Must Affix Everything to Everything! (Grafts That Don't Make Me Cry Myself To Sleep)

[Kellus]

Emphasis mine. Does this mean I can cut the legs off a Lion Totem Barbarian to get their Pounce ability?

As per the rules, yes.

Please may I use this in my own games?

Of course. :)

If its not too much trouble Kellus I have a request. For one of my character's personal villians I've thought up a wizard who lost his arm in a confrontation with the dragon. My thought is that in the attack that took his arm the wizard's chest was also damaged which leads into my question/request: If a person has multiple grafts from a single type of source (the heart from the dragon he was fighting and a replacement left arm from a dragon of the same type and an appropriate size) is there any sort of synergy?
My thoughts are something such as a small bonus to Con from the dragon heart or Str from the arm.

Interesting question. It's a little too specific for a general ruleset, but that seems like the sort of thing I would definitely ad hoc in game. If you're looking for my blessing for it, absolutely. Go with what improves the game, for sure. I can only write rules for general situations, you need to make them fit your specific circumstances.

Also, for those interested, a revision and expansion of this system is in the works.

[Deepbluediver]

This is horribly, terrifyingly, awesome.

I'm not sure the mad-science feel fits in with the more hard-core fantasy elements of classic D&D, but any game with rules including slightly more advanced technology (like Pathfinder and guns tech level) would make a great fit. I can even see it being used in a steampunk-esque game.

[Kane0]

This is awesome beyond words. I wish I had something constructive to say, but I don't... It's still pretty awesome, though.

This is horribly, terrifyingly, awesome.

I second this motion, completely.

[Zolkabro]

Having just started a game where I was playtesting the Xenoalchemist, a couple of things have come up.

Firstly, I think that you should always get a thesis monster of your own race type. I'm playing a construct, and so surely I should have thesis monster: construct automatically, as I am one, and know them better than any non-construct could!

Secondly, there should be some kind of mechanism for doing ordinary operations, like organ transplants, things like that. Not adding anything from a monster, but say you go into a hospital and find somebody who needs a kidney, there should be a special xenoalchemist skill for doing that.

I'll keep you updated on any other things that don't quite work as I play with it, but I'm really enjoying it so far, it's such a great class. Without a doubt my favourite original class on the forums.

[Owrtho]

Thought I would reply on what I can here.

Firstly, I think that you should always get a thesis monster of your own race type. I'm playing a construct, and so surely I should have thesis monster: construct automatically, as I am one, and know them better than any non-construct could!

This line of reasoning isn't actually accurate. While an individual would have a better feel for being their own race, that doesn't actually grant them any innate knowledge into the internal workings and anatomy. In real life I expect there are many people who know the insides of some type of machine far better than the insides of a human. There are likewise people who know the insides of animals far better than people. It stands to reason that the same would remain in a fantasy setting, as the detail of anatomy that needs to be known for something to be a thesis monster is only gained through study.

Secondly, there should be some kind of mechanism for doing ordinary operations, like organ transplants, things like that. Not adding anything from a monster, but say you go into a hospital and find somebody who needs a kidney, there should be a special xenoalchemist skill for doing that.

While not explicitly stated as being for such things, check the third paragraph of Handicap Grafts. In that case you can treat the ailment of failing organs or lacking limbs as a handicap graft, and make use of the ability to use a mundane graft to remove the penalty.

Owrtho

[Kellus]

Having just started a game where I was playtesting the Xenoalchemist, a couple of things have come up.

Firstly, I think that you should always get a thesis monster of your own race type. I'm playing a construct, and so surely I should have thesis monster: construct automatically, as I am one, and know them better than any non-construct could!

Secondly, there should be some kind of mechanism for doing ordinary operations, like organ transplants, things like that. Not adding anything from a monster, but say you go into a hospital and find somebody who needs a kidney, there should be a special xenoalchemist skill for doing that.

I'll keep you updated on any other things that don't quite work as I play with it, but I'm really enjoying it so far, it's such a great class. Without a doubt my favourite original class on the forums.

Pretty much what Owrtho said. I'm a humanoid, and I don't have any particular knowledge about the internal anatomy of elves (disturbing art on deviantart.com aside). It's entirely reasonable to represent someone knowinga lot about their own type's anatomy by taking that type as a thesis monster. From a balance perspective, that also gives an unfair advantage to some types, since some thesis monster abilities are just plain better than others (hence the level restrictions in some cases).

