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Shiryu
2016-10-07, 10:07 AM
Hello everyone im a new user here and i wanted to create a new race i had in mind but because i dont know what i need to know or how to begin i would like if anyone can help me how to start, the race im thinking of making probably will need to have a high Level Adjustment but i dont know if i can reduce it with penalties so yeah i will be thankful if anyone can give me a hand :)

Aergoth
2016-10-07, 10:10 AM
It helps to know what system you're talking about working with, 3.5 or Pathfinder seems likely.

Generally though things with High LA aren't worth it because it means losing class levels.

Shiryu
2016-10-07, 10:12 AM
It helps to know what system you're talking about working with, 3.5 or Pathfinder seems likely.

Generally though things with High LA aren't worth it because it means losing class levels.

i was thinking a system that works with 5e so....pathfinder?

Aergoth
2016-10-07, 11:12 AM
Ah, so 5e is also a system! If you're working with 5e you're working with 5e (and unfortunately I can't help you!)

Shiryu
2016-10-07, 01:36 PM
Ah, so 5e is also a system! If you're working with 5e you're working with 5e (and unfortunately I can't help you!)

ah its ok thanks for your contribution anyway.

Raenel
2016-10-07, 02:54 PM
If you are working in 5th ed, there are generally no penalties to ability scores. If you are working with pathfinder, then it's a little easier, as there is a race creation section that has a point system to help with balance. The two systems are a little difficult to convert into the other, but not necessarily immpossible. What kind of race are you thinking of? What abilities should they have?

Deepbluediver
2016-10-07, 07:02 PM
I'm not familiar with 5th edition so I can't really talk about balance or LA, but maybe I can help out with the creation process.

This is a question everyone who's doing homebrew should start out with: what are you trying to accomplish?
Is this a new race because you need it for a story?
Or is it going to have new mechanics which you think are cool?
Something in between? Something else entirely?
What is your inspiration?



If you're not sure about the exact mechanics, maybe start with the fluffy stuff and let it flow from there. What is this race's history? What god(s) do they worship? Where do they live? What is their life-cycle like? What sort of culture do they have? Who are their heroes? Who are their enemies? etc etc etc


If you want to avoid LA or whatever 5e's version of that is- try something I've done in 3.5 from time to time. Decide all the abilities that your race has to have to make them feel like what you're going for, but avoid glomping them all on right at level 1. Essentially make your race like a glass, and give it new stuff or power up the old stuff slowly as your PC levels up. If you want something with Regen, Flight, and the ability to shoot fire from it's armpits or something like that, spread it out. Make the regen equal to 1 per 2 levels, the fire scale like spells do, and the flight to maybe start off as gliding, then then 1 round per point of constitution, then 1 minute, then 1 hour, etc. The explanation is that your PC is basically playing a juvenile of that species, and they only acquire the things that the adults have as they age (level up).

In other words, I use it to add to versatility rather than power.