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Morph Bark
2011-09-11, 12:54 PM
I wanted to make a race with as many subtypes as possible while also going against a few basic conventions (other than having as many subtypes as possible), so here is one.





Deadmind Dragonsoul Ragewarder

A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder appears as a roughly three-foot tall creature with a basic humanoid shape with a body that seems to be made out of rotten wood. Sustained by a link to the Negative Energy Plane, its beady eyes yet glow an eerie blue. Employed as footsoldiers by the Bureau for the Guidance of Souls, they are the lowest in rung of the psychopomps, travelling the planes to sites of war where they guide the restless spirits that remain behind to their rightful resting plane.

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DEADMIND DRAGONSOUL RAGEWARDER RACIAL TRAITS

Abilities: +2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Wis.

Type: Construct (dragonblood, incarnum, living construct, planetouched, psionic).

Size: Small size.

Speed: Deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder base land speed is 20 feet. It has a climb and swim speed of 20 ft and a burrow speed of 5 ft.

Frail Strength: A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder is frail, but strong for its size. It gains 1 hit point per HD less than normal (minimum 1 per HD), but it has the Powerful Build ability, allowing it to function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder 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 deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to it. A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder 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 it. A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, its 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.

Deadmind: The deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder gains Wild Talent as a bonus feat, granting him 2 power points. He can use his power points for the following abilities.

Psychopomp (Su): As a full-round action, spend 2 power points to make a melee touch attack against an extraplanar creature or incorporeal undead. If the target is willing, they are instantly sent to their home plane or, in case of incorporeal undead, instantly destroyed and their soul sent to the plane where it properly belongs. If they are unwilling, nothing happens.

Resilience (Su): As an immediate action, spend 1 power point to gain a +2 bonus on a save against a mind-affecting effect, polymorph, stunning, a death effect, a necromancy effect, ability drain or ability damage.

Toughness (Su): As a standard action, spend 1 power point to gain 5 temporary hit points for 1 hour or until they are gone.
Dead Body: A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder’s body is made from rotting wood made resilient and given back a semblance of life through negative energy. It gains Tomb-Tainted Soul as a bonus feat. However, it’s also vulnerable to fire, taking half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from the effect, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or a failure.

Dragonsoul: The deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder gains Dragontouched and Bonus Essentia as bonus feats, granting him 1 essentia (or 2 if he can shape soulmelds). He can use his essentia for the following abilities.

Adapting Dragon (Su): If a deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder invests essentia in this ability, it gains short-lasting resistances against types of damage it’s dealt. If it’s dealt any kind of energy damage, it gains resistance to that type of energy equal to five times the amount of essentia invested for 1 round. If it receives damage of multiple different types of energy during the same round, it gains resistance to all the types it received damage of. It also gains damage reduction X/adamantine for 1 round after it takes any amount of weapon damage, where X is equal to the amount of essentia invested in this ability.

Digger (Su): A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder’s burrow speed increases by 5 ft per 2 points of essentia invested in this ability.
Gliding (Ex): A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder can use its leaf-like wings to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Deadmind dragonsoul ragewarders glide at a speed of 20 feet (average maneuverability). Even if a deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder’s maneuverability improves, it can't hover while gliding. A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder can’t glide while carrying a medium or heavy load. If a deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, its wings naturally unfurl and slowly make it drift downwards in a tight corkscrew so that it takes only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter the actual distance of the fall.

Flight (Ex): When a deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder reaches 6 Hit Dice, it becomes able to fly at a speed of 20 feet (average maneuverability). A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder can’t fly while carrying a medium or heavy load or while fatigued or exhausted. Deadmind dragonsoul ragewarders can safely fly for a number of rounds equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round). They can exert themselves to fly for up to twice as long, but then they're fatigued at the end of the flight. Deadmind dragonsoul ragewarders are likewise fatigued after spending a total of more than 10 minutes per day flying. Because deadmind dragonsoul ragewarders can glide before, after, and between rounds of actual flight, they can remain aloft for extended periods (even if they can only use flight for 1 round at a time without becoming fatigued).
When they reach 10 Hit Dice, deadmind dragonsoul ragewarders have enough stamina and prowess to fly for longer periods. They can fly at a speed of 20 feet (average maneuverability), and flying requires no more exertion than walking or running. A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder with flight can make a dive attack. A dive attack works like a charge, but the deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder must move a minimum of 30 feet and descend at least 10 feet. A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder can make a dive attack only when wielding a piercing weapon; if the attack hits, it deals double damage. A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder with flight can use the run action while flying, provided it flies in a straight line.

Skills: A deadmind dragonsoul ragewarder has a +8 bonus on Climb and Swim checks and can take 10 on checks with these skills even when distracted or threatened. They also have a +2 bonus on Perform (dance) checks. Also, Truespeak is considered a class skill for them.

Automatic Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic and Infernal. Deadmind dragonsoul ragewarders aren’t very smart, but they are expert linguists throughout the planes.

Bonus Languages: Any.

Favored Class: Incarnate or Dragonfire Adept.

Level Adjustment: +2.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2011-09-11, 01:10 PM
...I feel like I'm at some sort of strange racial potluck event, filling a plate with bits of warforged, elan, raptoran, and a smattering of everything else that looks delicious.

That said, I can't really say it's badly done, although I'm not sure it deserves a +2 LA. It's some bizarre point between +1 and +2, but not really entirely either.

Honestly, I'm just not sure what to make of this. I don't really like the flavor or the concept (No offense meant: it just seems TO mis-matched, rather than carefully and intentionally mis-matched, and I don't like that), but, at the same time, it's strangely intriguing. Which I guess makes it a success, even if I personally would never use it.

So my conclusion? The balance is hard to judge just 'cause it's so complicated, but, all in all...well done. And that's something I never thought I'd say to a race this confused. :smallbiggrin:

Morph Bark
2011-09-11, 02:11 PM
I'll fully admit to you that in this particular case I went with mechanics first, fluff second. And when you do that, you tend to get horrible fluff, which is why I normally never do that with races and with only very basic mechanics for classes, such as with my Hemoscribe's "getting stronger/more resources as the day progresses instead of weaker".

Honestly, the psychopomp bit was just tacked on just to make a basic justification to the rest of the fluff, because otherwise it seemed to be more like a magical experiment gone awry. Hence also why the Psychopomp ability only works on willing targets, making it weak and useable only once per day, because otherwise it'd be like dismissal, a fourth-level spell/power, which for LA+2 is too far out. I thought of making the save lower by 4, but that might make it useless. If the fluff gets altered I'll definitely be throwing that out first thing.

As for the LA, I tried to go for LA+2, but if it is too weak for that... I could go back to how it was more like originally, without the Digger ability and its burrow speed simply at 10 ft, no Int penalty and +2 Wis and +2 Cha.


So my conclusion? The balance is hard to judge just 'cause it's so complicated, but, all in all...well done. And that's something I never thought I'd say to a race this confused. :smallbiggrin:

In that case, I'll yet consider this a compliment and the race an accomplishment. :smallbiggrin: