2/28/2013 - Update on Thumb
12/31/2012 - There's a New Comic
12/12/2012 - The "Lost" Holiday Ornament (and Child's Play)
11/26/2012 - Leftover OOTS Swag on Sale (+Thumb Report)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Order of the Stick 889 Get Real
Erfworld 163 The End of Book One
Erfworld Now at Erfworld.com!
RSS Feeds: OOTS

The Duke's Wolf, Part Four by Amber E. Scott
The Duke's Wolf, Part Three by Amber E. Scott
The Duke's Wolf, Part Two by Amber E. Scott

The New World, Part 9: Barbarians by Rich Burlew
The New World, Part 8: Gnomes by Rich Burlew
The New World, Part 7: Names and Cultures by Rich Burlew
Looking for the Gaming Articles?

 



Welcome back! Be sure you have read and understand the Forum Rules.


Go Back   Giant in the Playground Forums > Gaming > Homebrew Design
Register FAQ Members List Mark Forums Read End

Homebrew Design Roll up your sleeves and get working: there's lots of homebrewin' to be done! Post your custom creation for critiques or review those of your peers.

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-08-2011, 04:27 AM   Top  -  End  -  #1
Jarian
Troll in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 
Crazytown
Gender: Female
Default [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Sharnite

Despite their name, Sharnite are not truly the offspring of Sharns. Instead, they are the result of such creatures' chaotic pull on the world. In exceedingly rare cases, a child born of Human parents instead becomes a Sharnite. The change is gradual, but starts at the moment of birth. The infant's irises turn black over the course of the first week, and its sclera follow suit over the next few days. The child's ears slowly dimish in size at the same time, until they are little more than small holes on the side of the head. After these changes, the Sharnite's skin gradually takes on a darker and darker color over the course of its childhood, finally becoming a coal black when it reaches adolesence. A Sharnite never grows hair after its transformation is complete, and what hair it does have at that time falls out over the next few weeks.

Sharnites do not often have an easy childhood; many cultures look upon them as abominations or worse, and their parents must go to great lengths to keep them safe - if they have a desire to do so at all. Not a few Sharnite children have been left on the doorstep of a chuch or orphanage, to make of their own lives as they will. Despite these setbacks - or perhaps because of them - Sharnites have a strong sense of self, and often develop their own moral code to replace the flawed, biased views of the world around them. Unlike their namesakes, Sharnites are no more prone to chaotic acts than any human, and often take up the mantle of paladinhood, seeking to bring equality to a world that treated them so unjustly.


Sharnite Traits:
Sharnites possess the following racial traits.
  • Aberration (augmented humanoid): Sharnites are treated as both aberrations and humanoids for the purpose of determining which spells and abilities can affect them.
  • +2 charisma, -2 constitution. Sharnites possess strong senses of self, but do not often have the fortitude of their namesakes.
  • Medium size.
  • Sharnite base land speed is 30 feet.
  • Unlike most aberrations, Sharnites do not possess darkvision.
  • Special Qualities (see below): Hex Portals
  • +4 racial bonus on saving throws against polymorph effects. Sharnites possess some measure of their namesake's resistance to shapechanging effects.
  • Automatic Languages: Common.
  • Favored Class: Any. Sharnites, like the humans they are birthed from, have no predetermined calling from birth. Many Sharnites become paladins or sorcerers.
  • Level Adjustment: +0

Hex Portals (Su): A Sharnite can maintain a pair of hex portals - ethereal windows - through which it can see and launch melee attacks. Each portal is a translucent hexagonal window of purple light, approximately 3 feet in diameter. As a full-round action, a Sharnite can form this pair of windows anywhere within 20 feet of its body, each portal coalescing out of a swirl of purple motes. Thereafter, each hex portal can move independently up to 20 per round at the beginning of each of the Sharnite's turns. The hex portals do not block movement, line of sight, or missile fire. A creature can occupy the same space as a hex portal with no adverse effect other than proximity to the Sharnite's attacks. A Sharnite can cause one or both of its hex portals to disappear as a free action.

If a Sharnite moves further than 100 feet from one of its hex portals, that portal disappears.

