PDA

View Full Version : Gemsoul Race in 3.5 Players Handbook Format



exodus_dragon
2007-05-22, 05:29 AM
I revised it to make it easier to read, and hopefully to understand. Let me know what you think. I have the back ground story of how they came to be but I did not want to make this thread too long. If interested let me know I will make a new thread. pls give feedback so I can make them better. Or just if you like them.



Gemsoul

Personality: A Gemsouls personality is usually reflected by the soul it harvested. Gemsouls as a whole society tend to be defensive and suspicious. They are usually well organized.

Physical Description: Gemsouls have no gender. They procreate through soul harvesting with incubators that store gems. Magic and an Magical incubator captures a soul then stores it in a gem, once a soul is caught the gem then begins to grow. Ordinary gems will not hold the souls properly. The gem takes only about 1 day to reach maturity.
Gemsouls come in 7 colors or gem types: Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, Topaz, Emerald, and Jet. Gemsouls vary in height and weight, depending on the soul harvested. the duller the color the older the Gemsoul is, and the brighter the younger.They do appear to be constructs made of gems. There appearance is usually based on the soul harvested. EX/ A Gemsoul that would harvest the soul of a Fighter may tend to be larger and more brutish, where as if a Gemsoul harvested the soul of say a sorcerer, may be smaller and more fragile. Gemsouls usually take on the traits of harvested souls abilities.

Relations: Gemsouls are usually quite suspicious of other races. Due to its abnormal body structure, a Gemsoul can be worth a lot if killed and broken down. They are not very hostile unless it comes to their own survival. Gemsouls will tend to travel to nearby cities in hopes of becoming a part of the world. In most cases they fit quite well with other races. To gain there trust takes a lot of work.

Alignment: Gemsouls alignment is directly based on the soul harvested. An evil Gemsoul of any type is always Black and becomes Jet based. A Good Gemsoul is always White and become Diamond based. Other Gemsouls are neutral of some standard.

Gemsoul Lands: They mostly live anywhere the earth is rich with minerals, usually near mines or in mountainous regions.

Religion: Gemsouls don’t usually have a religion they normally pray to Dragons not for faith but of fear.

Language: Common, Gemsoul, Draconic. They can learn other languages from standard races such as Elf, Dwarf, Human, Orc, Halfling etc…but are prone to stay with Common, Gemsoul, and Draconic. Gemsoul language is an array of blinking lights that they can produce with there bodies.

Names: Gemsouls are usually named after there gem type/types combined with some sub name or nickname usually given by party members. Examples: Emerald Bladerunner, Sapphire Stormcloud, Jet Deathright, Sapphireruby Fireheart.

Adventurers: Gemsouls are not usually in a party of adventurers. But if they become a part they can offer many attributes to the party. Because they do not have a specific class preference, they are well rounded in any class.

Gemsoul Racial Traits:

• Medium: As medium creatures, Gemsouls have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Gemsoul base land speed is 30ft.

• Languages: Common, Gemsoul (More of a Blinking Morse code type language, no other creature can learn to speak it but can learn to understand it).

• Feed off minerals in the earth

• Don’t need to drink

• They Do Sleep

• Favor armor and weapons made from gems. They wear armor made from gems. If any other armor is worn it will harm there bodies, scraping and scratching them. They use weapons made from gems. If they use any other type of weapon they will incure a -1 penalty on attacks for light weapons and an additional -1 penalty for every weapon size category higher

• Gemsouls do not have a preferred class, they are wide in variety and all classes are welcomed to their society.

• Gain: gain a +1 to 3 of your stats then gain -1 to the other 3

• Gain: +2 survival, +4 craft (when making a gem item) they prefer gem made items and there for have become great crafters in armor and weapons made from gems, +4 sense motive because of there lack of trust in others they have become adapted to knowing if someone is hiding their real intentions.

• Gemsouls can be up to 3 colors: if done then they lose immunities to their main color and gain percentage. Example a Gemsoul of two colors would get 30% chance to resist their element type rather than immunity. Such as a Sapphire and Ruby Gemsoul would gain 30% chance to resist fire and 30% chance to resist cold. A Gemsoul can only retain one of the special abilities from one of the types not both. Like wise a Gemsoul of three colors would gain 10% chance to resist each element of the chosen colors and again you can chose only 1 of the 3 abilities. White Gemsouls and Black Gemsouls cannot mix they are only their color.

• Gain: 1 per/day/per level a 10% chance to find a gem in 40ft radius worth up to 100g. Does not work in cities.

• A Gemsoul can not be healed with spells or potions. (The only exception is with white Gemsoul ability) They can only heal hit points by eating gems of there type worth 50g it acts like a heal potion 1d8 heal potion. They can heal 1d8 +1 for every 10g over 50 that the gem is worth

• Gemsouls fear Dragons.

• They have good knowledge of stone, minerals, ore, and earthen elements. +4 to apraise when apraising gems, and +4 to search checks for stones, minerals, ore, and earthen elements as well as gems which could be useful to them.


