How to be a Drow-Dwarf-Halfling [PrC] - PEACH

The Stereotype

"Wot? I'm just talkin' about how much I love my beer 'n my gold, nothing unusual for a dwarf, right?"
- Joren Kilderan, a Stereotype in Dwarf form


Many a race in the D&D world has been the target of the occasional racism, whether it's a good-aligned drow being arrested on site for being evil, or dwarves taking out their sackful of laundry and being attacked by thieves assuming they're toting bagfuls of goals. All these people insist that too many people are basing their actions off of old stereotypes. However, the reason for those stereotypes is that they exist. The Stereotype is a person who uses magical abilities to take advantage of those stereotypes, whether it is for disguising oneself, or taking advantage of the other races' racial traits, they do so to enhance their own capabilities.

Prerequisites:
Skills: Disguise 5 ranks, Knowledge(Arcana) 5 ranks
Feats: at least one racial feat for the character's race
Spells: Be able to cast at least one spell of the Transmutation school of at least 1st level as a spell or spell-like ability

HD: d8
Saves: One good, rest are bad. Player chooses


The Stereotype
{table=head]Level|Base AttackBonus|Good Save|Bad Save|Class Feature|Spells

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Assume Race(Basic) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|Stereotypical Occupation(Base)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|Assume Race(Racial feat), Racial Knowledge|

4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|Stereotypical Occupation(Subsitution) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|Stereotypical Occupation(Free Level), I'm Half-Something or Other|[/table]

Skills: Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge(Arcana)(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha)
Skill Points: 4 + Int mod skill points

Class Features

Weapon Proficiencies: The Stereotype gains no new weapon proficiencies.

Spellcasting: As on the table above, the Stereotype may improve her spellcasting as though she had gained a level in a spellcasting class she previously belonged to. If she does not belong to a spellcasting class, she gains no benefit from this class feature.

Assume Race: This is the main class feature of the Stereotype. With it, she can turn into a member of almost any race she has chosen. At 1st level, the Stereotype may choose any one LA +0 race that she wants. As a full-round action, she may change into a member of this race, effectively losing all of her racial traits (and any racial feats she has), and gaining all those of the race she has chosen. Also, she is physically transformed to look like a member of that race, as per the Alter Self ability. The form assumed is merely that of the Stereotype as if she had been born a member of that race. At 2nd level and every two levels after, she may choose another LA +0 race to add to her list of races known. The Stereotype may remain transformed 2 hours per class level. This applies for her total time transformed for all races. A Stereotype cannot choose her own race.

At 3rd level, the Stereotype has become used to being a member of another race. For all races she can transform into, when she transforms into a member of that race, she may lose the benefits of a racial feat she already has, and instead gain the benefit of any racial feat for the race she has transformed into. This feat is chosen at 3rd level for all races known (except for the one at 4th, chosen at the same time as the race is chosen)

Stereotypical Occupation: At 2nd level, the Stereotype gets the gist of what most adventuring members of the races she transforms into do. While transformed into another race, she may choose to lose the benefits of a racial feat she has, and instead choose one 1st level class feature of the Favored Class for that race. She is allowed to use that class feature as long as she is transformed, and treats her level in this class as her class level in the Favored class for all duration or caster-level based effects. This class feature is chosen at 2nd level(except for the 4th level race), and cannot change

Should the class feature be spellcasting, the Stereotype only gains 1/2 the spell slots and spells known of a 1st level member of the class.

Class features cannot be used to qualify for feats or other prestige classes

At 4th level, when transformed, the Stereotype may choose to subsitute one of her levels in a class other than this with a level of the Favored Class of the race she is transformed into (ex. Jimmy is a 5th level Rogue/4th level Stereotype. When using this class feature for dwarves, he becomes a 4th level Rogue/4th level Stereotype/ 1st level Fighter) If the Stereotype already has levels in the Favored Class, they are simply treated as having gained another level of that class.

At 5th level, when transformed, the Stereotype may be treated as though they had one level of the Favored class of the race they are transformed into, without subsituting a level. If they choose to subsitute a level, they are instead treated as having two levels in the Favored Class of the Race.

Racial Knowledge: At 3rd level, the Stereotype knows much about the culture and people of the races she transforms into. She gains a +2 to Knowledge checks concerning any of her races known.

I'm Half-Something or Other:At 5th level, the Stereotype learns to mix certain aspects of the races she knows. She may take 1/2 of the racial traits of any two races she knows how to transform into, and transform into a form that mixes the phenotypes of those two races, and gains the racial traits she selected. She cannot chose to gain the ability score bonuses of both races chosen for this. While in this form, the Stereotype cannot use the Stereotypical Occupation class feature. (ex. A stereotype chooses a human and a dwarf for this. She chooses the Dwarf's racial ability score bonuses and penalties, and the bonuses against Giants, and the Human's bonus skill points. She then transforms into a form that looks like the offspring of a dwarf and a human, gaining the racial traits listed above)

A little awkwardly worded, but still good, in my opinion.

