I mean, as one of the people who keeps yelling for Rules as Written for implementation of stuff, I have been on record saying I like a lot of the homebrew and just want them to be toned back to be in line with 5e. Shove is good, it being a bonus action and flinging people half a mile is not. Surfaces are interesting, every battlefield on fire and it breaking concentration constantly is not. Non Warlock Familiars getting unique abilities is very cool, them attacking thereby invalidating the warlock a little and losing their ability to deliver touch spells is not. Each companion having something special hearkens back to BG1 and 2 and is common for DND tables, the player character having nothing feels eh. Animals being able to open doors and sit in chairs is cute and wacky, them not being able to move their concentration spells is not good though. Highground and Backstab does make sense for giving advantage, but doing so is too strong so instead giving highground a flat bonus and change backstabbing to proper flanking and it will be more in line with 5e and more balanced. Weapons having a special action is reminiscent of asking your DM if you can swipe at the goblin's legs to trip him, them doing so much damage that they become the superior action always is not good though.
Overall, the issue isn't that Larian is using homebrew, it is that the homebrew they have implemented needs to be toned back considerably, or atleast for me. In fact, most of the homebrew in the game I want to remain, just, as I said, toned back.
Pretty much.
- High Ground/Low Ground should just be turned into a +2/-2 accuracy bonus/penalty thing. This opens up room for Sharpshooter feat to exist. - I don't have much of a problem with field effects besides how damage from field effects forces a caster to roll for concentration. That should not be a thing. - Backstab should be a rogue exclusive class feature, *assuming* shove and jump/disengage remain bonus actions. Now Rogues get some of their identity back. - Implement the option to shove enemies prone to make up for the loss of backstabs on every other class. Now each party member doesn't need to use their bonus action jumping behind enemies for advantage, only one party member needs to use their bonus action to shove if they are successful in their attempt.
(On the note of Sharpshooter feat, it's pretty nuts how Great Weapon Master exists in BG3, but Sharpshooter doesn't. Considering the main downside of using GWM is canceled out by backstab advantage existing. Having one but not the other is eventually going to result in archer damage output for most classes really falling behind the melee and casters later in the game.)
Additional crap:
- When Paladins are implemented, give Paladins the ability to smite using ranged attacks. Archer paladins are typically not a thing in 5E, but it does in Pathfinder (and thus I assume 3E had it too). I have a theoretical archer Paladin/Bard multiclass idea waiting on the wings if this happens, taking advantage of the fact that Bards will get more spell slots to smite with, they don't have very many offensive spells compared to the other full casters to begin with, and that Valor Bards also get extra attack later on.
