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Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-23, 07:50 PM
Preamble
I've often felt that there isn't enough mechanical difference in the PC races in the 3.x D&D game. Sure, I like the role play to show how an elf is different to a dwarf, but the mechanics ought to make a real difference too.

My first thought was to have all non-human races carry enough awesome features to make them LA+1.
I decided not to, as LA gets a bad rap from lots of people, and I was looking to run an E6 game in particular.

So I looked into (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141602) what made the races iconic (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141615) in literature and popular opinion, and came up with a set of feats.

Note:
These feats were developed with the Wounds and Vitality variant in mind - if you're not using that, treat any use of "Wound Points" as ability damage, and "Vitality Points" as hit points.
(Vitality are replenished at 1 per hour - substitute the normal rate of healing for HP)

Note:
The setting I'm working on only has dwarves, elves, halflings and humans.

EDIT: added more fluff to explain why these are racial feats.

Racial feats

Halfling racial feats

Stealth feats
Evolving lower down the food chain than the larger races, Halflings are preternaturally stealthy - not least due to their small size.
Silent Dash
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Stealth 6 ranks, or 3 + class bonus
Benefit:
You dash quietly and quickly while your foes look the other way. As a standard action, you may use the Stealth skill without penalties to move up to your speed, or up to double your speed as a full round action. This special use of Stealth only makes you quiet - you are making no effort to hide from sight while you dash.
Normal:
It's impossible to use Stealth while running.


Unseen Dash
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Stealth 6 ranks, or 3 + class bonus
Benefit:
You desparately dash, quickly but noisily, between shadows and cover. As a standard action, you may use the Stealth skill without penalties to move up to your speed, or up to double your speed as a full round action. This special use of Stealth only keeps you hidden - you are making no effort to stay quiet while you dash.
Normal:
It's impossible to use Stealth while running.

Wink of an Eye
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Stealth 6 ranks or 3 + class bonus, Stealthy
Benefit:
Seizing the perfect moment you slip out of sight of one distracted enemy. As a readied action, you can use Stealth against one target without using the Bluff skill. You wait till they take their turn, and use their focused attention to hide. This use of Stealth only hides you from one target - other creatures may still perceive you.
Normal:
You must make a Bluff check to create a diversion to hide.


Hide in Plain Sight
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Stealth 6 ranks + class bonus, Stealthy, Wink of an Eye
Benefit:
Using the least of opportunities, you can slip into hiding even while being observed. As long as you are within 10 feet of some sort of cover (shadows, undergrowth, or similar) you may use the Stealth skill to hide yourself without actually having anything to hide behind. You cannot hide in your own shadow).
Special:
You cannot use Stealth while you are observed.


Throwing feats
Halflings are born to throw - with even a little practice, they are excellent at throwing with deadly accuracy.

Right on the Nose
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Dexterity 13+
Benefit:
You may apply your dexterity modifier to damage you deal with thrown weapons and slings, instead of your strength.
Normal:
You use your strength modifier on thrown weapon damage.


Lob
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Point blank shot, Precise shot, base attack bonus +4
Benefit:
You throw your weapon high up and over the cover your target is using. Provided there is a vertical clearance of at least one range increment both above your target and above the space between you and your target, you may attack at -2, ignoring up to total cover. You cannot add precision damage bonuses to your damage, such as from Sneak attack, or Weapon skill.
If you cannot see your target, you still have a 50% concealment miss chance.
Normal:
You cannot attack a target that has total cover.


Skip shot
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Point blank shot, Precise shot, base attack bonus +4
Benefit:
You bounce your thrown weapon off an adjacent surface to hit a target behind cover. Provided there is a hard surface (hardness at least 5) that both you and your target have line of sight to, within 10 feet of your target, you can attack at -2, but ignoring cover.
If you hit, all damage dice are reduced one step (so that 1d4 damage becomes 1d3, 2d4 damage become 2d3, etc).
If you cannot see your target, you still have a 50% concealment miss chance.
Normal:
You cannot attack a target that has total cover.


Resistance feats
Halflings are tougher than they look.

