Questions tagged [racial-traits]
Quantifiable capabilities or limitations specific to a race, such as Dwarves, Orcs, Romulans, et. al.
1
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3answers
224 views
Is this homebrew Dryad Sapling race (including its subraces) balanced compared to the official published races?
This race is part of a conversion of a race I built for a 3.5e campaign years ago, and I want to start a new campaign in the same setting, so I need to have the same races available for the new ...
8
votes
2answers
870 views
Can a lightfoot halfling use the ability to hide behind a larger creature while otherwise being observed?
Lightfoot halflings have the Naturally Stealthy trait:
You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.
Can a lightfoot halfling use ...
14
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4answers
2k views
Does a magical creature's sounds mimicked by a kenku have the same effect as the real sound?
One of the antagonists in my plot is a kenku scientist. The party has met her a couple of times and is more and more disturbed with her experiments. She had accepted her curse and the fact that she ...
9
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2answers
2k views
Can a lizardfolk using Cunning Artisan build a club I can cast Shillelagh on?
One of the racial features of lizardfolk is the Cunning Artisan trait (Volo's Guide to Monsters, p. 113), which states:
As part of a short rest, you can harvest bone and hide from a slain beast, ...
14
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2answers
1k views
Does a non-spellcasting Drow PC need material components to cast Dancing Lights?
A Drow's Drow Magic racial trait means that they know the Dancing Lights cantrip at level one, regardless of class. Dancing Lights requires a material component: a bit of phosphorus or wychwood, or a ...
2
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4answers
220 views
How can a lawful good Paladin help a lawful evil Giant? [closed]
The story:
The Fire giant King has a daughter who was possessed by a powerful Demon.
The Daughter is also a powerful evil Cleric with a hundred followers. Under the influence of the Demon she and her ...
2
votes
0answers
104 views
I am confused about making a half-elf that is a drow [duplicate]
I am thinking about making a new character and was wondering what would a half-elf with a drow history act like and if it would have something new. For example, would it have the drow magic trait? Or ...
7
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2answers
904 views
Can changelings change shape to look identical to a specific person?
Could a changeling (from the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron) become a copy of a specific person, or can they only change to be a generic member of that race?
A player asked if they could play a ...
23
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1answer
3k views
What are the consequences for a Warforged that does not spend 6 hours in its inactive state?
In the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, a Warforged has the two following traits:
Sentry's Rest. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours in an inaction, mostionless state, rather ...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
Are targets aware they are targeted by Halfling Jinx?
This questions is probably similar to witch hexes and other mind-control spells, but seems different enough to ask.
Halflings with this racial trait gain the ability to curse another
creature ...
16
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2answers
693 views
Is a Warforged considered to be wearing armor?
The Warforged race from the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron has a unique feature, Integrated Protection, that affects their armor class (AC) and ability to wear armor, detailed below:
Your body has ...
-5
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1answer
236 views
Is this homebrew Liscem race balanced compared to the official races? [closed]
Are this homebrew Liscem race and its subraces balanced compared to the official races?
Liscem
Alignment: Liscem tend towards Chaotic.
Type: Humanoid.
Size: Small.
Ability score improvement: Your ...
4
votes
1answer
168 views
Can a scourge aasimar's Radiant Consumption dispel magical darkness?
Scourge aasimar (Volo's Guide to Monsters, p. 105) have the Radiant Consumption trait, part of which states:
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash the divine energy within ...
2
votes
2answers
298 views
Does a halfling gunslinger's Lucky racial trait work with misfire on guns?
It is my first time playing D&D.
I am playing a 3rd-level Halfling Fighter and am thinking of going gunslinger (the homebrew fighter subclass by Matt Mercer), as the Lucky racial trait seems to ...
18
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2answers
1k views
Can you benefit from the Defense fighting style while not using armor AC calculation?
Let's assume a Lizardfolk fighter, with the Defense fighting style, wearing leather armor. Lizardfolk, per Volo's p. 113, get Natural Armor:
You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren't wearing ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
How can a non-Dragonborn gain a breath weapon?
Is it possible, using official material only (i.e. not homebrew, although if Unearthed Arcana has something, I'd be interested in that, but ideally official material) for one to gain a recharging ...
16
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2answers
4k views
Can an elf be magically put to sleep using a Wish spell?
A defining characteristic of elves is that they cannot be put to sleep by magical means.
Fey Ancestry
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to ...
2
votes
3answers
191 views
How does the Ring of Jumping combine with Tabaxi Feline Agility?
The Tabaxi racial trait "Feline Agility" (Volo's Guide to Monsters, p. 115) says:
When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn.
The Ring of Jumping (...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
Does a Scourge Aasimar take half damage from its own Radiant Consumption effect?
In Volo's Guide to Monsters, the Aasimar playable race has the following trait (pg. 105):
Celestial Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic
damage and radiant damage.
So they take only half ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
Would it be unbalanced to allow a Dragonborn access to both Breath Weapon AOE types?
Depending on the draconic ancestry of a dragonborn, their breath weapon either deals damage in a 5 by 30 ft. line or a 15 ft. cone.
Would there be any unbalancing if the character were allowed to ...
12
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2answers
366 views
What are the “unique magic abilities” that draconians get instead of a breath weapon?
I like dragonborn, but I don’t really like the breath weapon that much. You can’t use it very often, and it doesn’t seem to scale very well at all, so it’s hard to imagine it having much relevance to ...
10
votes
1answer
2k views
Do the Zariel tiefling's subrace bonuses stack with the tiefling's regular racial bonuses?
I'm rather new to D&D and I've been trying to create a Tiefling Paladin. When I looked through the subraces, I saw the Zariel tiefling and thought it to be a good idea, which my friends agreed to.
...
4
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3answers
630 views
Can a Half-Elf choose the same Ability Score for the +1's of Ability Score Increase?
The Half-Elf has a trait called Ability Score Increase which states:
Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Do these "other ability scores" ...
21
votes
1answer
3k views
What's the point of a “once per combat” and a “on your first turn” clauses in the same feature?
Volo's Guide to Monsters p. 119 lists Bugbears as a playable race, with the Surprise Attack trait:
If you surprise a creature and hit it
with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack
...
9
votes
1answer
583 views
Can a Ring of Spell Storing bypass restrictions on racial trait spellcasting?
A Duergar (SCAG, p. 104; MToF, p. 81) can cast enlarge/reduce once per day but with a few caveats (emphasis mine):
you can cast the enlarge/reduce spell on yourself..., using only the spell’s ...
11
votes
5answers
1k views
Can this homebrew-race centaur thief wear magic pants?
For this question, I am using this homebrew centaur race on DNDBeyond. One of its traits is Equine Weakness, part of which states:
As you lack the lower body of a humanoid, you are unable to wear ...
10
votes
3answers
727 views
Does Fey Ancestry give advantage on saves to break an existing charm effect?
My group left the game last week in a tight spot. At the beginning of the encounter, a half-elf PC failed her save against a Vampire's charm - even with advantage, thanks to the half-elf's racial Fey ...
0
votes
1answer
203 views
Does Sunlight Sensitivity impose disadvantage from Holy Nimbus? [duplicate]
Picture this: I'm playing a kobold, who have the Sunlight Sensitivity trait (Volo's, p. 119)
You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the ...
14
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3answers
2k views
If my kobold uses a familiar to deliver Shocking Grasp, do I roll with advantage thanks to Pack Tactics?
Suppose I'm playing a kobold sorcerer with find familiar by way of ritual caster or a dip into lore bard. It's a lovely overcast day and I decide that what I'd really like to do with my turn is to ...
0
votes
1answer
186 views
Is Darkvision a physical or mental trait?
My dwarf fighter died, but was brought back using the "Reincarnate" spell, and was turned into a bronze dragonborn. He has lost his physical attributes (Poison resistance, Constitution bonus) because ...
19
votes
2answers
2k views
Is granting Fey Ancestry to a fey creature unbalancing?
Elves and half-elves have the fey ancestry racial trait; however, I have noticed that the fey creatures do not have the same trait. It seems illogical that fey would not have the benefits of Fey ...
15
votes
3answers
2k views
Is my homebrew elf subrace feature balanced?
For my 5e homebrew setting, I'm making an elf subrace that's supposed to be able to turn into a tiny animal (like a squirrel, raccoon, wildcat etc) once per long rest, for a number of hours equal to ...
16
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1answer
1k views
Does changing race allow for the increase of ability scores beyond 20?
The reincarnate spell replaces your racial traits, within which ability score increases are included. Is a racial ability score increase capped at 20 like a class ASI?
For example, if I have 20 ...
5
votes
1answer
562 views
How often can an Imp Familiar cast Invisibility on itself?
The imp's description on Roll20 suggests that an imp could turn invisible at will and as often as it has the time for (every turn).
Invisibility: The imp magically turns invisible until it attacks,...
1
vote
4answers
1k views
Can a tiefling cast spells from Devil's Tongue using Sorcerer/Bard spell slots? [duplicate]
The Devil's Tongue trait from SCAG states:
Devil's Tongue. You know the vicious mockery cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this ...
4
votes
1answer
182 views
What does “dislike the result” mean in Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes?
Pardon if this is a basic question; there are only 5 threads on this forum regarding the ability in mind, and none of them actually explain how it works.
Looking through the PHB2, I see the Deva ...
9
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1answer
1k views
Is the changeling's Shapechange ability detectable with Detect Magic?
In one of the Unearthed Arcana, the changeling from Eberron was introduced as a playable character race. It has a "shapechange" ability, which allows for a superficial polymorph to change their ...
5
votes
1answer
244 views
When you get Reincarnated into a race with variants, can you get those variants?
A human has a Variant option to forgo +1 to every stat in exchange for a feat, a skill and two +1s.
Sword Coast Adventure Guide also introduces Variant options for half elves, amongst other things.
...
15
votes
1answer
940 views
Do tortles get a bonus to AC from a shield while using Shell Defense?
Shell Defense. You can withdraw into your shell as an action. Until you emerge, you gain a +4 bonus to AC, and you have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in your shell, you ...
0
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0answers
272 views
Is the Shapechanger feature of Changelings just cosmetic? [duplicate]
According to If A Changeling becomes a Succubus, can she fly? (a 3.5e question), a changeling only gains the semblance of the creature it shapechanges into, but not any actual (mechanical) benefits/...
6
votes
1answer
554 views
What does “dreaming after a fashion” imply?
Trance. Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such
meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream ...
6
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1answer
148 views
Player Character Urog Diet
I have a few questions regarding the diets of urog player characters. The book (Alien Archive, page 116-117) does not list any unusual dietary requirements under the Racial Traits block, but their ...
28
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3answers
3k views
Can the spell Catnap affect elves?
Elves cannot be magically put to sleep, according to their Fey Ancestry trait.
The catnap spell (Xanathar's Guide to Everything, p. 151) can make up to three willing creatures fall unconscious (and ...
4
votes
2answers
521 views
Fury of the Small and multiple damage types
What is the damage type of goblins Fury of the Small from Volo's Guide to Monsters if the attack or spell deals multiple types of damage, such as with the flame strike spell?
3
votes
2answers
162 views
Can non-preventable damage be circumvented by Relentless Endurance?
Some spells and other effects say "this damage can't be reduced or prevented in any way." Wish, for example, says
The stress of casting this spell to produce any effect other than duplicating ...
3
votes
1answer
390 views
If a character uses Relentless Endurance with Life Transference, how much does it heal?
The spell Life Transference (from Xanathar's Guide to Everything) states that you can heal a creature equal to twice the damage you self-inflict by the spell.
If a half-orc uses this spell while on ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Can a Half Orc Barbarian use Relentless Endurance after failing to use Relentless Rage?
Relentless Rage allows you to avoid passing out with a successful Constitution saving throw.
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit ...
4
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1answer
4k views
Is there official clarification how firbolg's Hidden Step interacts with delayed damage/save effects?
The playable Firbolg race from Volo's Guide to Monsters has the Hidden Step racial feature (emphasis mine):
Hidden Step. As a bonus action, you can magically turn invisible until the start of your ...
11
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1answer
2k views
Can Tieflings derive from stock other than human?
According to the 5e PHB:
"Tieflings are derived from human bloodlines, and in the
broadest possible sense, they still look human. However,
their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their
...
7
votes
1answer
800 views
Can Silent Speech be used with invisible targets and ones behind full cover?
I'm thinking of creating a party of twin Ghostwise Halfling Rogue. They can infiltrate a castle and communicate with each other silently.
If one of them went invisible, can the other use Silent ...
