I'm not opposed to Fey Passage. it just feels a little abrupt, especially with no explanation as to how. Is the critter temporarily turning gaseous, or transforming into sentient fairy glitter? Is it just super squishy? Is it using Minimize (to be super effective)? How's it work? I can explain it for my own personal critters, a'course, but it's a bit jarring to see. May be one of those things that grows on a gal over time, though, the way the original Psi Die did.
I think it's one of those things you can flavor however you want, and I'm kinda glad of that. There's enough ways to no-prize it that it's easy to make your own.
We already have one Lineage that has been published as Official. Custom Lineages is not implied to be anything other than something you are born as. Also, Lineage has been basically described as Race without the Stat modifiers and Culture attached and these UA Races meet that criteria. It is confusing because there isn't an obvious distinction between the two.
The precise text reads "Instead of choosing one of the game’s races for your character at 1st level, you can use the following traits to represent your character’s lineage, giving you full control over how your character’s origin shaped them." There was specific discussion (I think from Crawford on Dragon Talk) that it could apply to circumstances of birth, as well as experiments that were performed on your character, or changes as a consequence of circumstances that are independent of your race. It was designed to be a catch-all for custom races as well as other things that are a part of their origin. My first thought goes to comics and things like super-soldier serum or radioactive spiders.
Implementation has been scattershot, but I wouldn't say inconsistent. It all vibes fine for me.
After going back and re-reading the last UA's grey box, it looks more like Race and Lineage are interchangeable terms. From a game rules perspective, I would rather they pick one and stick with it. The way they write rules is already ambiguous enough as is.
"Owlfolk" and "Rabbitfolk" are enormously lazy names (brainstormed with some friends and came up with "Strix" and "Usagin" as alternatives) and I hate the math on the bunny hop (mats and most D&D rules regarding physical space are keyed towards 5-foot increments, and the finer details tend to get lost in Theater, so how do you resolve rolling a 7 on that d12?), but otherwise, I'm very very into all of this.
Humblewood's PC races are split between Birdfolk and Humblefolk. The owl race are called Strig, likely riffing off the same lexicography at play in your friends' brainstorm.
I'm remembering the OA originating shapeshifter race that migrated beyond its origin mythology in subsequent editions. Not sure if that's the same race 6thLyran is recalling. Anyway, the Humblewood barb was more on me seeing "oh, they're doing a birdfolk and a humblefolk too."
Anyway Humblewood isn't the Feywild. Think Disney's Robin Hood with a softer touch and a more ecological theme. It's a great way to introduce kids to D&D. The Birdfolk don't really "fly" per se, but their bird origins give them flutter and glide capacities that can be fun to use in a 3-D environment where tree tops etc can come into play. The Humblefolk are cool too,
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
I'm not opposed to Fey Passage. it just feels a little abrupt, especially with no explanation as to how. Is the critter temporarily turning gaseous, or transforming into sentient fairy glitter? Is it just super squishy? Is it using Minimize (to be super effective)? How's it work? I can explain it for my own personal critters, a'course, but it's a bit jarring to see. May be one of those things that grows on a gal over time, though, the way the original Psi Die did.
I am not so bothered by it. The how here is just fluff anyway so let the player describe how it works for themselves. I would likely go with a very brief transformation into a tiny mote of dim blue light and then moving through the space if I were to play a Fairy.
Actually, while slightly on the subject.... how many spells are there that rely on you being a humanoid? Charm/Hold/Dominate come to mind, but nothing else, and I'd actually be fine with a fairy being immune to those three. Not exactly common use by antagonists I run anyways.
Based on those lists there are 13 spells that don't affect Fey or partially don't affect Fey, and 13 spells that affect them at least partially that don't affect humanoids.
Granted, conjure animals a real stretch there. So that second list is more like 12 spells.
So you might be immune to Charm/Hold/Dominate Person, but you also have the displeasure of being targetable by Planar Binding.
I wish they had made a playable Dryad instead of the Fey Hobgoblin.
YES! This! We need playable dryads! IMO, that should have come out in Mythic Odysseys of Theros, as dryads come from Greek Mythology, but late is better than never. I would have even preferred a Fey-Goblin instead of a Fey-Hobgoblin.
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I wish they had made a playable Dryad instead of the Fey Hobgoblin.
YES! This! We need playable dryads! IMO, that should have come out in Mythic Odysseys of Theros, as dryads come from Greek Mythology, but late is better than never. I would have even preferred a Fey-Goblin instead of a Fey-Hobgoblin.
I third this! More place races! More plants in general!
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"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Taking a second, closer look at the Owlkocra, trying to see why people think it's OP, and . . . I'm confused as to why people seem to think that this race is OP, but not the Fairy. I mean, they both have 30 foot walk and fly speeds, an ability that makes it difficult to cause them to take fall damage (the Fairy's is better than the Owlfolk's, too), an innate spellcasting ability, and the ability to fly while wearing any type of armor.
