Rules/Crunch of Eyros
Rystil Arden
First Post
Hey, I'm not showing off. I get my two feats for being a level 1 human, and my feats are:
Hasty Thinker: You are able to come up with solutions and create responses at a remarkably quick rate. However, most of this is flawed or wrong in some important way. No matter how long you try to check it, you won't be able to find the flaw until someone else points it out.
Aura of Competence: People think that you know what you're doing, even though you really don't. When you talk to literature professors, they think you're a lit majour, when you are talking to an engineer, they think you're a computer scientist, and when you chat about roleplaying games, you appear to be an experienced player. As a result, you become bored easily and never really learn anything about anything.
Those are my two useful powers (unless you believe that online D&D stat test, which told me that I am a 42 point buy character), so I've gotta use 'em when I can.
Hasty Thinker: You are able to come up with solutions and create responses at a remarkably quick rate. However, most of this is flawed or wrong in some important way. No matter how long you try to check it, you won't be able to find the flaw until someone else points it out.
Aura of Competence: People think that you know what you're doing, even though you really don't. When you talk to literature professors, they think you're a lit majour, when you are talking to an engineer, they think you're a computer scientist, and when you chat about roleplaying games, you appear to be an experienced player. As a result, you become bored easily and never really learn anything about anything.
Those are my two useful powers (unless you believe that online D&D stat test, which told me that I am a 42 point buy character), so I've gotta use 'em when I can.
Envard Kreytos, Expert 5
Medium Human
Hit Dice: 5d6+8 (23hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 Leather Apron) touch 11, flat-footed 12
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Shortsword +4 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Shortsword +4 melee (1d6+1)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 11
Skills: Appraise +10 (+12 mosaics), Climb +5, Concentration +9, Craft(mosaics) +15, Diplomacy +8, Jump +5, Knowledge (local) +10, Listen+4, Search +10, Spot +4,
Feats: Skill Focus (Craft:mosaic), Toughness, Combat Expertise
Environment: City of Eyros
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Masterwork Artisan's Tools + Standard
Alignment: Neutral Good
Medium Human
Hit Dice: 5d6+8 (23hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 Leather Apron) touch 11, flat-footed 12
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Shortsword +4 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Shortsword +4 melee (1d6+1)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 11
Skills: Appraise +10 (+12 mosaics), Climb +5, Concentration +9, Craft(mosaics) +15, Diplomacy +8, Jump +5, Knowledge (local) +10, Listen+4, Search +10, Spot +4,
Feats: Skill Focus (Craft:mosaic), Toughness, Combat Expertise
Environment: City of Eyros
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Masterwork Artisan's Tools + Standard
Alignment: Neutral Good
Arkhandus
First Post
Gnolls of the Independant Island-State of Orrukar
Orrukarn Gnoll
Medium Humanoid (Gnoll)
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +2 armor, +2 shield), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Heavy flail +2 melee (1d8+1) or composite shortbow +2 ranged (1d6+1/x3)
Full Attack: Heavy flail +2 melee (1d8+1) or composite shortbow +2 ranged (1d6+1/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Guarded vision, potent mind
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Appraise +2, Craft (weaponsmithing) +5, Listen +5, Knowledge (war) +2, Profession (cook) +2, Spot +5
Feats: Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm
Organization: Solitary, pair, kssh'rhal (3-8 plus 1 har'rkal of 2nd-4th level), uuraiik (5-16 plus 2 har'rkal of 2nd-4th level plus 1 tu'rrash of 5th-8th level), or llrrae'kesh (11-31 plus 4 har'rkal of 2nd-4th level plus 2 tu'rrash of 5th-8th level plus 1 gour'angr'afh of 9th-11 level)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1
Climate/Environment: Any land (preferably warm forest)
The statistic block above is for a typical young Orrukarn guardsman, with no class levels yet. Ability scores before racial adjustments were Str 10, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 11. The Orrukarn guardsman detailed above speaks, reads, and writes both Ar'kesh and Aquan. He or she wears the unique style of armor used by Orrukarn gnolls, in this case a long-sleeved jerkin and pants of Orrukarn quartz-silk, essentially quartz made flexible by magic yet hardened across most of the chest, back, upper arms, and upper legs. This quartz-silk jerkin is equivalent to leather armor in all respects except for its material, weight, and cost. The quartz-silk jerkin is 50% heavier than leather armor and costs triple that of leather armor. As it is made of quartz crystal, the armor does not burn like leather, though it was magically hardened to provide protection similar to boiled leather. The magic used to make quartz-silk does not cause it to count as a magic item, except for purposes of suppressing the magic that makes it flow like silk, in which case it has an effective caster level of 3. Thus, when the magic is suppressed, the armor hardens and immobilizes the wearer. A DC 20 Strength check will break the thinner parts of the armor to allow for movement, but will also reduce the base armor bonus to one-half normal, rounded up, until repaired. A Make Whole spell, power, or ability will repair the quartz-silk. Craft Wondrous Item can be used to repair quartz-silk just like any other magic item. The Orrukarn guardsman carries a heavy shield of magically-hardened quartz, which functions as per a heavy steel shield, except that it costs triple that of a heavy steel shield. Orrukarn quartz-silk and magically-hardened quartz does not lose its extra hardness when its magic is suppressed, as the hardening process does not itself enhance the material, merely performing a one-time transmutation.
