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Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 03:24 PM
So, you're doubtlessly wondering what the hell is going on. Well, to put things simply, I've got a huge array (70+, at last counting) of homebrewed races for 5e that I want to get critiqued, plus plans for future races beyond that. For obvious reasons, I can't post each race here individually; I'd drown us all. But, at the same time, I can't hope to get any reviews or comments if I put them all in one thread - wall of text to the nth degree. So, I tried to compromise and instead make a relatively small group of splinter topics that I can post them under in more manageable numbers.

To see these races in their natural habitat, follow the linked google-doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XovWm65MSmIzQWSMDMXo0_aIpZgq9YSa2KkpO3kThS4/edit#

To see the index of all my 5e homebrew, follow this linked thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?516554-The-Misty-Shadow-s-Absurd-Amount-of-5e-Homebrew-PEACH

The theme of this thread is for subraces, alternate racial traits, and other such modifications of canonical races. Here, I post my attempt at the Forgeborn Dwarf, the Dragonfear-inspiring Dragonborn, the Saurian Shifters, and the like.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 03:26 PM
Let's start with one of my earliest experiments in racial homebrewing. The Dragonfear Dragonborn was a variant race for Dragonborn that was introduced in Dragon Magazine #388, which sacrificed its ability to use a breath weapon to instead have the ability to cloak itself in a semblance of draconic frightful aura.

Dragonborn Alternate Racial Trait: Dragonfear
Dragonfear replaces the Breath Weapon racial trait. You have Proficiency on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. As a bonus action, you can invoke an aura of fear that targets all hostile creatures you can see or hear within a 5ft radius. Targeted creatures must pass a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be Frightened for 1 minute. Creatures frightened by your aura can repeat their saving throw at the ends of their turn, ending their Frightened Condition on a success. A creature that passes its saving throw or ends it with a successful save is immune to the effects of your aura for 24 hours. You can use this trait once, and must then complete a short rest or a long rest before you can use it again.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 05:07 PM
So, I'm not entirely sure if I should do this or not, but I figured it made the most sense to post all of the complete examples of this project's races first, and then that way people could have a broader variety of things to comment upon, just in case you don't care about dragonborn, dwarves, tieflings, whatever.

The Forgeborn Dwarf is particularly near and dear to me, as it's a race I intend to use in my Malebolge setting over in World-Building. Originating from Dragon Magazine #383, the Forgeborn Dwarf descends from those dwarves who didn't escape their titanic slavery in time before they began transforming into elemental beings. Although they never completed the transformation, unlike their unfortunate Azer, Galeb Dhur and Eisk Jaat kinsfolk, their elemental natures still mark them quite extensively. In 4e, these dwarves could resist all four of Acid, Cold, Fire and Lightning damage (admittedly only 2/3/5 points, depending on tier) and had an encounter power where they could do +3/6/9 Elemental Damage (as in, their choice of Acid, Cold, Fire or Lightning damage, chosen each time they used the power) with a melee weapon attack. Their racial feats mostly focused on beefing these traits up, and their racial paragon path, the Fireforged Champion, was all about turning into a walking inferno.

Dwarven Subrace: The Forgeborn
Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Born of Creation's Forge: A Forgeborn Dwarf is considered to be Acclimatized to any extreme environment it encounters, from extreme temperatures to high altitude to deep water to any other environmental extreme. As part of this, Forgeborn Dwarves are also immune to Exhaustion gain imposed as a result of their environment.
Primordial Sustenance: A Forgeborn Dwarf doubles its Constitution modifier for determining how long it can hold its breath and how long it can go without food and water.
Tempered Through Creation: After completing a short rest, a Forgeborn Dwarf may designate one of the five Elemental Damages (Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder). The Forgeborn Dwarf that takes the chosen damage type can reduce the amount of damage it takes by an amount equal to its one half of its level (rounded up) plus its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 point). It can change the reduced elemental damage type whenever it successfully completes a short rest.
Elemental Spark: Once per short rest, a Forgeborn Dwarf can invoke this power when making an Attack with a weapon. On a successful hit, the weapon deals a bonus amount of Elemental Damage equal to the Forgeborn Dwarf's Charisma modifier (minimum +1). Damage is chosen when making the attack.

I had ideas for feats to better emphasize particular elements in a Forgeborn's nature, but I wanna focus on getting the race to be not-overpowered first before I tackle them.


The Derro as a subrace was more of a personal whim. Somebody asked about doing so over on the Fraternity of Shadows website and I took a wild stab at it. Pride means, well, I wanna try and get it right, and hey, we do have the Duegar, so why not its fellow Underdark dwarf?

Dwarven Subrace: Derro
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Dexterity
Superior Darkvision: Your Darkvision has a range of 120 feet.
Extra Language: Undercommon
Sunlight Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks based on sight made whilst you or your target is in direct sunlight.
Quick-Moving: Your Speed is 30 feet instead of 25 feet.
Derro Weapon Training: You are proficient with the Derro Hooked Shortspear.
Derro Madness: You have Advantage on saves against being Charmed or Frightened, and Disadvantage on all other Wisdom saving throws.
Magic Resistance: You have Advantage on saves against spells and other magical effects.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 05:14 PM
The Halflings are a... personal challenge. See, back in 2e, alongside the Hairfoot and Stout halfling races, we also had Tallfellows. And, much as Stouts are implied to stem from intermarriage with dwarves, the same is implied for Tallfellows and elves. They gained pretty much all of the elf racial bonuses and mixed them in with halfling ones; a simple online investigation will turn up their stats. Since we only got Hairfoots and Stouts in 5e, I took it as a personal challenge to try and add the Tallfellow back in.

As for the Strongheart? Well, I started wondering: if we got Stouts from halfling/dwarf interbreeding, and Tallfellows from halfling/elf interbreeding... what do you get if you infuse human blood into halflings? What might that look like? The basic idea I came up with was that they'd be more aggressive, confident, driven and martially inclined than Hairfoots (the "pureblood" halflings), but I really could use someone to talk to in order to discuss whether there's a better way to make them work.

Halfling Subrace: Tallfellow
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Wisdom
Darkvison
Fey Ancestry: You have Advantage on saves vs Charm and are immune to magical Sleep.
Keen Senses: You have Proficiency in Perception.
Fleet-Footed: Increase your base walking speed to 30 feet.


Halfling Subrace: Strongheart
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Strength, +1 Intelligence
Schooling: You gain Proficiency with either 1 skill of your choice or one martial melee weapon of your choice.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 05:32 PM
The Dargonesti and Dimernesti were born of idle whim; I was flicking through the Races of Ansalon sourcebook for Dragonlance in 3rd edition, and I thought "y'know, we don't have an Aquatic Elf yet; wonder if these could work? They'd be more interesting than just an elf with a swim speed and water breathing". And before anyone asks, yeah, I know the Dargonesti had spell-like abilities in that book; I figured the best way to handle that would be to take a leaf out of the Svirfneblin and cloister the spell-like powers behind a racial feat. I wanted to make sure the core race was okay before tackling a feat.

Elf Subrace: Dargonesti
Also known as “Deep Elves”, Dargonesti are one of the two races of Aquatic Elf native to the world of Krynn, distinguished by their ability to shapeshift into the forms of dolphins or porpoises.
Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Amphibious: A Deep Elf can breathe both air and water.
Aquatic: A Deep Elf has a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Shapeshifter: A Deep Elf has the ability to transform into the shape of an animal, a trait it can use once per long rest. This follows all of the rules of Druid Wild Shape, except that a Deep Elf can only assume one form through this trait: a dolphin (VGtM: 208).

