The halutans

Knight Otu

First Post
I cross-posted this monstrous humanoid in my PR-conversion thread, but I thought I could get some feedback here as well. :)

Halutan
Huge Monstrous Humanoid*
Hit Dice:
12d8+84 (138 hp)
Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 60 ft.
AC: 20 (-2 size, +11 natural, +1 Dex)
Attacks: 2 primary slams +18 melee, 2 secondary slams +16 melee
Damage: Primary slam 1d8+8, secondary slam 1d8+4
Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft./ 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Frightful presence, harden
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/+1, sprint, darkvision 120 ft., infravision, hold breath, immunitiy, energy resistance 10.
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +13
Abilities: Str 27, Dex 13, Con 24, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 14
Skills: Jump +14, Knowledge (any one) +17 (or any two at +11; or any four at +8), Listen +19, Spot +21
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Multidexterity, Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 17
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: By character class
Halutans are powerful but peace-loving sagely creatures, living solitary like hermits, in secret and hard to access places. From time to time, however, a halutan may go out seeking adventure and knowledge, during a period called "Cleansing of Pressure"**.
Humanoid in their general shape, halutans have two pairs of arms, the lower pair called the "running" or "vaulting" arms, and the upper pair called the "manipulation" arms. They grow to be 11,6 ft. high, with 8,5 ft. broad shoulders. The halutans? hands have six fingers, and their semispherical head, with no visible neck, sports three red-glowing eyes. Halutans grow no hair and have a black, leathery skin.
Halutans are especially distinguished by their dual brains. One of them, the "ordinary" brain, is responsible for processing sensory input, motion and emotion. The second, or "plotting" brain is the thinking, calculating, memorizing brain, and it anstonishingly adept at doing so. Another feature just as amazing, but less apparent to outsiders, is the halutans? ability to harden their own body beyond even the strength of adamantine. Adding to their resilience is the fact that, similar to dragons, they can eat about every material and still get nutritional value from it, as well as the redundant build of several vital organs, such as their twin hearts. Halutans live to become about 3000 years old. Halutans are a single-gender race. If one of them feels that his time has come, he will start the birth process of a new halutan.
Halutans speak Common and Halutan.
Combat
During their Cleansing of Pressure, halutans enjoy smashing through their foes with their powerful slams, though they usually try to subdue their foes instead of killing them. If it becomes apparent that a foe requires heavier weaponry, they use it, however, and usually carry the needed weaponry with them. Outside of their Cleansing of Pressure, halutans generally avoid combat unless their people or many innocent people are endangered.
Frightful Presence (Ex): A halutan can unsettle his foes by charging or attacking at them. Creatures within a radius of 30 ft. are subject to the effect if they have fewer HD than the halutan.
A potentially affected creature that succeeds at a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the halutan?s HD + the halutan?s Charisma modifier, typically DC 18), remains immune to the halutan?s frightful presence for 1 day. on a failure, creatures with the halutan?s HD - 10 or less (normally 2) are panicked of 1d6 rounds, and those with more HD are shaken for 1d6 rounds.
Harden (Su): For 1 minute per day per HD or level the halutan has, he can harden his body beyond even the strength of adamantine. While hardened, he gains a +6 bonus to his Strength, Constitution and natural armor, and his Damage Reduction rises by 15/+2 (to a value of 25/+3, usually). His energy resistance likewise increases by 15.
Sprint (Ex): For 1 minute per day per HD or level the halutan has, he can triple his base speed for 1 round, for a speed of 180 ft. While sprinting, the halutan can not use his secondary slam attacks., but he gains an additional +4 circumstance bonus to Jump checks, and the widht of his jumps is not limited by his height.
Infravision (Ex): A halutan has the ability to see heat sources within 120 ft., including most creatures except for Undead, Constructs, incorporeal or ethereal creatures, as well as creatures with the Cold subtype. Invisibility and concealment is not a factor, but cover may be. For the purpose of determining whether or not a creature is visible via Infravision, treat this abililty like any of the Detect Alignment spells. Infravision cannot be used to determine details of viewed creatures. At most, it can provide the size and general shape. Great ambient heat may render this ability useless.
Hold Breath: A halutan is capable of holding his breath much longer than other creatures. Multiply the time it could normally hold his breath by 10 to determine the amount of time he can hold his breath.
Immunity (Ex): Halutans are immune to mind-affecting spells and effects.
Energy Resistance (Ex): This ability works as a combined acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic resistance.
Skills and Feats: Halutans receive a +2 racial bonus to all Knowledge checks, and a +6 racial bonus to all Jump checks. Their three eyes grant them a +2 racial bonus to Spot checks. Halutans receive Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.
Halutan Society
Halutans are extremely individualistic, and live solitary, but in general know where to find other halutans. They have no written laws, but live by a set of generally accepted taboos, which includes the secrecity of places of great power or significance, as well as the fixed number of halutans on a plane. On most planes, no more that 200 halutans may exist. Halutans are generally peaceful, even during their Cleansing of Pressure, when they go adventuring, either alone or, rarely, in small groups of up to four individuals. A few legends tell that once, all halutans acted together against a threat that could have destroyed the world, but this was likely long before the oldest halutan alive was even born. Only a few old dragons might know about this event. Another legend tells that the halutans haven?t always been peaceful. A long time ago, so this legend says, they were fierce and bloodthirsty warriors, until powerful magic ended their rampage.
Halutans are very formal, and slow to make friends with the shorter-lifed races, such as elves. To a truly close friend, however, they offer the honor of calling them by their last name with the appendix ?-os? (Such as Tolotos for Icho Tolot). Halutans revere no god above other gods, but usually pay homage to gods of knowledge and peace. In the Scarred Lands. they were originally creations of Kadum, but were appeaced by Madriel.
Halutan Characters
A halutan?s favored class is expert, usually choosing various Knowledge skills as class skills. The level adjustment for a halutan character is +28. It is rare for halutans to advance in other classes, but not totally unheard of.
*Their height would normally call for Large size, but due to their other dimensions, I decided to go for Huge size instead.
** The official translation is Blood Fever, but imho, it is not a good translation, as it does not really capture the meaning of the event, making it sound more like a disease.

