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View Full Version : The Bellaters [New Race and Base Class] (Suggestions for class features needed)



BisectedBrioche
2007-11-09, 07:12 PM
This started off as sort of a melee version of my Linguamancer (see my signature) which was based around scavenging materials from the enviroment and then building weapons (which would deteriate more quickly than "real" weapons). This was too complicated, so instead I reduced the class to the scavenging compenent and had the items beign scavenged come "ready built". To justify why they were lying around I decided to have them in a state which only allowed certain people (i.e. of a specific race) to access them.

Race: The Bellaters

History

The Bellaters started off as a race of warriors who were none-the-less known for their highly academic society. This situation came about due to the event which lead to the races very creation.

Approximatly 1000 years ago from the present day, two gods created their own races. The gods (both close friends) were named Animum and Viscus, and they named their creations, the Viscusians and the Animites respectivly, in honor of one another. Both races were intelligent and strong however their cultures took different paths. As Viscus was a god of war and battles, the Animites were a race of warriors, while as Animum was a god of knowledge the Viscusians were a race of scholars.

As a gift to their races the two gods made the lands they called their home (Bellatria) rich in the ore of a metal which came to be known as insolitium.

At first glance insolitium is identical to iron (apart from a greenish tint), although it is slightly easier to refine and so it was simply known as Bellatrian Iron and no speacial attention was paid to it. 500 years later interbreeding between the Viscusians and the Animites meant that they were essentually the same race (although Animum and Viscus hadn't made them too dissimilar in the first place, and most of the other races weren't even aware this was the case, assuming the differences were merely cultural) and their culture had merged into one which valued both martial and academic prowess. This new race was known as the Bellaters. This event is known in Bellatrian society as "The Gain".

Approximatly 400 years ago the true power of insolitium was discovered. A group of adventurers (who's names have long since been forgotten) visited the lands. One of the group's members, a fighter, had his sword damaged and so it was repaired by a Bellatrian smith, who naturally used the insolitium which was abundant in his homeland. The adventurers then (on buisness unknown) entered the etheral plane. During their adventure, the fighter fell and the party was forced to leave his equipment (including the sword) behind and carry back his semi-concious body. When they returned to the material plane a Bellatrian theif decided to take advantage of their weakened state and tried to rob them. The party's cleric gave the Fighter a potion in order to heal him and told him to run for help, as he would be no use unarmed. Unfortunatly the theif ran strait towards the vunerable fighter. Suddenly, the fighter's sword appeared back in his hands and the theif was quickly cut down. The true power of Bellatrian Iron had been uncovered.

The Bellaters were quick to study this property and found that if an object made (at least partly) of insolitium was placed on the etheral plane then the true owner would be able to call it at will to the material plane. This lead to a series of technological and mystical leaps for the Bellaters. Unfortunatly the warrior side of the society overcame them as the study of technology was influenced by its martial implementation. Soon they ruthlessly carved a great empire, enslaving or destroying nation after nation. Even the lowest ranking foot soldiers could call powerful armour, weapons and armies of metal golems to their side and no-one could stand up to their might.

Furious at both the misuse of their gift and their maltreatment of other races Animum and Viscus cursed their creations. Animum stripped them of their knowledge of technology and mechanics leaving them worse off than a kobold striving to place stakes at the base of his pits, while Viscus cursed their breath forcing them to lose their breath faster than an elderly elven mage, walking to his own bookshelf. This is known in Bellatrian society as "The Loss".

Over time, as they watched Bellaters reduced to scrambling around their own decaying cities, trying desperatly to find scraps of stored food, the two gods felt remoursful for having acted so rashly. And so they gave their people a chance to redeem themselves. So they allowed them to choose: they may become warriors and fight in the name of Viscus, or they may seek out Animum's gifts and reclaim them. In exchange for the strength to fight they must give up the skill of study, while to reclaim their gifts they must rely upon them. They call this ongoing period in their history "The Repentance".

