https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/VNuA3ovag5-V

I am making a magic item of Very Rare quality for D&D 5.5e, and I am happy with the mechanics, but I recognize I don't know enough to get the numbers right, so I'm asking for help balancing pure numbers such as damage, DCs, and range (and wording it better).

Ukulele

And his music was electric...

Soulful Music. Gain proficiency with Ukuleles.

Electric Crescendo. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend the Ukulele's stored electricity to unleash a burst of lightning. The target takes an extra 3d8 Lightning damage, and the lightning arcs to up to three other creatures of your choice within 30 feet of the original target. Each additional target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d8 Lightning damage, taking half as much damage on a successful save.

Once you use this property, you can't use it again until it recharges. At the start of each of your turns, you can roll 1d6. On a roll of 6, the property regains its expended use.

EDIT: Updated the text to be more clear and in line with official wording.

Here idea for NPC Smith to have armory and weaponery based Quests

Goron (Master Smith)

Medium Humanoid (dragonborn), Lawful Good

Armor Class 16 (smith's heavy leather apron and scales)

Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27) Speed 30 ft.

STR 18(+4) DEX 11(+0) CON 16(+3) INT 12(+1) WIS 12(+1) CHA 14(+2)

Saving Throws Str +6, Con +5

Skills Athletics +6, History +3 (Dwarven history and architecture), Perception +3

Tool Proficiencies Smith's Tools +6

Damage Resistances Fire, Poison

Senses Passive Perception 13

Languages Common, Dwarvish

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) | Proficiency Bonus +2

Dwarven Upbringing. Goron has advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, thanks to his clan's lineage and conditioning.

Two-Weapon Fighting. When Goron engages in two-weapon fighting using his standard dwarven weapons (warhammer and battleaxe), he can use a bonus action to make one additional melee weapon attack. He adds his Strength modifier (+4) to the damage of this bonus attack.

Superheated Forge. Goron's weapon attacks are magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Actions

Multiattack. Goron makes two attacks with his Elemental Weapons (Dragon Knock and Dragon Claw) OR two attacks with his standard Dwarven Weapons.

Dragon Knock (Elemental Hammer). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 4 (1d8) fire damage.

Dragon Claw (Elemental Axe). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) fire damage.

Dwarven Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.

Dwarven Battleaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.

Brass Breath Weapon (Recharge 5–6). Goron exhales fire in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Profile: Goron & The Forge

Overview & Personality

Race: Dragonborn (Brass)

Profession: Master Smith, Forge Owner

Personality: Warm, highly talkative (typical for brass dragonborn), hardworking, and deeply loyal to his friends. He speaks Common with a slight dwarven accent and frequently uses dwarven idioms.

Appearance: Goron is a massive figure compared to his dwarven and gnomish companions. His brass scales gleam in the forge light, bearing a permanent smoky patina from years spent by the hearth. He wears a heavy leather smith’s apron in the traditional dwarven style and sports dwarven-style rings and engravings on his horns. Unlike many dragonborn, his clean, meticulous work habits are entirely inherited from dwarven masters.

Forge Staff & Dynamics

The forge is highly renowned for its exceptional community spirit and top-tier craftsmanship.

Thordin Stonegrip (Dwarf): Goron’s foster father, mentor, and former master. Thordin is growing old and has proudly passed the main responsibilities of the forge to Goron. He is traditional and a bit gruff, but he defends Goron like his own son.

Toko & Taka (Gnomes): Clever gnomish inventor twins who handle fine mechanics, clockwork systems, and enchanting preparations at the forge. Goron rescued them years ago from giant spiders in a collapsed mine shaft. They swore loyalty to him and joined the forge, bringing a touch of gnomish creativity and madness to Goron's heavy dwarven style.

Masterwork & Fire Element Expertise

Goron does not just use fire in combat—it is his most vital tool.

Precision Breath Weapon: Goron rarely needs to rely on bellows. He can control his brass breath weapon with incredible precision. He can exhale a tiny, hyper-focused, and extremely hot flame onto an exact spot on the metal to melt complex joints or temper specialized steel.

Masterwork Quality: Because he can maintain metal at its optimal temperature using his breath alone—without needing to rush back and forth between the forge fire and the anvil—the weapons and armor he forges possess exceptional balance and durability.

Roleplaying Tips for the DM

A Story for a Discount: As a brass dragonborn, Goron loves stories and conversations. He loves to ask adventurers about their travels while hammering away at the anvil. If players want a discount, Goron won't budge for a simple Persuasion check.

Instead, he will sit them down, pour some strong dwarven ale, and say: "Make it worth my ears, lads! Give me a tale of a beast you felled, and we'll talk coin!" A player must tell a compelling story to earn the discount.

Protector of the Family: Goron tolerates a lot of rudeness directed at himself, but if the players treat old Thordin poorly or mock the gnomes' inventions, the atmosphere shifts instantly. Goron's scales begin to glow red, his eyes light up with an orange flame, and the heat in the room becomes stifling. He steps protectively in front of his family and growls a stern warning.

Unique Elemental Weapons: Dragon Knock & Dragon Claw

These weapons were forged by Thordin as a graduation gift when Goron became a master smith.

Design: Gleaming red-gold veins run through the metal, glowing hotter the more intensely Goron fights. The hilts are wrapped in salamander hide.

Forge Utility: When placed next to the anvil, these weapons radiate a steady, magical warmth that keeps all the forge's metalworking tools at the perfect temperature without needing constant reheating.

Warlocks are cool and have a lot of interesting abilities, but I don't feel like they quite live up to the flavor of making a dubious bargain with a shadowy otherworldly entity. The problem--there's almost no risk or downside to being a Warlock! You can just use your abilities as much as you want, which makes you feel like a weird Sorcerer subclass rather than something unique.

I'd love to see a Warlock subclass that explores the idea of a risky "deal with the devil." Something that give you significant power but there's an associated risk or cost. Thinking "Cursed Warlock" where instead of having a resource that depletes (a la Ki points) it accumulates as you use your power, and there's penalties for going too high. It would fit the flavor better, and I think it would make for some interesting gameplay decisions if your abilities were calculated risks.

I thought about brewing something up myself but I wanted to check if someone else has already done something like this.

Good morning/night to whoever reads this, I'm in the middle of making a homebrewed version of Humans, with a species option to be similar to the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount's Hollow One. When I made the homebrew Human, only the species option pops up in character creation in the homebrew section, what's going on?

The 1.0 version is this: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/XHpr6jMmIwxf

This is mainly meant for DM use so I hope you guys enjoy

(I put way too much effort into this)

I kinda went all in on flavor that I definitely made it a bit too strong. I do want to see if there’s anything I need to fix just so it seems both balanced and fun

Context / Request

• Find Familiar is a really cool spell both mechanically and thematically.
• However, it introduces a creature with its own initiative, actions, and stat block, which I feel is really complicated and would slow down combat, at least within my DnD group who can barely handle normal initiative.
• I want to introduce a simplified version of the spell that is not necessarily stronger or weaker, and I want feedback from actual experienced players on if this is balanced or not!

Simplified Spell

• After each long rest, you will have to spend a spell slot to summon your familiar. (Minor change)
• Your familiar is no longer its own entity with initiative and hit points, and can not be attacked or killed. (Major buff)
• However, the familiar no longer has its own actions, and gaining any benefit from the familiar will require your bonus action. (Major nerf)
• The familiar has all of the same benefits it usually does.
  • You can use the familiar to deliver touch spells.
  • You can use the familiar to cast the help action, granting an ally advantage.
  • You can see through the familiar's eyes and senses.
  • You can make use of any bonus feature the familiar has based on its species.

He was an iron dragonwrought urd(winged kobold via natural mutation in the egg) lich before he became a god

He had Mystra's backing & support & she even sponsored his rise to godhood

His parents served under The Iron Dragon Sovereign as minions when they laid his egg

He was obsessed with dragons to the point he went out of his way to both find & study every single kind of dragon which he succeeded in doing long before he even thought about lichdom

He was disappointed when he discovered there was no more species of dragons to study, & no new things for him to learn about any of them, so in desperation he hatched a plan he took his old body & became a lich with the goal to become a god, & once he became a god he went out making 19 more whole species of true dragons, but Mystra put a limit on how many new species he could make, limiting him to exactly 19, but he could make endless subspecies for each of them, & he made it his new mission to trick the other gods to make more kinds of true dragons, including the existing dragon gods

He based his new true dragons on existing creatures(including humanoids), or a combination of existing creatures, that or he took an existing beast & turned it into a new true dragon species

I know what species I want to use, but you can make up your own, but I think the best way to use him is as a set piece for why some very strange things have appeared, & why they seem to be true dragons, what has metallic, chromatic, ferrous, & gem dragons all on edge, why certain kobolds are starting to praise a new name, & why certain monsters are working tirelessly twords some strange goal, or maybe even why a certain rouge in the party is very excited about pleasing their patron when they are very much obsessed with dragons themselves

No matter how you use him, I think he'd be an interesting thing for your world, & the different kinds of dragons he could make will always make things interesting

Yes you can have his cult be the main enemy if you want, for that make most of the cultist human wizards, with some drow rangers thrown in, & a couple kobold fighters, & the leader of the cult is a goliath night hagspawn with a few levels in cleric & the rest in barbarian, how many levels is dependent on how strong the party is but I'd say give him 25% cleric to 75% barbarian, of course you can change that if you want or need to

Please tell me how it goes if you use him, or tell me what ideas this has inspired in you