Quickling

[BOZ]

updating this entry...

 

[BOZ]

i'm beginning to think that giving the quicklings blur at will (or constant?) should be enough, when combined with their Hide bonus (+8 size and +7 Dex; if we give them 4 ranks they have a +19 Hide mod!) should blur be listed with the other SLAs or should it get its own entry?

although displacement and Hide in plain sight were suggested earlier, i think blur is a better solution.


should we add Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat (since they don't qualify)? it's the difference between an attack bonus of +0 and +9. they might as well, since the weapon itself does so little damage...

Alertness was recommended earlier by Shade, and is not a bad idea. the "Dodge tree" of feats would also be nice. Combat Reflexes could be wicked.

they get one feat due to Hit Dice. i wouldn't want to give them more than 2 bonus feats, if for no other reason than the fact that they get so much other good .


some things to consider regarding skills... they get 32 ranks. 4 should go to Hide as stated above. they get a total of +82 mod to Jump (including -2 for Str) so i can't see adding any ranks there.

other skills to consider: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Survival, Tumble


i wasn't going to mention the fact that they are related to brownies, until i recalled that the brownie has been converted on WotC's site. want to include a mention and an URL? (i'd say we need the URL if we mention them at all).


as i'm looking, i noticed something cool - for regular haste, you lose your extra AC bonus when you lose your Dex bonus, so i thought about adding that. but then, i realized that with uncanny dodge there would be no point in adding that note.

 

[Conaill]

Lesser Confusion 1/day sounds rather laughable at that CR/LA. Might as well give it prestidigitation 1/day. :\

"Forget" has some really cool story possibilities. Lesser Confusion is just a "lose one turn" combat spell. Weak and rather boring. Is there anything else that would have a bit more roleplaying opportunity?

Hmm... how about "Command: Forget"?

 

[Shade]

i'm beginning to think that giving the quicklings blur at will (or constant?) should be enough, when combined with their Hide bonus (+8 size and +7 Dex; if we give them 4 ranks they have a +19 Hide mod!) should blur be listed with the other SLAs or should it get its own entry?

although displacement and Hide in plain sight were suggested earlier, i think blur is a better solution.

Perhaps...I'll reserve final judgement until I see the near-finished package.

And I think blur should be (Su) and thus it's own ability. It shouldn't have to activate it...it should be "always on".

should we add Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat (since they don't qualify)? it's the difference between an attack bonus of +0 and +9. they might as well, since the weapon itself does so little damage...

Yes!

Alertness was recommended earlier by Shade, and is not a bad idea. the "Dodge tree" of feats would also be nice. Combat Reflexes could be wicked.

I only mentioned Alertness as part of the "never suprised" bit. If anything, make it a bonus feat. Otherwise, give it something more interesting, like the other feats you mentioned.

they get one feat due to Hit Dice. i wouldn't want to give them more than 2 bonus feats, if for no other reason than the fact that they get so much other good .

I'm thinking Dodge or Run for flavor. Combat Reflexes will rarely help them, as they have no reach.

some things to consider regarding skills... they get 32 ranks. 4 should go to Hide as stated above. they get a total of +82 mod to Jump (including -2 for Str) so i can't see adding any ranks there.

other skills to consider: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Survival, Tumble

Definitely Escape Artist and Tumble maxed out. I also think a healthy does of Listen and Spot. I don't see them as sitting still long enough to really have a conversation with people or animals, and who cares if you Move Silently if you can hit-and-outrun?

i wasn't going to mention the fact that they are related to brownies, until i recalled that the brownie has been converted on WotC's site. want to include a mention and an URL? (i'd say we need the URL if we mention them at all).

While I'd dig the reference, Dragon doesn't seem to be in the habit of refencing the website other than for rules errata and updates. We name-dropped amitoks in the archomentals article, and they've never been updated, so I see no problem with name-dropping without the link.

as i'm looking, i noticed something cool - for regular haste, you lose your extra AC bonus when you lose your Dex bonus, so i thought about adding that. but then, i realized that with uncanny dodge there would be no point in adding that note.

Yeah, doubtful that would ever happen, although certain effects make it possible.

Lesser Confusion 1/day sounds rather laughable at that CR/LA. Might as well give it prestidigitation 1/day.

"Forget" has some really cool story possibilities. Lesser Confusion is just a "lose one turn" combat spell. Weak and rather boring. Is there anything else that would have a bit more roleplaying opportunity?

Hmm... how about "Command: Forget"?

Command is just as laughable, though. The save DC is still embarassingly low.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the SLAs, as this creature is clearly a skirmisher more than a trickster. Look at the redcap...no social skills and no spell-like abilities. The quickling is closer to these fellas than a pixie or dryad.

 

[BOZ]

How's this?
Blur (Su): A quickling's form is distorted and blurred, as if under the effects of a blur spell (caster level Xth). A quickling always has concealment (20% miss chance), though the quickling can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.


