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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clutchbone" data-source="post: 7186733" data-attributes="member: 98332">The Musicus scale is handy, I use it too, but I really wouldn't stress about bringing a race up to 6.5. People choose races for theme as much as mechanics, depending on the player, and adding features willy nilly dilutes the flavour distinction between them. For instance, I would throw out all of those unassigned skill proficiencies, extra languages, and especially those extra unassigned ASI's. Those are features that should only be assigned to races like human or half-elf where "variability" is part of their racial theme.  The official versions of the gnome, halfling, tiefling, kenku, Genasi (Fire), and Genasi (Water) are 100% fine as-is. I'd say that the half-orc and goliath are fine as well, but I have heard others disagree. Nevertheless, adding a skill beyond their existing intimidation/athletics doesn't make sense to their theme.I heavily dislike the lizardfolk and all of the monstrous races in Volo's; I'd completely rebuild them rather than adding skill or languages that don't fit their themes.The changes I would make are below:[sblock=Homebrew Player Race Errata]Dragonborn:<s>2 skill or tool proficiencies and 1 language</s> The real fix a dragonborn needs is to it's breath weapon. It should scale like a cantrip, and trigger off of strength or charisma.Half-Orc:<s>1 skill proficiency</s> If you must change them, just make Relentless Endurance once/short rest at level 10 or 15.Human: 1 skill or tool proficiency is enough.Genasi (Air): Lightning Resistance <s>and 30 ft. flying speed (must land at the end of each turn)</s>. They already have levitation.Genasi (Earth): Poison Resistance <s>and 30 ft. burrowing speed</s>. Burrowing is too powerful. If you can fly, enemies can still shoot at you. If you burrow, you're protected, and dungeon walls mean nothing. That's why fly is a 3rd level spell and passwall is 5th (meld into stone, while also 3rd, doesn't let you travel).Goliath: <s>1 skill proficiency and 1 language</s>. Besides Athletics, Goliaths aren't known for being especially skillful or worldly. If you must change them, start Stone's Endurance at 1d4 or 1d6 and have it increase by another die at levels 5, 11, and 17.Hobgoblin: Personally, I rebuild them as the anti-half elf, with +2 con, +1, +1, darkvision, weapon training (javelins, spears, longswords, and pikes), adv. vs frightened, and 1 tool. +2 Con is better than +2 cha, so no 2nd extra skill/tool and no extra language. [/sblock]Turtlefolk This is both overpowered (At Home in the Sea, Natural Defense, and Turtle Form could each easily have a +1 added to their score rating) and also overly complicated. Eyeball the official races and see how much text their entries contain. Anything you make shouldn't be more convoluted or wordy than what's already out there.[sblock=Turtlefolk review]3 Ability Score Increase. Throw out the untyped abilities. Give them +2 Con and +1 Wis, or whatever.  Speed. This should be worded as "Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet." for consistency, but I'd slow down their walking speed, like dwarves, because they're turtles.<s>At Home in the Sea. Your tie to the deep sea grants you the ability to do everything as easily underwater as you can on land. You can breathe underwater, your senses are not obscured by water, and you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.</s> Move swim speed to speed, throw out senses bit, move water breathing to separate entry called Amphibious.  Language. You can speak, read, and write Common, <s>Terran, and Aquan.</s> Choose one or the other, or make tortoise and turtle subraces and give the appropriate language to each..5 Darkvision. You have stellar eyesight and can see 60 feet in darkness as if it were dim light and dim light as if it were bright light.Skill Proficiencies. You are proficient in<s> two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Nature, and</s> Perception. Why would a turtle be good at "acrobatic stunts, including dives, rolls, somersaults, and flips"? Or be preternaturally good at academics? Perception makes sense, turtles are supposed to have good eyesight.<s>.5 </s><s>Camouflage Shell. Your shell’s natural coloring has two predominant colors. Choose from Blue, Brown, Gray, and Green. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide in surroundings largely of one of your chosen colors.</s> I'd take this out. Turtles aren't stealthy or agile creatures, they're big & bulky. If you must have something like this, use a marine version of the deep gnomes stone camouflage<s>-.5 </s><s>Inconvenient Shell. Normal armor does not fit you. It costs 1.5 times the normal price to buy armor tailored to fit. If you have the appropriate tools and tool proficiency, you can modify armor yourself for 4 hours of work and 10gp per +1 AC bonus it grants above 10. Tailored armor is half the weight of regular armor. </s> this is overly complicated, and you've already said that the shell is roughly the same size as your torso, so no need to penalize the player.<s>1.5 </s><s>Natural Defense. Your plate-armor-like shell gives you comfort in similar armor and natural defensive abilities:</s> <s>+1 • Your shell’s +2 AC bonus gives you an unarmored AC of 12 + your Dexterity modifier and +1 AC when wearing Light or Medium Armor. Wearing plate or half-plate armor does not impose disadvantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks.</s> <s>+.5 • If you aren’t incapacitated, you can add your shell’s AC bonus to any Dexterity saving throw you make against a spell or other harmful effect.</s> This is way too powerful, even with the inconvenient shell thing. Honestly, tinkering with AC is one of the most contentious things about race design. You're better off just giving them a flat +1 AC and calling it a day, or have the shell represented by a renamed version of the Goliath's Stone's Endurance or the dwarfs Dwarven Endurance.<s>Turtle Form. </s>This is way too complicated, and races should not have a shapechange ability.<s>Feat: Dragon’s Defense:</s> This is way too complicated, and anyways should probably be called Dragon Turtle's Defense. [/sblock]Revised Turtlefolk. This version is a lot more user friendly, fairly balanced (around a 6.5 on the Musicus scale), and keeps that "I'm a turtle" feel.[sblock=Revised Turtlefolk]+3, Ability Score Increase. +2 Con and +1 Wis. +1, Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.+0.5, Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.Language. You can speak, read, and write Common and Aquan.+0.5, Darkvision. You have stellar eyesight and can see 60 feet in darkness as if it were dim light and dim light as if it were bright light.+0.5, Slow and Steady. You have advantage on Constitution ability checks.+1, Impose Shell. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d4. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. The number of dice increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4)Alternate abilities that I changed or cut out for balance are:+1, Hardened Shell. If you are not incapacitated, you have +1 AC.+0.5, Aquatic Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (stealth) checks to hide in marine environments.+0.5, Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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