Troll Lord Games

I'm working on porting City of Kalas into Airdhe. I've determined a location along the coast southwest of the Cradle of the World. The Ebony races will be from Inklu-Naid.

I've been playing with racial variants, but since this is my first time building variants, I'd like some feed back.

The Amber Dwarves are straight from Christina Stiles Presents. Amber elves mix wood elves & optional abilities from the amber dwarves. Amber halflings mix longleaf halflings (CKG) & optional abilities from the amber dwarves. Grass elves are modified wild elves.

Are they overpowered, underpowered, or plain don't make sense?

Amber Elves (replace Ebony Elves)
Amber Elves, like the Amber Dwarves, hail from the deep jungles of the Dark Continent. They have no love for dwarves and halflings, and treat humans with caution. The Amber Elves build secluded towns or small villages, which often blend remarkably with the surrounding environment. These elves are wise and capable hunters, careful and pragmatic when threatened. When in jungles, an amber elf cannot be tracked, as per the spell pass without trace. In addition, they gain a +2 to any hide checks while in a forest.

Racial Traits and Abilities:
Enhanced Senses: As in PHB
Twilight Vision: As in PHB
Jungle Stride: Amber Elves have the ability to move through the jungle without impairment. When doing so, they leave no trail and cannot be tracked, as per the spell pass without trace. However, enchanted or magically manipulated flora still affect the amber elf.
Camouflage: Amber elves are skilled at hiding within the jungle and receive a +2 to Hide checks in a jungle environment.
Survival: In the jungle, the amber elf can find shelter, food, and water for himself; start a fire; and determine direction. Also, the amber elf can start a fire in 1d10 turns by natural means, as long as the needed materials are available.
Jungle Lore: An amber elf can identify plants and animals with perfect accuracy in jungles. This identification ability allows the amber elf to determine the species of a plant or animal and the special qualities or abilities of the species. The amber elf can also determine whether water is safe or dangerous to drink.
Weapons Training: Amber elves are taught the ways of combat at a young age, and their long lives allow them to become skilled in weapons favored by their society. Amber elves begin play with a + 1 bonus to hit with one of the following weapons: Long spear, javelin, dart, scimitar, or great scimitar

Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarf, Goblin, Halfling, Orc
Size: Medium
Movement: 30 feet
Typical Classes: Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Druid
Attribute Modifiers: +1 DEX, -1 INT
Ranger Modifiers: +2 Move Silently, +2 Hide
Rogue & Assassin Modifiers: +2 Listen, +2 Move Silently, +2 Hide
Druid: +2 Wilderness Lore
Bard Modifiers: +2 Listen


Amber Halflings (replaces Ebony Halflings)
These halflings are wilder than most of their brethren. They live in small enclaves deep in the jungles. A sturdy group of halflings, they pride themselves on their wilderness skills. Amber halflings tend to avoid encounters with the outside world as much as possible, and they rely primarily on their hiding abilities to survive rather than their fighting abilities. They tend to be slightly larger than the average halfling.

Racial Traits & Abilities:
Fearless: Because amber halflings are in near-constant danger, they have learned that fear is sometimes a worthy trait as a survival mechanism; controlling or even harnessing it has its advantages. This balance equates to an internal resolve. They receive a +1 bonus to all saving throws versus fear and to morale checks.
Hide(DEX): Amber halflings spend much of their lives avoiding the prying eyes of others. They receive a +2 to all conceal or hiding checks while outdoors (this bonus does not apply to hiding indoors).
Climb: The amber halfling can climb trees and vines without a dexterity check and with minimal equipment, but her hands must be free. IF the amber halfling is heavily equipped, a dex check is required. While climbing, the amber halfling’s movement is reduced by 1/4.
Jungle Lore: An amber halfling can identify plants and animals with perfect accuracy in jungles. This identification ability allows the amber halfling to determine the species of a plant or animal and the special qualities or abilities of the species. The amber halfling can also determine whether water is safe or dangerous to drink.
Diskvision: As in PHB
Resistant to Heat: Hailing from warm terrains, amber halflings bodies are developed to resist the harmful effects of the heat. Any heat-based damage that amber halfling would normally suffer is reduced by half. If the effect grants the amber halfling a saving throw and the saving throw is successful, the damage is reduced to 1/4.
Resistance: Amber halflings are resistant to natural magic (druidical-based and nature-based magic), and they receive a +1 bonus to all saving throws when afflicted by such.

Languages: Common, Halfling, Dwarven, Elvish, Orc, Goblin
Size: Small
Movement: 20 ft
Typical Classes: Druid, Ranger, Rogue, Bard
Attribute Modifier: -1 STR, +1 DEX, -1 INT, +1 WIS
Ranger Modifier: +2 Hide, +2 Tracking
Rogue & Assassin Modifier: +2 Hide, +2 Climb
Druid Modifier: +2 Wilderness Lore

Grass Elves:
Grass elves are more primitive than their brethren. They do not live in cities or towns, but are nomadic, traveling in small family groups, and living beneath the canopy of the sky. Able trackers, grass elves of all classes can track as a ranger of the same level. A grass elf ranger gains a +1 bonus to their tracking checks. They have an affinity with the natural world even greater than that of other elf subraces. They often have druidic powers.

Racial Traits & Abilities:
Enhanced Senses: As in PHB
Twilight Vision: As in PHB
Move Silently: As in PHB
Spell Resistance: AS in PHB
Tracking: Grass elves of all classes can track as a ranger of the same level. ie. A 1st level fighter tracks as a 1st level ranger.
Resist Elements: Grass elves gain a +2 saving throw against fire, water, earth, air, cold, and lightning attacks.

Languages: Common, Elvish, Halfling, Dwarf, Gnome, Orc, Goblin
Typical Classes: Fighter, Ranger, Barbarian, Druid
Attribute Modifiers: +1 DEX, -1 CHA
Ranger Modifier: +1 Track, +2 Move Silent
Rogue & Assassin Modifier: +2 Move , +2 Listen

Steppe Halflings:
All abilities per PHB & Ride: Riding checks at +2

Steppe Humans:
All abilities per PHB & Ride: Riding checks at +2

Since it is your first time, I can understand why you went astray. Everyone messes this up for their first time. But, I have done work on this kind of thing many times, so maybe I can help you learn a few guidelines that will help you do a bit better.

They aren't really racial variants if you just tag on extra abilities to what they were already getting for free. Every time you add something, you need to take away something from it of equal value. The only exception would be if you were working with a race that was criminally underpowered to begin with, but you generally aren't going to find that among the PHB races (well... maybe Half-Orc).

Point is that if the "variant" just gets whatever the race originally got and then some... or they lose something of no importance and gain something great, then really you have simply created a replacement. Ideally, when someone looks between the two they should be saying "well, I'd really like THAT ability, but I would miss out on having THAT from the other one." And under the most ideal situations, the choice between the two shouldn't simply be based on what class they would like to play. If you have "here is your elf if you want to be a wizard" and "here is your elf if you want to be a cleric" and "here is your elf if you want to be a ranger" and so forth... if you have done that, then mechanically there is really only 1 elf subrace and it just has a special free feature that allows it to adapt towards its class in a pretty unique way.

And, moreover, unless you replace all the races, then you are just causing imbalance in the races. And even if you replace all the races and make them all more powerful, then what you have effectively done is weaken all the encounters in the game.

The other thing I think you might need to consider is well... attributes aren't really created equally.
Intelligence? Wisdom? You know how little most classes utilize that stat? Frankly, for far too many classes, those attributes just don't exist.
But Dexterity? Everyone needs AC and initiative and most need ranged attack bonus.
Constitution? Who doesn't use hit points?

If your variant increases these critically important stats at the cost of the unimportant ones, then right there it will become more powerful than the race it is meant to be a variant of.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to take a few days to figure out how to fix them. But I have a feeling I'm going to put the onus on my players. IE, give me your character's background, and I'll give you a +1 for a few skills contained in the background.