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vasharanpaladin
2013-03-03, 07:26 PM
Unwanted spawn of gods and primordials, hated by both and loved by few

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 6'6"-7'6"
Average Weight: 250-350 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity; +2 Strength or +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 7 squares
Vision: Low-light vision

Languages: Common, Supernal
Skill Bonus: +2 Intimidate, +2 Athletics or Endurance
Nourished by Hunger: You are capable of eating and gaining nourishment from inorganic materials. As long as you have access to and are capable of swallowing at least a pound of soil, ash, dust, small stones, coins or the like per day, you are not subject to starvation or thirst.
Rejected by Creation Your birth was abomination, an insult to the natural order. You are considered an elemental creature and an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Unholy Energy: Choose one of acid, cold, fire, lightning or radiant. You gain resist 5 + one-half your level to that damage type. In addition, while bloodied, your attacks deal 2 extra damage of that type. This extra damage increases to 4 at 21st level.

Reforged by Pain Nephilim Racial Utility
Pain that would give other creatures pause is your default condition.
Encounter
Immediate Reaction - Personal
Trigger: You are subjected to an effect that would daze, stun, or immobilize you.
Effect: The triggering effect ends.

PHYSICAL QUALITIES
Nephilim are tainted souls born from the mixture of elemental and immortal blood. These abominable beings who should not exist resemble humans, but more in mockery than homage. They tower head and shoulders over most other races. Their limbs are stretched so as to be all the same length, and their bodies are slender for their height, giving them a gangly appearance, with powerful sinew flowing unnaturally beneath the skin as they move. A tail long enough to sway at the nephilim's ankles grows from between the shoulderblades.

At the start of its life, a nephilim's features are generally doughy, unfinished, and gradually shape themselves into a semblance of whatever race or races they grow up around... but they are always marked, not only by their tails, but also with features that the locals consider to be cursed or evil. A nephilim raised among elves might resemble an elf superficially, but bear the porcine features and tusks of an orc. A nephilim raised among people who consider red hair to be the mark of evil will inevitably grow red hair, and one brought up to consider an occurrence of six to be a bad omen will find herself sporting six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. Even should a nephilim be lucky enough to not grow up with particularly strong superstitions, he may be distressed to find himself developing the claws and fangs of a wild beast.

Male nephilim are generally shorter and stockier than females, but all are creatures of unnatural might and grace. Nephilim can hurl stones heavier than they are, climb like squirrels, and take blows to the head that would shatter a lesser being's skull without missing a step.
Nephilim are, of course, immortal, capable of living indefinitely barring violence. Their elemental nature, however, causes them great suffering throughout their lives, and it is this rage and pain that often leads them to seek death.

PLAYING A NEPHILIM
Attitudes and Beliefs:
Nephilim are, as a rule, broken beings. The gods see them as abominations that should never have come to be. The primordials look on them with scorn, failures of beings that couldn't perform to the task of crushing the deities and their works. Nephilim are often given to angst and nihilism, eschewing external codes of morality (especially those of the gods that hate them) as they attempt to make sense of the mad worlds in which they find themselves. Most adventuring nephilim develop an attitude of self-deprecation as a coping mechanism, unwilling or unable to deal with the hatred pouring in on all sides.

Other nephilim are simply unstable, and dangerously so. Hated by the gods and their followers, scorned by primordials and demons, and generally distrusted everywhere they go, they seek to establish their place in the hierarchy wherever they can. Might makes right, and the nephilim lash out to make dead certain that the only way to look down on them is to stand over their corpse. Such nephilim also find themselves unable to stand the sight of their ilk, and often the breaking point can be found where two such nephilim meet, as they immediately clash in their attempts to kill and eat the other in a mad attempt to gain power.

Nephilim generally hold very few deities in any sort of regard, but the few who do often look to deities of pain or madness, such as Torog or the Chained God. These few reverent nephilim are outcasts among outcasts, all the more likely to devour or be devoured by their kin, who see in them the potential of acquiring a god's love and thus, becoming whole.

Nephilim Society:
While the child of a nephilim is always a nephilim, each nephilim is a lonely individual, locked in his own suffering and generally uncaring about anyone else's... especially that of other nephilim. A nephilim parent will tend to abandon his child at the earliest opportunity, leaving the bastard to fend for itself and indirectly fostering the divisive attitude that prevents nephilim from banding together to protect each other. In the rare event that a nephilim pairs with another nephilim, the bond is practically invisible to anyone else, as the two abominations are just as likely to bash each other senseless as fight back to back in the chaos of battle.

This is not, however, to say that nephilim don't form positive bonds. In the rare event that a nephilim is accepted by its local community, he becomes a fantastically loyal guardian, more than capable of withstanding any punishment to keep the people who raised him safe. More likely, the nephilim bonds to an individual who shows him kindness, becoming an equally devoted protector to that person.

