Monsters as PC race.

[heylel]

Hail!

This is my first post here!

I have a doubt about the use of monsters as PC races.


Could anybody check and see if I did the following conversions right (I will still be changing the languages part)?

Thanx a lot,
heylel.

==============conversions==============

Goblins

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma.
• Small size.
• Goblin base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Goblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
• +4 racial bonus on Move Silently.
• Bonus Feat: Alertness
• Goblins riding worgs receive a +6 bonus to Ride
• Goblins riding worgs do so as if having the Mounted Combat feat.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Goblin.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, and Orc.
• Alignment: Usually neutral evil
• Favored Class: Rogue.

Hobgoblin

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution.
• Medium size.
• Hobgoblin base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Hobgoblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
• +4 racial bonus on Move Silently.
• Bonus Feat: Alertness
• Automatic Languages: Common and Goblin.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, and Orc.
• Alignment: Usually lawful evil
• Favored Class: Fighter.

Kobold

• +2 Dexterity, -4 Strength.
• Small size.
• Goblin base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Kobold can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
• Light Sensitivity: Kobolds suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
• +2 racial bonus to Craft (trapmaking), Profession (mining), and Search checks.
• Bonus Feat: Alertness
• Automatic Languages: Common and Draconic.
• Bonus Languages: Gnoll, Goblin, and Orc.
• Alignment: Usually lawful evil
• Favored Class: Sorcerer.

Orc

• +4 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
• Medium size.
• Orc base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
• Light Sensitivity: Orcs suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
• Bonus Feat: Alertness
• Automatic Languages: Common and Orc.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, and Goblin.
• Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
• Favored Class: Barbarian.

 

[Rashak Mani]

(Vc eh de onde heylel ?)

Dear Fellow countryman... check page 22 onwards in the DMs book for guidelines on playing new monster races. I did notice a lack of guidelines for skill bonuses and feats ...

As PCs the alertness feat is a no no... its only for the monsters. Most of the stats you took straight out of the Monster Manual correctly. Some comments:


Goblins = give them Hide bonus like halfling +4 / take out the mounted bonuses on wargs / maybe a +1 bonus with javelins or shortbows

Hobgoblins = no stat penalties oh oh... any balancing suggestions ?

Kobolds = Just love these critters... give them the small size Hide bonus +4 and you forgot about their Natural Armor +1 bonus... great for sorcerors.

Orcs = Only Wis and Cha penalty... not Int. So basically orcs have betten Int in general than half orcs !!

 

[hong]

One thing: these races do not have Alertness (or any other feat) as a bonus feat. The stat blocks in the MM are for 1st level warriors; 1st level warriors get 1 feat, and for the races in question that feat is Alertness.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

For some of his suggestions, Rashak is out to lunch. Or rather, his suggestions have little to do with the actual creatures as written.

The +4 bonus to hide somes from the races in question being small. Any small creature gets a +4 to hide. I assume that the Ride Skill and Mounted Combat feat are indicative of a goblin that is a worg rider, and just a shortcut for a dm (ie. they don't have to make a new 1st level warrior goblin for worg riding). It's no biggie, though.

Rashak's other suggestions may be taken as flavour, but they are not part of the conversion process.

The new line at WOTC is that hobgolbins are ECL +1. Your mileage may vary.

Kobolds, again, get the +4 to hide automatically due to their size. They do indeed get a +1 natural armour, which does not offset their stat penalties, in my eyes. Note that with the table for Ability Score generation on pg. 23 of the DMG, the best that a kobold can hope for is a Strength of 12. I generally disregard this table, however.

The Ability modifiers for an orc are: Str +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2.

hong is correct about the alertness feat.

Otherwise, your conversion looks bang on! Good work.

 

[heylel]

Hail!

Let me see...
1. Remove Alertness from all four descriptions.
2. Give Kobold the +1 natural armor
3. Explicit the Small size bonuses for goblins and kobolds.
(+1 to hit, +1 AC, +4 to Hide)

(I am aware that, for any negative modifier,
I should roll the scores on the DMG tables instead.
But I am thinking about noting the modifiers, for ease)

bye,
heylel.

p.s.:
Rashak Mani
>(Vc eh de onde heylel ?)
Sou de Curitiba-PR.

 

[heylel]

Hail!

So ....