So, we're considering Dodge or Run for the main feat, and definitely Weapon Finesse as a bonus and possibly Alertness?


As 1-HD creatures, they max out with skill ranks at 4 ranks, so they could have as many as 8 maxed out skills, or we can give them more skills with fewer ranks. If we max out Escape Artist, Hide, Listen, Spot and Tumble, that still leaves us with 12 more ranks.

I say we either pick 3 of these, or divide the ranks up among all of them: Bluff, Concentration, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Survival


I'll toss in a name-drop to the brownie without a link, then.


I wouldn't have a problem with giving them modify memory, since fire charm was a 4th-level spell and got kicked off. I also won't cry if they stay with the list we currently have.

 

[Shade]

How's this?
Blur (Su): A quickling's form is distorted and blurred, as if under the effects of a blur spell (caster level Xth). A quickling always has concealment (20% miss chance), though the quickling can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

Hmmm...I'm not sure if they should be able to suppress it. Isn't it a function of their constant motion? I see it more like the displacer's beast displacement...always on...can't be dispelled.

So, we're considering Dodge or Run for the main feat, and definitely Weapon Finesse as a bonus and possibly Alertness?

Yep.

As 1-HD creatures, they max out with skill ranks at 4 ranks, so they could have as many as 8 maxed out skills, or we can give them more skills with fewer ranks. If we max out Escape Artist, Hide, Listen, Spot and Tumble, that still leaves us with 12 more ranks.

I'd say max those out.

I say we either pick 3 of these, or divide the ranks up among all of them: Bluff, Concentration, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Survival

After re-reading their original text, I can see all of these, as well as Diplomacy for dealing with evil spellcasters, imps, quasits, etc. So I say divide amonst them.

I wouldn't have a problem with giving them modify memory, since fire charm was a 4th-level spell and got kicked off. I also won't cry if they stay with the list we currently have.

I don't have a problem with 'em having it, either. I don't really see that they need it, though, but it won't take up much space.

 

[BOZ]

Blur (Su): A quickling's form is distorted and blurred, as if under the effects of a blur spell (caster level Xth), providing a quickling with concealment (20% miss chance).

between Dodge and Run, i'll go with dodge. WF and alertness as bonus feats.

 

[Shade]

I'm cool with all that.

 

[BOZ]

updating!

 

[Shade]

Damage reduction 5/cold iron sounds good

Challenge Rating: Pixies with Otto's irrisistible dance are CR 5. I think the quickling is on par with this.

Treasure: tbd (O, P, Q, X in AD&D) - in 2E, this would have been: 10-40 CP, 20-90 SP, 1-20 PP, 1-4 gems, and any 2 potions

All the sprites now have "No coins; 50% goods; 50% items". The brownie has "50% coins, 50% goods, standard items, plus masterwork short sword and masterwork artisan's tools"

Advancement: By character class

Level Adjustment: +7

-1 Tiny
+1 more attacks than fighter of equal HD
+2 particularly unbalanced ability scores
+1 Two or more bonus feats
+1 Spell-like abilities beyond a spellcaster of its level's power
+1 Sleep toxin
+2 Alacrity


A brownie is the same height and weighs 6 pounds. I'd go with 4-5 because that super metabolism has to result in some weight loss.

Sleep Daggers (Ex): Quicklings sometimes employ a special toxin on their daggers that can put a creature to sleep. Any opponent struck by this dagger, regardless of Hit Dice, must succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or be affected as though by a sleep spell. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +(2?) racial bonus.

Both pixies and thorns (MMIII) have a +2 racial bonus.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day - hypnotic pattern (DC 14), lesser confusion (DC 13), levitate, modify memory (DC 16), shatter (DC 14), ventriloquism (DC 13). Caster level Xth. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

FWIW, a brownie can use any of the following, each once a day as a 7th-level caster: confusion (DC 15), dancing lights, daylight, dimension door, protection from evil, ventriloquism (DC 12).

Blur (Su): A quickling's form is distorted and blurred, as if under the effects of a blur spell (caster level Xth), providing a quickling with concealment (20% miss chance).

If we follow the displacer beast's lead, no caster level is needed.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A quickling retains its Dexterity bonus to AC when flat-footed, and it cannot be flanked except by a rogue of at least Xth level. It can flank characters with the uncanny dodge ability as if it were a Xth-level rogue.

Note that what you have listed is Improved Uncanny Dodge. Rogue level 4 higher is the standard, so 5th-level rogue for both.

Do we want to utilize any of this?

"Skills: Brownies have a knack for working with their hands, and they gain a +2 racial bonus on all Craft checks. Most brownies also carry masterwork artisan's tools, and they gain a +2 bonus on checks with the Craft skill for which the tools are made (included in the numbers given above). Brownies have keen senses and receive a +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. Brownies use their Dexterity scores for Climb checks."