ktccd
2014-10-14, 10:12 AM
I'm running a One Piece campaign, where one of my potential players want to play as a Fishman. I tried figuring out how to make them work, but one of the main problems is that the immense variety of them; every single kind of fish or aquatic kind of animal seems to be able to have a Fishman type.
So I decided to simply leave the exact race of fish up to the player as fluff, most fishmen have a humanoid shape anyway (With a few exceptions, such as the octopus fishman, but I figured I could use the anthropomorphic octopus for that case, since it's pretty different from other fishmen in it's mechanics).
I couldn't really find any guidelines to making races, so just to have a measuring stick to test against, I used the Pathfinder points system (But since I'm not as familiar with PF, I might have gotten some things wrong :S). The + and - in paranthesis is the points for the racial trait.
One more note, before I post the races, is that there is no magic in this setting. There's a ton of Shōnen style fighting, but no wizard/clerics and such, which does mess with balance a bit I guess (Being Monstrous humanoid is worth less, since the spells you'd be immune to don't exist and so on). The world is also very, very filled with oceans, with creatures in it that range from fish you could catch and eat with a fishing rod, to island sized monstrous beasts that'd eat even powerful characters.
This is the base fishman race (Minor). No specific fish is mentioned in it, that is left to the player as a choice of style and personal taste. There's no reason why a Shark *has to* be a Major fishman, one could easily be a weaker shark if one wants to. This class was partially made using the Pathfinder point-based race building system.
Level adjustment: +1
Racial hit dice: 1 Monstrous humanoid hit die. (+0. This is only because there's no magic in this setting, in any normal setting this should be worth more, due to the immunity to many low level spells)
Subtype: [Aquatic] (+2. Simply having the aquatic subtype does nothing else than giving you the ability to breathe water. In this campaign, that is a major benefit)
Size: Medium (+0.)
+2 To any single Physical ability score. (+2. Normally worth 0 in pathfinder, but in 3.5 this is a big step up from simply being human)
+2 To any single Mental ability score. (+4.)
Speed: 30ft. Land, 50ft. Swim (+4. This part is pretty valuable even in a normal campaign, even more so in this one. Also gives the normal swim speed bonuses, +8 to swim skill and ability to take 10 even when stressed)
Special qualities: Amphibious: An amphibious creature can breathe air and water equally well. (+2. Straight upgrade from simply having the Gills ability, very useful)
Superior Underwater Low-Light Vision: a fishman can see four times as far as a human under water. Outside water, this reverts to normal low-light vision. (+2. In this campaign, water is common. Otherwise this'd be a +1 I imagine)
+1 to Natural armor OR Dodge, chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Total: +20 (Exceeding LA +0 race points by 10, making it LA +1)
This is the base fishman race (Intermediate). No specific fish is mentioned in it, that is left to the player as a choice of style and personal taste. There's no reason why a Shark *has to* be a Major fishman, one could easily be a weaker shark if one wants to. This class was partially made using the Pathfinder point-based race building system.
Level adjustment: +0
Racial hit dice: 2d8 Monstrous humanoid hit dice. (+0. Unlike Level Adjustment, Monster Hit dice are hard to get rid of to replace with class hit dice, but it has the benefit of being less squishy early game.)
Subtype: [Aquatic] (+2. Simply having the aquatic subtype does nothing else than giving you the ability to breathe water. In this campaign, that is a major benefit)
Size: Medium (+0.)
2 BAB from it's Racial Hit Dice.
Good Reflex and Will saves (+3) and poor Fort save (+2/3) from it's Racial Hit Dice.
+4 To any single Physical ability score. (+10.)
+2 To any single Mental ability score. (+4.)
Speed: 30ft. Land, 60ft. Swim (+4. This part is pretty valuable even in a normal campaign, even more so in this one. Also gives the normal swim speed bonuses, +8 to swim skill and ability to take 10 even when stressed)
Skills: (2+Int)*6, class skills are Jump, Listen, Spot, Survival and Swim
Special attacks: 1 bite attack (1d6) OR 1 gore attack (1d6) OR 2 slam attacks (1d4), chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Special qualities: Amphibious: An amphibious creature can breathe air and water equally well. (+2. Straight upgrade from simply having the Gills ability, very useful)
Darkvision 60ft. (+2.)
Superior Underwater Low-Light Vision: a fishman can see four times as far as a human under water. Outside water, this reverts to their normal sight. (+2. In this campaign, water is common. Otherwise this'd be a +1 I imagine)
+1 to Natural armor OR Dodge, chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Combat training: +4 Dodge bonus against creatures of the Humanoid(Human) type. (+1)
Deep Water Pressure immunity: This creature has complete immunity to deep water pressure, instead of the partial immunity of Aquatic creatures. (Not sure how to value this, but most of the deep-dwelling creatures with the aquatic subtype implicitly have this trait, I'm just listing it here to make it clear.)
