Homestuck Homebrew

[Maat Mons]

Spoiler: Carapacians

Show

Carapacian Racial Traits

• Medium: As medium creatures, carapacians have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Carapacian base land speed is 30 feet.
• Mute: Carapacians are incapable of speaking, but can still understand speech in any language they know (and can write, if there is paper handy).
• Silent Spellcasting: Any spell cast by a carapacian automatically gains the benefits of the Silent Spell metamagic feat. This does not require a higher-level spell slot, nor does it increase the casting time of spontaneous spells.
• Quiet: Carapacians have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
• Automatic Language: Carapacian Sign, Common. Bonus Languages: Blink, Chell, Glub, Nak, Thip.
• Favored Class: Rogue.

Spoiler: Cherubs

Show

Cherub Racial Traits

• +2 constitution, -4 Charisma
• Medium: As medium creatures, cherubs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Cherub base land speed is 30 feet.
• Adaptable: Cherubs gain a bonus feat at 1st level, which can be any feat for which they meet the prerequisites.
• Skull Face: Cherubs have a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.
• Automatic Language: Cherubic, Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Any.

Cherub Racial Feats
Void Dweller
Prerequisite: Cherub
Benefit: You no longer need to eat, drink, or breath.

Spoiler: Crocodiles

Show

Crocodile Racial Traits

• Small: As small creatures, crocodiles gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but must use smaller weapons than Medium creatures use, and have only three-quarters the carrying capacity of medium creatures.
• Crocodile base land speed is 30 feet. Crocodile base swim speed is 30 feet.
• Hold Breath: A crocodiles can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 x his Constitution score before he risks drowning.
• Low-Light Vision: Crocodiles can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Weapon Familiarity: Crocodiles are proficient with the sling, spear, longspear, and shortspear.
• Automatic Language: Common, Nak. Bonus Languages: Carapacian Sign, Chell, Glub, Thip.
• Favored Class: Barbarian.

Spoiler: Humans

Show

Human Racial Traits

• Medium: As medium creatures, humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Human base land speed is 30 feet.
• Adaptable: Humans gain a bonus feat at 1st level, which can be any feat for which they meet the prerequisites.
• Eclectic: Humans gain 4 extra skill points at 1st level, and 1 extra skill point every level thereafter.
• Automatic Language: Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Any.

Human Racial Feats
Able Learner
Prerequisite: Human
Benefit: Cross-class skill ranks cost you only 1 skill point per skill rank, instead of 2.
Special: This feat can only be taken at 1st level.

Fleet of Foot
Prerequisite: Human
Benefit: Your base land speed increases by +10 feet. You lose this benefit when you wear medium or heavy armor, or when you carry a medium or heavy load.

Smooth Talk
Prerequisite: Human
Benefit: When making a rushed Diplomacy check, you suffer only a -5 penalty on the roll.

Tireless
Prerequisite: Human
Benefit: Effects that would normally make you fatigued have no effect. Effects that would normally make you exhausted instead make you fatigued.

Spoiler: Iguanas

Show

Iguana Racial Traits

• +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength
• Small: As small creatures, iguanas gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but must use smaller weapons than Medium creatures use, and have only three-quarters the carrying capacity of medium creatures.
• Iguana base land speed is 30 feet. Iguana base climb speed is 30 feet.
• Slow Fall: An iguana treats any fall as 10 feet shorter when determining damage. At every odd-numbered character level after 1st, this improves by 10 feet.
• Automatic Language: Common, Thip. Bonus Languages: Carapacian Sign, Chell, Glub, Nak.
• Favored Class: Druid.

Spoiler: Leprechauns

Show

Leprechaun Racial Traits

• Medium: As medium creatures, leprechauns have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Leprechaun base land speed is 30 feet.
• Jiggy: Leprechauns have a +4 racial bonus on Perform (dance) checks.
• ???
• ???
• Automatic Language: Common, Leprechaunese. Bonus Languages: Carapacian Sign, Cherubic, Trollish.
• Favored Class: Bard.

Spoiler: Salamanders

Show

Salamander Racial Traits

• +2 Charisma, -2 Strength
• Small: As small creatures, salamanders gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but must use smaller weapons than Medium creatures use, and have only three-quarters the carrying capacity of medium creatures.
• Salamander base land speed is 30 feet. Salamander base swim speed is 30 feet.
• Amphibious: Salamanders can breath water and air equally well.
• Low-Light Vision: Salamanders can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Slippery: Salamanders have a +4 racial bonus on escape artist checks, and on grapple checks made to resist or escape a grapple.
• Automatic Language: Common, Glub. Bonus Languages: Carapacian Sign, Chell, Nak, Thip.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer.

