[d20r, Race] Maenad

[Fax Celestis]

Maenads are capricious, energetic, and emotional creatures. They channel these emotional outbursts into boosts to physical strength or to create damaging bursts of sound. Some say that maenads are the descendants of humans and air elemental outsiders, but no one has proven this to be true.

Maenads appear as tall humanoids with crystalline skin. While they appear as humans, they have some general differences. Maenads typically stand more than 6 feet tall and weigh about 200 pounds; males are the same height as and only marginally heavier than maenad females. Maenads have no facial or body hair, and they prefer heavier clothing and armor if possible.

Maenads speak Common and Auran.

• No Stat Adjustments: Maenads do not receive adjustments to their statistics based on race.
• Medium size: Maenads, being Medium, do not receive any adjustments based on size.
• Maenad: Maenads are humanoids with the (Maenad) and (Psionic) subtypes.
• Speed: A maenad's base land speed is 30 feet.
• Naturally Psionic: Maenads gain 2 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
• Inborn Psionics: A maenad has a small pool of psionic charges they may tap into daily. A maenad has one charge per three class levels, minimum one. A charge may be spent to activate one of the following psi-like abilities or to power a feat with the [Maenad] descriptor: create sound, energy ray (sonic only). Manifester level is equal to the maenad's class level.
• Outburst: By spending a psionic charge (from her Inborn Psionics ability), a maenad can subjugate her mentality to gain a boost of raw physical power for a number of rounds equal to her Constitution modifier. When she does so, she takes a -2 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom but gains a +2 bonus to Strength. A maenad can end this ability early should they choose. This ability does not prevent the use of powers or abilities that require concentration.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Auran. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, and Goblin.
• Favored Class: Wilder.

[MammonAzrael]

Pretty basic, there isn't much I can say here, since its barely modified.

The addition of create sound makes sense.
I take it Maenad is no longer its own language?

Other than that, the race was fine in 3.5, and remains so now. It does seem a little underwhelming and bland when compared to your other races though, especially compared to the Russiti. Perhaps they can punch through silence effects? Or they can deafen targets temporarily?

[WaterTengu]

I agree with MammonAzrael, it's too ... i don't want to say simple because that doesn't sound right. but you get the idea.

[Lappy9000]

I know this is something that's pretty much out of Fax's control, but I've always hated that picture. It doesn't really capture the Maenad's feel of controlled beings attempting to triumph over their maddening emotive outbursts. Instead, it makes them look like humans with a sonic attack. The guy doesn't even look crystalline!

I tried to find some other pictures, but Maenads are woefully unsupported picture-wise.

Crunch-wise, everything looks good. Touch bland, but good.

[Fax Celestis]

Yeah, that was something I was afraid of, but isn't really something I know how to fix.

[WaterTengu]

the picture or the blandness?

[MammonAzrael]

Well, you could increase their Inborn Psionics/Outburst to include more effects like

• Punching through silence effects.
• Deafen a target temporarily.
• A limited ability to Overchannel (another facet of Outburst).
• The bonus to Strength from Outburst can increase in relation to character level.
• You can spend more than one charge on Outburst to increase the Strength bonus.

Of course some of these you might like better as racial feats. And other racial feats could add more Energy X psi-like abilities (like Energy Cone, Push, Stun, and Wave).

Oh, and don't forget to note what ability score the DCs are based on.

[Fax Celestis]

Oh, and don't forget to note what ability score the DCs are based on.

PLAs and SLAs always use CHA unless otherwise noted. As for those ideas, I'll consider it.

[Knaight]

You could add in an ability that helps to resist emotion changing, fear, etc. effects. Or maybe a small bonus to will saves. Maybe they could have the ability to spend a psionic charge to reroll a will save. That said there does seem like a lot of room for interesting racial feats, but it still seems a little bland as is.

[WaterTengu]

Ooh, or a plus to avoid divination because of their crazed minds.