Sorcerer Help!

[TheBrassDuke]

Okay, so I'm both running and playing in two campaigns, both featuring a DMPC/PC, respectively, and I'd just like some help building on him--mostly fluff, cool ideas and spell selection options. I've been working on this character for months--haven't yet gotten to play him, as he hasn't been introduced yet, and I just want him perfect before this happens. So, without further detail, here he is so far:

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/CainePorter/image_zps86667344.jpg
***I have been given sole permission to use this image by Sia, on DeviantArt; no one else may use this without her consent!


Name: Kletian ("Klee-she-an")
Race: Draconic Human (although I was planning for him to be Djinn-blooded, so I may just alter some of the Dr. template to make it more Genie~~) Lv. Adjustment +1
Class: Sorcerer 5
Alignment: CN
Deity/Religion: (I'm running in Eberron, and he's mostly in Xen'drik...so I don't know. Don't even know if he'll have a religion)
Size: M
Age: (I was thinking 32, but because of his blood he ages slower, yada yada)
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 2"
Weight: 101 lbs.
Eyes: Gold
Hair: Black
Skin: White, with an ashy complexion

HP: 35
Speed: 30'
AC: 16 (10 + 3 Feather Cloak + 2 Dex + 1 Nat. Armor)
Touch: 12
Flat-footed: 14
Initiative: +2

Str: 14
Dex: 14
Con: 16
Int: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 21

(Auto-18 for one Ability only, all else rolled. DM's preferred, carried over to my own campaign)

Fort: 4
Ref: 3
Will: 5

BaB: 2
Grapple: 4

Atk: +1 Quarterstaff or +1 Longbow

Skills: Appraise (Heritage, but may change), Bluff, Concentration, Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (Local), Spellcraft, Use Magic Device

Feats

Draconic Heritage (Red)
Draconic Breath
Armor Proficiency (Light)

Special Abilities

Darkvision 60'
Low-light Vision
+4 on Saves against Sleep and Paralysis
Arcane Insight

Language(s)

Common, Draconic and Goblin

Possessions

+1 Quarterstaff
+1 Feathercloak
+1 Longbow
Backpack
Bedroll
Scrollcase
Hand Mirror
Waterskin
Spell Component Pouch
10 Vials
Traveler Outfit
A tarnished holy symbol (family heirloom)
Foster Mother's wedding band
Ceremonial Dagger
Inkpen
Inkwell

Spells Known | Spell Save | Level | Spells Per Day | Bonus Spells

6 15 0 6 0
4 16 1 6 2
2 17 2 4 1

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Alright, I know I skimped out on some of the details and whatnot, but I just wanted to give a rough description of him, etc.

So yeah, he's Draconic but I kind of want to get away from sorcerers with dragons' blood...his father will be a Djinn of sorts--probably Efreeti, but I'm going on the theory that just because his father was one thing, doesn't necessarily mean he has to. Elemental Outsiders are cool in that they can shift. He could very well develop powers and whatnot reminiscent of a Marid, or Noble Djinn, instead. I don't know! ._.

Anyway, I'm thinking about advancing him as a Sandshaper later on, since we'll be traveling through Xen'drik and later on head into the Menechtarun Desert. Ideas about a lost empire there--thank you guys, for all the help there!--intrigued me, and I think I'd definitely like that.

What I need help with:

Flavor and fluff! Lots of it!

Once a slave to the goblins (in both worlds), Kletian was finally freed and wishes to erase his past by gaining favor with those in rank, becoming a powerful mage and taking vengeance on his former oppressors. I'm going traditional sorcerer here, but with a flair.

The only mechanical problem I'm having is spell selection and morphing this Draconic Template to feel more "Genie". Obviously he's not full-blooded, like a Draconic creature isn't.

I know I'm everywhere, but there's bound to be some interest and a few fun ideas, right?

Please help! :D Also, here's a more detailed look:

Full Name: Unknown, but his first name is Kletian.

