Phoenixborn [Race] [PEACH]

[KKL]

Phoenixborn 3.5e
When a Phoenix Touched creates offspring, there exists a chance to create a Phoenixborn, a creature that has a portion of the Phoenix's fiery might. Phoenixborn are emotional, fiery humans with the blood of a powerful phoenix-touched ancestor flowing through them.

Appearance: Phoenixborn are like humans in the sense that their appearances vary, but their eyes and hair are always a dull red-orange color, like flame. Their skin is warm to the touch at all times.
Personality: Unlike standard humans and their varying personalities and moods, Phoenixborn are always reckless and daring, willing to act first, question later. They often bring others with them in their brash rushes, and are inspiring, if not suicidal leaders.
Relations: Being so very unique, Phoenixborn tend to find members of other races boring, unless they can prove otherwise.
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral. Phoenixborn are free spirits and do whatever they please.
Phoenixborn Lands: None. Phoenix Touched are very rare, and their offspring even rarer.
Religion: Phoenixborn are individualistic and are quite content to be without a god to pray to. They have themselves to beleive in, so why pray?
Language: Phoenixborn speak Common and any other languages they might pick up, having no special language of their own.
Names: Phoenixborn tend to choose flashy important sounding names.
Adventures: Some Phoenixborn adventure just for the thrill of it, some find a worthy cause.
Ages and Aging: As human. For all their fiery power, they inherited none of their ancestor's longevity.

Racial traits:
Abilities: +2 Str, -2 Wis. Phoenixborn are powerful leaders and powerful fighters, however their genetic disposition leaves them foolhardy.
Medium: As Medium creatures, Phoenixborn have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Phoenixborn base land speed is 30 feet.
1 extra feat at 1st level, beacause despite their watered down Phoenix heritage, their blood is still very much human, allowing them to be quick to master specialized tasks and be varied in their talents.

Flame Affinity (Su): Phoenixborn have fire resistance 1/4 HD, and gain a +4 bonus on all saves vs. fire or heat effects.
Immolation (Su): Once a day, a Phoenixborn can erupt into a ball of fire. Much weaker than the Phoenix Touched's Immolation, this ability deals 1d4 fire damage/HD to all creatures within 5 feet, including the Phoenixborn herself (Reflex DC 10 + 1/2 Phoenixborn's HD + Cha modifier; the Phoenixborn automatically fails this saving throw.) Enemies who fail their Reflex Save catch fire.
Funeral Pyre (Ex): A Phoenixborn who is reduced below 0 Hit Points automatically becomes stable, acts as if it is disabled rather than dying, and temporarily gains the Fire Subtype. In addition to these benefits, the strength of the Phoenixborn's Immolation is increased by one die size, and her melee attacks deal an extra 1d6 Fire damage. These effects last only as long as the Phoenixborn's HP remains below 0 HP, and it is worth remembering that while disabled the Phoenixborn will lose 1 HP each round that she engages in a standard action.
Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus languages: Any. (other than secret languages, such as Druidic.)
Favored Class: Warblade. When determining whether a multiclass Phoenixborn takes an experience point penalty, her highest-level class does not count.
<hr>
PHOENIXBORN WARBLADE
A Warblade is born for conflict, and as a Phoenixborn this becomes even more evident as your battle-lust is sometimes mistaken for nothing more than suicidal tendencies. In fact, your entire race embodies or shares a trait with a Warblade in one form or another.
Hit Die: d12.

Requirements:
To take a phoenixborn warblade substitution level, a character must be a phoenixborn about to take his 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, or 17th level of warblade.

Class Skills:
Phoenixborn warblade substitution levels have the class skills of the standard warblade class.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier (or four times this number as a beginning character).

Class Features:
All the following are features of the phoenixborn warblade's racial substitution levels.

Blazing Zeal (Ex): A phoenixborn's mix of his fiery passion and courage allows him to learn from schools alien to his fellow. A 1st-level phoenixborn warblade has access to the Desert Wind and Devoted Spirit martial disciplines.
This benefit replaces the standard warblade's access to the Diamond Mind and Stone Dragon disciplines.

Courage Ablaze (Ex): As diluted as a phoenixborn's ancestry may be, there is no doubt that the fires of a phoenix burn within his heart. In times of peril, this can guide a phoenixborn through paths fraught with distraction and despair. A 1st-level phoenixborn warblade has a good Will save progression.
This benefit replaces the standard warblade's good Fortitude save progression.

