Segev
2020-03-15, 02:20 AM
It’s clear that CR and playability are loosely related, at best. So the fact that goblins are CR 1/4 and playable more or less exactly as written in the Monster Manual doesn’t mean that all CR 1/4 creatures can be balanced the same way.
I don’t know that I’d have opportunity nor that it would fit any particular game, but sprites look like they’d be fun to play as some sort of caster (Likely a bard or illusionist, as I like illusionists in 5e.) The tiny flying fey is an amusing concept.
They can be obtained as familiars by chain pact warlocks - well, a fiend, fey, or celestial can fake being one (and oddly, I lie other chain pact familiar options, there’s nothing about them volunteering to be familiars if the DM wants them to in the monster manual entry) - but that’s not the same as playing one.
If translated directly, they’d have a size entry that says they’re Tiny, and likely a +2 to dex, +1 to int, -4 or even -7 to Strength, and a move of 10 and 40 flight. They may or may not have the at-will invisibility, possibly at 3rd level. And they likely would not have the poison arrows (or maybe they’d get a price for ingredients on a per-dose basis and some clause that it takes their fey magic to activate so they can’t share it).
Considering that Aaracockra have only an unarmed weapon and flight as their racial features, I’m inclined to say that flight plus invisibility and maybe poison, even with a huge penalty to strength and the disadvantages of Tiny size, is probably too much.
But then, I also thought half-elves looked incredibly weak compared to elves or variant humans, and people seem to think (strongly) otherwise.
While on this subject, Spriggan gnomes from earlier editions did not make it into 5e, it seems, with “Spriggans” in 5e being some sort of plant fey with no similarities to Spriggan from earlier editions. How valuable is the ability to go from small to Large, and how does limiting its duration and/or uses change that value compared to it being “at will” (but costing an action)?
Consider the gnome traits; would that be a thing you could just tack on as the sole power of a sub race, or would it need to also trade out more of the gnomes traits (e.g. the advantage on mental saves vs magic)?
Come to think of it, could Sprite (or the ablilty to turn into one) be a gnome sub race? Could Spriggan growth and shrinking into a Sprite-like flying form be (separate) feats?
Again, this is very much in the theory crafting stage. No specific games or DMs to ask anything of at this point.
Edit to add: is it a typo that Mountain Dwarves get +2 Strength and not just +1?
I don’t know that I’d have opportunity nor that it would fit any particular game, but sprites look like they’d be fun to play as some sort of caster (Likely a bard or illusionist, as I like illusionists in 5e.) The tiny flying fey is an amusing concept.
They can be obtained as familiars by chain pact warlocks - well, a fiend, fey, or celestial can fake being one (and oddly, I lie other chain pact familiar options, there’s nothing about them volunteering to be familiars if the DM wants them to in the monster manual entry) - but that’s not the same as playing one.
If translated directly, they’d have a size entry that says they’re Tiny, and likely a +2 to dex, +1 to int, -4 or even -7 to Strength, and a move of 10 and 40 flight. They may or may not have the at-will invisibility, possibly at 3rd level. And they likely would not have the poison arrows (or maybe they’d get a price for ingredients on a per-dose basis and some clause that it takes their fey magic to activate so they can’t share it).
Considering that Aaracockra have only an unarmed weapon and flight as their racial features, I’m inclined to say that flight plus invisibility and maybe poison, even with a huge penalty to strength and the disadvantages of Tiny size, is probably too much.
But then, I also thought half-elves looked incredibly weak compared to elves or variant humans, and people seem to think (strongly) otherwise.
While on this subject, Spriggan gnomes from earlier editions did not make it into 5e, it seems, with “Spriggans” in 5e being some sort of plant fey with no similarities to Spriggan from earlier editions. How valuable is the ability to go from small to Large, and how does limiting its duration and/or uses change that value compared to it being “at will” (but costing an action)?
Consider the gnome traits; would that be a thing you could just tack on as the sole power of a sub race, or would it need to also trade out more of the gnomes traits (e.g. the advantage on mental saves vs magic)?
Come to think of it, could Sprite (or the ablilty to turn into one) be a gnome sub race? Could Spriggan growth and shrinking into a Sprite-like flying form be (separate) feats?
Again, this is very much in the theory crafting stage. No specific games or DMs to ask anything of at this point.
Edit to add: is it a typo that Mountain Dwarves get +2 Strength and not just +1?