Homebrew Custom Lineage, Revised Species Details

Races in D&D are a hotly-debated feature, specifically the bonuses that derive from them. The ideas of bio-essentialism, especially in the monstrous races, and focus on modern Western ethics of civilization lead many to be dissatisfied with how races seem to force a particular role on the player character, whether through heavy-handed lore or by its racial features pushing them in one direction, making other choices sub-optimal. This document seeks to act as an alternative method of character creation that embraces racial diversity without having them restrict who those characters can be and is designed to be fully compatible with standard 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons including the Tears of the Fallen Rebalance. 

Step 1 - Choose an Ancestry

This will determine your size, base speed, and what phenotype-specific features you will gain (such as a flight speed for Aarakocra, or lineage for Dragonborns.)

Step 2 - Choose a Background and Class

Backgrounds and classes can be used as-is from Wizards of the Coast (WotC) supplements and core. The main difference is that ability boosts will be derived from a combination of the two. You add +2 to an ability score which your class grants a proficiency in the saving throw of/listed as a primary ability in the sourcebook. 

Additionally, you add +1 to any ability that governs a skill you have proficiency in. 

After adding your class and background skills, choose two skills, tools, or a mixture to gain proficiency in. These may represent your hobbies, interests, or just something your character thought was neat.

Step 3 - Customise your Character

Using unbound racial features and other flavourful features with a point-buy system, you can modify your player character as you see fit to show the upbringing and education your character enjoyed, or endured. Certain features are unavailable to all ancestries if they lack the specific biology to account for the feature, e.g. improving flight speed without wings.

Step 4 - Play!

Run this homebrew idea by your DM before building a character in this system. As with all homebrew, it is not suitable for Adventurer’s League (AL) style play, and balance changes can occur.

The reasons for making this are two-fold. The first is that “races”, as mentioned earlier, are bio-essentialist. You can be an Orcish wizard, but you’re at a major disadvantage compared to a Gnomish wizard. Equally, you could be a Firbolg paladin, but you’ll still be lacking compared to the Aasimar. And hell, if you wanted your character to have apprenticed at a smithy for a little while before they started adventuring - perhaps as a seed for a later character development - you best hope you’re a dwarf, or ready to dedicate your whole background to that.

The second is that big numbers are big fun, but if you like particular classes (especially spellcasters) you’re limited to a certain number of races or being behind until 14th level, or maybe forever. While that seems like a problem for min-maxers, and it is, most of us can agree that there’s nothing fun about not being good at the thing we’re supposed to be. This means that wizards end up being Gnomes, sorcerers and warlocks are Half-Elves and Tieflings, and barbarians inevitably sway towards Half-Orcs and Goliaths. And whilst it is fun to play the archetypal fantasy, there should be no reason that roll-playing has to hurt role-playing. And so, without further ado - the meat and potatoes of the system.

Custom Lineage, Revised Traits

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:

Creature Type

You are a humanoid but you potentially identify as one or more creature types such as a: Aberration, Construct, Devil, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, or Undead which will affect what spells and abilities may target you in addition to normal humanoid creatures. Consult with your DM before choosing a Creature type tag to select up to two other Creature Types in addition to the Humanoid tag. You determine your appearance and whether you resemble any of your kin. Listed below are some of the creature types based on race:

