Goro inspired race(yeah that guy from mortal kombat).

[Lord Vukodlak]

Many of us will remember the Mortal Kombat games, especially given they keep making them. I was thinking a few days back, that Goro's race the the Shokan would make a nice addition to my campaign setting. My point is to port the race and not the world. They'll have there own fluff eventually.

So I got to thinking about stats for them, My first question was large sized or simply powerful build? they tower above the "human" fighters of the game

The series provides three examples Goro 8'2, Kintaro 8'5 and Sheeva. 7'3. This gives us a height range similar to Half-Giants or Goliaths so I went with powerful bulid. I then looked over other races with four arms or the powerful build quality for appropraite physical ability score modifers and racial abilities. I also looked at the Obah-blessed template as it simply adds four arms.

In the end this is what I came up with.


Shokan possess the following racial traits.
• Type: Giant or Monsterous Humanoid, haven't decided.
• +4 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, -2 Intelligence
• Medium size.
• Possess four arms
• +4 racial bonus on grapples check due to additional limbs
• Multiweapon Fighting and improved grapple
• Powerful Build (Ex):The physical stature of Shokans lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a Shokan is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the Shokan is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A Shokan is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A Shokan can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size categor. (no need to dominate the post with the description of one ability.
• Shokan's base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: 60ft
• +1 Natural Armor
• Favored Class: Fighter.
• CR+2
• LA: ??

Description: The Shokan's hair is typically black, their eyes are usually red or yellow. They stand between seven to eight and a half feet tall and may weigh between two hundred and five hundred pounds on average. Most importantly they each possess four arms ending in three digit hands. In a similar fashion their feet end in two large toes. Their skin coloration has the same variations as humans, though a few mutations have produced more animalistic features.

Future Fluff Here:

[Morph Bark]

I think this rather begs for Racial Hit Dice. The only official race I know with fully functional arms are the Thri-Kreen, which have RHD. Multiweapon Fighting and Improved Grapple as Bonus feats, plus those very positive ability modifiers would pump the LA rather high. 3RHD and LA+3 or so.

[Lord Vukodlak]

I think this rather begs for Racial Hit Dice. The only official race I know with fully functional arms are the Thri-Kreen, which have RHD. Multiweapon Fighting and Improved Grapple as Bonus feats, plus those very positive ability modifiers would pump the LA rather high. 3RHD and LA+3 or so.

Here's the thing, eventually I'm going to ignore the racial hit dice. I do it with ogres, lizardfolk, pure-blood Yuan-ti, Werewolves, Wererats and with Thri-kreen. Basically any monster with 4HD or less that improves via class levels, at some point I stop including the racial HD. So I'm just not going to bother adding them unless its necessary. An ogre with four fighter levels instead of four giant HD is only slightly tougher.(assuming equipment remains unchanged).

The Obah-blessed template to a Half-Giant or a Goliath and you'd have something of roughtly equal power, at a +3 LA with no racial HD.

I'm not sure I'd even allow a PC to play a four armed race anyway, they can be slow enough with TWF's. I don't relish the idea of adding two additional off hand rountines. On an enemy, his attack bonuses are less subject change mid combat, I always know my PC's armor class so it can go much swifter then the PC's and most importantly they won't be present every combat.

[Mayhem]

Thri-kreen have 2 RHD and LA+2, so I think doing the same to these guys would be fair.

edit: Ah you ninja'd me. Well level adjustment was created with racial hit dice in mind so if you drop them you'll have to up the LA too.
edit2: nevermind I think I misunderstood you yet again, I'm tired and I think I can physically hear the gears ticking away in my head as I try to read :smallsigh:.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Thri-kreen have 2 RHD and LA+2, so I think doing the same to these guys would be fair.

edit: Ah you ninja'd me. Well level adjustment was created with racial hit dice in mind so if you drop them you'll have to up the LA too.

If a PC wishes to play one, and I am inclined to agree, I'll probably add two racial HD to balance out a +2 LA. Otherwise I'll just ignore them.
I only trust two of my players to be swift enough with math to handle a four armed race, and one of them left for basic training last week.

[Lyndworm]

Thri-kreen have 2 RHD and LA+2, so I think doing the same to these guys would be fair.
That's only the psionic thri-kreen. There's a non-psionic version with +1 LA, supposedly on the same playing field as gnolls and lizardfolk (:smallannoyed:).

I wrote my own version of the Shokan for my brother once, let me see if I can dig it up...

Edit:
Found it!

Shokan:
+4 Str, +2 Dex, +4 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis
Outsider (Native, Dragonblod, Fire)
Large: –1 penalty to Armor Class, –1 penalty on attack rolls, –4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.
Face/Reach: 10ft/10ft
A Shokan's base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: Shokan can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Racial Hit Dice: A Shokan begins with two levels of Outsider, which provide 2d8 hit dice, a Base Attack Bonus of +2, and base saving throws bonuses of Fort +3, Ref +3, and Will +3.
Racial Skills: A Shokan's Outsider levels give it Skill Points equal to 5 x (8 + Int modifier). It's class skills are Climb, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot.
Racial Feats: A Shokan's Outsider levels give it one feat.
Multiple Limbs: Shokan have four arms, and thus can take the Multiweapon Fighting feat (page 304 of the Monster Manual) instead of the Two-Weapon Fighting feat.
+4 Natural Armor Bonus
Natural Weapons: 4 Slams (1d6)
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Shokan is automatically proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields.
Fire Shot (Su): Shokan are magically in tune with the element of Fire due to their draconic heritage. They have the ability to form a small fireball in any of their four hands and launch it towards enemies at great speeds. This is treated as a ranged touch attack that deals 1d6+Cha Fire damage. One ball of flame may be hurled as a Standard action, while up to four may be hurled as a Full-Round action. This ability requires as many free hands as fireballs and has a range of 30ft.
Fire resistance equal to twice the Shokan's Hit Dice.
Resistance to Acid 5 and Electricity 5.
+4 racial bonus to Jump checks.
Automatic Languages: Common and Draconic. Bonus Languages: Any.
Favored Class: Fighter.
LA+3

