclass theme is much more personal, and I hope that people will find a way to make the most of it story-wise. That's also why I wanted to offer some very specific features that could make for interesting interaction hooks.
'Channel Divinity: Divine Love' is basically a single-use Rage, with added bonuses. It's great, and fits the zealot-esque idea some might have of this subclass. 'Channel Divinity: Hymn to Love' is another offensive option but this time it offers an area damage, which is not that frequently available to Paladins.
The idea behind adding Enemies Abound was to leverage on the confidence this subclass flavor exudes. While Sending is an excellent way to keep in touch. Charm Monster again is based on the theme of confidence and almost mediating feel that the Courtly Love aims to be. Guardian of Faith plays on the idea of having someone always looking out for you, if your intentions are noble. Dream could offer, besides its base usefulness, some very romantic scene and expands on the idea that distance is not an issue for feelings. Lastly, Telepathic Bond builds over the theme of communication regardless of distance and of not needing words when you really understand someone.
'Unwavering Love' is primarily a roleplay feature that justifies mechanically your bond's strength and its capability to overcome tricks and magic. 'Till Death Do Us Part' was originally the capstone ability, but in the end I didn't think it was worth breaking the usual template of the Paladin transformation. And also, as a capstone ability, I feared that this feature would simply not see enough good moments to shine, since it can provide some really interesting plot hooks. 'Emanation of Love' concretizes love as the opposite of violence, so the idea is to win the battle by avoiding it.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 7th | Unwavering Love |
| 15th | Till Death Do Us Part |
| 20h | Emanation of Love |
Oath of Love Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 9th | Enemies Abound XGE, Sending |
| 13th | Charm Monster XGE, Guardian of Faith |
| 17th | Dream, Telepathic Bond |
Unwavering Love
At 7th level, you and your Paramour are immune to the charmed condition. In addition, you instantly recognize illusions and shapechangers as fakes when they represent your Paramour. You can also use your Help action to give advantage to a creature on their next saving throw against the charmed condition made within 1 minute of the action. The creature must be able to hear you and share at least one language with you, in order to gain this benefit.
Till Death Do Us Part
At 15th level, when you die, your Paramour is immediately aware of the event. If you didn't die of old age, to them is then presented a special task which must be completed within a certain a time limit. How the task is presented, its details and the time limit are all determined by the DM. If they succeeed in it, you reincarnate as if by the Reincarnate spell, ignoring the 10 days limit, in a location of their choosing, unaware of the time passed from your death until now.
The reincarnate race table depends on the setting, so for ease of use here's one for Brancalonia.
Brancalonia Reincarnate Races
| d100 | Race |
|---|---|
| 01-04 | Nonexistent |
| 05-14 | Morgant |
| 15-24 | Sylvan |
| 25-34 | Gifted |
| 35-37 | Marionette, pinocchio |
| 38-40 | Marionette, zagarian puppet |
| 41-42 | Marionette, cabin doll |
| 43-44 | Marionette, saintlet |
| 45-49 | WolfCat |
| 50-54 | Pantegan |
| 55-94 | Human |
| 95-00 | Malebranche |
Emanation of Love
At 20th level, you can expend one use of 'Cleansing Touch' to cast the Calm Emotions spell at its lowest level. In addition, as a bonus action, you can radiate your feelings of love for 1 minute, gaining the following benefits:
- Hostile creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against you if they are inside your 'Aura of Protection'.
- When hostile creatures enter your 'Aura of Protection' or they start their turn inside of it, they are affected by the spell Charm Monster at its lowest level.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.
Ranger
Matador
This was quite interesting to write. The flavor of the subclass is quite clear, but at the same time I wasn't sure what that could translate as mechanically. Making it a Beast or Monstrosity hunter would specialized it too much, while adding effects that imposed conditions like Charmed or Frightened felt a bit useless considering how a lot of monster in the higher tiers of play get straight up immunity to things like that, making the features useless as well.'Master of Performance' gives a solid backing to the skills implied by the lore blurb, there's not much to say. On the other hand, 'Eye of the Matador' gives clearer insight on what the design intent was with this subclass. It grants both offensive and defensive bonuses, but they are focused against one target, and can't be used often.
