Two new Races, Feedback please

[RoboticSheeple]

First off these are for a homemade setting that once it's complete I might put up here. Anyway here's what you need to know:
The PC races from books-
-Human -PHB
-Catfolk -Races of the Wild
-Whisper Gnomes -Races of Stone
-Neanderthals -Frostburn
-Sea Kin -Races of Destiny

That's right, no normal gnomes, no elves, no dwarves, no half-breeds.

Here's my new races, any issues on balance and what not, well I'm sure you'll point those out.

Muscheron

Another one of those mushroom races, google image "mushroom fantasia" to get the right idea. ;D
Cave based cities with many nomadic tribes.

* Plant Type with these features: Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep, a Muscheron must still root itself in place on dirt, unworked stone, or decaying matter, and enter a restorative state for 8 hours every day. This has half the negative penalties that are normally caused by sleep (a Listen check is at -5 instead of -10, ect.)
*Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning.
*Low-light vision. Darkvision to 60 ft.
*Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds Muscheron for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
* -2 Str, +2 Charisma
*Small size
*Speed 20
*Spores: Any creature with the Scent ability attempting to track a Muscheron gains a +5 bonus to their survival check.
*Poisonus: Muscheron have a natural poison in their bodies. It is an Ingested Poison with a DC of 10 + Con bonus + half of current character lvl. This poison deals 1d4 Wis + 1 Int damage initially and 2d6 Wis + 1d4 Int damage secondary. This ability applies agaisnt a Swallow Whole attack or any other attempt to ingest a Muscheron.
There is a 10 + Character lvl percent chance that this ability will activate on a bite attack made agaisnt a Muscheron.
*+1 luck bonus to all saving throws.
*Muscheron have a +2 racial bonus to all Perform checks.
*Favored Class Bard


Bombina

A sea loving Toad people.

*Medium size
*+2 Con, -2 Cha
*Speed: land 20 (never lowered due to a medium or heavy load, as dwarf), swim 40, Climb 10
*Amphibous (Bombina can breath both/either air and water)
*+ 4 to Jump checks
*Stability: A Bombina gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground or swiming (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground or immersed in water).
*Darkvision to 60 ft.
*+6 to any fort save to resist poison. -4 to any fort save to resist disease.
*+1 bonus on attack rolls vs Vermin.
*Webbing: Bombina always treat a fall as 10 ft less than the height actually fallen, this may negate fall damage.
*Illiterate: Bombina in any class but Wizard are illterate and must spend 2 skill points to gain the ability to read.
*Death Croak: Whenever a Bombina dies all the gases in its body rapidly escape through the mouth. This results in a croaking noise that causes everyone in a 20 ft radius burst to take a Will save of dc 10 + character lvl of the bombina, Failure of this will save results in the person being Shaken for 2d4 rounds. This is a Sonic, Fear affect.
*All Bombina are proficient with the Trident.
Favored Class: Fighter

I'll add in languages after I decide what will even be an option. Thanks in advance for input.

Edit: Made Muscheron a bit more clear.
Edited again, and again.

For Bombina, a swim speed isn't a great advantage because there aren't many "safe" places to swim for a medium sized creature and more importantly I'm not really planning on a party heading into the water much. The negative to Disease is because of their semi-permable skin that allows for underwater breathing. Toxins are filltered from the body (after years of dealing with human's run off) but they have take their toll and that plus the skin result in Bombina being less resistian to diseases.

[Gyrfalcon]

Looks good overall, interesting abilitiy on the Muscheron. Plant type is pretty nice, balanced by the fact they're easy to track and make the party easier to track, I suppose. Poisonous might not come up often, except that you might want to specify if bite natural attacks count for the purposes of trying to ingest part of a Muscheron.

[LordOfNarf]

I love mushroom people! I would specify that a bite attack activates the poison also. And thaey should need at least 4 hours of time to absorb nutrients from the soil or something (equivalent to sleep) since no sleep is really powerful

[DomarSaul]

On the bombina, I assume the webbing has to do with webbed toes/fingers. How does that help with falling? Or do you mean they have flying-squirrel type flaps?

[RoboticSheeple]

On the bombina, I assume the webbing has to do with webbed toes/fingers. How does that help with falling? Or do you mean they have flying-squirrel type flaps?


A bit of both but mostly the back legs. Once I get the time I'll draw up a picture once I get the time. But for the time being they move through lots of water much more like a manta ray than a normal frog/toad.

[DomarSaul]

Aaaah. That makes sense.

[LordOfNarf]

?Are the frogie people suposed to be vulneralble to disesae, or is it supposed to be a +4 to Fort saves against disease

[RoboticSheeple]

?Are the frogie people suposed to be vulneralble to disesae, or is it supposed to be a +4 to Fort saves against disease

That's a Minus 4 there, mostly because I wanted to balance the poison immunity.

Speaking of balance I'm debating giving the Muscheron a -2 to Con but I do want people to consider playing them! I hate Fire vunerablity for PCs because one errant Fireball is death. So I also have an option of dazed or dazzled by bright light for them too.

[part5permillion]

okay... i really like the idea behind the mushroom people, they seem very interesting... here are a few things:

i think they need some more balancing, the slow speed and the easy tracking is a start, but they don't offset the good poison, the +1 to all saves, the reduced sleep penalties, and their awesomeness as bards cha based rogues and sorcerers (any race that gives a bonus to a stat that gives bonus spells is pretty nasty)...

there are a few ways to do this, you could add a level modifier (i think +1 would do) or give them a few more downsides... dazed by bright lights and -2 to con both work... you could also do: if they don't root for at least 6 hours, they take penalties because they didn't get enough water and also you need rules for where they can root... if the mushroom is in the mountains, it might be hard for a big mushroom to root itself

also, there needs to be some explanation for the mushrooms in society and how they are so charismatic and why they are accepted... among gnomes and dwarves it might be easier to understand, but why the humans accept mushroom people needs some explanation

as far as the toad people go, i think they are pretty neat, too, and well balanced, i don't really have anything to say about them, except maybe finding another downside, other than weakness to disease, or finding a great way to explain their weakness to disease

good luck,

blaine.

[RoboticSheeple]

okay... i really like the idea behind the mushroom people, they seem very interesting... here are a few things:

i think they need some more balancing, the slow speed and the easy tracking is a start, but they don't offset the good poison, the +1 to all saves, the reduced sleep penalties, and their awesomeness as bards cha based rogues and sorcerers (any race that gives a bonus to a stat that gives bonus spells is pretty nasty)...

there are a few ways to do this, you could add a level modifier (i think +1 would do) or give them a few more downsides... dazed by bright lights and -2 to con both work... you could also do: if they don't root for at least 6 hours, they take penalties because they didn't get enough water and also you need rules for where they can root... if the mushroom is in the mountains, it might be hard for a big mushroom to root itself

also, there needs to be some explanation for the mushrooms in society and how they are so charismatic and why they are accepted... among gnomes and dwarves it might be easier to understand, but why the humans accept mushroom people needs some explanation

as far as the toad people go, i think they are pretty neat, too, and well balanced, i don't really have anything to say about them, except maybe finding another downside, other than weakness to disease, or finding a great way to explain their weakness to disease

good luck,

blaine.

Thanks for the expanded rooting ideas, I like it.

As for why Humans accept Muscheron... Well a lot of them don't really. But the Muscheron are in a word Cute (really, google image search "Fantasia and Mushroom" Cute little things...) and that keeps them on good terms with most humans. Not only that but their body lanague is rumored to be even more important in communicating than what they say. So they've become masters of expression. I think of Muscherons as living their entire lives dancing and as if on a stage.

And I fixed the Bombian, I reduced Immunity to a +6. I think they are now nicely balanced to fill the Dwarf power gap.

Edit: ok I added a little ability to the Bombian, but what PC is going to want to use it?

[reorith]

the plant type on a playable race is well done. scraping the fire vulnerablity was a great choice.

the death croak seems cool. there isn't any sorta weird water dependency thingy for them like the sahuagin?

