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Zeful
2006-03-23, 12:23 AM
I have been kncoking around a few ideas in my head they are the Quasi-dead, and Halflings. The halflings are from a book that I can't find right now and do not replace the ones in the phb, I'm just using the books orginal name for them. Now for the new races.

Quasi-Dead
Quasi-dead are the twisted experiment of Xeikor (deity in a homebrew campaign). Cursed with half life and shriveled limbs they are generally feared by the other races. Most are slaves now, their race driven to madness and causing the War of the Tree, in which they nearly drove the human race to extinction.
Physical Description: Quasi-dead have varying appearances as they were created from all the races, save for pale, almost, ashen skin and some shriveled limbs. This race has one gender even though they not look it. Once every year a Quasi-Dead goes through a process of renewal. During this time a Quasi-dead sheds all organic tissue so it may be replaced by new tissue. It is incredibly painful and the being usually screams until the tongue falls out. Quasi-dead are spawned when ever a Cleric of Xeikor with the Death domain uses the death touch granted ability.
Relations: Quasi-dead are despised by most of the races causing their enslavement to this day.
Alignment: Quasi-dead can be of any alignment. Good Quasi-dead are marked by their more lively faces, and the desire to rid themselves of their curse. Evil Quasi-dead are marked by their desire to finish what was started in the War of the Tree. They also look more like traditional undead giving them a fiendish look.
Lands: There are no Quasi-dead lands known. There are rumors of small colonies far away past the waters of the sea.
Religion: Most Quasi-dead refuse to worship their creator and instead worship any god that would help get them out of this limbo they so mockingly call life.
Language: Quasi-dead have any languages they possessed in true life.
Names: What ever name is appropriate.
Adventurers: Quasi-dead adventurers are generally escaped slaves

Quasi-Dead Racial Traits:
+2 Constitution -2 Dexterity -2 Charisma; Quasi-dead are tough, but are slow and not very forceful in there presence.
Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Quasi-dead have no special bonuses or penalties due to there size.
Undead type
Quasi-dead base speed is 20ft
Unlike other intelligent undead, Quasi-dead have a Constitution score.
Unlike other undead, Quasi-dead need to eat, sleep, and breathe.
Immunity to mind-effecting effects
Quasi-dead cannot be turned by a cleric (or high level Paladin) with the same alignment on the good-evil axis. They also receive turn resistance equal to 2+half their character level.
Quasi-dead have an interesting effect toward positive and negative energies based upon their alignment. Good quasi-dead are healed by positive energy and harmed by negative energy. Evil quasi-dead are harmed by positive energy and healed by negative energy. Neutral quasi-dead choose which energy they are harmed and healed by. Quasi-dead that worship a neutral deity (or are neutral themselves worshiping an good or evil god) are considered clerics. Their harmed/healed is aligned by how the gods arbitrate turning undead.
When a quasi-dead reaches maximum age, the tissue regrowth actually regenerates the original body. The quasi-dead changes back into the race that he was when he became a quasi-dead at the age that it was when the change occurs.
Automatic languages: Common. Bonus languages: Any (other than secret languages such as Druidic) Quasi-dead generally are travel a lot so they must know many languages
Favored Class: Any

Halflings
Beings born of fire and shadow. They are indistinguishable from normal humans. Most halflings don’t even realize what they are. The ones that do, however, are very powerful. All halflings feel the inherent pull toward magic. Those that heed the call eventually learn of their creation. The only difference between halflings and humans is that halflings live for a long time
Halflings being so similar to humans share cultural identity

Halfling Racial Traits
+2 Charisma -1 Strength: Halflings are notoriously force full in their dealings with other races. They are, however, not as strong as humans
Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Halflings have no special bonuses or penalties due to there size.
Outsider (Native, Fire) type.
Halfling base speed 30
The fire subtype gives fire resistance 15
Low-light vision: Halflings can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions
Automatic languages: Common. Bonus languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic.) Halflings have as broad and versatile experience as humans
Halflings with an charisma of 10 or higher can cast Flame Burst (an Acid splash that deals fire damage) and Silent Image once each day. Silent Image can only create shadows. These are arcane spells, and as such the halfling suffers spell failure penalties for wearing armor. Treat the halfling as a 1st-level caster for all spell effects depending on level (range and duration for silent image.) See the spell descriptions for details.
Favored class: Sorcerer. A multi-classing halfling’s sorcerer levels does not count for determining whether he suffers an XP penalty.

