Doctor Despair
2021-05-06, 06:50 PM
Hello, friends!
Through a GitP research hole, I stumbled upon this thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?142936-3-5-Tiny-player-race), and it started me thinking: what are the smallest and biggest playable races available, and how small and large can we respectively make them?
That was a fairly broad question, so to begin with, I wanted to set some guidelines for myself:
I wanted it to be playable from ECL4 or less, as extremities in player builds are more impressive and more fun (in my opinion) when the sillyness comes online early enough to enjoy it (and before high-level casting obviates everything else).
I wanted the character to, ideally, be able to maintain that size for long durations, so as to avoid awkward periods where the concept was just out of juice and no longer "fun."
With that said, I poked around and found these options:
Smallest Races
Comes Online at ECL...
Name
Source
Size
LA
RHD
Notes
1
Hairy Spider
Monsters of Faerun
Fine
0
1
Mindless and has no arms, so it's of questionable use. Add to your backstory a Master of Flies using Awaken Vermin, and deduct 450gp; technically, this makes the race usable by level 2 WBL.
1
Muckdweller
Serpent Kingdoms
Tiny
0
1
N/A
1
Jermlaine
MM2
Tiny
0
1
N/A
1
Hengeyokai (Sparrow)
Oriental Adventures
Fine
0
1
Size applies when in animal form
1
Hengeyokai (Carp, Crab)
Oriental Adventures
Diminutive
0
1
Size applies when in animal form
1
Hengeyokai (Badger, Cat, Hare, Monkey, Rat, Weasel)
Oriental Adventures
Tiny
1
Size applies when in animal form
1
Tibbit
Dragon Compendium
Tiny
0
1
When in cat form
3
Phaerimm Hatchling
Lost Empires of Faerun
Tiny
2
1
N/A
3
Myconid, Junior Worker
MM2, DnD v3.5 Accessory Update 35
Tiny
2
1
N/A
4
Grig
MM1
Tiny
3
1
N/A
4
Flumph
Dungeon #118
Tiny
2
2
N/A
Size Reduction Notables
Slight-Build (Web Enhancements): Kobolds (small) are treated as tiny when beneficial; Active from ECL 1
Compression (EPH): Personal, so requires a level in psychic warrior or the Hidden Talent feat, and is short duration; Active from ECL 1
Reduce Person / Permanency (PHb): 3040, one size category for a humanoid (synergy with Human Heritage); Active from ECL 5
Return to Nature (ECS): Instantaneous Reduce Person for giants; arguably can be applied more than once for 910 each time. Active from ECL 3
Fiend of Possession (FF): Allows you to possess and animate objects, enabling pseudo-small size; Active from ECL4+; requires specific build
Shrink Collar (A&EG): 10,000, shrinks wearer to small size Active from ECL 8
Phylactery of Change (A&EG): 11,200, polymorph of infinite duration into another low-HD form. Active from ECL 8
Rod of Wonders (Core?): 12,000, extremely dysfunctional item that seems to generate infinite wealth and guarantee you a size reduction to 1/12 of your original height. Doesn't explicitly change size category, but almost certainly does in practice -- although you'll die from crushing damage from thrown DMGs. Active from ECL 8
Ring of Reduction (LoM): 20,000, one size category; Active from ECL 10
Lycanthropy offers a number of forms to increase or decrease size
Use True Mind Switch and/or Polymorph to swap into a desirable body; active from a very high ECL, either by way of cost or way of needing a 9th level power
Dragon Magazine #293 gave statblocks with LA for a number of tiny and diminutive animals.
Largest Races
Comes Online at ECL...
Name
Source
Size
LA
RHD
Notes
3
Half-Ogre
Races of Destiny
Large
2
0
N/A
3
Incarnate Construct Maug
Savage Species / Fiend Folio
Large
1
2
N/A
3
Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale
Savage Species
Large
0
3
N/A
3
Anthropomorphic Snake, Huge Viper
Savage Species
Large
0
3
N/A
Size Expansion Notables
Half-Fiend (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a): any living, corporeal creature with int 4 and nongood alignment. Large or smaller creatures gain 1 size category if parent fiend is huge or larger. LA+4
Ogre Titan grants a +1 size category for LA+6, but isn't first party material.
Half-Minotaur (Dragon 313): giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid of small to huge in size. Small or medium creatures gain 1 size category. LA+1
Half-Ogre (Dragon 313): giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid of small to huge in size. Small or medium creatures gain 1 size category. LA+1
Duergar can grow a size category 1/day as an SLA
Goliath Barbarian ACF increases your size to large, so it doesn't stack nicely with other effects. Also doesn't stack with powerful build.
Expansion (EPH): Personal, so requires a level in psychic warrior or the Hidden Talent feat, and is short duration; Active from ECL 1
Enlarge Person / Permanency (PHb): 3040, one size category for a humanoid (synergy with Human Heritage); Active from ECL 5
Ring of Growth (SS): 18,000, grants access to a size category increase with specific stat changes for 9 minutes/day. Doesn't stack with magical size increases.
Phylactery of Change (A&EG): 11,200, polymorph of infinite duration into another low-HD form. Active from ECL 8
Lycanthropy offers a number of forms to increase or decrease size
Dragon Magazine #293 gave statblocks with LA for a number of large animals.
Dragon Magazine #296 has the "Waker of the Beast" Prc to replace Enlarge Person
Dragon Magazine #345 has the "Thrall of Kostchtchie" Prc to grow a size category after 10 levels
Any number of ways to increase effective size, reach, or other benefit of being big (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?127732-3-X-Increasing-Size-Effective-Size-Unarmed-Damage-Reach&p=7081777#post7081777)
These are what I've found so far by perusing various GitP posts and threads. Does anyone know about any other big or miniscule player race options so that I can collate them here for later reference?
