D&D 5E (2024) Mix multispecies traits

[Tonguez]

So I can choose Human hybrid with Lucky and gnomish Fadeaway, who can speak with animals, is always well feed and rides a giant green furred hamster and lives for 400 years? Cool

 

[Yaarel]

So I can choose Human hybrid with Lucky and gnomish Fadeaway, who can speak with animals, is always well feed and rides a giant green furred hamster and lives for 400 years? Cool

Yup. This character concept is fine. As a DM, I would love a character like this in play.



Relatedly. Tentatively for now, the Original Post only allows a player to pick the traits from two Species for a Mixed-Species character concept. The reason for this caution is the "possibility" that unexpected combos might be more powerful than the design intends. Strictly speaking, the more things to choose from the more a combo might happen. But I doubt there is a problem here. Because, 5e players have been combining feats for almost ten years, and no feat combos have broken the game so far. It seems lumping the Species traits into special feats will continue to be robust. So maybe later, the restriction to only choose two Species for traits might open up to allow multiple Species to choose from.



Assume the limitation of two Species remains cautiously in effect. And assume Halfling remains a separate non-human Species. Halfling Luck is not powerful. It is great flavor but nothing to worry about balancewise.

So to build this concept, this Mixed-Species character can have ancestors from multiple Species. Suppose the mother of the character appears Human: her father is Human but actually her mother is Halfling. Then the father of the character is Gnome. (But who knows, perhaps the Gnome has a great-great-grandfather who is a Dragon!) So the character has three Species who can transmit traits: Human, Halfling, and Gnome. To build the character concept, make Gnome and Halfling the two Species whose Traits are being expressed.

• Gnome Base Traits: Humanoid, Small (4 feet tall), Speed 30, Lifespan 400
• Gnome Fadeaway
• Gnome Guardian of Animals (Speak with Animals, Comb, Feed, Animal Rider)
• Halfling Nimble (Luck, Nimbleness)

This is a fun concept to play.

 

[Yaarel]

I added the Goliath to the Original Post (the one from the UA Clerics and Species). The Goliath is solid.

Giant Boon counts as two Goliath feat choices. Notably, its trait for the Cloud Giant ancestry is Clouds Jaunt, which is like Eladrin Fey Teleportation. However, where Fey Teleportation manifests a Misty Step effect after each short rest, Clouds Jaunt manifests Proficiency Bonus times per day. This is a notable boost in power. The possibility to "nova" with multiple uses during the same combat encounter − when necessary − makes the Pro times per day even more valuable.


Note, the Giant Boon by itself is worth slightly less than the two special feats that it costs to gain it. But it is a solid choice, and certain options are great. Personally, as player, I get much mileage out of the Misty Step teleportation, so for me Clouds Jaunt is worth the cost.

Meanwhile, the remaining Goliath feat that includes both Powerful Build and Large Form makes a slightly more powerful than standard special feat. So together, the Goliath Species as a whole is solid.

The Large Form trait is like casting two spells at the same time: granting for 10 minutes Advantage to all Strength Checks, plus increasing Speed by +10 feet. Each of these effects is great.

I like it when the designers have a solid feel of the gaming engine, and put together options that balance robustly.


With the inclusion of Goliath, the Original Post now has all of the most popular Species, according to the earlier DnDBeyond statistics.

 

[Yaarel]

I boosted the Tiefling feat, Otherworldly Presence. It already has Darkvision and Thaumaturgy. I added the Proficiency with the Religion skill, to be used to intuitively succeed in Ability Checks relating to the Astral Plane and its Dominions, including their native Creature Types, like Angel, Devil, Yugoloth, and Demon. It also grants Advantage to checks concerning the Dominions of the chosen Fiendish Ancestry.

Thus, Darkvision, Thaumaturgy, and Religion relate to the flavor of Otherworldly Presence, and feel a bit more substantive for a special feat choice.

 

[Yaarel]

I get to playtest the warlock and wizard later this week and decided to test out half breed race.

I went with an odd my mom was a hafling and my dad was an Orc

Playtesting is fun.

When you try out the "half breed race", do you mean according to the rules in UA Origins, or according to the rules in the original post of this thread?

If using the UA rules, you can mix-and-match visual appearance and so on, but cannot mix the mechanics. So a Halfling-Orc character can only be either a Halfling or an Orc, but not both. But the character might still look like one or the other or maybe a bit of both.



If using the Original Post rules here, you can choose mechanics from both Species of a Mixed-Species character, by choosing the special feats from both or either. Also, the visual appearance can be the one, the other, or both. If you are playtesting this, let us know if you find the options interesting and balanced!



