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Bjarkmundur
2019-05-06, 03:51 PM
I never liked races being a meta-game tool. Your race should be a core part of your character, and I'd like to see every race as a good choice.
My first step towards my goal of equal races was removing the ability score increases, and instead just baked them into the character creation.
These minor tweaks are meant to level the playing field a bit, and hopefully show me more Half-Orc wizards and Half-Elf Barbarians.
I know this breaks verisimilitude, but it's for the greater good of the narrative.

My question is:

Do you have any changes to races in your game?
What's your favorite version of the Half-Orc?
Are my races "equal"?
I nerfed the Warforged, since skills and tools are waaayyyy stronger in my game than regular 5e, and I have "Brass Knuckles" as an a simple weapon



Human
Resourceful, versatile and ambitious. A human can surprise even the oldest of creatures with their determination.

Languages: Common, one other
Speed: 30 feet
Bonus Skill
Heroic Effort: This is your goal, your dream, your story, and it's not about to end here. Once per short rest when you miss with an attack or fail on a saving throw, you can choose to gain a +1d8 bonus to the roll.
Bonus Feat: Humans are an ambitious race, and learn faster than most races when they decide to specialize. When you would choose a feat at 4th level, you can choose two.


Dwarf
Dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, Dwarvish
Speed: 25 feet
Smith's Tools
Artisan's Eye: You can add your proficiency bonus to Knowledge check relating to craftsmanship, whether it be constructions, weapons or armor. By taking a close look at any item you can clearly discern simple facts regarding the artisan, such as race, alignment or country of origin.
Gain proficiency with Simple and Martial Axes
Tough Skin: Advantage on saving throws against poison, resistance against poison damage.
Subrace 1: +1 HP per level
Subrace 2: Medium Armor Proficiency


Half-Dwarf / Squat
Caught between two worlds, a half-dwarf's heritage is split between both the strict tradition of the dwarves and the ambition of humans. Some say half-dwarves embody the best qualities of their parents, with the fierce spirit of humanity and the skill of dwarven crafters—of course, most just believe their mixed blood amplifies each other's pride and stubbornness, and that a slighted half-dwarf is fearsome to behold.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, Dwarvish
Speed: 30 feet
Bonus Tool and Skill
Tough Skin: Advantage on saving throws against poison, resistance against poison damage.
____I need something nice and flavorful here____


High-Elf
As a high elf, you embody many of the same characteristics as your distant cousins, the Eladrin of the Feywild. High-Elves have a keen mind and a natural understanding of the weave. Although some High-Elves see them selves as the superior race, most High-Elves have successfully adjusted to the diverse population of the material plane.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, Elvish
Speed: 30 feet
Arcana Proficiency
Longsword and Shortsword Proficiency
Advantage against charm, immune to magical sleep.
Trance
Bonus Cantrip


Wood-Elf
As a wood elf, you have keen senses and intuition, and your fleet feet carry you quickly and stealthily through your native forests.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, Elvish
Speed: 35 feet
Perception Proficiency
Longbow and Shortbow Proficiency
Advantage against charm, immune to magical sleep.
Trance
Can easily hide in nature, can move stealthily at a normal pace, and are not affected by natural difficult terrain.


Half-Elf
Half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, Elvish
Speed: 30 feet
Two Bonus Skills
Advantage against charm, immune to magical sleep.


Half-Orc
Fierce and decisive, and quite frightened when they don't get what they want. Many a person has learned not to argue with a Half-Orc. Each half-orc finds a way to gain acceptance from those who hate orcs. Some are reserved, trying not to draw attention to themselves. A few demonstrate piety and good-heartedness as publicly as they can. And some simply try to be so tough that others just avoid them.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, Orc
Speed: 30 feet
Bonus Skill
When you take the attack action on your turn, you can replace on attack with an attempt to demoralize one humanoid or beast you can see within 30 feet of you that can see and hear you. Make a Charisma check contested by the target's Wisdom check. If your check succeeds, the target is firghtened until the end of your next turn. If your check fails, the target can't by frightened by you in this way for 1 hour.


Halfling
The diminutive halflings survive in a world full of larger creatures, and are not easily shaken. They have learned to evaluate every situation carefully before taking action, and not to back down in face of adversity. Some times though, it works just not being noticed, or being exceptionally lucky.

Languages: Common, Halfling
Speed: 25 feet
Lucky: Reroll natural 1s
Brave: Advantage against frightened
Small and Sneaky: Can move through and hide behind larger creatures.


Warforged
This is here because my friend reeeaaalllyyy wanted to play a warforged, and I like him, so I said yes.

Languages: Common
Speed: 30 feet
Warforged Resilience
Sentry's Rest
Integrated Armor

None: 11 + Dex
Light: 11+ Dex + Proficiency
Medium: 13 + Dex (max 2) + Proficiency
Heavy: 16 + Proficiency
Built for a purpose

Subrace 1: +1 Tool
Subrace 2: 1d4 Unarmed and counts as large
Subrace 3: +5 feet speed


Outsider
Many people are not what they seem. You never know who's blood is tainted by devils, demons, angels or elementals. You can only hope that they can keep their natural born abilities in check. If an outsider's heritage and unnatural abilities are discovered it can result in a panic, a witch-hunt, or the sudden interest of anyone who wants to use their gifts for profit.

Darkvision
Languages: Common, 1 other
Speed: 30 feet
1 Damage Resistance
1 Bonus Cantrip
Minor Ability / Ribbon
Choose one at Level 3:

Protector
Scourge
Fallen

pronate
2019-05-08, 10:26 AM
Do they seem equal, yes. do they seem interesting, no. so many little flavor abilities just, gone. wile it's not very useful, abilities like stone cutting add so much to the flavor and feel of a race. and human is the worst offender. their ability just seems, bland. it's good, but not interesting. humans should be divers and specialized, not generic. if you don't want some feats, just ban them at first level, but things like magic initiate and prodigy add so much to a character it's a crime to ignore them. the races are mostly fine, leave them alone, or make a few small buffs to things like dragon born.

Also does the outsider encompass all other races, because that's also a terrible idea, but I'm not going into that until you confirm.

But removing the stats was a good idea. just make sure things like half elves and hill dwarves get something else to.

Bjarkmundur
2019-05-08, 11:13 AM
Holy, I completely forgot about Stonecunning :O

You're right, everything does seem bland, and I didn't have to change so much. I had this nagging feeling I was doing something wrong, so thank you for confirming my suspicion.

Thanks for taking the time to read over this for me, I'll take your advice to heart.
I'll do a once-over, see if any races had less stats than others, and give them something flavorful to compensate.
I'll add in the Human feat, put maybe delay it for a level or two. In my game I'm using quarter-feats, so they aren't as impactful as the normal full-feat, which should make 2nd level a sweet spot for vHumans. Just a bummer I couldn't find a solution that was less inviting to metagaming :/

Oh yeah, the outsider bit. It's the Aasimar race, but used to represent any "planetouched" otherworldy-type race. I see a lot of players wanting to be"half-this" and "half-that", without necessarily meaning Tiefling or Genasi. The aasimar always ends up being their go-to choice, with reflavoured abilities and tweaked damage resistances.

edit: How are we looking now? :D

Kane0
2019-05-08, 05:59 PM
Gnomes didn't make the cut?