Special Abilities




• Diamond (white) 5% resists all elements
Rarity: rare
Full round action: Has ability to Heal: 1/day/2lvls: heal for 1d8 points of dmg/2lvls up to 4d8 points of healing; in 20ft radius. Does 1d8dmg to undead same standards. Fortitude for half dmg dealt DC Save 10 + Character LVL + Constitution

• Ruby (red) immune fire
Rarity: Common
Full round action: Has ability to Immolate: 1/day/2lvls; dealing 1d6 fire dmg/2lvls up to 5d6 in 20ft radius. Reflex for half DC Save is 10 + Character LVL + Constitution

• Emerald (green) immune poison
Rarity: Common
Full round action: Has ability to Gas Cloud: 1/day/2lvls; dealing 2d4 poison dmg/2 lvls up to 8d4 in 20ft radius. Treat as poison damage from DMG. Fortitude to negate DC Save is 10 + Character LVL + Constitution

• Amethyst (purple) Will Increase +6
Rarity: Uncommon
Full round action: Has ability to Mind Shock: 1/day/2lvls; dealing 1d8 arcane dmg/2lvls up to 4d8 in 20ft radius. Will to negate DC Save 10 + Character LVL + Wisdom

• Topaz (yellow) immune lightning
Rarity: Common
Full round Action: Has ability to Over Charge:1/day/2lvls; dealing 1d10 electric dmg/2lvls up to 3d10 in 20ft radius Reflex for half DC Save 10 + Character LVL+ Constitution

• Sapphire (blue) immune cold
Rarity: Common
Full Round Action: Has ability to Frost Bite: 1/day/2lvls; dealing 1d4 cold dmg/2lvls up to 4d4 in 20ft radius 10% chance to cause opponent to lose 1d4 ac for 1d4 rounds/per 2 character lvls Reflex for half DC Save 10 + Characters LVL + Dexterity

• Jet (black) 5% chance to reduce dmg taken by half
Rarity: Rare
Full round action: Has ability Dark Heart: 1/day/2lvls; deals 2d6dmg untyped/2lvls up to 4d6 dmg on target; 10% chance to heal self half dmg dealt Touch AC to hit

Hazkali
2007-05-22, 06:03 AM
I posted on your other thread, but obviously you've set things out nicer here (thank-you!) so it's easier to read and appraise.

First off, I'll repeat the point I made on the other thread- +1 to stats is unbalancing, as the change in modifier depends upon what the stat was before (i.e. an 11 will increase to a 12, with a modifier increase of +1, whereas a 10 will increase to an 11, with a modifier increase of +0). So therefore either change the stats to +2 on 3, -2 on 3 (in which case this definitley needs a minimum LA of +1, probably +2) or specify the stats which get +2 bonusses. You could link this to colour, but having the same ability changes is one of the defining characterisitics of a race or subrace.

Secondly, the abilities for each colour are overpowered for a LA 0 race. Either change to a LA +2 (maybe higher becuase of the immunities) or reduce their power. To take White as an example, the healing ability is by far too good. To maintain a +0 LA, perhaps change it to


Diamond: Spell-like abilities: 1/day Cure Light Wounds , 3/day Cure Minor Wounds, Caster level as their character level.


Also, do they heal normally with rest, like organic creatures, or not, like Warforged?

When you say Gemsouls fear Dragons, what does this mean? Do they suffer penalties on Will saves for Dragons Fearsome presence ability?

I dislike the gem-harvesting ability. Instead, I would replace it with something like:


Gemsense (Su): A Gemsoul has the ability to detect gemstones. The Gemsoul is aware of the presence and direction of all non-magical gemstones within 60ft, but cannot tell their size, value or number (if there are a number of gemstones within 5ft).


Hope this helps.

Corncracker
2007-05-22, 06:16 AM
Overall you seem to have a good Idea. However, the way you implemented it is just strange.

The biggest things I have to point out is the +1 to a stat. With three +1's and three negative ones, you could do a lot of abusing. Put at least three odd numbers on stats you roll, or if point buy set up three stats to put odd numbers on. Put the negative 1's there, and you don't go down a modifier. If you put a +1 where an odd number is, it does go up a point under the modifier. The System was built around +2 for stats, so it is best to stick with that without throwing +1's into the mix for the stats.

Second, everything you wrote is just worded so strangley. And honeslty I'm not even sure what a % for resistance is suppose to be. Does it cut down the spell by a percent of damage, is that the chance the spell will fail? I can't think of anything else that uses a % like that, so what happening is you are introducing a new Mechanic that doesn't isn't explained in enough detail.

Then Abilities like automaticly finding Gems unless you are in a town worth a minimum GP? Thats a bit breaking of the Wealth system, and really gets you to much money. In addition, that just wouldn't make sense, as gems aren't that easy to find because of how rare they are. Its not likely you can find them just anywhere.

I really like your Idea, but it was presented quite poorly. I'd go back and rethink all your abilities and your presentation, explain more about the soul harvesting, Go into detail on why the can't where non-crystal armor, as "Getting scratched up" doesn't even make sense really.