D&D 5E Homebrew Cactus People

[Shadowdweller00]

Being plants, do they eat and drink like more traditional humanoids? Speak normally? One presumes the answer is yes to all of these by default, but you might want to clarify in the descriptive text. It's the sort of thing I might wonder about anyway.

 

[el-remmen]

I was just thinking about the eating and drinking thing. Good catch. I think I will have it that they can eat but really only need water, sunlight, and soil (which maybe that's what they eat).

They do speak understandably, but I did put in a note about their language.

 

[Fenris-77]

I was just thinking about the eating and drinking thing. Good catch. I think I will have it that they can eat but really only need water, sunlight, and soil (which maybe that's what they eat).

They do speak understandably, but I did put in a note about their language.

That makes big cities interestingly problematic. At the benefit of not needing to pack rations. Seems fair.

 

[el-remmen]

That makes big cities interestingly problematic. At the benefit of not needing to pack rations. Seems fair.

I can imagine one walking through town scooping dirt out of people's flower pots and home gardens much to the locals' chagrin.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Three thoughts:

1. I like the idea that as they age they grow Large, but (as things are now) that doesn't make it a viable PC race. Perhaps suggest that as characters retire, they set down roots (heh), their movement becomes zero, and they grow Large and are very content with where they are.

2. For the natural AC, are you suggesting a flat AC 13, or 13+dex? Other races allow the dex bonus, but that obviously makes this more powerful. Giving a flat 14, with no dex bonus (they are slow and ponderous) but they can use a shield, would also work.

3. Flurry of spines is too powerful. I'd suggest: when the cactoi is not wearing armor, with a bonus action can release spines so that everyone within a radius of 10' makes a dex save doing 1d10 piercing (2d10 at level 11). Once per long rest.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I'd prefer to see the spines hit all targets within a radius. So instead of aiming spines at a target, they basically just explode in spines.

 

[humble minion]

The growth thing sounds like it's best implemented by a racial feat, with prerequisites of the PC reaching a certain age (and perhaps spending X amount of time rooted in the ground, sort of a hibernating or nearly chrysalis stage they have to go through to undergo a major growth spurt?)

As far as the actual benefits of growth, that's a thorny (heh) question. Just eyeballing it, I'd give them the permanent benefits of an Enlarge spell (which is veeery roughly equivalent to a +2 Strength ASI) - the 10x10 footprint i see as a bit of a double-edged sword. Then, to make it a bit more interesting, I'd probably add +1 Con and a speed penalty. My instinct is a 10ft penalty, though that'd probably be too harsh if they have a base 25ft movement, so 5 might be the way to go. I just like the idea of the cactus-people becoming ponderous as they grow.

Not sure I'd allow PC cactuspeople to grow above Large. If nothing else, how many campaigns would last the many in-world years that'd be required for that to happen?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

My suggestion is to use this racial traits by the spikers (PC race from 3.5 Planar Handbook).

• Natural Spikes (Ex): A spiker's skin is replete with sharp, jagged spikes. A spiker can deal extra piercing damage on a successful grapple check, or deal piercing damage with a melee attack, as if she wore armor spikes. Because of their spiked skin, spikers have a difficult time wearing armor. The maximum Dexterity bonus of the armor is reduced by 1, and the armor check penalty is worsened by 2. For instance, a chain shirt worn by a spiker has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +3 (instead of +4) and an armor check penalty of -4 (rather than -2). These changes don't affect the armor's arcane spell failure chance, nor do they apply to shields used by the spiker.

 

[Bolares]

I was just thinking about the eating and drinking thing. Good catch. I think I will have it that they can eat but really only need water, sunlight, and soil (which maybe that's what they eat).

They do speak understandably, but I did put in a note about their language.

"During a long rest you can set your roots X feet under fertile soil. If you do you receive all nutrients and water necessary for the next 24 hours" something like that, but wrutten better.

 

[el-remmen]

Three thoughts:

1. I like the idea that as they age they grow Large, but (as things are now) that doesn't make it a viable PC race. Perhaps suggest that as characters retire, they set down roots (heh), their movement becomes zero, and they grow Large and are very content with where they are.

2. For the natural AC, are you suggesting a flat AC 13, or 13+dex? Other races allow the dex bonus, but that obviously makes this more powerful. Giving a flat 14, with no dex bonus (they are slow and ponderous) but they can use a shield, would also work.

3. Flurry of spines is too powerful. I'd suggest: when the cactoi is not wearing armor, with a bonus action can release spines so that everyone within a radius of 10' makes a dex save doing 1d10 piercing (2d10 at level 11). Once per long rest.

1. That is along the lines of what I was thinking, that the growth is part of the lore but not about playing them. That said, I personally have no issue with the occasional PC being Large sized. I was thinking more that DMs may want to write an adventure/encounter perhaps tied into PC backstory involving running into Large or bigger versions of Cactoi.

2. Oh, + Dex definitely. Remember, they can't wear armor without losing their spine ability and a higher AC would overwrite the AC (as works in 5E) - no different from a lizardfolk PC. Each use of the Flurry of Spines however lowers this AC by 1, which I though was a good balance.

3. My two issues with doing it this way are A) I really wanted to emulate Needlemen with this power and B) it would hardly be used because if it works like that allies would also be endangered. As for too powerful, it hardly seems more powerful than many scalable cantrips.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll think on it though.