Feox [Race]

[Reinboom]

Feox

Feox are a noble subterranean race and a distant offspring of the rust monster. They are few and far between, and survive in deep cavernous tunnel networks, hidden from most other races and quick to flee from danger.

Personality: Feox have a rather proud and egotistical mindset, one that is difficult to bring down. Quick to take lead and accomplish what needs to be done, Feox, despite their appearance, are a rather charismatic race. It is difficult to bring a Feox's emotions down.

Physical Description: Feox stand approximately 5 to 5-1/2 feet tall and are roughly humanoid in shape. Their skin is covered with a dull and neutral rough textured metallic like exoskeleton. Their exoskeleton can be any neutral or saturated color, from a dull rust to a very light greyish blue. Their head is rounded, roughly insect-like, with small beady eyes placed in, and a jaw that splits apart to open. Feox men and women show little difference apart, except that women generally have a seperate set of color streaks going through their exoskeleton, a female specific trait used to attract mates. Feox have no hair, and small antennae that protrude only about an inch from their skull.
Feox reach maturity rather swiftly, at the age of 14 years but age slow after, living as long as 160 years.
Unlike most races, a Feox does not need to sleep and instead can become rested with only an hour of calm - similar to elven meditation. Feox also can not eat standard food, and instead must consume at least 3 pounds of metal a day, with a preference for steel or iron.

Relations: Feox, as a whole, tend to keep to themselves. However, when the lack of metal arises, a Feox tribe has been known to seek out other races for trade - usually offering the less preferred gold and silver that they have mined, as well as gems, for a mass of other metals. For this reason, Feox are most likely to deal with Dwarves or Dragons than any other race.
Occasionally, different Feox tribes have been known to war over resources. Since metal isn't very effective in such combats, they instead carve their weaponry out of out crystal.

Alignment: Feox tend to be either good or neutral, and favoring neutrallity over law and chaos.

Feox Racial Traits:

+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma
Medium Size Aberration
A Feox's base land speed is 30 feet. It also has a burrow speed of 20 feet.
Darkvision: Feoxs can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Racial Hit Dice: A Feox begins with two levels of aberration, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +0, and Will +2.
Racial Skills: A Feox’s aberration levels give it skill points equal to 5 × (2 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Appraise, Craft, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Listen, Search, and Spot.
Racial Feats: A Feox’s aberration levels gives it one feat.
Feoxs have Tremorsense of 10 feet.
+3 natural armor bonus
Racial Skills: Feoxs have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Listen checks
Special Attacks: Consume Metal
Special Qualities: Fire resistance 10, cold resistance 10, immunity to sleep, reactive rust, light blindness
Automatic Languages: Feoxian Bonus Languages: Common, Undercommon, Terran, Dwarven, Draconic
Favored Class: Ranger or Swordsage
Level Adjustment: +1

Tremorsense (Ex)
A Feox can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 10 feet in contact with the ground.

Consume Metal (Ex)
A Feox can rapidly consume metal. By spending a full round action, the Feox can consume a small amount of metal by making a touch attack and releasing a series of potent chemicals. This attack works as the Rusting Grasp spell, except that it can only destroy a 1 foot radius of metal, destroy 1 point of Armor Class gained by metal armor, or deals 2 damage to a metallic weapon while ignoring hardness.
As the Feox increases in power, so does the potency of the chemicals they release. At 3 hit dice, their consume metal destroys up to a 2 foot radius, destroys 1d4 points of Armor Class gained by metal armor, or deals 5 damage to a metallic weapon while ignoring hardness. At 5 hit dice, this ability becomes exactly like the Rusting Grasp spell, except still stays extraordinary in nature.
Each time this ability is destroys any amount of metal, the Feox heals 1 hp, to a maximum of half their base hp, and and either 1 strength, dexterity, or constitution damage.

Reactive Rust (Ex)
Whenever a Feox is successfully damaged by a metallic weapon, their bodies release a potent chemical that instantly begins rusting the metal, dealing 3 damage that ignores hardness to the weapon.

Light Blindness (Ex)
Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds Feox for round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled while operating in bright light.

[Lord Tataraus]

LA+2???? No way, this thing is a least LA+6 or LA+5 2RHD. It is extremely powerful with all the resistances and rusting ability (albeit minor it still destroys weapons after taking a few hits). Then you have great maneuverability and visibility. The only drawback is light blindness which isn't much at all. The Swift trait option is a balanced feature that doesn't really change much.

[Bago!!!]

Nice race, but it I think it needs to be toned down. Those attribute bonus' alone call for a +1 level adjustment at least. Some of those abilities make him immensely powerful, with the only down side as a penalty to dex.

[Reinboom]

One thing to note:
I feel that the wizard's idea of level adjustments is insane and crap - and in no way tried to balance it against other similar level adjustment 2 races.
Instead, I tried to balance it against losing 2 class levels.