Closer to the Flame (Ex): As a phoenixborn warblade grows more powerful, so does his link to the phoenix to which he is a distant descendant of. In place of a warblade bonus feat gained at 5th-level, 9th-level, 13th-level, or 17th-level, a phoenixborn warblade can select a phoenixborn racial feat (Inborn Fire, Phoenix's Fury, Phoenix's Shriek, Spreading Flames).
[hr]
Inborn Fire [Racial]
Prerequisite:
Funeral Pyre racial ability.
Benefit:
When you assume a Desert Wind Stance, you gain the Fire Subtype, however this does not protect against the effects of your Immolation.


Phoenix Fury [Racial]
Prerequisite:
Inborn Fire
Benefit:
You gain the ability to enter Ferocity once per day, as the variant Barbarian Class Feature found in Urban Champion (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a).
During your andrenaline fueled rage, the air around you heats up dramatically and tongues of flame appear and disappear. While in ferocity your melee attacks deal an additional 1d6 Fire damage, melee attacks resolved against you cause your attacker to take 1d4 points of fire damage, and the range of your Immolation is increased by 5 feet. As a result of the intensity of your firey rage, you take 3 damage each round.

If you activate Ferocity while Funeral Pyre is active (or vise versa) the effects of your flames are further intensified. The Fire damage dealt by this ability increases by 1d6, and the save against Immolation is increased by 2.


Spreading Flames [Racial]
Prerequisite:
Immolation racial ability.
Benefit:
The range of Immolation is increased by five feet, plus five for every three Hit Dice the character possesses. However, the character takes additional damage when using Immolation as if the ability dealt damage of one die size higher than normal.


Phoenix's Shriek [Racial]
Prerequisite:
Must be a Phoenixborn or Phoenixtouched.
Benefit:
As a standard action, you may embrace the Phoenix within you and let out a terrible shriek that chills anyone who hears it to the bone. Anybody (friend or foe) in a 30 ft. radius centered around you must make a DC (10+1/2 Phoenixborn's HD + CHA modifier) Will Save or be deafened and shaken for 1d6 rounds.
[hr]
4e Phoenixborn
Phoenixborn

Average Height: 5' 6" - 6' 2"
Average Weight: 135-220

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 Squares
Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Intimidate
Hot Blood: You gain a +2 racial bonus to your Will Defense and fire resistance equal to 5+half of your level.
Immolation: You can use immolation as an encounter power.

Immolation Phoenixborn Racial Power
You proudly display your Phoenix heritage in a tornado of scorching hot flames that can burns both hot and bright.

Encounter + Radiant
Minor Action Close Burst 2
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Strength + 2 vs. Reflex, or Dexterity + 2 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d4+Con Radiant damage.
Increase to +4 and 2d4 at 11th level and +8 3d4 at 21st level.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power.

Heroic:
Follow-Up Attack [Phoenixborn] (x)
Prerequisite: Phoenixborn, Immolation Racial Power.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls against targets that have taken damage from your Immolation power. This increases to +2 at 11th level, and +3 at 21st level. This bonus lasts until the end of your next turn.

Paragon:
Inferno [Phoenixborn]
Prerequisites: Phoenixborn, Immolation Racial Power.
Benefit: Increase the damage dice for Immolation to d8's.

[Tempest Fennac]

It's an interesting idea, but From the Ashes sound slightly overpowered due to how it reduces the cost of bringing them back from the dead so much (the fact that it probably won't be used that often probably balances it out a bit, though).

[The Necroswanso]

Their flavor does nothing but scream barbarian, but their favored class is sorcerer. Now, though due to their abilities modifications from the race, it would make more sense, but the race kind of contradicts itself.
They're first to charge, hot blooded if you will, but their favored class is one that requires them to hold back. (Not to mention sorcerers technically have a draconic bloodline, so they alone are more of a race than a class.)
They get bonuses to melee damage and can practically set themselves on fire, dealing their favored class HD to themselves, so, taking their favored class is literally suicide. Then their, "From the Ashes" ability, makes it so that they will never have to be ressurected, taking, by level five, 500 exp penalty. In an ECL 5 game, each combat usually gives you that much, to my experience of course. So, a sorcerer Phoenixborn 1: Dies too often because of his racial abilities stacking, yet receives no penalty. And 2: Is contradicting of itself. If they're hot blooded adventurers based on combat, they need to have barbarian or fighter favored class. They have no reasoning for a charisma bonus.

