Any disadvantages to becoming a native outsider?

[redking]

Various classes have capstones or class features that change a character's type to native outsider. There are also templates like half-fiend. Are there any downsides to become a native outsider? Some vulnerabilities or anything? Or is it an unalloyed good?

[Kurald Galain]

Are there any downsides to become a native outsider?

Well, you can't be affected by Enlarge Person any more. That's hardly the only way to become big but it's one of the easiest.

[Maat Mons]

You can now be Planar Bound by anyone who knows your name. They have to hop over to a different plane than the one you're on, but that's trivial for high-level characters. If you're in a class that eventually turns you into an Outsider, start lying about your name early. When you're higher level, exterminate everyone who's ever heard your real name, including your family and entire home town.

[redking]

You can now be Planar Bound by anyone who knows your name. They have to hop over to a different plane than the one you're on, but that's trivial for high-level characters. If you're in a class that eventually turns you into an Outsider, start lying about your name early. When you're higher level, exterminate everyone who's ever heard your real name, including your family and entire home town.

Are you sure that a native outsider can be affected by planar binding?

[Beni-Kujaku]

Are you sure that a native outsider can be affected by planar binding?

The spell affects any elemental or outsider from another plane. So yeah, if you're an outsider (native) and are on another plane, you can be planar bound. (Or if you are on the Material Plane and the guy casting Planar Binding is on another plane)

[Laughing Dog]

Regarding the planar binding issue: Please remember that the spells in this line have HD caps, lesser is 6HD max, regular is 12 HD max, and Greater is 18 HD max. So barring cheese to boost those caps, having 19+ HD protects you from that line. Gate can still yoink you, but from what I can tell; that would still a possibility regardless of your type.

[Saintheart]

Raise Dead, Resurrection, and Revivify don't work on you. And neither does Wish get around it, since it's just duplicating the effects of one of those spells. -10 and it's time to roll up a new character, no exceptions other than pizza for the DM.

[flappeercraft]

Raise Dead, Resurrection, and Revivify don't work on you. And neither does Wish get around it, since it's just duplicating the effects of one of those spells. -10 and it's time to roll up a new character, no exceptions other than pizza for the DM.

Native subtype actually is an exception to that, they can be resurrected normally.

[Cruiser1]

Raise Dead, Resurrection, and Revivify don't work on you. And neither does Wish get around it, since it's just duplicating the effects of one of those spells.Wish (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wish.htm) can however safely duplicate any non-Wizard spell of 6th level or lower. Revive Outsider (SpC) is a Cleric 6 spell, and is basically Raise Dead but for outsiders (which is why it's a 6th level spell instead of 5th level).

[Crake]

Raise Dead, Resurrection, and Revivify don't work on you. And neither does Wish get around it, since it's just duplicating the effects of one of those spells. -10 and it's time to roll up a new character, no exceptions other than pizza for the DM.

Actually, wish does get around it, and so does miracle and even limited wish:


Unlike most other living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit. When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on an outsider. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection to restore it to life.

Of course, this is specifically relating to true outsiders. The quoted section then follows up regarding native outsiders:


An outsider with the native subtype can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be.

To clarify, you're only exempt from being raised if you don't have a dual nature (ie, your body and soul are one entity). Elementals suffer this drawback as well, but native outsiders do actually have a dual nature, their body and soul are separate, hence why they can be resurrected normally.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Aside from all the mechanical drawbacks already mentioned there's also the potential rp problem of no longer detecting as human(oid).
Depending on the setting that may get you into lots of trouble or never come up at all.

You also can't become a lycanthrope, but outside of some specific cases that's usually more of a benefit than a drawback.

[Thurbane]

Well, you can't be affected by Enlarge Person any more. That's hardly the only way to become big but it's one of the easiest.

The flipside of that is you can't be targeted by Charm Person, Dominate Person, Hold Person etc.

[Darg]

You can now be Planar Bound by anyone who knows your name. They have to hop over to a different plane than the one you're on, but that's trivial for high-level characters. If you're in a class that eventually turns you into an Outsider, start lying about your name early. When you're higher level, exterminate everyone who's ever heard your real name, including your family and entire home town.

Something like this is usually something you are going to discuss with the player. There isn't really much difference from being planar bound or gated by a higher leveled creature. So if it does come up as being a valid danger just because you are a native outsider, it's just like if the DM was forcing a paladin to fall against their will. It's terrible gamesmanship and makes no one happy except the person bullying the player. The goal is to have fun, not ruin the fun.

That said, it requires their proper name which is not necessarily a given name, real or otherwise. Take normal outsiders for example. They aren't born like mortals are so they don't have parents, nor do they have others that necessarily give them their proper name. It just isn't defined in any real way and is supposed to be used to call plot specific entities.