Uncommon Races - Dragonborn
Duncehack Edition
Re: Skipped Preamble
Refer to the first part of this series (or the link dump) if you're interested in that.
Obligatory Natural Crit Plug
Someone else made a thing that lets me make homebrews without having to post them on pastebin or something. They deserve a lot of credit for that.
Obligatory /tg/ Plug
The feedback I got from various Anons on this helped me build it into something that wasn't bad and stupid.
I love you all in a way only abused spouse can possibly understand.
Balance Rationale
See Part 1, for full essay.
Main thing is: Races are worth approx. 3 feats + 2 lanaguage proficiencies.
For the purposes of this I'm working on a 'build point' system that assumes races are worth 18 build points.
So, what's wrong with Dragonborn?
The Breath Weapon is a cantrip in terms of damage and scaling. The AoE effect is balanced by the rest restiction.
So a feature, worth equivalent to a cantrip in terms of damage and utility, makes up half the entire race's kit.
Yeah...
So, what to do?
Interestingly, their budgeting leaves room for a whole feat in there.
Lets be honest, the Xanathar's feats for Dragonborn should have been part of the base race from the get-go.
Dragonborn
- Ability Score Increase. +2 Str; +1 Cha
- Size: Medium
- Speed: 30 ft.
- Draconic Ancestry. Your Racial features (including the damage type of your Damage Resistance and Breath Weapon features, as well as the shape and range of your breath weapon) are determined by your draconic ancestry.
- Eye for Value. You have advantage to history checks to discern the value (whether historical, monetary or otherwise) or an object. You can instantly spot whether or not an item is magical (this does not mean you can identify what the item may be).
- Damage Resistance. You have resistance to the damage type associated with your draconic ancestry.
- Claws. You grow retractable claws from the tips of your fingers. Extending or retracting the claws requires no action. The claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike.
- Languages. Common and Draconic.
Draconic Ancestry
| Dragon | Damage Type |
|---|---|
| Black/Copper | Acid |
| Blue/Bronze | Lightning |
| Brass | Fire |
| Gold/Red | Fire |
| Green | Poison |
| Silver/White | Cold |
Damage Type
Dragonborn gain resistance to the damage type listed in this column of the table.
Dragonborn who have poison resistance also have resistance to the poisoned condition.
Build Point Weight: 13
9 for Ability Score, 1 for Eye for Value, 2 for damage resistance, 1 for claws
Ribbons: Claws, breath weapon rounds down
Final Weight: 12
Changes:
Claws: I mean... they're dragons.
Eye for Value: Dragons hoard, and I wanted to give a sliver of that into the race as a mechanical incentive.
Where's the Breath Weapon?
Rolled it into the Wrathspitter subrace.
It's probably not going to be a popular change, we'll see. May even be reverted down the road. But it was pointed out to me that my general handling of the breath weapon felt like several band-aid fixes on top of each other. Moreover, it wasn't terribly newbie friendly.
I dunno, I was wondering if doing so would piss people off but... honestly, sacred cows are one of the things stifling this game anyway.
But, it is a racial feat now, so there's that.
Steelscale
- Hardened Scales While you aren't wearing armor, you can calculate your AC as 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
- Hardened Resistance: You have an echo of the toughness of a true dragon. When you fail a saving throw, you can choose to turn it into a success instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency modifier. You regain the use of this feature after a short or long rest.
Dreadcaller
- Draconic Fear: You can roar, forcing each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). They automatically succeed on the save if they can't hear or see you. On a failed save, a target becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. If the frightened target takes any damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. You regain use of this feature after a short or a long rest.
- Blindsight: You can sense your surroundings closer to how a true dragon would. You gain 10ft of blindsight.
Talonsworn
- Draconic Savagery. You can spend your bonus action to make a claw attack, even if you don't use the attack action during your turn.
- Razor Claws. You gain the unarmed fighting style.
