Zinith
Yoshi is Thicc in S P I R I T
- Joined
- May 13, 2018
- Messages
- 24,706
- Switch FC
- SW-4624-0132-9722
The fun thing is that this could actually be applicable in sessions depending on the campaign and DM 
I just got into Dungeons & Dragons and am itching for a group to play, but in the meantime my brain went into some fun places as I read up on he ruleset. Maybe this could work for any other race not directly related to D&D, so I gave it a shot.
So simple (and yet, very broad) rules. Take a video game race (Gorons, Turians, Zebesians, hell even Bandicoots, etc.) and construct a D&D race sheet for them. Try to be as balanced as you can. If you have no clue what one is supposed to look like, the Basic Rules for D&D 5th edition is freely available... somewhere on the internet. It's not hard to find.
Here are some major components:
Ability Score Increase: Each race usually has up to three bonus points put into their ability scores, which are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Most often it's +2 for one and +1 for another. For example, Hill Dwarves (in the real game) have +2 in Strength and +1 in Wisdom. Those get added to the initial rolls you get for determining ability scores.
Age: Pretty self-explanatory. If the race you pick has canonical information on ages, use that. Otherwise, use your judgment.
Alignment: This is probably the most widely known aspect of D&D, and I probably don't need to explain this one. But just in case, there are 9 alignments: Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil. Races tend towards only a few alignments, so use your judgment.
Size: Also pretty self-explanatory, but with a few asterisks. In D&D you measure height by feet and weight in pounds, sorry, that's just how it works in the game. Also there are size categories which are SUPER important in mechanics, so make that call. They are Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge and Gargantuan. Most playable races are Medium or Small (i.e. Halflings and Kobolds).
Speed: This determines how far you can move during a turn. The average speed of most playable races is 30 feet. Use that as a reference.
Language: Do what you will with this one, however I'd just have them stick to "Common" and one other language. You can use a canonical language the race speaks in their respective game, OR you can pick a preset D&D language that you think would fit the race.
After all that, you can list a bunch of racial traits they can have. Again, try to make them balanced. If one of the traits is proficiency skill bonuses, often that involves picking from a list of skills and picking 2 of them to have proficiency in. Use the Race section in Basic Rules for some ideas.
But what if you just want to recreate a human character in D&D, like Bayonetta or Master Chief? No problem. There's nothing stopping you from going all in on character creation and using Class, Background, Personality, etc. You can also just make "Umbra Witch" a race on it's own or something.
Now, let me try my hand at creating a Yoshi race. Shocking, I know...
------------------------------
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and Charisma by 1
Age: It is not well understood by most observers, but they theorize between 100-150 years. Yoshis reach maturity pretty fast, at 10-13 years.
Alignment: They tend toward lawful, with a preference towards neutral and good.
Size: Between 4'8" and 6 feet tall and averaging around 150 pounds. Size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Languages: Common and your choice between Draconic or Yoshi.
Pack Animal: As a race well known for being a makeshift mount, Yoshis can carry a lot more than they look. Carrying capacity is your Strength score x 30 rather than 15.
Perfect Pitch: Any weapon or object that doesn't normally have the "Throw" property gains that property once a Yoshi uses it as such. It doesn't affect weapons that already have that property.
Appetite: One of the most infamous aspects of these creatures. You can use your tongue to catch any creature from Tiny to Large in your line of sight 35 feet from you. Tiny and Small creatures have disadvantage on saving throws while Large ones have advantage. Upon a successful catch you swallow them and instantly kill them. On your next turn you can use a bonus action to determine whether or not you become encumbered by making a Constitution check. A failure will leave you incapacitated until a successful check can be made. You can use this trait one time and can't use it again until a short or long rest
I just got into Dungeons & Dragons and am itching for a group to play, but in the meantime my brain went into some fun places as I read up on he ruleset. Maybe this could work for any other race not directly related to D&D, so I gave it a shot.
So simple (and yet, very broad) rules. Take a video game race (Gorons, Turians, Zebesians, hell even Bandicoots, etc.) and construct a D&D race sheet for them. Try to be as balanced as you can. If you have no clue what one is supposed to look like, the Basic Rules for D&D 5th edition is freely available... somewhere on the internet. It's not hard to find.
Here are some major components:
Ability Score Increase: Each race usually has up to three bonus points put into their ability scores, which are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Most often it's +2 for one and +1 for another. For example, Hill Dwarves (in the real game) have +2 in Strength and +1 in Wisdom. Those get added to the initial rolls you get for determining ability scores.
Age: Pretty self-explanatory. If the race you pick has canonical information on ages, use that. Otherwise, use your judgment.
Alignment: This is probably the most widely known aspect of D&D, and I probably don't need to explain this one. But just in case, there are 9 alignments: Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil. Races tend towards only a few alignments, so use your judgment.
Size: Also pretty self-explanatory, but with a few asterisks. In D&D you measure height by feet and weight in pounds, sorry, that's just how it works in the game. Also there are size categories which are SUPER important in mechanics, so make that call. They are Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge and Gargantuan. Most playable races are Medium or Small (i.e. Halflings and Kobolds).
Speed: This determines how far you can move during a turn. The average speed of most playable races is 30 feet. Use that as a reference.
Language: Do what you will with this one, however I'd just have them stick to "Common" and one other language. You can use a canonical language the race speaks in their respective game, OR you can pick a preset D&D language that you think would fit the race.
After all that, you can list a bunch of racial traits they can have. Again, try to make them balanced. If one of the traits is proficiency skill bonuses, often that involves picking from a list of skills and picking 2 of them to have proficiency in. Use the Race section in Basic Rules for some ideas.
But what if you just want to recreate a human character in D&D, like Bayonetta or Master Chief? No problem. There's nothing stopping you from going all in on character creation and using Class, Background, Personality, etc. You can also just make "Umbra Witch" a race on it's own or something.
Now, let me try my hand at creating a Yoshi race. Shocking, I know...
------------------------------
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and Charisma by 1
Age: It is not well understood by most observers, but they theorize between 100-150 years. Yoshis reach maturity pretty fast, at 10-13 years.
Alignment: They tend toward lawful, with a preference towards neutral and good.
Size: Between 4'8" and 6 feet tall and averaging around 150 pounds. Size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Languages: Common and your choice between Draconic or Yoshi.
Pack Animal: As a race well known for being a makeshift mount, Yoshis can carry a lot more than they look. Carrying capacity is your Strength score x 30 rather than 15.
Perfect Pitch: Any weapon or object that doesn't normally have the "Throw" property gains that property once a Yoshi uses it as such. It doesn't affect weapons that already have that property.
Appetite: One of the most infamous aspects of these creatures. You can use your tongue to catch any creature from Tiny to Large in your line of sight 35 feet from you. Tiny and Small creatures have disadvantage on saving throws while Large ones have advantage. Upon a successful catch you swallow them and instantly kill them. On your next turn you can use a bonus action to determine whether or not you become encumbered by making a Constitution check. A failure will leave you incapacitated until a successful check can be made. You can use this trait one time and can't use it again until a short or long rest