Pixies

[lukelightning]

the power in question:

Special Arrows (Ex)
Pixies sometimes employ arrows that deal no damage but can erase memory or put a creature to sleep.

"Sometimes employ arrows" to me implies these are possessions, not some special ability of the pixie.

A similar situation is drows' poison:

Poison (Ex)
An opponent hit by a drow’s poisoned weapon must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or fall unconscious. After 1 minute, the subject must succeed on another DC 13 Fortitude save or remain unconscious for 2d4 hours. A typical drow carries 1d4-1 doses of drow knockout poison. Drow typically coat arrows and crossbow bolts with this poison, but it can also be applied to a melee weapon. Note that drow have no special ability to apply poison without risking being poisoned themselves. Since this poison is not a magical effect, drow and other elves are susceptible to it.

This is listed in the stats of the drow "as a monster" but not in a the "drow as character" section. Obviously drow do not inherently get poison.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Okay first the Pixies as PCs entry does not list Special arrows as a SA

and secondly under speacial arrows it says

Pixies sometimes employ arrows that deal no damage but can erase memory or put a creature to sleep

Sometimes means that if you as DM don't want them then the pixie doesn't get them

QFT!

 

[DreadArchon]

Considering that the Summoning tables (Nature's Ally, not the mage version, IIRC) have separate entries for Pixies with and without arrows, I'd have no complaints about stripping the race of its arrows (without, say, buying them) as a DM.

As a player, the same logic applies.

 

[moritheil]

Bah. Who would trust a crazypixie on anything pixie-related? Do you think we're crazy?

Shut up, you lot.

Okay, that was a low-hanging fruit, but really now

Back on topic, the pixie should have the option to purchase or craft arrows.

Nail - the pixie exchanges its 1HD of fey for its first class level.

 

[Nail]

Nail - the pixie exchanges its 1HD of fey for its first class level.

Yep.







...so...back to my question: "Does the OP understand how ECL works?" I hope so.

 

[moritheil]

I wish I had a buck for every player in my online games who wanted to play a pixie.

I say ban them.

Ironically enough, the player of the pixie in the campaign I am in has expressed fear that he isn't powerful compared to the rest of the group (Humans, elans, warforged, and sylphs.)

 

[pawsplay]

I've run a pixe rogue 1/sorcerer 1. Being invisible is about fair trade for not having an insanely high Hide and Move Silently. The whole flight thing can be troublesome, though, if you arent prepared for it.

 

[evilbob]

A) As many have said, the pixie entry for "pixies as characters" in the MM does not include the special arrows. They do not receive these by default. The pixie monster that you can encounter, however, does. I also agree with others who have said that allowing a pixie to purchase said arrows doesn't seem unbalancing. (I'd probably price it as about a +3 arrow, or something similar.) If a pixie had the appropriate magic item creation feat, they'd be able to make them, too.

B) Having a pixie in a campaign is something I've recently encountered, but again as others have said it seems fairly balanced by the +4 LA. They have great overall defense, but they're so far behind in BAB and HP that they don't overpower anything. One well-placed (and penatrating) area of effect spell and they're toasted. As a DM, you just have to be aware and make sure you read through and understand the appropriate rule sets. One thing I would recommend, as others have done in similar threads, is to be sure to be careful about letting fellow party members know where the pixie is - if she's invisible, no one without see invisibility should be able to detect her, unless she's doing something obvious like shouting - and then the enemies would know, too.

Edit: Also note that pixies don't have a perfect fly speed by default (but they could take the "Improved Flight" feats from one of the Complete books and gain it). This makes movement tricky.

 

[Mort]

We have 2 pixies in our current party a 6th level rogue and a 7th level sorcerer (ess?) with the rest of the group at 10-11th level (rest are all humans)

the pixie rogue is quite good. Though he's 4 levels behind the curve his high int and ridiculous DEX (I think it's around 28-29 at this point as the DM let him have some +4 gloves) mean his skills are fine. With rapid shot and a bow - he's a monster in melee; sure the arrows do 1d4-1 but with greater invisibility he get's to add 3d6 to that on nearly every hit (+ his shocking arrows for an additional d6), and because of the 28 dex he hits almost as often as the fighters. He's not high on HP's but first you have to find him (improved invisibility, suplemented by huge move silently and hide skills), then you have to hit him - his AC is 28-29 with no armor, and then he has fairly rare damage reduction. So effective despite the 4 level hit.
Not to mention, an invisible flying scout is just a ridiculously valuable asset.
I would say he's at least as or more effective as a well built 10th level rogue because the class and race synergise so well.