Elf Subrace: Dimernesti
Also known as “Shoal Elves”, Dimernesti are one of the two races of Aquatic Elf native to the world of Krynn, distinguished by their ability to shapeshift into the forms of otters.
Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Amphibious: A Shoal Elf can breathe both air and water.
Aquatic: A Shoal Elf has a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Shapeshifter: A Shoal Elf has the ability to transform into the shape of an animal, a trait it can use once per long rest. This follows all of the rules of Druid Wild Shape, except that a Shoal Elf can only assume one form through this trait: an otter. Use the stats for a Weasel (MM:340), but give it a Swim Speed of 30 feet and the Hold Breath (15 mins) racial trait.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 05:52 PM
Now we start getting into more complicated stuff, and for that I can only apologize. Saurian Shifters appeared in Dragon Magazine #328, and their basic idea is "what if Shifters weren't Werebeasts-Lite, but Weredinos-Lite?" Now, call it cheesy if you like, but I thought that this was a pretty awesome idea, so I wanted to update it to 5e. Of course, as the current official Shifter is pretty lackluster - the old "pick your shifting traits" really don't work well as mandated and mutually exclusive subraces - I ended up taking my conversion in a different direction, by using specific strains of dinothropy as the basis of the subraces.

Shifter Variant: Saurian Shifters
If shifters are an enigmatic and mysterious race, then that goes doubly so for their reptilian counterparts, the Saurian Shifters. These bizarre humanoids are like shifters, able to assume a more bestial form when combat beckons, but unlike their common counterparts, their frames betray a melding of man and ancient reptile; dinosaurs. Such beings may hail from worlds where saurian strains of therianthropy exist, forming a natural extension of shifter breeds for such creatures as wereraptors and weretyrannosaurs. Others may be the product of ancient - or modern - arcane rituals, such as the vile Tchaltilka used by the barbarous followers of Atzanteotl. And yet others may have even weirder origins, such as unions between men and Saurials, races of sapient dinosaur-folk.

Ability Score Modifier: +1 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision
Shifting: On your turn, you can spend a bonus action to Shift, entering an altered state that lasts for 1 minute or until you spend another bonus action to end it. Whilst shifting, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Constitution bonus (minimum of 1) and a Shifting Feature racial trait determined by your subrace. After you have used this trait, you must complete a short rest or long rest before using it again.
Subrace: Choose between the Deathjaw, Boneskin, Thunderfoot, Seasnatcher, Skyskimmer, Clawkiller, Hornbrute or Riptail subraces. The subrace you choose alters your ability score and determines your Shifting Feature.

Deathjaw Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength
Fang-filled Maw: When making an unarmed strike, you can choose to do a bite attack instead. This changes your damage to 1 + Strength modifier Piercing damage and allows you to automatically grapple a target of your size or smaller on a successful hit.
Rip and Tear: Whilst grappling a target, you can use a Bonus Action to make a bite attack against that target. Your bite attack inflicts 1d3 + Strength modifier Piercing damage when used this way.
Keen Scent: You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving smell.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, your Bite attack increases in damage to 1d6 + Strength modifier and counts as Magical for purposes of penetrating damage resistance.

Boneskin Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +2 Constitution
Impenetrable Hide: When unarmored, your natural AC is 13 + Constitution modifier. When wearing armor that would give you a lower AC, you can choose to use your natural AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal whilst using your natural armor.
Thick Skull: You have Advantage on Constitution saves against the Stunned effect.
Cudgeling Tail: Your powerful tail allows you to deliver an Unarmed Strike that deals 1d4 + Strength modifier Bludgeoning damage as a Bonus Action.
Shifting Feature: When you shift, you gain temporary hit points equal to double your level + twice your Constitution modifier (minimum of +2) instead of the normal level + Constitution modifier.

Thunderfoot Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +1 Constitution, +1 Strength
Powerful Build: You count as one size larger for determining your carrying, dragging, pushing and pulling capacity.
Tail Whip: As a bonus action, you can make a Tail Slap. This is an Unarmed Strike with the Reach (10 feet) trait and which delivers 1d3 + Strength modifier Bludgeoning Damage.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, you gain +5 feet of Reach with all attacks and double your damage with Unarmed Strikes, but also counts as one size larger for determining space.

Seasnatcher Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Swimmer: You have a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Hold Breath: You can hold its breath for 15 minutes.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, you increase your Swim speed to 60 feet and gain the Amphibious trait.

Skyskimmer Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity
Perch-Seeker: A Skyskimmer Shifter has Advantage on Strength (Climb) and jumping checks.
Glider: A Skyskimmer Shifter that is not Incapacitated is immune to Falling damage.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, your wings strengthen, giving you a Fly speed. At 1st level, these are only powerful enough to propel you at a rate of 10 feet per round. At 3rd, 5th and 7th level, your flight speed increases by +10 feet, giving you a Fly speed of 20 feet, 30 feet and 40 feet, respectively.

Clawkiller Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Scything Claws: Your Unarmed Strike damage changes to 1 + Dexterity modifier Slashing damage.
Swift Runner: Your base land speed increases to 40 feet.
Leaping Killer: You ignore the movement penalty for difficult terrain and have Advantage on Jump checks.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, your Unarmed Strikes do 1d6 + Dexterity modifier Magical Slashing damage. You also gain an Extra Attack which can only be used to make an Unarmed Strike.

Hornbrute Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength
Thunderous Passage: If you declare a Charge Attack (make a Move action within range of an enemy, then make a melee attack against that enemy), you can ignore Difficult Terrain between you and your target.
Charger: Your base movement speed increases to 35 feet.
Ramming Speed: If you make a Move action before making a Shove attack, you gain Advantage on the Shove check.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, if you use a Move action to move into an enemy's space, that enemy automatically takes 1d6 + Strength modifier Magical Piercing damage if you reach them.

Riptail Subrace
Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength
Scything Tail: As a bonus action, you can make a tail sweep attack. This is an Unarmed Strike that deals 1 + Strength modifier Slashing damage.
Immovable: Enemies suffer Disadvantage when making Shove checks against you.
Shifting Feature: While Shifted, you gain +1 to Armor Class. Additionally, your tail sweep attack now does 1d6 + Strength modifier Magical Slashing damage.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 06:53 PM
Tieflings. Although introduced as a homogenous race, the Unearthed Arcana article "That Old Black Magic" introduced the mechanics for playing Tieflings as a sub-race based species, with the core Racial Traits of +2 Charisma, Medium sized, 30 feet base speed, and Darkvision. This suited me well, as there's a large number of tiefling variants I want to try and convert to 5e. In 4th edition, Dragon Magazines #383 and #387 respectively gave us the bad luck-inducing Broken Mirrors and the entropic visioned Blightseers. Pathfinder, meanwhile, has a wide variety of speciality "recognizable ancestry" tieflings in their Blood of Fiends sourcebook, and cutting out the Devil/Daemon/Demon split left me with an array that I wanted to see if they could make the skip to 5th edition.

