D&D 5E Empowering Races

[pnewman]

Your class gets extra abilities as you level up. Why shouldn't your race (and your background) get extra abilities as you level up as well?

Nothing too drastic, maybe an extra tool or language at Tier 1 (you can pick any, but you are encouraged to pick ones that fit your race/class/background), and a free Racial Feat at Tier 2, and expanded background bonuses at Tier 3, maybe an extra skill and a stronger Background Feature (Nobles get lands, Criminals get criminal minions, etc). Something for Tier 4 too, for the few who ever reach it.

 

[steeldragons]

So...here's an example of what I'm thinking/mean...using the OP's example...

Centaur
1st level: PC Centaurs are large creatures. They use weapons as... yada, yada, yada, as detailed by the OP.
Your movement is X.
You gain Sylvan as a bonus language of your heritage.

At levels 4, 8, 12, and 16, choose 2 traits from the following lists. Your choices must be from a list of a level you have achieved (you can not choose higher level traits, but can always choose from lower levels than you currently are).
4th level:
--Jumper: something that lets them jump extra distance.
--Thoroughbred: extra movement/speed for X minutes per Y (levels, Con mod, whatever).
--Lancer: charge attack damage bonus with spear, lance, other polearm or staff.
--Kick Attack: bonus attack to targets directly behind or in front of you.
--Woodland Stride: ignore natural difficult terrain. Does not include climbing.

8th level:
--Trample: bonus damage to a target within 10' before you who is prone.
--Fleet of Hoof: AC bonus attributed to moving up to 10' within the round (basically moving your back end to not permit a broad side to attack...applicable however many rounds per day as seems appropos at 8th level and/or scales with level.
--Charger: Lancer bonus to any melee weapon attack with a minimum of 20' lead up. Stacks with Lancer.
--Forester: +4 to all interactions with other syvlan & fae creatures.
--Some naturey/druidy relevant bonus feat.

12th level:
--Soft-shoed: leave no tracks through natural terrain.
--Sylvan Ways: +4 to saves against all enchantments and immune to the effects of sylvan/fae creatures.
--Beast of Burden: add to your encumbrance or remove penalties for additional load or something strength related.
--Nature's Ally: Speak with Animals at will.

16th:
--Woodlord: something naturey/druidy appropriately powered for 16th level.
--something attack/damage related that's cool and appropriately powered for 16th level.
--something else cool and appropriately powered for 16th level.

etc.

I would say 3-5 things to choose at each choice level, so your list grows to a max of 20 options. And, as might be noted, a good deal of these can overlap/be reused for other species...whether large or sylvan or something with four legs or whatever.

 

[jmartkdr2]

The main downside of making races more mechanically complex is that it makes it harder to add new races, especially as homebrew. We have proof you can do a lot in Pathfinder 2e, if the race you want to play hasn't been fleshed out yet you have a significant amount of work ahead of you.

Whereas with 5e (and especially 5.5e) races are mostly ribbons - which means I can create a new race in a few minutes if I need to.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Heritage levels? That had got a different name in 3.5. Racial parangon classes:

Racial Paragon Classes :: d20srd.org

www.d20srd.org

I support the idea of racial feats. With different options the races can enjoy a modular special style, but avoiding the typecasting.

 

[Thunderfoot]

I find the best way to empower the different races are solar panels....
What?

 

[Baron Opal II]

The downside of course is that you'd have to do a lot of work.

Yes, it is. For some a feature, others a bug.

I mean honestly... when you ask the characters for a Perception check, does it ever matter whether some have proficiency because they took it as part of their class and some have it because they are Wood Elves?

Yes, it does. It shapes the cultures that Wood Elves form as well as worldbuilding in general.

Otherwise, they're all just humans. And if that's what you want, that's fine. But I find it lacking.

[ @Thunderfoot, stop doing that. This is the second time this week I've replied to an old thread... ]
[ Well, okay, it's not that old. Nevermind... ]

 

[DEFCON 1]

Yes, it does. It shapes the cultures that Wood Elves form as well as worldbuilding in general.

Otherwise, they're all just humans. And if that's what you want, that's fine. But I find it lacking.

My question was not about world-building, or how a DM wants the game to feel as they are creating their campaign... the question was in the moment of game play, when all the players are around the table and the DM says "Make a Perception check"... does that statement in any way, shape, or form trigger any sort of response in a player that makes them think or feel "Ah! I'm a Wood Elf!"? And my claim is no, no it does not.