I wanted 'Exhaustive Bleeding' to remind that this subclass playstyle has the potential to be quite cruel, and also I wanted to offer more options tied to your attacks. 'Never Let Your Guard Down' provides a form of protection granted by your wary attitude. 'Deepen the Wound' instead, establishes you as a reliable threat by giving you an edge even when you're unlucky with the damage output.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 7th | Exhaustive Bleeding |
| 11th | Never Let Your Guard Down |
| 15th | Deepen the Wound |
Exhaustive Bleeding
At 7th level, after you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can attempt an Exhaustive Bleeding. Doing so, imposes a Constitution saving throw against your Ranger Spell DC on the creature hit. On a failure, the creature AC decreases by half your proficiency bonus, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet. These effects last until the creature is magically healed or finishes a short or long rest. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining all uses on a long rest.
Never Let Your Guard Down
At 11th level, immediately after you roll initiative, you can use your Reaction to Dodge, even if you are surprised. If you are surprised, you can take the Dodge action during your first turn.
Deepen the Wound
At 15th level, when you roll a 1 on the damage roll of a weapon attack, you regain one use of Exhaustive Bleeding. You can't regain more than one use of Exhaustive Bleeding per damage roll, even if you roll more than one 1s.
Rat Catcher
Making this subclass a fire damage-centric Ranger seemed very tempting, but it clashed too much with the theme it presented in the blurb. But after removing that, I didn't feel like I had a good direction to work from. It could have evolved in many different ways and this is just a proposal. I still tried to fit more fire-themed things here and there, but that also felt appropriate to a more urban environment.
'Torch Bearer' solidifies this subclass also as the 'Fire Ranger', but only superficially. 'Danger Perception' provides a generic safety option that allows this ranger to fit more seamlessly in an eclectic lifestyle. And 'Urban Guide' applies the Ranger aptitude for the natural environment, to a different kind of experience, unique and very much different to all the natural ones.
Fireball, Fire Shield, and Immolation were all quite simple choices. I wanted to keep the theme of fire spells, but I opted for some that the Ranger doesn't normally have access to.
For starters 'Tasha's Urban Guide' provides an addendum feature for those ranger that picked 'Deft Explorer' instead of 'Natural Explorer', nothing more. 'Pathogenic Hotspot' might be a bit too circumstantial, but it offers a tool that no other ranger can replicate, since the urban environment also introduces threats most other rangers don't have to worry too much about. 'Cauterization' is a bit of an odd choice, but it offers versatility. A tool for roleplay, but also for those who like to strategize and interact with the combat environment. 'Burnout' offers a high-risk high-reward option for critical moments where failure isn't an option.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Tasha's Urban Guide |
| 7th | Pathogenic Hotspot |
| 11th | Cauterization |
| 15th | Burnout |
Rat Catcher Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 9th | Fireball |
| 13th | Fire Shield |
| 17th | Immolation XGE |
Tasha's Urban Guide
At 3rd level, if you replaced the 'Natural Explorer' feature with 'Deft Explorer', you can still apply 'Natural Explorer' favored terrain benefits to the terrains indicated by 'Urban Guide'.
Pathogenic Hotspot
At 7th level, you become immune to non-magical disease.
In addition, you can use your action to sense the presence of diseases in your surroundings. You can detect them for 1 minute in an radius of 1 mile from you. You can estimate the general mortality of each disease, but you don't know their location or their diffusion. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Cauterization
At 11th level, you learn the Heat Metal spell. It doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know, and you can cast it without a material component. If you choose an object that is not being held or worn, you don't need a spell slot to cast it at its lowest level. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Burnout
At 15th level, whenever you fail a Concentration check, you can instead expend one of your hit die to succeed. Hit die consumed this way are regained at the end of the next short rest, but for each die regained you take 1d4 fire damage.
Rogue
Brigand
One of my main issues was: how do I make it more distinguished from the Scout subclass? This feels like it overlaps a lot in mechanics, but not in flavor per se. I thought about giving it some kind of bird call it could use in place of thieves' cant, but it didn't feel right to add it so late in the class. I then considered giving it some quasi-magical features, like a variant version of Animal Messenger, but it didn't feel like it properly fit the theme. Finally, I dedided to offer more martial versatility to this subclass, to focus the alternative lifestyle and training this subclass implies.
'Brigandage' widens your skillset and centers your focus on using the environment to your advantage. While 'The Fine Art of Ambushing' offers you tools to surprise your targets before they have any chance to react.