Tiefling Subrace: Broken Mirror Tiefling
Broken Mirror tieflings trace their lineage, through pact or blood, to the arch-devil Levistus. As a result, they do not possess the fiery might of other diabolic tieflings, but instead are harbingers of misfortune. Adversity follows these planetouched like a loyal hound, manifesting in an endless series of small accidents of bad timing and pure luck - never against the tiefling itself, but always those around them. Where a broken mirror walks, others trip or slip in the mud. Where they go to drink, others spill their drinks or receive the wrong servings. Where they sleep, others find themselves bedeviled by pests or nightmares. Only by deliberately cursing a creature with an outbreak of focused misfortune does this generalized bubble of bad luck vanish, and even then only for a time. Soon held to blame for every misfortune, legitimately or not, broken mirrors either master the arts of a nimble tongue, become recluses, or seek only the company of people forgiving or uncaring enough to ignore the occasional outburst of small misfortunes.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Mantle of Misfortune: As a bonus action, you can erect an aura that covers an area of 20 feet. All creatures within this aura apart from you suffer Disadvantage on their attack rolls and, on a missed attack, can be moved 5 feet in a direction of your choice. The aura lasts until the end of your next turn. This power can be used once, and then cannot be used again until you have completed a short rest.


Tiefling Subrace: Blightseer Tiefling
Blightseer tieflings are bound by ties of blood or oath to the arch-devil Baalzebul, with the fallen angel rewarding them for their ties with visions of ruination and decay. Unless forced aside, a tiefling's vision swims with the effects of time's passage on whatever lies before them, causing all things to rot, decay and putrefy as it watches. By tapping into their infernal heritage, a blightseer can bring this entropic vision to pass, unleashing a gaze of ruin that destroys whatever they are looking at. With a glance, an angry blightseer can sour milk, rot wood, rust iron, crack glass... or make flesh wither from bones. These tieflings are masters of petty retribution, and tend to be thinkers - people who prefer taking a single effective shot rather than swinging multiple times to produce the desired result.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
Gaze of Ruin: As an action, you can unleash a Gaze of Ruin. When using this power, you can either target one creature you can see and impose Vulnerability to the next attack it takes before the end of your next turn, or unleash a 15ft cone of decay. All creatures in this cone must make a Constitution save. On a failed save, the creature takes Necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier + your Wisdom modifier and begins to rot. Whilst rotting, it must make a Constitution save at the start of each of its turns; on a successful save, the decay ends, whilst on a failed save, it takes Necrotic damage again. The rot continues until the creature passes its save or dies. Once you have used this power, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest or a long rest.


Tiefling Subrace: Faultspawn
Offspring of the asuras, a race of contemplative and resentful fiends born from catastrophic divine mistakes, the faultspawn are marked by their ancestors with reptilian physiology, excessive limbs, eyes or mouths, androgyny, and a natural instinct towards both misotheism and cruelty.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
Asura's Gifts: A faultspawn can cast the Vicious Mockery cantrip with this trait. At third level, it can cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter as a 1st level spell with this trait once per long rest. At fifth level, it can cast Crown of Madness as a 2nd level spell with this trait once per long rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability score for this trait.
Heir to Destruction: A faultspawn gains Proficiency with two martial weapons of its choice.

Tiefling Subrace: Spitespawn
Heirs to the malicious and envious corrupted genies known as divs, these tieflings inherit much of their ancestors' spite and drive to sow misery. Invariably sporting twisting horns like a div, their ancestry also makes itself known through weird mutations of flesh and mouth, from elongated tongues and unusually pigmented or blotchy hides to nested jaws or mobile bulges under the skin.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Div's Trickery: A spitespawn can cast Minor Illusion with this trait. At third level, it can cast Unseen Servant with this trait once per long rest. At fifth level, it can cast Detect Thoughts with this trait once per long rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability score for this trait.
Liar's Tongue: A spitespawn has advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks.

Tiefling Subrace: Shackleborn
Born from the ministrations of the kytons, a breed of Shadowfell-dwelling fiends obsessed with pain, pleasure and redefining the meaning of flesh, the shackleborn are born marked by a deep fascination with physical cruelty. Mutilation and torture is in their birthright, whether they seek to embrace it with sadomasochistic hedonism or to channel it towards hopefully virtuous goals. Many shackleborn are literally born mutilated, with skin marked by permanent scars and bruises, transclucent flesh or natural piercings of bone or organic metal. Their fixation on sadomasochism invariably leaves its mark on their bodies even beyond that.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Constitution
Pain is Pleasure is Pain: If you take damage in your turn, you can gain Advantage to one attack roll or ability saving throw of your choice made before the end of your next turn. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1), and then must take a long rest before you can use the ability again.
Love The Lash: A shackleborn has Proficiency with the Whip and the Spiked Chain.

Tiefling Subrace: Hungerseed
With their voracious appetites for physical pleasures and sensual indulgence, it should be little surprise that the thuggish oni produce many tiefling descendants. Inheriting the brute strength and the voracious drives of their ancestors, typically marked by overgrown frames, tusks, and unnaturally hued skin, hair and/or eyes, hungerseeds are never content to accept their lot and always seek more.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Powerful Build: A hungerseed is treated as being one size larger for determining its carrying, pushing, pulling and dragging capacity.
Crushing Blows: When a hungerseed delivers a critical hit with a melee weapon, it increases the bonus damage it inflicts by a further base dice roll.
Surge of Might: At 5th level, a hungerseed can cast Enlarge/Reduce (Enlarge only, Self only) as a 2nd level spell. It can cast this spell with this trait only once, and must then complete a long rest before using this trait again.

Tiefling Subrace: Motherless
Invariably weirdly shaped and often reminiscent of primeval organisms such as invertebrates or sea creatures, the Motherless rarely trace their lineage to direct interbreeding with the qlippoth, and more commonly mark individuals or areas stained by the taint of the primordial horrors.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
Primeval Fortitude: A motherless increases its Constitution modifier by +1 for determining how long it can go without food and water. Additionally, it can derive nourishment from any organic substance it can eat or drink, has Advantage on saves versus Poison and Disease, and is Resistant to Poison damage.
Eldritch Magicks: A motherless can cast the Chill Touch cantrip with this trait. At 3rd level, it can cast Arms of Hadar as a first level spell with this trait once per long rest. At 5th level, it can cast Crown of Madness as a second level spell with this trait once per long rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability score for this trait.

Tiefling Subrace: Beastbrood
Arrogant and hedonistic as they are, it should be little surprise that rakshasas spawn a great number of tieflings. Although invariably marked with animalistic traits both subtle and overt, even the most inhuman of the beastbrood is eerily harmonious in its fusion of man and beast, creating weirdly exotic tieflings. This peculiar form of... if not beauty, then at least not-hideousness only fuels the haughtiness and hedonism that the beastbrood inherit from their fiendish progenitors.

Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Bent Body: A beastbrood has Advantage on saves to avoid being Grappled and to escape from a grapple or physical restraints.
Rakshasa's Command: A beastbrood can cast the Friends cantrip with this trait. At third level, it can cast Disguise Self with this trait once per long rest. At fifth level, it can cast Detect Thoughts with this trait once per long rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability score for this trait.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 07:09 PM
Genasi... really, what is there to say about Genasi? I loved the Elemental Chaos of 4e for exploring things beyond the "Elemental Wheel" of old, especially since I've always had a fondness for the Wu Xing elemental quintet. This is the origin of the Storm, Ice, Wood and Metal Genasi you see below.

Storm Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Storm-Skein: A Storm Genasi has Resistance to Lightning and Thunder damage.
Storm-Weaver: You know the Shocking Grasp and Thunderclap cantrips. Constitution is your casting ability score for these cantrips.

