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Gnorman
2012-02-01, 06:07 AM
The mirror image of the cambion, the nephilim are descended from angels and other celestial creatures. I wanted to alter the portrayal of the planetouched creatures, aasimar being "golden and shiny and always good and amazing at everything" and tieflings being "dark and tortured and evil and unlikeable". Angels can be terrible, wrathful creatures, full of divine vengeance - not all of their products will turn out to be nice. The nephilim are, in essence, the fallen version of aasimar, clinging to fading glory - they still possess some of that celestial awe and power, but their heritage is at best a reminder of past greatness and at worst a mark of shame (in the campaign setting I am working on, they are the scions of a fallen empire that directly brought about a world-shattering cataclysm).


The Nephilim

• +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity - Nephilim are strong-willed, righteous, and philosophical, but their frames are bulky and ungainly
• Medium size
• 30' movement.
• Humanoid type.
• Bloodline: All nephilim select a bloodline from the list below, which offer them different bonuses and abilities. This choice is permanent.
• Heavenly Illumination: All nephilim may emit light as a hooded lantern, providing bright light within a thirty-foot radius and shadowy illumination within sixty feet. A nephilim may activate or dismiss this effect as a free action. As a standard action, he may focus and expend this light into a ranged touch attack that does 1d6 damage for every two hit dice he possesses. This damage overcomes all damage reduction, but deals no damage to inanimate objects or structures. Once expended, he may neither emit light nor focus it for five rounds.
• Celestial Aptitude: A nephilim casts spells with the (healing) subschool or the [good] and [light] descriptors at +1 caster level.
• Angelic Aura: At 3rd level, a nephilim may add half his Wisdom modifier as a deflection bonus to his armor class.
• Awestruck: At 6th level, a nephilim may, as an immediate action, force an opponent attempting to attack him in melee to make a Will save (with the DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the nephilim's hit dice + the nephilim's Wisdom modifier). If the save is failed, the opponent must choose another target - if no other valid targets are available, the attack and the action are wasted. This ability may be used once per encounter. Creatures without visual senses are immune to this effect.
• +2 racial bonus to Knowledge (religion) and Sense Motive checks.
• Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Aquan, Auran, Celestial, and Elven.
• Favored Classes: White mage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215538) and zealot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216635)


Bloodlines

Staff
• +2 Intelligence - staff nephilim are studious and learned, especially about medicine and healing
• Whenever a staff nephilim directly restores hit points with a spell or ability, increase the amount of hit points restored by a number equal to his hit dice.

Sun
• +2 Constitution - sun nephilim burn brightly in both spirit and body
• A sun nephilim may wreathe his melee weapons or natural attacks in sacred flame at will as a swift action, allowing them to do extra fire damage equal to half his hit dice (minimum of one). He may dismiss these flames as a free action.

Sword
• +2 Strength - sword nephilim are tenacious and sinewy, always ready for a fight
• A sword nephilim is always proficient with martial weapons, and gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls when wielding swords.

Trumpet
• +2 Charisma - trumpet nephilim are unflappable and confident, naturally instilling courage and joy in those around them
• A trumpet nephilim is immune to silence effects and may inspire his allies once per day as a swift action, giving all allies within 30 feet a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls as well as a +1 morale bonus to saves against charm and fear for five rounds.

Invoke the Heavens (Optional Epic Destiny)
Prerequisites: 6th-level character, twenty "epic" feats
Benefits: At the DM's discretion, a nephilim character that has reached epic status may gain this ability. The nephilim's type changes to Outsider, he gains a +2 inherent bonus to two ability scores of his choice, and may add his full Wisdom modifier as a deflection bonus to his armor class rather than just half of it. He may also use his Awestruck ability three times per encounter.

Personality: Nephilim, though as varied as any other mostly-human race, tend to be quiet, devout people who mostly keep to themselves. Though not as warlike as they once were, they still prize martial ability and prowess highly, and though they tend to express this through jousts and friendly duels rather than open combat, they will not hesitate to mete out retribution in blood and deed if necessary. They can be jovial and friendly, and are sometimes quite pleasant to be around, typically forthright and honest in their dealings with all. However, an angered nephilim is a fearful sight, and once their wrath is aroused, they can be vengeful, righteous warriors. Nephilim take a dim view of dishonesty and deception, and believe firmly in fair and honorable behavior. Nephilim often believe that their way is the right way, and that by extension it is the only way - any deviance from that way is a moral affront to be punished harshly. Some take the responsibility of judgment too far, dehumanizing and dismissing those who fail to live up to their code. They make excellent soldiers, especially excelling at battlefield tactics and commanding troops. However, they are equally drawn to mental pursuits, gravitating towards the philosophical and medical professions. They are unparalleled healers, and nephilim doctors are in high demand. Though they are not quite as radical or innovative as some other races, they are excellent engineers, builders, and craftsmen, approaching their work with patience, resolve, and an eye for quality. At their best, nephilim are noble, righteous, protective, unyielding, and contemplative. At their worst, they are intolerant, militant, condescending, obstinate, and conservative.

