+Cha/+Wis - Kitsune! (Help me build this!)

NMcCoy · Mar 31, 2009

An idea that's been rattling around in my head for a bit, synthesized of a number of things:
* Races exist for every stat combination (albeit some only in the MM for now) except there's nothing for +Cha/+Wis.
* I want to add some Japanese mythological flavor to my Feywild. The classical "Realm of the Fey" plus the Japanese "Spirit World" have some tasty synergy in my mind.
* Fox-people are awesome.

So, thinking of a race that would be charismatic, wise, and feylike, the kitsune of Japanese mythology came to mind. The fact that a +Cha/+Wis race would strongly favor the Paladin and Cleric classes resonated with the kitsune of M:tG's Kamigawa block as well, which tended to be devout samurai and clerics.

So, here's what I have so far:

KITSUNE RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5'5"-6'1"
Average Weight: 135-190 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Elven
Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 Insight

Otherworldly Grace: You have a +1 racial bonus to Reflex. In addition, you gain a +2 racial bonus to all saving throws when not bloodied.

Hoshi no Tama: You can use an orb as an implement for class powers and paragon path powers, even if that class or paragon path doesn't normally use orbs as implements.

Fey Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Feywild, so you are considered a fey creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.

Not much yet - I've got a racial power in the works, some other features I'm thinking about, and of course much more flavor description - but I wanted to get this out there. Thoughts?

Edit: Racial Power, take 1

Foxfire

Encounter * Radiant
Minor Action Ranged 5
Targets: One creature
Attack: Charisma +2 vs. Will, Intelligence +2 vs. Will, or Wisdom +2 vs. Will
Increase to +4 bonus at 11th level, and +6 bonus at 21st level.
Hit: The target sheds dim light that illuminates its square and all squares adjacent to it, and grants combat advantage to you and your allies until the start of your next turn.
Special: When you create your character, choose Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power.

chronoplasm · Mar 31, 2009

I like it all except for Hoshi no Tama. It kind of limits your options for classes a lot.

Some ideas I'd like to suggest:

Your tails are represented mechanically as racial feats.
You can get feats like "Tail of the Sun" or "Tail of the Moon" that work like multiclass feats in that they allow you to replace class powers for Kitsune Racial Powers.
Even if you don't do this though, you do need to come up with at least one racial for your Kitsune there.

What sorts of powers?

Perhaps the power to impersonate a beautiful woman?
Definately a lot of illusionistic powers like invisibility.
Perhaps the power to create foxfire, damaging enemies with fire or lightning damage?
Maybe flight at higher levels?
If you really want to get fancy, maybe you could find some way for the Kitsune to possess people; entering the bodies of young women through the fingernails or the breasts?

chronoplasm · Mar 31, 2009

I think your Fox Fire there is a little too similar to the Dragonborn breath weapon.
Heres an idea:
Shrink the area to Close blast 2, and add on some kind of neat illusionistic or movement based effect.
This way it fits in more with the whole tricky fox-spirit idea.
Perhaps you become invisible or teleport when you use the power? It would be like a ninja throwing a smoke-bomb and disappearing.

NMcCoy · Mar 31, 2009

chronoplasm said:
I think your Fox Fire there is a little too similar to the Dragonborn breath weapon.

I think you saw this when I accidentally hit "save" after pasting the Dragon Breath as a template for the ability score text. It's very different now.

chronoplasm · Mar 31, 2009

NMcCoy said:
I think you saw this when I accidentally hit "save" after pasting the Dragon Breath as a template for the ability score text. It's very different now.

Ah! I see now...

It looks pretty nice now actually.
Your Kitsune would make fine rogues.

NMcCoy · Mar 31, 2009

chronoplasm said:
I like it all except for Hoshi no Tama. It kind of limits your options for classes a lot.

Limits options? How so? It adds another implement option to any class that uses implements, and doesn't really impact non-implement classes at all. (Just like Elf Clerics don't get a whole lot out of bow proficiency.)

Also, I really like the notion of racial feats adding tails. Perhaps the eight additional tails might correspond to the eight I Ching trigrams?
Hm...

Edit for thoughts:

Tail of Fire
Prerequisite: Kitsune
You gain an additional tail. Your foxfire racial power gains the fire keyword. When you score a critical hit with a fire attack, the target takes ongoing fire damage equal to the number of tails you have (save ends).

Tail of Thunder
Prerequisite: Kitsune
You gain an additional tail. Your foxfire racial power gains the thunder keyword.
When you score a critical hit with a thunder attack, you shift a number of squares equal to the number of tails you have.

Tail of Aether
Prerequisite: Kitsune
You gain an additional tail. Your foxfire racial bonus gains the force keyword.
When you score a critical hit with a force attack, the target's resistances are reduced by an amount equal to the number of tails you have until the end of the encounter.

chronoplasm · Mar 31, 2009

Cool feats.
Maybe you could do some kind of epic destiny for the Kitsune that requires you to have all nine tails?

Rechan · Mar 31, 2009

1) The "Japanese spirit world" is pretty much the Primal Power source. Spirits of many things = Kami, really.

2) You say they are devout clerics and paladins. ... of what? Inari? I know you're giving them these ability scores because "There isn't any who have it", but how does that fit with Kitsune? What is it about kitsune that make them clerics/paladins?

3) The tail mechanic is interesting, but I'm not sure about it. Namely because gaining a tail = massive increase in power. Not to mention that the power gaining keywords does little to the actual power. I don't personally like the Crit mechanic, but that's an issue I have more with 4e, not this race in particular.

4) I do think that they should get some inherent illusion effect. Either as an actual power, or just a fluff thing, that they have a "normal" looking form, along with their true form(s). A kitsune, as far as I understand, would never "reveal" its nature to anyone casually.

I do like the Otherworldly Grace and the Orb bit.

Estlor · Apr 3, 2009

I like it. Flavorful, evocative, not particularly overpowered or underpowered.

Two thoughts:

The racial power being ranged means using it will provoke an opportunity attack. I'd consider making it a close blast 5 or a close burst 5 so a kitsune melee character can use it without first having to shift away from foes. Then again, darkfire basically does the exact same thing and is ranged 10/+4 to hit. Technically foxfire is a poor-man's darkfire. Not sure what you'd need to do to make it more distinct.

Second, I'm not sure how I feel about the +2 to all saves when not bloodied. That might be a touch powerful. If you use the eladrin as a point of comparison, they get +1 to will, +5 to specific saves (charm), a free skill, longsword proficiency, and a teleport power. Kitsunes get +1 to reflex, +2 to all saves, orb proficiency, and a power to help the party rogue. Maybe change the saves to +2 or +3 against immobilized and restrained and give them some sort of a bonus (+2?) to skill checks to escape a grab? I wouldn't go full on +5 since those two conditions come up more than charm effects. Dunno... it's definitely less of a bonus than the eladrin get, but it applies to everything instead of specific things, plus it plays up their graceful mobility as opposed to a generic ability to shrug things off...