What do you guys think? What could be improved? Are they even balanced?

Catch
2006-03-23, 12:38 AM
For the Quasi-Dead, you mentioned that at maximum age, they regenerate into the base creature. Wouldn't this then make Quasi-Dead a template, rather than a race?

For the Halflings (maybe a new name is in order), I would change the penalty to strength to -2 or none. Generally there aren't any racial bonuses/penalties to ability scores that are odd numbers.

bosssmiley
2006-03-23, 12:38 AM
Seem OK, and the quasi-dead in particular have a lot of flavour to them, although they might work better as a template than a character race. Two glaringly apparent things that leap out at me though.

1) The name Halfling denotes an existing D&D race. An alternative name might stop people from mixing the two up.
2) Racial stat mods *always* work in multiples of 2 (+/-2, 4, 8). Drop the Halfling's racial Str mod to -2 and you're good to go. It's balanced by their innate magic, fire resistance and flame burst effect.

Minor niggles really. ;D

edit: situ-posted by a bard! The humiliation.

Splendor
2006-03-23, 12:42 AM
I would change halflings name to something else. Like Shadow Men or something like that.

PhoeKun
2006-03-23, 12:45 AM
I have been kncoking around a few ideas in my head they are the Quasi-dead, and Halflings. The halflings are from a book that I can't find right now and do not replace the ones in the phb, I'm just using the books orginal name for them. Now for the new races.

Quasi-Dead
Quasi-dead are the twisted experiment of Xeikor (deity in a homebrew campaign). Cursed with half life and shriveled limbs they are generally feared by the other races. Most are slaves now, their race driven to madness and causing the War of the Tree, in which they nearly drove the human race to extinction.
Physical Description: Quasi-dead have varying appearances as they were created from all the races, save for pale, almost, ashen skin and some shriveled limbs. This race has one gender even though they not look it. Once every year a Quasi-Dead goes through a process of renewal. During this time a Quasi-dead sheds all organic tissue so it may be replaced by new tissue. It is incredibly painful and the being usually screams until the tongue falls out. Quasi-dead are spawned when ever a Cleric of Xeikor with the Death domain uses the death touch granted ability.
Relations: Quasi-dead are despised by most of the races causing their enslavement to this day.
Alignment: Quasi-dead can be of any alignment. Good Quasi-dead are marked by their more lively faces, and the desire to rid themselves of their curse. Evil Quasi-dead are marked by their desire to finish what was started in the War of the Tree. They also look more like traditional undead giving them a fiendish look.
Lands: There are no Quasi-dead lands known. There are rumors of small colonies far away past the waters of the sea.
Religion: Most Quasi-dead refuse to worship their creator and instead worship any god that would help get them out of this limbo they so mockingly call life.
Language: Quasi-dead have any languages they possessed in true life.
Names: What ever name is appropriate.
Adventurers: Quasi-dead adventurers are generally escaped slaves

Quasi-Dead Racial Traits:
+2 Constitution -2 Dexterity -2 Charisma; Quasi-dead are tough, but are slow and not very forceful in there presence.
Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Quasi-dead have no special bonuses or penalties due to there size.
Undead type
Quasi-dead base speed is 20ft
Unlike other intelligent undead, Quasi-dead have a Constitution score.
Unlike other undead, Quasi-dead need to eat, sleep, and breathe.
Immunity to mind-effecting effects
Quasi-dead cannot be turned by a cleric (or high level Paladin) with the same alignment on the good-evil axis. They also receive turn resistance equal to 2+half their character level.
Quasi-dead have an interesting effect toward positive and negative energies based upon their alignment. Good quasi-dead are healed by positive energy and harmed by negative energy. Evil quasi-dead are harmed by positive energy and healed by negative energy. Neutral quasi-dead choose which energy they are harmed and healed by. Quasi-dead that worship a neutral deity (or are neutral themselves worshiping an good or evil god) are considered clerics. Their harmed/healed is aligned by how the gods arbitrate turning undead.
When a quasi-dead reaches maximum age, the tissue regrowth actually regenerates the original body. The quasi-dead changes back into the race that he was when he became a quasi-dead at the age that it was when the change occurs.
Automatic languages: Common. Bonus languages: Any (other than secret languages such as Druidic) Quasi-dead generally are travel a lot so they must know many languages
Favored Class: Any



Regarding the quasi-dead: its an interesting race. I especially like the maximum age rule.

