The Manakete [3.5 race, based on Fire Emblem]

[Lix Lorn]

THE MANAKETE

The Manakete are a strange tribe of draconic creatures, looking like small humanoids, with large, draconic wings upon their back. They often have a regal look about them, and regularly ruin this appearance with a curious and almost immature outlook. Their origin is unknown; some claim they're a strange offshoot of dragons, others believe they've been around for as long as anyone.

With the use of their powerful items, that they call Dragonstones, they can transform into a second form they possess: A large, powerful, draconic form.

TYPICAL MANAKETE

Most Manakete are small, good looking, and friendly. They tend to have powerful personalities, and sunny outlooks, making up for comparatively weak physical abilities. Of course, with the use of the glowing stone they all carry with them, this all changes.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Manakete are generally the size of a human child, sometimes reaching four or even five foot, but almost never taller. They are often lithe, and almost always beautiful, both mentally and physically. They can be mistaken for children-some even play to this, and more still actually act like them simply because they are that childish.

In dragon form, Manakete vary immensely. Some look forbidding, others look friendly. The most common word used to describe them is 'majestic'.

Relations With Other Races
Manakete can easily pass as humans, if they hide their wings. Due mainly to this, they have passed themselves off as humans and half-dragons for many years. Their sudden emergence leads them to be distrusted by those who wonder why they hid, but most forgive them soon after meeting them due to their friendly nature.

Alignment
Friendly and inquisitive natures mean that Manakete tend towards chaotic or good alignments. Needless to say, this is not a constant rule, and Manakete of all alignments exist.

Manakete Lands
No known Manakete lands exist, but is known that they have some small villages. These villages tend to be small, close knit, and laid back.

Religion
Like most races, Manakete vary greatly in their opinion of religion. Some are ardent believers, others dismissive and uncaring on the subject. In general, draconic deities are preferred. Hlal in particular is a common deity of choice, due to her friendly nature.

Language
Manakete tend to use Common for most purposes, sometimes using Draconic as well.

Common Names
Manakete names are erratic; sometimes they use the names of the culture they are currently in, sometimes they name their children after concepts, herbs, or feelings, and sometimes they simply use Draconic.

Female Names: Faith, Myrrh, Ixenmi, Rika, Lisa
Male Names: Truth, Thyme, Miirik, Steven, Johann

Adventures
Manakete are driven creatures. Most are driven by desire or curiosity, and these two ideas are easily enough to lead to a life of adventuring. Equally, a search for power, or love, or almost anything can be fulfilled as an adventurer.

Manakete Racial Traits
Abilities -4 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Cha: Manakete are agile, and strong of will, but weak of body.
Size: Small.
Type: In their normal form, Manaketes are Humanoids with the Dragonblood subtype.
Movement Rate: Manakete have a move speed of 20ft, plus a flight speed of 20ft (Good)
Elemental: Most Manakete have an affinity for a certain type of power. This is either fire, cold, electricity, acid, sonic, or force.
Manakete add one to the DC of any saving throws caused by a spell or ability with this descriptor, or that deals this form of damage. (Including the breath weapon they have in their dragon form.)
Some Manakete have no affinity. (Although they still add one to the save DC for their breath weapon.)
Eyes of the Dragon: Manaketes have great senses, even in their humanoid forms. They have low light vision.
Dragonstone: All Manakete possess a Dragonstone. This item is described below. A Manakete never needs to make Use Magic Device checks to use their own Dragonstone.
Automatic Languages: Common and Draconic
Bonus Languages: Any-Manakete are often learned beings.
Favoured Class – Sorcerer, Duskblade or Swordmage:
Level Adjustment/CR: +1. In addition, they begin play with one dragon hit die, with all benefits that implies.

