Hi Guys! I wanted to create a playable WereBeast Race that fully transforms into a beast not just partially like Shifters. However, I made it while offline, and I had no access to rules, so I'm relatively confidant it's imbalanced and contains errors. It would be great if you could help me find these errors. When you do, please don't be an axe-hold and provide a possible solution with your problem. Also, you're welcome to play it for yourself as well.
So, Without further ado, here is the culmination of 22 Hours of typing and over a week's worth of thought...
~
WereBeast: 2.2-DDB v1.0
WereBeasts tend to be shunned from society from a reputation that few actually deserve. Most live solitarily in the wilderness or in remote villages with others of their kind. Some say this race is cursed, others say they are blessed.
WereBeasts are imbued by a primal essence that causes them to shapeshift into Beasts. Not all WereBeasts were born this way. Some were cursed later in life by evil mages and others got accidentally infused with strong nature magic. Because of their varying origins, each WereBeast is uniquely different, each with different physical and mental traits.
Beast Form:
Choose a beast. Once you have chosen a beast, you cannot choose again.
You can turn into this beast form up to 24 hours as an action a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.
You assume the Beast's skill proficiencies while in this beast form. You maintain any features granted to you by your class and your background, as well as all of your own proficiencies.
The Beast's Ability Scores will be created by you as described later in this description.
You can’t speak while in this form but can communicate with creatures that are the same Beast as you.
In order to cast a spell while in this form, you must make an Ability check using your spellcasting modifier against a DC equal to 10+two times the spell level. On a failure, no spell slots are expended, the spell has no effect, and the casting time is still used.
Your type becomes Beast when you use this feature.
When you transform into a Beast, your clothes and armor you're wearing meld into your form, they reappear on your body when you transform back. Objects you are carrying or wearing are dropped when you transform. When you absorb armor, you gain a bonus to your AC. You also still count as armored.
Light Armor - 1 x Proficiency Bonus
Medium Armor - 2 x Proficiency Bonus
Heavy Armor - 3 x Proficiency Bonus
Beastly Archetype:
Choose the closest archetype to the beast you chose.
Beast of the Earth: Beasts of this archetype are most at home when their feet can touch the ground. They are usually competent runners and climbers.
Beast of the Sea: Beasts of this archetype are most at home when they are in the water. They are usually competent swimmers who are slower on land.
Beast of the Sky: Beasts of this archetype are most at home flying high in the sky. They are usually fast competent flyers who may struggle with walking.
Creating the Beast:
Your beast form is the same size as the one you chose.
You may gain one trait or non-damaging action, spell, reaction, or bonus action from the beast you chose. If there are none, you may take an ability score improvement feat for the beast form, only applicable to your wisdom, strength, dexterity, or constitution scores.
You choose your Beast's Ability Scores from the standard array.
You may add 2 to one and 1 to another, or add 1 to three different scores, but they must be either Strength, Wisdom, Constitution, or Dexterity. This Ability Score improvement also applies to your humanoid form.
You gain 60 ft darkvision if your archetype is not Beast of the Sky, if it is, gain 120 ft darkvision. Your humanoid form has half this amount.
Beast Speed: Your speeds are affected by your archetype. Choose from the list under your chosen archetype.
Beast of the Earth
40 ft walking
30 ft walking, 5 ft burrowing
30 ft walking, 25 ft climbing
Beast of the Sea
45 ft swimming, 5 ft walking
30 ft swimming, 15 ft walking
30 ft swimming, 5 ft walking, 5 ft burrowing
25 ft swimming, 25 ft walking
Beast of the Sky
60 ft flying, 5 ft walking
50 ft flying, 10 ft walking
50 ft flying, 5 ft walking, 20 ft swimming
30 ft flying, 25 ft walking
Beast Health: Recalculate your health by replacing your Beast's hit dice with new hit dice.
If your beast's size is:
Tiny - d4
Small - d6
Medium - d8
Large - d10
Huge - d12
Beastly Attacks:
You may attack with one of three types of attacks when you take the attack action as a beast. The damage die upgrades as you gain levels: Lvl 4: d6, Lvl7: d8, Lvl10: d10, Lvl13: d12, Lvl17: 2d6.
Rend: Light simple melee weapon, finesse, proficient. 1d4+ability modifier Slashing damage plus an additional point of Slashing damage for each size above Tiny. If a feat grants a weapon mastery you may choose this weapon instead: Vex.
Pierce: Simple melee weapon, finesse, proficient. 1d4 poison or piercing damage plus piercing damage equal to the ability modifier used for the attack plus each size above Small. If a feat grants a weapon mastery, you may choose this weapon instead: Sap.
Slam: Heavy simple melee weapon, proficient. 1d4+ability modifier Bludgeoning damage plus an additional point of Bludgeoning damage for each size above Tiny. If a feat grants a weapon mastery you may choose this weapon instead: Topple.
Humanoid Form:
Type: Humanoid except for when using beast form, then Beast.
Size: Small if the Beast is Tiny or smaller. Medium if the Beast is Medium or larger. If the Beast is Small, you may choose Small or Medium.
Speed: 30ft walking.
Languages: Common and one of your choice.
Beastly Appearance: Your beast form also manifests in your appearance while humanoid.
Choose one of the following physical traits from the table below. You have this trait only while in a humanoid form.
Patches of fur
Wet or slimy skin
Scales or shells
Gills
Hairy skin
Fangs
Claws or hooves
Animal ears
A tail
Unusually colored or textured skin
An animal body part
You may also choose to create a different physical trait that suits your Beast form.
These traits have no effects.
