Expanded Racial Feats III
Here we are, at the beginning of another month, with more racial feats! For June, the spotlight falls on the orc, as Jon the Kobold Wrangler builds us some new ways for orcs to express their devotion to their pantheon of gods. It's different from most of the other feats we've seen or made, so we're very curious what you think of it. Let us know below, and as we move on to the more esoteric races of 5E, tell us which races you want to see expanded first!
To see all of our more recent, premium content, join our Patreon, where all our spiciest new brews are at your disposal. We’re slowly remastering the highlights of our backlog, and if you’re a patron, you can vote on what gets updated next! And, if you want to ask us about our homebrew, new or old, our Discord is public and full of all kinds of brewers and internet goblins. If you’re either of those, we’d love to hear from you!
Expanded Racial Feats III
We’re finishing our focus on the races in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, with special emphasis paid to everyone’s favorite stereotyped greenskins - the orcs! There is a lot of lore centered around orcish religion that is often smoothed over or ignored when orcs come up in D&D, but hopefully Practitioner of the Old Ways will allow orcish players to dabble and experiment with a variety of interesting magical effects.
In addition to this varied feat, we have an option for tabaxi (and leonin because why not), goliaths, lizardfolk, and even yuan-ti purebloods. Each of these feats augment something thematically appropriate for the relevant races, and we hope you quite enjoy them!
Magic of the Mount
Prerequisite: Goliath
The magic of your ancestors burns in your veins. You learn the mold earth cantrip. In addition, you gain the following spells:
You learn earth tremor and meld in stone, and can cast each of them without expending a spell slot.
You learn enlarge/reduce, and you can cast it, only using the enlarge option, without expending a spell slot.
Constitution is your spellcasting modifier for these spells. After you cast one of these spells, you can't cast it again until you complete a long rest.
Practitioner of the Old Ways
Prerequisite: Orc
You know how to practice ancient rites of worship used by the chosen of the orcish deities. When completing a long rest, you make an offering to one of the following orcish deities, gaining their blessing until you begin a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting modifier for any spells granted by these blessings.
Gruumsh, the One-Eyed
You go blind in one eye so long as you have this blessing. You gain the following benefits:
After you use your Aggressive trait, you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 with melee weapon attacks using Strength until the end of your turn.
When you score a critical hit, you can roll one of the damage die an additional time, adding that damage to the total.
Ilneval, the Devious
Your voice takes on a reverberating quality, as if quietly echoing within your own jaws. You gain the following benefits:
You can use your bonus action to allow an allied creature that you can see to make a melee weapon attack with their reaction. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you complete a long rest.
When you use your Aggressive trait, a number of your allies that can see you up to your proficiency bonus can use their reaction to move in the same way. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a long rest.
Luthic, the Cave Mother
Your left hand becomes elongated and claw-like. You gain the following benefits:
You can cast cure wounds a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum once). You must use your left hand when performing the somatic components.
Your left hand becomes a natural melee weapon. It deals 1d8 slashing damage.
Shargaas, of the Deep Darkness
Your eyes lose all color, becoming white, black or a shade of grey so long as you have this blessing. You gain the following benefits:
You can cast darkness without components or expending spell slots a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier.
Magical darkness doesn’t impede your darkvision. You have advantage on Stealth checks to remain unseen while in dim light or darkness.
Yurtus, the White Hand
Your forearms develop unsightly blemishes, and your hands take on a chalky, white color. You gain the following benefits:
You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
You have advantage on Constitution saving throws against poison and disease.
As an action, you can force a creature within 30 feet of you that needs to breathe to make a Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. After you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a long rest.
Predatory Instincts
Prerequisite: Leonin or tabaxi
You have practiced using your claws as weapons of precision rather than force. You gain the following benefits:
Your Dexterity score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
Your claws gain the finesse and light properties.
When you use your claws to make an attack as a bonus action, you also gain the benefits of the Disengage action until the end of your turn.
Waste Not, Want Not
Prerequisite: Lizardfolk
You are a meticulous scavenger like most of your kind, but you also have learned how to get the most out of the things you scavenge. You gain the following benefits:
Your Wisdom score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
You gain proficiency with cook’s utensils and can use them for your Cunning Artisan feature.
If you use your Cunning Artisan trait to collect from a beast, dragon, monstrosity, or plant creature you also produce a number of travel rations equal to your proficiency bonus. If you choose a construct, you instead choose two items to produce.
When you finish a long rest, choose a non-unique, non-magical item to study worth 10 gold or less which you have in your possession. You learn to use this item as a template, adding it as a choice to your Cunning Artisan feature, though its value is reduced to one tenth of the original. If you choose a new item to study, you forget any other items you have memorized in this way. At DM discretion, materials such as glass, metal, or thread can be replaced with appropriate materials such as thin leaves, bone, and sinew - or omitted entirely.
Yuan-ti Infiltrator
Prerequisite: Yuan-ti pureblood
You are adept at learning social conventions, and you find it easy to fit in despite your reptilian ancestry. You gain the following benefits:
Your Charisma score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
You gain proficiency with the Deception skill and disguise kits.
You can cast disguise self without expending a spell slot. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it. After you cast this spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you complete a long rest.
You cannot roll lower than a 7 on Charisma (Deception) and disguise kit checks against any creatures that believe you are a race other than Yuan-ti.