Physical Description: Nephilim stand tall and broad, and usually possess pale, alabaster skin, occasionally with a hint of silver or gold. Their eyes are notable for having no pupils, and glow bright gold, silver, or green. Their hair is usually blonde or white, though darker shades are not unheard of. Both sexes tend to wear their hair long and unfettered. Facial hair is uncommon. Nephilim favor ornate armor and clothing, enjoying elaborate designs and patterns - the brighter and more colorful, the better. Sword nephilim are stronger than others, with especially broad shoulders and arms. Sun nephilim are more stocky and compact, and their eyes glow the brightest out of all nephilim. They are more likely than other nephilim to have vibrantly-colored hair, usually orange or red. Staff nephilim are notably lanky, with long arms, spidery fingers, and whitish hair. They tend towards astigmatism. Trumpet nephilim are comely with bright, flashy smiles and shapely figures.

Relations: Nephilim usually get along well with most races, though their interactions with cambions can often be tense - despite centuries of peace between the two races, not all war wounds have closed completely. Nephilim are trustworthy and have a reputation for being kind and gentle to those in need, so they are typically well-liked in all environments, but especially in cities and towns.

Alignment: Nephilim run the gamut of alignments, but tend towards good and possess a slight lawful bent.

Lands: Nephilim are somewhat rare, their homeland of Aurum being shattered and most of it sunk beneath the sea. This cataclysm devastated their populations, and they have been slow to recover. Nephilim are rarely encountered in very large groups, and tend to integrate into whatever societies they are involved in rather than form their own separate communities, though they do stick close to each other out of a shared respect for their history and culture. Some nephilim have banded together in an attempt to reclaim the glory of Aurum, choosing to rebuild their white-gold cities on what little land remains of the once-great kingdom.

Language: Nephilim still cling to their prediluvian language as a way of reminding themselves of their past glory. It is an elaborate language and its script is full of elegant, curved symbols.

Names: Nephilim typically possess only a singular name, occasionally with second name denoting their homeland or town of origin. Family names are less important in nephilim culture, as each individual is judged on his merits rather than the accomplishments of his relatives. Many nephilim have adopted names that honor the memory of their lost kingdom, such as Aurelius, Aurelia, or Aurora.

Adventurers: Nephilim, though they can be reserved at times, enjoy the thrill of discovery and danger. Many adventure for noble causes, and a nephilim sent on a quest he believes to be righteous is an implacable opponent. Their sense of justice, level-headed nature, and general resistance to corruption make them excellent party leaders, quartermasters, and dividers of loot, much to the chagrin of would-be thieves.

Eldest
2012-02-01, 08:29 PM
I look forward to seeing this complete.

Gnorman
2012-02-02, 06:35 AM
I look forward to seeing this complete.

Well, you're in luck.

Eldest
2012-02-02, 08:18 AM
Trumpet - trumpet nephilim are unflappable and confident
• +2 Charisma - trumpet nephilim
• A trumpet nephilim is immune to silence effects and may inspire his allies once per day as a swift action, giving all allies within 30 feet a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls as well as a +1 morale bonus to saves against charm and fear for five rounds.

Small hiccup in formating here. The Awestruck being used three times an encounter may be out of wack, but it is an epic destiny and compared to the Cambion's and Jotun's destiny, it works.

Gnorman
2012-02-02, 08:33 AM
Small hiccup in formating here. The Awestruck being used three times an encounter may be out of wack, but it is an epic destiny and compared to the Cambion's and Jotun's destiny, it works.

Fixed the error, thanks for pointing it out.

As to second bit - as long as they're balanced against each other, I'm happy. Because in my mind, compared to being able to summon a succubus for five minutes a day, or being large, having an attack maybe not hit you three times each combat instead of once each combat doesn't seem too egregious. If anything, they might need a boost.

The other option I thought I might give them was angelic wings. I was originally going to have the epic destiny be gaining a template (half-celestial for nephilim, half-fiend for cambion, et cetera), but that was probably way too much.

Eldest
2012-02-02, 09:49 AM
It seems balanced, I would consider having the wings being availibe as a epic feat chain, because that's a good idea.

stack
2012-02-02, 01:45 PM
You have an uncanny ability to make things I want to play. I don't have that much time, curse you!

Wyntonian
2012-02-02, 02:44 PM
What is this madness? A race that progresses meaningful abilities over multiple levels? With customization? sonofanawesomewin says whatnow?

Serious. Hot Dayum. I really like this.