Metal Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Skin Made of Iron: When unarmored, you treat your default AC as 11 + Constitution modifier.
Steel In Your Bones: You have Resistance to Force Damage.
Tools of Life and Death: You know the Sword Burst and Mending cantrips, treating Constitution as your spellcasting ability score for both.

Wood Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Vegetative Vitality: You have Resistance to Poison. When you are subject to an effect that restores your hit points, you may add your Constitution modifier to the roll.
Bend the Boughs: You know the Thorn Whip cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast Entangle once per long rest with this trait. Dexterity is your spellcasting ability score for these traits.

Ice Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Frigid Flesh: An Ice Genasi has Resistance to Cold Damage. Additionally, an Ice Genasi can cast Freezing Touch as a Cantrip with this trait; treat this as Shocking Grasp, but inflicting Cold damage rather than Lightning. Intelligence is the casting ability score used for Freezing Touch.
Heart of Ice: An Ice Genasi has Advantage on any Wisdom saves made to resist Charm effects.
Ice Tomb: As an action you can freeze yourself in a protective armor that completely encases you. For 1 Minute or until the armor breaks, you gain temporary health equal to double your total class levels. This armor breaks if you lose all your temporary hit points, or if you replace your current temporary hit points with another source of temporary hit points.


Wasteland Genasi, a category I'm not done working on yet, were inspired by the Genasi of Athas article from Dragon Magazine #396. I eventually hope to add Rain, Magma, Blight and Smoke Genasi to this category, but for now I'm focusing on sharing the races I have.

Sun Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Undimmed Gaze: A Sun Genasi does not suffer penalties to attack rolls or Wisdom (Perception) checks induced by an overabundance of bright light. It also has Advantage on Constitution checks made to resist the Blind effect.
Rays of Life and Death: A Sun Genasi can cast the Light and Searing Ray cantrips with this trait - treat Searing Ray as a Fire Bolt spell that inflicts Radiant damage instead of Fire damage. At 3rd level, a Sun Genasi can cast Cure Wounds as a 1st level spell once per long rest with this trait. At 5th level, it can cast Blazing Rays (treat as Scorching Ray as a 2nd level spell but inflicts Radiant damage instead of Fire Damage) once per long rest. Charisma is used as the casting ability score for all spells cast with this trait.
Unburning Skin: A Sun Genasi has Resistance to Radiant Damage. Additionally, it is treated as being Acclimatized to Extreme Heat.

Dust Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
Child of Dust: A dust genasi has Resistance to Necrotic damage.
Entropic Touch: A dust genasi can choose to inflict Necrotic damage equal to its Wisdom modifier when making an unarmed strike. Additionally, once per short rest, as part of an attack with a weapon, a dust genasi can envelop its weapon in entropic energy. If the attack hits, it inflicts bonus Necrotic damage equal to the dust genasi’s level.
Writhing Dust: Once per long rest, a dust genasi may assume a Dust Form as a bonus action. Treat this as a Gaseous Form spell that lasts for 1 minute and which slithers across the ground at the genasi's normal speed, ignoring difficult terrain, instead of flying.


Finally, Dread Genasi, the one sub-group I most want to refine, stem from the Dread Elements of Ravenloft; these are corrupted, evil elementals that have existed since 2nd edition. Pyre Elementals are mad fire elementals dedicated to burning everything around them; in 2e, they could burn away armor, whilst in 3e, this was changed to the ability to set people on fire (which I think was normal to fire elementals?) and the ability to animate corpses as Burning Dead (zombies & skeletons that take d3 fire damage themselves each round, but which do bonus fire damage with their slam attacks). Blood Elementals are vampiric water elementals, most characterized by their ability to leech blood from people and use it to heal themselves. Mist Elementals are malignant air elementals, most distinguished by their ability to turn a victim evil (Chaotic Evil in 2e, Neutral Evil in 3e) by touching them (which also Charmed the victim in 2e). Grave Elementals are amalgamations of grave soil and bones, unique for their ability to make people sink into solid earth or stone.

With these powers in mind, you can understand why I worry about the powers I gave my Dread Genasi, yes? I can provide more detailed writeups of the original Dread Elementals. Dread Genasi first appeared in 3.5, in issue #7 of the online fan-content magazine "Quoth the Raven", created and hosted by the Fraternity of Shadows.

Grave Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
Child of the Grave: You have Resistance to both Cold Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Clutch of the Grave: You know the Chill Touch cantrip, which uses Wisdom as your spellcasting ability score.
Breathless: A Grave Genasi does not need to breathe, making them immune to the effects of drowning, suffocation, strangulation, and inhaled poison.
Return to the Grave: A Grave Genasi has a Burrow speed of 20 feet, though until it reaches 5th level it can only Burrow through loose soil. Additionally, upon reaching 5th level, a Grave Genasi may cast Meld With Stone once per long rest; this version of Meld With Stone works on soil and earth as well as stone.

Pyre Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Born Amidst Charred Bones: A Pyre Genasi has Resistance to both Fire Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Burn With Me: A Pyre Genasi's Unarmed Attacks do Fire damage equal to their Constitution bonus.
Firestarter: A Pyre Genasi knows the Produce Flame and Control Flame cantrips, which use Strength as their spellcasting ability score.

Mist Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Miasmic Spawn: A Mist Genasi has Resistance to both Poison Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Baleful Breath: You know the Poison Spray cantrip, which uses Charisma as your spellcasting ability score.
Call the Mists: A Mist Genasi can cast Fog Cloud as a 2nd level spell once per short rest. Upon reaching fifth level, they may cast Gaseous Form once per long rest.
Cloak of Mist: You may attempt to hide even when only lightly obscured, so long as that cover originates from mist, smoke, steam or other visible vapors.

Blood Genasi:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Gore-Slicked Birth: A Blood Genasi has Resistance to both Acid Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Bloodscent: A Blood Genasi has Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Perception and Survival) checks made in relation to blood. Noticing blood-stains or blood-smeared items, tracking a wounded creature, identifying a smear as blood, or avoiding ambush by a blood-covered assailant are all examples of using this trait.
Pool of Blood: At 5th level, a Blood Genasi may cast a variant of the Gaseous Form spell upon itself once per long rest. In this state, a Blood Genasi cannot fly, but crawls along the ground at double its movement speed. Otherwise, it functions as per Gaseous Form.
Thief of Life: A Blood Genasi's Unarmed Attacks inflict Necrotic damage equal to their Constitution bonus.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-02-26, 07:25 PM
And, finally, we reach the end of my current list of races that fall under this topic. I bet you're all so glad, huh?

The Warforged has an official 5e conversion already, but, like all Eberron placeholder updates, it's... pretty lackluster. Keith Baker also has his own personal update of the Warforged on his blog, but, I didn't find that quite satisfactory, either. So, I went ahead and brewed my own... and yes, I may have gone a little overboard with the "designated combat roles equate to subraces" formula I followed.

The Warforged play a huge role in my Malebolge setting, so alongside the Forgeborn Dwarves, this is the race I absolutely, desperately need to get critiqued and commented upon so I can make it properly balanced.

Warforged, Core:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Constitution
Living Construct: A Warforged is immune to disease, has Advantage on saving throws vs. Poison, is Resistant to Poison Damage, and does not need to eat or breathe, although it can still consume organic matter if needed.
Unsleeping Sentinel: A warforged needs only 4 hours of sleep per day instead of 8 to remain healthy. Additionally, whilst in its resting trance, a warforged remains fully aware of its surroundings.
Integrated Armor: As part of a short rest, a warforged can integrate a suit of armor into it body. This prevents the armor from being removed until it spends another short rest doing so. Integrating a suit of armor allows a warforged to benefit from its protection without any drawbacks, even if it does not have proficiency with that armor type.
Subrace: Choose between the Scout, Trooper, Jaeger, Mekanik and Nexus subraces.

