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View Full Version : Drasil [3.5 Race, playable treefolk!]



Admiral Squish
2011-07-12, 09:09 AM
Drasil
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g54/ewurtsmith/Treefolk.jpg
Image slightly edited. Source/Credit (http://draconicaeaeon.deviantart.com/gallery/27120700#/d25u7xo)

Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 2d8+6 (15 HP)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 20 feet (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-2 Dex, +6 natural), 8 touch, 14 flat-footed
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+8
Attack: Slam +4 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: 2 slams +4 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks:
Special Qualities: Powerful Build, Plant Traits, Drasil Traits (see ‘Drasil as characters‘)
Saves: Fort +6, Ref -2, Will +1
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 6, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +8
Feats: Power Attack
Environment: Warm Forests
Organization: Solitary, Stand (3-10), or Forest (30-100)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard, all wooden or natural objects.
Alignment: Usually Lawful Neutral
Advancement: By Character Class
Level Adjustment: +1

The strange creature that emerges from the treeline is… odd, to say the least. It looks and moves something like a gorilla, but it‘s made entirely of wooden parts and green vines. It‘s head and back put forth a number of leafy branches, forming a canopy over it‘s body. It‘s face looks almost like a carved mask, with black pits where the eyes would be, and no mouth. It turns to you, and with a voice that resonates out of it‘s chest like a bass violin, it tells you to go away.

Drasil are a race of treefolk. Some claim they are distant relatives of treants, but scholars believe that they arose separately. While the treants developed with the aid of druidic magic, the decendents of awakened trees pollinating one-another, the drasil developed without it. Most treants regard Drasil in a manner similar that humans would regard kobolds, or perhaps neanderthals. But the drasil are certainly not to be trifled with.

Combat:
Drasil generally are docile, until you either attack them or their homes. At which point, the drasil are a fierce enemy. The drasil are relatively straightforward with their tactics, charging in on all fours and brutally bludgeoning their foes with their hammerlike fists, though they do coordinate their attacks with their allies.

DRASIL AS CHARACTERS

Full character fluff entry incoming


+4 Strength, +4 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -4 Dexterity, -4 Intelligence, -2 charisma. Drasil are incredibly strong and exceptionally resilient, but their wooden biology makes them slow to react and slower in thought. In addition, drasil’s long lifespans make them wise, but most races find their unreadable faces somewhat unnerving.
Plant: As a plant creature, drasil are not affected by subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person.
Medium: As Medium creatures, drasil have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Drasil base land speed is 20 feet
Low-light Vision. Drasil can see twice as far as a human in low-light conditions.
Racial Hit Dice: Drasil start out with two levels of plant, which provide 2d8 hit dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0
Racial Skills: A drasil’s plant levels give it skill points equal to 5 x (2+int mod, minimum 1). It’s class skills are Climb, Hide, Listen and Spot. A drasil gains a +8 racial bonus on hide checks in wooded or overgrown terrain.
Racial Feats: A drasil’s plant levels give it one feat.
+6 Natural Armor Bonus
Natural Weapons: 2 Slams (1d6)
Powerful Build: The physical stature of a drasil lets him function in many ways as if he were one size category larger. Whenever an drasil 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 drasil is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A drasil 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 drasil 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 category.
Knuckle-walking: When a drasil is not carrying anything in his hands, his base land speed increases to 40 feet (8 squares).
Plant Metabolism: As plants, drasil do not need to sleep, though a drasil wizard must rest 8 hours before they can prepare spells. However, drasil are not without needs. Though they can eat and drink normally, Drasil have alternatives. If a drasil spends 4 hours in the sun, they do not need to eat for 24 hours. This time need not be consecutive, though most drasil prefer it to be so. Similarly, a drasil can root themselves in the earth for four hours to avoid having to drink for the next 24 hours. Rooting themselves requires a full-round action, and involved burying all four limbs in the soil. While rooted, a drasil cannot move or manipulate objects, but they remain aware of their surroundings, and can speak or perform purely mental actions. A rooted drasil gains a +8 bonus on checks made to resist being bull-rushed or tripped. A drasil can root themselves in any kind of soil except sand or solid stone.
Centralized: Unlike most plants, drasil have developed specialized structures within their bodies. Though these structures are somewhat simplified, they are nonetheless vulnerable. Drasil ARE subject to critical hits. However, when a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a drasil, there is a 50% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated, and damage is instead rolled normally. Similarly, while most plants lack a centralized nervous system, drasil have a vegetable brain that CAN be targeted by mind-affecting spells and abilities. However, they gain a +4 racial bonus against these effects.
Automatic Languages: Common and Drasil. Bonus Languages: Elven, goblin.
Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass drasil’s Barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
LA +1

Veklim
2011-07-12, 09:19 AM
Forget barbarian dude, these guys are druid/monks all the way! Knuckle dragging, high str, con & wis are all nice for monk, as is powerful build. Add to that the bonus for being in natural surroundings and their ability to root (stone to mud and the ilk make this usable just about anywhere) they'd be highly amusing.
You should really just say 50% fortification under the Centralised bit though, save some excess wording!

Admiral Squish
2011-07-12, 10:30 AM
Forget barbarian dude, these guys are druid/monks all the way! Knuckle dragging, high str, con & wis are all nice for monk, as is powerful build. Add to that the bonus for being in natural surroundings and their ability to root (stone to mud and the ilk make this usable just about anywhere) they'd be highly amusing.
You should really just say 50% fortification under the Centralised bit though, save some excess wording!

I wood be able to see druid, though it's hard to beleaf that a creature with this natural strength wood want to wildshape. However, monk, whole it wood certainly work with their abilities, seems like it wood just require too much structured learning.

As for the the 50% fortification, I don't think it's unnecessarily long, and this way I don't send the reader going on a quest to find the exact wording of fortification.

Lappy9000
2011-07-12, 12:39 PM
I very much like this race, but the only question in my mind is why the LA? For sure, it's a balanced LA +1, but you could bring down some of the bonuses numerically, sap on something like an Initiative penalty (for being, well trees) and call it a day.

Also, it's a personal thing, but when you branch out and get bonuses/penalties for every ability score it feels to me like the character is already being written for me.

NeoSeraphi
2011-07-12, 02:16 PM
In my opinion, this is too powerful for an ECL 4 race.

You get a ton of immunities (sleep, poison, all mind-affecting, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning), 2 natural attacks that deal moderate damage, +6 to Str and Con and Powerful Build. At least it's not immune to critical hits, but you still gave it moderate fortification.

To compare another LA +1 race, let's say the Goliath. It's similar. It's Medium sized, with +4 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, and Powerful Build. It doesn't get any immunities and has the humanoid type. It does get some pretty sweet racial levels for barbarian, but that's it.

The racial HD help balance it slightly, but it's basically a 2 level dip to get immunity to everything I just listed and an extra attack per round. This race is too powerful for the LA you've listed.

LOTRfan
2011-07-12, 02:33 PM
A 1st level Drasil would be ECL 4, not three. Personally, I think that these guys are pretty good. I was going to mention that the plant type is usually +2 LA, but it's already stuck with RHD and it loses its immunity to critical hits. Overall, I think that its good, and I might just have to add these to the next campaign I'm planning.

If you want to lower its power level, just in case, though, I'd suggest giving it the (Humanoid Plant) subtype that I mentioned in your thread over in the RPG section. I don't think the power level has to be lowered, though.

radmelon
2011-07-12, 02:41 PM
While the concept and picture are both cool and something I wood want to play, the stat modifiers have to come down. Drop them by ~2-4 and maybe tack on an initiative penalty and it wood work great. Keep up the good work. :smallamused:

Admiral Squish
2011-07-12, 04:02 PM
These opions are branching out in all different directions... I'll try to take comments one-by-one.