Through a GitP research hole, I stumbled upon this thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?142936-3-5-Tiny-player-race), and it started me thinking: what are the smallest and biggest playable races available, and how small and large can we respectively make them?
That was a fairly broad question, so to begin with, I wanted to set some guidelines for myself:
I wanted it to be playable from ECL4 or less, as extremities in player builds are more impressive and more fun (in my opinion) when the sillyness comes online early enough to enjoy it (and before high-level casting obviates everything else).
I wanted the character to, ideally, be able to maintain that size for long durations, so as to avoid awkward periods where the concept was just out of juice and no longer "fun."
With that said, I poked around and found these options:
Smallest Races
Comes Online at ECL...
Name
Source
Size
LA
RHD
Notes
1
Hairy Spider
Monsters of Faerun
Fine
0
1
Mindless and has no arms, so it's of questionable use. Add to your backstory a Master of Flies using Awaken Vermin, and deduct 450gp; technically, this makes the race usable by level 2 WBL.
1
Muckdweller
Serpent Kingdoms
Tiny
0
1
N/A
1
Jermlaine
MM2
Tiny
0
1
N/A
1
Hengeyokai (Sparrow)
Oriental Adventures
Fine
0
1
Size applies when in animal form
1
Hengeyokai (Carp, Crab)
Oriental Adventures
Diminutive
0
1
Size applies when in animal form
1
Hengeyokai (Badger, Cat, Hare, Monkey, Rat, Weasel)
Oriental Adventures
Tiny
1
Size applies when in animal form
1
Tibbit
Dragon Compendium
Tiny
0
1
When in cat form
3
Phaerimm Hatchling
Lost Empires of Faerun
Tiny
2
1
N/A
3
Myconid, Junior Worker
MM2, DnD v3.5 Accessory Update 35
Tiny
2
1
N/A
4
Grig
MM1
Tiny
3
1
N/A
4
Flumph
Dungeon #118
Tiny
2
2
N/A
Size Reduction Notables
Slight-Build (Web Enhancements): Kobolds (small) are treated as tiny when beneficial; Active from ECL 1
Compression (EPH): Personal, so requires a level in psychic warrior or the Hidden Talent feat, and is short duration; Active from ECL 1
Reduce Person / Permanency (PHb): 3040, one size category for a humanoid (synergy with Human Heritage); Active from ECL 5
Return to Nature (ECS): Instantaneous Reduce Person for giants; arguably can be applied more than once for 910 each time. Active from ECL 3
Fiend of Possession (FF): Allows you to possess and animate objects, enabling pseudo-small size; Active from ECL4+; requires specific build
Shrink Collar (A&EG): 10,000, shrinks wearer to small size Active from ECL 8
Phylactery of Change (A&EG): 11,200, polymorph of infinite duration into another low-HD form. Active from ECL 8
Rod of Wonders (Core?): 12,000, extremely dysfunctional item that seems to generate infinite wealth and guarantee you a size reduction to 1/12 of your original height. Doesn't explicitly change size category, but almost certainly does in practice -- although you'll die from crushing damage from thrown DMGs. Active from ECL 8
Ring of Reduction (LoM): 20,000, one size category; Active from ECL 10
Lycanthropy offers a number of forms to increase or decrease size
Use True Mind Switch and/or Polymorph to swap into a desirable body; active from a very high ECL, either by way of cost or way of needing a 9th level power
Dragon Magazine #293 gave statblocks with LA for a number of tiny and diminutive animals.
Largest Races
Comes Online at ECL...
Name
Source
Size
LA
RHD
Notes
3
Half-Ogre
Races of Destiny
Large
2
0
N/A
3
Incarnate Construct Maug
Savage Species / Fiend Folio
Large
1
2
N/A
3
Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale
Savage Species
Large
0
3
N/A
3
Anthropomorphic Snake, Huge Viper
Savage Species
Large
0
3
N/A
Size Expansion Notables
Half-Fiend (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a): any living, corporeal creature with int 4 and nongood alignment. Large or smaller creatures gain 1 size category if parent fiend is huge or larger. LA+4
Ogre Titan grants a +1 size category for LA+6, but isn't first party material.
Half-Minotaur (Dragon 313): giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid of small to huge in size. Small or medium creatures gain 1 size category. LA+1
Half-Ogre (Dragon 313): giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid of small to huge in size. Small or medium creatures gain 1 size category. LA+1
Duergar can grow a size category 1/day as an SLA
Goliath Barbarian ACF increases your size to large, so it doesn't stack nicely with other effects. Also doesn't stack with powerful build.
Expansion (EPH): Personal, so requires a level in psychic warrior or the Hidden Talent feat, and is short duration; Active from ECL 1
Enlarge Person / Permanency (PHb): 3040, one size category for a humanoid (synergy with Human Heritage); Active from ECL 5
Ring of Growth (SS): 18,000, grants access to a size category increase with specific stat changes for 9 minutes/day. Doesn't stack with magical size increases.
Phylactery of Change (A&EG): 11,200, polymorph of infinite duration into another low-HD form. Active from ECL 8
Lycanthropy offers a number of forms to increase or decrease size
Dragon Magazine #293 gave statblocks with LA for a number of large animals.
Dragon Magazine #296 has the "Waker of the Beast" Prc to replace Enlarge Person
Dragon Magazine #345 has the "Thrall of Kostchtchie" Prc to grow a size category after 10 levels
Any number of ways to increase effective size, reach, or other benefit of being big (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?127732-3-X-Increasing-Size-Effective-Size-Unarmed-Damage-Reach&p=7081777#post7081777)
These are what I've found so far by perusing various GitP posts and threads. Does anyone know about any other big or miniscule player race options so that I can collate them here for later reference?