I'm working on a homebrew world setting (aren't we all) and I have several new races I want to introduce for my players, here is the first one, the Spiderkin. The detailed in world lore is still a WIP and inconsequential to the mechanical effects of its abilities.
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age
Spiderkin age faster than humans, being fully mature around age of 10. Their life span is also much shorter rarely living past the age of 40 thought the upper limit of their lifespan is unknown.
Spiderkin Lineage
There are 3 common types of Spiderkin. The bulky Tarantulites, the poisonous Venonouma, and the mobile Salticidae.
The Salticidae are the swiftest of the Spiderkin. Your Dexterity increases by 2. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. Your long jump distance is equal to your movement speed and your high jump is half of your movement speed. Additionally, you don't need to be moving to make a long or high jump.
The Tarantulites are the bulkiest and largest of the Spiderkin. Your Strength increases by 2. You are considered to be one size larger for determining carrying capacity. You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to grapple a creature or escape a grapple.
The Venonouma are inherently venomous. Your constitution increases by 2. You have a natural venom that you can apply to your weapon attacks. When you make a weapon attack, as a part of that attack action you can choose to coat your weapon in your venom. A target hit by this venom must make a constitution saving throw DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your constitution modifier. On a failed save the target takes 2d6 poison damage.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
For an already fast race, super jumping without a pre-run may as well be the same as racial flight. Safer than an Aarakocra, but also more insidious, so it will probably cause DMs a lot of problems.
Venonouma
Without a X/Rest limitation, the bonus damage is going to unbalanced, even if it only applies to a single attack per round. You might consider scaling it like the Dragonborn Breath Weapon and then giving it a limit of 2/Rest, or Proficiency Bonus uses per day.
I don't know that I agree about the movement of the Salticidae being the same as racial flight. It still uses the movement of the creature and you can't maintain a vertical distance between turns like flight would allow. It also doesn't have the traditionally spider climb abilities of sticking to surfaces.
I biased the Venonouma off of the way the Grung racial ability works. It is by far the one that I am least comfortable with. I don't really want to limit it to be being on a rest biased system and I figured since poison is one of the most resisted/immunity damage types in the game and constitution being one of the most commonly proficient saves for creatures that the extra 2d6 wouldn't really be that consequential. What if the damage scaled with level? Like 1d6 become 2d6 becomes 3d6 and so on?
It's definitely not as bad as racial flight, but toss in Haste, and you suddenly get a horizontal jumping distance of 80ft, which is nearly the full radius of the standard battle map, and a vertical jump of 40ft, which is taller than most buildings. Flight is particularly useful in open fields, but anything with vertical terrain, like a city, cavern, or forest and super jumping is just as good. Give it the spell Jump, which is 1st level non-concentration, and you'll be looking at a minimum of 120ft, up to 420ft if the Spiderkin takes levels of Monk.
Maybe a safer option would be to give the Salticidae a racial ability to cast Jump for free instead of giving it special jumping rules. That would give similar mobility without letting it stack with itself.
~~~
Ok, so with the Venemouma/Grung, the most significant difference is that the Grung poison has a low fixed DC, so it can safely be thrown around all day, and sometimes it'll come into play, but it frequently won't. Once you let it scale, it's going to become too reliable to make unrestricted, even if it's a commonly resisted damage type. People will bounce between skipping the variant and abusing it, depending on the game they join.
It's better to not attempt to over-correct for in-game variables, since players will recognize the boost and exploit it.
You'd need to have a subscription to add it your homebrew collection, but I could make it public sure. I made a change to Venomoura that its poision can be used an amount of used equil to their con mod.
I'm working on a homebrew world setting (aren't we all) and I have several new races I want to introduce for my players, here is the first one, the Spiderkin. The detailed in world lore is still a WIP and inconsequential to the mechanical effects of its abilities.
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age
Spiderkin age faster than humans, being fully mature around age of 10. Their life span is also much shorter rarely living past the age of 40 thought the upper limit of their lifespan is unknown.