  • Aberration(s): Featuring bizarre anatomy, strange abilities, an alien mindset, or any combination thereof, all aberrations are typically not originally of the Material Plane and include amongst them Aboleths, Beholders, and Mind Flayers.
  • Beast(s): Similar to animals, beasts are slightly more intelligent and typically far larger counting amongst themselves Bulettes, Dinosaurs, Griffons, Owlbears, and Purple Worms (originally considered dragons in previous editions).
  • Celestial(s): Powerful outsiders typically of Good alignments, they are most commonly mistaken for angels and include amongst them Angels, Archons, Celadrin (Celestial-Fey) and Guardinals (Beast-Celestial).
  • Construct(s): Created through arcane means and occasionally scientific, Constructs are non-living creatures such as Living Statues, Gargoyles, certain types of Golems, and Warforged.
  • Dragon(s): Winged, reptilian creatures which traditionally have breath weapons. The Dragon type includes the sub-type of dragon-kin such as Chimerae, Hydrae, Salamanders, and Wyverns in addition to the full blooded Dragons.
  • Elemental(s): Strongly tied to other planes, these creatures are typically conjured to the Material plane such as with Elementals, Golems, and Salamanders.
  • Fey: Creatures with supernatural abilities and a human-shaped form, they are typically connected to nature or some other force and place such as the Feywild. Amongst them are the original Elves the Eladrin, Dryads, those of the Sprite family (including Fairies, Sprites, and Pixies), and Satyrs.
  • Fiend(s): Evil creatures from one of the many Fiendish Planes (Lower Planes), they were born of evil with primal malevolence innately part of their bodies. Unlike most other creatures, a Fiend has a true name which gives others power of them and force them to servitude and include amongst them the races of Archfiends, Demons, Devils, Demodands, Half-Fiends, and Yugoloths but also sub-races such as Tieflings.
  • Giant(s): A form of Humanoids of exceptionally large size, they take on the appearance of any Humanoid race except that are significantly larger. Common versions are those of the Giant race themself, Giant-kin such as Firbolgs and Ogres, and their offshoots such as the Maur.
  • Humanoid(s): The catch-all term for sentient species that are biped with two arms and legs, and walk upright. These are typically split into sub-families such as Demihumans of the Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, and Halflings and Goblinoids such as Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orcs.
  • Ooze(s): A category of creatures that generally resembled amorphous blobs, they include Slimes, Jellies, Puddings, and other Amorphous creatures.
  • Plant(s): Comprised of vegetable matter, they are very similar to constructs except that they can still be affected by the Sleep. These included creatures such as Treants and Myconids.
  • Undead: The traditional spectrum of the reanimated, Undead of these types are created by powerful forces of nature or the arcane allowing a soul or some other mysterious presence to control them. These creatures include Ghouls, Ghosts, Skeletons, Vampires, and Zombies.

Size

You are Tiny, Small, Medium or Large (your choice). If you are of Giant-kin, you have access to the Huge category.

Class Ability Score Increase

One Ability Score of your choice increases by 2 based on your Primary Class as depicted below:

  • Artificer: Constitution or Intelligence
  • Barbarian: Strength or Constitution
  • Bard: Dexterity or Charisma
  • Blood Hunter: Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution
  • Cleric: Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom
  • Druid: Dexterity or Wisdom
  • Fighter: Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution
  • Monk: Dexterity or Wisdom
  • Paladin: Strength, Constitution, or Charisma
  • Ranger: Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom
  • Rogue: Dexterity or Intelligence
  • Sorcerer: Dexterity, Constitution or Charisma
  • Warlock: Dexterity, Constitution or Charisma
  • Wizard: Constitution or Intelligence

Background Ability Score Increase

One Ability Score of your choice increases by 1 based on your Background tied to a skill proficiency. For example, if you're Proficient in Sleight of Hand, you could add a +1 to your Dexterity.

Customizing your Origin

You can choose up to three of the following choices that you qualify for based on your Creature Type to represent unique aspects of your character:

Aspect of the Swift

Restricted to Aberrations, Beasts, Dragons, and Fey
When you move on your tum in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the tum. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you move 0 feet | 0 meters on one of your turns.

Brutal Weapon Training

You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, maul, light hammer, and warhammer. You might have trained under a particularly vicious trainer, or practiced on your own with a woodcutting axe and sledgehammer, but either way, you’re a dab-hand with these brutal weapons.

Darkvision

Unless you're just a Humanoid, you can take this!
Whether you were habitually nocturnal, lived underground, or specifically trained to, you can see in dim light within 60 feet | 18 meters of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Elegant Weapon Training 

You have proficiency with shortswords, longswords, hand pistols, shortbows, and longbows. You might have joined a noble hunt, or taken an interest in the more artful forms of martial practice.

Elemental Conflux

Restricted to Celestials, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, and some Undead
There are four elemental planes that border on the material, and you have a fine connection to them, whether through the circumstances of your birth, or through visiting locations where the boundaries are thin. You know the Produce Flame and Shape Water cantrips. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast one of the spells: Create or Destroy Water, Burning Hands, Pass without Trace, or Levitate, requiring no material components using this trait, and you regain the ability to cast them this way when you finish a long rest.

