Talk:Smeargle (5e Race)
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Smeargle[edit]
| Cost | Racial Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dexterity score increases by 1. |
| 1 | Intelligence score increases by 1. |
| 1 | Wisdom score increases by 1. |
| -0.5 | Small |
| 0.5 | Darkvision |
| 0.5 | Sketch |
| 0.5 | Own Tempo |
| 1.5 | Painter's Palette |
| 5.5 | Total. |
This one is a little different in that I made it for a friend of mine, as Smeargle is one of his favorite pokemon. However, there isn't much to say about this race since most of the traits are obviously related to art in some way with the exception of Own Tempo. Honestly, I wanted to try incorporating Moody into this race, especially considering I mentioned how the hue of it's tail-paint changes depending on it's mood, but was unsure how to translate it to DnD. I had the same issue with Technician, so I just went with Own Tempo.
I don't think I need to explain how Sketch and it's granting of proficiency with painter's supplies makes sense for a Smeargle.
Painter's Palette was originally going to be called "Second Coat", which is the Ability on Smeargle's TCG card from the BREAKthrough expansion, but I felt it didn't make much sense given how it had to do with spells and would have fit more with something defensive, like damage resistance. Of course, since I had no plans on giving such a thing to Smeargle, I decided a name change was in order. I then thought about naming it "The Colors of Miracles", a reference to the Ash & Pikachu manga as it is the name of the chapter that Smeargle debuted in, but I felt it was too....well, for lack of better wording, strong sounding for a trait that gave 3 simple spells. Ultimately, I decided on calling it Painter's Palette since, well, it has to do with painting, and so do the spells to an extent.
The three spells granted by Painter's Palette and their connection to art are as follows:
Prestidigitation: One of the options you have is making a symbol appear on a surface, which is what Smeargles are famous for.
Color Spray: You throw red, yellow and blue powder/dust at creatures to blind them. The idea of Smeargle being able to launch powder that match the primary colors seemed fitting, although I debated on whether or not Chromatic Orb would have been a better choice since none of the three spells deal damage. It's not like Chromatic Orb doesn't have to do with color either. Still, I'll leave it as it is for now.
Skywrite: A spell from Xanathar's Guide to Everything, it let's you write messages in the sky using clouds. I like to imagine that a Smeargle who learns this has become so proficient in art that, for him, the sky is quite literally the limit. This is also why there is no SRD for it on the main page. --MetalShadowOverlord (talk) 03:57, 10 May 2018 (MDT)
