Weekly 4e Homebrew: Melora Warpriest Domain

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I have no idea why I thought this would be a walk in the park. BUT! I present to you the heroic tier for the Warpriest's Nature Domain!

For the record: I'm not privy to the goings on in the Dungeon and Dragon Magazines anymore, so I hope I'm not treading on too many heels with this new article. I was also originally going to use the official name of the goddess of nature, but I decided to err on the side of caution. I figure I'm already dancing the line of the OGL, so why push it?

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Chain of Shielding

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I've been playing a lot of Mass Effect 3 in order to complete the epic of Quincy Shepard, a name that is now both respected and feared among the various races of the galaxy. One of the features prevalent in all three games in the regenerating shield that decreases with each attack that strikes it and eventually regenerates.

Consider this my attempt at creating a regenerating shield within 4th Edition's rule set. I present to you, the Chain of Shielding.

Marvel Hero-brew: Iron Golem

Isaac Irons was an ordinary eleven year old kid. He went to school, did his homework, played videogames, etc. Then, everything changed when his mutant powers were activated. All of the metal in a 25 yard radius, including those in the bodies of Isaac and the surrounding civilians, shot from their sources into the air and fell like metal needles. It was a grizzly sight, one that Isaac can still remember to this day.

Isaac found himself non-corporeal; a mutant without a body and practically a ghost. He tried to reach out for help, frightening those that could hear him. Isaac quickly learned to remain silent. With no body, the ability to phase through walls, and no need to eat as he used to know it, Isaac did the only thing he could do: learn. He spent time reading over shoulders and watching the interactions between people.

As time went on, Isaac learned that he could move small pieces of metal with his mind. He used a small penny to help in his continued reading without the need to look over the shoulders of others. Eventually, this ability grew, and so did the public's recognition of his presence. There was worry that someone was building robotic drones to scare the local population. In truth, it was Isaac trying to build the proper body for himself.

It had been five years since his genetic awakening, and he finally had a body again. Isaac settled on a street sign, poorly spray painted white, to represent his head and used coins to simulate facial expressions. Random chunks of metal were fused together to create floating gauntlets and boots. Forgoing his former life at first, Isaac used a new identity to those who came to him. Drawing upon his Jewish heritage, Isaac became the Iron Golem.

Iron Golem, Isaac Irons [Secret]

Solo d6, Buddy d8, Team d10

Distinctions

Ghost Teen, Small Voiced, Violent Awakening

Power Sets

Non-corporeal Magnet

Magnetic Control d8, Intangibility d12, Invisibilty d10

SFX: Area Attack- Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Invulnerable- Spend 1 PP to ignore physical stress or trauma unless caused by mystical attacks.
SFX: Multipower- Use two or more Non-corporeal Magnet powers in a single dice pool at -1 step for each additional power.
Limit: Difficult Recovery- Add Intangibility die to the opposing roll when others try to recover your physical stress.
Limit: Moody- Earn 1 PP and step up emotional stress caused by doubt, guilt, or self-worth by +1.
Limit: Mutant- Earn 1 PP when affected by mutant-specific Milestones and tech.
Limit: Mutually Exclusive- Shutdown Non-corporeal Magnet to activate Golem Shell. Shutdown Golem Shell to activate Non-corporeal Magnet.

Golem Shell

Enhanced Strength d10, Superhuman Durability d10

SFX: Unleashed- Step up or double any Golem Shell power for one action. If the action fails, add a die to doom pool equal to the normal rating of your power die.
Limit: Incorporeal- Shutdown Golem Shell after taking physical stress or trauma. Convert the physical stress or trauma to emotional stress or trauma. Golem Shell cannot be reactivated until the emotional stress or trauma is recovered.

Specialties

Medical Expert, Science Expert, Tech Expert, Psych Master

Milestones

Socially Awkward

With five years of silence behind him, can Isaac overcome his problems with social interaction?
1XP ...when you say something that unintentionally causes the room to grow silent.
3XP ...when you manage to carry a conversation without stuttering or making people uncomfortable.
10XP ...when someone falls in love with you or when you give up on ever finding love.

Silent Learner

Having spent years as a silent observer, can Isaac now put what he has learned to good use?
1XP ...when you use a specialty outside of combat to help someone in need.
3XP ...when you are accused of spying on someone, and you did.
10XP ...when you use your ghost-like nature to accomplish a goal that immediately leads to the team succeeding or failing in the Event.

Designer Notes: I began creating this character using the random character generator pdf that is available on the Margaret Weis website. After realizing I was doing it wrong (my bad), I started over. I liked what the random generator had given me at that point, so I used it as a base. I knew what the character was, and how it would act in a comic book universe, so I used that knowledge to properly build the character. Iron Golem was the end result.

As a side note, when Irons enters combat he uses his magnetism to create his Golem Shell which has a strong primate resemblance akin to the Mega Man Yellow Demon. The eye is represented with a flashlight and the street sign used in his "civilian mode" becomes a chest plate.

Edit 7/13/12: Added "OR ___" to the 10XPs of each milestone. Subtractions and additions made to SFX and Limits of both power sets.
Edit 7/14/12: Upped the die step for Golem Shell's Strength trait.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Web Shooters

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I bet you will never be able to guess which movie I saw this w-AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!

Yes, I braved the outside world to see a movie that would undoubtedly be far superior to the last Spider-Man film (an easy task to accomplish). And with that, I bring a piece of the wall-crawler's universe to your table. I present to you, a staple of the Spider-Man universe and in no way organic: the Web Shooters.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Cave Swarm

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

Sorry about the late article, but I severely blanked when it came time to write. I guess that's a symptom of having moved on from 4th edition to D&D Next play-testing. BUT! The show must go on until D&D Next is officially published.

There was a time when I was planning my Magnum Opus; a campaign to bridge the gap between 4th Edition and the Next Edition. The following was to be in the very first series of encounters: The Cave Swarm Hazard!