Talk:Soul Inducer (5e Class)

While I will admit that I haven't play-tested the class, I can already see certain design problems. I got half-way through writing this and realized it would be better formatted as a bulleted list, so here is my ice-cold list of problems:

• The 7th-level feature Aura Boost does exactly what the Paladin class does at 6th-level, but waaaay more.
• The Aura Manipulator subclass seems to be missing a few features.
• Typically, a subclass that grants spellcasting to a class that doesn't have the ability to cast spells gives 1/3 casting, like the Eldritch Knight from Fighter.
• This class is very back-loaded, meaning it only starts to gain power and feel like a real class once you reach the higher levels. Classes in 5e are designed to be front-loaded, where all of the defining features and cool combo-worthy abilities are given at the earlier levels. Not to say the earlier levels should have more powerful abilities, just that the defining aspects should be more defining than they currently are.
• Where's the lore? The "fluff"? Believe it or not, this stuff is veeery important! Without it, I have no idea what kinds of things these characters typically believe, enjoy, avoid, hate, or think about. The user isn't given any information on the source of this power, what it feels like to use it, if it's magical, or even what it looks like. Am I supposed to meditate or shout or cry or stare intently at my target to use this power? Can I choose the color of my glow? Is this power divine or arcane in nature? Do I have to be born with these abilities, are they randomly given to people who experienced strong emotions in a sacred place, or can a very intelligent and dedicated person read a few books and learn how to extend their soul into the outside world? Details like these add the "role-playing" to what is typically called a role-playing game.
• "Aura Distance Increase" likely doesn't need to be included in the class table.
• Aura of Temperance seems to passively grant not just you but other nearby creatures a permanent and passive resistance to two of the most common elemental damage types in the game at the same time.
• Reawakened Soul - If you die via decapitation, do you still reawaken? Does this mean you are now a headless character? Are you an undead now because of your headlessness? Or what if you disintegrate? Do you reawaken as a cloud of ash or dust? Are you a ghost? "Reawaken" is both an ambiguous way of wording it and a terrible way of wording it. In addition, other cheat-death features such as "if damage would reduce you to 0 hit points, you can drop to 1 hit point instead" might work better and be easier to implement. You can also delete the 2-month cooldown and make it a long rest instead. (The feature is otherwise really cool and I love how it can potentially interact with high-level play! Particularly the anti-soul stealing part!)
• Splitting Aura should be one those low-level defining features. Would really make it feel like you are inducing effects upon other creature's souls.
• I feel like Extra Attack isn't necessary for this class. Consider replacing it with a different feature, since this class doesn't really feel like all variants should be martial-based. Maybe the 6th-level feature for a subclass could grant this instead (like College of Valor Bards).
• Compressed Magical Aura - What in the 9 Hells is this? "Spell Storing" isn't a very easy mechanic to create in 5e, especially if it also modifies the way a spell works: I know, because I have done something similar. There needs to be quite a bit more text explaining how the different facets of this feature work, a better description of how long the spell can be stored, and what "converted to an area effect" actually means or does. In my opinion, though neat, this feature probably shouldn't exist. At least, not in its current form.
• The Soul Pulse Die column of the class table is deplorable. Not only does the feature that creates the need for the column not explain that it's supposed to increase, but the fact that the dice used and the modifiers used constantly shift and change between levels is enough to give me a headache. The feature needs to either choose a die size (such as xd6 or xd8) and stick to it, or choose a die count (such as 1dx or 2dx) and stick to it. Depending on how you change it, it might even need to be kept on the table, or the table could show the number of uses it has instead of the number of dice rolled since giving the feature multiple uses but an unchanging number/size of dice might be the best option.
• The levels at which the radius of your area increases should not be inconsistent. Choose a number of levels between increases and stick to it. 5th/9th/12th/20th not only puts one of those increases at the same level as an ASI, but creates a dead level at 13th. This could also make 15th level a non-dead level by moving the 17th-level subclass feature to 15th and moving the 20th-level radius improvement to 17th.

Instead of enacting some of these changes myself, I'm putting these thoughts, ideas, and observations here so that you can choose exactly how you, DevilFruit912, want to resolve them. You have asked for review, and I have given it. If the majority of this gets resolved and I have both time and the willingness of a DM, I'll think about actually making and playing a character with this class to get a better feel for how it works. IntellectMaster (talk) 23:27, 13 December 2020 (MST)