So I got GM approval for a Kuo-Toa Death cleric...

[RealCheese]

Now help me balance out a Kuo-Toa homebrew!

Basing this on the MM entrants, page 198 to 200.

Kuo-Toa traits:
Ability Score Increase. Your strength increases by 2, your choice of either constitution or wisdom increases by 1.
Age. No idea when Kuo-Toa mature or how old they get. A quick google search did not aid.
Alignment. Kuo-Toa lean towards a Neutral Evil alignment, indeed the likelyhood of meeting a Kuo-Toa of a different alignment is negligble.
(sidenote: The campaign is in a drow city and the players are escaped slaves. I plan to join them as the same, an escaped Kuo-Toa slave, I don't know yet what alignment I will take, but I described my character idea to the GM as 'survival neutral.')
Size. Kuo-Toa are about the same height as humans, though the norm is a slightly stockier build.
Speed. Your base walk and swim speed is 30 ft.
Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
Scaly Hide. When not wearing armor you may calculate armor class with the formula 11+dexterity modifier.
Darkvision. Accustomed to life in the underdark, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it was bright light, and in darkness as if it was dim light. You are unable to discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Otherworldly Perception. You have proficiency in the Perception skill. You can sense the presence of any creature within 30 feet of you that is invisible, or on the Ethereal Plane. You can pinpoint such a creature that is moving.
Slippery. You have advantage on ability checks and saving throws made to escape a grapple.
Sunlight Sensitivity.While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Bite. You are proficient with your natural bite attack. When taking an attack action, you may attempt one of your attacks as a strength-based bite attack, dealing 1d4 damage.
Kuo-Toa Training. You are proficient with the net, spear and trident.
Languages. You can speak, read and write undercommon.


So I think this will be slightly underpowered above water and slightly overpowered under, compared to the other races. I don't expect this to be a great advantage and I honestly am more concerned with hitting the Kuo-Toa flavor than gaining any sort of advantage through this. What do you guys think?

[RealCheese]

No thoughts from the wise playgrounders?
I was thinking the advantage to escape grapples was a bit much, perhaps let it only count when not wearing armor as well? Would that make the race overall too weak? I don't expect a lot of grappling, just like i don't expect much underwater action.

[Kryx]

Races with no action natural attacks are a bad idea. Bonus action would likely be a bad idea as well as then it is instantly the best race for 2 handed melee.
As much as it is mostly for flavor the bite should be a normal action. Anything more is unfortunately op imo.

Also this should be on the homebrew forum.

[The Grue]

Why is Scaly Hide an overall +1 to the base AC formula, rather than a Natural Armor bonus of 1?

[RealCheese]

Races with no action natural attacks are a bad idea. Bonus action would likely be a bad idea as well as then it is instantly the best race for 2 handed melee.
As much as it is mostly for flavor the bite should be a normal action. Anything more is unfortunately op imo.

Also this should be on the homebrew forum.

I phrased it as it is so that you have to spend one of your attacks to attack. Meaning a level 20 fighter could make it one of his four attacks. If you only have one attack you can bite OR attack.
Edit: so in other words no different than holding a club. I should probably stipulate that it is piercing though.

[RealCheese]

Why is Scaly Hide an overall +1 to the base AC formula, rather than a Natural Armor bonus of 1?

Because that's how armor works in 5e. Look at monk or barbarian unarmored defense or mage armor wording. I didn't want it to stack with anything.

[Kryx]

Why is Scaly Hide an overall +1 to the base AC formula, rather than a Natural Armor bonus of 1?

Because armors are not additive in 5e. You choose 1 calc method or the other. He has modeled it on the Sorc Dragon magic - which is the right way to do it.

However it would benefit the monk and barbarian significantly as it's on race... Not a fan, though I forget the wording used by other homebrew natural armor races.

[RealCheese]

However it would benefit the monk and barbarian significantly as it's on race... Not a fan, though I forget the wording used by other homebrew natural armor races.

The monk or barbarian would have to choose their class calculation or the race one, they can't do both, that's the whole point of not making it a +1.

[Kryx]

I phrased it as it is so that you have to spend one of your attacks to attack. Meaning a level 20 fighter could make it one of his four attacks. If you only have one attack you can bite OR attack.

If the intention is to give up an extra attack then it's fine.


Because that's how armor works in 5e. Look at monk or barbarian unarmored defense or mage armor wording. I didn't want it to stack with anything.

if you intend it to not stack with monk or barbarian then it's fine.

Without those being my bad interpretation the race seems overall balanced. Slightly underpowered, but the perceiving beings within 30 invalidates invisibility. Only blindsight does that.

[RealCheese]

Slightly underpowered, but the perceiving beings within 30 invalidates invisibility. Only blindsight does that.

I know that is a bit powerful but it is very Kuo-Toa however. Will it really break too much? Without it the race would be really underpowered and I can't think of anything else that would be similarly Kuo-Toa.

[Kryx]

I know that is a bit powerful but it is very Kuo-Toa however. Will it really break too much? Without it the race would be really underpowered and I can't think of anything else that would be similarly Kuo-Toa.

I would highly avoid a blindsight emulator. See the Is Dragonborn a bit of a runt? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389480-Is-Dragonborn-a-bit-of-a-runt)


I will strongly caution against blindsight- it's available only in extremely limited ways to PCs, and only at high levels (Rogue 14 or Ranger 18, Druid Wildshaping or Pact of Chain Warlock using an Invocation). 10' Blindsight is actually outright superior to the Rogue Blindsense, and is effectively the equal of the Ranger level 18 ability. If given Blindsight, the best party, mechanically, would *always* be an all Dragonborn party, since then you just need to drop a fog cloud and now you are advantaged vs your foe and they are disadvantaged vs you, in the vast majority of encounters. Blindsight is more powerful than it might initially appear, and rare for a reason.



I do, however, understand the problems of creating an aquatic race. I had similar issues with my gillmen (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?393004-Gillmen-(PF-Race)). The underwater stuff is rare (depends on campaign). I'd suggest try to follow the old fluff with 5e mechanics, but avoid anything OP. You've done a pretty good job.
In the end my feelings is that an amphibious race simply won't be as good as a land based race - and that makes sense to me.


Here is the Kua-Toa from the Musicus Race Catalog (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eiNfWAq14MKhXgLEsxnYYQjdX2Ku4cib1tP4UHis1J0/edit#heading=h.ln0l901z4wdk):

Kuo-Toa (Score: 5.5)
1 Strength = 1
1 Constitution = 1
Weapon Proficiencies = .5
Darkvision 120 = 1
Sunlight Sensitivity = -.5
Amphibious = 1.5
Otherworldly Perception = .5
Weapon Proficiencies = .5
Proficiency with nets, pincer staves, sticky shields, and tridents.
Otherworldly Perception = 1
The Kuo-Toa can sense the presence, but not location, of any creature within 30 feet that is invisible or on the Ethereal Plane. It can pinpoint the location of such a creature if it is moving.

I would still recommend avoiding any kind of pinpoint based on what I quoted above, but sensing the presence wouldn't be terribly unbalanced.