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Ettina
2018-09-30, 01:17 PM
I'm wanting to make a half-gnome, half-troll character for 5e, and the DM wants it to be less powerful than 3.5 half-troll template. (Ie, no or minimal level adjustment.)

So far, we're thinking of taking a gnome, bumping up the size category to medium (large troll + small gnome - split the difference) and adding the following changes:

Trollkin Regeneration. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + hit dice. You can use this feature twice, and then you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. You cannot use this feature in a turn in which you have taken acid or fire damage.

Natural Attacks. Upon creating the character, you can choose either to gain a Bite attack or a Claw attack. The Claw attack can be used twice in one turn. For a Medium-sized creature, the bite deals 1d6 and the claw attacks deal 1d4 each.

Keen Smell. The troll has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Ability Scores: Str +3, Con +3, Dex +1, Int -2, Cha -2

Natural Armor +2

Any suggestions? Comments? Should we add Powerful Build to this thing, or is that too much?

Lord Haart
2018-09-30, 01:23 PM
What's the trade-off?

Ettina
2018-09-30, 01:29 PM
What's the trade-off?

Well, there's the minus to Int and Cha.

pygmybatrider
2018-09-30, 01:42 PM
Well, there's the minus to Int and Cha.

It does seem pretty powerful, especially considering most classes who don’t need Int and Cha won’t care about a 0 or a -1 turning into a -1 or a -2.

The stats also don’t follow the norm for 5e races.

What I would probably do is take an established race and tweak it a little to fit the theme. Pick your 1-2 most important features and work them into an existing option.

For example a Goliath, but turn Stones Endurance into Regeneration by making it restore hit points instead of reducing damage.

Or give the trait to a Bugbear or Half-Orc instead of one of their other strong features.

The Lizardfolk race also does a lot of what you want, up to a bite attack that restores hit points - trollish genes going into overdrive? You could swap their +2 Con/+1 Wis for something like +2 Str/+1 Dex or Con, or even +1 to all three like the Triton.

The unarmed attacks could always be reflavoured shortswords.

JNAProductions
2018-09-30, 02:07 PM
Yeah, -2 to two stats that you can pretty safely ignore is not worth the HUGE benefits this race gives.

I'd do one of two things:

1) Refluff another race, with perhaps minor changes.

2) Make a short, three-to-five level class with various trolly features you can take, and then multiclass out of.

Draconi Redfir
2018-09-30, 02:25 PM
i don't know much about templates or such.

but gnome + Troll? You're making a Gnoll:smalltongue:

Gnolls were originally gnome-troll hybrids before they were retconed into hyenea men. it'd be horribly out-of-date, but maybe you can find some old 1st edition gnoll stats to poke around in?

Xyrz
2018-10-01, 06:13 PM
I agree, I don't like the idea of giving the player a +3 for a race trait. If your DM wants a point buy system, that allows your character access to an 18 or possibly two 18s at level 1, which other classes can't get at all, and that seems unfair. And as stated before, you can safely dump INT and CHA in favor for STR and CON, which is great if you're a Barbarian or maybe even a STR based Cleric or Fighter.

Also, choosing between the bite attack and claw attacks seems a little strange. Do some "half-trolls" develop only one and not the other?

And what is "Natural Armor +2"? Is that change your AC calculation to "12+DEX"? What about if you are wearing armor like Scale Mail and a shield? Would that be 14 + "2 from DEX" + "2 from Natural Armor" + "2 from a shield" for 20 AC?

Ettina
2018-10-07, 07:27 AM
i don't know much about templates or such.

but gnome + Troll? You're making a Gnoll:smalltongue:

Gnolls were originally gnome-troll hybrids before they were retconed into hyenea men. it'd be horribly out-of-date, but maybe you can find some old 1st edition gnoll stats to poke around in?

That's where I got the idea from, in fact.

And the tale of their conception is here:

https://youtu.be/DCAFD8mMqls