Rhox Player Characters.

[Klaus Teufel]

I love the anthro rhino art in some of the MtG cards. But the Zendikar pdf doesn't mention Rhox. :smallfrown:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/61/33/90/613390a4fab83b982242be36ecaf74c6.jpg
So, how would you design a Rhox PC race? I assume +2 Str, +1 Con... and maybe a power like that in the Gloomstalker ranger where you get extra movement and damage in the first round of combat? A natural weapon? Any other ideas?

[MrStabby]

I love the anthro rhino art in some of the MtG cards. But the Zendikar pdf doesn't mention Rhox. :smallfrown:

So, how would you design a Rhox PC race? I assume +2 Str, +1 Con... and maybe a power like that in the Gloomstalker ranger where you get extra movement and damage in the first round of combat? A natural weapon? Any other ideas?

I would probably go +1S, +2 Con, double carrying capacity and the UA minotaur horns ability.

[Klaus Teufel]

They're also known as Rhoxon, or Rhoxodon. Maybe Rhox is singular, Rhoxon is plural?
The fluff implies paladins, clerics and monks. So maybe +2 Con, +1 Wis/Str?

I saw a homebrew on Pinterest, but I can't link now. It had a charge power you could use every time you moved, but I think that is broken.
I think - 1D6 natural weapon, useable at the end of a move+dash in the first round of combat to knock someone prone with a Dex save vs 10+Str bonus - would be thematic and powerful enough.

[Klaus Teufel]

Found the UA minotaur. You're right, it is a good template to work from. Even without it. I came up with something similar. :)


Minotaur Rhoxon Traits
The following traits are shared by player characters who are minotaurs rhoxon.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Constitution score increases by 2, and your ConstitutionWisdom or Strength score increases by 1.

Alignment. Most minotaurs Rhoxon lean toward lawful alignments.

Size. Minotaurs Rhoxon average over 7 feet in height, and they have strong, stocky builds. Your size is
Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Horns. Your horns are is a natural melee weapon, with which you’re proficient. When you hit with
them it, the target takes piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.

Goring Rush. Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least as far
as your speed, you can make one melee attack with your horn as a bonus action.

Hammering Bludgeoning Horns. Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack as part of the
Attack action on your turn, you can attempt to shove knock that creature prone with your horn using your
reaction. The creature must be no more than one size larger than you and within 5 feet of you. It
must make a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your
Strength modifier. If it fails, you knock it prone.

Menacing. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
(I think knocking prone is more powerful than pushing 5 feet, so I'm scrapping the bonus skill.)

Hybrid Nature. You have two creature types:
humanoid and monstrosity. You can be affected by a game effect if it works on either of your
creature types. This has me stumped. What creature type should we use?

[leogobsin]

Hybrid Nature. You have two creature types:
humanoid and monstrosity. You can be affected by a game effect if it works on either of your
creature types. This has me stumped. What creature type should we use?

If you don't think monstrosity fits, it seems totally fair to just throw this out, it only has a few very minor effects anyway.

[Finback]

I love the anthro rhino art in some of the MtG cards. But the Zendikar pdf doesn't mention Rhox. :smallfrown:



As a note, that's because there are no rhox in Zendikar. Rhox are found on a few other planes like Alara, but not Zendikar.

I like your reskin above, it fits far more with both power and flavour without just simply being a name-swapped minotaur (like how the Amonkhet minotaurs were really just half-orcs with the serials filed off).

[Klaus Teufel]

If you don't think monstrosity fits, it seems totally fair to just throw this out, it only has a few very minor effects anyway.
I'm not sure 'humanoid' fits, either. What are the creature types we can choose from?
Oh, and re-reading the abilities, it appears the rhox can knock prone any creature they hit with any melee attack, not just as part of the charge. I'm not sure that's what I want to go for.

[leogobsin]

I'm not sure 'humanoid' fits, either. What are the creature types we can choose from?
Oh, and re-reading the abilities, it appears the rhox can knock prone any creature they hit with any melee attack, not just as part of the charge. I'm not sure that's what I want to go for.

