D&D 5E Homebrewing a race: Gnomeferatu

[QuietBrowser]

I don't actually think you should change it from what you had originally. My point wasn't to say it needed improving, but that it wasn't such a strong feature that you should let it "crowd out" something extra like the climb speed.

But now that you mention it, you should totally add advantage on saves to avoid disease and Max HP drain. That's awesome. (Leave out the poison stuff, keep that for the dwarves)

Similarly, I wasn't saying the Sunlight Allergen was such a big thing. I was really just pointing out that it's a feature that doesn't strengthen the race, and along with the necrotic resistance and Athletics prof, the only source of "strength" the race really gets is Blood Thirst. And all of that was to bolster /tg/'s opinion that your race was indeed weak.

And yeah, since you don't really like that Athletics prof, the climb speed is definitely the way to go.

Making it spiderclimb might be pushing it (I really don't know offhand what the difference is between climb speed and spiderclimb, though), but I'd totally add that in and if it is pushing the boundaries then I'd tack on a once/rest limit on Blood Thirst.

Of course, putting a once/rest limit on Blood Thirst probably opens up making it scale like a cantrip.

So, I think my suggestions add up to

Necrotic resistance, advantage on save vs Disease and Max HP drain.
Climb speed (with spiderclimb)
Sunlight Allergen
Blood Thirst (1d8 + Str damage, heal a like amount, scales like a cantrip, 1/short rest )
Speak with creepy crawlies.
Darkvision 120'


And this looks really cool to me

Really appreciate all of your comments! The racial feats are going to need some equally strong reworking, but let's focus on the core of the race first.

Gnomeferatu, mk 2
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Cha, +1 Str
Size: Small
Speed: 30 feet, Climb 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision 120 feet
Sunlight Allergen: You suffer Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and on Perception checks based on sight if you, or the subject of your attack/scrutiny, is in direct sunlight. Additionally, if forced to make an Exhaustion check whilst your skin is exposed to sunlight, you have Disadvantage on the check.
Blood Thirst: You can drain blood and life energy from a willing creature, or one that is grappled by you, incapacitated, or restrained. Make a melee attack against the target. If you hit, you deal 1 piercing damage and 1d8 + Strength modifier Necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. If you kill a humanoid in this way, you can remove 1 level of Fatigue (if you have any). You can use this ability once, and then must complete a short rest or a long rest before you can use it again. The necrotic damage inflicted by this attack increases to 2d8 at level 5, 3d8 at level 11, and 4d8 at level 17.
Wallcreeper: You have a Climb speed of 30 feet, and can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down, without needing to make an ability check.
Vermincharmer: You can speak with any Tiny sized beast, such as ravens, owls, rats, spiders or snakes.

 

[Satyrn]

You left out the necrotic resistance. Are you thinking it woukd make the race too strong? And if you are leaving it out because of that, I think you picked a good one to drop, as it adds less flavor than everything else.


I thought of a feat idea. Call it Verminform or something and grant one use of wildshape to transform into a tarantula (tiny spider) or wolf spider (from the MM). One use, 1 hour max, refresh on short rest. I think a spider would be more interesting for this vampire than shaping into a bat.

Maybe the giant spider (I'm loving it for my moon druid) but you might think a CR creature is too good.

 

[toucanbuzz]

You're not building from complete scratch. Iry posted pictures of Ravenloft's AD&D vampires for all the demi-humans. There's a gnome vampire. And these guys, man, they are tortured and nasty. Consider converting the below from the Ravenloft version:

