[3.5] My Homebrew races need LA

[AuthorRoy]

Hello everyone, I am a rookie DM and I've made some custom races for my own setting based on/inspired by pre-existing ones. I like the way they look now, but I was hoping someone could tell me how high the Level Adjustment should be for each one. Thanks for your time!

Edit: I made a quick edit based on feedback

Crystallia Races not listed in the guidebooks:

Merleon

Random Height and Weight
Base Height Base Weight
Race Height Modifier Weight Modifier
Male 4´ 3” +2d6 110 lb. × (2d4) lb.
Female 4´ 8” +2d6 140 lb. × (2d4) lb.
Scale Colors: Any
Eye Colors: Dark Blue Sclera, Various irises
Noticeable Traits: Fins, Scales, they do not have hair or skin.

Adult Age: 15 years
Old Age: 50
Venerable Age: 70-90 years
+2 Str
+2 Dex
-2 Con



• Medium size
• 30’ movement
• Languages: Aquan, Common. May learn Gnomish, Elven, and Undercommon.
• Darkvision 120’
• Have the (aquatic) subtype.
• Able to breath water and air interchangeably.
• Swim speed of 30’ & can “run” when swimming in a straight line. +8 Racial bonus to Swim checks. Can always Take 10.
• Suffer -2 to all checks when out of water for more than an hour.
• Automatically proficient in the use of Tridents and Nets.
• As a standard action, can use camouflage to alter their skin color and match their surroundings. Gain +2 to all hide checks when using camouflage.
• Five foot long tongue, prehensile. Can be used to hold objects as well as any hand.
• No Level Adjustment ATM


Vinea


Random Height and Weight
Base Height Base Weight
Race Height Modifier Weight Modifier
Vinea 5´ 6” +2d8 130 lb. × (2d5) lb.



Eye Colors: Any
Noticeable Traits: Vines, with leaves and flowers, grow from
their limbs. Large leaves also grow from their bodies,
covering up their skin in some places. Their flowers vary.

Adult Age: 160 years
Old Age: 300 years
Venerable Age: 390-410 years



+2 Wis
+2 Con
–2 Str

Favored Class: Druid
Medium Size
• 30’ Movement
• Low-light vision.
• Languages: Vinean, Common. May learn Gnomish, Elven,
• Woodland Stride, as the Druid class ability.
• +4 Racial bonus on Diplomacy, Perform, &
Survival checks.
• –4 penalty on Bluff & Sense Motive checks.
• Survival is always an in-class skill.
• Plant creature.
• Photosynthesis – only consume 1/4th as much as a
Human as long as it has 4 hours of direct sunlight
each day. Without sunlight, must consume twice as
much as a Human.
• Photoregeneration – if allowed to rest in the sunlight
with 1 gallon of water for a day, heals 2x Character
level. Otherwise heals normally. Able to regrow
severed limbs in one month (2 weeks with bed rest)
• Speak with Plants, 1/day at caster level 1st.
• Can consume any kind of organic material without issue.
• Natural Weapon – 1d6 Bite, 10% chance of inflicting poison (deals 1d10 Con damage, repeats in 1 min.)
• Level Adjustment +2




Dragon Hybrid
Note: This is template replaces the half dragon template in the Monster Manual and can be applied to any race (Half-Dragon Human, Half-Dragon Dwarf, Etc.) If a player decides to take the Dragon Disciple class (DM 183), they use this as a template for their character upon reaching level 10 in that class. A character with this template can take levels in Dragon Disciple, with the tenth level's effect described below.


Random Height and Weight
Base Height Base Weight
Race Height Modifier Weight Modifier
Medium Male 5´ 0” +3d12 130 lb. × (2d10) lb.
Med. Female 5´ 0” +3d12 130 lb. × (2d10) lb.
Small Male 3´ 6” +2d6 100 lb. × (2d6) lb.
Small Female 3´ 2” +2d6 100 lb. × (2d6) lb.
Note: It is possible for you to upgrade size classes based on the roll. At 8' your size becomes Large.


