Possible ECL for this template?

[Armadon63]

sub type: magic
-4str -4con -4dex +6int +6wis +6cha
size: medium
movement: 15ft
Spell Resistance: 15+HD
Bonus feats: spell penetration, greater spell penetration
Skills: +8 to concentration, knowledge (arcana), spellcraft, use magic device
-4 to all str and dex based skills.
+4 vs. spells and spell like abilities
DC 15 will save or take double damage from melee or ranged weapons.
Immune to sneak attacks and criticals as the vital areas cannot be seen through the
magic skin of a magic born.
-4 on melee and ranged non magical attacks, +2 on all magical attacks (such as ranged
touch attacks with rays)


Magic Aura: magic aura, like the spell faerie fire, surrounds the magic born
and projects light in a 30 ft radius. The aura can be surpressed but
no magical action can be taken while doing so.
Forsaken Weapon: Magic born gave up the art of weaponry because of the primitive nature
of them. This over rides all class weapon proficiencies. Staffs are
the only weapon aloud by a magic born since they are prestigous for
magic users and used as a walking stick for the frail bodies.
Forsaken Armor: Magic born can not wear armor of anykind except robes. This over rides
all class armor profiencies.
Magic reinforcement: a magic born can use and cast spells in an anti-magic field like
it wasn't there but doing so causes physical harm to him. take
1D4 subduel damage every round in an anti-magic field.
Painful Absorbtion: Can absorb spells through the skin but it is very painful and wrecks
Havoc on a magic borns spell casting ability. You take HP damage
equal to the spell level. Also you may not use magic abilities for
that many rounds. example: if you are hit with magic missle you
can absorb it taking 1 points of HP damage and all spell casting
abilities are suspended for 1 round.

Teleport (Ex): as greater teleport except may only teleport himself and gear only.
Detect magic (Su): Detect Magic is an ability that is always active as the spell
detect magic (CL=HD)
Identify (Su): Like the spell Identify but only take 1 hour of the magic born to
identify the item. Must make an Int check to meet or exceed the
CL of the item being identified.
Spell like abilities: At will- mage armor, shield, magic missle, Ray of enfeeblement
CL=HD







just made this up for a new game and was just wondering what people thought the ECL should be. thanks

 

[Nifft]

IMHO, this would be unplayable.

Faerie Fire negates invisbility, concealment, and other stuff that might make this little dude survive an encounter with an archer.

What's your goal in making the template?

-- N

 

[Elephant]

LA +4 or +5, I think.

 

[wuyanei]

Monster only. (LA --, ie. unplayable as a PC character)

This template nearly overpowers the creature in some encounters while rendering it nearly helpless in others. Therefore, the creature could be a 'creepy' monster type for some encounters, but would either die the first time the situation went against it, or force the DM to tailor 'all' encounters to suit its strengths just to keep it alive (and so effectively rendering it overpowered).

For a monster, if you remove the greater teleport, I'd say:

1 ~ 3 HD: CR +1,
4 ~ 7 HD: CR +3
8 ~ 12 HD: CR +5
13 ~ 20 HD: CR +7

... since the magical defenses become increasingly valuable as you enter higher level (and magic intensive) play.

With greater teleport it should not be allowed for any creature with less than 7 or 8 hit dice (7th level is when dimensional anchor first comes into play, and even then the PCs might not have the spell), and you should add +2 or greater (depends on use per day, of course) to the CR adjustment of each HD category.

Hope this helps!

Ja ne!
Yanei Wu

 

[Armadon63]

Monster only. (LA --, ie. unplayable as a PC character)

This template nearly overpowers the creature in some encounters while rendering it nearly helpless in others. Therefore, the creature could be a 'creepy' monster type for some encounters, but would either die the first time the situation went against it, or force the DM to tailor 'all' encounters to suit its strengths just to keep it alive (and so effectively rendering it overpowered).

For a monster, if you remove the greater teleport, I'd say:

1 ~ 3 HD: CR +1,
4 ~ 7 HD: CR +3
8 ~ 12 HD: CR +5
13 ~ 20 HD: CR +7

... since the magical defenses become increasingly valuable as you enter higher level (and magic intensive) play.

With greater teleport it should not be allowed for any creature with less than 7 or 8 hit dice (7th level is when dimensional anchor first comes into play, and even then the PCs might not have the spell), and you should add +2 or greater (depends on use per day, of course) to the CR adjustment of each HD category.

Hope this helps!

Ja ne!
Yanei Wu

Well we are starting up a new game and I was gonna play a human artificer with this template. We have to pick a monster class to play and not a regular PHB race. We are starting at level 7. i just didnt know what to put it at since it will be an actuall PC playing him and actual adventuring.


Oh yeah the greater teleport is how he gets around as his movement is only 15ft. If I took that away he'd die the first encounter probobly. What if the teleport was 100ft max distance? would that make a difference?

 

[wuyanei]

Err... I said LA --- (not suited for a PC character), and I meant exactly that.

 

[yennico]

I totally agree with wuyanei and nifft. This template is not playable as PC.

sub type: magic
-4str -4con -4dex +6int +6wis +6cha

-4 str means the creature can not carry much.
-4 con is -2 hp/level which is a harsh penalty for any arcane class with a d4 hd.
-4 dex is -2 to AC but at low level the creature has a permanent high AC with mage armor and shield, at high level some dispel magic dispel these spells.

movement: 15ft

The movement can easily be enhanced by spells e.g. expeditious retreat, fly, dimension door, teleport. A creature with teleport at will seldom walks long distances.

DC 15 will save or take double damage from melee or ranged weapons.

A creature with this template and being a 1st level wizard has a will save bonus of 2 (base save) +3 (wis-modifier, if the creature has only wis 16, higher wisdom increases the bonus) so the creature at level one has a 50% chance to make a successful will save.

Magic Aura: magic aura, like the spell faerie fire, surrounds the magic born
and projects light in a 30 ft radius. The aura can be surpressed but
no magical action can be taken while doing so.

I agree here with nifft.

Forsaken Armor: Magic born can not wear armor of anykind except robes. This over rides
all class armor profiencies.

With mage armor and shield at will he never needs to wear an armor.

Magic reinforcement: a magic born can use and cast spells in an anti-magic field like
it wasn't there but doing so causes physical harm to him. take
1D4 subduel damage every round in an anti-magic field.

One way major weakness for any spellcaster is to put them in a anti-magic field. You dropped the weakness for this template by this ability.

Teleport (Ex): as greater teleport except may only teleport himself and gear only.

At will? IMHO you can gave a creature only teleport at will, if this ability can be encountered by dimensional anchor.

With Magic missile at will the creature always have a damage dealing spell at his hand.

 

[Goolpsy]

As mentioned above, its Unplayable for a character, it would greatly ruin the gameplay.

this looks like a "Power me as much as i can" template..
Reminds me of my, friend that got bored and made a 1d100 damage Sword... Same concept.. Just doesn't belong to the normal d&D games

 

[Cheiromancer]

The "unplayable" part comes, I think, from the fact that when the situation suits the Magic Born, they are unstoppable (due to their powerful spellcasting). When the situation is unfavorable, they are dead (due to their fragility).

There is only a very narrow range of encounters that are somewhere in between, and that's the problem. Making them weaker doesn't make this narrow range any wider, it just shifts it a little.

That's my take on the situation, anyway. I don't have as much experience with templates as the other respondents, but I know Nifft well enough to take his advice seriously. Arguing with him won't make him wrong.

Just my two cp.

 

[Nifft]

I know Nifft well enough to take his advice seriously. Arguing with him won't make him wrong.

But it will make him snarky!

-- N

PS: Armadon63, let us know what the flavor -- RP concept -- behind this template is, and maybe we can help you come up with something balanced and fun.