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View Full Version : [3.5] Variant Race: Golmoid Constructs (PEACH)



LOTRfan
2010-12-05, 08:10 PM
So, I was flipping through an old issue of Dragon when I came across the "Xenophilia" article. In it was four races (The plant Adu'jas, the fey Gruwaars, the monstrous humanoid Tkels, and the Golem-like Golmoids), and the Golmoids instantly grabbed my attention.

I'm not sure if I can give the exact fluff, but they are basically a race whose "ancestors" where Gnomish stone golems. The fluff was excellent, and I particularly liked how they made a golem-like race without a personality deficiency (I love Warforged, I really do, but the charisma penalty always bothered me).

Then, the problem became evident when I read the crunch: they were humanoid. :smallsigh:

So, here is my attempt at making them as a living construct race (with a few other changes as well).

http://images.community.wizards.com/community.wizards.com/user/mist-bound/c07db88d7cff39bb2aa46370f7415e7f.jpg?v=227250

Golmoid Racial Traits
• +2 Strength, +2 Con, -4 Dexterity, -2 Int, +2 Cha; Golmoids are large creatures with the brute strength and fantastic endurance. While the Gnomes attempts at making the Golmoids very intelligent might have failed, they did transfer the Gnomish outlook on life and the friendly personality many Gnomes share.
• Medium Construct (Living Construct): As Living Constructs, Golmoids share many bonuses and penalties of both the humanoids they mimic and the stone golems they are “descended” from. See the Living Construct subtype for more information.
• Base Speed 30 ft. Golmoids are not affected by medium loads, and heavy loads are treated as medium loads when it comes to penalties taken.
• +2 racial bonus to craft checks. Originally used as mindless laborers, Golmoids have been helping their gnome masters craft items for years. Craft is always a class skill for Golmoids.
• +2 bonus to saving throws from enchantment spells and effects.
• Stone Pelt: Golmoids have all sorts of stone covering their body. The stone used to carve a Golmoid provides a +3 armor bonus. This stone is not natural armor and doesn't to stack with the other effects that give an armor bonus (other than natural armor). This composite plating occupies the same space on the body as suit of armor or a robe, and thus a Golmoid character cannot wear armor or magic robes. Golmoid can be enchanted just as armor can be. The character must be present for the entire time it takes to enchant him. A Stone Pelt provides a Golmoid with a 20% arcane spell failure chance, similar to the penalty for wearing medium armor. Any class ability that allows a spellcaster to ignore the arcane spell failure chance for light armor lets him ignore this penalty as well.
• Powerful Build (Ex): The physical stature of Golmoids lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a Golmoid is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the Golmoid is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A Golmoid is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A Golmoid can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.
• Light Fortification (Ex): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a Golmoid, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and the damage is instead rolled normally.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Halfling, Terran.
• Favored Class: Fighter
• Level Adjustment: +1

If you want to compare this to the original race, it can be found in Dragon #317.

EDIT: In the spoilers below are the characteristics of the Living Construct subtype, if anyone doesn't have access to it:

A living construct is a new subtype of construct, a created being given sentience and free will through powerful and complex creation enchantments. Living constructs combine aspects of both constructs and living creatures, as detailed below.

Features: A living construct derives its Hit Dice, base attack bonus progression, saving throws, and skill points from the class it selects.

Traits: A living construct possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature's entry).

• Unlike other constructs, a living construct has a Constitution score. A living construct does not gain bonus hit points by size but gains (or loses) bonus hit points through a Constitution bonus (or penalty) as with other living creatures.
• Unlike other constructs, a living construct does not have low-light vision or darkvision.
• Unlike other constructs, a living construct is not immune to mind-influencing effects.
• Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain.
• A living construct cannot heal damage naturally.
• Unlike other constructs, living constructs are subject to critical hits, effects requiring a Fort save, death from massive damage, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.
• Unlike other constructs, a living construct can use the run action.
• Living constructs can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a living construct can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a living construct is vulnerable to a harm spell. However, spells from the healing subschool provide only half effect to a living construct.
• A living construct responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to 0 hit points. A living construct with 0 hit points is disabled, just like a living creature. He can only take a single move action or standard action in each round, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. When his hit points are less than 0 and greater than -10, a living construct is inert. He is unconscious and helpless, and he cannot perform any actions. However, an inert living construct does not lose additional hit points unless more damage is dealt to him, as with a living creature that is stable.
• Can be raised or resurrected.
• Does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes' feast and potions.
• Does not need to sleep, but must rest for 8 hours before preparing spells.

Dead_Jester
2010-12-06, 04:28 PM
This looks good, but I think it should be LA +1 (compare this to the other powerful build races, half-giants make better psy-wars and goliaths and enekos make better beatsticks). It would definitely be LA +1 if you removed the natural armor (or better, make it like the warforged one, but give them a free warforged armor feat at level 1 to represent their natural material, and also lets players decide what armor they want).

LOTRfan
2010-12-06, 04:58 PM
Thank you for the comment.

And here I thought it was too powerful for LA: +2. :smalltongue:

I'll drop the natural armor, but instead of adding warforged feats, I think I'll allow them to wear armor specifically built to their size (which doubles the price, according to the srd).

Dreadn4ught
2010-12-06, 05:04 PM
I like the race! I'm wondering if making them large would be interesting, or possibly giving them the ability to wield large weapons (like a half-giant). But I'm not much of a homebrewer, so I don't really know.

Dead_Jester
2010-12-06, 05:05 PM
When does it say that the armor cost is doubles? They are still medium and as far as I know, should wear medium armor.

LOTRfan
2010-12-06, 05:23 PM
The nonstandard armor table says that nonhumanoid armor doubles for medium creatures. Granted, the Golmoids are vaguely humanoid, but their proportions aren't exactly normal.

Benejeseret
2010-12-06, 06:14 PM
They are warforged...but with better stats, way better armor, minor bonus to craft (which can be used to stabilize/heal living constructs), they get movement traits partially like a dwarf but at 30 movement....and then there is Powerful Build

Double armor costs? This is a pittance unless you are doubling the enhancement costs as well, and that is harder to fluff or justify

I have to agree that that this perhaps high for a +1 LA but perhaps not a full +2.

I second dropping the odd armor requirements (and movement) and basically just take a warforged but add on powerful build and some stat changes for +1

LOTRfan
2010-12-06, 07:04 PM
Alright, I'll get rid of the weird armor thing, and maybe I'll get rid of the movement thing. For the record, however, the original Golmoid race got the full dwarven movement trait.

Alternatively, however, if I change light fortification to fortification (50% sneak attack miss), would that make these things a full LA +2? Or would that make it go overboard, and into the 2-3 range?