# Forum > Gaming > Homebrew Design > D&D 5e/Next Is this Squirrel Race balanced?

## Zinoph

Wow, first time posting since 2013. Where did the time go?

I'm creating a homebrew game where all the players are anthropomorphic animals (D&D Redwall, basically). I've only just started playing D&D 5e this year, so my understanding of the system is only so-so. Can someone take a look at this and tell me:

1) Does this seem balanced against the races in the PH and MotM? If not, what can I do to make it so?
2) Is this too one note for a race? I could have added a bite attack, or an ability that let them use their tail as a pocket, or even given them the Goodberry spell or double rations with a successful Survival check to represent their ability as expert foragers, but was worried that would make them seem too "gimmicky" or magical (which at this time they are not supposed to be).

*Squirrel, Tree (Grey)*

*Squirrel Traits*
*Creature Type.* You are a Humanoid.
*Size.* Your size is Small.
*Speed.* Your walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
*Keen Smell.* You are proficient in the Perception skill and have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
*Nimble Scurry.* You can move through the space of any creature that is a size larger than yours.
*Arboreal Acrobat.* Whenever you make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check that involves climbing, jumping, or keeping your balance, you are considered proficient in the Athletics and Acrobatics skills and add double your proficiency bonus to the check instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
*Natural Leaper.* You are always considered to have a running start when jumping from a standing position and double the jump distance.

Thanks for taking a look! All feedback is appreciated.

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## kosh49

Assuming it is intended to get the standard +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 ability score increases, it looks reasonably well balanced against the official 5e races to me.

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## Yakk

I might give them a climb speed and the ability to jump their speed as an action instead of pseudo-expertise in athletics jump/climb.

Then grant full expertise in acrobatics.

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## kosh49

> I might give them a climb speed and the ability to jump their speed as an action instead of pseudo-expertise in athletics jump/climb.
> 
> Then grant full expertise in acrobatics.


 They already have a climbing speed equal to their walking speed.

I do like the situational expertise for climbing related Athletics and Acrobatics checks.  Replacing that with universal expertise in Athletics feels less flavorful to me and is an upgrade I do not think they need (although there may be a few Acrobatics checks they lose expertise in).  But the range for races is wide enough that I think they would still be OK with that upgrade, so while I probably would not make that change I do not see a reason to object to it either.  Replacing it with full expertise in Acrobatics does not make as much sense to me since most climbing related checks are Athletics according to the PHB.

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## Yakk

Oh, sorry, I missed that.

I don't think situational expertise in climbing *and* climb speed is really needed.  Sort of adding exception on top of exception, and when I saw it I forgot the climb speed.

A climb speed makes most climb checks redundant.  Having a feature for that corner case of needs a climb check despite climb speed is a corner case feature, which should be only put in if it is really needed.  (Every feature has a cost in terms of cognitive load; features that don't do much of interest should be deleted).

My point is, if we add "jump your speed as an action" this is a simple, concrete effect that doesn't interact with the jumping rules in 5e, and replaces "add expertise to jump based athletics checks" with simple effect.  The 5e rules aren't very clear at what an athletics jump check **does** -- but my "jump your speed" is clear.

Once we have pared off the conditional expertise of athletics, what we have left is conditional expertise of acrobatics for balancing.

Simplifying, we change it to simple expertise in acrobatics.  Again, every feature has a cost, every exception has a cost -- eliminate the exceptions, make the feature simpler, reduce the cost.

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## Yakk

Oh, and this applies to balance because the lack of clarity in what "expertise in athletics jump checks" actually *does* means that the value of the feature is ambiguous.

And similarly for what expertise athletics in climb checks when you already have a climb speed.  It could be 100% useless or very useful, depending on the DM, so knowing how good it is is difficult.

Acrobatics checks not used to balance is also a strange subset.  It could be almost every acrobatics check or basically none.

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## Damon_Tor

It's pretty basic. You only get so much out of those mobility options.

IMO, you really should have a tail-related ability. In nature, the function of a squirrel's tail is to create an illusionary center of mass to make predators more likely to miss when they go for a grab, especially when the squirrel is in motion. As a suggestion, I'll propose the following:

*Evasive Fluff* When moving quickly, your poofy tail creates a distraction that makes you difficult to pin down. Whenever you take the dash action, you also gain the benefit of the disengage action.

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