'Brigand Militia' brings to light your training in unconventional roguish weapons and as such widens your offensive options unlike some other rogues. 'Gloating Opportunity' gives you extra bonuses related to having a high initiative count. And finally, 'Repeated Offense' allows you to come back from a poor starting roll, at certain conditions.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 9th | Brigand Militia |
| 13th | Gloating Opportunity |
| 17th | Repeated Offense |
Brigand Militia
At 9th level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons. In addition, you can apply your sneak attack to any melee weapon you are proficient with, unless they have the heavy or two-handed property.
Gloating Opportunity
At 13th level, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 against any targets that haven't taken an action yet during the current round of combat.
Repeated Offense
At 17th level, if you are hidden, you can take an action to make an initiative roll, which will replace your current initiative count on the start of the next round.
Gadgeteer
So, how to differentiate this subclass from a toned-down Artificer? Well, no magic for starters. This is a DIY master who focuses on quantity over quality. The Gadgeteer offers a more subtle way to interact with the environment and to use its tools in a creative, albeit make-do, way. This subclass would definitely benefit from an expanded list of gadgets, maybe some with prerequisites. But that's extra work for some other time.
'MacGadget' can be a really versatile feature in the right hands, being a more in-depth way to tinker and take advantage of specific items. While 'Bag of Gadgeteering' is the core mechanic that provides flavor to the subclass. It definitely shines the most in the lower tiers of play, but beyond that it almost feels underwhelming.
'Constructive Criticism' makes your intellect and mechanical expertise shine, by providing a big mechanical advantage for situations where your field of study can apply. 'Dismantler' elevates your simple gadgets for more usability in higher tier of play. This might be a bit too encounter-dependent, but never underestimate the art of DIY. 'Gadget Master' is a general boost to your core feature, that exemplifies the progress made with your tech.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 9th | Constructive Criticism |
| 13th | Dismantler |
| 17th | Gadget Master |
Constructive Criticism
At 9th level, you can use the Help action to point out flaws in non-magical objects or Constructs. When you do so, you make an Intelligence ability check with a DC equal to the target AC. On a success, anyone who follows your tip can successfully hit the target even when their attack roll is equal or higher than the target AC - your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). On a failure, you can't use this feature on the same target until you finish a long rest.
Dismantler
At 13th level, you can enhance your gadgets with special components. When you are preparing your gadgets, you can expend one or more of these special components to enhance an equal amount of gadgets. These special gadgets gain the following benefits:
- The damage they inflict is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
- Their non-instantenuous effects last twice as long.
You can recover these special components from Constructs or sufficiently articulated objects of mechanical nature.
The amount of parts recovered depends on the time spent on this activity, as seen on the Components Dismantling Table.
You can choose how much time you want to spend on this activity up to the size of the entity.
Components Dismantling Table
| Scavenged Entity Size | Amount of Dismantled Parts Recovered | Time Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 1d4 | 10 minutes |
| Small | 1d8 | 1 hour |
| Medium | 1d20 | 4 hours |
| Large | 3d20 | 8 hours |
| Huge | 1d100 | 2d4 days |
| Gargantuan | 5d100 or more (DM's decision) | 10 + 2d20 days |
Gadget Master
At 17th level, you can prepare an additional number of prepared gadgets equal to half your Intelligence modifier (rounded up). In addition, you can prepare gadgets even when you finish a short rest. Also, your range for activating a trap is now 80 feet and you can use multiple reactions in a single round, if they are all to activate your traps.
Sorcerer
Extravaganza
My first gut instinct was to develop a sort of talisman-making feature to make the 'Superstitious Ritual' more accessible and flexible, but I felt that it gave it a playstyle it didn't really need. It's clearly meant to be a sorcerer that can reliably provide protection, and I wanted it to be different from an Abjuration wizard.
'Preventive Magic' gives the core flavor to the magic of this subclass, and also the reason it doesn't get an extended spell list-like feature. 'Protected by Fate' is kinda generic but it does what it needs to: offer generic protection. Finally, 'Superstitious Ritual' can create a lot of interesting roleplay scenarios and offers protection versatility that doesn't rely on the spells known list. I was considering giving a feature that gave a boost to this feature, but with the current wording it would have been basically a rewrite, so I dropped the idea.