Rather, what I believe ACTUALLY will trigger in the player is the desire to look down at their character sheet, see what their skill modifier is next to 'Perception', and then roll a d20 die and add that number to it, in hopes of succeeding in the check the DM put forth. THAT is what I believe actually happens when a DM asks for a Perception check. And even if the player's character has Proficiency in Perception... that does not make the player feel any differently being a Wood Elf versus being just a character who has proficiency on Perception. Seeing that little dot next to the Perception skill on your sheet denoting proficiency does not make you feel one way if you got that proficiency from your Background versus feeling another way if you gained that proficiency from your Class versus feeling a third way if you gained it from being a Wood Elf. I believe none of us actually feel any differently by seeing that dot. All that dot does is change the number we see on our character sheet next to the word 'Perception', and then even after we add that number to our d20 roll and we then hear the results of the check from the DM on what we perceived... we are never going to get that Ah-ha! moment of feeling like "It's cause I'm a Wood Elf that I saw that!" Nope. It's going to be feeling the relief of "I'm glad I succeeded on my Perception check."

The numbers on our sheets just do not have that kind of emotional power. They are just numbers. That's all they are. And if you want to feel like you are a Wood Elf, you're going to have to actually put yourself in the mindset of what a Wood Elf might feel like-- and you can do that regardless of any of the numbers on your character sheet.

But hey... if you feel differently, more power to you.

 

[Baron Opal II]

My question was not about world-building, or how a DM wants the game to feel as they are creating their campaign... the question was in the moment of game play, when all the players are around the table and the DM says "Make a Perception check"... does that statement in any way, shape, or form trigger any sort of response in a player that makes them think or feel "Ah! I'm a Wood Elf!"? And my claim is no, no it does not.

But hey... if you feel differently, more power to you.

In the moment of play, when the role is called? Then no, where the modifier comes from is of little import. You are finding a sum to add to a roll. If they're in some sort of Elvish shrine or ruin perhaps that would have an effect, but that would be a rare corner case certainly.

Although, I can think of times when people are encouraging their fellow players they will call out anything that might boost their friend's roll. "Hey, you're a Wood Elf! Doesn't that give you a bonus, too?" This is something that is certainly limited to the time of the roll. After the fact people might say "this is what my elvish eyes see...". But, otherwise, the rules can inform world / culture building and interactions between PCs and NPCs.

Perhaps we are in accord.

 

[ART!]

I think there's some design space for races that's not being taken advantage of. This is more like half an idea, because I haven't had the head-space to think about it since someone brought it up in our weekly game, and they raised the question regarding dragonborn only.

Basically, what if at higher levels dragonborn got some version of the features that adult dragons have, namely Lair Actions, and Regional Effects? This would apply to whatever home a dragonborn establishes and maintains or holds onto... but of course 5E doesn't provide a lot of keep/stronghold/etc. support, sooooo...?

I don't have any thoughts yet on how this would apply to other races.

[EDIT: Having had time now to read more posts, I see I'm not alone in this.]

 

[jmartkdr2]

In the moment of play, when the role is called? Then no, where the modifier comes from is of little import. You are finding a sum to add to a roll. If they're in some sort of Elvish shrine or ruin perhaps that would have an effect, but that would be a rare corner case certainly.

Although, I can think of times when people are encouraging their fellow players they will call out anything that might boost their friend's roll. "Hey, you're a Wood Elf! Doesn't that give you a bonus, too?" This is something that is certainly limited to the time of the roll. After the fact people might say "this is what my elvish eyes see...". But, otherwise, the rules can inform world / culture building and interactions between PCs and NPCs.

Perhaps we are in accord.

I think it's more how "elf-y" the bonus is: in this case, you don't get a bonus to perception for being an elf, you get a bonus proficiency for being an elf. So unless the player forgot to factor proficiency bonus into their base perception roll (rare but it happens) - it's not a elf-based bonus. It's jus the basic mod they have to perception checks. It's unlikely that's you'd remind a player during a session that they have a +2 dex for being an elf, because that would be buried in the underlying math of the checks it applies to.

Contrast that to Mas of the Wild, which is a bonus they can only get by being a wood elf and flow directly from their subrace choice... and is rather elf-y in flavor. That's a more evocative benefit.