Leafshadow

[krishnack]

LEAFSHADOW
Whenever fey need a helping hand to help them in special, most times also dangerous, situations, they call for their leavshadow friends. The leafshadows are also fey, but not from birth. These strangers have risked their own life for the life of a mighty fey. When both, the fey and her saviour, survive, the fey offer them a special kind of gratitude: by aeon old magical rituals the saviour is transformed into a agile and strong fey warrior – a leafshadow. The ritual has to happen under a ceiling of leaves of many different plants. For that the new fey are called leafshadows by other fey. This kind of title is very high reputated by fey although the leafshadows were made to become a fey. During the ritual a leaf from the oldest and mightiest treant of the prevailing forest is burned into the skin between the leafshadows shoulders. She can use this sign to identify herself as a leafshadow when dealing with other fey.

CREATING AN LEAFSHADOW
"Leafshadow" is an inherited template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid (referred to hereafter as the basecreature). It uses all of the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to fey. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves. Size is unchanged.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +1.
Special Qualities: A leafshadow has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Low-light vision.
- Damage reduction 5/cold iron.
- Trackless step (Ex): A Leafshadow leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4, Cha +4.
Skills: Leafshadows have a +2 bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently and Spot.
Feats: A leafshadow gains Agile Athlete (Races Of The Wild) as bonus feat even if she does not qualify for the feat.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Alignment: Any nonevil.
Level Adjustment: +2.

 

[krishnack]

balanced???
any opinions are welcome

 

[zeo_evil]

Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +1. Level Adjustment +1.
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron. Level Aadjustment +2.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4, Cha +4. Level Adjustment +1.
Skills: Leafshadows have a +2 bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently and Spot. Level Adjustment +1.

Level Adjustment: +5.

At least that is what Savage Species says. Thoughts?

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.

What I think.

 

[krishnack]

in this case the half dragon would have a level adjustment of abvout +15

natural armor +4
immunity to one energy type, paralysis, magic sleep
str +8 and lots of other ability increases
dark vision
natural attacks
breath weapon
...

how does savage species explain the LA+3 there???

 

[zeo_evil]

Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron. Level Aadjustment +2.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4, Cha +4. Level Adjustment +1.
Skills: Leafshadows have a +2 bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently and Spot. Level Adjustment +1.

Level Adjustment: +4.

Here is where I would play it.

 

[DragonTurtle]

I think you need to ask yourself if a first level fighter had the template would it balance with a 6th level fighter (if you applied the +5 LA suggested above). My answer is the +2 is probably fine.

 

[krishnack]

best way to find out if it's balanced or not, is to compare this template with another LA +2 template, for example the half-vampire (libris mortis) or the shadow-creature (lords of madness) or any other example.
I also think the +2 is fine, but I might be wrong.

 

[krishnack]

however, as I just noticed I don't think that this template is even as strong as the half-dragon, so it can never be an LA+4

 

[zeo_evil]

I think you need to ask yourself if a first level fighter had the template would it balance with a 6th level fighter (if you applied the +5 LA suggested above). My answer is the +2 is probably fine.

I have always wondered why people always use fighter in their examples. That template kills for a bard, rogue, or sorcerer. Damage reduction cold iron is quite nice as my asura (with Thick-Skinned) proves every week. Cannot say I can be persuaded to go less than four. What can I say?

 

[zeo_evil]

best way to find out if it's balanced or not, is to compare this template with another LA +2 template, for example the half-vampire (libris mortis) or the shadow-creature (lords of madness) or any other example.
I also think the +2 is fine, but I might be wrong.

Dude. Shadow creature is overpowered for sure. I am feeling its unholy cheese of displacement in my campaign right now.