D&D 5E (2014) Custom game elements

[Atomo]

Out of curiosity, did anyone here already add custom elements (new backgrounds, new feats, new spells) to his/her home campaign? If yes, would mind to share?

 

[the Jester]

I added a custom magic dagger in an early playtest, focused on performing rituals rather than combat IIRC.

If I can find my notes on it, I'll try to post the details.

 

[Atomo]

One of mine is the Merchant background.

You work in caravans or fixed markets and acquired a great experience on the art of buying and selling.

Trained Eye (Benefit): You can use an Action to analyze a mundane item (equipment, art object, gem) and to discover its market value without the need of checks. Exceptionally rare items still demand for a Intelligence check. This benefit does not apply to magic items.

When you sell items, you get 75% of its market value (instead of 50%). Once per game section, you can buy an item by 75% of its value.

Skill proficiencies: Animal Handling, Intuition, Persuade
Tool proficiency: Mount (land)
Languages: Choose two additional languages. The DM can exclude languages from races and cultures that do not have comercial practices or that are very isolated.

Suggested equipment: Small chest (with key), merchant scales, traveling clothes, 39 gp and 15 sp in different coinings.

(I beg pardon for bad grammar or spelling, English is not my native tongue)

 

[1of3]

Yes. We decided there should be only two known sentient races on the PC's homeworld. One player really wanted the Elven Weapon Proficiency, the others opted for Shifters as the second class citizens to the world. Solution was rather simple. We took Wood Elf, ripped out Trance for 1d3 natural weapons. Keen Senses and Claws became "extractable". Stats changed to Wis and either Str or Dex. Happiness ensued.

 

[jamesmanhattan]

These are my races so far.
Races
Goblin +1DEX and +1WIS or +1CHA

Speed: 30ft (fast for their size)
Darkvision: 60ft
Bushwhacker: During the first round of combat, the goblin has advantage on attack rolls against any target that has a lower initiative.
Sneaky: The goblin can attempt to hide at the end of a move without using an action.​

Kobold +1CON and +1CHA or +1DEX

Speed: 30ft (fast for their size)
Darkvision: 60ft
Trap Sense: Kobolds have Advantage on saving throws vs Traps, and impose Disadvantage on Trap attack rolls vs them.
Pack Tactics: The kobold gains a cumulative +1 bonus to attack rolls, to a maximum of +5, for each friendly creature that is within 5 feet of its target. ​

Thri-Kreen +1DEX and +1STR or +1WIS

Speed:35ft
Darkvision: 60ft
Sleepless: Immune to Sleep
Leaper: Whenever they Jump, they jump twice the normal distance.
Natural Weapons: If not wielding a weapon, can make attacks with claws that are 1d4 slashing damage weapons.
Multiple Limbs: When you engage in two‐weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. ​

Half-Giant(Goliath) +2STR and +1CON

Speed: 30 ft
Low-Light Vision: 60ft
Athletic: Advantage on Jump and Climb checks.
Weapon Knowledge: Proficient in all Simple and Martial Weapons.
Large Size Weapons: Can wield Large sized weapons. Increase the die size of a large sized weapon as listed: 1d4->1d6->1d8->1d10->1d12->2d8, and 2d6->2d8
​

Mul +1CON and +1STR or +1WIS

Speed:30ft
Low-Light Vision: You can see in dim light as well as you do in bright light.
Tough: Advantage on Endurance checks.
Tireless: Only need 4 hours of sleep. Muls can engage in 12 hours of hard labor without suffering from fatigue.
Fast Healing: Muls receive twice the number of Hit Dice per level.​

Minotaur +1STR and +1CON or +1WIS

Speed:30ft
Keen Senses: The minotaur gains a +5 bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect hidden creatures.
Labyrinthine Recall: The minotaur can perfectly recall any path it has traveled.
Charge: A minotaur can combine its move and its action into a powerful charge. It moves in a straight line up to one and a half times its speed and a minimum of 10 feet, then makes a gore attack that does 2d8+STR mod piercing damage. This ends its turn. If that attack hits, the target must make a DC 10+(Strength modifier) saving throw. Failed Save: The target is knocked prone.
Natural Weapon: Gore 1d8+STR mod piercing damage.​

Changeling +1CHA and +1DEX or +1INT

Speed:30ft
Shapechanger: you have the shapechanger type.
Change Shape: As an Action, a changeling may alter its physical form to take on the appearance of any Medium humanoid. This functions as the disguise self spell, except that it is a transmutation effect which affects the changeling's body but not his possessions, and lasts until he changes his appearance again or dies. A Changeling receives Advantage on any Charisma (Deception) checks related to the disguise.
Slippery Mind: Advantage on saves vs. Charm and Sleep.​

Shadar-kai/Shade +1DEX and +1INT or +1WIS

Speed:30ft
Darkvision: 60ft
One with Shadow: You can attempt to hide even in lightly obscured conditions caused by dim light, while normally you need total concealment.
Exotic Weapons: You gain proficiency in spiked chains, kukris, and katar.
Shadow Magic:
You know the “prestidigitation” cantrip but can only use the putting out lights feature.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the “invisibility” spell once per day.
When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the “dimension door” spell once per day.

