Comments/suggestions on Jester's rules (5e)

[Jester of the FoS]

Well, the word "bloodied" may (unfortunately) be out, but there are abilities that work "when you're under half your hp" in the book already.

I'd like to see the wording. Do you have an example?

[Jester of the FoS]

For gods and domains, I'm thinking Belenus is light, the Eternal Order is knowledge, Ezra is life, Hala is tempest & nature, Lawgiver is war, and Morninglord is light & life.
Which covers the PHB domains except trickery. The only obvious religion left is the Wolf God, but Erlin or The Cat Lord could work.

I'm surprised you didn't note Death as a domain for the Eternal Order. I understand that it's not in the PHB, but the book mentions it'll be in the DMG, and it seems a completely natural fit.

I could see Death for Erlin as well, and Trickery could fit well with the Wolf God, in addition to Nature.

Yutow seems a good fit for the Nature domain too.

Yeah, I think Death was an accidental omission.

[alhoon]

Well, the word "bloodied" may (unfortunately) be out, but there are abilities that work "when you're under half your hp" in the book already.

I'd like to see the wording. Do you have an example?

Yeap. Fighter's ability survivor (it's similar with a 4E daily). 18th lvl. page 26 on the basic D&D.
For some reason I can't copy paste it here. Anyway, it's there, page 26, 18th lvl fighter.

[Skyrock]

I'm happy to see someone already working on 5e Ravenloft - in fact, this has been the very reason for me to register

The Horror/Fear Checks may still need some work as others have mentioned before I found this site, but with the DMG featuring official rulings on those topics I will hold back on thinking too hard about them until in a few more weeks.

Dark Shadows:
I like the general idea, but I think making them a free pick for everyone will lead to an inflation as everyone will pick them. (A hard mechanical benefit offset by a fluffy disadvantage is a steal.) I consider them to be equivalent to an extra language/tool. Not wanting to mess with the existing backgrounds, my way of handling them would be simple:
Anyone not taking a Dark Shadow may instead opt to pick proficiency with an artist's tool-set, a gaming set or a music instrument.
(This is of minor use, but it comes with no strings and can be put to use without sacrificing inspiration, making it more interesting for those not interested into the fluffy side of their DS. It also ties in nicely with the Gothic genre by making hobby artists and bonvivant gamblers more common among PCs.)

Cat’s Eyes
You were born with bright yellow eyes and slightly ovoid pupils, which catch the light and appear to glow in dim illumination. This rare trait is found only in folks hailing from Vaasi
-speaking nations. It is most common among the Valachani, but the eyes are sometimes found in Nova Vaasans. The cause is unknown but there are many superstitions. Some believe a cat took some of your soul as an infant, others believe you have the blood of a werebeast, and still others believe you are the reincarnated spirit of a feline
Benefit
You can spend your inspiration to speak with felines. You can communicate freely with cats for 1 minute, as is using the spell speak with animals. The cat is under no obligation to help or share information with you.

This one is very, very specific with very narrow application, and no guarantee to get anything good out of it.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: Just add Cat language to the character's languages, permanently.

Cursed
A malicious hag, dark cleric, or vindictive Vistani has cursed you. You might have been cursed by an evil creature for attempting to stop them, or cursed by a good or neutral individual as punishment for misdeeds. The nature of this curse varies dramatically; you might suffer from misfortune, a wasting disease, a weakened sword arm, repulse people of the opposite sex, or any number of lesser or greater afflictions.
Benefit
Having been plagued by misfortune for years, you have learned to to limit the impact chance has on your actions. You can spend your inspiration before making an ability check to roll 3d6 instead of a d20. If you have advantage on the check, you instead roll 5d6 and use the total of the the three highest rolls.

This one would only be worth it for rolls where you have already advantage, or where an average roll would be sufficient. Otherwise it would be smarter to just use the inspiration to gain advantage.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: Make it best 3 of 4d6.

Haunted
The ghost of a loved one or family member follows you around, seldom leaving your side. You cannot see other spirits and no one else can see your ghost, but you can interact with the ghost as if it were a regular person.
Benefit
You can consult with your spirit, learning otherwise unknowable knowledge. Pick one skill: History, Investigation, Perception, or Survival. Once you pick a skill you cannot change it until after you take a long rest. You can spend your inspiration to gain proficiency in that skill for 1 minute. If already proficient, you instead double your proficiency bonus.

