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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next My first race! Centaurs! C&C Very welcome.



Raravin
2015-09-10, 08:01 AM
Hello, this is my First Race I have created. I am looking to make multiple races playable for a custom campaign to give my playgroup some diversity. I am posting here for some C&C and help with any balancing issues that may occur as you read the post. Just note the lore and backstory isn't complete yet for right now I am just trying to balance numbers. I am taking this post from my Reddit account figured I would get more traffic here for suggestions then on Reddit.

Age: Young can walk hours after birth, Teems at age 8, Mature at age 16. Most don't live past age 60
Size: Large takes up 10ft (2 squares one behind the other) Average height is 6' and weigh up to 700lb
Alignment Lawful: Good, Neutral Good.
Speed: 40ft

Recommended Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Range
Recommended Backgrounds: Entertainer, Guild Artisan, Noble, Outlander, Solider, Hermit

Sub Races
Wilderness Settlers: Strength +2, Isn't slowed by heavy armor
Wilderness Nomads: Dex +2 Short Rest Takes 1/2 the Time
The Exiled: Con +2Advantage on Survival Checks

Languages: Sylvan and one language of your choice
Weapon Proficiency: Longbow, Short sword, Spear, Lance

Disadvantage: Cost is normal for human half of the body for armor, for the horse half armor cost 4x (same as the rule book for buying horse armor)

Natural Weapons

Hooves Range 5ft, Must make an attack roll dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

Racial Trait
Charge At level 7 this trait becomes available. If you move more then 30ft you may make an attack that deals 1d6 extra damage. This does not count as your attack. If hits has chance to knock back enemies 5ft. Enemies must make an acrobatics check to see if they remain standing.

There you guys have it! Let me know what you think and try to balance out! I am open to any suggestions and willing to talk about any point in my process. I am also open to making other races. My current project right now is Gith and lycanthropy being an actual playable race.

EDIT: This is the first edit from reddit changelog will be provided when I get the chance.

EDIT2: Removed Dex +2 (Signature Trait 100% Removed), Wilderness Settlers Strength +2 (up from +1) Wilderness Nomads DROP- Cha +1 GAIN +2 Dex. The Exile Con +2 Removed Hermit Background limited to the subrace. (Changed from +1), Languages changed to Sylvan and any language of your choice (from Sylvan Uncommon) Variant Trait Removed, Charge changed into a Racial Trait Available at Level 7

Ninja_Prawn
2015-09-10, 10:56 AM
I'm on my mobile and AFB so I can't do a proper analysis, but this looks very unbalanced. I mean a feat OR a skill? When one of the feats available is "choose any 3 skills"? That's pretty glaring.

I do like the idea of the Uncommon language. It's like Common, except no one speaks it!

Edit: proper analysis.


Centaur Race
2 ASI
4 Feat
1 Large Size
1 +10ft speed
1 Charge
1 1d6 Natural Weapon
0.5 Weapon Proficiencies
0 Languages
BASE TOTAL: 10.5

Settler Subrace
1 ASI
0.5 Not Slowed

Nomad Subrace
1 ASI
0.5 Quick Short Rest

Exile Subrace
1 ASI
0.5 Adv on Survival

FINAL TOTAL REGARDLESS OF SUBRACE: 12 points

I'm guessing with the large size, because that's not really covered in the rules. I assume it means you occupy more space, can carry more and possibly increases your weapon attack damage, but increases the cost of your armour (barding for horses is 4x normal cost, which seems like a good benchmark). Not sure how to cost Charge; it might be worth more than 1 point, but then I may be slightly over-valuing the feat, so I'm calling that fair.

Anyway, this race is way overpowered. There's at least twice as much stuff in here as an average PHB race. It also seems very weird for the hermit background to be restricted, but I'll assume that's part of your setting.

Advice: cut the feat, cut Charge (maybe make that into a racial feat), cut the +2 Dex (which makes no sense anyway; centaurs are a Str-focussed race). That should bring it into line with the standard options.

Raravin
2015-09-10, 11:23 AM
I'm on my mobile and AFB so I can't do a proper analysis, but this looks very unbalanced. I mean a feat OR a skill? When one of the feats available is "choose any 3 skills"? That's pretty glaring.

I do like the idea of the Uncommon language. It's like Common, except no one speaks it!

Your right about the fear I might change that to maybe just a skill.

Also I might have used the wrong word I did uncommon as in broken common you can sorta understand sorta write but can't speak it properly at all.

May I ask where you got the point system from? I will cut the feat and the Dex and look at other things. Figured charge has just some racial thing. The hermit comes from the exiled are Centaurs kicked out of the group and Centaurs are always in a group. So hermit doesn't really fit unless it is exiled with the sub race

Ninja_Prawn
2015-09-10, 12:25 PM
Also I might have used the wrong word I did uncommon as in broken common you can sorta understand sorta write but can't speak it properly at all.

My opinion on this is that the mechanics of a race are not the place for this sort of nuance. If centaurs in your world don't usually speak Common, don't give them Common as a racial language. I would word it as "Sylvan and one other language of your choice".


May I ask where you got the point system from? I will cut the feat and the Dex and look at other things. Figured charge has just some racial thing. The hermit comes from the exiled are Centaurs kicked out of the group and Centaurs are always in a group. So hermit doesn't really fit unless it is exiled with the sub race

The points system comes from Musicus (http://zappyman2.wix.com/musicushomebrew). I'm trying to promote its use.

If I were a player in your game, I would argue:

The nomadic lifestyle of centaurs actually makes them all kind of like hermits.
Some centaurs leave the tribe of their own volition, or because they are not fit enough to migrate.
Restricting backgrounds is pointless; the PHB encourages you to make up your own anyway.
You can be a hermit within a society - just a quiet loner who meditates a lot.

Raravin
2015-09-10, 12:31 PM
My opinion on this is that the mechanics of a race are not the place for this sort of nuance. If centaurs in your world don't usually speak Common, don't give them Common as a racial language. I would word it as "Sylvan and one other language of your choice".



The points system comes from Musicus (http://zappyman2.wix.com/musicushomebrew). I'm trying to promote its use.

If I were a player in your game, I would argue:

The nomadic lifestyle of centaurs actually makes them all kind of like hermits.
Some centaurs leave the tribe of their own volition, or because they are not fit enough to migrate.
Restricting backgrounds is pointless; the PHB encourages you to make up your own anyway.
You can be a hermit within a society - just a quiet loner who meditates a lot.

Okay will make those changes maybe something else and see how I like it. I might just be taking what I'm reading to litteral so I'm not using it how I should be thank you!

Edit: Changes have been made for new C&C!

Ninja_Prawn
2015-09-11, 01:18 AM
It looks more balanced now, at least to my eyes. Perhaps someone else wants to take a look?

Large creatures aren't really my speciality - I lean towards the tiny in my homebrew - so I might be misjudging the value of that.

Raravin
2015-09-11, 07:32 AM
I only went large because of the length of the body I figured it would be large. Didn't think half a horse would fit in one square.