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View Full Version : Pathfinder Houpetor [Hidden Dragons][Race+ LOTS of feats]



Admiral Squish
2014-09-12, 01:05 PM
Houpetor (Hidden)

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/2800000/jake-long-american-dragon-jake-long-2879881-300-399.jpg


The houpetor, a draconic word for 'hidden', are a very secretive race of dragonblooded that live among humanoids. In an ancient age, in a land where dragons were hunted nearly to extinction, the dragons began to hide themselves, first as simple humanoids in the wild, then among the humanoids themselves. But when the dragon hunters began to seek them out with divination, they knew their simple disguises would not hold to such scrutiny. A ritual was developed, one that made the human disguise seem their true form. And as dragons are wont to do, they mated with the humanoids they lived among. Over generations, this secretive draconic nature spread through the populations, the power of the dragons sleeping in the blood of their children, their children's children. In modern times, these sleeping dragonkin are known as houpetor, and they are widespread through almost every humanoid civilization. Some keep their nature hidden, others proudly advertise their dragon blood, and some are entirely unaware of what slumbers within them.

Personality: Houpetor personalities are widely varied, as widely varied as their humanoid forms can be. Typically, their personalities have more in common with those of the race they are disguised as than other houpetor, but there are a few common traits to be found, even among widely differing races. Most houpetor are at least a bit secretive, accustomed to keeping the truth out of sight. Even those who do not deny their dragon blood will usually avoid putting it out in the open where they can. Houpetor are generally charismatic and somewhat regal, and many can be found in leadership positions. Many houpetor families are noble houses or families of wealthy merchants. Most houpetor will trust a few very close friends and allies with their secret.
Physical Description: Houpetor may look almost exactly like humans, but that's not to say they are unremarkable. They are often physically strong and attractive, a potent combination. It's also common for them to have traits that are uncommon among the local humanoid populations, such as slightly fairer or darker skin than usual, unusually-colored eyes, or some other distinctive trait. Nothing dramatically inhuman, just enough to make them stand out a bit. These traits come from their draconic ancestor's disguises, many choosing to appear as foreigners when they first entered society, as to help disguise their unfamiliarity with humanoid culture. When they activate houpetor feats, the draconic traits they take on match their draconic ancestor's, with scales of the same shade or features resembling that dragon type in some other way. Houpetor have lifespans similar to those humanoids they emulate, but as much as half again as long. Most will off-handedly thanks some distant elven ancestor when their slow aging is pointed out.
Relations: Houpetor were once actively hunted in humanoid societies. Traditions of secrecy and subtlety were born out of these dark times, and even in today's often more accepting age, they can be hard to break away from. Most modern societies won't hunt them down or raise mobs against them, but the unusual is still often met with undue scrutiny and discrimination by most humanoids. True dragons view the houpetor as the bastard children of cowards who abandoned their nature in times of strife. At best, they are no better than the other humanoids, at worst, the dragons will seek to erase the products of that embarrassing age from the world. The exception being those dragons who founded the houptor lines, some of whom still keep close watch over their distant progeny.
Alignment: Houpetor are more likely to be one of the extreme alignments than neutral, most having gained a strong moral compass from their draconic heritage. They are also a bit more likely to be lawful than chaotic, as the traditions of secrecy that kept them alive did not come as easy to their chaotic kin.

