Ecology of the Hengeyokai (+ New Race Option!)

[Gargoyle]

Again, though-- mechanically boring. Both the Changeling and the Werecarp have absolutely wonderful flavor and potential for awesome roleplay, but on a purely CharOp level, they're both utterly devoid of useful mechanics. There is absolutely no reason for a mechanically-minded player to ever play this new race. Its abilities do absolutely nothing in a fight.

Agreed. But in a role-playing game, I don't think every race needs to have a combat mechanic. Of course whether you play 4e primarily as an RPG or as a skirmish game is a dead horse of a different color.

 

[technoextreme]

I think the Changeling just lost its title as the most mechanically boring player race.

Actually, it probably is the most overpowered racial ability I have seen.

 

[mneme]

Actually, it probably is the most overpowered racial ability I have seen.

Only if you gain a fly speed!

I do think the race needs sub-racial encounter powers. Give out encounter powers and you can distinguish the ribald raccoon dog (aka Tanuki) from the wise fox and the deft crane, and you can give the non-flying races more powerful encounter powers, whereas the flying races can get, say, limited flying, so it doesn't impact their capabilities that much, but gives them a movement option that doesn't force them to change forms first.

Note, btw, the sound of breakage if the animal races can use Druid powers in beast form! Please, no Fly 6 first level casting druids! Actually, I'd give the -in between- form the Beast Form keyword, but not the animal form; that way druid Hengyoki are quite strong in their true forms, but can't gain the advantages of a special movement mode -and- still cast.

 

[JPL]

Don't forget: this is a playtest article. Feel free to forward your thoughts and requests to WotC, so the hengeyokai can benefit from them!

Done.

I like having the Tiny beast form for "flight," the hybrid for "fight," and the human form as camouflage.

 

[JPL]

Note, btw, the sound of breakage if the animal races can use Druid powers in beast form! Please, no Fly 6 first level casting druids! Actually, I'd give the -in between- form the Beast Form keyword, but not the animal form; that way druid Hengyoki are quite strong in their true forms, but can't gain the advantages of a special movement mode -and- still cast.

Right . . . didn't say that in my first post, but I thought it.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

IMHO, this is more option bloat. The game already covers shapeshifting humanoids; they're called Shifters. No reason that this couldn't have been done as alternate race features for Shifters similar to what they put in Neverwinter for Dwarves and Elves.

No offense to the author, of course. I'd love to be published in Dragon someday myself, but I just don't think this niche race adds anything to the game besides bloat.

 

[herrozerro]

IMHO, this is more option bloat. The game already covers shapeshifting humanoids; they're called Shifters. No reason that this couldn't have been done as alternate race features for Shifters similar to what they put in Neverwinter for Dwarves and Elves.

No offense to the author, of course. I'd love to be published in Dragon someday myself, but I just don't think this niche race adds anything to the game besides bloat.

I think this is a poor way to look at things. it could be argued then that we dont need any more weapon using classes because the fighter exists. Or a lot of elements just because they share a small facet design space with them.

 

[Klaus]

Done.

I like having the Tiny beast form for "flight," the hybrid for "fight," and the human form as camouflage.

This is a good way to put it. And I think the hybrid form could gain its own benefit, like a bonus to damage for dogs and other creatures with a bite attack, a bonus to defenses for creatures with tough hides and an Evasion-type benefit for creatures with increased reflexes (like cats and rabbits).

One of the NPCs in the Kara-Tur boxed set was a hengeyokai (rabbit) bushi that had almost kensai-level abilities because he had rabbit-like quickness. I'd like to see that reflected in the stats.

Just throwing some ideas around.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

I think this is a poor way to look at things. it could be argued then that we dont need any more weapon using classes because the fighter exists. Or a lot of elements just because they share a small facet design space with them.

I'd hardly call the overlap here "sharing a small facet of design space."

What makes this new race such a special snowflake that it had to have its own writeup? Its Asian flavour? The fact that they're animals that turn humanoid? It's all fluff.

And there's nothing wrong with fluff. Heck, I don't even mind the addition of the mechanics, to a point. But (IMHO) they really didn't need to be their own race.

Similarly, no, we don't need any more weapon-using classes. Not just because the fighter exists, but because the Fighter exists, the Rogue exists, the Ranger exists, the Paladin exists, the Swordmage exists, the Cleric exists, the Runepriest exists, etc, etc, etc. In other words, it's been done.

As it stands now, the game is largely capable of covering any concept out there. At most, at very most, all that is required is expanding existing material by adding to it, adding things that share the resources already out there, not by making more separate pools of stuff that will all require individual support that we all know isn't coming.

It just makes sense.

 

[herrozerro]

speaking about your point of comparing this new race to the shifters, im a little confused. The shifters dont really seem to have much mechanical effects to represent actually shape shifting. An encounter that you can activate when you get bloodied doesnt really compare to an actual shape shifting power.

Speaking with animals, hybrid forms, animals forms. this race shares much more with the druid mechanics and flavor than shifters.