Nephilim Adventurers:
Outcasts and misfits, nephilim adventurers are practically the rule rather than the exception. Most tend to travel on their own, seeking solace in solitude, while a few form bonds with other (non-nephilim) misfits and outcasts to replace the communities that shunned them.

Barbarian
None can deny that a nephilim is a brute in body, regardless of what stirs his mind and soul. While most primal spirits distrust them, they have a particular affinity for rage-spirits, which are drawn to their own smoldering resentment like moths to flame. Such nephilim generally favor taking up a weapon in each hand, becoming whirling maelstroms of destruction, but very few would turn down the visceral satisfaction of cracking someone over the head with the biggest thing they can get hold of.

Fighter
The mighty nephilim take well to all kinds of physical activity, and often mimic the training soldiers of their homelands, teaching themselves a mishmash of techniques well-suited to fighting. Nephilim generally eschew the utility of a shield, preferring to fight empty-handed rather than hide behind a slab of wood or steel. They also prefer to bound across the battlefield to chase down an escaping enemy, rather than stay put.

Monk
Generally defeatist and self-effacing, relatively few nephilim believe they can obtain peace, let alone seek it. Those that do tend to favor traditions that put their physical might to use, meditating on the ideas of power and pain as they live out their immortal lives in austerity. These nephilim often have greater control over themselves, better able to check their strength to "merely" break an opponent's nose rather than crack his skull, and nearly always restrain themselves to language when encountering other nephilim.

Paladin
While rare, the odd nephilim that is reverent of a deity is not completely unknown. Such nephilim tend toward the worship of deities who have known true suffering, such as Torog or the Chained God, and almost invariably in the most brutish way possible: beating nonbelievers over the head until they stop twitching. As always, nephilim on this path tend to eschew shields in favor of two-handed weapons, particularly favoring weapons more inclined to causing pain than death, such as the whip or spiked chain.

When creating a nephilim adventurer, here are a few points to consider:

*In pain, there is life, and in agony, endless strength. The nephilim's lot is suffering. None can understand this better than the nephilim themselves. As long as you can move, you're not too hurt to contribute to the party's efforts. Downplay your own injuries as much as you can, and dismiss the wounds of others. After all, your arm is broken and you're still helping out, so why should anyone else just sit around whining about a small cut (that took off a leg)?

*Might makes right. In your nihilistic worldview, the only real truth is the strength of your arm. Any moral system can be bent and shaped by it; after all, if you can shout down anyone who argues, who's left to say you're wrong? And if yelling doesn't work, just use your fists to achieve the same end. When challenged, beat down "proper" arguments with thinly veiled threats or physical force. Allow yourself your own whims when the king requests your aid, regardless of the party's surprise... after all, he needs you, not the other way around.

*The golden rule. A nephilim is a mirror that reflects the soul of his home community. Show him kindness and he will respond in kind; show him cruelty and stand well back from the monster created. You are, in general, well-disposed toward those who treat you with kindness and respect, and less than amiable toward people who look down on or ignore you. This does not, however, mean you're any more empathic toward those friendly folk... your own suffering is always greater, and so you won't necessarily bring down their tyrant of a king until that tyranny affects you.

Nephilim Characteristics: Bitter, cynical, grim, impulsive, lonely, ruthless, violent

Male Names: Abram, Adam, Anak, Gartrand, Ishmael, Makaidos, Mordred, Nimrod, Samson

Female Names: Alanna, Emilie, Eva, Irene, Morgan, Sarai, Shachar, Tabitha, Tisiphone

FEATS

Empowered by Agony
Prerequisites: Nephilim, reforged by pain racial power
Benefit: While you are bloodied or suffering from ongoing damage, you gain a +1 feat bonus to damage rolls. If you are both bloodied and suffering from ongoing damage, this bonus becomes +2.
At 11th level, this bonus increases to +2 (or +4 for both conditions). At 21st level, it increases to +3 (or +6 for both conditions).

Enlightened by Suffering
Prerequisites: 11th level, nephilim, reforged by pain racial power
Benefit: The first time you are bloodied during each encounter, you can regain the use of your reforged by pain racial power.

Godscorch Invective
Prerequisites: Nephilim
Benefit: Whenever an enemy deals damage of the type matching your Unholy Energy to you, that enemy takes damage of the same type equal to your resistance.

Nimbus Flare
Prerequisites: Nephilim
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to the damage rolls of attacks that deal damage of the type matching your Unholy Energy. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th level and +4 at 21st level.

Recast by Rage
Prerequisites: Nephilim, barbarian
Benefit: While you are raging or in a berserker fury, you gain resist 3 all. This increases to resist 6 all at 11th level, and to resist 9 all at 21st level.

