Alternative humans

[MercuryAlloy]

I feel that humans in DnD is a bit too generic, so I decide to make humans of my own. I think they may be a bit unbalanced, so if you have any ideas how to make them better please spare them)

Spoiler: Common Humans

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A simple men and women, living a common life of farmers and craftsmen and rarely facing anything supernatural. They are not gifted with strength, wisdom or nimbleness. They may seem defenceless against supernatural, but humans have three feats that let them survive even the most dreadful situations: determination, adaptability and wit.
Human tend to see themselves ether as a chosen race, ether as a race that should take responsibility for all wars it participates, destruction of nature, etc. However, many races view themselves in a similar way. What makes humans really unique is their carving for trade: for the sake of trade they became the best in building roads, ships and horse-riding, create banking and companies. The trade lets them settle all across the world and befriend races that can't stand each other.

Ability score increase. You don't have any – you just a human.
Human determination. Humans never gives up and try to go to the end. You may reroll any ability check, initiative roll, saving throw, attack or damage roll. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Human wit. You get +2 bonus to all check with non-standard application, for example then you try to throw flask off holy water from sling, crushing tree on an enemy instead of common attack, etc.
Human adaptability. Human culture is rich with different skills and crafts, with stories, prayers and spells stored in folklore. Culture keeps everything that is needed for survival and that is one of the things that makes human so adoptable. You can choose 2 options from the list below. You may take the same option twice.

• Gain proficiency with any skill, weapon or tool.
• Learn an additional language
• Learn a cantrip from a wizard or cleric spell list. Cantrip must not have any visible effect, such as creation of light, rocks, etc. List of allowed spells from PHB include: Blade ward, Friends, Guidance, Message, Resistance, Spare the dying, True strike. You prime ability is Charisma for Wizard spells and Wisdom for Cleric spells.

Spoiler: Hero folk

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In the monarchist, feudal world of medical fantasy not all humans are equal. Some are destined to be greater than others. Sharing the blood of gods or reaping the benefits of choices their predecessors once made some tribes, clans and houses destined to give birth to heroes. Heraclides, Nibelungs, the folk of the goddess Danu, you name it.
Ability score increase. Increase any of your abilities by 2. Hero folk may be gifted in any area, but usually only in one.
Heroic determination. You may proclaim any your attack roll, ability check or saving throw a natural 20. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
Heroic will. You gain advantage on all Wisdom saves.
Excellence with or without weapon. You gain +1 bonus to attacks made with a weapon of your choice or unarmed attacks.

Spoiler: Forest folk

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In the nearby forest, right over the stream that farmers usually don't cross, lives a tribe or maybe a folk, that doesn't wear cloths, except those ones that were made out of hides, leaves and straw, the folk that is untainted by the corruption of cities: alcohol, libertinism or gambling, and that is still leave as a part of nature. They called forest folk by the people of the farms and towns.
Forest folk does not know hard routine of craftsman or peasant, they don't know war since they don't know iron, or diseases that didn't come from civil people. They spend their live in hunt, gathering and overall survival, wasting no time on sophisticated maters such as philosophy, politics, science or high art.
It's said that they have affairs with fairies and elves, if not with forest demons.

Ability score increase. Increase your Dexterity, Strength, Constitution and Wisdom by 1. As a child of nature you are gifted in everything that's needed for your survival.
Woodland survival You gain advantage on all Intellect (Nature) and Wisdom (Survival) checks related to your type of forest.
Life in the forestWhile traveling for an hour or more in your type of forest, you gain the following benefits:

• Difficult terrain doesn't slow your group's travel.
• Your group can't become lost except by magical means.
• Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
• If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
• When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
• While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

Natural medicine. You can use Wisdom (Survival) check instead of Wisdom (Medicine) check.
Untainted grace. You gain advantage against being charmed, be it a fey ancestry or resistance of pure untainted heart to vices and temptations.
Illiteracy. You are can not read or right unless you are a wizard or druid. Druids of forest folk literate (if you can call it that way) only in Druidic language.
Inexperienced drinker. You gain disadvantage on all saves against alcohol. That may include saves to resist addiction if your master decide to be evil.
Live without diseases. Most diseases came from cattle, ancient curses and from over the sea. Your people never had a chance to adapt to them. You gain disadvantage on all saves against diseases.

[MoiMagnus]

For reference, "Héro & Dragons" (from the French editor Black Book Editions) has three possibilities for the human:
1) The standard human with +1 everywhere
2) +1 to 4 abilities and 2 skills and/or tools and/or additional languages
3) +1 to 3 abilities and a feat
[But does not allows for the usual variant human of +1 to 2 abilities, a feat, a skill]

As for standard worth, a race is worth between 2 and 3 feats.
Take Mountain Dwarf for example, which is +2 Str, +2 Con, and a lot of small abilities that are roughly worth a feat in total.