Creature types are explained in the Monster Manual introduction, and in the basic rules (https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/monsters). It's worth knowing that 'humanoid' is a pretty wide category: every playable race that's been fully released for 5e is humanoid, even stuff like dragonborn or kenku. When you start digging around in the Monster Manual it gets even weirder, between stuff like various types of Yuan-ti, Gnolls, Thri-keen, Quaggoths, etc. there's plenty of 'humanoids' who are at least as non-human as Rhox are.

If you change it so you can only knock prone after a charge, I would probably remove the requirement to use your reaction, since you're already required to use your action to Dash and a bonus action for the attack.

[Klaus Teufel]

Ok, Humanoid it is. (AFAIK, Rhoxon are a natural species, as much as can be said of any sapient fantasy race.)

I'm thinking of limiting the proning attack to the charge. Instead I might give our Rhoxon the oversized weapon use trait and encumbrance ability from the Goliath. Is that too much?

[No brains]

A little off topic, but it's weird that no Rhox has inherited the classic Rhox's super-trample...

I wonder if that ability would even transfer to D&D?

[leogobsin]

Ok, Humanoid it is. (AFAIK, Rhoxon are a natural species, as much as can be said of any sapient fantasy race.)

I'm thinking of limiting the proning attack to the charge. Instead I might give our Rhoxon the oversized weapon use trait and encumbrance ability from the Goliath. Is that too much?

So to clarify, the Goliath's Powerful Build doesn't have anything to do with oversized weapons (since 5e doesn't really have rules for oversized weapons intended for player use), it just increases their carry weight. But yeah, giving them it seems totally fine, encumbrance is rarely an issue anyway.

[Klaus Teufel]

Oh. Perhaps a Rhox can use a weapon deemed 2-handed in one hand, while also using a normal or light weapon, or a shield, in their off hand?

[Klaus Teufel]

Revised Rhoxon Traits:

The following traits are shared by player characters who are rhoxon.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom or Strength score increases by 1.

Alignment. Most Rhoxon lean toward lawful alignments.

Size. Rhoxon average over 7 feet in height, and they have strong, stocky builds. Your size is
Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Horn. Your horn is a natural melee weapon, with which you’re proficient. When you hit with it, the target takes piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.

Bludgeoning Gore. Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least as far as your speed, you can make one melee attack with your horn as a bonus action. Immediately after you hit a creature with this attack, you can attempt to knock that creature prone with your horn. The creature must be no more than one size larger than you and within 5 feet of you. It must make a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If it fails, you knock it prone.

Large and In Charge:You can use a weapon with the 2-handed quality in one hand, while also using a normal or light weapon, or a shield, in your off hand. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag.

Creature type: Humanoid

Thoughts on this?

[Vogie]

A little off topic, but it's weird that no Rhox has inherited the classic Rhox's super-trample...

I wonder if that ability would even transfer to D&D?

Couple of ideas

The existing Rampage effect - The "when you reduce a creature to 0 HP, make a bonus attack on another target" on some monsters. Maybe tie it to their natural weapon
Create an actual "Trample underfoot" effect - the ability to deal bludgeoning damage as normal when they perform a Shove Action to knock a target prone
Mimicking the mechanical Super-trample from MTG - give the Charger Feat, but specifically allow the Rhox to ignore certain sizes of creature.
Mechanically creating a new charging effect - use the wording from a Hunter Ranger's Whirlwind attack, but in a 15 ft line (rather than all targets in a 5 ft ring) and the Rhox moves that amount.

[Klaus Teufel]

What do you mean by "ignore certain sizes of creature"? Move through their space? Continue after knocking them prone?

Admission time: While I love the Rhoxon art, I've never played MtG. So I was unaware that "trample" defined Rhoxon, rather than "charging"

[Finback]

Couple of ideas

The existing Rampage effect - The "when you reduce a creature to 0 HP, make a bonus attack on another target" on some monsters. Maybe tie it to their natural weapon

This should probably be "a bonus attack on another creature within 5ft of the first", otherwise it lets you start throwing daggers, etc. at someone across the battlefield.