However, it is too powerful to be a non-level adjusted race. Immunity to mind affecting abilities is huge, and the drawback of being turnable isn't actually a factor, as the race automatically gets time and a half HD+2 in regards to turning. Any enemy Clerics of an appropriate CR have no hope in hell of turning these guys.

I guess the lowered base speed and ability scores make up for some of that power, but I'd still rate them at +2 LA. Maybe if you changed their immunity to a +2 or +4 racial bonus on saves against mind affecting abilities.

And of course, a couple of questions remain: These are undead with a Con score. Does this mean they are affected by sneak attack and other precision damage? What about diseases?

And the most important question of all: do the quasi-dead maintain any of the racial abilities they had in true life, or do they lose them during this process vis a vis the Dragonborn?

Toliudar
2006-03-23, 12:53 AM
The Undead template has a ton of abilities, immunities, etc. If we were to list another race or template that traded a slightly unfavourable ability score modifier for the following abilities:


Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.


...I suspect we'd balk. Plus, by adding back the constitution score, a way to have good creatures healed by healing spells, and turning resistance, you're buffering the characters from some of the greatest shortfalls of the type.

So, I'd give this template (it's not really a race) a +2 or +3 LA.

Leon
2006-03-23, 12:55 AM
Whats the Peach thing mean, ive seen it before on here a while ago?

Zeful
2006-03-23, 01:02 AM
Regarding the quasi-dead: its an interesting race. I especially like the maximum age rule.

However, it is too powerful to be a non-level adjusted race. Immunity to mind affecting abilities is huge, and the drawback of being turnable isn't actually a factor, as the race automatically gets time and a half HD+2 in regards to turning. Any enemy Clerics of an appropriate CR have no hope in hell of turning these guys. Well I have a pentchant for min/maxing the enemies (well I try at least) So that isn't as much as a problem for me.


I guess the lowered base speed and ability scores make up for some of that power, but I'd still rate them at +2 LA. Maybe if you changed their immunity to a +2 or +4 racial bonus on saves against mind affecting abilities. That's an interesting concept that I've never thought of before. I'll consider it.


And of course, a couple of questions remain: These are undead with a Con score. Does this mean they are affected by sneak attack and other precision damage? What about diseases?Well I created these race after seeing the warforged race. But they are half-undead half-living so I'll probably roll a d% for each one created and if it's 10% or less no, otherwise yes. Another thing I didn't think about.


And the most important question of all: do the quasi-dead maintain any of the racial abilities they had in true life, or do they lose them during this process vis a vis the Dragonborn?
I don't fully understand your question, but are you asking that an does an elven quasi-dead have elven racial traits in addtion to the quasi-dead racial traits? If that's the question then no otherwise please restate the question and consider the fact that your talking to a guy with a rather small vocabulary.

Also about the Halfling race I'm using the books orgininal name. And I recognise the need to change the name it's just I can't figure anything else out.

Peach stands for Please Evaluate And Critique Honestly

Vonriel
2006-03-23, 01:14 AM
It looks like you got it right: He was asking if when something becomes quasi-dead it loses all inherent racial traits.. There's another template like this called 'dragonborn', which (i believe) causes the base race to lose it's racial bonuses, and he was simply asking if they were similar in that respect. (vis a vis is a fancy way of saying 'compared to' or 'like')

Orion-the-G
2006-03-23, 01:23 AM
Quasi dead would not make a good PC race (although that doesn't seem to be your intent) becuase it's really got everything good about being dead and nothing bad (except for eat, drink, and sleep). They've got all the immunities (which are extensive) and the con score (giving them more hit points) and a good quasi-dead heals/hurts just like a living character so they have no disadvantage there.

I can see where they're based on the warforged but the warforged lose a lot more in the switch between construct and living construct.

