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View Full Version : Nothing Like taking a good overkill to refresh you after a fight [new race PEACH]



Owrtho
2008-08-13, 11:42 PM
Ifiol
Random fact: The name Ifiol come from what I was planning to write when first making the post "I'll figure it out later"
The Ifiol are a rather strange creature said to trace its ancestry back to a group who made a deal with a death god. In exchange for a long forgotten service, the god promised that neither them nor their desendents would be easily felled by mighty blows. Since then the race has grown into a notable group, though rarely are they found outside their own communities. They are mainly known for their ability to recover from extreamly fatal wounds healthier than befor instantly.

Pysical Description: The Ifiol look mostly like humans but seem thinner and of a somewhat more solid build. The have gaunt features but seems always to have a ready grin on their face (which unfortunatly looks manic to those who aren't experianced with the Ifiol). The most notable feature is that instead of regular blood, red sand flows through their veins. While this acts like regular blood in most cases, in the event of massive damage, the blood quickly colesses and heals the wounds often to better than befor.

Personality: The Ifiol are rather playful tricksters. Unfortunatly, due to the manner in which they recover better than befor from should be fatal wounds, thier humor often involve dropping people into spike pits or slitting their throats. Among their own kind this often results in laughs from both parties, but not so much outside it. Unfortunatly they don't understand that other races lack their resiliance and thus find and deaths funny and a grand joke. They find it even funnier when the creeturs start expelling strange read liquids sorta like blood and have fun playing in it (it must be okay to do so cuz the creature are obviously having a good time writhering around in it). They also find the experiance of death quite pleasing and enjoyable (at least the type they revive from)

Relations: As one can guess from their sense of humor, their relation to other races is not as good as it could be. They are often mistaken for serial killers (not cuz they are, but randomly killing people in the streats as a manner of greating is bound to get the autorities attention) or other simmilar things. Once their nature is realized (usualy after their attemted execution with they find to be a marvolously enjoyable expeariance that they must try again sometime), they are quickly pushed out of town and told not to return (somthing they have trouble understanding after the big party just thrown for them). As such it is a rare few who learn the error of their ways.

Alignment: Usualy they are chaotic good or chaotic neutral. There are some eval and lawful ones, but they are rather rare. On the whole they are good hearted playful homicidal maniacs.

Ifiol Lands: They usualy live in small isolated comunities (mainly since if they stay other comunities choose to move away rather than try dealing with the many deaths sure to occure). They otherwise tend to live almost anywhere.

Religion: Ifiol usualy worship death gods and trickster gods as is their choosing, but they also will worship others.

Abilities and racial features
Ifiol have the following racial traits:

+2 Con, -2 Wis, +2 Cha, -2 Str. Ifiol are sturdy and have an appearance that tends to make others cooperate. However, they are slightly weaker than other races and aren't quick to catch on when a friend isn't holding his side in laughter about that joke they just played on him.
Medium Size
Humanoid: Ifiol are humanoid.
Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to (-7 minus 1/2 their HD [rounded up]) hitpoints or less, they instead take the damage reducing them to 0 hit points, and are healed the remainder of the damage. The Ifiol can never gain more hitpoints than a number equal to their Constitution Modifier x Character Level. Note: Sources that deal multiple hits at the same time (such as magic missile) have each hit determined separately for the purpose of the attack (Sneak Attacks and Critical Hits each count as a single attack).
Ifiol Greeting (Ex): If an Ifiol encounters someone they know (or think they know) who has not seen them in turn, they must make a will or Diplomacy save (player's choice) DC 15, or attempt a sneak attack of (using only their 1d6 racial Sneak Attack) on the target. Other Ifiol are not harmed by this attack.
Sneak Attack 1d6 (Ex): Ifiol naturaly can perform sneak attacks. This stacks with any sneak attacks granted from other sources.
+2 racial bonus on Craft(trapmaking) and Intimidate, -2 racial bonus on Diplomacy.
Automatic Languages: Common and Ifiolian
Bonus Languages: Any
Favored class: Rogue
Level Adjustment: +1

Racial Feats:
Critical Return
Critical hits that trigger Exhilarating Death.
Prerequisites: Ifiol, Constitution 20
Benefit: An Ifiol with this feat automaticly has their Exhilarating Death ability trigger if a critical hit would take them from positive hp to less than 0 hp even if it doesn't take them down to the required amount of negative hp.
Special:If the Exhilarating Death would normaly trigger from a critical hit, the hp healed from this stacks with the hp healed from the regular Exhilarating death (to a max of 2 x Constitution Modifier x Character Level).

Resistant in Life
You can't be taken out in a single hit from full health.
Prerequisites: Ifiol, Critical Return
Benefit: If a source would deal damage equal or greater to the Ifiols max health while they are at max health, it automaticly triggers their Exhilarating death ability but heals them a minimum of half their total hp as well as any over that it would normaly heal them.
Special:This does not stack with other effects that trigger Exhilarating death.

My Life Protects Me
You can't be knocked out by damage atleast dealing your max health.
Prerequisites: Ifiol, Resistant in Life
Benefit: If a source would deal damage equal or greater to the Ifiols max health while they are at positive hp, it automaticly triggers their Exhilarating death ability.
Special:This does not stack with other effects that trigger Exhilarating death.


Finally Figured it Out
You realize that red stuff other races spray when you great them is a bad thing.
Prerequisites: Ifiol, Wisdom 15
Benefit: You may take a 20 on the Ifiol Greeting roll at any time.

Stable Rest
You automaticly stabalize if in negative hp and still alive.
Prerequisites: Ifiol, Constitution 18
Benefit: If between -9 and 0 hp, you automaticly stabalize.

Resiliant Clotting
Your red sand clots as quicly as the weapon can pass through you.
Prerequisites: Ifiol, Stable Rest
Benefit: If an attack would reduce you to -10 hp or less from positive hp without triggering your Exhilarating Death, you are instead reduced to -9 hp.

Ifiol Lore

Ifiol can be learned about through a knowledge (Religion) or a knowledge (History) check.

{table]DC|Result
10|Identifey an Ifiol as you see it.
15|The Ifiol once made a pact with a god of death.
20|Ifiol are quite resiliant to normaly fatal wounds.
30|The way to kill an Ifiol is through small amounts of damage.[/table]

Half-Ifiol:
While it is uncommon, there is ocasionaly breeding between Ifiol and other races. The original races of the first Ifiol are themselves forgotten and the first few generations were produced lmost exclusively through breeding with other races. In the event that a crossbreeding occurs, the child recieves the abilities of both parents (minus the Ifiol Greeting ability and the sneak attack that Ifiol get) and gain an additional +1 LA in adition to the combine LA of the Ifiol and the other parent. However, for the sake of reproducing, the half-Ifiol count as a pure Ifiol passing on only their Ifiol traits.

Well, this is my first race, let me know what you think.

Owrtho

talse
2008-08-14, 01:51 AM
that exhilirating death thing has to make them at least ecl +1, right?

Owrtho
2008-08-14, 01:57 AM
Well, I'm hoping to avoid giving it a level adjustment (though I'll probly have to). On the other hand, I'm thinking of making it so the damage that needs to be delt to activate it has to be enough to take them to at least (at most?) -10. This will probly minimize its effect at lower levels befor they reach levels where things are easily doing over 11 damage and still have few enough hp that it is within the 1/4 their max hp to the negative.

Owrtho

arguskos
2008-08-14, 02:02 AM
Increase the -1/+1 stuff to 2, and make these guys somewhere in the range of, say, LA +2.

Also, you really, REALLY need to specify how they can actually die. As you wrote it, I'm not sure you can kill them short of rending them apart completely. Something like this maybe:

Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to less than 1/4 their total hitpoints to the negative, they are instead reduced to 0 hitpoints and healed the remainder of the damage (to a maximum of their max hp). example: Flit has 12 hp total. He is at 4 hitpoints when he is hit for 9 damage. 12/4 is 3 and 4-8 is -5. As -5 is lower than -3, he takes 4 damage (reducing him to 0 hp) and then is healed the remaining 5 damage (leaving him at 5 hp). This ability does not function if the attack in question would reduce the Ifiol to below -10 hp.
Extra bit is my suggestion for how to make them still killable, but with the very cool ability you created (a great idea, IMO).

Beyond that, I like them. :smallbiggrin:

-argus

Owrtho
2008-08-14, 02:29 AM
Increase the -1/+1 stuff to 2, and make these guys somewhere in the range of, say, LA +2.