'Arcane Cleanse' gives a way to recover resources and a reason to take advantage of the special access you have to certain spells. 'Scaramantic' lies in a weird spot, in my opinion. It's quite useful but does not have a wide range. At least, not a safe one for fragile sorcerers that need to stay in the back. And it doesn't protect from damage either, to not overlap with other class features and spells. Although it can shut down some gimmicky monsters in the right combat.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 14th | Arcane Cleanse |
| 18th | Scaramantic |
Arcane Cleanse
At 14th level, whenever you use Counterspell or cast an Abjuration spell to end a spell, condition, disease or curse, you regain sorcery points, up to your maximum, equal to the spell slot level you used to cast the spell.
Scaramantic
At 18th level, when you or another friendly creature within 10 feet of you has to make a saving throw imposed by a spell, curse, disease or magical effect, you can use your reaction to give advantage to the saving throw. This advantage applies to you and any other friendly creature within 10 feet of you that has to make the same saving throw. If any creature succeeds, you all do. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, regaining all uses on a long rest. If the creature imposing the saving throw is an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead, you don't consume the use of 'Scaramantic' unless you all fail the saving throw.
Inferno
This Sorcerer tries to present a Fiend theme without relying too much on the setting for specific powers. And I tried to keep it as such, even though the True Name concept is something that threads the line. I think that, while it is a simple base concept, it can offer tons of opportunities if mixed with other experiences or narrative arcs.
'Heresy Stigma' is a simple bonus that doesn't add much. While 'The Ninth Gate' allows you more flexibility in your damage, highlighting your power's nature.
Phantasmal Killer is really in line with the general theme of mind-breaking fears this subclass seems to lean on. Shadow of Moil also feels like something very fiendish without relying on any brimstone. Infernal Calling can become an interesting plot hook if expanded upon. Modify Memory was chosen later than the others. It was perfect to be used in a feature, but I didn't want the feature to offer a bonus to an optional spell.
'Condemnation' empower your sentences to be words of terror for your foes. 'True Name' is a feature that could lead to very unpleasant situations if handled poorly, but I think the benefits mitigate this downside. You also gain some minor insurance when you want to delete the memory of your name from someone, since Remove Curse is a catch-all for these negative effects.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 14th | Condemnation |
| 18th | True Name |
Inferno Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 4th | Phantasmal Killer, Shadow of Moil XGE |
| 5th | Infernal Calling XGE, Modify Memory |
Condemnation
At 14th level, whenever you cast a spell that uses a verbal component and imposes a Wisdom saving throw on its targets, they make the saving throw with disadvantage. If a creature is deafened or is immune to the frightened condition, it makes the saving throw normally. In addition, you ignore the resistance to psychic damage of creatures that can hear you.
True Name
At 18th level, in an epiphany-like event, your diabolical inheritance surfaces in the form of a True Name. This name is in Bedamn (or either Infernal or Abyssal in other settings). Everyone who has knowledge of it, and comprehends the language it is in, can compell you to do anything they order. Besides this vulnerability, it also grants you benefits.
- You gain advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- You gain advantage on ability checks against illusions.
- You are immune to the charmed condition.
- If you succeed the saving throw against a Zone of Truth spell, you appear to the caster as if you failed it.
In addition, when you cast the Modify Memory spell to delete the memories of your True Name, you can expend any number of Sorcery Points. The creature's true memory cannot be restored unless a spell of level equal or higher than the amount of Sorcery Points expended is used.
Warlock
Enchiridion
This was another subclass that overlapped a bit thematically with another existing one, and on top of that it already felt complete and stable. So it was difficult to expand on this concept while at the same time keeping it with a clear identity. While the first levels were trying to present angelic powers as mighty but draining, the latter features tended to highlight the stable bond that developed with time between the Warlock and the Enchiridion.
'Chosen Bearer' offers more battle proficiency variety, allowing for a more reasonable closed ranged approach, or at least one that relies less on magic. While 'Angelic Fervor' provides ways to deal extra damage when attacking and to dampen incoming damage, even though it drains the few resources the Warlock has every short rest. 'Angelic Intercession'
Both Aura of Life and Aura of Purity fitted the idea of radiating celestial power. Bigby's Hand could be a quasi-phisical manifestation of the Enchiridion. Or Summon Celestial could be another aspect of it, it really all depends on how you want to flavor the spells. Holy Weapon felt fitting as well, but also a bit redundant with the features already available. Feel free to swap it in the list with one of the two 5th-level spells.