The born from the ashes works if they died from fire, well, when they're at -8, they just Immolate themselves, lose 500 exp, and come back at no cost. While at level 5 this is a blessing from the gods, which surely grants a huge LA, at level 15, it's entirely overpowered as they're only losing 1,500 exp. Not even one thirteenth of the exp needed to lose a level.

[KKL]

Their flavor does nothing but scream barbarian, but their favored class is sorcerer. Now, though due to their abilities modifications from the race, it would make more sense, but the race kind of contradicts itself.
They're first to charge, hot blooded if you will, but their favored class is one that requires them to hold back. (Not to mention sorcerers technically have a draconic bloodline, so they alone are more of a race than a class.)
They get bonuses to melee damage and can practically set themselves on fire, dealing their favored class HD to themselves, so, taking their favored class is literally suicide. Then their, "From the Ashes" ability, makes it so that they will never have to be ressurected, taking, by level five, 500 exp penalty. In an ECL 5 game, each combat usually gives you that much, to my experience of course. So, a sorcerer Phoenixborn 1: Dies too often because of his racial abilities stacking, yet receives no penalty. And 2: Is contradicting of itself. If they're hot blooded adventurers based on combat, they need to have barbarian or fighter favored class. They have no reasoning for a charisma bonus.

The born from the ashes works if they died from fire, well, when they're at -8, they just Immolate themselves, lose 500 exp, and come back at no cost. While at level 5 this is a blessing from the gods, which surely grants a huge LA, at level 15, it's entirely overpowered as they're only losing 1,500 exp. Not even one thirteenth of the exp needed to lose a level.
Actually, according to the PHB, it's dubious as to whether or not Sorcerors have draconic blood. While it's completely possible for a few to have draconic blood because quite honestly, humans and dragons tend to **** like rabbits with anything they want to, creating monstrosities like quarter human quarter dragon quarter centaur quarter WATER ELEMENTAL. Okay, that's not the best of examples since you can't have sex with a water elemental, but my point is, some sorcerors have draconic blood, some don't.

Barbarian makes much more sense now, actually, but I find the notion of a Phoenixborn Barbarian (an illiterate one) roaming the wilderness and raging at things he's about to kill to be extremely distasteful. But nevertheless, it fits so I have to give that considerable consideration...

So what do you suggest to make this a bit more balanced, then? I'm all ears. As for From the Ashes, I wanted an ability that represents the resurrection abilities of the Phoenix, so...

Self-Resurrection after a day, normal penalties? When I made this I had the notion that you lost a thousand EXP per resurrection flat, but now that I've checked the d20srd, it appears I was drastically wrong...

...Goddamn this censor ****. This destroys like, half the words I use on a frequent basis.

[KKL]

From the Ashes has been cut, although I'd like a self resurrection, because Phoenixes are amazingly good at not staying dead for a very long time. Racial abilities have been changed to +2 STR/-2 WIS for lack of a better idea, and it fits fluffwise. Favored class is now Warblade because I don't particularily like Barbarians, nor do I like fighters due to the glaring lack of options. And Warblades are cool.

Double posting, yes I know, but this is for the sake of an update and I've seen other people do it for their homebrew and not so much as a peep from moderators or other members.

And as a final note, why is it so Kamina like in personality. ****, I just realized that Kamina would make a great Phoenixborn Warblade. He bleeds Warblade lore like a stuck pig.

[The Necroswanso]

Barbarians alone are distasteful unfortunately. But oh so fun to manipulate.


Something I would suggest is looking at the LA. Your abilities are pretty good, except that you're mocking a few spells, albeit one at a lower power level.
The Immolation is very close to energy vortex, I beleive it's called, from the Complete Divine. However though they are granted no save, but still only take half damage. That's granting them both a free spell per day, and Improved Evasion against it to boot.
From the Ashes is going to grant a high LA no matter what. It's the equivilent of a 5th level cleric spell, giving it at level 2, the ability of a ninth level cleric on itself. Now, keeping the ability as written, would make a much bigger change. It would instead be as True Ressurection, however with a much smaller cost (now being maybe .2% of what True Ressurection costs), and either itteration, reduces the cost anywhere between 5,000 to 25,000 gold.
So, we're looking at a ninth level spell, with no cost, no level loss, activiating automatically a day later.... I hoenstly can't see an LA below +10.
Now, that's is definitely subject to debate since it only works on the phoenix who has 99.999999% of the time, just committed suicide with their own racial ability that now triggers the free True Rez. My friend actually posed the lich as why it doesn't deserve a high LA. However, a lich pays an EXP cost, a very large, exp cost, and to boot needs to be caster level eleventh. It's a template you build.
Now, to change it and give it the standard penalties of death, may lower such a hypothetical LA, but as is, the race is purely unplayable. Being able to die in a dungeon, just to come back alive, leave, and gather a new group at at 10% EXP at level 1, is a huge benefit. The abilities draw backs in now way match it's benefits.


