I'm sure there are some players of Guild Wars 2 out there. I thought it would be cool to create playable versions of the non-human races from the game. These are in no way set in stone; if you see something that is way overpowered, or otherwise needs tweaking, please let me know. Feedback is always welcome.
I didn't include any race fluff; information on the various races is readily available at the Guild Wars 2 Wiki, for anyone who isn't familiar.
EDIT: There is a newer post with some changes further down the thread. I have left the original post as is for reference.
Asura (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Asura)
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Asura mature quickly, and are considered adults by the age of 16. They can live 100-120 years.
Alignment. Asura on the whole tend toward lawful alignment, preferring a structured, orderly society.
Size. Asura are between 3 and 4 feet tall, rarely taller, and average about 50 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Despite their small size, asura move very quickly. Your base walking speed is 30.
Darkvision. The asura dwell on the surface now, but for centuries their society was entirely subterranean. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Unlike most races, asura can discern colours in darkness.
Genius. Asura are encouraged (required) to excel from an early age. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Expertise. Select one skill in which you are proficient. Your proficiency in this skill is doubled when making a skill check. This feature does not stack with any Expertise class feature.
Mr. Fix-It. You know the mending cantrip.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Asuran, and one other language of your choice. Asuran uses its own script, but is similar to ancient Dwarven. Spoken Asuran is very fast and high-pitched, and is difficult for non-asura to speak (this is a source of great amusement for asura).
Charr (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Charr)
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other attribute of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Charr mature quickly, and can walk, talk, and fight a year after birth. Their lifespans are shorter than those of humans, usually 65-80 years if they don't die in combat.
Alignment. The militaristic society of the charr places very high value on the rule of law, and the discipline of the Legions. Charr cleave strongly towards lawful alignments, while good and evil are much less relevant (or irrelevant) concepts to them.
Size. Charr are significantly bigger than humans, but not as big as Norn. They average between 6 and 7 feet in height, and usually weigh between 200-300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Darkvision. The feline eyes of the charr see in darkness as well as they do in daylight. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colour in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses. Charr have four ears, for picking up high and low frequency sounds, as well as extremely keen eyesight. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
First into the Fray. Charr are bred for aggression and combat. You may add your proficiency bonus to all Initiative checks.
Going Away Present. If you are reduced to zero hit points or fewer, you may use your reaction to make a melee or ranged weapon attack against the target that felled you. You can't use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Charr. The Charr language is almost impossible for other races to speak, due to it containing many vocalizations that humanoid throats can't produce. The Charr written language is comprised of ideograms used to convey battle orders and similar short messages; it is not well suited for narrative writing.
Norn (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Norn)
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. Norn age and mature at approximately the same rate as humans, although they grow much larger. Norn can live to be around a century old.
Alignment. Norn value freedom, both personal and cultural, very highly, and place great stock in carving one's own path in the world (which they refer to as one's “legend”). Norn tend towards chaotic alignments.
Size. Norn are massive, standing 6 to 8 feet in height, and weighing up to 600 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Cold Adapted. The Norn are fully acclimated to cold climates, and suffer no discomfort or penalties in even the most extreme natural cold. You have advantage on saving throws against cold, and resistance to cold damage.
Favoured of the Wild. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
Spirits' Guidance. The totem spirits of the Norn are occasionally willing to provide their aid when called upon. You know the guidance cantrip, but you may only use it on yourself. You can't use this feature again until you complete a short rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Norn. The Norn language is very rarely used when they are among other races, and few members of other races speak it well, or at all. Written Norn uses a blocky runic script similar to ancient Dwarven.
Sylvari (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sylvari)
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Sylvari emerge from the Dream fully grown, but lacking experience. The lifespan of a sylvari is unclear, but given their abundantly vital nature, they may be expected to live 200 years or more.
Alignment. Sylvari strongly tend toward good alignments, save for those who have fallen to the Nightmare Court. They have no strong predisposition towards law or chaos, each sylvari eventually finding the balance that suits them best.
Size. Sylvari tend to be slightly shorter than humans on average, and more slightly built. They average between 5 and 6 feet in height, and weigh 100-180 lbs. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Vitality of the Grove. You have advantage on saving throws against poison and disease. You cannot be raised as or transformed into an undead creature of any kind.