The civilized gnolls calling themselves Orrukarn inhabit a large island east of Eyros and Ghalfaen, south of Indracca, across the Pearl Sea that borders Ghalfaen and Indracca. The island Orrukar is a semi-tropical land half-cleared of vegetation to make room for the gnolls' sprawling cities, leaving only the southern and eastern edges of the island mostly-untouched. A few thousand Orrukarn live on the isle, their cities built of glass, quartz, obsidian, and ivory. Much of this material is imported from distant lands, supposedly stolen from those lands even, as Orrukar has few resources besides tropical birds, fruits, and trees, as well as bordering the aptly-named Pearl Sea and a particularly vibrant part of the great ocean. Orrukarn feed largely on fish, calamari, lobsters, clams, coconuts, bananas, and imported meats from the mainland, which the gnolls favor. They spice their food with the small quantities of sugar from Orrukar's sugarcanes, salt from the sea, and a few island herbs. They drink mostly water, but also brew a sweet, heady sugarwine with a blend of fermented island fruits. Orrukarn import a bit of rum from the halfling seafarers, as well as an occasional batch of bitter ale from Eyros or Indracca.
Orrukarn gnolls have a longstanding tradition of philosphy, art, and research into both arcane magic and psionics. They are accomplished bards, sorcerers, and especially psions, but also have a few wizards, psychic warriors, and the occasional soulknife or wilder. Their small military force is made up mostly of warriors, monks, and psychic warriors. Orrukarn have no priests and no religion, thus no clerics, druids, paladins, or rangers. Instead they have a long tradition emphasizing personal empowerment and enlightenment, so self-perfection and assisting others in achieving it is the only nod Orrukarn have towards any sort of religion. Orrukarn are ruled by those who have achieved the greatest enlightenment and psionic perfection, the wisest and most powerful of their people. The society is broken down into social castes with stringent laws, so while their people are divided into different lifestyles and professions, they all seek the same goals and share a kindred spirit. Even the greatest psychic master respects the fisherman and the pearldiver, the vintner and the glasswright, for they all serve their role in society while pursuing wisdom and power. The social caste of an Orrukarn is determined by their hair color and eye color, which has something to do with their bloodlines and heritage.
Orrukar largely trades pearls, exotic fishes, lobsters, clams, calamari (a delicacy in Eyros), and a few fruits of the island. Thus, Eyrian nobles sometimes get to partake of Orrukarn coconuts or bananas, or spice their meals with Orrukarn sugar, or on rare occasions, drink a vintage of Orrukarn sugarwine, brewed with fermented semi-tropical fruits and a bit of sugarcane. The gnolls of Orrukar also sometimes trade works of glass, as they are reknowned glasswrights and glassblowers. Their trading partners are Eyros and Nistadeen, and to a much lesser extent, Indracca, Ghalfaen, and the halfling seafarers.
Orrukarn gnolls are slightly taller and leaner than their savage cousins in the far north. They stand straighter, with a regal bearing, and their hair/fur is carefully groomed. Their hair and fur ranges from white to tan and sandy blonde, with a few splotches of black in places. Orrukarn have eyes of bright green, blue, or red, which gleam with keen intelligence. They wear garments of woven glass and quartz, varying from opaque to translucent or transparent, forged through magic or psionics to flow like silk and thus be wearable. Obviously these tend to be very revealing outfits, reflecting the hedonistic Orrukarn society, somewhat at odds with the sophisticated aspects of their culture. Gnolls of Orrukar wear jewelry and other ornamentation of gold, silver, and ivory, embedded with pearls, obsidian, turquoise, and sometimes Indraccan lapis lazuli.
The gnolls of Orrukar are haughty and a bit self-absorbed, seeing themselves as superior to most other folk because of their wisdom and the enlightened focus of their culture. They regard and treat other races as though they were children or primitives, but at the same time they are exceedingly polite. This tends to come off as being condescending and patronizing, which often annoys other races, but a few have gotten used to it when dealing with Orrukarn. The Orrukarn society is a blend of hedonism from the savage heritage of the gnoll culture, and at the same time a sophisticated new culture of enlightened brotherhood emphasizing self-actualization and personal pride. They are a confident and honest people for the most part, wise and ordered, but obviously self-absorbed and gloating.
Orrukarn gnolls speak Ar'kesh, a highly-refined variant of the crude Gnoll language used by savage gnolls in the north. Orrukarn often learn the languages of Eyros, Indracca, Ghalfaen, and Nistadeen, as well as the language of halflings and the Aquan language of sea creatures. However, more often than not, they only know Ar'kesh and one or two Eyrian languages, sometimes Elven as well for trade with Nistadeen. Orrukarn are usually literate.
ORRUKARN GNOLL CHARACTERS
An Orrukarn gnoll character possesses the following racial traits.
*Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Intelligence +2, Wisdom +2.
*Size Medium.
*An Orrukarn gnoll's base land speed is 30 feet.