LNC
G20515
N1055
E20515
Lands: Houpetor have no lands of their own, being part of the humanoid cultures that have spread so far and wide. Some more powerful families may own land or even rule cities, but most dwell among the people. The families are as varied as their ancestors. Some are studious record-keepers, able to trace their lineage back through the ages to their draconic ancestor, some even keeping in contact with the founding wyrm. Some are only vaguely aware of their draconic nature, simply knowing somewhere along the line there was a dragon and the rules to abide and teach their offspring. Others have long-forgotten, or were never told their nature, until some accident or event reveals the truth of their heritage. Whatever the case, the families usually keep their ancestry hidden from the world at large, and rarely draw unneccesary attention to themselves.
Religion: Some houpetor families, more proud of their dragon ancestry, may revere Io, Tiamat, or other draconic deities, but such faiths are almost always hidden beneath the trappings of the more conventional religions of the race they live among. Many houpetor houses of draconic faith will have holy symbols or idols of humanoid gods casually displayed, while their true shrines and idols are hidden, stowed in drawers, tucked away in cellars, or even hidden in some secret compartment.
Language: Houpetor speak common and the languages spoken by the humanoids they live among. Most will know a few words of phrases of draconic, terms used among the family when they're alone, but it's rarely spoken freely in such houses. Most fear that speaking the tongue will draw too much attention to their unusual traits and clever neighbors may put two and two together. Many will eventually seek out and learn the language of the wyrms, in an effort to connect to their heritage.
Names: Houpetor names are typically common to their humanoid races, sometimes painfully common. Anything that avoids drawing unusual attention, after all. Those who are proud of their hidden heritage will choose fully draconic names for themselves when they come of age.
Adventurers: Houpetor very often become adventurers, particularly as young adults, as that is often when their true nature is revealed. The isolated lifestyle allows them to relax their need for privacy, and adventurers have a tendency to accept even the strangest of companions, as long as they continue to prove useful and trustworthy. Houpetor often enter physical classes, such as fighter or barbarian, capitalizing on their strength. Others embrace their draconic heritage for the arcane, becoming sorcerors or dragon disciples.

+2 Strength, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity Houpetor are as strong in body and personality as their draconic parentage, but they can be slow to react.
Humanoid Houpetor are humanoid creatures with the Dragonblood Subtype.
Medium Size Houpetor are medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties based on size.
Normal Speed Houpetor have a base speed of 30 feet.
Humanoid Form Houpetor look, to all outward appearances, like perfectly normal examples of a humanoid race. They are born in this form, live in this form, and many live as one of these races, until their true nature is revealed by a parent, ancestor, or even by some accident that reveals their energy resistance or causes them to subconsciously activate a houpetor feat. This appearance is not an illusion or disguise, they are, for all purposes, a member of that race. When making a houpetor character, select one medium-sized humanoid race. They are treated as though they possessed that race's subtype or the dragonblood subtype, whichever would be beneficial, for the purposes of how they are affected by spells and effects, and for qualifying for feats or prestige classes. They do not need to make disguise checks to appear as a member of that race.
Elemental Affinity Houpetor are bound to an elemental energy through their draconic bloodline. A houpetor selects one of the following elemental affinities and gains the associated racial traits. Once selected, this cannot be changed.

Air: The houpetor gains electricity resistance 5 and a +1 racial bonus to acrobatics and fly checks.
Earth: The houpetor gains acid resistance 5 and a +1 natural armor bonus to their armor class.
Fire: The houpetor gains fire resistance 5 and a +1 morale bonus to melee damage rolls.
Water: The houpetor gains cold resistance 5 and a swim speed of 30 feet. This swim speed grants a +8 racial bonus to swim checks.

Admiral Squish
2014-09-12, 01:13 PM
Feats

Gixic (Claws) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the fearsome claws of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +2 racial bonus to climb checks as your hands and nails strengthen.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, your arms and hands reshape into wicked, razor-sharp claws, granting you a pair of claw attacks. These claws are primary natural weapons that deal 1d4 damage each. In addition, your unarmed strikes deal damage as though you were one size category larger. Both your claws and your unarmed strikes gain a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the number of houpetor feats you possess (+5 Maximum).

Jeskic (Fangs) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the fearsome fangs of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +2 racial bonus to survival checks as your senses of taste and smell grow stronger.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, your jaws extend and your teeth sharpen into a draconic muzzle, granting you a bite attack. This bite is a primary natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage. Your bite gains a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the number of houpetor feats you possess (+5 Maximum).

Jaxo (Tail) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the lashing tail of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +2 racial bonus to acrobatics checks as your balance improves.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, you sprout a long, muscular, scaly tail, emerging from the base of your spine, granting you a tail slap attack. This tail slap is a secondary natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage. Your tail slap gains a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the number of houpetor feats you possess (+5 Maximum).

