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Maat Mons
2019-06-19, 01:57 AM
My friends have finally convinced me to look into 5e, and I'm starting to like parts of it. And you know what that means! ... Okay, no, you probably don't know. It means trying to update my Homestuck races homebrew (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?584911-Homestuck-Races) to yet another edition!

So, if any of you knowledgeable, handsome, and patient folks are willing to indulge me in this, here's what I have for ideas so far:



Carapacian

+2 cha, +1 con
medium
speed 30
mute
silent spells: always cast all spells without verbal components
proficient in stealth
proficient in perception

Cherub

+2 con, +1 str
medium
speed 30
cold resistance
proficient in intimidation
immune to magic sleep
don't need to sleep
upon reaching x level, don't need to eat or drink; upon reaching y level, don't need to breathe
double proficiency bonus for acrobatics checks for narrow and sloped surfaces
acclimated to high altitude

Crocodile

+2 dex, +1 int
small
speed 30 (swim 30)
fire resistance
hold breath (15 min?)
bite: can use mouth to make unarmed attacks; 1d4+str piercing damage
make bite finesse weapon

Human

+1 all
medium
speed 30

Iguana

+2 dex, +1 wis
small
speed 30 (climb 30)
proficient in acrobatics
standing leap (long 30, high 15, with or without running start)
take less damage from falls
always land on feet
constant, non-magical feather fall?

Imp

+2 dex
small
speed 30
superior darkvision (120)
2 claws: proficient in unarmed strikes; unarmed strikes deal 1d3+str slashing damage
make claws finesse weapons
unarmored defense (int)
danger sense?
advantage on initiative?
slip into shadow (as mark-of-shadow elf)
nimble escape (as goblin)?

Leprechaun

+2 wis, +1 dex
medium
speed 30
proficient in survival
lucky (as halfling)
natural explorer? (as ranger)
cast detect magic

Salamander

+2 dex, +1 cha
small
speed 30 (swim 30)
Amphibious (can breathe air and water)
proficient in persuasion
immune to disease? (what with living in swamps)

Sprite

+2 int, +1 wis
medium
speed 30 (fly 30 (hover))
proficient in arcana, history, nature, or religion
common + any 2

Troll (Landdweller)

+1 any two?
medium
speed 30
superior darkvision (120)
trained in any one skill?

Troll (Seadweller)

+1 any two?
medium
speed 30 (swim 30)
superior darkvision (120)
Amphibious (can breathe air and water)

Turtle

+2 con, +1 dex
small
speed 25 (swim 25, neither speed reduced for armor)
hold breath (15 min?)
+1 hp per level
natural armor?
Armored Body: AC = 16 + 1/4 character level (no dex)?
land's stride (as druid)
advantage on checks to resist "shoving a creature"
armor proficiency
shield proficiency
powerful build (count as medium)

Maat Mons
2019-06-27, 01:00 AM
Okay, I'll take a stab at some write-ups.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/cd/36/2UDrWjiT_t.png
Carapacian Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most carapacians are neutral good.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Mute: You are incapable of speech.
Silent Spellcasting: You cast all your spells without a verbal component, even those listed as having one.
Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Naturally Quiet: You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Languages: You can "speak," read, and write Carapacian Sign Language. You can understand, read, and write Common, though you cannot speak it.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/8d/2a/8KBTyFJ4_t.png
Cherub Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Cherubs tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Cold Resistance: You have resistance to cold damage.
Menacing: You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Mountain Born: You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Cherubic.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/25/c0/YEq31s7x_t.png
Crocodile Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most crocodiles are lawful evil.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Bite: You can use your powerful jaws as a natural weapon. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. You may also choose to treat your bite as if it were a finesse weapon.
Fire Affinity: You know the produce flame cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spells.
Fire Resistance: You have resistance to fire damage.
Hold Breath: You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Natural Mechanic: You have proficiency with artisan’s tools (tinker’s tools).
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Nak.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/4b/b6/s5eqCc6n_t.png
Human Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your ability scores each increase by 1.
Age: Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.
Alignment: Humans tend toward no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/63/9d/pO1RVwHJ_t.png
Iguana Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most iguanas are chaotic neutral.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a climbing speed of 30 feet.
Agility: You have resistance against damage resulting from falling. When you fall, you land on your feat even if you take damage.
Branchwalk: You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.
Iguana Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the blowgun, longbow, shortbow and sling.
Standing Leap: Your long jump is up to 30 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Thip.



Sorry, I haven't made a picture for this one yet.

