PhoenixPhyre
2023-06-11, 04:50 PM
(Technically, this is half homebrew for D&D 5e and half part of a system design for a 5e knockoff)
One of the things I'm working toward is splitting the "race" part into two separate chunks--Lineage (biology, basically) and Culture (exactly what it says). Any Lineage can choose any Culture. Each Culture grants either one solid trait or two weaker ones (along with some proficiencies), with the intent that none of them should be wildly more powerful in the abstract than others. I'm totally ok with some being better for some characters than others, however. That's inevitable.
What I'd like is for some more eyes on these traits, checking for any outliers (in either direction).
Generic cultural traits
Cosmopolitan -- ***Coin Counter***: You can buy for a 10% discount and sell for a 10% markup (ie 55% of stock price for normal gear or 110% for treasures and trade goods sold at full value normally).
Cosmopolitan -- ***Babyl-dweller***: You know the *lesser gift of tongues* [aka comprehend languages] incantation and can perform it without a ritual scroll and without expending the component.
Maritime -- ***Like a Fish***: you have a swim speed equal to half your speed.
Tribal -- ***Hardy***: Once per long rest, you can reduce your Exhaustion level by one when you finish a short rest. [note that Exhaustion will be both less debilitating and more common than in stock 5e]
Religious -- ***Ascendant Guidance***: You learn the *augury* incantation and can cast it without a Ritual Scroll.
Religious -- ***Ritualist***: When you perform an incantation that has a performance time greater than 1 minute, you can reduce it by one step (to a minimum of one minute). [Incantations replace ritual spells and a lot of utility spells and are available to everyone who wishes. But they tend to take a long time to cast. Steps are "full round" (action + movement, takes effect at start of your next turn), 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours.]
Rural -- ***Animal Whisperer***: You can use your action to attempt to soothe a hostile animal or tame a wild one that isn't hostile to you. Choose a beast or monstrosity you can see that can hear you. Make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check against a DC of 10 + the creature's CR (rounding up), with disadvantage if it has an Intelligence above 3. On a success, the creature is charmed by you for one hour or until you or your companions take a hostile action against it. If you successfully repeat this check every hour for 4 hours, the creature will follow you for 24 hours and will defend you. It remains an NPC and you cannot command it directly. You can only have one creature tamed at a time, and once you successfully use this ability, you cannot use it targeting any other creature until you finish a long rest.
Specific cultural traits
These ones are tied to particular nations or regional cultures.
Wall-builder -- ***Consensus Builder***: You have advantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) check made to improve someone's attitude toward you.
Wall-builder -- ***Children of the Congregation***: You learn a cantrip of your choice from the Cleric list. Wisdom is the casting ability for this cantrip.
Wyrmhold Clans -- ***Trained for War***: When you spend a hit die to heal, if the die result is below half of its maximum, the hit die is not expended.
Child of Night -- ***Delver into Mysteries***: You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception), Intelligence (Investigation), or Wisdom (Insight) check made to determine a hidden location, object, person, or motive.
Fang-kin -- ***Serpentine Grace***: The fang-kin prize grace and dancing. Most who grow up here are more flexible than those of other cultures, no matter their lineage. You can squeeze through spaces one size smaller than yourself without penalty. In addition, you can move through enemies spaces as long as they are one size larger or smaller than yourself instead of two, although the spaces are still difficult terrain.
Uulani -- ***Famous Artisans***: The Uulani are known far and wide for their crafting prowess. All crafting costs half as much time and money. In addition, you start with the schema for one Common item of your choice. At level 6, you discover a schema of your choice for an Uncommon item.
One of the things I'm working toward is splitting the "race" part into two separate chunks--Lineage (biology, basically) and Culture (exactly what it says). Any Lineage can choose any Culture. Each Culture grants either one solid trait or two weaker ones (along with some proficiencies), with the intent that none of them should be wildly more powerful in the abstract than others. I'm totally ok with some being better for some characters than others, however. That's inevitable.
What I'd like is for some more eyes on these traits, checking for any outliers (in either direction).
Generic cultural traits
Cosmopolitan -- ***Coin Counter***: You can buy for a 10% discount and sell for a 10% markup (ie 55% of stock price for normal gear or 110% for treasures and trade goods sold at full value normally).
Cosmopolitan -- ***Babyl-dweller***: You know the *lesser gift of tongues* [aka comprehend languages] incantation and can perform it without a ritual scroll and without expending the component.
Maritime -- ***Like a Fish***: you have a swim speed equal to half your speed.
Tribal -- ***Hardy***: Once per long rest, you can reduce your Exhaustion level by one when you finish a short rest. [note that Exhaustion will be both less debilitating and more common than in stock 5e]
Religious -- ***Ascendant Guidance***: You learn the *augury* incantation and can cast it without a Ritual Scroll.
Religious -- ***Ritualist***: When you perform an incantation that has a performance time greater than 1 minute, you can reduce it by one step (to a minimum of one minute). [Incantations replace ritual spells and a lot of utility spells and are available to everyone who wishes. But they tend to take a long time to cast. Steps are "full round" (action + movement, takes effect at start of your next turn), 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours.]
Rural -- ***Animal Whisperer***: You can use your action to attempt to soothe a hostile animal or tame a wild one that isn't hostile to you. Choose a beast or monstrosity you can see that can hear you. Make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check against a DC of 10 + the creature's CR (rounding up), with disadvantage if it has an Intelligence above 3. On a success, the creature is charmed by you for one hour or until you or your companions take a hostile action against it. If you successfully repeat this check every hour for 4 hours, the creature will follow you for 24 hours and will defend you. It remains an NPC and you cannot command it directly. You can only have one creature tamed at a time, and once you successfully use this ability, you cannot use it targeting any other creature until you finish a long rest.
Specific cultural traits
These ones are tied to particular nations or regional cultures.
Wall-builder -- ***Consensus Builder***: You have advantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) check made to improve someone's attitude toward you.
Wall-builder -- ***Children of the Congregation***: You learn a cantrip of your choice from the Cleric list. Wisdom is the casting ability for this cantrip.
Wyrmhold Clans -- ***Trained for War***: When you spend a hit die to heal, if the die result is below half of its maximum, the hit die is not expended.
Child of Night -- ***Delver into Mysteries***: You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception), Intelligence (Investigation), or Wisdom (Insight) check made to determine a hidden location, object, person, or motive.
Fang-kin -- ***Serpentine Grace***: The fang-kin prize grace and dancing. Most who grow up here are more flexible than those of other cultures, no matter their lineage. You can squeeze through spaces one size smaller than yourself without penalty. In addition, you can move through enemies spaces as long as they are one size larger or smaller than yourself instead of two, although the spaces are still difficult terrain.
Uulani -- ***Famous Artisans***: The Uulani are known far and wide for their crafting prowess. All crafting costs half as much time and money. In addition, you start with the schema for one Common item of your choice. At level 6, you discover a schema of your choice for an Uncommon item.