GravityEmblem
2022-03-12, 01:23 PM
I'm rewriting Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears as subraces of a unified Goblin race, mostly for lore reasons. I decided to give "Goblins" +2 Con, Darkvision, and the Hobgoblin Saving Face ability. The "Green Goblin" subrace (based on the traditional little guys) gets +1 Dex, and the Sneaky and Surprise Attack abilities from Bugbear. Bugbears get +1 Strength, Long-Limbed, and Powerful Build. Hobgoblins get +1 Int, their Weapon Training, and also a Homebrew ability I call "Strategic Strike," which lets them add their Intelligence modifier to damage when they have advantage.
I'm not concerned with absolute balance--it's ok if one of these subraces is superior to the other, or if an ability is a little broken, but I don't want it to be ridiculous. The Strategic Strike is the main point of contention. I mostly based it off the Goblin's "Fury of the Small" ability. Instead of a big damage bonus (your level) under common circumstances (against medium or bigger creatures) once per long rest, it's a small damage bonus (Int bonus) under less common circumstances (advantage) all the time.
So, what do you think?
I'm not concerned with absolute balance--it's ok if one of these subraces is superior to the other, or if an ability is a little broken, but I don't want it to be ridiculous. The Strategic Strike is the main point of contention. I mostly based it off the Goblin's "Fury of the Small" ability. Instead of a big damage bonus (your level) under common circumstances (against medium or bigger creatures) once per long rest, it's a small damage bonus (Int bonus) under less common circumstances (advantage) all the time.
So, what do you think?