Negative LA-Assignment : Resurrection, but no diamond here

[Beni-Kujaku]

Locathah

Water we looking at here? I am quite hooked each time I sea this creature, but each time I try to play it, I find myself crying an ocean, and for good reasons: not only are there other fish in the sea, but the Locathahs are also knee-deep in issues.

First, why are they not Monstrous Humanoids? I know there are otter aquatic races, like the aquatic elves, but at least those could wave a stick at dry land without feeling like a fish out of the water. Locathahs cannot breathe air, and they cannot speak common. So they will have a hard time socializing, even moreso with their fish-eating grin on some artworks. Choosing between taking the Amphibious template and having less dexterity than a whale for the rest of your career or waiting for a custom Air Breathing item and having to stay in the water for your first few levels really feels like being between the devil and the deep blue sea. But hey, they're Humanoids, that's water under the bridge, let's go over the other abilities.

At least, they have a land speed, even though I'm not sure what they could do with it without air breathing, but that is the value that really takes the wind out of their sail. A 10 ft speed is abyss-mal. Most of the time, you'll be forced to splash helplessly behind your party like a glorified Magikarp.

Not that I want to show a red herring to divert you, but at least it has somehow decent stats. +2 dexterity (probably used to offset the amphibious template), but also a really rare +2 bonus to intelligence in low-HD monsters, and +2 Wisdom. So that's a net benefit. This is not stellar, but a spellcaster Locathah might be a fish in troubled water.

Then, still better than a + tuna-tural armor bonus, but still not enough to get one's head above the water, the locatha has +3 NA. That's not just water off a duck's back, though, and an unarmored wizard will appreciate it.

In the end, the Locathah's chassis is, I think, a bit stronger than most core races, but still far from the power level of optimized LA+0 races. Playing it would not be like shooting fish in a barrel, with its speed and water dependancy, but a determined player could make that ship sail. I think it is fine with 0 RHD, and DLA-1, but if you would eat the fish without wetting your feet, this race is not for you.

Edit : Note that these LAs are when you take the fish out of the water for an on-land campaign. Most likely, you'll be playing Locathahs in an aquatic campaign, where their major drawback, their awful speed, turns into a pretty good swimming speed of 60 ft (also they can breathe, which is not inconsequential). With that in mind, I think a 1RHD, LA+1 is good, to discourage the wizards and clerics a bit too eager to take this race. And DLA-0. They are very weak with 2 RHD but can still try to hold their own.

So, water you thinking of the locathah? Would you play it without RHD? How do you plan to offset its deep-runnning (even if deep-walking would be more accurate here) issues? Next time, we have another very fitting monster for a deep-sea adventure. So much so, in fact, that it could fit almost any role. We will rate the ideal treasure chest, the mimic!