Warforged, Scout
Ability Score Modifier: +2 Dexterity
Size: Small
Movement: 35 feet
Vision: Darkvision
Recording Engrams: A Scout can remember anything it has seen or heard with perfect clarity, unless magic is used to modify its memory.
Stealth Unit: A Scout has Proficiency with Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Warforged, Trooper
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Movement: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Built for War: A Trooper has proficiency with Medium Armor and two Martial weapons of your choice.
Hardened Systems: A Trooper is treated as being Acclimatized to extreme heat, extreme cold and high altitude, and does not suffer a penalty to Wisdom (Perception) checks as a result of environmental factors like strong wind or heavy precipitation.

Warforged, Jaeger
Ability Score Modifier: +2 Strength
Size: Medium
Movement: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Powerful Build: Treat a Jaeger as being one size larger for determining carrying, pushing and pulling capacity.
Dense Plating: A Jaeger's unarmored AC is 12 + Constitution Modifier.
Megaton Drivers: A Jaegar that delivers a critical hit with a melee weapon doubles its Strength bonus to calculate damage inflicted. Additionally, it has Advantage on Strength checks made to break objects.

Warforged, Mekanik:
Ability Score Increase: +2 Intelligence
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Inscribed Wards: A Mekanik has Advantage on Constitution and Dexterity saving throws against magical spells and effects that inflict elemental damage.
Nullifier Runes: Once per short rest, when the Mekanik or a visible ally with 30 feet takes elemental damage, the Mekanik can use its reaction to grant the target Resistance against that single attack.
Restorative Touch: By touching an ally, the Mekanik can allow that ally to spend 1 hit die and regain missing hit points equal to the hit die's roll + the Mekanik's Intelligence modifier. A Mekanik can use this ability a number of times equal to its Intelligence modifier, and regains expended uses of this ability when it takes a short or long rest.

Warforged, Nexus:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence, +1 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 Feet
Vision: Normal
Fire, Ice, Lightning: A Nexus can cast the cantrips Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, and Shocking Grasp with this trait. At 3rd level, it can cast Burning Hands, Freezing Spray (as Burning Hands but doing Cold damage) and Lightning Splash (as Burning Hands but doing Lightning damage) as a 1st level spell once per day with this trait. It may only use a single one of these 1st level spells per long rest. At 5th level, it can cast Flaming Sphere, Blizzard Globe (Flaming Sphere but Cold damage) and Shocking Orb (Flaming Sphere but Lightning Damage) as a 2nd level spell once per day with this trait. It may only use a single one of these 2nd level spells per long rest. When casting spells using this trait, a Nexus uses the higher of Intelligence or Charisma as its casting ability score.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-03-14, 08:08 PM
Alright, Zeek0 has been offering me some critique on these races and, due to problems with their connection, I need to post their critique myself before responding to it.

Forgeborn Dwarf:
Comment #1: Looking at this subrace, I see two things. First, other dwarf subraces have 1-2 additional traits – this has 4. Second, most of these are circumstantial. Elemental Spark, the only non-circumstantial trait, is rather weak. Basically, you get to deal 1-5 additional damage each short rest. Perhaps it would help if I had a bit of backstory about these dwarves. Are they planar explorers? What made them so hardy? How do they control the elements?

Response #1: Forgeborn Dwarves originate from Dragon Magazine #383 for 4th edition and tie into that edition's lore for dwarves. In a nutshell, at the dawn of creation, dwarves were slaves of the Titans - giant elemental beings fashioned by the Primordials, of which Giants are watered down, more "mortal" kinsfolk, and were forced to labor for them in the Elemental Chaos (think the Great Wheel's Elemental Planes all mashed together with each other plus Limbo). Over generations, many clans became overly infused with elemental energies; those who were too overly saturated transformed into elemental beings in their own right, and became Azers, Galeb Duhr, Eisk Jaat, and nebulous "other" races. Forgeborn Dwarves stem from clans that were freed from their slavery before they become totally elemental, but they were still left with potent elemental abilities as a result. I can post the entire article here if that'd be helpful.

Comment #2: Why Charisma?

Response #2: Because Charisma is the Willpower stat, and the fluff for Forgeborn dwarves talks a lot about their willpower.

I'll leave out the Feat comments for now because I want to keep this fairly brief.


Dwarf Subrace: Derro
Comment: Magic Resistance negates the penalty imposed to Wisdom saves by Derro Madness

Response: Initially, I was thinking that's a bonus, as it reflects how the craziness of Derro makes them resistant to attempts to control their minds but as mos Wisdom saves are caused by magic... yeah, the idea is that Derro Madness trumps Magic Resistance. Maybe instead make it immune to Charmed effect?


Halflings:
Comment #1: Why? (Tallfellow)
Comment #2: This combination will only be useful to the player if they play a gish. Otherwise, it is awkwardly moot. (Strongheart)

Response #1: Because Tallfellows in AD&D were the "elven halflings" to contrast the Stouts as "dwarven halflings", with racial abilities clearly borrowing from elves. So, I wanted to see if that idea could be converted. Stronghearts were born of the same line of thought; we have dwarf-blooded halflings and elf-blooded halflings, so what would a human-blooded halfling subrace look like?

Response #2: I didn't really have any solid ideas for this race, so I went with just the +1 in two stats that felt thematic for how I figured Stronghearts would be - aggressive and adaptable, per "Races of Destiny" and its description of humanity.


Saurian Shifters:
Comment initially applied to the Boneskin's Cudgelling Tail: As I know shifters traditionally, they don’t have overt animal traits until after they shift. Thus, I don’t think this fits well with the theme. Same for other traits below.
Response: Yeah, I know... sigh, the problem is, hiding everything behind shifting, which is admittedly a once per short rest trait, does make a race feel kind of bland, I thought. I don't know...

Boneskin Comments:
Impenetrable Hide - You know my feelings on this.
Thick Skull - If you look, there’s about 5 ways you can get this effect in the game. Maybe not the best ability to have?
Response: Actually, no, I don't know your feelings on this. And yeah, Thick Skull is kind of dull, but the were-anklyosaurs need something to showcase their toughness, and resistance to Bludgeoning damage is kind of overpowered.

Thunderfoot comment: Tail Whip is likely too powerful for a racial trait. Note that this is equivalent to one of the main features of the Polearm Master Feat
Response: Yeah, you're probably right here. Not sure what else to give a sauropod, though.

Seasnatcher comment: +1 Str & +1 Dex is not terribly useful, as most times you focus on one or the other – not both.
Response: As with the Strongheart, I know, but it was essentially the best I could come up with.

Hornbrute comment: Look to UA Minotaur for wording on how to pull off Ramming Speed.
Response: Thanks, I'll do that.


Blightseer Tiefling:
Comments: Can your Gaze of Ruin affect objects? What is its range? And the ability to impose Vulnerability sounds overpowered; I'd stick with just the secondary effect.
Response: Yes, it can affect objects, at least I'd like it to. Range? Well, how far is PC sight range normally? I envisioned that, to all practical purposes, it's about 30 feet, maybe 60 feet. Ironically, imposing Vulnerability for a round was exactly what the power did in 4th edition, so I don't know if it should lose that trait or not.