Go here for a picture of a halutan
 

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Over in my PR conversion thread, Upper_Krust made the following suggestions for the Halutans:

Strength increased by 4 (for the huge size).

Intelligence increased by 4 (for the two brains).

CR reduced to 12.

What do you think?
 


Comprehension through Pugilation

Are the Halutan specifically designed for Scarred Lands?

The physical concept is one I like, and the 'sprint' is probably my favorite of their capabilities. What I'm curious about is what role you would like these things to play in your campaign. How did they determine their taboos? Why do they limit their population? Would they be the sort of being characters go looking for when they need obscure information, or perhaps these things may even be sought by philosophers and the like, to learn how to live peacefully and independently?

Stats-wise, these guys are pretty tough. It's a good thing they're peaceful. A party of four of them would groove all over most adventurers... when they go adventuring, do they pick fights a lot, or do they just like to travel?

-MsM
 

This is a surprise return! :)

I'll go through your questions one by one:

Are the Halutan specifically designed for Scarred Lands?
No, they are a conversion from a german Sci-Fi novel series. I added the SL bit as a possible hint to how they could be added into the background for a campaign.

What I'm curious about is what role you would like these things to play in your campaign. How did they determine their taboos?
In the Sci-Fi series from which they come, they took their taboos from their savage past. For example, an artifical sun hexagon, through which their past enemies fled, was taboo. So basically, anything that could be conceivably linked to their past as warriors might be taboo to them.

Why do they limit their population?
They feel that, if there were more of their number, they would be viewed as too much of a threat to the world.

Would they be the sort of being characters go looking for when they need obscure information, or perhaps these things may even be sought by philosophers and the like, to learn how to live peacefully and independently?
The first one, certainly (and the characters don't need to know who holds that information...), but I'm not so sure about the second. Sure, philosophers might try to do that, but I don't think that the society of the halutans can be applied to other humanoids easily.

Stats-wise, these guys are pretty tough. It's a good thing they're peaceful.
Yes! :D

A party of four of them would groove all over most adventurers... when they go adventuring, do they pick fights a lot, or do they just like to travel?
They like to challenged physically, and also sometimes mentally, when in their Cleansing of Pressure, so it wouldn't be unusual for them to pick fights. They also might decide to dive to the deepest sea elf cities or anything similar challenging besides combat.

Hope that helps! :)

Edit - I should propably mention that I applied Upper_Krust's suggestions except for the CR, which I put to 13.
 
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Halutans/Halutani/Halutes

Thank you for answering the questions... they make a bit more sense to me now. I'm always interested in how the critter meshes with the world it's in.

Stats wise, I can't dispute much; I'm still a little shaky on some of the numerical standards in 3rded monster creation. If they fit the niche you're putting them in, grand!
They aren't quite my style, personally, but that's mainly because there's no 'niche' for them in my campaign world. Or at least, not right now.

-MsM
 




LOL ok, didn't realize how long ago the last post was to this thread. guess it looks like it was coming out of nowhere. ;) someone posted a link to it on the necromancer games boards.
 

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