New Spell: Trailblazer
This content can now be found at its most updated version in The Elements and Beyond, a free 246-page compendium that you can download right here, filled with 23 subclasses, 8 spellcasting feats, 134 spells, 213 spell variants, 85 monsters, 30 magic items, 4 races plus 12 new subraces each with racial feats, and even more goodies for both players and DMs!
Links: PDF | D&D Beyond: Trailblazer
Art Credit: http://www.artofmtg.com/art/chandra-roaring-flame/
The Pyromancer feat is one of the more restrictive spellcasting specialization feats coming in The Elements & Beyond not only because its spell list is almost entirely limited to the fire damage type, but also because fire spells typically lack much utility other than reducing the enemy hit points to 0. Other damage types can be specialized for certain conditions such as deafened, blinded, frightened, poisoned, or restrained, or feature useful effects such as speed reduction, pushing or pulling, or prevention of reactions, but fire damage mostly features spells that, well, light flammable things on fire.
Trailblazer is one of a handful of exceptions that help to fill out the utility of a spellcaster that specializes in fire damage so they aren’t completely eclipsed by the new spells for other damage types, and it provides this utility by turning the caster into a metaphorical rocket car spraying napalm behind it. Besides dealing damage in an area that you can change the shape of each turn as needed and the ability to knock enemies prone, the spell massively buffs the caster’s mobility by increasing speed, preventing opportunity attacks, and making it easier to move through or across obstacles. Because of all these benefits, and because the spell provides full value each turn without requiring the caster’s action or bonus action, it doesn’t do quite as much damage as other 6th-level concentration spells — gotta keep things balanced somehow!
As a small note, the reason trailblazer doesn’t ignite flammable objects is simply because otherwise the spell would enable a single caster to ignite much of a city in just a minute while evading capture — a bit much for a 6th-level spell. There are other spells which similarly deal fire damage in an area without igniting objects, such as incendiary cloud, investiture of flame, or melf’s minute meteors, and nearly all of them are concentration spells that deal damage over multiple turns, like trailblazer is. So it was fitting to apply that logic to trailblazer as well.
Remember to wear a helmet when using trailblazer! With just a dash action you can reach speeds of 120 feet per turn, or around 13 miles per hour. Throw in a haste spell and your speed may reach as high as 180 feet per turn, or 20 miles per hour. As fast as that is, you’ll still be leaving flames in your wake slower than the fastest human ever recorded (just short of 28 miles per hour). But that’s normal. It’s hard for fire to compete with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Links: PDF | D&D Beyond: Trailblazer