​

Still working on Pixies, Shifters

 

[jamesmanhattan]

There's not a lot of good Caster Feats. I would add these Feats:

Scribe Scroll
You can scribe a spell you know onto a scroll. To do so, you need parchment or paper, ink, and a quill or pen. When you scribe a scroll, you pick a mage spell you know of up to 3rd level. The scroll contains the spell at the lowest casting level available. It takes 1 hour per spell level to scribe a scroll. There is a limit to the number of scrolls you can have at a given time. Each scroll requires you to gather and expend arcane energy. Add the level of each spell you currently have on a scroll. The total cannot be greater than half your caster level, rounded down. If scribing a scroll would exceed this limit, your attempt to create the scroll fails. Once a scroll you have scribed is used, or one year and one day after you have created the scroll, it no longer counts toward this limit.

Brew Potions
You can create potions chosen from the lists below. It takes 8 hours to craft one. You need an empty vial to store the newly crafted potion. Creating a potion requires you to draw on a limited reserve of arcane energy. At any given time, you can have a number of potions created by this feature equal to half your caster level, rounded down. A potion counts against this limit either until it is used or until a year and a day pass since you brewed it. Certain powerful potions count against your limit as if they were multiple potions. The lists below note the potions you can brew and how much each type counts against your potion limit.
One Potion Equivalent: Potion of climbing, potion of comprehend languages, potion of detect magic, potion of disguise self, potion of false life, potion of healing
Four Potion Equivalent: Potion of blur, potion of darkvision, potion of invisibility, potion of levitate, and potion of mirror image, potion of poison, potion of water breathing

Find Familiar
straight from (121712 Packet - Specialties and Feats p.8)

Natural Spell
Druids can cast spells in Animal form.

Spell Penetration
Once per short rest or once per day (not sure), impose Disadvantage on a Saving Throw. to offset Magic Resistance a little bit. or possibly: (Expend slot 1 higher to impose Disadvantage on save.)

 

[Atomo]

There's not a lot of good Caster Feats. I would add these Feats:

Scribe Scroll
(...)

Brew Potions
(...)

My custom item creation "feats" are, in truth, proficiencies bounded to the proficiency system. They are a bit more complicated than feats, one subsystem of its own. However, the mega-feats seemed me too much expensive (in terms of character valid choices) to create items, except, of course, if one feat gives many possibilities of creation. I preferred the granularity of creation represented by proficiencies.

 

[Brock Landers]

...oh, one of my absolute favourite aspects of 5th Ed is conversion friendliness: classes (the Incarnate is a breeze), monsters, spells, etc..

 

[UngeheuerLich]

There's not a lot of good Caster Feats. I would add these Feats:

Scribe Scroll
You can scribe a spell you know onto a scroll. To do so, you need parchment or paper, ink, and a quill or pen. When you scribe a scroll, you pick a mage spell you know of up to 3rd level. The scroll contains the spell at the lowest casting level available. It takes 1 hour per spell level to scribe a scroll. There is a limit to the number of scrolls you can have at a given time. Each scroll requires you to gather and expend arcane energy. Add the level of each spell you currently have on a scroll. The total cannot be greater than half your caster level, rounded down. If scribing a scroll would exceed this limit, your attempt to create the scroll fails. Once a scroll you have scribed is used, or one year and one day after you have created the scroll, it no longer counts toward this limit.

The removed mage feature, good idea

Brew Potions
You can create potions chosen from the lists below. It takes 8 hours to craft one. You need an empty vial to store the newly crafted potion. Creating a potion requires you to draw on a limited reserve of arcane energy. At any given time, you can have a number of potions created by this feature equal to half your caster level, rounded down. A potion counts against this limit either until it is used or until a year and a day pass since you brewed it. Certain powerful potions count against your limit as if they were multiple potions. The lists below note the potions you can brew and how much each type counts against your potion limit.
One Potion Equivalent: Potion of climbing, potion of comprehend languages, potion of detect magic, potion of disguise self, potion of false life, potion of healing
Four Potion Equivalent: Potion of blur, potion of darkvision, potion of invisibility, potion of levitate, and potion of mirror image, potion of poison, potion of water breathing

The removed mage feature, good idea

Find Familiar

straight from (121712 Packet - Specialties and Feats p.8)

already in the rules: take the feat that gives you one first level spell and chose: "find familiar". You get 2 cantrips on top of it!

Natural Spell

Druids can cast spells in Animal form.

very bad idea! (See 3.5th edition). Wouldn´t touch it with a 10 foot pole

Spell Penetration

Once per short rest or once per day (not sure), impose Disadvantage on a Saving Throw. to offset Magic Resistance a little bit. or possibly: (Expend slot 1 higher to impose Disadvantage on save.)

Why not. There were feats like that before. I would not use higher level slots.

 

[jamesmanhattan]

already in the rules: take the feat that gives you one first level spell and chose: "find familiar". You get 2 cantrips on top of it!

Holy cow, I didn't see they made "Find Familiar" a level 1 Spell