We're all a Little Looney... [P.E.A.C.H.]

[Tanuki Tales]

Alright, here's my second stab at homebrewing! Just want to say up front that this template was made using mostly Pathfinder rules in mind.

Toon

Find a place that intersects between the Plane of Shadow and the Far Realm, a nexus point of deceptive reflections and pure insanity, a collision of what may be real and what never should exist in the first place. At such a crossing nearly anything could be the door that you truly don’t want to find; maybe it’s a long neglected sock draw, maybe a cabinet full of moth eaten theater dressings or even possibly a forgotten fun house mirror. Any of these could be the entrance to a place that was not intended to ever spill out from its own contained reality, the realm of immortal jesters of dangerous humors, Toon Town. Toons are effectively immortal denizens of an existence where the laws of causality and physics are even more hazy and mutable than nearly any other. Nearly anything, from cats to dogs, frying pans to cars, storm clouds to the undead, can be found as a sapient member of this dimension’s populace. Toons spend every day at constant odds with one another, playing into their personas and personalities to feed their impulses and lusts as they pursue nothing short but the utter humiliation if not total annihilation of their fellow Toons. If you ask a Toon, and the heavens forbid if your poor luck ever brings you into this occurring, why they follow these routines of hedonism and extreme violence on one another day in and day out they will simply reply “Because we love to make people laugh!”

Few creatures in all of the Great Wheel are more loathed or feared than a Toon. The great courts of the Fey do not entertain them, their stomachs even turned by the sheer sadism and torture Toons unleash in their pursuit of laughter. The Blood War will pause to ensure that a Toon is expelled from the battle field. Even the most psychotic of killers and twisted of insane cultists will shun or flee from a Toon, their brand of insanity and cruelty far too much to be put up with.

Creating a Toon

"Toon" is an acquired template that can be added to any creature or object. (Use the appropriate Animated Object stat block as the base creature in the case of an object)

A Toon uses all the the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: The base creature's type remains unchanged and it gains the Toon subtype. Creatures with the Aquatic subtype also gain the Amphibious subtype. The base creature's size remains unchanged.
HD: If the base creature has only a fractional racial Hit Dice increase it to 1 racial Hit Dice.
Shape: If the base creature has wings or a tail, these appendages adjust to fit the Toon. Of its other limbs, two become legs and all others become arms. Any creature that does not have enough limbs of the appropriate kind to form at least two legs and two arms (wings being incorporated into arms in the case of birds and similar creatures) simply grows the necessary limbs.
Speed: If the creature has a land speed slower than 10 feet (or no land speed at all), its land speed becomes 10 feet. If the base creature is quadrupedal and has a land speed faster than 30 feet, the Toon’s land speed is decreased by 10 feet while it walks bipedally (a Toon that was formally a quadruped and hasn’t lost the appendages that allowed its movement, i.e. a horse, can choose to move quadrupedally and uses its original base speed). If the base creature has wings as a means of flight and it increases in size then its fly speed is halved and drops one maneuverability category (minimum poor). If it decreases in size then its fly speed increases by 50% and it improves by one maneuverability category (maximum perfect).
Armor Class: Same as the base creature.
Attack: The Toon retains all the base creature’s attacks except those that depend on limbs that have turned into legs. Any other natural attacks it has retain the same primary or secondary status they had for the base creature.
Damage: Same as the base creature.
Special Attacks: A Toon retains all of the base creature’s special attacks except those that rely on limbs that it no longer possesses and gains those described here.

Ain't I a Stinker?: (Ex) A Toon knows several Martial Maneuvers and Stances (Initiator level 1/4th HD; as Swordsage). They recover spent Maneuvers by either resting and meditating for 5 minutes. A Toon can recharge a spent maneuver by successfully having an amount of beings fail against its Gag Reflex ability equal to the level of the maneuver being recharged. A Toon can not use the same instance of its Gag Reflex to recharge more than one spent maneuver.

Special Qualities: A Toon retains all of the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described here.

