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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Monster playable race
- Thread starter ratet
- Start date
RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Do you or could you get access to the book Savage Species? It is all about that very thing.
There are mixed opinions about the balance of that book, but it's a great place to start. The basic concept is, since many monsters are more powerful than the standard races, the monster's abilities unfold over a series of racial levels instead of class levels.
Here are some online sources that show examples of some monsters converted into racial levels:
Savage Progressions: Level-Adjusted Races
Savage Progressions: Transition Classes
Monster Class Tables for _Monster Manual_ (2000 version) Monsters
Savage Progressions: Lich and Weretiger Template Classes
Savage Progressions: Ghost and Werewolf Template Classes
Savage Progressions: Fiendish Creature and Werebear Template Classes
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/27072373/Arcanaloth_3.5_Monster_Class_progression
There are mixed opinions about the balance of that book, but it's a great place to start. The basic concept is, since many monsters are more powerful than the standard races, the monster's abilities unfold over a series of racial levels instead of class levels.
Here are some online sources that show examples of some monsters converted into racial levels:
Savage Progressions: Level-Adjusted Races
Savage Progressions: Transition Classes
Monster Class Tables for _Monster Manual_ (2000 version) Monsters
Savage Progressions: Lich and Weretiger Template Classes
Savage Progressions: Ghost and Werewolf Template Classes
Savage Progressions: Fiendish Creature and Werebear Template Classes
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/27072373/Arcanaloth_3.5_Monster_Class_progression
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And actually, Monte Cook took the concepts in Savage Species and tweaked them a little bit for his racial classes in Arcana Unearthed (analogous to 3Ed) and Arcana Evolved (essentially 3.5Ed).
In his take, the racial levels are real, full class levels- unlike those in Savage Species- most similar to the racial paragon classes from Unearthed Arcana, but bigger.
In his take, the racial levels are real, full class levels- unlike those in Savage Species- most similar to the racial paragon classes from Unearthed Arcana, but bigger.
Shaghayegh
First Post
So what monsters make good PCs? How wierd can you get and still be playable?
Well, I played Drow years before Drizzt (well before they became a standard race). And a winged elf.
I played a Minotaur Ftr/M-U in 2Ed that was a blast, and a Githzerai Monk/PsyWar/Kensai in 3.5Ed. I played one of the smaller Giant races in 2Ed once...as an archer.
Pretty much anything that is fairly humanoid will be easier for a DM to incorporate into a campaign arc than something that has features hat are hard to conceal. 3Ed & 3.5Ed expanded your possibilities by including templates (a good idea that was sometimes improperly priced).
I played a Minotaur Ftr/M-U in 2Ed that was a blast, and a Githzerai Monk/PsyWar/Kensai in 3.5Ed. I played one of the smaller Giant races in 2Ed once...as an archer.
Pretty much anything that is fairly humanoid will be easier for a DM to incorporate into a campaign arc than something that has features hat are hard to conceal. 3Ed & 3.5Ed expanded your possibilities by including templates (a good idea that was sometimes improperly priced).
Hmmm ok. I can't get my hands on the book but thanks for all the links. And thank you all for the help. I do a specific monster in mind. It's a homebrew from this site actually. I have been trying to make the monster for sometime with no luck but he did pretty much exactly what I had in mind.
Thallid
Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft
AC: 16 (+6 Natural)
Attacks: 1 Slam +2 melee
Damage: Slam 1d6+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft / 5 ft
Special Qualities: Saproling Factory, Natural Appearance
Saves: Fort +5, Refl +0, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +4*, Spot +2, Listen +2
Feats: None
Climate/Terrain: Forests and Valleys
Organization: Solitary, Clutch (2-5), Army (10-100)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: ½ Normal
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium-size)
Thallids are strange magically-created fungal plant life created by arcane elven farmers in ages past. The thallids rose up and destroyed their creators and to this day control
the forest they were cloned in.
Thallids come in many forms, some more fungal appearing than others, some even looking like bipedal flowering plants. Most are deep green in colour and they are all
photosynthetic unlike most naturally-occurring fungi. They are usually about 5 feet tall and thick and weigh about 225 pounds. They are ravenous eaters, never seeming to get full, and a Thallid not going about a task is often found on “guard duty”, soaking up sunlight and earthbound nutrients.
COMBAT
Thallids will generally rush offending creatures in a swarming group accompanied by hordes of Saprolings. They are not especially effective combatants on their own and can generally be easily dispatched if they are not in a group.