This one suffers from the same fate. Only on level 13+ is this one better than to spend the inspiration to gain advantage.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: Leave the proficiency active until the next long rest.

Redheaded
Having been touched by the fey, witchcraft, or other magical forces you possess a minor magical talent. While not all redheads are touched by otherworldly forces - the majority simply have red hair - all those similarly "blessed" possess vibrant crimson hair. The superstitious believe you are the harbinger of ill fortune, or made a pact with infernal forces.
Benefit
You can spend your inspiration to gain the thaumaturgy cantrip for 1 minute. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this cantrip.

This one is very weak - trading in an inspiration for brief access to a purely fluffy cantrip isn't really worth it.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: I'd make that a one-off use of any lvl 1 druid spell, or access to a druid cantrip until the next long rest.

Reincarnated
Caught in a choice of death and rebirth, this is not your first life and you have returned from the grave into a new body. You only dimly recall the events of your past life in a dream-like haze but occasionally you experience intense memories, feelings, and urges.
Benefit
Tapping into the knowledge of a past life, you can spend your inspiration to be considered proficient in a skill or tool of your choice for 1 round.
Alternatively, you can spend your inspiration to recall memories from a past life, potentially recalling some details of a person you have never met or place you have never been.

See Haunted above.

Backgrounds:
I like what I've seen so far, but I think some of the new ones could still use some extra jazz and spice :

Changeling
[...]
Equipment: A set of artisan's tools (one of your choice), an item , a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp

The changeling background cries for a weird heirloom that potentially ties into an advanture seed. Maybe an extra roll on the trinket table?

Inquisitor
[...]
Equipment: A holy symbol, an herbalism kit, manacles, vestments, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.

Add to that "a letter from a layperson or low-rank clergy about some heresy or similar shenanigans in a nearby location".

[Skyrock]

Speaking of Backgrounds, some of those collected over at theRPGsite could also fit in nicely in Ravenloft.

Captive, Demagogue, Hedonist - maybe also Bureaucrat and Envoy
Slave (possibly retrapped as Servant?)
Village Idiot
Zealot (maybe just an alternative background feature for Acolyte and/or Inquisitor?)
Graverobber, Witness
Healer

I think Executioner and Gravedigger could also make for good backgrounds.

[Skyrock]

New backgrounds (x-posted to TheRPGsite):

EXECUTIONER
You had been tasked with the duty of carrying out death sentences, corporal punishments and possibly also torture. The methods may depend on your home area and its customs - whether axe, sword, noose, pyre or guillotine - but it is a dirty work that doesn't make you popular.
While the cliché is that of the hulking headsman with the great axe (and a cliché with some truth to it), the dingy reputation and the easy access to objectionable items like hands of murderers or mandragora have led to the birth of more than one rogue, arcane trickster or warlock coming from this background.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation
Tool Proficiencies: Poisoner's kit
Languages: any language of your choice

Equipment: hempen rope (50') already knotted to a noose, a sharpened 10' pole (to display heads on), a sack (chopped-off head optional), common clothes including a black hood and a butcher's frock, the farewell letter of an infamous criminal (or wrongly accused convict) and a belt pouch containing 8gp

Background Feature: Scharfrichter's Stare
Both commoners and criminals are afraid of your reputation. Neither will report if you overstep the legal lines a bit (such as by not paying your food, or bruising a captive), and both kinds will be more likely to spill the beans just to get rid of you (or in the case of criminals, to keep you from scraping the beans out of them with a red-hot hook).
Those who have some standing in the community will not be so easily impressed by some dingy executioner, but maybe their servants will speak freely to you if you block their way in the right dark alley...

Personality:
1. When going gets weird and bloody, I remain calm and stoic.
2. I like to act tough and hardboiled when I feel that I've got the advantage, or that I need to secure it.
3. I do a lot of bad puns and quips in the face of death and the macabre.
4. I'm not a person of many words - I get by with a nod, a headshake or a single word as often as possible.
5. I am deferential to authority more than rulings - those chosen through merit, tradition, or birth understand the intent of the law even if the letter must be bent a bit.
6. Once a bad seed, always a bad seed - I am harshly judgmental of those who have erred even once.

