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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 4501324" data-attributes="member: 18363">Your abilities are not equal in power. Immune to sleep vs immunity to many poisons? I can see where you are going, however. It reminds me of some takes that have been used for PCs with strange lineages (part celestial, etc). One thing I occasionally used once in a while was a modified version of bloodlines from UA. Effectively, ever even level grants a feat or special (DR, ER, NA, SR, SU, etc). 1st, 7th, 13th, and 19th level granted a +1 to a set of 3 or 4 racial skills. (rather than +2 to a single skill each time, as UA used). 3rd, 9th, and 15th level granted a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score that is notable amongst their lineage (ie: higher than human normal). Sometimes the same one is affected more than once. 5th, 11th, and 17th level granted an ever higher bonus to social skill checks with those of the lineage in question. The high bonus makes up for the often lack of utility, although others I know tended to broaden it to include the general type of lineage (all dragons instead of copper dragons, all good outsiders instead of celestial, all fey instead of dryads, all undead instead of vampires, and so forth). For your idea I would suggest a modification as such: Reduce it to just specials, but have them grow gradually. While not evident in the general pattern I placed above, often in use of such I would have specials that occurred at lower level replaced / enhanced by specials occurring at higher levels. Also, some specials might be increases to abilities or skills if it well fits with the special progression considered. So, perhaps the following for a 'hard to harm' type special: 01 Natural Armor +203 Damage Reduction 1/-05 Con +207 Nat Armor +409 DR 2/-11 Con +413 Nat Armor +615 DR 4/-17 Con +619 Nat Armor +8The Natural Armor and DR combine to make this one hard PC to hurt, especially if they are wearing armor andor have DR from other sources. The Con bonus aids in hp gain, thus allowing them to survive even longer. I use even digits as odd digits do not always grant anything when gained. For a more evasive approach, perhaps the following: 01 Evasion03 Reflex +1, Dodge +105 Dex +207 Improved Evasion, Tumble +409 Reflex +2, Dodge +211 Dex +413 Defensive Roll 1/day, Tumble +815 Reflex +3, Dodge +317 Dex +619 ???, Tumble +12Tumble aids in evading AoO as well as in adding more flair to the special gained. Not quite sure what the capstone 19th level should be. Defensive Roll 3/day comes to mind but how often is a person at 20th level that close to death due to a reflex save in a given day? Granted, I tend to play and run at lower levels (5 - 15, preferred), so I may be missing something here. This special tree should allow a PC to survive quite a lot. A rogue with this could be legendary, although a Scout or Ranger could also work well with this. For a more battle oriented approach, perhaps: 01 Combat Reflexes, +1 vs Feints, Tricks, and Precision Dmg03 Dodged that one (+1 Dodge to AC, +1 to Reflex saves)05 Str +207 +2 vs Feints, Tricks, and Precision Dmg09 Dodged that one (+2 Dodge to AC, +2 to Reflex saves)11 Str +413 +3 vs Feints, Tricks, and Precision Dmg15 Dodged that one (+3 Dodge to AC, +3 to Reflex saves)17 Str +619 +4 vs Feints, Tricks, and Precision DmgFeints and Tricks are things like Disarm, Sunder, Pin, Charge, Bullrush, Overrun, and so forth. It might also be used with Grapple, depending on the DMs view on such. The bonus vs Precision damage will help a little regarding sneak attack and critical attacks, but at +4 it is not enough to even come close to fully negating such even at 20th level. The bonus to strength aids in both striking the target and in causing it damage. For a more resistant type of special, consider the following: 01 Luck (+1 to saves)03 Resistance: +4 vs cold, fire saves05 Evasion07 Slippery Mind, Luck (+2 to saves)09 Energy Resistance 5 vs cold, fire saves11 Improved Evasion13 Mettle, Luck (+3 to saves)15 Energy Resistance 10 vs cold, fire saves17 Defensive Roll 1/day19 Auto-save 1/day, Luck (+4 to saves)This PC has incredible ability to make his saves. He is truly lucky / blest - or so it seems to most that