'Seraphic Apparition' highlights your peculiar bond and provides a tool to investigate your Patron's mysteries further. On the other hand, 'Supernal Champion' tones down the resource usage demanded by 'Angelic Fervor' if specific conditions are met, allowing for a more risky playstyle.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 10th | Seraphic Apparition |
| 14th | Supernal Champion |
Enchiridion Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 4th | Aura of Life, Aura of Purity |
| 5th | Bigby's Hand, Summon Celestial TCE |
Seraphic Apparition
At 10th level, you gain resistance to radiant damage. As part of your long rest, you can cast the Commune spell without expending a spell slot or needing components. The entity you try to commune with is your Patron, the Enchiridion.
Supernal Champion
At 14th level, if you are concentrating on a spell, other creatures make attack rolls against you with disadvantage.
In addition whenever you use your 'Angelic Fervor' feature and you expend a spell slot, roll a d20. On a 18 or higher, you regain the expended spell slot.
Misfortune
How does one translate sheer bad luck to a game mechanic? In this situation, it's disadvantage. So this warlock offers you plenty of ways to inflict this malus without relying on specific spells. This is almost a lore counterpart to the Extravaganza Sorcerer, albeit not mechanically.
Starting with 'Evil Eye' makes the gimmick of this subclass pretty clear: forcing rolls with disadvantage. It also sets some restrictions to these effects justified by the way this warlock's patron operates. 'Misfortune Touch' is a nasty area of effect feature that can be used to either scare people away or to debilitate them if they persist in staying in range.
Confusion helps you create a chaotic situation, and chaos brings more mistakes and missteps. Speaking of missteps, Grasping Vine is all about keeping people in places they don't want to be, struggling to get out of your reach. Contagion is just bad luck getting even worse, so it perfectly fits the debilitating theme of the expanded spells. Lastly Insect Plague simply seems like a good option and the swarm of little insects is a nice parallel to the series of small unfortunate events that can bring you closer to your doom.
'Fatalism' empowers your features and spells that weakens the enemy and lets you weaken them further when luck is on your side, instead of just bringing misfortune to others. 'Synchronicity' is a subtle way to hex opponents and bring further damage to their failures.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 10th | Fatalism |
| 14th | Synchronicity |
Misfortune Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 4th | Confusion, Grasping Vine |
| 5th | Contagion, Insect Plague |
Fatalism
At 10th level, whenever you make a creature have disadvantage on a roll, that creature ignores all effects that would cause it to gain advantage to it. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit with an attack roll, the targeted creature has disadvantage on any rolls it makes until the end of its turn.
Synchronicity
At 14th level, you can mark a creature that can hear you within 40 feet of you. The mark lasts for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell) and a marked creature is aware that you are marking it. A marked creature that misses an attack roll or fails a saving throw takes 1d6 psychic damage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses on a short or long rest.
Wizard
Guiscardry
This subclass might be a bit controversial, since it relies heavily on what your DM gives your party in terms of magic items. But at the same time... that's the whole point of the subclass' lore. Hoarding and looking for magic items, and making the most out of what you find.
'Treasure Seeker' gives you more tools to find what you are looking for, and more survivability in hostile or cutthroat environments. 'Magic Items Expert' solidifies your expertise in the field, almost making Identify or Legend Lore irrelevant. 'Magical Trinkets' gives you a starting point for your treasure heap and a reason to always have a magic item at hand. 'Master of Extravaganza' is useful to overcome class or race restrictions, widening your choice of use to whatever you can find and attune to.
Instead 'Applied Theory' takes a bit of a step back and improves your bond with any attuned item, be it a tool or a weapon you wouldn't normally be familiar with. 'Flexible Attunement' is your proof of mastery over attunement and gives more purpose to the heap of arcane junk you'll probably be carrying around by now.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 10th | Applied Theory |
| 14th | Flexible Attunement |
Applied Theory
At 10th level, if you are attuned to a magic item that is not a weapon, you are considered proficient with it while using it. In addition, if you are attuned to a magic weapon you are not proficient with, you can add your Intelligence modifier to attack rolls you make using it. You can also replace your Dexterity or Strength modifier with your Intelligence modifier for the damage rolls you make with an attuned magic weapon.
