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View Full Version : [4e]Reasonable Racial Feats for a Githzerai



Mauril Everleaf
2008-11-05, 12:26 AM
Like the thread title says, I am looking for some reasonable racial feats for a Githzerai. Either homebrewed or repurposed.

Would taking a feat to improve Iron Mind to a +3 or +4 or making it last longer be balanced?

bosssmiley
2008-11-05, 05:48 AM
Slippery Mind (taken as a feat) seems a shoe in
Some sort of resistance to confusion and/or polymorphing
Some sort of probability-shaping ability (1-day re-rolls)
Slaad/Illithid-killing super racism power (like Favoured Enemy...)
The crappy Heritage feats from "Planar Handbook" might be worth a look

You could also look over the Progenitor of the Gith (http://www.tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=28547&highlight=progenitor+gith) racial class for inspiration

@v: Oh, 4E. In that case "+1 to {something} in {something} situation. This increases to +2 at 11th level and to +4 at 21st." with a bit of Gith' specific flavour text should suffice. :smalltongue:

Tengu_temp
2008-11-05, 07:36 AM
Yo. 4e. It's right there in the title.

Mauril Everleaf
2008-11-06, 01:57 AM
Uh, thanks Tengu, but I'm still looking for some help here...

Starsinger
2008-11-06, 07:53 AM
This somehow slipped my notice, but have no fear, Starsinger is here.

Some sort of Githzerai Martial Arts feat, to let them treat their unarmed attacks as say d6 or d8 weapons with a +3 proficiency bonus.

Maybe a feat that lets them use a ranged ability with the psionic descriptor at Melee ranged instead?

Actually lemme write these up.
Githzerai Martial Arts [Githzerai]
Prerequisite: Githzerai
Benefit: Your unarmed attacks are treated as d8 weapons and gain a +3 proficiency bonus.

Psionic Strike [Githzerai]
Prerequisite: Githzerai, Githzerai Martial Arts
Benefit: Your unarmed attacks are charged with psionic energy and are treated as a +1 Magic weapon.
Special: The benefit of this feat increases to +2 at level 6, +3 at level 11, +4 at level 16, +5 at level 21, and +6 at level 26.

Fist of Zukoen [Githzerai]
Prerequisite: Githzerai, Githzerai Martial Arts
Benefit: You may use a ranged attack with the Psionic descriptor at melee range. Attacking in this way provokes no attack of opportunity.

There ya go, these seem reasonable, atleast to me :smalltongue:

Edit: In response to your question, making it last longer seems iffy, making it +3 however seems fine, maybe as a heroic, but definately fine as a paragon feat.

Ealstan
2008-11-06, 01:20 PM
Actually lemme write these up.
Githzerai Martial Arts [Githzerai]
Prerequisite: Githzerai
Benefit: Your unarmed attacks are treated as d8 weapons and gain a +3 proficiency bonus.

Psionic Strike [Githzerai]
Prerequisite: Githzerai, Githzerai Martial Arts
Benefit: Your unarmed attacks are charged with psionic energy and are treated as a +1 Magic weapon.
Special: The benefit of this feat increases to +2 at level 6, +3 at level 11, +4 at level 16, +5 at level 21, and +6 at level 26.

Fist of Zukoen [Githzerai]
Prerequisite: Githzerai, Githzerai Martial Arts
Benefit: You may use a ranged attack with the Psionic descriptor at melee range. Attacking in this way provokes no attack of opportunity.


What tier are these feats in? The first one seems appropriate for heroic tier, the others would definitely be paragon, or epic.

Tengu_temp
2008-11-06, 01:57 PM
All of them look like Heroic tier to me. They're not strong enough for higher tiers, and buying them would make you a cool monk-style character without the suckage that's 3.x monk.

Starsinger
2008-11-06, 05:04 PM
The aim indeed is heroic. Possibly Fist of Zuoken is Paragon.

Mauril Everleaf
2008-11-06, 05:11 PM
Hmm... those would be most interesting. Especially since my Gith is a rogue. Sneak Attack Psychic Fist for the win! Improved Iron Mind being a +3 will likely easily get my DM's approval.