- Elemental Claws. You may choose to have your claws deal the damage type imparted by your Draconic Ancestry when you attack with them.
Steelscale
Build Point Weight: 7
3 for AC, 4 for Hardened Resistance
Ribbon: 1
1 point of AC
Final Weight: 18
Dreadcaller
Build Point Weight: 6
3 for Draconic Fear, 3 for blindsight
Ribbon: None
Final Weight: 18
Talonsworn
Build Point Weight: 6
3 for Bonus Action Attack, 3 for fighting style
Ribbon: None
Final Weight: 18
Steelscale
In my first writeup, that Hardened Resistance rule was on Dreadcaller (and Draconic Savagery was here because Talonsworn didn't exist). Figured it make more sense here in the end. This version of the Hardened Resistance feature is stronger than my previous writeup because of that half prof mod scaling.
Dreadcaller
Draconic Fear is the same as the writeup in Xanathar's with only one change: it no longer costs the breath weapon to use.
Blindsight was moved over to here from Murkdweller. Had it explained to me in no uncertain details that even 10ft. of bligndsight was underweighted and it made Murkdweller way overloaded.
Talonsworn
New Subrace. Draconic Savagery was buffed significantly (you can always may a claw attack no matter what you use your action for) and the unarmed fighting style (this assumes my version) scales with level.
Murkdweller
- Prehensile Tail: Your tail is prehensile and can manipulate objects upto a range of 10 ft. The tail can only move a weight of up to your Strength score in pounds.
- Tail Lash: You can use your tail to slap or trip up opponents. You may use your bonus action to shove an opponent within 5 ft of you. You can make shove actions to opponents within 10 ft, but if you do, you may only pull them 5 ft towards yourself. The tail can be used to make unarmed strikes (dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage) to a range of 10 feet. It can also hold a weapon, but only if the weapon has the light property. The normal restrictions on unarmed fighting and two-weapon fighting also apply to the tail.
- Stalker: You have a natural affinity for stalking prey. Enemies have disadvantage to Perception (Wisdom) checks to spot you by hearing when you take the Hide action.
- Aquatic Predator: You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe air and water.
Wayfarer
- Flight. You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing heavy armor. If you are wearing meadium armour, this speed reduces to 30 feet instead.
- Gliding If you are wearing heavy armour, or otherwise unable to fly, you can instead glide. While gliding this way, you have a 30 ft flight speed, however you cannot ascend and at least 5 feet of that movement each turn must be spent descending. If you're unable to spend 5ft to descend slowly (e.g. your movement speed is reduced to zero), you fall instead. While falling, you can spend your reaction to reduce falling damage by half.
- Standing Leap. Your long jump is up to 25 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start, so long as you're able to beat your wings at least once during the jump. Your strength modifier is doubled when determining extra feet added onto these distances.
Murkdweller
Build Point Weight: 6
2 for prehensile tail, 2 for tail lash, 1 for specialisation, 1 for Acquatic
Ribbon: None
Final Weight: 18
Wayfarer
Build Point Weight: 6
6 for wings
Ribbon: None
Final Weight: 18
Murkdweller
Buffed Tail Lash, so that's why its a heavier weight. Moving the blindsight off means I have design room to give them a swim speed because some dragons (e.g. black, gold) are acquatic.
Wayfarer
Flight because... well dragon.
Gliding and Standing Leap both exist so that heavily armoured Wayfarers aren't left in the lurch without a subrace feature.
Optional Rule: Flight from multiple sources
Optional rule but if it's an issue for your table: "If you would get the same flight or swim speed from multiple sources (such as from your class) you instead gain an extra 10 feet of flight or swim speed."