Slippery Mind
Prerequisites:
Halfling, base Will save 4+
Benefit:
If you fail a save against a mind affecting enchantment effect, you get another save one round later.


Halfling Resiliance
Prerequisites:
Halfling, base Fortitude save 4+
Benefit:
If you fail a save against the secondary effects of poison, disease or energy drain, you are not immediately affected. After the same interval as the secondary save, you get another save to overcome the effects.
Normal:
Secondary effects affect you if you fail the save.

Recovery feats
Halflings shrug off ill effects that would haunt others for longer.

Halfling Vitality
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Great Fortitude
Benefit:
You recover Vitality Points at a rate of 1 per half hour
Normal:
You recover Vitality at a rate of 1 per hour.


Halfling Recovery
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Great Fortitude, Halfling Vitality
Benefit:
You recover Wound Points at a rate of 2 points per character level, and ability damage at a rate of 2 points per night's rest. For each complete day of bed rest, you restore 3 points of Wound damage per character level, and 3 points of ability damage.


Indomitable Spirit
Prerequisites:
Halfling, Iron Will, Halfling Vitality
Benefit:
You recover from negative conditions that have a stated duration twice as fast as others. Any time you are effected by a negative condition that has a duration (whether a fixed duration or a randomly determined duration, but not an indeterminate duration such as "the rest of the encounter", or any permanent conditions), that duration is halved (rounding up).


Dwarven racial feats

Defender feats
Dwarves' short and powerful legs and relatively long arms make them extremely capable at defending a small area. Along side the traditional giant fighting training, many are trained in defending with utmost efficiency.

Block
Prerequisites:
Dwarf, Combat Reflexes
Benefit:
As an immediate action, you may take a five foot step to place yourself on or adjacent to an opponent's path at the same time as their movement. You may do this at least once per round, or a number of times equal to your Wisdom bonus, if any.
The opponent that you block in this manner is allowed to simply continue on their path (if possible, possibly provoking attacks of opportunity), elect to stop, attempt to overrun you, or attempt to bull rush you. The opponent may not change their path to avoid you. You may gain an attack of opportunity against the blocked opponent.
You must be aware of your opponent to attempt to block. You cannot block if you are flatfooted.


Dwarven Defender
Prerequisites:
Dwarf, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Defence bonus +3
Benefit:
On your turn, you may choose to defend an adjacent ally as a move action. This defence lasts until your next turn, when you can choose to defend another ally, or end the defence.
When defending an ally if you use the Assist Another action to aid your ally in defence, they add your Defence Bonus to theirs. Additionally, you may take attacks of opportunity against any creature you threaten who attacks your defended ally.
Normal:
Assisting another's defence grants a +2 bonus only.

Endurance feat
Dwarves are famous for their amazing capacity for toil and endurance.

Dwarven endurance
Prerequisites:
Dwarf, base Fortitude save 2+
Benefit:
You gain a new condition on the fatigue scale - Dwarven Normal. Any effect that would make you fatigued makes you lose this condition. An effect that would make you exhausted instead makes you fatigued. If you are fatigued or exhausted and subsequently returned to normal, you regain the Dwarven Normal condition after 8 hours of rest.


Dark sense feats
Dwarves are at home in the dark.

Blindsense
Prerequisites:
Dwarf, Blindfight, Perception 4 ranks or 1 + class bonus
Benefit:
You gain blindsense to 60 feet.


Blindsight
Prerequisites:
Dwarf, Blindfight, Blindsense, Perception 6 ranks or 3 + class bonus
Benefit:
You gain blindsight to 60 feet.


Elven racial feats

Foresight feats
Elves can see a glimpse of fate.

Uncanny Initiative
Prerequisites:
Elf, Improved Initiative
Benefit:
You may make a Will save (DC20) to avoid being surprised. A successful check allows you to act during the surprise round, even if you would otherwise be surprised.


Insightful Initiative
Prerequisites:
Elf, Improved Initiative, Uncanny Initiative, Charisma 12+
Benefit:
Once per round you may add your Charisma bonus to your initiative. This raised value becomes your new initiative result.


