This is an alt.rakshasa, designed for use as a mortal/humanoid race with magic in their blood, rather than a strange and evil spirit creature from the outer planes. I'm working on a D&D setting, and Upper Krust's system is turning out to be invaluable in that - this rakshasa will eventually be turned into a mid-ECL PC race.
For right now, it's also intended as a measure of just how far the system can be pushed in terms of character power, and to test rounding one direction or the other. I have some comments added to that effect at the end.
Rakshasa
Elegant and charismatic, rakshasa are a race of shapeshifting, sentient tigers. Although there is some tendency to viciousness, most tales of their tendency to cruelty are merest prejudices, inspired by primitive fear of efficient predators. Just ask any rakshasa. Socially, they tend to be advisors and performers rather than leaders, and operate with maximum flair and pomp.
Medium Humanoid (Rakshasa)
Hit Dice: 4d8
Movement: 40 ft
AC: +1 natural
Attacks: primary 2 claws, secondary bite
Damage: claw 1d4
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft
Special Abilities:
- Spells
- Detect Thoughts
- Alternate Form
- Scent
- Low-Light Vision
Racial BAB: +2 (progression as wizard)
Racial Saves: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +3 (ability scores not factored)
Ability Scores: STR +2, DEX +4, CON +2, INT +2, WIS +2, CHA +6
Racial Skills (9 + "7 x INT bonus"): Bluff (CHA), Diplomacy (CHA), Disguise (CHA), Gather Information (CHA), Intimidate (CHA), Listen (WIS), Move Silently (DEX), Perform (CHA), Sense Motive (WIS)
Racial Feats: Spell Focus (Enchantment), Weapon Finesse (Claws)
Code:
[color=skyblue]CR Tot Item
2.2 2.2 Hit Dice: 4d8 humanoid
1.4 3.6 Integrated Spell Levels: sorcerer 4
0.1 3.7 Movement: +10 ft
0.1 3.8 Natural AC +1
0.2 4.0 Scent
0.1 4.1 Low-light vision (x2 distance in dim lighting)
0.02 4.12 Spell-like ability: Alter self at will (caster 4th)
0.04 4.16 Spell-like ability: Detect thoughts, always on (caster 4th)
0.8 4.96 Wealth: PC lvl 4
CR 4 (4.96)
ECL +4[/color]
Detect Thoughts (Su): A rakshasa can continuously detect thoughts as the spell cast by an 4th-level sorcerer (save DC 12 + INT bonus). He can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
Spells: A rakshasa casts spells as a 4th-level sorcerer.
Alter Self (Su): A rakshasa can assume any humanoid form, or revert to his own form, as a standard action. This ability works like the alter self spell cast by a 4th-level sorcerer.
Skills: When using Alter Self, the rakshasa gains an additional +10 circumstance bonus to Disguise checks. If reading an opponent’s mind, his circumstance bonus to Bluff, Disguise and Sense Motive checks increases by a further +4.
Comments
Without Upper Krust's system, I would have placed this one somewhere between ECL +4 and +5.
Rak 4/sor 1 .vs. sor 5 = Rakshasa wins by a good margin
Rak 5/sor 1 .vs. sor 6 or ftr 1/sor 5 = non-Rakshasa wins
The question becomes: as a DM, do you care if there are optimal choices in your campaign? If you prefer there not be, go with ECL +5; if you don't mind munchkin characters, the rakshasa works better at ECL +4... and if you allow race levelling (per Savage Species), the sorcerer who ISN'T a rakshasa probably wasn't paying attention.
So, regarding rounding... I think that for core D&D, which doesn't sweat the small stuff so much, rounding down is probably the best solution for this particular race. It would certainly work best that way in the setting I'm building it for!
By the same token, however, at ECL +4, the rakshasa is an out-and-out better sorcerer than any human or elf at equivalent level, and I don't care what level you run that against. A human sor-20 versus a rakshasa sor-16 is not as good. Some DMs are uncomfortable with that, so while you might default to rounding down, a paragraph explaining the reasoning and/or other options for stingier campaigns, would likely not be out of place.
And at 4.96, the system very neatly
nailed my thoughts on the creature
. Which goes to show that when I'm designing something as a DM, the system works beautifully; it's only when I start looking for break points as a player that it starts to grind (either over or under-estimating CR).
