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Designed by: Leprous Harry (Charles Bouchard)
With a title like Ravings of the Mad Leper, I expect dark, evil, and madness-inspired content. Disappointingly, the 79-page player-focused supplement provides nearly two dozen subclasses without any kind of shared theme. Each class is given one to five new subclass options, and some I certainly liked more than others.
Whenever I review new subclasses (or classes) I’m judging on two primary criteria: does the subclass provide new and interesting abilities, and does it feel balanced with existing content?
While I have mixed feelings about the subclasses, they do look very well-balanced. Nothing stood out as being ridiculously overpowered, which is often the case with class supplements. That being said, less than half of the subclasses stood out with interesting themes with neat features.
The Druid Circle of the Old Gods manifests a number of horrific mutations with a new d20 mutation table, such as gibbering mouths, exposed brains, and slimy tentacles, all of which grant different traits and attacks, not to mention gaining Warlock invocations, and eventually permanently adding the mutations to their own body.
The Haunting Spirit Sorcerer has a ghost that inhabits their body, adding bonus Necromancy spells, a third ghostly appendage, and the ability to posses others — and their own death-saving body when dropping to 0 hit points. Thanks, ghost pal!
Likewise all four Rogue Archetypes are creative and fun, from the disarmingly clownish Buffoon to the thug-like Racketeer and Batman-lite Gadgeteer.
Others were just okay, or needed a bit of expanding. The Fighter Fencer is a combination Duelist and Battle Master that uses Bravado Points to unleash Bravado moves. The Blood Magic Wizard’s best feature, drawing blood from enemies and using it to cast empowered spells, doesn’t come online until sixth level, and the Accursed Name Sorcerer could’ve benefited from a table or list of curses to draw from with actual features built-in.
And several subclasses were just downright lame and boring, like the Cleric Arts Domain being a soft-Bard multi-class, the Bard College of Tradition as a soft-Cleric multi-class, and all the Paladin and Ranger subclasses that have to do with generic travel, defense, or just being a weirdly cruel asshole in the case of the Ranger Raider.
There’s no doubt that a ton of work went into designing these subclasses, and I appreciate the layout and design that makes the most out of public domain and stock art. I would’ve preferred an overall theme that tied these subclasses together (or a title change), and it’s a shame that some classes got much more love and attention than others, but the subclasses that I did enjoy were absolutely fantastic.
Pros:
- Over 20 new subclass for all 13 official 5e classes.
- New item infusions, fighting styles, invocations, spells, and metamagic options.
- Artificer, Druid, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Warlock are given fun new subclasses with strong themes and fun abilities.
Cons:
- Half the subclasses are boring and/or present soft multi-class features.
- No single theme that ties these subclasses together.
The Verdict: Though Ravings of the Mad Leper lacks a cohesive theme, the nearly two dozen new subclasses are well-balanced and include several stand-out additions.
This review has been sponsored by the publisher Find more reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 