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Dryad
2007-05-23, 10:24 PM
I just wanted to create a race that could fly, and had some really great-looking natural weapons, while still be playable, and not too strong. So I came up with this! Tell me what you think. (Actually, it's very old, from early 3.0 times, but I've never actually shared it publically.)

The Mardinor:

Medium sized Fey.
Hit Dice: 1d8 (warrior)(3 hp)
Initiative: +1 (dex)
Speed: 30 ft, or fly 60 ft (poor)
AC: 14 (studded leather, dex.)
Attacks: Extractable claw +2 melee; or longbow: +2 ranged.
Damage: Extractable claw: 1d6 (piercing); longbow: 1d8.
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Qualities: Mardinor traits.
Saves: Fort: +1, Ref: +1, Will: +0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha8
Skills: Hide: +5, Move Silently: +5, Spot: +3, listen: +3,
Feats: Weapon Finesse (extractable claw)
Climate/Terrein: Temperate mountain/forest.
Organisation: Solitary, pair or pack (3-8)
Challenge Rating: ½
Treasure: Standard.
Allignment: Usually Chaotic Good.

Mardinor are the winged people. The race of allmost humanoid fey is believed to be extinct, and this is mainly true. Sometimes, a mardinor is born from human parents with Mardinor ancestors, and looks like an ordinary human child. At the age of eighteen, however, they start to change. They grow fangs, pointy ears and bat-like wings, and their lower arms grow strange long tubes on them, out of which an allmost metal like blade can be extracted.
At this age, Mardinor usually leave their homes, to live in the wild. Some, however, choose to stay, and pretend to be human, hiding their wings in long draped cloaks.
Mardinor usually meet eachother in a druid’s grove, and from there on might form packs, often quickly discovering their natural talent for the Sylvan language.

Mardinor combat: Mardinor often stay at a distance, using their bows to fire arrows at their enemies. However, in some situations, they prefer to swoop down at their enemy, to hack away with their fierce blades.

Mardinor Characters: The Mardinor’s favored class is ranger, and Mardinor packs are often lead by a ranger.

Mardinor Qualities:
- Low-light Vision
- +2 spot
- +2 listen
- +2 dex
- -2 con
- -2 cha
- Proficiency Restriction: Heavy Armor, Medium Armor
- Proficiency Restriction: Shield
- Two extractable claws (dmg: 1d6, crit: 20/x3, piercing)(Subject to normal two-weapon fighting rules)
- Fly 60 ft. (poor)
- Favored Multiclass: Ranger
- Languages: Common, Sylvan.

EvilElitest
2007-05-23, 10:25 PM
Cool, havn't time to read the crunch, but i think it could use a bit more fluff
from,
EE

TheOOB
2007-05-23, 11:15 PM
While I'm not opposed to the idea of a LA +0 fae race, I think this race is a little powerful for a LA +0. A 60ft fly speed is really good, good enough to immediatly place the race into the +1 range. If you just have flying ability, make it a slow progression like raptorions or winged dragonborn.

Natural weapons are also something LA +0 races virtually never have, even with the stipulation that they use TWF rules (which doesn't make much sense IMO), it's still quite a powerful ability.

Other things of note, I find it hard to swallow that a fae creature of any sort has a CHA penalty, it's not unheard of, but that is traditionally faes strong suit. Also there is no reasonable reason why they cannot use medium or heavy armor, or shields.

Dryad
2007-05-24, 07:09 AM
Fly speed is poor... Perhaps I should make it clumsy, but a sixty foot fly-speed is not unheard of. Without it, the character would probably fall from the sky.

Two-weapon fighting rules: Well, an off-hand simply lacks the strength bonus to damage rolls, and I've always considered it a bit strange for all creatures save humanoids and some others to be able to fight with all it's natural weapons while barely, if at all, recieving penalties. Actually, if you'd attack with both your fists, you are attacking with two weapons, right? Stands to reason. So I wanted to implement that.

Charisma penalty: Their unpure fey heritage makes them very introvert. Most fey stay away from other species, and these fey can be somewhat feral, so I thought a charisma penalty was due. Also, dexterity gets a bonus, constitution a penalty, and charisma a penalty, which balances things out a bit, too.

Armour restriction: I can imagine a mardinor wearing light armour, like studded leather, that has been adjusted for the wings. A breastplate, full scale male of full plate, however...
But perhaps I should strip that, and make the character unable to fly when wearing medium or heavy armour.
The shield restriction is because of the hollow bone running over the lower arm, where the claws rest in. It's a too impractical wearing strapped shield, but I agree that fist-held shields should offer no problem.

As for natural weapons: Kenku recieve two attacks naturally, with a -2 penalty on each, I believe, at 1d3 damage per claw. They also recieve mimicry and a team-work bonus.
Changelings can cast alter self indefinately, being able to pass as whatever humanoid species that fit their size, any gender, any... Well, you get the idea.

Because the mardinor has it's obvious strong points, I wanted to implement the logical restrictions to armour and shields. Since it made sense to me and seemed logical, and was an obvious limitation, I put it in there.

The_Snark
2007-05-24, 04:17 PM
The main problem is that even a poor fly speed is a little too good for a 1st-level character. The armor restrictions aren't much of a restriction at all, because you already can't fly in heavy armor.

You could use the raptoran's system, meaning they start able to glide and get true flight as they gain levels, or you could decrease the speed (and maybe the maneuverability, too).

Other than that, looks good.