Toon Durability (Ex): The base creature loses the regeneration and fast healing special qualities if it had them and instead gains Toon Durability. Track the creature’s damage as normal; when the Toon’s hit points reach the normal point of death for the creature it instead falls prone and is immobile and helpless. It remains in this state for 10d6 rounds, arising when this time elapses with one quarter of its total HP restored to fight again. Nothing can suppress this ability, even a death effect or disintegration. If a Toon is slain by a method other than HP damage it still rises 10d6 rounds later.

Hammer Space (Su): A Toon has access to an extra-dimensional space that is outside the usual multiverse of extra-dimensional spaces. Objects in the extra-dimensional space are hidden, beyond the reach of spells (including divinations), unless those spells work across planes. A Toon can put in or pull out an item that is no more than its heavy load and treats this action the same as drawing a sheathed weapon. This ability is suppressed when in an area that the existence or usage of an extra-dimensional would result in disastrous results.

Humorous Youth (Ex): As long as a Toon makes other sentient beings laugh and feel joy or amusement they are immortal and cannot die from natural causes. Every year that they fail to make a grouping of at least 5 people laugh for over one minute they physically age that year. A Toon who reaches their maximum age does not die as other things do, they instead cease to exist, forgotten by those who used to find pleasure in their antics. A Toon can reverse the aging process by bringing mirth to 10 groups of 5 people per year that they’ve aged in the span of that current year (thus a 10 year old Toon would need to make 500 people laugh in the span of one year to reverse from age 10 to age 9 and would need to make 450 laugh the next year to reverse from 9 to 8). A Toon uses the age categories of a human for this purpose but do not revert to an adolescent or younger state unless the base creature was originally as such prior to aging.

Gravitational Ignorance (Ex): A Toon lacks the natural proclivity to notice when it should be subject to the forces of gravity. A Toon treats thin air, water or similar surfaces as solid ground if they started their current move action on solid ground and their move speed permitted them to continue moving. At the end of the move action and at the beginning of the next turn they must make a DC 10 Perception check. If they pass they notice that they are not actually on solid ground and treat the surface they are on as it normally is treated. A Toon can not voluntarily fail this check. Even if the Toon fails the second Perception check they are treated as having passed the save if they attempt any action that is not a swift or immediate action.

Type Casted (Ex): Toons are eternal victims of their own unique personas. A Toon takes 50% more damage from sources that run counter to their own alignment (Thus a Chaotic Evil Toon would take 100% extra damage from a weapon that is both Lawful and Good). Toons with Neutral leaning alignments only take 25% more from the aligments counter to their own (Thus a True Neutral Toon would take 50% more damage from a weapon that is both Lawful and Good just as it would from a weapon that is both Chaotic and Evil). A Toon must also make a Will save (DC equal to 10+ ½ HD) any time it attempts to do an action that runs counter to its alignment. If it passes it may do that action but takes a cumulative -1 penalty to the save for every subsequent action it attempts that runs counter to its alignment. These penalties continue until the Toon commit the same amount of actions in-line with their alignment. A Toon that fails the save does not complete the action, instead doing something more in-line with its alignment.

Gag Reflex (Ex): A Toon may make a Perform (Comedy) skill check as part of any action of its choosing once per round (such as making an attack or casting a spell). All sapient creatures (those with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher) who are in line of sight of the Toon's action must make a Will save (DC = 10+1/2 Toon's HD+Toon's positive Cha modifier or negative Wis modifier, which ever is higher [in this case the negative Wis modifier being applied as a positive bonus]) or be subject to an effect similar to a Hideous Laughter spell (though this effect does not render the affected creatures prone, it never fails to translate and it affects those normally immune to mind-affecting effects and/or charms and compulsion affects). This effect has a Caster level equal to the Toon's HD and counts towards its Humorous Youth special quality. If a Toon uses this ability in conjunction with a maneuver from the Falling Anvil Discipline they receive a +1 circumstance bonus to the save DC and a +2 circumstance bonus to the Perform check. A Toon also gains a +1 bonus to the save DC and is treated as one level higher for every 5 points that it exceeds a result of 10 on the Perform check.