Imp Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most imps are neutral evil.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Claws: You have claws that act as natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. You may also choose to treat your claws as if they were finesse weapons.
Nimble Escape: You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Unarmored Defense: While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Impish.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/8c/f6/3lgwfRRL_t.png
Leprechaun Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most leprechauns are chaotic evil.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Lucky: When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die. You must use the new result, even if it is a 1.
Woodwise: You are proficient in the Nature and Survival skills.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Leprechaunese.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/6d/44/YLg7oiIA_t.png
Salamander Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most salamanders are chaotic good.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Charming: You are proficient in the Deception and Persuasion skills.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Glub.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/5b/77/GbeRiCFk_t.png
Sprite Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most sprites are lawful neutral.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a flying speed of 30 feet (with the ability to hover).
Lore: You are proficient with one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and two extra languages of your choice.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/c9/09/gy4YZT5k_t.png
Troll Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Trolls tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Trollish.

Choose one of these subraces

Landdweller
Skill Versatility: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Seadweller
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Swim Speed: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/10/49/GpYvu04k_t.png
Turtle Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most turtles are lawful good.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 20 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 20 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Armored Body: You gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class.
Hold Breath: You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Chell.

Bjarkmundur
2019-06-27, 12:40 PM
OMG I LOVE THESE GUYS :3

The main concern is having these guys balanced against each other, right?
Since the Crocodile is the strongest one as of now, you can just work to make the other ones as powerful.

Maat Mons
2019-06-27, 02:38 PM
Thanks!

Relative balance between these races is the primary concern. But I'm hoping to use humans unaltered from official sources. So that will limit what I can choose as the baseline power level.

That said, I wouldn't mind if humans wind up coming in at the low end of this group. There wouldn't be a lot of point to running a campaign with these fun new races if everybody just winds up playing a human anyway.

Would you say that any of these are especially far behind crocodiles? It would help if I knew which ones need the most work.

Bjarkmundur
2019-06-27, 04:49 PM
Condensed it just to make it easier to reference.
Before we begin, I think you should make a unified Natural Weapon mechanic, just to reduce clutter. This way you can instead have a race read:


Natural Weapon: You have claws, which use your strength ability modifier and deal slashing damage.




Carapacian Traits
Ability Score Increase: 3
Two Bonus Skills
Ribbon

Wat, no natural armor? :O
Let's use this as a base line of 5 power.



Cherub Traits
Ability Score Increase: 3
Bonus Skill
Resistance
Ribbon

To compare I'd say this race is a 7 power since trading a skill for a resistance is a big step up.

I've never been a fan of racial resistances, but I understand you might be. To get the mountaineering aspect across I'd personally allow them to climb at full speed. This doesn't add much power, but packs a ton of flavour. You could get the power down by one or two, while still keeping the flavor by simply saying "Is unaffected by cold weather". You can read about cold weather on page 110 in the DMG.



Crocodile
Ability Score Increase: 3
Bonus Cantrip
Resistance
Bonus Tools
Aquatic Stuff and Natural Weapon (finesse)

30 speed while small? No Darkvision?

Bonus Cantrip and a Resistance is a solid 8. Rest is just meh in terms of power, but really fun to play around with in game. Too bad tinker's tools doesn't do much without houserules.

To get the power down, I'd lower the speed, and pre-pick the cantrip.



Human
Ability Score Increase: 5
.... and nothing?

Power... 2?

I get you want humans to be... squishy... But we can do a little bit better. Change the ASIs and throw in a bonus skill, an extra feat at 3rd level, and "once per short rest you can choose to gain advantage on an abilty check, attack or saving throw", and we're looking at a solid 6-7.



Iguana
Ability Score Increase: 3
Climb Speed and Jump
Bonus Skill
Weapon Training

I have no idea about this one. It feels like just a lot of the same. I'll leave this for someone else.
Small and 30 speed again, and no darkvision?
I think we can combine a lot of these and make it cleaner. You can drop the Acrobatics proficiency since the +2 dex already translates into +1 Acrobatics. Races should only really have bonus skills if they don't correspond with their ability scores, like Orcs and Intimidate.



Imp
Ability Score Increase: 3
Natural Weapons
Darkvision
Unarmored Defense
Bonus Action Disengage

I like this race. It has its identity, a passive effecet and an active effect.


Leprechaun
Ability Score Increase: 3
Two Bonus Skills
Lucky:

This could use an active effect, just to make it more appealing to players. How about cast detect magic without using a spell slot or material components. You regain the use of this feature at the end of a long rest.?


Salamander
Ability Score Increase: 3
Two Bonus Skills
Aquatic Stuff

Same as leprechaun. Definetly bring back the swamp part. It might not do much, but it adds to the flavor.



