IdleMuse
2010-08-28, 07:57 PM
Hello there. I'm designing a campaing setting where there will be only three playable races; the Kenku, the Dreamers, and the Spellbound. What I need your advice for, awesome folks here, is to check if they are balanced against each other. They are more or less designed to be approximately LA+2, but this is far less important than whether or not they're fair against each other.
Without much ado, here they are.
The Winged Kenku
Small Humanoid (Kenku)
- -2 Str, +6 Dex, +2 Cha
- 20ft land speed, 30ft fly speed (good maneuverability)
- Mimicry (Ex): Can mimic any voice, as Kenku (MM3)
- Great Ally (Ex): Better aid another and flanking, as Kenku (MM3)
- +2 racial to Hide and Move Silently
- Natural weapons: Two claws (1d3 slashing)
- Low-light vision
- Favoured class: Rogue
Kenku among the high towers and on the city floor, scratching a living by theft, entertainment or whatever means necessary. They are an agile and vicarious race, short, with greyish-black feathers, a long beak, and strong wings, similar to a large jackdaw, and like a jackdaw, they enjoy chatting and socialising, even with the soulless*, and often move in large flocks.
*The soulless are, like they sound, soulless humans who form the only other sentient race in this setting, and aren't available as player characters for meta reasons.
The Spellbound Humans
Medium Humanoid (Human)
- +4 Int
- 30ft land speed
- Two bonus feats at first level*
- Mageborn (Sp): Detect Magic and Read Magic at will
- +2 racial to Spellcraft and Use Magic Device
- Favoured class: Artificer
The Spellbound humans live in the towers and buildings of the surface city. Rarely descending from their lofty positions, the Spellbound are masters of arcane magicks and complex artifice. They appear similar to soulless humans, but are slower in their movements and put much thought into every word spoken. Their skin is pale, almost translucent, and crystalline. Their eyes tend to purple or blue, and the crystal appearance is especially noticable in their hair and sharp features.
*Flaws aren't allowed in this campaign setting.
The Dreaming Dwarves
Medium Humanoid (Dwarf)
- +2 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
- 20ft land speed, 10ft burrow speed (not reduced by armor or encumbrance)
- Stability (Ex): As Dwarf
- Spell Power (Su): +1 CL for Divination spells, as Dream Dwarf (RoS)
- Stonecunning: As Dwarf
- +2 racial save against poisons, as Dwarf
- +3 Natural Armour
- DR 5/Adamantine
- Resilient (Ex): Dreamers staggered by nonlethal damage do not fall unconscious until the nonlethal damage exceeds their hit points by their Constitution score or more*
- Darkvision (90ft) with Dream Sight (Su): can see the ethereal, as Dream Dwarf
- Favoured Class: Soulborn or Psychic Warrior
The Dreamers live in the large caverns underneath the city, where the water is pumped up to the surface. Large communities exist at peace down in the darks, and no-one knows how deep they go. Dreaming Dwarves are masters of the self, learning to control the power that flows through them, whether it be in the form of Psionic, Incarnate, or Divine power, rather than the Arcane mysteries of the world. Short and stocky, these bearded dwarves have eyes of solid blue, without obvious pupils, white or grey hair, and tough, stony skin.
*House rule: the 'death limit' is -CON rather than -10, hope this makes more sense with that in mind.
Right, that's it. It might be obvious that i've come from somewhere with some of these (Kenku are just Kenku+, the dwarves are basically Dream Dwarves with the Mineral Warrior template), but what I want to know is how balanced they are against each other. Not against, as in, if they were to fight, but rather, if they were in a party together, would any one of them feel too powerful, or left out? I've tried to more or less aim for LA+2 like I said, but that's of less importance.
Another thing; I know some of these are pretty well suited for certain classes right out of the box, and that's almost intended; Many Spellbound humans become Wizards, for example, and I see little problem in giving such a boost in stats in that direction.
So yeah. On top of what I've already asked, PEACH, but do bear in mind this is a small small demiplanar setting without other sentient races (aside from the abovementioned Soulless humans), and very little in the way of 'monsters', it's mostly animals, some undead, probably oozes and fungi-based stuff, but no rampant owlbears, bugbears, dragons, minotaurs, semisentient stuff like that. Currently I'm feeling that Dreaming Dwarves may be the strongest.
