Welcome to the Jungle

[Ratter]

I made a homebrew. This is to make a special game where you play as enemies:

The animal kingdom is divided into a few tiers

Tiny
Small
Medium
Large
Huge

Each of these can be hunted by creatures larger than it, the same size, and one size lower. Ranks can be used to purchase a) an ASI of 3 points, b) one feat, c) one class feature (level 1-5 costs 1 rank, 6-11 cost 2 11-16 cost 4 and 17-20 cost 8) d) get expertise in one proficiency or spend ranks to give them class resources equal that to a normal PC of the level of (number of ranks spent)

Every animal must eat half their body weight in food per day, any feat that allows you to instantly gain rations instead makes that number ¼ of your bodyweight, if you have 2 of them it makes ⅛.

Hit Dice is 1d8

Tiny: level 1, ranks: 20, stats are 3d6, speed 10
Small: Level 2, ranks: 15, stats are 4d6d1, speed 15
Medium: level 3, ranks: 10, stats are 4d6, speed 20
Large: level 4, ranks: 5, stats are 5d6d1 speed 25,
Huge: level 5: ranks: 1, stats are 5d6 speed 30

The maximum for a stat is 30
If you have an intelligence score of 25, you can use improvised weapons, they deal 1d12+strength damage
with an intelligence score of 30, you can use normal weapons, they deal (normal weapon damage+strength or dex)*2
Note: racial feats count as feats

[Lalliman]

I'm guessing you want us to assess how well this works? I'm afraid I'm still missing something before I can really look into it: What determines your number of hit dice? Do these creatures have levels? If so, do they get extra ranks to spend when they level up, or do only their hit dice increase?

Also, since they're supposed to be animals, do any of the rules work differently? Can they wield weapons and wear armour? Can they cast spells? Do they have natural weapons? Are there any restrictions on how you can apply your stats, or can you make a tiny creature with 30 Strength?


Every animal must eat half their body weight in food per day
Also, I can't help but comment on this. This is a huge amount even for a very small animal. Some birds will eat this much (because their bodies are very light), but even pet hamsters will 'only' eat about 10% of their body weight each day. The larger the animal, the lower its relative intake. A cat eats about 5% of its own body weight per day, and a cow only 2%. These percentages might be higher in the wild because they have to work harder for their survival, but putting half as a baseline is crazy.

[Ratter]

I'm guessing you want us to assess how well this works? I'm afraid I'm still missing something before I can really look into it: What determines your number of hit dice? Do these creatures have levels? If so, do they get extra ranks to spend when they level up, or do only their hit dice increase?

Also, since they're supposed to be animals, do any of the rules work differently? Can they wield weapons and wear armour? Can they cast spells? Do they have natural weapons? Are there any restrictions on how you can apply your stats, or can you make a tiny creature with 30 Strength?


Also, I can't help but comment on this. This is a huge amount even for a very small animal. Some birds will eat this much (because their bodies are very light), but even pet hamsters will 'only' eat about 10% of their body weight each day. The larger the animal, the lower its relative intake. A cat eats about 5% of its own body weight per day, and a cow only 2%. These percentages might be higher in the wild because they have to work harder for their survival, but putting half as a baseline is crazy.

To answer in succession, they have levels to determine number of hit dice, this was shown as tiny=1, small=2, medium=3, large=4, huge=5, 2. These creatures do not level, they start at a level and stay there, 3. This one I explained poorly or not at all, you can make a simple weapon into a natural weapon, if you used one of your ranks to gain a class, any weapon you have proficiency in can be used instead. A tiny creature can have 30 strength, but its generally a bad idea to do so, because you really sacrifice versatility, everyone else will have better other stats, and will one shot you, it is 50% for balance, you need conflict, and it cant be someone murdered your friend, so I made food an important thing, also, the way I think about it, most animals take feats to reduce the amount of food they need.

[Lalliman]

To answer in succession, they have levels to determine number of hit dice, this was shown as tiny=1, small=2, medium=3, large=4, huge=5
Oh, I missed that. Guess it got lost in the text.


This one I explained poorly or not at all, you can make a simple weapon into a natural weapon, if you used one of your ranks to gain a class, any weapon you have proficiency in can be used instead.
That raises my next question. If you spend ranks to get class features, do you get them at a level-by-level bases, or at a one-feature-at-a-time basis? So is It:
- I spend three ranks to get the features of a 3rd level fighter
Or
- I spend three ranks to get Action Surge, Martial Superiority and Rage

It sounds like it's the second one, but that's pretty janky. Any individual feature can be vastly more powerful than another, which makes some features very hard to justify taking, and some very hard to not to take. For instance, you'd just be dumb not to take Action Surge on every character.


it is 50% for balance, you need conflict, and it cant be someone murdered your friend, so I made food an important thing, also, the way I think about it, most animals take feats to reduce the amount of food they need.
What are these feats you speak of? I haven't heard of them. It sounds like a feat tax, frankly. Can't you lower the food requirement to a more reasonable level and just not offer these feats? It seems to me that you wouldn't want to give character options that reduce the main source of conflict in the game.

Either way, you didn't state that the creatures have to be carnivorous. Food intake might not come up unless you do.