Devon
First Post
I wanted to come up with something related to medusas without using the half-medusa template.
I managed to accidentally come up with a race with some inherent dramatic tension (See Society entry below).
I'm wondering if I should scale back their hit dice so they're more like a traditional demihuman. Any thoughts?
Let me know what you think.
- Devon
Medinal
Medium-Size Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +0 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 12 (+2 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 12
BAB/Grapple: +2/+2
Standard Attack: shortsword +2 melee
Full-round Attack: shortsword +2 melee (1d6); or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6)
Face/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Paralyzing gaze
Special Qualities: Medusa blood, darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills (10): Bluff +4, Disguise +4, Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +2, Spot +3
Feats: Alertness
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3-5), or tribe (61+).
Challenge Rating: 2-3
Treasure: standard
Alignment: usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Medinals are reptilian humanoids distantly related to medusas and half-medusas, capable of paralyzing with a look. All medinals are female.
Like a medusa, a medinal is indistinguishable from a normal human at distances greater than 30 feet (or closer, if its face is concealed). A medinal often wears garments that enhance its body while hiding its face behind a hood or veil, not so much to attract prey as to avoid provoking the kind of reprisal their medusan appearance usually inspires.
Medinals have scaly skin, the color of dirty sand. Instead of biting snakes for hair, they have a growth of scaly tails more reminiscent of dreadlocks. These dreads, which range from 1 to 4 feet long, usually lay dormant, although they tend to twitch when the medinal is excited. They get longer as the medinal gets older.
Although incapable of petrifying, a medinal's gaze can convey an instinctive, penetrating fear in other creatures, rendering them immobile for a time.
A typical medinal is 5 to 6 feet tall and about the same weight as a human. They speak Common.
Combat
Medinals usually try to paralyze the front-line fighters, as they are likely to have low Will saves, and may be inexperienced enough with their kind to fear their gaze.
Paralyzing Gaze (Su): The medinal's visage is less potent than its medusa cousins; creatures are not turned to stone simply by looking at it. However, it can focus its power upon a single creature within 30 feet just like a medusa actively using its gaze as an attack action. The targeted creature can avoid the gaze as normal (see page 77 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide) but if she fails, she must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 medinal’s HD + medinal's Cha modifier) or be paralyzed for a number of rounds equal to 2d4 + the medinal's Cha bonus. The creature can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 plus its Charisma bonus (minimum 1/day).
Medusa Blood (Ex): For all special abilities and effects, a medinal is considered a medusa. Medinals are immune to the gaze attacks of medusas, and vice versa.
MEDINAL SOCIETY
Medinals are commonly found serving a community of medusas, usually occupying a niche between house slave and useful stepchild.
They can mate with humans (producing either a male human or a medinal) or maedar (producing either a maedar or a female half-medusa) or half-medusas (producing a male half-medusa like the father, or another medinal). Medusas discourage maedar-medinal relationships, simply because there are so few maedar to go around, but maedar are beginning to find that such unions are more likely to produce viable maedar offspring than with a medusa, and are eagerly making efforts to find willing medinals. Medusas are almost willing to kill to keep this news from being spread around to other maedar.
MEDINALS AS PLAYER CHARACTERS
A medinal's favored class is rogue. Medinals tend to also become druids, bards or rangers. Medinal adepts, clerics and sorcerors do exist, while paladins, monks, barbarians and wizards are uncommon.
Medinal player characters possess the following racial traits.
— Medium-size
— +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma.
— +1 natural armor bonus.
—A medinal’s base land speed is 30 feet.
— Darkvision out to 60 feet.
—Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Terran, Goblin, Orc.
—Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet.
—Racial Hit Dice: A medinal begins with two levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.
—Racial Skills: A medinar’s monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Bluff, Disguise, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot.
—Racial Feats: A medinar’s monstrous humanoid level gives it one feat (traditionally Alertness).
—Special Attacks (see above): Paralyzing Gaze
—Special Qualities (see above): Medusa Blood
—Favored Class: Rogue.
—Level adjustment +3.
I managed to accidentally come up with a race with some inherent dramatic tension (See Society entry below).
I'm wondering if I should scale back their hit dice so they're more like a traditional demihuman. Any thoughts?
Let me know what you think.
- Devon
Medinal
Medium-Size Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +0 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 12 (+2 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 12
BAB/Grapple: +2/+2
Standard Attack: shortsword +2 melee
Full-round Attack: shortsword +2 melee (1d6); or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6)
Face/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Paralyzing gaze
Special Qualities: Medusa blood, darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills (10): Bluff +4, Disguise +4, Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +2, Spot +3
Feats: Alertness
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3-5), or tribe (61+).
Challenge Rating: 2-3
Treasure: standard
Alignment: usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Medinals are reptilian humanoids distantly related to medusas and half-medusas, capable of paralyzing with a look. All medinals are female.
Like a medusa, a medinal is indistinguishable from a normal human at distances greater than 30 feet (or closer, if its face is concealed). A medinal often wears garments that enhance its body while hiding its face behind a hood or veil, not so much to attract prey as to avoid provoking the kind of reprisal their medusan appearance usually inspires.
Medinals have scaly skin, the color of dirty sand. Instead of biting snakes for hair, they have a growth of scaly tails more reminiscent of dreadlocks. These dreads, which range from 1 to 4 feet long, usually lay dormant, although they tend to twitch when the medinal is excited. They get longer as the medinal gets older.
Although incapable of petrifying, a medinal's gaze can convey an instinctive, penetrating fear in other creatures, rendering them immobile for a time.
A typical medinal is 5 to 6 feet tall and about the same weight as a human. They speak Common.
Combat
Medinals usually try to paralyze the front-line fighters, as they are likely to have low Will saves, and may be inexperienced enough with their kind to fear their gaze.
Paralyzing Gaze (Su): The medinal's visage is less potent than its medusa cousins; creatures are not turned to stone simply by looking at it. However, it can focus its power upon a single creature within 30 feet just like a medusa actively using its gaze as an attack action. The targeted creature can avoid the gaze as normal (see page 77 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide) but if she fails, she must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 medinal’s HD + medinal's Cha modifier) or be paralyzed for a number of rounds equal to 2d4 + the medinal's Cha bonus. The creature can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 plus its Charisma bonus (minimum 1/day).
Medusa Blood (Ex): For all special abilities and effects, a medinal is considered a medusa. Medinals are immune to the gaze attacks of medusas, and vice versa.
MEDINAL SOCIETY
Medinals are commonly found serving a community of medusas, usually occupying a niche between house slave and useful stepchild.
They can mate with humans (producing either a male human or a medinal) or maedar (producing either a maedar or a female half-medusa) or half-medusas (producing a male half-medusa like the father, or another medinal). Medusas discourage maedar-medinal relationships, simply because there are so few maedar to go around, but maedar are beginning to find that such unions are more likely to produce viable maedar offspring than with a medusa, and are eagerly making efforts to find willing medinals. Medusas are almost willing to kill to keep this news from being spread around to other maedar.
MEDINALS AS PLAYER CHARACTERS
A medinal's favored class is rogue. Medinals tend to also become druids, bards or rangers. Medinal adepts, clerics and sorcerors do exist, while paladins, monks, barbarians and wizards are uncommon.
Medinal player characters possess the following racial traits.
— Medium-size
— +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma.
— +1 natural armor bonus.
—A medinal’s base land speed is 30 feet.
— Darkvision out to 60 feet.
—Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Terran, Goblin, Orc.
—Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet.
—Racial Hit Dice: A medinal begins with two levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +3.
—Racial Skills: A medinar’s monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Bluff, Disguise, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot.
—Racial Feats: A medinar’s monstrous humanoid level gives it one feat (traditionally Alertness).
—Special Attacks (see above): Paralyzing Gaze
—Special Qualities (see above): Medusa Blood
—Favored Class: Rogue.
—Level adjustment +3.
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