QB's Monstrous Races

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[h=3]Thri-Kreen[/h]Native to the world of Athas, Thri-Kreen are voracious insectoid predators with great agility. We all know them, if we know anything about Dark Sun; this version owes a little more to the 5e MM writeup, and maybe I should go back to the 4e and 2e versions instead for rewriting this. I definitely want to keep them from being too powerful, as I object to the notion of making Dark Sun races "inherently more powerful" just because of DS's traditional high-level emphasis. Give the players some free ability score increases or feats, or just start them at a level other than first (you know, how AD&D did it?), if you want to emphasis the "had to be strong" aspect.

Balancing the four arms trait is definitely high on my list. Hmm... I wonder if the Xixchil, surgical genius mantis-folk from Spelljammer, might also be a valid race for 5e...

Ability Score Modifier: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 40 feet
Vision: Darkvision
Chameleon Carapace: A thri-kreen has Proficiency on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Standing Leap: A thri-kreen is always treated as having a running start when determining how far it can jump.
Many-Armed: A thri-kreen has two free actions per turn instead of only one.
Natural Weapons: A thri-kreen can choose to use its claws when making an Unarmed Strike. Using its Claws changes its attack's base damage to d4 slashing.

 

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[h=3]Lizardfolk[/h]
One of the traditionally blander, yet more desired, races in D&D, the lizardfolk suffer from the fact that their universal background is given as "Stone Age swamp-dwelling tribals". It just makes it a little tough to give them worthwhile racial traits, especially in an edition where racial-based immunity to spell effects and free hit dice aren't allowed. Which admittedly made them more "desireable to munchkins" than "interesting" anyway...


Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Marsh Dweller: A lizardfolk has a Swim speed of 30 feet and can hold its breath for 15 minutes.
Fang and Claw: A lizardfolk can choose to deal piercing or slashing damage with its Unarmed Strikes instead of bludgeoning.
Survivor’s Tools: A lizardfolk has Proficiency with the Javelin, Spear and Greatclub.

 

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The Giths have always been a fairly iconic race, and they've changed a fair bit since their introduction - Githzerai used to be Chaotic Neutral, for a start, until Dak'kon the Zerth (Githzerai analogue to the Gish; a Fighter/Mage) proved so influential. Githyanki haven't had much attention, being usually just written off as the Githzerai's Always Chaotic Evil brothers, but I say nay to all alignment mechanics and fluff restrictions. Especially since the whole dark secret about Vlaakith eating he souls of potential rivals and their intense hatred of slavery is just begging for runaways and rebels, which would certainly make interesting PC [h=3]Githyanki[/h]Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Intelligence, +1 Strength or +1 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Hate Breaks All Shackles: A githyanki has Advantage on saving throws against the Charmed and Stunned effects, and on saving throws to end those effects.
Mind Slicer: While a githyanki is wielding a weapon that inflicts Slashing damage, once per short rest, it can spend an action to “charge” that weapon with psionic energy. Whilst charged, that weapon inflicts an additional +d6 Psychic damage on a successful strike. Maintaining this psionic charge is a Concentration effect.
Pain Becomes Strength: Once per turn, when a githyanki takes damage from an enemy attack, it can spend its Reaction to make an immediate melee attack. Additionally, if a githyanki has exhausted its Mind Slicer ability, it can choose to spend one hit dice to reactivate it instead of waiting to take a short rest.
Hand of Will: A githyanki can cast a variant of the Mage Hand cantrip at will, using Intelligence as its casting ability score. This variant follows all of the normal rules for Mage Hand, but the “hand” is invisible.

[h=3]Githzerai[/h]Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence or +1 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Shield of Will: A githzerai can cast a variant of Mage Armor once per long rest. This variant grants an AC of 13 + the githzerai’s Wisdom modifier and does not require a material component.
Fortress of Discipline: A githzerai has Advantage on saving throws against Charm, Paralyzed and Stunned effects.
Fluid as Thought: Once per turn, if a direct attack against a githzerai misses, the githzerai can spend its Reaction to move 5 feet.
Hand of Will: A githzerai can cast a variant of the Mage Hand cantrip at will, using Wisdom as its casting ability score. This variant follows all of the normal rules for Mage Hand, but the “hand” is invisible.

