Orc/Goblinoid Resources

[Metastachydium]

CAYMAN (Mystara)



"Pinkie if you don't want this bone javelin stickin' outta yer unmentionables I suggest you apologize..."

The Cayman are foot tall green or brown reptilian humanoids with pupil less black eyes. They prey on local giant reptiles and amphibians (ew).

CAYMAN RACIAL TRAITS
· +6 Dex, -4 Str (minimum 3), -2 Int
· Size Class: Tiny. +2 Size Bonus to Armor Class and Attack Rolls. +8 Size Bonus to Hide Checks. -8 Size Penalty to Bull Rush, Grapple, Overrun, and Trip Checks. Lifting and Carrying Limits are one quarter those of a Medium character.
· Type: Humanoid with the Reptilian Subtype
· Base land speed 20 ft.
· Darkvision 90 ft.
· Caymen have a +3 Natural Armor Bonus to AC.
· A Cayman has 2 Racial Hit Dice, giving it the following: 2d8 Hit Points, +1 Base Attack Bonus, +0 Fort Save, +3 Ref Save, +0 Will Save, and (2 + Int modifier) skill points per level (with times 4 skill points for the first level). Class skills are Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival. It also gets 1 Feat.
· Caymen have a Primary Bite attack doing 1d3 plus Strength Bonus.
· Caymen have a +4 Racial Bonus to Hide and Move Silently Checks.
· Automatic Languages: Lizardfolk, Common. Bonus Languages: Any nearby race, usually Gnomes.
· Level Adjustment: +0
· Favored Class: Rogue

This is solid. Rock solid, in fact. The synergy of traits with the favoured class is wonderful. It's also nice to see a tiny race added to the tiny list of tiny races.
Still, truth be told, this might be way too solid by WotC metrics. Very good stealth, a finesseable iterative for free, an effective +8 to AC while naked and with a 10 in DEX IF it doesn't take the juicy spirit shaman ACF for a further +3… I just don't see how this could possibly have no LA.

Caymen gain a cumulative +1 increase to their Natural AC Bonus for reaching the Old age class, and for each age class after (max +3).

This should be a racial trait.

The large dexterity bonus also works well for any melee class based off Weapon Finesse or archery.

Tiny size and -4 STR make that a questionable strategy, unless Shadow Blade or Crossbow Sniper get thrown into the mix. These fellows need some source of extra damage badly.

Veteran Marsh Guide
What kind of loser is afraid of a little quicksand?
Prerequisites: Cayman, Marsh Guide
Benefits: You can make a Spot check to see quicksand, even when charging or running (see DMG). You also gain a Swim speed equal to half your land speed.

Marsh Guide is pretty useful, but this one's weird. The stronger benefit's tacked on almost as an afterthought and it's not even that strong to start with, given the 20' land speed.

The Fine Art of Concealment
You're good at concealing doors to the village or building hunting blinds.
Prerequisites: Cayman or Cayma

What's a cayma?

GATOR MAN (Mystara)



"Your money and your life."

Gator Men are regular Lizardfolk warped by magical experimentation. They stand up to 8' tall, and their heads resemble those of alligators.

GATOR MAN RACIAL TRAITS
· +8 Str, +8 Con, -4 Int, -4 Cha
· Size Class: Large (Tall). -1 Size Penalty to Armor Class and Attack Rolls. -4 Size Penalty to Hide Checks. +4 Size Bonus to Bull Rush, Grapple, Overrun, and Trip Checks. Lifting and Carrying Limits are Double those of a Medium character. Space is 10 ft., Reach is 10 ft.
· Type: Monstrous Humanoid, giving them 60 ft. Darkvision
· Base land speed 30 ft.
· Base swim speed 50 ft.
· +10 Natural AC Bonus
· A Gator Man has 7 Racial Hit Dice, giving it the following: 7d8 Hit Points, +7 Base Attack Bonus, +2 Fort Save, +5 Ref Save, +5 Will Save, and (2 + Int modifier) skill points per level (with times 4 skill points for the first level). Class skills are Hide, Listen, Spot, Survival, and Swim. It also gets 3 Feats.
· Gator Men have a Primary Bite attack doing 2d4 plus one and a half times Strength Bonus.
· A Gator Man has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
· Automatic Languages: Lizardfolk, Common. Bonus Languages: Any nearby race.
· Level Adjustment: +3
· Favored Class: Barbarian

I'm not sure, on the other hand, that these guys warrant 7 RHD and and such a hefty LA. The natural AC is nice, but the ability modifiers or the swim speed are nothing all that special, if we use ogres or blackscales as a benchmark.

Gator Men grow bigger with age. At the Old age class they become Size Class Huge with all the benefits listed in the MM. In addition they take no Str or Con penalties due to age.

Again, these should be racial traits or something. The racial feat thing you did with the bakali could work here as well.

Mutant
The magical experiments that gave rise to your kind came with some odd consequences.
Prerequisites: Gator Man
Benefits: Choose a 1st Level spell from the Druid or Sorcerer list. You can cast that spell 1/day as a Spell-Like ability as a Sorcerer whose Levels equal your Hit Dice.


Super Mutant
You're a little odder than most
Prerequisites: Gator Man, Mutant, 6 Hit Dice
Benefits: Choose a 3rd Level spell from the Druid or Sorcerer list. You can cast that spell 1/day as a Spell-Like ability as a Sorcerer whose Levels equal your Hit Dice.

Does "as a sorcerer" mean that these are keyed off CHA? That'd be a tad bit counterintuitive.

Druid
Level 1: Lose Animal Companion and Wild Empathy, and instead gain a +2 Bonus on Checks made to overcome your opponents Spell Resistance, and the Save DC's of your spells increase by +2 (but only for spells with the Evil descriptor). You also spontaneously cast spells with the Evil descriptor instead of Summoning spells.

An ACF for a full caster class is a weird pick. Like you said, with a starting ECL of 10 this can pretty much only end up as an underwhelming combo.