D&D 5E D&D Peoples/Species change ideas

[DND_Reborn]

wrap back around and give features to do what you imagined the race/species as, without the ability score bonuses

Here are some thoughts from prior house-rules:

Remove ASIs from races.

DRAGONBORN:

Dragonsight. As a bonus action you can give yourself blindsight with a range of 10 feet until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. At 5th level, the range increases to 30 ft. and inceases to 60 ft. at 11th level and 120 ft. at 17th level.

Thick Skin. You have 1 point of damage reduction against non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

DWARF:

Armor Expert. You gain a +1 bonus to your armor class when you are wearing armor. You can don and doff armor in half the time, and can don and doff a shield as a bonus action.

ELF:

Magical Bloodline. You know one cantrip of your choice from a class spell list. When you reach 5th level, you learn one second-level spell from that spell list. You regain the ability to cast these spells after a Long Rest. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is as the class the spell list is chosen from.

GNOME:

Dedicated Worker. You gain proficiency in one skill, tool, or kit. You choose one skill, tool, or kit you are proficient in and double your proficiency bonus when you make an ability check using that skill, tool, or kit.

Nimble Fingers. You gain proficiency in the Sleight of Hand skill and have advantage when using this skill.

HALF-ELF:

Touch of Magic. You choose one cantrip from any spell list to know. You use the appropriate Ability Score when casting this cantrip for any attack or DC save purposes.

Uncommon Understanding. You gain proficiency and expertise in the Insight skill.

HALF-ORC:

Survivalist. You gain proficiency in the Survival skill.

Broad Back. You have advantage when making Strength checks.

HALFLING:

Hobbyist. You gain proficiency in one tool or kit of your choice.

Stone Slinger. From a lifetime of games and fun, you are adept at throwing small, light objects quickly and with accuracy. When you make a ranged attack with a small, light object (no more than 1 lb.), you gain a +1 to the attack roll. Items include darts, daggers, and stones (not from a sling). As a bonus action, you make an additional ranged attack when you are making a ranged attack with these small items.

HUMAN:

Incredible Determination. You gain proficiency in saving throws for one ability score of your choice.

TIEFLING:

Dark Heritage. Your infernal heritage confers partial resistance to magic effects. You choose one ability from
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You have advantage when making saving throws against magical spells and
effects for the chosen ability.

Lore Master. You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I don’t think that’s true. I doubt even a majority of characters would be built like that.

YMMV of course, but that is a given from my experience. Believe me, I wish it wasn't so. We've had to nerf darkvision just so such races would not be as tempting to players.

So you are saying to play, for example, a minotaur, I must put a high rolled score in STR? That is the exact problem of ability scores restricting classes that this thread is having problems with - limiting class by race.

So if having ability score modifiers is a problem, then requiring people to put their better/best scores in certain places just to mimic the base characteristics of their race is just as much a problem and not a viable solution.

Did I say you HAD to put your highest score in STR? No. I said if you want a strong character that represents a strong race, a strong minotaur for example, you put your best score in STR. If you don't want a strong minotaur, put a different score there. Unless you are rolling, and doing it in order, you can always put your scores where you want. If you want to play a prototypical strong race, put a good score in STR. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

There is no problem.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I don't understand the problem. I am not trying to be weird, but I don't get it.

As long as everything is balanced wont that fix it. I thought the problem was the -2 int for orcs...that woulddo away with it.

How can you not see a problem assigning mental bonuses to cultures that resemble real cultures? It is not a balance issue. It is an issue with basically saying that people from some real life cultures tend to be smarter, wiser or more charming.

 

[DnD Warlord]

How can you not see a problem assigning mental bonuses to cultures that resemble real cultures? It is not a balance issue. It is an issue with basically saying that people from some real life cultures tend to be smarter, wiser or more charming.

Since in the system quoted that isnt what happens...

Yes people from place A B and C all get +1 int, and people from D E and F all get +1 wis and people from G H and I all get +1 cha... but all 9 of them point buy or roll stats and all 9 of them get a floating +1... making the individual matter...