Any suggestions welcome.
Without much ado, here they are.
The Winged Kenku
Small Humanoid (Kenku)
- -2 Str, +6 Dex, +2 Cha
- 20ft land speed, 30ft fly speed (good maneuverability)
- Mimicry (Ex): Can mimic any voice, as Kenku (MM3)
- Great Ally (Ex): Better aid another and flanking, as Kenku (MM3)
- +2 racial to Hide and Move Silently
- Natural weapons: Two claws (1d3 slashing)
- Low-light vision
- Favoured class: Rogue
Kenku among the high towers and on the city floor, scratching a living by theft, entertainment or whatever means necessary. They are an agile and vicarious race, short, with greyish-black feathers, a long beak, and strong wings, similar to a large jackdaw, and like a jackdaw, they enjoy chatting and socialising, even with the soulless*, and often move in large flocks.
*The soulless are, like they sound, soulless humans who form the only other sentient race in this setting, and aren't available as player characters for meta reasons.
The Spellbound Humans
Medium Humanoid (Human)
- +4 Int
- 30ft land speed
- Two bonus feats at first level*
- Mageborn (Sp): Detect Magic and Read Magic at will
- +2 racial to Spellcraft and Use Magic Device
- Favoured class: Artificer
The Spellbound humans live in the towers and buildings of the surface city. Rarely descending from their lofty positions, the Spellbound are masters of arcane magicks and complex artifice. They appear similar to soulless humans, but are slower in their movements and put much thought into every word spoken. Their skin is pale, almost translucent, and crystalline. Their eyes tend to purple or blue, and the crystal appearance is especially noticable in their hair and sharp features.
*Flaws aren't allowed in this campaign setting.
The Dreaming Dwarves
Medium Humanoid (Dwarf)
- +2 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
- 20ft land speed, 10ft burrow speed (not reduced by armor or encumbrance)
- Stability (Ex): As Dwarf
- Spell Power (Su): +1 CL for Divination spells, as Dream Dwarf (RoS)
- Stonecunning: As Dwarf
- +2 racial save against poisons, as Dwarf
- +3 Natural Armour
- DR 5/Adamantine
- Resilient (Ex): Dreamers staggered by nonlethal damage do not fall unconscious until the nonlethal damage exceeds their hit points by their Constitution score or more*
- Darkvision (90ft) with Dream Sight (Su): can see the ethereal, as Dream Dwarf
- Favoured Class: Soulborn or Psychic Warrior
The Dreamers live in the large caverns underneath the city, where the water is pumped up to the surface. Large communities exist at peace down in the darks, and no-one knows how deep they go. Dreaming Dwarves are masters of the self, learning to control the power that flows through them, whether it be in the form of Psionic, Incarnate, or Divine power, rather than the Arcane mysteries of the world. Short and stocky, these bearded dwarves have eyes of solid blue, without obvious pupils, white or grey hair, and tough, stony skin.
*House rule: the 'death limit' is -CON rather than -10, hope this makes more sense with that in mind.
Right, that's it. It might be obvious that i've come from somewhere with some of these (Kenku are just Kenku+, the dwarves are basically Dream Dwarves with the Mineral Warrior template), but what I want to know is how balanced they are against each other. Not against, as in, if they were to fight, but rather, if they were in a party together, would any one of them feel too powerful, or left out? I've tried to more or less aim for LA+2 like I said, but that's of less importance.
Another thing; I know some of these are pretty well suited for certain classes right out of the box, and that's almost intended; Many Spellbound humans become Wizards, for example, and I see little problem in giving such a boost in stats in that direction.
So yeah. On top of what I've already asked, PEACH, but do bear in mind this is a small small demiplanar setting without other sentient races (aside from the abovementioned Soulless humans), and very little in the way of 'monsters', it's mostly animals, some undead, probably oozes and fungi-based stuff, but no rampant owlbears, bugbears, dragons, minotaurs, semisentient stuff like that. Currently I'm feeling that Dreaming Dwarves may be the strongest.
Any suggestions welcome.