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Weirdo Whoever Plays D&D:
Racial Subclasses

This document of Weirdo Whoever Plays D&D introduces homebrew materials, specifically a series of race-excluisve subclasses.

Okay, after some tiresome round with psionics and all, I think I deserve some rest. So here are some homebrew materials I've created just as a thought game, with one common theme: Subclasses with racial restrictions.

Feedbacks and Suggestions

This document presents homebrew materials by Weirdo Whoever. These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by design iterations or full game development. If you have any comments or suggestions concerning the materials, please contact Weirdo Whoever (weirdowhoever@gmail.com).

Monastic Traditions

At 3rd level, the monk chooses the Monastic Tradition feature. Here is a homebrew option for that feature: Way of the Calm Wrath.

Way of the Calm Wrath

Half-orcs are known and misunderstood for their inclination to violence and savagery, which comes from their ocr heritage. Half-orcs who follow the Way of the Calm Wrath try to suppress such innate burden through meditation and mysticism.

Monks of the Way of the Calm Wrath imposes exceptionally strong trials to themselves, even to the standard of secluded, hermetic path of enlightenment. Self-imposed silence, unquestioned agreement to any suggestions, self-punishment — all that it takes to discipline their temper and impulses, and therefore, to discipline themselves.

Restriction: Half-orcs Only

Only half-orcs can follow the Way of the Calm Wrath. The monastic tradition exists for half-orcs who attempts to suppress their orc heritage.

 

Ferocious Martial Arts

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, your quick temper and violent nature is imbued with your martial arts. When you score a critical hit with an unarmed strike, you can roll one of the damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

Tranquil Wrath

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this tradition, you can channel the impulse of your within, suppressed and controlled by your mystic energy.

When you use your Flurry of Blows on your turn, you can spend additional 1 ki to enter the tranquil wrath until the end of your next turn. If you are already in the tranquil wrath when you use your Flurry of Blows, you can spend 1 ki to extend the duration of your tranquil wrath until the end of your next turn.

While you are in the tranquil wrath, you gain the following benefits:

  • You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid or resist being charmed or frightened, and you cannot be magically put to sleep.
  • While you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take is reduced by a number equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1), after you apply resistance or vulnerability.
  • You can make three unarmed strikes, instead of two, with your Flurry of Blows.

Tranquil Defense

When you reach 6th level, your controlled impulse grants you a rush of adrenaline, which allows you to perceive incoming attacks quickly and shift your defense against it.

When a creature you can see targets you with a melee attack while you are in the tranquil fury, you can spend 1 ki as a reaction to impose disadvantage to the attack roll. If the attack misses, you can make one unarmed strike against the attacker as a part of the same reaction.

Awakened Endurance

By 11th level, your half-orc blood is empowered with the training of mystic power, further strengthening your fortitude to rise from initial fall.

When you drop to 0 hit points while you are in the tranquil wrath, you can spend 1 ki to drop to 1 hit point instead.

Additionally, whenever you drop to 1 hit point instead of 0 by an effect of a feature or a spell, including this feature and your Relentless Endurance racial trait, you can spend 2 ki to regain hit points equal to twice your monk level.

Controlled Wrath

At 17th level, you have full control over your savage nature, to the point that you can unleash your inner beast when you need it, and contain them again after your goal is fulfilled.

When you enter the tranquil wrath, you can spend 1 additional ki to unleash your brutal nature to full capacity. If you do so, you gain the following benefits, in addition to the normal benefit of your tranquil wrath:

  • Your tranquil wrath lasts for 1 minute, and you do not need to spend ki to extend its duration.
  • You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
  • You cannot be charmed or frightened. If you are already charmed or frightened when you unleash your brutal nature, the effect is suspended for the duration of your tranquil wrath.
  • Your unarmed strike ignores the target's resistance.
  • You can make four unarmed strikes, instead of two, with your Flurry of Blows.

Martial Archetypes

At 3rd level, the fighter chooses the Martial Archetype feature. Here are three homebrew options for that feature: Elven Bladedancer, Power Pint, and Wyrm Knight.

