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.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I think that you should use the statistics of the animal form rather than your own, other than hit points, and your equipment will meld with the form and become nonfunctional.

With these changes, it doesn't seem too powerful: it seems broadly equivalent to having access to Find Familiar.
DC for realising that that animal doesn't look right/is behaving oddly should probably be 10 + Charisma modifier + proficiency bonus.

 

[Kobold Stew]

ACO175's parallel of the wererat is a good one. I forget what I was looking at when I was noodling and trying to make Jackalwere a playable species:

Jackalwere

• You have Darkvision to 60’.
• Your speed becomes 40’.
• Pack Tactics. You have Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition.
• Rend. When in Jackal or Hybrid form, you have a bite attack that does 1d4+STR damage.
• Shapeshift. As a Bonus action, you may shapeshift between three forms: a Small jackal, a Medium Human, or a Medium jackal-humanoid hybrid. Other than your size, your game statistics are the same in each form. As a jackal, you cannot use weapons or cast spells with somatic components; your DM might decide you are restricted from other activities as well because of your form. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. You may use this ability a number of times per long rest equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

(thoughts welcome; it was never playtested).

 

[Horwath]

1. Darkvision 60ft
2. Proficiency in Perception
3. Shapeshift as Bonus action
gain str, dex and con from new form, keep current HPs
every form has 1 natural attack from 1d4 to 1d12 depending on form utility
every form has AC of (8-10)+dex+prof bonus depending on form utility

 

[Tigris]

I think that you should use the statistics of the animal form rather than your own, other than hit points, and your equipment will meld with the form and become nonfunctional.

With these changes, it doesn't seem too powerful: it seems broadly equivalent to having access to Find Familiar.
DC for realising that that animal doesn't look right/is behaving oddly should probably be 10 + Charisma modifier + proficiency bonus.

I wanted to suggest the same about the DC. This is about the same as an opposed bluff check or deception check in 5e.

The different statistics does make it more complex. The 4E form was meant to be (sometimes) also used in combat, as you can transform for mobility. And next turn transform back. If you just have really bad stats in the other form that makes it hard.

(Ok the action instead of bonus action also makes it hard).


This is also less flexible than find familiar, since you have 1 fixed form. So you always transform into a dog or badger etc. You cant switch,so it should not be too much on a druids toes since they are way more flexible with having more than 1 fixed form.


So I would make it bonus action and not change statistics just the non attacking part. This is meant to provide utility also in combat. Else the race would need some other combat feature.


Also the dog etc. Should give a speed of 45 (or just increase your speed by 10 feet) if you keep the 35 movementspeed from the 4e race.