PDA

View Full Version : Kroot as a race.



Lolzords
2009-07-08, 01:17 PM
Just chuckin' some ideas around. Some stuff copy-pasted from the Kroot Wiki entrance.

The Kroot are humanoid in appearance, resembling carrion-eating avian creatures. They have inverted raptor jaws. Their bone structure is light due to the Kroot's avian ancestry. They have four digits on their hands (arranged in a zygodactylic form) and feet. Their heads are crowned with tough quills or spines that form part of their sensory apparatus; these connect to the brain via ganglia. Kroot eyes have no pupil and are generally milky white in coloration allowing them to see into the darkness, allowing the Kroot to track their prey even at night. Kroot live in the jungle in clans called Kindreds. Kroot skin colour varies from Kindred to Kindred, due to the different animals sharing their habitat. Kroot are thin and wiry, being on average a foot taller then humans and about the same weight.

• +2 to any physical stat, -8 to Charisma. Different Kroot Kindreds have different strengths and weaknesses due to the abilities absorbed by their ancestors but all creatures find the cannibalistic habits and stink of carrion surrounding the Kroot sickening.
• Monstrous humanoid.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, Kroot have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Kroot base land speed is 30ft.
• Climb Speed: A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC of more than 0, but it always can choose to take 10 even if rushed or threatened while climbing. The creature climbs at the given speed while climbing. If it chooses an accelerated climb it moves at double the given climb speed (or its base land speed, whichever is lower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Creatures cannot run while climbing. A creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus on their attacks against a climbing creature.
• Darkvision: Kroot can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Kroot can function just fine with no light at all.
• +2 Natural Armour: Kroot do not urinate or defecate. This is because they possess an incredibly effective digestive system. What cannot be digested is regurgitated, and some chemicals are released as a thick sweat. It is used to control other animals, mark territory or trails, and are a component of Kroot humor towards outsiders. This sweat also acts to deflect strikes in combat.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
• Scent(Ex): As the Monster Manual ability.
• Cannibalize: Kroot have the ability to cannibalize and safely digest the corpses of their fallen enemies to gain hitpoints lost through combat. As a rule of thumb, a medium creature provides about two hitpoints. They cannot surpass their maximum hitpoint total using this method.
• Natural Weapons: The sharp beak of a Kroot provides them with a 1d6 bite attack.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Kroot (a mixture of clicks and whistles). Bonus Languages: Giant, Goblin, Orc, Sylvan. Undercommon.
• Favored Class: Ranger. A multiclass Kroot’s ranger class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.
• Level Adjustment: +0.

Yora
2009-07-08, 01:25 PM
With -8 Cha, they are practically empty husks devoid of almost any personalty. They'd be without any motivation and simply slouch through life and can be made to do anything by almost anyone who happens to come by.
Is that intended?

Lappy9000
2009-07-08, 01:35 PM
You may wanna mention that the Charisma penalty can't bring them below 1, unless you want perpetually unconscious PC's :smalltongue:

That said, the penalty is very extreme and makes the race rather weak (although an excellent base race for Nup-Nup)

Lolzords
2009-07-08, 01:57 PM
With the massive charisma penalty I was trying to balance out the fancy stuff they get, perhaps less of a charisma penalty is needed, and/or the ability to put the penalty in any of the mental stats.

Gorgondantess
2009-07-08, 02:01 PM
Yeah, -8 to any stat is kindof... brutal. Besides, charisma is force of personality as well; all in all, I'd advise lowering the penalty, give them a bonus to strength and constitution (and maybe wisdom) and call it LA+1. Or, lose some of the perks there.

Limos
2009-07-08, 02:06 PM
Maybe lower the Charisma penalty to -6, add a -2 INT penalty, and add a +2 CON bonus.

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-07-08, 02:11 PM
With the massive charisma penalty I was trying to balance out the fancy stuff they get, perhaps less of a charisma penalty is needed, and/or the ability to put the penalty in any of the mental stats.

Charisma tends to be a dump stat, so aside from the RP issues of such a low Cha, it would be better to have -4 Int, -4 Wis instead if the point is to balance out other benefits. Fluff it as them being right in the middle between evolved, civilized creatures and primitive, cannibalistic birds--not quite advanced enough for their brains to work as well as other civilized creatures, primitive enough that their instincts just get in the way in a modern world instead of helping them.

Owrtho
2009-07-08, 04:25 PM
Just thought I'd note that its only cannibalism if they're eating other Kroots.

Owrtho

Lolzords
2009-07-08, 08:01 PM
Just thought I'd note that its only cannibalism if they're eating other Kroots.

Owrtho

Yeah that's a good point actually, although Kroot do eat their fallen comrades as a burial custom.