Kneydkunja, a race a player of mine made

[Protato]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19D1FehnHJHXGPGU0t-V-fHngQ7Kld_O1rFBI_DG5Eb8/edit?usp=sharing

A player (John Hedlund-Fay) made this race to use for his Lawful Evil Treachery Paladin, and I thought it looked alright, but I'm curious to see what other people on here think. What would people here do to change this race if anything, and would you consider using it at all?

[JNAProductions]

Bioluminescence should include how bright the light is.

Shocking Touch needs a casting stat.

Overall... Feels weak. Like, really weak.

[Protato]

I'll have to ask my player about the range of their light and the casting stat. I'll also ask if they have any ideas for buffing the race.

[JNAProductions]

First off, add a second stat +1. Maybe Con? Con could be nice-you say he's playing a Paladin? Con would be good.

Add in this feature, maybe:

Impact Dampening-By retreating from the location of an impact, a Kneydkun can avoid the brunt of damage from an attack. However, doing so repeatedly risks damaging the contact between a Kneydkun and their vessel. Once per short rest, you may, as a reaction, gain resistance to a single attack or instance of damage. You may do so a second time between short rests, but each time you do so, your speed is reduced by 5', as your connection with the vessel weakens. When your speed is reduced by 10', you gain disadvantage on ability checks. When your speed is reduced by 20', you then gain advantage on attack rolls and saving throws. If your speed is reduced by 30', you are incapacitated for ten minutes, as you spend time regaining control of your vessel (lessening the penalty by 5'). Reduce the speed penalty by 10' every short rest, and remove it entirely on a long rest.

[Requilac]

This actual seems all good and balanced to me. The only thing I am worried about is shocking to the touch, but the other features are so underwhelming that it shouldn't be an issue. There are a couple of things I would work on though.

1) most races in 5e get a +2 to one ability score and a +1 to another, but these only have a +2 to one ability score. I would advise adding in a different +1 to a different ability score. You talk about how dextreous and mobile they are in the Mercurial to a Fault tab, so why not grant a +1 to dexterity score. +1 to Con could also work.

2) You need to get more specific with Bioluminescence. What action do you take to trigger it, and how much light does it shine? I would change the wording to something like this.

Bioluminescence: You can use a Bonus Action on your turn to generate light from yourself for an indefinite amount of time. While doing this you shed bright light out to a 20 ft radius and dim light an additional 20 ft. You may use a Bonus Action on your turn to deactivate this feature.

3) For Shocking to the Touch you say that you can make a melee spell attack, but you don't specify what the spellcasting modifier is. I assume intelligence, but you should probably clarify that in the feature's description.

[Consensus]

I'm just wondering why it's a chaotic neutral race for a lawful evil character