Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Cadburylion May 31, 2015 19:35:58	Hi everyone! I'm quite new to D&D, having only played one Pathfinder campaign that lasted several months two years ago, and having returned to D&D just in the last few weeks with 5th Edition, in which I have around 30 hours as a (first time) Dungeon Master.   My brother is presently playing a Dragonborn Oathbreaker. His favorite animal is a Gorilla, and so I've made an attempt to make a fun, flavorful, and balanced Gorilla player race that he can play instead. I wanted to run it by more experienced Dungeon Masters/Players to get your feedback. As well, if this doesn't belong on this forum, please let me know!   Note: I used the Dragonborn race as a template for this new Primian race.   Primian   Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2. Age: Young primian grow quickly. They walk and tumble about days after being born, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 5, and reach adulthood by 15. They live to be around 85. Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Size: Primian are a little taller than humans, standing at full height several inches over 6 feet tall, though their mildly stooped posture typically obscures this, and are heavier, averaging 285 pounds with the majority of their weight found in their oversized arms and torso. Your size is Medium. Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Primian. Primian script is hieroglyphic, and the spoken language is composed of grunting, screeching, and gesturing similar to that found in animal apes, which prevents most other races from understanding it. Primal Gesture: The similarity between the primian language and that of their animal counterparts allows you to communicate simple ideas with every species of ape. Unbound Strength: Possessing disproportionately strong arms, you have advantage on saving throws against grapple effects.   Subrace: Two subraces of primian are found among the worlds of D&D: lowland primian and mountain primian.   Lowland Primian   As a lowland primian, you have grown accustomed to life in the thick jungle. Your hair is typically very dark and uniform.   Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1. Jungle Pathfinding: You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill. Pounding Rage: You can use your bonus action to go into a pounding rage. When you use your pounding rage, you gain +2 damage and -2 attack for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. You can also end your pounding rage on your turn as a bonus action. After you use your pounding rage, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.   Mountain Primian   As a mountain primian, you are familiar with the rocky terrain of the mountain steppes. Your hair is typically dark, with swathes of gray or silver.   Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1. Mountain Climbing: You have proficiency in the Athletics skill. Rage Pound: You can use your action to make a leap attack at a nearby enemy. When you use your rage pound, you leap up to 15 feat horizontally and pound a creature with your large primian fists. The target creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this saving throw = 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save and is knocked prone, and half as much damage on a successful one and is not knocked prone. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your ragepound, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.   Please let me know your thoughts! If anything is underpowered or overpowered, please specifiy what and why. Thank you very much!
#2 demon_idol May 31, 2015 20:04:52	I really like the idea of an ape-man race. These are my quibbles.   Unbound strength should probably by called unbounded strength, and should probably just give the character advantage on all strength saving throws, as that type of saving throw is suitably rare, and there are not really any effects that require a saving throw and are explicitly labeled 'grapple'.   All Primians should get Rage Pound-- get rid of pounding rage. Both rage pound and pounding rage convey the exact same concept, only differently, and Rage Pound is cooler. You might consider rage pound requiring an attack roll to do the damage to the target, then allow the target a strength saving throw to avoid being knocked prone (no half damge).   Consider giving primians some kind of climb speed.
#3 Cadburylion May 31, 2015 20:12:39	Thanks for your quick response! I really like your ideas. I was attempting to give two flavors of Primian, which is why I came up with those two abilities, and I agree with you that Rage Pounder is the cooler of the two. You think I should make that a feature of the principal race and maintain the subraces without those abilities, or remove the subraces alltogether?
#4 Greenstone.Walker Jun 01, 2015 18:54:04	A small quibble: Gorillas are not arborial animals - they are ground dwellers. Acrobatics doesn't seem right.   As an aside, you could just use the stats for a goliath and add Rage Pound and lots of hair. :-)
(Reply to #3) demon_idol	Cadburylion wrote: