5E conversions for player races from Monte Cooke's Arcana Evolved/Unearthed

[Dr Simon]

In this thread I'm going to attempt to convert the Arcana Unearthed/Evolved races to D&D 5th Ed., mainly as an exercise for me to get used to the system. I'm not going to attempt the Evolved levels, at least not yet, but otherwise will be using the AE versions of the playable races rather than the older AU versions.

I liked Monte's ideas for racial levels when they first came out, but looking at what you get for 5e player races, and what you get for the AE racial levels, I've folded most of the benefits into the initial package. Thoughts and comments are most welcome.

I'm going to start with some of the easier races first:


Litorian
Lion-like humanoids, with a proud warrior heritage and a hunter culture.

+2 Dex, +1 Str
Medium Size
Base move 35 ft.
Darkvision
Keen Senses: A litorian has proficiency in Perception.
Scent: A litorian has advantage in Perception tests involving the sense of smell.
Noble Hunter: A litorian has proficiency in any two of the following: Athletics, Animal Handling, Nature, Stealth, Survival, Litorian Warclub, Litorian Bolas.

Fairly straightforward, the litorian package seemed to be gearing them towards a kind of plains hunter archetype, with an athletic build. The ability score bonuses are based on what they would get from racial levels, as is the increased base speed. Keen Senses and Scent also come form base package and racial levels, and the 5e effects are based on existing creature abilities. I thought that choosing two proficiencies from a limited selection, rather than granting specific proficiencies, makes for a bit more flexibility (in the spirit of AE) - the skill selection is based on the racial bonuses and racial skills from the original litorian.

 

[Dr Simon]

Another one for today:

Sibeccai
Jackal-like humanoids, created by the giants as hard working servants.

+2 Con, +1 Str
Medium Size
30 ft. base speed
Darkvision
Gregarious: Sibeccai add double their proficiency bonus to Charisma checks used to gather information or ingratiate themselves into a group.
Urban Scavengers: A sibeccai has proficiency in any two of the following: Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Stealth, Sibeccai Khopesh.

Pretty simple, this one. The main package for a sibeccai makes it quite straightforward, but also a civilised pack dweller rather than animalistic, in contrast with the wilder litorians. The sibeccai like cities and social situations. Ability score bonuses are based on what they get initially and from racial levels, as are the skills. Again, as with the litorians, I've given the choice for proficiencies rather than a fixed selection.
I rather think that the sibeccai ought to have a bite attack as well, as they get this as part of their racial levels and compared to the litorians they're a little short on abilities.

 

[Sadrik]

For Keen Senses just say they have advantage on sight, smell, and hearing perception checks. Then delete scent.
For Gregarious add 1/2 proficiency to those things. In this way you would wind up with d20+CHA+gregarious+skill bonus.

I look forward to seeing how you do the lizard guy and the faen.

 

[Dr Simon]

Thanks Sadrik. The faen, I think, will be relatively simple and I've got some thoguhts on how to do metamorphosis. I'm pondering wether to make the mojh and the dracha subraces of Dragonborn, although that removes the human origins of the mojh, which is part of their character.

The Keen Senses was to keep it in line with the elven version, but when you look at creatures with specific senses they gain advantage under certain circumstances. The basic litorian has good perception skills (actually, they kind of don't because they get a Wisdom penalty), and gain scent as a racial level ability, which kind of singles it out (but this could be an artifact of the 3.x system where scent is a different thing from Spot and Listen skills).

I've not seen a half-proficiency bonus (which would be 1.5x proficiency). I went with double because that's in line with situational uses of skills such as Dwarven Stonecunning and Gnomish Artificer's Lore. You could trim it back to gathering information, which is essentially what it stems from - a +2 bonus to the Gather Information skill (remember when that was it's own thing?!)

 

[Dr Simon]

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the litorians having advantage on sight, hearing and scent Perception rather than merely proficency, it kind of makes them sensory masters. In which case, remove Keen Senses and add Perception to the selection from Noble Hunters.

Today I'm going big and small.

Giant (Hu-Charad)
Wise and soft-spoken, ancient rulers.

+2 Str, +1 Cha
Medium size
30 ft.
Open Hearted: Giants have advantage on Diplomacy and Insight checks.
Giantish Proficiency: A giant is proficient in any two of the following: Craft (any), Perform (giants mainly focus on stories and gentle songs), Artisans Tools, Navigators Tool, Musical Instrument.
Shu-Run: Any time from 4th level onwards, when a giant would normally gain an increase in ability scores it may instead choose to undergo the ritual of Shu-Rin. This increases its size to Large.

Nothing too out there with these guys - I wasn't sure whether to grant proficiency or advantage to Open Heart, but advantage at least contrasts with the optional skills. I'm not sure yet is size increases have similar adjustments to ability scores as they did in 3.5, so watch this space for what effects Shu-Rin may have, if any, on stats etc.

 

[Sadrik]

Thanks Sadrik. The faen, I think, will be relatively simple and I've got some thoguhts on how to do metamorphosis. I'm pondering wether to make the mojh and the dracha subraces of Dragonborn, although that removes the human origins of the mojh, which is part of their character.

