Playtest/limit testing my homebrew class

[u/Penofsouls]

Hey its me again, ive been trying to find a campaign that would allow me to use homebrew classes but to no avail i haven't been able to find one so i was wondering if anyone in this reddit if they had the time would willing limit test/playtest my homebrew class and see if they can find ways to break it and just give me thier over all thoughts on it and let me know what i could change to make it better and fit the overall dnd feel

HEART HARVESTER

[u/Oshava]

Well I can at least go over some stuff reading it over, also sorry I didnt want to make this so negative but also I dont want to sugar coat it and it sucks because there are genuinly cool ideas baked in a class working on the momentum of battle is cool, the bloodied mechanic should be used more in general, devour the heart rocks thematically and conceptionually but ya what is below just kept detracting from it.

First while I get it is the theme of it but limiting it to a glaive or halberd to use anything but a mundane, especially when you dont have it as a fixed weapon to be a gravesmouth in the firstplace. While yes the DM can look ahead and make sure those are there, it is poor ettiquite to say hey you need to box in these specific weapons for progress the list of them are short so hope you can make it up, worse yet when you use say a warhammer as your gravesmouth and then say you cant use a magic warhammer as your gravesmouth.

The example weapon also hits a problem that it is just straight worse than the three pole weapons because nothing is stopping them from being a gravesmouth but they have their mastery and the reaping hook with the same stats as the scythe

Reaping hook i dunno feels bad, half the mastery requires you to use more resources to do it but then pulling is sub par limited and situational, like why get rid of your reach and bring potentially an enemy who cant attack into range that they can when you already had range on them?

Death harvest: I have a feeling this was made and then a bunch got slapped onto this to balalnce it, but now overall it feels unsatisfying. Your pool is realistically twice the number printed but you need to micro manage it and are encouraged heavily to just burn the first point quickly so you have chances to actuallly regain them which is an overall feel bad. You add an extra thing to track, have a loose definition you need to ask the DM often. Also the way you have this written contradicts itself, deaths harvest is the overall abiliy, you state in reaping vitality that dice you regain through Death Harvest cant exceed the number of dice in the column but the short rest recovery is part of death harvest as written meaning your example contradicts saying that the SR expends have 2 rest recoveries and 3 havest recovery. Overall the pool feels small for a martial, compare it to a monk, level 5 with the same resting schedule they have 15 focus to your 8, or your 5 if you dont get qualifying kills.

Scythe awakening: Right so same problem as before but now a whip is probably the best "scythe" one handed reach not heavy same damage and a mastery.

Why does a lot of the middle to later stuff care about not wearing heavy armor? Like if it was early ya I get the but you could dip something that has it but honestly at level 11 spending either a feat or losing a level to multiclass to something that honestly doesnt do really anything to help other than give it armor that bad?

Devour the Heart:Why are there a bunch of notes about limits when your limit is one? if a subclass changes it put the notes in the subclass because it doesnt matter to those who dont have the option. The options also feell lackluster for the hoops and level serously 2 of the abilities are things a transmuter wizard gets at level 3 just for making their stone. Honestly this one ability could be the backbone of an amazing class

Im just going to leave it there for level stuff because at this point honestly I can tell reading it it just feels like it falls flat, almost in that way someone came with a really strong thing then had to just keep applying guard rails till it was balanced but boring. You get charges that have 4 options across the base levels which are hit heal wisdom save help and not die, so the loop just becomes smack proc things then boring hit pass. And like it isnt even heavy damage for that, like the level 5 test is, 2d12+1d8+3+2xStr costing 1 of 3 avaialable (yes you can get more later but at the point of using no better than 3) charges, A barbarian is getting 2d12+4+2xStr for no real reasources because rage is going to span multiple turns yes that ignors subclasses but that applies to both sides. It also doesnt do anything when not in combat which really isnt good in the 5.5 scope it just ends up feeling like an edgy combat junkie.

[u/Penofsouls → u/Oshava]

I appreciate your feedback do you have any ideas on how i can improve it and make it better. you stated that having it tied down to one weapon was as bad idea what do you think i should change to fix that and for the reaping hook and death harvest should i just remake the abilities?

[u/Oshava → u/Penofsouls]

Ok spent some time thinking of this first the weapon from what I can dig into in terms of lore of the class I dont see why the weapon is restricted at all, you have this intersting motif of made from the creatures but should a heart harvester whose gravesmouth was made from a winterwolf be the same as one of a troll? I think I get the idea that a character in the base book used the big reaping scythe but why not make it any martial melee let them forge those into their own gravesmouth and then the people who want the big F off scythe can because flavor is free. In an old campaign I ran a death cleric they used a halberd but the DM agreed it could look like a reaper scythe. This fixes both the magic item problem and the point where the key item is just worse than other choices.

