Racial Construction Test

[RATHSQUATCH]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently working on an alternate method of creating a race. I've started with dwarves and am looking for feedback on how fun/feasible this setup seems. Any feedback is welcome and thank you!


https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/SJbe882Qr

[Bjarkmundur]

I have a giant reply in the works, but I think I'll wake up first. Can we get a short explanation on what demand you are supplying, what your design goals and intentions are, as well as how you want a player to experience your system?

[RATHSQUATCH]

I have a giant reply in the works, but I think I'll wake up first. Can we get a short explanation on what demand you are supplying, what your design goals and intentions are, as well as how you want a player to experience your system?

Certainly, although that's a super open question:

1. I'm looking to fill a void of a "mid-fantasy" setting, sort of a way to "fill the gap" between say Adventures in Middle Earth and standard common 5E.

2. The design intentions are to create something that lets people pick and choose what they are creating, meanwhile building their backstory to coincide with the stuff they are picking. Not on the Pathfinder level of options, but instead, just a few things that allow a player to really build their character from the ground up.

3. I'm hoping the idea of character creation (a lot of people's favorite part of the game) can be expanded some as well as getting insight to the different social structures and systems of each race. In the case of dwarves for instance, their people rely upon a Caste system and by taking on one of those Castes, you're also inheriting traits that will assist you or add to the roleplaying experience, especially among other dwarves.

That's kind of the short version. But, for now, my focus is on mechanics and balance. Thank you.

[Bjarkmundur]

If the goal is to give a player meaningful options of customizing his race's specific traits, leave stuff like proficiencies and ability scores out of it. Just give a choice of meaningful options, each connected with some cultural or inherited trait. This is especially true when in the context of "your choice of", since it has no weight behind it. If it were phrased like "You come from a line of master smiths of the Undermountain. You gain proficiency in smith's tools and can spend your downtime...." it would come far more engaging that "on proficiency of your choice". Ability scores are a metagaming tool, and should rather be removed or simplified rather than given more attention. In my games I completely removed racial ability scores, in hope to see more out-there race/class combos with interesting backstories.

I love what you're doing and feel you saw and seized a great opportunity to make the races more meaningful for a character as a whole, as well as guiding the player on what being a dwarf entails. Too many times to I see players pick high elf and do nothing with it. I'm always hoping I finally get a player that really emphasizes the different culture and mindset of an elven character, but it never happens. I am definitely looking forward to see how you tackle the humans, since they are usually my favorite race (and not because of the mechanics).

I would love to see that added to your design goals "Give players meaningful ways of emphasizing their linage and culture in order to better differentiate similar characters from different races, particularly for less knowledgeable players."

[RATHSQUATCH]

If the goal is to give a player meaningful options of customizing his race's specific traits, leave stuff like proficiencies and ability scores out of it. Just give a choice of meaningful options, each connected with some cultural or inherited trait. This is especially true when in the context of "your choice of", since it has no weight behind it. If it were phrased like "You come from a line of master smiths of the Undermountain. You gain proficiency in smith's tools and can spend your downtime...." it would come far more engaging that "on proficiency of your choice". Ability scores are a metagaming tool, and should rather be removed or simplified rather than given more attention. In my games I completely removed racial ability scores, in hope to see more out-there race/class combos with interesting backstories.

I love what you're doing and feel you saw and seized a great opportunity to make the races more meaningful for a character as a whole, as well as guiding the player on what being a dwarf entails. Too many times to I see players pick high elf and do nothing with it. I'm always hoping I finally get a player that really emphasizes the different culture and mindset of an elven character, but it never happens. I am definitely looking forward to see how you tackle the humans, since they are usually my favorite race (and not because of the mechanics).

I would love to see that added to your design goals "Give players meaningful ways of emphasizing their linage and culture in order to better differentiate similar characters from different races, particularly for less knowledgeable players."

I'm not a huge fan of ability score modifiers either personally, or at least if I'm going to use them, perhaps I should say why they get them. You're completely right on Tools and other things, I haven't sat down to look at flavor text yet, but for the balance of the system of 5E I have kept ability score increases thus far. As far as humans, you'll see, but they have "Bloodlines" which enhance them, otherwise, they're purely customizable from scratch basically, but the Bloodlines take up most of their creation points.

[RATHSQUATCH]

I have a giant reply in the works, but I think I'll wake up first. Can we get a short explanation on what demand you are supplying, what your design goals and intentions are, as well as how you want a player to experience your system?

Hey,

I updated this with some of the recommendations you had and just tried to flesh this out a bit more. I think all Dwarven Archetype abilities now make sense and give you more ties to your culture and why you have certain abilities. Thanks and let me know what you think.

[Composer99]

I'm not a fan of having a lookup table where you have to cross-reference Strength and Constitution to come up with your height and weight. Otherwise, a very interesting approach to giving players customisability when creating their characters.

[Zhorn]

Might want to double check your formatting.
First couple of pages are showing text aligned off the right of the page (pdf view gets past this though)

[RATHSQUATCH]

Might want to double check your formatting.
First couple of pages are showing text aligned off the right of the page (pdf view gets past this though)

If you’re not viewing in google chrome it will always do that I think.

[Zhorn]

If you’re not viewing in google chrome it will always do that I think.

Am viewing in google chrome. As mentioned, the pdf view is fine, just the browser view is having an alignment issue.