Cóyotl [3.5 race, Rydellion custom campaign setting]

[Wahrheit]

I'm slowly converting a short-story setting I created into a 3.5 campaign setting. Here's the first homebrew race for it.


Cóyotl

Cóyotl are the nomadic mystics of the southeastern desert. They appear similar to desert-dwelling humans except for canine ears and golden-yellow irises. Cóyotl genetics tend towards a minor deficiency in physical ability; combined with their largely contemplative lifestyle, Cóyotl are often weaker and less dextrous than other races. Luckily, the challenges of living in the harsh desert keep them hardy. Their gods have gifted the Cóyotl with the ability to enter a hybrid war form.

• -2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom.
• Medium: As Medium-size creatures, Cóyotl have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Cóyotl base land speed is 30 feet.
• Endurance: Cóyotl receive Endurance as a bonus feat.
• +2 racial bonus to Survival checks.
• Transform: The Cóyotl enters a Medium coyote-man war form. As Rage used by a 1st-level Barbarian, with 2 claw attacks (1d4) and 1 bite attack (1d6). While transformed, Cóyotl with the Weapon Finesse feat lose the benefits of that feat. If the Cóyotl is wearing non-magical armor that is not specially-crafted (equivalent to masterwork, usually for sale only from Cóyotl), weak points in its connections break during the transformation, rendering it useless until repaired. Transform may be used once per day if the Cóyotl has no levels in Barbarian. Cóyotl with levels in Barbarian transform when raging and can rage one additional time per day. This is an extraordinary ability.
• Automatic languages: Common and Cóyotl. Bonus languages: Elven, Dwarven, Gnomish, Sylvan, Terran, Auran.
• Favored class: Druid

[Renrik]

I'm leery of it, on account of the existing number of wolf-man furries in existence. Also, I think the name Lupine is already taken, and would be inappropriate for this species, which seems less based on the wolf and more on a gentle, contemplative version of the coyote.

You need to specify that the war form is once per day.

I'm a bit concerned that the racial penalties don't bode well for a race whose primary draw is the war form.

[Kaihaku]

The ability scores are off, they should get something to balance out those negatives. Transform should be a supernatural ability, with the whole growing claws and fangs.

[DracoDei]

"Something" to balance out the negatives, NOT necessarily positive ability score modifiers to other scores... if he wants to create a race with net negatives for ability score modifiers, and balance it with racial abilities, more power to him say I. That said, if they are the contemplative sort, then a +2 to wisdom would not seem out of place with the fluff if one wanted to go that route (but be prepared for someone to scream "CoDzilla!").

Claw/Claw/Bite and an (extra) rage is very nice for a melee character and so it might balance out. I am not sure.

Non-ability score perks you could give them that would make sense with the fluff include the Endurance feat and the Scent special quality.


As for the suggestion that there are too many anthropomorphic canine races out there, I think that there may or may not be a limit to how many you can have in a SETTING without giving an odd vibe, but if they are different enough (and I think we have already established this is pretty different), then having more available to select from when designing a setting is a good thing.

[Kaihaku]

"Something" to balance out the negatives, NOT necessarily positive ability score modifiers to other scores... if he wants to create a race with net negatives for ability score modifiers, and balance it with racial abilities, more power to him say I.

Yes, "something" to balance out the negatives, not necessarily an ability score (though that would be the easiest route).

[Wahrheit]

I'm leery of it, on account of the existing number of wolf-man furries in existence. Also, I think the name Lupine is already taken, and would be inappropriate for this species, which seems less based on the wolf and more on a gentle, contemplative version of the coyote.

You need to specify that the war form is once per day.

I'm a bit concerned that the racial penalties don't bode well for a race whose primary draw is the war form.

Good ideas there; you're right, they do fit coyotes better (I created the setting years ago, so there's some things that probably need editing which I haven't noticed just due to being used to them). For a new name, perhaps Cóyotl? It's the Nahuatl word for coyotes, which would fit the American Southwest flavor of the race. I thought saying Transform is as a 1st-level barb's rage would imply 1/day, but I should probably say it explicitly.

Transform should be a supernatural ability, with the whole growing claws and fangs.

It's able to work even in anti-magic fields and null magic zones, hence being an extraordinary ability which, according to the SRD, are allowed to break the laws of physics.

"Something" to balance out the negatives, NOT necessarily positive ability score modifiers to other scores...

People may very well scream "CoDzilla!" but I went ahead and gave them a +2 Wisdom modifier, and replaced their Fortitude bonus with the Endurance feat.

As far as "furry" races go, Lupines/Cóyotl are the only such race in the setting, and seen as pretty weird by the other races. I looked through several of the others, but none of them fit what I had in mind.