Abilities: If the creatures Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma is -, 1, or 2, it changes to 10. +4 Con, -4 Wis, +2 Cha
Skills: Same as the base creature.
Feats: Same as the base creature.
Environment: Any, usually same as base creature.
Organization: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Base creature +2
Treasure: Double Standard
Alignment: Any. (Though Toons tend towards Chaotic or Lawful on order and Neutral on morality. Toons tend to be very selfish individuals and this selfishness comes before even their expected roles of hero and villain in all but the most decided individuals, i.e. those who are actually good or evil.)
Advancement: By Character Class.
Level Adjustment: +3


Toon Subtype
A Toon has the following features.

- Immunity to Insanity and Insanity effects.
- Not subject to Constitution Drain and cannot die from Constitution Damage. Constitution is restored to 1 when Toon Durability special quality activates.
- Proficient with Improvised weapons, Simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
- Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Toons not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Toons are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
- Toons may treat the Falling Anvil discipline as one of its classes’ known disciplines if it has levels in an Initiator class. Toons also use their total HD as their Initiator level.
- Toons need to eat, sleep and breathe (even if they would normally not be required to do so) but do not die from starvation or suffocation.
- Death for a Toon is quite a permanent status. Spells such as Raise Dead, Reincarnate and Resurrection do not return a Toon to life since a Toon’s body dissolves upon death, leaving behind no physical remains. Even the most potent of spells such as Limited Wish, Wish, Miracle and True Resurrection fail to restore a Toon. Only a Deity of Divine Rank 20 or higher may restore a slain Toon by sacrificing one of its Divine Ranks.






The Dip
Remember how they always thought there wasn't a way to kill a toon? Well, Doom found a way. Turpentine, acetone, benzene. He calls it "The Dip."

“The Dip” (known in modern times as Paint Thinner) is a substance pure anathema to Toons, capable of killing what many view as the truly eternal. While harmless to nearly all other things, “Dip” clings to a Toon, dealing 2d6 damage each round of contact, 20d6 per round of total immersion. “Dip” continues dealing damage for 1d3 rounds after exposure before becoming inert, but only deals half of the original damage (1d6 and 10d6 respectively). A Toon must also pass a DC 20 Will save when exposed to “Dip” as it causes them excruciating wracking pains. Passing the save means that they take a -4 on attack rolls, skill checks and ability checks for 1 hour after exposure, this lessening to -2 until the damage is fully healed. Failing the save means that the Toon falls unconscious and prone, helpless to resists the corrosive properties of “Dip”. Damage inflicted by “Dip” must be healed naturally and is subtracted from the HP restored by a Toon’s Toon Durability until it is completely healed.


Bureaucratitis
Type disease, contact Save Fortitude DC 20

Onset 1d6 days Frequency 1/day

Effect See Text Cure -

Bureaucratitis, more commonly known as “Boring”, is the one thing that brings more fear to a Toon’s heart than “Dip”. The origins of this horrific and highly infectious disease are unknown and outbreaks of it are rare and occur at seemingly random. A Toon who is a victim of Boring finds themselves unable to feel joy, mirth, pleasure, etc. and loses the benefits of their Humorous Youth special quality. Every day a sufferer of Boring ages an entire year until they eventually reach the end of their time, fading away into nothingness. This alone makes the disease tragic but it goes farther than that. A Toon with Boring becomes a mindless thing, seeking out other Toons to subdue and infect in the amount of time it has left. If not caught early and dealt with swiftly an epidemic can occur, resulting in massive drops in the Toon population. This disease can only be contracted by Toons.

[Tanuki Tales]

Alright, this is my attempt at creating a template that lets you incorporate Toon NPCs, encounters and PC’s into your game setting without having to switch over to playing the Toon roleplaying game.

To create this template I blended aspects from Green Ronin’s Manimal template, Savage Species’ Anthropomorphic Animal template and d20 Menace Manual’s Revenant template with my own ideas.

I’m currently mixed on the subject of the Toon Durability special quality. I wanted to replicate a Toon’s immortality and indestructibility but I’m not sure if the current ability is too strong of it’s too weak. I feel like the introduction of “Dip” and Bureaucratitis as game concepts (along with their Type Casted special qaulity) help balance it out if its too strong, but I’m still not sure.

