D&D 5E Racial and Cultural Feats

[Blue]

Ever get an idea in your head and you start jotting notes and then it's several hours later? I had an idea this morning and started to examining it ... end ended up with a bunch of typed pages. This is a first draft that I'd love feedback on how to improve before investing more time.

It's targeted for those who are looking for additional character creation time customization. I understand that isn't everyone - if that is not something you are looking for please move on. In other words, please criticize and lead feedback, but do so in regards to how well it fulfills it's goals, not if you personally would want to add more creation-time customization.

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Concept: 5e races are pared back to just the truly innate aspects, and racial and cultural specializations are broken off to be picked. This encourages greater customization in character creation, such as a half-orc raised among the dwarfs having some of their skills. It also allows DMs to easily customize cultures for their setting, making each have unique mechanical backing. Finally it partially decouples ability score bonuses from race choice to allow race/class combinations to be reasonable.


Implementation: Going to use the “feat” design space for this. I’ll give every race two feat choices, but only among feats with the Racial or Cultural keywords. This has the side benefit of allowing existing characters who are immersed in a culture or having an other in-game excuse to pick up cultural feats. It also allows some play where a half-orc or half-elf may pick racial abilities from both sides. It could also easily allow expanding the possible racial options which is a goal but this pass is just mimicking the PHB.


Racial feats give a bigger bonus to the race that picked them, to still help shape expected archetypes as well as “these are the best feats and everyone will always take them”. These take the place of subraces. I’ll have a “traditional subrace” cheat sheet to build the existing.


Restriction: Starting bonuses to a single ability score are capped at +2 regardless of race and feats chosen.


Concerns: Because of how things break out, these do not perfectly mimic the current races. For example, the mountain dwarf core race has armor training but that’s really cultural. I moved that to the cultural feat (which means all dwarfs get it) and moved the innate poison resistance to Mountain Dwarfs.


One bit that I’m watching is that cultural feats with weapon proficiencies may be less tempting to characters with class weapon proficiences that overlap. I’m trying to make the weapon proficiencies less than half the benefit.


The racial vs. subracial features needed rebalancing – some races (e.g. Halfling) have most of their power in the main race and wimpy subraces, while others are the opposite. So there are changes. Please look at these as a first draft, feedback is especially appreciated on these.


In some places I generalized. “Surface Elf Upbringing” was easy for common High & Wood elf bits, but I also have “Stout Ancestry” for Mountain Dwarfs and Stout Halflings, “Underdark Upbringing” for Dark Elves and Deep Gnomes, etc.


When rebalancing and generalizing, the final result shifted some from the PHB. I tried not to make this too bad. The most noticeable is the +2 STR & +2 CON Mountain dwarf is a bit different, and the Underdark Upbringing with the Sunlight Sensitivity gets both drow and deep gnome adders because, well, you don’t need to take that feat and it needed to be worth the drawback. Drow get undercommon and the deep gnome’s ability to hide in rocks better, and deep gnomes get drow weapon profs and keen senses.


Will it be odd in-game for those who have no racial choice, which usually defines the subraces? Or someone who takes two racial? I was thinking of requiring 1 racial and 1 cultural feat, but if you can have half-elves with a human and elf parent, why not a high/wood elf? Both parents are still elves, should be even easier.

This is using the same system to address subraces so I can break out cultural, but I’m torn if I should just leave subraces as a racial choice. In other words, is this gaining enough to justify the complexity it is adding? But I like the idea of moving Fey Ancestry to a racial feat for half-elves to pick up, and basically pulling the whole SCAG “Half-Elf Variants” into a smooth system for everyone.


Notes on changes to features: If I used the same name, I did not change existing powers – if I list it it’s just a reminder on what it does. There are a few unnamed bits that differ, such as Underdark Upbringing, which gives +60’ Darkvision or 60’ Darkvision if you don’t have it.


Races
All races have a speed 30’ and are size medium unless otherwise noted. All races have the Common language.


Dwarf
+1 CON
Speed: 25’ but not reduced by heavy armor
Darkvision


Traditional Hill Dwarf: Dwarven Upbringing + Hill Dwarf Ancestry
Traditional Mountain Dwarf: Dwarven Upbringing + Stout Ancestry


Elf
+1 DEX
Darkvision
Trance


Traditional High Elf: Surface Elf Upbringing + High Elf Ancestry
Traditional Wood Elf: Surface Elf Upbringing + Wood Elf Ancestry
Traditional Dark Elf: Underdark Upbringing + Dark Elf Ancestry


