D&D 5E Companion thread to 5E Survivor: Species

[CreamCloud0]

oh no! there were three tortle upvotes today, the equilibrium has been broken

 

[Tonguez]

I can understand that a little more.

As for voting, I'm not sure what to say there.
I started by voting down what I liked least (changelings,) and they were eliminated.

I have voted for lizardfolk and tabaxi a few times each.

More recently, I voted for Owlin because I have a character idea that was inspired by the recent survivor threads: Owlin Bear-Totem Barbarian.

Oh Owlbear Barbarian! I like it

 

[EzekielRaiden]

@Undrave On the subject of firbolg: it is similar to, albeit distinct from, one of my reasons for liking dragonborn.

IRL, I'm a wimpy, asthmatic nerd. I can't do pull-ups, push-ups give me noodle arms for an hour afterward, I'm built like a beanstalk. On top of that, I struggle with social situations and self-confidence. As a result, there's a draw to being someone naturally tough, athletic, charismatic, and self-assured. The problem is, almost all of the time (before mid/late 3e anyway), if you wanted a Str bonus, you were explicitly signing up for being either ugly, stupid, or (often) both. That's a non-starter for me. If you wanted a Cha bonus, you were saddled with being a fragile speedster, which is again (usually) a non-starter for me.

Dragonborn were the first race I ever found that gave me "proud warrior race" tropes with zero "oh and also stupid and/or ugly" aspects, and they were certainly the first core race to do that. That was a pretty big deal for me. It meant I could live out some of those fantasies of mine. The brave, strong hero who woos all the dapper swains and really fills out the "armor" part of "knight in shining armor."

While I'm not personally a huge firbolg fan, I've seen enough art and descriptions to get a similar but distinct vibe. Dragonborn are the "knight in shining armor" type, bold (even brash) and assertive. Firbolg are gentle giants. They're big dude(tte)s with soft fuzzy ears who connect with birds and beasts and who retreat away from unwanted attention (invisibility, disguise self) rather than assertively press forward. But they aren't pushovers, and when their anger is roused they can be dangerous.

As someone who also loves the "gentle giant" archetype (e.g. all of my Paladin characters have a soft spot for children and will always do what they can to be supportive and friendly), I can appreciate what firbolg beings to the table.

 

[Tonguez]

Dragonborn were the first race I ever found that gave me "proud warrior race" tropes

Lizardfolk?
Ive never understood the preference for dragonborn over Lizardfolk sinve both are scale repitles

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Lizardfolk?
Ive never understood the preference for dragonborn over Lizardfolk sinve both are scale repitles

-2 Int, at least in 3e. Another "you can only be a PWRG if you are also stupid and/or ugly" option. Plus, they are always presented as alien, cold, and distant; they might not have a penalty to Charisma but they're presented as though socializing is foreign to them. That's a pretty major turn-off for me.

Edit: they also initially had -2 Int in 5e, for the two years between the DMG and when Volo's was published. Plus....they aren't dragonlike. It's right there in the name, the breath, and other features.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Not like dragonborn as very dragonlike aside from the breath, and even then with the horny toad, a ranged projectile is not outside of reptile purview.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Not like dragonborn as very dragonlike aside from the breath, and even then with the horny toad, a ranged projectile is not outside of reptile purview.

look if we made dragon born cat-like and keep the love of magic it would turn into an elf as what are elves if not cat-like and magic?

 

[CleverNickName]

I know I keep harping on this (and I'm not sorry).

If you use the customization rules in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, which lets you put those ASIs anywhere instead of on specific ability scores, you can get a lot more mileage out of all of these races species. So what if most dragonborn have +2 Strength and +1 Charisma? My dragonborn has +2 to Constitution and a +1 to Dexterity. It's a fast, balanced, low-effort way to get a lot more customization out of your character. ASIs alone should not define a species anyway.

Swap languages around. Trade skill proficiencies. Perhaps your dwarf was raised by his gnome cousins, and learned Gnome Cunning instead of the art of Stonecutting? True, sometimes you need variety...but most of the time, you only need a little bit of flexibility.

 

[CleverNickName]

look if we made dragon born cat-like and keep the love of magic it would turn into an elf as what are elves if not cat-like and magic?

Too late; everything is already an elf in D&D.

 

[Undrave]

@Undrave On the subject of firbolg: it is similar to, albeit distinct from, one of my reasons for liking dragonborn.

IRL, I'm a wimpy, asthmatic nerd. I can't do pull-ups, push-ups give me noodle arms for an hour afterward, I'm built like a beanstalk. On top of that, I struggle with social situations and self-confidence. As a result, there's a draw to being someone naturally tough, athletic, charismatic, and self-assured. The problem is, almost all of the time (before mid/late 3e anyway), if you wanted a Str bonus, you were explicitly signing up for being either ugly, stupid, or (often) both. That's a non-starter for me. If you wanted a Cha bonus, you were saddled with being a fragile speedster, which is again (usually) a non-starter for me.

Dragonborn were the first race I ever found that gave me "proud warrior race" tropes with zero "oh and also stupid and/or ugly" aspects, and they were certainly the first core race to do that. That was a pretty big deal for me. It meant I could live out some of those fantasies of mine. The brave, strong hero who woos all the dapper swains and really fills out the "armor" part of "knight in shining armor."

While I'm not personally a huge firbolg fan, I've seen enough art and descriptions to get a similar but distinct vibe. Dragonborn are the "knight in shining armor" type, bold (even brash) and assertive. Firbolg are gentle giants. They're big dude(tte)s with soft fuzzy ears who connect with birds and beasts and who retreat away from unwanted attention (invisibility, disguise self) rather than assertively press forward. But they aren't pushovers, and when their anger is roused they can be dangerous.

As someone who also loves the "gentle giant" archetype (e.g. all of my Paladin characters have a soft spot for children and will always do what they can to be supportive and friendly), I can appreciate what firbolg beings to the table.

I played a Dragonborn in 4e! He was a STR/CHA Cleric (a build that was poorly supported beyond the PHB >< but I really liked it). I played him as a veteran drill sargeant and was a Paladin in-universe. He had survived the destruction of his order because he was out with a bunch of recruit. He eventually joined the party where they was an actual Paladin of that order when the party met a group of refugees that were involved in the original attack.

The 5e Dragonborn felt more boring to me

I can totally get the appeal of the Gentle Giant, I just feel like there's never anything much written for the Firbolg and I can never get my had around their culture or why one would actually be an adventurer. But your perspective helps!