By the way, your Halfling-Orc reminds me. In one of my settings the mix of Elf and Orc parentage is exactly what a "Grugach" is. Grugach is an old school Greyhawk Elf subrace. It is known for being super-strong and athletic, as well as xenophobic and fierce. In my setting, the Grugach communities formed from remote nomadic Elves and remote nomadic Orcs deciding to cooperate with each other to survive in a time of extreme weather disasters. The Grugach communities who descend from them continue aspects of both cultures. Using the rules here in the Original Post is a great way to build the mechanics for this Elf-Orc "Grugach".

 

[HammerMan]

Playtesting is fun.

When you try out the "half breed race", do you mean according to the rules in UA Origins, or according to the rules in the original post of this thread?

If using the UA rules, you can mix-and-match visual appearance and so on, but cannot mix the mechanics. So a Halfling-Orc character can only be either a Halfling or an Orc, but not both. But the character might still look like one or the other or maybe a bit of both.



If using the Original Post rules here, you can choose mechanics from both Species of a Mixed-Species character, by choosing the special feats from both or either. Also, the visual appearance can be the one, the other, or both. If you are playtesting this, let us know if you find the options interesting and balanced!



By the way, your Halfling-Orc reminds me. In one of my settings the mix of Elf and Orc parentage is exactly what a "Grugach" is. Grugach is an old school Greyhawk Elf subrace. It is known for being super-strong and athletic, as well as xenophobic and fierce. In my setting, the Grugach communities formed from remote nomadic Elves and remote nomadic Orcs deciding to cooperate with each other to survive in a time of extreme weather disasters. The Grugach communities who descend from them continue aspects of both cultures. Using the rules here in the Original Post is a great way to build the mechanics for this Elf-Orc "Grugach".

We are using the playtest. I am half king stats but look like a small half orc.

 

[Blue Orange]

You know, if there are half-human half-elves and half-human half-orcs, what about a half-elf half-orc? Orf? Elc? (Elc druids can wild shape into an elk as a free action in less serious games.)

 

[Yaarel]

what about a half-elf half-orc?

In my eyes, the "Grugach" is an example of what a culture of Elf-Orc ancestry can look like.

The Grugach are nature-loving like some elven cultures and athletic like some orcish cultures.

The aloofness of certain elven and the hostility of certain orcish, seem to combine as extreme xenophobia that isolates from everyone including other Elves and other Orcs.

Where some elven institutions are Chaotic Good, and some orcish institutions are Chaotic Evil, the prominent Grugach institutions might be Chaotic Neutral − and fiercely individualistic.

The Grugach culture can revere the Druid as a spiritual leader, and both Ranger and Barbarian as defense traditions.



The Grugach are historical D&D from 1e and 2e. (3e replaced them with a different "wild elf".) As such, the tropes seem to invite the reallife concerns about racism relating to the "noble" "savage", and the disparagement of tribal ethnicities. But, it is possible to navigate these concerns, for a sophisticated (Grugach are intelligent), nature-revering, remote, nomadic culture.

 

[bedir than]

Ideas for a third halfling special feat

Homebody
You were someone who enjoyed the warmth of a fire and blankets in bed, with friends and family always nearby.
Craft of Home: You gain one artisan tool proficiency, instrument or gaming tool. This represents some of what you do around your house, your village, your shire, etc
Craft of Hearth: You gain one proficiency from the following list - Performance, History, Deception. This represents the propensity to tell stories, sometimes true ones.

Wanderlust
You were a fool of a Took (or Kender), always getting into trouble.
I've got that: You gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand, plus you are assumed to have a pouch with 5 gp worth of random gear on your person.
Skipping stones: You are proficient in using stones and branches as clubs rather than improvised weapons. When throwing these items at normal range you do so with advantage.

 

[CreamCloud0]

more halfling trait suggestions, mixing up some of the non-PHB halfling traits and my own ideas

Country Native
Timberwalk: Ability checks made to track you are at disadvantage and you can move through difficult terrain made of non-magical plants and overgrowth without expending extra movement.

i don't know which of the following would be a more apropriate trait?
Slinger: You have proficiency with the Sling, Whenever you take the attack action with the sling you may make one more attack with it than your standard number of attacks, you don't need a free hand to reload it's ammunition.
OR
Steady Arm: Whenever you make an attack with a weapon using the Thrown property the range at which you can attack without disadvantage is doubled (for example: 20/60 becomes 40/60, 30/120 becomes 60/120).

Hospitable
Caregiver: You have proficiency with one of either the Herbalism kit or Cooks Utensils, Whenever you roll an ability check involving your chosen tool, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.
Innkeeper's Tricks: You know the mending cantrip, You may also cast Unseen Servant and Animal Friendship with this trait, Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell again until you finish a long rest. Pick one of Inteligence, Wisdom or Charisma as your Spellcasting Ability for these spells when you create the character.