Talk:Path of the Scourge (5e Subclass)

Wooooo cool archetype

--AngelsAndAarakocra (talk) 13:25, 16 June 2017 (UTC)

Thanks! I was reviewing Faith Militant archetype, and the idea just came along. --WeirdoWhoever (talk) 16:50, 16 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk

My DM and I were going back and forth on this since I was hoping to make a bard of mine a little more tanky while also being able to still cast spells while raging it's unclear to us if you can do this and if that was the intent for the path so if you could get back to me that would be great. --Destiny ^{You can add your signature with four tildes(~). Try it! :)}

As a rule of thumbs, the Path of the Scourge do not let you cast spells while raging, as is the normal Rage won't allow it. My intention was increasing barbarian's versatility with limited range of spells, and you can boost your offensive and defensive abilities with the features that expends spell slot but are not technically casting a spell. I hope this answers your question, thank you for having this archetype in your play! --WeirdoWhoever (talk) 22:39, 17 September 2017 (MDT)

Quite a cool concept and added strong functionalities while restricting them to not be overpowered. I just think that he deserves a bit more resources in the long run and would consider giving him another spell slot at the 10th or 11th level. I understand that the scaling effects of the spells are quite strong, but since all your abilities share the same resource, even with a short rest refund, it would still feel restrictive at later levels. -- Dhunter2 11:37, 26 September 2017 (BRS)

Hello, fellow wikian! I see what you intend, but I'm afraid I have some different perspectives concerning this matter. From what I've seen:

• This archetype is given to barbarian, who already has superb "hardware" (d12 Hit Dice, for starters) and whose Rage class feature grants even more superior close-range combat capabilities. I had to very careful with adding spellcasting abilities to barbarians, since it could easily ruin the entire balance.

• Spell slots in 5th edition are very limited in numbers, and rarely scale at all. If you find the number of spell slots very restricted, especially compared to previous editions, then from what I see, that is exactly what 5th edition has intended. Oh, and the calculation was simple one-third division from original Pact Magic feature, like Eldritch Knight and Arcane Tricter do with wizard spell slots.

• The upshot is, Scourge!barbarian's spell slot would be used as the last resort, the power you will rely on when all seems lost. By 19th and 20th level, a spell slot can cast a 4th-level spell, add 4d12 to one melee weapon attack, or absorb as much as 20 plus four times your Constitution modifier. You gain this powerful boost twice, which replenishes every short rest, plus one another with your Relentless Scourge feature. With this versatility and accessibility, I thought giving yet another spell slot would be a dangerous move.

Well, that's my explanation on this matter. I hope it answers your question. Anyhow, thank you for having me! --WeirdoWhoever (talk) 22:24, 26 September 2017 (MDT)