Elemental Resistance

Restricted to Celestials, Constructs, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, Oozes, Plants, and some Undead
You have Resistance to one of the core elements: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Poison (funny how this got here).

Expanded Locomotion

You have a different form of movement that is either in addition or replaces your base such as a Burrowing (Aberration, Beast, Construct, Plant, or Undead), Climbing (Beast, Construct, Dragon, Plant, or Undead), Flying or Hovering (Any except Ooze and Plant), and/or Swimming (Any except Ooze and Plant).

Even the Odds

When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell and the creature's size is larger than yours, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage to the creature. The extra damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a  Short or Long Rest. You might have studied how to turn a creature’s size against them, or just harness sheer rage at how unfair it is that you aren’t BIGGER, either way when you strike against a larger foe, you get them good.

Mantle the Planar 

Restricted to Aberrations, Celestials, some Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, and some Undead
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash a divine energy within yourself. It could be the true form of pure self-belief, or the gift of a deity. For a minute, you can undertake one of three transformations:

  • Sprout wings of your choosing from your back. You gain a 30 foot | 9 meter flight speed.
  • Shed bright light within 10 feet | 3 meters of yourself, and at the end of each of your turns, you and each creature within 10 feet | 3 meters of you take Radiant Damage equal to half your level (rounded up)
  • Take on a skeletal aspect, with ghostly, flightless wings sprouting from your back. When you transform, all creatures within 10 feet | 3 meters of you must succeed on a Charisma Saving Throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or become Frightened of you until your next turn.

Regardless of which transformation you choose, once on each turn when you damage a target with an attack or spell, you can choose to deal additional Radiant Damage or Necrotic Damage equal to your level. You regain the ability to transform this way when you finish a long rest.

Militia Armour Training

You have Proficiency with Light and Medium armour as well as Shields thanks to your time in a civil defense force or militia.

Mountain’s Endurance 

Restricted to Beasts, Celestials, Constructs, Dragons, Fiends, Giants, Oozes, Plants, and some Undead
Your Hit Point Maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

Otherworldly Resistance

Restricted to Aberrations, Celestials, some Dragons, Fiends, Oozes, and Undead
You have Resistance to one of the "special" damage types: Necrotic, Psychic, Radiant, or Thunder.

Planar Jaunt 

Restricted to Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, and Fiends
As a Bonus Action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet | 9 meters to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a Short or Long Rest. This could be a connection to another plane which you use as a shortcut, or a trick that you don’t really know the knack to.

Skullduggerous Weapon Training 

You have proficiency with rapiers, daggers, blunderbuss, shortswords, and hand crossbows. Whether a function of a stint as a minor criminal, or as a deterrent to those unsavory sorts, you’ve learned how to use these easily concealable weapons.

Silent Speech

Restricted to Aberrations, Celestials, Constructs, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, Oozes, Plants, and Undead
You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet | 9 meters from you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time. You may have developed a sixth sense for the realm of words unspoken, or been born with an innate grasp of the immaterial that you can’t explain.

Stout Resilience

You may be a heavy drinker, or perhaps you’ve been drinking very small quantities of lethal poison in order to build up a tolerance to the weaker stuff. You have advantage on Saving Throws against the Poisoned condition, and you have Resistance against Poison Damage.

Trance

Restricted to Celestials, Constructs, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, Oozes, Plants, and Undead
During a long rest, instead of sleeping for 6 hours, you may instead enter a trance for 4 hours. While meditating you dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive after years of practice.

Undignified Distraction

As an Action on your turn, you can cower pathetically to distract nearby foes. Until the end of your next turn, your allies gain advantage on Attack Rolls against enemies within 10 feet | 3 meters of you that can see you. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

Unnatural Growth

Restricted to Aberrations, Beasts, Celestials, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, Giants, Oozes and Plants
As an Action, your form magically enlarges by one size category as if subjected to the spell Enlarge/Reduce. The enlarged size lasts for up to 1 minute, you choose to end it, or you become Unconscious. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

Wild Masque 

Restricted to Beasts, Constructs, Fey, Oozes, Plants, and Undead
You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.

Additional Skills

You gain two skills, tools, or a mixture to gain proficiency in representing interests of your character.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.

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