I very much like this race, but the only question in my mind is why the LA? For sure, it's a balanced LA +1, but you could bring down some of the bonuses numerically, sap on something like an Initiative penalty (for being, well trees) and call it a day.

Also, it's a personal thing, but when you branch out and get bonuses/penalties for every ability score it feels to me like the character is already being written for me.

I'm glad you like! I'm not honestly sure why I do the LA thing. I think it's just because I've never seen a race with RHD and no LA, and people tend to shout about departures from the norm like that. As for the initiative penalty, I thought the -4 to dex wood be plenty to describe their inherent slowness.

Yeah, I kinda get that feeling too, but the Drasil are the Drasil. The fact remains that they're supposed to be strong, tough, slow, kinda stupid, wise and unapproachable.


In my opinion, this is too powerful for an ECL 4 race.

You get a ton of immunities (sleep, poison, all mind-affecting, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning), 2 natural attacks that deal moderate damage, +6 to Str and Con and Powerful Build. At least it's not immune to critical hits, but you still gave it moderate fortification.

To compare another LA +1 race, let's say the Goliath. It's similar. It's Medium sized, with +4 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, and Powerful Build. It doesn't get any immunities and has the humanoid type. It does get some pretty sweet racial levels for barbarian, but that's it.

The racial HD help balance it slightly, but it's basically a 2 level dip to get immunity to everything I just listed and an extra attack per round. This race is too powerful for the LA you've listed.

I tend to think that it needs to be proportionally more awesome as you get into the higher LA, because it takes a much bigger chunk of your leveling. In summation, (+1 LA) + (+1 LA) =/= (+2 LA).

So, let's carry on with your goliath comparison. Personally, I think the greater ability modifiers are somewhat cancelled out by the similarly increased penalties. Both races come out with a net +4 to stats. As you said, powerful build is a direct translation. Goliaths are actually monstrous humanoids, so they're even on the 'not affected by human-only spells'. Let's call the rooting/sunning thing about even with the goliath's mountain movement. Then we get to the departure. All that's left here is two natural slams, natural armor, and that bundle of immunities.

Now, I can see your point on the immunities. But I'm REALLY reluctant to raise the ECL any further. ECL 4+ is pretty much unplayable. Where would you suggest I make cuts?


A 1st level Drasil would be ECL 4, not three. Personally, I think that these guys are pretty good. I was going to mention that the plant type is usually +2 LA, but it's already stuck with RHD and it loses its immunity to critical hits. Overall, I think that its good, and I might just have to add these to the next campaign I'm planning.

If you want to lower its power level, just in case, though, I'd suggest giving it the (Humanoid Plant) subtype that I mentioned in your thread over in the RPG section. I don't think the power level has to be lowered, though.

So, that's one saying weaker, one saying it's fine...

Yeah, I thought about the subtype, but nah. It kinda defeats the purpose, you know?


While the concept and picture are both cool and something I wood want to play, the stat modifiers have to come down. Drop them by ~2-4 and maybe tack on an initiative penalty and it wood work great. Keep up the good work. :smallamused:

Alright, a second vote for taking it down a bit. Looks like I'll sap some of their strength.

Now, I'm not really sure why people keep bringing up an initiative penalty. I wood think that -4 dex wood be enough to express the tree-ness.

NeoSeraphi
2011-07-12, 04:16 PM
I would keep the immunity to stunning, poison, paralysis, and polymorph (Which is very nice), but cut the immunity to mind-affecting to say...a +4 racial bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting. With the +2 racial to Wisdom, that's a net +5 on all of them, and it would also let the Drasil receive morale bonuses (Like the +2 morale bonus on Will saves that a barbarian's rage provides)

Admiral Squish
2011-07-12, 04:38 PM
I would keep the immunity to stunning, poison, paralysis, and polymorph (Which is very nice), but cut the immunity to mind-affecting to say...a +4 racial bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting. With the +2 racial to Wisdom, that's a net +5 on all of them, and it would also let the Drasil receive morale bonuses (Like the +2 morale bonus on Will saves that a barbarian's rage provides)

Alright, I rolled that into Centralized and bumped down the str/con bonus. How are we looking now?

