Worldbuilding Option: Fortresses, Temples, & Strongholds [Fourth Draft]

Available on the DM's Guild (pay what you want) at this link!

Yup. I finally updated it, yet again!

Easily the most popular thing I've ever made (though the Common Man paladin gives it a run for its money), the stronghold rules here have sort of become the gold standard on the internet for building structures in D&D 5e. And, while I'm proud of that, it's also pretty easy to chalk it up to stronghold rules being a massive pain in the butt to make.

In this iteration, I added a ton of suggestions from you guys, updated it to my newest template, and of course swapped in public domain art to facilitate hosting it on the DM's Guild. Let's run down exactly what got updated in this pass, as we do:

CHANGELOG:

• Added rules for rebuilding damaged structures, which seems to be a pretty common occurrence for adventurers.
• Added nine new rooms! So a if you've ever wanted a bank, baths, a boutique, catacombs, a clock tower, planar docks, a lighthouse, a mill, or sewers, you're in luck!
• Updated Traders and Merchants rules to coincide with how that expansion has progressed.
• Added Secret Passage and Teleportation Rune room modifications, by popular demand.
• Adjusted pricing on room modifications, making them by and large more affordable.
• Added hirelings from Volo's, which has notably more than quadrupled the spellcaster hirelings list.
• Added rules for a flying stronghold falling out of the sky, as that appeared to be a big old question mark last draft.

CONCERNS:

• I've got a ton more content that I had to cut off here, such as rules for building canals and roads, because I just couldn't make it work to my satisfaction. I'll probably add it in sooner or later, but knowing how these things go, it might end up being later.  

WHAT I LEARNED:

• I actually like the public domain look for this option way, way more. Looks more relaxed, austere, and less overall eclectic. 

Spells: Codex of Waves [Second Draft]

Available on the DM's Guild (pay what you want) at this link!

Well, that was exciting! My first all-spell supplement seemed to be very well received, although not without issues of both balance and sloppy editing on my part.

Needless to say, though, those have been fixed (to the best of my knowledge) and the Codex of Waves appears more ready than ever to be used by actual spellcasters in actual games of D&D 5e!

Also, as I'm sure you read from the very large text at the top, this title has been submitted (or rather, is in the process of being so) to the DM's Guild! Thanks also for all the knowledge you fine folks laid on me about the DM's Guild, as it helped me go into the submission process with both eyes open, knowing full well what to expect.

What'd I change, though? What makes v0.2 better than the rough draft? Well...

CHANGELOG:

• Bigby's blistering barnacles now allows you the (rather gross) option of removing them with an action and a Strength check.
• Bless vessel now requires a creature that uses it to gain advantage on a check or save to actually be on the vessel somehow.
• Flowsight is now a divination spell.
• Pressure sphere has been fully reworked, requiring a bonus action to crush your target's head each turn and allowing your foe the chance at a Dexterity check to escape its clutches. 
• Red tide is now 5th level instead of 6th, but otherwise remains unchanged.
• Ripple now has a reasonable damage progression, similar to other cantrips.
• Water tentacle has been re-worded partially, substituting your spellcasting ability score for the inherent Strength score it previously had.

CONCERNS:

• The DM's Guild is still a fairly daunting process, and I'm not fully familiar with it yet. There remains the possibility I missed something up. 
• As for the spells, none as of yet. Small editing errors are the most likely issue, going forward. 

WHAT I LEARNED:

• It's cool to finally be published, in a fashion. I'm excited to see where this blog will go from here. 

Donation Received!

February is over, which means that all the money I collected that month goes straight to the ACLU!

We totaled $30 throughout most of the month, which I'm happy to hand off to an organization that'll always be fighting the good fight, likely for longer than I'm even alive.

Thanks again to everyone who donated! Homebrew blogging isn't exactly the world's most profitable business, but it feels good to use what it receives to help create positive change in the world.

Spells: Codex of Waves [ROUGH DRAFT]

Up until now, I've only occasionally touched on new spells. Making new spells is imprecise, and can affect multiple classes in wide sweeping ways. As such, I like to avoid it whenever possible.

Problem is, I use homebrew to fill holes left by the core rules, and magic in D&D contains very few spells that pertain to water, and very, very many that pertain to lightning and fire. That in mind, I made 19 new spells (including several I've ported from Stormwrack, because everyone loves Stormwrack) that more fully encapsulate the use of water in magic.

Are they balanced? Hopefully! This is a rough draft, after all, tell me what could use some fixing.

FEATURES:

• 19 new spells, including all-new creations and classic spells brought over from Stormwrack!
• Spell lists for every casting class, dividing these new spells along thematic lines.
• Public domain artwork, which represents my first steps towards publishing on the DM's Guild!

CONCERNS:

• 19 spells is a heck of a lot, I'm sure there's some balance errors in there.
• Some spells I kind of had to eyeball a bit as to what spell level they should be. Your mileage may vary, tell me if you disagree.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• Public domain art is easy enough to find and work with, but I'll still miss the fancy, fantasy-specific art I'm used to. :(