Abe's Revised Dark Elf

[AbeTheGnome]

Dark Elf Traits
* +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
* Medium-size
* Dark elf base land speed is 30 ft.
* Darkvision up to 60 ft.
* Low-light vision: A dark elf can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Immunity to magic sleep spells and effects.
Immunity to mundane diseases.
* +2 racial bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.
* +2 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
* Elven blood: For all special abilities and effects, a dark elf is considered an elf. Dark elves, for example, can use or create elven weapons and magic items with racially specific elven powers as if they were elves.
* Outsider: Dark elves are native outsiders.
* Spell-like Abilities: Dark elves can use the following spell-like abilities once per day: Charm Person, Darkness, Suggestion. Caster level equals the dark elf’s class levels.
* Blood Drain: A dark elf can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round. On each such successful drain attack, the dark elf gains 5 temporary hit pints.
* Blood Lust: If a dark elf does not drain at least 1 Constitution point of blood each day from a living creature, she must make a Fortitude save (DC 15 + number of days without feeding). On the first failed save, the dark elf becomes fatigued. On the second failed save, she becomes exhausted. On the third failed save, she falls unconscious. Feeding eliminates all penalties from blood lust, but rest and magical healing have no effect.
* Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds dark elves for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
* Automatic Languages: Elven, Abyssal. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Gnome, Goblin.
* Favored Class: Warlock (male) or Priestess (female).
Level adjustment: ????????????????

 

[Dei]

I would probably go with 3 or perhaps even more. Yes blood lust is a major disadvantage but as you've not specified a species for the victim any will probably do so it's going to be rare the dark elf has trouble finding a victim, also, with the temporary hitpoints granted and con damage caused by blood drain a monk or other grappler with this is going to be beyond lethal, it's going to be totally unstoppable. Imagine, keeping the enemy caster pinned for three rounds, up to 12 con damage and 15 temporary hitpoints, and this on top of whatever other grapple damage it's doing. Also, this comes on top of all the other bonuses you've given it, not the least of which is the outsider type, therefore immune to hold person and the like.

I can see where you were going with this and to be honest I really, really like the flavour you've given it but if I were you I would seriously consider nerfing it a little. Perhaps have blood drain deal damage like a normal bite attack, say 1d6 or d8 and not grant temporary hitpoints. This would probably knock at least 1 LA from it but with all the spell like abilities, etc you're still looking at a 2 I'd say. Like I said though, love the flavour, permission to pilfer for my own needs?

 

[AbeTheGnome]

absolutely pilferable. thanks for your criticism. i was wondering if anyone was ever going to respond. you can check out the earlier versions of the dark elf a few threads back, but they just didn't capture the flavor i was going for. i didn't even think about the bonuses that outsiders get when i assigned them to it. do aasimar and tieflings get those goodies too? what if i changed "blood each day from a living creature" to "blood each day from a living, intelligent creature?" the CON drain is not necessary for the flavor, but the temporary hit points are, i think. unless i just changed it to direct hit point transfer or something... this was the only vampiric ability i can find in the SRD (except for level drain, and that's just off the charts for LA), and i don't feel comfortable giving them an ability that's completely unprecedented. hmm... i don't want to nerf it this bad, but if i drop blood drain/blood lust, would that make it an LA+2? how else could i achieve a lower LA?

EDIT: as a precedent for this, i used the fey'ri from Races of Faerun. i think i actually toned things down from that race (alter self at will!), which was an LA+2, but i think that that race may be broken anyway...

 

[Dei]

Blood each day from a living, intelligent creature would certainly be a big drawback to the race and to be honest could make it very hard to play as travel over large distances of wilderness is going to be very difficult. Perhaps treat it as the starvation rules so they can go about three or so days being hungry before they start to really feel the pinch? (page 304 of the DMG if you're interested) This would mean that at low levels they will still have real problems but someone with a good con save could probably remain more or less unaffected by it for a week or so before the saves start climbing to where they can't follow. To not nerf it so much you could say that non-intelligent blood will stave off unconsciousness but will not halt the non-lethal damge so they can survive in the wilderness, just not thrive, i.e. they will be technically on 0 hitpoints from non-lethal damage but will remain conscious as long as they take damage from no other sources but blood lust and drink the blood of a non-intelligent animal between each con-check.

Knock the con drain from the bite and make it simply do 1d6+str, you could probably allow sneak attack and similar things on it too since the target is denied their dex bonus by the grapple. For a bit of extra flavour you could add the bleeding ability to the bite so it continues to do 1 damage a round until bandaged (dc 10/15 heal check) or some magical healing is applied. I think this would definately bring it down to a LA2. The con drain really was what made the ability so overbalanced, the temporary hitpoints are nice but by no means broken and so you could give the bite a straight health drain and allow the elf to get temporary hit points equal to it's bite damage. Actually on second though I would probably call this an LA1 since other than these things and the outsider type it's basically just an elf with a couple of once per day abilities.

