Do you ever make a character, and you're really enamored with a suboptimal race for them, but you feel bad because an optimal race would just work better?
Like maybe you really like the idea of an Orc Wizard... but then you look at high elf and just grimace because you'd be undoubtedly more effective that way?
To quote a meme, why not both? In my games, I let players choose their in-game race separately from their on-character sheet race. So if you want to be an Orc in-game with the stats of a High Elf - go for it! I mean, you always could have just chosen High Elf in the first place. The fact that you are an Orc in-game is almost 100% a roleplaying decision and has nearly zero mechanical applications.
For my games, when you choose an in-game race different than your on-sheet race, in-game you *are* that race. For example, the ORc above *is* an Orc. Things that only affect elves will not affect that Orc.
There's a tiny chance that in some edge case of your campaign this breaks things, in which case, feel free to ban certain combos if it is somehow broken or otherwise goes against the idea of the campaign world.
I have a character doing this in one of my campaigns - he's a Tiefling archer in-game, but his stats are an elf (I forget which elf). It has caused zero problems. It's inherently balanced, and lets him play the Tiefling archer he really wanted to play.
I really like this idea, because it was something I kinda wanted to do for my Orc Character build. I love the idea of playing and acting like an Orc, but much prefer the Half-Orc stats. I don't even mind the minus 2 to intelligence I just feel like their Racial Feat isn't that great to justify the -2, but both of the half-orc features easily justify the -2
You could also just say your half-orc looks like a full orc and was raised by orcs because of that fact. When two different bloodlines mix, it's not uncommon for one to be much more visibly dominant. Although I guess that isn't really any different than just being full orc with Half Orc stats.... which sort of proves my point that what you look like in game doesn't matter.
I allow reskining similar races within reason. For example I would allow a half-orc to be reskined to an orc, ogre, cyclops, or half-giant to name a few (same goes for orc and goliath). I would be a little stricter on what an elf or dwarf could be reskined into since they have racial features that are very iconic to that race and connect directly to the lore of that race.
Yeah, but almost anything can be explained away, it's a fantasy game. Orc isn't even a hard one.
How do you explain your Elf Paladin that uses dragonborn stats breathing fire? Well, it's not fire breath, it's a special paladin ability granted by their god. bam, done.
Or like, I have a Tabaxi that I'm using Wood Elf stats for. I'm a monk, so the trance sleep is just meditation, and the advantage against charms is an effect of the discipline of my training.
And yes, you could just let players move their stat bonuses around, tht also works, but sometimes it's the other abilities that make a race attractive as well, and no one can argue about balance if you're just literally using a race as given with a different look in game.
I think this is the best way to go in many cases. Want to be a kobold? fine, you are a halfling or gnome in a kobold suit or maybe a dragonborn even. Sure, some changes are in order but all very minor with real effect on gameplay. But hey, you know draconic which is cool and if an evil dragon sees you, you may get away with something you normally wouldn't. Use 1/2 Orc stats for someone who wants to play a Gnoll, not a big deal. I am a big fan of this method as long as nobody expects increased capability besides what is pretty mundane. Firebreathing Kobold Paladins! bring it!
This is the way Wizards are going anyway, all the new races now have a generic +2 +1 or +1 +1 +1 racial ASI bonus that can be applied to any stat the player wishes. Tasha's states that this can be applied to the existing races printed pre tasha and my expectation is that the PHB in the new 5.5 release in 2024 will reprint this as standard removing racial bonus's and replacing with a generic +2, +1, +1+1+!, approach.
But personally I have applied this ever since I started playing DnD, why can't a player have a more intelligent orc who is weaker, or a clumsy elf who is more charismatic?
I can also see Wizards getting more flexible with size, having rules for small, medium and large PC's and the player then deciding the size of there character.
For instance small characters have a move of 25, can occupy the same space as a larger creature, can't wield great weapons. This way a player could have a small human (roleplaying Tyrion), or a tall halfling. gaining all the other racial traits but just being taller.
Yeah, but almost anything can be explained away, it's a fantasy game. Orc isn't even a hard one.
How do you explain your Elf Paladin that uses dragonborn stats breathing fire? Well, it's not fire breath, it's a special paladin ability granted by their god. bam, done.
Or like, I have a Tabaxi that I'm using Wood Elf stats for. I'm a monk, so the trance sleep is just meditation, and the advantage against charms is an effect of the discipline of my training.
And yes, you could just let players move their stat bonuses around, tht also works, but sometimes it's the other abilities that make a race attractive as well, and no one can argue about balance if you're just literally using a race as given with a different look in game.
In this case the trance sleep is just a cat being a cat :)
I allow race reskinning within reason. For example, before the Witchlight book, I had someone wanting to play a small bunny person race. I just let them use the halfling or gnome options. Mostly though I do this when someone wants to play something not covered by official races and let them match what's close.
I also play with Tasha's optional rule for flexible ASIs. So a half orc wizard isn't getting that free cantrip of a high elf's ability to trance instead of sleep or fey ancestry etc. But they can swap their asis around so that they can have equal footing stat wise with players whose races and classes happen to synergize class wise already.