Nickname(s)/Title(s): "Ruathar" (Elf-Friend/Star-Friend, El); "Kamarah" (Dragon-Mage-Beast, El); "Charir Vorastrix" (Red Sorcerer, Dr)

Race: Djinn-blooded Human (Unknkown Origin)

Age: Unknown (He appears in his late teens, early twenties)

Sex: Male

Height: 5' 2"

Weight: 101 lbs.

Build: Athletic

Skin: Caucasian, with a light ashy complexion.

Eyes: Gazing into Kletian's golden eyes provokes the image of twin eclipses, blinding to those who yearn to learn his secrets.

Hair: Glossy raven, cut to his ears and typically messy.

Tattoos, Piercings, Marks, Scars, etc.: Down the length of his entire form, Kletian's body has been desecrated with Draconic runes and sigils, eliciting a spark of mystery to all who gaze upon him. These markings are reserved for those born of mages' blood among the Painted Elves. As well, running from his left shoulder to the tips of each finger, the sorcerer bears scars cut deep to the bone, which he keeps hidden at all times with a salvaged glove-sleeve made from many strips of finished leather. And last but not least, inked in dark blue Kletian has been branded with hieroglyphs on the bottom of his right foot, running on the arch. (When approached about the latter, he will withdraw from the conversation)

Religion: Kletian is a follower of no cult, nor a member of any church. He does, however, believe in a higher power--such is the explanation of his own. Secretly he carries a tarnished holy symbol, though it is too faded to recognize, and he does not speak of it. Rumor has it the pendant belonged to his mother.

Class: Sorcerer

Occupation(s): With no formal job, the sorcerer will offer way-finding services to those wishing to cross the Wastes; he also delights in sculpting small figurines depicting the many people who pass him by. He sells his trinkets in the open markets whenever the need rises. Among these odd jobs, he also gambles, cheating out players to match his monetary needs.

Political Affiliation(s): Kletian has no affiliation with any other nation, as he dwells in Stormreach. With no records other than his arrests, his citizenship is traced here.

Education: He is streetwise, and has taught himself what has been needed to survive in the harsh world. He was taught to read and write by a foster mother--an elderly woman on the cusp of death--who kept him from starving one cold night.

Language(s): Common; Draconic; Goblin; (can understand but not speak Infernal; he can also decipher some Elven)

Special Abilities/Skills: A sorcerer tends to rely mostly on his magic; the same is true for Kletian, who lives daily by the use of his power to make ends meet, though he hides this fact from an understanding public, as he is no College Wizard with formal training or a license.

Weapon(s) of Choice: Primarily Kletian wields destructive magic, although when his reserve runs low it is not uncommon to see him wielding a sharp dagger or his staff, which he carries at all times. On occasion, the sorcerer will use improvised weapons when desperate times call for it. His Elven friends teach him archery, as well.

Hobbies: To survive, Kletian uses his magic. He enjoys Prestidigitation street shows, sculpting figurines and hustling with cards at the local taverns. Among his survival hobbies, Kletian collects jewelry, and other sorts of shining metals whenever possible. He is a fan of decorated masks and tooled, jeweled gloves. When wandering in the wilds, he tends to spy on travelers in the form of either a small cat or bird. He enjoys these forms.

Serious Problems/Flaws/Addictions/Disorders/Disabilities: Kletian's daily struggle to survive means that he must do unsavory things, such as hustling. Although, the sorcerer has taken a liking to this pursuit and occasionally gets himself into trouble. Among that, Kletian has several bad habits, though he does his best to live right, as Mephala taught him.

CurrentRelationship Status: Kletian has no romantic interests, although he maintains a friendly relationship with a tribe of Painted Elves on the fringe of the Jungle just outside Stormreach, who treat him as one of their own, but allow him to keep to himself. They provide him with vials to shapeshift.

Other Biographical Remarks: The markings covering the entirety of Kletian's body are the work of the Painted Elves living on the edge of the jungle; it is said these markings represent a member of the tribe, his rank, and supposedly has the power to protect those who don the tattoo.

