urRu and Skesis Homebrew in Pathfinder

[Prehysterical]

All right, you experienced Pathfinder people, I could use your opinion on something.

This is my first time using the Race Builder from ARG and I might need some help trimming the fat.

If any of you have seen the movie The Dark Crystal, then you know about the urRu, or "Mystics", and the Skeksis. Given that they are two halves of extremely powerful extraterrestrials, I thought I would give them some extra stuff, but I am beginning to wonder if I went a bit overboard.

I'm not asking you to tone it done to where it would work in a first level party. That's just not gonna happen. Instead, please let me know if any of these don't fit so I can do away with them. I have also made a point of balancing the two races so neither is more powerful. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

urRu
Outsider (native)
3 RP
Medium
0 RP
Slow speed
-1 RP
Advanced ability scores : -2 STR, +4 CON, +2 INT, +2 WIS, +2 CHA
4 RP
Standard languages
0 RP
Advanced Wisdom
4 RP
------------------------------
Fearless
1 RP
Healthy
2 RP
Stability
1 RP
Stubborn
2 RP
--------------------------
Focused Study
4 RP
Shards of the Past
4 RP
Skill bonus (Survival)
2 RP
Skill bonus (Perception)
2 RP
Skill bonus (Heal)
2 RP
Multi-armed
8 RP
Total RP: 38

Skeksis
Outsider (native)
3 RP
Medium
0 RP
Slow speed
-1 RP
Advanced ability scores : -2 CON, +4 STR, +2 INT, +2 WIS, +2 CHA
4 RP
Standard Languages
0 RP
Advanced Intelligence
4 RP
-----------------------------
Cornered Fury
4 RP
Unnatural
2 RP
---------------------------
Focused Study
4 RP
Shards of the Past
4 RP
Beguiling Liar
2 RP
Silver Tongued
3 RP
Urbanite
1 RP
----------------------------
Claws
2 RP
Frightful Gaze
6 RP
Total RP: 38

EDIT: This thread is for racial bonus balancing only. Once I have been given a general idea of where these modifiers are at, I will post a thread in the Homebrew section in a complete entry.

[jjcrpntr]

I'd give the skesis less charisma. I know intimidate comes off charisma but really their thing is more about either outsmarting each other or just using brute force to get what they want.

On a side note, bra fricking vo for venturing into Dark Crystal territory. I'd love to play in a campaign like that. One of my favorite movies growing up (still have a soft spot for it).

Now, challenge, stat out fizzgig, and the giant riding rabbits.

[Prehysterical]

I'd give the skesis less charisma. I know intimidate comes off charisma but really their thing is more about either outsmarting each other or just using brute force to get what they want.

On a side note, bra fricking vo for venturing into Dark Crystal territory. I'd love to play in a campaign like that. One of my favorite movies growing up (still have a soft spot for it).

Now, challenge, stat out fizzgig, and the giant riding rabbits.

The thing is, though, that if you examine the lore before the events of the film, the Skeksis were very out-going and persuasive with the other races. I've also been of the opinion that Skeksis typically have a stronger force of personality than urRu.

When I have some time, I'll see if I can stat those, and perhaps even Garthim constructs.

Thanks for the input. :smallsmile:

[Broken Crown]

First of all, I'd like to state that this is a great idea.

I notice that you haven't given them any modifiers to Dexterity. I would think that a substantial DEX penalty would be appropriate for the urRu, who don't seem to be able to do much beyond hobble around slowly. Maybe put the -2 penalty into DEX instead of STR?

I would personally give the Skeksis a smaller bonus to WIS. (Maybe even a penalty?) "Clever, but not wise" is a big part of their theme. Possibly give the urRu less CHA, as you suggested. There's no way to buy a penalty to an ability score in the Race Builder, though.

Are you planning on retaining the "two sides of the same person" aspect? Something like a permanent, two-way Shield Other (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/shield-other) effect might be appropriate. But again, that's not in the Race Builder.

Assuming the puppets are "life-size," I'd consider whether the urRu might be Large. They're pretty tall when they stand fully upright at the end of the film, and they do take up a lot of space (especially with those long tails). Kind of a borderline case; I can see it going either way. This would add to the point cost, though, so you'd have to balance it somewhere else.

Speaking of which, I wonder whether some of the abilities are really necessary. The Skeksis do have claw-like fingernails, but don't seem to use them to make attacks. (The High Priest uses a knife.) The "Stubborn" ability is thematically appropriate for the urRu, but isn't really supported by anything in the film. Likewise, I get the feeling that the skill bonuses are just there to balance the point totals.

Some kind of non-damaging sonic attack, like the "Terrifying Croak" ability, might be appropriate for the urRu, instead.

Again, great idea, and I like what you've done so far. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Prehysterical]

Those are some good points, Crown. I've altered their stat modifers accordingly. When I do decide to institute this as homebrew, I will definitely include the Shield Other effect. I will even make it so that antimagic fields can't overcome it. I used to think urRu were big, but then I have seen photos of the puppets of both races and realized that they weren't as big as the films led us to believe. I've come to the conclusion that Gelflings are about the size of a halfling from this scale.

I've decided to swap out the Skeksis claws for Weapon Familiarity (they had to learn to use those massive blades from somewhere). Stubbornness is actually a big part of the urRu mindset, as they refuse to change their ways despite coming doom. It's hard to change their minds, but once they are set on something nothing can really stop them. I actually did consider Terrifying Croak, but didn't know if it would fit thematically. Looking through it, however, it does go well with their powerful voices and is also mechanically useful. Also, I would be lying if I said that the skill bonuses weren't for balancing. I am keeping the Survival bonus, however. Here's the new line-up, now with less superfluous crap! Feel free to comment on anything else you can think of.

urRu
Outsider (native)
3 RP
Medium
0 RP
Slow speed
-1 RP
Specialized: -2 DEX, +2 INT, +2 WIS
1 RP
Standard languages
0 RP
Advanced Wisdom
4 RP
------------------------------
Fearless
1 RP
Stability
1 RP
Stubborn
2 RP
--------------------------
Focused Study
4 RP
Shards of the Past
4 RP
Skill bonus (Survival)
2 RP
--------------------------
Terrifying Croak
2 RP
Multi-armed
8 RP
Total RP: 31

Skeksis
Outsider (native)
3 RP
Medium
0 RP
Slow speed
-1 RP
Specialized: -2 CON, +2 INT, +2 CHA
1 RP
Standard Languages
0 RP
Advanced Intelligence
4 RP
-----------------------------
Cornered Fury
4 RP
---------------------------
Focused Study
4 RP
Shards of the Past
4 RP
Beguiling Liar
2 RP
Silver Tongued
3 RP
-------------------------
Weapon Familiarity (Khopesh and sawtooth sabre)
1 RP
Frightful Gaze
6 RP
Total RP: 31

[grarrrg]

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