Features
* Cursed with silence, robbing them of their beloved joking and singing.
* Weak melee blows, but in combat their hits may render targets permanently crippled. In AD&D, vampires permanently drained XP or ability scores. Gnome vampires drained 2 Dexterity a pop.
* Once a round, they could twist their face into Tasha's Hideous Uncontrollable Laughter with double duration and damage each round.
* Immune to non-metal weapons. Wood won't do a thing.
* Can assume Spectral Form (like vampire mist), can pass through stone but cannot pass through living things or once-living things like a wooden wall
* Change Self (Disguise) at will with no duration limit, cannot change form like other vampires.
* Command (Dominate) animal at will, 2d4 day duration
* Spider Climb at will, earth and stone only
* Immune to illusions, 1/2 damage from cold, lightning, fire
* Use any class abilities they had before transformed
* Bonus save vs. magic
* They cannot turn away from a valuable Jewel (unless attacked)
* Reduced damage from holy water
* Immune to daylight created by spells. Instantly destroyed, however, by natural daylight.
* Very complex way to kill it. Only with blessed silver spike, then cut off hands and boil in a hot spring for 24 hours, then put body in a casket, replace eyes with gems, and nail it shut to end it all. Wow.
* Very hard process to create more vampires, involving a ritual where they are powerless for a few days. Hence, they rarely do and are largely solo.

Plus, like all Ravenloft vampires, they all get tougher with age.

 

[QuietBrowser]

[MENTION=6801204]Satyrn[/MENTION]: I actually just forgot to include it... As for a shapeshifting feat... I like the concept, but I really don't know how to balance it out mechanically.
[MENTION=19270]toucanbuzz[/MENTION]: Yes, I know about the existence of Ravenloft's demihuman vampires.

 

[Satyrn]

@Satyrn: I actually just forgot to include it... As for a shapeshifting feat... I like the concept, but I really don't know how to balance it out mechanically.

Neither do I.

I think it might be fine as I laid out, but I could be wildly wrong in either direction. I mean, it's neat and versatile, but as far as the combat power level of wildshaping into even the giant spider at 4th level or higher . . . Well, it's probably not much, but the 27 bonus hp might be good (the wildshape hp buffer is the best feature of my moon druid, combat wise).

It's the sort of idea that totally needs playtesting to figure out. And for that, I'd just go with something that looks decent enough and make sure any player who takes it knows I will tweak it in either direction as it gets played.

 

[QuietBrowser]

Yeah, I really do think the Gnomeferatu should keep some kind of necrotic resistance trait; it may be the 4rrie in me, but it just doesn't make sense to me if a "deathtouched" race doesn't have some resistance to the undead energy type.

Now... feats... aside from Verminshifting, Flight and turning people they suck dry into zombies, what possibilities are there? Any ideas?

In fact... spell-like abilities. Svirfneblin get them via feat, so maybe Gnomeferatu could get them too. But what spells are appropriate? Anyone interested in discussing that?

 

[Satyrn]

In fact... spell-like abilities. Svirfneblin get them via feat, so maybe Gnomeferatu could get them too. But what spells are appropriate? Anyone interested in discussing that?

I'm uncreatively sticking to the vermin bit here, but Giant Insect (druid 4) leaps to mind. Does that sound like a good choice for a spell?

 

[QuietBrowser]

I'm uncreatively sticking to the vermin bit here, but Giant Insect (druid 4) leaps to mind. Does that sound like a good choice for a spell?

I think you're getting a little fixated on the vermin theme, which I don't think is really that big of an aspect for them, honestly.

 

[Satyrn]

I think you're getting a little fixated on the vermin theme, which I don't think is really that big of an aspect for them, honestly.

Aye. That's why I said I was being uncreative. It was the only thing that came to mind, but I mentioned it anyway as more of a sort of brainstorming seed.

 

[QuietBrowser]

Aye. That's why I said I was being uncreative. It was the only thing that came to mind, but I mentioned it anyway as more of a sort of brainstorming seed.

No harm done. I just... I don't know, I really don't think that they need that much in the way of vermin-manipulating powers. My kneejerk would probably be either iconic necromancer powers, spells that mimic vampiric traits (Gaseous Form at 5th level, for example), a dark take on gnome traits (for example, Tasha's Hideous Laughter), or some combination of those.