On the arch of his foot, a hieroglyph has been tattooed in dark blue, branding him a slave. The inscription reads:

"Utility: Wand
Ownership: Salook, Braka; Albrook Village, Darguun
Reference Advance: Dreck, Crillidesh; Faala Fa'Souvas
Identification Number: XVI"

Kletian spent twelve years as a slave to the Goblins of Darguun in Albrook, starting from age eleven. Originally he was a simple laborer, taking tasks only a slave his size could perform. As he grew older, his ownership shifted hands and he fell under the control of a trafficking group of Phiarlan Elves, nobles with twisted fantasies operating out of Shadows.

In the final four years he was released to his final masters, who utilized his growing power for security, displays of superiority and wealth.

When the time came for his release at twenty-three, Kletian found himself in Stormreach, the legendary lawless Pirate City of Eberron. Not a penny to his name, the young sorcerer struggled for some time until being taken in by an elderly human woman called Mephala--an Aundairian, who taught him to read, write and fit in with society. He was with her only three years, until the woman passed on. He lived on what she left him for a good year, made acquaintances in the small city, and lived comfortably in that time. When he could no longer pay to live there, he was removed and thrown to the streets.

He took up residence at a local brothel named The Pink Conch, the only place he could stay readily without paying up front. He took a job immediately and spent two years here, until the place burned to the ground one night. Ever since, Kletian has been living on the jungle's edge just outside of the city, miles across the river. He visits frequently to peddle his wares and perform magic tricks for coin, but he isn't living well.

[Lerondiel]

Gee, you're the DM dude. Every D&D book every written invites DMs to make any customised PrCl, feats, variants etc that will make their game even more enjoyable.

Scrap the draconic template and create your Efreeti one giving it characteristics you find suitable. Scrap the Draconic feats and create ones of similar power level that mimic Djinn/elemental abilities. Just be prepared that some of your players may really like your freestyling and want to request creative variants for their characters also. Have a good look at the most comparable options to keep everything balanced for your own sanity - and enjoy! :)

[TheBrassDuke]

Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate the promptness of people on here!

First, you're right. As a DMPC Kletian's there for players to interact with and to do things on the side the party doesn't want to. However, in the Eberron campaign I'm just a player, and his adventures there will go into his backstory in the one I'm actually DMing.

So as a normal PC, I'd have to okay it with that DM, but I like your angle about scrapping the template and fears, to fluff it all my own. And players in my campaign do like the idea so far. We've got a Faerie playing with us--pretty cool, I think, and a possible dragon-in-human form coming. Dunno yet. They're all set, Kletian's just harder to move.

In the campaign where he's just a PC the DM has said go for Samdshaper and he'll make an arc revolving it like he plans for the other characters, as well. I'm just supposed to come up with it. I can't even think straight. It's awwsome. And being born of a Djinn, he wants my character to be captured and ritually bound to a receptacle, made into a real, wish-granting genie. That's gonna be cool later on.

Do you have any fluff suggestions for anything written, though? Drawing blanks, and I'm eager for help. Thanks again!

[Lerondiel]

You're welcome.

I'm not thinking too straight either. When you're suggesting one parent as a full genie, that's more than just 'draconic', that's half-dragon equivalent....which fortunately half-Djinns have already been written up....but LA+3 is a very steep cost for abilities that aren't particularly useful to a sorcerer.

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Half-Jinn_%283.5e_Template%29

Personally I'd strip some of those features off to drop the LA to +1, and offer some of them back as 'Heritage Feats'



Your DM might be disappointed if he searches through the Monster Manual looking for genies that get trapped in lamps though :)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Start with that level adjustment bought off (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm) already, which costs you 3,000 xp. You'll probably begin play at the same level, but your ECL will be lower than the party's level and you'll get more xp per encounter and will eventually catch up.

Why those item and feat selections? A Sorcerer shouldn't need magical weapons, his spells are his weapons, and he's not even proficient with the longbow. You cannot cast spells in armor without risking arcane spell failure, and you can use Mage Armor or similar anyway.

Just get rid of all of those feats. You like fire? We can make fire all day. Make two 1st level feats Versatile Spellcaster from Races of the Dragon, and Heighten Spell, and your 3rd level feat can be the Fiery Burst reserve feat in Complete Mage as long as you know at least one 0-level or 1st level fire spell, such as Ray of Flame in Spell Compendium (there isn't a 0-level fire spell). You can spend two spell slots of the same level to cast a Heightened Ray of Flame that counts as a spell of one level higher, so at 3rd level you can cast a 2nd level Ray of Flame to qualify for Fiery Burst. Note that you're never actually going to cast a Heightened Ray of Flame, you're just going to be able to cast it and use that capability to use Fiery Burst. As long as you have two of your highest level spell slots available, you can activate Fiery Burst as though you have a fire spell of one level higher available. Take any Summon Monster spell by the time you reach 6th level, and you can cast it Heightened as a 4th level spell, which won't make it any better but you can get the Summon Elemental reserve feat in Complete Mage to summon a fire elemental as often as you want! Now you don't even need any weapons, unless the opponents are immune to fire.

Get an Elvencraft Composite Longbow from Races of the Wild, it counts as both a Quarterstaff and a Composite Longbow. You'll need to buy masterwork three times for it, but you can also put three Wand Chambers from Dungeonscape in it. Put three wands of situational/spammable/utility spells in it, such as Wings of Cover in Races of the Dragon and Benign Transposition in Spell Compendium. Rules Compendium clarifies that spell trigger and spell completion items take the same action to activate as the spell's casting time, so that Wand of Wings of Cover is still an immediate action to activate. If you were good aligned, I would recommend making this an Ancestral Relic Runestaff (www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?267805-Sorcerer-Handbook#4), but you can still make the staff portion a custom Runestaff per MIC p224.

Your spell selection should definitely include Mage Armor, any 1st-level fire spell, Web for a Reflex/Dex-attacking crowd control, Glitterdust for a Will-attacking crowd control plus utility, and Wall of Smoke in Spell Compendium for a Fort-attacking crowd control since it can be cast across occupied squares to force an immediate save. Get a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend Spell for Mage Armor and short duration crowd controls.

[Afgncaap5]

Regarding religion, you may have some options. As a human with dragon and/or genie connections in your background, you may adhere strongly to certain beliefs about the Draconic Prophecy that could come off as religious to some (or may, in your character's mind, be religious.) Dragons and other highly magical things have a strong interest in seeing how it unfolds.

If you're looking for something relating to Xen'Drik religion, if your character has a connection to the Umbragen then you might have a connection to The Shadow as a deity. (I think it's Umbragen, anyway. I can't remember all the different elf cultures on Xen'Drik, but they're the ones with "Umbra" in their name.) You probably wouldn't worship the scorpion deity that the drow revere (Vulkoor? Something like that) as it's not as well known in the mainstream.

Being Chaotic Neutral, your character might also be drawn to The Traveler, though that comes with a fondness for creating things and then destroying them to make room for something else. That can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, but an element of change is sort of assumed.

Another note on being a genie: would your character be unsettled by Khyber Shards? Spells can trap outsiders, elementals, and other such beings within them. Could a mad artificer out there need a half-genie to try powering some unusual khyber-shard driven automation? Is there a possible danger, however remote, that someone would try to use your character for that kind of arcane research? Eberron's a very pulpy world, after all, and that kind of mad experiment and character-on-the-run thing is good for those kinds of backstories. (Alternatively: what if such a horrendous event in your past has led you to believe that you could potentially unlock more power through channeling yourself through khyber shards? In recent years, gnomes have learned that elemental-powered things tend to be even more powerful if the bound spirit is willing, so what if there was some power that you could unlock there by being not just willing, but by designing things to be in control of them? It might not be a prime motivator for a character, but I could easily see how it'd be on the mind of a half-genie.)

[TheBrassDuke]

Took notes and am applying feats, weapon and spells now, thank you! Excellent flavor!

As for the binding, that poses a great hook! He might be afraid of Khyber shards until he learns how to use them, but yes, the DM plans on making him a wish-granting servant if ever captured. So many cool ideas. His mother was human, and her religion will be important later on. Good thoughts.

About going Sandshaper, any thoughts? More fluff than mechanics, but both are welcome.

We're not using Dandwiki for templates, unfortunately, but I have been allowed to modify the Heritage feats and the Draconic template to make them fit better. I'm not terribly good at that and wouldn't know where to begin. Maybe I should just make him human with RP background as half-djinn? Unless you have any suggestions.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There's the Efreeti Bloodline (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm#genieEfreeti), but you have to take one, two, or three bloodline levels throughout your career if you have a bloodline. Note however that bloodline levels are easy to abuse, since they don't increase your character level, which determines how much xp you get per encounter and it's calculated into how much xp you need to gain another level. For example, if you're a 1st level character and gain 1,000 xp, you gain a level; if you take a bloodline level, you're still a 1st level character and only need 1,000 xp to gain another level. So either you take all three bloodline levels and still reach 2nd level at no cost, or you need an additional 1,000 xp to gain your next level, so each bloodline level only costs you 1,000 xp. You could begin play with the major efreeti bloodline, and only be 3,000 xp behind gaining your next level, the same as if you'd bought off a +1 LA. Best of all, those three bloodline levels increase your max skill ranks by three and they give you +3 caster level for overcoming SR and determining level-based variables of spells, but not spells/day or what level of spells you can cast.

[Andry]

Or you could just go fire or air genasi.

[Afgncaap5]

About going Sandshaper, any thoughts? More fluff than mechanics, but both are welcome.

Well, if you're looking for fluff... you're thinking of being a half-genie character, would you be from Xen'Drik or just visiting? Because if you're actually *from* Xen'Drik...

Xen'Drik has a pretty big desert, and some book (Secrets of Xen'Drik, maybe?) suggests introducing monsters that blatantly break the rules into this particular continent. One of the suggestions is Sand Shark.

Eberron as a setting, meanwhile, has a ridiculous amount of ancient monasteries that dot the world, each one far off and distant even if they're just in the middle of Breland somewhere, and Xen'Drik is one of the most remote locations around.

If you want flavor for Sand Shaper, you could combine some of this stuff. Your particular knack for Sand Shaping could be a natural result of your elemental heritage (assuming that genies are elemental in some fashion), and you could have access to the sand shaping from training and meditative rites you've learned from a monastic order called the Order of the Sand Shark, or something. You never picked up on their monastic traditions (and, really, are too chaotic to perfect their forms), but some of their teaching combined with your natural sorcery could manifest in the ability to breathe new form and new life into the sand about you, just as the Sand Shark learns to breathe and swim through the dunes.

(As another note: if you keep going this route, especially with the Khyber shards, your old monastic home might have some ancient Khyber-shard weapons that you might be able to eke some extra power from. Fortunately, while the Gnomes are the ones who always bound elementals in the modern era, a few subplots suggest that an order of Drow from Xen'Drik are the actual ones who first developed the technique. You may have an ancient friend or relative inside one of the monastery's weapons, one who would be happy to meet or help you.)

[Phelix-Mu]

It has been suggested in some places (Book of Erotic Fantasy springs to mind) that dragons and outsiders are magically fertile. That is to say, they reproduce when they want to by a magical act of will, not by some biological happenstance. Thus, it may indeed be possible for the child of a genie and a humanoid to result in only some type of planetouched or the like if the outsider withheld most of their magical bloodline.

I like this flavor because it emphasizes that magic and biology, while being two distinct things, can interact in new and unusual ways in a fantasy world. Outsiders are made of primordial elements, morality-made-flesh, thought manifest, etc, not cells that fertilize and multiply into biological beings. The interaction should be unusual, novel, and perhaps unpredictable (unless a very lawful influence is involved).

So, if Kletian only got a bit of fiery genie blood, so be it. His father held back, perhaps knowing that half-outsider templates make for entitled youths that know neither respect for true power, nor have a chance to learn it by blending in with larger society. Or maybe his father was just worried about producing a highly magical baby (it is suggested in some sources that giving birth to half-outsiders is more dangerous to a humanoid mother than some lesser admixture). Maybe the father was a lord among ifriti, and was worried about an heir with a legal claim and the template to back it up (not that genies would even accept a half-genie, as they are typically purist).

I personally have no problem with you re-skinning the Draconic Template to a similar concept for genies, but be sure if you are using this as an actual character in a different thing, to allow your own players in your game to have similar creative options for their ideas. DMPCs are only objectional when given special treatment or excessive spotlight, or deus ex abililities; if you share this open-minded approach to the fluff with the players' concepts, I think you will find more welcome to your concept.

[TheBrassDuke]

The Bloodline link confused the hell out of me, but it looks potentially worth tackling. I'm confused on how to apply it. If Kletian's a Human with 5 levels in Sorcerer, how much XP do I have if I apply the bloodline, and when do I add them/add more? And Minor, Intermediate and Major--can someone try explaining that better than its written?

[TheBrassDuke]

@Phelix, thanks for the input! I'll definitely inform my players, though they're aware I love high fantasy. Our faerie is going to be a loyal servant to a Faerie Queen, and she's come to me with some modifications that I said "hell yeah" to. Loving it so far.

And everyone, thank you! I'm enjoying everyone's take very much. Order of the Sand Shark is appropriate, and I think I can drum up some good stuff from that title alone. Thank you very much.

Anyone with ideas, still very welcome to more input. Greatly appreciated, and I like the discussion!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The Bloodline link confused the hell out of me, but it looks potentially worth tackling. I'm confused on how to apply it. If Kletian's a Human with 5 levels in Sorcerer, how much XP do I have if I apply the bloodline, and when do I add them/add more? And Minor, Intermediate and Major--can someone try explaining that better than its written?

You pick whether you have a minor, intermediate, or major bloodline. You get the benefits at the character level on the table corresponding to whichever grade of the bloodline you picked. If you picked minor, you only need to take one bloodline level; intermediate you must take two bloodline levels; major you must take three bloodline levels. You can take those bloodline levels as early as you want, as long as you have them before the character level indicated at the top of that page.

Assuming you're starting at ECL 6, given your original build's LA +1/ Sorcerer 5, you would begin play with at least 15,000 xp. If you're Sorcerer 1/ Bloodline 3/ Sorcerer 4, and your group is not interpreting it to be abusable as I described, you would be an ECL 8 character since the bloodline levels would count toward your ECL, but not your character level (which is not the case by RAW). If each bloodline level only costs you 1,000 xp because they were all taken when you were a 1st level character, you would instead need 18,000 xp to reach ECL 6, because 3,000 xp was used to gain bloodline levels instead of character levels.

If it's argued that the XP table cannot be offset, then as a 1st level character at 1,000 xp you're entitled to gaining a level. If you gain your first bloodline level, you're still a 1st level character at 1,000 xp and you're entitled to gaining a level. If you gain your second bloodline level, you're still a 1st level character at 1,000 xp and you're entitled to gaining a level. If you gain your third bloodline level, you're still a 1st level character at 1,000 xp and you're entitled to gaining a level. At this point you gain Sorcerer 2, and your bloodline levels have cost you absolutely nothing.

[TheBrassDuke]

Any thoughts to the fluff for the City of the Dead touchstone site back story ?

[TheBrassDuke]

...bump? Yeah...

[Afgncaap5]

Any thoughts to the fluff for the City of the Dead touchstone site back story ?

