Skeleton and Children as playable races.

[d23]

CHILD

"Child" is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal, humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A Child uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

• Small Size +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
• Base land speed of 20 feet. Dwarven children have a base land speed of 15 feet.
• In addition to the bonuses and penalties that the base creature has, it gains +2 Dex,-2 Wisdom. (removed +2 Charisma, -2 Strength)
• +1 Luck bonus to all saving throws except mind-affecting spells and effects. (previously Racial bonus)
• +2 racial bonus on Climb, Balance, Move Silently checks. (removed Jump, Swim, Hide)
• -2 racial penalty on Concentration and all Knowledge checks.
• -2 penalty on saving throws against mind-affecting spells and effects.
• A Child must rest for an additional 2 hours per day.
• Favoured Class: Rogue.

 

[Dandu]

So children are better at resisting poisons than adults?

 

[Ashtagon]

FFG Grim Tales has child as a playable race.

But you need to change Size: Small to Size: one smaller than the base race.

I'd drop the racial bonuses on skills; the ones you have left are all keyed to Dex which has a bonus anyway (unless of course you switch to d20 Modern's ability modifiers for children, posted upthread).

You might want to clarify whether you are after realistic children or "pulp novels written for kids" children.

 

[irdeggman]

If you are new at being a DM be real careful about trying to insert too many house-rules and creations into the game.

As you are finding out from the comments provided there are a lot of ramifications to even what appears to be a small change to the rules.

Now as for specific comments:

The concept of "child" seems not as well thought out as it should be. Here is why I say this - the PHB (pg 109) provides tables and things that happen when a character "ages". These are not different "templates" but rather natural effects of the game. While the core rules do not account for playing a character younger than "adult" - you could make modifications backwards from what the normal modifications are - like size bonuses, ability score adjustments, etc. You definitely need to have an Int penalty since children do not have as much "learning" - the basic pattern is that as you age you increase your non-physical stats and lower your physical ones. And you would somehow need to account for what would happen when the "child" became an "adult" since there are no ability modifiers sor an adult - so you need to modify the core rules to account for this (again some rather large ramifications for what seems to be a small change).

But things that are not as completely thought out as should be are if the character is a child (as in not fully developed) then what skill points to they start with? How can they start with any class levels (since the assumption is that all for the 1st level class benefits were gained from "years of study and practice" - which is why each class has a different age starting age modifier table 6-4 pg 109).

I am not certain why you see it as important to have a modifed undead as a starting race. I guess it really depends on how you have contructed your world so that they fit in.

People on the boards can help me with my poor memory - what was the book with the undead rules? I think it had some more templates that would work for your concept.

 

[Shin Okada]

what was the book with the undead rules? I think it had some more templates that would work for your concept.

Libris Mortis .... Necropolitan is a LA +0 template which makes a non-evel undead. They are more like living corpse rather than to be living skeletons. But maybe usable. Not so wonderful, stats-wise. But at least you can play undead character.

IIRC Book of Vile Darkness had both Corpse Creature and Bone Creature templates. I am not sure if LA for those templates were officially defined or not. It was a 3.0e book.

 

[Ahnehnois]

The necropolitan is LA 0 but requires you to lose a level to get it (effectively LA +1). It is a pretty simple application of the undead type, because in reality, it's hard to make undead balanced at LA +0.

The BoVD templates are fairly powerful and don't have LAs that I'm aware of (or other 3.5 ideas such as appropriate DR), but are good to examine for ideas.

 

[d23]

Just to clarify, my idea of a "Child" would be more pulp fiction than realistic. Like that girl from Kick-Ass

 

[d23]

I think I'm close to finalising the details for LIVING SKELETON.
I made it have dr5/bludgeoning from lvl1, and removed +2 dex bonus

• Your race is Living Skeleton (Humanoid)
• Players must choose a race (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, Half-Orc) that represents Living Skeleton's original race.
• Medium Size
• Base land speed of 30 feet.
• +2 to Natural Armor
• +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
• DR 5/bludgeoning.
• Spells and effects that affect Undead affect your character as though it were Undead. You do not gain Undead Traits.
• Turn Resistance +4
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• +2 to saving throws against all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
• Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that cause the sickened condition.
• Subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.
• Light Fortification (EX)
• Any Heal check made against a Living Skeleton has a -4 circumstance penalty unless the Player making the Heal check has 5 ranks in Knowledge (Religion)
• Positive energy (such as a cure spell) damages Living Skeletons.
• Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal Living Skeletons.
• Living Skeletons are affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells as per normal
• Resurrection and true resurrection turn Living Skeleton back into the living creature it was before becoming undead.
• A Living Skeleton with 0 hit points is disabled, just like a living creature. He can only take a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenous activity does not risk further injury. When his hit points are less than 0 and are greater than -10, he is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an unconscious Living Skeleton does not lose additional hit points unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable.
• Living Skeletons do not breathe, eat, or sleep, but is still required to rest for 8 hours before preparing his spells.
• Automatic Languages and Bonus Languages: Use Living Skeleton's original race to determine.
• Favored Class: Fighter

 

[Alexander123]

For playing undead, you could have the bone and corpse creature templates added to the character through some RP quest. Perhaps a ritual or something of that sort. I personally would not have undead as a race.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

If you are new at being a DM be real careful about trying to insert too many house-rules and creations into the game.

As you are finding out from the comments provided there are a lot of ramifications to even what appears to be a small change to the rules.

This is the opposite of the advice that I would give.

As a new DM, you should feel free to go buck wild with new creations as the whimsy strikes you. Look to more experienced gamers to help you smooth out the edges and point out possible ramifications to your additions, as you have done here.