Wrathspitter
- Breath Weapon. You can spend a weapon attack, or a bonus action to use your breath weapon, but no more than once per turn and it cannot be used as an attack of opportunity (they may still be used as a readied action). Each creature in the area of the must make a saving throw, suffering full damage on a failed save, half damage on a successful one. The damage begins at 2d6 damage, increasing by another die at 5th, 13th and 17th levels. Your breath further increases in power based on your Constitution modifier, each type of breath manifesting this differently. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. You can use your breath weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Modifier, regaining these uses on a short or long rest.
- Heritage Breath Weapon: You have an alternative use of your breath weapon based on your draconic ancestry.
Breath Weapon
| Dragon | Damage Type | Breath Weapon | Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black/Copper | Acid | Line | Dex |
| Blue/Bronze | Lightning | Line | Dex |
| Brass | Fire | Line | Dex |
| Gold/Red | Fire | Cone | Dex |
| Green | Poison | Cone | Con |
| Silver/White | Cold | Cone | Con |
Damage Type
This is the damage type the breath weapon inflicts.
Breath Weapon
Line Breath Weapons are a 5x30ft area of effect. This type of breath deals extra damage equal to your Constitution Modifier (minimum 0).
Cone Breath Weapons are 15ft area of effect. This type of breath has an increased area of effect equal to 5 x your Constitution Modifier (minimum +0ft.)
Save
This is the saving throw used to resist the Breath Weapon's damage.
Heritage Breath Weapon
| Dragon | Breath Effects |
|---|---|
| All Chromatic | You can use either a cone or a line for the area of your breath. You ignore resistances to your breath weapon, and you treat immunity as resistance when calculating its damage. |
| Brass | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Sleep Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Constitution saving throw or suffer the Slept condition for 1 minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
| Bronze | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Repulsion Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Strength saving throw or be thrown away from you a distance in feet equal to 5 x Your Constitution modifier. When determining damage from falling or impacting an object, the distance between you and the targets is added to the calculation. |
| Copper | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Slowing Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Constitution saving throw or be affected by the Slowed condition for 1 minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
| Gold | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Weakening Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Strength saving throw or suffer the Weakened condition for one minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
| Silver | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Paralyzing Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Constitution saving throw or suffer the Paralyzed condition for 1 minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
Wrathspitter
Build Point Weight: 6
3 for better breath weapon, 3 for alternative breath weapon
Ribbon: None
Final Weight: 18
Wrathspitter
Long story, but the summary is: It was worth a cantrip before, now it's worth closer to half a feat.
The heritage breath weapon gives access to metallic dragon secondary breaths. Chromatics don't have a secondary breath so I just gave them the choices on shape instead.
- Breath Weapon: So cones increase in range as you get more con, lines get more intense (more damage). Gave it the ability to be used instead of a weapon attack or a bonus action, but this meant that I dropped all of the extra wonky scaling I used to have on it (no d12 breath weapons for you in other words). Locking it to once per turn seems fair given that they've got prof mod uses per short rest. Yeah, each usage of the breath is overall weaker compared to the last version, but the bonus action thing is kind of huge.
On Conditions
As per this writing, I haven't completed the Conditions appendix, so as a quick primer...
Slept
- The creature is considered under the Unconscious condition.
- The Slept condition immediately ends if the creature suffers damage.
- An action may be spent to wake a Slept creature without inflicting damage.
Slowed
- The creature can't use reactions.
- The creature does not add dexterity to its AC
- its speed is halved
- it cannot make more than one attack on its turn.
- The creature can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both.
Weakened
- The creature has disadvantage on Strength-based attack rolls, Strength checks, and Strength saving throws.
- The creature deals half damage on all Strength based damage rolls (Such as strength based weapon attacks, or damage by features where the DC is based on Strength).
Paralyzed (Unchanged)
- A paralyzed creature is incapacitated and can't move or speak.
- The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity saving throws.
- Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
- Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.
Optional Dragonborn Rules
There isn't much to do here really given just how little support Dragonborn got and how much work I've done on them to begin with (this section is usually reserved for handling heavily imbalanced additions WotC put in within a race).
