What characters would you make from these homebrew races?

[EdenIndustries]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to be starting a new campaign soon and the DM has two homebrew races. It seems like a fun opportunity to make some characters that may not otherwise work with the official races. So, here are the races:

Race 1:
+2 WIS, +1 CON
Darkvision
Yours hands cannot be seen--functioning as a telekinetic Mage Hand-like force.
Add twice your proficiency bonus for Stealth checks.
You know one cantrip (0-level spell) of your choice from the Wizard or Cleric spell list.
You have advantage on INT-based skill checks.
You are immune to poison and disease. You do not eat, sleep, or breathe.

Race 2:
+2 STR, +1 CON
Darkvision
+1 to AC
You are proficient with smith's tools or a comparable toolkit, and can use them to repair your body if damaged, allowing you to restore HP on a successful tool check while at rest.
Your base speed is 25 feet. Your speed cannot be reduced by wearing armor.
You are immune to poison and disease. You do not eat, sleep, or breathe.
You start with a +1 (nonmagical) weapon that only you can use

So, for race 1 a couple ideas I'm thinking of:
1) Some sort of non-Moon Druid. With built-in Expertise in Stealth, high Wisdom, advantage on Int checks, and massive utility via Wildshape, the idea of sneaking around, transforming, casting spells, solving problems all over the place...seems fun!
2) Knowledge Cleric. With Blessings of Knowledge providing Expertise in 2 Int skills and advantage on Int checks, this guy would be a genius! And the stat boosts to Wis and Con are perfect.
3) Trickery Cleric. I've always wanted to make a Trickery Cleric just for something different. With advantage on Stealth checks and the ability to give anyone else advantage on Stealth checks, and the ability to cast Pass Without Trace...we'd be undetectable!
4) Shadow Monk. Good stats, good sneaking.

And for race 2:
1) Barbarian. Good stat boosts, the low speed won't be too bad since class features will speed us up, and we can take a bunch of damage and then repair our body. Nice!
2) Forge Cleric. No + to Wis hurts, but we can mix it up in melee with insane AC and we start with proficiency with smith's tools!
3) Paladin. Crank up the AC and get good stat boosts. We can hop on a steed to bypass the 25 foot movement speed.

Those are just a few brief ideas, but it seems like some fun combinations are possible. Anyone have any other ideas?

[strangebloke]

good gravy that first one is overpowered. I'd say 'clear rogue' except that with expertise in stealth already it almost seems redundant. The stat distribution is weird too. WIS and CON, advantage on INT, and expertise in a DEX skill... Sure you don't wanna add something STR or CHA related in there? The cantrip is usually going to be guidance, since that is by far the best utility cantrip.

So yeah, total skill monkey. Probably I'd go stone (if available) or draconic sorcerer, pick up subtle metamagic, and be the ultimate magical saboteur. Sneak in, cast suggestion on the one ogre to make him attack his buddy, cast phantasmal force on the orc boss to make him see a vision of Ilneval warning him to flee, etc. The stats aren't great but subtle sorcerer can use and abuse stealth expertise better than most. Could multiclass to warlock for one level and become a coffeelock trivially. Should pick up stinking cloud or something similar and quick cast it centered on yourself, then hide in the cloud.

Second guy is... well, he's a warforged, yeah? AC bonuses work best when you stack them. So fighter with S&B and defense fighting style alongside dueling. Probably eldritch knight because Shield spell just got that much better. If you choose to fixate on the +1 weapon instead, you should go GWM Battlemaster.

Note: the weapon, if lost, can never be replaced. This seems like a problem.

[EdenIndustries]

good gravy that first one is overpowered. I'd say 'clear rogue' except that with expertise in stealth already it almost seems redundant. The stat distribution is weird too. WIS and CON, advantage on INT, and expertise in a DEX skill... Sure you don't wanna add something STR or CHA related in there? The cantrip is usually going to be guidance, since that is by far the best utility cantrip.


Yeah I contemplated Rogue but basically concluded as you did that it seems a bit redundant with stat boosts that don't help. However I actually kind of like the smattering of stats and skills, it's not clearly pointing towards a certain build but has some options, which is fun.