Starsinger
2008-11-06, 05:26 PM
You're welcome. I'd probably let them count as a rogue weapon for sneak attack, in which case it's sort of like having a magic rapier all of your own.

Grynning
2008-11-07, 01:26 AM
No offense to Starsinger, I usually agree with him, but IMO those feats are bit high-powered for feats in 4th ed (now, some 4th ed feats are weak and useless, but that's not my point). I would tone them down a wee bit.

Alternate version of Githzerai Martial Arts:
Heroic
Benefit: When attacking unarmed, you attack and do damage as if you are armed with either a club or a dagger (your choice).

Alternate version of Fist of Zuoken:
Paragon, requires Githzerai Martial Arts
Benefit: Choose one power with the Psychic descriptor. You may now use that power as a Close burst 1 attack or with its normal range. The number of targets the power can affect does not change.

The psionic strike one especially seems way too good for a feat since it basically replaces a whole item slot for the entirety of the character's career. I would do something like this:

Psionic Fists
Heroic
Pre-req: Githzerai Martial Arts
Your fists are charged with psionic energies, becoming receptive to enchantment just as magic weapons are. The Enchant Magic Item ritual may enchant your fists with any enchantment that may be placed on either a club or a dagger. If you wield a weapon that is also enchanted, the enchantment to your fists does not function (I see this as more balanced; it means that our unarmed Githzerai will still have to pay gold for their enhancement bonus like everyone else, but also has access to weapon powers without having to sacrifice their concept).

A couple of my own:

Speed of Thought
Heroic
Requires Githzerai
You also gain a +2 bonus to speed until the end of your next turn when you activate your Iron Mind encounter power

Aberration Bane
Paragon
Requires Githzerai or Githyanki
You gain a +2 bonus to Reflex, Fortitude and Will defense against the attacks of creatures with the Abberant type.

Starsinger
2008-11-07, 02:22 AM
No offense taken, I'm not perfect.

I like your Psionic Fists, my entire reason for it, was I didn't want unarmed attacking to suck

Mauril Everleaf
2008-11-08, 02:17 AM
I will run these by my DM. He's a bit strict, but Grynning, I think your feats are more his style.

Draco Ignifer
2008-11-08, 02:17 PM
Personally, I don't think Starslinger's Githzerai Martial Arts are overpowered. It's about on the level of weapon proficiency - you gain a "weapon" like a longsword, but with offhand instead of versatile. Yes, you become more difficult to disarm, but you also need another feat to upgrade it... it's no better, on balance, than a superior weapon proficiency, or at worst, with dwarven weapon mastery.

Psionic fists is better in Gryn's version, though. However, I'd recommend instead treating them as hammers or maces. Fists are more bludgeony, and vorpal fists just seems on the same level as razor-sharp spheres.

Grynning
2008-11-08, 08:21 PM
The reason I chose clubs and daggers for my version:
Club is 1d6 with +2 proficiency bonus
Dagger is 1d4 with +3 and the Off-hand property. I was trying to think of two simple weapons with a to-hit vs. a damage die trade off. Also, I defined it as specific weapons since the type of weapon you are wielding is very important in 4th ed (many attacks can only be done with certain weapons).

Why simple and not Military or Superior weapons? Unarmed strikes are free, for one, so the feat saves you a bit of gold (15, if you make it as good as a longsword). Two, as stated, you can't ever lose your ability to make unarmed strikes like you can lose a weapon (unless you're dismembered, but then you have bigger problems).

I suppose having it be clubs or daggers really only makes the feat good for rogues (weapon talent). You could up it to a mace for a +2 prof bonus and d8 damage die and versatile, I suppose, but I would keep it in the realm of simple weapons for the reasons above.

As for the enchants, I think most of the enchants that can go on maces/clubs and daggers work for unarmed strikes. Remember that there are no variations on physical damage types in 4th, so bludgeoning vs. piercing doesn't matter at all, and none of the effects of the weapon enchants do anything that can't be explained with a little re-flavoring (even vorpal, all it does now is do lots of extra damage, no severing anything is mentioned).