 

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[h=3]Tanarukk[/h]
Introduced in 3.5's Races of Faerun as a sort of Orcish Tiefling, contrasting the Elfin Tiefling that is the Fey'ri, Tanarukks are fire-controlling warrior-slaves bred through the union of orcs and demons. In 3.5, their big "draw" was their high racial hit dice (five d8 hit dice), a bite attack, two free feats, automatic weapon proficiency, and casting Control Fire as a 5th level sorcerer 1/day. Naturally, they need a lot of tweaking and reworking to be viable in 5e.


Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 20 Feet
Vision: Darkvision
Warrior Born and Bred: A tanarukk is automatically proficient with all Martial melee weapons.
Spawn of the Flames: A tanarukk is Resistant to Fire and can cast the Control Flames and Fire Bolt cantrips using Strength as its casting ability score.

 

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[h=3]Kappa[/h]
Perhaps the most well-known and iconic of all yokai apart from the Kitsune, the Kappa has never been a PC race in any D&D Oriental Adventures book that I know of, and I really don't see why. Yes, their lore often makes them dangerous, but so does the kitsune's, and it's not like their traditional abilities are that overpowered.


Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity
Size: Small
Speed: 20 feet
Vision: Normal
Amphibious: A kappa can breathe both water and air.
River Monster: A kappa has a swim speed of 50 feet.
Crushing Grip: A kappa has Advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made both to grapple a target and to keep a target grappled.

 

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[h=3]Vanara[/h]
Self-admittedly taken from the Pathfinder setting, Vanara are a race of humanoid monkeys who I think have connections to Indian mythology? Not sure. But they're an unusual race that I think offer potential for "crazy homebrewing ingredients", so here they are.


Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Normal
Tree-Dweller: A vanara has a Climb speed of 20 feet.
Ape Agility: A vanara has Advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
Extra Hands: A vanara’s feet can act as secondary hands, thanks to their unique configuration. This allows a vanara to substitute its feet for tasks that would normally require its hands, though this does not allow it to wield more weapons than a human.

[h=4]Vanara Racial Feat: Prehensile Tail[/h]Some vanaras are gifted to have not only tails, but tails that are so strong and agile that they can be used as third arms.
Prerequisite: Vanara
Effect: The vanara has a tail which functions as a third hand, usable for interacting with objects. This grants the vanara a bonus Free Action each turn. A vanara can wield a weapon with its tail, following the usual rules for dual-wielding, except that a vanara’s tail cannot be used to wield any weapon that requires two hands, nor can it substitute for a hand in wielding a two-handed weapon, and it cannot be used to wield a shield.

 

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[h=3]Vishkanya[/h]
A very subtle form of serpent-folk, Vishkanya (another Pathfinder conversion) are taken from a mythical assassin in Indian mythology who are supremely seductive, but whose blood is incredibly toxic, allowing them to use their bodies as living assassination weapons.


Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision
Serpentine Allure: A vishkanya has Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks.
Toxic Blood: A vishkanya has Resistance to Poison damage. Additionally, by sacrificing a hit dice, a viskanya can smear its blood on a weapon as a free action; this blood wears off after the vishkanya makes an attack, but an enemy struck by the blood-smeared weapon takes additional Poison damage equal to 1d8 + the vishkanya’s Charisma modifier (minimum of +1).
Sweet Poison Kiss: Once per long rest, a vishkanya can cast Charm Person as a 1st level spell on a single creature with a touch. If the Charm effect on this creature is ended, then the creature is Poisoned for a number of rounds equal to the vishkanya’s Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

 

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[h=3]Haglings[/h]Also known as “changelings”, haglings are the mortal daughters of hags, unearthly visions of loveliness who are tainted by their fae ancestry; hags seek to lure their progeny into accepting “the call” and becoming new generations of hags.