Total: +35 (Exceeding LA +0 race points by 25, making it LA +2)
This is the base fishman race (Major). No specific fish is mentioned in it, that is left to the player as a choice of style and personal taste. There's no reason why a Shark *has to* be a Major fishman, one could easily be a weaker shark if one wants to. This class was partially made using the Pathfinder point-based race building system.
Level adjustment: +0
Racial hit dice: 3d8 Monstrous humanoid hit dice. (+0. Unlike Level Adjustment, Monster Hit dice are hard to get rid of to replace with class hit dice, but it has the benefit of being less squishy early game.)
Subtype: [Aquatic] (+2. Simply having the aquatic subtype does nothing else than giving you the ability to breathe water. In this campaign, that is a major benefit)
Size: Large (+15. I'd value this much more than attribute boosts, due to all the secondary benefits this gives you, besides just space and reach)
3 BAB from it's Racial Hit Dice.
Good Reflex and Will saves (+3.5) and poor Fort save (+1) from it's Racial Hit Dice.
+4 To any single Physical attribute score. (+10.)
+2 To any other single Physical ability score (+8.)
+2 To any single Mental ability score. (+4.)
Speed: 40ft. Land, 80ft. Swim (+4. This part is pretty valuable even in a normal campaign, even more so in this one. Also gives the normal swim speed bonuses, +8 to swim skill and ability to take 10 even when stressed)
Skills: (2+Int)*6, class skills are Jump, Listen, Spot, Survival and Swim
Special attacks: 1 bite attack (1d8) OR 1 gore attack (1d8) OR 2 slam attacks (1d6) OR 2 claw attacks (1d6), chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Special qualities: Amphibious: An amphibious creature can breathe air and water equally well. (+2. Straight upgrade from simply having the Gills ability, very useful)
Darkvision 60ft. (+2.)
Superior Underwater Low-Light Vision: a fishman can see four times as far as a human under water. Outside water, this reverts to their normal sight. (+2. In this campaign, water is common. Otherwise this'd be a +1 I imagine)
+2 to Natural armor OR Dodge, chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4x2.)
Combat training: +4 Dodge bonus against creatures of the Humanoid(Human) type. (+1)
Deep Water Pressure immunity: This creature has complete immunity to deep water pressure, instead of the partial immunity of Aquatic creatures. (Not sure how to value this, but most of the deep-dwelling creatures with the aquatic subtype implicitly have this trait, I'm just listing it here to make it clear.)
Total: +54 (Exceeding LA +0 race points by 44, which is why I made it require 3 monstrous hit dice.)
Any critique/tips would be welcome, this is my first time trying to make a homebrew race ^^.
So I decided to simply leave the exact race of fish up to the player as fluff, most fishmen have a humanoid shape anyway (With a few exceptions, such as the octopus fishman, but I figured I could use the anthropomorphic octopus for that case, since it's pretty different from other fishmen in it's mechanics).
I couldn't really find any guidelines to making races, so just to have a measuring stick to test against, I used the Pathfinder points system (But since I'm not as familiar with PF, I might have gotten some things wrong :S). The + and - in paranthesis is the points for the racial trait.
One more note, before I post the races, is that there is no magic in this setting. There's a ton of Shōnen style fighting, but no wizard/clerics and such, which does mess with balance a bit I guess (Being Monstrous humanoid is worth less, since the spells you'd be immune to don't exist and so on). The world is also very, very filled with oceans, with creatures in it that range from fish you could catch and eat with a fishing rod, to island sized monstrous beasts that'd eat even powerful characters.
This is the base fishman race (Minor). No specific fish is mentioned in it, that is left to the player as a choice of style and personal taste. There's no reason why a Shark *has to* be a Major fishman, one could easily be a weaker shark if one wants to. This class was partially made using the Pathfinder point-based race building system.
Level adjustment: +1
Racial hit dice: 1 Monstrous humanoid hit die. (+0. This is only because there's no magic in this setting, in any normal setting this should be worth more, due to the immunity to many low level spells)
Subtype: [Aquatic] (+2. Simply having the aquatic subtype does nothing else than giving you the ability to breathe water. In this campaign, that is a major benefit)
Size: Medium (+0.)
+2 To any single Physical ability score. (+2. Normally worth 0 in pathfinder, but in 3.5 this is a big step up from simply being human)
+2 To any single Mental ability score. (+4.)
Speed: 30ft. Land, 50ft. Swim (+4. This part is pretty valuable even in a normal campaign, even more so in this one. Also gives the normal swim speed bonuses, +8 to swim skill and ability to take 10 even when stressed)
Special qualities: Amphibious: An amphibious creature can breathe air and water equally well. (+2. Straight upgrade from simply having the Gills ability, very useful)
Superior Underwater Low-Light Vision: a fishman can see four times as far as a human under water. Outside water, this reverts to normal low-light vision. (+2. In this campaign, water is common. Otherwise this'd be a +1 I imagine)
+1 to Natural armor OR Dodge, chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Total: +20 (Exceeding LA +0 race points by 10, making it LA +1)
This is the base fishman race (Intermediate). No specific fish is mentioned in it, that is left to the player as a choice of style and personal taste. There's no reason why a Shark *has to* be a Major fishman, one could easily be a weaker shark if one wants to. This class was partially made using the Pathfinder point-based race building system.
