Help me balance my race! (3.5 E)

[dentrag2]

Shadow: (For lack of a better name)
Medium Aberration (Humanoid)
LA +0
+2 Str +2 Dex -4 Cha

The Shadow are possibly the most physically strong and agile of all people, but having a hivemind-like thought structure, which creeps people out, referring to themselves as We does get a bit disturbing.

Racial Invisibility 1/day as the spell

Help me balance this! I have had this idea for a while, but i'm trying to fit it into my campaign world and i need some balance to this race.

[RandomFellow]

It seems balanced enough to me. Maybe add a +2 to racial bonus to Move Silently and Hiding.

[Myou]

A bigger penalty to a mental stat doesn't balance bonuses to two physical stats, and at level one getting invisibility 1/day for free is pretty damn powerful.

I'm not sure how you could balance it out though. ^^;

[ericgrau]

Ya, having a +2 to 2 different stats is too much for LA +0 no matter how much you lower a dump stat. That's why it's called a dump stat. I'd leave it at -4 cha, and pick just one stat to give a +2 to. Or give a -2 to a physical stat (con I guess) on top of the -4 cha and make the other two physical stats +2.

Invisibility is a wild card, since it goes from uber to so-so to useless compared to a pile of affordable potions depending on character level. But since it's only 1/day it could work even at level 1. I'd keep it, and add on some other miscellaneous special abilities as well. Like a bonus to move silently and/or other skills.

And humanoids aren't a subtype of aberration. You'll have to pick 1 or the other (probably humanoid). Aberrations are alien in anatomy/etc., so if you want a human shaped thing I think you want humanoid.

[Cieyrin]

I would definitely be a penalty on Con, if anything, since there is some precedent for the shadows not exactly being the healthiest things to deal with. Fast and powerful, yes. Generating meat shields, not so much.

Some bonuses to hide and move silently are definitely warranted, since this seems to be a race that lives in the shadows, so are naturally adept at using them to their best advantage.

I do agree with eric on the aberration bit. Aberrations are not generally people, though the Elan seem to get away with it with out any hitch and stay humanoid, even if they were formerly to begin with. If you want to differentiate them, shades kinda seem gravitate in my mind towards being Outsider(native), as being mortals tainted by emanations from the Demiplane of Shadow. Of course, native Outsiders tend towards being LA +1 at the very least, so that's up to you, really.

As for invisibility, you probably want to tack on a caster level onto that. Currently, it could be character level, for all I know.

If you want a good point of comparison, you probably want to compare your shades to the Skulk, a race from Races of Destiny, who are highly stealth-oriented, as well. They run w/ 2 racial hit dice and LA +1 but should give you some kind of measurement of where your Shades currently stand.

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

[dentrag2]

To dispell some of this:

1: The Shades are essentially humanoid warforged. They don't eat, sleep, or even breathe. They are technically undead (Any human killed by a Shade becomes a Shade, in the manner of wraiths) but they aren't specifically weak.
In fact, because there is no pain limit on the amount of muscle strength they can use, they use more strength, although a -2 con might help as well.

2: They're not stealth-based. At least, i hope not. They're more like rolling over the enemy with infinite numbers.

3: Actually, i think i will add a +2 move silently and Hide bonus.

[RandomFellow]

To dispell some of this:

1: The Shades are essentially humanoid warforged. They don't eat, sleep, or even breathe. They are technically undead (Any human killed by a Shade becomes a Shade, in the manner of wraiths) but they aren't specifically weak.
In fact, because there is no pain limit on the amount of muscle strength they can use, they use more strength, although a -2 con might help as well.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too powerful if they can Create Spawn and are Undead.

[Melayl]

Might I suggest looking at YabbatheWhat's Feature Points (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=667683)? See YabbatheWhat's post (thrid post on the thread). All of the information can be found under his "Creations and Modifications" button.

The system is basically a way to measure how powerful a race is, and figure out an appropriate LA and ECL. It is a little complicated, though.

Melayl