EdroGrimshell
2012-01-22, 11:49 PM
I had an interesting idea a while back when i needed to fill in a level for a character and couldn't find any class or template that fit, so i asked if i could take another race and add it to my current race for a +1 LA.
So i got to like the idea and thought it'd be interesting to try using that and adapting it to any racial combination, including those with RHD and existing LA. It's fairly simple really but it makes the entire idea work and makes for rather interesting ideas.
So without further ado, Gestalt Races.
The most basic version is combining two LA 0 races to make an LA +1 race. The combination gains all the bonuses and penalties of both races and looks like a combination of the two races.
However, a problem came when I thought about races like the Killoren, Elan, and Warforged fused with more standard humanoids or each other, the easy way out would be to use the non-humanoid component or just make them monstrous humanoids, but it doesn't seem to fit... so i went with an idea of different combinations having different results, for example:
{table=head]Type 1|Type 2|Resulting Type
Humanoid|Humanoid|Monstrous Humanoid
Humanoid|Aberration|Monstrous Humanoid or Aberration
Humanoid|Construct|Construct
Humanoid|Fey|Fey or Monstrous Humanoid
Fey|Aberration|Fey or Aberration[/table]
This seems to work fairly well for the most part, but this is by no means complete or fixed, the DM can decide certain combinations don't fit the specifics.
Now, the resulting race would have all the racial features of both sides of the combination, racial bonuses, penalties, and abilities, however, ones that are incompatable will show up at one point, which is generally up to the DM. However, racial bonuses and penalties would stack, meaning an Elf/Dwarf hybrid would have the +2 Dex of the elf and the -2 penalty of the Dwarf while the Con bonus and penalty cancel each other out.
The result would count as both races where it'd be beneficial. So the above elf/dwarf would be immune to the ghouls paralysis, could take PrC, feats, and use magic items that are dwarf and/or elf only.
Then there is the size problem that Amechra brought to my attention, a mix of creatures of the same size is simple, it's the same size as both creatures. However, it becomes more complicated for fusing creatures of a smaller or larger size. A small creature with a medium creature would be either small or medium with powerful or slight build respectively. GMs may rule that certain combinations are a certain size instead, but this gives a good base.
The result may be more powerful than LA +1, in which case the DM is free to give the result a higher LA.
Now, higher LA races are just as easy to work with, the LA of the two are added together with LA 0 races being counted as LA +0.5 for the first two and +1 for each race added beyond the first two. The DM can rule certain combinations are worth more than the combined LA of the races. A race with one LA +0 race and one with a higher LA is rounded up, so a catfolk/human would be an LA +2.
The real problem comes when RHD are introduced. The option i have is that the race uses the highest RHD of the component races and uses the combined LA of both races as normal. Simple and it works. Again, the DM may rule that certain combinations are too powerful or may impose an additional +1 LA simply for the RHD, though some, who often see RHD as a detriment, may reduce the LA or remove some of the penalties.
Another problem is the Favored Class. And again, the solution is rather simple, the one with the highest number of levels out of the favored classes is the current favored class.
Next on the list was using more than two races, it'd follow the same rules as just using two races, combining the LA of all the combined races. Again, the DM may rule otherwise in certain situations since it could get rather ridiculous very quickly.
Finally is the openning of new PrC combinations. This is intentional, being able to combine racial PrCs from various races would make for interesting combinations and can work with this system, however, it does open up the path for some broken combinations, so the DM and Players should moniter this so a scenario like that does not occur.
So, fellow playgrounders, what do you think?
So i got to like the idea and thought it'd be interesting to try using that and adapting it to any racial combination, including those with RHD and existing LA. It's fairly simple really but it makes the entire idea work and makes for rather interesting ideas.
So without further ado, Gestalt Races.
The most basic version is combining two LA 0 races to make an LA +1 race. The combination gains all the bonuses and penalties of both races and looks like a combination of the two races.
However, a problem came when I thought about races like the Killoren, Elan, and Warforged fused with more standard humanoids or each other, the easy way out would be to use the non-humanoid component or just make them monstrous humanoids, but it doesn't seem to fit... so i went with an idea of different combinations having different results, for example:
{table=head]Type 1|Type 2|Resulting Type
Humanoid|Humanoid|Monstrous Humanoid
Humanoid|Aberration|Monstrous Humanoid or Aberration
Humanoid|Construct|Construct
Humanoid|Fey|Fey or Monstrous Humanoid
Fey|Aberration|Fey or Aberration[/table]
This seems to work fairly well for the most part, but this is by no means complete or fixed, the DM can decide certain combinations don't fit the specifics.
Now, the resulting race would have all the racial features of both sides of the combination, racial bonuses, penalties, and abilities, however, ones that are incompatable will show up at one point, which is generally up to the DM. However, racial bonuses and penalties would stack, meaning an Elf/Dwarf hybrid would have the +2 Dex of the elf and the -2 penalty of the Dwarf while the Con bonus and penalty cancel each other out.
The result would count as both races where it'd be beneficial. So the above elf/dwarf would be immune to the ghouls paralysis, could take PrC, feats, and use magic items that are dwarf and/or elf only.
Then there is the size problem that Amechra brought to my attention, a mix of creatures of the same size is simple, it's the same size as both creatures. However, it becomes more complicated for fusing creatures of a smaller or larger size. A small creature with a medium creature would be either small or medium with powerful or slight build respectively. GMs may rule that certain combinations are a certain size instead, but this gives a good base.
The result may be more powerful than LA +1, in which case the DM is free to give the result a higher LA.
Now, higher LA races are just as easy to work with, the LA of the two are added together with LA 0 races being counted as LA +0.5 for the first two and +1 for each race added beyond the first two. The DM can rule certain combinations are worth more than the combined LA of the races. A race with one LA +0 race and one with a higher LA is rounded up, so a catfolk/human would be an LA +2.
The real problem comes when RHD are introduced. The option i have is that the race uses the highest RHD of the component races and uses the combined LA of both races as normal. Simple and it works. Again, the DM may rule that certain combinations are too powerful or may impose an additional +1 LA simply for the RHD, though some, who often see RHD as a detriment, may reduce the LA or remove some of the penalties.
Another problem is the Favored Class. And again, the solution is rather simple, the one with the highest number of levels out of the favored classes is the current favored class.
Next on the list was using more than two races, it'd follow the same rules as just using two races, combining the LA of all the combined races. Again, the DM may rule otherwise in certain situations since it could get rather ridiculous very quickly.
Finally is the openning of new PrC combinations. This is intentional, being able to combine racial PrCs from various races would make for interesting combinations and can work with this system, however, it does open up the path for some broken combinations, so the DM and Players should moniter this so a scenario like that does not occur.
So, fellow playgrounders, what do you think?