D&D 5E [+]Need Help Polishing Racial Features for a Homebrew Hengeyokai

[Azzy]

I'm homebrewing a hengeyoukai race and would like a bit of help with the wording and such of the most prominent racial feature—the ability to shapeshift between human, animal, and hybrid forms. I want to keep it fairly concise as well as fairly simple.

Here's what I got:

Nature’s Mask. As an action, you can change between your human, Tiny animal, or hybrid form. The new form lasts until you change forms again. Your statistics, other than your size, are the same in each form. While you are in human or animal form, other creatures can attempt to discern your true nature by making a DC 18 Wisdom (Insight). You revert to your animal form if you die.

While in animal form, you can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak (except to communicate with other animals of your type) or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your form. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying in Humanoid form melds into the animal form. You can't activate, use, wield, or otherwise benefit from any of your equipment.

You gain the following benefits while in your animal form.

Badger: You gain a burrow speed equal to half your speed.

Carp, Crab: You gain a swim speed equal to your speed, and then your land speed becomes 5 ft. You can breathe underwater.

Cat, Monkey, Raccoon Dog, Rat: You gain a climb speed equal to half your speed.

Crane, Sparrow: Your land speed becomes 5 ft., and you gain a fly speed of 30 ft.

Dog, Fox, Hare: Your speed increases by 10 ft.

You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

 

[Tonguez]

Given that your bird types get 30 ft fly speed why do the others only get half speed? A cat or monkey should be able to climb at normal speed. Not sure why a scuttling crab would be that slow either.

 

[Azzy]

Given that your bird types get 30 ft fly speed why do the others only get half speed? A cat or monkey should be able to climb at normal speed. Not sure why a scuttling crab would be that slow either.

That's based on previous edition versions of the race.

 

[aco175]

Are these things animals first or humans first? I was on the FR page talking about them more as spirits that spend their first 100 years in animal form. That may affect the items melding with them when shapeshifting. It sucks to not have things meld with them, but if they die- they turn to animal form and what would happen to items? If I ran into NPCs of this race would they have d6 or d8 HP being small normally or medium?

It looks like you have dog listed twice above with both a climb speed and 10ft extra speed.

I also assume you looked at the wording for lycanthropes for help as well.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

It looks like you have dog listed twice above with both a climb speed and 10ft extra speed.

The one with a climb speed is a Raccoon Dog, or Tanuki.

 

[the Jester]

Hey, I just did my own conversion of these guys!

I think your basic wording is good for this, although you might consider basing the DC to recognize the hengeyokai on the character's Charisma or Cha (Deception) or something.

For the record, I made each type of hengeyokai basically it's own subrace with its own package of modifiers; for instance, I gave the Crab hengeyokai the following:

Crab
You are a crab in your true form. You have the following additional racial traits.

• Increase your Constitution by 2.
• Swim Speed. You have a Swim speed of 20'.
• Crab Form. While in cat form, you use the Crab stat block except that you retain your own Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, alignment, and hit points.
• Hybrid Form. While in hybrid form, you use the stat block of your human form, but you have natural armor. You can figure your AC as 13 + your Dex bonus. In addition, your hybrid form can breathe air and water.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Let's remember a bird can fly and that means to avoid of obstacles for ordinary walkers. They can be the perfect infiltrator, if can avoid the attack of flyer predators as hawks, or hunters with bows.

And what about the senses? An animal can listen or smell better than a humanoid, to detect potential predators or preys. That may be important if you are the sentinel in the night rest.

In the past editions PC races with shapesifter traits were considerer overpowered for the first level.

Hengeyokai – 5th Edition SRD

Hengeyokai (5e Race) - D&D Wiki

www.dandwiki.com

The tibbits or catwere were a PC race published in Dragon Magazine with traits close to hengeyokai.

 

[Azzy]

Are these things animals first or humans first? I was on the FR page talking about them more as spirits that spend their first 100 years in animal form. That may affect the items melding with them when shapeshifting. It sucks to not have things meld with them, but if they die- they turn to animal form and what would happen to items? If I ran into NPCs of this race would they have d6 or d8 HP being small normally or medium?

Yeah, I didn't think of the melded gear not returning when the die if they revert to animal form. I'll need to fix that. I wanted to make them "animal-first" to keep with their lore, but didn't consider this issue.

It looks like you have dog listed twice above with both a climb speed and 10ft extra speed.

"Raccoon dog" is the English term for the animal known in Japan as a "tanuki". They're cute animals.

Thanks!

 

[jmartkdr2]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm unsure if the limit on uses refers to total transformation or transformations from base - in other words, if I switch from fox form to humanoid that's clearly a use, but if I go from human back to fox I don't know if that's a use or not.

Also you don't say what the hybrid form is like or what features you gain/lose.

 

[Tonguez]

Also you don't say what the hybrid form is like or what features you gain/lose.

Im really hoping the Tanuki hybrid form is a small round drum (or at least a small fat halfling) and dont forget the enormous balls of fun