Ideal:
1. Justice: Right or wrong, the law. (Lawful)
2. Redemption: No matter how wicked, anyone must be given a chance to repent before meeting their creator. (Good)
3. Community: My community cannot hold unless its people are kept safe from threats in their midst (Any)
4. Pragmatism: When some petty law get into the way of my job, it should wait out of sight in the antechamber while I take care of what needs to be done. (Chaotic)
5. Power: Life, Death, Dignity - I crave the moments when they step up the wooden stairs and all these things are at my fingertips. (Evil)
6. Truth: Before any justice can be meted out, it is important to draw out the truth no matter how. (Lawful)

Bond:
1. I've been forced to put my one true love to the sword, and have been grieving for her ever since.
2. There is this one criminal who could jailbreak before meeting his conviction. I will find him and give him what is his due.
3. No one is above the law - no one but this smug rascal who could get off scotsfree with that letter of the Cardinal. I will find her and make sure there is no loophole this time.
4. I have put a man to the sword only to learn later that he has been innocent. I will make up to his family best as I can.
5. I've led some very vile scum to the gallows, despite their powerful friends. Now I am on the run from them and their assassins.
6. While making my rounds in the dungeons, I have run into a man in an iron mask who doesn't appear on any records. I will need to find out his secret, and bust him out if he is innocent.

Flaw:
1. I have taken a significant bribe, and a certain crimelord knows it and can prove it.
2. I obey any legitimate authority, even when they might be wrong.
3. The bottle is the only thing that keeps the spectres of my former victims at bay.
4. I have sold hands of murderers and similar items of my handiwork to evil magic-users, or possibly even the darker powers behind them.
5. I display my gallows humour even to the point where it makes others uncomfortable - and beyond.
6. I take a memento of everyone I execute, and display it proudly.

MORTICIAN
You could have been a simple laborer for a local priest in some backwater village in Barovia, or you could be an undertaker running his own business in a city in a more developed domain. No matter where you exactly come from, your business boils down to putting the death beneath the earth.
The labour of an undertaker becomes the background of many a class, whether a hardy fighter, a cleric of death or an arcane warlock dealing with the forces that seek out the dead. For some strange reason, there are quite a few rangers with vulture companions among morticians.

Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: land vehicles, carpenter's tools

Equipment: a hearse (as cart) and a black mule, a shovel or spade (stats as a club), fine clothes including a black top hat, carpenter's tools, a roll of measuring tape, a holy symbol (or 5 wreaths of garlic), raw material for three coffins and a pouch of extracted gold teeth worth 5gp

Feature: Rest for the Wicked
Whether through academic study or sheer experience, you know enough about bodies to do basic examination to automatically find out how long they have been dead and the cause of their death.
You also know the traditional banes of the undead that need to be added at their burial to keep them from rising. Any knowledge of the undead beyond that is beyond you, unless you have the necessary skills.
In addition, you can make bodies presentable and preserve them, even without access to disguise kits/herbalism kits or proficiency in either.

Personality:
1. I am full of tales of funny deaths, people buried alive and similarly macabre anecdotes of my work that make others feel queasy.
2. I speak in few words and move quietly.
3. Whenever anyone announces very brave or very foolhardy plans that make them likely to become my next customer, I bust out my tape and get their measurements to work on my next coffin.
4. In the midst of blood, gore and similar reminders of mortality, I like to bust out my picnic cloth, have a meal and offer a bite to anyone else.
5. I am full of ghoulish glee and gallows humour even and especially in the face of doom and gloom.
6. I am horribly, horribly awkward in social situations.