Create an actual "Trample underfoot" effect - the ability to deal bludgeoning damage as normal when they perform a Shove Action to knock a target prone
Mimicking the mechanical Super-trample from MTG - give the Charger Feat, but specifically allow the Rhox to ignore certain sizes of creature.
Mechanically creating a new charging effect - use the wording from a Hunter Ranger's Whirlwind attack, but in a 15 ft line (rather than all targets in a 5 ft ring) and the Rhox moves that amount.


Maybe something that combines them - perhaps something to the effect of, "Once per long rest, you may choose to move through enemy spaces in a straight line. If you move more than 20ft using this, any melee attacks you make deal an additional D6 bludgeoning damage, and those enemies make a Str save or fall prone". (Obv. this needs tweaking, but might better represent that bull-rush through their squares. A successful save just means they got shoved aside, rather than knocked clean over. By limiting its use, it becomes something cool to do when the time is right - like when all those goblins get pushed into a line by the wizard or something.

[Vogie]

What do you mean by "ignore certain sizes of creature"? Move through their space? Continue after knocking them prone?


Any of those. A level 1 Rhox shouldn't be able to move through, or knock prone, Huge or gargantuan creatures. I meant the verbiage should indicate they can only "trample over" creatures their size or smaller. You could literally say "equal to your size or smaller", to allow Enlarge/Reduce shenanigans, or just say "creatures of size medium or smaller".




This should probably be "a bonus attack on another creature within 5ft of the first", otherwise it lets you start throwing daggers, etc. at someone across the battlefield.

That's why I said we could tie it to their natural weapon. If they kill a creature with a weapon attack, they could turn and gore someone else.



Maybe something that combines them - perhaps something to the effect of, "Once per long rest, you may choose to move through enemy spaces in a straight line. If you move more than 20ft using this, any melee attacks you make deal an additional D6 bludgeoning damage, and those enemies make a Str save or fall prone". (Obv. this needs tweaking, but might better represent that bull-rush through their squares. A successful save just means they got shoved aside, rather than knocked clean over. By limiting its use, it becomes something cool to do when the time is right - like when all those goblins get pushed into a line by the wizard or something.

The initial mechanic for the Rhox is to avoid anything blocking the way... that idea was there's a line of goblins in front of a wizard

[Klaus Teufel]

Trampling Gore.Once a combat, immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least as far as your speed in a straight line, you can make a melee attack with your horn against any creature in the path as a part of the move action. Immediately after you hit a creature with this attack, you can attempt to knock that creature prone with your horn. The creature must be no more than one size larger than you and within 5 feet of you. It must make a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If it fails, you knock it prone. If it is prone, you can then move further along your path, through that creature's square until a creature is not knocked prone or you reach the limit of your speed.

Is this more like it? I changed it to once a combat, as doing damage as part of a move is quite powerful.

Revised Rhoxon Traits 1.5:

The following traits are shared by player characters who are rhox.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom or Strength score increases by 1.

Alignment. Most Rhoxon lean toward lawful alignments.

Size. Rhoxon average over 7 feet in height, and they have strong, stocky builds. Your size is
Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Horn. Your horn is a natural melee weapon, with which you’re proficient. When you hit with it, the target takes piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier.

Trampling Gore. Once a combat, immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least as far as your speed in a straight line, you can make a melee attack with your horn against any creature in the path as a part of the move action. Immediately after you hit a creature with this attack, you can attempt to knock that creature prone with your horn. The creature must be no more than one size larger than you and within 5 feet of you. It must make a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If it fails, you knock it prone. If it is prone, you can then move further along your path, through that creature's square until a creature is not knocked prone or you reach the limit of your speed.

Large and In Charge: once per short or long rest, you may add a d6 to either a melee damage roll or a Strength ability check. You have advantage on rolls to Shove a creature. When you use a versatile weapon, you get the higher damage die even when using the weapon one-handed. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag.

Hackmaster: Rhox are proficient with axes.

Creature type: Humanoid


Better, worse, broken, wimpy?