Laku (Race)

[Goblin Music]

Laku

Medium size humanoid (Laku)
Speed 30 Feet (50 feet swim)
Special Abilities: Water Breathing, Lowlight vision
Ability Mod.
Str. +0
Dex. +0
Con. -2
Int. +0
Wis. +2
Cha. +0

Water breathing: laku can breathe under water and on land
Lowlight vision: Laku can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, ect.
Weapon proficiency: laku are proficiant with the longswords, Rapiers, Nets and Tridents

A laku's Favored class is Ranger
LA: +0

Laku have blueish-silver skin, green or brown hair, and blue or green eyes.
(will edit in more things later)
Laku have fins on their arms, legs and back that help them swim these fins can fold close to the Laku so s/he can put on armor, clothing, backpacks, ect.

[jindra34]

+1 and -1 are not good ideas for ability adjustments.

[Goblin Music]

yes i thought so -/+ 2 or 0 what do you think?

[Zeta Kai]

How's this: Constitution -2, Intelligence +2, Wisdom +2. Simple, balanced & to the point.

[Jibar]

Some fluff would be very nice right about now. Otherwise, all you've got there is an aquatic elf variation.

[Goblin Music]

Cool! i just thought that it needed to be even but hey that is just me

@^ like what?

[Tormsskull]

Con. -2
Int. +2
Wis. +2

Water breathing: laku can breathe under water and on land
Lowlight vision: Laku can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, ect.
Weapon proficiency: laku are proficiant with the longswords, Rapiers, Nets and Tridents

LA: +0

Could be just me, but this seems incredibly unbalanced. They get a +4 to mental stats (not seen in the core period) a -2 to Con (same as an elf), Water breathing, low light vision, and free proficiency with longswords and rapiers all for LA +0?

I'd make it LA +1 or take away one of the +2s and you're on your way to a solid race (once you add more fluff).

[StickMan]

How's this: Constitution -2, Intelligence +2, Wisdom +2. Simple, balanced & to the point.

Hardly a -2 to a physical score is not worth a +2 to two mental scores. Despite what the DMG states, we have all learned that spell casting is more powerful than melee. Giving +2 to mental abilities is never a good idea in my book at all let alone two, due to the simple fact it adds so much power when put up against the power level of charters from the players hand book, which gives no such bonuses. If it were just one it may be OK as the rest of the race is not all that strong, but two seems to be to much.

[Matthew]

@^ like what?

Such as what is usually presented with a new Race.

[JackMage666]

LA's a problem on this one, though, honestly. Swim speed is a toss up - It could be great, or it could be useless. Same with Water Breathing. In a heavy aquatic campaign, these guys have huge benefits over other races, warranting a +1 LA. But in regular campaigns, a +0 LA is more fitting...
50 ft is pretty fast for a +0 LA race, even as a swim speed. Especially considering all the feats you can use to increase the speed.
I'd have to say +1 LA, cause they're so strong in aquatic campaigns. Of course, DMs can waive the LA if it's not heavy aquatic.

[Dryad]

Swim speed is nice, but since the Laku doesn't get a racial swim mod, or the standard take ten that every other aquatic or semi-aquatic species get on swim checks, even those that don't get water breathing, it isn't exceptionally powerful if it still means you get swept away by currents as often as any swimming character.
As for stats: Everyone knows that a bonus on phys stats is worth two mental penalties. However, it doesn't work the other way. Savage Species tells us that.
Also, in water, this creature has no capabilities to supply the verbal components needed for so many spells. Just that you can breathe underwater doesn't mean you can speak underwater. So the mental stat bonus isn't all that funky.

All in all: I think these technical drawbacks make up for the all-powerful 50 ft swim speed, so I think a +0 lvl adjustment is good enough the way it is.

[jindra34]

Swim speed is nice, but since the Laku doesn't get a racial swim mod, or the standard take ten that every other aquatic or semi-aquatic species get on swim checks, even those that don't get water breathing, it isn't exceptionally powerful if it still means you get swept away by currents as often as any swimming character.

Swim speed always includes the ability to take ten on all swim checks to make manuveurs and the lack of need for swim checks to swim in a straight line. it usually includes a racial modifier but thats not garunteed.

[Dryad]

Still, as you may have seen, the ability to take ten while swimming is always noted separately for every swimming creature.

[JackMage666]

A creature with a swim speed can move through water at its indicated speed without making Swim checks. It gains a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. The creature always can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. Such a creature can use the run action while swimming, provided that it swims in a straight line.

From the SRD.

It's a pretty major benefit in an aquatic campaign. Not so much in a regular campaign, or one with only some water.
Also, the whole verbal mechanic thing would technically include all the aquatic races, since I don't remember ever seeing anything about that for Merfolk, or Kuo-toa, or Sahuagin, or anything like that. I think it's just generally assumed that, if you can breathe water, you can do a good enough job to use verbal components underwater.
I still think +1 LA, with a side-note that it can be waived in a mainly non-aquatic campaign.

[Azaa]

Hey I'm making a new players handbook and I was wondering if I could add your race? And dont worry your online name will be put under the Thank You List.