D20 Modern Fraal in a D&D setting?

[atemu1234]

For those who don't know, D20 Future released a variety of player races, one of which was Fraal. Its abilities essentially amounted to this:

Abilities: Str -4, Con -4, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +4
Small size, humanoid (fraal)
Psi-Like Abilities: At-Will- Mind Link (originally lesser mindlink, but the Lesser Mind Link from D20 Modern was identical to EPH Mindlink)
3/day: Psionic Suggestion
LA: +0

The essentially look like Grey aliens.

I want to use them in D&D, but I'd like to refluff them. Any ideas?

[Fax Celestis]

Maybe make them like blues, except for a different monstrous race?

[Inevitability]

Wow, that name is just bad. 'Hey, we have a race here that's small and physically weak. Let's take the adjective that describes them best and change a single letter.'

Also, the race seems really strong as any flavor of caster. Definitely not +0 LA.


For refluffing, you can go with something involving multiple personalities. That sounds pretty fun. The being consists of several minds, but the dark rituals required to create it weakened its body. Maybe even have its 'original' size be medium, but the rituals have caused his skin and bones to shrink, giving him a horribly misformed dwarf-like appearance.

[atemu1234]

Maybe make them like blues, except for a different monstrous race?

Unfamiliar with the Blues.

[Fax Celestis]

Psychic goblins. Look in SRD/XPH.

[atemu1234]

Psychic goblins. Look in SRD/XPH.

Will do.

Any other ideas?

[T.G. Oskar]

Sure: maybe Disguise Self as a 1/day SLA, and impose a Level Adjustment of +1.

Fraal are insanely powerful if chosen for a caster build, particularly a Druid (who can ignore the penalties when going Wild Shaping; this was true if they went to the Shapeshifter prestige class in d20 Modern, if you're curious), and the massive reduction to physical ability scores really doesn't compensate. They don't lose Dexterity either, so the net point benefit is of +4 to one score, as the bonuses to the other two are "swallowed" by the penalties to Strength and Constitution. Yes, the penalty to Constitution hurts, but the penalty to Strength not so much.

The Disguise Self SLA is because they depend on alien technology to assume a "human" form when mingling with humans. On a world where other races are common this might not be necessary, but it depends on how much of the fluff you want to keep. If they're native to the world, then the benefit is not so necessary, but if you intend them to be the "little green/gray men" from beyond the worlds and have them act as observers, then the ability is essential since psionics lacks proper illusive abilities.

It al depends on your intentions for the Fraal. If you're taking their fluff straight from the Dark*Matter sourcebook, they're not meant to be of the world you're playing the game, but there's more "alien" races out there (the githyanki and the githzerai are good examples of 'alien" races, and the Fraal may know them well). They also do well on a Spelljammer-inspired setting, and definitely NOT on a setting that lacks a world like Mars: Eberron is a bad idea, Faerun has it good since the Fraal could come from Abeir, other worlds may be lucky, and if you adapt Pathfinder content, Golarion has a Mars-equivalent but drawing inspiration from John Carter of Mars so they won't fit as you'd like to. If you're altering the fluff to be just another race...then you definitely have to explain why the difference, since the Fraal are meant to be rare, mysterious, and more often than not, the "dark guy sitting on the corner of a bar" that gives your party the quests, not a PC.

[afroakuma]

The race definitely does not translate to LA +0 in D&D terms. I'd call it a weak LA +2, honestly.

[Ashtagon]

Fraal as a player-race were written up for a setting where magic (even the stunted magic presented in d20 Modern generally) does not exist.

Fraal are "player-races" in d20 Future, which allows for psionics as an option. No suggestion is made that psionic classes are a required option in d20 Future games where fraal exist.

They also exist in d20 Dark Matter, which has no provision for PCs to take any of the four magic/psi classes in the core d20 Modern book.

If they are allowed as a PC race with LA+0, I would require that the magic system be that from d20 Modern (i.e., casters are a "prestige class" with entry starting from character level 4, and no spells/psi over 5th level). I'd also insist that the full drawbacks of the race be played up (especially encumbrance).

[Deadline]

Nitpick - Fraal are originally from the awesome Alternity system (a TSR product).

The stats just don't work out to be LA +0 for a setting where magic is more prevalent than in the D20 Future supplements (where it's on par with a good laser rifle). That said, if you are looking for refluffing, you could always take a look at this bad boy from the Monster Manual:

Doppelganger (a being who can read minds):
http://axlethebeast.com/images/blog/2012/10/CreatureSpotlight-Doppelganger.jpg

Fraal:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IkSAocpn-f4/UIsxSa8hAPI/AAAAAAAAA_M/rDi7vNcxgEk/s1600/fraal1.jpg

You might refluff them as some variation or subrace of Doppelgangers.

[thorr-kan]

Use them in the role of the original ultraterrestrial, instead of the rather boring D&D elves. They are powerful, mysterious, and otherworldly. The fit the roles of the Other, i.e., the original Fae and the modern greys/UFO operators.