Satiated by Terror
Prerequisites: Nephilim, Charisma 15
Benefit: When you hit a creature with an encounter or daily power that has the fear keyword, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + 1 for each additional creature hit by the same attack.

Vitriolic Corona
Prerequisites: Nephilim, monk, Flurry of Blows class feature
Benefit: When you use your flurry of blows power while wielding no weapon other than your monk unarmed strike, it deals 2 extra damage of the same type as your Unholy Energy. In addition, the resist granted by your Unholy Energy increases by 2.

vasharanpaladin
2013-03-03, 07:30 PM
On the origins: I am well aware that the Biblical Nephilim are the offspring of fallen angels and humans. This would work in 3e or before, but not in 4e where angels match the alignment of the deity they serve. Thus, I took the Darksiders route and made them the result of deities/immortal creatures fraternizing with primordials/demons/elemental creatures, with a bit of Malfeas thrown in for good measure. :smalltongue:

I'd have pictures, but as I'm not entirely sure about the origins of some of them, better not to trip the alarms. Think of what an Evangelion looks like in the new movies. Without the armor, if you can. That's your "undefined" nephilim, while the rest have the same proportions but look like a human taken to the rack.

And yes, I'm also aware that the current racial power is a copypasta of the vryloka's, I was running spare on ideas and honestly couldn't think of anything better for it. Halp? :smallfrown:

Changelog
03/04/13 - Removed Claws of the Beast. Aberrant Origin replaced with Rejected by Creation. Nourished by Hunger altered and replaced with Reforged by Pain.
03/05/13 - Feats!
06/20/13 - Redid fluff, new feat.

SalmonOfDoubt
2013-03-04, 06:18 AM
Why a floating skill bonus? It's not particularly overpowered, but it doesn't make much sense to me. Only the really bookish races get it.
Aberrant origin in 4e means you're linked to the Far Realm in one way or another. A primoridial/god hybrid would not be aberrant. Perhaps you do something weird with the origin and have it be both immortal and elemental? Like how hengeyokai are humanoids and magical beasts.
The wording on those claws are off. Look at the gnoll. Also, that should probably be a feat. You're going to want most, if not quite all, of your racial features to be a boon to any class. The claw weapons help a very select few.
You *can* give them supernal as a level one language. It makes more sense than a "choose one" option. The PHB says you can't choose it at level 1, but "specific beats general."
If you drop the claws, I think this'll be pretty balanced. The power level will be roughly on par with a deva, swapping a second resistance for speed 7 and low-light vision.
Where did that list of energy types to resist come from?

vasharanpaladin
2013-03-04, 03:03 PM
Why a floating skill bonus? It's not particularly overpowered, but it doesn't make much sense to me. Only the really bookish races get it.
Aberrant origin in 4e means you're linked to the Far Realm in one way or another. A primoridial/god hybrid would not be aberrant. Perhaps you do something weird with the origin and have it be both immortal and elemental? Like how hengeyokai are humanoids and magical beasts.
The wording on those claws are off. Look at the gnoll. Also, that should probably be a feat. You're going to want most, if not quite all, of your racial features to be a boon to any class. The claw weapons help a very select few.
You *can* give them supernal as a level one language. It makes more sense than a "choose one" option. The PHB says you can't choose it at level 1, but "specific beats general."
If you drop the claws, I think this'll be pretty balanced. The power level will be roughly on par with a deva, swapping a second resistance for speed 7 and low-light vision.
Where did that list of energy types to resist come from?


1) Because it makes sense to me that someone desperate for a place in the world would try to develop a useful skill in order to gain it? :smalleek:

2) According to the entry at the back of the Monster Manual, aberrant creatures "are native to or strongly corrupted by" the Far Realm. There are thousands of immortal/elemental permutations; I strongly doubt they would all resemble armorless Evangelions without some form of outside influence. :smallamused:

3) No. Look at the eladrin. The point is that it's a weapon proficiency that, if you were going to use it, you would have gotten from your class. The tradeoff for never being disarmed of them is that they're a simple weapon (which all classes are proficient with) and you can't enchant them. That being said, despite the inaccurate comparison, you're probably right about dropping them. :smallsmile:

4) "Can" doesn't always mean "should." "Should" a misbegotten cross-spawn of gods and demons know the language of the gods by default? I don't really think so. Hell, I'm starting to doubt they should know Primordial...

5) The classic elemental energy types are acid (earth), cold (water), fire and lightning (air). Radiant is associated with divinity in 4e. :smallbiggrin:

Thanks for your input, but please, is there something I can do to make that racial power not look like copypasta whenever I look at it? :smallfrown:

EDIT: Aberrant origin addressed after further input in the Wizards thread, racial power altered.