If we both come from A, and get +1 int, and you start with a 13 int and I start with an 11 int (so 14 and 12 after mod) but someone starts from I and gets +1 cha but had a 15 in Int and places the floating +1 in Int That makes him or her smartest...with a 16.

So no not "all peoples from A are smarter" but in general peoples from A put enfisise on inteligence....


Edit: if you really see a problem asking someone who wants to find the problem how they can not see it will not help them see it.
If your goal is to be dismissive or insulting it works fine, and will even fly under the mod warnings, but it will not change minds or help explain your point.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

So no not "all peoples from A are smarter" but in general peoples from A put enfisise on inteligence....

"Not all Asians are smarter but in general peoples from put emphasis on inteligence..."
This is a literal real life racist trope. We can continue by "Native American putting Emphasis on Wisdom." That they're just tendencies and not absolutes doesn't matter. It will come across as racist. Way worse than the orcs.

 

[DnD Warlord]

"Not all Asians are smarter but in general peoples from put emphasis on inteligence..."
This is a literal real life racist trope. We can continue by "Native American putting Emphasis on Wisdom." That they're just tendencies and not absolutes doesn't matter. It will come across as racist. Way worse than the orcs.

The only answer I have for that is we don't make any cultures based on real life ones

 

[Shiroiken]

I've never understood the mentality that if you don't have a bonus to towards your primary ability score that you can't play that race/class combination. I've played with a 15 in my primary ability score until level 4 on a couple of occasions, because the other racial benefits outweighed the ability modifiers. For example, I had a melee based Dwarf Dragon Sorcerer, because it gave me medium armor proficiency and battleax/warhammer proficiency. Yes, you do need at have a +3 modifier by level 5 to stay effective, but the loss during levels 1-3 is insignificant, as the roll of the die matters far more than your modifiers will.

As for the OP, the idea of have classes give ability score boosts was in the playtest. I personally feel it was one of (if not the) biggest misses for 5E. With this option, a lot of characters using standard array could get that beloved 16 to start, regardless of their race. I think that spellcasters would have been easy, using the spellcasting modifier as the bonus. Others probably need a choice between two since there are various builds one could use. A simple change to use this would be to reduce the +2 bonus from the race to only +1, but the races that don't get a +2 then become problematic (humans and tritions, but possibly others).

 

[Crimson Longinus]

The only answer I have for that is we don't make any cultures based on real life ones

Not gonna work. Orcs are not directly based on any real culture either. And existing fantasy worlds are already full of cultures that are pretty much direct copy-pastes of real cultures.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The only answer I have for that is we don't make any cultures based on real life ones

Unfortunately, that is pretty much impossible IME. If we create cultures that we have no basis for IRL, the culture and people become alien to us.

Probably the most unique PC (race-wise) I've ever played was a Thri-kreen warrior. The problem was even this most alien-like race's culture was based on tribal cultures IRL and so had some tribal stereotypes.

Orcs are primarily seen as tribal in many settings. Dwarves are usually seen as clanish. Many Gnomes are seen as "absent-minded", Etc. I think it is more important for people who might identify with that race to understand it is a game and that fantasy people in no way reflects on real life. Some people, however, have trouble with that.

The other thing is, IMO, if you want to penalize a people or culture (or not give them equal strength in one area) is to make certain they are superior in another. Also, these are generalities, and as many of these threads have pointed out (over and over...) that individual PCs typically break the mold.

 

[AliasBot]

I'd wipe the slate clean, and then give each humanoid type a combination of abilities tied to the physical form (like flight for an aarakocra) plus points to use on point buy abilities. Then ask the players to explain why the PC has those abilities.

Each PC could add +1 to two different abilities, and might buy another +1 to one of those abilities (or even both!) using those points, but might buy skill proficiencies, feat, cantrips, etc... Whatever tells a good story for that PC.

Not quite the same thing, but one thought I had was to have +1 be tied to either starting Class or Background (probably choosing one of two or three options, in either case), and then at level 1 you get an Ability Score Improvement...which means you get the option to take a feat in its place, opening up a lot of potential from-the-start versatility.