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Behold_the_Void
2007-11-04, 07:13 PM
So, I have a player interested in the Hengeyokai race from Oriental Adventures. I'm generally accommodating to race choices, but the problem is that it's a level 1 campaign and Hengeyokai don't look all THAT powerful, certainly not something that really calls for a +1 LA. The only troublesome thing I see is that they are immune to spells that specifically target humanoids, which I am going to remove seeing as there is no "Shapeshifter" type in 3.5 and I'm not using the OA types since there's no real need to in the game.

Would a Hengeyokai be terribly unbalanced as they are?

For those unaware, the racial traits with the change in place are as follows:

-2 Wisdom
Base speed 30 (in human form)
The ability to change shape into one of three forms a number of times per day equal to character level. The forms they can take are human form, hybrid form, and animal form.
While in Hybrid form, they gain a few benefits. In this case the player wishes to play a Weasel Hengeyokai, which means she would get +2 constitution and +4 to move silently (but only in Weasel-hybrid form) as well as the ability to shift into a normal weasel.

Too overpowered for LA +0 or not? I don't bill the shapeshifting as all THAT overpowering, and when in human form (which is the easiest to move around in, especially since a lot people outside of the Asian country aren't familiar with Hengeyokai but ARE familiar with lycanthropes) they have a net penalty and few real benefits.

Nermy
2007-11-04, 07:20 PM
I would probably change the type to Humanoid and give it the Shapechanger subtype to merge it into 3.5

Also it doesn't seem unreasonable at all to give it a +0 LA, it's not as if it has a broken ability like wild shape or anything.

mostlyharmful
2007-11-04, 07:32 PM
It sounds like a useful ability for certain builds, rogue or ranger. I'd keep the +1 but let them use UAs LA buy-off rules to get rid of it quickly.

Iku Rex
2007-11-04, 07:38 PM
Oriental Adventures got a 3.5 update in Dragon Magazine 318.


Hengeyokai: Hengeyokai are now creatures of the humanoid (shapechanger) type, rather than the obsolete shapechangers subtype. Remove their level adjustment.

mabriss lethe
2007-11-05, 12:12 AM
I personally have a fondness for the hengeyokai as presented in the Rokugan d10/d20 hybrid book Fortunes and Winds published by AEG back in the day when they were supporting d20. LA zero race(s). Each type began with a few nifty powers and a pool of "points" to buy other, neater, powers. The drawback is that as they increase in level, their actions become more tightly bound and circumscribed by a series of taboos. They break the taboo, they loose their powers for a day (and risk becoming ordinary mortal creatures, though that's a rule I usually ignore in a non-l5r setting.) They're a lot of fun, powerful enough to be pretty dangerous, but restricted enough by their taboos to make them a challenge to roleplay.

Tengu
2007-11-05, 12:35 AM
The only overpowered thing for a LA 0 race in those is the ability to fly/breathe underwater in some cases. Weasel, obviously, has none of those.

MrNexx
2007-11-05, 01:25 AM
Making Hengeyokai humanoid solves a LOT of problems. They're vulnerable to a lot more spells (can be affected by them, as well, in the case of buffs), and the animal forms don't add a ton of power... isn't there most threatening animal a fox?

Person_Man
2007-11-05, 11:05 AM
It gives you access to Warshaper at 4th level. But that's no different from Shifter.

CthulhuM
2007-11-05, 02:15 PM
Yeah, if you're really worried about the LA, just have your player make a shifter and give it oriental-themed fluff. Shifters have a lot more character options available to them anyway, what with all the racial feats and substitutions levels and such.