* * *

Item

Dragonstone
A Dragonstone is a powerful magical item that originates with the Manaketes. When they are born, their spirit and power is split in two-one humanoid to live daily life, and a draconic power that dwells within the stone until they need it. A Manakete always begins play with a Dragonstone, which is bound to their soul.
A Dragonstone can be activated automatically by the Manakete it is bound to, but otherwise can only be used with a successful Use Magic Device check, with a DC equal to Ten plus the Manakete who is bound to it's current ECL. If the manakete would not desire you to use it, add their Charisma modifier to the DC. In addition, only Dragonblood characters can activate a Dragonstone. (Although a second Use Magic Device check with a separate DC can emulate this racial need.)

Using a Dragonstone is a Move Action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity. It transforms you into a Dragon, modifying your ability scores and abilities. Needless to say, while this ability is active, you have the Dragon type in addition to all original types. At 1st level, the effects are as follows:
Strength +4, Constitution +2. You gain a primary Bite attack dealing 2d4+Str damage, two secondary claw attacks dealing 1d6+1/2 Str and a secondary tail slap dealing 1d6+ 1 1/2 Str damage. In addition, you gain a Flight Speed of 30ft (Good). Your size increases to that of a medium creature. You also gain a breath weapon, usable as a standard action at will, dealing a number of 1d8s of damage equal to half the bonded Manakete's ECL, minimum 1d8. This attack has a range of 20ft, for a cone, or 40ft for a line. Whether the attack is a cone or a line is chosen during the character creation process for the bonded Manakete.
When bonded to a Manakete of seven or more hit die, your Strength and Constitution are improved by an additional two points each. Your bite now deals 2d6+Str damage, your claws 1d8+1/2 Str, and your tail slap 1d6+1 1/2 Str. Your Flight Speed becomes 50ft (Good), and your breath weapon increases to either a 30ft cone or a 60ft line. Your dragon form is now a Large (long) creature.
A Dragonstone bonded to a being of twelve or more hit die gives another two points increase to strength and constitution, and their bite now deals 3d6+Str, their claws 2d6+1/2 Str, and their tail deal 2d6+1 1/2 Str. Your Flight Speed becomes 70ft (Good) and your breath weapon increases to a 40ft cone, or an 80ft line. Their dragon form is now a Huge (long) creature.
At seventeen hit die, both Strength and Constitution are improved by two more points, to +10 Strength and +8 Constitution. Your bite is increased to 4d6+Str, your claws to 3d6+1/2 Str, and your tail 3d6+1 1/2 Str. Your flight speed becomes 90ft (Good), and your breath weapon increases to a 50ft cone, or a 100ft line. Their dragon form is now a Gargantuan (long) creature.

Regardless of your hit die, you may speak all languages you know, including verbal spell components.

Then damage dealt by their breath weapon is off a type matching the bonded Manakete's elemental affinity. If their affinity is sonic, the breath weapon deals damage in increments of 1d6. If their affinity is force, it instead deals d4s. A Manakete with no elemental affinity deals either untyped damage in increments of d3s, or slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage in increments of d10s.
Whenever you change from one form to the other; you regain HP as if you had rested for a night.
This transformation lasts for a number of rounds equal to your constitution modifier, before racial modifiers for the dragon form are applied.

A Dragonstone has limited uses: It has only fifty charges, although it regains one additional charge at a specific point of each day, differing for each Manakete. (Common choices are Noon, Midnight, Dawn...) Once per week, with an hour's ritual, the Manakete can restore a number of charges to his Dragonstone equal to his Charisma modifier.

Bonding a Dragonstone
All Manakete are born with a Dragonstone bonded to them, but it is possible to gain them for other species. If a Manakete dies, their Dragonstone goes cold. A character who successfully uses the dragonstone in the next 24 hours is automatically treated as bonded to it. (The Manakete is always treated as unwilling to allow anyone save a close friend or lover use the stone.)
If no-one uses the stone before this duration is up, it crumbles to dust.

* * *

Manakete Arcana
Prerequisites: Possession of a Dragonstone bonded to you.
Benefit: You may perform somatic components while in the draconic form granted to you through use of a Dragonstone.

* * *

Anything glaringly wrong?
What LA would this require..?