As for the other thing, that's something I'm looking at in the upcoming expansion. I didn't expect so many people to be interested in mundane rules for surgery and stuff like that, but it turns out that it's a pretty popular idea! That being said, most of what you're talking about can already be done with the plain old Heal skill, but if you want mechanical representations of some of those penalties, feel free to use the Handicap Grafts.

I'm glad you like it! Please let me know how it works out for you, and thanks for the feedback! :D

[sirpercival]

Th-th-th-thread necro!

Hey Kellus, what do you think of me porting this into my Magipunk campaign setting? Since I don't feel right copy/pasting everything over there, I'd probably make an adaptation thread...

[Kellus]

Th-th-th-thread necro!

Hey Kellus, what do you think of me porting this into my Magipunk campaign setting? Since I don't feel right copy/pasting everything over there, I'd probably make an adaptation thread...

Go for it! Everything here is available for use in whatever way people like. Credit me, don't credit me, I don't really care so long as you have fun! I made the system to address what I saw as a gap in the rules, so if you feel it can fill the same gap in your setting, go for it!

As far as adaptations go, I would say that the core xenoalchemist class is broad enough to be ported directly into almost any setting. I think that the best way to 'personalize' the system would be changing the kinds of grafts available, by developing new grafts based on the iconic monsters in your setting. Anyway, yes, use it however you like.

[sirpercival]

Go for it! Everything here is available for use in whatever way people like. Credit me, don't credit me, I don't really care so long as you have fun! I made the system to address what I saw as a gap in the rules, so if you feel it can fill the same gap in your setting, go for it!

As far as adaptations go, I would say that the core xenoalchemist class is broad enough to be ported directly into almost any setting. I think that the best way to 'personalize' the system would be changing the kinds of grafts available, by developing new grafts based on the iconic monsters in your setting. Anyway, yes, use it however you like.

Sweeeeet. :D The adaptation necessity comes from the tech level -- Magipunk is (as you might figure out) cyberpunk with all the tech replaced by magic. Essentially, post-modern Tippyverse.

The only difficulty is avoiding overlap with the Synthevolver, but I don't think that's going to be much of a problem. What I will probably end up doing is either (a) making an adaptation thread (mostly to deal with the skill changes), or (b) just reposting the class, grafts, and feats wholesale. The PrCs may need special treatment since I'm not using any published classes.

By the way, I know that none of this really matters to you, since it's my setting... but I think better when I can do so "aloud". ;)

[iTookUrNick]

Hi,

I'm reading this (awesome) thing through, but I wanted to make a quick suggestion:

the Autoimmunity feature should probably be called Immune reaction.

I'm pointing this out because autoimmunity has a negative connotation (it's the body fighting itself, and it's bad news) while the immune reaction is something that protect you after getting in contact with some outside noxious entity. So, the latter is much more appropriate imho, and you keep the pun factor. My 2¢.

[DracoDei]

You can either select a spell-like ability you know the creature has or let the DM select one by chance or by decee.

Decree.


Also, does the "inside job" thing apply to all spells that work off of hitdice, or just ones that would send you to another plane? I assume the first, but it seems a bit fuzzy.

Too lazy to type up the following properly at the moment:
If you haven't done it yet, I would like to see a Alchemical topical local anesthetic, which would give bonuses to diplomacy checks to convince that commoner who you just slowly skinned alive, sewing on the troll-skin as you uncovered each inch of his fat and muscle layers that it actually constitutes an improvement (paying customers more-so, when they don't hear quite as much screaming from the client one ahead off them in line). The only more solid bonus I can state, and what originally made me think of the idea is that it would give a +5 to +10 bonus on the Concentration check to graft yourself. Ideally it should also function as a contact dexterity poison on anyone foolish enough to touch it with their bare hands rather than using a spatula to spread it on the desired portion. Maybe 1d4 Dex primary and secondary, DC 20, maybe with a special rule that the dex loss ONLY applies to stuff done with the hands, and thus only effects AC if using certain types of shield, or if wielding a weapon (so parrying is assumed to be part of your AC). Maybe to-hit penalities.

[Gideon Falcon]

Back when the minmax forums were online, I noticed that you were working on some sort of Necromancer grafter. How's that been coming?
If you haven't gotten especially far with it, might I suggest including abilities to give undead elite ability arrays, bonus HD, and other Frankenstein-like improvements that grafts don't cover?

[Zireael]

This is excellent!

[Roland St. Jude]

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