Pathfinder 1E Rate my Pathfinder Rakasta

[Kaiyanwang]

like how a 4 legged creature gets a bonus to cmd for bull rush?

Kinda like that.

 

[pawsplay]

If the war claws are defined as weapons proper rather than unarmed enhancers, then a Rakasta could wield them as light weapons with TWF.

 

[thundershot]

Another idea to keep cat's grace is to add a bonus to CMD against specific maneuvers like the one of dwarves.

like how a 4 legged creature gets a bonus to cmd for bull rush?

I'll have to look into those. The whole idea is to give the flavor of "cats always land on their feet", so I thought about making them hard to trip and/or give them a chance to avoid some falling damage.

If the war claws are defined as weapons proper rather than unarmed enhancers, then a Rakasta could wield them as light weapons with TWF.

I guess that's the question. Should I make them like gauntlets and brass knuckles or make them weapons proper?

 

[LoneWolf23]

Giving the Rakasta Natural Weapons could be as simple as letting them take a level of Barbarian with the Lesser Beast Totem Rage Ability, or Monk with a variant spin on Improved Unarmed Strike, or Druid with the Lion Shaman/I] build, or Ranger with the Natural Weapons combat style.

 

[pawsplay]

I guess that's the question. Should I make them like gauntlets and brass knuckles or make them weapons proper?

I'm going to say like bruss knuckles, for a simple reason; I don't think anyone but a Rakasta can use them. If that's the case, however, Rakasta will need a way to get natural weapons or a second unarmed strike.

 

[thundershot]

Ok, here's what I've got for the War Claws

War Claws (Light Exotic Weapon)
Cost:
Dmg (S): 1d4
Dmg (L): 1d6
Critical: 18-20 x 2
Weight: 1 lb
Type: S
Special:

The problem I'm running into is the whole two-weapon penalties thing. What if I did give them natural claw attacks but with non-lethal damage and no AOO? could the War Claws be used to supplement that, or is it still too powerful?

 

[DumbPaladin]

I need honest opinions and suggestions because this will be my first Pathfinder game, and I want the Rakasta to mesh well with the other races.

______________________________
Rakasta Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom: Rakasta are swift and smart, but their curiosity tends to get them into sticky situations.

Low-Light Vision: Rakasta can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.

Skilled: Rakasta have a +2 racial bonus to Perception, Ride, and Stealth checks.

Feats: A Rakasta gains the Blindfight feat for free as a bonus feat.

Natural Weapons: Rakasta have clawed hands and feet. Each claw deals 1d4 points of slashing damage on a successful hit.

Cat's Grace: Rakasta are adept at landing on their feet. Anytime a Rakasta is to fall prone, he may make a Reflex save DC 10 to avoid the effect. Also, Rakasta take half damage from falling.

Rake (Ex): A Rakasta that grapples an opponent may make 2 rake attacks with its clawed feet (1d4+1 damage).

Weapon Familiarity: Rakasta are proficient with war claws, as well as any weapon with the word Rakasta in it.

Languages: Rakasta begin play speaking Common. Rakasta with high Intelliegence scores can choose from the following: Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling and Sylvan.

I somewhat agree that it seems a bit good for not taking a +1 level adjustment ... but it's hard to pinpoint exactly where it becomes "too much".

My own thoughts as I read this:

-- A bonus to Dex and Int makes this seem like a SUPERB choice for Wizards. Is a -2 penalty to Wisdom really going to be anything anyone cares about when they have a good Will save to begin with? How about -2 Constitution instead?

-- I'd take blindfighting away, too.

-- Cat's grace needs some specificity. DC 10 is pretty easy to make ... DC 15 might be more palatable to some, but rather than avoiding falling, how about instead giving them the ability to stand upright again as a free action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity on a Acrobatics check, and give them instead a +2 bonus to Acrobatics checks? (With the bonus to Dex, they should make this more often than the average person regardless of whether it's a class skill for them.)

-- Falling damage halved: Does this stack with other abilities that reduce falling damage by half? It would be better if it did not ... Also, damage should be halved (rounded down).

-- I agree reducing the natural attacks to two -- just claws on hands -- is a good idea. Leave the rake damage in.

 

[pawsplay]

Ok, here's what I've got for the War Claws

War Claws (Light Exotic Weapon)
Cost:
Dmg (S): 1d4
Dmg (L): 1d6
Critical: 18-20 x 2
Weight: 1 lb
Type: S
Special:

The problem I'm running into is the whole two-weapon penalties thing. What if I did give them natural claw attacks but with non-lethal damage and no AOO? could the War Claws be used to supplement that, or is it still too powerful?

Uh,

Claw and scratch: Rakasta have a second unarmed strike attack, provided they have at least one hand free. Making this second attack is treated as a special case of two-weapon fighting.

...

RAKASTA CLAWS
Prerequisites: Rakasta
Benefit: You gain natural weapons, two claw attacks.


Alternatively,

Light Claws: Rakasta have natural weapons, two claw attacks (1d3). These claws are less damaging than those of most Medium creatures, for which purpose the Rakasta often wear War Claws (see the War Claws entry below).


Take your pick.

 

[thundershot]

So really, the easiest way is to give them natural claw attacks at 1d3 each, and then have them use the war claws...?

 

[thundershot]

Ok so I've made a couple changes. After thinking about it, the Wisdom penalty came about because of 2E Rakasta, but that system didn't rely on skill checks. The skill bonuses Rakasta get barely make up for the penalty to those same skills due to Wisdom.

So instead I'm giving them +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Cha to better reflect how they are in my campaign: reclusive yet spiritual.

I'm once again ditching the natural attacks. I don't want them to be monstrous and it's really more of a pain than what it's worth. If possible, I'll make the war claws like the brass knuckles except exotic because of the higher damage and threat range. Also because the character can still use their hands in addition to being considered armed. The only problem with that is all the two-weapon fighting penalties unless I give them the two-weapon fighting feat for free or something equivalent.

I'll post my new write-up when I'm on my PC instead of my iPhone.