*Racial Hit Dice: An Orrukarn gnoll begins with 2 levels of humanoid, which provide 2d8 hit dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0.
*Racial Skills: An Orrukarn gnoll's racial levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2 + Int modifier). Its racial level class skills are Appraise, Craft, Knowledge (any one), Listen, Profession, and Spot.
*Racial Feats: An Orrukarn gnoll's racial levels give it one feat.
*An Orrukarn gnoll's humanoid levels grant them proficiency in simple weapons, the heavy flail, the composite shortbow, light armors, and shields, but not tower shields. All Orrukarn are taught the basics of self-defense, and they believe in fighting smartly. The flail has many uses in battle and the composite shortbow is a ranged weapon relatively easy for gnolls to train with and use, while also possessing a decent range. Light armors provide some protection and can sometimes be mixed with normal clothing, without hindering stealthy movement when necessary.
*Guarded Vision: Orrukarn gnolls are adapted to thriving in the sunlight and enduring the bright rays shining through their crystalline cities. They are not nocturnal like other gnolls tend to be, and they do not have darkvision. Instead, Orrukarn receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against any effect that would blind, dazzle, stun, or daze them, but only if the effect uses bright light to do so. Orrukarn also receive this bonus on saving throws against effects with the Light descriptor.
*Potent Mind: An Orrukarn gnoll receives a +2 racial bonus on Will saving throws against mind-affecting effects. Orrukarn also receive a +2 racial bonus on any caster level checks or manifester level checks to beat a creature's Spell Resistance or Power Resistance. Additionally, Orrukarn gnolls receive a bonus feat with their 2nd level of humanoid, which can be any feat they qualify for, just like a human's bonus feat.
*Automatic Languages: Ar'kesh, Common (Vulgar Eyrosian). Bonus Languages: Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Ghalfaenite, Gnome, Halfling, Indraccan, Noble Eyrosian, Orc. Note that Orrukarn who don't leave the island and don't deal with foreigners will not know the Common (Vulgar Eyrosian) language, but may instead take it as one of their bonus languages.
*Favored Class: Psion or Sorcerer, chosen at character creation.
*Level Adjustment: +1. Orrukarn are a somewhat strong LA +1 race, but their racial traits are not particularly concentrated, and for any given strength they lend to a class, they lend some weakness as well, be it hit points, skill points, attack bonus, or caster levels.
Orrukarn Gnoll
Medium Humanoid (Gnoll)
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +2 armor, +2 shield), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Heavy flail +2 melee (1d8+1) or composite shortbow +2 ranged (1d6+1/x3)
Full Attack: Heavy flail +2 melee (1d8+1) or composite shortbow +2 ranged (1d6+1/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Guarded vision, potent mind
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Appraise +2, Craft (weaponsmithing) +5, Listen +5, Knowledge (war) +2, Profession (cook) +2, Spot +5
Feats: Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm
Organization: Solitary, pair, kssh'rhal (3-8 plus 1 har'rkal of 2nd-4th level), uuraiik (5-16 plus 2 har'rkal of 2nd-4th level plus 1 tu'rrash of 5th-8th level), or llrrae'kesh (11-31 plus 4 har'rkal of 2nd-4th level plus 2 tu'rrash of 5th-8th level plus 1 gour'angr'afh of 9th-11 level)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1
Climate/Environment: Any land (preferably warm forest)
The statistic block above is for a typical young Orrukarn guardsman, with no class levels yet. Ability scores before racial adjustments were Str 10, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 11. The Orrukarn guardsman detailed above speaks, reads, and writes both Ar'kesh and Aquan. He or she wears the unique style of armor used by Orrukarn gnolls, in this case a long-sleeved jerkin and pants of Orrukarn quartz-silk, essentially quartz made flexible by magic yet hardened across most of the chest, back, upper arms, and upper legs. This quartz-silk jerkin is equivalent to leather armor in all respects except for its material, weight, and cost. The quartz-silk jerkin is 50% heavier than leather armor and costs triple that of leather armor. As it is made of quartz crystal, the armor does not burn like leather, though it was magically hardened to provide protection similar to boiled leather. The magic used to make quartz-silk does not cause it to count as a magic item, except for purposes of suppressing the magic that makes it flow like silk, in which case it has an effective caster level of 3. Thus, when the magic is suppressed, the armor hardens and immobilizes the wearer. A DC 20 Strength check will break the thinner parts of the armor to allow for movement, but will also reduce the base armor bonus to one-half normal, rounded up, until repaired. A Make Whole spell, power, or ability will repair the quartz-silk. Craft Wondrous Item can be used to repair quartz-silk just like any other magic item. The Orrukarn guardsman carries a heavy shield of magically-hardened quartz, which functions as per a heavy steel shield, except that it costs triple that of a heavy steel shield. Orrukarn quartz-silk and magically-hardened quartz does not lose its extra hardness when its magic is suppressed, as the hardening process does not itself enhance the material, merely performing a one-time transmutation.
