Hi gang, I am making a homebrew mod for D&D 5e, and i wanted to include a race code named the "Triple" that allows the player to gain +1 to three stats, and I was wondering if it would be broken if I allowed them to pick the same stat up to 3 times?
Basically, as an example, they could have a stat breakdown like this:
- STR +1, CON +1, CHA +1 (like the Triton from Volo's Guide)
- DEX +2, WIS +1 (like the Kenku also from Volo's)
- INT +3 (homebrew "Triple" race)
Yes, it's potentially gaining a +3 in anything they choose, BUT they wouldn't get a secondary stat as is 'normal' for most other D&D races.
Granting choice of a stat is always much more powerful than simply granting a stat. A race that gets +1 to stat-of-choice has a series edge over a race that has +2 to fixed stat. One of the reasons half-elves are busted beyond comprehension.
One of the reasons the book races never go above a +2 is because 5e hates it when PCs have high numbers in a stat. The game doesn't want you to have anything above a +2 mod in more than one stat, all the prewritten material and balancing is done on the assumption of either point buy or standard array. Both methods produce abysmal numbers, and the races are further balanced to ensure that it is not possible to achieve higher than a +3 mod on creation. A race which gives +3 to stat-of-choice on creation would be horrifically broken by the book assumptions.
In reality? You'd start with an 18 in your stat instead of a 17, since nobody ever plays a suboptimal race/class combination anyways, and you'd basically just be one half-ASI ahead of the expected curve. It'd be no more broken than allowing heroic stat rolls for your game. If you can handle it at your table, go for it. See what happens. That's half the fun of the game.
Thanks for the tip. In that case I will adjust it so they gain a specific attribute... the question now; is which one...?
I have an extra question now, I have another race dubbed "Hologram" and i am trying to figure out how to incorporate a custom Cantrip that essentially summons a hologram to fight on your behalf, but to counter the possibility of summoning a new one each round so it technically doesn't die or regain health, i gave it a type of "life-link" property. anyway, here's what I have, i just want to know if this is feasible, if the duration is too long, too short, or even necessary... basically if you can help me fine-tune it, i would be grateful:
Hologram - At the press of a button, you use your Holo-emitter to generate a solid light construct to act as a personal bodyguard! You may have advanced technology that creates your holograms, or maybe you are a sentient hologram from the near future that can self-replicate
- Ability Score Increase: Wisdom or Intelligence.
- Overcharge: Gain proficiency in Dark Overcharge.
- Innate Spellcasting: Intelligence or Wisdom (your choice) is your spell casting abilities for the Hologram origin’s traits and powers.
- Shimmer: You gain resistance to Radiant damage.
- Pixilated: As an Action, duration 1 minute, You create an image of an object; it must be no larger than a 5-foot cube, within 30 ft. of you, that lasts for the duration. The illusion also ends if you dismiss it as an action or cast this spell again. Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. If a creature uses its action to examine the sound or image, the creature can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the illusion becomes faint to the creature.
- Languages: Common, Celestial and Elven.
HOLOGRAM POWERS
Avatar – Alpha Power: A three dimensional character from one of those ancient Holo-games appears right before everyone’s eyes!
- As an action, you create a perfect hologram of one of the Avatars (statistics are found at the bottom of the document) that lasts for 2 minutes, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).
• Cleric
• Fighting-Man
• Magic-User
• Thief
• The Avatar appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you and has resistance to Radiant damage. They also gain the following:
• Add your proficiency bonus to the Avatar’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. It shares your current hit point maximum and deducts it from that total when damaged. Should both you and your avatar be targeted in an area attack; you are considered to be the target and must make the saving throw, you only take the damage once from area attacks. The Thief’s sneak attack increases by 1d6 at 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level
• You can use your action to verbally command the avatar to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you and the avatar can make one attack each, or, your avatar can make both attacks.
• As a Bonus Action on your turn, you can move the Avatar up to its maximum speed to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you.
• You can allow an avatar to spend your reaction if you so choose.
• For the duration, you can cast spells through the Cleric and Magic-User as if you were in their space, but you must use your own senses.
• You can use your action to verbally command the Cleric or Magic-User to cast one of their prepared spells using their senses but spending your spellslots. If you have no spell slots the Avatars share two 1st level spell slots to cast their prepared spells, they regain them after a long rest. Spells that the Avatar has prepared do not require concentration from you, but end when the Avatar power ends. You lose the shared spell slot once you gain spellslots of your own. The level of the shared spell slots increase by 1 at 5th level (2nd), 9th level (3rd), 13th level (4th) and 17th level (5th).
• The damage dice of weapons deal Radiant damage, and the modifier is the weapon’s damage type. For example: Fighting-Man hits with its Longsword dealing 1d8 Radiant plus STR Slashing damage.
• Additionally, when both you and your Avatar are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the Avatar; you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the Avatar is to the target.
• The Avatars know the languages that you do, but can only reply with the following simple phrases: “Yes”, “No”, “Huzzah!”, “Danger”, “Have at thee!”, “I need food badly!” or the names of spells and abilities as it casts them.
Holographic – Beta Power: You create a realistic hologram to try and fool your enemies!
MONSTER STATS
CLERIC (Humanoid)
- AC: 11 (Leather), 13 (Leather + Shield) Hit Points: 9 - Speed: 30 ft.
-Size: Medium CR: 1/4
-STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 10 (+0)
-INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 10 (+0)
-Special
-Skills: Medicine +3, Religion +2
-Spellcasting: The Cleric is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its -spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following spells prepared:
• Cantrips (at-will): Sacred Flame, Spare The Dying, Thaumaturgy.
• 1st Level: Bless, Cure Wounds, Sanctuary.
• 2nd Level: Lesser Restoration, Spiritual Weapon.