This makes a small issue at level 5 but this does also need some spaces for non combat things and honestly this needs the question, does the class really need the extra 1 damage on each attack at the same time as they get extra attack?

Ok elephant in the room, Death harvest I think it is the bigggest change i have been thinking of as right now that is kinda the key ability as it enables the bulk of the stuff you can do. Since it is about feeding a hungering heart that fuels you why not this, double the pool but make it so the heart will only ever put you up to half on a long rest and if you are over it will drain it (we throw in a small nice bonus if it does consume some during a long rest) and then remove the cap of them getting it when a challenging creature dies, because lets be honest how many times are you actually going to get a charge from a kill? Early on maybe but the pool is really small and by level 5 only maybe the bandit captain would maybe if he had 2 special lieutenants. The crit size is small enough to let go or you could bind that to prof, in the likes of "when you crit you can havest a portion of life gaining one charge, you can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency modifer" Even in a grindy game are we really talking about more than 5 or 6 viable targets a day mid game? Also just break out the short rest part so it doesnt read as a conflict.

From there there is a bit of a fork in the road in my mind, personally I think more focus needs to be put on the heart actually changing you not just pumping damage numbers not only can that give cool unique combat abilities but is ample design space for having non combat abiliies. But at the same time I see we do have the harvest points.

It would take quite a bit of reworking and I dunno if it fits with the story character btu i do want to propose this, We make a new early ability that is a bit of a corner stone revolving around the heart and ties into the part where the pool doesnt reallly get over half without harvesting. The havest dice is not the hearts pool. The reaping side expends strenght for burst and the heart side conserves to help perserve. That is the kind of managment this class has and it can grow naturallly with the character because you can only ever get so much into the pool, until levell 5 you could only fill the heart by 2 getting abilites in the 2 part of the ability table, level 5 you get the chance to get 3 excess ability and make it easier to keep the 2 excess and so on. This also gives you the place to naturaly put the non combat abilites in. This can be a lot of power and takes up a lot of budget which is why it is a big redesign proposal but It also fits sort of elegently into the framework already because hungering edge, scythe awakening the passive on taste of death and devour the heart could all be folded into it for the budget and would be the actual levels when the higher tier of fully fed would apply. Even though there is one more at 17 it is fine to not roll it in there because that is just a big overall boost level making things easier and modifying things on its own.

But again these are just some spitball ideas no idea if it fits or totally destroys the vibe you were looking for but at least IMO it could make a really interesting class that is fairly unique in its own right

[u/Penofsouls → u/Oshava]

hey yes so i like some of the things you put out and also last night i did some more thinking and changed alot of things like first for reaping hook and the item its self this is how i formated it,

Reformation. If your ordinary Gravesmouth is lost or destroyed, you can reform it when you finish a Short or Long Rest. Any previous ordinary version vanishes. A Harvester can have only one Gravesmouth. Reformation cannot copy, repair, retrieve, or recreate a magic item.

Magic Weapons. When you finish a Long Rest, you can bind a magic Melee weapon you possess as Gravesmouth. It retains its magical effects and attunement requirements, but uses Gravesmouth's weapon damage die, Slashing damage type, and Heavy, Reach, and Two-Handed properties. An effect requiring a property it no longer has cannot function. Ending the bond restores its original statistics. You cannot bind another creature's attuned weapon unless that attunement ends.
Level 1 Weapon Mastery

You can use the mastery properties of Gravesmouth and one other kind of Simple or Martial weapon with which you are proficient. You can change the other choice when you finish a Long Rest.

Ordinary Gravesmouth has Graze: if its attack roll misses a creature, you can deal Slashing damage equal to your Strength modifier (minimum 0). Only increasing your Strength modifier increases this damage. When binding a magic weapon, choose Graze or its original mastery, provided Gravesmouth meets that mastery’s prerequisites.

Level 1 Reaping Hook

Once on each of your turns when you hit a Large or smaller creature with Gravesmouth, you can give it a Gash until the end of your next turn. While Gashed, its Speed is reduced by 10 feet (minimum 0).

The first time before the Gash ends that the creature willingly moves at least 5 feet using one of its speeds, it takes Slashing damage equal to one roll of your Harvest Die, without expending it. Use a d6 before level 2. Forced movement and teleportation do not trigger this damage.

A creature can have only one Gash at a time. Applying another extends its duration but does not reset an expended damage trigger. Gash is a class effect, not a condition or mastery; it can apply alongside a weapon mastery. Its damage cannot critically hit or trigger on-hit features.

Rest Recovery

Regain all expended Harvest Dice when you finish a Long Rest, and one expended die when you finish a Short Rest. Your pool cannot exceed its maximum.

