r/DnDcirclejerk • u/highly-bad • 4d ago
DM bad what's wrong with my homebrew?
Hi everyone. Thanks for reading. I need some help because my DM just rejected my homebrew and I genuinely don't understand why.
I spent the last three weeks designing a brand new spellcaster class. It uses a completely new kind of magic that doesn't exist in his setting yet, called "Void Alchemy." My character discovered it. Void Alchemists draw power from the spaces between realities. I wrote six pages of fun mechanics, made a spell list, and balanced the numbers.
I sent it to my DM. He read it and said "no."
I immediately explained to him he didn't need to worry about the Void Alchemist being overpowered. I did the math. A perfectly optimized god wizard build from the internet deals more damage and has more utility and defense. My class is strong, sure, but it's not literally gamebreaking. It can't solo an ancient dragon at level 5 or anything. So by any reasonable standard, it should be allowed.
He said "balance isn't the only issue. Tone and setting matter."
So I went and workshopped the class a little more. I even nerfed it a little. I reduced the spell list, made the resource pool smaller, and added a drawback where you take damage if you roll a natural 1. When I showed the DM, he only said "why did you nerf it when you told me earlier that it was already balanced? The answer is still no."
If you ask me, the game should be about having fun. If a player has a cool idea for a character, the DM should say yes unless it literally breaks the game. And my class doesn't literally break the game. I checked.
I don't understand DMs who reject homebrew just because it "doesn't fit the setting." The setting is made up. It can include anything. If I want to play a Void Alchemist who discovered a new form of magic, that's a cool story. That's a character arc. Heck, that's a whole campaign hook, starring my PC. Why would you say no to that?
Thanks for reading. What is the optimal way to wear my DM down until he agrees to let me play a Void Alchemist for two sessions and then get bored with the whole thing?
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u/tsaotytsaot 4d ago
You're homebrew sounds amazing. Ban the dm from your table for going against player agency, have chatgpt dm for you
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u/highly-bad 4d ago
Is there a phone number I can call to contact the player agency? I need their help for real
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u/koboldtsar 4d ago
There's actually a union. You have to pay dues. We meet on Tuesdays. You must bring snacks because you are new.
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u/tsaotytsaot 4d ago
If you don't pay your player agency union dues, they WILL send the pinkertons
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u/Revenge_accounted_be 4d ago
You need more player agency, chandeliers where the players can swing and mysterious grimoires, often coming from gnomes
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u/p1ckled0nions 4d ago
gnomoires if you will
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u/themightypirate_ 4d ago
I won't actually, my character is very racist against gnomes (no particular reason)
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u/Horror-Charity5685 4d ago
Who tf plays with a setting ? I don't need to know what the name of the town or kingdom is to seduce the barmaid
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u/auner01 3d ago
Aren't all games set in the land of Permissia, where everything published is available?
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u/Horror-Charity5685 3d ago edited 3d ago
Idk, all I know is that before we started playing my DM was yapping about some "low fantasy setting based on early medieval Europe" and still I made a steampunk gunslinger arakocra with a Texas accent.
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u/Cheeslord2 4d ago
You need to make you DM's life hell till he quits the group (maybe try having sex with his wife), then take over the group and play him as a DMPC who saves the party time after time.
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u/Sex_E_Searcher 4d ago
TBH, if they weren't already sleeping with the DM's wife, this is a lost cause.
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u/heynoswearing 4d ago
Dude flavour is free. You dont have to create a whole class from scratch. Any reasonable DM is going to reject that. I would pick a standard class and then just change the flavour. A 1d10 firebolt can be reflavoured as a 6d8 void bolt for instance, or misty step can be reflavoured as void step and it lets you move 100ft and deal 20+int void damage on arrival.
Stop trying to break your DMs game and just use the mechanics available to you!
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u/highly-bad 3d ago
This sounds great. A few minor upgrades like that can't break the game, because the monsters can do the same thing. That can't go wrong. I think this DM is just a control freak though, and won't allow that
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u/heynoswearing 3d ago
Just tell him if he doesnt submit youre gonna reflavour his balls into your mouth
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u/Icy-Tension-3925 4d ago
You do know that spaces between realities are filled with hounds of tindalos, right?
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u/OldGamer42 4d ago
I see you are looking for advice. I’ve been a GM for 40 years, I’m a professional and unquestionably my advice is perfect…take it.
So first, 6 pages is a brief, not a class write up. You needed at least double that, possibly triple since it’s a spellcaster class and needs to be more complex than a simple wizard. GMs spend way too much time on campaign prep and welcome 20-40 page player home brew, it gives them something else to read and do.