Hair Colors: Depends on type
Eye Colors: Depends on type
Noticeable Traits: Scales, horns, wings, tail, claws, fangs

Adult Age: Same as base race
Old Age: Base race old age *3
Venerable Age: Base race venerable age *3


+2 St
+2 Cha
-2 Wis

Size:
Medium

Favored Class: Sorcerer
Size class is derived from your humanoid ancestor.
• Pick an elemental type. You gain 10% resistance to that type and your natural weapons do damage of that type. This decision cannot be altered after character creation.
• 30’/20’ Movement
• Low-light Vision
• Languages: Draconic, Common. May learn Halfling, Gnomish, Elven, Dwarven, Undercommon, Skycommon
• Darkvision 60’
• Immunity to magical Sleep effects
• Automatic proficiency in Natural Weapons, Simple Weapons
Choose two of the three following:
• Improved Constitution Score (+6). With improved constitution you will appear less humanoid and more draconic.
• Natural Weapon – 1d6 Bite, two 1d4 Claws, and (Level/2.5, rounded down)d6 breath of your elemental type. The breath weapon is a 30-foot cone (fire or cold) or a 60-foot line (acid or electricity). After using your breath weapon, roll 1d4 to see how many rounds you must wait before using it again.
• Wings - Gain Fly speed of (Level*5)’ Has average maneuverability. Glide – able to negate falling damage & can move horizontally 4x the distance it moves vertically. Has average maneuverability.
• Level Adjustment +3

If a born Dragon Hybrid takes ten levels in Dragon Disciple, they gain the trait from above that they did not take at creation, double the damage of their claw/bite attack and increase the damage of their breath weapon to match the dragon of their parent type. (1d12 bite, 2 1d8 claws, [Increase by 2 for every 3 levels]d10 breath).



Faerie (based on the Zelda OOT kind)

Height:
6” – 6.5” (Male)
6” – 6.5” (Female)

Weight:
.5 – 1 lbs (Male)
.5 - 1 lbs (Female)

Hair Colors: Any
Eye Colors: Any
Noticeable Traits: Wings. (Buglike; many variations)

Adult Age: 90
Old Age: 210
Venerable Age: 300



–4 Str
+2 Int
+2 Cha

Favored Class: Sorcerer
Diminutive Size
• 5’ Movement, Fly 30’ (Good maneuverability)
• Low-light Vision
• Can produce light equivalent to that of a candle from their bodies as a standard action.
• Languages: Fey, Common. May learn Halfling, Gnomish, Elven
• Gains Feat: Dodge.
• Fey.
• +1 Natural Armor bonus to AC
• +2 Racial bonus on Hide, Move Silently, Listen, Search, & Spot checks
• Special Quality – Damage Reduction 10/cold iron
• Spell-Like Abilities: Fairies can use the following spell-like abilities once per day: dancing lights, faerie fire. Caster level equals the Faerie’s class level.
• Level Adjustment +2

[Fortuna]

I'm too tired and impatient to do a full critique, but a couple of things stand out.

First, it's much easier to read if you put the level adjustment at the end of the statblock and bold headings.
Second, a diminutive race with bonuses to Dex and Cha and a fly speed for +2 LA? You just became every warlock's bestest friend forever. Those things will be near-unhittable, have spectacular aim, and generally wreak havoc.

[AuthorRoy]

If it's as bad as it sounds, I can change it; I was going for a lesser fairy-type that doesn't have the ridiculous kind of LA that a Pixie does, so I just tried to reduce things all around. I don't really have anyone else to consult, so any feedback is appreciated. I'll try and edit it based on what you've said...

[ericgrau]

Merleon: LA 0. Would make capable archers if they weren't so bound to water. Might barely hit LA 1 but only barely, so with the drawback I'll say LA 0 even with the possibility of work-arounds.

Vinea: LA 1. Good ability scores for wildshaping. The special abilities are kind of nice but pretty minor.

Dragon Hybrid: LA 2. For +2 str, +6 con and flight. Really the old half-dragon gets better stats and flight without hovering only helps so much for so long.

Faerie: LA 3. Good mobility flight from level 1, +5 AC, +4 attack bonus (from size) and DR 10/monsters-don't-have-that means LA 3 is better. Ranged builds will love it. The mental ability scores might be great for casters but LA isn't, so there's no reason to increase the LA further because of them.

In high optimization groups all of those LAs should go down by 1 except Merleon of course. It was already high LA 0 and high op people can find work-arounds faster, so it should still keep up. Heck I bet there's a way to make archery or thrown weapons work under water.

[AuthorRoy]

Alright. Thanks a bunch, that helps me out a lot. I'll stick around to see if there are any other suggestions but I think I've got what I need. Thanks again.