Pale Tree's Blessing. Sylvari recover quickly from most injuries. When you spend Hit Dice to recover hit points, you may roll two dice and keep the better roll for each Hit Die you spend. You still add your Con modifier to the total.
Restoration of Earth. If you are reduced to zero Hit Points or less and are in contact with natural earth or stone, on your next turn you may stabilize and grant yourself one hit point. You can't use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and one other language of your choice. Sylvari are always excited to learn new languages, and are eager students when someone is willing to teach them.
I love what you've done with the asuras. though you could argue that colors don't exist in the absence of light, so for them to distinguish them in the dark is... scientifically odd :-)
Charr: The proficiency bonus to initiative is pretty awesome, but I wonder if it's too powerful. "Going away present" seems a bit meh... I would like to add: "if you down an enemy with this attack you rally and regain 1 hit point. You can only achieve this effect once per long rest". It seems appropriate for a guildwars race :-)
Norn: good idea with "guidance" but I don't like that if a character knows the cantrip already then the racial is useless. I wouldn't mention the cantrip at all. "once per short rest you can add 1d4 to a skill check you make". That way it could stack with guidance. I wonder if norn are underpowered aganinst the others. Something to do with size maybe?
Sylvari: a little too much about healing? having only reactive racials makes for a less interesting option, pale tree's blessing especially. love restoration of the earth, though it takes one action and is therefore strickly inferior to the half-orc ability. vitality of the grove seems inconsistent with lore: so many sylvari missions are about nature being poisoned and the need to stop that that giving them poison resistance struck me as strange. Maybe a turrent growing ability?
Thank you for your feedback! That is all very helpful.
With the asura, I felt that, being a naturally subterranean race, their eyesight would be superior in terms of distinguishing colours in darkness or near darkness. It's certainly true that in complete darkness, there is no light, and presumably no sight. My thinking is that the asura's large eyes and ears combine to give a clearer picture of what they perceive in the dark, without going TOO far (blindsight). Mainly it's just a flavour boost, although I suppose there could be situations where seeing colour in darkness would help (like not pushing the red button instead of the blue one). Or, alternative shorter version: magic eyesight.
I'm still debating on the charr initiative bonus. I may redo their racial stat bonuses so they're not so heavily stacked towards initiative. I think the proficiency bonus itself is OK, but combined with +2 Dex it may be too high at higher levels (+6 proficiency, +5 stat, +5 alert... +16 to initiative). I think it may be easier and better to just give them advantage on initiative rolls. I like the suggestion about Going Away Present leaving you with one hit point if your attack drops the enemy.
I'm gonna rewrite that bit about the Norn; it doesn't need mention of the guidance cantrip. That was mainly so I didn't have to write in mechanics for the boost. 
The Sylvari were really, really tough to come up with D&Dish stuff for. And it does lean heavily towards growth and healing, but that is kind of a thing for them. I like Pale Tree's Blessing and Restoration of Earth, but I'm going to redo Vitality of the Grove. The 'can't become undead' will stay, but the poison/disease resist needs something else. Restoration of Earth was not meant to take an action, it was meant to be free if you choose to use it; I'll clarify that.
also remember the sylvari are all echoes of the Dream, and are all attuned to the spirit of the world. Some divination/telepathic connection could work.
As for the turrents, they'd have to be balanced carefully, but i thought of something like: "As an action, you plant a seed. It blossoms into a medium plant with ac equal to 10+your profiency bonus and hit points equal to your level. The plant acts like a turrent and lasts for 1 minute (maybe add concentration here). Once per turn, on your initiative, the turret makes a ranged attack against the closest enemy withing 20 feet, using your proficiency bonus and charisma modifier. On a hit, it deals 1d8 damage. At 6th level you summon two turrets; 3 at 11th and 4 at 16th. You can only use this abity once per long rest.
Overpowered? Underpowered? Interesting enough?
I remember in the original game, one of the first missions was to spy the Charr and after a cutscene, they pursue. Those guys catch-up awful fast. I know you said this based on GW2 and maybe the Charr have slowed down since the Searing (I never got 2). I'd just up their speed is all.
