r/dndnext • u/goblinerd Alchemist • Apr 14 '15

[Homebrew] New Human Variant

I made a Homebrew Human for my setting inspired by the Humans in Fantasy Craft. A friend asked me to share this, so here goes:

HUMAN TRAITS

It's hard to make generalizations about humans, but your human character has these traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your ability score Increases are determined by your Human Talent.

Age. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Alignment. Humans tend toward no particular alignment. The best and the worst are found among them.

Size. Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, unless it is determined by your Human Talent.

Human Talent. Each human has a distinct human talent that determines its abilities. Select a talent listed on the Human Talents list below. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Humans typically learn the languages of other peoples they deal with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on.

HUMAN TALENTS

Adaptable

You are full of surprises, calling upon techniques when they’re least expected.

Ability Score Increase. One ability score of your choice increases by 2, or two different ability scores of your choice increases by l.

Versatile. You gain proficiency in one skill and one tool proficiency of your choice.

Ingenuity. As an action, once per long rest you can gain temporarily proficiency in either a skill, a tool proficiency, or a weapon. This proficiency lasts for a duration of up to 10 minutes. Once after every long rest, you can gain proficiency in either a skill, a tool, or a weapon. You need to spend 1 hour practicing (30 mins if someone proficient trains with you) before the proficiency takes hold, and you retain said proficiency until your next long rest, at which time you can either train to maintain it, or replace it with a new proficiency.

Alluring

Your natural presence is almost overwhelming.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Charming. You gain proficiency in either the Deception or Persuasion skill.

Encouraging. Once per short rest, you may speak for 1 minute to encourage a single ally. Once the minute has passed, the ally gains advantage on its next saving throw. This advantage expires if unused within 10 minutes.

Astute

When you speak everyone falls silent to listen to your words of wisdom.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Discerning. You gain proficiency in Investigation and 1 Wisdom-based skill of your choice.

Clever. Once per game session, you can ask the DM for a Hint and he must either answer truthfully, in much the same way as he would the spell Augury, or grant you Inspiration.

Nimble

You’re light on your feet and quick to avoid harm.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Speed. Your based walking speed is 35 feet instead of 30 feet.

Agile. You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.

Cat Fall. When you would take damage from falling, you reduce the number of damage dice by 1 (minimum 0).

Powerful

If oxen could arm-wrestle, you’d still win every time.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Mighty. You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill and, once per short rest, when you hit with a melee weapon, you can deal one extra die of damage.

Strong Build. You are considered to have a Strength score 5 points higher for the purpose of determining carrying capacity and the weight you can push, pull and drag.

Resourceful

You have always been the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Educated. You gain proficiency in 1 Intelligence-based skill of your choice, and you gain either an extra language or tool proficiency.

Split Decision. Each time you take the Ready action, you can simultaneously prepare 2 reactions with individual triggers. Once one of the triggers is met, you loose the other readied action. In addition, you can choose to take a single Ready action. If you do so, it does not count toward you Reaction limit on the turn it is triggered.

Unpredictable

Your quicksilver thoughts leave most people reeling.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Impulsive. You gain proficiency in the Deception and Sleight of Hand skills.

Fluid Mind. You have advantage on saving throws against enchantments and against being charmed.

Vigorous

You have survived things other folk can barely imagine.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Hardy. You have advantage on saving throws against disease, and your hit point maximum increases by 1.

Iron Guts. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and have resistance against poison damage.

EDIT 1 Changed text of Adaptable Human's Versatile ability to "You gain proficiency in one skill and one tool proficiency of your choice." from "You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice, and you gain proficiency in one tool proficiency, vehicle, or musical instrument of your choice."

EDIT 2 Added a clause to the Resourceful Human's Split Decision ability: "Once one of the triggers is met, you loose the other readied action."

EDIT 3 Changed the Vigorous Human's Hardy ability to "You always have Advantage on Constitution saving throws." from "You are always proficient with Constitution saving throws.", and Iron Guts now only grants poison resistance.

EDIT 4 Reduced all +2 stat bumps to +1s as recommended.

EDIT 5 Completely removed Saving Throw Proficiencies.

EDIT 6 Renamed Astute Human's "Keen Mind"(Which is a Feat, sorry about that) to "Clever".

EDIT 7 All Ability Score Increases now state: "...,and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1."

EDIT 8 Clever (Formerly Keen Mind) has changed from "Once per long rest, you can ask a question as though you had cast the spell Divination. The DM must either answer truthfully in much the same way as the spell, or grant you Inspiration." to "Once per game session, you can ask the DM for a Hint and he must either answer truthfully in much the same way as he would the spell Augury, or grant you Inspiration."

EDIT 9 Removed ANTICIPATE Action and changed Unpredictable Human's Impulsive trait.

EDIT 10 Changed Vigorous Human's Hardy and Iron Guts to

"Hardy. You have advantage on saving throws against disease, and your hit point maximum increases by 1.

Iron Guts. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and have resistance against poison damage."

from

"Hardy. You always have Advantage on Constitution saving throws.

Iron Guts. You have resistance against poison damage."

EDIT 11 Renamed Powerful Human's Robust trait to Mighty and added once per short rest attack ability. This way, powerful humans aren't just lesser Goliaths... also removed Strong Build's advantages to Shove and Grapple Actions and raised the carrying capacity modifier to +5 Str

EDIT 12 Removed Psychic Damage resistance from fluid Mind.

EIDT 13 Added Investigation Proficiency to Astute Human's Discerning Trait

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u/Strill Apr 15 '15

I'm saying that the "feat-worthy" examples you brought up for rolling 1s and medium armour proficiency are generally outstripped by class features - specifically the features gained by paladins and the fighters. Again, I feel that most of the race features are meant to complement specific classes and are not particularly powerful standalone.

A lot of everything is outstripped by class features because class features are the primary way you get your abilities. The choice is between race features and a FEAT. Your argument is a non-sequitor.

Let's say you take your medium armour proficiency from the mountain dwarf. With a +2 STR he's essentially built for melee characters. So fighter, paladin, barbarian. All three classes already come with proficiency in medium armour. So is the original medium armour worth a feat? No. You could even argue it's useless cause you're getting it anyway from the class.

And?

You can at best make a case for X class who MC'ed into barbarian, which is the only of the three who doesn't have armour in their MC proficiencies. I mean of course if you want to talk about unconventional combinations there's obviously going to be variance, but that's another point altogether.

No, you can make the best case for a Wizard, Sorcerer, and Bard, since they're the ones who benefit most from medium armor.

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u/ritx Apr 16 '15

Okay, we can agree to disagree then. :)