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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Race: Alternate Balanced Human (better than the Standard, weaker that Variant)



eleazzaar
2015-05-19, 09:28 AM
So the Standard Human is exceptionally boring and uninspiring, and the Varient Human with the all-important free feat is one of the best races for almost any build. To add insult to injury, besides the feat, the Half-Elf has more interesting and powerful features presumably gained from their human half.

For ballance, i judge this to be on the high side of the power curve of PHB races, but not at the top-- though there are some tricky issues, and I may be convinced otherwise. If you would almost always want to choose a half-elf over this, it has failed. If you would almost always want to choose this over a half-elf it has failed.

So here's my attempt at a replacement. I'm trying to make humans a good, solid options without making them always one of the best options.

And yes, i've made use of Musicus' Guide. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ViqLSEN67mmd2Lo_OJ-H5YX0fccsfI97kFaqx7V1Dmw/edit) It's been very useful, but numbers only go so far.

Alternate Balanced Human


Ability Score Increase. Four of your ability scores increase by one.

Skill Versatility. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

Miscellaneous Experience. You gain any combination of three of the following: tool proficiencies, vehicle proficiencies, or languages.

Expertise. You gain Expertise in your choice of one skill, tool, or vehicle in which you are already proficient. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiencies. The proficiency bonus cannot be further increased by class features that increase a proficiency bonus.

Language. You can speak read, and write Common.

SonsOfSauron
2015-05-19, 09:34 AM
Nitpicky, but I'd probably re-order it so that Expertise follows Miscellaneous Experience (since Expertise can apply to both Skill Versatility and Miscellaneous Experience).

Also, I'm assuming the intent was that Expertise only worked on proficiencies provided by this race selection?


Anyway, definitely seems solid. Nice work! I wonder if the +1 to four ability scores is juuust over the threshold though, lol. I guess the proficiencies are more ribbons than anything so not a huge issue.

As for your test, I probably wouldn't pick this over Half-Elf if I were building anything Charisma-based, but would probably do so in other circumstances. So I think that fits your design goal.

CantigThimble
2015-05-19, 09:44 AM
I don't like the pure skill-monkey nature of this.

Does this mean that in this world dwarven smiths are alright but HUMANS, they're the ones who make all the really good stuff! Outside of combat humans will basically be the best at anything and everything. Basically I think 5 proficiencies and expertise is a lot of eggs in one basket, I'd rather see some more varied effects. Maybe an extra hit die? Or +2 to one ability score?

eleazzaar
2015-05-19, 10:22 AM
Nitpicky, but I'd probably re-order it so that Expertise follows Miscellaneous Experience (since Expertise can apply to both Skill Versatility and Miscellaneous Experience).
Fixed.


Also, I'm assuming the intent was that Expertise only worked on proficiencies provided by this race selection?
No, I don't see any reason to limit it like that. They can get any proficiency with this race anyway, and then switch around their background/class proficiency to something else so it is pretty moot.



Anyway, definitely seems solid. Nice work! I wonder if the +1 to four ability scores is juuust over the threshold though, lol. I guess the proficiencies are more ribbons than anything so not a huge issue.

As for your test, I probably wouldn't pick this over Half-Elf if I were building anything Charisma-based, but would probably do so in other circumstances. So I think that fits your design goal.
I have some concern that the 4 +1s are too much, though mathematically they are equal to the half-elves' +2, and two +1s (unless you want to dump CHA). And yes, i do consider the tool/vehicle/language proficiencies "ribbons".



I don't like the pure skill-monkey nature of this.

Does this mean that in this world dwarven smiths are alright but HUMANS, they're the ones who make all the really good stuff! Outside of combat humans will basically be the best at anything and everything.

I don't look at 5e like 3.5. I don't think that precisely the same rules are supposed to apply to PCs, and all NPCs and Monsters. I'm not proposing that all humans have expertise-- just the special ones with class levels.

Besides, If you want to look at NPCs that way, previously all the best smiths had levels in Bard or Rogue-- that's just not how you should look at 5e.


Basically I think 5 proficiencies and expertise is a lot of eggs in one basket, I'd rather see some more varied effects. Maybe an extra hit die? Or +2 to one ability score?

I could have given them +2 to one score and +1 to two scores. If you are doing point-buy, you can get precisely all the same attribute arrays as with the 4 +1s. I thought 4 +1s were easier to explain and felt less like copying the half-elf.

As for giving them something else, yeah, i'd rather have more variety than just a lot of proficiencies, but it didn't seem to be consistent with the standard DnD lore on humans.

I could have designed it so that instead of one of the proficiencies, they had to take at least one additional language. But I wanted to allow for an American-style character who has no reason to bother learning a language other than "Common."