So yeah, total skill monkey. Probably I'd go stone (if available) or draconic sorcerer, pick up subtle metamagic, and be the ultimate magical saboteur. Sneak in, cast suggestion on the one ogre to make him attack his buddy, cast phantasmal force on the orc boss to make him see a vision of Ilneval warning him to flee, etc. The stats aren't great but subtle sorcerer can use and abuse stealth expertise better than most. Could multiclass to warlock for one level and become a coffeelock trivially. Should pick up stinking cloud or something similar and quick cast it centered on yourself, then hide in the cloud.
Interesting, I hadn't considered Sorcerer. A magical saboteur is quite interesting, I admit. I think I'd avoid coffeelock though, it's a fascinating thought experiment but one that feels quite cheesy ;)


Second guy is... well, he's a warforged, yeah? AC bonuses work best when you stack them. So fighter with S&B and defense fighting style alongside dueling. Probably eldritch knight because Shield spell just got that much better. If you choose to fixate on the +1 weapon instead, you should go GWM Battlemaster.

Note: the weapon, if lost, can never be replaced. This seems like a problem.


He's probably based on a warforged. I actually don't mind the weapon losing problem. After all, eventually you'd upgrade to a magic weapon anyway. Eldritch Knight is a good option too, though I've already played one so I may decide to play something else this time around. EK's are fun though!

[Honest Tiefling]

The first one is strange, I'll admit. I think it needs a bit of explanation. I think if I were to make a character for it, I'd go Monk, actually. The ability scores line up, and there is a possibility of shenanigans of fighting people with your telekinetic limbs.

The second one...Can they become exhausted? As written, they can, but they don't sleep so I'm not sure how that's supposed to work. If the DM rules they can't, I'd make a Barbarian. The self-heal will help out nicely after taking an axe to the face.

[EdenIndustries]

I think if I were to make a character for it, I'd go Monk, actually. The ability scores line up, and there is a possibility of shenanigans of fighting people with your telekinetic limbs.

Yeah Monk seems decent...do you think you'd go Shadow Monk to double-up on the sneaky angle, or do you have another notion?


The second one...Can they become exhausted? As written, they can, but they don't sleep so I'm not sure how that's supposed to work. If the DM rules they can't, I'd make a Barbarian. The self-heal will help out nicely after taking an axe to the face.

Now that's interesting. That, I suppose, would be the one and only time that Frenzy Barbarian is worthwhile!

[Specter]

I don't have much time, but I must say: All these races are broken.

[EdenIndustries]

I don't have much time, but I must say: All these races are broken.

That's possible! But as these races were provided by the DM, he's obviously fine with it. As such, I'm going with the flow and just seeing what I can do with them that's different from the official races.

[Honest Tiefling]

Yeah Monk seems decent...do you think you'd go Shadow Monk to double-up on the sneaky angle, or do you have another notion?

That would probably depend more on game, not on the concept. Admittedly, going Open Hand for the sheer silliness of it would be very tempting in a vacuum.

...Can these people even 'feel' with these telekinetic hands? You don't normally with telekinesis or similar spells, so I could foresee some issues with dexterity such as not being able to feel a lock you're trying to open.

[Callin]

Sun Soul Monk would be funny on the first one haha.

Second.... Paladin? The new Brute Fighter? Forge Cleric... that would be neat! Just take low wis needing spells and you can up that nonmagic weapon into a magical one!

[JBPuffin]

Two construct races - one's a magical construct, a sort of anthropomorphized Unseen Servant, and the other is a Warforged variant (improvement) or similar physical construct. Pretty nifty stuff.

Rogue isn't redundant to the first one - no one says you have to take your Expertise in Stealth, after all, and being a skill monkey is totally something you can rock better when half your skill list is covered by your race. Inquisitive or Mastermind (or AT...hmm), maybe multi Cleric, focusing on your Wisdom skills. Strength and Charisma are your best dump stats, if you're going to take any as proper dump stats - Dex is obviously important, Con is too, Wis for the concept, and Int because...well, you might as well have a +1, no? Also means you're fairly decent at all 3 of the core saves :smallbiggrin:.

Bard is also an option (preferably Lore), and would make you a god of skill checks for all to see. Take everything BUT Intelligence skills and coast on half-prof+Int mod+advantage on all Int ability checks.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Knowledge Cleric and Battlemaster Fighter, respectively. The latter race would probably do well with any class you would play as a Dwarf, and the former race, possibly anything you would play as a Firbolg.

[Sicarius Victis]

Quick question: "Your hands can't be seen", but can your arms be seen? If not, where does the invisibility end, at the shoulder?

[EdenIndustries]

Bard is also an option (preferably Lore), and would make you a god of skill checks for all to see. Take everything BUT Intelligence skills and coast on half-prof+Int mod+advantage on all Int ability checks.

Now that is pretty interesting actually. I've been a bit intrigued with playing a skill monkey character for a while, so this would be an interesting way to go about it.


Quick question: "Your hands can't be seen", but can your arms be seen? If not, where does the invisibility end, at the shoulder?
Not sure, actually. I can ask the DM and get back to you.