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Belobog
2008-12-19, 06:10 PM
...that I'm going to run in the near future, and I noticed some races were, for lack of a better word, missing. Short story long, I looked around at what other people made of the missing parts, didn't like them, and made my own. Shown them to a few friends and have gotten a host of reactions from 'I want to play one' to 'Eh'. So I've decided to get a few second opinions.

I'll spare most of the fluff for now and just get straight to the hard stuff.

THE AASIMAR
Descendants of mortal and celestial blood, carrying a piece of the Astral Sea in their veins.
Average Height: 5'8" - 6'4"
Average Weight: 135 - 220 lbs.
Medium Humanoid. Speed 6. Low-light vision.
+2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma.
+2 Insight, +2 Perception.

Beacon of Calm - when you are bloodied, allies who can see you gain a +2 power bonus to defense versus attacks with the fear keyword.

Font of Life
By sacrificing some of your vitality, you release a wave of positive energy that gives life to those who need it.
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Encounter Power. Healing.
Standard Action. Close Burst 1.
Special: When you use this power, spend a healing surge. You gain no hit points for it.
Every ally in burst recovers hit points as if they had spent a healing surge. Increase range to close burst 3 at 11th, and close burst 5 at 21st.

THE BARIAUR
Ram-like, tenacious natives of Ysgard, tempered by competition and nomadic life.
Average Height: 6'0" - 6'8"
Average Weight: 625 - 750 lbs.
Medium Humanoid. 6 Speed. Normal vision.
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
+2 Endurance, +2 Nature.

Headlong Charge - When you make a charge, you may choose to move up twice your speed.

No Burden Too Heavy - When you are carrying a Heavy Load or a Maximum Drag Load, you the slowed effect that would occur from doing so. This does not prevent you from being slowed from any other source.

Unflagging Tenacity
When presented with a problem you can't solve, you do the only thing that makes sense: you try harder.
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Encounter Power. Utility.
Immediate Reaction. Personal.
Trigger: You fail a skill check.
Reroll the skill check. You must take the second reroll, even if it is lower.

I have some racial feats, too, but I want to see if they're anything glaring I'm missing with the races before I show those.

So...thoughts?

Starsinger
2008-12-19, 06:28 PM
I like your shining force avatar... The Aasimar racial power is too strong. It over takes a Paladin's Lay On Hands completely. For that matter, an Aasimar party of 4 could each spend a single healing surge after every encounter and be at full HP.

I like the stubborn goat aspect of the Bariaur encounter power, and while it's not particularly combat applicable, who cares? I think it's great. I also enjoy Headlong charge, although twice your speed is a bit much, maybe a +2 bonus to speed? Or possibly keep the twice your speed but give an AC penalty, since they are after all, charging head first without necessarily looking where going.

Meek
2008-12-19, 06:32 PM
The Aasimar power needs toning down. Perhaps have it not zap a healing surge, but not grant healing – give temporary HP instead. Make it weaker than the Warforged's temporary HP, since it's a burst and affects everyone.

I think the Bariaur needs a little more. Maybe a +2 bonus to the skill on the reroll? Or a bonus equal to an ability score modifier? Also, on second thought, the headlong charge seems a bit much, so tone that down and give the skill reroll power a boost.

Belobog
2008-12-19, 10:25 PM
From the bottom up:

Meek: I'm a little leery of adding on a bonus to the power from the get go. I was thinking of a feat that granted a bonus, kind of like the halfling racial power...though, I suppose it's a bit situational, as people are less apt to make skill checks than they are to want to avoid attack rolls.

Looking at it now, I agree with you both; there's no one power or trait that does what Headlong Charge does, or at least not as well. I also don't want to have traits punish their owners. That seems to be a new mantra with this edition, that there are no player design choices that are direct penalties. I think I will go with the +2 speed bonus while charging that you suggested, Starsinger, in light of that.

