wolverine race(btw im new)

[dragonis111]

New here, working on a new race
Hello guys I'm new here, I currently run a online dnd 3.5 forum just contact me for more info, and im building a new racem this was the best place i thought to put it since im new, if it isnt just tell me where to put my new raes/classes from now on.

If you know who wolverine is from the movies and comics, I'm basically making a race like that, but no adamantium skeleton, the race will be called wolverine(no copyright intended) and it will be a wolfish humanoid with retractable ivory claws, and they will have the intelligence and cunning of a wolf and human so they can undertand languages and will have wolf racial traits like lowlight vision and scent, all I have right now is the base ideas, I will be detailing soon.

So tell me what you think so far.

 

[Dark Hermit]

Hello there.

Well, first, I don't think it's a good idea to make a race that sounds too much like a rip-off from any character, much less an X-Men character.
Try making it more different from things that are already known.
It's good to get inspiration from stuff like comics and movies, but taking whole ideas and just trying to put them in the game isn't that good.

You have some problems there. First, the claws. If they are too powerful, the race will make monks that are far better than the others (since it sounds more reasonable that the claws won't count as normal weapons and then influence their unarmed strikes), and then unbalance the game. Also, their sorcerers and wizards would have a good weapon they are automatically proficient with, so you should take care about it.
Also, having a race with the scent ability, in my opinion, makes this race better than the core races, since they will know when there are hidden/invisible enemies around.

What I've done once was to idealize a wolvish race that didn't have such thing as claws and stuff. They were basicly a human tribe that in the past were punished by their gods and forced to live with a curse. They were something like a "half-wolf" human. I never created the actual rules for them, I stopped after thinking about their history. But they didn't have claws and stuff.
I was planning to use the hybrid werewolf from Monster Manual I as a guide, so I think that's a good idea for you too. Just make it less powerful than the one in the book.

And, for your race not to look too much a rip-off, just try first thinking about what yo uwant from that race, where it came from, what's their job in the world and stuff.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Check this out.

 

[Thanael]

Check this out.

Barbarian is definately the right class for him. I once tried to build a Wolverine clone in Ebberon as a Shifter but I ran out of feats. Perhaps with Pathfinder it would work out better.

To the OP, you should check out the Shifter race from Eberron and the accompanying Shifter feats.

 

[Dark Hermit]

Charisma 15? Are you sure we're talking about the same Wolverine here?

 

[dragonis111]

thanks guys for all the help I will definitely look into the shifter class, I will also see what I can do to make him less rip-offish.

 

[Dark Hermit]

Oh, there's a shifter race in the Oriental Adventures though. But I don't like them very much - actually, I usually dislike shifter races.

 

[Drowbane]

My D&D "Wolverine"

Anthromorphic Wolverine (savage species) - awesome stat mods, rage when hit, ignore or trade out the bite for... perhaps another skill bonus?). 2 HD & LA +2
Mineral Warrior (Underdark) - DR 8 / adamantine, decent stat mods. LA +1
Feral (savage species) - enhanced speed, some stat mods, fast healing 2 (due to the two monstrous hit die).

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Wait, my Savage Species knowledge has diminished since I've utterly abandoned the book (gleefully), but wasn't feral the uber broken template from that book that no sane DM should ever allow? Or am I thinking of a different one?

From your short description, Mineral Warrior sounds like an auto-ban as well...

 

[Drowbane]

Wait, my Savage Species knowledge has diminished since I've utterly abandoned the book (gleefully), but wasn't feral the uber broken template from that book that no sane DM should ever allow? Or am I thinking of a different one?

From your short description, Mineral Warrior sounds like an auto-ban as well...

We're talking "Wolverine" here. Balance doesn't enter into that equation.

But, yeah, any "sensible DM" bans both Feral & Mineral Warrior (and Shadow Creature, and Dark, and...).
I don't happen to game with "sensible DMs" though.