This is, in case you haven't figured it out already, what I think is the most interesting and gothic PC race to come out of Pathfinder, and which I'd dearly love to be able to use in my 5e games.

[h=4]Hagling Racial Core:[/h]Ability Modifier: +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision 60 feet
Claws: A hagling’s Unarmed Strikes do d4 slashing damage.
Haggish Ancestry: A hagling belongs to the lineage of a particular kind of hag. Choose one of the Hag Ancestry options to determine the rest of your racial modifiers and abilities. The options are Annis Hag, Green Hag, Sea Hag, Night Hag, Blood Hag, Mute Hag, Storm Hag, Mute Hag, and Winter Hag.

[h=5]Annis Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Strength
Claws of Iron: An annis hagling does 1d6 slashing damage with her unarmed strikes instead of 1d4.
Hulking Witch: An annis hagling that reaches 3rd level may cast the Enlarge/Reduce spell once per long rest, targeting only herself, and only in its Enlarge format. Charisma is the spellcasting ability for this spell.
Unholy Hide: Once per short rest, an annis hagling may grant herself resistance to nonmagical, non-silvered slashing weapons for 1 minute.

[h=5]Green Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Wisdom
Mimicry: A green hagling may attempt to mimic the voice of a humanoid or the call of an animal. Listeners can attempt to pierce this deception by making a Wisdom (Insight) check. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + the hagling's Charisma modifier + the hagling's proficiency bonus.
Deceptive Charms: A green hagling knows the Dancing Lights, Minor Illusion and Vicious Mockery cantrips.

[h=5]Sea Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Constitution
Ocean Born: A sea hagling has a Swim speed of 30 feet and Advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to swim under difficult conditions.
Sea Lungs: A sea hagling can breath water and air.
Frightful Glare: The gaze of an angry sea hagling can horrify almost as much as the appearance of her hag mother. Once per short rest, a sea hagling may make a gaze attack against any creature that is within 30 feet; targets must pass a Wisdom check or be Frightened for 1 minute. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + the hagling's Charisma modifier + the hagling's proficiency bonus.

[h=5]Night Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Intelligence
Somnambulant Charms: A night hagling can cast Sleep as a 1st level spell once per short rest.
Fiendish Resilience: A night hagling has Resistance to Fire and Cold. Once per long rest, a night hagling may grant herself resistance to non-magical, non-silvered bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage for 1 minute.

[h=5]Blood Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Intelligence
Fireproof: A blood hagling has Resistance to Fire.
Crawling Skin: A blood hagling has Advantage on checks made to physically disguise herself.
Burning Hexcraft: A blood hagling has the following spell-like abilities. A 1st level blood hagling has the Control Flames (Elemental Evil Player's Guide) and Fire Bolt cantrips. At 3rd level, she gains the ability to cast Burning Hands once per short rest as a 1st level spell. At 5th level, she gains the ability to cast Aganazzar's Scorcher (Elemental Evil Player's Guide) once per short rest as a 2nd level spell.

[h=5]Mute Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Wisdom
Blind: A mute hagling's eyes do not function, leaving them blind, though their mystical heritage enables them to adapt. A mute hagling automatically fails all checks based on sight. However, she has Blindsight 60 feet instead of Darkvision 60 feet. Additionally, she has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made using any of her other senses.
Mute: A mute hagling does not have a voice, at least not one that can be heard with the ears. A mute hagling may communicate with a single creature within 30 feet by use of telepathy, but cannot make any verbal sounds.
Thief of Sight: A mute hagling gains two spell-like abilities, each of which that she may use once per short rest, upon reaching third level. She may use Invisibility (self only) and Blindness (as per Blindness/Deafness, but can only inflict the Blind condition), both as 2nd level spells.