Flexible Attunement
At 14th level, as an action you can end your attunement with a non-cursed magic item and as part of the same action you can attune to a different magic item. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.
Puppeeteer
The Puppeteer is a mixed range class that combats through a medium. Thematically, it tries to give off the idea that you're a craftsman and your subclass is your approach to this specific craft. You have many ways to express your art but not many reasons to join up with adventurers. The medium with which you fight don't scale well at higher levels, but it wasn't planned for that. I tried to patch things for a more general-use class, and hopefully the new features feel in line with what the original intent was.
Puppeteer Multiclass
To gain a level in Puppeteer while also having levels in different classes, or to gain a level in a different class if you already have one or more Puppeteer levels, you need an Intelligence ability score of 13 or higher.
Puppeteer
'Theatre of Extravaganza' is your chore mechanic. Your 'special ability', and also your main resource for combat. It lays down rules of how you can interact with your creations and what your limits are. It's almost like a secondary set of rules for action economy. 'Canons' are very much akin to Eldritch Invocations, being a way to heavily customize your playstyle without needing spells or alternative options from your feats or race. The 'Artistic Vocation' is another choice useful for customization, that kinda mirrors the two subclasses available in the Macaronicon. I feel that this feature can be expanded upon with other options, providing bigger benefits than a canon. Or at least, a bigger mechanical impact. The 'Masterpiece' is probably the main puppet you're gonna use in combat, since it's gonna be the most impactful damage-wise. You also only get one of this type, so it's gonna be a tough choice.
'Triflewood Attunement' allows you to be a more consistent threat to all kind of targets, since you can't use magic per se. This also allows you to not burn out a bonus action when combat starts, so you can move your puppet on your turn. 'Revisioned Masterpiece' gives a much needed power boost to your main puppet, hopefully making it truly feel like a powerful artifact in your hands. Something you can be proud of having created. 'Emergency Entrance' offers you a way to position your puppets in a more strategic way, lifting some action economy consumption from you. 'Strings On You' covers some of your personal weaknesses and makes more use of your positioning, since you're gonna be in control of two entities. 'Senior Performer' is a generic boost to your out of combat kit, but it also pairs well with your previous class feature. Finally, 'Master of Puppets' powers up your puppets and offers extra protection to your masterpiece. Something maybe generic, but useful nonetheless.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Puppets Created | Distance of Use | Canons Known |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th | +3 | Triflewood Attunement | 5 | 100 ft | 5 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Increase | 6 | 120 ft | 5 |
| 9th | +4 | Puppeteer’s Tradition feature | 6 | 120 ft | 5 |
| 10th | +4 | - | 6 | 140 ft | 6 |
| 11th | +4 | Revisioned Masterpiece | 7 | 140 ft | 6 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Increase | 7 | 160 ft | 6 |
| 13th | +5 | Emergency Entrance | 7 | 160 ft | 7 |
| 14th | +5 | Strings On You | 8 | 180 ft | 7 |
| 15th | +5 | Puppeteer’s Tradition feature | 8 | 180 ft | 7 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Increase | 8 | 200 ft | 8 |
| 17th | +6 | Senior Performer | 9 | 200 ft | 8 |
| 18th | +6 | - | 9 | 220 ft | 8 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Increase | 9 | 220 ft | 9 |
| 20th | +6 | Master of Puppets | 10 | 250 ft | 9 |
Puppeteer Features
Triflewood Attunement
At 7th level, your understanding of the finer triflewood magical properties deepened. Your puppets' attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. You can also instinctively connect to one of your puppets when you roll initiative, if you are not surprised.
Puppeteer’s Tradition feature
At 9th level, you gain a feature granted by your Puppeteer’s Tradition choice.
Revisioned Masterpiece
At 11th level, you can use your masterpiece's Secret Technique a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus. A masterpiece can also use a Secret Technique from a different puppet you created, as long as the puppet is not broken. You can use these borrowed techniques a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Emergency Entrance
At 13th level, when you connect to a puppet within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to hurl it with your Strings and make it move up to its walking speed without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Strings On You
At 14th level, if a creature is in a direct line between you and your connected puppet, you can use your action to concentrate and attempt to restrain it. The creature makes a Strength saving throw with the DC equal to your puppet saving throw DC, being restrained on a failure. The creature can repeat the saving throw by expending an action at the start of its turn. If the creature was not on the ground, it doesn't fall down as long as it is restrained. The creature is free from the restrainment if it ceases to be between you and your connected puppet, or if your concentration ends.