The only things that the Owlkocra gets that the Fairy doesn't is darkvision (which is hardly an OP feature, even if it is better than most darkvision ranges in the game attached to race), and a single skill, while the Fairy gets the incredibly useful, albeit situational Fey Passage ability.
Is it a good race? Sure it is. Is it OP? IMO, no. It could use a restriction that says that they can't fly in heavy armor, but that's about the only thing I would do to "nerf" the race a bit (along with my suggestion above to change up the "Stop-Falling" ability).
To be fair, I only know one DM who's ever allowed a species with innate flight, and that was for one specific character for Plot Reasons. Nobody ever gets to play innately flying PCs until/unless they get it as a Tier3+ class feature.
I suppose it's just the sheer number of things Owlkocra gets. It's as heavily laden with abilities as elves are - "You get this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and THIS, and THIS...." , which often comes off as "Buddy. Buddy. Save some for everybody else". The Fairy has fewer abilities and a much less useful innate spellcasting talent, but it is admittedly very potent. Nobody in the history of ever has said "You know what'd really solve this sticky issue facing our party? Druidcraft." The said cannot be said for Detect Magic, even if it's a ritual versus an instant cast.
I wish they had made a playable Dryad instead of the Fey Hobgoblin.
YES! This! We need playable dryads! IMO, that should have come out in Mythic Odysseys of Theros, as dryads come from Greek Mythology, but late is better than never. I would have even preferred a Fey-Goblin instead of a Fey-Hobgoblin.
I third this! More place races! More plants in general!
I like the hobgoblin. Making it fey based doesn't make sense to me, but it recieved a much needed upgrade.
I suppose I’ve never thought about flight being OP because the groups I’ve played with has never considered it all that op. The DMs I currently play with love giving creatures all sorts of neat ranges abilities or using creatures with cool movement options, not just flight. Burrowing enemies are crazy, as are spider climbers. My group loves tactical combats, both Players and DMs alike. So while flight is a tactically useful ability, in the games I play at least they are hardly OP.
Honestly, we have had far more OP and crazy shenanigans in our sessions with rope then with flying. At least three combats in the last year have had rope being used to finish off a big enemy.
That's probably where the issue lies. Flying races are not a problem at my table. I've always had the opinion that if my game is broken by letting a PC go somewhere besides the ground, I'm doing something wrong.
They do get quite a few features, but so many of them are minor enough that I don't think it's that big of an issue, if it is an issue at all (Stealth, 90 foot Darkvision, occasionally not falling while flying). There are certainly other races that get a ton of features while not being widely regarded as OP (elves, dwarves, aasimar, lizardfolk, warforged, etc).
You did get a chuckle out of me with the part about druidcraft, though. You do have a point there, but the point is a bit weaker when you consider than Faerie Fire is largely considered one of the best 1st level spells in the game. I would gladly trade ritual Detect Magic for free Druidcraft and Faerie Fire as a PC.
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I have allowed innate flight in every game I've ever run and it's never caused a problem. I genuinely don't get why it's so often seen as "broken."
Same here. I have yet to have any issues. I even altered Dragonborn in my campaign world to have wings and flight and they still doesn't see play as often as Elves or basic Tieflings.
Well, there is a limit to the number of races they're going to put out in a single UA. We don't know how many the final count will be, after all. Its not like this is the absolute limit. How many were in Volo's, after all?
I think it's one of those things you can flavor however you want, and I'm kinda glad of that. There's enough ways to no-prize it that it's easy to make your own.
After going back and re-reading the last UA's grey box, it looks more like Race and Lineage are interchangeable terms. From a game rules perspective, I would rather they pick one and stick with it. The way they write rules is already ambiguous enough as is.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
Humblewood's PC races are split between Birdfolk and Humblefolk. The owl race are called Strig, likely riffing off the same lexicography at play in your friends' brainstorm.
I'm remembering the OA originating shapeshifter race that migrated beyond its origin mythology in subsequent editions. Not sure if that's the same race 6thLyran is recalling. Anyway, the Humblewood barb was more on me seeing "oh, they're doing a birdfolk and a humblefolk too."
Anyway Humblewood isn't the Feywild. Think Disney's Robin Hood with a softer touch and a more ecological theme. It's a great way to introduce kids to D&D. The Birdfolk don't really "fly" per se, but their bird origins give them flutter and glide capacities that can be fun to use in a 3-D environment where tree tops etc can come into play. The Humblefolk are cool too,
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
I am not so bothered by it. The how here is just fluff anyway so let the player describe how it works for themselves. I would likely go with a very brief transformation into a tiny mote of dim blue light and then moving through the space if I were to play a Fairy.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
List of what doesn't affect a Fey PC
List of what would affect a Fey PC (but not a humanoid)
Based on those lists there are 13 spells that don't affect Fey or partially don't affect Fey, and 13 spells that affect them at least partially that don't affect humanoids.