[Lord Tataraus]

One thing to note:
I feel that the wizard's idea of level adjustments is insane and crap - and in no way tried to balance it against other similar level adjustment 2 races.
Instead, I tried to balance it against losing 2 class levels.

Well, you could go for LA+3 and 6RHD, but really, there is no class that gets as good stuff as this does in two levels, more like 5 or 6 levels. 10 resistance to the two most common energy types, amazing maneuverability (borrow speed) with amazing visibility (tremorsense and an unorthodox double +20 darkvision). Then a +4 armor bonus (+5 nat -1 dex). +2 HP per level (2 improved toughness feats) +1 to hit and damage and a more minor +1 to diplomacy, intimidate, and spontaneous casting boost. Then you get an ability that destroys all weapons that hit you about 4 times (most common hp is 10). And finally a minor healing mechanic that destroys weapons and armor at the same time.

That's a lot of stuff and definitely worth a lot more than 2 levels in a class. And for the record, I have found that some LAs are not well thought out, but most are very good. I like LA and RHD (to an extent) though CR is crap.

[hamstard4ever]

LA+2???? No way, this thing is a least LA+6 or LA+5 2RHD.

You think it's more powerful than the Pixie? Even without irresistable dance the pixie is way more powerful than this thing. It's stretching the bounds of LA +2 quite a bit but it would be hard to justify putting it above base ECL 3, and even then I'd be tempted to make it 2 HD + 1 LA instead of +3 LA.

The swift version looks more balanced than the standard version; overall I consider it to be a net loss, and you're also ending up more spread out and less specialized. I have some qualms with some of the abilities but the swift version might be balanced at LA +2.

Oh... hmm. Actually, I just now noticed the burrow speed. Burrow + tremorsense + essentially free self-healing of Str/Dex/Con damage, on top of a 4th level spell at will, as (Ex), and decent spread of ability bonuses and good natural armor and energy resistances... that's starting to add up to a bit much for LA +2, methinks. I would suggest either axing one of the big abilities (burrow, tremorsense, or ability damage healing--the rust attack is obviously the whole point, so no sense in taking that out) or bumping it up to LA +3 (for the standard) or 2 HD +1 LA (using the modifiers of the swift version).

[Reinboom]

You lose: 2/3 of a feat, 2/4 of a stat (though, this doesn't matter as much due to the bonuses), a lot of skill points, 1 BAB, you gain almost no HP increase (since you are losing 2 HD), Saving throw bonuses worth of 2 levels, and it already is rarely a caster or manifester.

It has:
A defensive ability that is specific to humanoid creatures that use metallic weapons (based on the campaign, and the intelligence of the humanoid creatures defines this power - generally, for me, it's very situational). A weapon destruction ability that begins worse than sunder, notably, you get this at level 1 when everyone else is level 3. And you can reproduce the 4th level druid spell eventually (5 Hit Dice +2 LA, so, level 7, right when the druid gets it).

Darkvision + Light Blindness.

Then a bunch of variable bonuses.

I might decrease the natural armor to +4 or +3, but not any lower. AC quickly becomes decreasingly worthless, so, the AC I'm not so afraid of (and is reproduced with magic items anyways).
The burrow speed I can reduce to 10 feet.
The darkvision I can reduce down to 120 feet.

However, I won't start bogging the race down. There is too much lost with high LA. Higher level class features, notably.

Oh... hmm. Actually, I just now noticed the burrow speed. Burrow + tremorsense + essentially free self-healing of Str/Dex/Con damage, on top of a 4th level spell at will, as (Ex), and decent spread of ability bonuses and good natural armor and energy resistances... that's starting to add up to a bit much for LA +2, methinks. I would suggest either axing one of the big abilities (burrow, tremorsense, or ability damage healing--the rust attack is obviously the whole point, so no sense in taking that out) or bumping it up to LA +3 (for the standard) or 2 HD +1 LA (using the modifiers of the swift version).

Suggestions noted. 2 HD +1 LA sounds rather reasonable to me. Thanks!

Any idea for a favored class?

[AmberVael]

Hmm.
Well, lets do the easy part first.

The classes I can easily say "right out" on are:
Cleric, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, and Wizard.

That leaves: Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Fighter, Ranger, and Sorcerer.

Of those, I'd immediately drop out Bard, Fighter, and Sorcerer. They don't quite seem to fit, sorcerer because they have a distinctly nondragon heritage/bloodline, and arcane seems less suitable to them than natural magics.

Barbarian, Druid, and Ranger.
I'm not sure which I'd pick of these. I'm thinking Ranger, since it is both a melee class (which they're good at) and sort of a natural bent.

[Reinboom]

Ranger was an already consideration, thanks for the confirmation - added.

Now, I'm deciding noncore favored classes.


Oh, and I took the 2 RHD + 1 LA suggestion.

[Charlie Kemek]

If swift, either sorcerer, ninja, rogue, bard, sujuania, ranger, or monk. best are sor, suj, or monk
if not, i have no idea.
it needs to use mimimal metal, or it would just eat his shield or sword