Well... not much personally, but the City of the Dead itself would work easily as a former ruin of one of the empires of Giants from Xen'drik's history. The Touchstone Key that you use could be easily flavored to Eberron if it's some sort of ancient Schema that the giants developed, or if it's something related to Dragonshards. (Khyber shards feel like they'd be a good resource to use here given their association with death and binding.) One of the themes of the City of the Dead is, well... the death, specifically also the desolation and decay of it all, so the site could be tied to The Keeper. Or... honestly, any of the Dark Six. The Devourer could have it as a place that's been picked clean and forgotten like an animal's bones (tying in nicely to the Sand Shark ideas from earlier) or The Traveler might revere it as a domain for something wonderful that's been destroyed to make way for history, for instance.

If you want a planar location to tie to it, then... tough call, but Dolurrh maybe? Realm of the dead? You could also take it another direction, and link Fernia to it as a purging fire, or a Shavarath might be fun if the City dies whenever it's settled again due to sudden violence.

[TheBrassDuke]

You guys are awesome. So many cool, flavorful ideas! I am really beginng to love this whole "Sand Shark" thing, too. Liking it a lot, actually. As well, I may just do that and dedicate it to the Devourer, but tie in some fluff to indicate the Traveler is involved in some manner. I mean, when doesn't that meddling bada** involve Him/Herself in strange, worldly things?

I've come to a conclusion on what to do with the racial problem that our DM can handle: Half-Fey template, modified to more of a Djinn or Efreeti. Should work, but templates aren't my forte in some manner. I'll be buying off the +2 LA over the course of leveling, so that should work out. But I have a quick question. If the half-fey temp has an d6 HD, do I add that each time I level up, plus my class HD? And the half-fey skills I modify, do they stack with my class skills? As in, do I calculate my points each level for racial skill point accumulation as WELL as my class skill accumulation?

Thanks, guys.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You guys are awesome. So many cool, flavorful ideas! I am really beginng to love this whole "Sand Shark" thing, too. Liking it a lot, actually. As well, I may just do that and dedicate it to the Devourer, but tie in some fluff to indicate the Traveler is involved in some manner. I mean, when doesn't that meddling bada** involve Him/Herself in strange, worldly things?

I've come to a conclusion on what to do with the racial problem that our DM can handle: Half-Fey template, modified to more of a Djinn or Efreeti. Should work, but templates aren't my forte in some manner. I'll be buying off the +2 LA over the course of leveling, so that should work out. But I have a quick question. If the half-fey temp has an d6 HD, do I add that each time I level up, plus my class HD? And the half-fey skills I modify, do they stack with my class skills? As in, do I calculate my points each level for racial skill point accumulation as WELL as my class skill accumulation?

Thanks, guys.

No, only racial hit dice get that d6 hit points and the fey skill points. Templates and creature types don't modify your hit points or skill points gained from class level, with very few exceptions which are specifically mentioned (like undead get d12 for all levels, instead of the normal class hit die). For example, a Dryad (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dryad.htm) has four fey HD, each of those gives a d6 hp and the fey skill points. If a Dryad were to take levels of Fighter, she would get the normal Fighter hit points, skill points, BAB, and base saves for those class levels. Racial hit dice is basically like multiclassing into a racial class.

[TheBrassDuke]

Oh, okay. So then I'd only calculate the Racial HD and skill points for the LA, then? And then just add normally from my class's?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Oh, okay. So then I'd only calculate the Racial HD and skill points for the LA, then? And then just add normally from my class's?

No, level adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/intro.htm#levelAdjustment) is level adjustment, and racial HD is racial HD. They're also separate. For example, a Centaur (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/centaur.htm) has four racial HD and a +2 LA. He has to take four levels of Monstrous Humanoid instead of four class levels, in addition to his +2 LA.

Take a look at Urpriest's Monstrous Monster Handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?207928-Urpriest-s-Monstrous-Monster-Handbook) if you need further clarification.

[TheBrassDuke]

Got it, thank you! :D