Sprite
Ability Score Increase: 3
Bonus Skill
FLYING SPEED

Yeah sounds about right. Never had any issues with that flying speed during sessions? I like the idea of "Starting at 5th level, you gain flight speed equal to your speed...".



Troll
Ability Score Increase: 3
Darkvision

Subrace 1: Bonus Skill
Subrace 2: Aquatic Stuff

Feels like this could probably just have the benefits of both the subraces. Could also use some active effect.


Turtle
Ability Score Increase: 3
20 Speed
+2 AC
Bonus HP
Ribbon

Bounded accuracy is a thing, so +1 AC is plenty to make your turtle stand out. The speed is also very limited. What you could do to get your flavor of slow and tanky accross, is grant natural armor, and then an ability that trades speed for tankyness.

"If you move less than 10 feet during your turn, you gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. "

This allows you to increase the turtle's speed to 25, but still make it feel like an extra slow race. The natural armor doesn't have to be high. A class with heavy armor proficiency isn't gonna rely on his natural armor. Usually AC when not wearing armor is 10 + dex. You can make it 13 + dex or 10 + dex + proficiency bonus.
Bring back the smith's tools proficiency.

Maat Mons
2019-06-27, 06:06 PM
I thought about giving carapacians natural armor. My worry was that I didn't want whatever I gave them to overshadow whatever I give to turtles. And I'm still really up in the air on how turtles should work. If I give carapacians natural armor, I should probably give it to leprechauns too, since they're supposed to have very similar anatomy.

I'm honestly not sure if I should stick with the +1 Dex on carapacians. I'm not sure it's a good thematic fit with their exoskeletons. Maybe I should switch it to +1 Con?



Sure, I can ditch the cold resistance on cherubs. Should I just change cherubs' Mountain Born ability to a direct copy of goliath's Mountain Born ability? Being "naturally adapted to cold climates" works out the same as being unaffected by cold climates, right?

I have no objection to giving cherubs a climb speed. (Well, it kind of makes iguanas less unique, but it looks like I have to work on them anyway.) I was also thinking maybe they should have something related to not slipping on ice or falling off of narrow ledges.



I could give the small races speed 25. But it feels like turtles should be slower than the other small races. Would giving them speed 20 make them too slow?

I can give all the animal races darkvision, if that would be a good fit.

If tinker's tools are useless, should I give crocodiles their choice of alchemists' supplies, thieves' tools, and tinker's tools?



Well, if standard humans are that bad, maybe I should make those "variant" humans that get a bonus feat into the default humans for this setting?



I'm not really sure what else to add to iguanas that would be thematic. Maybe claw attacks, to tie into their tree climbing? A copy of wood elf's Mask of the Wild, to play up the forest sniper thing?

Bjarkmundur
2019-06-30, 05:34 AM
I thought about giving carapacians natural armor. My worry was that I didn't want whatever I gave them to overshadow whatever I give to turtles. And I'm still really up in the air on how turtles should work. If I give carapacians natural armor, I should probably give it to leprechauns too, since they're supposed to have very similar anatomy.

Natural armor doesn't have to be much. Just look at it as "minimum armor". I've updated my other post btw.


I'm honestly not sure if I should stick with the +1 Dex on carapacians. I'm not sure it's a good thematic fit with their exoskeletons. Maybe I should switch it to +1 Con?

I don't use racial ASI's in my game, so I'm not sure how they are determined.


Sure, I can ditch the cold resistance on cherubs. Should I just change cherubs' Mountain Born ability to a direct copy of goliath's Mountain Born ability? Being "naturally adapted to cold climates" works out the same as being unaffected by cold climates, right?

Sounds about right. Many of your races seem like they each have their "favored terrain". I recommend deciding on what you want that to look like, so you can grant each race his version of that feature.


I have no objection to giving cherubs a climb speed. (Well, it kind of makes iguanas less unique, but it looks like I have to work on them anyway.) I was also thinking maybe they should have something related to not slipping on ice or falling off of narrow ledges.

Not climb speed, just climbing fast. Still need to make the check, can't climb ceilings, and can't climb flat surfaces. Acrobatic's skill proficiency does the trick for all the balancing.


I could give the small races speed 25. But it feels like turtles should be slower than the other small races. Would giving them speed 20 make them too slow?

Small = 25 speed.


I can give all the animal races darkvision, if that would be a good fit.

If tinker's tools are useless, should I give crocodiles their choice of alchemists' supplies, thieves' tools, and tinker's tools?

It would be a good fit.
I think tools are very ribbon-y, except the DM or the player finds a way to make the more prominent during sessions. Tinker's Tools is fine.


Well, if standard humans are that bad, maybe I should make those "variant" humans that get a bonus feat into the default humans for this setting?

