Savage Species: Creating Monstrous Heroes

[Kai Lord]

What's the current level of buzz on this product? Is anyone really looking forward to it? Are you planning on using it to create some crazy new character, or as a tool to give class levels to NPC's? What features are you most hoping will appear in this book?

 

[Dragongirl]

I am looking forward to it. I enjoy writing up campaign worlds and sometimes want to spice it up with non humanoid races. I am hoping that this book will help inspire me.

 

[Kai Lord]

Do you think it will mostly serve as a means to produce novelty characters or do you anticipate the possibility of playing a non-traditional PC alter ego, such as a dryad or a centaur, over the course of one or more extended campaigns?

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Speaking as a guy who's always needed to look at the Monster Manual while making his characters, I'm seriously looking forward to Savage Species, and hope it lives up to the buzz.

I'm also hoping it includes more than just humanoid monsters.

 

[Maldur]

I would love to see some more PC-species. I wonder how they will dp it though. I mean there are guidelines of playing a non pc-race in the MM aren't they? What is the additional value of this book?

 

[Dragongirl]

Do you think it will mostly serve as a means to produce novelty characters or do you anticipate the possibility of playing a non-traditional PC alter ego, such as a dryad or a centaur, over the course of one or more extended campaigns?

I am hoping the latter. I hope it brings together ways to play unusual races/creatures as PCs and bring some more life into NPCs. But if all it is is breaking down creatures into "level" advancement for their normal abilities I will be disappointed. I am hoping for some fluff, etc.

 

[Kai Lord]

I would love to see some more PC-species. I wonder how they will dp it though. I mean there are guidelines of playing a non pc-race in the MM aren't they? What is the additional value of this book?

That's what I'm curious about. The notion of playing a non-traditional race is intriguing, but we already have their stats in the MM's. All that's really needed mechanically is just ECL values.

I imagine there will be a section on Monstrous feats and PrC's. But that leaves a lot of room for fluff in a hardcover sourcebook.

 

[Dragongirl]

Well there are over 50 "Monster classes) which from what I have heard is simply breaking down the ECL into levels so you can play a non mature higher ECL creature. I am hoping that there will be a lot more to the book than just this.

 

[Ashwyn]

I'm really looking forward to this book.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm hoping it will build more on the "levelling monster" concept. We know the book will talk about starting out as a monster with an ECL of 1, with the monster not having all its normal hit dice and powers, and then rising in "monster levels" until it gets them and is a perfect match for its MM stat block. I'm just hoping they remember to include the flip side of this idea...that you can keep gaining "monster levels" past whats listed in the MM, for higher hit dice and new/better powers.