Stats


A Bellater recieves -2 to strength and +2 to wisdom or -2 to wisdom and +2 to strength depending on which of their two gods (Animum and Viscus respectivly) they worship.
All Bellaters suffer from the Curse of Viscus. This means that they must breath much more often than other races, giving them a -2 penanlty for all endurence related constitution checks and fort saves (e.g. to hold breath, keep running, etc).
A Bellater sleeps like most other humanoids but may miss a single night of sleep before suffering any ill effects (warriors and scholars often found themselves awake at odd hours and eventually they adapted).
Bellaters receive a +1 racial bonus on spot checks
Favoured Classes: Paladin (for worshipers of Viscus), Bellation Scavenger (for worshipers of Animum)


Appearence

Bellaters are very similar to humans and elves. They are about half way between the two in height and weight. Their eyes are a fairly defining feature, on average they are very slightyl larger than human eyes and tend to dart around, looking for threats or points of interest. Their skin has a very slight grey tint to it (very rarely some Bellaters are born with dark grey skin, however) while their hair has the same ranges of colours as human hair. The vital stats for a bellater are shown below.


Adulthood|Middle Age|Old|Venerable|Max Age

20|41|57|80|+3d20

Gender|Base Height|Height Modifier|Base Weight|Weight Modifier

Male|4'7"|3d6|100lb|x2d4lb
Female|4'5"|3d6|82lb|x2d4lb

Society

As the events of The Repentance have unfolded Bellatian society has rebuilt itself. Although Animum and Viscus are given a lot of reverance for obvious reasons there is a clear divide between the state and spiritual matters. In Bellatria (the small slither of their former empire the gods allowed them to keep) the Church and the Monarchy hold equal power, important matters are discussed in a public forum. Most Bellatian cities will have such a public forum, a representative of the Animum and Viscus Church and a representative of the current monarch (many Bellatian settlments in non-Bellatian countries will settle for a representative of that nation's government, however). Young Bellatians decide whether they will worship Animum or Viscus (thus deciding if they are to be a scholar or a warrior) when they come of age after 20 years. This is considered an important event, although no specific name is used to describe it. Viscus worshipers tend to be Fighters, Paladins or warriors, Animum worshipers tend to be commoners/experts, Bellation Scavengers or Bards.

Nameing

A Bellater's name tends to be made up of three parts: A first name, a title and a family name. The first name is either descriptive or from an ancestor (traditionally, someone who does something great or heroic will have the honor of having their name passed on to their seventh decendant), all names are either masculine or femanine however there is always a masculine and a femanine form of each (this means that its possible to pass on an ancestors name to a child even if they are of a different sex). A family will usually have records of when a child will be named for an ancestor. All first names should be derived from latin (either Latin words, corrupted Latin words or names of Latin origin (http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/rom-late.php)), typical examples include;

Masculine|Femanine|Meaning

Nanor|Nanatrix|Small, lightly built
Benedictus|Benedicta|Holy, Spiritual
Callistus|Callista|Attractive
Novius|Noviette|Unique, Modern

The second part of the name is a title. For most this is either Liber (anyone under 20), Viscusian (a worshiper of Animum) or Animite (a worshiper of Viscus). In some circumstances this may be replaced by a speacial title: Vir (for heroic or brave actions, someone awarded this title will have the first of the seventh generation of their decendants named after them), Centerian (if they live to be over 115), Gnarus (if they make a great discovery, this also entitles them to have a decendant named after them). If someone earns more than one title they may use any they want.

The family name is simply the first name of the earliest ancestor of the family, as a result they follow the same rules for first names.


Sorry about all the spelling errors. Any comments/criticisms?

BisectedBrioche
2007-11-10, 10:55 AM
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills: Spot, Concentration, Knowledge, Use Magic Device, Disable Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Bellation Scavenger
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+1|Recover Insolitium

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+1|

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+2|Planar Eyes I

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+2|

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+3|Insolitium Companion

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+3|

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+3|

8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+6|
+4|

9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+6|
+4|

10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+7|
+5|Planar Eyes II, Insolitium Companion II

11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+7|
+5|

12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+6|

13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+6|

14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+9|
+6|

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+9|
+7|Planar Eyes III, Insolitium Companion III

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+7|

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+8|

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+11|
+8|

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+8|

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+9|Insolitium Companion IV[/table]

A little less than 400 years ago the Bellations discovered an unusual property of insolitium, a metal abundant in their homelands. If an item made of it was placed on the etheral plane then its owner could call it to them from anywhere on the material plane. This lead them to develop their technology and conquer other lands. This angered their gods so the knowledge to produce insolitium was wiped from the minds of all beings and the existing technology was scattered all over the etheral plane and hidden. Some time later the gods granted them a chance to reclaim this lost technology. The Bellaters who try to find the remains of their ancestor's legacy are known as scavengers, devoted to seeking out the lost technology and to following the ways of their god.

Belatian Scavengers are proficent with all armour and weapons as long as they are of Belatian make. They are proficent with all simple weapons regardless of origin.

Recover Insolitium As a full round action a Scavenger may search the etheral plane (in the area they're in) for Belatian technology. See below for the mechanics.

Planar Eyes After spending their time straining to see Belatian artifacts causes them to become more attuned to the etheral plane. The scavenger gains low light vision if they do not all ready have it.

Insolitium Companion Having proven to Animum that they are serious about finding the lost technology they are granted a companion: A construct made of insolitium. This construct is (initially) a small humanoid, see below for stats. Every 5 levels after level 5 the construct increases a size category and gains a natural armour bonus +1.

Planar Eyes II The scavenger's eyes become even more sensitive. They now have dark vision to 30ft. or increase their normal dark vision by 30ft. if they already have it.

Planar Eyes III The scavenger's eyes are almost perfectly attuned to the etheral plane. They may see faint outlines of anything which is present on it while on the material plane (e.g. unmanifested ghosts or visitors) with the exception of insolatium items. In addition to this the miss chance for etheral enemies is negated (treat any attacks as having been done with a ghost-touched weapon).

Using the Recover Insolitium Class Feature

The gods punished the Belators by hiding their technology on the etheral plane. It is normally visible only from the material plane (to those who concentrate hard enough) but only accessable from the etheral plane. Scavengers study so that they can claim the items they perceive on the etheral plane and will them into the material plane.

To search an area for items, first the DM must decide in advance what (if any) artifacts are present on the etheral plane. Any item which could be justified as having a metal component can contain insolitium and thus be used.

In order to search the etheral plane in a given area (up to a 100ft. radius) the player must roll (1d20 + ranks in search + any bonuses or penalties to search) x (10 x Scavenger Level). They are able to see (as a faint outline) any items which have a value equal to or lower than the result. For example if the DM places a Belatian sword worth 1000gp and a Belatian suit of armour worth 10,000gp on the etheral plane in a given area, then a scavenger of level 10 with 5 ranks in spot rolls a 12 then the result is (12 + 5) x (10 x 10) = 1700. Meaning the scavenger can see the sword but not the armour.

When a scavenger has found an artifact on the etheral plane they may pull it into the material plane. To do this they must touch it and spend two rounds concentrating (making the apropriate checks if there are any distractions). The artifact then manifests.

The scavenger may keep a set of armour and a weapon for their own use and must return any "excess" artifacts to a temple of Animum where they can be studied and records of them made. They must never sell any of them or risk the wrath of both Animum and Viscus.

Insolitium Companion Stats

The following stats are for a 5th level scavenger's golem. It has 2 of the abilities listed to start with and gains another (chosen by the scavenger) every 2 HD (i.e. every 4 levels the scavenger gains). Other changes via its master's progression are noted above.

Every 2 HD the golem gains its master may allocate 1d6 points among its base ability scores (e.g. if a 5 is rolled, 2 could be added to strength and 3 to dexterity). Remember that, as a construct, the golem gains extra hitpoints when it goes up a size category. It uses the saves that its master would have at half its master's character level.

Insolitium Companion
Size/Type: Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10+20 (31 hp)
Initiative: 0
Speed: 20
Armor Class: 11, touch 10, flat-footed 11 (+1 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+1
Attack: Slam +1 melee
Full Attack: Slam +1
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: As allocated
Special Qualities: As allocated
Saves: Fort 0, Ref 0, Will 0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Con —, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 10
Alignment: As master's
Advancement: By master's level, see above

The Insolitium Companion is created by the will of Animum to aid those who try to recover the technology of the Bellaters. Initially it is a mindless servant of the character, only capable of understanding simple instructions. When its intelligence exceeds or equals 3 it becomes intelligent, and more of a friend than a servent. As noted above it will grow in size as its master's Scavenger level increases. Every time its size category increases its base land speed increases by 10. The appearence of the construct is initially a smooth, featureless humanoid made of greenish metal, however this changes over time based on alignment, enviroment and its abilities amoung other things.

Improvements

Each improvement can only be added once unless otherwise noted.

Bite attack The companion gains a mouth (if it does not already have one) full of sharp teeth. This grants it a bite attack dealing damage appropriate to it's size category.

Weapon The golem gains the weapon focus feat and the apropriate insolitium weapon chosen by its master. The weapon acts as a basic version of that particular weapon and may be summoned by the construct at will. To gain this improvement the companion must have a usable set of arms.

Claw Attack The companion's limbs gain claws, dealing damage apropriate for its size.