The thing is, feats are balanced around being acquired at level 4. Getting one 4 levels early drastically changes how those first levels play out. I really recommend delaying the bonus feat. It is without a doubt the most powerful racial feature, and having it not available at 1st level really discourages optimized builds and encourages creating characters that grow over time.


I'm not really sure what else to add to iguanas that would be thematic. Maybe claw attacks, to tie into their tree climbing? A copy of wood elf's Mask of the Wild, to play up the forest sniper thing?

I think cleaning it up would be enough.

25 speed
Immune to falling damage
Always considered having a running start when jumping.
Climb Speed
Weapon Training

Maat Mons
2019-07-01, 02:12 AM
Time for Stab 2: The Reckoning.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/cd/36/2UDrWjiT_t.png
Carapacian Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most carapacians are neutral good.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Mute: You are incapable of speech.
Natural Armor: When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 11 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Silent Spellcasting: You cast all your spells without a verbal component, even those listed as having one.
Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Naturally Quiet: You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Languages: You can "speak," read, and write Carapacian Sign Language. You can understand, read, and write Common, though you cannot speak it.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/8d/2a/8KBTyFJ4_t.png
Cherub Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Cherubs tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Fast Climb: Climbing doesn't cost you extra movement.
Menacing: You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Mountain Born: You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Sure Footing: You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Cherubic.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/25/c0/YEq31s7x_t.png
Crocodile Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most crocodiles are lawful evil.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 25 feet.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Fire Affinity: You know the produce flame cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spells.
Fire Resistance: You have resistance to fire damage.
Hold Breath: You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Natural Attack: You have a bite that deal 1d6 piercing damage.
Natural Mechanic: You have proficiency with artisan’s tools (tinker’s tools).
Nimble Claws: You can treat attacks you make with your bite as if they were made with finesse weapons.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Nak.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/4b/b6/s5eqCc6n_t.png
Human Traits
???



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/63/9d/pO1RVwHJ_t.png
Iguana Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most iguanas are chaotic neutral.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a climbing speed of 25 feet.
Agility: You have immunity to damage resulting from falling.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Iguana Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the blowgun, longbow, shortbow and sling.
Standing Leap: Your long jump is up to 25 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Thip.



Sorry, I haven't made a picture for this one yet.

Imp Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most imps are neutral evil.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Natural Attack: You have claws that deal 1d4 slashing damage.
Nimble Claws: You can treat attacks you make with your claws as if they were made with finesse weapons.
Nimble Escape: You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Unarmored Defense: While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Impish.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/8c/f6/3lgwfRRL_t.png
Leprechaun Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most leprechauns are chaotic evil.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Lucky: When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die. You must use the new result, even if it is a 1.
Magic Sense: You can cast the detect magic spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest.
Woodwise: You are proficient in the Nature and Survival skills.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Leprechaunese.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/6d/44/YLg7oiIA_t.png
Salamander Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most salamanders are chaotic good.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 25 feet.
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Charming: You are proficient in the Deception and Persuasion skills.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Faerie Flies: You know the dancing lights cantrip, requiring no material component. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spells.
Swampborn Resilience: You are immune to disease. You also have advantage on saving throws against poison, and resistance against poison damage.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Glub.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/5b/77/GbeRiCFk_t.png
Sprite Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most sprites are lawful neutral.
Size: Medium.
Speed: You have a flying speed of 30 feet, with the ability to hover. You can fly even when wearing heavy armor.
Lore: You are proficient with one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and two extra languages of your choice.



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/c9/09/gy4YZT5k_t.png
Troll Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Trolls tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Trollish.

Choose one of these subraces

Landdweller
???

Seadweller
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Swim Speed: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
???



https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/10/49/GpYvu04k_t.png
Turtle Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Most turtles are lawful good.
Size: Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Defensive Stance: You gain a +2 bonus to armor class, and you have advantage on rolls to resist being shoved. Whenever you move more than 5 feet on a single turn, you lose these benefits for one round.
Hold Breath: You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Natural Armor: When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Tool Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the artisan's tools of your choice: carpenter's tools, mason's tools, potter's tools, smith's tools, or weaver's tools.
Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Chell.



If it won't break anything, I'd like to keep sprites' flight ability at 1st level. It's actually their only means of locomotion in Homestuck cannon. I originally posted sprites as having a 30-foot walking speed. But now that I think about it, a sprite that's not flying would be dragging its legless body along with its hands.

Right now, what I've got for iguanas' Standing Leap ability is a direct copy from grungs. I'm reluctant to remove the part that sets jump distance independently of strength. I kind of like the idea that iguanas can dump strength without any impact to their jumping ability.

