Homebrew Race - Goflings

I homebrew a new player race, I would appricate all criticism and suggestions how to make average NPC/enemy version.

Even more unusual than an union between Human and Orc is one between Halfling and Goblin. However, such a thing is not only possible, but can produce an offspring. These creatures are called Goflings. Small and incredibly agile, but also fragile, they inherit the best and the worst of both worlds. Many times they have also shown to have an intellect above that of an average Goblin or Halfling. They, however, are not as fast as their Goblin parents and do not share their bond with Wargs - in fact, they Golfings seem to be hated by most animals. Many races, like Orcs or Gnolls, have recognized their abilities and kidnap Halflings and Goblins for selective breeding, to produce packs of agile, small and cowardly slaves that can go where their masters can't. Goflings are naturally fearful, often motivated to go on dangerous missions only by the fear of their masters. Free Goflings do exist and can be often found in large cities, making a living by using their abilities as pickpockets and burglars

* +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma - Goflings inherit their parent races' agility and are suprisingly inteligent, but are physically frail
* Small: + 1 to Armor Class, +1 to attack rolls, +4 to Hide, -4 to Grapple, can use only smaller weapons, lifting and carrying limits equal 3/4 of those for Medium characters.
* Mixed Blood: For an effects related to race, Golfling is considered both Halfling and Goblin.
* Base land speed: 20 feet
* +2 Racial Bonus to Climb, Jump, Listen and +4 to Move Silently
* Coward: Goflings gets -2 to all saving throws against fear.
* Terrible With Animals: Goflings gets -2 to all Ride and Handle Animal checks.
Automatic Languages: Halfling and Goblin, Bonus Languages: Common, Draconic, Orc, Gnoll.
* Darkvision up to 60 feet.
* Favored Class: Rogue.

These are problematic, in that they are very min-maxed. Most LA 0 races have one, maybe two pairs of ability adjustments. If we count the +4 as two, these have 3, which is a lot.

While they have drawbacks, these are essentially halflings, but more so. They make absolutely awesome rogues, and are decent at a few other roles, such as wizards, thanks to the intelligence bonus, but they suffer in every other role.

Which means that as long as they play to their strength, they will simply be better at it than any LA +0 race, and probably better than quite a few LA +1 ones. Low strength is a drawback, sure, but not a very big one.

I know there is a planetouched halfling from somewhere that is about as good as this one. But it's LA 1.
Also may I redirect you to the Homebrew Section o our forum? That's where this belongs.

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Originally Posted by Zombulian

I know there is a planetouched halfling from somewhere that is about as good as this one. But it's LA 1.
Also may I redirect you to the Homebrew Section o our forum? That's where this belongs.

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We have Homebrew Section? Ups, I completely missed it. Sure, redirect it. And sorry, I didn't wanted to make any trouble.

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Originally Posted by Eldan

These are problematic, in that they are very min-maxed. Most LA 0 races have one, maybe two pairs of ability adjustments. If we count the +4 as two, these have 3, which is a lot.

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Originally I didn't wanted to give them +2 to Inteligence, but I thought it's a little unfair that many monstrous races ends on short end of the stick with ability points modificators (with exception of Hobgoblins who for some reason gets two +2 bonuses and no drawbacks). Maybye I should remove +2 Inteligence and -2 Charisma?

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While they have drawbacks, these are essentially halflings, but more so. They make absolutely awesome rogues, and are decent at a few other roles, such as wizards, thanks to the intelligence bonus, but they suffer in every other role.

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Yeah, I noticed it while working on it. My idea was to mix Goblin and Halfing and see what comes out, and through I tried to give them drawbacks their parent races don't have, I couldn't give them something that would make them very distinctive.

Three things -

1) a +4 modifier, even if countered by a -4 modifier, is something extremely rare on a non-Dragonborn modified +0 LA base race. I believe that the DMG has some balancing rules for creating homebrew races, and which penalties are worth 'more' than others. Might help here.