Fighting Insight
Prerequisites:
Elf, Improved Initiative, Uncanny Initiative, Wisdom 12+, Sense Motive 4 ranks or 1 + class bonus
Benefit:
You may make a Sense Motive check as a swift action to determine how an opponent is going to act during combat. If you succeed in a Sense Motive check (DC20, or the target's Bluff check +5 if they are actively trying to deceive), then you learn their intended actions for that round.

Elven Foresight
Prerequisites
Elf, Improved Initiative, Uncanny Initiative, Wisdom 12+, Sense Motive 4 ranks or 1 + class bonus, Fighting Insight
Benefit:
Once per day you may cast Augury as a spell like ability.


Elven senses
Elves can tell a sparrow from a finch a league off.

Elven Perception
Prerequisites:
Elf, Alertness
Benefit:
You get a +2 bonus to Perception skill checks.
Normal:
Elves get a +2 racial bonus to Perception.
Special:
The bonus from this feat stacks with the racial bonus.


Eyes of Starlight
Prerequisites:
Elf, Alertness, Elven Perception
Benefit:
Your low light vision improves. You can see three times as far as humans in conditions of dim light.


Elven Alertness
Prerequisites:
Elf, Alertness, Elven Perception
Benefit:
Add 10 feet to the distance increment at which penalties are applied to Perception checks to notice something.
Normal:
For each 10 feet of distance you are away from something you might perceive, there is a -1 penalty to the check.
Special:
You can take this feat more than once. The increase in range stacks.

Elven Glamours
Elves can confuse the senses of other races.

Music of the Elves
Prerequisites:
Elf, Perform 4 ranks or 1 + class bonus
Benefit:
You can make magical sounds to confuse and affect those around you.
Up to three times a day you can cast any of the following cantrips as a spell like ability:
Ghost Sound, Lullaby, Message
Your effective caster level is 1st.

Lights of the Elves
Prerequisites:
Elf, Craft (alchemy) 4 ranks or 1 + class bonus
Benefit:
You can make magical lights to illuminate and dazzle those around you.
Up to three times a day you can cast any of the following cantrips as a spell like ability:
Dancing Lights, Flare, Light
Your effective caster level for these effects is 1st.

Lore of the Elves
Prerequisites:
Elf, Knowledge (any one) 4 ranks or 1 + class bonus
Benefit:
You can pierce the veils of the world and gain insight into hidden things.
Up to three times a day you can cast any of the following cantrips as a spell like ability:
Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Detect Undead, Know Direction, Read Magic
Your effective caster level for these effects is 1st.

Lev
2010-07-23, 07:57 PM
What about just playing off of their natural class abilities? Stonecunning, Meditation, Advanced Learning, ect?

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-23, 08:10 PM
What about just playing off of their natural class abilities? Stonecunning, Meditation, Advanced Learning, ect?

As I mention in the preamble, I find that the existing racial abilities aren't enough to make the races sufficiently different from humans in play - a good roleplayer can make any race more interesting, but I want to give some mechanical hooks to the less able RPers. You get all sorts of player types in D&D and Pathfinder games.

imp_fireball
2010-07-23, 08:12 PM
These feats were developed with the Wounds and Vitality variant in mind - if you're not using that, treat any use of "Wound Points" as ability damage, and "Vitality Points" as hit points.
(Vitality are replenished at 1 per hour - substitute the normal rate of healing for HP)

And yet I didn't see anything that assumed these rules in the feat descriptions. You must have wrote that down before actually putting in the feats.

One thing it did assume though is pathfinder when it referred to skills such as 'stealth' and 'perception'.


As I mention in the preamble, I find that the existing racial abilities aren't enough to make the races sufficiently different from humans in play - a good roleplayer can make any race more interesting, but I want to give some mechanical hooks to the less able RPers. You get all sorts of player types in D&D and Pathfinder games.

So, supplement the racial abilities with racial feats in that sense.

Right now, you're just supplementing racial feats - a concept that already exists. You're doing a good job, but it's nothing new. You may as well not include that forward in the OP.

