Small Elan

[Drammor]

I need a way to make an elan size Small rather than Medium. If it cannot normally be done with an aberration type creature, a humanoid alternative will work.

I know that this can be done with the reduce person spell, but I need a nonmagical, or at least non-revokable, way to make this work.

Any suggestions?

 

[Blackrat]

I have a trouble understanding what you mean by nonmagical way. Just apply the size change adjustments and that's it. I think the table was at the start of Monster Manual but it's been some time since I last DM'd so I'm not sure.

The table can be found here also: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#sizeIncreases

So for a creature from medium to small:
-4 str, +2 dex, -2 con, -2 natural armor (if it has), +1 to AC and attack. Natural attack damage drops with 1 die type.

 

[Shin Okada]

What do you mean "make an elan size Small rather than Medium"?

Do you want to, as a DM, create a new race which has similar background and abilities as Elan but with small size?

Or do you want to make an existing Elan character (medium size) into small size? Maybe because of curse or something?

And why you want to make it unrestorative?

If you are a DM you can always says that is a curse from some greater god which PCs will never likely to slay. Or something similar.

 

[Drammor]

I'm not sure if I could simply apply the size change adjustments to this character, and I would need to come up with a reason why I'd be allowed to. I cannot apply a DM fiat or similar reason to this situation because I am not the DM. I need a reason to convince my DM why this could be allowed.

As a player, I want to make an elan character that is small rather than medium, due to requirements from a template I want to put on the character. My DM is up for a certain amount of shenaniganizing, but I need to be able to back up my creations or they won't be allowed. In this particular instance, I'm trying to create a character for a 7th-level campaign, so if my DM will buy it, I'm going to mesh a Small Elan (with the Human Heritage feat) with a Large Myconid or Bloodthorn via the Symbiotic Creature template. I know that racial hit dice and level adjustment will give me quite a penalty for class development, but I don't mind. I just want to play the character.

I want to make the change unrestorative because... I'm worried about what would happen if the elan and its host were joined at the time that the effect causing the elan to be small wore off.

 

[Shin Okada]

Why you need Elan? Symbiotic Creature template can be applied to animal, humanoid, plant or vermin. Then the creature's type changes to aberration.

The base creatures do not need to be aberrations.

 

[Drammor]

I know the requirements for Symbiotic Creature; that's why the Elan must have the Human Heritage feat.

I'd like to go with the elan because this character is designed to have started as human, but has done everything in his power to embrace the Quori, who he worships as deities. As a part of his worship, he is attempting to become more like an aberration. Becoming an elan seems like a natural choice for such an endeavor, since the game already regards them as aberrations.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

As a pure rp justification to present to the DM: Why not just apply the small-size stat adjustments and play a "midget elan"? He could simply be genetically small and have been born that way, in the same way that some real humans are small (The smallest humans are around 2ft tall, and ones in the 3-4ft range are not uncommon). If the DM thinks the small size is too advantageous, maybe suggest an additional -2 Con for sickliness.

This might even explain some of his psychology as you've described: he's already so outside the norm of his people, he strives to embrace his aberrant nature and become even less like them.

 

[Jhaelen]

I need a way to make an elan size Small rather than Medium. If it cannot normally be done with an aberration type creature, a humanoid alternative will work.

I know that this can be done with the reduce person spell, but I need a nonmagical, or at least non-revokable, way to make this work.

Any suggestions?

Well, Elan are always Medium, so you'd need a template that reduces size. The only one I know is Dungeonbred, but it can only be applied to Large (or larger) creatures.

Also, Human Heritage imho isn't a legal feat choice for an Elan. Elan are not human-descended. Elan are simply aberrations. The process that turns creatures into Elans eradicates every trace of their original race. Mechanically they don't retain their orginal type or subtype in any way because Elan isn't a template, so they don't get to add Augmented <...>.

So, RAW you're probably out of luck.

 

[Drammor]

As a pure rp justification to present to the DM: Why not just apply the small-size stat adjustments and play a "midget elan"? He could simply be genetically small and have been born that way, in the same way that some real humans are small (The smallest humans are around 2ft tall, and ones in the 3-4ft range are not uncommon). If the DM thinks the small size is too advantageous, maybe suggest an additional -2 Con for sickliness.

This might even explain some of his psychology as you've described: he's already so outside the norm of his people, he strives to embrace his aberrant nature and become even less like them.

I like the psychology for that kind of creation, and making him a small person is certainly on my list of options. I would just rather have a rules-supported reason why he's small, so there are fewer things for me to justify with this character. Playing a symbiot isn't exactly normal...

Well, Elan are always Medium, so you'd need a template that reduces size. The only one I know is Dungeonbred, but it can only be applied to Large (or larger) creatures.

Also, Human Heritage imho isn't a legal feat choice for an Elan. Elan are not human-descended. Elan are simply aberrations. The process that turns creatures into Elans eradicates every trace of their original race. Mechanically they don't retain their orginal type or subtype in any way because Elan isn't a template, so they don't get to add Augmented <...>.

So, RAW you're probably out of luck.

How can the Elan not be human-descended? They must have started as human to move on to the new race, regardless of type difference between one and the other. If that direct transformation from one race to another or the necessity of having human parentage is not the fastest route of descent, then I cannot see what could possibly qualify.

 

[Shin Okada]

Didn't some 3rd-party publisher made child template or something like that? If not, size change as per Blackrat has suggested may work to make a child PC.

The background of Elan race is not so detailed. So, for example, if you and your DM agree, you may make a sect of Elan which turns children, not adult humans, into Elan. They prefer to be eternal children instead of being eternal young adults.