Forced Beast Shape (Optional): Some WereBeasts cannot control their shapeshifting. They shift when certain conditions are met. You may choose these conditions when you create your character. Common conditions include:
Strong emotions
Moonrise or moon phases
Sunrise
Weather
To resist the transformation or transform early, whether into a humanoid or a beast, use an action to invoke a d20 contest using your humanoid constitution modifier versus the Beast's constitution modifier. If your humanoid form wins, you either remain humanoid or become humanoid. If your beast form wins, you either remain a beast or become a beast. You can only invoke this contest once per short or long rest.
Wild Roots: Your intimate relationship with a region grants you special abilities. Most WereBeasts live in, grew up in, or were created by or in the wilderness. Choose a Wild place of origin. You have advantage on survival and nature checks on the wild place you choose. You can only choose once.
Jungle:
Gain a climb speed equal to your walking speed.
You have advantage on ability checks to climb trees or plants.
Forest:
Your climbing speed increases by 10 feet, even if you don't have a climbing speed.
You are no longer impeded by difficult terrain created by plants.
Arctic:
You gain resistance to frost damage and have advantage on d20 tests against extreme cold.
Desert:
Gain 5 ft base walking speed until the start of your next turn when you take the dash action.
You have advantage on d20 tests against extreme heat and dehydration.
Grasslands
Gain 5 ft walking speed.
You gain an additional 5 ft base walking speed until the start of your next turn when you take the dash action.
Swamps:
Your swimming speed increases by 10 ft even if you don't have a swimming speed.
You are no longer impeded by difficult terrain created by mud.
Hills:
You are no longer impeded by difficult terrain created by steep slopes.
Gain 5ft Walking speed.
Mountains:
You count as 1 size larger when calculating your carrying capacity.
You have advantage on constitution saving throws.
Caves:
Gain 5ft blindsight and an additional 30 ft darkvision.
Ocean:
Gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
You can hold your breath twice as long.
Rivers or Lakes
Gain 15 ft more swimming speed even if you don't have a swimming speed.
Unnatural Origins (Rare):
You are different from most WereBeasts and are not from the wilds. It is recommended that you ask your DM before using these origins to ensure they fit within the adventure. You have advantage on Arcana and Survival checks on the rare origin you choose.
Underdark
You have Resistance against poison damage.
You gain 30 ft darkvision.
Feywilds
You may cast the druidcraft cantrip using your Wisdom, Charisma, or Intelligence modifier.
You may choose a non-humanoid fey instead of a beast to transform into.
While you’re transformed into your beast form your type is fey instead.
Infernal or Abyssal
You gain resistance to either fire damage or necrotic damage.
You may choose a non-humanoid fiend instead of a beast to transform into.
While you’re transformed into your beast form your type is fiend instead.
Celestial
You gain resistance to radiant damage.
You may choose a non-humanoid celestial instead of a beast to transform into.
While you’re transformed into your beast form your type is celestial instead.
Astral
Once per long rest, as an action, you can either teleport yourself to a random place in the astral plane for one minute or teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 60 feet.
Elemental
You gain resistance to one of the following damage types
Fire
Frost
Acid
Lightning
Thunder
You may cast the elementalism cantrip using your Wisdom, Charisma, or Intelligence modifier.
Shadowfell
You may choose a non-humanoid undead instead of a beast to transform into. It is recommended to choose a shadow undead.
While you’re transformed into your beast form your type is undead instead.
You have advantage on Stealth checks while in dim light or darkness.
Ethereal
Once per long rest, as an action, you gain 5 ft truesight until the start of your next turn.
You can teleport yourself to the ethereal plane once per long rest until the start of your next turn as an action.
Hi Guys! I wanted to create a playable WereBeast Race that fully transforms into a beast not just partially like Shifters. However, I made it while offline, and I had no access to rules, so I'm relatively confidant it's imbalanced and contains errors. It would be great if you could help me find these errors. When you do, please don't be an axe-hold and provide a possible solution with your problem. Also, you're welcome to play it for yourself as well.
So, Without further ado, here is the culmination of 22 Hours of typing and over a week's worth of thought...
~
WereBeast: 2.2-DDB v1.0
WereBeasts tend to be shunned from society from a reputation that few actually deserve. Most live solitarily in the wilderness or in remote villages with others of their kind. Some say this race is cursed, others say they are blessed.
WereBeasts are imbued by a primal essence that causes them to shapeshift into Beasts. Not all WereBeasts were born this way. Some were cursed later in life by evil mages and others got accidentally infused with strong nature magic. Because of their varying origins, each WereBeast is uniquely different, each with different physical and mental traits.
Beast Form:
Beastly Archetype:
Creating the Beast:
Beast Speed: Your speeds are affected by your archetype. Choose from the list under your chosen archetype.
Beast Health: Recalculate your health by replacing your Beast's hit dice with new hit dice.
Beastly Attacks:
Humanoid Form:
Beastly Appearance: Your beast form also manifests in your appearance while humanoid.
Forced Beast Shape (Optional): Some WereBeasts cannot control their shapeshifting. They shift when certain conditions are met. You may choose these conditions when you create your character. Common conditions include:
Wild Roots: Your intimate relationship with a region grants you special abilities. Most WereBeasts live in, grew up in, or were created by or in the wilderness. Choose a Wild place of origin. You have advantage on survival and nature checks on the wild place you choose. You can only choose once.
You are different from most WereBeasts and are not from the wilds. It is recommended that you ask your DM before using these origins to ensure they fit within the adventure. You have advantage on Arcana and Survival checks on the rare origin you choose.
Changelog: