Questions tagged [racial-traits]
For questions primarily about racial traits, the quantifiable capabilities or limitations specific to a race, such as Dwarves, Orcs, Romulans, et. al.
15
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4answers
3k views
Can the DM override racial traits?
In our two-week old campaign, the DM is trying to say I need food or water, or otherwise I'll suffer from exhaustion.
But I am a Warforged Juggernaut, and the Warforged Resilience trait says I don't ...
1
vote
1answer
109 views
How do I apply the Mark of Making dragonmark to a variant human in Eberron?
I am confused on how to apply the dragonmark variant on a human in Eberron, specifically the Mark of Making from the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron.
Do the dragonmark features (from p. 101) completely ...
3
votes
2answers
238 views
Can a grung druid use their Poisonous Skin trait during Wild Shape?
The Grung player race (from the One Grung Above supplement, released to raise funds for Extra Life) has the Poisonous Skin trait:
Any creature that grapples you or otherwise comes into direct ...
7
votes
1answer
114 views
Does the racial trait “Slow Speed” negate all armor penalties?
In the book "Advanced race guide", the racial trait "Slow Speed" says:
If the race is Medium, its members’ speed is never modified by armor
or encumbrance.
Does that negate heavy armors' penalty ...
22
votes
2answers
2k views
If a centaur druid Wild Shapes into a Giant Elk, do their Charge features stack?
The Centaur player race has a "Charge" feature (GGtR, p. 16): If they move 30 feet, the Centaur can attack against the target with its hooves as a Bonus Action.
The Giant Elk beast has a similar "...
-5
votes
1answer
196 views
Is this homebrew race with a day/night-dependent racial trait balanced? [closed]
I want to create a homebrew race for D&D, so that I may use it when I'll find a group (with the DM's approval, of course). The race is wolf related, so what I want to do is give them a night ...
3
votes
2answers
524 views
Can you replace a racial trait cantrip when leveling up?
The Tiefling has the Infernal Legacy racial trait, which grants them the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
In the PHB, it says (emphasis mine):
[...] when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of ...
1
vote
2answers
82 views
Can a Dhampir use the spell or effects of Cure Wounds on him/herself and bypass their Negative Energy Affinity?
Can a good aligned Dhampir use the spell or effects of Cure Wounds on him/herself and bypass their Negative Energy Affinity or would you still need the Life-Dominant Soul feat to at least heal for ...
7
votes
1answer
134 views
Does the Warforged Resilience racial trait apply to saving throws against poison damage?
The Warforged Resilience racial trait (WGtE, p. 68) states:
You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
If an attack deals poison damage ...
64
votes
2answers
6k views
Do Bugbears' arms literally get longer when it's their turn?
The Bugbear's Long-Limbed trait (VGtM, p. 119) says:
When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet
greater than normal.
This means that when it is not a Bugbear's turn, ...
6
votes
3answers
394 views
What are the practical Opportunity Attack values for a bugbear, holding a reach weapon, with the Polearm Master feat?
I have crafted a Barbarian bugbear that uses a halberd weapon, and will take Polearm Master as a feat.
Bugbears have the Long-Limbed trait:
When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach ...
17
votes
2answers
849 views
Do natural melee weapons (from racial traits) trigger Improved Divine Smite?
Following up on
Does Improved Divine Smite trigger when a paladin makes an unarmed strike?
Improved Divine Smite will not trigger on an unarmed strike.
Context
The paladin in my campaign – ...
6
votes
3answers
206 views
Can a Longtooth Shifter druid attack with a bonus action in Wild Shape?
The Longtooth Shifter has the following Shifting feature:
While shifted, you can use your elongated fangs to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. (Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, p66)
If a ...
5
votes
3answers
262 views
Would giving dwarves specific racial proficiencies instead of Weapon Familiarity be unbalanced?
I have a player that wants to play a dwarven druid. He’s flavoring the class as a loner that wander the tunnels protecting his settlement from the monsters that lurk in caves. However he is slightly ...
4
votes
2answers
132 views
Permanent Enlarge Person and Kitsune Shape
The subject of this question is a Kitsune character under a permanent Enlarge Person spell. I have some difficulties to figure out how it will react with the two shape features of this character, ...
2
votes
2answers
114 views
Do bloodlines not increase your ECL?
Bloodlines, in all their weird but flavorful glory. For those who don't know, bloodlines are kind of like a racial template that gives you more abilities as you level up. Instead of having a level ...
5
votes
1answer
126 views
Does a human still get more feats and skill points when he acquires a template?
A feature of the human race is that they get an extra feat and extra skill points.
If a player decides to play human with a half-troll template (Fiend Folio p.93), does he still get his extra feat ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Do all Half-Elf subraces forgo the Skill Versatility feature?
On D&D Beyond, the Half-Elf page has this structure, and roughly the following content:
Half-Elf variants (saying that some variants forego Skill Versatility)
Half-Elf traits (showing all ...
14
votes
2answers
1k views
Does the kobold player race feature, Pack Tactics, give ranged attacks advantage?
On page 119 of VGtM, the description of the Kobold playable race's trait, Pack Tactics, reads:
Pack Tactics. You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies ...
10
votes
2answers
140 views
Does a warforged benefit from composite plating when it uses alter self to assume a different form?
The spell alter self mentions nothing about the affected creature losing its racial traits that are natural abilities, like the warforged racial trait composite plating.
With this in mind, if a ...
6
votes
3answers
316 views
Can a PC cast cantrips without being in a spellcasting class?
I am a new player creating a rogue tiefling which gives me the thaumaturgy cantrip. From my understanding you can't cast spells or cantrips without being something like a wizard.
Can I cast this ...
3
votes
1answer
89 views
How does Light Blindness interact with artificial light sources?
Question
How does the Light Blindness weakness (found, for example, as a weakness racial trait for Drow) interact with artificial light sources like torches, campfire, oil lamps, Light Spell, other ...
4
votes
2answers
253 views
Does repairing the gnome's clockwork device require no materials and make it functional for another 24 hours?
I am thinking about roleplaying a Rock Gnome, and was wondering whether my interpretation of the Tinker trait was correct.
The rock gnome's tinker Trait (PHB pg. 37) says:
Using those [tinker's] ...
4
votes
1answer
753 views
Can a Changeling shapeshifted into a mind flayer read Deep Speech?
Can a Changeling (Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, p. 61) shapeshifted into a Mindflayer read the Qualith language?
The ability to read Deep Speech is dependent on tentacles, so could a Changeling use ...
0
votes
1answer
391 views
How does a Doppelganger monster's Shapechanger trait differ from the Changeling playable race's Change Appearance trait?
In D&D Beyond, I compared the Doppelganger monster's Shapechanger trait to the Changeling playable race's Change Appearance trait. While I think the two are very similar, some differences stood ...
4
votes
1answer
248 views
Could a kenku talk with thaumaturgy?
I was reading this question about kenku communicating using sign language, and was wondering about the other ways a kenku could communicate.
For example, the thaumaturgy cantrip states:
You create ...
6
votes
2answers
312 views
Can a Kenku communicate using sign language?
The description for the Kenku race (VGtM, p. 109-111) includes this statement:
You can read and write Common and Auran, but you can speak only by using your Mimicry trait.
In the Kenku origin tale,...
6
votes
2answers
845 views
Does the Warforged Envoy's Integrated Tool feature give you a free tool?
The Envoy subrace of Warforged (Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron, p. 69) gives you the Integrated Tool feature, which states:
Choose one tool you’re proficient with. This tool is integrated into your ...
1
vote
2answers
439 views
How does a lizardfolk monk's Bite attack work? [duplicate]
I got an idea to build a lizardfolk sun soul monk for some cool RP with praise the sun, sunrays from reptile jaws and stuff. But then I see bite can be used as unarmed attack. From this point I have ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
What happens when my aasimar Celestial warlock has overlapping class and racial features?
If you are a Aasimar warlock who's otherworldly patron is The Celestial you will know the light cantrip from both race and class. Additional once your reach 6th level in warlock you will have have ...
14
votes
1answer
1k views
Can a lizardfolk monk use their bonus action to make an unarmed strike using their Bite trait?
I'm gonna be playing my very first D&D game pretty soon and I'm really excited. I'm playing a Lizardfolk monk, and I just finished my character sheet, but I was confused about something.
We're ...
3
votes
2answers
87 views
How old does a Dragonlance kender have to be, to be an “adult”?
I haven't been able to find any information on this. How old does a kender have to be, to be considered as much of an "adult" as their kind ever gets?
8
votes
1answer
517 views
Does a wildshaped druid retain his/her racial resistances?
A druid's Wild Shape feature specifies the following:
• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of
the beast, [bla-fu about stuff you retain; resistances are not mentioned]
[...]
...
