Beastfolk Race and Subraces - for use and discussion

[Gritmonger]

Beastfolk are the generic overtype.

All get the following:

Wisdom +1
Proficiency in Perception Checks due to Animal Senses.



Beast folk are humanoids with bestial features, rendering them obviously animalistic in some fashion. This also has granted them some of the abilities of their animal namesake. Mostly they are obviously not a standard human, but could pass on a successful Deception check depending on the amount they resemble or do not resemble standard humans in your campaign.

There is a specific lack of fluff due to people’s individual predilections on how to play somebody who is a beast race. Some might play them as people with slightly animalistic features. Others might have them as blends of animal and man. Still others might just want to play them as intelligent animals.

All of the specific types are subraces.


Catfolk

+2 Dex
Resistance: Falling Damage if able to make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check vs. DC 15
Proficiency in Stealth and Acrobatics
Darkvision 60 ft
Fear of Water: If suddenly underwater or struck by water-based attack, Wisdom save vs DC 10 or damage if attack, or be frightened for one minute.




Dogfolk

+1 Con, +1 Cha
Proficiency in Insight and Persuasion,
Advantage on Perception and Survival Checks relying on smell.
Blindsight: 5’ reliant on smell
Disadvantage on Deception
If the subject of Sonic attack, Sonic attack also acts as a fear attack with the same DC as the sonic damage.



Rabbitfolk

+1 Dex, +1 Wis
Advantage on Perception checks relying on hearing
Movement speed +5’
Jumping distance is doubled (does not stack with “Jump” spell)
Can use Dash as a bonus action



Ratfolk

+1 Dex, +1 Con
Small size
Movement of 25
Proficient in Sleight of Hand
+2 on Initiative
Resistant to poison damage
Darkvision 60’



Foxfolk

+2 +1 Int, +1 Dex Cha
Proficient in Stealth, Deception and Investigation
+5 DC to any rolls trying to track them (may need to up this...)
Darkvision 60’
(Probably needs another element to make it balanced with other folk)



Skunkfolk

+2 Con,
Poison Spray Cantrip
Gutsy (Has advantage on saving throws versus Fear enchantments and effects)
Proficient in Intimidation and Bluff



Bearfolk

+2 Str, +1 Con
Large Size (+1 to AC)
Proficient in Survival and Intimidate
Proficient in hand to hand attack of 1d6 1d4 (bludgeoning or slashing, depending on flavor)
Have disadvantage on Diplomacy and Persuasion
You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the weight you
can push, drag, or lift.



Horsefolk

+2 Con, +1 Str
+5’ to movement
Large Size (+1 to AC)
Proficient in Athletics
+2 to Initiative checks
You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the weight you
can push, drag, or lift.



Lizardfolk

+2 Con, +1 Dex
Vulnerable to cold damage
Scaly hide (+1 AC)
Relatively Emotionless (Proficient in Bluff, have disadvantage on Performance checks)
Hard to Kill (A Lizardfolk can choose to succeed on a failed Death saving throw. This ability refreshes after a long rest.)





+1 Con, +1 Dex
Swimming speed of 20'
Proficiency in
Resistance to cold damage





+2 Cha, +1 Dex
(modeling this after Aarakocra)
Flight speed of 50'
Speed of 25'
Flight speed unusable in Medium or Heavy armor

[bloodshed343]

Are you aware of the Hengeyokai race?

[Gritmonger]

Are you aware of the Hengeyokai race?

I only remember them from the 2nd Edition "Oriental Adventures" sourcebook, which I no longer have on me... as I recall, they were beast folk, but I think they followed a more eastern pantheon (similar to the chinese zodiac) - which, with a little adaptation and the separate inclusion of a slightly flavored "dragonborn" you could probably easily do with something like this.

I'm still trying to figure out the proper weighting and balance of features, and I'd appreciate any comments on what look like under or overbalanced features...

[bloodshed343]

Well, they were expanded upon in 4th edition. They have the standard chinese animal array with dogs and cats and all that. This could be an expansion of the Hengeyokai race. The hallmark of the Hengeyokai race is the ability to transform between a unique human form, a tiny animal form, and a hybrid form. I would include transformation as a feature.

As for the features you have:

Remove all the skill proficiencies. That's too many skills for a race. The normal number of skills for a race is 0.

Catfolk: Taking half damage from falls is fine, it doesn't need a save. The fear of water is too much of a drawback though. Remove it completely. I would leave it at just half damage from falls and darkvision.

Dogfolk: Blindsight is really powerful. If you have that, I would leave it at that. The sonic thing should go. Maybe just keep blindsight and add darkvision 30'.

Rabbitfolk: Keep the speed and the jump increase, lose the rest.

Ratfolk: Keep the size, speed, and initiative bonus. Maybe the poison resistance, or give advantage on saves vs poison.

Skunkfolk: Keep the cantrip.