Edit: Technical ninjaing. By the current D&D standards +2STR usually warrants a negative modifier of 4. Such as with the Half orc. This is due to STR having more benefits, IE: Not just +1 to hit, but +1 to damage as well.
A technical better fit would be +2 STR, -2 INT and -2 WIS. They're hotheaded and strong, not well known for their cognitive faculties, or thinking before they act.
As for a phoenix being known for their mastery over rebirth: You have to remember these are the offspring of those who aren't even actual phoenixes.

[KKL]

Barbarians alone are distasteful unfortunately. But oh so fun to manipulate.Eh, not a fan of them. Dey goods fer smashin', though.


Something I would suggest is looking at the LA. Your abilities are pretty good, except that you're mocking a few spells, albeit one at a lower power level.Doing this specifically to make it a +0 LA race since I'm not a fan of LA at all.


The Immolation is very close to energy vortex, I beleive it's called, from the Complete Divine. However though they are granted no save, but still only take half damage. That's granting them both a free spell per day, and Improved Evasion against it to boot.Don't have CD and dunno where to get it since I'm lazy and don't want to download a giant PDF. A cursory glance didn't help too, so I'm just going to go with what you said and kill the Imp. Eva and have the Phoenixborn take full damage from it, and as for an afterthought, Once a day no bonus uses with higher con.


From the Ashes is going to grant a high LA no matter what. It's the equivilent of a 5th level cleric spell, giving it at level 2, the ability of a ninth level cleric on itself. Now, keeping the ability as written, would make a much bigger change. It would instead be as True Ressurection, however with a much smaller cost (now being maybe .2% of what True Ressurection costs), and either itteration, reduces the cost anywhere between 5,000 to 25,000 gold.
So, we're looking at a ninth level spell, with no cost, no level loss, activiating automatically a day later.... I hoenstly can't see an LA below +10.
Now, that's is definitely subject to debate since it only works on the phoenix who has 99.999999% of the time, just committed suicide with their own racial ability that now triggers the free True Rez. Yeah, my bad for thinking a self-res would be possible with a +0 LA. Although I could always work it into the Phoenix Touched. Thanks for the tiny textwalls though. Very interesting to read.

Also, half of that meant nothing to me.


My friend actually posed the lich as why it doesn't deserve a high LA. However, a lich pays an EXP cost, a very large, exp cost, and to boot needs to be caster level eleventh. It's a template you build. But Liches are awesome bastards, so yeah!


Now, to change it and give it the standard penalties of death, may lower such a hypothetical LA, but as is, the race is purely unplayable. Being able to die in a dungeon, just to come back alive, leave, and gather a new group at at 10% EXP at level 1, is a huge benefit. The abilities draw backs in now way match it's benefits. Duly noted. FtA is dead, it lives on in my heart, et cetera.


Edit: Technical ninjaing. By the current D&D standards +2STR usually warrants a negative modifier of 4. Such as with the Half orc. This is due to STR having more benefits, IE: Not just +1 to hit, but +1 to damage as well.
A technical better fit would be +2 STR, -2 INT and -2 WIS. They're hotheaded and strong, not well known for their cognitive faculties, or thinking before they act.
They're not known for listening to overly complicated plans, yes. But they're not well known for their intelligence as much as a halfling isn't known for THEIR intelligence. It makes sense, so why not.

As for a phoenix being known for their mastery over rebirth: You have to remember these are the offspring of those who aren't even actual phoenixes.
Major point taken. You have me beaten on all fronts. Coup de etat Y/N/CONTINUE BALANCING I NEED THE HELP

Changes: +2 STR, -2 INT/WIS, Immolation deals full damage to user, 1/Day, and another insult to Barbarians.

