New Race Kroot

[Trellom]

Hi all,

This is my first time creating a race so please no flaming too much!

What I am looking to do is create the Kroot race from the wargame Warhammer 40,000. So any help from anyone who plays 40k would be great. If not any advice on balance etc is stil greatly appreciated.

Aiming at a LA+0 to LA+1 race for an NPC in a campaign I'm running.


+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constituiton, -2 Charisma. The Kroot are strong and nioble but not necessarily tough and due to interaction mostly with their own kind they do not interact well with other races.
Medium: As Medium creatures, Kroot have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Kroot base land speed is 30 feet (thinking maybe 40 fett as they are shown to be fast runners)
Low-light Vision
Favoured Class: Monk or Ranger Kindof divided over this one as I thought that monk was a a good choice seeing they seek ever increasing strength and the like through their evolution so seeking perfection of the body wouldn't seem so alien to them and Ranger due to the fact that they are skilled hunters.


Also come but this is all so far as it remains a work in progress and also Fluff will be coming shortly once i get the mechanics sorted.

[Vadin]

No abilities relating to their highly mutable genetics?

[Trellom]

Well yeah as I said before its a work in progress so i'm going to add in things also looking for advice from anyone as to what to include :smallsmile:

[Reptilius]

The Kroot are a fairly savage race, monk wouldn't fit with that. I'd be split over Barbarian or Ranger.

[EvilElitest]

Never played warhammer, so what are these guys like?
from,
EE

[StickMan]

Seems a little on the bland side, seems like they need something with a little bang.

[Renloth]

From my experience in 40K, perhaps a inherent bonus to melee attacks?

I can see where Monk would come from, being that they are natural hand to hand fighters, though I agree it's less than ideal. Ranger or Fighter sounds the best to me.

How about a +1 bonus to attack rolls with Melee weapons, or perhaps damage rolls? That would essentially give an additional two points of strength for those purposes only, which could serve to highlight the force of arms of the Kroot.

More in general, is there any precident for racial abilities that scale with character level?

[Magi_Ring_O]

I would make their move speed 30 feet and their favoured class barbarian, because 1 level in barbarian grants +10 movement.

[Maldraugedhen]

Highly mutable genetics rule possibility, might be a bit too long-winded, but here it is. Couple of feats, too. This would probably make Kroot LA+1.

Mutable Genetics:
When a kroot eats something, it gradually acquires some of the characteristics of its food, becoming stronger by feasting on stronger enemies and such. Simply keep track of how many meals of a given species the kroot has eaten, and refer to the following 2 charts (one for especially weak races, one for especially strong) to note the differences to the character. An eaten species counts as being 'strong' in an attribute if the race receives a +2 or more bonus to that attribute, and counts as being 'weak' if they receive a -2 or more penalty. Races with multiple nonbase characteristics accumulate in the respective entries on the 2 charts simultaneously, so eating especially exotic species will affect a kroot's build faster. A kroot who gains more than 4 ranks on the chart solely from a specific species eats itself into a dead end, and cannot alter its physiology any further. A kroot cannot gain more than 10 total 'ranks' on the Mutable Genetics charts (ex. a 4th level bonus from Str, a 4th level bonus from Dex, and a 2nd level bonus from Con), and if he gains all 10 in one specific statistic on either the positive or the negative Mutable Genetics Chart, he also becomes locked and cannot change. If a kroot has 10 Mutable Genetics changes and gains an 11th, he must lose his first (negatives counting first for the purpose of order gained, then Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha, if two separate changes were gained from the same meal). Kroot may have up to four meals per day count towards these totals. Levels on the Negative and Positive Mutable Genetics charts in the same attribute cancel each other out.