2) Movement speed is usually in 10' increments. I'd choose either 20' or 30', not average the two; 20' seems more appropriate here.

3) Lizardfolk speak Draconic, not Lizardfolkish:smalltongue:

No matter how awesome that might be.

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Originally Posted by Kuulvheysoon

Three things -

1) a +4 modifier, even if countered by a -4 modifier, is something extremely rare on a non-Dragonborn modified +0 LA base race. I believe that the DMG has some balancing rules for creating homebrew races, and which penalties are worth 'more' than others. Might help here

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I was thinking about changing these atribute modifiers anyway. Maybye switching Dexterity and Strenght to +2 and -2 respectively.

2) Movement speed is usually in 10' increments. I'd choose either 20' or 30', not average the two; 20' seems more appropriate here.

3) Lizardfolk speak Draconic, not Lizardfolkish:smalltongue:

No matter how awesome that might be.[/QUOTE]

taking you up on your "things I may no longer do" thread and looking at your homebrew.

Overall, just about on par with the powerful phb la 0's. Traditional halfling has much better abilities, but the positive mental stat is potent.

One strange thing to me is that you have given them three automatic languages. I can't think of a single official player race with 3 automatics. More a cosmetic flaw as I have never heard of a game where a character with a positive int modifier knowing one more or less language made a difference.

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Originally Posted by planswalker

taking you up on your "things I may no longer do" thread and looking at your homebrew.

Overall, just about on par with the powerful phb la 0's. Traditional halfling has much better abilities, but the positive mental stat is potent.

One strange thing to me is that you have given them three automatic languages. I can't think of a single official player race with 3 automatics. More a cosmetic flaw as I have never heard of a game where a character with a positive int modifier knowing one more or less language made a difference.

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Well, it just never occured to me there aren't any races with more than two automatic languages. I don't know if I should change it through, as you saidd, it's more of a cosmetic flaw.

I think if I used the race, I'd set its automatic languages to halfling and goblin, with common as a bonus. The average golfling with have a 12 or higher int, so most of them will pick up common. It'd also allow for some interesting rp potential if the pc doesn't choose to pick up common. And it would be a deliberate choice, for I know of no one that'd play a 0 la race with an int bonus and NOT have a positive int modifier.

If making a new wizard race was not your goal, you could change the -2 Strength to -2 Constitution. Instead of 'physically weak' describe them as ’physically frail’ (as if nature feels these should not be).

UPDATE:
Fixed typo based on Fitz10019's tips (thanks dude), and changed -2 Strength to -2 Constitution.

Why does this race have racial ability penalties, and not racial ability bonuses?
Also, it never hurts to throw in an active ability, or encouragement to use particular tactics of sorts.

Even if you don't want to give this a new wizard race, you have a Goblin (-2 Strength), and a halfling (-2 Strength) breeding. The hybrid of this should not have +0 Strength, that just doesn't make any sense.

-2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha seems appropriate. It nets -2 to a score, but it penalizes the two ability scores that are most often dumped (Str and Cha) while boosting a score that is used by pretty much every class (Dex). So it works out nicely.

Why are these people cowards? Halfling gets a +2 morale bonus to saves against fear as part of their race, why would the offspring of goblins and halflings be cowards?

Goblins are often depicted as being skilled with dealing with animals. (Particularly worgs). Maybe the Handle Animal penalty fits, but the Ride penalty certainly doesn't.

The title of the thread misspells the race (Gofling instead of Golfling), which is just confusing.

I would replace Coward with an ability that really combines both the goblin and the halfling together.

Let's think about this for a second. Halflings are known to be skilled with thrown weapons. Goblins are known to attack while riding worgs. So how about the golfling gets Mounted Archery as a bonus feat, and ignores all penalties for ranged mounted combat with thrown weapons or slings?

I can't comment much on the stats, but because I'm a guy who loves fluff/lore, I have to say I love the idea behind these things. A mini half-orc if there ever was one.