One thing that would be a bit unique though is racial feats for humans. :smalltongue:

Humans aren't always just a blank template or essentially 'colorless' under MTG alignment rules.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-25, 04:23 AM
And yet I didn't see anything that assumed these rules in the feat descriptions. You must have wrote that down before actually putting in the feats.
The Halfling recovery feats Halfling Vitality and Halfling Recovery both deal in Vitality and Wound Points.

One thing it did assume though is pathfinder when it referred to skills such as 'stealth' and 'perception'.
Yes, the title of the post includes the abbreviation "PF" for Pathfinder.

(I'm surprised at the comments suggesting I should build on the existing racial features. I thought I'd done that - I've been careful to make sure that I do use those features to build on.
For Dwarves, I worked on their ability to work well in darkness, their endurance, and their reputation as defenders.
For Elves, I built on their perception bonus, lowlight vision and magical nature.
For Halflings, I looked at boosting their natural stealth, throwing ability and surprising toughness.
Yes, I added some ideas from my research that aren't covered in the core RAW of PF - but that's the point, isn't it?)

As for "human are not always colourless" - the RAW uses humans as the baseline from which all other races are measured. Their virtue is adaptability (favoured class: any - that gets you +1 Vitality or +1 skill point every level you take in your preferred class, on top of the +1 skill point you get each level for just being human, and the extra feat).
That's enough colour for me, thanks. Someone in this game has to be normal.

imp_fireball
2010-07-25, 04:31 AM
Yes, I added some ideas from my research that aren't covered in the core RAW of PF - but that's the point, isn't it?

No, it isn't the point unless your devising your own campaign setting.


Someone in this game has to be normal.

Someone in this game has to be boring? Normal is always a matter of perspective. Dwarves are a lot more normal then beholders.

Besides, it just makes humans more unattractive. A human that wants to be as 'normal' as possible doesn't have to take any human racial feats, were they to exist. I mean, there's already a human paragon class in RAW.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-25, 05:49 AM
No, it isn't the point unless your devising your own campaign setting.
Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing - you know, what with throwing out a few races, and limiting the game to 6th level.



Someone in this game has to be boring? Normal is always a matter of perspective. Dwarves are a lot more normal then beholders.

Besides, it just makes humans more unattractive. A human that wants to be as 'normal' as possible doesn't have to take any human racial feats, were they to exist. I mean, there's already a human paragon class in RAW.

Normal is not boring, unless you try to make it so.
I'm surprised you think that getting extra skill points, extra feats and extra vitality points is unattractive. But yes, I guess there should be some sort of human feat tree that works with the versatility idea of humans. Gimme a moment and I'll add it.

imp_fireball
2010-07-25, 06:08 PM
Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing - you know, what with throwing out a few races, and limiting the game to 6th level.

There's a difference between creating a campaign and creating a setting.

A setting interposes your own universe, etc., where races behave this way or that way.

If you use another setting then you are obeying that setting. If you are changing things within that setting, then you are adapting the setting however it becomes subject to being declared 'non-canon'.

It's pretty trivial really, since you're the GM and all, so I won't really continue arguing it.


I'm surprised you think that getting extra skill points, extra feats and extra vitality points is unattractive.

Well, unattractive in the fluff sense.

It's like, "What are these guys?"

"They're big bad asses from the north that can summon wolves of winter to feast upon their foes."

"And those guys?"

"They're brown haired, brown eyed, caucasian, of average build and are exactly like you and me. They live in cities and towns resembling those of western europe, circa 13th century."

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-26, 03:27 AM
In response to the suggestion that humans should not be neglected when dishing out special things, here are some feats to make humans a little more exciting.

Human racial feats

Versatility feats
Humans live everywhere. While the dwarves dwell under the highlands, the elves remain in their forests and the halflings wander the river banks, humans settle all lands.
Humans learn everything. While the dwarves are masters of stone and steel, the elves raise magic to an art, and the halflings are expert travellers, humans master all skills.
The virtue of humans is adaptability. They will surplant us all.

Retraining
Prerequisite:
Human, 2nd level +
Benefit:
You retrain in more applicable skills as your career develops. Choose a number of class skills up to your intelligence modifier, and give up your class bonus. You may select an equal number of new class skills.
Normal:
You cannot re-assign your class skills.