Maxidion
2019-07-06, 12:24 AM
Just throwing this out there. I have discovered that some creatures in the game have inferior darkvision, which is just a 30 ft. darkvision. If you feel that these races should have darkvision, but not as good as elves or dwarves you could use that. Though if these races are meant to be played with only these races, and therefore no elves or dwarves, I don't see an issue. Seeing as how the ones who originally had darkvision had the superior version already.

Also, what is homestuck? A quick search of the internet did not provided satisfactory answers.

P.S. While these are not the types of races I normally like to play with, they are so well made I might use them anyway.

Maat Mons
2019-07-07, 11:06 PM
Homestuck is a sort of... online... comic... thing? Each page is typically a single illustration, followed by a highly variable amount of text. It's styled after old-school adventure games, but the "commands" are predetermined. Is there a term for that? Let's go with "pseudo-choose-your-own-adventure."

Anyway, if you want to read it, it's here (https://www.homestuck.com/story). And if you want to read about it, its wiki is here (https://mspaintadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Homestuck).



So, are the current version of the races looking okay, balance-wise? Aside from trolls and humans, who still have question marks for some of their abilities?



For humans, if I'm going not going to use any of the official versions, one direction I was considering taking them, thematically speaking, was teamwork. But the only ability I've been able to think of for that is just ripping off kobolds' Pack Tactics.

Apparently, humans used to practice something called exhaustion hunting. This would seem to suggest that humans should be good at running, and posses good endurance. Would that be an interesting direction to take the race?

I kind of like the idea of humans having an ability called "shenanigans," regardless of what it does.



I'm imagining trolls living in regions where the heat from the sun is oppressive. Should I give them some "naturally adapted to hot climates" ability? Or maybe just the landdwellers?

Other than that, all I can really think of for troll abilities is ripping off Relentless Endurance or Savage attacks from half orc. Ripping off Aggressive from full orc. Or ripping off Surprise Attack from Bugbear.

Well, that and maybe something related to resisting fear or poison? Or maybe proficiency in light armor? Or proficiency with club, dagger, greatclub, and sickle? I don't know.



I hear that 5e sort-of-but-not-really has templates? There are a couple of templates that really should exist for this setting.

One would be called "fungoid zombie," or somesuch. Afflicted creatures would turn into plants, gain a mindless aggression, and be able to infect others. I'm not really sure how infecting others work, exactly. In Homestuck lore, the zombies are diurnal, so it might make sense to give them a "sunlight dependance," or something. Maybe just an inverted version of light sensitivity? Or more sweeping?

Another template would be "lusus." They're like regular animals, but with humanoid intellect (but not the ability to speak) and they're always completely white. Actually, lots of them are like crosses between real animals. Maybe they should just be a bunch of new creatures? Not a template? In any case, I'd want it to be possible to get a lusus as an Animal Companion or Familiar.

Maxidion
2019-07-09, 01:20 AM
Homestuck is a sort of... online... comic... thing? Each page is typically a single illustration, followed by a highly variable amount of text. It's styled after old-school adventure games, but the "commands" are predetermined. Is there a term for that? Let's go with "pseudo-choose-your-own-adventure."

Anyway, if you want to read it, it's here (https://www.homestuck.com/story). And if you want to read about it, its wiki is here (https://mspaintadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Homestuck).



So, are the current version of the races looking okay, balance-wise? Aside from trolls and humans, who still have question marks for some of their abilities?



For humans, if I'm going not going to use any of the official versions, one direction I was considering taking them, thematically speaking, was teamwork. But the only ability I've been able to think of for that is just ripping off kobolds' Pack Tactics.

Apparently, humans used to practice something called exhaustion hunting. This would seem to suggest that humans should be good at running, and posses good endurance. Would that be an interesting direction to take the race?

I kind of like the idea of humans having an ability called "shenanigans," regardless of what it does.



I'm imagining trolls living in regions where the heat from the sun is oppressive. Should I give them some "naturally adapted to hot climates" ability? Or maybe just the landdwellers?

Other than that, all I can really think of for troll abilities is ripping off Relentless Endurance or Savage attacks from half orc. Ripping off Aggressive from full orc. Or ripping off Surprise Attack from Bugbear.

Well, that and maybe something related to resisting fear or poison? Or maybe proficiency in light armor? Or proficiency with club, dagger, greatclub, and sickle? I don't know.



I hear that 5e sort-of-but-not-really has templates? There are a couple of templates that really should exist for this setting.

