PH3 Playtest Race: Wilden

[Verys Arkon]

I think James Wyatt is a Far Realm nut (see his campaign notes in Dungeon), and I see his thumb print clearly in the fluff here (though I don't know how much of a hand he actually had in its design). Not that I mind!

As for the race itself, it fills a niche that other races don't quiet cover - even the eladrin ('high elves') or gnomes, which we've had forever, are not as Fey as the wilder...eh warden...I mean wilden. Yeah, the name has got to go.

I'd like James or Robert (I know you guys are reading this!) to let us know what kinds of things they are looking for playtesting, unless they think mentioning specific things biases the process.

 

[hong]

Also, "Wilden" was a kickass book by Henry David Thoreau.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

So lets see, one race from Races of Stone, one from Races of the Wild; I'm going to come right out and say the Illumians are in. If not PHB3, then PHB4.

Dude, I'm sorry to ruin it for you, but they killed these guys off in the Manual of the Planes. Completely wiped out. (Of course, there is a line about how they may be out there somewhere...)

Also, identical racial stat bonuses to a dwarf are stepping on the poor dwarf's toes, and the bonus to one defense of choice only hurts the dwarf even more.

Except that nobody who wants to play a dwarf will instead want to play a plant-man.

The racial powers are also in my opinion a bit too good. They're like enhanced versions of other racial powers or class features (the Ancients power in particular is stepping on Eladrin toes).

Really? Many powers are going to be similar to one another in 4E. The limitations on the encounter powers seem to be significant. An eladrin can teleport at will, not only in response to an attack. Assitionally, these powers should seem somewhat similar, as they both have the Feywild as their source.

I'm generally inclined to look at things in a half-full light, but this is pretty disappointing. Hopefully it will get better fluff and some toned down racial powers in the final version. Or, alternately, maybe I'm just feeling extra grumpy today.

I've got a bad headache myself (and marking), so I'll go with extra grumpy.

 

[Mengu]

How do we pronounce it? Wild-en or Will-den? Guessing it's the former, but the latter is much easier to pronounce, and it sounds less like a forced word, and more like a natural yet exotic word.

We likes the wilden. We incorporates the wilden quickly into our campaign. We already has many fey friends. We protects our friends, and serves them.

 

[avin]

I really wish that, for every race, two optional fluffs were presented.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

1. It's still a playtest, so those who want the name to revert back to Killoren should make themselves hear through feedback.

2. While the sketches look a bit "alien", there's nothing to stop one from envisioning the wilden/killoren as a "green man" type of creature, lifted straight from Medieval imagery:

Nice. I also thought of tying it in to the woodwose tales. Although the woodwose is more of a sasquath type thing.

How do we pronounce it? Wild-en or Will-den? Guessing it's the former, but the latter is much easier to pronounce, and it sounds less like a forced word, and more like a natural yet exotic word.

I pronounce it more like "Wile-den."

 

[Klaus]

HEY!

Woodwose? How's that for a name?

I'm also getting a vibe from the Elemental God from Hellboy II:

 

[amysrevenge]

I like it, but would have hoped for some racial feats (and maybe a paragon class or two) like they did with warforged. Without those it's not that much of a playtest.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

HEY!

Woodwose? How's that for a name?

I like it better than Wilden or Killoren.

How about just Wose?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

KILLoren

Shh... it's subliminal.

What did Oren ever do to you to deserve such hat of no limit?