Ternocki (Scales) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the scaly armor of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to natural armor as your flesh becomes tougher.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. When this feat is active, your body becomes covered in fine scales, the color of your draconic ancestor. The natural armor bonus granted by this feat increases to +1 per houpetor feat you possess.

Toma (Sight) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the superior senses of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a low-light vision and darkvison out to 60 feet.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, your eyes and ears change, becoming more draconic. You gain a +1 racial bonus to perception checks per houpetor feat you possess, and you gain blindsense out to a number of feet equal to 10 x the number of houpetor feats you possess.

Altiuiri (Wings)[Houpetor]
You can unlock the powerful wings of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +2 racial bonus to fly checks as you develop sharp instincts about flight.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, you sprout a pair of powerful wings from your back. You gain the ability to glide at a speed of 60 feet, moving 20 feet forward for every 5 feet of descent. This feat's bonus to fly checks increases by +1 per houpetor you possess. If you possess 3 or more houpetor feats, you can fly at a speed of 60 feet, but only for a number of rounds equal to your constitution modifier, after which you must rest your wings (You can glide after flying to cover greater distances, but rounds spent gliding do not count as resting) an equal number of rounds before flying again. If you possess 5 or more houpetor feats, you can fly freely without a limitation of rounds.

Tonn (Hard) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the toughness of your draconic aspect
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain damage reduction 1/magic.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, your body hardens, making you more difficult to damage. The damage reduction granted by this feat becomes equal to 2 x the number of houpetor feats you possess. If you possess 3 or more houpetor feats, this damage reduction is overcome by adamantine weapons instead of magic weapons.


Frahraek (Breath Weapon) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the destructive breath of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You can release a belch of energy, even when this feat is not active. As a standard action, you can make a ranged touch attack against a single creature or object within 10 feet. This belch of energy deals 1d6 points of energy damage plus the number of houpetor feats you possess. The type of energy damage depends on your elemental affinity.
Air Electricity damage
Earth Acid damage
Fire Fire damage
Water Cold Damage
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, you unlock the true power of your draconic breath. As a standard action, you can breathe a destructive gout of energy in either a 15-foot cone or a 30-foot line. All creatures in the area take 2d6 energy damage per houpetor feat you possess unless they succeed on a reflex save (DC= 10 + 1/2 your hid die + your constitution modifier) for half damage. The type of energy damage depends on your elemental affinity.
Air Electricity damage
Earth Acid damage
Fire Fire damage
Water Cold Damage
If you possess 3 or more houpetor feats, this breath weapon's range extends to a 60-foot line or a 30-foot cone.

Thricouith (No Pain)[Houpetor]
You can unlock the energy immunity of your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: The value of the energy resistance granted by your elemental affinity increases by the number of houpetor feats you possess.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, the value of the energy resistance granted by your elemental affinity increases by 5x the number of houpetor feats you possess. If you possess 5 or more houpetor feats, you become immune to that energy type while this feat is active.

Arcaniss (Magic) [Houpetor]
You can unlock the powerful magic sleeping within your draconic aspect.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +1 racial bonus to your effective caster level when casting arcane spells, and all spells you cast with a subtype matching your elemental affinity have their DC increased by 1.
Air [Air] or [Electricity] spells
Earth [Earth] or [Acid] spells
Fire [Fire] spells
Water [Water] or [Cold] spells
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, you can call forth arcane power from your bloodline, allowing you to use a small number of spell-like abilities that vary based on your elemental affinity. You can use the spells from the list below, with a maximum spell level equal or lesser than the number of houpetor feats you possess. You can use a given spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to the number of houpetor feats you possess minus the spell's level. (For example, if you have 5 houpetor feats, you could use the 1st-level spell-like ability 4 times a day, the 2nd-level spell-like ability 3 times a day, and so on. Your caster level for these spell-like abilities is equal to your HD.
01st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
AirMessageFeather FallGust of WindWind WallSolid FogLightning ArcSirrocoControl WeatherStormboltsRide the Lightning
EarthAcid splashExpeditious ExcavationStone CallBurrowStone ShapeWall of StoneMove EarthCaustic EruptionIron BodyClashing Rocks
FireLightBurning HandsResist Energy [Fire]Draconic Reservoir [Fire]Wall of FireFire SnakeContagious FlameFirebrandIncendiary CloudFirey Body
WaterRay of FrostHydraulic PushFog CloudWater BreathingWall of IceCone of ColdControl WaterVortexHorrid WiltingTsunami