As for the Aasimar power...I'm not sure what to do with it. I like it being a healing power, but it does seem powerful in the context it's been put in. Perhaps it would be more fair if it allowed allies in burst to spend a healing surge? It might cut down on the possible abuse. If we are going with temp HP, though, perhaps it could be a progression of 3, 6(11th), and 9(21st)?

Starsinger: Thank you. I love the games, personally. I used this one as a portrait for a character. I have good memories of playing her.

Starsinger
2008-12-19, 10:31 PM
From the bottom up:

Meek:
As for the Aasimar power...I'm not sure what to do with it. I like it being a healing power, but it does seem powerful in the context it's been put in. Perhaps it would be more fair if it allowed allies in burst to spend a healing surge? It might cut down on the possible abuse. If we are going with temp HP, though, perhaps it could be a progression of 3, 6(11th), and 9(21st)?

Starsinger: Thank you. I love the games, personally. I used this one as a portrait for a character. I have good memories of playing her.

Which one is she? She looks vaguely familiar but I can't remember her in particular.

As for the Aasimar, maybe just change it to function like Inspiring word, clerics will like it for an extra heal per encounter, and non clerics will like it too.

Glooble Glistencrist
2008-12-19, 10:57 PM
I know racial powers are almost always encounter, but what if you made the Aasimar's a daily? I think that would balance it.

Meek
2008-12-19, 11:35 PM
Being a Daily would balance it, but I always think of racial powers as something you want to use often. Something a bit more defining than a Daily power. That's just me though. Mechanically, it'd be balanced as a Daily.

If you go the temporary healing route, I would say the 3, 6, 9 progression fits. With feats, you can add the whole "I drain my vitality to help others" bit back into the deal, giving more temp HP if you spend a surge.

Belobog
2008-12-20, 08:37 PM
Hmm...I can't seem to decide. I think I'll be making it a Daily, even though that breaks tradition, I don't really have a problem with it; I mean, there are at-will Racial powers, why not Dailies? I'll see what some others think about it, though.

I'll have to adjust some of the racial feats, now, though, to work with the new adjustments. Shouldn't be long.

Starsinger: She's Dawn, one of the knights from Shining Force CD. A good base for a paladin, I'd say. :smallsmile:

Starsinger
2008-12-20, 08:58 PM
Hmm...I can't seem to decide. I think I'll be making it a Daily, even though that breaks tradition, I don't really have a problem with it; I mean, there are at-will Racial powers, why not Dailies? I'll see what some others think about it, though.

I'll have to adjust some of the racial feats, now, though, to work with the new adjustments. Shouldn't be long.

Starsinger: She's Dawn, one of the knights from Shining Force CD. A good base for a paladin, I'd say. :smallsmile:

Ohh.. Shining Force CD, I didn't play that one much. As per the daily ability, It's still a bit much if you ask me, but I suppose it's not that bad. It's sad that it's not encounter though.

Belobog
2008-12-21, 12:32 AM
Ohh.. Shining Force CD, I didn't play that one much. As per the daily ability, It's still a bit much if you ask me, but I suppose it's not that bad. It's sad that it's not encounter though.

It's not impossible that it'll change, but it looks like I'll be trying it as a Daily power first. The temp hp version might work out better with the positive energy angle, though...

I liked SF CD better than the Genesis games. The battles were a lot more interesting, especially the 'no magic' fights.

Also, thank you all for your input. You've helped me adjust some things to be more balanced, which is important in this edition, it seems.

Here are a few of the racial feats, in no particular order. Please, give me your most critical opinions.

Reactive Constitution
When your body comes under attack, you can rely on it to fight back.
Prerequisites: Bariaur
When you are infected by a disease or a poison, you gain a +2 feat bonus on Endurance checks to overcome its effects.

Combat Horns
Through careful preparation and practice, you forge your decorative weapons into lethal ones.
Prerequisites: Bariaur
You gain a natural weapon, in this case a set of horns. They grant a +3 proficiency bonus when using, deal 1d6 points of damage, and can be enchanted. For the purpose of determining enchantments, the horns act as a light blade.

