Lizardfolk and (revised) Bullywug as Race

[toshi]

I'm working on a "monstrous setting", like Eberron during the Dhakanni Empire, and tried to make the Lizardfolk a playable race.

LIZARDFOLK
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There are three major kinds of lizardfolk: blackscale, greenscale and poisonscale.
While they share some features each kind also has some special features on its own.
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Common Lizardfolk Features:

Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares (swamp walk)
Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, Draconic
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Nature
Hold Breath: You can hold breath for 3 + Constiution modifier minutes, even in strenuous situations.
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Blackscale Features

Average Height: 6'6" - 7'2"
Average Weight: 220-300 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
Tail Slam: You can use tail slam as an at-will power once per round for an opportunity attack.

Tail Slam - Blackscale Lizardfolk Racial Power
You snatch at the opportunity to wipe your foe off its feet.
At-Will
Immediate Reaction, Melee 1
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Increase to Strength +2 at 11th level, and Strength +4 at 21st level.
Special: You can use this power only once per round and only for opportunity attacks.
Hit: 1d6 + Strength modifier damage, and the target is knocked prone.
Increase damage to 2d6 + Strength modifier at 11th level and 3d6 + Strength modifier at 21st level.

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Greenscale Features

Average Height: 6'2" - 6'10"
Average Weight: 180-260 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom
Sidestep Attack: Once per round on your turn as minor action, you can shift 1 square before making a melee basic attack (as standard action).
Sniper: A hidden greenscale lizardfolk that misses with a ranged attack remains hidden.
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Poisonscale Features

Average Height: 5'10" - 6'6"
Average Weight: 140-220 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Poison Strike: A poisonscale lizardfolk gains a +2 bonus to damage rolls against any enemy taking ongoing poison damage.
In addition, once per encounter when you hit with a melee or ranged attack, you can choose to deal an extra 3 ongoing poison damage (save ends). Increase to 6 ongoing poison damage at 11th level and 9 ongoing poison damage at 21th level.
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Racial Feats

Poisoner: [Lizardfolk, Heroic]
You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with poison attacks.

Lizardfolk Weapon Training: [Lizardfolk, Heroic]
You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with spears, and proficiency with all spears.

Poison Resistance: [Lizardfolk, Heroic]
You gain resist poison 5 + one-half your level.
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Paragon Paths

Lizard King

"I'm the Lizard King, I can do everything...!"
Prerequisite: Lizardfolk

Royal Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier and you gain temporary hit points equal to your Strength modifier.
Kingsize (11th level): Your melee reach increases by 1 and you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with spears against adjacent targets.
Vicious Trident (16th level): You can score a critial hit with spears on a roll of 19-20.

See Stoneblessed Powers (Goliath PP), PHB2 page 27.
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Bullywugs as presented in MM2 seem rather weak and have quite useless racial features against NPCs/monsters, i thought about the following changes/additions:

BULLYWUG (revised changes)

Speed: 6 squares (swamp walk), swim 4 squares
Amphibious: You gain the aquatic subtype, you can breath underwater and in aquatic combat you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against non-aquatic creatures.
Rancid Air (Poison) aura 2: Any enemy that spends a healing surge within the aura or gains hit points through a healing power or effect is weakened until the end of its next turn. Regeneration does not trigger this effect.

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- Is "Nature" as second skill bonus okay? I think it fits, but Acrobatics seems closer to 3.5 lizardfolks. Maybe the second skill bonus is different for the three 'scales'?
- Is Tail Slam too powerful?
- Any suggestions for "Sidestep attack"? Only 1/enc with any melee attack seems too weak, at-will as minor before any melee attack - is that too strong? As it is, with a MBA it is rather useless...
- A Lizard King is a rare, large lizardfolk that usually become kings of their kind and are highly respected. They usually favour a trident as weapon. Any ideas for suitable powers?
- What about Rancid Air? Is it viable that way?
- Any cool ideas for racial feats for bullywugs? Some forg's leap or some special croak?
- Neither Lizardfolk nor Bullywug have a racial defense bonus. A Will bonus seems fitting, but is it really necessary? I like a little weak spot...

What du you think? I appeciate any comments or ideas!

 

[Rampant]

I think you're better off running Green and black scale as separate races.

Let poison scale be a bloodline type thing for greenscales.

 

[BASHMAN]

As a Bullywug afficianado, I was also really disappointed in the RAW bullywug race. However, I would get rid of the "poison cloud" ability altogether, since it wasn't an ability they had in any other edition of D&D.

Instead, I'd try to bring back the "real" bullywug

BULLYWUG

Speed: 6 squares (swamp walk), swim 4 squares
Amphibious: You gain the aquatic subtype, you can breath underwater and in aquatic combat you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against non-aquatic creatures.
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Stealth
Stat Bonuses: +2 Dex, +2 Con or Str
Hop Attack (Encounter Power, Standard Action) This attack must be made with a Polearm or Spear. It does 2W+STR damage and you can jump your speed in squares as part of the attack. You can use this attack as part of a charge instead of a Basic Attack.

Let's also give them some Feat support:

Long Jumper: You can leap your Speed in Squares as a Move action, even with a standing start.

Chameleon Hide: When rolling Stealth rolls in a natural setting, roll 2d20s and take the better result.

Spear Master: If you miss with Hop Attack, it is not used up.

 

[Rampant]

Ok that racial rower needs some serious tweaking.

For starters it shouldn't be a weapon power at all, much less specific to certain weapon groups. Furthermore it needs to be either a minor acton, a move action, an immediate reaction, or just so utterly perfect for every possible class that it's worth a standard.

 

[Rampant]

double post

 

[BASHMAN]

Ok that racial rower needs some serious tweaking.

For starters it shouldn't be a weapon power at all, much less specific to certain weapon groups. Furthermore it needs to be either a minor acton, a move action, an immediate reaction, or just so utterly perfect for every possible class that it's worth a standard.

In AD&D 1E and 2E bullywugs had a "hop attack" that let them do double damage with impaling weapons on the first attack. That's where I get it from. The reason it's a weapon attack is it makes sense that way- an attack where you land on someone after a 30' jump seems to make a lot more sense with an impailing weapon. If that's not very useful for a wizard, don't play a wizard- or take a feat to use polearms.

The movement (a 30' leap that you could do right over chasms, difficult terrain, etc) and attack are combined in one standard action- so I think it seems worthwhile.

 

[Rampant]

Logic and precedence do not excuse poor design.

This is 4e not 1e, 2e, or 3e.

Not only is the power unattractive to non-melees, it is unattractive to non-strength based melee classes.

So Ranger, Fighter, Warlord, Cleric, Paladin, Barbarian, and Warden are probably the only classes that would use this power.

How about this?

Move action
You may jump your speed +3

Then there can be a feat that adds an attack or turns it into a charge or whatever.

 

[Rampant]

Is there a delete I can hit for these Double Posts?