Goblins

• Type: Humanoid (Goblinoid)
• +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma.
• Small size. (+1 size modifier to attack rolls, +1 size modifier to AC, +4 size bonus to Hide checks)
• Goblin base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Goblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and goblins can function just fine with no light at all.
• +4 racial bonus on Move Silently.
• Goblins riding worgs receive a +6 bonus to Ride
• Goblins riding worgs do so as if having the Mounted Combat feat.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Goblin.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, and Orc.
• Alignment: Usually neutral evil
• Favored Class: Rogue.

Hobgoblin

• Type: Humanoid (Goblinoid)
• +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution.
• Medium size.
• Hobgoblin base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Hobgoblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and hobgoblins can function just fine with no light at all.
• +4 racial bonus on Move Silently.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Goblin.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, and Orc.
• Alignment: Usually lawful evil
• Favored Class: Fighter.
• Level Adjustment: +1. Hobgoblins are slightly more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the other common races.

Kobold

• Type: Humanoid (Reptilian)
• +2 Dexterity, -4 Strength.
• Small size. (+1 size modifier to attack rolls, +1 size modifier to AC, +4 size bonus to Hide checks)
• Goblin base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Kobold can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and kobolds can function just fine with no light at all.
• +1 natural armor bonus to AC
• Light Sensitivity: Kobolds suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
• +2 racial bonus to Craft (trapmaking), Profession (mining), and Search checks.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Draconic.
• Bonus Languages: Gnoll, Goblin, and Orc.
• Alignment: Usually lawful evil
• Favored Class: Sorcerer.

Orc

• Type: Humanoid (Orc)
• +4 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
• Medium size.
• Orc base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and orcs can function just fine with no light at all.
• Light Sensitivity: Orcs suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Orc.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, and Goblin.
• Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
• Favored Class: Barbarian.

 

[Rashak Mani]

Kwalish, yep I was wrong about the orc intelligence... duh 11 - stat for odd numbers. The goblin riding stuff should be for monster Goblins in general... PC Goblins should have a background that is more human centered. (DMG suggestion)

All races tend to have stuff like +1 with so and so weapon... +2 with so and so skills. Again its DM flavor.

That ability table sucks... disregard it...

Hobgoblins errata for +1 ?

(Curitiba ? Nice.. nice city... a little cold but very nice. Hows the roleplaying down south ?)

 

[heylel]

The Ogre now!

Hail!

Ok! Now I understood the 1HD guys.

Can anyone chech this 4HD, LA+5 dude for me?

(a negative ability score adjustments means that
that stat isrolled in the DMG table, although
Halflings/Gnomes/Elves/Dwarves/Half-Orcs do not
need this kind of procedure. I have no idead why...)

Thanx,
heylel.

Ogre

• Type: Giant.
• +10 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Dexterity, -4 Intelligence, -4 Charisma.
• Large size. (-1 size modifier to attack rolls, -1 size modifier to AC, -4 size penalty to Hide checks)
• Ogre base speed is 30 feet.
• Ogres have a 10’ Reach, due to its size.
• Darkvision: Ogres can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and ogres can function just fine with no light at all.
• +5 natural armor bonus to AC.
• Initial traits (4HD Giant):
  • hp 4d8 + 4x(Con mod)
  • BAB +3
  • For +4, Ref +1, Will +1
  • Feat: Weapon Focus (greatclub)
  • Skill Points: 6+Int mod (must spend: 2 ranks in Listen, 2 ranks in Spot). Class skills: Climb, Listen, Spot.
    [/list=a]
  • Automatic Languages: Common and Giant.
  • Bonus Languages: Draconic, Goblin, and Orc.
  • Alignment: Usually chaotic evil.
  • Favored Class: Ogre.
  • Level Adjustment: +5. Ogres are slightly more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the other common races.
  
  
  
  p.s.:
  >(Curitiba ? Nice.. nice city... a little cold but very nice. Hows the roleplaying down south ?)
  It could be colder still...
  The RPG busines here goes slow and steady

 

[Archer]

Ogre is ECL 8. Base speed 40.

I'd go ahead and just give skill points as a 4th level fighter.

 

[Aaron2]

Ditch the Alignment line. That doesn't apply to PCs. Otherwise, looks good.

I don't know if Hobgoblins are really worth +1 ECL.

Aaron