Speaking of, I need help coming up with the pricing and craft DC for “Dip”. I don’t want it to be too cheap or easy to create, or well known if even known by anyone or anything. “Dip” isn’t meant to be the automatic and well packed answer for dealing with Toons like acid and fire are for Trolls, but to be the heinous villain’s secret weapon or the party’s arduously gained trump card against a villain who has dogged their heels for sometime and became a major threat to the world. This is also assuming that Banishment or Dismissal has been tried and they failed to permanently remedy the situation (since doorways from Toon Town to the Material Plane are so incredibly rare and Toons are more than content to stay in Toon Town).

I had thought of giving Toons natural maneuver progression in just Falling Anvil (could I get a link to the most updated version of this discipline by the way?) but I felt that might just make the template too powerful so I instead added the bit about it being one of their known disciplines in the Toon subtype.

I also could use some help determining the CR and LA for this template. It changes size categories which usually swing CR and LA up and down but it also grants some good abilities on top of that. I’d give it at most +4 CR but I feel that is even kind of high (especially since Revenant is only +2 CR and it grants a mess of bonus feats, good ability mods, high skill bonuses and gives bonuses to speed and NA).

[Debihuman]

I loved Who Framed Roger Rabbit. What no Schtick? Every Toon needs a Schtick.

Debby

[Tanuki Tales]

I loved Who Framed Roger Rabbit. What no Schtick? Every Toon needs a Schtick.

Debby

Now by Schtick do you mean the abilities the Toon roleplaying game granted or just a schtick in general?

The former would come from Falling Anvil maneuvers (if the template doesn't give initiator progression I guess I could give Martial Study and Stance as bonus feats for only Falling Anvil and include a clause where they're not limited in how many times they can take the feat and maybe that they treat their total HD as their initiator level) and the latter is really fluff.

I loved the movie too. ^_^

[DracoDei]

Main thread for Falling Anvil HERE.
Maneuvers sorted by level, rather than strictly alphebetically (as the main thread has them) can be found HERE.
I THINK the maneuver descriptions match up between the two, but I am not sure.

[Tanuki Tales]

Main thread for Falling Anvil HERE.
Maneuvers sorted by level, rather than strictly alphebetically (as the main thread has them) can be found HERE.
I THINK the maneuver descriptions match up between the two, but I am not sure.

Link added in the Toon subtype.

Since you're the creator of the discipline do you think that the template should grant maneuver progression or at least the feat idea I had mentioned in reply to Debi?

Also, reading through your discipline again makes me wonder if the template should grant a racial bonus to Perform (Comedy).

Edit: I also added proficiency with Improvised weapons to the Toon subtype.

[DracoDei]

Since you're the creator of the discipline do you think that the template should grant maneuver progression or at least the feat idea I had mentioned in reply to Debi?

Well, they are already functionally immortal at low levels, so you probably want to try to keep the LA down. I would suggest not granting any bonus feats. Not sure either way about the concept of Falling Anvil maneuvers not counting towards the "Only three/one time(s)" limit (the single take instance on Martial Stance might or might not exist I am Away From Book). You might say that for purposes of Falling Anvil stances and maneuvers all their class levels count as initiating classes. This lets them dip or take a few feats and get good use out of the feats (especially for Martial Stance).

I also note that ability drain is probably their biggest weakness.

[Tanuki Tales]

Well, they are already functionally immortal at low levels, so you probably want to try to keep the LA down. I would suggest not granting any bonus feats. Not sure either way about the concept of Falling Anvil maneuvers not counting towards the "Only three/one time(s)" limit (the single take instance on Martial Stance might or might not exist I am Away From Book). You might say that for purposes of Falling Anvil stances and maneuvers all their class levels count as initiating classes. This lets them dip or take a few feats and get good use out of the feats (especially for Martial Stance).

I also note that ability drain is probably their biggest weakness.

I should probably add a clause that Constitution drain (if they have Con and aren't immune to that kind of drain from their main type) is always treated as damage instead and if killed by it they pop back up 10d6 rounds later as normal with 1 Con. That way you can render a Toon immobile, helpless or in a coma but you can't kill them from Con damage or drain.

[Tanuki Tales]

Ok, I added in a bit that prevents death by Constitution drain or damage and the reverting to 1 Con when "killed" by damage.

I also made it so that Wisdom and Charisma are set to 10 along with Int so that things like Object Toons can interact as sapient beings.