SalmonOfDoubt
2013-03-04, 07:36 PM
3) No. Look at the eladrin. The point is that it's a weapon proficiency that, if you were going to use it, you would have gotten from your class. The tradeoff for never being disarmed of them is that they're a simple weapon (which all classes are proficient with) and you can't enchant them. That being said, despite the inaccurate comparison, you're probably right about dropping them. :smallsmile:I meant look at the gnoll for how to word a "you have claws" feature. The Gnoll Claw Fighter feat. And, like I said before, if you're going to make racial feats, then that would be a good one.

Everything else looks good now. The "Nourished by Hunger" feature is interesting and flavorful, even if it won't come up too often in regular play. The racial power might be a bit on the strong side, but it's not game-breaking. You might want a second opinion on tweaking it, but I don't know what input you've gotten on the Wizard's forum already.

Mando Knight
2013-03-04, 07:41 PM
1) Because it makes sense to me that someone desperate for a place in the world would try to develop a useful skill in order to gain it? :smalleek:
Yes, but most races can't pick any skill for to boost. Humans give up the bonus to two skills to train one class skill...

vasharanpaladin
2013-03-04, 07:45 PM
I meant look at the gnoll for how to word a "you have claws" feature. The Gnoll Claw Fighter feat. And, like I said before, if you're going to make racial feats, then that would be a good one.

Everything else looks good now. The "Nourished by Hunger" feature is interesting and flavorful, even if it won't come up too often in regular play. The racial power might be a bit on the strong side, but it's not game-breaking. You might want a second opinion on tweaking it, but I don't know what input you've gotten on the Wizard's forum already.

Wasn't going for literal claws with that feature anyway. I'm well aware that not everything you stick in the block to start with makes it to the final cut, and I felt like I needed something in there (and, in fact, got such a complaint on the Wizards forum when I removed it there). So it's all good... and I apologize for any untoward vehemence you may have felt in that reply. I need my PEACH'ers unoffended! *foot in mouth* :smallfrown:

And with a more satisfactory racial power, I will now start with the racial feats... sometime tonight, anyway...

@Mando Knight: Uh... kalashtar? :smalleek: Narrowed down that floating bonus to one of two, does that work?

SalmonOfDoubt
2013-03-04, 08:17 PM
Wasn't going for literal claws with that feature anyway. I'm well aware that not everything you stick in the block to start with makes it to the final cut, and I felt like I needed something in there (and, in fact, got such a complaint on the Wizards forum when I removed it there). So it's all good... and I apologize for any untoward vehemence you may have felt in that reply. I need my PEACH'ers unoffended! *foot in mouth* :smallfrown:It's all good. I'm not offended. Didn't mean to sound offended.

Mando Knight
2013-03-04, 08:27 PM
@Mando Knight: Uh... kalashtar? :smalleek: Narrowed down that floating bonus to one of two, does that work?

It works, but I'd personally go with Arcane and Religion, reflecting their nature.

vasharanpaladin
2013-03-04, 08:29 PM
It's all good. I'm not offended. Didn't mean to sound offended.

Didn't know if you were, the quoted section just seemed a bit harsh singled out like that. So now I gotta do feats, and I asked a third party about your Supernal suggestion. I love making this sort of stuff, especially when I've got more to work with than a single anime/manga series. :smallcool:


It works, but I'd personally go with Arcane and Religion, reflecting their nature.

I consider it an annoyance that a race has to have a knowledge skill based on what it is, really. "Oh, wilden are trees, they must have Nature!" "Devas are angels, surely they have Religion!" ...Me, bitter?

Anyway, the Nephilim, when they're mentioned in the Bible, are described as "mighty." Not necessarily "intelligent;" let their knowledge skills come from a class. Physical ability should come naturally, no? :smallamused:

Durazno
2013-03-04, 10:40 PM
"Nourished by Hunger" might need a different name. That name makes it sound like they just plain don't eat, or that they draw upon suffering and deprivation to sustain themselves. I'm not sure what to suggest as an alternative, though; Nourished by the Earth? Nourished by Anything? Gravelgullet?

vasharanpaladin
2013-03-04, 11:37 PM
"Nourished by Hunger" might need a different name. That name makes it sound like they just plain don't eat, or that they draw upon suffering and deprivation to sustain themselves.

The nephilim's lot is to suffer. So if the name of a feat or feature makes you think that... good. It's not a bug, it doesn't need to be fixed. :smallwink:

vasharanpaladin
2013-03-06, 12:28 AM
*shameless bump*

vasharanpaladin
2013-05-05, 09:05 PM
*shameless bump*

+1 and ten more strokes.

vasharanpaladin
2013-06-20, 03:08 PM
*shameless bump*

New stuff added! :smalltongue: