Yak Folk as Characters

[Fayiss]

I've been reading about Yak Folk and I really want to play one as a character, but their stats are really overpowered. I need help to try and convert them into an actual playable character.

[Ephemeral_Being]

Okay. Well, there are two ways to do that. One is to create a Savage Species Progression for them. The other is to drastically cut their racial statistics.

Which would you prefer? If it's the second, which features do you want? And which are fine to let go?

[Toilet Cobra]

LOVE yak folk. Salute the impulse, sir.

[Seerow]

Okay. Well, there are two ways to do that. One is to create a Savage Species Progression for them. The other is to drastically cut their racial statistics.

Which would you prefer? If it's the second, which features do you want? And which are fine to let go?

Pretty much this. After you after Yak Folk just for the artificial things like appearance and such? Or do you want their mechanical toys like Body Meld and Command Genie? If the first, making a EL1 or 2 Yak Folk is totally doable. If the second, that's going to be much harder to make balanced.

[Fayiss]

I want to make an EL1 Yak Folk but still keep some of the ability modifiers just cut them down. Would it be too overpowered if at a certain level the Yak Folk could gain the racial abilities or would that be illogical. Also I don't get all the Level Adjustments and ECL's and about the Racial HD and all that.

[Maglubiyet]

I know this has been covered at least once in another thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?281135-Reducing-LA-for-Yak-Folk).

[Fayiss]

Thanks, I've been looking a lot and I haven't found something like that

[Psyren]

I don't know Yak Folk stats, but if you use Pathfinder, you have (a) a higher base "LA 0" power level to work with, and (b) you can use the Race Builder + some ad-hoc abilities as needed to get it pretty much the way you want and in line with other ECL 1 races.

[Zaq]

I don't know Yak Folk stats, but if you use Pathfinder, you have (a) a higher base "LA 0" power level to work with, and (b) you can use the Race Builder + some ad-hoc abilities as needed to get it pretty much the way you want and in line with other ECL 1 races.

Even a Pathfinder base won't let you pull off the Yak Folk's weirder abilities without a pretty hefty LA. They get the ability to effectively Magic Jar things and take them over (without leaving their own bodies vulnerable), they get the ability to summon and command genies, and they can use any magic staff they like without using UMD. There's a lot more to Yak Folk than just being big and having high stats.

[Psyren]

Even a Pathfinder base won't let you pull off the Yak Folk's weirder abilities without a pretty hefty LA. They get the ability to effectively Magic Jar things and take them over (without leaving their own bodies vulnerable), they get the ability to summon and command genies, and they can use any magic staff they like without using UMD. There's a lot more to Yak Folk than just being big and having high stats.

...The hell? There's no way to make an ECL 1 race that keeps all that craziness intact.

[atemu1234]

...The hell? There's no way to make an ECL 1 race that keeps all that craziness intact.

Basically. Savage Progression is the only way!

[Psyren]

Basically. Savage Progression is the only way!

Even then you would have to delay the magic jar and other stuff until well past ECL 1, or else cut it.

[Deadline]

Also I don't get all the Level Adjustments and ECL's and about the Racial HD and all that.

Well, I can answer this part. Yak-Folk have 5 racial HD and a +2 LA. That means that a Yak-folk without class levels has an equivalent character level (ECL) of 7. So it's a 7th level character. So short of a Savage Species progression (a custom-built monster class that you take until you polished off those 7 levels), there is no way for you to start as a Yak-folk at any level lower than 7th.

[sonofzeal]

Also I don't get all the Level Adjustments and ECL's and about the Racial HD and all that.

To elaborate on Deadline's response...

Your ECL (what level party you should be in) is your Racial Hit Dice, plus your Level Adjustment, plus any class levels. So a Yakfolk Barbarian 1 should be in a party with lvl 8 characters, and a Yakfolk Rogure 5 should be in a party with lvl 12 characters.

Racial Hit Dice are like levels in a "Monstrous Humanoid" (or whatever) Class. These sorts of classes are closer to NPC classes, in that they generally don't have class features, but otherwise work the same, with skill points, BAB, HD, etc. Some grant certain traits right out the gate, like Darkvision or certain weapon proficiencies.

Level Adjustment is just a flat adjustment to your effective level. You don't get anything at all for it, except that it's necessary to get the listed racial abilities for your race. Catfolk, for instance, are an LA +1 race that get +4 Dex, +2 Cha, +1 Natural Armor, and 40' base speed. That's overall better than the standard races, so they get one less class level to compensate.