Spoiler: Sprites

Show

Sprite Racial Traits

• Medium: As medium creatures, sprites have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Sprite base speed is 30 feet. This is treated as a land speed, except as noted under the Float racial trait.
• Float: Sprites can float slightly above any surface that a typical person could walk on. This allows them to move over most types of difficult terrain unimpeded. When a sprite attains his 6th character level, he gains a fly speed of 30 feet, with perfect maneuverability.
• Automatic Language: Beenary, Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Wizard.

Spoiler: Trolls

Show

Troll Racial Traits

• Medium: As medium creatures, trolls have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Troll base land speed is 30 feet.
• Adaptable: Trolls gain a bonus feat at 1st level, which can be any feat for which they meet the prerequisites.
• Business Savvy: Trolls gain skill focus for any one craft, perform, or profession skill as a bonus feat.
• Eclectic Weaponry: Trolls ignore the +1 base attack bonus prerequisite of the exotic weapon proficiency feat. Thus, even trolls of non-martial classes could potentially begin play already possessing this feat.
• Low-Light Vision: Trolls can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Automatic Language: Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Any.

Troll Racial Feats
Seadweller
Prerequisite: Troll.
Benefit: You gain the water breathing special ability and a swim speed of 30 feet.
Special: This feat can only be taken at 1st level.

Winged Troll
Prerequisite: Troll.
Benefit: You gain a glide speed of 30 feet, with average maneuverability. When you attain your 6th character level, you lose this glide speed, but instead gain a fly speed of 30 feet, also with average maneuverability.
Special: This feat can only be taken at 1st level.

Spoiler: Turtles

Show

Turtle Racial Traits

• +2 Constitution, -2 Strength
• Small: As small creatures, turtles gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but must use smaller weapons than Medium creatures use, and have only three-quarters the carrying capacity of medium creatures.
• Turtle base land speed is 20 feet. Turtle base swim speed is 20 feet. However, a turtle can move at these speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
• Hold Breath: A turtle can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to 8 x his Constitution score before he risks drowning.
• Low-Light Vision: Turtles can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
• Natural Armor: Turtles gain a +3 natural armor bonus to Armor Class. This increases by +1 at every character level divisible by 4.
• Automatic Language: Chell, Common. Bonus Languages: Carapacian Sign, Glub, Nak, Thip.
• Favored Class: Cleric.

[Maat Mons]

Inspired by this, and by extension this.

I have somewhat different design goals that either of those two versions though.

• I wanted to implement both Alternian trolls and Beforan trolls as a single race.
• For that matter, I didn't want to have to make seadwellers a special subrace.
• And I figured mutant landdwellers with gills should be a possibility too.
• Overall, I wanted blood color to be a purely role-playing choice.
• I've always liked the interpretation that the sunlight on Alternia/Beforus is much harsher than that of Earth.

[Aniikinis]

I'm glad I helped to inspire someone and really liking your stuff here, but I have a few questions and suggestions:

1. Why not give the carapacians a small natural armour bonus and/or a choice between a bonus to intimidate(derse) or diplomacy(prospit)? Or are you considering the prospit/derse split the same way as the blood colour for trolls?
2. You might want to put a HD prerequisite on the Void Dweller feat. That is pretty powerful at low levels.
3. I like what you did with the crocs, but I'm wondering why you chose those weapons.
4. Do you have any ideas for the missing traits of the leprechauns?

Please don't think I'm nitpicking, I'm just curious and trying to help.

[Maat Mons]

I'm glad I helped to inspire someone and really liking your stuff here

Oh good, I was a little worried about some of the decisions I'd made.

For example, giving 3 out of 4 of the small races a 30-foot base speed. I was somewhat emboldened by the fact that there are already a few small races that fast. And the fact that some video game adaptations of D&D ditched speed differences entirely. I talked myself into it by supposing that I was establishing the baseline of a new campaign setting, and it didn't have to exactly match the baseline of a typical game. (But there's no reason these couldn't be used in a typical game. As I said, there are already a few small creatures with 30-foot speed.)

I was also a little worried about giving all 3 "player" races mechanical versatility on par with standard D&D humans.