Quadrapedal One pair of arms becomes a pair of legs, making the golem a quadraped. If this removes its only pair of arms it must take the extra arms improvement before it can use arm related improvements again. If the golem has a claw attack it gains the rake ability.

Database The companion gains 5 ranks in any Knowledge skill. This may be added multiple times, adding 5 ranks to an exisitng knowledge skill or 5 ranks in a new knowledge skill. Only companions which have an intelligence score above 3 may have this improvement

Flight The companion gains a fly speed equal to half their base land speed with good manuverability.

Extra arms The golem gains an extra pair of arms.

Pack Mule The golem gains extradimentional space, allowing it to store up to 10ft. squared or 30lb. (which ever comes first) of matter.

Spell Like ability The construct gains any arcane or divine spell of fourth level or lower as a spell like ability 1/day per 2 HD as cast with a caster level equal to its HD.

BisectedBrioche
2007-11-10, 04:44 PM
I could use some suggestions for class features.

DracoDei
2007-11-10, 05:22 PM
How about the ability to put stuff BACK on the ethereal plain after they have summoned it, and/or attach very small fragments of the metal on otherwise normal objects so they can be recovered in that same way? Etherealness has precedent as a class ability for monks.

Also you need to change "wide Eyes" on the table to "Planar Eyes I".

Lord Tataraus
2007-11-10, 05:24 PM
A Bellater recieves -2 to strength and +2 to wisdom or -2 to wisdom and +2 to strength depending on which of their two gods (Animum and Viscus respectivly) they worship.
All Bellaters suffer from the Curse of Viscus. This means that they must breath much more often than other races, giving them a -2 penanlty for all endurence related constitution checks and fort saves (e.g. to hold breath, keep running, etc).
A Bellater sleeps like most other humanoids but may miss a single night of sleep before suffering any ill effects (warriors and scholars often found themselves awake at odd hours and eventually they adapted).
Bellaters receive a +1 racial bonus on spot checks
Favoured Classes: Fighter, Palidin, Bellation Scavenger
Firstly, stick with one Favored Class or, since you have two subraces, one for each subrace.
Other than that, I'd say its pretty balanced though they could use a few more minor bonuses like racial skill bonuses and such.

So the class:

Planar Eyes After spending their time straining to see Belatian artifacts causes them to become more attuned to the etheral plane. The scavenger gains low light vision if they do not all ready have it.
I assume this is what is listed on the table as Wide Eyes? If so, its ok, but not great. You definitely need more classes features and you need to put at least descriptions of what you want this class to do at certain intervels before I can really give suggestions.


Insolitium Companion Having proven to Animum that they are serious about finding the lost technology they are granted a companion: A construct made of insolitium. This construct is a small humanoid with the skills of a human (adjusted for size) Fighter half the level of the scavenger rounded down. Every 5 levels after level 5 the construct increases a size category and gains a natural armour bonus +1.
I don't like how its basically a modified human, make stats for an actual golem and just advance its construct HD. A lot less complicated and doesn't seem like its made artificially (no pun intended).


Planar Eyes II The scavenger's eyes become even more sensitive. They now have full dark vision.
Wait, full darkvision? As in no definite range? I guess its ok at this level, though it is kind of out of the blue. I'd suggest granting darkvision 30ft and 60ft earlier then giving full.


Planar Eyes III The scavenger's eyes are almost perfectly attuned to the etheral plane. They may see faint outlines of anything which is present on it while on the material plane. In addition to this the miss chance for etheral enemies is negated (treat any attacks as having been done with a ghost-touched weapon).
You need to expand what this does more. Does it allow you to see invisible things or what?

BisectedBrioche
2007-11-10, 09:19 PM
I've statted out the companion (along with a system for upgrading it as its HD increases), made a few changes to what I've got so far based on your suggestions and noted the mechanics for the recover skill.

Now I'm off to bed.

BisectedBrioche
2007-11-11, 06:46 PM
How about the ability to put stuff BACK on the ethereal plain after they have summoned it, and/or attach very small fragments of the metal on otherwise normal objects so they can be recovered in that same way? Etherealness has precedent as a class ability for monks.

Also you need to change "wide Eyes" on the table to "Planar Eyes I".

I don't think returning stuff to the etheral plane really fits in with the fluff. The idea is that they are salvaging technology. Think more along the lines of Al Bhed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Bhed#Creatures_and_races) than a Magic Satchal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_space). Etheralness could work though.