 

[javcs]

What subtypes (if any) does this have? This could change things significantly, ie vulnerability to bane weapons, and immunity/vulnerability to energy types, among others.

If you wanted to keep the blood drain, make it wounding and reduce the amount of Con damage from 1d4 to 1d2 or 1. I'd also make it 5 temp HPs per point of Con drained. I might also permit it to have the effect of a restoration or some other healing effect on them in place of the temp HPs, choice upon successfully draining Con.
Depending on which options you chose, it could make the LA anything from +2, keep it at the +3 or so it is, or increase it to +4 or more.
I still think that a few varieties, either clans, castes, or something, would permit you to have the kind of NPCs you want, while keeping PCs at a reasonable level.

You could check out the Katane and Half-Vampire templates, both are accessible on Crystal Keep, and may give you ideas for the draining ability of these Dark Elves.

What exactly was the flavor you were aiming for?

 

[AbeTheGnome]

type (and subtype) are native outsider, as well as humanoid (elf). i'll take a look at Katane (i did look at half-vampire already) for some ideas. as far as flavor, this is a fanatically religious subrace of elves, worshipping an evil god of darkness and trickery, whose rituals revolve around blood sacrifice. i posted the flavor text a while back, in the first thread where i asked for help on a former version. i'll repost it, though. i've also been thinking about adding this penalizing quality from the bodak entry to tone them down a little:

Vulnerability to Sunlight (Ex)

Dark elves loathe sunlight, for its merest touch burns their impure flesh. Each round of exposure to the direct rays of the sun deals 1 point of damage to the creature.

flavor:

The dark elves are called “Tuatha Cro” in the High Speech, and also the Truthairi (“betrayers”) and Dheal (“blood-drinkers”). Dark elves are even paler than their cousins, and usually have black hair. Their eyes are usually pale blue, but when they are in a blood frenzy, they turn black as pitch. They wear long flowing robes or tight, revealing leather, preferring black and red. They are cruel and capricious, and rarely travel from their homeland.

Long ago, the dark elves forsook the worship of the elven gods and turned to the dark god Lilith, who demanded they make blood sacrifices of their brethren. For their indiscretions, they were expelled from the ancient elven kingdoms and forced to wander the unknown lands, searching for a new home. They were cursed by the elven gods with a disdain for the sun and they became denizens of the dark places beneath the earth. But Lilith provided for her children, and brought them up out of the deep places to a promised land in the high valleys of the Black Mountains. There, in the place called Nod, she filled the sky with dark clouds that protect her children from the painful light of the sun. In gratitude, the dark elves built many temples to Lilith and made sacrifices to her in heinous rituals

Dark elven society is hedonistic; they fulfill their carnal desires with wanton abandon. Every lustful impulse is sated without regard to moral principle. Temples to Litith serve not only as places of worship, but also as brothels and feast halls. The clergy of Lilith are always female, and the society is, as a result, rather matriarchal. The ruler of the dark elves is known as the Blood Lord, and he rules with an iron hand. Every citizen pays deference to him or dies a horrible death. However, he does not rule alone. Only with the support of the Priesthood of Lilith does he maintain control of Nod. The priestesses of Lilith are the powers behind the throne.

Dark elves are loathed by nearly all other races of Ebudae. The relative peace of Nod is maintained through the arcane might of the dark elven warlocks. Warlocks are males raised by the Temple of Lilith, taken from their families at a young age and schooled in the arcane arts from boyhood. Their mastery of the blackest magics make them formidable opponents. Few wizards have felt the wrath of a warlock and lived to tell the tale.

The isolation of Nod is not absolute. Raiding parties formed of male warriors often attack neighboring settlements of humans, dwarves, and elves to return with chattel for slavery and sacrifice. Young females often leave their homes to become concubines abroad. Dark elven brothels can be found in nearly every major city of Ebudae. These young harlots keep their origins a secret, of course.

 

[javcs]

Vulnerability to Sunlight seems to fit in with the intent.

Very Chaotic and decidedly Evil. Possibly include them as subtypes, since they're outsiders? Makes them significantly weaker, because bane weapons against them, particularly if everybody hates them, would be incredibly common, and (with both outsider(evil) and outsider(chaotic)) far more dangerous. And, I believe, having said subtypes will make them always register on detect evil/chaotic

Make them automatically have strong auras of chaos/evil, makes them more susceptible to the detect spells.