Hm, the Sylvari bonuses are a little out of place in my mind. I would have given them +2 Wisdom +1 Dex/Int or something. In addition I agree about their bonuses being a little too similar. I like the Pale Tree benefit. You may consider giving them Nature proficiency, given their lore and hteir ability to "sense" nature as it were. Also perhaps giving them "Detect Poison and Disease" as a once per long rest ability might suit them well in place of other bonuses.
The Norn getting +4 overall attributes makes good cause for them to not get as many racial abilities. However the equivalent of guidance is still really potent. I hardly think they are underpowered.
I think the asrua is definitely the best work there.
I am also in some conflict for the Charr bonuses. Are they getting a bonus to Dex because of their felin appearance? They are described as being quite brutish in appearance actually. You may want to divide up the attribute bonuses based on clan otherwise you are pigeonholing them to all be finesse fighters/rogues which does not fit the flair of being a Charr. Going Away Present does feel very GWish but I agree it pales in comparison to most other abilities. Frankly when I first saw the feat Savage Attacker, I immediately thought of Charr. Something akin to that but weaker may be something to consider.
Love the idea of having a setting in Tyria. Of course you will have to make some new weapons for all the technology that exists there (or repurpose crossbows to be more like guns I suppose could work).
BillyCorman wrote:
Billy, my first draft of the charr had them at speed 35, but I thought it was too much given the other stuff. When I get a chance to edit later, I'll revisit their speed (among other things). One idea is that they have a normal walk speed, but can Dash significantly faster.
I'm thinking to make the Norn 'guidance' ability more powerful, like a d6, but work less often (1/day). Norn don't continually call on the spirits for direct aid, so getting an assist once a day seems more reasonable than 2-4 times a day.
The Sylvari need the most work, for sure. I like the turret idea, but I don't think giving them a racial bonus attack is a good idea. I'm thinking of maybe giving them some nature-oriented spells that work once a day, like Entangle or Pass Without Trace.
I deliberately did not give Sylvari a Wisdom bonus; the Pale Tree is certainly wise, but most Sylvari come across as variously naive, guileless, and inexperienced. Only the Firstborn really seem to have come into their personalities, and most of them have been scarred by tragedy and trauma as well. The Charisma bonus seemed most appropriate as they are by far the most outgoing, gregarious race in Tyria. Con bonus reflects their vital nature.
I appreciate the feedback, thanks all! All suggestions are welcome.
I played Guild Wars pretty hardcore for 5 years. The original game had as perfect a balance as one can expect from a video game. The subsequent campaigns - and classes - upset that balance. By the time EotN came out, the balance was adrift. They (saught) sought to restore things in GW2, but I never joined that community.
The void is pretty much why I'm going to try 5e in D&D this weekend, I haven't played the game in decades. It's a post/thread like this that helps me relate, so I thank you for the effort here.
Nice idea! I recently got back into GW2 after a bit of an absense.
This makes me want to make character sheets for the members of Destiny's Edge, using your racial info.
Try weaving in subraces. Especially in the case of the Charr, I feel that there's a lot of reason to do so: Ash Charr pick up a much different skillset and focus than Blood Charr, growing up completely different from thet get-go. It wouldn't be that weird if they had different "racial" (or rather sub-racial) abilities.
Charr - Divide by Legion, giving them relevant racials. Ash/Iron/Blood. Flame optional. Ditch the Initiative proficiency it's completely broken.
Norn - Divide by main lodge/spirit. Giving them some kind of limited Wild Shape that kicks at level X might be cool too, similar to how Tieflings have spellcasting that kicks in at later levels.
Asura - You could divide by College, but here it might not be that interesting. Still, at least give players the ability to choose between colleges, giving them minor changes.
Sylvari - Divide by Cycle. It's not really true to the game (Where the cycles don't seem to do much) it would definitely allow interesting customization. Dusk cycle, for instance, is very much said to be mysterious and magical, so Cha/Int would fit there.
Putting some thought into subraces allows more relevant customization. A core philosophy in GW2 design is that race choice shouldn't limit class choice, and while in DnD you have enough races to cover a lot of bases, the 5 races in Tyria are just plain not enough. Just as an example, there is very little reason to make a Strength based Charr when Norn exist, despite the armor clad heavy Charr being an iconic sight. Same with Norn and Druid or Ranger. Heck, in your game world, limited to the 5 races, Wis based classes get no love whatsoever.