That makes sense. Most of the ability modifiers do seem to come in even numbers.


Also, you really, REALLY need to specify how they can actually die. As you wrote it, I'm not sure you can kill them short of rending them apart completely. Something like this maybe:

Extra bit is my suggestion for how to make them still killable, but with the very cool ability you created (a great idea, IMO).

Beyond that, I like them. :smallbiggrin:

-argus

Well, actualy if read the ability carfully, they can be killed by eitherbeing reduced to negative hitpoints and then to less than 10 hp, or they can be killed if they have 44 or more hp and you take them down to -10 (however, looking at that, I'll probly change it to a third as currently even at level 5 theyed onlyy be into around the 20s or 30s hp on average). The main goal of the ability is that they cant be hugely overkilled (from being conscious). As such the part about if their reduced to below -10 they are still effected doesn't quite work with it (as at higher levels it would be easy to reduce them to below -10 making the ability almost useless).

Making some of those changes though I'll also add a +1 level adjustment and see how it works. Also, should I perhapse change the sneak attack to stack w/ class granted sneak attacks?

Owrtho

arguskos
2008-08-14, 02:37 AM
Ok, I see where you're coming from with it, but it's unnessicarily complex, IMO.

Here's how I read it, and why I thought it needed a "death" qualifier (also, this is my suggestion for how I'd work this ability):

Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to less than -5 hitpoints, they are instead reduced to 0 hitpoints, and gain the excess damage as hp. This ability does not function if the attack in question would reduce the Ifiol to below -10 hp.
Basically, I misread your ability. However, I sorta like the rewrite I just performed a little better (less math involved=good thing). It makes them still very powerful, and still killable, which seems to be the flavor you want.

I know this might not make much sense (I am TIRED), but I hope it helps you somewhat. Pretty much, I'm saying screw all the math, and just set it to a basic "below X, you survive, unless it's below -10, then you die."

-argus

NINJAEDIT: Two more points. About the +1/-1, it's because 1 to a stat doesn't do much. 2 however moves the modifier up/down a point, which produces a game effect, and is a consideration to the race. About the sneak attack, I'd suggest making it stack with classes. This adds probably +1 LA to the race, so with that and the Exhilarating Death I outlined above, I'd give your Ifiol's a +2 or so. Maybe +1, but that seems awful low...

-argus, for realz

Owrtho
2008-08-14, 02:52 AM
I see what you mean, and I'm trying to keep it simple. The main thin is that I originaly planned on having it be:

Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to -10 or less, they instead take the damage reducing them to 0 hit points, and are healed the remainer of the damage.
The issue I realized with this, is that while at low levels it would not be much of an issue, at high levels it would be potentialy broken as enemies would have large attack rolls that would easily reduce them to less than -10 from positive hp (provided theyed been somewhat weakened). Thus I realised it had to scale with them to avoid making them nearly immortal at higher levels. The ability is not ment to revive them when going into -hp, but when being delt fatal damage. As such it requires somewhat trickier math, but unfortunatly it is complicated much by issues with wording negatives (mainly with such thins s at least/at most).

Owrtho

arguskos
2008-08-14, 04:23 AM
Ah, I see. Here, what about this?

Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to -10 or less, they instead take the damage reducing them to 0 hit points, and are healed the remainder of the damage. The Ifiol can never gain more than 2xcharacter level hitpoints in this manner.
It keeps them alive at low levels, and curbs their insanity at high levels. They can even still die, as long as the enemy reduces them to negative hp, then to below -10. Does that look alright?

-argus

Owrtho
2008-08-14, 05:28 AM
That seems good, but it also gives me an idea. How about

Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to (-5 - 1/2 their HD (rounded down))hp or less, they instead take the damage reducing them to 0 hit points, and are healed the remainder of the damage. The Ifiol can never gain more than Con modifier X character level hitpoints in this manner.

That *should* take care of my main concern that at later levels theyed be all but invincible to overpowering creatures attacks (as they'ed be doing more than 11 a hit easy and could continuously get them to low hp then heal them).

Owrtho

Baron Corm
2008-08-14, 10:08 AM
Why not just make the ability like Defensive Roll (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/rogue.htm#specialAbilities), except use Fortitude instead of Reflex, and you don't have to be aware of the attack? The ability you have now makes them REALLY hard to kill, and I wouldn't even give it to a PC race.