The sorceress is more hit and miss. at 11th level she still only has 3rd level spells so really misses out on that front. that said, her DC's and spells per day are through the roof because of her high charisma.
She has damage reduction, but so few HP's that she has to avoid melee like the plague, and there have been several instances where her SR is the only thing that saved her from being full to dead in one spell.
While the character seems fun and is somewhat effective, I don't think it compares to a well built 11th level sorcerer.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

The DCs ain't that bad... maybe at the lower levels, but not later on.

I have to disagree. This pixie has 26 charisma, and thus a DC 20 fortitude save for the sleep and memory loss arrows. It's got a +10 to hit with its bow...so let's say we're fighting 2 trolls, which is pretty fair at 5th level party. It's hitting the troll fully 80% of the time (+12 total bonus due to attacking from invisibility vs. 16 AC) and the troll is failing its save fully 40% of the time...and this is a monster with a very high fort save for its level. DC 20 is not negligible at level 5. What this means is pixie can solo one of the trolls while the rest of the party rapes the other. I suppose Deep Slumber can do the same thing with a greater chance of success.

At what level of play are they starting? If you're starting at level 1, the thing I'd pay attention to is the fact that she'll have one hit die... for five levels. Even if she's a pixie barbarian, that's 12 hit points plus Con until she gains 15,000 XP. And if she's going to play the favored class (sorcerer), it'll be 4 plus Con. How many other level 5 characters do you know with 6 hit points?

The first thing that hits her is going to kill her; then it won't matter if she has a billion sleep arrows.

Well, she begins as an ECL 5 character, a level 1 pixie rogue. She's got 6 HP, but she's also got 22 AC, permanent greater invisibility , natural flight, and DR 10/cold iron. I could see where an assassin with see invisibility, fly, and a cold iron weapon would give her a problem.

Okay first the Pixies as PCs entry does not list Special arrows as a SA

Sometimes means that if you as DM don't want them then the pixie doesn't get them

Excellent points.

Never allowed it and never would. It is just a silly thing to want to play, and just ripe for brokenness. My main complaint, other than the arrows, if their vulnerability. If the DM does not try to get them,they are very close to invincible, but one guy with see invisibility, and they are dead. And the player will bitch on and on about the DM picking on them.

I really don't like combinations that are basically "Mother, may I?"

I say ban them.

I actually encouraged the choice. She's going rogue/spymaster and is currently posing as a gnome, story wise it's going to work out great. As was said earlier, I can always axe the arrows. They're really not *that* vulnerable either. The player understands that her pixie can be detected with things that can see invisible creatures, but she also understands that she can fly at will, and pretend to be innocuous.

Exactly.

Why didn't to OP post this option in the poll?

Because Trolls don't have to buy Scent. Yes, it says they sometimes have them, but when, why, and how is never discussed. "Pixie Shop" didn't spring to mind when I was thinking of ways to balance it. I don't own any books that have the stupid things for sale so I've got no basis of comparison. The nearest thing is that DMG sleep arrow with its whopping DC 11 save, which isn't really a comparison at all.

Besides the arrows (which the pixie pays for with character wealth)....

Does the OP understand that Pixies have an ECL? (LA + HD) .....I'm kinda under the impression that the OP hasn't picked up on that.....

Why in the world would you be under that impression? Because I think unlimited DC 20 sleep arrows at level 5 are broken? I have the foresight to question the balance of a single extraordinary ability, but not to understand 1+4=5? That's like a Lawlasaurus Rex.

...so...back to my question: "Does the OP understand how ECL works?" I hope so.

Why do you want me to be an idiot? I do not understand this.