EDIT: Also, if you want Asura's Darksight to be (understandable) superior, just up the range to 120, like the drow. Exactly like the Drow, since those are stated to be subteranean too!
EDIT2: The free DOUBLE skill proficiency kind of shadows the Human's 1 free skill. Plus it doesn't fit all that well. Asura are encouraged to excel in academia mainly. There's no reason to beleive they're encouraged to excel in Intimidation, for instance. From the top of my head, this might fit better: Choose one free (artisan) tool proficiency (To mimic the Asura's focus on teaching their young'uns handson engineering). You get free profiency in History, Nature or Arcana (Basically, all the knowledge skills). Or perhaps some kind of adaptation of Stonecunning (Dwarves), except instead of stone, it applies to magical technology. Since it's pretty heavily implied every Asura understands magic and technology at least a little. This might stick with the theme a bit more, just my 2 cents.
I've revised everything but the asura (because they are, by their own admission, perfect). I was going to edit the initial post, but I'd prefer to keep the original iterations for now, so anyone else who comes along can see the changes that have been made.
Asura
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Asura mature quickly, and are considered adults by the age of 16. They can live 100-120 years.
Alignment. Asura on the whole tend toward lawful alignment, preferring a structured, orderly society.
Size. Asura are between 3 and 4 feet tall, rarely taller, and average about 50 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Despite their small size, asura move very quickly. Your base walking speed is 30.
Darkvision. The asura dwell on the surface now, but for centuries their society was entirely subterranean. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Unlike most races, asura can discern colours in darkness.
Genius. Asura are encouraged (required) to excel from an early age. You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
Expertise. Select one skill in which you are proficient. Your proficiency in this skill is doubled when making a skill check. This feature does not stack with any Expertise class feature.
Mr. Fix-It. You know the mending cantrip.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Asuran, and one other language of your choice. Asuran uses its own script, but is similar to ancient Dwarven. Spoken Asuran is very fast and high-pitched, and is difficult for non-asura to speak (this is a source of great amusement for asura).
Charr
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1, your Dexterity score increases by 1, and one other attribute of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Charr mature quickly, and can walk, talk, and fight a year after birth. Their lifespans are shorter than those of humans, usually 65-80 years if they don't die in combat.
Alignment. The militaristic society of the charr places very high value on the rule of law, and the discipline of the Legions. Charr cleave strongly towards lawful alignments, while good and evil are much less relevant (or irrelevant) concepts to them.
Size. Charr are significantly bigger than humans, but not as big as Norn. They average between 6 and 7 feet in height, and usually weigh between 200-300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Darkvision. The feline eyes of the charr see in darkness as well as they do in daylight. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colour in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses. Charr have four ears, for picking up high and low frequency sounds, as well as extremely keen eyesight. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Catlike Reflexes. Charr have exceptional reflexes honed by years of harsh training. You have advantage on your Dexterity check when rolling for Initiative.
Deadly Dash. You move swiftly in battle. Your movement speed is considered to be 10' faster when you take the Dash action.
Charr Weapon Training. All charr are taught the fundamentals of melee and ranged combat. You are proficient with the longsword, battleaxe, warhammer, and longbow.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Charr. The Charr language is almost impossible for other races to speak, due to it containing many vocalizations that humanoid throats can't produce. The Charr written language is comprised of ideograms used to convey battle orders and similar short messages; it is not well suited for narrative writing.
Norn
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. Norn age and mature at approximately the same rate as humans, although they grow much larger. Norn can live to be around a century old.
Alignment. Norn value freedom, both personal and cultural, very highly, and place great stock in carving one's own path in the world (which they refer to as one's “legend”). Norn tend towards chaotic alignments.
Size. Norn are massive, standing 6 to 8 feet in height, and weighing up to 600 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Cold Adapted. The Norn are fully acclimated to cold climates, and suffer no discomfort or penalties in even the most extreme natural cold. You have advantage on saving throws against cold, and resistance to cold damage.