Level adjustment: +0
Racial hit dice: 2d8 Monstrous humanoid hit dice. (+0. Unlike Level Adjustment, Monster Hit dice are hard to get rid of to replace with class hit dice, but it has the benefit of being less squishy early game.)
Subtype: [Aquatic] (+2. Simply having the aquatic subtype does nothing else than giving you the ability to breathe water. In this campaign, that is a major benefit)
Size: Medium (+0.)
2 BAB from it's Racial Hit Dice.
Good Reflex and Will saves (+3) and poor Fort save (+2/3) from it's Racial Hit Dice.
+4 To any single Physical ability score. (+10.)
+2 To any single Mental ability score. (+4.)
Speed: 30ft. Land, 60ft. Swim (+4. This part is pretty valuable even in a normal campaign, even more so in this one. Also gives the normal swim speed bonuses, +8 to swim skill and ability to take 10 even when stressed)
Skills: (2+Int)*6, class skills are Jump, Listen, Spot, Survival and Swim
Special attacks: 1 bite attack (1d6) OR 1 gore attack (1d6) OR 2 slam attacks (1d4), chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Special qualities: Amphibious: An amphibious creature can breathe air and water equally well. (+2. Straight upgrade from simply having the Gills ability, very useful)
Darkvision 60ft. (+2.)
Superior Underwater Low-Light Vision: a fishman can see four times as far as a human under water. Outside water, this reverts to their normal sight. (+2. In this campaign, water is common. Otherwise this'd be a +1 I imagine)
+1 to Natural armor OR Dodge, chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Combat training: +4 Dodge bonus against creatures of the Humanoid(Human) type. (+1)
Deep Water Pressure immunity: This creature has complete immunity to deep water pressure, instead of the partial immunity of Aquatic creatures. (Not sure how to value this, but most of the deep-dwelling creatures with the aquatic subtype implicitly have this trait, I'm just listing it here to make it clear.)
Total: +35 (Exceeding LA +0 race points by 25, making it LA +2)
This is the base fishman race (Major). No specific fish is mentioned in it, that is left to the player as a choice of style and personal taste. There's no reason why a Shark *has to* be a Major fishman, one could easily be a weaker shark if one wants to. This class was partially made using the Pathfinder point-based race building system.
Level adjustment: +0
Racial hit dice: 3d8 Monstrous humanoid hit dice. (+0. Unlike Level Adjustment, Monster Hit dice are hard to get rid of to replace with class hit dice, but it has the benefit of being less squishy early game.)
Subtype: [Aquatic] (+2. Simply having the aquatic subtype does nothing else than giving you the ability to breathe water. In this campaign, that is a major benefit)
Size: Large (+15. I'd value this much more than attribute boosts, due to all the secondary benefits this gives you, besides just space and reach)
3 BAB from it's Racial Hit Dice.
Good Reflex and Will saves (+3.5) and poor Fort save (+1) from it's Racial Hit Dice.
+4 To any single Physical attribute score. (+10.)
+2 To any other single Physical ability score (+8.)
+2 To any single Mental ability score. (+4.)
Speed: 40ft. Land, 80ft. Swim (+4. This part is pretty valuable even in a normal campaign, even more so in this one. Also gives the normal swim speed bonuses, +8 to swim skill and ability to take 10 even when stressed)
Skills: (2+Int)*6, class skills are Jump, Listen, Spot, Survival and Swim
Special attacks: 1 bite attack (1d8) OR 1 gore attack (1d8) OR 2 slam attacks (1d6) OR 2 claw attacks (1d6), chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4.)
Special qualities: Amphibious: An amphibious creature can breathe air and water equally well. (+2. Straight upgrade from simply having the Gills ability, very useful)
Darkvision 60ft. (+2.)
Superior Underwater Low-Light Vision: a fishman can see four times as far as a human under water. Outside water, this reverts to their normal sight. (+2. In this campaign, water is common. Otherwise this'd be a +1 I imagine)
+2 to Natural armor OR Dodge, chosen at creation, can not be changed later. (+4x2.)
Combat training: +4 Dodge bonus against creatures of the Humanoid(Human) type. (+1)
Deep Water Pressure immunity: This creature has complete immunity to deep water pressure, instead of the partial immunity of Aquatic creatures. (Not sure how to value this, but most of the deep-dwelling creatures with the aquatic subtype implicitly have this trait, I'm just listing it here to make it clear.)
Total: +54 (Exceeding LA +0 race points by 44, which is why I made it require 3 monstrous hit dice.)
Any critique/tips would be welcome, this is my first time trying to make a homebrew race ^^.