[DracoDei]

I would instead suggest "If the original creature does not have an wisdom or charisma score, in gains a score of 10." and "If the creatures intelligence is -, 1, or 2, it changes to 10." That way Toon Orc are still "slow" and unsociable, but the frying pans will be able to make half-way decent quips after hitting someone over the head.

[DragonOfUndeath]

What is the LA on this Template? I want to play it in a game.

[Tanuki Tales]

I would instead suggest "If the original creature does not have an wisdom or charisma score, in gains a score of 10." and "If the creatures intelligence is -, 1, or 2, it changes to 10." That way Toon Orc are still "slow" and unsociable, but the frying pans will be able to make half-way decent quips after hitting someone over the head.

Changed and I also added in another clause in Toon Durability to explicitly cover deaths from non-hp ways.

@Dragon: I'm not too good at calculating LA, so I'll let someone else help with that. I'm going to set the template to being +2 CR until further notice though.

[Tanuki Tales]

Alright, I editted the Size change some and I wonder if I should just do away with it entirely. Yes that would mean you could end up with silly things like Toons that are Office buildings at Colossal+ or Toons who could dance on the head of a pin, but I'm not sure if its right to have the template force Toons who would be of all sizes to be either Small, Medium or Large.

I also added in to the Toon subtype that Toons use their total HD as their Initiator level so they can take advantage of Falling Anvil maneuvers without having levels in an Initiator class.

[Tanuki Tales]

Alright, I did away with the template resizing the base creature entirely. While this makes it so the template doesn't give you Bugs Bunny if you put in a rabbit it also means that you no longer don't get a Tweety Bird or Jerry Mouse if you put in a Canary or a Mouse. I'm not sure how to word or work the template to allow it to churn out one or the other so some help with that would be appreciated.

I also added a +3 Level adjustment for the template. This is the same as the Curst template from Monsters of Faerun/Lost Empires of Faerun, a similarly nigh-unkillable creature. This is just a ball park start and not a final say, so some help here would be nice.

I'm also thinking of maybe doing a feat that replaces Martial Study for Toons, something that keys off how low a Toon's wisdom score is.

[Keinnicht]

Hammer Space (Su): A Toon has access to an extra-dimensional space that is outside the usual multiverse of extra-dimensional spaces. Objects in the extra-dimensional space are hidden, beyond the reach of spells (including divinations), unless those spells work across planes. A Toon can put in or pull out an item that is no more than its heavy load and treats this action the same as drawing a sheathed weapon. This ability is suppressed when in an area that the existence or usage of an extra-dimensional would result in disastrous results.

Lol, "Oh god! The toon is attacking! Quick! Shove him in the portable hole!"

[DragonOfUndeath]

Lol, "Oh god! The toon is attacking! Quick! Shove him in the portable hole!"

That only stops him from getting other things out of Hammerspace.

[Tanuki Tales]

That only stops him from getting other things out of Hammerspace.

Yup. And since Toons can't die from suffocation or starvation...

[The Antigamer]

I love it, good job. Nothing really sticks out to me as too bad, although level adjustment is a tad high I think, for abilities that have no real abilities gained that would affect a game (besides not dieing, but they're still out of commission, and would be raised anyway.)
I suggest adding +4 to charisma, then +3 LA might feel viable.

[Tanuki Tales]

I love it, good job. Nothing really sticks out to me as too bad, although level adjustment is a tad high I think, for abilities that have no real abilities gained that would affect a game (besides not dieing, but they're still out of commission, and would be raised anyway.)
I suggest adding +4 to charisma, then +3 LA might feel viable.

Maybe a boost a boost to Con and Cha and possibly a low boost to Perform (Comedy)?

I don't know if a straight Cha boost would reflect the generic Toon since you have ultra-Charismatic Toons like Bugs but also have Toons who never seem to get things to go their way with others like Daffy.

Edit: Something like +4 Con, +2 Cha and a +2 Racial bonus to Perform (Comedy)?

[The Antigamer]

Maybe a boost a boost to Con and Cha and possibly a low boost to Perform (Comedy)?

I don't know if a straight Cha boost would reflect the generic Toon since you have ultra-Charismatic Toons like Bugs but also have Toons who never seem to get things to go their way with others like Daffy.

