D&D 5E Help with my player race?

[Mind of tempest]

Help with my aberration player race?
thoughts on this so far? any ideas to work from?

1 short paragraph, encapsulating origins, traits, themes, relations
A truly ancient race having long left the far realm for the prime material and the shadowfell, they are normally found in the far reaches of the worlds from forgotten swamps or far peaks to the depths of the Underdark or desert oasis.
Relations with the common and uncommon races.
they find halflings utterly alien and gnomes to be useful but far too chaotic for long term partnership.
dwarves to bound to tradition but good workers and excellent crafters and elves to unreliable but good for trade and excellent for learning magic from, humans useful but are all over the map in temperaments.
Dragonborn they get on with well with, certainly well with the gem strain and they just lump tieflings in with humanity seemingly disregarding the hellish heritage.
2 paragraphs detailing appearance and physical qualities
three - eyes stare out from an oversized cranium it’s w shaped pupils scan the world rapidly, six tentacles surround its wide mouth writhing when the creature is pleased.
Its mouth brings to mind a skeleton with the sight of its teeth.
a body covered in clammy skin, possessing four arms with six digits, and long legs ending in wide splayed toes that form a crescent shape.
They possess bony armour over their torsos and parts of their heads with what resembles gemstones set in them, this bone armour has parts of it the call to mind seashells and in other parts the leaves of ferns in its latticework.
their bone plating comes in a variety of metallic shades, highlighted by bright flourishes of flesh.
2 paragraphs about their perspective and attitudes
???
2 paragraphs about their culture, interactions, and relations
Two basic cultures the great nation builders and the thousand city-states of the seeker cults
1 paragraph about why and how they go adventuring
Why the ??? Go adventuring?

Why the seeker cults go adventuring aside from trying to become an exalted being may seek greater understanding of the paths they are on other seek simple fame and fortune
Both types possess any motivation that is common to their class.

 

[MarkB]

It seems weird to get so specific and singular in terms of physical appearance, personality and motivations for a race of aberrations. I'd expect a lot more variation in such creatures.

Maybe just a few basic guidelines (i.e. weird and mismatched features that would appear unnerving or horrific to most humanoid races), some limitations to prevent balance issues (i.e. must be small or medium, can have an unusual number of limbs or sensory organs but gains no mechanical benefit thereby), and then just let players get wild with their descriptions.

 

[Mind of tempest]

well clearly

It seems weird to get so specific and singular in terms of physical appearance, personality and motivations for a race of aberrations. I'd expect a lot more variation in such creatures.

Maybe just a few basic guidelines (i.e. weird and mismatched features that would appear unnerving or horrific to most humanoid races), some limitations to prevent balance issues (i.e. must be small or medium, can have an unusual number of limbs or sensory organs but gains no mechanical benefit thereby), and then just let players get wild with their descriptions.

most mind flayers look near identical and abolth look very similar, even the chaos toads have a very defined look this is not some race of one-off mutant, this is an ancient relic of a lost world.

plus everyone else has literally gone for your idea so how do I stand out other than but having something that has a more fixed appearance?

any ideas for motivations?

 

[MarkB]

well clearly

most mind flayers look near identical and abolth look very similar, even the chaos toads have a very defined look this is not some race of one-off mutant, this is an ancient relic of a lost world.

Okay, but you didn't say "this one specific race of aberrations called X", you just said "aberration player race". For a race that players can use to play aberrations in general I'd expect more flexibility.

plus everyone else has literally gone for your idea so how do I stand out other than but having something that has a more fixed appearance?

By not calling it "aberration"? Weirdness and flexibility are inherent in the concept of making a general "aberration" race, that's why literally everyone goes for it.

any ideas for motivations?

Not without more context. You seem to be going for something specific here, a very particular race that has a particular place and history within your campaign setting. That's going to influence what they're like as individuals, and I don't know anything about it.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Okay, but you didn't say "this one specific race of aberrations called X", you just said "aberration player race". For a race that players can use to play aberrations in general I'd expect more flexibility.

By not calling it "aberration"? Weirdness and flexibility are inherent in the concept of making a general "aberration" race, that's why literally everyone goes for it.

Not without more context. You seem to be going for something specific here, a very particular race that has a particular place and history within your campaign setting. That's going to influence what they're like as individuals, and I don't know anything about it.

sorry if I sounded anger it is more I have not named them yet and that they are what only half done so I am still learning what they should be.

what I want to build is both an aberration and effectively a homebrew players handbook race?

 

[MarkB]

I'm still not sure regarding motivations, but if these beings are from a race that's been lost/hidden for a long time, they presumably haven't had a chance to see much of the rest of your world. In which case, simple curiosity seems like motivation enough for them to want to explore it.

 

[jgsugden]

You built up a mental picture for a race, but you don't have any idea about their culture(s), their place in the world, etc...

My suggestion would be to find a good story - probably something from the Lovecraft lore - hat features a species that intrigues you. Then steal heavily from the lore surrounding that species. It doesn't have to be from Lovecraft - it might be the Engineers from Aliens, it might be the Cenobites from Hellraiser, it might be the Skrulls from Marvel Comics, etc... whatever floats your boat.

Whatever path you choose, make sure it serves a purposes in your game world. If you throw an option in, and it doesn't really provide anything distinct beyond aesthetics, it can be a disappointing experience for the player. Playing a PC that looks like the one you describe would be difficult in most games as they'd be rejected in most societies. The 'Outcast' PC can be fun if given the right support and place in the world - but if it isn't supported well it can be rather depressing to be kicked by the DM over and over for being a different type of PC, especially if the PC species is a DM creation.

 

[Mind of tempest]

You built up a mental picture for a race, but you don't have any idea about their culture(s), their place in the world, etc...

My suggestion would be to find a good story - probably something from the Lovecraft lore - hat features a species that intrigues you. Then steal heavily from the lore surrounding that species. It doesn't have to be from Lovecraft - it might be the Engineers from Aliens, it might be the Cenobites from Hellraiser, it might be the Skrulls from Marvel Comics, etc... whatever floats your boat.

Whatever path you choose, make sure it serves a purposes in your game world. If you throw an option in, and it doesn't really provide anything distinct beyond aesthetics, it can be a disappointing experience for the player. Playing a PC that looks like the one you describe would be difficult in most games as they'd be rejected in most societies. The 'Outcast' PC can be fun if given the right support and place in the world - but if it isn't supported well it can be rather depressing to be kicked by the DM over and over for being a different type of PC, especially if the PC species is a DM creation.

can you please give examples of say how the PHB races have a story so I can better understand how it works?