[LordOfNarf]

okay... i really like the idea behind the mushroom people, they seem very interesting... here are a few things:

i think they need some more balancing, the slow speed and the easy tracking is a start, but they don't offset the good poison, the +1 to all saves, the reduced sleep penalties, and their awesomeness as bards cha based rogues and sorcerers (any race that gives a bonus to a stat that gives bonus spells is pretty nasty)...

there are a few ways to do this, you could add a level modifier (i think +1 would do) or give them a few more downsides... dazed by bright lights and -2 to con both work... you could also do: if they don't root for at least 6 hours, they take penalties because they didn't get enough water and also you need rules for where they can root... if the mushroom is in the mountains, it might be hard for a big mushroom to root itself

also, there needs to be some explanation for the mushrooms in society and how they are so charismatic and why they are accepted... among gnomes and dwarves it might be easier to understand, but why the humans accept mushroom people needs some explanation

as far as the toad people go, i think they are pretty neat, too, and well balanced, i don't really have anything to say about them, except maybe finding another downside, other than weakness to disease, or finding a great way to explain their weakness to disease

good luck,

blaine.

Ever heard of lichen? They are fungi, a mushroomm can grow pracyically anywhere. Also, it sould have fewer hours of sleep than a human, it just seems like it would work that way. I would advise against -2 con since that is a large penalty and most players will resent teh lost hit points.

[RoboticSheeple]

Ever heard of lichen? They are fungi, a mushroomm can grow pracyically anywhere. Also, it sould have fewer hours of sleep than a human, it just seems like it would work that way. I would advise against -2 con since that is a large penalty and most players will resent teh lost hit points.

I set the penalties for sleeping at half a normal race's. I didn't want to have them need less sleep because then I thought there might be some annoying arguments that come up with a Ring of Substanance, mostly Wizards claiming they would need no sleep at all. As stated earlier I threw out the idea of a minus to con because I want people to consider them. All that was done before your post, I guess you must of missed the edits. Take a look at them now and see what you think.

reorith, thanks for the praise. I considered water dependancy for the Bombina but right now I feel they are balanced and they are Toads, not frogs. So they can go without water, but most of them like to live near or in water because life is easier for them there.

[Skyserpent]

Whew... the Bombina came dangerously close as coming off as jar jar binks...

I really like these classes! I think the Bombina are just a little underpowered... but then again, maybe I'm just underestimating the usefulness of water breathing...

[RoboticSheeple]

Whew... the Bombina came dangerously close as coming off as jar jar binks...

I really like these classes! I think the Bombina are just a little underpowered... but then again, maybe I'm just underestimating the usefulness of water breathing...

Jar Jar Binks? Really? I hope not.

I've considered making all Bombina profienct with some sort of Percing weapon. I'm thinking Trident.
But that's the thing about water breathing, it is either VERY usefull or very worthless, depending on campaign.

[Skyserpent]

Trident is possible. Or maybe make a whole new weapon! Or just find rules for a fun exotic one... Blowguns come to mind, as do Bolas...

[Annalia]

Fantasia's mushrooms! God how many time did I watch this film (and particularly this tune)? You really hit a spot with that race. ;D

Continue the good work! I second you whole-heartedly.

[Fax Celestis]

...why do frog people have climb and swim speeds? Frogs that do one rarely do the other, at least not well enough to grant speeds. I'd say go with this:

Speed: 20', Swim 30'
Bombina receive a +4 racial bonus to climb and jump checks.

Also, a racial Swim 40' is kinda...scary. That's as fast as a bearded devil runs.

I mean, Kuo-Toa, which have a +3 LA, have a walk 20', swim 50'.

[RoboticSheeple]

...why do frog people have climb and swim speeds? Frogs that do one rarely do the other, at least not well enough to grant speeds. I'd say go with this:

Speed: 20', Swim 30'
Bombina receive a +4 racial bonus to climb and jump checks.

Also, a racial Swim 40' is kinda...scary. That's as fast as a bearded devil runs.

I mean, Kuo-Toa, which have a +3 LA, have a walk 20', swim 50'.


The fast swim speed is worthless if there isn't water around. It's a lot easier to find ways to run on water than it is to find ways to swim on land. so that arguement there is pretty flawed.

I don't know what Kuo-Toa are, but I can safely say it isn't just a swim speed of 50 that gives them a LA +3. ::)

As for your first comment. Frogs are rarely as large as a person and capable of using weapons and speaking either. And because their homes are in rapids/waterfalls and climbing is the easiest way to get in to them, plus their fingers are sorta sticky.

EDIT: Looked up Kuo-Toa. Like I said before, it's not the swim speed that gives them a LA +3. :P

[Fax Celestis]

As long as you've got a fluffy explanation, the crunchy is cool.