Owrtho
2008-08-14, 01:40 PM
Well, the problem there is that that would be even worse. As defensive roll alows your to roll against an attack and part of the nature of the race is the ability activates automaticly with unlimited uses a day, they would get to make saving rolls against every attack that would reduce them below zero hp. Also, they could still be killed by massivly powerful attacks (as damage would only be halfed) which is exactly what the ability is supposed to prevent.
It is also not quite so hard to kill them as it seems. As the ability only triggers when taken below the specified hp from positive hp, at low levels (using the version in my last post, not the first 1), they would require hits dealing around 6 to 7 damage when at 1hp, which is about the max damage of most low level enemies. As such it largly protects them only from crticals. And at higher levels the required damage increases to hopefuly keep it around that amount. Also, as it is only for any given damage delt, if something did multiple attacks at once, they would not combine damage but each be determined individualy (further preventing possibly overpowered protection).

Owrtho

arguskos
2008-08-14, 02:19 PM
That version looks pretty balanced Owrtho. Glad I was of assistance. :smallwink:

-argus

Lappy9000
2008-08-15, 01:37 PM
Exhilarating Death (Su): If an Ifiol is reduced from positive hitpoints to (-7 minus 1/2 their HD [rounded up]) hitpoints or less, they instead take the damage reducing them to 0 hit points, and are healed the remainder of the damage. The Ifiol can never gain more hitpoints than a number equal to their Constitution Modifier x Character Level. Note: Sources that deal multiple hits at the same time (such as magic missile) have each hit determined separately for the purpose of the attack (Sneak Attacks and Critical Hits each count as a single attack).

May I suggest using a format to describe Exhilarating Death like the one above? I understand how it works, but the way it was phrased previously was rather confusing.

They seem balanced enough, and their defining ability is cool, but their fluff may lead to problems in game. A character who kills other races as a greeting is certainly a new idea, but could pose some serious problems in a campaign, and may ruin the fun for a party. Otherwise, I really like the Ifiol :smallsmile:

Owrtho
2008-08-16, 05:52 AM
Thanks for the clearer wording of the skill. I also added a skill to express their habbit of greating and 2 racial feats. Let me know what you think. Also, I've asked befor, but should I allow their racial sneak attack to stack with sneak attacks from other sources (such as classes)?

Owrtho

Icewalker
2008-08-16, 06:12 AM
A guess: Is English not your first language?

Honestly, you'd have to be pretty stupid to not figure out that other people dislike being attacked, even if you don't hang around with them often. While I think the idea of a race that loves violence and doesn't realize it's bad has quite entertaining possibilities, I think it should probably come with a pretty hefty intelligence and or wisdom minus. Like more than 2.

Also: the idea of red sand instead of blood in their veins is really awesome. That's inspired.

Owrtho
2008-08-16, 06:47 AM
Actualy it is my first language. If your reffering to the tital of the thread, it's probly because it was late and I couldn't think of a better way to word it.

As for their wisdom, it's more an issue of completely different cultures. In theirs culture, slitting someones throught is similar to shaking hands or saying hello (at least if they haven't seen you yet). It also causes a mild euphoria for the one 'hurt'. Also, the fact that their blood is sand causes them to have trouble realizing that when a non-Ifiol is bleeding, they're actualy injured (Ifiol don't bleed when Exhilarating Death kicks in). Also, even when they do realize what it is, it is a common reaction that they have. Remembering not to do it would be the equivilant (for us) to remembering that saying "hi" to people kills them. Even if you know it, it's hard to stop the reaction.

Also, glad you like the red sand instead blood thing.

Owrtho

Owrtho
2008-08-20, 04:24 PM
Added lore checks and rules on half-Ifiol. Feedback would be appreciated on the feats. I also made the sneak attack stack with that granted from classes and the like.

Owrtho

hisnamehere
2010-09-26, 03:02 PM
Very unique idea. Very hard to stat out, tho (as has been demonstrated already).

These guys should be Aberrations, IMO.
I'd also give them a Cha penalty of -2, and remove their racial skill bonuses, while still leaving them at LA +1 ('cause the cheating death PLUS healing is quite powerful).

Great idea, tho. These guys are a great source of mercenary help for any BBxG.

Vaynor
2010-09-26, 04:10 PM
The Red Towel: Thread necromancy.