Origins

Replacement for race and background.

Problems:

• Races are wonky
  • Certain settings have too many humans
  • Powerful races are too weak; require racial classes
  • Multi-part races (e.g. High Elf) are super-wonky
• Skills are split between class and background
• Backgrounds are dumb
• etc...

Proposal:

• A single system for providing a meaningful start for 1st-level characters
• Helps offset the shittiness of 1st level
• Encapsulates training, upbringing, regional strengths, etc

The System

Using this system, everyone gets:

• 3 major abilities
• 3 minor abilities

And optionally:

• Up to 2 major flaws, which grant an additional major ability each
• Up to 2 minor flaws, which grant an additional minor ability each

Ability List

Major

• Resist one major damage type (e.g. fire, slashing, poison, etc).
• Advantage to a major effect type (e.g. mental effects, transmutes, neg. energy, etc)
• Darkvision
• Gain +2 to one ability score
• Gain +1 to two ability scores
• Gain the use of one cantrip
• Gain the use of two spells up to 3rd level, each once/day, at appropriate level
• Gain a breath weapon as a Dragonborn
• Lucky: reroll natural 1s (must use new roll)

2 Major Slots

• Large
• Advantage to 3 save types against magic
• Immune to a secondary type of harm (e.g. disease, poison)

Major Flaws

• Small
• -1 movement
• -2 to an ability score

Minor

• +1 to one ability score
• Advantage to a single, specific effect (e.g. fear, charm, poisoned, nauseated)
• Proficiency in one skill or tool set
• Proficiency in 3 related weapons
• No movement reduction for heavy armor
• Stonecunning
• Sleep half as much as humans (like an elf)
• Double proficiency for certain, specific skill checks (e.g. advantage to underwater Survival, or advantage to Perception when underground)

Mapping the SRD Races

Current theory: 2 major, 2 minor, can take on flaws to gain more advantages

Dwarf 3/4

• Major
  • Resilience (adv poison)
  • Darkvision
  • Con +2,
  • Wis +1, HP/lev +1
  • (flaw) -1 movement
• Minor
  • Stonecunning
  • Weapon Proficiencies
  • No move reduction in heavy armor
  • Tool Proficiencies

Elf (high) 3/5

• Major
  • Dex +2
  • Darkvision
  • Wizard cantrip
• Minor
  • Perception prof
  • Adv charm, imm. sleep
  • Half sleep
  • Int +1
  • Weapon proficiencies

Halfling (lightfoot) 2/3

• Major
  • Dex +2
  • Lucky: reroll 1s
  • Stealth allowed when concealed by med+ creature
  • (flaw) Small
  • (flaw) -1 movement
• Minor
  • Brave: adv vs fear
  • Nimbleness: move through med+ creatures
  • Cha +1

Human 3/0

• Major
  • 3x: +1 to all stats

Dragonborn 3/1

• Major
  • Str +2
  • Damage resistance vs one energy
  • Breath weapon
• Minor
  • Cha +1

Gnome (rock) 2/3

• Major
  • Int +2
  • Darkvision
  • 2x: adv to int/wis/cha saves vs magic
  • (flaw) Small
  • (flaw) -1 movement
• Minor
  • Con +1
  • Artificer's lore: dbl prof for certain checks
  • Tinker: make random shit

Half-elf 3/3

• Major
  • Cha +2
  • Two +1s
  • Darkvision
• Minor
  • Fey ancestry: resist charm, immune sleep
  • 2x: skill versatility (2x prof)

Half-orc 4/2

• Major
  • Str +2
  • Darkvision
  • Relentless Endurance: ignore death once/day
  • Savage Attacks: crits do more damage
• Minor
  • Con +1
  • Menacing (prof. Intimidate)

Tiefling 5/1

• Major
  • Cha +2
  • Darkvision
  • Resist fire
  • 1x cantrip
  • 2x daily spells
• Minor
  • Int +1

Extended Abilities

Using this optional expansion, it is possible to create races more powerful than standard. Effectively, this is accomplished by multiclassing into the Enhanced class, which provides access to the abilities below, but has no other class features besides the most basic one (hit dice, profiency bonus increases, etc).

Attribute	Value
Hit Die	d10
HP/level	6
Saving Throws	n/a (use primary class to determine these)
Skills	n/a (use primary class to determine these)

Each level grants 2 major and 2 minor abilities from the Origins list. It is also possible to select from additional abilities from the following list:

Two Major

• +2 to three ability scores
• +1 to all ability scores
• +4 to AC (natural armor)