Granted, conjure animals a real stretch there. So that second list is more like 12 spells.
So you might be immune to Charm/Hold/Dominate Person, but you also have the displeasure of being targetable by Planar Binding.
I wish they had made a playable Dryad instead of the Fey Hobgoblin.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
YES! This! We need playable dryads! IMO, that should have come out in Mythic Odysseys of Theros, as dryads come from Greek Mythology, but late is better than never. I would have even preferred a Fey-Goblin instead of a Fey-Hobgoblin.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I third this! More place races! More plants in general!
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
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RoughCoronet's Greater Wills
Taking a second, closer look at the Owlkocra, trying to see why people think it's OP, and . . . I'm confused as to why people seem to think that this race is OP, but not the Fairy. I mean, they both have 30 foot walk and fly speeds, an ability that makes it difficult to cause them to take fall damage (the Fairy's is better than the Owlfolk's, too), an innate spellcasting ability, and the ability to fly while wearing any type of armor.
The only things that the Owlkocra gets that the Fairy doesn't is darkvision (which is hardly an OP feature, even if it is better than most darkvision ranges in the game attached to race), and a single skill, while the Fairy gets the incredibly useful, albeit situational Fey Passage ability.
Is it a good race? Sure it is. Is it OP? IMO, no. It could use a restriction that says that they can't fly in heavy armor, but that's about the only thing I would do to "nerf" the race a bit (along with my suggestion above to change up the "Stop-Falling" ability).
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
To be fair, I only know one DM who's ever allowed a species with innate flight, and that was for one specific character for Plot Reasons. Nobody ever gets to play innately flying PCs until/unless they get it as a Tier3+ class feature.
I suppose it's just the sheer number of things Owlkocra gets. It's as heavily laden with abilities as elves are - "You get this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and THIS, and THIS...." , which often comes off as "Buddy. Buddy. Save some for everybody else". The Fairy has fewer abilities and a much less useful innate spellcasting talent, but it is admittedly very potent. Nobody in the history of ever has said "You know what'd really solve this sticky issue facing our party? Druidcraft." The said cannot be said for Detect Magic, even if it's a ritual versus an instant cast.
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I have allowed innate flight in every game I've ever run and it's never caused a problem. I genuinely don't get why it's so often seen as "broken."
I like the hobgoblin. Making it fey based doesn't make sense to me, but it recieved a much needed upgrade.
My only good homebrews: Races, Subclasses.
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I suppose I’ve never thought about flight being OP because the groups I’ve played with has never considered it all that op. The DMs I currently play with love giving creatures all sorts of neat ranges abilities or using creatures with cool movement options, not just flight. Burrowing enemies are crazy, as are spider climbers. My group loves tactical combats, both Players and DMs alike. So while flight is a tactically useful ability, in the games I play at least they are hardly OP.
Honestly, we have had far more OP and crazy shenanigans in our sessions with rope then with flying. At least three combats in the last year have had rope being used to finish off a big enemy.
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Characters for Tenebris Sine Fine
RoughCoronet's Greater Wills
That's probably where the issue lies. Flying races are not a problem at my table. I've always had the opinion that if my game is broken by letting a PC go somewhere besides the ground, I'm doing something wrong.
They do get quite a few features, but so many of them are minor enough that I don't think it's that big of an issue, if it is an issue at all (Stealth, 90 foot Darkvision, occasionally not falling while flying). There are certainly other races that get a ton of features while not being widely regarded as OP (elves, dwarves, aasimar, lizardfolk, warforged, etc).
You did get a chuckle out of me with the part about druidcraft, though. You do have a point there, but the point is a bit weaker when you consider than Faerie Fire is largely considered one of the best 1st level spells in the game. I would gladly trade ritual Detect Magic for free Druidcraft and Faerie Fire as a PC.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Same here. I have yet to have any issues. I even altered Dragonborn in my campaign world to have wings and flight and they still doesn't see play as often as Elves or basic Tieflings.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
Fairy Speed needs to drop to 20 or 25 feet. Fairy Flight needs to cancelled if in heavy armour.
Hobgoblin no changes.
Owlfolk. Nimble Flight cancelled if in heavy armour. Nimble flight dex save limited to your proficiency bonus. If small your speed is 25 feet.
Rabbitfolk. If small your speed is 25 feet. Lucky Footwork needs to limited to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
It seems to me that Wotc is trying to move everyone movement to 30 feet. If so, just errata the PHB.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Agreed. Well, less “interesting” and more “disappointing” for me. Missed opportunity that, I hope they get added.
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Why instead of and not in addition to? I love the Fey Hobgoblin, I wish they had included Goblins & Bugbears too.
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Well, there is a limit to the number of races they're going to put out in a single UA. We don't know how many the final count will be, after all. Its not like this is the absolute limit. How many were in Volo's, after all?
Mainly because we already have playable Hobgoblins, but also because I don't really like the Fey Hobgoblin. It is just a personal preference.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master