D&D 5E (2024) I need help with wording with converting a feature to 5.24e

[Azzy]

I'm trying to convert a species from 4e to 5.24e and need help rewording a species trait to be 5.24 compliant. The original feature is:

At-Will (Special) ✦ Polymorph
Minor Action Personal

Effect: You change into your human, Tiny animal, or hybrid form. The new form lasts until you change forms again. While you are in human or animal form, other creatures can attempt to discern your true nature by making an Insight check opposed by your Bluff check; you gain a +5 bonus to your check.

None of your game statistics change in human or hybrid form. While in animal form, you cannot use any attack powers, although you can sustain such powers. Your equipment becomes part of the form, and you continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear, except for shields and item powers. While equipment is part of the form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of the form is inaccessible. You cannot speak. You otherwise retain your game statistics.

You gain a movement benefit based on your form.

Badger: You gain a burrow speed equal to half your speed.

Carp, Crab: You gain a swim speed equal to your speed, and then your land speed becomes 1. You can breathe underwater.

Cat, Monkey, Raccoon Dog, Rat: You gain a climb speed equal to half your speed.

Crane, Sparrow: Your land speed becomes 1, and you gain a fly speed of 6.

Dog, Fox, Hare: Your speed increases by 2.

Special: You can use this power only once per round.

What I've done is below (but, I'm looking for help cleaning up the language to be consistent with the current edition):

Nature’s Mask. As an action, you can shape-shift into your human, Tiny animal (chosen when you select this species), or hybrid form. You stay in the new form until you take an action to change forms again. While you are in human or animal form, other creatures can attempt to discern your true nature by making a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check.

None of your game statistics change in human or hybrid form. While in animal form, you can’t cast spells (but shapeshifting doesn’t break your Concentration or otherwise interfere with a spell you’ve already cast). Your equipment becomes part of the form, and you continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear, except for shields. While equipment is part of the form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of the form is inaccessible. You cannot speak. You otherwise retain your game statistics with the following modifications based on your animal form’s type:

Badger: You gain a Burrow Speed of 15 ft.

Carp, Crab: You Speed becomes 5 ft., and you gain a Swim Speed of 30 ft. You can breathe underwater.

Cat, Monkey, Raccoon Dog, Rat: You gain a Climb Speed of 15 ft.

Crane, Sparrow: Your Speed becomes 5 ft., and you gain a Fly Speed of 30 ft.

Dog, Fox, Hare: Your Speed becomes 40 ft.

 

[aco175]

Here is the 2024 wererat feature, not sure if this can be used for a base.

I recall that the new rules tend to try and make things easier or simpler in the statblock. You want a racial feature which seems kind of powerful. You have a direct roll to determine the nature of the PC (Insight DC20) instead of an opposed roll. This looks like something the new rules would do, not sure if the DC20 is too high and should be 15 like some of the other rules mention.

I always thought equipment should merge with you like older editions, but the new rules for the wererat show different. I'm guessing this makes your ability more powerful. Cannot see too many people using it is it does not merge.

Not sure how much of this steps on the druid class and wild shape. It looks like this will not be used for fighting but can be used all day and not limited. This makes it an excellent scout ability by having a dog walk down the street or a bird in the woods (of just flying ability). It would slow things down to have each person try to Insight a random bird flying around, so it seems that people would need a reason to try and tell the difference. It might be that this race is 50% of the people in the world so everyone is suspicious of everything, but if just one player want to play this, then it seems a bit overpowered.

Maybe limiting it to a few times per day, maybe number of proficiency bonuses per day. Allows for a couple cool situations without being an everything use. Maybe just 1/day, but that kind of makes it a why bother. I would think that in hybrid form, someone can automatically tell, kind of like you are in the normal humanoid shape.