Large (size category) PC's

[JohnClark]

I've always wondered why there aren't any large pc races in the ph. I've always thought it'd be cool to play a large character without an ECL, so do any of you have any in your campaign worlds, particularly if you play in the forgotten realms.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

my DM tryed it once. that game didn't last very long

i'm not sure there was a way to predict how powerful having reach is. add a Huge weapon to that and combat reflexes and no enemy ever got close to Large PC.

 

[Crothian]

I tried to come up with one for my game, but it didn't work. Large creatures have power, the balancing issue was a huge problem.

 

[Oni]

Ogiers from the Wheel of Time rpg are large, but they have a fair amount of skill and feat restrictions. Basically no riding, no armor, only simple weapons. These restrictions are at character creation only, they can be picked up later.

 

[ichabod]

I have such a race in my current campaign: the ursan (bear men). The thing is, I wasn't happy with the balance of the PHB races, so I redid them all. In doing so, I made them all a bit more powerful. That means it was easier for me to make a large race of ECL +0. So far it hasn't been a big balance problem.

 

[Dragongirl]

Large races could be interesting to play, but they would limit the campaign somewhat. Large races won't fit in well (both figuratively and literally) in most cities, and depending on how large they are, in many dungeons.

 

[JohnClark]

Thanks for all the feedback. What prompted this question was that the half-dragon template says you need to be large or bigger to have wings, and adding more ecl onto an already plus 4 seems like a pretty big hit to me. I know you can rule 0 that, but I dont like to make it seem like I'm getting special abilities over the other players. Again, thx for your input, and ichabod, could you tell me how you reworked the races or just how the bearmen work, I'd be really interested to hear it.

 

[ced1106]

EQ RPG has two large PC races: Ogres and Trolls. -1 penalty to AC and attack. Their larger reach gives them a larger threat area. Ogres have a +6 Str. Trolls have a +4 Str. Both suffer a 20% XP penalty.

(BTW, the EQ RPG info on reach is scattered through the book and glossary. Grr.)


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[ichabod]

ichabod, could you tell me how you reworked the races or just how the bearmen work, I'd be really interested to hear it.

Here are the stats for the Ursan from my campaign. The whole file of races is four pages long, which seems like a bit much to post here. If you are interested, contact me off list and I can email you the full document.

+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Dexterity, -2 Charisma: Ursans are powerful as all hell, but somewhat clumsy and temperamental.
Large: As large Creatures, ursans get a -1 size penalty to AC and a -1 size penalty to all attacks. They also get a -4 penalty to Hide checks, but their carrying capacity is twice that of a medium sized character of their strength. Ursan have a 10 foot reach.
Ursan base speed is 40 feet.
+2 racial bonus to grapple attacks.
+2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks.
+2 racial bonus to Wilderness Lore if used in the forest.
Ursan must rest 12 hours every day.
Weapon Proficiency: Great Flail
Ursans do not get a bonus feat at first level.
Automatic Languages: Ursan and Common. Bonus Languages: Elven, Gori, Gnoll, Sylvan, and Entish.
Favored Class: Shaman