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View Full Version : New race, glass people. (3.5, PEACH)



SlaadLord
2011-03-29, 07:41 PM
They need a name, and what I've got here is only the crunch, but...

Glassworks-working name.
Medium Construct (Living Construct)
+2 Dex, -2 Con
Base Land Speed 30 feet
Glassworks possess light fortification.
Heat absorbent: The first 20 points of fire damage a glassworks takes in a round are treated as non-lethal damage. Additionally, glassworks never take nonlethal damage from exposure to high temperatures in the environment. If a glassworks remains in an environment where the ambient temperature is 100 degrees or greater for 1 hour, it regains 1 hit point per character level.
Brittle: Glassworks take an additional point of damage from any source that deals bludgeoning or sonic damage.
LA +0

Thoughts on balance?

grimbold
2011-03-30, 05:03 AM
+2 dex -2 con is a bit harsh and weakens this race a bit. In my opinion the light fortification helps but i feel as if this race would be made better if it got some proficiencies and a couple extra skill points or something

Morph Bark
2011-03-30, 05:28 AM
Either give some explanation how they can go about without breaking easily or give them some weakness to sonic attacks (which specifically are typically super effective against glass works).

The heat-absorbent part makes it definitely not LA+0.

Also, +2 Dex and -2 Con being a bit harsh? Ridiculous.

Croverus
2011-03-30, 05:28 AM
Crystaline Troll is a good example of a creature made fo crystal if you need more ideas for abilities and such.

SlaadLord
2011-03-30, 08:05 AM
Glass is especially susceptible to sonic attacks, and the description of brittle accounts for that. I was debating making an extra point per die...

Heat absorbent is...oh yeah. Potentially broken. What do you recommend?

Icedaemon
2011-03-30, 09:07 AM
Typically, instead of taking an additional point of damage, creatures who are clearly weak to a source of damage would take 1.5 times as much damage as is rolled, unless I remember incorrectly.

The light fortification and fire-absorbent abilities are incredibly useful, so I would drop consitution and possibly charisma by a couple more points. I mean, sitting in a fireplace will do 1d6 damage per round, allowing for some pretty quick recovery.

Logically, glass tends to have sharp edges, so a natural slashing or piercing attack would make sense. Maybe have the fire absorbing trick remove the natural weapons for 1dx rounds/minutes though?

Obrysii
2011-03-30, 09:11 AM
I would recommend giving them Sonic Vulnerability, which increases all sonic damage taken by x1.5.

Light fortification and Fire Resistance 5 are both modestly powerful for LA +0.

Golden-Esque
2011-03-30, 09:37 AM
Glass is especially susceptible to sonic attacks, and the description of brittle accounts for that. I was debating making an extra point per die...

Heat absorbent is...oh yeah. Potentially broken. What do you recommend?

If you give them Sonic Vulnerability (x1.5 damage from sonic energy) that might even things out a little more. Also include a line where spells like Shatter affect them as if they were an object.

Personally, I think this race is too powerful for players simply because its a Construct (and has all of the construct immunities) instead of a Humanoid (Living Construct) or something else.

Morph Bark
2011-03-30, 09:51 AM
If you give them Sonic Vulnerability (x1.5 damage from sonic energy) that might even things out a little more. Also include a line where spells like Shatter affect them as if they were an object.

Personally, I think this race is too powerful for players simply because its a Construct (and has all of the construct immunities) instead of a Humanoid (Living Construct) or something else.

It is a Living Construct. Humanoids cannot be Living Constructs. It is a Construct type-specific subtype.

Also, missed Brittle earlier. That one is fine as-is. :smallsmile:

SlaadLord
2011-03-30, 10:07 AM
Regarding Sonic effects: as they are made of glass, shatter damages them as though they are crystalline creatures.

Regarding fire absorbent: What if I dropped it to recovering a point of damage per die that would be dealt, up to a max of 5 points in a round? That way, sitting in a fireplace heals a point per round, but getting blasted by a fireball cast by a 9th-level caster would heal 5 and then normal damage applies?

Morph Bark
2011-03-30, 10:10 AM
Regarding Sonic effects: as they are made of glass, shatter damages them as though they are crystalline creatures.

Regarding fire absorbent: What if I dropped it to recovering a point of damage per die that would be dealt, up to a max of 5 points in a round? That way, sitting in a fireplace heals a point per round, but getting blasted by a fireball cast by a 9th-level caster would heal 5 and then normal damage applies?

Sounds perfectly balanced.

Ashtagon
2011-03-30, 10:53 AM
I wouldn't make fire heal it at all. Fire doesn't even heal fire elementals, and they're literally made of the stuff. Bear in mind that even if you have nothing more than a tinderbox and a torch, this ability means free and complete healing between each encounter.

I'd change it to:

* The first 20 points of fire damage per round are treated as non-lethal damage, and regular non-lethal damage caused by heat is ignored. Glass people can absorb incredible amounts of heat, but even they can't withstand the fires of the sun.

SlaadLord
2011-03-30, 12:35 PM
The first 20 points of fire damage per round are treated as non-lethal damage, and regular non-lethal damage caused by heat is ignored. Glassworks can absorb incredible amounts of heat, but even they can't withstand the fires of the sun.
Ooh, I like that. But, problem: constructs can't be dealt nonlethal damage, even living constructs.

Ashtagon
2011-03-30, 12:39 PM
Ooh, I like that. But, problem: constructs can't be dealt nonlethal damage, even living constructs.

D&D is an exception-based rules set, and a rules set in which specifics trump generalities. So just as the construct immunity to non-lethal is an exception that trumps the general rule that all critters can take non-lethal damage, this would form a specific exception to the general rule that constructs don't take non-lethal damage.

Alternate version: energy resistance (fire) 20.

begooler
2011-03-30, 12:42 PM
You could make it so that fire is the only thing that heals it. This gives you something like a dread necromancer tomb-tainted soul.
You could also say that the ability to absorb fire only works if the source is magical. No sitting in the fireplace to heal.

SlaadLord
2011-03-30, 01:33 PM
Heat absorbent: The first 20 points of fire damage a glassworks takes in a round are treated as non-lethal damage. Additionally, glassworks never take nonlethal damage from exposure to high temperatures in the environment. If a glassworks remains in an environment where the ambient temperature is 100 degrees or greater for 1 hour, it regains 1 hit point per character level.

How about this? The best of Ashtagon's ability plus allowances for "natural" healing.

Sacrieur
2011-03-30, 02:14 PM
Can you say... Shatter?

SlaadLord
2011-03-30, 10:27 PM
Regarding Sonic effects: as they are made of glass, shatter damages them as though they are crystalline creatures.

Been said.

Lord Vampyre
2011-03-31, 07:56 PM
If you're going on giving the race the Heat Absorbent ability, you should remove the Fire Resist 5.