[Icedaemon]

Thri-kreen have 2 RHD and LA+2, so I think doing the same to these guys would be fair.

edit: Ah you ninja'd me. Well level adjustment was created with racial hit dice in mind so if you drop them you'll have to up the LA too.
edit2: nevermind I think I misunderstood you yet again, I'm tired and I think I can physically hear the gears ticking away in my head as I try to read :smallsigh:.

I'd disagree with you. Level Adjustments + Racial hit dice do not stack up with your average mid-tier class-levelled characters. Level Adjustments are generally balanced in regards to class levels, though not always even then.

Not to say that powerful build and multiple arms are not incredibly overpowered for LA +1. LA +3 or more would indeed make sense.

[Lord Vukodlak]

I'm not a fan of the fireshot ability, its a silly port of the common energy project power in the Mortal Kombat series, nearly everyone can fire an energy projectile of some kind for one reason or another. It be better to implament it as a spell-like ability, say Produce Flame at will. But then you appear to be trying to bring a bit more of the world of Kombat and not just the race.

It also fails to mention they have four arms. Only someone familiar with the Shokon would know the four slams come from four limbs.

[Lyndworm]

I'm not a fan of the fireshot ability, its a silly port of the common energy project power in the Mortal Kombat series, nearly everyone can fire an energy projectile of some kind for one reason or another. It be better to implament it as a spell-like ability, say Produce Flame at will. But then you appear to be trying to bring a bit more of the world of Kombat and not just the race.
I can definitely see where you're coming from, but I also thought that it made them interesting as more than just hulking brutes. It also strengthens mechanical ties to draconic ancestry. However, you can certainly get rid of it and remove the Wis penalty without affecting balance much.


It also fails to mention they have four arms. Only someone familiar with the Shokon would know the four slams come from four limbs.
I... can't believe I missed that. OK, I'ma go edit the post real quick.

Edit:
Done!

[hamishspence]

I thought the Shokan were sometimes described as "dragons" of a kind?

[Lord Vukodlak]

I thought the Shokan were sometimes described as "dragons" of a kind?

I never really got the dragon part of Shokans. What everkind of dragon Shoka's are connected to, they wouldn't be considered dragons in D&D, thus I dropped it.

[Lyndworm]

Actually, they're connected to dragons that are very much like the dragons from D&D. Because they're also not dragons, their wings are arms instead. This is also why they're connected to the element of fire and why they're a little off-colored. In the most recent games they also have small scales on their back and shoulders (except for the tiger shokan, which are essentially half tiger, half dragon, and half human: 150% badass).

[Lord Vukodlak]

Actually, they're connected to dragons that are very much like the dragons from D&D. Because they're also not dragons, their wings are arms instead.
That makes no sense to me, there connected to dragons very much like the ones from D&D because they're also not dragons?.

The only dragons that have even made any appearance in Mortal Kombat are chinese style dragons such as Orin and Caro(who are wingless), and Onaga the dragon king who at least has hands like a Shokan.

I don't think there connected to Orin or Caro's species which leves Onaga or some unseen variety of dragon. And I wouldn't call Onaga a dragon in D&D terms.

[Lyndworm]

I'm almost positive that their are/were more western styled dragons in the comics, or at least alluded to elsewhere. I think they were implied or stated to be less intelligent and more animalistic than the eastern styled dragons.

It's possible that I'm completely mistaken about everything, of course.

[Deth Muncher]

Hey, I don't know what you looked at during your creation process, but when I was thinking about porting Goro into my campaign world, I was just thinking of a Multi-Armed Giant. I don't know what the Multi-Armed template's LA is, but it's something to look at, at least.

Also, as per the Hadouken they get - Give them levels of Monk, then have them take the Ki Energy Blast feat from...PHB2, I think?

EDIT: D'herr, you talk about what you looked at in the first post. Regardless, my suggestion still stands.

[Lyndworm]

The Aberrant Limbs unique feature for NPCs has a +2 LA. A Goliath with aberrant limbs would be +3, and that seems about right for this race, too.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Hey, I don't know what you looked at during your creation process, but when I was thinking about porting Goro into my campaign world, I was just thinking of a Multi-Armed Giant. I don't know what the Multi-Armed template's LA is, but it's something to look at, at least.

Also, as per the Hadouken they get - Give them levels of Monk, then have them take the Ki Energy Blast feat from...PHB2, I think?

EDIT: D'herr, you talk about what you looked at in the first post. Regardless, my suggestion still stands.

I'll certainly have some Shokan monks appear at some point, but I think many of them, the ones with fighter levels will use the bladed gauntlet.