A lot of these need to be redone completely from scratch. Many of the features don't work well in 5e. The bearfolk unarmed strike is the same as a level 5 monk for example, and no other race in 5e is large. Races in 5e also don't have negatives, except for the drow. It's a different design philosophy.

Basically I would just add the Druidcraft cantrip to the base features and pick maybe one or two features for each of the subraces.

[Gritmonger]

As far as races having negatives - they are there, some hidden - mostly for the small races. The small races get a -5' movement, and disadvantage on attacks with heavy weapons.

There has been a concerted effort not to have a negative to attributes, which I understand, but the negative adjustments are there for halflings, gnomes, and dark elves, if you assume most others can use heavy weapons, move at 30', and don't have a problem operating in daylight.

As for the normal number of proficiencies for a race - Half-orcs have intimidation, Half-elves get two skills of their choice, Rock gnomes get Artisan's tools, Variant human gets a skill proficiency, elves get weapon proficiencies (3 or 4 depending on the subrace), dwarves get a slew: multiple weapon proficiencies, one of three tools, and if a Mountain dwarf, multiple armor proficiencies... even Dragonborn get a proficiency bonus on the save versus their breath weapon. Really, the only one with no chance at proficiencies is the Tiefling, and if you want to count it, the non-Variant Human.

The Catfolk requiring a Dexterity check for half fall damage reflects that this is an active ability, and doesn't work if they are incapacitated or unconscious; that's the automated part. If for whatever reason you cannot make a Dex (Acrobatics) check, you can't resist fall damage. It's a property of a controlled fall rather than a natural state of their body (i.e. poison resistance) and as it's written shouldn't step on the toes of the Monk ability, which I believe can prevent them from taking any damage at all, or reducing the damage of a fall by their Monk level.

I'm trying to balance these okay while keeping them interesting, and if it seems a bit powerful, I added the negatives (fear effects for dogs and cats for loud noises and water respectively) while trying to keep them thematic.

Agreed on the large creatures, there are no rules currently, but I figure if large races existed, such negatives as "requires a mount one size category larger to carry" and other such stipulations might exist to throw them some negatives as well, similar to the small size category. So maybe I should also develop the negatives for large size.

[Bharaeth]

I really like these! For some reason, the idea of 'horsefolk' tickles me, too.

I would want to trim the skill proficiencies down a little - they get Perception as base, right, as well as the subrace ones? I would want to limit the subrace skill proficiencies as an extra 1 skill, 2 at a push - not an extra 3 like the fox folk get.

Regarding the animal transformation... If I ever come to DM 5e, I would want to have a setting with custom races, and some of those would have unique powers, which I would think best to unlock as race-specific feats, to reflect that not all members of the race are pure-bred enough or mongrel enough (whatever takes your fancy) to share all the same capacities. I'm not sure if 5e future supplements will ever have race-specific feats, but a racial feat option for beastfolk could include a limited power to shapechange, 1/long rest or so, keeping their mental faculties. Just a thought.

Also, regarding the large size. Large is really large in DnD, I think. We're talking over 9', aren't we? If you were to go with large, isn't one of the main drawbacks (not in theatre of the mind, I guess) that they take up 10' by 10'? That would require the DM to mentally redesign most standard DnD maps, or would have the large character holding up their companions and foes in your typical 10' wide dungeon corridor. Which I guess could be an advantage or a flaw, depending on party makeup and tactics.

And then the subraces that offer +1 AC. I am undecided on this, but I hear at least my own group saying that plusses to AC in 5e is still a huge deal, and that PCs with natural armour have to choose between their natural or their worn armour to get their AC, assuming they're allowed worn armour at all. Won't an extra AC as standard be hugely beneficial? And your bear subrace getting +1 AC - being large would tend to reduce AC, wouldn't it? At least in older editions it would, anyway.

Just a couple thoughts - but, yeah, I really like the idea. Would you consider seal people, or bird people, too?

[Gritmonger]

<snip>

Just a couple thoughts - but, yeah, I really like the idea. Would you consider seal people, or bird people, too?

Keep 'em coming. A lot of this is experimental - I'm still trying to decode the formula for what various attributes and abilities are worth - basically, that four go-anywhere +1 slots equal a feat and a proficiency, starting from variant human, and then trying to equate other elements, like how many languages equal a an open proficiency slot, or how many plusses to a fixed attribute equal a fixed proficiency.

I wouldn't mind either in this thread or in another thread trying to break this down. I think it would be helpful in homebrewing races to know what balanced looks like.

Edited to add: as there are several notifications on "Large" size, might drop that. It does seem like it's too much trouble for what are effectively animal-like or animal people, but at the same time I'd like to explore what disadvantages are inherent in Large size so it can potentially be included in race-homebrewing formulas. As for the +1 to AC, that was more or less lifted from the 5th Edition Eberron first-stab conversion, as the +1 to AC was there for constructs, it seemed like a decent simulation for natural armor, or in this case resistance to being hurt by large size (and thicker skin - have you ever seen Elephant skin up close? It can stop a .45 calibre handgun bullet - there's a reason they had "elephant guns").