[Morph Bark]

I'd make the useage limit of the dragonstone differently. 20/week is gonna be odd to keep track of.

Also, wasn't Myrrh a young one, not fully grown yet? Or is it intentional that this race is Small and you're not exactly looking to stat the race from the game, but just an inspiration of it?

[Fiery Diamond]

I can't see any glaringly wrong things about it, but it does have some holes that need to be filled.

-when you say add charisma, do you mean modifier or score?
-how long does the transformation last?
-are you still capable of casting spells as a dragon, or would you require a feat?
-the wording about hit points and transforming is a bit confusing: if you have 3 d10 hit dice normally and you have 21 hit points normally, when you transform you have 3 d12 hit dice. But what about hit points? Do you roll? Do you just add +1 hit point per hit die? You say you keep the same number when you transform again, but what if you transform after gaining a level? This needs to be explained more clearly.
-probably other stuff I'm not seeing

I'm a big fan of Fire Emblem, btw, which is why I checked this out.

(Little known fact- my username is actually derived from Fire Emblem)

Edit:

I'd make the useage limit of the dragonstone differently. 20/week is gonna be odd to keep track of.

Also, wasn't Myrrh a young one, not fully grown yet? Or is it intentional that this race is Small and you're not exactly looking to stat the race from the game, but just an inspiration of it?

I can't speak for the poster, but I always thought it was weird that Myrrh was supposed to be hundreds of years old and still be a child. It makes more sense to me to retcon that they just stay like that and that Morva was just weird.

[NineThePuma]

I can't speak for the poster, but I always thought it was weird that Myrrh was supposed to be hundreds of years old and still be a child. It makes more sense to me to retcon that they just stay like that and that Morva was just weird.

1200 years, actually...
[hr]
I would give the Dragon Stone charges... that regenerate over time.

Say, a 50 charge item, with a 1/day recharge.

It'd be an odd system, but it'd work.

[Zaydos]

Besides the aforementioned weird usage limit on the dragonstone, I can't find a duration on the transformation which means you might as well always be in that form, and same with any UMD using dragonbloods in your party.

[Lix Lorn]

Charges might be simpler... How about 50 charges, regen 1 per day, and a ritual allows you to add your Cha mod 1/week?

The only playable Manaketes are both kids... it's possible that the same is true here. Adults are more insular, possibly?
Or I'm just not statting the race as they appear. Either way. (Smiles)

I meant modifier. (Sweatdrop)
I was sure I put a duration... Con Mod rounds. In game they only stay long enough to attack.
Umm... you can speak, but you'd need a way around Somatic components.
I'll reword the hit die section.

Edit: Changes made.

[Morph Bark]

I think that without the dragonstone they could get a few skill things and low-light vision and be considered LA+0. As is, you're going to have to figure out what level of magic item the dragonstone is. If it is a level 5 magic item, they're LA+4.

Also, consider that sonic and force are imbalanced when compared to fire, acid, electricity and cold, due to the fact there are less creatures resistant to it and sonic deals full damage to objects, whereas force deals full damage to incorporeal creatures.

[Lix Lorn]

Yikes.
Well, they can be in dragon form for not very much of the time. Assuming a Cha mod of +10 (easily possible) they can gain 17 charges per week. That's under 3 a day.
What LA would the dragon form have? d12 hit die, half HD breath weapon, decent racial mods...
Averaging out the LA for normal and dragon form might be the simplest, fairest way.
Note that sonic deals less damage than fire etc, and force less than sonic. :)

[Morph Bark]

Yikes.
Well, they can be in dragon form for not very much of the time. Assuming a Cha mod of +10 (easily possible) they can gain 17 charges per week. That's under 3 a day.
What LA would the dragon form have? d12 hit die, half HD breath weapon, decent racial mods...
Averaging out the LA for normal and dragon form might be the simplest, fairest way.
Note that sonic deals less damage than fire etc, and force less than sonic. :)

I wouldn't change the HD if they change, similar as with Polymorph. Half HD breath weapon sounds good. Actually, perhaps the race should have 2 HD racial HD to start with.

