Patron Exclusive: Nightbinder Archetype for Rogue
Added 2019-03-07 15:04:33 +0000 UTCHello there backers!
Last month you said you wanted a new archetype for the rogue class, the Nightbinder. You can check out this password protected update on the blog by using the password: shadowfell319.
Thanks for your support and enjoy!
Benjamin
Comments
Considering these minor fixes to the archetype: First and third bullet point of **Nightbinding** change to: • When you deal damage with this weapon, you can choose to deal psychic damage instead of the weapon's normal damage type. • If psychic damage you deal with this weapon would reduce the creature to 0 hit points or lower and the creature is not immune to being frightened, it instead reduces the creature to 1 hit point and the creature is frightened of you. This effect ends when the creature is targeted by the remove curse spell. And third sentence on of **Font of Darkness** would become: All nonmagical light sources within 60 feet of that point are extinguished. Magical light sources within that range, and light coming from sources outside that range, are diminished. Within 60 feet of that point, bright light becomes dim light and dim light becomes darkness. You can use this feature again after 1 minute.
Benjamin Huffman
2019-03-08 00:47:42 +0000 UTCRogue archetypes are hard in that there isn't a lot of space to beef them up and make them much stronger than the core class already is. The XGE archetypes pack a bit more punch than the ones in the PHB but still are fairly conservative. The Nightbinder has two great abilities that kick in at 3rd level: an increased critical hit range in certain conditions & the ability to put a PERMANENT frightened condition on an enemy. Increased critical hit range on a rogue archetype is a huge deal since the class' primary way of dealing damage is one attack with a lot of damage dice rather than multiple attacks with fewer damage dice. The 17th level feature may look lackluster but it's power comes from how it enables you to basically always trigger the increased critical hit range of the 3rd level feature.
Benjamin Huffman
2019-03-07 18:14:33 +0000 UTCI feel like this archetype, particularly the light sensitivity, plus the 13th and 17th level features, make it a little weak? I don't have my books in front of me, but like... At 17th level, an Inquisitive rogue gets +2d6 damage vs the target of their Intuitive Fighting, and Scouts can make a bonus action attack which can benefit from Sneak Attack if it's against a different target than the one you already Sneak Attacked, both of which seem significantly better than creating an area of dim light or darkness?
Joel David Allport-Cohoon
2019-03-07 18:10:25 +0000 UTCOh darn it, I replied to this earlier but Patreon ate it because it was having some kind of server hiccup. That element of the nightbinding weapon is not optional and always triggers when you would reduce a creature to 0 hit points. For style points, carry around a blowgun to finish off 1 hit point foes.
Benjamin Huffman
2019-03-07 17:59:29 +0000 UTCI'll try to think of something else to suggest then😅, but the fact that you called it sentai team and not just power rangers like I did (to reach a larger audience and to call out to childhood nostalgia), makes me even more excited now to see your take on it! Off to read the Nightbinder now!
Nicolas Desjardins
2019-03-07 16:43:45 +0000 UTCWhat if I don’t want to leave a creature at 1 hp and frightened? Is that part of the level 3 weapon feature optional?
Ben Fowler
2019-03-07 15:48:59 +0000 UTCAlso - to the person who keeps suggesting the sentai team archetype - I see you. I'll make it happen. It's too good not to do.
Benjamin Huffman
2019-03-07 15:05:15 +0000 UTC