About your "Common Human"
+ No ability improvement is rough. The bonuses are not worth more than 2 feats IMO, unless you really manage to have most of your actions be "non-standard applications", which is not good for the flow of the game. Non-standard ideas are great because they are different from the usual gameplay, but IMO they quickly lose their interest when peoples are constantly fishing for them.
+ Restrictions on cantrip make the race far less appealing, even if I see why you need those restrictions for RP reasons

About your "Hero folk"
+ Already much more interesting.
+ Heroic determination is weird when you apply it to non-standard tests. I'd consider restricting it to checks you are proficient with.
+ Excellence with weapons is a very frustrating ability to have if you don't use weapons, because it looks good but you can't use it.

About other suggestions:
+ Werewolf would be an interesting human variant, though hard to balance.
+ Pets could be a human speciality (so one of the possibilities could be to have a dog at your side).
+ Humans are one of the few races without darkvision (together with halflings and drakeids), so could be given additional bonuses for being under the sunlight.
+ Assuming a human centred setting, bonuses from being of the dominant group could be included into the race bonuses.

[JNAProductions]

Human Wit is a nightmare to adjudicate. I'd replace it.

Hero Folk are straight-up better than Common Humans, and don't fit 5E's design very well.

[MercuryAlloy]

Human Wit is a nightmare to adjudicate. I'd replace it.

About your "Common Human"
+ No ability improvement is rough. The bonuses are not worth more than 2 feats IMO, unless you really manage to have most of your actions be "non-standard applications", which is not good for the flow of the game. Non-standard ideas are great because they are different from the usual gameplay, but IMO they quickly lose their interest when peoples are constantly fishing for them.
+ Restrictions on cantrip make the race far less appealing, even if I see why you need those restrictions for RP reasons

Original idea behind Common human was that common humans in stories usually lack of strength and powers needed to combat supernatural in the open battle, but win over it by cunning and tricks. Something like "if your trick against enemy succeed you gain advantage on the next attack against it" would be better?
I also thought that lack of ability improvement may make them bit more original comparing to other races and highlight other races' bonuses. So I'd like to keep this part.

Hero Folk are straight-up better than Common Humans, and don't fit 5E's design very well.

Agree with forward. What exactly doesn't fit?

About your "Hero folk"
+ Already much more interesting.
+ Heroic determination is weird when you apply it to non-standard tests. I'd consider restricting it to checks you are proficient with.
+ Excellence with weapons is a very frustrating ability to have if you don't use weapons, because it looks good but you can't use it.

Thanks and agree.

About other suggestions:
+ Werewolf would be an interesting human variant, though hard to balance.

Well, now they on the list too, alongside with woodwoses, underground cannibals and some 3.5 reworks.

[sandmote]

For a "default" human, I'd maybe keep the PHB version and slap on some knockoff of the Heroic Effort racial power from 4e.

Heroic Effort
When you fail an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw, you can roll an additional die and treat the result as the result on one die you rolled on the check. You can use this feature once, and regain it at the end of a short or long rest.

This would probably be less rough, and give at least some benefit to playing a base human.

That said, this sort of thing existing in fantasy is the result of political propaganda mostly by old nobility, so I would like to note you should be very careful about including it in a fantasy setting as something mechanically. This isn't to say it is bad/good/ect., but it should certainly be thought through.

[Chronologist]

Humans are pretty odd in 5th Edition. Regular humans have a +1 to all attributes, unlike the +2/+1 of most other races (Mountain Dwarves having +2/+2 and Half-Elves having +2/+1/+1). Meanwhile Variant Humans have +1 to two Attributes (lower than everyone else) but they get a feat and proficiency with one skill. Neither option is really appealing; standard human is boring but effective if you rolled/generated a lot of odd stats, while variant human is often picked for specific 'builds'. Here's what I would do instead:

Humans have the following traits:
- You add a +2 bonus to one ability score of your choice and a +1 bonus to a different ability score of your choice.
- Your size is Medium and your base walking speed is 30 feet.
- You choose and gain the benefits of two Backgrounds instead of one. You may roll or select from both sets of Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws.
- You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Humans are varied and multifaceted. A flexible +2 to one stat and +1 to another makes them genuinely suited for any class. A second Background gives them two Skill proficiencies, two Tool or Language proficiencies, and a second roleplaying feature. All that combined makes them genuinely on par with the more fantastical races without giving them extra stat points or feats.

[Edea]

Standard
---------
ASIs: +2 to any 1, +1 to any 2.
Age/Align/Size/Speed: Same as before
Resilience: You have advantage on death saving throws.
Teamwork: You can use the Help action (PHB p.192) as a bonus action on your turn.
Skill Versatility: Proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Languages: Common + any two.