The civilized gnolls calling themselves Orrukarn inhabit a large island east of Eyros and Ghalfaen, south of Indracca, across the Pearl Sea that borders Ghalfaen and Indracca. The island Orrukar is a semi-tropical land half-cleared of vegetation to make room for the gnolls' sprawling cities, leaving only the southern and eastern edges of the island mostly-untouched. A few thousand Orrukarn live on the isle, their cities built of glass, quartz, obsidian, and ivory. Much of this material is imported from distant lands, supposedly stolen from those lands even, as Orrukar has few resources besides tropical birds, fruits, and trees, as well as bordering the aptly-named Pearl Sea and a particularly vibrant part of the great ocean. Orrukarn feed largely on fish, calamari, lobsters, clams, coconuts, bananas, and imported meats from the mainland, which the gnolls favor. They spice their food with the small quantities of sugar from Orrukar's sugarcanes, salt from the sea, and a few island herbs. They drink mostly water, but also brew a sweet, heady sugarwine with a blend of fermented island fruits. Orrukarn import a bit of rum from the halfling seafarers, as well as an occasional batch of bitter ale from Eyros or Indracca.
Orrukarn gnolls have a longstanding tradition of philosphy, art, and research into both arcane magic and psionics. They are accomplished bards, sorcerers, and especially psions, but also have a few wizards, psychic warriors, and the occasional soulknife or wilder. Their small military force is made up mostly of warriors, monks, and psychic warriors. Orrukarn have no priests and no religion, thus no clerics, druids, paladins, or rangers. Instead they have a long tradition emphasizing personal empowerment and enlightenment, so self-perfection and assisting others in achieving it is the only nod Orrukarn have towards any sort of religion. Orrukarn are ruled by those who have achieved the greatest enlightenment and psionic perfection, the wisest and most powerful of their people. The society is broken down into social castes with stringent laws, so while their people are divided into different lifestyles and professions, they all seek the same goals and share a kindred spirit. Even the greatest psychic master respects the fisherman and the pearldiver, the vintner and the glasswright, for they all serve their role in society while pursuing wisdom and power. The social caste of an Orrukarn is determined by their hair color and eye color, which has something to do with their bloodlines and heritage.
Orrukar largely trades pearls, exotic fishes, lobsters, clams, calamari (a delicacy in Eyros), and a few fruits of the island. Thus, Eyrian nobles sometimes get to partake of Orrukarn coconuts or bananas, or spice their meals with Orrukarn sugar, or on rare occasions, drink a vintage of Orrukarn sugarwine, brewed with fermented semi-tropical fruits and a bit of sugarcane. The gnolls of Orrukar also sometimes trade works of glass, as they are reknowned glasswrights and glassblowers. Their trading partners are Eyros and Nistadeen, and to a much lesser extent, Indracca, Ghalfaen, and the halfling seafarers.
Orrukarn gnolls are slightly taller and leaner than their savage cousins in the far north. They stand straighter, with a regal bearing, and their hair/fur is carefully groomed. Their hair and fur ranges from white to tan and sandy blonde, with a few splotches of black in places. Orrukarn have eyes of bright green, blue, or red, which gleam with keen intelligence. They wear garments of woven glass and quartz, varying from opaque to translucent or transparent, forged through magic or psionics to flow like silk and thus be wearable. Obviously these tend to be very revealing outfits, reflecting the hedonistic Orrukarn society, somewhat at odds with the sophisticated aspects of their culture. Gnolls of Orrukar wear jewelry and other ornamentation of gold, silver, and ivory, embedded with pearls, obsidian, turquoise, and sometimes Indraccan lapis lazuli.
The gnolls of Orrukar are haughty and a bit self-absorbed, seeing themselves as superior to most other folk because of their wisdom and the enlightened focus of their culture. They regard and treat other races as though they were children or primitives, but at the same time they are exceedingly polite. This tends to come off as being condescending and patronizing, which often annoys other races, but a few have gotten used to it when dealing with Orrukarn. The Orrukarn society is a blend of hedonism from the savage heritage of the gnoll culture, and at the same time a sophisticated new culture of enlightened brotherhood emphasizing self-actualization and personal pride. They are a confident and honest people for the most part, wise and ordered, but obviously self-absorbed and gloating.
Orrukarn gnolls speak Ar'kesh, a highly-refined variant of the crude Gnoll language used by savage gnolls in the north. Orrukarn often learn the languages of Eyros, Indracca, Ghalfaen, and Nistadeen, as well as the language of halflings and the Aquan language of sea creatures. However, more often than not, they only know Ar'kesh and one or two Eyrian languages, sometimes Elven as well for trade with Nistadeen. Orrukarn are usually literate.
ORRUKARN GNOLL CHARACTERS
An Orrukarn gnoll character possesses the following racial traits.
*Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Intelligence +2, Wisdom +2.
*Size Medium.
*An Orrukarn gnoll's base land speed is 30 feet.
*Racial Hit Dice: An Orrukarn gnoll begins with 2 levels of humanoid, which provide 2d8 hit dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0.
*Racial Skills: An Orrukarn gnoll's racial levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2 + Int modifier). Its racial level class skills are Appraise, Craft, Knowledge (any one), Listen, Profession, and Spot.
*Racial Feats: An Orrukarn gnoll's racial levels give it one feat.