Please PEACH

Changed to table format. Easier to read now, please PEACH.

This is insane. I mean, it's totally awesome, but I have no idea how useful it would be. In a high-RP, espionage-based campaign, it could be like free candy, or flying centaur stormtroopers.

Well, you only get 4 base races (including the one you started with. And most hybrids are going to look a little odd (so no good for disguise really, except for "nothing like I looked a moment ago" type things). So, if my math is correct, you end up with 10 forms total, unless one of those is somehow a dragon (would have to be your starting race I think, due to the +0 LA limit) then your hybrids would be sharply limited in social utility.

Most effective build I can think of off hand would be to start out as a wyrmling dragon, dip Sorcerer for a level, then go into this class, adding human, elf, and Orc (probably in that order).

Still, this is an interesting low-level class... or should be. I would actually buck convention and lower the skill requirements, since most of the fun in playing this would be at low levels, and Changlings (from Ebberon) can do the social aspect better.

Lowered requirements to 5 ranks in each skill, so you can enter by 3rd level, more fitting in the low-level bit. Yep.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyromancer999

Lowered requirements to 5 ranks in each skill, so you can enter by 3rd level, more fitting in the low-level bit. Yep.

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Err... 5 ranks means SECOND level.

Oops, my bad. I meant, after 2nd level.

could be fun combined with chameleon.

Go from a halfling rogue one day to dwarven cleric the next to drow wizard. Good times.

I had an idea similar to this once. :) I like it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Latronis

could be fun combined with chameleon.

Go from a halfling rogue one day to dwarven cleric the next to drow wizard. Good times.

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Actually, this class was inspired by one of my players, who played a chameleon in a one-shot adventure, when he said that he wished he could change races as easily as classes. Then one thing led to another, and this came up. This class is more of a stealth class than anything, as you can be just a drow amongst other drow, or escape a crime by changing race, as the dwarf couldn't have done the crime, since EVERYONE saw a human commit it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lix Lorn

I had an idea similar to this once. :) I like it!

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Thanks. There's plenty more where that came from.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyromancer999

Actually, this class was inspired by one of my players, who played a chameleon in a one-shot adventure, when he said that he wished he could change races as easily as classes. Then one thing led to another, and this came up. This class is more of a stealth class than anything, as you can be just a drow amongst other drow, or escape a crime by changing race, as the dwarf couldn't have done the crime, since EVERYONE saw a human commit it.

Thanks. There's plenty more where that came from.

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Well dopplegangers also meet the prereqs for chameleon :smalltongue:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Latronis

Well dopplegangers also meet the prereqs for chameleon :smalltongue:

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True, but they don't get racial traits when they transform. At least I think so.

Cabinet tricksters can get extraordinary abilities when they shift.


gaining all racial abilities can be pretty powerful though, especially when you start merging them. Raptorian for flight and some directional stuff. Warforged for... lots of stuff from immunities to needing to breathe/eat/possibility of being exhausted/etc, likewise for qualifying for spells that normally only affect constructs (i.e. golem immunity is a 9th level spell that grants the same immunities as certain types of golems). I'm sure you could dig up two more +0 races with some powerful abilities.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tetrasodium

Cabinet tricksters can get extraordinary abilities when they shift.


gaining all racial abilities can be pretty powerful though, especially when you start merging them. Raptorian for flight and some directional stuff. Warforged for... lots of stuff from immunities to needing to breathe/eat/possibility of being exhausted/etc, likewise for qualifying for spells that normally only affect constructs (i.e. golem immunity is a 9th level spell that grants the same immunities as certain types of golems). I'm sure you could dig up two more +0 races with some powerful abilities.

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I don't think it's that much of a problem, because, as said, the race's racial traits replace your own when transformed. And Merging only merges 1/2 of the racial traits of each race, so, overall, I don't think it's a worry.

Which actually could get to be a problem if you have an LA +0 race with both strong advantages and strong disadvantages (IE something pretty min/max-able probably)... but that is an unusual case, and what Rule 0 is for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DracoDei

Which actually could get to be a problem if you have an LA +0 race with both strong advantages and strong disadvantages (IE something pretty min/max-able probably)... but that is an unusual case, and what Rule 0 is for.

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Exactly. What is Rule 0 exactly?

"The GM is always right."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DracoDei

"The GM is always right."

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Sounds about right, haha.

Any more comments about the prestige class, anyone?