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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other Future Shock: Hologram race



Malapterus
2018-08-28, 11:09 PM
For a sci-fi campaign, it would be interesting to play a hologram. In many ways it would be similar to a ghost, but different in enough ways to be exciting to work with.

A major difference is that it needs something to emit it. Also, I assume it would technically have to be a construct. I suppose the 'real' character would be a Fine Construct with Perfect flight at a speed similar to walking.

Its 'body' would be incorporeal, but it would probably be able to learn/upgrade some kind of energy attacks. For a high price you could purchase an upgrade to make you able to do 'hard light' and become solid, but then you become whatever size you're projecting and your hardlight body getting hit subtracts from your HP as it strains your capacitors.

Other upgrades would be purchasable, sort of like race-specific wondrous items, and other techno-items could be miniaturized/simulated for an inflated cost.

There could also be a very interesting racial class where the hologram is programing its own simulated upgrades, gaining these new abilities like a sorcerer gains spells; or maybe more like a psion, since power points would be appropriate for something with a generator.

How can we make this without a huge level adjustment?

Fine Construct
Speed: Land 0ft, Fly 30ft (perfect), Swim 10 ft
AC: +8 size, +2 natural
Attacks: Slam (1 point bludgeoning)
Special Attacks: Shock
Special Qualities: Construct traits, Crucial Components, Self-Contained, Recharge, Holographic body, Projection, Color Spray
Attributes: Str 0, +Dex, +Cha?



Shock (Ex): The hologram can make a touch attack by making physical contact with its emitter. It is treated as a Fine creature for this attack, and must enter its opponents square. A successful attack deals 1 point of Electricity damage.
**the same is true for its fearsome Slam attack

Construct Traits: Blah blah blah we know this, can't be healed by healing spells

Crucial Components: Within the emitter are tiny individual parts that individually control flight, projection, data processing, and other things. On the off chance a blow is landed on the hologram's emitter, it is subject to critical hits like a living creature. Unlike most constructs, it also has a Constitution score.

Self-Contained: All physical parts of the hologram are contained within the shell of its emitter. It has no external moving parts of any value. It cannot manipulate objects, nor can it move without flying. It is not considered to have a Strength score unless it physically forces its body against an object, in which case it is treated as having a Strength score of 1.

Recharge: The emitter's capacitors can recharge during periods of inactivity. The emitter must remain still, not flying or projecting, for four hours per day, for optimal performance. Missing this causes it to enter a state similar to being Fatigued, however the -2 penalty applies to all checks it makes. If it is Fatigued from this effect, and becomes Exhausted, the -6 likewise applies to all checks it makes. Recovering from the Fatigued effect requires 4 hours of inactivity or the application of any Repair spell. Recovering from the Exhausted effect requires 24 hours of inactivity; the application of any Repair spell will improve the condition to Fatigued.

Holographic Body: The emitter can project a holographic body from Tiny to Large size. It can emit this around itself, or from up to thirty feet from its location. The holographic body has the same Armor Class as the emitter, minus the natural armor, and with the size modifier of the projected body. The projection moves along with the emitter, however, moving the emitter or the projection independently is a Move action. The emitter is unable to communicate with non-machine entities without projecting its hologram. The hologram body emits shadow illumination in a ten foot radius, and gets -8 to Hide checks as it is glowing. Creatures with an intelligence score below 8 will not comprehend that the hologram is not the real target without having it explained to them, and creatures with animal or vermin intelligence will not be able to comprehend this at all without training, unless they are naturally attracted to the metal or power source of the emitter. Aside from size, the holographic body has a 'default' appearance in terms of body and facial features; projecting something else (except for size) requires a Disguise or other appropriate check. Minor details such as clothing can be changed freely. The holographic body is fully incorporeal and cannot manipulate objects. It is immune to all damage, including Ghost Touch weapons and other incorporeal attacks, with the following exceptions:
*If the emitter is within its hologram, a critical hit against the holographic body will strike the emitter, though this is not considered a critical hit against the emitter.
*The emitter takes full damage from any electrical damage dealt to its holographic body, including the extra damage from a Shocking weapon that passes through the hologram.
*Spells with the Darkness descriptor deal 1d4 damage per spell level against the hologram. If the effect is continuous, the damage is dealt again at the beginning of the hologram's turn for so long as it remains in the effect, however, it is entitled to a Constitution save to halve this continued damage.

Projection: The emitter can use Dancing Lights or Minor Image as extraordinary abilities with no duration limit, however, it can only have one instance of Projection active at once, and Minor Image requires concentration as per normal.

Color Spray: The emitter can use Color Spray 3/day as a Wizard of its hit dice, as an extraordinary ability.

SOME POTENTIAL UPGRADES:

Hardlight projector (Extremely expensive): The holographic body can be made corporeal, either when it is projected or as a Move action (reversing the process is also a Move action). It retains the attributes of the emitter, minus the natural armor, and with the appropriate Size modifier. The hardlight body takes full damage from all attacks as normal, although it is immune to critical hits and critical hits against it do not strike the emitter directly. Damage dealt to the hardlight body is subtracted from the emitter's HP.

Projection Enhancement (Fair price): The emitter can now have up to three instances of Dancing Lights active at once, although it can still only activate one per round.

Image Database (expensive-ish): Essentially functions as a built-in Hat of Disguise.

Photon projection (about three fiddy): allows the emitter and/or hologram to make various energy attacks in the form of heat or force; some physical, some touch, some ranged touch.

Charged Ion Field (I donno): The emitter gains all-around vision for 30 feet and cannot be flanked.

Recorder (cheap): The emitter can replay a simulation of anything it experienced in the last seven days, this giving the viewers a complete understanding of what it experienced. Additionally, it can store up to three experience simulations indefinitely, deleting and replacing them at any time. Help me, Obi-Wan, you're my only hope!

Redundant Parts (regularish?): 50% chance to ignore critical hits against the emitter.

Arcane Database (probably several times the cost of a spellbook): An internal spellbook with infinite space that the emitter can read from at any time with no physical expenditure. 'Scribing' to this database still costs the same as scribing to a spellbook for some reason.



okay that's some ideas tossed out, what do you people think?

nonsi
2018-08-29, 05:06 AM
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I'm curious. Isn't a hologram supposed to be incorporeal? I mean, it has no substantiality. This makes Slam Attack and Natural Armor seem inappropriate.
Also, having no physical form means that its class choices revolve almost exclusively around full casters/manifesters or Warlock (or their Sci-Fi equivalents).

Anymage
2018-08-29, 06:02 AM
Intangibility and flight are going to be very messy at early levels. Practically requiring LA/RHD to keep them out of the loop until you reach the level where these sorts of effects are expected and accounted for.

Also, hologram physical classes are right out, except for maybe a rogue. (Who will look for components that can allow them to dim their glow, and then quite happily fly around as a nonemitting tiny construct.) Casters lose a lot less, mostly depending on specifics of class and how much they can expect party members to lug around the physical goods for them. An innate fly speed and severe resistance to physical attacks are very attractive to a caster who can just ask allies - or at worst, just use spells - when they need to interface with the outside world.

Malapterus
2018-08-29, 08:26 AM
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I'm curious. Isn't a hologram supposed to be incorporeal? I mean, it has no substantiality. This makes Slam Attack and Natural Armor seem inappropriate.

The hologram has to come from somewhere, so the actual 'creature' involved is a little node that flies around projecting said hologram. The node has a solid metal shell so it has a little armor, and it could theoretically fling itself at your head for minimal damage.

Malapterus
2018-08-29, 08:45 AM
Intangibility and flight are going to be very messy at early levels. Practically requiring LA/RHD to keep them out of the loop until you reach the level where these sorts of effects are expected and accounted for.

The flight is a big deal. I was looking for an effect that would have you hover more than fly, i.e., you can't go very high, but I couldn't find one and didn't want to overcomplicate things.

The intangibility is also a big deal, but it's severely limited here in a lot of ways. For one, you can't actually pass through a wall because your emitter is solid. Also, sans an upgrade, you can't turn it OFF, so you get all the disadvantages 24/7 while still technically being able to get whacked with a stick, albeit a well-aimed stick. The upgrade would be expensive, and switching from solid to flaccid intangible is still a move action, limiting its defensive use.


Also, hologram physical classes are right out, except for maybe a rogue.

Man, pairing that one-point electric zap or even the zing-slam with sneak attack seems potentially overpowered.

Goaty14
2018-08-29, 10:49 AM
The flight is a big deal. I was looking for an effect that would have you hover more than fly, i.e., you can't go very high, but I couldn't find one and didn't want to overcomplicate things.

Levitate, but you can't go higher than 5ft off the ground (AKA, you can't avoid melee via flight).

Malapterus
2018-08-29, 04:37 PM
Levitate, but you can't go higher than 5ft off the ground (AKA, you can't avoid melee via flight).

I can't seem to find that

nonsi
2018-08-29, 11:13 PM
I can't seem to find that

FYI: The Elocater (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/elocater.htm) PrC has an ability called Scorn Earth.