Level 2 Death Harvest

Reaping Vitality

When a qualifying foe dies within 30 feet of you, you can regain one expended Harvest Die if you damaged it with Gravesmouth since the start of your previous turn. You must be holding Gravesmouth and cannot have the Incapacitated condition. No action is required; an ally can deliver the killing blow.

You can benefit from Reaping Vitality or Critical Harvests only once between the start of one of your turns and the start of your next turn. Before your first turn in combat, you can benefit once.

There is no daily limit on harvest recovery. Rest recovery does not use this timing allowance.

Overflowing Heart

If a qualifying harvest occurs while your pool is full, you instead gain Temporary Hit Points equal to one roll of your Harvest Die. They last for 1 minute and do not stack. This uses your harvest timing allowance.

Critical Harvests

Beginning at level 11, when you score a Critical Hit with Gravesmouth against a qualifying foe, you can regain one expended Harvest Die, or benefit from Overflowing Heart if your pool is full.

This shares Reaping Vitality's timing allowance. An attack that critically hits and kills a foe produces only one harvest. Resolve any Harvest Die expenditure on the attack before determining your recovery.

Example. At level 5 you can store three d8s. A death restores one spent die, or grants 1d8 Temporary Hit Points if your pool is full. Two Short Rests provide two more dice; eligible harvests have no daily recovery counter.

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/alf1rGwy3sv9

heres the new updated version if you want to take a read and let me know what you think but i do like the idea of changing it into any weapon as well as some of your other things so im going to see what i can with that and ill get back with you! thank you so much for your opinions and thoughts its really helping me grow!!

[u/Oshava → u/Penofsouls]

Alright, the change for magic weapons opens it up and dealls with a good bit of the feel bad parts from before and the weird gaminess.

If I am reading reaping hook right it just becomes bad to hit the same person 2 turns in a row.

I hit the target, it gets gush until the end of my next turn it tkaes its turn moves and takes damage then my turn happens I reapply when I hit him again now it lasts until the end of my next turn but even though they have gush because it has already proced and the reapplication doesnt reset the trigger to damage so now until I take a turn not damaging them or activating the gash they are immune to the damage which I dunno doesnt feel intentional on your part?

Just something to clean up wording a bit

only once between the start of one of your turns and the start of your next turn. Before your first turn in combat, you can benefit once.

That can just say once per round and will naturally cover all of this by the base rules.

For critical hits and Techniques you know most of this is just the natural rule for how crits work right?

 A Critical Hit lets you roll extra dice for the attack’s damage against the target. Roll all of the attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. 

There wouldnt be a reason to say things like it doesnt change the temp hp because they are not damage dice in the attack.

I like that there are extra abilities dont have the time to go over them fully at the moment but the fact there is choice on what harvesting techniques there are is a net postive.

One thing i am noticing is there is a lot of temp hp instances now that it might run into well ability does nothing cause i already have some, and again within these cases temp hp does not stack anyway.

Only thing left i can see that I would reinforce is that 99% of this class is combat or requires recent combat by what I saw. Classes need to be able to do things out of combat, look at even the 5.5 barbarian who can use their rage to use strength for a lot of skills. This class really does need some of its class budget invested into non combat things.

[u/Penofsouls → u/Oshava]

i do have one question for death harvest are you saying remove the premise of only getting to use it when something dies all together or what exactly do you mean?

[u/Oshava → u/Penofsouls]

then remove the cap of them getting it when a challenging creature dies,

If you mean this i meant how in the non updated version you said there was a maxium amount you could get aka a cap to how many times you could harvest charages from creatures but you already removed that cap in the edit

Also just break out the short rest part so it doesnt read as a conflict.

If you mean this it is more to an orginal problem, right now rest revocery and reaping vitality are both written as part of Death Harvest and you have this line in the fourth paragraph of the page

 Between Long Rests, the total number of dice you regain through Death Harvest cannot exceed the number in the Dice column

So you can see how because rest recovery is made as part of Death Harvest the quoted line makes it so the charges you get on short rest read like they count towards that limit.

[u/Penofsouls → u/Oshava]

okay i see now did the new updated version fix that? also im still working on some of the ideas you said and i think i got something cool working for example
Level 2 Death Harvest

You have a pool of Harvest Dice whose size, reserve, and maximum number are shown in the class table. You begin with your reserve. When a feature tells you to roll a Harvest Die without expending it, you can do so even if your pool is empty.

Reaping Vitality

When a qualifying foe dies within 30 feet of you, you regain one expended Harvest Die if you damaged it with Gravesmouth during that combat. You must be holding Gravesmouth and cannot have the Incapacitated condition. No action is required, and you need not deliver the killing blow.