Elven Bladedancer

It is often said that elven dance combines their grace and might, and it is not entirely false. Typical elven martial art flows like silk, yet cuts like steel. Elven Bladedancers are practitioners of such martial arts, stepping onto the battlefield, orchestrating bloodshed like petals blooming in the midst of moonlit night.

Restriction: Elves and Half-elves Only

Only elves and half-elves can become the Elven Baldedancer. The bladedancer fills a particular niche in elven society.

The DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction exists for a particular setting, and might not apply to the DM's custom settings.

Blade Dance

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you learn and practice a special martial arts of elven tradition, known as the blade dance.

When you use a bonus action to make a weapon attack with longsword, scimitars, or shortswords while you are engaged in two-weapon fighting, you can enter the blade dance. While you are in the blade dance, you gain the following benefits:

  • Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
  • When you are targeted by a melee attack, you can use a reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class for that attack.
  • When you make a weapon attack with your offhand weapon as a bonus action, you can make one additional attack as a part of the same bonus action.

Your blade dance lasts for 1 minute, or until you fall unconscious, don medium or heavy armor or a shield. Your blade dance also ends when you no longer wield a scimitar and/or shortsword on each of your hands, including when you drop the weapon.

You can start the blade dance twice. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short rest or long rest.

Elven Strides

By 7th level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for your Charisma (Performance) check that involves dancing.

Additionally, when you make a running long jump while you are in the blade dance, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Dexterity modifier.

Tense Dance

When you reach 10th level, when you enter the blade dance on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn.

Additionally, while you are in the blade dance, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain does not cost extra movement for you, and all opportunity attack rolls against you have disadvantage.

Thousand Cuts

At 15th level, while you are in the blade dance, you can use an action to make a melee attack with either a scimitar or a shortsword against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you. You must make a separate attack roll for each target.

Dance of Death

When you reach 18th level, when you roll for initiative, you can immediately enter the blade dance without expending a Blade Dance use. Once you do so, you must finish a short rest or long rest before you can do so again.

Additionally, while you are in the blade dance, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack even if you have already used your reaction this round, but not if you have already used your reaction this turn.

Power Pint

It is not uncommon to see, especially among races of bulkier stature, discrimination against specific individual or group for their body size, known as sizism. Often large creatures pick on smaller creatures, and thus, gnomes and halflings are almost always at the receiving end of sizism.

Power Pint is the antithesis of such prejudice, or more specifically, the opposite of typical sizism. Utilizing their so-called "pint-sized" body, combined with exceptional martial capabilities and uncanny agility, gnomes and halflings can and will show that size does matter, but not in a way most would even imagine.

Restriction: Gnomes and Haflings Only

Only gnomes and halfling can become the Power Pint. Power Pink utilizes the user's small sizes, which is a racial benefits exclusive for gnomes and halflings.

The DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. If the DM uses a Small-sized custom race, it can become the Power Pint as the DM's discretion.

Small and Clingy

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you utilize your small size to cling onto larger creatures. While you are not wearing medium or heavy armor, wielding a two-handed weapon, or wielding a shield, you gain the following benefits:

  • You can attempt to grapple a creature that is up to two sizes larger than you, but no larger than Large.
  • You can make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check instead of a Strength (Athletics) check to grapple a creature.
  • When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you have advantage on the Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to grapple the creature until the end of the turn.

Half-Pint Fighting

Starting at 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you can utilize your small size to cling onto larger creatures.

While you are not wearing medium or heavy armor, wielding a two-handed weapon, or wielding a shield, you can use an action to jump onto a creature you can see within 5 feet of you that is at least one size larger than you.

If you do so, make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (your choice) against the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (target chooses the ability to use). If you succeed, you cling onto the target.

While you are clung to the target, you and the target is under the following effects:

  • When you take the Attack action on your turn, the first melee weapon attack roll against the target has advantage.
  • The target has disadvantage on all melee attack rolls against you.
  • You can move through spaces occupied the target as if it is difficult terrain. You cannot end your turn while you are in the space occupied by the target.