One would be called "fungoid zombie," or somesuch. Afflicted creatures would turn into plants, gain a mindless aggression, and be able to infect others. I'm not really sure how infecting others work, exactly. In Homestuck lore, the zombies are diurnal, so it might make sense to give them a "sunlight dependance," or something. Maybe just an inverted version of light sensitivity? Or more sweeping?

Another template would be "lusus." They're like regular animals, but with humanoid intellect (but not the ability to speak) and they're always completely white. Actually, lots of them are like crosses between real animals. Maybe they should just be a bunch of new creatures? Not a template? In any case, I'd want it to be possible to get a lusus as an Animal Companion or Familiar.

Thank you, I look forward to reading and reading up on homestuck.

Well, I did say that the races were so good I would probably use them despite the fact I don't normally use things of this sort. Sooo… I suppose they're okay.:smalltongue: But seriously, I think you did really good on them.

I think that as far as humans go it is a matter of personal opinion. My personal opinion is that the base game humans start with few bonuses and that the feats, while powerful, only barely make up for their lack in other abilities, making them a relatively balanced race (I still feel they are on the low end). If you want to make something else, go for it. I would enjoy seeing what you come up with, and I always like seeing a new human variant. Most of what you said about the humans seems fine.

I am normally a very opinionated person with plenty of my own ideas, so just give me time and will be sure to come up with. I just currently seem be in a drought for opinions. Also, this is kind of outside the area I normally work in (these types of races) and I don't know much about homestuck, so I really know a lot about what really fits these races.

Trolls? Read the above paragraph. Templates? What are they? Why do I have so many questions to ask?

P.S. Don't worry, I'm certain to come up with ideas and become more involved with this process, so long as your looking for feedback and opinions anyway.

Maat Mons
2019-07-10, 11:00 PM
In D&D 3.5, a template was a series of changes applied to a creature to get another creature. For example, Zombie was a template, and if you applied it to Human, you'd get a Human Zombie. Or if you applied it to Gnome, you'd get a Gnome Zombie.

D&D 3.0, there were also templates, but zombie wasn't one of them. Instead, there were just stat blocks for Small Zombie, Medium Zombie, Large Zombie, et cetera.

I see that 5e has stats for Zombie, and stats for Ogre Zombie, which leaves me a little confused, since neither of those is small. Do small creatures get reanimated as medium-sized Zombies?

Right now, Zombies are really, the only thing I have to look at for designing Fungoid Zombies. The internet says Tomb of Annihilation has Yellow Musk Zombies. And if those are anything like their 3rd edition counterpart, they should be closer to what I'm after, but still off in their own way. The internet also says that Volo's Guide to Monsters has Spawn of Kyuss. Assuming, again, that these creatures resemble their 3rd edition versions, they're probably the closest to what I'm after. Maybe I should hold off on designing Fungoid Zombies for now?

Maxidion
2019-07-11, 04:09 PM
In D&D 3.5, a template was a series of changes applied to a creature to get another creature. For example, Zombie was a template, and if you applied it to Human, you'd get a Human Zombie. Or if you applied it to Gnome, you'd get a Gnome Zombie.

D&D 3.0, there were also templates, but zombie wasn't one of them. Instead, there were just stat blocks for Small Zombie, Medium Zombie, Large Zombie, et cetera.

I see that 5e has stats for Zombie, and stats for Ogre Zombie, which leaves me a little confused, since neither of those is small. Do small creatures get reanimated as medium-sized Zombies?

Right now, Zombies are really, the only thing I have to look at for designing Fungoid Zombies. The internet says Tomb of Annihilation has Yellow Musk Zombies. And if those are anything like their 3rd edition counterpart, they should be closer to what I'm after, but still off in their own way. The internet also says that Volo's Guide to Monsters has Spawn of Kyuss. Assuming, again, that these creatures resemble their 3rd edition versions, they're probably the closest to what I'm after. Maybe I should hold off on designing Fungoid Zombies for now?

Okay. I'm pretty sure, but not totally, that templates don't exist in 5e. Probably if you wanted to make a gnome zombie you would use a zombie and make it small, adding or subtracting anything else you see that needs to be changed to fit the theme. I am afraid I am only familiar with 5e, so I haven't heard of a lot of this stuff before. Templates sound like a good idea though. They were probably taken out for simplicities sake, hence increasing the complications for anyone who wanted to make variants.

If you want to start designing the fungoid zombies now, go ahead. If you don't then wait. I currently see no reason why it would matter when you designed them. Also, most people I've seen GM make their own monsters and variants quite frequently.

