Balancing out Racial Abilities

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

I run a homebrew setting and many of the PHB races that I allow are modified in some way. If it helps, this is what I've done with humans in my setting.

Interesting take on Humans. It has a bit too many options for me, but it is a nice view. Thanks for sharing!

 

[MechaPilot]

Interesting take on Humans. It has a bit too many options for me, but it is a nice view. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed looking it over.

I think a Con modifier (maybe min +1) added to AC would work best since Con represents more of your physical make-up. I might use that. Thanks!

You're welcome. I've done a lot with letting players choose to use an unarmored AC instead of getting armor proficiencies. I've let players of clerics have an unarmored AC of 10 + Wis mod + Cha mod to represent receiving divine protrection instead of them getting armor profs. I've also let eldritch knights have an unarmored AC of 10 + Dex mod + Int mod to represent putting up a magic barrier to stop or deflect attacks.

Well, a red dragon wyrmling is a medium scaled creature with an AC of 17 (natural armor), so it anything it might be a bit low as red dragon scales seem to be stronger than scale mail.

Granted a full-fledged dragon may well have scales stronger than steel. That makes a great deal of sense. In fact, the dragons in my setting have hides so hard they can damage and destroy weapons used against them. But, a race like a dragonborn, while draconic, is not a true, full-blooded dragon, just as a tiefling isn't a full-blooded devil or demon.

 

[dave2008]

Granted a full-fledged dragon may well have scales stronger than steel. That makes a great deal of sense. In fact, the dragons in my setting have hides so hard they can damage and destroy weapons used against them. But, a race like a dragonborn, while draconic, is not a true, full-blooded dragon, just as a tiefling isn't a full-blooded devil or demon.

That's not exactly true in our setting.

 

[MechaPilot]

That's not exactly true in our setting.

That's fair. I was assuming their default presentation. Naturally, variations from the PHB-presented defaults changes the analysis.

You might opt to make the unarmored AC 12 + dex mod + con mod, perhaps with the caveat that they don't have armor proficiencies because they forswear armor because they see their natural armor as superior.

 

[dave2008]

You might opt to make the unarmored AC 12 + dex mod + con mod, perhaps with the caveat that they don't have armor proficiencies because they forswear armor because they see their natural armor as superior.

We could, but we have been playing it basically like this for a few years, and we don't currently see a need to change it. Dragonborn are dragonkin in our setting and they can become full dragons (with a sponsor and a lot of time). Currently our dragonborn can transform into a Large dragon for up to 1 minute w/ Concentration

 

[MechaPilot]

We could, but we have been playing it basically like this for a few years, and we don't currently see a need to change it. Dragonborn are dragonkin in our setting and they can become full dragons (with a sponsor and a lot of time). Currently our dragonborn can transform into a Large dragon for up to 1 minute w/ Concentration

Sounds cool. And, obviously, if what you're doing is working for you and you're having fun with it then pay my previous suggestions no mind.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My experience:

1) Balance doesn't matter. Players choose the race they like the flavour of. We have a Goliath rogue.

2) Halfing is the most popular race. Players love "lucky". Gnomes are also popular.

3) Dragonborn is the least popular core race. They are generally considered weak.

4) There are dozens of other playable races in places like Volo's guide, you have no chance of balancing them all.

5) Don't allow anyone to play a kenku.

Kenku and Kobolds are the only published races I homebrew in 5e. Kenku because I find the “can only mimic” thing to be obnoxious adds nothing to the game. Kobolds because “You’re a craven coward” as a racial ability is cringe as hell, and I refuse to have it in my game, or have a race with a negative stat mod and fairly standard power level without that penalty, in a game that doesn’t normally have stat penalties.

 

[cbwjm]

Kenku and Kobolds are the only published races I homebrew in 5e. Kenku because I find the “can only mimic” thing to be obnoxious adds nothing to the game. Kobolds because “You’re a craven coward” as a racial ability is cringe as hell, and I refuse to have it in my game, or have a race with a negative stat mod and fairly standard power level without that penalty, in a game that doesn’t normally have stat penalties.

I'm definitely with you with the kenku. I think I'd get rid of the whole curse backstory although having said that I might use them to represent something like the cast down arrakoa race from world of Warcraft (without the mimicry curse).

 

[guachi]

There's a guy who derived point values for all PHB races and for many others from Volo's Guide. You can search on it fairly easily if you want to see what the makers of the game probably valued racial abilities at.

Turns out, darkvision is worth 0 points.

Also, I don't get your desire for us not to debate "which power is equal to what" but you want "ways to balance things". How on earth can you balance things if you don't know what their relative value is?

If you don't want our input then why are you even asking us? Just go balance things yourself.

 

[dave2008]

There's a guy who derived point values for all PHB races and for many others from Volo's Guide. You can search on it fairly easily if you want to see what the makers of the game probably valued racial abilities at.

Turns out, darkvision is worth 0 points.

Also, I don't get your desire for us not to debate "which power is equal to what" but you want "ways to balance things". How on earth can you balance things if you don't know what their relative value is?

If you don't want our input then why are you even asking us? Just go balance things yourself.

I found this guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ViqLSEN67mmd2LJ-H5YX0fccsfI97kFaqx7V1Dmw/edit ,but he has darkvision at .5 points
[MENTION=6976296]James Grover[/MENTION] , this should help you balance the races as he has already broken it down to a point system