[3.5 race] Flammie. Criticism wanted

[soulsabre345]

posting this to get some input. I've wanted to create and use this race as a LA 0 in a couple campaigns but i'm not sure if it's within the power level of a LA 0 race

flammie

Image:
http://www.studioznak.ch/users/mathieu/site/images/Seiken%20densetsu%203/images%20originales/flammie.jpg

lore: still working on it, based on the flammies from secret of mana

Medium size
Type: dragon (wind)
Land Speed: 30'
Quadrupedal
Fly Speed: 0 + 10'/ 3 levels, could choose to round, so of the 3-level cycle first gives 0, second gives 5', third gives 10' (see below)
Stats: Dex +2, Str -2

Armor Non-proficiency:
always takes armor non-proficiency penalties, regardless of class. armor check penalty resulting from encumbrance is doubled

Moonlit Sustenance :
if underneath a unhindered view of the night sky for at least 4 hours does not require food or drink for the next day, and can go without breathing for a amount of hours equal to exposure to starlight/moonlight

Condensing Breath:
by spending 5 minutes with a magical item can covert it into a weapon or armor crystal with all the magical benefits intact. for non-flammies they act as a normal armor or weapon crystal. for flammies they can equip the gem to the same body slot the item normally is held. however, the flammie may choose to have the crystals form a band around a limb instead of equipping it at the location the body slot is.
converting a magical item into a crystal increases it's magical aura by one step.
useable at will

Developing Wings:

Maneuverability starts at clumsy, and improves by one step for every 4 levels
Can always hover, but until reaching good manuverability can only hover for con score - 10 rounds.

Until level 6 these apply:


can only remain in flight for con score -10 rounds before they must land. hovering counts as in flight for the purposes of this limit.
Can glide at normal flight speed while only descending 5'
any enhancement of any type to these wings fail

Levels 6-9:

Enhanced Gliding: Can glide 50% faster than normal flight speed while only descending 5'. this extends to taking double moves or run actions while in flight (you move 3x normal fly speed while descending 10' in double move, 6x normal in run while descending 15')
Enhancement bonuses to flight have half strength

levels 10+:

Flight takes no more exertion than walking, and can remain in flight indefinitely
Enhancement bonuses to flight have full strength
Keep Enhanced Gliding


Devloping Weapons: begin with 2 claws (1d6), gain a bite (1d8) attack at 6, tail attack (2d6) at 12, wing attack(1d6) at 18

Crystal Movement: for every 3 crystals equipped, gain 5' of movement.

LA: 0

My intention was to create a draconic race that scales as it levels, so that it isn't particularly powerful at level 1, but gains some versatility and usefullness as it gains in levels compared to other races. As well, trying to make a race incapable of using normal armor or weapons, so that regardless of level it's general appearance doesn't change. My questions to the forums is what LA would this creature be? And any suggestions for changes?

Edit: added damage to natural weapons and stat modifers
Edit 2: switched round available from 10 - con to con -10..finally realized i screwed up neg and pos :P
Edit 3: changed type to Dragon (wind) and fly speed to 10' / 3 levels. with this and if fully equipped has a flight speed of 90 at 20, and could be frontloaded to be 30' at 1 if DM allows full magic equip.

[Milskidasith]

OK, allowing you to make all your items slotless for free is broken, and giving the outsider type at level one gives a whole host of immunities you probably shouldn't have. The rest is incredibly weak; you get no stat mods, horribly low fly speed, and for some reason having a high constitution lowers the duration of your flight until level ten. The fact you can't use any armor in this class is even weirder. The natural attacks might not be bad, but you didn't actually stat out the damage they use so I can't be sure if they'd be too useful; they're good for precision damage builds, at least.

[soulsabre345]

Thanks for the criticism :). Perhaps remove the clause about being able to use the crystals for non-Flammies, and for the race the items don't become slotless, they just become able to hide the items equipped. A ring of protection turned into a crystal still closes a ring slot when equipped, same for all other items.

And I don't much know what the balancing aspect is for PCs with flight at low levels. They get a speed of 25' at 10, which I don't believe is horrible.

as for type, suggestions welcome :).

[Milskidasith]

Thanks for the criticism :). Perhaps remove the clause about being able to use the crystals for non-Flammies, and for the race the items don't become slotless, they just become able to hide the items equipped. A ring of protection turned into a crystal still closes a ring slot when equipped, same for all other items.

And I don't much know what the balancing aspect is for PCs with flight at low levels. They get a speed of 25' at 10, which I don't believe is horrible.

as for type, suggestions welcome :).

A flight speed at 25 is horrible. Spells get you 40 or 50 long before level 10, and 25 feet is slower than walking.

[soulsabre345]

Alright, then what would you suggest? 10' per 3 levels, or 5' a level?

[radmelon]

And why does being tough make it harder to fly?

[soulsabre345]

oops, just realized what i wrote and what i was intending with round duration. it was supposed to be con - 10, not 10 - con >.<

[soulsabre345]

yes making a double post to bump for more input.
on topic, would adding in +1 essentia to the race, making it's favored class totemist, and giving it some minor visual control over soulmelds still classify under LA 0