What's within reason, though? If you want to play a tough "elf" fighter that uses Loxodon stats, who cares? How is that different than them literally just playing a Loxodon?
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Do you ever make a character, and you're really enamored with a suboptimal race for them, but you feel bad because an optimal race would just work better?
Like maybe you really like the idea of an Orc Wizard... but then you look at high elf and just grimace because you'd be undoubtedly more effective that way?
To quote a meme, why not both? In my games, I let players choose their in-game race separately from their on-character sheet race. So if you want to be an Orc in-game with the stats of a High Elf - go for it! I mean, you always could have just chosen High Elf in the first place. The fact that you are an Orc in-game is almost 100% a roleplaying decision and has nearly zero mechanical applications.
For my games, when you choose an in-game race different than your on-sheet race, in-game you *are* that race. For example, the ORc above *is* an Orc. Things that only affect elves will not affect that Orc.
There's a tiny chance that in some edge case of your campaign this breaks things, in which case, feel free to ban certain combos if it is somehow broken or otherwise goes against the idea of the campaign world.
I have a character doing this in one of my campaigns - he's a Tiefling archer in-game, but his stats are an elf (I forget which elf). It has caused zero problems. It's inherently balanced, and lets him play the Tiefling archer he really wanted to play.
Let me know what you think.
I really like this idea, because it was something I kinda wanted to do for my Orc Character build. I love the idea of playing and acting like an Orc, but much prefer the Half-Orc stats. I don't even mind the minus 2 to intelligence I just feel like their Racial Feat isn't that great to justify the -2, but both of the half-orc features easily justify the -2
You could also just say your half-orc looks like a full orc and was raised by orcs because of that fact. When two different bloodlines mix, it's not uncommon for one to be much more visibly dominant. Although I guess that isn't really any different than just being full orc with Half Orc stats.... which sort of proves my point that what you look like in game doesn't matter.
Why not just let the player assign his racial bonus points however he likes?
I allow reskining similar races within reason. For example I would allow a half-orc to be reskined to an orc, ogre, cyclops, or half-giant to name a few (same goes for orc and goliath). I would be a little stricter on what an elf or dwarf could be reskined into since they have racial features that are very iconic to that race and connect directly to the lore of that race.
Yeah, but almost anything can be explained away, it's a fantasy game. Orc isn't even a hard one.
How do you explain your Elf Paladin that uses dragonborn stats breathing fire? Well, it's not fire breath, it's a special paladin ability granted by their god. bam, done.
Or like, I have a Tabaxi that I'm using Wood Elf stats for. I'm a monk, so the trance sleep is just meditation, and the advantage against charms is an effect of the discipline of my training.
And yes, you could just let players move their stat bonuses around, tht also works, but sometimes it's the other abilities that make a race attractive as well, and no one can argue about balance if you're just literally using a race as given with a different look in game.
I once reskinned a loxodon as a frog/toad folk that used his tongue to pick up things and grab enemies
I think this is the best way to go in many cases. Want to be a kobold? fine, you are a halfling or gnome in a kobold suit or maybe a dragonborn even. Sure, some changes are in order but all very minor with real effect on gameplay. But hey, you know draconic which is cool and if an evil dragon sees you, you may get away with something you normally wouldn't. Use 1/2 Orc stats for someone who wants to play a Gnoll, not a big deal. I am a big fan of this method as long as nobody expects increased capability besides what is pretty mundane. Firebreathing Kobold Paladins! bring it!
This is the way Wizards are going anyway, all the new races now have a generic +2 +1 or +1 +1 +1 racial ASI bonus that can be applied to any stat the player wishes. Tasha's states that this can be applied to the existing races printed pre tasha and my expectation is that the PHB in the new 5.5 release in 2024 will reprint this as standard removing racial bonus's and replacing with a generic +2, +1, +1+1+!, approach.
But personally I have applied this ever since I started playing DnD, why can't a player have a more intelligent orc who is weaker, or a clumsy elf who is more charismatic?
I can also see Wizards getting more flexible with size, having rules for small, medium and large PC's and the player then deciding the size of there character.
For instance small characters have a move of 25, can occupy the same space as a larger creature, can't wield great weapons. This way a player could have a small human (roleplaying Tyrion), or a tall halfling. gaining all the other racial traits but just being taller.
In this case the trance sleep is just a cat being a cat :)
I always thought you could run a campaign with all of the humanoids actually being human but from different cultures/tribes. It would still work.
I allow race reskinning within reason. For example, before the Witchlight book, I had someone wanting to play a small bunny person race. I just let them use the halfling or gnome options. Mostly though I do this when someone wants to play something not covered by official races and let them match what's close.
I also play with Tasha's optional rule for flexible ASIs. So a half orc wizard isn't getting that free cantrip of a high elf's ability to trance instead of sleep or fey ancestry etc. But they can swap their asis around so that they can have equal footing stat wise with players whose races and classes happen to synergize class wise already.
What's within reason, though? If you want to play a tough "elf" fighter that uses Loxodon stats, who cares? How is that different than them literally just playing a Loxodon?