I dislike VHuman as it's reliant on optional rules being in place; would probably just remove it.

[MercuryAlloy]

Forest folk finished.

[sandmote]

I feel like this is turning into generic racism. I would reform this to a series of feats, and let humans pick one of those feats (not from all feats, just your regional feats) at 1st level, representing traits they've picked up in life. Maybe make them half feats if you want ability scores to depend on origin, to reflect a score they've increased during their life before level one.

Spoiler: Specific Examples Using the Forest Folk

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In the nearby forest, right over the stream that farmers usually don't cross, lives a tribe or maybe a folk, that doesn't wear cloths, except those ones that were made out of hides, leaves and straw, the folk that is untainted by the corruption of cities: alcohol, libertinism or gambling, and that is still leave as a part of nature. They called forest folk by the people of the farms and towns.

Virtually everyone has alcohol and virtually everyone has gambling. I don't know what "libertinism," is, but both large scale social repression and authoritarianism are easier to enforce when the enforcers don't know most of the populace and you can enforce borders.

Forest folk does not know hard routine of craftsman or peasant, they don't know war since they don't know iron, or diseases that didn't come from civil people. They spend their live in hunt, gathering and overall survival, wasting no time on sophisticated maters such as philosophy, politics, science or high art.
It's said that they have affairs with fairies and elves, if not with forest demons.

Making a living is making a living and takes work. Everyone knows war; we had empires in the bronze age, and even troops of gorillas and chimps will clash on occasion. Diseases usually originate in areas with limited sanitation, they're just spread by trade routes. Living like this requires less time to meet your necessities than a medieval farming or early modern factory life, leaving more time to fill in higher portions of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (consider how often such workers feel unfulfilled).

And are you claiming "civilized humans," don't have relationships with demons, fairies, and elves in your setting?

Natural medicine. You can use Wisdom (Survival) check instead of Wisdom (Medicine) check.

As opposed to what other sort of medicine in a fantasy setting? X-ray scanners? Vaccination? Cancer screenings?

Untainted grace. You gain advantage against being charmed, be it a fey ancestry or resistance of pure untainted heart to vices and temptations.

Every culture has vices and temptations.

Illiteracy. You are can not read or right unless you are a wizard or druid. Druids of forest folk literate (if you can call it that way) only in Druidic language.

Your average peasant couldn't read either. I don't see you stripping this from Common Humans.

Inexperienced drinker. You gain disadvantage on all saves against alcohol. That may include saves to resist addiction if your master decide to be evil.

Not how addiction works. Ability to withstand alcohol isn't culturally based, either. Maybe if you want to say its knowing how to drink, but again, virtually every culture has some form of alcohol.

Live without diseases. Most diseases came from cattle, ancient curses and from over the sea. Your people never had a chance to adapt to them. You gain disadvantage on all saves against diseases.

This isn't really consistent even for the type of people described. again, disease spring up where people eat a lot of different animals (see: covid-19), they just spread further through trade routes.

[MercuryAlloy]

I feel like this is turning into generic racism. I would reform this to a series of feats, and let humans pick one of those feats (not from all feats, just your regional feats) at 1st level, representing traits they've picked up in life. Maybe make them half feats if you want ability scores to depend on origin, to reflect a score they've increased during their life before level one.

You know that I'm not trying to stat any real world hunter-gatherer culture? I'm trying to stat mix of medieval mythological wild men and stereotypical noble savage. It's not suppose to be realistic and all these human subraces are just as fictional as elves or goblins: common humans – is the image, by which people of 19-21 century tend to portrait protagonist, who faced supernatural, the other world; hero folk – is some folk from legends, like folk of the goddess Danu, that is full of heroes in an old, pre-enlightenment sense – simply people gifted with strength or cunning, who aren't suppose to be moral beacon.

[sandmote]

I'm trying to stat mix of medieval mythological wild men and stereotypical noble savage. It's not suppose to be realistic and all these human subraces are just as fictional as elves or goblins: common humans – is the image, by which people of 19-21 century tend to portrait protagonist, who faced supernatural, the other world; hero folk – is some folk from legends, like folk of the goddess Danu, that is full of heroes in an old, pre-enlightenment sense – simply people gifted with strength or cunning, who aren't suppose to be moral beacon.

Okay, telling me your goal is helpful. I see what you're going for now, but I think the race you've written veers off from your goal a bit.

I still suggest replacing Natural medicine, Inexperienced drinker, and Live without diseases.

Ideas things to add/replace with:

• A Weapon Training trait applied to some mechanically simpler weapons. Greatclub, Warhammer, Shortbow, and Net, maybe.
• Innate casting, consisting of a divination spell and perhaps Speak With Animals.
• Acclimation to cold and hot environments.