No strength based small races?! Time to fix that.

[samuraijaques]

Hey folks.

I was recently lamenting the fact that there are no strength based small races in 5e for me to make a lance using halfling cavalier so I made one up! Please let me know what you think.

Stalwart halfling subrace.

+2 strength, +1 wisdom, -2 dexterity

powerful build: you count as large when determining your carrying capacity

strength beyond size: you may use weapons with the heavy quality without disadvantage

As far as fluff I've been pulling a lot of inspiration from Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men. Basically they'd be little Scottish people lifting objects larger than they were. They'd be boisterous and brash and prone to competitions of strength but would retain all of the halfling kindness and hospitality.

I had considered giving them free athletics as well but I think that might be too much.

Thoughts?

[Malfarian]

My question is what problem are you fixing here? Is it maximized str on a half-ling?

[samuraijaques]

My question is what problem are you fixing here? Is it maximized str on a half-ling?

I'm filling a gap left by wizards. The lack of strength based small races leaves a lot of build and RP potential underutilized.

[MagneticKitty]

Balance wise...
Using https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vq1kz6PRAbw5LHy6amH-bNb4OuB8DBXL1RsZROt03Sc/htmlview#

Base halfling: 15 points, see guide for breakdown

Subclass 4 points
4) Asi +1
-4) asi -2
2) Powerful build (large for carry ect)
2) No disadvantage on heavy weapon... not on the list so I will guess the value... as close to elf weapon training

This puts it behind the other halfling classes in power, where they are 23 and 24 points total. This one is 19 total. Meaning I do not think it is too powerful... in fact it's about on par with dragonborn and kobold which are notoriously... underpowered. A lot of people use a negative stat as an excuse or balance to give them a million features.. But it doesn't feel like you did that, good work.

Minor design qualms:
Negative stats feel bad. negitive dex feels real bad. At least the other two races negative stats are less bad in that int and str saves are rare and often dumped anyway.

Replacing the core race's main stat feels weird and clunky.. shouldn't it be plus 2 dex plus 1 str? This forces a sentence or two re explaining your base race asi is swapped similar to feral tiefling... there's a precident, but still feels weird.

[Composer99]

If you wanted to have lance-wielding halfling, why go "full Feegle?"

[samuraijaques]

Balance wise...
Using https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vq1kz6PRAbw5LHy6amH-bNb4OuB8DBXL1RsZROt03Sc/htmlview#

Base halfling: 15 points, see guide for breakdown

Subclass 4 points
4) Asi +1
-4) asi -2
2) Powerful build (large for carry ect)
2) No disadvantage on heavy weapon... not on the list so I will guess the value... as close to elf weapon training

This puts it behind the other halfling classes in power, where they are 23 and 24 points total. This one is 19 total. Meaning I do not think it is too powerful... in fact it's about on par with dragonborn and kobold which are notoriously... underpowered. A lot of people use a negative stat as an excuse or balance to give them a million features.. But it doesn't feel like you did that, good work.

Minor design qualms:
Negative stats feel bad. negitive dex feels real bad. At least the other two races negative stats are less bad in that int and str saves are rare and often dumped anyway.

Replacing the core race's main stat feels weird and clunky.. shouldn't it be plus 2 dex plus 1 str? This forces a sentence or two re explaining your base race asi is swapped similar to feral tiefling... there's a precident, but still feels weird.

I didn't realize there was a table like that for gaging the power level of races. Cool. I was trying to avoid making a completely different race and thought that other races had done the "instead of this get this" thing so it's not exactly taboo.

It's not a negative dexterity. It's a wash when you factor in the +2 from the base halfling.

So would adding the athletics proficiency be reasonable then?


If you wanted to have lance-wielding halfling, why go "full Feegle?"

Never go full feegle.

[MagneticKitty]

Oh.. uh I would not have thought it was +2 -2 dex... Which is unheard of for it to list like that as far as I know...
I would read the feral tiefling section and word it like that (the main example of doing something similar). Right now it very much looks like you have a minus 2 dex. This also changes the balance numbers from before, actually since plus 2 stats is 8 points and -2 is -4 points...
Anyway, ignoring that, (since the guide is not made to nullify a stat)

The new total equals 23 which is at level with regular halfling.

So does not need athletics prof imo

[sandmote]

I feel the need to point out the lance only has the special and reach properties in 5e. A Cavalier was already the best strength-based option for a character of a small race.

My point for commenting, however is that your version of powerful build doesn't work with the druid's wild shape. If you wild shape into a tiny creature, your carrying capacity is quadrupled, not doubled. And if you wild shape into a huge creature, it penalizes you. There's a reason the default version adjusts your base size.

It might be simpler to have a strength based halfling subrace be medium sized, but say such a PC may "choose to count as small for the purposes of riding a mount," or something similar.

I would also keep the traditional Dex boost, simply stacking on a +1 to strength from the subrace. It would still create abilities supporting a mounted martial halfling.

[samuraijaques]

Okay, lots of great feedback, thanks for the help guys. Take two!

Stalwart halfling subrace.

+1 strength

powerful build: you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity or two sizes larger if you are small or smaller (is that worded well enough?)

strength beyond size: you may use weapons with the heavy quality without disadvantage