D&D (2024) Half-race feats how would you design them?

[Gorck]

Just for curiosity's sake, I decided to see what it would be like to make a Half-Orc in 1DD, and I now realize that the difference is mostly cosmetic. Both Humans and Orcs are Humanoid with a Speed of 30ft and a lifespan of 80 years.

So other than to pointy teeth and green/gray skin color, the only choices are:
Your Human side can allow you to be Small rather than just Medium
You can choose between Resourceful, Skillful, and Versatile or Adrenaline Rush, Darkvision, Powerful Build, and Relentless Endurance

At which point, why not just make a straight up Human or Orc. Unless you want to be a Small Orc, there's not much point to making a Half-Orc at all.

 

[Horwath]

feats for human could work for half-elf, half-orc, half-dwarf, etc....

Feats:

Elven blooded:
darkvision 60ft,
proficiency in perception,
immunity to sleep and advantage vs charm
you need only 4 hrs of sleep during long rest instead of 6(normal sleep), still need 8hrs of total down time to gain benefits.
pick: +5ft move speed or one cantrip

Orc Blooded:
darkvision 60ft,
powerful build: you count as large for determining carry capacity, grapple and similar
orcish endurance: once per long rest when you drop to 0 HP, drop to 1 HP instead.
natural instincts: gain proficiency in one skill from: athletics, nature, animal handling, perception, survival, intimidate,

Dwarf blooded:
darkvision 60ft
advantage and resistance vs poisons
advantage vs forced movement on ground
+1 HP per 2 levels(round up)

 

[Yaarel]

feats for human could work for half-elf, half-orc, half-dwarf, etc....

Feats:

Elven blooded:
darkvision 60ft,
proficiency in perception,
immunity to sleep and advantage vs charm
you need only 4 hrs of sleep during long rest instead of 6(normal sleep), still need 8hrs of total down time to gain benefits.
pick: +5ft move speed or one cantrip

Orc Blooded:
darkvision 60ft,
powerful build: you count as large for determining carry capacity, grapple and similar
orcish endurance: once per long rest when you drop to 0 HP, drop to 1 HP instead.
natural instincts: gain proficiency in one skill from: athletics, nature, animal handling, perception, survival, intimidate,

Dwarf blooded:
darkvision 60ft
advantage and resistance vs poisons
advantage vs forced movement on ground
+1 HP per 2 levels(round up)

Too much darkvision.

Elves dont deserve darkvision. Except drow elves do.

Why do orc have darkvision? Are they nocturnal creatures?

Dwarf traditionally lives underground without sunlight. One of the only races that actually deserves darkvision.



Who cares about Perception when a background can grant it? Why make the trait racial? Besides, many elf concepts are more about the Arcana skill. Maybe only the wood elf deserves Perception. And a background can easily grant it.

Conceptually, the immunity to sleep is because they trance instead of sleep, so it makes sense to combine these features together.

The resistance to charm is a taste of the general Fey magic resistance, such as the dryad exhibits. Resistance to charm per se, isnt really a Fey thing.

 

[Horwath]

Too much darkvision.

Elves dont deserve darkvision. Except drow elves do.

Why do orc have darkvision? Are they nocturnal creatures?

Dwarf traditionally lives underground without sunlight. One of the only races that actually deserves darkvision.



Who cares about Perception when a background can grant it? Why make the trait racial? Besides, many elf concepts are more about the Arcana skill. Maybe only the wood elf deserves Perception. And a background can easily grant it.

Conceptually, the immunity to sleep is because they trance instead of sleep, so it makes sense to combine these features together.

The resistance to charm is a taste of the general Fey magic resistance, such as the dryad exhibits. Resistance to charm per se, isnt really a Fey thing.

It's not the topic for darkvision, but I agree, it's too much of it.

it's about getting a half race through feats, so this is just couple of feats that can give a (half) human abilities of their non human parent without creating half races. and CURRENTLY, all those races have darkvision. And to keep those feats in full-feat power level.

 

[Haplo781]

It's not the topic for darkvision, but I agree, it's too much of it.

it's about getting a half race through feats, so this is just couple of feats that can give a (half) human abilities of their non human parent without creating half races. and CURRENTLY, all those races have darkvision. And to keep those feats in full-feat power level.

Removing low-light vision was a mistake.

 

[Yaarel]

It's not the topic for darkvision, but I agree, it's too much of it.

it's about getting a half race through feats, so this is just couple of feats that can give a (half) human abilities of their non human parent without creating half races. and CURRENTLY, all those races have darkvision. And to keep those feats in full-feat power level.

Ideally, 1DD changes Darkvision from a slot 2 spell to a cantrip. Then, when offering a thematically appropriate choice of cantrip, the player can use it to pick Darkvision if wanted.

 

[Horwath]

Ideally, 1DD changes Darkvision from a slot 2 spell to a cantrip. Then, when offering a thematically appropriate choice of cantrip, the player can use it to pick Darkvision if wanted.

I would like to move away from "every racial trait is spell" as far as possible.

just give wood elves +10ft speed instead of longstrider, etc...

 

[Yaarel]

I would like to move away from "every racial trait is spell" as far as possible.

just give wood elves +10ft speed instead of longstrider, etc...

But. In the case of the Elf, "every thing is a spell" is precisely the appropriate race flavor.


For, most non-elf races, I agree to avoid spells as traits.


Oppositely, the Human race is especially about skills. This relates to reallife evolution of learning and culture. I feel the Human should likewise be about both tools and skills, since the human species evolves to be tool users.

By contrast, I feel the Elf race does best when avoiding any trait that relates to skill or tool.

 

[Yaarel]

With regard to Darkvision, making it a cantrip makes it easy to gain at level 1, without hardware baking it into every single race.

Also the Darkvision is plainly magical and is already a spell. It simply works better as a cantrip.

 

[Horwath]

But. In the case of the Elf, "every thing is a spell" is precisely the appropriate race flavor.


For, most non-elf races, I agree to avoid spells as traits.


Oppositely, the Human race is especially about skills. This relates to reallife evolution of learning and culture. I feel the Human should likewise be about both tools and skills, since the human species evolves to be tool users.

By contrast, I feel the Elf race does best when avoiding any trait that relates to skill or tool.

currently, Variant human for me is:

+2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 abilities,
common language,
skilled: +2 skill proficiencies
tools of the trade: 4 proficiencies in any combination of languages, tools or weapons
hidden talent: gain expertise in one skill or tool

on top, I can just add bonus feat for 1D&D.


as for elves, I like the idea that after "trance" you gain proficiency in any two tools, languages or weapons as you access some kind of shared elven memory while you "dream"


also if races have innate spells, I would make them similar to 3.5e "spell-like abilities" that is, those spell do not require Material(non costly), Somatic and Verbal components.
And possibly they do not have concentration trait(this should be approached carefully).