Favoured of the Wild. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
Spirits' Guidance. The totem spirits of the Norn are occasionally willing to provide their aid when called upon. As an action, you may call upon Raven, Bear, Snow Leopard, or Wolf to assist you. You roll 1d6-1 and add the result to a skill check of your choice that you make within 10 rounds. If the result of the roll was greater than zero, you can't use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Norn. The Norn language is very rarely used when they are among other races, and even fewer other races speak it well, or at all. Written Norn uses a blocky runic script similar to ancient Dwarven.
Sylvari
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Sylvari emerge from the Dream fully grown, but lacking experience. The lifespan of a sylvari is unclear, but given their abundantly vital nature, they may be expected to live 200 years or more.
Alignment. Sylvari strongly tend toward good alignments, save for those who have fallen to the Nightmare Court. They have no strong predisposition towards law or chaos, each sylvari eventually finding the balance that suits them best.
Size. Sylvari tend to be slightly shorter than humans on average, and more slightly built. They average between 5 and 6 feet in height, and weigh 100-180 lbs. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Immunity to Undeath. You cannot be raised as or transformed into an undead creature of any kind.
Woodland Sight. Heavy obscurement caused by trees, foliage, vines, or undergrowth is treated as light obscurement for Sylvari. Light obscurement caused by the same is treated as no obscurement.
Pale Tree's Blessing. Sylvari recover quickly from most injuries. When you spend Hit Dice to recover hit points, you may roll two dice and keep the better roll for each Hit Die you spend. You still add your Con modifier to the total.
Restoration of Earth. If you are reduced to zero Hit Points or less and are in contact with natural earth or stone, on your next turn you may automatically stabilize and grant yourself one hit point. You can't use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
Wild Attunement. You know the druidcraft cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you may cast the entangle spell once per day. At 5th level you may cast pass without trace once per day. Only verbal components are required.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and one other language of your choice. Sylvari are always excited to learn new languages, and are eager students when someone is willing to teach them.
Seraphex, I considered exactly what you described as far as the "subraces" go, but eventually decided that those aspects would be much better as Backgrounds.
Given the four races I started with, an innate Wisdom boost didn't seem to suit any of them particularly well. There are other races in Tyria besides the current playable choices; Kodan or Tengu would both likely qualify for a Wisdom boost.
Direach wrote:
my only gripe would be with the following...
1.) why can asura discern colors with their darkvision, yet the masters of the underdark (the Drow) can't? by logic alone if your going to do that for the Asura, then should homebrew and bump that for the Drow, as you stated, Drow have been living in the underdark for god knows how long and they can't discern colors....but they have increased range, so that seems fair for the asura... and honestly it's because color really doesn't matter in the dark...
2.) don't understand why Charr have Darkvision, real life lion's, tigers and cats etc have what D&D whould coin "Low Light Vision", seeing as charr are just big giant cats, it'd make sense for them to have low-light vision, not "Dark Vision".... not to mention they never really grew up in the subterranean tunnels of the Underdark or underground (in GW setting).
3.) sub-races would be interesting for the Charr... but only for a difference between normal charr and flame legion charr, ....biologically speaking, Ash/Iron and Blood charr are in no shape or way biologically different from one another.... however ( and clearly visible) Flame Legion charr are clearly different, with their magical augmentations to their flame god etc..... so it would make more sense to simply make a sub-race for Flame Legion Charr, for that one PC who wants to be a crazed religious nutjob spouting end of the world bathed in flame
and aye, i agree the whole Blood/iron/Ash thing should be a background, as above stated theres no difference between them racially..........but there is a difference between normal charr and flame legion charr, as one can see.
4.) Sylvari having 2 Charisma is kind of weird for me, i mean from my stand point they should have 2 Wisdom or Intelligence, reason why: they are the newest race to the world, and the most alien, many ways and social customs of the other races seem completely alien to them, and vis versa, many travellers upon viewing a Sylvari will be somewhat surprised, and superstitous, and the Sylvari himself would probably not know much about other races social customs ( albeit from reading and etc) they are a very reclusive species as one can see from their culture (despite you as a player constantly fighting alongside you-know-who a Sylvari in GW2, let's put Big Named NPC's aside, and look at the culture as a whole). also, perhaps it'd be fitting for Sylvari to also know Sylvan and or Druidic as a language.... also why are they immune to undeath, if i don't recall, i thought i saw plenty of zombie Sylvari amongst Zhaitan's army in-game?
