PDA

View Full Version : P.E.A.C.H (18 races)



DMBlackhart
2010-06-18, 08:43 PM
Hello again Gitp. I come once more seeking advice on my homebrewed monstrocities. For you see, I have this knack of making great homebrew, but I always second guess myself. Perhaps it's just the curse of being such a creative lout? *shrugs*

Regardless here it is. The 18 races (http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/5572/wikis/race) I want you, the playgrounders, to critique.

A few things to keep in mind before you begin.
1. These races are intended for a 3.5 M.t.G (magic: the gathering) project. And I have yet to do any flavor for them, so don't ask why it isent there.
2. The presented races are INTENDED to be slightly more powerful then normal 3.5 races. Keep that in mind when critiquing please.


Thankyou once more Gitp!

Morph Bark
2010-06-19, 04:26 AM
"Kor" reminds me of a villain of the same name I once made up...

Anyhoo, ability modifiers that are odd (+1, +3, -3, etc) aren't used in D&D, so either remove those or turn them into even modifiers (+2, +4, -2, etc).

What does a demon's "detect white" do? Detect white colours? "You find out that the humans have white in their eyes." Is that a simple mistake or ...owait, MtG, nevermind. I've never played it myself, heh.

Dust
2010-06-19, 05:05 AM
They urgently need fluff. The 'Blue-people' with an at-will 'Detect Color' ability baffles me, as do the Lupul.

Also, the Lupul is incredibly broken currently, as it allows you to play as any medium-sized CR creature that you can manage to track down, kill and eat. There's a LOT wrong with that.

DMBlackhart
2010-06-19, 11:26 AM
Allow me to correct some areas. There seems to be a bit of confusion, which I honestly expected.

For starters, I wasen't aware that an uneven modifier would have too much of an impact on the game, long as the over-all difference allowed for balance. (Really, whats the big issue with a -3, +3. Would it really imbalance any more then a -2, +2?)

As for any detection of colours, yes it mimics MtG, and therefore creatures will have an extra alignment (colors). So, ignore that for now. Think of it as "detect alignment" for balance purposes.

I will get to the fluff when I have the time. I mentioned that in my first post. But thank you for your concern. right now im looking for mechanical balance.

Also no, the Lupul doesent let you play as any medium CR creature. If you read it carefully you'll notice it only allows you to mimic Medium Humanoid creatures. And this is only changing your form to mimic the creature. It doesen't allow you access to any of it's abilities or anything. Think, changling from eberron.

Temotei
2010-06-19, 11:29 AM
For starters, I wasen't aware that an uneven modifier would have too much of an impact on the game, long as the over-all difference allowed for balance. (Really, whats the big issue with a -3, +3. Would it really imbalance any more then a -2, +2?)

The bigger the positives, the bigger the chance for SAD classes to crush.

DMBlackhart
2010-06-19, 11:47 AM
SAD? Classes.

I've been a GM/DM for 5+ years, and yet still so much to learn. Heh.

The Anarresti
2010-06-19, 04:00 PM
Single Ability Dependent classes. For example, the only really important stat for a wizard is Intelligence. However, a fighter needs a good Strength and Constitution, and possible a decent Dexterity.

DMBlackhart
2010-06-19, 04:03 PM
Ah, yes but equally you'll have the huge penalty. While not crippling if you can work around it, forces you to devote SOME thought to preventing it.


I guess I get what your saying. I just don't see how a +3, -3 isen't ok. But a +4, -2, -2 is ok. *shrugs*

Morph Bark
2010-06-19, 04:19 PM
Ah, yes but equally you'll have the huge penalty. While not crippling if you can work around it, forces you to devote SOME thought to preventing it.


I guess I get what your saying. I just don't see how a +3, -3 isen't ok. But a +4, -2, -2 is ok. *shrugs*

Actually, +4/-2/-2 isn't really okay, not for LA+0 that is. The DMG has some guidelines for race creation on this. The only race with a +4 modifier of LA+0 that I know by heart is the Orc, which has three -2 modifiers.

The thing is that people tend to pick races and classes that mesh together really well. If you pick a class that has abilities that need Con a lot, but not Dex, chances are, they won't play an elf, but a dwarf might make them go "oohh". For caster classes this is even moreso the case, as they absolutely hate decreases in their caster stat, but generally don't care much about the others (Str especially, as well as Cha if they aren't spontaneous casters).

Furthermore, an odd modifier will turn an 11 (+0 ability mod) into a 14 (+2 ability mod and a 10 (+0 ability mod) into a 13 (+1 ability mod), which is a little odd and to some might seem unfair. *shrug* This last one isn't as much an argument as the rest, I'd say though, but even modifiers fit the system better. Odd modifiers only come into play with age categories and tomes and manuals.

DMBlackhart
2010-06-19, 04:22 PM
Well, I really see little harm in it. And as I mentioned before these races are intended to be MORE powerful then normal LA 0 races.

But anyways. Lets get back on track. Any more advice then that?

superlurker
2010-06-20, 12:51 AM
I guess I get what your saying. I just don't see how a +3, -3 isen't ok. But a +4, -2, -2 is ok. *shrugs*

Because it allows you to hide a penalty and create a bonus, as the designers put it back in the day.

Ability modifiers increase for every two points of an ability score. And for the most part, it's the modifier that's important, not the score itself (with a few exceptions, such as feat prerequisites, which should always be based on odd numbers for this reason, to give odd-numbered ability scores at least a minimum of relevance).

So if you add an odd-numbered bonus or penalty, it creates variable results depending on the initial score. A +1 will have no real impact on an even-numbered score, but it will increase your ability modifier by +1 if used on an odd-numbered score.

Similarly, a -1 is no real penalty if you add it to an odd-numbered score; your ability modifier remains the same, effectively "hiding" the penalty.

And the same considerations apply with larger odd-numbered values such as +3 or -3; part of the penalty can be "hidden" away by applying it to an odd-numbered score when compared with an even-numbered one, while the bonus is more advantageous for a starting odd-numbered score than an even-numbered one.

Obviously, the ideal in the game is to avoid variable cases and produce predictable results, hence even-numbered modifiers are always used for ability scores.