A Sharnite can launch melee attacks through one of its portals by reaching through the other, but only with a 5 foot reach, regardless of the equipped weapon. To attack through a hex portal, the Sharnite must be either adjacent to or in the same square as one of its hex portals. While in such a position, a Sharnite threatens an area 5 feet around its other hex portal, and as such can contribute to flanking or take attacks of opportunity. A Sharnite can never flank with itself in this fashion.

Opponents cannot attack a Sharnite through one of its hex portals, but they can ready an action to attack its limb when it attacks through a portal. Assuming the creature is able to detect the Sharnite when it makes its attack, it may do so at no penalty, and may even disarm the Sharnite of its weapon if such an action was readied. A Sharnite may not, however, be grappled or tripped by an opponent on the other end of its hex portal.

Hex portals can be dispelled, but a Sharnite can reform any dispelled hex portals as a free action on its turn. Hex portals reformed in this fashion appear adjacent to the Sharnite.


Sharnite Racial Feats

Improved Hex Portals [Racial, Sharnite]
Prerequisites: Sharnite, 3HD.
Benefit: Whenever you create hex portals, you may create a third portal at the same time. A Sharnite with this feat can attack out of either of its other portals through a given portal, and as such threatens the area around both other portals.

Spelltouched Hex Portals [Racial, Sharnite]
Prerequisites: Sharnite, 3HD, ability to cast 1st level spells.
Benefit:You may cast spells with a range of touch through your hex portals. Casting such a spell through your portals follows all the normal rules for attacking with a melee weapon through a portal.
__________________
Avatar by the illustrious Derjuin.
Homebrewer's Signature
If you use any of my homebrew, or even if you just have a strong opinion on it, please let me know. Feedback is always useful.
Spoiler

Last edited by Jarian : 02-08-2011 at 02:19 PM.
Jarian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2011, 01:47 PM   Top  -  End  -  #2
Psyborg
Orc in the Playground
 
GnomeWizardGuy
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

First of all, this is pretty darn cool. I like it.

At first glance, it seems quite strong for a +0 race, but on consideration I don't think the Hex Portals ability is any stronger than, say, an Illumian's sigils.

I do have a suggestion for a bunch more racial feats:
Spoiler


Comments: Shared Portal + Improved Shared Portal + Spelltouched Hex Portal + Improved Spelltouched Hex Portal + Greater Spelltouched Hex Portal = familiar can be your spotter and you can fireball things from a mile away. Possibly broken; on the other hand, it's five feats, and I somehow think a wizard could do a lot more damage with five feats worth of metamagic, particularly with how fragile familiars are. *shrug* DM caution, to be sure, but I'm going to leave it how it is for now and see what people think.

PEACH!

Last edited by Psyborg : 02-08-2011 at 01:49 PM.
Psyborg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2011, 03:56 AM   Top  -  End  -  #3
Seraphiel
Dwarf in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Gender: Male
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Seconded on the cool. I always liked Sharns.

Anyway, I think it should be fine as a +0 LA. Doesn't seem too OP, lol.

As for psy's feats.

Spoiler



Also, psy, remember when I had you fight that Sharn?
__________________
Avatar by araveugnitsuga!

Last edited by Seraphiel : 02-10-2011 at 04:09 AM. Reason: At least doing something productive?
Seraphiel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2011, 12:03 PM   Top  -  End  -  #4
Psyborg
Orc in the Playground
 
GnomeWizardGuy
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Responding to PEACH (thanks for that, by the way). Responses in bold:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphiel View Post
Spoiler



Also, psy, remember when I had you fight that Sharn?
I do. It was epic. Also tricksy. Also frustrating. Also oh-so-satisfying when we finally got the darn thing itself within reach and butchered the heck out of it

Last edited by Psyborg : 02-11-2011 at 12:05 PM.
Psyborg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 06:42 PM   Top  -  End  -  #5
Escheton
Ogre in the Playground
 
BarbarianGuy
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: 
Netherlands
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

I think the free action to restore a dispelled portal might be a bit much.
Not sure you thoughts on the mechanics, but if it takes a standard action to set up the portals. And it takes a standard action and at least a 3rd lvl spell to dispell, a free action seems a tad unbalanced.
If another standard action to set it up again seems too much, perhaps a swift action?
__________________
Spoiler



D&d; Calibrating your expectations
Escheton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 06:45 PM   Top  -  End  -  #6
Jarian
Troll in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 
Crazytown
Gender: Female
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by Escheton View Post
I think the free action to restore a dispelled portal might be a bit much.
Not sure you thoughts on the mechanics, but if it takes a standard action to set up the portals. And it takes a standard action and at least a 3rd lvl spell to dispell, a free action seems a tad unbalanced.
If another standard action to set it up again seems too much, perhaps a swift action?
Well, for one thing, it's the same wording used by the actual ability of the Sharns. For another, the portals appear adjacent to the Sharnite, meaning they're practically useless until the start of the next round, since they only move at the start of a turn, and free actions cannot be taken out of turn unless otherwise specified.
__________________
Avatar by the illustrious Derjuin.
Homebrewer's Signature
If you use any of my homebrew, or even if you just have a strong opinion on it, please let me know. Feedback is always useful.
Spoiler
Jarian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 07:10 PM   Top  -  End  -  #7
arguskos
Titan in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Gender: Male
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarian View Post
Well, for one thing, it's the same wording used by the actual ability of the Sharns. For another, the portals appear adjacent to the Sharnite, meaning they're practically useless until the start of the next round, since they only move at the start of a turn, and free actions cannot be taken out of turn unless otherwise specified.
Uh... no, no they don't. Your text says "As a full-round action, a Sharnite can form this pair of windows anywhere within 20 feet of its body, each portal coalescing out of a swirl of purple motes." Unless the Sharnite is actually a 20-ft cube and no one noticed, that's not adjacent.

Personally, as written in the first post, I find them good, perhaps a touch too good. The ability to create portals wherever is pretty strong at LA +0. They have the ability to gain movable 20-ft reach to wherever they'd like. The issue is really the movement speed of the portals. Also, this causes a lot of rules questions. What happens if a Sharnite creates a portal next to themselves and one 10-ft from an enemy? Can they use a reach weapon through the portal against that enemy? If no, then you've shut off reach weapons to Sharnites, since there is literally no point to using them, is this intentional? Do they also threaten within 5-ft of that portal? What happens if there is an enemy adjacent to a Sharnite with a reach weapon that also has a hex portal next to them? Can a Sharnite use hex portals to "close" the reach on their reach weaponry? What about awl pikes or whips, items with 15-ft reach? How do they interact with portals? If you adjacent to a hex portal, do you threaten every square *it* threatens (effectively giving you mobile threaten expansions as you see fit)?

What about spells? Can you cast a ranged touch spell through a hex portal, in essence using it as a range extender for your spells? Can you pull yourself THROUGH a hex portal (I see no reason you can't)? Can you move other things through a hex portal, like, say, a rope with a hook on the end? If you have an object through a portal, then close it, what happens? Does the object get destroyed? Does it magically extend to cover the distance? Can you "chain" objects through portals from multiple Sharnites? If you grow extra arms, do you gain more portals (Sharns have three limbs, and can make three portals; Sharnites have two limbs, and can make two portals; possible trend is possible)?

Can hex portals sustain magical devices? Can you use hex portals for magical item creation? Do you have line of effect through a hex portal? Can hex portals move through walls?

This, while a very cool idea, suffers from the Dvati issue (though less so, thank god). It's awesome, but causes SOOOOO many rule questions that it's an issue. Don't want to squish your race (which I absolutely love, by the way), but you HAVE to be ready for stuff like this.
__________________
Lovely Thaxos, Elder Serpent avatar by Vaynor! Thanks for letting me know man!

Sig Below!
Spoiler
Io sono un fantasma
arguskos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 07:19 PM   Top  -  End  -  #8
Jarian
Troll in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 
Crazytown
Gender: Female
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos View Post
Uh... no, no they don't. Your text says "As a full-round action, a Sharnite can form this pair of windows anywhere within 20 feet of its body, each portal coalescing out of a swirl of purple motes." Unless the Sharnite is actually a 20-ft cube and no one noticed, that's not adjacent.
You missed the last line of the ability.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hex Portals
Hex portals can be dispelled, but a Sharnite can reform any dispelled hex portals as a free action on its turn. Hex portals reformed in this fashion appear adjacent to the Sharnite.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
What happens if a Sharnite creates a portal next to themselves and one 10-ft from an enemy? Can they use a reach weapon through the portal against that enemy?
No.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hex Portals
A Sharnite can launch melee attacks through one of its portals by reaching through the other, but only with a 5 foot reach, regardless of the equipped weapon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
Do they also threaten within 5-ft of that portal?
Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hex Portals
While in such a position, a Sharnite threatens an area 5 feet around its other hex portal, and as such can contribute to flanking or take attacks of opportunity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
What happens if there is an enemy adjacent to a Sharnite with a reach weapon that also has a hex portal next to them?
Then the Sharnite can stab through a hex portal with a 5 ft reach. Proximity doesn't matter, and it isn't indicated that it does anywhere.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
Can a Sharnite use hex portals to "close" the reach on their reach weaponry?
If they're willing to devote both of their portals to doing so, yes. See above.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
What about awl pikes or whips, items with 15-ft reach? How do they interact with portals?
See above answers. The reach is explicitly defined as 5ft, regardless of the melee weapon.

Quote:
If you adjacent to a hex portal, do you threaten every square *it* threatens (effectively giving you mobile threaten expansions as you see fit)?
Hex Portals do not threaten. The Sharnite itself threatens through its portals. So, yes.

Edit to clarify: You cannot attack out of a single hex portal. An attack through one comes out the other, not itself.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
What about spells? Can you cast a ranged touch spell through a hex portal, in essence using it as a range extender for your spells?
No. The ability makes no mention of spells. It specifies melee weapons. The Spelltouched Hex Portals feat lightens this restriction somewhat, allowing melee touch spells to go through.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
an you pull yourself THROUGH a hex portal (I see no reason you can't)?
Not only can you not grapple through the other side of a Hex Portal, but there is no mention of transportation capability anywhere in the ability. No, you cannot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
Can you move other things through a hex portal, like, say, a rope with a hook on the end?
That's a DM call as to whether or not that counts as a melee attack, and not one I can answer definitively.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
If you have an object through a portal, then close it, what happens?
There is no way to close a hex portal mid-attack. It would either be dispelled prior to the attack as a readied action, or after the attack. Paradox resolved.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
If you grow extra arms, do you gain more portals (Sharns have three limbs, and can make three portals; Sharnites have two limbs, and can make two portals; possible trend is possible)?
I have no idea where you got that idea from, but no. A Sharnite can gain a third portal by taking the Improved Hex Portals feat, however.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos
Can hex portals sustain magical devices? Can you use hex portals for magical item creation? Do you have line of effect through a hex portal? Can hex portals move through walls?
Uncertain what you mean exactly, uncertain what you mean exactly, yes (with the limitation of melee attacks), and no (force effect), in that order.
__________________
Avatar by the illustrious Derjuin.
Homebrewer's Signature
If you use any of my homebrew, or even if you just have a strong opinion on it, please let me know. Feedback is always useful.
Spoiler

Last edited by Jarian : 03-18-2011 at 01:45 AM.
Jarian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 07:28 PM   Top  -  End  -  #9
arguskos
Titan in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Gender: Male
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarian View Post
You missed the last line of the ability.



Addressing other issues presently.
Uh... no, I didn't. When you MAKE THEM, they can be anywhere. That's what you, specifically, said. I know the guy was talking about a free action to restore after a dispel, but as an english nerd, I was compelled to point out that your response left ambiguity in the air about their general creation method. Dispelled portals I have nothing wrong with (or would have said so, and honestly, that strikes me as kinda crappy; it'd make more sense to just burn the full-round action and make them elsewhere to save your time). That's another good question: if you remake them while some already exist, can you even do that? If so, do you just make them as normal?

Also, these guys are kinda AoO-tastic. You threaten anything your portals are near. AoOs are provoked by movement OUT of threatened squares. Again, intentional?

Oh, and by the way, that battery of questions? I could answer all of them plenty fine (and already did in my head according to what'd be balanced in my own games; since it's brew the term "RAW" fails to matter ). The point was more "did you account for all of this? Did you run out every scenario when balancing these guys?" I find it useful personally, and I like this race, and don't want to see the creator be hammered down by rules questions that were never accounted for (something that WotC is famously bad about).