Ideal:
1. Relief: My primary duty is to give the due rest to the death, and to alleviate the pain on those who have survived them. (Good)
2. Wealth: Whenever there are the dead to bury - and advantage to be taken of them - I will be there. (Evil)
3. Faith: I give the dead and the living what is due to them by the will of the divine powers. (Lawful)
4. Equality: I have buried beggars and lords alike and guess what? In death we are all the same. So, no reason for anyone to act high and mighty in life either. (Chaotic)
5. Hedonism: Seeing untimely dead all day leaves you with nothing but the desire to make the best of any day left to you. (Any)
6. Tradition: The ancient traditions about life, death and everything inbetween must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful)

Bond:
1. One of my former customers has become a restless undead due to my insufficient precautions. I will need to track him down and grant him his much-desired rest.
2. I owe my life to the priest who took me for an undertaker when my parents died.
3. I will do anything to protect the church where I served.
4. I have sold hands of murderers and similar items of my handiwork to evil magic-users, or possibly even the darker powers behind them.
5. A corrupt noble once forced me to dress up the body of the victim of his crime such that the crime wouldn't be obvious. He may have gotten away with it, but I have not forgotten.
6. I've met the love of my life only when she was already dead and to be buried. The locket of her picture goes with me everywhere I go.

Flaw:
1. I need the bottle every evening to cope with my job.
2. I am terribly insensitive towards the feelings of others.
3. Having seen mortality every day, any promise of immortality - no matter how phony - will draw me in no matter what.
4. I am terribly superstitious.
5. I'm a pale, nocturnal creature that makes others around them uneasy.
6. I suffer from necrophilic urges, and try to keep them at bay.

[Jester of the FoS]

I like the general idea, but I think making them a free pick for everyone will lead to an inflation as everyone will pick them. (A hard mechanical benefit offset by a fluffy disadvantage is a steal.)

It's not something I'm adding lightly. But it's the best way, because being cursed or infected or touched by evil is such a part of the genre, but they don't make good feats or backgrounds. They *could* just be flavour, or variant bonds/flaws, but that seems a little lacking.

Because they're tied to inspiration, which is awarded by DMs, there's a build in restraint on abuse. And as so many of the benefits are out of combat it keeps the imbalance down.

Cursed

This one would only be worth it for rolls where you have already advantage, or where an average roll would be sufficient. Otherwise it would be smarter to just use the inspiration to gain advantage.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: Make it best 3 of 4d6.

Using this when making an average roll is the idea. It's for when the swinging of a d20 is undesirable.

The catch with this (and all dark shadows) is the mechanic has to be equal to inspiration. It might be situationally better, but it can never be outright better.
This is a tricky one as if it's *always* better to use the benefit from being cursed, then it's an increase in power. Mathematically it makes sense as 2d20 has a higher average number than 3d6. However, in play people don't spend their inspiration to reroll after a good number, so that brings the final average number down. After rolling that "1" or even "4" for an important check where you really only need a "7" or "8" the 3d6 look attractive compared to that extra d20.

Haunted

This one suffers from the same fate. Only on level 13+ is this one better than to spend the inspiration to gain advantage.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: Leave the proficiency active until the next long rest.

Advantage applies to a check. You can make ten checks in the minute of proficiency.

Redheaded

This one is very weak - trading in an inspiration for brief access to a purely fluffy cantrip isn't really worth it.

Quick-Fix Suggestion: I'd make that a one-off use of any lvl 1 druid spell, or access to a druid cantrip until the next long rest.

I really don't want these to be awesome benefits. Especially for something you gained for what amounts to good roleplaying i.e. inspiration.

Reincarnated

See Haunted above.

Don't underestimate gaining instant access to any tool proficiency you need whenever you want.
And unlike skills, where the proficiency bonus is weaker than advantage you cannot make checks that require tool proficiency without the actual proficiency.
That said, I might rephrase this to grant a longer bonus when gaining skills.

[Skyrock]

Someone got his DMG early and has revealed how Fear and Madness will work in 5e: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread ... ost6440754

Fear: make a wisdom save or be frightened for 1 minute. Horror saves are based on charisma. On a failed save a character can become mad with short term insanity, long term and indefinite (reminds me a lot of CoC). Each thype has a table that you can roll on.

Looks like the old Horror check and the old Madness check have been rolled into one type of roll.

I actually like that Fear checks now just give the Frightened condition. No further table-checking needed for such a common roll.

