[3.5 Race] Dusk Dancers

[Lord_Gareth]

Dusk Dancers

The wilds of Faerie aren't what they used to be. The Fey, once objects of awe, reverence, and fear, have been relegated to either the shadows of history or the trophies of ignorant adventurers. The nymphs and dryads are ineffectual; the dark Fey are too chaotic and fractional to drive back the endless tide of civilization. Something had to be done.

Something was.

The Dusk Dancers are new Fey, young and hot-blooded and full of vigor. Faeries with connections not necessarily to the city, but to civilization; the group, the family, the city, the nation, these are their birthrights and their purpose. Too long have the great courts of the Fey stagnated, and they will now live by their own credo - change, or die.

Appearance: Dusk Dancers are, as befits their name, dusky-skinned humanoids with dark hair and dark eyes that reflect a light rainbow sheen. They have prominent canines and are often very attractive by human (or elven) standards, with a tendency to build lean muscle and long, shapely legs. Dusk Dancers often collect jewelry, holy symbols, and other marks of community, and have a strong urge to display symbols of those communities they belong to, even dispite urgings towards secrecy.

Racial Features
+4 Charisma, +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength. Dusk Dancers retain the nimbleness characteristic of the Fey, but tend to build lean, agile muscle instead of strong, thick muscles. Their innate connection with societies, communities, and humanoids in general, as well as their innate Fey nature, leads to an above-average Charisma score.

Medium Fey (Humanoid): Though Fey, the Dusk Dancer's connection to humanoids works against them; they are treated as whichever type would be least advantageous to them at any given time. Dusk Dancers advance by class level, and do not gain weapon or armor proficiencies from their type. As Medium creatures, Dusk Dancers have no bonuses or penalties associated with their size.

Base Land Speed: 30 Feet

Low-Light Vision (Ex): As the elf racial feature.

+2 to Perform Checks: Music, dance, poetry, and other forms of self-expression are a natural outgrowth of civilization.

Damage Reduction (Ex): Dusk Dancers benefit from DR X/Cold Iron, where X is equal to their hit dice.

Eternal Dance (Su): Dusk Dancers do not require sleep, and never suffer fatigue or exhaustion (as a consequence, they are immune to sleep effects, as well as effects that would cause fatigue or exhaustion, whether magical or mundane). A Dusk Dancer still needs eight hours of rest in order to prepare spells. Dusk Dancers do not age, and gain no bonuses or penalties no matter how long they live.

Untouchable Waltz (Su): Dusk Dancers gain a dodge bonus to their armor class equal to their charisma modifier, up to a maximum bonus equal to their hit dice.

Lead the Dance (Su): Whenever a Dusk Dancer rolls a natural 20, all his or her allies within a 30ft radius gain a +1 morale bonus to all rolls for 1 round. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th level and increases by an additional +1 every 4 levels past 4th (+3 at 8th, +4 at 12th, +5 at 16th, +6 at 20th).

Dance 'Em Bloody (Su): Once a day, as a full-round action, the Dusk Dancer may command a single being that they can see within sixty feet to dance. Their victim must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the Dusk Dancer's hit dice + the Dusk Dancer's charisma modifier) or begin dancing and keep dancing for a number of hours equal to the Dusk Dancer's hit dice. While dancing, the being's speed (in all forms) is halved and it suffers a -2 penalty to all actions. This is a mind-affecting ability.

A Dusk Dancer with fifteen or more hit dice instead measures the duration of this ability in days. Unfortunately, a being forced to dance for days at a time cannot sleep or rest unless forced to do so magically or through incapacitation, and may very well begin to starve if it cannot reach food in time.

Languages: Sylvan, Common. Bonus: Any, except for secret languages such as Druidic.

Favored Class: Any; Dusk Dancers adapt rapidly to whatever society they call their own.

Level Adjustment: +2

[MammonAzrael]

• General flavor - I like it, a nice counter to all those bumbling adventurers. I feel like it is a terrific opportunity to tie their flavor somehow to the vestige Desharis.
• Appearance - Seems fine. It'd be interesting if they felt the desire to show symbols and signs of any community, even those they don't belong to. It would help them stand out a little, and generate a little more of the oddness and civilian uncertainty or dislike that seem to surround Fae.
• The fact that they build muscle at all, even lean, seems odd with a strength penalty. I was partly expecting a wisdom penalty. It isn't exactly wise for Fae to get so involved in normal communities.
• I like the perform checks.
• So they never need sleep. Should they be immune to sleep effects?
• Untouchable Waltz is very strong. I'm hesitant to call it too strong for Cha based classes...but its powerful. it might make more sense as a dodge bonus.
• Lead the Dance sounds an awful lot like a morale bonus to me. Also, having the bonus apply to all roles could be a little crazy.
• Dance 'em Bloody is..interesting.
• I feel like the favored class should be Bard. It seems to fit so well.

Ultimately I feel like the class is a little too powerful for +1 LA. Goliath is usually regarded as a solid +1 LA race, and this feels stronger. Its workable it just feels...a little too powerful compared to generally accepted LA.

(That said, I like the race, and I've certainly made the case for powerful, scaling +1 LAs, so...yeah, I'd say this makes up for a level sacrificed.)

[Flickerdart]

Heh, they never gain age bonuses? An immortal being that never learns. Amusing.

[Lord_Gareth]

Heh, they never gain age bonuses? An immortal being that never learns. Amusing.

A common Fae conceit, actually. Edited a few features; any further comments?

[Lord_Gareth]

Reviving this (as the creator) in an effort to get more comments, as they never seem to pick up reviews for some reason....

[mrcarter11]

I can't review much on balance.. I can tell you I like it quite a bit though.. I enjoy playing fae races and have a difficult time finding any I like. This however I like a lot. The flavor holds my interest while the mechanical benefits of the class back the LA.. I'd say this is one of two LA races I'd actually play.. Sorry this post wasn't more helpful.

[Lord_Gareth]

I can't review much on balance.. I can tell you I like it quite a bit though.. I enjoy playing fae races and have a difficult time finding any I like. This however I like a lot. The flavor holds my interest while the mechanical benefits of the class back the LA.. I'd say this is one of two LA races I'd actually play.. Sorry this post wasn't more helpful.

Well, it is nice to know someone likes 'em! Anything of particular interest to you or abilities that stand out?

[mrcarter11]

Of particular interest would just be a fae race that I really can see myself playing.. I love the subculture behind them, just can't ever find anything in D&D to play for them.. Abilities I really like would be the Untouchable Waltz and the Eternal Dance..

[Cipher Stars]

I luv eet

[Dryad]

I personally think Damage Reduction doesn't belong there, and the race is powerful enough without it. ;)

For all the rest: I kind of love it.

[Burnheart]

I personally think Damage Reduction doesn't belong there, and the race is powerful enough without it. ;)

For all the rest: I kind of love it.

Don't most powerful fey have DR/ cold iron?