Optional Rule: Ancestral Tendancy
If permitted by this optional rule, a dragonborn player may change one of their Ability Score points provided by their race to one that their ancestry has an affinity for.
(i.e. they can give up +1 Str, or +1 Cha, for one +1 of an ability score provided by their ancestry.)
| Dragon | Ability Score |
|---|---|
| Black/Copper | +1 Wis |
| Blue/Brass/Green | +1 Int |
| Bronze/Red/Gold | +1 Con |
| Brass/Silver/White | +1 Dex |
Optional Rule: Subrace Ability Score Modifiers
A lot of people don't like any changes to the Dragonborn ASIs. A lot of people think not having subrace ASIs is a wasted opportunity.
If permitted, this optional rule removes 1 point of Strength from the base race (so the base race provides +1 Str; +1 Cha), and replaces it with a Subrace Ability Score Modifier.
| Subrace | Ability Score |
|---|---|
| Steelscale/Wrathspitter | +1 Con |
| Dreadcaller/Murkdweller | +1 Cha |
| Talonsworn/Wayfarer | +1 Str |
Note:
Subrace Ability Score Modifiers and Ancentral Tendancy optional rules are not mutually exclusive.
Optional Rule: Empowered Breath Weapon Recharge
This replaces the 'Proficiency modifier number of uses' lines in the Empowered Breath Weapon feature.
Flat d6 Recharge
When using this optional rule, instead of gaining a number of uses of the breath weapon equal to their proficiency modifier, the Wrathspitter instead rolld a d6 on the beginning of their turn. They regain usage of the breath if it shows a 5 or a 6.
Scaling die type Recharge
When using this optional rule, instead of gaining a number of uses of the breath weapon equal to their proficiency modifier, the Wrathspitter instead rolls a die based on their proficiency modifier on the beginning of their turn. They regain usage of the breath if it shows either of the top two numbers of the die (e.g. for a d6, a 5 or a 6).
At +2 proficiency modifier, the recharge occurs on either an 11 or a 12 on a d12. At +3, it recharges on a 9 or a 10 on a d10, at +4 it's 7 or an 8 on a d8, at +5 it's 5 or 6 on a d6 and at +6 it's 3 or a 4 on a d4.
Here for Room:
On Conditions (Previous Page)
I know more conditions risks overcomplicating the game, when the goal of 5e was to streamline everything.
Problem is, all of the conditions above show up multiple places throughout the game and are articulated in full. Moreover, each time inconsistencies show as there'll be a line or two written with slightly different phrasing between each iteration despite being the same thing.
Players already refer to the conditions by these names anyway, I'm not adding anything into the game that didn't previously exist, I'm just codifying it in a central form.
On Racial Feats (Next Page)
The feats are all just versions of the subrace options and that's intentional. The idea is that Dragonborn are just 'fragments' of a true dragon, and they can strive to get closer to that birthright.
As it stands, it takes 5 feats (as you don't need to pick your own subrace's feat), to become a whole dragonborn. This does cost ASIs though. My present plan for backgrounds is that they can offer a half-feat's worth of value to players, so one of the options I plan to have is a background that gives you a Racial half-feat of your choice, so if you're worried about the opportunity costs, I do want to give mitigations to that (I don't want to just hand people more straight up ASIs though).
Dragonborn Racial Feats
Draconic Savagery (Half-Feat)
You can spend your bonus action to make a claw attack, even if you don't use the attack action during your turn.
Blindsight (Half-Feat)
You gain 10ft of blindsight.
Wings (Full-Feat)
- You grow a pair of wings, gaining a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing heavy armor. If you are wearing meadium armour, this speed reduces to 30 feet instead.
- If you are wearing heavy armour, or otherwise unable to fly, you can instead glide. While gliding this way, you have a 30 ft flight speed, however you cannot ascend and at least 5 feet of that movement each turn must be spent descending. If you're unable to spend 5ft to descend slowly (e.g. your movement speed is reduced to zero), you fall instead. While falling, you can spend your reaction to reduce falling damage by half.