[The Necroswanso]

Something you could go with, is make it a class, much in the way a Dread Necromancer is a class. (Technical racial HD)
If you have the Heros of Horror, the Dread Necromancer is a class, where you slowly gain benefits to finally at level 20 become a lich....Which is wierd considering most people will just do it around level 13 anyway. Wink.
You could have it set up so that not only does the "race" maintain it's flavor, it can gain progression without ever having to touch barbarian.
Such as gaining stat boosts as you level, better immolation damage, building fire resistence and DR, alternate form, and even by level 15, have a way to come back to life a day later at a smaller cost than normal.
You could give it spell like abilities, and even spells based around making fire hurt people's faces.

[Tempest Fennac]

I disagree about the +2 Str needing more then 1 -2 penalty to balance it out (I tend to see the stats as generally being equal due to their usefulness being entirely dependant on the character's class). I like the idea of it being turned into a class, though.

[KKL]

Sorry chaps, I might be willing to listen to what you suggest, but I'm not making this into a class by any means.

It's like making ELVES or HUMANS a class. As generally amusing as that might be, it's not a very good option at all and silly to boot.

[Lappy9000]

I disagree about the +2 Str needing more then 1 -2 penalty to balance it out (I tend to see the stats as generally being equal due to their usefulness being entirely dependant on the character's class). I like the idea of it being turned into a class, though.

Yeah, that's the thing about that stat balancing; it doesn't really work like in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Giving a race 2 penalties makes them weaker than other races unless they have a ton of awesome abilities since a good DM will make use of all abilities. The Warforged from Eberron are a good example of where this works fairly well because they have crazy racial traits from being a Living Construct. As everyone knows, Half-Orcs are an example where this makes them weaker than other races; they really only get Darkvision and a Strength bonus to offset their weakness.

As cool as it sounds (and it sounds really cool), From the Ashes was too strong, I'm sad to say. However, Funeral Pyre could be the heritage of the Phoenix shining through the Phoenixborn (they only inherited a bit of the Phoenix's undying-ness).

[KKL]

And here comes a large update. Fixed a few things, added a Racial Substitution Class, and a bunch of other crap.

Everything here wouldn't be possible without the help of my friend Adslahnit (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=36389) who knows a crapton more about DnD than I do.

[KKL]

Hokay, this is where I twiddle my thumbs and magically raise this thread from the dead.

Added a 4e version of the Phoenixborn, MM so far, but I'm working on getting it feats to make it more PHB-like. Who knows, I might even take a leaf from WotC and give this some unique crap. In any case, feat suggestions would be grand. And yes, I based this somewhat off of the 4e MM's Pheonix and the PHB's Dragonborn.

[Lady Tialait]

My knowledge of 4e runs REALLY narrow, thanks to a financial setback...but, I believe the following 4e Feat would be in order:


Epic Teir Feat:
PhoneixBorn Rebirth
Prerequisite: Immolation Phoenixborn Racial Power
Effect: You gain the PhoenixBorn Rebirth as a Daily Utility Power.

PhoenixBorn Rebirth
Daily + Fire?
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: Becoming -1 or lower in HP
Effect: You may use up to three Healing Surges. You must deal fire damage to a target in your next round.


Like I said, my knowledge of 4e is limited...but maybe that will fix your 'No Resurrection' problem..at least in epics...of 4e

[Zeta Kai]

Ah, yes, I remember this one. This a very nice race. Good job, KKL. I especially like their Immolation & Funeral Pyre abilities.

[KKL]

Ah, yes, I remember this one. This a very nice race. Good job, KKL. I especially like their Immolation & Funeral Pyre abilities.
I'm quite honored that you like this. Your Bio-Mage is incredible, if I do say so myself.


Like I said, my knowledge of 4e is limited...but maybe that will fix your 'No Resurrection' problem..at least in epics...of 4e
Hm, it's a solid idea, but lacking in good crunch, also strange wording and an even stranger after-requirement. I'll see what I can do to refine it a fair bit.

[thevorpalbunny]

The 3.5 version still seems like +1 LA to me. They get the best part of being human, fire resistance, and some other abilities (not terribly useful but not useless either)


Also, +2 Str definitely doesn't need multiple drawbacks. +2 Int, Wis, or Cha probably does. No other stat really balances out the caster's primary stat.

[Lady Tialait]

Hm, it's a solid idea, but lacking in good crunch, also strange wording and an even stranger after-requirement. I'll see what I can do to refine it a fair bit.

Yeah, my knowledge of 4e is limeted but I thought that would be a far daily as far as I can see.