So I've created this rough first draft for a Homebrew monkey race and I'd appreciate constructive criticism of it's mechanics or lore.
Hozu are a race of humanoid monkey folk who live in jungles and forests of high elevation. They mostly live in large family groups, which are ruled by two leaders - The Great Sage - who is the group's oldest and wisest member and The Uuaah - who is the group's war leader, chosen in a grand tournament every four years.
What sort of tournament - Is the Uuaah selected for being the best leader, or just the best fighter?
What other races do they interact with, and how? What do they trade for and what are they known for?
A bit more physical description in terns of visualising them: Do they have massive claws as implied by the Tricky Fist ability? Tails? A climb speed fits well with a monkey-like arboreal race, but what grants them better mobility on the ground than most terrestrial-adapted races as suggested by Nimble Dodge?
If all Hozu channel magic as Ki like Monks can, as implied by the Tricky Fist etc abilities, do they have rituals or other parts of their culture based around Ki?
- Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and either your Wisdom or Strength score increases by 1.
- Size. Hozu stand between 5 and 6 feet. Your size is medium.
- Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
- Creature Type. Your creature type is humanoid.
- Nimble Dodge. If a melee attack misses you, you can immediately move 5 feet in any direction that isn't blocked as a reaction. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
- Monkey Grip. You gain proficiency in Acrobatics. In addition, you can use Acrobatics in place of Athletics for any checks made to grapple, shove or jump.
- Tricky Fist. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage and can use Dexterity for both attack rolls and damage rolls.
- Trip and Bash. Once per turn when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can either Shove or Grapple that creature as part of the attack. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
- Agile Climber. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
- Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Simian.
This comes across as way too powerful due to the abilities, and the synergies created. It is also encouraging most PC Hozu to be unathletic couch potatoes.
Nimble dodge: This is very powerful. It isn't always going to be useful, since an opponent can often just follow them and attack again as part of their same turn, but it is useful enough to the the major feature of the race.
Monkey Grip: Let the player choose between Acrobatics and Athletics. As written it isn't too powerful, but I have a feeling you actually want the Hozu to be able to substitute their Dexterity bonus for their Strength bonus on most meaningful physical ability checks rather than just applying their Acrobatics proficiency to Str checks. That would be a little too powerful.
Tricky Fist - Again, being able to concentrate resources on the best ability in the game and apply it to capabilities that are covered by a less powerful ability smacks a little too much of excessive min/maxing. Having massive bony hands with bladelike claws would be a little odd for a monkey-like climbing race, but would explain the unarmed strike damage and its ability to be of different types. - Not too powerful.
Able to apply Dex to attack and damage to those unarmed strikes is very powerful however, and odd thematically. - Monks can do this because they channel magic. - If all Hozu can channel magical energy as Ki like monks do, this would likely affect their culture.
Trip and Bash - OK as a base ability with limited uses for most races. Just tends to stack up as even more min/maxing in a race that gets so many bonuses aligned along this focus.