Large and Small, for everyone!

[Technik4]

I know this topic has been coming up lately, at first I thought it would be ridiculously overpowered, but I think it can become a balanced feat. Here's my attempt.

Big Guy/Gal [Feat]
Prerequisites: Medium-sized Humanoid or Outsider, 1st level
Benefit: You are taller than average (at least 8 ft.) and you can learn to use this to your advantage. You are considered to be Large, and threaten foes with a 10' reach. As a large humanoid (or outsider) you suffer a -1 to AC and a -1 to hit and a -4 to Hide checks. Any armor that would normally fit a medium-size member of your race can be refitted to you for twice the cost. You must take an additional feat to use Large weapons in 1 hand or Huge weapons.

Special: Spells or effects that only affect Medium or Small creatures still affect you, despite your size (ie- Charm Person).



Large Weapon Proficiency [Feat]
Prerequisites: Large Sized
Benefit: If you do not already have proficiency with Huge sized weapons, this feat grants proficiency. Additionally you can now use Large weapons in a single hand without penalty. You do not gain any additional weapon proficiencies, so if you were only proficient with Simple weapons you can now use Lareg Simple weapons in 1 hand or Huge Simple weapons in 2 hands.



Small Guy/Gal [Feat]
Prerequisites: Medium-sized Humanoid or Outsider, 1st level
Benefit: Your are smaller than average (at most 4ft. tall). You are considered to be Small and your base movement is 20 ft. As a small humanoid (or outsider) you gain a +1 to hit and a +1 to AC, and a +4 to hide checks. You must use armor appropriate to your size (as gnomes and halflings) and you must wield a medium-size weapon in 2-hands.

Special: Small guys/gals are known and universally ridiculed and stereotyped as munchkins. You must get approval from your dm to use this feat!

Technik

 

[SylverFlame]

I don't see any balance problems, but I do have one question:
Why does a large creature need to take a feat to use large/huge weapons?

It doesn't make sense to me that you're going to apply the penalties of large size but not give one of the simpler benefits. It's not a stat adjustment and it only makes sense that the character would have an easier time with large and huge weapons while being restricted from using small weapons.

 

[Technik4]

Ah. What you say is definitely true, however I think it would make the feat too good. A 1st level fighter could easily afford to give up 1 of his 2 feats to be large, and the 10' reach is really nice. In retropsect how I wanted this to be was such:

Fighter w/ Large Feat: Is considered non-proficient with Huge Weapons, but may wield them. In other words, they are physically large enough to wield them, but since they are by the nature of the feat, an abnormality (ie- its not something associated with your race, you are inherently unusual), they still had to grow up in "medium-size" society. So, everything you know says the greatsword gets swung in 2 hands, because whoever taught you anything about the weapon told you thats how it was.

The Large Weapon Proficiency represents you beginning to learn that you can use your greater size in ways normal people can't, with proficiency. I would allow someone with the Large feat but without the large proficiency feat wield a greatsword in 1 hand, but they would take a -4 penalty until they got said feat.

Technik

 

[drdevoid]

Technik4,

I likes, I likes. What would you think of allowing the Big Guy/Gal feat for small characters? You'd leave the ability mods as is and keep the various abilities. So you'd end up with Gnomes and Halflings walking around passing for Humans and Svirfneblin, Forest Gnomes and Tallfellows lookin like Dwarves, Wood Elves and Elves respectively. Just a thought. Probably more fun for NPCs and stunning players than anything else. It does give a nice theory for how some subraces and even creature type divergence happen (i.e. Bugbears in the Goblinoid type).

I like the Large Weapon Proficiency idea, it seems like it might be a little too powerful, but the prerequisite probably takes care of that concern. I'm no expert on balance issues but the only similar feat to this is Monkey Grip (S&F) and it imposes a -2 penalty for a medium sized creature wielding a large weapon in one hand.

BTW, thanks for checking out my thread. If you have time, give me an idea what you think of the power level for what I'm doing.

Thanks,
Joe