Puppeteer’s Tradition feature
At 15th level, you gain a feature granted by your Puppeteer’s Tradition choice.
Senior Performer
At 17th level, whenever you make a skill check with your puppet, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
You also gain proficiency with Constitution saving throws, or another one of your choice if you are already proficient in it.
Master of Puppets
At 20th level, your puppets gain a +2 bonus to their attack rolls and their saving throws DC. In addition, if you are connected to your masterpiece and you fail a saving throw, you can instead succeed. You can do so a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Geppetto
This subclass might be the archetypal flavor for the whole class, but it doesn't stop its potential from being a really fun subclass to extend. I wasn't sure what direction could I go with this, since I was writing the subclasses at the same time of the class itself. But I needed it to constrast with the other one, for sure. While the other expressed a will to risk if there was big gain to get, this one should communicate a safer approach. An approach that wasn't so easy to take down.
'Fatherly Love' is a really strong buff to resist various ailments, which also covers a lot of perils you might find yourself in. 'Loyal Son' can be an interesting option to prolong your durability in difficult situations. Maybe that few extra moments will be enough to put you in a safe situation.
'Artisan's Pride' pushes you more towards a durable build rather than one that relies on damage. While 'Lesson Learnt' goes even more into this philosophy of a hard to take down puppeteer. A bond so strong that it's not cut down so easily.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 9th | Artisan's Pride |
| 15th | Lesson Learnt |
Artisan's Pride
At 9th level, when you connect your Strings to a puppet, you gain temporary hit points equal to half your Puppeteer level. When you connect to a different puppet or when you are not connected to any puppet, you lose all temporary hit points gained with this feature.
Lesson Learnt
At 15th level, when your puppet is about to be hit by a critical hit, the attacking creature ignores all benefits granted by the attack roll being a critical. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Mangiafuoco
This subclass, besides being the more dramatic, it's also the one that cares less about puppets integrity. The character it's referencing in the original novel, wasn't portrayed as an all-evil character and regardless of this, I didn't want to force this mean flavor onto the mechanics. The result was a playstyle that shifted carelessly between its options and that could be relentless when its resources depleted.
'The Show Must Go On' is a good defensive mechanism that although sets you back a bit, yet it only does so in the lower levels, since repositioning is quite expensive action-wise. 'Pyrotechnics Art' offers an offensive option to a defensive mechanism, which can make for good scenes, but also takes out one of your medium.
'Wrapped Around the Finger' is a way to make the most of a bad situation, like having to pick up the pieces of your things after the battle. It pairs well with the previous subclass features too, turning the playstyle almost into a high-risk high-reward situation. 'Battle Choreographer' tries to communicate the boldness and unforgiveness of an enraged perfectionist, by turning a dramatical battle scene into a strategic decision.
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 9th | Wrapped Around the Finger |
| 15th | Battle Choreographer |
Wrapped Around the Finger
At 9th level, whenever one of your puppets break, you can choose a number of creatures that you can see equal to your Intelligence modifier and mark them for 10 minutes.
A marked creature can't hide from you and doesn't benefit from half cover and three-quarters cover. You also can add a bonus to your attack and damage rolls against a marked creature equal to the number of broken puppets you have, up to your proficiency bonus.
Battle Choreographer
At 15th level, when you make an attack roll with disadvantage, you can instead choose the highest result.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest. In addition, when you miss an attack roll, you can add 1d4 to the next attack roll you make before the end of your next turn.
Charge Ahead!
This Unspaghettification aims to fill in the spots that go beyond the level cap of the Brancalonia setting, for those that would like to use the classes content outside of it.
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- An expansion for the subclasses published in 'Brancalonia - Setting Book' from levels 7 to 20.
- An expansion for the subclasses published in 'Brancalonia - Macaronicon' from levels 7 to 20.
- An expansion for the 'Puppeeteer' class and its subclasses published in 'Brancalonia - Macaronicon' from levels 7 to 20.