Faultspawn Tiefling:
Comment: I like this one. It has a cool spell list, and dark flavor.
Response: Thanks. Pathfinder has some interesting fiends and attendant lore, but they are a pain to try and convert, especially seeing as how the 5e tiefling... really is kind of pathetic when broken down into its subrace format.


Shackleborn Tiefling:
Comment #1: To say invariably gives the player little choice in their possible character. Perhaps the character suppresses their urges to inflict pain?
Response #1: Yeah, that does make sense.

Comment #2: I think Pain is Pleasure is Pain is a smidge too powerful. Perhaps 1/short rest is better, to prevent it from being used multiple times in a single combat.
Response #2: Do remember that this ability only works one time per time you take damage. So it's about sacrificing HP for a boost that even then may not guarantee victory, so I kind of feel that the current setup works best. I don't know, anybody else have any opinions?

Comment #3: Love The Lash is a bit too on the nose for me. Also, is their proficiency with these weapons an innate quality inborn in them at birth?
Response #3: I don't follow what you mean by that first part. And yes, the proficiency is in-born; kytons, also known as Chain Devils, are born with barbed chains and flails emerging from their flesh, which they use like tentacles. Their tiefling spawn don't necessarily have those traits themselves, but the memory is genetic.


Beastbrood Tiefling:
Comment: Bent Body makes little sense to me. How does this help a character get out of a headlock or manacles?
Response: Rakshasas have bodies full of differently positioned and diffferently mobile joints. Limbs that are on backwards, heads that twist 180 degrees, etc. Their tiefling spawn inherit these traits, so that makes them hard to properly secure when they can rotate their limbs or bend joints in directions no normal human could. Imagine placing an armlock on somebody who can bend their elbow backwards as readily as they do forwards; not exactly going to do you a lot of good to try and bend it backwards, now is it?


Elf Subrace: Dargonesti
Comment: Wisdom feels more like the sea to me. Also, note that Dex and Str don’t mix on the same character.
Response: I didn't make this race up. It's straight out of Dragonlance 3.5's Races of Ansalon, where its ability score modifiers were +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma. With 5e's no negative stats general rule and elves already getting +2 Dexterity, that leaves only +1 Strength for the 5e conversion. And just because the same class won't get true benefits from both Dexterity and Strength doesn't mean it's bad for a race to have both Str and Dex mods.


Elf Subrace: Dimernesti
Comment: It seems odd that outside of your wild shape, you can breathe water, but you lose that ability when you wildshape.
Response: Yeah, I think judging by their 3.5 stats, it's more accurate to say that their water-breathing ability trumps the normal need for air, and this applies to both the Dargonesti and the Dimernesti. Their beast forms are more social camouflage tricks than anything else.


Comment on both Elves: Both of these aquatic elves are rather cool, what with their wildshaping.
Response: Thanks. That's actually partially why I wanted to convert them; unlike the vanilla Aquatic Elf, these two had a bit more to them than just "elf, but with swim speed and water breathing". The Dargonesti actually is justified in having a racial magic feat, ala the Svirfneblin gnome, but I haven't tried to convert that yet.


Alternate Warforged
Comment #1: Including no disadvantage on stealth checks?
Response #1: I actually couldn't find what penalties trying to wear armor without proficiency give, and I basically stole this racial trait from Keith Baker's writeup of the 5e Warforged, so... yeah, I'd say there's no stealth checks penalty. It's built into your body, it's not exactly going to shift around.

Comment #2: I love the Scout's Recording Engrams feature.
Response #2: Thanks! I thought it was a nice fluffy ribbon.

Comment #3: A character that doesn’t use strength (finesse characters, or casters) wouldn’t benefit from the Trooper's +1s to Str and Dex well. Dex and Wis?
Response #3: Hmm... I hadn't thought about it much, but, yeah, that actually might work better.

Comment #4: Built For War is made moot by Integrated Armor.
Response #4: Point. It just felt like it made sense, as a way to more readily pick up and use any gear it has to hand.

Comment #5: The Jaeger's Dense Plating is mostly useless, since you can expect a Str character to use lots of armor. Plate beats this no matter how high your Con is.
Response #5: Yeah, unfortunately, the Jaegar as the "heavy assault model" Warforged was hard to give a decent set of traits to.

Comment #6: I like Megaton Drivers a lot.
Response #6: Thanks! Why do you like this feature?

Comment #7: I like Inscribed Wards. It makes me think of a bomb squad.
Response #7: Thank you.

Comment #8: The restoration of living beings seems, to me, to be out of line with the theme. Perhaps Tinker would work well here?
Response #8: Hmm, maybe. The Mekanik was basically envisioned as the "medic model" warforged, created to patch up its fellow constructs on the field; that's where its racial traits came from. This was before the Artificer became a thing, though, so with that class now available and the Mekanik easily aligning with it, replacing Restorative Touch with Tinker might make sense.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-03-22, 05:51 AM
Folks? I was just musing over my love for the first two Bioshock games and I was wondering - to cut a long story short, to handle a race based on Big Daddies, would you refluff Warforged stats or would you create stats from scratch?

PotatoGolem
2017-03-22, 09:26 AM
Forge born dwarf is too strong. Changing the resistance is a huge buff, and the formula needlessly complicated. It might be balanced if it was just choose one normal resistance at character creation. Still seems to give much more than the other subraces

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-03-22, 11:05 AM
Forge born dwarf is too strong. Changing the resistance is a huge buff, and the formula needlessly complicated. It might be balanced if it was just choose one normal resistance at character creation. Still seems to give much more than the other subraces

Yeah, unfortunately, to do the Forgeborn Dwarf justice, it needs multiple energy resistances - that was its most defining trait in 4e, that it provided resistance against Acid, Cold, Electricity and Fire all at the same time. Not very much (2 points, 3 points at level 11, 5 points at level 21) unless you bought a feat, but still, it was supposed to be very resistant to multiple energies.

I'm open to discussing how to covert that to 5e's generally lower-powered approach.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-03-25, 01:58 AM
Way back when 3e was new on the block, Dragon Magazine ran a series of articles showcasing the coming edition, and particularly how this was going to change the once-familiar races. Issue #291 was dedicated to Gnomes, and introduced two subraces that I don't think have been reposted elsewhere: River Gnomes and Arcane Gnomes.

River Gnomes were a particularly isolationist branch of the gnomish family tree; like Forest Gnomes, they were drawn to nature, but they chose to live in dens or caves near rivers and streams. These gnomes lost their spell-like abilities and could only talk to river beasts (fish, otters and ducks, for example), but were very fast (+1 to initiative checks) and natural swimmers (Swim speed 20 feet, +8 racial bonus to Swim checks to perform special action or avoid a hazard, can always take 10 on a Swim check, can use Run whilst swimming, can hold breath for 4 times Con score rounds).

In 5th edition, I think a River Gnome subrace would look something like this:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Waterborn: You have a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Deep Diver: You can hold your breath for 4 + Constitution modifier minutes, instead of the normal 1 + Constitution modifier minutes.

Since Speak To Animals is no longer an inherent ability of all gnomes, I don't really know if River Gnomes need to retain it. Likewise, I don't think it's normally acceptable for race to modify initiative checks, so instead I simply gave them a much faster Swim speed than they had in 3.5, as well as a bonus to Dexterity, which I think makes them faster than average anyway. I'm open to discussion on how to properly tweak them.