Maat Mons
2019-07-26, 03:50 AM
I've been trying to decide what names all the countries should have, and how they should be positioned relative to each other. I think I'd like to base the world map of Hussonia (tentative name) on the only map ever shown in Homestuck (other than real-world maps).

https://images2.imgbox.com/5c/b0/TRGDjpyr_o.png



I tried to divide the landmasses up in a relatively logical way to give the 10 races (not counting sprites) a home. And then I divided the carapacian and troll regions each in half, because lore.

https://images2.imgbox.com/e1/18/9MOjmwWZ_o.png

A quick key for who lives where:

Alternia: Half of original troll homeland
Beforus: Half of original troll homeland
Derse: Half of original carapacian homeland
Ifaistel: Crocodile homeland
Kelonia: Turtle homeland
Prospit: Half of original carapacian homeland
Saibhria: Leprechaun homeland
Skaia: Human homeland
Tenosa: Iguana homeland
Urodel: Salamander homeland
Volakora: Imp homeland
Zillia: Cherub homeland

Maat Mons
2019-07-31, 11:37 PM
https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/c9/09/gy4YZT5k_t.png
Troll Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Trolls tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Aggressive: As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Brave: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Trollish.

Choose one of these subraces

Landdweller
Landdweller Weapon Training: You have proficiency with clubs, daggers, greatclubs, and sickles.
Pack Tactics: You have advantage on an attack rolls against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Vocational Training: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Seadweller
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Deep Water Adaptation: You are adapted to even the most extreme ocean depths. You ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a deep, underwater environment.
Seadweller Weapon Training: You have proficiency with spears, tridents, light crossbows, and nets.
Swim Speed: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.



Okay, that's all the ideas I can steal come up with for trolls. I'm hoping I have more than enough abilities here, and can hit the right power level by trimming it back.

Maxidion
2019-08-02, 06:56 PM
As far as the map goes, it doesn't look like it would work in real life, but most fantasy worlds wouldn't anyway so its not a big deal. Example, crocodile people live far to the south, in all likely hood it would be colder as they near the poles. Though on earth, the south is warmer than the north, also water does have a stabilizing affect on temperature.

Trolls definitely don't seem anymore. Not sure about overpowered, but their abilities seem to work. I have been to busy to have this kind of stuff in my mind recently.

Maat Mons
2019-08-05, 12:41 AM
All right, let me take another stab at this, with more attention paid to climate zone.

https://images2.imgbox.com/39/f4/aTU6DBKH_o.png

The iguanas in Homestuck cannon are portrayed as living in a snowy forest, even though actual reptiles probably wouldn't have been active in that weather. So it's probably okay to put them on a colder landmass.

Crocodiles need to be in an area with substantial volcanic activity. I'm not really sure what that translates to on this map though. Salamanders need to be in an area with plenty of wetlands. And salamanders and crocodiles can't share a border, on account of how aggressive crocodiles are and how little military might the salamanders have.



Let me see if I can trim down trolls without taking too much out.

https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/c9/09/gy4YZT5k_t.png
Troll Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Trolls tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Surprise Attack: If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Trollish.

Choose one of these subraces

Landdweller
Heat Tolerance: You’re naturally adapted to hot climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Vocation: You gain training in one skill of your choice.

Seadweller
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Swim Speed: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.



I guess my main sticking point is that I don't want seadwellers and landdwellers to be that different. But at the same time, I don't want them to be too similar either.

Maxidion
2019-08-10, 04:14 PM
All right, let me take another stab at this, with more attention paid to climate zone.

The iguanas in Homestuck cannon are portrayed as living in a snowy forest, even though actual reptiles probably wouldn't have been active in that weather. So it's probably okay to put them on a colder landmass.

Crocodiles need to be in an area with substantial volcanic activity. I'm not really sure what that translates to on this map though. Salamanders need to be in an area with plenty of wetlands. And salamanders and crocodiles can't share a border, on account of how aggressive crocodiles are and how little military might the salamanders have.



Let me see if I can trim down trolls without taking too much out.

Troll Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Trolls tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Surprise Attack: If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Trollish.

Choose one of these subraces

Landdweller
Heat Tolerance: You’re naturally adapted to hot climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Vocation: You gain training in one skill of your choice.

Seadweller
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Swim Speed: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.



I guess my main sticking point is that I don't want seadwellers and landdwellers to be that different. But at the same time, I don't want them to be too similar either.

Though I haven't given to much thought into how to logically make a reptile able to live in cold climates, and therefore don't know if it is possible; I have always liked the idea of cold dwelling reptiles and therefore don't see a problem there.
For the crocodiles, Volcanoes mean mountains, probably most mountains were at some point volcanoes. High rates of volcanic activity would also mean 2 other things. A rapidly changing landscapes, and very fertile. If we really want to delve further into reality, than most likely humanity is currently unable of thinking up another planet that life like ours could live on, so I suggest we don't go down that path.