Well the turning into a tiny faery is the tough part. Size tiny. Same problem with the giant turning large. I don't know what the size shifts do exactly for a PC...

The mojh could be a series of feats or perhaps a background for a human which only offers cosmetic changes (and deep story and roleplaying differences). The dracha can certainly be a subrace of dragonborn. I like that.

The Keen Senses was to keep it in line with the elven version, but when you look at creatures with specific senses they gain advantage under certain circumstances. The basic litorian has good perception skills (actually, they kind of don't because they get a Wisdom penalty), and gain scent as a racial level ability, which kind of singles it out (but this could be an artifact of the 3.x system where scent is a different thing from Spot and Listen skills).

I've not seen a half-proficiency bonus (which would be 1.5x proficiency). I went with double because that's in line with situational uses of skills such as Dwarven Stonecunning and Gnomish Artificer's Lore. You could trim it back to gathering information, which is essentially what it stems from - a +2 bonus to the Gather Information skill (remember when that was it's own thing?!)

I can see both ways on each of these. For the half proficiency gregarious I was thinking of the fighter Remarkable Athlete ability to gain 1/2 proficiency to STR, DEX and CON checks.

For the litorians senses I think it your original was fine. Have proficiency in perception and advantage with smell. Granted I think of dogs as the smellers and cats as the hearing specialists. But whatever that is the source. Also advantage on each of those types of senses and adding the perception skill to the noble hunter choices works too. Either way really.

 

[Dr Simon]

That's a good point about the senses. Sibeccai get scent too, but it's at their 3rd racial level whereas with litorians its at 1st racial level. It would almost make more sense to grant sibeccai keen smell and litorians keen hearing and keen sight, or something like that.

As for size changes, yes, a lot will potentially depend on how those affect giant and spryte. I'm guessing that must be DMG stuff.

Meant to post these on Friday but ran out of time:

Faen, Quickling
+2 Dex
Small size
Base speed 25 ft.
Run - a quickling faen moves triple its speed when it makes a dash action, rather than double.
Proficient in Stealth
+2 bonus to initiative checks
Darkvision.
Metamorphosis - from 4th level, whenever a quickling faen gets the opportunity to increase an ability score it may instead chose to enter a cocoon and emerge as a tiny spryte, with a new set of abilities (see below)

Faen, Loresong
+2 Int
Size Small
Base speed 25 ft.
Proficient in Stealth
Darkvision
Magical Resistances - a loresong faen has advantage to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma checks to resist the effects of magic.
Loresong Magic - a loresong faen knows the minor illusion and light cantrips, and can cast detect magic 1/day. Intelligence is the casting stat.
Metamorphosis - from 4th level, whenever a loresong faen gets the opportunity to increase an ability score it may instead chose to enter a cocoon and emerge as a tiny spryte, with a new set of abilities (see below)

Faen, Spryte
Sprytes start life as one of either quickling or loresong. A faen may only become a spryte when it is granted an increase in an ability score. Instead it may transform into a spryte. It loses any existing racial features and these are replaced by spryte racial features (except where noted).

+2 Dex, -2 Str (these stack with any existing bonuses)
Tiny size
Base move 10 ft., fly 30 ft.
Darkvision.
Spryte Magic - a spryte knows the minor illusion and light cantrips, and can cast detect magic at will, and charm person 1/day. Intelligence is the casting stat. At 6th level a spryte can cast invisibility 1/day, on itself only. At 8th level it can cast dispel magic, nondetection and suggestion 1/day.

Notes:
That's pretty much a direct conversion - there doesn't seem to be flight maneuvre classes in 5e so that isn't a factor. The main area I wasn't sure about was quickling speed. AE quicklings have small creature base speed (20 ft.) but run at x5 rather than x4. So i gave them 5e small creature base speed (25 ft.) and treble dash - x4 qould put them at the same speed as AE, actually. It should be that. My other option was to give them a 30 ft. base speed, making them naturally faster than small creatures but not overly so (and keep x3 dash for a 90 ft. move)

 

[Eminence_Grise]

I will eventually revisit Arcana Evolved, since I loved the setting and I'm tired of Tolkien fantasy.

I would have seen Quickling and Loresong as sub-races of Faen. Is there a reason for not doing this?

PS: Sorry about the thread necromancy.

 

[The M'hael]

What happened to the rest of the conversions?
I don't own the books and have never read them, but the races seem really cool.

 

[Dr Simon]

Thread necromancy on my own thread - poor etiquette I know, but I got some XP which reminded me that it even existed!

I've dug out my notes for the other races and will upload them.

As for Faen subraces, Eminence Grise, this is a good point. Perhaps I meant to do them that way and forgot, but it makes sense for Quickling and Loresong to be subraces of Faen. Not that there would be much of similarity for the base "faen" race, but that doesn't matter I guess.

I have notes for Mojh and Dracha, the dragon-folk of AE, which I will post, but I don't seem to have finished the psychic Verrik to my satisfaction.