EDIT: Yet another question or two for thought:
-Does the creation of these make noise? Do they themselves make or transmit noise/light/smell/anything like that? Relevant for infiltration purposes.

EDIT2: Don't think I dislike your work. I don't do this for work I don't like a great deal (it takes time, and I have little enough of that ). Just want to help you sharpen your creation.
__________________
Lovely Thaxos, Elder Serpent avatar by Vaynor! Thanks for letting me know man!

Sig Below!
Spoiler
Io sono un fantasma

Last edited by arguskos : 03-17-2011 at 07:30 PM.
arguskos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 07:36 PM   Top  -  End  -  #10
Jarian
Troll in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 
Crazytown
Gender: Female
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos View Post
I know the guy was talking about a free action to restore after a dispel
You should make a note when you're being pedantic, then. It's a little frustrating to answer pointless questions.

Another battery of replies coming up.
__________________
Avatar by the illustrious Derjuin.
Homebrewer's Signature
If you use any of my homebrew, or even if you just have a strong opinion on it, please let me know. Feedback is always useful.
Spoiler
Jarian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 07:39 PM   Top  -  End  -  #11
arguskos
Titan in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Gender: Male
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarian View Post
You should make a note when you're being pedantic, then. It's a little frustrating to answer pointless questions.
It's not pedantry for the sake of pedantry, but ok, I'll make a note to not ask such questions of you in the future. Sorry to offend, was not the intention.

Quote:
Another battery of replies coming up.
Don't bother. I got what I was curious about, which is that only melee attacks matter for Sharnites. Slightly sad to see it, but fair enough.
__________________
Lovely Thaxos, Elder Serpent avatar by Vaynor! Thanks for letting me know man!

Sig Below!
Spoiler
Io sono un fantasma
arguskos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2011, 07:41 PM   Top  -  End  -  #12
Jarian
Troll in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 
Crazytown
Gender: Female
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos View Post
It's not pedantry for the sake of pedantry, but ok, I'll make a note to not ask such questions of you in the future. Sorry to offend, was not the intention.
I'm not offended, just a little frustrated that you would ask so many questions with obvious answers when you already knew them. The comment wasn't meant to be snappish.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arguskos View Post
Don't bother. I got what I was curious about, which is that only melee attacks matter for Sharnites. Slightly sad to see it, but fair enough.
Given that you'd be using homebrew already, I recommend taking a look at the additional homebrewed [Sharnite] feats below the first post. There are some great ideas in there if you want to make a ranged Sharnite.
__________________
Avatar by the illustrious Derjuin.
Homebrewer's Signature
If you use any of my homebrew, or even if you just have a strong opinion on it, please let me know. Feedback is always useful.
Spoiler

Last edited by Jarian : 03-17-2011 at 07:42 PM.
Jarian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-19-2011, 06:57 AM   Top  -  End  -  #13
Escheton
Ogre in the Playground
 
BarbarianGuy
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: 
Netherlands
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

Pedantic isn't retorical. It's just being (overly)thorough.
Because these issues will come up in a game when used. It is usually best to get it out the way before such an event. And then probably better by the person who designed it in the first place.
Which I take it is what the barrage of questions was for.

The answers might be obvious to some, but not so for others, who then might use it differently than what your intention was.
__________________
Spoiler



D&d; Calibrating your expectations
Escheton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-19-2011, 03:41 PM   Top  -  End  -  #14
Jarian
Troll in the Playground
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 
Crazytown
Gender: Female
Default Re: [3.5 Race] Sharnite

I know what pedantry is, and I don't see how it conflicts with anything I said.

None of these issues presented thus far will come up if people read the rules, as you can see by the slew of responses that are essentially direct quotes from the ability.
__________________
Avatar by the illustrious Derjuin.
Homebrewer's Signature
If you use any of my homebrew, or even if you just have a strong opinion on it, please let me know. Feedback is always useful.
Spoiler
Jarian is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:27 PM.



Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Usage of this site, including but not limited to making or editing a post or private message or the creation of an account, constitutes acceptance of the Forum Rules.