Arcane Gnomes may seem like an oxymoron, but were truly dedicated to the study of magic. This gave them +2 Int and -2 Wis (on top of the default +2 Con/-2 Str for being gnomes, which was their ability modifier at the time) and caused them to forsake Speak With Animals for always treating Use Magical Device as a class skill. Needless to say, their favored class was Wizard.

This would be my kneejerk method for converting them to 5th edition:
Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Mage-Trained: You have Proficiency in Intelligence (Arcana).
Magic in the Blood: You can cast the Prestidigitation cantrip and 1 other Wizard cantrip of your choice. Intelligence is your casting ability score when casting cantrips granted to you by this trait.

The bonus to Charisma means that whilst their default +2 Int makes them great Wizards, they're also not bad at being Sorcerers, which also reflects their 3.0 fluff of being "pure" in terms of racial attunement to raw magical energy. Mage-Trained reflects their "Use Magic Device" racial trait of editions long past, a theme that Magic in the Blood strengthens and supports.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-05-22, 03:56 PM
So, I've been thinking about the tiefling possibilities for subraces since "That Old Black Magic" came out, and I thought I'd see if some of the other fiendish races of D&D might make sense for alternative subraces.

I'll admit straight away that, except for the Rakshasa Lineage, these rely on a mixture of lores from across editions. Night Hags having "mortal offspring they need to deliberately change into new Night Hags" is 3.5 fluff from their "Ecology of the X" article in Dragon Magazine, and really was the obvious inspiration for Pathfinder's Changelings in general. Daemons have never really stood out as a species, but Arcanaloths, reinvisioned as their own fiendish race as Ravaasta in 4e, do. Succubi Tieflings can kind of be done with just the Devil's Tongue racial variant, but I wanted to give it a proper shot, in honor of their finally becoming their own fiendish race in 5e.

...Ironically, though, I actually don't have any solid ideas what Night Hag, Rakasha or Succubus lineage might do for a tiefling in 5e... :sigh:

Tiefling Variants
Reminder: The core Tiefling racial traits are +2 Charisma, Medium sized, and Darkvision 60 feet.

Ravaasta Lineage:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Intelligence
Claws of Blindness: You possess clawed fingers that allow you to inflict Slashing damage with your Unarmed Strikes instead of Bludgeoning. Additionally, once per long rest, after hitting with an Unarmed Strike, you can force the target to make a Constitution save (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failed saving throw, the victim is Blinded for one (1) minute.
Omniglot: You possess additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier, and learn one new language each time you gain a level. Finally, when confronted with a language that you do not understand, you have Advantage on Intelligence or Wisdom checks made to decipher it.
Shapechanger: As an action, you can polymorph into any humanoid of your size that you have seen, or back into your true form. However, your equipment does not change with you. If you die, you revert to your natural appearance.

JNAProductions
2017-05-22, 09:15 PM
Omniglot is a little excessive-not mechanically, but just... 25 languages is a lot. Even the minimum of 20 is a lot.

I'd make it Int Bonus+Proficiency modifier languages.

And Shapechanger, HOO BOY. That's really damn powerful. I'd make it a much more limited transformation.

bunnynoah
2017-05-22, 09:39 PM
I like some of these! I'll save this for later.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-05-22, 10:03 PM
Omniglot is a little excessive-not mechanically, but just... 25 languages is a lot. Even the minimum of 20 is a lot.

I'd make it Int Bonus+Proficiency modifier languages.

And Shapechanger, HOO BOY. That's really damn powerful. I'd make it a much more limited transformation.

Yeah, I think Omniglot went a little nuts. The rules on PCs learning languages in 5e are kind of hard to actually narrow down, and Raavasta/Arcanaloths are supposed to be able to speak, read, and write every single language in the multiverse. So, yeah, refining that power is definitely something I want done.

Also, why is Shapechanger so powerful? The rules, which I took directly from the Eberron Update's changeling, basically give you Advantage on the 5e equivalent of Disguise checks, but it gives you no statistic modifier, no knowledge of anything the target knew (like, for example, people's names, passwords, etc), no gear to complete the disguise... so, yeah, how exactly is it so powerful? Especially since it's pretty much the only "big" power that the Ravaasta-Tiefling has?



I like some of these! I'll save this for later.

Much appreciated! What do you like in particular?

bunnynoah
2017-05-22, 10:17 PM
Tallfellow Halfling, Lupin, Half-Gnoll (Though I believe +CON would be better than INT or WIS), I'm interested in the Half-Gnome.

bunnynoah
2017-05-23, 12:05 AM
Maybe, though I wouldn't mind either way, you could put pictures with each race?

Just a thought.

Flashy
2017-05-23, 05:47 PM
Also, why is Shapechanger so powerful? The rules, which I took directly from the Eberron Update's changeling, basically give you Advantage on the 5e equivalent of Disguise checks, but it gives you no statistic modifier, no knowledge of anything the target knew (like, for example, people's names, passwords, etc), no gear to complete the disguise... so, yeah, how exactly is it so powerful? Especially since it's pretty much the only "big" power that the Ravaasta-Tiefling has!

It's one of the Alter Self options at will. It doesn't give you advantage on discuss checks, as worded it literally makes you look exactly like the creature of your choice. If you want it to do the other thing you have to describe saves and detection checks in the text of the ability.

And the shapeshift ability is the ONLY serious feature the UA changeling gets, even at the cost of having only a +1/+1 stat increase. A race with shapeshifting should have literally no other features.

Shadow_in_the_Mist
2017-07-03, 09:54 PM
I have a rather... complicated relationship with the Ravenloft setting. I love the idea of a dark fantasy setting for D&D, but Ravenloft and particularly its fans, in my eyes, tends to cripple itself by focusing too strongly on a narrow "Neo-Victorian" definition of what the game is actually meant to be. But... that doesn't mean that there aren't the occasional gems. In Quoth the Raven Issue #15, an annual fanzine of Ravenloft content, there was an article called "Shadows and Flame", which actually took the time to look at possible ways to reflavor the Dragonborn through more of a dark/horror fantasy view. Whilst the Fraternity of Shadows would ultimately reject these ideas, I found they did a wonderful job, with very inventive flavors.

Now, whilst those "Dark Dragonborn" were purely reflavorings of the core Dragonborn stats, I think that one or two of them could be used for entirely different statblocks - for example, "The Monsters", who are flavored as troglodytic, albino horrors lurking in caves and sewers, could have +2 Con/+1 Str, Superior Darkvision, Sunlight Sensitivity, Climb and/or Swim speeds, Perception proficiency and a mandated Poison or Acid breath weapon. I'm not really certain of that... but, somewhat time-twisted memories of one variant, the Cursed, gave me an idea for my own take on the idea of a Dark Fantasy Dragonborn race...


Sinwyrms
Vice is written into the very souls of dragondom. For untold eons, the dragon has been a symbol of the failings of the mortal heart, of mindless yearning for destruction or self-sabotaging deceit, of wrath kindled to explosive heights, of avarice and gluttony unchecked, and pride most obscene. Vice rules the Chromatic Dragons, and even the Metallics are incapable of escaping their darker impulses entirely. In some lands, though, the relationship between sin and dragon becomes more self-sustaining. Individuals who allow themselves to truly embrace sin, pursuing it in defiance of all moral conventions, may find flesh and bone reshaped and remade, cast into a more draconic frame to better pursue the vice that has consumed them. Or places that resonate with sin and vice may spawn eggs, from which hatch these strange dragons-who-walk-as-men.

Though consumed by vice, sinwyrms are not inherently evil. Their darker impulses can be tempered, channeled, and used for good. But never will they fit the iconic mold of the flawless knight in shining armor.

Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Scent for Sin: You can use an Insight check to try and determine the favorite sin of an individual, and add double your Proficiency bonus to such a check. If you share the same sin as an individual, you have Advantage on Deception and Persuasion checks against that individual.
Born of Vice: Choose the Avarice, Deceit, Destruction, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth, or Wrath subrace.

Avarice Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence
Filcher's Talons: You have Proficiency in Sleight of Hand. Additionally, you can use your claws as a natural weapon when making an unarmed strike, which allows it to inflict 1d6 + Dexterity modifier slashing damage.
Safeguard the Hoard: As part of a long rest, you can designate an item in your possession as a lodestone item. You can track this item as if it were the target of a Locate Object spell at will. You can have a number of lodestone items equal to 1 or your Intelligence modifier, whichever is higher.
Glimmering Gleanings: You have Advantage on Intelligence checks made to discern the monetary value of something, and also have Advantage on Perception checks made to detect valuable items.

Deceit Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence
Venomous Tongue: You have Proficiency in Deception. Additionally, you can use your Action to make a tongue lash attack. This a melee attack which you have proficiency in and which has a range of 5 feet. On a successful hit, the victim takes 2d6 + your Charisma modifier Poison damage, and can halve the damage with a successful Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Cha modifier + your Proficiency bonus). Increase the base damage to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After using your tongue lash attack, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.
Can't Lie to Me: You have Advantage on Insight checks made to resist Deception checks.
Deceitful Hexcraft: You can cast the Minor Illusion cantrip. At 3rd level, you can cast Disguise Self as a 1st level spell once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast Suggestion as a 2nd level spell once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score for these spells.

Destruction Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Born to Battle: You have Proficiency in two martial melee weapons of your choice.
Savage Blow: When you inflict a critical hit with a melee weapon, increase the damage inflicted by a further +1 dice.
Rip and Tear: Your unarmed strikes do damage equal to your Strength modifier, instead of the normal 1 damage. Additionally, you have Advantage on a Strength check made to destroy something.

Envy Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
Hungering Touch: When you make an unarmed strike, you can choose to inflict Necrotic Damage equal to your Intelligence modifier instead of the normal damage.
Mine-Mine-Mine: When you are within 30 feet of an ally who is under the effects of a spell with the Concentration rule, you can use a bonus action to transfer the effects of that spell to yourself.

Gluttony Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Constitution, +1 Dexterity
Predator's Maw: Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a successful hit, replace the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike with 1d6 + Str modifier piercing damage.
Charnel Feast: As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If it hits, it deals its normal damage and you gain temporary hit points equal your Con modifier (minimum of 1). After successfully using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest or a long rest.
All-Devouring: You have Resistance to Poison damage and are Immune to the Poisoned condition when it is inflicted by ingested materials.
Soften the Prey: As an action, you can exhale a 15ft cone of corrosive slime; creatures caught in the cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency bonus) or take 1d6 Acid damage, changing to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. On a successful saving throw, they halve the damage taken. Once you have used this breath weapon, you must complete a short rest before you can use it again.

Lust Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Charisma, +1 Constitution
Sinful Allure: You have Proficiency in Persuasion.
Baleful Charms: You can cast the Friends cantrip. At 3rd level, you can cast Charm Person as a 1st level spell once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast Suggestion as a 2nd level spell once per long rest.
Toxic Kiss: As an action, you can make a toxic touch attack. Treat this as a melee attack that you have Proficiency in, which forces the victim to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus). If they fail their save, they take 1d6 Poison damage, changing to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. On a successful saving throw, they halve the damage taken. Once you have used this ability, you must complete a short rest before you can use it again.

Pride Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +1 to two ability scores of your choice
Expertise: You have Proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Saving Face: If you miss with an attack roll, or fail either an ability check or a saving throw whilst you have one or more allies within 30 feet that you can see, you can immediately apply a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies within 30 feet, maxing out at +5. Once you have used this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest.

Sloth Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Constitution, +1 Intelligence
Explosive Energy Burst: When you move on your turn, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turs.
Unstoppable Motion: You can ignore difficult terrain, and are treated as being one size category larger to determine your lifting, pushing, pulling, dragging and carrying capacities.

Wrath Subrace:
Ability Score Increases: +2 Constitution, +1 Strength
Fury Never Dies: When you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed, you can choose to instead be reduced to 1 hit point. Once you have used this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Terrible Rage: Once per long rest, as a bonus action, you can enter a berserk rage. This state lasts for 1 minute, during which time you have Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and a +1 damage bonus on melee weapon attacks using Strength, and Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing Damage. Your rage ends prematurely if your are knocked unconscious, end your turn without having attacked a hostile creature or taken damage since your last turn, or choose to spend a bonus action to do so. If you have the Rage class ability, increase your Rages per Day by +1 instead.

JBPuffin
2017-07-04, 01:05 AM
It's one of the Alter Self options at will. It doesn't give you advantage on discuss checks, as worded it literally makes you look exactly like the creature of your choice. If you want it to do the other thing you have to describe saves and detection checks in the text of the ability.

And the shapeshift ability is the ONLY serious feature the UA changeling gets, even at the cost of having only a +1/+1 stat increase. A race with shapeshifting should have literally no other features.

While I'm stopping by - they don't have to spell anything out. That Alter Self option doesn't spell anything out - neither does the changeling, actually, so one would go back to the only thing that does describe disguise rather some 3.5 "mis-copied text for an already-existing ability trumps the original, functional version for this purpose only" BS which did no one any favors except optimizers - so there's no reason for them to, and it's worse than Alter Self by a good half mile (only creatures you've seen, after all). Furthermore, UA material is not a healthy benchmark for balance anymore than another person's homebrew is; the only difference is the name of the publisher, and considering its rather spotty record with crossing the lines of its own game...it's best left to the brewer at home to make this call.

Sariel Vailo
2017-07-04, 01:46 AM
I dont care much for tieflings and than i saw shackleborn and have a new favorite subrace top 5.shackleborn is 5.
Shackleborn barb.with reckless atack

thoroughlyS
2017-07-04, 02:56 AM
Omniglot is a little excessive-not mechanically, but just... 25 languages is a lot. Even the minimum of 20 is a lot.

I'd make it Int Bonus+Proficiency modifier languages.
Yeah, I think Omniglot went a little nuts. The rules on PCs learning languages in 5e are kind of hard to actually narrow down, and Raavasta/Arcanaloths are supposed to be able to speak, read, and write every single language in the multiverse. So, yeah, refining that power is definitely something I want done.
Arcanaloth Lineage:
Ability Score Modifier: +1 Intelligence
Daemonic Step: You can cast the misty step spell once using this trait. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.
Omniglot: You understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see.

I feel like Claws of Blindness operated on a "feast or famine" paradigm. The low DC keeps it from happening often enough that it can feel useless, but when it connects the fight is over because being blinded is seriously debilitating. I replaced it with a teleportation ability, which is common to all yugoloths.

Omniglot, as I've written, is effectively permanent comprehend languages, which is valued as an uncommon item (Dungeon Master's Guide p.173). This makes it simple and easy to remember as well. Note that this does not give the character the ability to speak or write in any language, merely to understand them. I think this kind of power lends itself to the kind of espionage/eavesdropping that arcanaloths probably get up to.

Sariel Vailo
2017-07-07, 05:58 PM
So the various skin colors of these new tiefling variants.
Like shackleborn so shadows mind tellin me soon