NeoSeraphi
2011-07-12, 04:41 PM
Much better. I would also (as I think, most odd-looking races get) give them a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear to be a tree in the middle of a forest.

Admiral Squish
2011-07-12, 04:49 PM
Much better. I would also (as I think, most odd-looking races get) give them a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear to be a tree in the middle of a forest.

Well, they do get a +8 to hide checks in wooded or overgrown terrain. Does that work?

Caiphon
2011-07-12, 04:52 PM
I second Neoseraphi with his suggestions, seemed like pretty powerful in the first draft.
Also, you've started a homebrew race mass production company (the dragons, now this) :smallbiggrin: keep it up man! You're doing great!

NeoSeraphi
2011-07-12, 05:07 PM
Well, they do get a +8 to hide checks in wooded or overgrown terrain. Does that work?

Well..I think they work a little differently, I mean, the Hide checks are because of natural camoflauge, while the Disguise checks are because you look like a tree. (You also have less of a Charisma penalty than you do a Dexterity penalty, and it opens up different roleplay options, which are always good)

Disguise is less abusable than Hide (I certainly wouldn't let a Disguise check permit things like Sneak Attack except for when the target was actually flat-footed, and besides, if the tree is holding a weapon, it's clearly not a tree.) so I really don't see a problem adding a circumstantial Disguise bonus. But hey, it's your race. I like it. Treefolk didn't get enough options in the Monster Manual.

Admiral Squish
2011-07-12, 07:01 PM
I second Neoseraphi with his suggestions, seemed like pretty powerful in the first draft.
Also, you've started a homebrew race mass production company (the dragons, now this) :smallbiggrin: keep it up man! You're doing great!

Actually, next up is a bunch of weapons. Right now I'm trying to finish off all the half-started projects I've got on my computer.


Well..I think they work a little differently, I mean, the Hide checks are because of natural camoflauge, while the Disguise checks are because you look like a tree. (You also have less of a Charisma penalty than you do a Dexterity penalty, and it opens up different roleplay options, which are always good)

Disguise is less abusable than Hide (I certainly wouldn't let a Disguise check permit things like Sneak Attack except for when the target was actually flat-footed, and besides, if the tree is holding a weapon, it's clearly not a tree.) so I really don't see a problem adding a circumstantial Disguise bonus. But hey, it's your race. I like it. Treefolk didn't get enough options in the Monster Manual.

I beleaf you have a point. I'll see if I can work something out.

Veklim
2011-07-13, 01:46 PM
These guys are going straight into my setting, I have the group headed towards an ancient forest as we speak so I'll have feedback for you in about 3 weeks!

Nopraptor
2011-07-13, 03:33 PM
wont these guys make incredibley over powered martial charecters? they can ignore the heavy AC loss from the dex penelty by wearing heavy armor as well as relying upon their natural armor bonus, also they will inflict massive damage, and be able to take massive damage without blinking usin their enhanced Con...

I love the race, dont get me wrong, but to me it feels extremely exploitable...

Admiral Squish
2011-07-13, 03:55 PM
These guys are going straight into my setting, I have the group headed towards an ancient forest as we speak so I'll have feedback for you in about 3 weeks!

Now that you mention that, this might work into a game I'm running... Surprised I hadn't thought of that. But yes, I look forward to hearing from you about how it went!


wont these guys make incredibley over powered martial charecters? they can ignore the heavy AC loss from the dex penelty by wearing heavy armor as well as relying upon their natural armor bonus, also they will inflict massive damage, and be able to take massive damage without blinking usin their enhanced Con...

I love the race, dont get me wrong, but to me it feels extremely exploitable...

Well, first off, you rarely have to worry about martial characters being overpowered. As for the rest of your concerns, that's why they have the LA and RHD. You're not supposed to play these guys at first level. You would only be able to play a drasil at 3rd level, and it would only be able to take it's first class level at 4th.