Another idea could simply be that not all members of the race are capable of activating the stone, or that it is kept from them until a certain point in their life, and that they receive the stone or the ability to activate it at the level it would be appropriate at. I'd say level 6 or 7 sounds reasonable if you went with that, but considering there are tons of charges in it... wait, those charges can't go over 50 with recharging, can they?

[Lix Lorn]

Do you think? You might be right.
2 RHD, and no LA, maybe? Or LA +1 at most...

[Zaydos]

I wouldn't say the breath weapon types are imbalanced, the normal balancing factor is -1 die size. Looking over them, without the Dragonstone they're LA +1 because of flight (which if LA buy off is used then they can buy it off before other people are flying). In dragonform they have +4 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +6 Cha, 6 natural attacks, frightful presence, and a bad breath weapon. Savage Species would assign LA for the last but that would be silly. Nix the hp change, it's just hard to balance and there's a reason they avoided it in D&D, and look at it as a much better form of rage. Normally with those stats continuously they'd have +4 LA, good flight speed (+2 by SS but bah on that), good stats, frightful presence, 6 natural attacks (which is really quite useful) and a breath weapon (which should be +1 but again bah). If they can use it 3/day that's enough to be active for most battles.

I'd say probably a +3 LA with dragonstone, +1 without.

[Morph Bark]

It might otherwise be an idea to give them a basic breath weapon through use of the Dragonstone and create a racial PrC for them to be able to use other powers that the Dragonstone holds. That would also reduce chances of people trying to steal it away from them.

Another idea would be to have them be able to summon their Dragonstone at-will as a standard action.

[Lix Lorn]

I'll remove the HD change.
I might remove the wing attacks too. Manaketes have small wings in dragon form.

It's intentional that people can steal the stone. Slightly balancing, hopefully.

Another idea would be to have them be able to summon their Dragonstone at-will as a standard action.

I don't get what you mean.

[Zaydos]

It's intentional that people can steal the stone. Slightly balancing, hopefully.

Only the relevant part quoted. That has the same problem as Item Familiar, or a wizard's spellbook. Either the DM decides to take it and you suck, or you keep it and you're all-powerful. It doesn't make a good balanced system as it can only go to either extreme.

Also 4 attacks per round are really good at low levels still.

[Morph Bark]

I don't get what you mean.

I meant that as in that they could leave their dragonstone at home, and when they need it *poof* hey, look, it's my dragonstone! Let me use it for a little bit!

But if it is intentional that the stones can be stolen, nevermind that then, carry on.

[MoleMage]

Maybe make the dragonstone something which they can craft once they reach a certain number of hit dice? It's a pretty nice magic item to get for free as a first level character.

Also, Myrrh seemed so young because she wasn't a manakete. I'm replaying Sacred Stones right now, she is actually a full-fledged dragon who took the form of a young manakete to travel. Chapter 11 (I think) Eirika reveals this. Maybe 12.

[Lix Lorn]

Maybe make the dragonstone something which they can craft once they reach a certain number of hit dice? It's a pretty nice magic item to get for free as a first level character.

But then they're useless until they do get it. :/

Also, Myrrh seemed so young because she wasn't a manakete. I'm replaying Sacred Stones right now, she is actually a full-fledged dragon who took the form of a young manakete to travel. Chapter 11 (I think) Eirika reveals this. Maybe 12.

Fair enough. But still.

[MoleMage]

But then they're useless until they do get it. :/

Bonuses to Dex and Cha with penalties to Str and Con make them great sorcerers even without the stone; add in 20ft flight with good maneuverability and they're far from useless.

Fair enough. But still.

Just a little flavor from the background. For all in-game purposes, Myrrh is in fact a manakete (it's her class after all); but her apparent age is because she's a dragon. I don't know bout the other manaketes in Fire Emblem games, I never played any non-NA ones and never finished Shadow Dragon.