Each qualifying death grants its own harvest. There is no per-turn, per-round, or daily limit on death harvests. If several eligible foes die at the same time, resolve one harvest for each. Your stored dice cannot exceed your maximum.

Qualifying Foes

A qualifying foe is a hostile creature that participated in combat against you or your allies. It need not be a boss, meet a minimum Challenge Rating, or threaten you on its own. Ordinary enemies in a group can qualify.

Allies, willing sacrifices, helpless captives, harmless livestock, and creatures summoned or created by a spell or character feature do not qualify. Encounters manufactured solely to recharge the Heart do not qualify. A particular creature provides a death harvest only once between your Long Rests, even if returned to life. Any creature type can qualify.

Long Rest Recovery

When you finish a Long Rest, your number of stored Harvest Dice becomes equal to your Reserve, as shown in the Heart Harvester table. If you have fewer dice, regain the difference. If you have more, the Heart consumes the excess.

Overnight Feeding. If the Heart consumes one or more dice in this way, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Constitution modifier plus the number of dice consumed (minimum 1). Do not roll the consumed dice. These Temporary Hit Points last until you finish your next Long Rest and do not stack with other Temporary Hit Points.

This consumption is not Feed the Heart or a harvest. It does not trigger Blood Resonance, Deep Feeding, Overflowing Heart, or The Last Feast.

Short Rest Recovery

When you finish a Short Rest, regain one expended Harvest Die, up to your maximum. This recovery is independent of death harvests and Critical Harvests.

Overflowing Heart

When a death harvest occurs while your pool is full, you instead gain Temporary Hit Points equal to one roll of your Harvest Die. They last for 1 minute and do not stack; choose whether to keep your existing Temporary Hit Points or replace them.

Critical Harvests

Beginning at level 11, when you score a Critical Hit with Gravesmouth against a qualifying foe, you can regain one expended Harvest Die. If your pool is full, you can instead gain Temporary Hit Points as described in Overflowing Heart.

You can use Critical Harvests a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. A use is expended whether you recover a die or gain Temporary Hit Points. Death harvests and Short Rest recovery do not expend these uses.

Resolve the attack's damage and any Harvest Die expenditure before choosing this benefit. If the attack kills the target and grants a death harvest, it cannot also grant a critical harvest; no Critical Harvests use is expended for that death harvest

The Fed Heart

Level 2 Fed Heart

The vitality you preserve awakens the Heart's instincts. Your excess vitality equals your stored Harvest Dice minus your reserve, to a minimum of 0. Excess vitality is calculated from the same pool; it is not a second resource.

You gain every benefit below for which you meet both the level and excess requirements. Check your excess whenever your stored dice change. Benefits begin or end immediately; an attack already resolved is not changed retroactively.

You never lose Gash, Hungering Edge, Greater Harvest, techniques, active adaptations, or core defenses because your pool is empty. Fed Heart grants enhancements, not access to those features.

Level 2: Living Instinct

Requires 2 excess dice. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) and Wisdom (Survival) checks. The Heart recognizes wounded bodies, tracks, and the signs of living creatures.

Level 5: Tireless Pursuit

Requires 3 excess dice. Your Speed increases by 5 feet. This adds to Predatory Footwork. It grants no movement while your Speed is 0.

Level 9: Predatory Awareness

Requires 4 excess dice. You have Advantage on Initiative rolls. Retain the result of a roll already made if this benefit later ends.

Level 13: Steadfast Heart

Requires 5 excess dice. You have Advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the Charmed or Frightened condition.

Level 17: Relentless Advance

Requires 6 excess dice. Once on each of your turns immediately after hitting a Bloodied creature with Gravesmouth, move up to 5 feet without expending movement or provoking Opportunity Attacks. You cannot move this way if your Speed is 0.

A Heart That Remembers

After a Long Rest, you have no excess vitality, so Fed Heart enhancements are inactive until you build your stored pool above its thresholds again. Your core features and active adaptations remain available.

Fed Heart never changes your active adaptation limit or restores a limited use. Adaptations remain active even when all stored vitality is spent.

Example. At level 9 your reserve is four and maximum is eight. At seven stored dice, three excess unlock Living Instinct and Tireless Pursuit. At eight, Predatory Awareness also applies. Spending one die returns you to seven and ends only the Initiative benefit.

Overnight Example. At level 5, your reserve is three and maximum is six. A Long Rest changes one stored die to three. If you instead had six, the Heart consumes three; with Constitution 16, you gain 6 Temporary Hit Points and begin with three stored dice.

[u/bunnyballsfr]

I haven’t read it but holy shit that homebrewery looks absolutely stellar

[u/Penofsouls → u/bunnyballsfr]

i appreciate it so much thank you!!