• 3rd Level: Beacon Of Hope, Dispel Magic.
-Actions
-Mace: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 Bludgeoning damage.
FIGHTING-MAN (Humanoid)
-AC: 14 (Scale Mail), 16 (Scale Mail + Shield)
-Speed: 30 ft.
-Size: Medium CR: 1/4
-STR: 13 (+1) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 10 (+0)
-INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 10 (+0)
-Special
-Skills: Athletics +3, Perception +2
-Actions
-Longsword: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+1 Slashing damage. (1d10+1 if wielded with two hands)
MAGIC-USER (Humanoid)
-AC: 10 (Cloth) Hit Points: 6 (1d6)
-Speed: 30 ft.
-Size: Medium CR: 1/4
-STR: 11 (+0) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 10 (+0)
-INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 10 (+0)
-Special
-Skills: Arcana +3, History +3
-Spellcasting: The Magic-User is a 1st-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following spells prepared:
• Cantrips (at-will): Fire Bolt, Mending, Light
• 1st Level: Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Shield
• 2nd Level: Hold Person, Misty Step.
• 3rd Level: Fireball, Lightning Bolt.
-Actions
-Dagger: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 Piercing damage.
-Dagger: Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 Piercing damage
THIEF (Humanoid)
-AC: 12 (Leather Armour) Hit Points: 8 (1d8)
-Speed: 30 ft.
-Size: Medium CR: 1/4
-STR: 11 (+0) DEX: 12 (+1) CON: 10 (+0)
-INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 10 (+0)
-Special
-Skills: Investigation +3, Perception +2, Sleight Of Hand +3, Stealth +3
-Sneak Attack (1/Turn): The Thief deals an extra 1d6 damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 ft. of an ally that isn’t incapacitated and the Thief doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
-Actions
-Rapier: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+1 Piercing damage.
-Shortbow: Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+1 Piercing damage.
So there already is an official race that gets a plus 3 at level 1 to an ability score. You can’t choose which ability score it is but Changlings get a plus 2 to Charisma and then get an additional plus 1 they can put to any ability score including Charisma
I also want to throw in for the idea that humans out-of-the-box get +1 to everything and half-elves get +2 to Chr and +1 to two other stats. But half-elves also get other benefits like dark vision and resistance to charming and sleep.
I also agree that on the surface it appears that a +3 to a single stat of your choosing is pretty nice, where half-elves getting the +2 is specific. But +3 is only a half-ASI away from what you might want to get at level 4, so you're able to pick a feat at level 4 that fits with your initial build.
I'm not a big fan of home brewing these sorts of things. I think you can get into difficulties by doing this with envy between players.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Hi gang, I am making a homebrew mod for D&D 5e, and i wanted to include a race code named the "Triple" that allows the player to gain +1 to three stats, and I was wondering if it would be broken if I allowed them to pick the same stat up to 3 times?
Basically, as an example, they could have a stat breakdown like this:
- STR +1, CON +1, CHA +1 (like the Triton from Volo's Guide)
- DEX +2, WIS +1 (like the Kenku also from Volo's)
- INT +3 (homebrew "Triple" race)
Yes, it's potentially gaining a +3 in anything they choose, BUT they wouldn't get a secondary stat as is 'normal' for most other D&D races.
What is your take on my madness?
Granting choice of a stat is always much more powerful than simply granting a stat. A race that gets +1 to stat-of-choice has a series edge over a race that has +2 to fixed stat. One of the reasons half-elves are busted beyond comprehension.
One of the reasons the book races never go above a +2 is because 5e hates it when PCs have high numbers in a stat. The game doesn't want you to have anything above a +2 mod in more than one stat, all the prewritten material and balancing is done on the assumption of either point buy or standard array. Both methods produce abysmal numbers, and the races are further balanced to ensure that it is not possible to achieve higher than a +3 mod on creation. A race which gives +3 to stat-of-choice on creation would be horrifically broken by the book assumptions.
In reality? You'd start with an 18 in your stat instead of a 17, since nobody ever plays a suboptimal race/class combination anyways, and you'd basically just be one half-ASI ahead of the expected curve. It'd be no more broken than allowing heroic stat rolls for your game. If you can handle it at your table, go for it. See what happens. That's half the fun of the game.
Please do not contact or message me.
Thanks for the tip. In that case I will adjust it so they gain a specific attribute... the question now; is which one...?
I have an extra question now, I have another race dubbed "Hologram" and i am trying to figure out how to incorporate a custom Cantrip that essentially summons a hologram to fight on your behalf, but to counter the possibility of summoning a new one each round so it technically doesn't die or regain health, i gave it a type of "life-link" property. anyway, here's what I have, i just want to know if this is feasible, if the duration is too long, too short, or even necessary... basically if you can help me fine-tune it, i would be grateful:
So there already is an official race that gets a plus 3 at level 1 to an ability score. You can’t choose which ability score it is but Changlings get a plus 2 to Charisma and then get an additional plus 1 they can put to any ability score including Charisma
I also want to throw in for the idea that humans out-of-the-box get +1 to everything and half-elves get +2 to Chr and +1 to two other stats. But half-elves also get other benefits like dark vision and resistance to charming and sleep.
I also agree that on the surface it appears that a +3 to a single stat of your choosing is pretty nice, where half-elves getting the +2 is specific. But +3 is only a half-ASI away from what you might want to get at level 4, so you're able to pick a feat at level 4 that fits with your initial build.
I'm not a big fan of home brewing these sorts of things. I think you can get into difficulties by doing this with envy between players.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
1 other stat
I would allow a race to get a +3 to a stat only if they had some other penalties.
Any ONE of the following would be acceptable to me:
These are all penalties to basically all characters that are less than a single feat.