Spiderkin Lineage
There are 3 common types of Spiderkin. The bulky Tarantulites, the poisonous Venonouma, and the mobile Salticidae.
The Salticidae are the swiftest of the Spiderkin. Your Dexterity increases by 2. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. Your long jump distance is equal to your movement speed and your high jump is half of your movement speed. Additionally, you don't need to be moving to make a long or high jump.
The Tarantulites are the bulkiest and largest of the Spiderkin. Your Strength increases by 2. You are considered to be one size larger for determining carrying capacity. You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to grapple a creature or escape a grapple.
The Venonouma are inherently venomous. Your constitution increases by 2. You have a natural venom that you can apply to your weapon attacks. When you make a weapon attack, as a part of that attack action you can choose to coat your weapon in your venom. A target hit by this venom must make a constitution saving throw DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your constitution modifier. On a failed save the target takes 2d6 poison damage.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.
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Salticidae
For an already fast race, super jumping without a pre-run may as well be the same as racial flight. Safer than an Aarakocra, but also more insidious, so it will probably cause DMs a lot of problems.
Venonouma
Without a X/Rest limitation, the bonus damage is going to unbalanced, even if it only applies to a single attack per round. You might consider scaling it like the Dragonborn Breath Weapon and then giving it a limit of 2/Rest, or Proficiency Bonus uses per day.
I don't know that I agree about the movement of the Salticidae being the same as racial flight. It still uses the movement of the creature and you can't maintain a vertical distance between turns like flight would allow. It also doesn't have the traditionally spider climb abilities of sticking to surfaces.
I biased the Venonouma off of the way the Grung racial ability works. It is by far the one that I am least comfortable with. I don't really want to limit it to be being on a rest biased system and I figured since poison is one of the most resisted/immunity damage types in the game and constitution being one of the most commonly proficient saves for creatures that the extra 2d6 wouldn't really be that consequential. What if the damage scaled with level? Like 1d6 become 2d6 becomes 3d6 and so on?
Buyers Guide for D&D Beyond - Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You - How/What is Toggled Content?
Everything you need to know about Homebrew - Homebrew FAQ - Digital Book on D&D Beyond Vs Physical Books
Can't find the content you are supposed to have access to? Read this FAQ.
"Play the game however you want to play the game. After all, your fun doesn't threaten my fun."
It's definitely not as bad as racial flight, but toss in Haste, and you suddenly get a horizontal jumping distance of 80ft, which is nearly the full radius of the standard battle map, and a vertical jump of 40ft, which is taller than most buildings. Flight is particularly useful in open fields, but anything with vertical terrain, like a city, cavern, or forest and super jumping is just as good. Give it the spell Jump, which is 1st level non-concentration, and you'll be looking at a minimum of 120ft, up to 420ft if the Spiderkin takes levels of Monk.
Maybe a safer option would be to give the Salticidae a racial ability to cast Jump for free instead of giving it special jumping rules. That would give similar mobility without letting it stack with itself.
~~~
Ok, so with the Venemouma/Grung, the most significant difference is that the Grung poison has a low fixed DC, so it can safely be thrown around all day, and sometimes it'll come into play, but it frequently won't. Once you let it scale, it's going to become too reliable to make unrestricted, even if it's a commonly resisted damage type. People will bounce between skipping the variant and abusing it, depending on the game they join.
It's better to not attempt to over-correct for in-game variables, since players will recognize the boost and exploit it.
A " breath weapon " with no cool down is a bit overpowered imo, but love everything else
yo is there a link so we can use this race
You'd need to have a subscription to add it your homebrew collection, but I could make it public sure. I made a change to Venomoura that its poision can be used an amount of used equil to their con mod.
Yeah just let me know
Buyers Guide for D&D Beyond - Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You - How/What is Toggled Content?
Everything you need to know about Homebrew - Homebrew FAQ - Digital Book on D&D Beyond Vs Physical Books
Can't find the content you are supposed to have access to? Read this FAQ.
"Play the game however you want to play the game. After all, your fun doesn't threaten my fun."