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Manave_E_Sulanul
2009-06-07, 06:02 PM
Howdy,

Below I have some stats for Treefolk for a homebrew setting I am working for in 3.5. As they age they eventually become Treants but at an early age, when they are around medium size they can be adventurers. Is there anything you can think of to make them more 'tree' like or have them pack a little more punch while not making their LA too bad? I have to distinguish them from big talking bears so powerful build and things like that are already out. Tell me what you think!


Treefolk Statistics
# -2 Dexterity, +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
# Type: Plant
# +3 Natural Armor Bonus
# Medium Size
# 20 Foot Land Speed
# Vulnerability to Fire (A Treefolk takes x1.5 damage from sources that deal Fire Damage)
# 2 Slam Attacks 1d4 bludgeoning damage
# Forest Camouflage: When standing perfectly still (and not wearing any other miscellaneous gear) a Treefolk is visually indistinguishable from a normal tree of its size and type. A treefolk can hide in the open anywhere that a tree would not be obviously out of place in the guise of a normal tree with a +20 bonus on their hide check.
# Treefolk Kinship (Su): Treefolk are still enough like their less intelligent cousins to speak to and understand their language. A Treefolk can use Speak with Plants as a spell-like ability at will but only for other trees.
# Automatic Languages: Sylvan
# Bonus Languages: Common, Usarn
# Favored Class: Druid
# Level Adjustment: +2

DracoDei
2009-06-07, 06:23 PM
Speak weith plants(trees only) as an at-will type thing is pretty powerful. For one thing it lets you track nearly perfectly through a forest, even characters with Trackless Step.

Rainbownaga
2009-06-09, 02:22 AM
There most powerful feature seems to be their plant type.

It loses two levels to gain some advantages that are mostly out of combat.

Immunity to critical hits is pretty powerful, though, I'm not too experienced with designing, but i'd say that's about balanced.

TSED
2009-06-09, 02:27 AM
Treants get a bonus against damaging objects, I'd throw in a lesser version of that. Maybe... 1 1/2 strength mod damage to objects or some such?


Additionally, maybe they can take a feat at a certain amount of HD (10, 15?) to get large size?

Pyrusticia
2009-06-09, 05:53 AM
Interesting idea. Seems fairly well balanced...immune to critical hits, but vulnerable to fire. The stats and abilities make the +2 LA seem about right. The only thing I'd question from a balance standpoint is your decision to give them fighter stats, and a favored class of Druid. It makes sense to give them Druid, but I'd probably have given them Con and Wis and favored stats, instead of Con and Str, so that they're more suited to their favored class.

From a nit-picking standpoint, I have to wonder why Treefolk Kinship is a Supernatural ability. From the fluff that accompanies it, you make it sound like they aren't doing anything but interpreting and speaking to the trees in their own language (whatever that is...shaking leaves?). Sounds more Exceptional than Supernatural.

Also, from a fluff standpoint, you might want to address what it is that these guys eat (and how they eat it). Plant type doesn't automatically exclude a creature from eating, presumably to allow for venus flytraps and the like. So, are these guys carnivores? Hard to imagine, if it's indistinguishable from a normal tree, as you state. Do they digest stuff and absorb it with their roots? Or do they not eat, but rather perform photosynthesis (which would require adding another ability, but not really an unbalancing one)?

Eloel
2009-06-09, 06:10 AM
From a nit-picking standpoint, I have to wonder why Treefolk Kinship is a Supernatural ability. From the fluff that accompanies it, you make it sound like they aren't doing anything but interpreting and speaking to the trees in their own language (whatever that is...shaking leaves?). Sounds more Exceptional than Supernatural.
Nit-pick. It's Extraordinary, not Exceptional.

Pyrusticia
2009-06-09, 07:22 AM
Nit-pick. It's Extraordinary, not Exceptional.

Hrm, so it is. I've seen it as Ex for so long, I'd forgotten. Thanks for the correction. :smallsmile:

Al-Ashrad
2009-06-09, 09:11 AM
The only thing I would consider is maybe giving them DR instead of a Natural Armour bonus. Otherwise, as has been said by others already, it looks fine to me.

Manave_E_Sulanul
2009-06-09, 06:29 PM
Thanks for the input. :-) With some of this input and some from a friend I came up with this.

# -4 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, +2 Constitution
# Plant Type: (Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. Not subject to critical hits. Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep.)
# Large Size: (-1 penalty to Armor Class, -1 penalty on attack rolls, -4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.)
# +4 Natural Armor Bonus
# DR 1/Slashing
# 30 Foot Land Speed
# Vulnerability to Fire (A Treefolk takes x1.5 damage from sources that deal Fire Damage)
# 2 Slam Attacks 1d6 bludgeoning damage
# Low light vision
# Forest Camouflage: When standing perfectly still (and not wearing any other miscellaneous gear) a Treefolk is visually indistinguishable from a normal tree of its size and type. A treefolk can hide in the open anywhere that a tree would not be obviously out of place in the guise of a normal tree with a +20 bonus on their hide check.
# Treefolk Kinship (Su): Treefolk are still enough like their less intelligent cousins to speak to and understand their language. A Treefolk can use Speak with Plants as a spell-like ability at will but only for other trees.
# Double Damage against Objects (Ex): A Treefolk that makes a full attack against an object or structure deals double damage.
# Automatic Languages: Sylvan, Common
# Bonus Languages: Common, Usarn, Hobgoblin, Draconic
# Favored Class: Druid
# Level Adjustment: +2

I'm open to more nitpicks. I would note that some of the usual plant type stuff is not written here, because its been taken away.