[h=5]Storm Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Dexterity
Stormborn: A storm hagling has Resistance to Lightning and Thunder damage.
Claws of the Storm: A storm hagling inflicts Slashing and Lightning damage with her unarmed strikes.
Windherder: A storm hagling knows the Gust and Thunderclap cantrips as spell-like abilities. Both are found in the Elemental Evil Player's Companion.

[h=5]Winter Hag Ancestry:[/h]Ability Modifier: +1 Constitution
Frostlaced Flesh: A winter hagling has Resistance to cold damage, leaves no tracks in snow, and has Advantage on any checks made to survive in a cold environment.
Breath of Winter: A winter hagling has a breath weapon that she may use once per short rest. This breath weapon is a 15ft cone that inflicts Cold damage and forces those caught within it to make a DC (8 + hagling's Con bonus + hagling's proficiency bonus) Constitution save. Targets that succeed in this save take only half damage. The winter hagling's breath weapon inflicts 2d6 Cold damage, increasing to 3D6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

 

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Genasi Variants

And now, my final racial post so far (not counting the conversions of Pathfinder's Android and Shabti I'm sitting on, but I don't really feel they need to get talked about just yet), alternate elements for Genasi. Although I hated the Great Wheel's "Inner Planes" layout and much prefer 4e's Elemental Chaos - or, hell, perhaps even because of it, I really like the idea of there being lots of different elemental possibilities for Genasi. 4th edition's Storm Genasi and Athasian Genasi were a big inspiration to me, as was my interest in the Dread Genasi from Quoth the Raven #7 (long story short, elementals in Ravenloft tend to get corrupted into really evil partially undead forms), and when you combine that with my interest in Wu Xing elementalism, this plethora of new genasi subraces, with more still to come, was the result.

With these guys posted, I am officially out of writeups, for the moment. Please, feel free to start posting now; I deeply want to discuss my efforts at creating them and talk about how to make them better.

[h=4]Dread Genasi[/h][h=5]Grave Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
Child of the Grave: You have Resistance to both Cold Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Clutch of the Grave: You know the Chill Touch cantrip, which uses Constitution as your spellcasting ability score.
Breathless: A Grave Genasi does not need to breathe, making them immune to the effects of drowning, suffocation, strangulation, and inhaled poison.
Return to the Grave: A Grave Genasi has a a Burrow speed of 20 feet, though until it reaches 5th level it can only Burrow through loose soil. Additionally, upon reaching 5th level, a Grave Genasi may cast Meld With Stone once per long rest; this version of Meld With Stone works on soil and earth as well as stone.

[h=5]Pyre Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Born Amidst Charred Bones: A Pyre Genasi has Resistance to both Fire Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Burn With Me: A Pyre Genasi's Unarmed Attacks do Fire damage equal to their Constitution bonus.
Firestarter: A Pyre Genasi knows the Produce Flame and Control Flame cantrips.

[h=5]Mist Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Miasmic Spawn: A Mist Genasi has Resistance to both Poison Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Baleful Breath: You know the Poison Spray cantrip, which uses Constitution as your spellcasting ability score.
Call the Mists: A Mist Genasi can cast Fog Cloud as a 2nd level spell once per short rest. Upon reaching fifth level, they may cast Gaseous Form once per long rest.
Cloak of Mist: You may attempt to hide even when only lightly obscured, so long as that cover originates from mist, smoke, steam or other visible vapors.

[h=5]Blood Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Gore-Slicked Birth: A Blood Genasi has Resistance to both Acid Damage and Necrotic Damage.
Bloodscent: A Blood Genasi has Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Perception and Survival) checks made in relation to blood. Noticing blood-stains or blood-smeared items, tracking a wounded creature, identifying a smear as blood, or avoiding ambush by a blood-covered assailant are all examples of using this trait.
Pool of Blood: At 5th level, a Blood Genasi may cast a variant of the Gaseous Form spell upon itself once per long rest. In this state, a Blood Genasi cannot fly, but crawls along the ground at double its movement speed. Otherwise, it functions as per Gaseous Form.
Thief of Life: A Blood Gensai's Unarmed Attacks inflict Necrotic damage equal to their Constitution bonus.