Norn are very spiritual, but they are also boisterous, reckless, and get recreationally drunk at the drop of a hat. Given the limited choices available for attribute boosts, I decided that Str and Con suited the Norn best, as brawn and tenacity are what they're best known for.
The initiative thing is not set in stone (nor is any of it), but I'd like to get more feedback before I go back to the drawing board on it. I realize it's powerful, but I've been playing long enough to know that initiative isn't the sole factor in winning a D&D fight, and sometimes doesn't come into play at all. Charr are, by their nature and culture, the best Tyrian race when it comes to combat; I won't say that's indisputable, but there is a lot of evidence to support that contention. Combat isn't the whole game, though, and a bullish charr can be a pretty big disadvantage when subtler strategies are called for.
I appreciate the advice. I leave it to individual GM's to govern their games and reign in powergamers (if they choose to), though. This is just an attempt to create balanced, interesting, D&D-playable versions of Guild Wars 2 races. When I get around to running, it will probably be with the standard races. Although if my players are all really enthused about playing in Tyria, I might go that route!
Daspian, I'm building these races under the assumption that they exist in a world separate from the regular playable races. Compatible with, yes, but not native to the same world.
The asura eyesight thing is fluff, and can be disregarded if a GM doesn't like it. My thinking is that while drow were driven/exiled underground, the asura evolved underground, and are better suited to that world than even the drow. Their large eyes and ears suggest ancestry that needed to make the most of every tiny sound and flicker of light or movement in order to survive and thrive. Once they grew into their big brains, their other senses weren't as necessary, but eyesight as an evolutionary feature tends to become more complex rather than less. It's the easiest thing to keep or drop, that's up to a GM to decide. I think it's cool for at least one race to have colour darkvision.
I'm still on the fence about charr darkvision. Their eyes are clearly structured like a cat's, and thus probably have the same advantages in terms of low light sight. I haven't found any game lore or developer information that supports or contradicts that. If there was low-light vision in 5E, they'd have it, but darkvision is now the catch-all for seeing in the dark.
My take on the Sylvari is that they are by far the most charismatic of the primary races on Tyria. They are, on the whole, warm, polite, hospitable, generous, empathetic, and kind, and they love art, music, poetry, and beauty: all characteristics that point towards an advantage in Charisma. I have to disagree that they are in any way reclusive; they are widely dispersed, endlessly curious, and driven to explore and understand the world around them. This isn't just my opinion, it's in the lore, and visible/audible throughout the game.
Sylvari can't be raised by Zhaitan, and are immune to the corruption of the Elder Dragons. When they die, they stay dead:
“While the other races may be corrupted by the Elder Dragons, turned into undead minions or crystalline creatures of the Brand, the sylvari are never turned. Those born of the Pale Tree simply die before the corruption takes hold. Many sylvari believe that this is because they were born to battle the dragons, blessed with a certain protection against their most horrible powers. Some non-sylvari scholars state instead that the sylvari’s strange biology foils the corruption of the dragons. A few clever souls state that sylvari just taste bad to dragons. No one knows for certain which is the truth.”
For D&D purposes, giving them immunity to undeath reflects this aspect of their nature.
Norn are just wise enough not to care about how they look to other races ;)
I don'; t want to drag this one but..I agree initiative isn't the sole factor to winning a fight, but it's a very large part of it. Going first can mean the different between being swarmed and having your wizards Sleep the whole goblin horde, for instance. For controllers and assassiny types, it's just that good. Racial abilities in general feel somewhat subdued in this version, very fluffy and only rarely having an impact on combat. The initiative boost just stuck out like a sore thumb Mmh, perhaps give them advantage to certain conditions, so really simulate their combat-hardened culture. I'd be hardpressed to imagine any Charr frightened, for instance. There is indeed no more low-light vision. Keep in mind that colors in the dark aren't terribly useful, so from a mechanical point the subteranean Asura don't feel like they see much better in the dark than the feline Charr. I'll repeat my advice of mimicking the Drow here (Since their fluff matches in the under-the-ground thing) to extend Asura darkvision to 120 to really set it apart and make them feel like the nocturnal little genii they are.