PhoeKun
2006-03-23, 01:31 AM
Well I have a pentchant for min/maxing the enemies (well I try at least) So that isn't as much as a problem for me.


I don't fully understand your question, but are you asking that an does an elven quasi-dead have elven racial traits in addtion to the quasi-dead racial traits? If that's the question then no otherwise please restate the question and consider the fact that your talking to a guy with a rather small vocabulary.


Well, to start, a Cleric can only turn undead of up to his level +4. At level 8, that's 12. A quasi-dead of equal level counts as a 14 HD undead, and is thus unturnable, no matter how much twinking you do. The problem starts at 4th level, when equal level Clerics need to get a 22 on their turn check to succeed.

And yes, I was asking precisely what you described. I apologize if my choice of vocabulary obfuscated my intentions. ;D

...as an afterthought, you might want to ditch the immunity to similar aligned turning, as it is largely redundant.

Zeful
2006-03-23, 03:46 PM
Well, to start, a Cleric can only turn undead of up to his level +4. At level 8, that's 12. A quasi-dead of equal level counts as a 14 HD undead, and is thus unturnable, no matter how much twinking you do. The problem starts at 4th level, when equal level Clerics need to get a 22 on their turn check to succeed. But if i had given them a flat +3 turn resistance this would be about how they are powerful they are at early levels


And yes, I was asking precisely what you described. I apologize if my choice of vocabulary obfuscated my intentions. ;D That's okay my brain was off when I responded anyway.


...as an afterthought, you might want to ditch the immunity to similar aligned turning, as it is largely redundant.
redundant. no. off the wall. most definately. The reason I put this in because they look sort of like undead, show up on detect undead. Thus most clerics won't go the extra mile to check it's alingment, because almost all undead, the good quasi-dead being the exception, are evil, it's to provide shock value to those who see an undead and automaticly try to turn it. The fisrt thing they want to know is why is it still standing there? especilly after he roled a nat 20 on the check.

Corestimah
2006-03-23, 06:16 PM
Leon, it stands for Please Examine And Critque Honestly (see my sig!). In short, it means that the author has posted this with the intent that it actually be evaluated, rather than merely being a silly bit of nonsense to which no serious response is expected.

Zeful, if you truly want to make an undead equivalent to the Warforged and the Living Construct subtype, than you must make a Quasi-Dead subtype that similarly lists the traits of the Undead type that do and do not still apply to creatures with the Quasi-Dead subtype (living constructs are vulnerable to ability damage/drain, but immune to fatigue and energy drain). I would recommend closely examining the similarities and differences between the construct and undead creature types, and extrapolate a quasi-dead subtype from the living construct subtype. Good Luck!

PhoeKun
2006-03-23, 06:41 PM
But if i had given them a flat +3 turn resistance this would be about how they are powerful they are at early levels

That's okay my brain was off when I responded anyway.

redundant. no. off the wall. most definately. The reason I put this in because they look sort of like undead, show up on detect undead. Thus most clerics won't go the extra mile to check it's alingment, because almost all undead, the good quasi-dead being the exception, are evil, it's to provide shock value to those who see an undead and automaticly try to turn it. The fisrt thing they want to know is why is it still standing there? especilly after he roled a nat 20 on the check.

See, I've always thought level 4 was early level. Let's look at this (the following assumes clerics of equal level as the undead's HD):

At level 1, a cleric needs a result of 16 to turn the quasi-dead (or 19 for a +3 resistance).

At levels 2 and 3, a cleric needs a 19 to turn the quasi-dead (or 19 for a +3 turn resistance).

At levels 4 and 5, a cleric needs a 22 to turn the quasi-dead (or a 19 for a +3 turn resistance).

At level 6, the quasi-dead can no longer be turned by an equal level cleric (still a 19 for a +3 turn resistance).

At level 8, a cleric of one level higher can no longer turn the quasi-dead, and so on up.

Seeing as your set-up is only detrimental versus the +3 resistance at 1st level, I'd have to say that giving them +3 resistance is more balanced, not less.

Of course, you can fix the whole mess by making them level adjusted.

Zeful
2006-03-24, 01:46 PM
I didn't want them to be level adjsted so I'm going to give them a flat +3 turn resistance, and I'm probably going to drop the whole maximum age rule. It's cool but I don't want them to be a template.