degreesofdaniel
2016-10-31, 08:18 AM
This is based on a tongue in cheek homebrew race I found a while back called "Fey Dog." This is my first attempt at a homebrew race. I wanted to make the Fey Dog more playable, and to justify its place in the world I'm creating, while trying to balance something as ridiculous as an anthropomorphic Corgi. The lore behind the Corgyn is still a huge work in progress, but I'd appreciate some advice on what's below.
Corgyn
Small But Ever Curious
Corgyn are an energetic race of anthropomorphic canine-like beings. They're small creatures descending from the whimsical nature of faerie. They aren’t true fey but rather one of many kinds of animals uplifted by fey magic. Their ancestors are believed to have originated centuries ago in the hidden forest realms of the fey on the island of Valonde as faerie steeds. Through the ages they've evolved into what they are today.
While many venture from their forest homelands, most tend to stay within their realms. This is either out of a fearful need for protection or phobia of the outside world.
Those who wander away from their home realms do so to learn about the many worlds around them. To these lone strangers, the world is full of new sights, sounds, and even smells! For Corgyn, this new life is one full of excitement wherever they go.
At Home Anywhere
Despite their origins in the realms of Faerie, adventurous Corgyn are comfortable almost everywhere. Leaving behind their prejudice and fear, they adapt to new homes much like their non-sentient ancestors.
And just like their ancestors, they are quick to bond to other races that become friendly with them. While Corgyn aren’t always willing to obey and listen, they prove to be very faithful companions in the long run.
Corgyn Traits (5.5) (I've included what I believe is the correct use of the Musicus scoring, but my scores could be slightly off.)
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom stat increases by 2. (2)
Age: Corgyn enter adulthood by age 10. Because of their fey origins, they can live upwards of 300 years.
Alignment: Corgyn span many alignments and ideals. Their tendency toward loyalty and strong faith lead to lawful alignments where their free spirit can also lead to the softer sides of chaos.
Size: Like your ancestors, you are a small creature. When standing upright, fey dogs are about the size of your average gnome; or roughly 1 foot tall when on all fours. Despite your size and debated cuteness, you are more than capable of holding your own. Average weight for a Corgyn is somewhere between 20 to 40 lbs. Being a small creature does have its disadvantages though, as per size rules. (-1)
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision: Thanks to ages of adjusting to the night’s sky with canine kin, your race has the boon of contending with darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. (.5)
Biting Jaws: Due to your canine heritage, you are able to bite on foes who get in your way. You are proficient in a bite attack that does 1d4 piercing damage, utilizing strength or dexterity. In addition, it can be used as off-hand attack. As you gain levels, your bite gains power. Upon reaching level 9, your bite increases to 1d6. At level 18, increase to 1d8. On a successful bite attack, you can perform a grappling check as a bonus action. On critical hits with your bite, you have advantage on the grappling check. While your enemy is grappled, you can use a bonus action on your turn to deal damage to the grappled creature equal to the damage you'd do with a bite. (1)
Canine Ancestry: You are able to shift between the 4 legged stance of your ancestors and the 2 legged stance of your race with ease using only a free action. While on all fours, your movement speed increases to 35. You cannot take any other attack action besides Biting Jaws while on all fours. (1)
Crafty Little Doggy: You're proficient in the Acrobatics and Persuasion skills. (1)
Nimble: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours. (.5)
Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and magic can't put you to sleep. (.5)
Languages: You speak Common and Sylvan. Here, I'm not sure if it would thematically make sense for Corgyn to be able to communicate with your average canine/dog due to their origins, so I left it out
So while it may be "balanced" according to the Musicus scoring method, something feels off to me and I'd appreciate any advice to make this race more usable. Thanks!
Corgyn
Small But Ever Curious
Corgyn are an energetic race of anthropomorphic canine-like beings. They're small creatures descending from the whimsical nature of faerie. They aren’t true fey but rather one of many kinds of animals uplifted by fey magic. Their ancestors are believed to have originated centuries ago in the hidden forest realms of the fey on the island of Valonde as faerie steeds. Through the ages they've evolved into what they are today.
While many venture from their forest homelands, most tend to stay within their realms. This is either out of a fearful need for protection or phobia of the outside world.
Those who wander away from their home realms do so to learn about the many worlds around them. To these lone strangers, the world is full of new sights, sounds, and even smells! For Corgyn, this new life is one full of excitement wherever they go.
At Home Anywhere
Despite their origins in the realms of Faerie, adventurous Corgyn are comfortable almost everywhere. Leaving behind their prejudice and fear, they adapt to new homes much like their non-sentient ancestors.
And just like their ancestors, they are quick to bond to other races that become friendly with them. While Corgyn aren’t always willing to obey and listen, they prove to be very faithful companions in the long run.
Corgyn Traits (5.5) (I've included what I believe is the correct use of the Musicus scoring, but my scores could be slightly off.)
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom stat increases by 2. (2)
Age: Corgyn enter adulthood by age 10. Because of their fey origins, they can live upwards of 300 years.
Alignment: Corgyn span many alignments and ideals. Their tendency toward loyalty and strong faith lead to lawful alignments where their free spirit can also lead to the softer sides of chaos.
Size: Like your ancestors, you are a small creature. When standing upright, fey dogs are about the size of your average gnome; or roughly 1 foot tall when on all fours. Despite your size and debated cuteness, you are more than capable of holding your own. Average weight for a Corgyn is somewhere between 20 to 40 lbs. Being a small creature does have its disadvantages though, as per size rules. (-1)
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision: Thanks to ages of adjusting to the night’s sky with canine kin, your race has the boon of contending with darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. (.5)
Biting Jaws: Due to your canine heritage, you are able to bite on foes who get in your way. You are proficient in a bite attack that does 1d4 piercing damage, utilizing strength or dexterity. In addition, it can be used as off-hand attack. As you gain levels, your bite gains power. Upon reaching level 9, your bite increases to 1d6. At level 18, increase to 1d8. On a successful bite attack, you can perform a grappling check as a bonus action. On critical hits with your bite, you have advantage on the grappling check. While your enemy is grappled, you can use a bonus action on your turn to deal damage to the grappled creature equal to the damage you'd do with a bite. (1)
Canine Ancestry: You are able to shift between the 4 legged stance of your ancestors and the 2 legged stance of your race with ease using only a free action. While on all fours, your movement speed increases to 35. You cannot take any other attack action besides Biting Jaws while on all fours. (1)
Crafty Little Doggy: You're proficient in the Acrobatics and Persuasion skills. (1)
Nimble: You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours. (.5)
Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and magic can't put you to sleep. (.5)
Languages: You speak Common and Sylvan. Here, I'm not sure if it would thematically make sense for Corgyn to be able to communicate with your average canine/dog due to their origins, so I left it out
So while it may be "balanced" according to the Musicus scoring method, something feels off to me and I'd appreciate any advice to make this race more usable. Thanks!