The map looks like it will work, but I think you understand it better than I do.

I'm not sure what I was trying to say about the trolls in my message above when I said "they definitely don't ? seem anymore." But with the other part what I was saying was, they are at just about the power level where I can't decide if they are too strong, or just right. As of now, I can't really tell, but I feel that they are a little on the weak side. Sorry. Balancing races, or monsters, or anything along those lines is quite difficult.

Maat Mons
2019-08-11, 02:16 AM
I had assumed the missing word was "underpowered."



Okay then, let's go back to the previous version... but maybe with some slight tweaks.

I'd kind of like to take Brave out. My thinking when I included it was that Alternian society is terrifying, so trolls would be desensitized to fear. That has a few problems though. For one thing, I'm trying to represent Alternian trolls and Beforan trolls as a single race, so I probably shouldn't be sticking in a trait based only on Alernian society. Another thing is that hardly any of the trolls depicted in cannon seem especially brave. And there's a group of trolls who specialize in fear magic, and primarily use it against other trolls, which it seems like they wouldn't do if it were largely ineffective.

For landdwellers, I think I should take out Pack Tactics. I think it's just too strong for a subrace ability.

But I'll keep the Heat Tolerance ability from the newer version. I think it helps sell the idea of the races being from dissimilar environments. I was a little hesitant about it, since trolls are nocturnal, but I hear that rainforests are barely any cooler at night, and even if they were, the trolls would still have to tough out the sweltering heat even if they were indoors (and maybe asleep).

I think I'll ditch Deep Water Adaptation though. There are no penalties for depth listed in the DMG. There seems to be one module (Storm King's Thunder) that has some rules for it, but I'm not sure I should be basing a racial trait on a mechanic that obscure. And apparently DMs are encouraged to rule various lifeforms immune to the effects anyway.



So, I guess the changes from the newer version are twofold. I'm reverting Surprise Attack back to Aggressive. And I'm putting the weapon proficiencies back in.

Now that I think about it, trolls were never really portrayed as sneaky. And I'm kind of envisioning their military being based on masses of troops on land, and ship-to-ship combat at sea. Maybe Aggressive is a better fit.

The weapon proficiencies do seem to differentiate the subraces. And, now that I think about it, since trolls are supposed to be the most militant of the races, it would be a little weird if they didn't have racial weapon proficiencies while one of the other races did.

Maxidion
2019-08-18, 11:15 PM
Yes underpowered was exactly the word I was going for. I was not trying to say that they were way overpowered though.

So basically the troll currently looks like this:

Troll Traits
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2 and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age: ???
Alignment: Trolls tend towards no particular alignment.
Size: Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Aggressive: As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Trollish.

Choose one of these subraces

Landdweller
Landdweller Weapon Training: You have proficiency with clubs, daggers, greatclubs, and sickles.
Heat Tolerance: You are naturally acclimated to hot temperatures as shown in etc...
Vocational Training: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Seadweller
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Seadweller Weapon Training: You have proficiency with spears, tridents, light crossbows, and nets.
Swim Speed: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

I feel this is good, but needs just few tiny perks, partly to make them more unique, and partly to make them balanced with the other classes. I think the base class and both subclasses should each get a small park. Here are my proposed changes, sorry that you are constantly being told things need to change.
1. If I understood you correctly the trolls as a whole are militant. If that is the case maybe give the primary race something similar but weaker than pack tactics. My idea; Military formation(or just Militant, or whatever you want to call it): If adjacent to a conscious ally you may add 1d4 to your attack rolls.
Alternate idea, you have 1d4 per turn, this may be add to an attack roll, a spell DC, an ability check, or even saved to add to your AC against 1 attack. I think the original idea is more similar to what would normally be allowed in the game, thus why the second idea is only an alternate one. (Note: neither requires you or your ally to be adjacent to an enemy, thus while not as powerful as pack tactics it has a different use.)

I forgot to put in heat tolerance when I was first writing this, that probably gives enough of a boost to the Landdwellers.

I think for the sea dwellers it might be best to give them back the deep sea adaption because if someone, like me, didn't realize they lived in the deep sea, and were applying our own penalties for deep sea travel we might also give it to the seadwellers. The deep sea is much harsher than other parts of the oceans, unless you are near the boiling vents it is deadly cold, and there is a much higher water pressure. This perk would mainly be to let GMs know that they are in fact used to deep sea conditions, and thus don't need any custom penalties applied under normal circumstances.

Upon looking closer I realized the Seaddwellers perks, though conditional are still pretty good and thus probably don't need much more than having the above mentioned back.