Awakened Animal Campaign

[Kuulvheysoon]

Playgrounders;

My group is taking a break from their normal campaign while their Artificer and Cleric create items. So they've asked me to create a completely different sort of campaign for a pair of sessions while they figure out what they want to craft and generally take a break.

I watched the entire Lion King series with my niece the other day, and it hit me.

Awakened animal campaign. Lower the restriction on Natural Spell (or remove spellcasters entirely) and consider banning ToB.

Any ideas on how to assign LA to these animals? I couldn't remember anything offhand, and I'm AFB at the moment.

[Palanan]

That is an awesome idea for a mini-campaign.

You need a langur with dextrous fingers, so he can be a...yes, a skillmonkey.



*runs away from everyone*

[Grinner]

I get the impression LA is often assigned by trial-and-error or simple guesswork. However, I have come across this loose system (http://csserver.evansville.edu/~jc84/DD3/Monster_ECL.htm) for assigning LA.

[deuxhero]

I get the impression LA is often assigned by throwing darts at a board.

[tyckspoon]

For most character types, being an Awakened animal (with the associated 2 extra racial HD it lumps onto the animal, so you have a minimum ECL of 3 right there) sucks bad enough already that they don't really need any further LA.

[Palanan]

Which animals are you thinking of using? Directly inspired from The Lion King, or a random group?

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'm thinking of limiting them to 4/5HD and advancing the ones with less, just to give them more options. I've already got the BBEG planned out; a Dire Lion Blackguard named Scar I mean Darkclaw.

[Coidzor]

Awakened animal campaign. Lower the restriction on Natural Spell (or remove spellcasters entirely) and consider banning ToB.

Why?


Any ideas on how to assign LA to these animals? I couldn't remember anything offhand, and I'm AFB at the moment.

I'd say between 0 and 1 for most animals, given their RHD.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I've been considering banning ToB simply for the fact that only one player has any experience with it (and he's a minmaxer...) and the rest of the group is pretty low-op. That, and they all agreed to stick to melee classes for the most part (There's one player who's trying to find an animal with a decent ranged attack), so the one ToB player would completely overshadow the rest.

Animals used are either all 'traditional' animals that you could find in an Africa-type setting or anything that can be reasonably argued to have found their way there (no Frostburn, for example, but I could see Sandstorm happening).

[Coidzor]

It sound like this is the perfect excuse to have a ToB game (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134088), really. And if he's truly a minmaxer, all the better, you can put his brain to work for you. :smallwink:

It multiclasses really well (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2030.0), so even just a splash (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55600) is great. Or go all out and bring in a bunch of new, relatively straightforward and simple base classes. (http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/201032-martial-compendium.html)

Besides, you could probably even have some fun with it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Animals) Animals and martial arts having some connections and all.

[Kuulvheysoon]

It sound like this is the perfect excuse to have a ToB game (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134088), really. And if he's truly a minmaxer, all the better, you can put his brain to work for you. :smallwink:

It multiclasses really well (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2030.0), so even just a splash (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55600) is great. Or go all out and bring in a bunch of new, relatively straightforward and simple base classes. (http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/201032-martial-compendium.html)

Besides, you could probably even have some fun with it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Animals) Animals and martial arts having some connections and all.

I probably would introduce this as an opportunity to teach the others the Holy Scriptures of the Bo9S, but this is only a two-shot.

If it was a longer campaign, I would definitely allow them; probably even encourage them. But this is going to be different enough already (no real weapons, armor will be... interesting), so I don't think that they need to learn 2 whole new systems.

[thorr-kan]

If you've got a bit of cash, check the Noble Animals line on the Paizo or e23.sjgames.com website.

[nedz]

Are you going to have a monkey monk ?
A Lion Loin Totum Barbarian ?
And a Bear Druid ?

Can awakened animal druids wild shape into humans ?
Possibly not I guess.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Are you going to have a monkey monk ?
A Lion Loin Totum Barbarian ?
And a Bear Druid ?

Can awakened animal druids wild shape into humans ?
Possibly not I guess.

Nope, but it looks like I'll be having a Dire Armadillo Monk. Yeah.

[FearlessGnome]

I get the impression LA is often assigned by throwing darts at a board.

Someone needs aiming lessons. :smallannoyed:

The Sneaky one must play a Swindlespitter dinosaur from Monster Manual 3. I have one for an animal companion, and it's a better thief than the rogue is.

[Sir Augusta]

Hmmm, this sounds like a really cool idea for a short campaign. I might see if my group will do this sometime. I'd probably play a wolf ranger or something, with tracking and scent :smallcool:

[Hiro Protagonest]

It sound like this is the perfect excuse to have a ToB game (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134088), really. And if he's truly a minmaxer, all the better, you can put his brain to work for you. :smallwink:

This one's better. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205213)