*An Orrukarn gnoll's humanoid levels grant them proficiency in simple weapons, the heavy flail, the composite shortbow, light armors, and shields, but not tower shields. All Orrukarn are taught the basics of self-defense, and they believe in fighting smartly. The flail has many uses in battle and the composite shortbow is a ranged weapon relatively easy for gnolls to train with and use, while also possessing a decent range. Light armors provide some protection and can sometimes be mixed with normal clothing, without hindering stealthy movement when necessary.
*Guarded Vision: Orrukarn gnolls are adapted to thriving in the sunlight and enduring the bright rays shining through their crystalline cities. They are not nocturnal like other gnolls tend to be, and they do not have darkvision. Instead, Orrukarn receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against any effect that would blind, dazzle, stun, or daze them, but only if the effect uses bright light to do so. Orrukarn also receive this bonus on saving throws against effects with the Light descriptor.
*Potent Mind: An Orrukarn gnoll receives a +2 racial bonus on Will saving throws against mind-affecting effects. Orrukarn also receive a +2 racial bonus on any caster level checks or manifester level checks to beat a creature's Spell Resistance or Power Resistance. Additionally, Orrukarn gnolls receive a bonus feat with their 2nd level of humanoid, which can be any feat they qualify for, just like a human's bonus feat.
*Automatic Languages: Ar'kesh, Common (Vulgar Eyrosian). Bonus Languages: Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Ghalfaenite, Gnome, Halfling, Indraccan, Noble Eyrosian, Orc. Note that Orrukarn who don't leave the island and don't deal with foreigners will not know the Common (Vulgar Eyrosian) language, but may instead take it as one of their bonus languages.
*Favored Class: Psion or Sorcerer, chosen at character creation.
*Level Adjustment: +1. Orrukarn are a somewhat strong LA +1 race, but their racial traits are not particularly concentrated, and for any given strength they lend to a class, they lend some weakness as well, be it hit points, skill points, attack bonus, or caster levels.
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That still seems awfully low. Regular gnolls have a LA with a total of +2 stat bonuses. Your gnolls, on the other hand, have a +8 total stat bonus, with save bonuses for some fortitude and (the most common type of) will saves on top of that. That seems a bit high to me.Arkhandus said:
Edit: Then again, that's about what the bugbear has. And it's on a comparable level with the gnoll. I still think it's too low a LA, but that's what the rules seem to support. And I'm not going to argue with the rules.
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Arkhandus
First Post
Edit: Deleted long-winded comparison as I said I would. In Orrukarn post, removed natural armor and reduced the scope of Guarded Vision. As it stands now, I firmly believe the Orrukarn are balanced enough for an LA+1 race with 2 racial HD, considering their disparity of traits and how they work or don't work so well with the classes.
Rystil, btw, gnolls have Fortitude as their strong save, not Reflex, unlike most critters with Humanoid HD (humanoid saves vary, and gnolls are one of those that differs from the norm of Reflex). Apparently I consider multiclassing flexibility and extra skill points from the human to be more valuable than you do (I suppose your games consist primarily of 1 core class + 1-2 prestige classes per character, but in my experience, PrCs aren't taken lightly as just some mechanical add-on that anyone could take with the right feats/skills, and multiclassing between core classes is frequent). My revised comparison:
Orrukarn gain +2 Int in place of a human's skills and multiclass flexibility. Orrukarn gain Potent Mind and Guarded Vision in place of a human's bonus feat, and in place of the 2 bonus feats a Ftr3 would have (Orrukarn don't have the Fighter's flexibility in feat choice for this comparison: most Orrukarn are casters/manifesters who don't much need the +2 Will, and those who aren't don't need the +2 on caster/manifester level checks). +2 Str gives +1 atk and dmg, little else, makes up for 1 point of missing BAB and the missing skill points. +2 Dex is similar, makes up for the other 1 missing BAB and some missing HP. +2 Wis makes up for other missing HP, missing proficiencies, and simple disparity of racial traits, considering that Orrukarn have no Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, or the like, making +2 Wis basically +1 Will and +1 Heal/Listen/Sense Motive/Spot/Profession, so 1-2 feats in usefulness at most.
Rystil, btw, gnolls have Fortitude as their strong save, not Reflex, unlike most critters with Humanoid HD (humanoid saves vary, and gnolls are one of those that differs from the norm of Reflex). Apparently I consider multiclassing flexibility and extra skill points from the human to be more valuable than you do (I suppose your games consist primarily of 1 core class + 1-2 prestige classes per character, but in my experience, PrCs aren't taken lightly as just some mechanical add-on that anyone could take with the right feats/skills, and multiclassing between core classes is frequent). My revised comparison:
Orrukarn gain +2 Int in place of a human's skills and multiclass flexibility. Orrukarn gain Potent Mind and Guarded Vision in place of a human's bonus feat, and in place of the 2 bonus feats a Ftr3 would have (Orrukarn don't have the Fighter's flexibility in feat choice for this comparison: most Orrukarn are casters/manifesters who don't much need the +2 Will, and those who aren't don't need the +2 on caster/manifester level checks). +2 Str gives +1 atk and dmg, little else, makes up for 1 point of missing BAB and the missing skill points. +2 Dex is similar, makes up for the other 1 missing BAB and some missing HP. +2 Wis makes up for other missing HP, missing proficiencies, and simple disparity of racial traits, considering that Orrukarn have no Clerics, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, or the like, making +2 Wis basically +1 Will and +1 Heal/Listen/Sense Motive/Spot/Profession, so 1-2 feats in usefulness at most.
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Rystil Arden
First Post
Hmm...I agree with your comparison to the bugbear, and that's why I think your conclusion there is correct (remove a few things). Your comparison to the fighter is, I hope, a joke comparison, since its really misleading to, for example, say that d10 HD are worth 3 feats over d8 (Toughness is one of the worst feats in the game; Nobody would ever choose it and not regret it later, so 3 Toughnesses is not equivalent to three feats) so I would consider this HP disparity remediable with Improved Toughness, so more like one feat. Hmmm....also, humans are *not* less potent overall than elves. Dwarves maybe, but elves' Con penalty is devastating, and I always play human for the extra bonus feat. Free bonus feats that can be anything are worth a *lot* more than the pseudofeats that you describe above that you are forced to take, like the 3 Toughnesses for the extra HP. Stat raises aside, I would rather have the human bonus feat without the skill points than all the other elf abilities combined (because I get to choose anything, rather than being forced to take certain abilities). The Strength and Dex boosts for the Orrukarn are not only excellent abilities, they also make up for one of the missing BAB automatically. The proficiency section is the most deceptive of all, since one level in fighter will yield all of those at once. Thus, I will make a comparison of Orrukarn/Ftr2 vs Ftr5. I will make free feats that you get to take worth 1.5x as much as the forced pseudofeats that you must take from race/class abilities, unless the pseudofeat is racial (and thus restricted to characters of one particular race) and comboable to get somewhere that nobody else without an equivalent racial ability can go
2 Humanoid Hit Dice and +1 LA with 2 Fighter levels, versus 5 Fighter levels to start with: assuming 10 Con average 8.5 HP more for the pure Fighter, equal to Improved Toughness and Toughness, so -2 feats. 2 less BAB, equivalent to 4-6 Weapon Focus / Greater Weapon Focus feats for most Fighters (as most use 2-3 different weapons, i.e. flail, bow, polearm), treat as -5. 1 fewer bonus feat, treat as -1.5. Less flexibility/power outside of warrior classes, due to missing out on 3 levels of class abilities/feats/skill points, treat as 0 feats short for this particular comparison, since we know he's a fighter. Verdict: 8.5 feats short of a 5rd-level Fighter's power and versatility.
Racial bonuses: Compared to human, human gets a bonus feat and extra Skill Point per level, worth 2.5 feats, plus the negligible favoured class (many DMs ignore it, and it also rarely comes up unless you disallow prestige classes). Orrukarn have the feat for 1.5, plus Potent Mind (which is worth 3 feats because if you allow Practised Spellcaster, and its really a good idea to allow it as it makes multiclassing out of caster less painful, the abilities are comboable with Spell Penetration to go to even greater heights, plus comboable with Iron Will (since IW and SP are unnamed bonuses), and now that Spell Focus only gives +1 in 3.5, getting a double dose of IW is basically enough to make even a Fighter have better Will saves than a wizard with equivalent Wisdom until level 15). Guarded Vision is worth 2.5 feats (1.5 feats for the variety of effects it protects against and the stackability, plus another feats because it stacks with Potent Mind against a good number of its spells, making the bonus an incredible +4 [+6 with Iron Will], which could well leave a non-class-leveled Orrukarn with 6+Wis bonus against many Will effects). +1 natural armour is a feat (and better than any core armour increase feat too), and the stat ups are worth about three each, so the Orrukarn have an advantage of 20-2.5 = 17.5.
So 17.5 racial - 8.5 fighter = 9
The Orrukarn are way out of line from my analysis, but if the natural armour and one of the stat bonuses are removed, that would leave
12.5 racial - 8.5 fighter = 4
And I'm willing to concede that LA is so terrible for any character that leaving a race with a +4 advantage over the fighter in exchange for the LA seems fair.
Edit: Oh and the humanoid levels give a Reflex saving throw bonus that the Fighter levels don't.
2 Humanoid Hit Dice and +1 LA with 2 Fighter levels, versus 5 Fighter levels to start with: assuming 10 Con average 8.5 HP more for the pure Fighter, equal to Improved Toughness and Toughness, so -2 feats. 2 less BAB, equivalent to 4-6 Weapon Focus / Greater Weapon Focus feats for most Fighters (as most use 2-3 different weapons, i.e. flail, bow, polearm), treat as -5. 1 fewer bonus feat, treat as -1.5. Less flexibility/power outside of warrior classes, due to missing out on 3 levels of class abilities/feats/skill points, treat as 0 feats short for this particular comparison, since we know he's a fighter. Verdict: 8.5 feats short of a 5rd-level Fighter's power and versatility.
Racial bonuses: Compared to human, human gets a bonus feat and extra Skill Point per level, worth 2.5 feats, plus the negligible favoured class (many DMs ignore it, and it also rarely comes up unless you disallow prestige classes). Orrukarn have the feat for 1.5, plus Potent Mind (which is worth 3 feats because if you allow Practised Spellcaster, and its really a good idea to allow it as it makes multiclassing out of caster less painful, the abilities are comboable with Spell Penetration to go to even greater heights, plus comboable with Iron Will (since IW and SP are unnamed bonuses), and now that Spell Focus only gives +1 in 3.5, getting a double dose of IW is basically enough to make even a Fighter have better Will saves than a wizard with equivalent Wisdom until level 15). Guarded Vision is worth 2.5 feats (1.5 feats for the variety of effects it protects against and the stackability, plus another feats because it stacks with Potent Mind against a good number of its spells, making the bonus an incredible +4 [+6 with Iron Will], which could well leave a non-class-leveled Orrukarn with 6+Wis bonus against many Will effects). +1 natural armour is a feat (and better than any core armour increase feat too), and the stat ups are worth about three each, so the Orrukarn have an advantage of 20-2.5 = 17.5.
So 17.5 racial - 8.5 fighter = 9
The Orrukarn are way out of line from my analysis, but if the natural armour and one of the stat bonuses are removed, that would leave
12.5 racial - 8.5 fighter = 4
And I'm willing to concede that LA is so terrible for any character that leaving a race with a +4 advantage over the fighter in exchange for the LA seems fair.
Edit: Oh and the humanoid levels give a Reflex saving throw bonus that the Fighter levels don't.
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Rystil Arden
First Post
Death's Caress, Unique Dread Wraith/Monk2
Medium Undead (Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 20d12+220 + 2d6+22 (385 hp)
Initiative: +13
Speed: fly 60 ft. good (12 squares)
Armor Class: 36 (+9 Dex, +6 Wis, +11 deflection) touch 36, flat-footed 27
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/-
Attack: Incorporeal touch +20 melee (1d8+ 1.5d8 Consitution drain +11)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +20 melee (1d8+ 1.5d8 Consitution drain +11) or Incorporeal touch +18/+16 melee (1d8+ 1.5d8 Consitution drain +11) [flurry]
Special Attacks: Constitution Drain, Create Spawn, Flurry of Blows
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, Lifesense 60 ft, Unnatural Aura, Daylight Powerlessness, Incorporeal Traits, Undead Traits, Unholy Toughness, Alternate Form, Rejuvenation, Immunity to Disintegrate, Evasion, Turn Resistance 4 (from feat)
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +18, Will +19
Abilities: Str -, Dex 28, Con -, Int 18, Wis 22, Cha 32
Skills: Bluff +31, Diplomacy +28, Sense Motive +27, Listen +29, Spot +29, Hide +32, Intimidate +26, Knowledge [Arcana] +27, Use Magic Device +34
Feats: Endure Sunlight, Empowered Ability Damage, Ghostly Grasp, Alertness (B), Improved Initiative (B), Improved Turn Resistance, Combat Reflexes, Life Drain, Stunning Fist, Ability Focus [Constitution Drain]
Environment: Crypts of the Imperial Palace
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 15
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Unholy Toughness (Ex): Death's Caress gains a bonus to her hit points equal to her Charisma modifier x her Hit Dice
Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, Death's Caress can shift between her usual form and that of a seductive female elf, human, or half-elf. In her alternate form, she may choose to infuse herself with shadowstuff and become quasicorporeal (somewhat like a shadow conjuration), but if she does so, she loses her incorporeal miss chance and gains a Strength score of 10. She can resume her normal shape as a free action. Also, she may slightly infuse herself with shadowstuff at any time to handle material objects as if she were not incorporeal (as per the Ghostly Grasp feat).
Rejuvenation (Ex): When destroyed, Death's Caress rematerialises within 1d4 days (she is strong enough that she automatically makes her level check) at the ancient site of the greatest slaughter of elves by the orcs and humans during the conquest of Eyros. It is unknown what conditions will allow her to finally rest in peace.
Immunity to Disintegrate (Ex): Since Death's Caress is made up of loosely-integrated shadowstuff, the disintegrate spell deals her no damage. However, on a failed Fortitude save it does cause her to disperse, requiring a standard action on her part to recover.
Endure Sunlight (Ex): Death's Caress can remain active in sunlight for 12 rounds before becoming powerless. At this point, she need only retreat into the darkness for a round to recover, allowing her to reemerge for another 12 rounds
Daylight Powerlessness (Ex): After 12 rounds, Death's Caress is utterly powerless in natural sunlight and flees from it
Unnatural Aura (Su): Animals can sense the presence of Death's Caress within 30 feet in her natural form. They will not willingly approach nearer and panic if forced to do so, remaining panicked until they withdraw beyond that range.
Constitution Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by Death's Caress's incorporeal touch attack must succeed on a DC 31 Fortitude save or take 1.5d8 points of Constitution drain and 11 damage (from Life Drain feat), giving Death's Caress 16 temporary hit points. Unlike other temporary hit points, temporary hit points gained from draining Constitution stack with each other, but they fade in one hour in any case.
Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid slain by Death's Caress becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds. Its body remains intact and inanimate, but its spirit is torn free and transformed. Spawn are under command of Death's Caress unless she is permanently destroyed. They do not possess any of the abilities that they did in life.
Lifesense (Su): Death's Caress can detect living creatures within 60 feet as if she possessed Blindsight, also sensing the strength of their lifeforce as if she had cast Deathwatch
Medium Undead (Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 20d12+220 + 2d6+22 (385 hp)
Initiative: +13
Speed: fly 60 ft. good (12 squares)
Armor Class: 36 (+9 Dex, +6 Wis, +11 deflection) touch 36, flat-footed 27
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/-
Attack: Incorporeal touch +20 melee (1d8+ 1.5d8 Consitution drain +11)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +20 melee (1d8+ 1.5d8 Consitution drain +11) or Incorporeal touch +18/+16 melee (1d8+ 1.5d8 Consitution drain +11) [flurry]
Special Attacks: Constitution Drain, Create Spawn, Flurry of Blows
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, Lifesense 60 ft, Unnatural Aura, Daylight Powerlessness, Incorporeal Traits, Undead Traits, Unholy Toughness, Alternate Form, Rejuvenation, Immunity to Disintegrate, Evasion, Turn Resistance 4 (from feat)
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +18, Will +19
Abilities: Str -, Dex 28, Con -, Int 18, Wis 22, Cha 32
Skills: Bluff +31, Diplomacy +28, Sense Motive +27, Listen +29, Spot +29, Hide +32, Intimidate +26, Knowledge [Arcana] +27, Use Magic Device +34
Feats: Endure Sunlight, Empowered Ability Damage, Ghostly Grasp, Alertness (B), Improved Initiative (B), Improved Turn Resistance, Combat Reflexes, Life Drain, Stunning Fist, Ability Focus [Constitution Drain]
Environment: Crypts of the Imperial Palace
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 15
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Unholy Toughness (Ex): Death's Caress gains a bonus to her hit points equal to her Charisma modifier x her Hit Dice
Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, Death's Caress can shift between her usual form and that of a seductive female elf, human, or half-elf. In her alternate form, she may choose to infuse herself with shadowstuff and become quasicorporeal (somewhat like a shadow conjuration), but if she does so, she loses her incorporeal miss chance and gains a Strength score of 10. She can resume her normal shape as a free action. Also, she may slightly infuse herself with shadowstuff at any time to handle material objects as if she were not incorporeal (as per the Ghostly Grasp feat).
Rejuvenation (Ex): When destroyed, Death's Caress rematerialises within 1d4 days (she is strong enough that she automatically makes her level check) at the ancient site of the greatest slaughter of elves by the orcs and humans during the conquest of Eyros. It is unknown what conditions will allow her to finally rest in peace.
Immunity to Disintegrate (Ex): Since Death's Caress is made up of loosely-integrated shadowstuff, the disintegrate spell deals her no damage. However, on a failed Fortitude save it does cause her to disperse, requiring a standard action on her part to recover.
Endure Sunlight (Ex): Death's Caress can remain active in sunlight for 12 rounds before becoming powerless. At this point, she need only retreat into the darkness for a round to recover, allowing her to reemerge for another 12 rounds
Daylight Powerlessness (Ex): After 12 rounds, Death's Caress is utterly powerless in natural sunlight and flees from it
Unnatural Aura (Su): Animals can sense the presence of Death's Caress within 30 feet in her natural form. They will not willingly approach nearer and panic if forced to do so, remaining panicked until they withdraw beyond that range.
Constitution Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by Death's Caress's incorporeal touch attack must succeed on a DC 31 Fortitude save or take 1.5d8 points of Constitution drain and 11 damage (from Life Drain feat), giving Death's Caress 16 temporary hit points. Unlike other temporary hit points, temporary hit points gained from draining Constitution stack with each other, but they fade in one hour in any case.
Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid slain by Death's Caress becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds. Its body remains intact and inanimate, but its spirit is torn free and transformed. Spawn are under command of Death's Caress unless she is permanently destroyed. They do not possess any of the abilities that they did in life.
Lifesense (Su): Death's Caress can detect living creatures within 60 feet as if she possessed Blindsight, also sensing the strength of their lifeforce as if she had cast Deathwatch
Rystil Arden
First Post
OK, the Orrukarn seem to be more in line now (although they are still more powerful than some other races with similar ECL, but that's because those races have ECL that is too high, in my opinion). I made the human skill bonus worth 1 feat because there's a 3.5 feat that gives 1 skill point per level and more, plus we made a Scion feat that does so. As for the multiclassing, I just rarely see base class multiclassing, and I agree with your assertions that campaign styles will vary. However, for me it was not so much that I just let anybody with the right feats take a prestige class so much as that players built their characters from level 1 knowing what prestige classes had organisations IMC, expecting to attempt to join those organisations (They would have been bored if they just kept taking levels in the base class and didn't gain any interesting abilities). Frankly, all of the pure casters would never multiclass into anything that didn't give +caster level, so core class multiclassing was out. The only people who really did core-class multiclassing were cherry-picking the first few levels of a base class for useful abilities.Arkhandus said:
Edit: If you're wondering why I think that it is balanced after doing that feat analysis thing with the fighter above, its because straight fighters are extremely weak and LA is so crippling that it needs to be overcompensated to make a race decision worthwile.
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