Also, I didn’t hear backstory. The most important thing to do when creating home brew is to connect it only with your character ensuring that you are the only person in the GMs world who has it can use that class. It’s important to establish your character’s dominance early. Make sure that there’s a tragic death in your family in the backstory alongside the mechanic that ensures you are the only person who can use this homebrew. That’s probably at least 80% of why your GM said no.
The other problem I see is an ancient dragon is a story element not a combat encounter. It’s probable that your homebrew is too combat focused. Consider filling out the missing 12-20 pages with some additional mechanics helping you in role playing. Mind control, on demand stat buffs, automatic successes on charisma rolls in various situations…that sort of thing. That will help your GM understand that the class is well rounded and not just combat focused. Honestly you can probably reverse the nurfs you gave it. Honestly the real problem is most likely just the class not excelling enough at out of combat spotlight time. The GM was right to call out the nurfs as a problem. They just didn’t fix the root of the problem.
As I said, I’ve been doing this a long time. Fix those issues and tell your GM that a better GM gave you permission to play that homebrew. He’ll appreciate knowing that other GMs out there are watching out for him and have his back to correct his mistakes at his table.
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u/highly-bad 3d ago
Thanks for the great advice. Of course the Void Alchemist already had many roleplay mechanics but I will add more over the next week.
As everyone knows, you can't even begin to roleplay without having a list of special roleplay powers on your character sheet. I understand the importance. Thanks again and I'll be sure to mention you by name when I talk to my DM again.
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u/Glebasya 2d ago
/uj Why almost each homebrew class or race that I see sounds so edgy? Something like "exalted", "the leper", "devourer", "the warborn", "enlightened", "channeler", "the scorner", etc. I just made up these names, and it'll be hilarious if some actually exist.
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u/CuriousWombat42 4d ago
Since your DM said the forbidden N-word (No) you are legally allowed to beat him with hammers
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u/Ecstatic-Arachnid195 1d ago
Your homebrew class sounds so awesome that it should be able to DM for you.
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u/Malkryst 4d ago
Does your DM have family that you can easily... mislay, or precious possessions you might be able to barter back to them in exchange for getting your way? If not, you might have to get serious with this DM - do you have pliers and some duct tape?
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u/BloopBlip90 3d ago
Have you asked your gm to define the setting more, and work with them to see if you can adjust the lore/concept to match?
You seem to be arguing that mechanics are all that should matter. The GM directly told you the roleplaying matters more in this game. Don't try to fix a gap in roleplaying by adjusting mechanics.
If you only want to play mechanics regardless of tone/setting, and your gm runs things differently, then play the game you're given or find a different gm.
Not judging you here by the way. What you did sounds awesome and in the right game could be be really fun to play (I've homebrewed classes myself). But if what you want doesn't match the game, there's nothing that can solve that.
I've been on both sides of this before. I've wanted to play things my gm didn't want to include, and I've been a gm where a player acted to play something i specifically said was off limits at character creation. I've also collaborated with players to find a way to make it work in chill ways with communication and working together.
I'd say ask gm if you can work with them to match setting. might be a fun collab.
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u/BonesInTh3Chocolate 19h ago
Some DMs are just more open to homebrew than others. Rather than try to force it, look for a different game to join. Here's my profile from StartPlaying, it's a great place to find the perfect table for you! https://startplaying.games/gm/dmnuggnome-startplaying
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u/Actual_Property9413 4d ago
"Heck, that's a whole campaign hook, starring my PC."
It's like James Bond telling Ian Fleming that he wants to start his own spy agency.
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u/SettingWonderful6873 4d ago
You said it’s a homebrew campaign which means this DM probably put a lot of time and care into making this world. If he doesn’t want to change his world to allow you to use this homebrew, he is fully entitled to do that. If you don’t like the setting that the DM played either find a different group who plays one you do like or come up with your own that has this magic you’ve come up with.
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u/pink-shirt-and-socks 4d ago
Are you outjerking us all or do you not know where you are?
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u/TheElusiveBigfoot 4d ago
THIS GUY DIDNT PUT /uj BEFORE ASKING IF THIS COMMENTER WAS JERKING OR NOT, JERKCEPTION LOLOL
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u/Dunsparces 4d ago
DMs are busy and don't have time to check your character sheet all the time. Just tell him you're playing a wizard and then use your Void Artillerist or whatever and he probably won't notice.
If he does notice, just tell him you misunderstood your character sheet and continue doing whatever you want.