3
votes
3answers
952 views
Is this version of the dragonborn race unbalanced?
When comparing the dragonborns with the other races of the Player's Handbook, it is pretty clear they are a bit underpowered. A quick search in google shows many people also think so.
Besides their ...
6
votes
1answer
5k views
How does the Wood Elf's Mask of the Wild trait work, in terms of flavor?
Just a flavor question (with perhaps slight gameplay influence):
How does a wood elf use the Mask of the Wild trait to hide?
The wood elf's Mask of the Wild trait says:
You can attempt to hide ...
3
votes
2answers
172 views
How does the Dwarven Resilience trait interact with the Prismatic Spray spell if the target is struck by two rays and only one does poison damage?
The prismatic spray spell can do different damage types (and status effects) depending on a d8 roll for the target that determines which ray targets each creature in the area of effect.
Say the ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
How does the spell Darkvision interact with races who have darkvision naturally?
Okay, I have a Wood-Elf character that is going to become a Monk that follows the Way of Shadow. A Way of Shadow Monk gets the ability to cast the spell Darkvision (among others) using Ki. I want to ...
10
votes
2answers
994 views
How does the simic hybrid's Manta Glide racial trait work during combat?
Consider a Simic Hybrid with the Manta Glide trait:
You have ray-like fins that you can use as wings to slow your fall or allow you to glide. When you fall and aren't incapacitated, you can ...
23
votes
2answers
2k views
What are the mechanical consequences of a Centaur's Fey trait?
Centaurs have the Fey trait (Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, pg. 16):
Fey. Your creature type is fey, rather than humanoid.
What does this mean in terms of gameplay? I know that certain spells, ...
23
votes
2answers
1k views
Can a Warforged Envoy pick a land vehicle as his integrated tool?
I am aware that a Warforged Envoy picking anything but the tools in the PHB on page 154 is probably against RAI and would be an awkward implementation. But is it RAW?
The Warforged Envoy's Integrated ...
6
votes
2answers
917 views
Can Aasimar derive from stock other than human?
Inspired by this question: Can Tieflings derive from stock other than human?
Separated out from this question: Can Genasi derive from stock other than human?
Crudely speaking, tieflings are half-...
3
votes
1answer
240 views
How does the UA Centaur's Charge ability interact with critical hits?
The UA Centaur (from Unearthed Arcana: Centaurs and Minotaurs) has the Charge ability:
Charge. If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on ...
12
votes
2answers
522 views
Can Genasi derive from stock other than human?
Inspired by this question: Can Tieflings derive from stock other than human?
Crudely speaking, tieflings are half-human, half-devil. However, as the answer to the other question points out, non-human ...
16
votes
4answers
3k views
Does a Firbolg’s Hidden Step count as a spell or cantrip?
I am making a Firbolg Druid, and I was wondering if the racial feature Hidden Step (Invisible as a Bonus Action) counts as a Spell or a Cantrip? I can’t find anything that specifically says. I want to ...
28
votes
5answers
4k views
What are the mechanical consequences that arise for a PC with the undead creature type?
A tabaxi ranger/assassin in my game made a pact with an unknown power (homebrew deity-like undead necromancer from the Death Plane). To achieve this he became an undead tabaxi (and he took one level ...
20
votes
1answer
2k views
Is this homebrew Mind Flayer race balanced?
I have found a homebrew Mind Flayer race* and am wondering if it is reasonably well balanced against other races.
I have removed the fluff like age etc and just left the important parts.
My personal ...
4
votes
2answers
746 views
Would reach as a racial trait for my homebrew Mutant race be unbalanced?
I am creating a race of Mutants for my dark fantasy campaign.
The core racial mechanic is that each Mutant character picks two mutations from a list. Each mutation gives +1 to an Ability Score and a ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I increase the range of a Dragonborn's breath weapon?
Is it possible to increase the range/area of a Dragonborn's breath weapon?
If yes, how?
-1
votes
2answers
497 views
Would the Spell Sniper feat add to the range of a Dragonborn's breath weapon?
I was looking at feats for my backup character, and was wondering:
Would the Spell Sniper feat affect the range of a Dragonborn's racial breath weapon?
17
votes
1answer
2k views
Can an Aasimar grow their wings in an Antimagic Field?
One of my players wants to play a Protector Aasimar (VGtM, p. 105) but wondered if he'd be able to use his racial ability, Radiant Soul, in an antimagic field.
Would an antimagic field block the ...