[h=4]Alternate Elements[/h][h=5]Storm Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Storm-Skein: A Storm Genasi has Resistance to Lightning and Thunder damage.
Storm-Weaver: You know the Shocking Grasp and Thunderclap cantrips. Constitution is your casting ability score for these cantrips.

[h=5]Metal Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Skin Made of Iron: When unarmored, you treat your default AC as 11 + Constitution modifier.
Steel In Your Bones: You have Resistance to Force Damage.
Tools of Life and Death: You know the Sword Burst and Mending cantrips, treating Constitution as your spellcasting ability score for both.

[h=5]Wood Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Dexterity
Vegetative Vitality: You have Resistance to Poison. When you are subject to an effect that restores your hit points, you may add your Constitution modifier to the roll.
Bend the Boughs: You know the Thorn Whip cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast Entangle once per long rest with this trait. Constitution is your spellcasting ability score for these traits.

[h=5]Ice Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Frigid Flesh: An Ice Genasi has Resistance to Cold Damage. Additionally, an Ice Genasi can cast Freezing Touch as a Cantrip with this trait; treat this as Shocking Grasp, but inflicting Cold damage rather than Lightning. Intelligence is the casting ability score used for Freezing Touch.
Heart of Ice: An Ice Genasi has Advantage on any Wisdom saves made to resist Charm effects.

[h=4]Wasteland Elements[/h][h=5]Sun Genasi:[/h]Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma
Undimmed Gaze: A Sun Genasi does not suffer penalties to attack rolls or Wisdom (Perception) checks induced by an overabundance of bright light. It also has Advantage on Constitution checks made to resist the Blind effect.
Rays of Life and Death: A Sun Genasi can cast the Light and Searing Ray cantrips with this trait - treat Searing Ray as a Fire Bolt spell that inflicts Radiant damage instead of Fire damage. At 3rd level, a Sun Genasi can cast Cure Wounds as a 1st level spell once per long rest with this trait. At 5th level, it can cast Blazing Rays (treat as Scorching Ray as a 2nd level spell but inflicts Radiant damage instead of Fire Damage) once per long rest. Intelligence is used as the casting ability score for all spells cast with this trait.
Unburning Skin: A Sun Genasi has Resistance to Radiant Damage. Additionally, it is treated as being Acclimatized to Extreme Heat.

 

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So... does anybody have any comments? Questions? Things to say? ...Please? I've been waiting for days to finally restart this thread since the big crash, I really need to talk to people about this stuff, and you guys are my only hope...

If it helps, I really am done posting races now. All that's left for me is refining the existing ones or discussing how to make the other ones I have planned.

Although, on that account...I was just looking through my copy of S. Petersen's Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors, and recalling that Pathfinder introduced a "Deep One Hybrid" PC race somewhere, and I was curious;

Are there any real obstacles to presenting fully-fledged Deep Ones as a PC race choice other than "muh Lovecraftian traditionalism!"

I mean, let's face it, amphibious traits and inhuman looks aside, the Deep Ones are one of Lovecraft's most *human* races; they eat, they sleep, they have a civilisation, they mate, they're capable of bartering with humans convincingly using both carrot ("we will give you gold and rich fishing") and stick ("we will drive away all the fish"), have recognizably human goals...

Well, compared to some of the actual D&D races we've seen in previous editions, like the Lupins (faux-French swashbuckling wine-loving anthropomorphic wolves), Aranea (sapient, sorcerous spiders who can shapeshift into a humanoid form but who mostly want to be left alone), Diaboli (beings from the land of dreams who look like purple devils but are Always Chaotic Good), and Tieflings (spawn of mortals touched by the essence of pure evil), do they really seem that inhuman?