Why not give the carapacians a small natural armour bonus and/or a choice between a bonus to intimidate(derse) or diplomacy(prospit)? Or are you considering the prospit/derse split the same way as the blood colour for trolls?

I'll probably leave the Prospitian/Dersite distinction completely up to roleplay. A natural armor bonus is a good idea. I guess my problem with carapacians is I'm really not sure how strong a choice they are as they currently stand.

I don't know how to weight in the auto-Silent Spell effect. On the one hand, psionics doesn't require anything special to avoid sounds while manifesting. On the other hand, for someone making a stealthy spellcaster, it's a pretty nice benefit that's hard to get elsewhere. On the other, other hand, it's completely useless to any character that doesn't cast spells.

I'm also not sure how big a drawback being Mute is. If you constantly carry around a pad of paper, most social interactions shouldn't be a problem. On the other hand, you don't have any built-in way of getting the attention of someone who's facing away from you.

ou might want to put a HD prerequisite on the Void Dweller feat. That is pretty powerful at low levels.

From what I gather, cherubs don't gain the ability to live in deep space until later in life anyway. What would be a good level requirement?

Now that I think about it, fully-grow cherubs normally have wings. I guess I'll need a racial feat for that too.

I like what you did with the crocs, but I'm wondering why you chose those weapons.

I'm glad you like the crocodiles. I wasn't sure how a small race without a Strength penalty would go over. I mean, it's not a first, but it's still pretty uncommon. And when you add in the 30-foot land speed it shares with iguanas and salamanders, that makes small size almost purely beneficial. You do have to use smaller, less damaging weapon, but I'd say the attack bonus compensates for that.

I honestly don't know why I always imagine crocodiles with spears. At first, I thought it must have come from something in Homestuck itself. But I can't find anything. Maybe it was from a piece of fanfiction I read?

Do you have any ideas for the missing traits of the leprechauns?

The wiki says leprechaun culture ties in with luck. I only actually remember Clover being lucky, but I'll take the wiki's word for it. Maybe a 1/day reroll, like the luck domain? Or an ability to reroll 1s? There's also the possibility of a straight-up luck bonus to something.

I guess I could even do something completely off-the-wall with luck and the Felt's numerical theme. Give any ability called "Lucky Number," which requires picking a number from 1 to 20 at character creation. If that number is 2-19, it becomes an additional automatic hit on attack rolls. If that number is 1, it is no longer an automatic miss on attack rolls. If that number is 20, a roll of 20 now automatically confirms the critical hit.

I've given some thought to adding rainbow-themed spells to the spell list of any spellcasting class a leprechaun takes. I was looking at color spray, rainbow beam, rainbow blast, rainbow pattern, prismatic ray, prismatic eye, prismatic spray, radiant assault, prismatic wall, and prismatic sphere. Thought that's three 7th-level spells and no 6th-level ones.

[Aniikinis]

Oh good, I was a little worried about some of the decisions I'd made.

For example, giving 3 out of 4 of the small races a 30-foot base speed. I was somewhat emboldened by the fact that there are already a few small races that fast. And the fact that some video game adaptations of D&D ditched speed differences entirely. I talked myself into it by supposing that I was establishing the baseline of a new campaign setting, and it didn't have to exactly match the baseline of a typical game. (But there's no reason these couldn't be used in a typical game. As I said, there are already a few small creatures with 30-foot speed.)

I was also a little worried about giving all 3 "player" races mechanical versatility on par with standard D&D humans.

I mean, it's not as big a deal as most people make it out to be. Most small players are playing as sneaks (and have ways to compensate), mages (who don't care that much), ranged (who couldn't really care less unless they get surprised), or are playing in a party that doesn't mind it all that much or are short/medium themselves. Plus, as you said, you are making these for a setting vastly different than the standard dnd ones.

Honestly I wouldn't be too worried about making the races as versatile as humans. Humans in dnd are typically a race with no inclination towards a specific purpose and thus are granted a few things to make them the jack-of-all-trades race. In S___b however, all races need these things for them to even be able to function in the game. So this is just assumed to be a feature of all (known/canon) "player" races for S___b.

As they are they are the base dnd human, you might wanna figure out a niche for them or their strategy for getting through the Grand Game and incorporate that into the statistics. I did a slight thing here (which I still need to finish the hoodies and artifacts...) where I took the humans and made them into their own races (albeit with a good bit of a power boost over typical dnd standards).