Oontanx (Grow) [Houpetor]
You can unlock your draconic aspect's immense size.
Prerequisites: Houpetor
Benefit: You gain a +1 size bonus to combat maneuver checks and your combat maneuver defense.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, your body expands, increasing your size category to large. While large, you gain a +1 size bonus to combat maneuver checks and combat maneuver defense, but take a -1 size penalty to attack rolls and armor class. You also take a -2 size penalty to dexterity, but you gain a +2 size bonus to strength. This strength bonus increases by +2 for every 2 houpetor feats you possess.

Vis Adon (True Form) [Houpetor]
You've mastered many parts of your draconic aspect, and can unleash the full power of your dragon form.
Prerequisites: Houpetor, 5 or more [Houpetor] feats.
Benefit: You gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, armor class, skill checks, and saves, the dragon within inspiring and emboldening you in all things.
Special: You can activate this feat as a swift action. You may only have one houpetor feat active at a time. While this feat is active, you unleash the true form of your draconic aspect. This true form benefits from the full effects of all your houpetor feats, as though they were all activated at once. While in your true form, your type becomes dragon, granting you immunity to magical sleep and paralysis effects, and you are treated as a dragon for the purposes of all spells and effects.

Admiral Squish
2014-09-12, 01:22 PM
So, this is an idea that's been bouncing around my head for a long while. I first tired to make it happen in my Crossroads setting, but I just couldn't quite make it jive with the setting. Now I'm working on another race, one of the options being related to dragons, and I can't stop thinking about this idea. So, I figured I'd just get it out of my system as best I can, and get it posted! I really like the idea, and I hope I managed to execute it properly. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear what you think about it. Let me know how I did!

I originally drew the race up as a dragon type, but then I remembered some shenanigans that could be pulled with age categories and epic feats, so I switched over to humanoid. I dropped a bunch of abilities, though, and I think it should probably have a little more punch in the main part of the race itself, but I don't want to step into the area of the feats too much. Any suggestions?

How's the houptor feat idea look? Does the 'activated' mechanic work as intended? Does the 'true form' feat ruin the balancing act? I figured requiring at least six feats to use it would be alright (which means the minimum level you can use it would be... 11th, I believe), but I will admit, it has potential to mess things up.

Amechra
2014-09-12, 02:15 PM
Pyromancer999 did something very similar (feats with "activation") with some of his feat chains, like the Vampiric Heritage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?200935-3-5-Vampiric-Heritage-Feats-Great-Grandaddy-Was-A-Vampire) chain.

Maybe you can take a look at that for ideas?

Admiral Squish
2014-09-12, 03:15 PM
Pyromancer999 did something very similar (feats with "activation") with some of his feat chains, like the Vampiric Heritage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?200935-3-5-Vampiric-Heritage-Feats-Great-Grandaddy-Was-A-Vampire) chain.

Maybe you can take a look at that for ideas?

Alright, gave that a good long look. His mechanic seems pretty similar to mine, except his requires a feat to start off the chain and has a pretty tiny limit on the rounds/day they can activate/awaken for. I think installing a rounds limitation would make the feats absolutely not worth it, rather than an alright option with some real potential if you heavily specialize in it. I suppose I could put a starter feat in there, but that just seems like it would only serve to keep the players further away from the stuff they actually want.

Amechra
2014-09-12, 04:59 PM
I meant just as an example of "minor benefit, activate for greater benefit."

Admiral Squish
2014-09-12, 05:58 PM
I meant just as an example of "minor benefit, activate for greater benefit."

Ahhh. Well, he seems to have chosen a different balance point, I must admit. His feat just grant abilities, then when awakened they become slightly more powerful, whereas mine are much smaller base effects, then a more powerful ability that only functions when activated.

...It occurs to me, do I need to specify that one can turn off activated feats?