Level Up (A5E) Heritage Gifts/Paragons

[Morrus]

Are heritages gifts/traits powerful enough to justify only +1/+1 ability boost at start?

Obviously, we think yes.

Most current race options currently being published are standardized at +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 floating choice?

These aren’t races.

 

[WanderingMystic]

While I agree that some heritages choice of gifts seem less exciting as others the great thing about the gift concept is that you can just use the gift from another race. You want your plane touched to have wings, no problem, you think that an "ingenious" gnome is more your style have at it.

 

[Faolyn]

Are heritages gifts/traits powerful enough to justify only +1/+1 ability boost at start?
Most current race options currently being published are standardized at +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 floating choice?

The stats will be a bit lower, but it's not hard to get expertise in things which will help to bump it up.

 

[TwoSix]

Yeah, I also got the impression that some Heritages and cultures are way more interesting and unique than others.
And in some cases it also seems that the overall power level is very different.

Take Mountain Dwarf for example

• Prof in 4 weapons, light and medium armors
• Prof in Engineering
• Resistance to fire!!
• Adapted to cold climates and high/low altitudes
• Stonecunning: considered proficient with history when rolling for stonework, also gain expertise die
• Can speak dwarven, common and one language of choice

Compare it with Forest Gnome:

• Proficiency with one type of artisan tools
• Can cast disguise self at level 1, blur at level 3 and major image at level , once per long rest each
• Can speak with small beasts
• Can speak common and gnomish

Yea, you're absolutely right; Forest Gnome is normally the better choice here. Resist fire is nice, but the rest of the Mountain Dwarf package is pretty blah unless you're a squishy caster.

 

[Faolyn]

Due to a conversation on another thread, I ended up making a sample of a physically weak orc who got suckered into a a training regimen that he thought would make him strong but was actually a front for a cult. Here's a copypaste of the character:

While making playtest characters a while ago, I kept imagining a vast empire of dragon lords ruling over the populace (as either benevolent dictators or cruel dictators), so I built this character to fit in that setting concept. Warlocks in LU can choose between Int, Wis, and Cha as their spellcasting attribute. He's a weak individual whose parents ran a thermopolium (and thus he was raised as a short-order cook) that was always being exploited by a powerful dragonborn captain.

Purely by accident, I had decided the bit about his background and that he was going to be an Int-based warlock before I picked the Artisan background (which is what could be used for a cook). That background gives +1 Int, +1 floating. The floating bonus was put in Wisdom.

Mazar
Heritage: Orc • Culture: Tyrannized • Background: Artisan • Destiny: Revenge
Level, Class, Archetype: 1st-level warlock (alienist)
Str 8 (-1), Dex 12 (+1), Con 13 (+1), Int 16 (+3, save +5), Wis 14 (+2, save +4), Cha 12 (+1)
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 ft.
Max HP: 9
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Maneuver DC: 11
Skills: Arcana (specialization: dragons), Culture, Deception, Insight (specialization: sensing emotions), Investigation, Persuasion, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: Cook’s utensils, Playing cards
Armor and Weapons Proficiencies: Light armor; Dagger, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
Languages: Common, Draconic, Elf

Traits
Alienist: Alien Curse – I can use a bonus action to place a curse on a creature I see within 30 feet. The curse lasts for 1 minute and ends early if the target or I die or I am incapacitated. While a creature is cursed, when I deal damage to it, it takes +1d4 psychic damage.
Cloak and Dagger. Whenever I or an ally I can see fails a Sleight of Hand or Stealth check, I can use my reaction to spend inspiration and undo the consequences of that failed check.
Connection: A dragonborn captain who exploited my parent’s food stand.
Darkvision: 60 ft.
Expanded Spell List: Bewilderment
Heavy Lifter: I count as Large when determining what I can carry, push, drag, or lift.
Mighty Attacks: When I score a crit with a melee weapon attack, I can roll one additional damage die.
Saving Face (1/rest): If I miss an attack roll or fail an ability check, I can gain a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies I can see within 30 feet (max +3).
Scars of the Scourge: I have resistance to lightning damage.
Served Cold. I gain inspiration whenever I outwit a foe without the use of Deception or Persuasion checks.
Trade Mark: When in a city or town, I have access to a fully-stocked workshop with everything I need to ply my trade.

Attacks
Kitchen Knife (Dagger): +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1d4 piercing. If I am wielding a dagger in both hands, I can use my bonus action to attack with this weapon.
Eldritch Blast (Eldritch Disturbance): Range 60. Target must make a Wis save (half damage on success) or take 1d10 force damage.
Force Punch (Spell, 2 SP): If I succeed on a melee spell attack roll against a creature or object within 5 feet of me, I inflict 3d8 force damage.

Spells Known
Spell Save DC: 13. Spell Attack Bonus: +5. Spell Points: 2.
Cantrips: mage hand, mending (from heritage), pestilence
1st Level (2 points): charm person, color spray, force punch, sleep

So as you can see, there's a lot here even just at 1st level, so I don't think he's being penalized because he's +1/+1 instead of +2/+1. The only thing I'd change would be to come up with a different warlock expanded spell list to represent that particular cult, but I didn't feel like doing that at the time.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

Maybe it's just really hard to make distinct gnome and halfling subtypes.

 

[NoodleLeith]

While I agree that some heritages choice of gifts seem less exciting as others the great thing about the gift concept is that you can just use the gift from another race. You want your plane touched to have wings, no problem, you think that an "ingenious" gnome is more your style have at it.

This is actually a great point. There's a lot of Gifts/Paragons that would make sense for others to have to, so why not!

 

[Horwath]

Obviously, we think yes.

These aren’t races.

call it what you call it, heritage/race/lineage/background...
So, starting ability bonuses are balanced with all features outside of class features?

Standard character O5E for race/background works fine with A5E classes?

 

[Morrus]

call it what you call it, heritage/race/lineage/background...
So, starting ability bonuses are balanced with all

It’s not semantics. It’s a literal different building block to an O5E race. It’s not the equivalent.

 

[niklinna]

Most current race options currently being published are standardized at +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 floating choice?

These aren’t races.

Ah, but the options currently being published (by WotC) are called races.