Half-Celestial PCs

[rhammer2]

They are native outsiders, so can be raised.

Also keep in mind that because the character's type is Outsider, s/he cannot be brought back from the dead except by Wish or Miracle (in the core rules, anyway. MotP has a 6th level spell Raise Outsider). Make sure the player realizes this, in order to minimize complaining later when the character does die.

-Tiberius

 

[Dr. Zoom]

I'm pretty sure the new Dragon has the ECL sitting at +5. Some don't like the new values though. YMMV.

Those were suggestions that were never made official.

 

[hammymchamham]

They are native outsiders, so can be raised.

Nope. Half-Celestials are Outsiders (page 213 of the MM) and can't be raised. You must be thinking of Aasimar, which are native outsiders and can be raised.

 

[Tiberius]

I don't have my FRCS in front of me, but IIRC only tieflings, aasimar, and genasi are considered to be native outsiders, the rationale being that they are several generations removed from their extraplanar parent and thus not all that "outside." Half-celestials and half-fiends have, of course, an outsider for a parent, and thus are sufficently alien to be unraisable.

-Tiberius

 

[rhammer2]

They are native because they are born there, all outsiders are native to somewhere, most to an outer or inner plane. You can be raised normally on your native plane.

I don't have my FRCS in front of me, but IIRC only tieflings, aasimar, and genasi are considered to be native outsiders, the rationale being that they are several generations removed from their extraplanar parent and thus not all that "outside." Half-celestials and half-fiends have, of course, an outsider for a parent, and thus are sufficently alien to be unraisable.

-Tiberius

 

[Bastoche]

From the SRD:

Outsider

Outsider: An outsider is a nonelemental creature that comes from another dimension, reality, or plane. Unless noted otherwise, outsiders have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

A slain outsider cannot be raised or resurrected, although a wish or miracle spell can restore it to life.

Hit Die: d8
Attack Bonus: Total HD (as fighter)
Good Saving Throws: Fortitude, Reflex, Will
Skill Points: +8 (+ Intelligence modifier) per extra HD
Feats: +1 per 4 total HD

Still from the SRD:

Half-Fiend

"Half-fiend" is a template that can be added to any corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the "base creature"). The creature's type changes to "outsider." It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Therefore, half-fiend can't be raised nor resurected. Only a wish or a miracle can restore them to life. Has nothing to do with the birth place.

 

[Iku Rex]

Therefore, half-fiend can't be raised nor resurected. Only a wish or a miracle can restore them to life. Has nothing to do with the birth place.

It does not follow.

http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd/srdmonstersnop.html

Assimar
Medium-Size Outsider


"Native outsiders" are (obviously) all "outsiders", so pointing out that a half-fiend is an outsider is hardly relevant.

 

[Bastoche]

It does not follow.

http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd/srdmonstersnop.html

Assimar
Medium-Size Outsider


"Native outsiders" are (obviously) all "outsiders", so pointing out that a half-fiend is an outsider is hardly relevant.

There no mention of "native outsider" anywhere in the SRD part you "quoted".

Therefore, an Aasimar and a tiefling can't be raised either, just like a half-fiend.

What you guys are all confused with is the planetouched char. races from the FRCS. These are "native" outsider. There's not the same "aasimar" and "tieflings" as those in the monster manual.

Planetouched from the monster manual are "outsiders". Not "native-outisiders". And all outsiders can't be raised as mentionned in the monster manual or the SRD.

 

[Bastoche]

I'll rewrite in an attempt to clear things up.

All creatures from the type "outsider" can't be raised.

half-fiend and half-celestial are outsiders.

Since all outsiders can't be raised, half-fiend and hlaf-celestial can't either.

Planetouched creature from the monster manual are considered "outsiders". Therefore, they can't be raised either.

Planetouched PC races from the FRCS (although this was not confirmed by anyone at this point) fall under a special rule. They are considered "native outsider". Meaning that they follow every rule that apply to the "outsider" type except for the raising/resurecting issue.

 

[Thain]

Rule #0

Of course, if you are not playing FR (or heck, even if you are) you can always ivoke your power as GM and declare that some half-outsider templates are "native outsiders."

Personally, I've always felt that you shoudl leave 1/2C and 1/2F characters as normal outsiders ((now there's an oxymoron)) and not allow them to be raised/res'd. If you make these templates into raiseable races, I'd icrease their ECL by 1, to a +4.

Also, remember that when an Outsider dies on the Prime, it isn't in fact "dead" it just gets returned to it's native plane. This is one of the reasons demons and celestials can afford to be so gung-ho when fighting on the Prime, other than an incoveniance, probably embarassament ("Hah-ha! Azifael got his butt kick by a paladin, agian!") they don't really suffer too much.

Another thought, if the player is making a 1/2C or 1/2F and whats to know what will happen to hi when he dies, I encourage the GM to shrug, grin and reply: "No one knows, although perhaps you'll find out in the next dungeon." (Then you should giggle.)

A PC shouldn't have knowledge about where they go when they die, except for what they hear at Sunday services and street-corner clerics. ("Have you accepted Pelor as your savior?") A Half-Celestial hero should be fairly one-of-a-kind. Preists and dogma may attempt to explain his afterlife, but they only way to really find out is to die.

As an aside, I also peg the Half-Elemental at ECL +3. Playtesting has shown it to be about equal to the Half-Fiend and Half-Celestial. Although each of them is stroner in a different class. (Fiends make great Sorcerors and Fighters. Celestials make great Clerics and Paladinds (duh) and Elementals make brutal druids.)