[Not Suitable For Work] Build a Tiny Race #3: Fight, Fight, Fight!

Work is boring. Gaming is fun. Work should be more like gaming.

Not Suitable For Work is a new addition to Combat Advantage, the free 4e series of PDFs from Emerald Press PDF Publishing. Every month will have a theme to which any number of brainstorming exercises will be made. Each week or so, we will post a new thread for 4e material utilizing that theme and everyone is open to submit their concepts on EN World. The trick to this game is that you must rely on your memory of the game and cannot use any supplements, core rulebooks, or online references - simply use your innate knowledge of the game to create new material on the fly. Accuracy is not immediately required - these are brainstorms for new ideas, concepts, and add-ons to 4e. Throw in your ideas, no matter how crazy they are because you never know what they may lead to.

NSFW is not a contest and is designed solely as a recreational design exercise for those of you stuck at work, school, or anywhere else on your lunch breaks with nothing to do. Waiting for that report to come back from management? Homework? Eww. Check out the theme and post your ideas for this week’s exercise. There’s no voting, no deadlines, or bad ideas. It’s all about having a little bit of fun while the boss isn’t looking. Enough talk!

Size has always run the full gamut in fantasy since the first bedtime story was told thousands of years ago. Giants, dwarves, hobbits, and pixies are the finest examples of different sizes in fantasy adventures, yet the smallest characters ever have been left to the side. Not any more!

This month we’re going to create a tiny player character race and for that we will need to look at how sizes work in 4e and develop material to allow a tiny-sized character to keep pace with any human, dragonborn, or dwarf in the party. Each stage of our exercise will involve open submissions posted on the forums of EN World or the Emerald Press PDF Publishing Facebook page to be put to a vote before continuing on to the next stage. By month’s end, we will have a complete race of tiny creatures to mark down on your character sheet.

Exercise #3: Tiny characters are not pacificists, not the way we're going to make them. They are strong, hardy, clever, and brave, despite their "handicaps" in comparison to their large cousins. Design any number of attack powers you like for a tiny creature. These attacks can be mundane yet creative, use some form of energy attack, incorporate a form of movement developed in Exercise #1, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

But that's not all. At least one of your powers must include one of the following:

- a bonus to damage when used in combination with an ally
- a bonus to damage against a specific type of enemy (based on its role, origin, type, or a particular keyword
- a defensive bonus or movement reaction (such as a slide) as a secondary effect

Post your ideas below. Remember these are exercises built for enjoyment and mental exercise of the game. Accuracy is not required on every little detail and some mistakes are forgiveable. (See?) If you'd like to post a revised version of your entry, just be sure to type in which version under Reason for Edits. If you want to post more than one entry, go crazy. It's all just in the name of having fun while you're not supposed to.

One of these is an update of my power from exercise #1. The other... well... I couldn't resist!


Buzz / Tricksey-Pixie Attack 11
You flutter around a foe, darting past his defenses and driving him batty.
Encounter * Weapon
Standard Action / Melee weapon
Targets: One creature
Effect: Before the attack, shift up to your speed, moving through enemy spaces.
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC, Intelligence vs. AC, or Charisma vs. AC. You gain a +1 bonus on your attack roll for each square of your shifting which passed through the target creature's space.
Hit: 4[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, and you slide the target up to your Charisma modifier squares (minimum 1) into a space adjacent to you.
Miss: You slide the target 1 square into a space adjacent to you.


IM IN UR EARZ, STABBIN UR BRAINZ / Tricksey-Pixie Attack 20
Zipping in close to your foe, you relentlessly attack his weak point while evading his grasp.
Daily * Weapon
Standard Action / Melee weapon
Targets: One creature of Medium size or larger
Attack: Dexterity vs. Reflex, Intelligence vs. Reflex, or Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 6[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, and the target grants combat advantage to you until you move away from it or it ends its turn not adjacent to you.
Effect: You have concealment against the target, and whenever the target moves, you can shift your speed as a free action provided you end adjacent to the target. This effect ends when you move away from the target or the target ends its turn not adjacent to you.