Mutable Genetics Charts:
{table="head"]# Of Meals | Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha
10 | +1 to a Str-based skill | +1 to a Dex-based skill | "" | "" | "" | ""
20 | +2 to a Str-based skill | +2 to a Dex-based skill | "" | "" | "" | ""
30 | Bite attack--+1 melee, 1D4+1 dmg | Claw attack--+1 melee, 1D4+1 dmg | Slam attack--+1 melee, 1D4+1 dmg | +1 Skill Point/level, gained retroactively | Scent | +8 Spell Resistance
40 | +1 Str | +1 Dex | +1 Con | +1 Int | +1 Wis | +1 Cha
50 | Powerful Build | +2 Reflex Save | +2 Fortitude Save | Bardic Knowledge, substitute ECL for Bard Level | +2 Will Save | Fascinate, substitute ECL for Bard Level
60 | +2 melee and 1D6+1 on bite | +2 melee and 1D6+1 on claw | +2 melee and 1D6+1 on slam | +1 Skill Point/level, gained retroactively | Camouflage | +8 Spell Resistance
70 | Reroll 1 Str-based check 1/day | Reroll 1 Dex-based check 1/day | Reroll 1 Con-based check 1/day | Reroll 1 Int-based check 1/day | Reroll 1 Wis-based check 1/day | Reroll 1 Cha-based check 1/day
80 | +1 Str | +1 Dex | +1 Con | +1 Int | +1 Wis | +1 Cha
90 | +3 melee and 1D6+2 on bite | +3 melee and 1D6+2 on claw | +3 melee and 1D6+2 on slam | +1 Skill Point / level, gained retroactively | Hide in Plain Sight | +8 Spell Resistance
100 | +2 to all Str-based damage | +10 ft/rd movement | DR 8/- | Apply Int modifier to AC and damage instead of Dex and Str | Apply Wis modifier to all saving throws instead of Wis, Str, and Dex | Apply Cha modifier to all non-Int based skill checks[/table]

Negative Chart:
{table="head"]# Of Meals | Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha
10 | -1 to a Str-based skill | -1 to a Dex-based skill | "" | "" | "" | ""
20 | -2 to a Str-based skill | -2 to a Dex-based skill | "" | "" | "" | ""
30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
40 | -1 Str | -1 Dex | -1 Con | -1 Int | -1 Wis | -1 Cha
50 | Weak Build (rule-opposite of Powerful Build) | -2 Reflex Save | -2 Fortitude Save | -1 Skill Point / Level, lost retroactively | -2 Will Save | Saying 20 words or more is a move action
60 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
70 | DM can force a reroll on 1 Str-based check 1/day, lower roll counts | DM can force a reroll on 1 Dex-based check 1/day, lower roll counts | DM can force a reroll on 1 Con-based check 1/day, lower roll counts | DM can force a reroll on 1 Int-based check 1/day, lower roll counts | DM can force a reroll on 1 Wis-based check 1/day, lower roll counts | DM can force a reroll on 1 Cha-based check 1/day, lower roll counts
80 | -1 Str | -1 Dex | -1 Con | -1 Int | -1 Wis | -1 Cha
90 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | --
100 | -2 to all Str-based damage | -10 ft/rd movement | Take 4 extra damage from any physical source | Apply Int modifier to AC and damage instead of Dex and Str | Apply Wis modifier to all saving throws instead of Wis, Str, and Dex | Apply Cha modifier to all non-Int based skill checks[/table]

Shaper [Racial]
Prerequisites: Must be a Kroot with at least 2 different Mutable Genetics bonuses or penalties.
Bonus: Over the course of a week, may choose to discard two Mutable Genetics penalties and one bonus. Also, upon gaining a new character level, may discard one Mutable Genetics penalty.
Normal: a Kroot must eat strong creatures to discard penalties and affect his physiology.

Shifting Biology [Racial]
Prerequisites: Shaper, must be a Kroot.
Bonus: This Kroot will never dead-end genetically, and so may always use the Mutable Genetics rules to change further.
Normal: A kroot will eventually advance as far as s/he can into a genetic dead-end.

[Vadin]

The mutable genetics chart is an excellent start, but if its limited to balancing being in one ability (40 points of CHA penalty for 40 points of CHA bonus), it loses a bit of flavor. Perhaps if they had the option of taking 100% of the penalty in the same ability chart, or 125% (maybe 150?) of the penalty in another ability column. For example, 50 points of STR bonus abilities for 63 (62.5 rounded up) or 75 points of, say, combined WIS and DEX flaws. Also, the last level of penalties for INT, WIS, and CHA seem like HUGE bonuses instead of penalties. Why worry about DEX and STR when I can use my hugely boosted INT for AC and damage? As a positive (as it appears to be on both charts at the same level), however, it's excellent and fits extremely well with the class. I'd suggest modifying the last CHA bonus so that it instead applies to all non-physical skill checks...but that doesn't really make sense either...mayhaps a new final ability for CHA is needed?

[Mr. Moogle]

I havent played any WH40k beond the starter set so please enlighten me, what are kroot?