- Your long jump is up to 25 feet and your high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start, so long as you're able to beat your wings at least once during the jump. Your strength modifier is doubled when determining extra feet added onto these distances.
Frightful Presence (Half-Feat)
You can roar, forcing each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). They automatically succeed on the save if they can't hear or see you. On a failed save, a target becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. If the frightened target takes any damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. You regain use of this feature after a short or a long rest.
Hardened Resistance (Full-Feat)
- While you aren't wearing armor, you can calculate your AC as 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
- When you fail a saving throw, you can choose to turn it into a success instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency modifier. You regain the use of this feature after a short or long rest.
Draconic Predator (Half-Feat)
- You have a natural affinity for stalking prey. Enemies have disadvantage to Perception (Wisdom) checks to spot you by hearing when you take the Hide action.
- You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe air and water.
Tail (Half-Feat)
- Your grow a prehensile tail and can manipulate objects upto a range of 10 ft. The tail can only move a weight of up to your Strength score in pounds.
- You can use your tail to slap or trip up opponents. You may use your bonus action, to shove an opponent within 5 ft of you. You can make shove actions to opponents within 10 ft, but if you do, you may only pull them 5 ft towards yourself. The tail can be used to make unarmed strikes (dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage) to a range of 10 feet. It can also hold a weapon, but only if the weapon has the light property. The normal restrictions on unarmed fighting and two-weapon fighting also apply to the tail.
Breath Weapon (Full-Feat)
- You can spend a weapon attack, or a bonus action to use your breath weapon, but no more than once per turn. Each creature in the area of the must make a saving throw, suffering full damage on a failed save, half damage on a successful one. The damage begins at 3d6 damage, increasing by another die at 5th, 13th and 17th levels. Your breath further increases in power based on your Constitution modifier, each type of breath manifesting this differently. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. You can use your breath weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Modifier, regaining these uses on a short or long rest.
- You have an alternative use of your breath weapon based on your draconic ancestry.
Breath Weapon
| Dragon | Damage Type | Breath Weapon | Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black/Copper | Acid | Line | Dex |
| Blue/Bronze | Lightning | Line | Dex |
| Brass | Fire | Line | Dex |
| Gold/Red | Fire | Cone | Dex |
| Green | Poison | Cone | Con |
| Silver/White | Cold | Cone | Con |
Damage Type
This is the damage type the breath weapon inflicts.
Breath Weapon
Line Breath Weapons are a 5x30ft area of effect. This type of breath deals extra damage equal to your Constitution Modifier (minimum 0).
Cone Breath Weapons are 15ft area of effect. This type of breath has an increased area of effect equal to 5 x your Constitution Modifier (minimum +0ft.)
Save
This is the saving throw used to resist the Breath Weapon's damage.
Heritage Breath Weapon
| Dragon | Breath Effects |
|---|---|
| All Chromatic | You can use either a cone or a line for the area of your breath. You ignore resistances to your breath weapon, and you treat immunity as resistance when calculating its damage. |
| Brass | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Sleep Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Constitution saving throw or suffer the Slept condition for 1 minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
| Bronze | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Repulsion Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Strength saving throw or be thrown away from you a distance in feet equal to 5 x Your Constitution modifier. When determining damage from falling or impacting an object, the distance between you and the targets is added to the calculation. |
| Copper | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Slowing Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Constitution saving throw or be affected by the Slowed condition for 1 minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
| Gold | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Weakening Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Strength saving throw or suffer the Weakened condition for one minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |
| Silver | You can spend your breath weapon to make a Paralyzing Breath. This breath is a cone and creatures affected by the breath must succeed a Constitution saving throw or suffer the Paralyzed condition for 1 minute. The saving throw can be repeated at the end of each affected creature's turn. |