I'll probably leave the Prospitian/Dersite distinction completely up to roleplay. A natural armor bonus is a good idea. I guess my problem with carapacians is I'm really not sure how strong a choice they are as they currently stand.

I don't know how to weight in the auto-Silent Spell effect. On the one hand, psionics doesn't require anything special to avoid sounds while manifesting. On the other hand, for someone making a stealthy spellcaster, it's a pretty nice benefit that's hard to get elsewhere. On the other, other hand, it's completely useless to any character that doesn't cast spells.

I'm also not sure how big a drawback being Mute is. If you constantly carry around a pad of paper, most social interactions shouldn't be a problem. On the other hand, you don't have any built-in way of getting the attention of someone who's facing away from you.

Well as you said, they're powerful as mages but the inability to give orders in combat hampers their ability as a combat class significantly. I'd say that to bump it down a little, maybe give them a low (+1 to +3) natural armour bonus but due to slightly stiff joints they have an ASF of like 10%? I'd say maybe give them a dexterity penalty or a penalty to a mental score, but I'm not sure on that.

Also it kind of depends on how easy it is for your character to get paper/ink/etc. and if the dm has them keep track of every piece of paper and usage of ink in order to get the full drawback from the racial trait. It's a powerful ability but the drawback can be negated fairly easily unless the dm is very invested in not making it op.

From what I gather, cherubs don't gain the ability to live in deep space until later in life anyway. What would be a good level requirement?

Now that I think about it, fully-grow cherubs normally have wings. I guess I'll need a racial feat for that too.

How about 10-15 HD? That's about the time when teleportation shenanigans should be picking up.

Yeah, but that one is easier to pick a balancing level for. Are you going to leave the serpent form as a fluff thing or what?

I

'm glad you like the crocodiles. I wasn't sure how a small race without a Strength penalty would go over. I mean, it's not a first, but it's still pretty uncommon. And when you add in the 30-foot land speed it shares with iguanas and salamanders, that makes small size almost purely beneficial. You do have to use smaller, less damaging weapon, but I'd say the attack bonus compensates for that.

I honestly don't know why I always imagine crocodiles with spears. At first, I thought it must have come from something in Homestuck itself. But I can't find anything. Maybe it was from a piece of fanfiction I read?

That's definitely true on the attack bonus, but it has very little else going for it. That was the reason I asked about the weapons myself, I could have sworn I saw a page with them holding spears or something, but perhaps I was mistaken. Possibly give it a small natural bite attack and a feat to grant improved grab with it at a later level?

The wiki says leprechaun culture ties in with luck. I only actually remember Clover being lucky, but I'll take the wiki's word for it. Maybe a 1/day reroll, like the luck domain? Or an ability to reroll 1s? There's also the possibility of a straight-up luck bonus to something.

I guess I could even do something completely off-the-wall with luck and the Felt's numerical theme. Give any ability called "Lucky Number," which requires picking a number from 1 to 20 at character creation. If that number is 2-19, it becomes an additional automatic hit on attack rolls. If that number is 1, it is no longer an automatic miss on attack rolls. If that number is 20, a roll of 20 now automatically confirms the critical hit.

I've given some thought to adding rainbow-themed spells to the spell list of any spellcasting class a leprechaun takes. I was looking at color spray, rainbow beam, rainbow blast, rainbow pattern, prismatic ray, prismatic eye, prismatic spray, radiant assault, prismatic wall, and prismatic sphere. Thought that's three 7th-level spells and no 6th-level ones.

Hmmm, yeah, there's next to no real lore on the leprechauns. I'd personally put an ability that has them choose a number between 1-5 and 16-20 and labeling one good and one bad. Then possibly having a few feats that tie into the numbers chosen like rerolls but only if you landed on one of them or the critical mechanic you mentioned or something else.

The rainbow spells are a good idea. What about this list modified from here with non-homebrew spells:

• Level 1: Colour Spray (PHB)
• Level 2: Hypnotic Pattern (PHB)
• Level 3: Prismatic Mist (PHBII)
• Level 4: Rainbow Pattern (PHB)
• Level 5: Prismatic Ray (SpC)
• Level 6: Prismatic Eye (SpC)
• Level 7: Prismatic Spray (PHB)
• Level 8: Prismatic Wall (PHB)
• Level 9: Prismatic Deluge (SpC)