Halfling
+1 DEX
Size: Small
Speed: 25’
Lucky
Halfling Nimbleness


Traditional Lightfoot: Halfling Upbringing + Lightfoot Halfling Ancestry
Traditional Stout: Halfling Upbringing + Stout Ancestry


Human
+1 to any ability not raised by starting racial/cultural feats
ONE OF:
One of the initial feats is not restricted to feats with the Racial or Cultural keyword, it can be any feat the character fulfills the requisites (if any) for.
OR
A third starting feat to be used for Racial feats only. The character gets the full ability score modifier from any Racial feats even if they are not of the appropriate race.
(Note: The first is based off the variant human. The second is loosely inspired by the standard human and the fact that there seem to be a lot of viable human/whatever hybrids. It’s not +1 to all abilty scores, but does give them other abilities which is generally a power up.)


LAST MINUTE NOTE: Okay, “standard” human is broken – it’s basically better than any other race. Need to rework that some


Traditional Variant Human: Broad Upbringing + 1 general feat
Nontraditional Standard Human: Broad Upbringing + 1 racial/cultural feat +1 racial features


Dragonborn
Unlike the Half-Elf that have obvious elf subrace choices (especially when looking at the SCAG variants), this legitimately has no subraces. I could break out each dragon type to be a subrace, but those would be somewhat powerful and do we want to dilute the “Dragonborn-ness” of giving out resistance & breath weapon to others? But giving both in a single feat is out-of-line in terms of power for the other racial feats.


And they have no Upbringing part of their racials except the Draconic language, it’s all innate. And really, their language may be innate as well. I think I’ll treat it as such.


I was considering giving them Draconic Ancestry and then making two Racial feats, one with breath weapon and one with damage resistance, both requiring Draconic Ancestry. But if no other race could benefit from them it’s worthless to break out. Instead I put the Draconic Ancestry into the feats, but non-dragonborn can only take one.. Really unsure about this one and looking for feedback.


+1 STR
Language: Draconic
Full Draconic Ancestry: You have draconic ancestry. Choose one type. YOU MAY IGNORE LIMITATIONS ABOUT TAKING MORE THAN ONE FEAT WITH DISTANT DRACONIC ANCESTRY.


Traditional Dragonborn: Draconic Breath + Draconic Resistance


Gnome
+1 INT
Size: Small
Speed: 25’
Darkvision


NEED TO FINISH. Include Deep Gnome from SCAG


Half-Elf
+1 CHR
Darkvision
Bonus feat: Broad Upbringing
Counts as Elf and Human for feats


Traditional Half-Elf: Broad Upbringing, High/Wood/Dark/Aquatic Elf Ancestry, 1 upbringing feat


Half-Orc
+1 STR
Darkvision
Count as Human and Orc for racial feats


Traditional Half-Orc: Savage Upbringing, Orc Ancestry


Tiefling
+1 CHR
Darkvision
NEED TO FINISH. Include SCAG variants, possibly updated to include the UA options as well.


Cultural Feats


Dwarven Upbringing
+1 CON or STR
Tool proficiency: Proficiency with one of: smith, brewer or mason’s tool.
Stonecunning
Dwarven Combat Training: Proficiency with battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, and warhammer.
Dwarven Armor Training: Proficiency with light and medium armor.
Langauge: Dwarvish


Halfling Upbringing
+1 DEX
Brave
Language: Halfling


Broad Upbringing
(Looking for a better name. Inclusive?)
+1 to any ability that is not improved by race or other starting feat.
Skill: Gain proficiency in skill of choice
Language: Gain proficiency in language of choice.


Savage Upbringing
+1 CON
Menacing: Proficiency in Intimidation
Savage Attacks: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon, roll one of he weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Language: Orc


Surface Elf Upbringing
+1 DEX
Elf Weapon Training: Proficiency in longsword, shortsword, shortbow and longbow
Keen Senses: Proficiency in Perception
Language: Elvish


Underdark Upbringing
+1 DEX
Sunlight Sensitivity
Weapon Training: Proficiency with rapiers, shortswords and hand crossbows
+60’ to existing Darkvision, or 60’ Darkvision if you don’t have it.
Keen Senses: Proficiency in Perception
Stone Camouflage: Advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks to hide in rocky terrain.
Language: Undercommon


Racial Feats


Aquatic Elf Ancestry
NOTE: This is a half-elf option from SCAG. What’s the appropriate ability score increase?
Swim speed: Equal to land speed
Water breathing
Language: Elvish


Dark Elf Ancestry
Elves and half-elves get +1 CHR
Drow Magic: Dancing lights cantrip. @3rd faerie fire 1/day, @5^th darkness 1/day. Pick spellcasting attribute.
Language: Elvish