[Jester of the FoS]

Someone got his DMG early and has revealed how Fear and Madness will work in 5e: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread ... ost6440754

Fear: make a wisdom save or be frightened for 1 minute. Horror saves are based on charisma. On a failed save a character can become mad with short term insanity, long term and indefinite (reminds me a lot of CoC). Each thype has a table that you can roll on.

Looks like the old Horror check and the old Madness check have been rolled into one type of roll.

IIRC horror could always lead to madness.
Unsure how I feel about all horror leading to madness. But I suppose it works. Easier than finding unique ways of asking for madness saves.

Easy enough to call for horror checks any time you're in a madness inducing situation. I kinda like that.
-edit-
The more I think about it the more it makes sense, both in play and thematically. Fear is temporary shocks but horror is anything that might drive you insane, whether a unsettling situation, an alien place, or dramatic revelation.

I actually like that Fear checks now just give the Frightened condition. No further table-checking needed for such a common roll.

That's the route I was going to take.
(It's also what I wanted to do for 4e but there was no frightened condition"

[Skyrock]

IIRC horror could always lead to madness.
Unsure how I feel about all horror leading to madness. But I suppose it works. Easier than finding unique ways of asking for madness saves.

My guess from the leaked information is that it will be similar to CoC, which distinguishes between Short-Term Temporary Trauma, Long-Term Temporary Trauma and Derangements. The CoC rules have already been lifted wholesale for the optional 3.x sanity rules in UA, so it would only make sense if they stuck once again with something that has proven to work for decades and is recognizable for many gamers.

Short-term traumas are just small but sometims very crippling stuff that is measured in combat rounds, like paralysis, fainting or screaming fits.
Long-term traumas are comparetively mild in effect, but linger around for hours or days, like insomnia, paranoia or amnesia.
Derangements are similar to long-term trauma, but last for months until professionally treated.

[alhoon]

I beg to differ... I liked madness checks. Reading a beholder's mind shouldn't give aversion to eyes or something. It should either drive you crazy, or not. The same with involuntary alignment change.
Yes it can work with just horror, but I'll miss my madness saves. (Pun intended)

NOTE: I'm glad that tables made an appearance in the DMG for horror effects. See? I was telling you all along. Tables are the way to go.

[Skyrock]

It looks like a lot what in the RL setting rules was part of the results of a failed Madness check has been made a possible result of a failed Horror check. We will only know for sure when the actual Horror tables get revealed.

Have I already mentioned that I can't wait to get my grubby paws on the DMG?

[Jester of the FoS]

I beg to differ... I liked madness checks. Reading a beholder's mind shouldn't give aversion to eyes or something. It should either drive you crazy, or not. The same with involuntary alignment change.
Yes it can work with just horror, but I'll miss my madness saves. (Pun intended)

Well, in 5e, the a madness save, a horror save, and a madness inducing horror save would all be Charisma saving throws.
So the difference would really saying "make a Charisma save versus madness" or "make a Charisma save against horror." But, really, in play you'll just say "make a Charisma save".

Contacting a beholder's mind is fairly horrifying. So that works. And I like that there's a range, so you can go crazy or get a little unsettled or be fine, but even strong willed people might have lesser aftereffects.

NOTE: I'm glad that tables made an appearance in the DMG for horror effects. See? I was telling you all along. Tables are the way to go.

There are a lot of tables for prep in the DMG. In play tables are awkward, especially on a round-by-round basis.
But for madness it's hard to get away from tables.

[alhoon]

Actually, there's mention of madness after the poisons. I may just "rework" them out of horror saves.
As in, if you touch a darklord's mind, you roll in the madness (Temporary or permanent) tables or something. It shouldn't be difficult to make the leap.

[Jester of the FoS]

Actually, there's mention of madness after the poisons. I may just "rework" them out of horror saves.
As in, if you touch a darklord's mind, you roll in the madness (Temporary or permanent) tables or something. It shouldn't be difficult to make the leap.

I'd need to see the horror/madness checks first. It might be set up so a single failure moves you down a condition track, like exhaustion. Or failure by a certain amount might mean harder penalties.

Should be easy enough to declare certain situations have a super high DC or count as multiple failures.

5e's super easy for that sort of tweak.