Notes: Tricksey-Pixie is a racial paragon path. The pixies are limited to very low-[W] weapons which is why they slightly get more [W] in their damage than normal.

-- 77IM

Ha! Love that last one just for the name alone! Doesn't get any more direct than that.

Most aeries are raged combatants, using either magic or missile weapons that aeries are naturally inclined for. But not all accept the limitations of their statue and avoid melee; the Aerie Harrier is a feisty fighter at close quarters.

Aerie Strafe Aerie Harrier Attack 11
You make a flying attack run, hacking and slashing as you go.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Weapon
Standard Action Close burst 0
Effect: Shift a number of squares equal to your speed. You can shift through enemy spaces, but cannot enter the same square twice. You cannot end your movement in an enemy space.
Target: Each enemy in a square you shift trough. You can make several attacks against a Large or larger enemy by entering several squares of their space.
Attack: Dexterity vs. Fortitude.
Hit: 2[W]+ Dexterity modifier damage.

Aerie Harrying Aerie Harrier Utility 12
You buzz real close to an enemy, gaining cover and a blind spot.
At-Will ✦ Arcane
Move Action Personal
Shift into the space of an adjacent creature larger than you and at least Medium in size. You gain combat advantage against the creature and full cover from all attacks until you are no longer in the creature's space. Allies adjacent to the enemy whose space you occupy are considered to be flanking that enemy.

Out of the Sun Aerie Harrier Attack 20
You fly straight up, then dive down onto the head of your target.
Daily ✦ Arcane, Weapon
Standard Action Melee
Effect: Fly your speed straight up, then your speed vertically, then up to twice your speed down into the space above an enemy.
Target: One enemy below you.
Attack: Dexterity vs. Reflex.
Hit: 4[W]+ Dexterity modifier damage, and target is stunned until the end of your next round.

Nice work once again. I'm really anxious to see these all done and assembled with some nice descriptions next week to bring them all into play. It'll be tempting to play one the next time I make up a character too... I'll just have to choose which one to use.

I was also impressed by 77IM's handling of the Pixie, and must admit I incorporated his space/reach ideas into the Aerie - I hope that's ok? Perhaps these two will end up as a single race?

Now I just want to see some of the other submissions handle this point - we had a couple of other interesting contestants!

Starfox said:

I was also impressed by 77IM's handling of the Pixie, and must admit I incorporated his space/reach ideas into the Aerie - I hope that's ok? Perhaps these two will end up as a single race?

Click to expand...

If it is, we'll just have to settle this with a duel between the aerie and pixie. To the death, of course.

I've been busy working on my APS Classes (check 'em out if you have time /end shameless plug). Here's my submission for the Teeciay.

Don't Tell the Elf Fighter Attack 1
You have an ally toss you at your foe.
Encounter * Martial
Standard Action Melee weapon
Prerequisite: Tiny Size
Requirement: You must be adjacent to a medium or larger ally when you use this attack.
Effect: You fly in a straight line up to 8 squares. At any time during that movement, you can make a charge attack against an adjacent enemy. You must land at the end of the movement, or you fall prone in an unoccupied square.

Giant Slayer's Rage BarbarianAttack 1
You go into a frenzy of strikes you've learned can cut down even bigger foes.
Daily * Primal, Rage
Standard Action Close blast 3
Prerequisite: Tiny Size
Target: Any number of creatures you can see in blast
Attack: Strength vs. AC; if a creature takes up more than one square in the blast, attack that target once for each square in the blast that it occupies.
Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage
Effect: You enter the rage of the giant slayer. Until the rage ends, if you attack a large or larger creature with a close blast power, you can attack that creature once for each square it occupies in the blast.

Under Current Rogue Utility 2
You take advantage of your size to move safely.
Encounter * Martial
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Prerequisite: Tiny Size
Trigger: An enemy tries to push, pull, or slide you
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you can instead shift the number of squares you would be forced to move.

Nice unique class powers. Be the envy of every other barbarian in the group with giant slayer's rage!

Yeah, I figure the size penalty of having to wield a longsword two-handed would keep the power balanced by comparison to others.