The target can use its action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against your Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the target succeeds, the target is freed from you. The target is also freed from you when an effect removes the target at least 5 feet away from you.

Compact and Nimble

By 7th level, while you move on your turn, you can move through spaces occupied by other creatures that are at least one size larger than you, and you can move through spaces that are one size smaller than you without squeezing.

Improved Half-Pint Fighting

When you reach 10th level, when you cling to another creature with Half-Pint Fighting, you can choose one of the following options and apply to the target as long as you are clung to it:

  • The target's speed is halved, it cannot use a reaction, and can use either an action or a bonus action on your turn, not both.
  • Once per turn when a creature other than you makes a melee attack against the target, it has advantage on the attack roll.
  • Whenever the target casts a spell, it must succeed on a saving throw using its spellcasting ability. The DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice). On a failed save, the spell fails.

When you reach 18th level, you can choose up to two options for this feature.

Half-Pint Defense

At 15th level, when you are targeted by an attack while you are clung to another creature with Half-Pint Fighting, you can use a reaction to have the attack the target that creature instead of you.

Additionally, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take half damage, you instead take half damage on a failed save, and no damage on a successful one.

Superior Half-Pint Fighting

By 18th level, when you successfully cling to another creature with Half-Pinf Fighting, the following options are added for Improved Half-Pint Fighting:

  • All melee attacks against the target scores a critical hit on a d20 roll of 18 to 20.
  • Once per turn when the target is hit by a melee weapon attack, you can use a reaction to make one melee weaon attack against the target.
  • The target has disadvantage on all saving throws using Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution.

Wyrm Knight

Dragonborn clans of exceptional wealth, status, and pride to their lineage may have their own battalion, exclusively composed of dragonborns — the Wyrm Knight. The Wyrm Knights are often, but not always, composed of dragonborns that share the clan title, practicing the ancient martial arts and tactics that can be only practiced among those who can breathe as the dragons do.

Restriction: Dragonborns Only

Only dragonborns can become the Wyrm Knight. The Wyrm Knight uses Draconic Ancestry and Breath Weapon racial traits, which are exclusive to dragonborns.

Oath of the Wyrm Knight

Starting at 3rd level when you choose the archetype, when you are interacting with dragons and other dragonborns, your proficiency bonus is doubled for all Charisma checks you make against the target, if it applies to the check.

Draconic Surge

Also starting at 3rd level, when you use your Second Wind or Action Surge, you immediately regain one use of your Breath Weapon racial trait, if you have already used your Breath Weapon.

Draconic Combat

Beginning at 7th level, when you use an action to use your Breath Weapon racial trait, you can use a bonus action to make one weapon attack.

When you reach 18th level, you can make two weapon attacks as a bonus action.

Advanced Draconic Ancestry

Starting at 10th level, you gain immunity to the damage type associated with your Draconic Ancestry racial trait.

Additionally, your Breath Weapon racial trait ignores the resistance of all affected creatures.

Empowered Breath Weapon

At 15th level, when you roll for initiative and has no use for your Breath Weapon racial trait remaining, you immediately regain one use of your Breath Weapon.

Additionally, when you use your Indomitable feature to re-roll a saving throw and succeed with your new roll, your next Breath Weapon deals an extra 2d6 damage, if you use it within the next minute.

Sorcerous Origins

At 1st level, the sorcerer chooses the Sorcerous Origin feature. Here is a homebrew option for that feature: Fel Magic.

Fel Magic

Tiefling's fiendish traits originates from their ancestors, you have struck a pact with infernal entities, in exchange of their descendants' fate. A tiefling is always bound to the infernal magic in their vein, whether they like it or not. Once chaneled, however, the infernal magic grants them immense power.

Restriction: Tieflings Only

Only tieflings can choose the Fel Magic. The sorcerous origin originates from the tiefling's infernal heritage.

The DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction exists for a particular setting, and might not apply to the DM's custom settings.

Fel Boon

Starting at 1st level when you choose this origin, your magical capability is further enhanced with your infernal bloodline.

When you finish a short rest, you can expend one Hit Dice to regain one expended 1st-level spell slot. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again for the next 24 hours.

Infernal Recovery

By 6th level, when you create a spell slot with your Flexible Casting, you gain temporary hit points equal to spell slot level plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

Infernal Resilience

When you reach 10th level, when you take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you can spend 3 sorcery points as a reaction to gain resistance against that damage until the end of your next turn.

Additionally, when you are subjected to a spell or other magical effect that forces you to make a saving throw, you can spend 2 sorcery points to gain advantage on the roll.

Fel Legacy

At 18th level, when you use your Flexible Casting to create a spell slot on your turn, and then cast a sorcerer spell with that spell slot on the same turn, you can choose one of the following options:

  • If the spell requires concentration, you automatically succeed on all Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on the spell until the end of your next turn.
  • If the spell deals damage to one or more creature, you can ignore resistance and immunity of one of the creature.
  • If the spell forces one or more creature to make a saving throw, you can make one of the creature to automatically fail on the save.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

Otherworldly Patrons

At 1st level, the warlock chooses the Otherworldly Patron feature. Here is a homebrew option for that feature: The Council Past.

The Council Past

To a dwarf, no bond is stronger than their family. Typical dwarven tale tells that their ancestors will look upon their descendants, even after death.

This tale is, in fact, not entirely false. Some dwarven families with history and arcane background perform a special rite that binds their soul to a pocket dimension, where they join their deceased predecessors after death, to look after their sons and daughters.

Restriction: Dwarves Only

Only dwarves can strike a pact with the Council Past. The patron is a collection of dwarven family members who has deceased and transcended as an otherworldly council.

The DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction exists for a particular setting, and might not apply to the DM's custom settings.

Expanded Spell List

The Council Past allows you to choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Table: Council Past Expanded Spells
Spell List Spells
1st command, shield of faith
2nd warding bond, zone of truth
3rd glyph of warding, spirit guardians
4th aura of purity, guardian of faith
5th commune, telekinesis

Bonus Proficiencies

Starting at 1st level when you choose this patron, you gain proficiency in medium armors.

Ancestral Patronage

Also starting at 1st level, your ancestors bestow you their power to aid you and your allies. You have a pool of d6s that you can spend with this feature. At 1st level, you have two dice in your pool. You regain all expended dice from your pool when you finish a long rest.

When you or a friendly creature you can see within 10 feet of you makes an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw, you can use a reaction to spend one die from your pool. The creature then rolls the expended die and adds the result to its d20 roll. You can use this feature before or after the target rolls the d20, but you must use it before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails.

You gain two additional dice in your pool (four dice) when you reach 6th level, and again at 10th (six dice) and 14th level (eight dice).

Ancestral Inspiration

By 6th level, when you finish a long rest, choose four skills or tools of your choice that you are not proficient in. Until the next time you finish a long rest, you add half your proficiency bonus to the ability check you make with the chosen skills or tools, if you do not add your proficiency bonus already.

War Council

When you reach 10th level, your ancestors guide you in the combat. When you or a friendly creature you can see within 10 feet of you hits a creature with a weapon attack or cast a spell that deals damage, you can use a reaction and expend one die from your Ancestral Patronage dice pool to add the die roll to the damage dealt to one of the target.

Additionally, when you or a friendly creature you can see within 10 feet of you takes damage, you can use a reaction and expend up to two dice from your Ancestral Patronage dice pool. The target gains temporary hit points equal to the sum of dice roll plus your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1), which takes as much of the triggering damage as possible.

Improved Ancestral Patronage

By 14th level, the range of your Ancestral Patronage and War Council increases to 30 feet.

Also, when you finish a short rest, you regain two dice from your Ancestral Patronage dice pool.

Credits

All contents are created by Weirdo Whoever unless noted otherwise. Special thanks to D&D Wiki, NaturalCrit Homebrewery tool, and GM Binder for providing the templates for my imaginations.

Very special thanks to /u/MothProphet and /u/SamuraiHealer for criticisms and suggestions to better improve all subclasses.