New lands
Prerequisite:
Human, favoured terrain
Benefit:
You can learn the ways of new lands as you travel. You may reduce the bonus granted by any favoured terrain type you have to grant a bonus in a new favoured terrain that you have experience of within the last 48 hours. You must rest for 8 hours, and spend one hour after this time contemplating the new terrain. You may reassign 2 points of bonus in this manner per day.
Normal:
You may only gain new favoured terrain bonuses.

New enemies
Prerequisite:
Human, favoured enemy
Benefit:
You can learn the ways of new foes as you travel. You may reduce the bonus granted to checks against any favoured enemy you have to grant a bonus against a new favoured enemy that you have encountered within the last 48 hours. You must rest for 8 hours, and spend one hour after this time contemplating the new enemy. You may reassign 2 points of bonus in this manner per day.
Normal:
You may only gain new favoured terrain bonuses.

Martial weapon group proficiency
Prerequisite:
Human, base attack bonus 1+
Benefit:
Your broad training includes a handful of weapons which use similar styles and techniques. Choose a weapon type from the following list. You gain martial weapon proficiency with all weapons in that group.
Axes - battle axe, hand axe, throwing axe Bows - long bow (including composite), short bow (including composite) Hammers - warhammer, throwing hammer Piercing swords - rapier, short sword Polearms - glaive, guisarme, halberd Slashing swords - longsword, scimitar
Normal:
Martial weapon proficiency covers only one martial weapon at a time.
Special:
You may take this feat more than once. Each time you choose a new weapon type.

Prime32
2010-07-26, 04:35 AM
What about handing out some racial feats for free, or gestalting with another progression?

For instance, since this is for E6, maybe you could gain a racial bonus feat at odd levels and the benefits of a level in a racial paragon class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm) at even levels.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-26, 05:04 AM
What about handing out some racial feats for free, or gestalting with another progression?

For instance, since this is for E6, maybe you could gain a racial bonus feat at odd levels and the benefits of a level in a racial paragon class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm) at even levels.
No, thanks. I want to keep these things optional.
Some players will want to focus on other things, and ignore the racial feats entirely.

EDIT: Also, what Ashtagon says, next.

Ashtagon
2010-07-26, 05:07 AM
What about handing out some racial feats for free, or gestalting with another progression?

For instance, since this is for E6, maybe you could gain a racial bonus feat at odd levels and the benefits of a level in a racial paragon class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm) at even levels.

Since this is for e6, isn't a primary design concept to avoid boosting the power levels?
:smallwink:

imp_fireball
2010-07-26, 06:33 AM
Since this is for e6, isn't a primary design concept to avoid boosting the power levels?
:smallwink:

Well the primary concept is actually to dish out as many low level feats as possible, since beyond level 6, characters begin acquiring feats by the bucket load every time they 'level up' (or I think there's an XP cost; can't remember).

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-26, 06:43 AM
Well the primary concept is actually to dish out as many low level feats as possible
Citation needed.

Daremonai
2010-07-26, 05:48 PM
Well the primary concept is actually to dish out as many low level feats as possible, since beyond level 6, characters begin acquiring feats by the bucket load every time they 'level up' (or I think there's an XP cost; can't remember).

Assuming you're unfamiliar with E6, feats after 6th level cost 5000xp each. That's hardly by the bucketload, and quite a significant investment/opportunity cost.

Rowanomicon
2010-07-26, 07:52 PM
All I have to say is: good job! I like it.
I actually have zero suggestion at the moment though.
I've never played E6, but I've heard a bunch about it and I think I'd like it.
More to the point I like the idea behind what you're doing A LOT and I also really like the feats you've come up with.
Sometimes in fantasy the character's race is one of the biggest sources of their "power" or interesting qualities.
Of course anything can be re-fluffed (:smalleek: sorry), but I like having the option there as Feats.
So, basically what i said at the beginning: good job! I like it.

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-29, 02:33 AM
Thanks Rowanomicon!

I've updated the fluff text in the OP to explain more why these are racial feats that can't be taken by other species.