Thrashing Horns
Prerequisites: Bariaur, level 11, Combat Horns
When you select this feat, choose an at-will attack power you know and replace it with the following.

Thrashing Horns
You drag an enemy under and in, goring him with your horns while he struggles to get back up.
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At-Will. Martial, Weapon.
Standard Action. Melee range.
Targets one creature.
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Deals 1W+Strength damage. Increase this to 2W+Str at level 21.
Aftereffect: if you hit, make a secondary attack. This attack must be made with your horns.
Secondary attack: Strength vs. AC
Deals 1W+Strength damage. Increase to 2W+Str at level 21.
This attack can take the place of a melee basic attack.

Adrenaline Rush
You know what they say: always warm up before a work out.
When you use an action point to take a move action, your speed increases by 3.

Learn from Your Mistakes
Poppa always said you were a sharp one. When up against a proper challenge, you're that much sharper.
When you use Unflagging Tenacity, instead of a +2 power bonus, you gain a +4 power bonus.

Beacon of Hope
Your willpower proves infectious when it is pressed in the face of adversity.
When you become bloodied, your allies gain a +2 bonus to Willpower until the end of your next turn.

Fierce Defender
The greater danger a friend succumbs to, the more you strive to remove what threatens them.
When you are adjacent to a bloodied ally, you gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls against any enemy that attempted an attack on her within the last round.

Inspiration
With a calm, clear command, you spur an ally to take decisive action.
Prerequisites: Aasimar, level 21
Whenever you use an action point, instead of gaining an action, you can give an ally who can see and hear you an action of their choice. If your ally refuses to take an action, you regain the action point, but may not use it again this turn.

Ancestral Inheritence
Your heritage shows in a most obvious way; namely, the sprouting of wings.
Prerequisites: Aasimar or Tiefling, level 21
You gain a flight speed equal to your land speed. When moving via flight, you must land on a solid area by the end of your movement. If you do not, you begin falling.

Starsinger
2008-12-21, 12:50 AM
So let's see, all Bariaur could potentially get Twin Strike. Bariaur can Sneak attack with their head, and use all rogue powers with their horns. Bariaur rangers can TWF with their head and a TH weapon, in fact everyone could.

The horns are neat, but awfully strong. A Rogue could hit you with say a Greataxe, then follow up with the horns, and sneak attack via the horns since they count as a light blade. For a whopping 1d12+3d6 + 2*Strength Modifier. At level 1, as long as they can sneak attack. Otherwise it's down to a "meager" 1d12+1d6+ 2*Strength Modifier

Belobog
2008-12-21, 01:06 AM
So let's see, all Bariaur could potentially get Twin Strike. Bariaur can Sneak attack with their head, and use all rogue powers with their horns. Bariaur rangers can TWF with their head and a TH weapon, in fact everyone could.

The horns are neat, but awfully strong. A Rogue could hit you with say a Greataxe, then follow up with the horns, and sneak attack via the horns since they count as a light blade. For a whopping 1d12+3d6 + 2*Strength Modifier. At level 1, as long as they can sneak attack. Otherwise it's down to a "meager" 1d12+1d6+ 2*Strength Modifier

Perhaps I'm missing something, but how is the Rogue getting Thrashing Horns at level 1? Or is there another power they have that allows them this type of ability?

Still, it's a fair point. Perhaps the horns should be treated as a heavy blade, but the damage could be kept? Perhaps the proficiency could be reduced to +2, to making it harder to hit with?

Starsinger
2008-12-21, 01:54 AM
Perhaps I'm missing something, but how is the Rogue getting Thrashing Horns at level 1? Or is there another power they have that allows them this type of ability?

Still, it's a fair point. Perhaps the horns should be treated as a heavy blade, but the damage could be kept? Perhaps the proficiency could be reduced to +2, to making it harder to hit with?

I'm sorry, I misread that it was level 11. Whoops. Still, Paragon Bariaur rogues can do what I said.