[Fiery Diamond]

Maybe make the dragonstone something which they can craft once they reach a certain number of hit dice? It's a pretty nice magic item to get for free as a first level character.

Also, Myrrh seemed so young because she wasn't a manakete. I'm replaying Sacred Stones right now, she is actually a full-fledged dragon who took the form of a young manakete to travel. Chapter 11 (I think) Eirika reveals this. Maybe 12.

*is confused* Are you referring to the fact that they kept calling her the "Great Dragon" or whatever? How does that mean she's not a manakete? I've only played the English Fire Emblem games since it's impossible to legally get English versions of the Japan-only FE 1-6. Sacred Stones was the only English game in which manaketes were even mentioned... so I really don't know anything about them beyond "Myrrh is a manakete."

Well...except for Shadow Dragon, but NOTHING in Shadow Dragon made any sense whatsoever to me. It was a big mess of "let's throw setting that doesn't seem to fit at you and never explain anything!"

[Lix Lorn]

Bonuses to Dex and Cha with penalties to Str and Con make them great sorcerers even without the stone; add in 20ft flight with good maneuverability and they're far from useless.

Just a little flavor from the background. For all in-game purposes, Myrrh is in fact a manakete (it's her class after all); but her apparent age is because she's a dragon. I don't know bout the other manaketes in Fire Emblem games, I never played any non-NA ones and never finished Shadow Dragon.

I guess... :/
I don't like the idea of a Manakete without their stone.

[NineThePuma]

I'd play one without her stone in a heart beat. >> But that's just me.

In any case, to clear something up: the Great Dragon didn't do much, actually. And manakete have long lives ANYWAYS. Ninian/Nils are manakete (who deliberately abandoned their stones) and live for a rather impressive 1000 years.

[MoleMage]

WARNING! FIRE EMBLEM 7 AND 8 SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Spoiler

Show

Saleh's grandmother explicitly states that Myrrh isn't a manakete in the conversation I'm talking about. In fact, grandma's offended that the other refer to Myrrh as a manakete. Because the dragons are something entirely different than the manakete, very powerful magically, and Myrrh in dragon form was I believe a direct descendant of pure dragon blood from the dragon which helped seal away the Demon Lord.

Ninian and Nils were Ice Dragons who took human form to conserve power when they passed through the dragon gate. So again, not manakete. As I understand it, the manakete are a race completely separate from dragons, humans, or typical monsters, which exist in some fire emblems and not others. Notably, I think Shadow Dragon is the only game released in america to actively feature a true manakete, and I couldn't bring myself to play that one all the way through. It was too bland.

[Lix Lorn]

Oh. Well.

Myrrh PLAYS as a manakete. (Sweatdrop)
((Never patient enough for supports))

[sigurd]

Daily limitations: There's a reason the game expresses character powers in uses per day. Almost all adventures have trouble tracking time beyond the adventuring day. Most encounters are resolved in well under a minute so even a day is a very long time. Parties are focused on the day at hand so, in practice, charges per month might as well be charges per day. Nobody will track a month in game time so charges per month is not really a limitation.

Powerful Concepts
Level adjustments or racial hit die are not necessarily a bad thing. They just balance powerful concepts so that other players are about the same power level. It sounds like you have a great concept for a character who is a lot more powerful than a 1st level gnome or hobbit.

Your Manakete has magic powers, physical powers, body transformation, extra attacks and flight. All of those things are far more powerful than a standard race. To make her a low level adjustment build would strip your concept of its abilities or burden it with stupid limitations and gimmicks.

I'd suggest you accept a realistic target character level and go from there. You'll have a much more polite concept because you won't be automatically more powerful than any other player.

Its simply not a low LA concept.

Start with the elite array:

15/14/13/12/10/8

For game balance that is supposed to be a powerful character. What would your Manakete look like when she begins adventuring?

[Lix Lorn]

I know there's going to be some LA, clearly. Although, considering how rarely they get decent physical abilities, I don't think you can count that as a significant racial ability.

Let's see. an Air Mephling is a small race with a net + to ability scores, including Dex and Cha, and with a 10ft (perfect) fly speed. They have +1 LA.
Manaketese are a small race with varying ability scores that are normally net -, but occasionally significantly stronger. They have faster but less manoueverable flight.

A 1st level manakete, with base ability scores 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8.
8, 14, 16, 12, 10, 18.
4, 16, 14, 12, 10, 20.
They have fifty Dragonstone charges, and regain one per day. 1/week, they can regain five charges.

When the Stone is in action, their Ability scores are
12, 16, 18, 12, 10, 24 20. (It was late at night when I did this. Dragon form doesn't really need MOR cha.)
They have a 1d6 breath weapon, DC 14. Frightful Presence, DC 15. 60ft (good) and natural attacks are useful, but not amazingly so.

LA three seems fair to me.

[sigurd]

Break down the Dragon transformation mechanically,

Transformation is a move action (3 seconds)
+8 strength = 4 BAB or 4 fighter levels.
Frightful presence is an automatic attack radius 60'
Breath weapon at will is more flexible than many dragons

+Primary Bite 2d6+4 Minimum
+2 secondary Claw Attacks 1d8+2 Minimum
+2 secondary Wing Slaps
+1 secondary tail slap

You can complete your turn with 60' of flight or still make an attack
You don't lose any spellcasting powers



How big are you when you are finished and what is your combat reach?

[Prime32]

For the Dragonstone, I would create a flaw which prevents you from using your alternate form unless you're holding it.

I would make the Dragon form significantly weaker (no size change, etc.). If you want to increase its power you can take feats, or maybe a druid ACF which replaces your wildshape. Myrrh wasn't an lv1 character.

A Manakete with no elemental affinity deals untyped damage in increments of d2s.

This is silly. Untyped damage is less useful than force damage - there's only one creature in D&D which can block force damage (and it's epic), and untyped damage can't affect incorporeal/ethereal targets. The typical way these things are balanced (eg. half-dragon) is that exotic breath weapons don't come with immunity to their energy type. I.e.

• Fire: 1d8/level, immunity to fire
• Cold: 1d8/level, immunity to cold
• Acid: 1d8/level, immunity to acid
• Electricity: 1d8/level, immunity to electricity
• Sonic: 1d8/level
• Untyped: 1d8/level
• Force: 1d6/level

[Lix Lorn]

Break down the Dragon transformation mechanically,

Transformation is a move action (3 seconds)
+8 strength = 4 BAB or 4 fighter levels.
Frightful presence is an automatic attack radius 60'
Breath weapon at will is more flexible than many dragons

+Primary Bite 2d6+4 Minimum
+2 secondary Claw Attacks 1d8+2 Minimum
+2 secondary Wing Slaps
+1 secondary tail slap

You can complete your turn with 60' of flight or still make an attack
You don't lose any spellcasting powers

How big are you when you are finished and what is your combat reach?

I do think you're overvaluing those stat boosts, considering they start with -4 Str, so it's only +4.
Frightful Presence, yes, maybe I should put that as 'when you have X HD, you gain frightful presence.
Or Frightful presence out to (HD*5)ft?

Breath weapon at will, yes, but doing half as much damage as a dragon.
I took out the wing slaps.
...you can't also make an attack. Breath weapons are standard actions. (Unless you meant on the turn you transform) It takes a feat to keep your spellcasting, unless you restrict yourself to using Still Spell

Large, with reach as per normal for that.

How about I have the size/stats of the dragon scale with HD?

[sigurd]

This seems to be slipping off the radar and I wanted to encourage you before it does.

Personally, my guess is that I think its more powerful than you do. That's my choice for me.

By all means test out your chosen level adjustment etc... in play. That's the only way to really see.

I'd be curious to hear your results.


Sigurd

[Lix Lorn]

Modified to be a bit weaker at low levels, stronger at high ones. :)