Edit: Something like +4 Con, +2 Cha and a +2 Racial bonus to Perform (Comedy)?

That sounds good. Daffy still has a very strong force of personality, note.

[Tanuki Tales]

That sounds good. Daffy still has a very strong force of personality, note.

Hm, true. He might just have penalties to Diplomacy.

[DracoDei]

Raises don't really exist at ECL 4 (which is where LA +3 starts you), and until you hit ECL 17, returning to life generally costs you a level. It does make for a VERY tricky balance situation, so I am not actually offering a conclusion, merely analysis.

They do make pretty good Polish Mine Detectors...

[Jjeinn-tae]

Looks fun, wish I had a way to make use of it.

Hm, true. He might just have penalties to Diplomacy.

I think it's just Daffy's way of making people laugh. His humor generation seems to make him the embodiment of Murphy's Law, everything will go wrong for him in whatever way it can.

[Tanuki Tales]

Raises don't really exist at ECL 4 (which is where LA +3 starts you), and until you hit ECL 17, returning to life generally costs you a level. It does make for a VERY tricky balance situation, so I am not actually offering a conclusion, merely analysis.

They do make pretty good Polish Mine Detectors...

Well, Raise Dead is 450 gold and that's easily in the Wealth by level for an ECL 4 character.

(Though even for Pathfinder this is still doable since its still in the WbL for a 3rd level character.)

[The Antigamer]

And it's not like the player wouldn't just make a new character, even if raising isn't allowed. The ability leaves him functionally dead, just allows for an eventual bounce-back, and right now the template has no real in-game abilities that would justify losing three levels.

[DracoDei]

Well, Raise Dead is 450 gold and that's easily in the Wealth by level for an ECL 4 character.

(Though even for Pathfinder this is still doable since its still in the WbL for a 3rd level character.)

Pathfinder drops the material component from revivification spells? I was not aware of this, and it does rather change things.

[Tanuki Tales]

Pathfinder drops the material component from revivification spells? I was not aware of this, and it does rather change things.

Sorry, I'm just so used to the Diamond being dropped that it slipped my mind.

But the the spell is still just in the range of a level 4's WbL, it would just exhaust about one character's starter wealth.

[Tanuki Tales]

Alright, I added a new ability to the template that allows a Toon to naturally be funny so that Humorous Youth won't end up being a major liability for uncreative or not funny players who play in games that use long time frames (i.e. games that would stretch on for 100 years).

Please ignore any grammar errors or spelling mistakes, I'm current away from a spell-check.

[Tanuki Tales]

Oops, just noticed I forgot to put in the Con and Cha boosts. Added.

[The Antigamer]

All right, depending on how Gag Reflex works, this is now a viable +3 LA race!

But that brings us to gag reflex.

Gag Reflex (Ex): A Toon may make a Perform (Comedy) skill check as part of any action of its choosing once per round (such as making an attack or casting a spell).
You might want to stipulate this means they to the action in a humorous way.
All sapient creatures (those with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher) who are in line of sight of the Toon's action must make a Will save (DC = 10+1/2 Toon's HD+Toon's positive Cha modifier or negative Wis modifier, which ever is higher [in this case the negative Wis modifier being applied as a positive bonus])
I like that, good option
or be subject to an effect similar to a Hideous Laughter spell (though this effect does not render the affected creatures prone, it never fails to translate and it affects those normally immune to mind-affecting effects and/or charms and compulsion affects).
Ok, here's the big question: are they helpless? Can they take actions? Because if not, it's not really hideous laughter, and not that in-game useful. If so, it's really overpowered, and needs a limiting factor, either only until your next turn starts, only effects one creature, uses/day, etc.
This effect has a Caster level equal to the Toon's HD and counts towards its Humorous Youth special quality.
Good stipulation
If a Toon uses this ability in conjunction with a maneuver from the Falling Anvil Discipline they receive a +1 circumstance bonus to the save DC and a +2 circumstance bonus to the Perform check.
Nice synergy
A Toon also gains a +1 bonus to the save DC and is treated as one level higher for every 5 points that it exceeds a result of 10 on the Perform check.
Too powerful, it's easy to make perform be astronomically high.