Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 FrogReaver Apr 02, 2015 23:55:09	How to determine what homebrew is balanced against the other classes and what outshines them.   Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this matter?
#2 Captain_Kobold Apr 03, 2015 0:09:56	Posting it on the forums is a pretty good method, since there are several posters here who excel at character optimisation and checking for possible synergies/mechanics abuses that you might have missed.   Generally a good way of eyeballing it is to put yourself in the position of a mechanics- and stat-oriented player and ask yourself whether there is a point to playing core class X if your homebrew class is available.  Homebrew is best used because there is a specific mechanic not available in a core class that you really want to use. Flavour and fluff are mutable, and raw power is best left to the existing classes.
#3 Sands666 Apr 03, 2015 0:10:17	Well I guess to begin, are we only specifically talking about classes, or home brew on all levels, such as how NPCs compare to classes or home brew monsters compare to classes?
#4 irongyrfalcon Apr 03, 2015 0:13:01	I found an Alchemist class from Pathfinder converted to 5e once. It seemed well thought out at first but upon later inspection it lacked a few features that all of the other 5e classes have and the spells were way too damaging. I didn't end up really using it. I guess a side by side comparison to whatever canon class is closest should work.   An understanding of the game's internal mechanics helps; extra damage is not actually as good as extra attack. Some things are meant to have a long cooldown. 4e was really modular, very easy to homebrew. Pathfinder was much more involved in many ways. 5e seems like it might be about halfway.
#5 Bluenose Apr 03, 2015 0:41:24	Test. Record the results. Test more. Record and compare those results. Keep testing. Record the results, compare the results, adjust your parameters. Return to Test. It's really the only way. Ideally you test the same scenario again and again and again because otherwise you're heavily at the mercy of chance die rolls. Stuff that "looks right" doesn't always turn out to be.
#6 Tempest_Stormwind Apr 03, 2015 6:18:42	Taste the indecision? That's balance, right there. You'll still have to do the math to prevent exploits and tune to a particular power level, but I've found that the indecision metric is the most reliable - if people legitimately cannot decide betweenyour optioand a similar core option on mechanical grounds, then you've probably balanced its mechanics properly.
#7 Zardnaar Apr 03, 2015 6:53:19	There are some fracture points in 5E to look out for.   1. Anything that adds an easy bonus to hit or advanatage to hit due to the Sharpshooter and Great Weapon FIghting feats. 2. Anything that drastically increases a saving throw DC or decreases a saving throw at least on a semi regular occasion (Diviner ability is 1/lomng rest). 3. Anything that gets ACs over 20 to easily.  4. Spells with no save effects that are not damage. Contagion Force Cage and Ottos Irrestible Dance are current examples.     I would also be careful with homebrew feats for spell casters such as a feat that transforms a spell casters energy type say casting a frostball instead of a fireball.
#8 Nevvur Apr 03, 2015 11:00:13	Captain_Kobold described the most effective (and simplest) metric, asking why would a power gamer not use this homebrew?    You can also put your homebrew in a white room with a core class and have them duke it out several times. This may or may not be helpful, depending on what you are trying to accomplish in creating the homebrew. If the homebrew wins a majority of the time against the majority of the classes, it might be imbalanced.   Finally, something I look for in PEACH requests is if the class has nothing but combat-related abilities. IMO, at least one class feature should be utility for non-combat situations.
#9 arnwolf666 Apr 03, 2015 11:10:46	Depends on how you constuct encounters
#10 Rastapopoulos Apr 03, 2015 23:41:36	FrogReaver wrote:
#11 Wuzzard Apr 04, 2015 17:28:21	If no one is complaining about it, it's either balanced enough or no one cares.
#12 MechaPilot Apr 04, 2015 21:03:10	FrogReaver wrote: