Coatl only a +7 LA?

[Nareau]

Maybe I don't understand what Level Adjustment is supposed to be, but it seems low for a coatl. Considering that they cast spells as a 9th level sorceror (with a larger list to choose from), and they get several other nice powers...how does that only merit a measly +7? It seems like it ought to be +10 or +12.

Thoughts?

Spider

 

[gfunk]

Maybe I don't understand what Level Adjustment is supposed to be, but it seems low for a coatl. Considering that they cast spells as a 9th level sorceror (with a larger list to choose from), and they get several other nice powers...how does that only merit a measly +7? It seems like it ought to be +10 or +12.

Thoughts?

Spider

You are aware that ECL equals HD + LA, right? So if a Coutal has ~ 7 HD (I'm not sure, guessing), then it is equivalent to playing a 14th level character.

 

[Spatzimaus]

Re: Re: Coatl only a +7 LA?

So if a Coutal has ~ 7 HD (I'm not sure, guessing), then it is equivalent to playing a 14th level character.

Even better, they have 9 HD, so it's a 16th-level character.

A 16th-level character who casts as a 9th-level Sorcerer (but who picks from a larger list) is good, but not unbalanced. He's got some nice other abilities (polymorph, plane shift, invisibility, ethereal jaunt, and detect thoughts at will!) and can fly, but remember that he's an Outsider, so he can't polymorph into a humanoid. It's going to be hard to blend in in social/political campaigns. Without polymorph, he's stuck in a non-equipment-using form, and at high levels you need those magic items for AC and such (21 AC just doesn't cut it).

Still good, of course, but not insanely broken thanks to the 9 HD.

 

[AnthonyJ]

Polymorph always explicitly allows aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin, so yes, a coatl can turn humanoid.

As another interesting bonus, coatl have access to divine spells as arcane, which means they can use most clerical magic items. Unfortunately, it's not clear how you raise spellcaster level for such intrinsic spellcasting; buy sorcerer levels?

 

[James McMurray]

Yep. The MM describes how to raise inherent spellcasting levels, but it boils down to "buy sorcerer levels."