know him. The energy saves are not as bad as they might seem, for most energy damaging spells deal far more than merely 10 points of damage. It does, however, give a small but nice buffer against such damage. He can ignore most (not necessarily all) damage from simple natural sources of energy damage. Camp fires and bonfires deal 2d6 (max 12 pts), for example. With just 5 ER vs fire and cold he can ignore most heat and chill damage due to environmental conditions such as extreme heat in a desert or extreme cold in the arctic tundra. These energies might be altered, changing out cold for acid or electric, for example, as fire might go well with either of them. (I chose fire and cold for their low tier level compared to acid and electric, and also because of the environmental aspect to them.) For a more energy resistant / enveloped approach, the following might work: 01 +2 vs saves vs fire03 +4 vs saves vs fire05 Energy Resistance 5 fire, +6 to saves vs fire07 +1d6 fire damage with attacks09 Energy Resistance 10 fire, +8 to saves vs fire11 +2d6 fire damage with attacks13 Energy Resistance 15 fire, +10 to saves vs fire15 +3d6 fire damage with attacks17 Energy Resistance 20 fire, +12 to saves vs fire19 +4d6 fire damage with attacksFire can, of course, be replaced by acid, cold, or electric, although if you use acid you may need to consider how it is possible. Is the PC actually covered in an acidic slime? I tended to envision it as a thin skin like aura around him that also surrounded whatever he was holding / wearing - including weapons, but that does not work as well with acid. Because of this aura, those attacking with bare hands, claws, etc should perhaps take 1 point of damage per d6 die upon attacking the PC. They are, in effect sticking their hand into the fire to attack. You might even increase the aura idea. Perhaps at 15th level it is an actual 5 ft aura that causes 1 pt damage to everything within it unless the PC wills otherwise. At 19th level it deals 2 pts damage of the energy type per round unless otherwise willed by the PC. A more magical approach can be harder to work with in some cases. For example, you might have the PC slowly shift into something less needful and mortal than humanoids: 01 Sleep -> half duration Trance, Trance reduced by half for elves03 +4 to saves vs starvation, thirst, fatigue, exhaustion.05 +4 vs ability damage and +2 vs drain07 No need to sleep. Immune to magic regarding sleep09 No need to eat or drink, +8 to saves vs fatigue, exhaustion, suffocation11 +8 vs ability dmg, +4 vs drain, +2 vs level loss13 Ceases aging, will still die at normal time, immune to aging magic15 Immune to fatigue, exhaustion, suffocation; +4 vs death effects and precision dmg17 Immune to ability dmg, +8 vs ability drain - which is always reduced to ability damage (ie: will heal with time), +4 vs level loss - which is always temporary (ie: will be regained 1 per 24 hrs following)19 Immortal, gains mental bonuses for extreme age20 Becomes a native outsider: no longer affected by magic that affected former nature (humanoid), etc. At 13th level one ceases aging but does not lose any physical penalty modifiers due to age. At level 19 those penalties are lost. Also gains any bonuses for extreme age - 13th level did not grant this. Level 15 mentions precision damage: the PC gains the +4 bonus to AC vs sneak attacks, crits, etc. Level 20 is added as a capstone ability, as it explains the prior transformations and what it grants is of little use at that level anyway (DR 5/magic at 20th level is almost a joke, as is 60 ft Dark Vision. The spells that affect humanoids are mostly lower levels spells that are easily saved against by most at this level anyway.) Note that there is no need to add protection vs diseases or poisons - such are forms of ability damage / drain, after all. In any case, it is getting quite late where I am, so I will sign off now. Hopefully, I've offered some advise you can use or have given some sources of inspiration for your specials. They are a bit more than the initial idea of one special that increases into something similar but stronger once or twice during the PC's career, but hopefully they are still of some use to you.</blockquote>

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