It's no drag, the whole point of this is discussion and progress.
Advantage on Initiative is really strong, and I'm not sold on it either. I'm trying to think of something else that would be good for charr without being too good, and without cribbing from another playable race (or treading on any class features). Advantage against fear is fine, but historically doesn't come into play very often. How about something keyed off of gaining Initiative? Like if you win Initiative, you can Dash as a bonus action? That grants them an occasional charge-like attack, encourages the player to improve his initiative (through stats, feats, or magic), but doesn't give them a full-time bonus.
I'm OK with the asura not having superior darkvision like the drow. If they are used in a shared world, I'd like to leave that advantage to the drow. My take is the asura give up range for clarity. Colours aren't that useful in the dark, unless you're an asura and make use of the fact that you can see colours in the dark!
ahh forgot there's no low-light vision anymore, looking at it now, there's just Darkvision or Sup Darkvision for the drow, my b.
i can see the asura indeed evolving underground and gaining that but like Seraph said, i don't see how colors would be more beneficial to the race then seeing an extra 60 ft in the distance.
aye it's been so long since i've played GW2, ( got fed up with lack of end-game content and stuff to do , i loved the lore though was a huge fan and played GW1 a ridiculous amount), couldn't remember if the Sylvari could indeed be corrupted or not by the undead, that racial makes sense though. the only reason why i thought Charisma didn't fit them is because i thought Wisdom would, they seem wise beyond their years even for a race that is brand new, and it's not that they aren't suddenly everywhere in GW2, it's how i took the dialogue that some of them have ( not the notable NPC's, and the heroes etc, but the random villagers, and the books) the other races are somewhat confused by the Sylvari, and it's not like they have social anxiety and start fiddling with their thumbs and mumbling because they are scared of social interaction, but i simply thought giving them Charisma +2 vs a Wisdom +2, it seemed like Wisdom fit them much more because they were portrayed as being the wisest of the races despite being the newest, (Asura are definitely the most intelligent.... but lack wisdom imo as you can see throughout the game and books in lore they tend to be the mad scientist professor types that have bad memory or frequently have experiments go awry due to their clumnsiness.
and yea i figured this was in a seperate world, wouldn't make sense for an asura walking down a tunnel and see a Drow and just casually high-five each (low-five?) other as they pass one another xD
it seems you truly want the Charr to have some kind of bonus to initiative, for me, the Adv to init doesn't seem terribly broken, but i think it could take another look at it, just cause i feel ( although i personally don't know what) that there is something else that could be done for them that would capture the Charr essence better.
I think the other races are in pretty good shape, here's another version of the Charr, with a (hopefully) better active feature (Into the Fray) in place of gaining advantage on Initiative checks:
Charr
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1, your Dexterity score increases by 1, and one other attribute of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Charr mature quickly, and can walk, talk, and fight a year after birth. Their lifespans are shorter than those of humans, usually 65-80 years if they don't die in combat.
Alignment. The militaristic society of the charr places very high value on the rule of law, and the discipline of the Legions. Charr cleave strongly towards lawful alignments, while good and evil are much less relevant (or irrelevant) concepts to them.
Size. Charr are significantly bigger than humans, but not as big as Norn. They average between 6 and 7 feet in height, and usually weigh between 200-300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30.
Darkvision. The feline eyes of the charr see in darkness as well as they do in daylight. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colour in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses. Charr have four ears, for picking up high and low frequency sounds, as well as extremely keen eyesight. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Deadly Dash. You move swiftly in battle. Your movement speed is considered to be 10' faster when you take the Dash action.
Into the Fray. Charr waste no time when they get the drop on an opponent. When you win Initiative, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action.
Charr Weapon Training. All charr are taught the fundamentals of melee and ranged combat. You are proficient with the longsword, battleaxe, warhammer, and longbow.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Charr. The Charr language is almost impossible for other races to speak, due to it containing many vocalizations that humanoid throats can't produce. The Charr written language is comprised of ideograms used to convey battle orders and similar short messages; it is not well suited for narrative writing.