somanyrobotsYesterday I talked about sensitivity readers, so today I want to touch on a related topic: content warnings. Do 'em. They're easy to do, some folks need them, and nobody (reasonable) minds them.
Small CWs for this thread: blood, insects.
Here's a topic I've been saving up for awhile: let's talk about sensitivity reading. Big principle: friggin' do it. It's the right thing to do, and even if your heart's 100% in the right place, it's an insurance policy against accidentally doing a dumb.
#dnd #dnd5e #spellboundsea
1/10
Let's talk today about feats and the SRD! Quick lesson: the feat collection is where WotC did the community dirty.
More spells! Let's talk about Big Magic. Which is my own term, but means generally: some types of effects *shouldn't* be available at lower levels, because even if you can balance them, low-level magic just *can't* do that. For today: teleports!
Let's talk about spell lines! Or families, another name I've used. This is a group of spells that have similar themes and mechanics across different levels. Design principle: know when to stick to established rules
(CW: creepy insect art downthread)
Right, some folks will probably be interested for this one: Spells! I'll actually cover spells in several threads - having written hundreds of the things, I have a lot of opinions on good spell design. For a principle: don't be precious.
Today I'll detour to talk pseudomartial casters - like WotC's Bladesinger wizard or Swords bard. ("Pseudomartial" is my term - define it as "any full caster that gets Extra Attack, by any means"). In Spellbound Sea, this is the Scales Druid and Ironheart Sorcerer.
#dnd #dnd5e #spellboundsea
1/11
5E Design Idea #4: Dual subclasses are cool?
Okay, that might not be thrilling. But let's put the payoff up front before we talk about the Bloodrager! It's a half-caster class whose twist is fully getting two subclasses, a sorcerous bloodline and barbaric discipline.
Next up, let's talk about the Swashbuckler! The class was inspired by a very specific need: I love Age of Sail and flintlock fantasy settings, and I wanted a gunslinger class that could fit into them. I looked at some others, but none fit the bill - so I wrote my own!
The basics: Songs of the Spellbound Sea is a ~300 page (exact TBD) supplement for 5th edition D&D. 3 classes (43 subclasses) and 30 subclasses for the base 12 classes. 7 species, 300 spells, 45 magic items, 39 monsters, feats, mini-settings, and full seafaring rules.