Draconic Breath
Dragonborn get +1 CHR
Breath Weapon: As per Dragonborn


Draconic Resistance
Dragonborn get +1 STR
If you do not have Full Draconic Ancestry, you get: Distant Draconic Ancestry: You have draconic ancestry. Chose one type. You may not aquire any other feats with Distant Draconic Ancestry.
Damage Resistance: As per Dragonborn


High Elf Ancestry
Elves and half-elves get +1 INT
Fey Ancestry: advantage on saves vs. being charmed, and magic can’t put to sleep.
Cantrip: You know 1 cantrip from the wizard list. You may choose the spellcasting ability for it.
Language: Elvish


Hill Dwarf Ancestry
Dwarfs get +1 WIS
Dwarven Toughness
Langauge: Dwarvish


Lightfoot Halfling Ancestry
Halflings get +1 CHR
Naturally Stealthy


Orc Ancestry
Orcs get +1 STR
Relentless Endurance: As half-orcs
Language: Orc


Stout Ancestry
Dwarfs and Halflings get +1 CON
Poison Resilience: Advantage on saves vs. poison, resistance to poison damage.


Wood Elf Ancestry
Elves and half-elves get +1 WIS
Fleet of Foot
Mask of the Wild
Language: Elvish

 

[Charlaquin1]

This is something I’ve been interested in doing for a long time. Your version looks a bit different than mine, but the coreidea is the same, and I love it.

 

[Wulffolk]

I have also considered something along these lines, in which every aspect of the character is another template added on top of each other

race+culture+background+aptitudes+training= starting character

Experience would add further training or additional aptitudes. Classes would become more like guilds or organizations that would reduce the cost of improving things that they are good at, or allowing access to talents that are not normally available.

I stopped working on it because I was essentially writing my own game at that point, and could no longer call it D&D.

 

[Yaarel]

(aptitudes + skills)
+ (race + culture + background + noncombat feat ‘masteries’)
+ (class + archetype + combat feats)



I see class as a ‘fighting style’, mainly combat training, where some styles master swords and other styles master spells.

Maybe the race along with culture and background can especially focus on noncombat civilian traits.

I would like to see the background become a design space that continues to allow the player choose ‘noncombat feats’ (like Linguistics), while advancing thru the levels. Maybe call these noncombat background feats ‘expertises’ or ‘masteries’. Moreorover, I would like to see these background ‘masteries’ be highly setting specific, with certain cultures and subcultures in mind.

For example, the Elf songsters and artists will have a kind of celebrated subculture, with civilian abilities that come with it. Creating a song, building a music instrument, reading an audience, organizing an event, and so on. These ‘masteries’ will be relevant choices for the Elf Bard, but focus on the social, exploratory, and creative aspects.

Some kind of Hill Dwarf Brewery for crafting beers and merchandising them, might be an other kind of Background mastery.

Wood Elf hunter, producer of crops magically, animal friendship, and so on.

When these noncombat feats have their own separate design space as part of Background, it becomes possible for combat-centric games to have and enjoy them, especially during downtime, without combat proficiency feats eclipsing them.

 

[Yaarel]

Combat feats become available (often enough) at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 19.

Make noncombat feats or ‘masteries’ available at levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19 20.

These masteries represent specific background experiences with specific organizations of specific cultures of specific races and in specific regions.

Some of the current feats are noncombat, thus relocate them into the mastery design space.



Much of the work of creating a new setting is to design new background masteries for each culture. For example, a set of masteries for the Elf ‘wood culture’. A set of masteries for the Elf ‘high culture’, a set of masteries for the Elf ‘dark culture’, and so on.

 

[Yaarel]

Some races will be known for certain combat traditions. These are still, by design, examples of combat feats. Wood Elf Archer and so on, as a kind of military unit. They are separate from civilian noncombat ‘masteries’.

 

[Yaarel]

I want more flexibility for race aptitude.

Personally I like less the Tolkien Elf with +1 Dex.

I would rather see Norse Elf with +1 Cha, similarly a Scottish Sith Elf with +1 Cha and a French Fae with +1 Cha.

Eladrin Elf and High Elf do better with a race base of +1 Cha.

 

[Blue]

I want more flexibility for race aptitude.

Personally I like less the Tolkien Elf with +1 Dex.

I would rather see Norse Elf with +1 Cha, similarly a Scottish Sith Elf with +1 Cha and a French Fae with +1 Cha.

Eladrin Elf and High Elf do better with a race base of +1 Cha.

To pull this back on topic, part of the idea with this is that simply by changing what feats are available you can modify the flavor - adapt the mechanics to match your world. If you want a Sidhe type elf that's an straightforward swap.