Saproling Factory: A well-fed Thallid continuously buds and sprouts Saprolings. Under optimal conditions they bud a Saproling every day. Under typical conditions they will have 3d4 Saprolings in their immediate area for every Thallid encountered. Many of these Saprolings will be crawling over and about the Thallids themselves. Under dryer or harsher conditions 1d4 or 2d4 Saprolings will be encountered per Thallid. See the Saproling entry for more information.
Natural Appearance: Thallids gain a +4 racial bonus to Hide rolls in naturally wooded environments.
I know it's from MtG. But it's my absolute favorite race from Magic. So how would this go about being turned into a playable race? If it's not to much to ask of you guys could ya help me. Please? Been losing sleep over this.
Thallid
Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft
AC: 16 (+6 Natural)
Attacks: 1 Slam +2 melee
Damage: Slam 1d6+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft / 5 ft
Special Qualities: Saproling Factory, Natural Appearance
Saves: Fort +5, Refl +0, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +4*, Spot +2, Listen +2
Feats: None
Climate/Terrain: Forests and Valleys
Organization: Solitary, Clutch (2-5), Army (10-100)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: ½ Normal
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium-size)
Thallids are strange magically-created fungal plant life created by arcane elven farmers in ages past. The thallids rose up and destroyed their creators and to this day control
the forest they were cloned in.
Thallids come in many forms, some more fungal appearing than others, some even looking like bipedal flowering plants. Most are deep green in colour and they are all
photosynthetic unlike most naturally-occurring fungi. They are usually about 5 feet tall and thick and weigh about 225 pounds. They are ravenous eaters, never seeming to get full, and a Thallid not going about a task is often found on “guard duty”, soaking up sunlight and earthbound nutrients.
COMBAT
Thallids will generally rush offending creatures in a swarming group accompanied by hordes of Saprolings. They are not especially effective combatants on their own and can generally be easily dispatched if they are not in a group.
Saproling Factory: A well-fed Thallid continuously buds and sprouts Saprolings. Under optimal conditions they bud a Saproling every day. Under typical conditions they will have 3d4 Saprolings in their immediate area for every Thallid encountered. Many of these Saprolings will be crawling over and about the Thallids themselves. Under dryer or harsher conditions 1d4 or 2d4 Saprolings will be encountered per Thallid. See the Saproling entry for more information.
Natural Appearance: Thallids gain a +4 racial bonus to Hide rolls in naturally wooded environments.
I know it's from MtG. But it's my absolute favorite race from Magic. So how would this go about being turned into a playable race? If it's not to much to ask of you guys could ya help me. Please? Been losing sleep over this.
I'd start by thinking about toning down one of the already published sentient plant speciesism using a "Plant" template on something size M.
Working from what you have there in your post, I'd try to evaluate the actual power of their special abilities in the context of their Plant-type immunities. Then I'd figure out which are core abilities that need to be present in the baseline creature- IOW, a creature with +0LA- and how many levels I'd need to spread out the rest of the abilities.
For example, "Saproling factory" is probably something I wouldn't give until the 3rd Thallid racial class level...depending on how powerful saprolings actually are in combat. IOW, you'd need to stat out Saprolings before you make the Thallid racial class.
Working from what you have there in your post, I'd try to evaluate the actual power of their special abilities in the context of their Plant-type immunities. Then I'd figure out which are core abilities that need to be present in the baseline creature- IOW, a creature with +0LA- and how many levels I'd need to spread out the rest of the abilities.
For example, "Saproling factory" is probably something I wouldn't give until the 3rd Thallid racial class level...depending on how powerful saprolings actually are in combat. IOW, you'd need to stat out Saprolings before you make the Thallid racial class.
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I do have the stats for the saprolings. I'm at work right now so I can't post them but I will after work. I appreciate the help. I was also thinking of having regen because it fits with the races backstory but it might be to much. And something along the lines of no metal weapons or armor.
Wyvernhand
First Post
Required Reading: Ur-Priest's Monsterous Monster Handbook.
Yes, there is a handbook for that.
It goes through and explains exactly what RHD, LA, and ECL mean.
If you want to create a monster class racial progression, look up oslecamo or a few others. They are pretty much experts at doing this. I think oslecamo still haunts the minmaxboards (from the link above).
Yes, there is a handbook for that.
It goes through and explains exactly what RHD, LA, and ECL mean.
If you want to create a monster class racial progression, look up oslecamo or a few others. They are pretty much experts at doing this. I think oslecamo still haunts the minmaxboards (from the link above).
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