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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other New Race: Dark Halfling "Darkling". Feel free to critique.



Larzzral
2014-08-24, 08:40 PM
I will be starting to post more of a setting I am working on to receive evaluations and just generally have it all online to reference to people, and one of my created races is the Darkling. It'll be a little different for what my setting will be, but I decided I liked them enough to stat them out for a normal game. Mostly I want to know if everything understandable, sometimes I have trouble explaining my thoughts. Do they need more information? Are their power and abilities on par with other races? Too much? Too little? Would you use them in your world? Things like that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!


Dark Halfing - "Darkling"

"Leave no survivors, leave no remains, leave no trace. We were never here." -Darkling Strike Captain
"Predictability is death. Even worse. If you hated your neighbor yesterday. Love him today. Or not. He should not know what you will say or do to him today when he wakes. Neither should you." -Darkling Cleric

Description
Darklings are a quick and clever race of the underdark. They are to halflings what the deurgar, drow and svirneblin are to the dwarf, elf and gnome, respectively. They live in unused and hidden pockets throughout the underdark, making small, unassuming villages wherever other creatures of the realm are unable to gather. Their villages are often unassuming, barely detectable by someone who should accidentally come across one and with their ability to meld into stone, a village can often disappear extremely quickly should that happen.

Darklings are scavengers through and through. Being small and generally weak, they will often eat already dead creatures they find, including other humanoids, though never their own dead and mushrooms most denizens of the underdark would find poisonous. They isolate themselves from other races and rarely trade with any. Most don't even know they exist. Their scavenged tools are from a wide variety of tools. A tradesman is just as likely to have a hammer made from enchanted metal from a fallen adventurer or one made from a bone, shell or scale from a fallen creature.

Darklings emphasize chaos in its truest sense. Most are chaotic neutral, though some may be chaotic evil. Unlike the drow, a darkling doesn't revel in wanton death and destruction, as sometimes allowing target to live in fear can bring more chaos than outright slaying it. Their killing is generally done out of neccessity for survival than enjoyment. Their clerics, though few, generally worship Lolth, though some worship Ghaunadaur. Other deities that encourage chaos may be worshipped occasionally, but are rare.

Physical Description
Darklings are similar height and slightly thinner than a normal halfling. Their skin is anywhere from a dark brown to grey to ebony, their hair equally dark. They have brown or black eyes. Darklings don't grow facial hair. They were dark, muted tones that allow them to blend in with the surrounding stone.

Combat
Racial Traits
+4 Dexterity, -2 Strength -2 Wisdom: Darklings are quick, agile, but they are small and therefore not as strong as other humanoids and their chaotic nature makes them less insightful than other racers.
Small: As a Small creature, a darkling gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
Darkling base land speed is 20 feet.
+2 racial bonus on Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand and Survival checks: Darklings can escape easily, enjoy concealing weapons and extremely adaptable.
+2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear. Darklings nature makes them just as likely to run towards danger than away from it.
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls with a thrown weapon and slings: Daggers, darts and punching daggers. Darklings enjoy small, easily conceal weapons.
-2 racial penalty on Search and Spot checks: Darklings rely on tremorsense and meld into stone abilty, causing their need for their eyesight to be slightly diminished.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Tremorsense out to 60 feet.
Spell-Like Abilities: Darkling can use the following spelllike ability once per day: meld into stone. Caster level equals the darkling's class level.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds darklings for 1 round. In addition, they take a -1 circumstance penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks when in bright light.
Toxin Immunity: Darklings are immune to all absorbed, ingested and inhaled toxins. They also recieve a +4 racial bonus against any poison entering their body by other means. (Such as a weapon strike)
Favored Class: Rogue. A multiclass halfling's rogue class does not count when determining whether she take an experience point penalty for multiclassing (see XP for Multiclass Characters in the Player's Handbook, p. 60).
Level Adjustment: +1

gr8artist
2014-08-24, 10:24 PM
Even in an ECL 3 party, this looks a little weak. And it's really looking underpowered when you're two levels behind the 20th level caster in your group.
I'm not as familiar with 3.5, being a Pathfinder junkie myself, but I'd suggest giving them scaling abilities and a lower LA.
Also, mechanically, they're basically halflings with tremorsense and an overpowered SLA (take away the immediate action, that's just silly).
I know the Darklands are notoriously similar to the topside, but you have to get about 2/3 of the way down this race before you see anything that's not just standard halfling.
I like the idea, but I think you should add a little more "oomph" to it.

Also, obligatory PF Dark Folk references: Stalker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/dark-stalker), Caller (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/dark-caller), Creeper (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/dark-creeper), Slayer (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/dark-slayer).

atemu1234
2014-08-24, 10:50 PM
The wisdom penalty kind of kills it, but maybe if your remove the strength penalty it'd be pretty good actually.