Post/Author/DateTime	Post
bolobaby 11-15-03, 08:34 PM	(Not a joke item... a serious solution! Read on!) Bracers of Humanity Originally crafted by extradimensional slavers who thought humans were the easiest race to control, these bracers are cursed and cannot be removed by normal means once donned. The bracers briefly went into widespread use until it was discovered that the bracers' bond could be broken by channeling inner strength. The bracers are meant only to enslave the weakest of beings and therefore cannot be placed upon any creature that has multiple class levels or class levels in addition to racial hit dice. Slavers that still use the bracers must keep a watchful eye on their slaves in order to ensure that they never gain the strength to escape. Once clasped upon on the wrists, the seams of the bracers disappear and they become solid metal bands that fuse with the flesh of the creature. The wearer immediately changes race and becomes a human. The wearer loses any racial ability score adjustments, racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, racial hit dice, and any supernatural, extraordinary, or spell-like abilities associated with its original race. In addition, the creature loses any skills, feats, or ability score increases that were associated with having multiple racial hit dice, if applicable. The creature retains its original ability scores, minus the racial ability score adjustments. In essence, the creature becomes a 1 HD human with a single class level. The creature does receive the bonus feat and skill points for becoming a human. Each set of bracers is keyed to a control rod. Once per round, the possessor of the control rod can cast Hold Person (DC 15) on up to ten creatures who wear bracers attuned to their rod. There is only one known way to remove the bracers. The creature wearing the bracers must sacrifice enough inner strength to overcome the hold that the bracers have over them. This is accomplished by self-sacrificing class levels obtained while wearing the bracers equivalent to the total of racial HD and ECL of the original race of the wearer. Any HD, skills, feats, ability score increases, and class features gained from the sacrificed levels are immediately lost and the creature returns to it's original race. The bonus feat and skills from being human are also forgotten. Once removed, the bracers are destroyed forever. Strong Transmutation; CL 10; Craft Wonderous Item, Polymorph, Hold Person, Bestow Curse; Price 10,000gp; Weight 1lb. Why the heck did I design these bracers? To allow players to begin a 1st level campaign with an ECL adjusted race at first level. The character will be able to play and "be in on" the storyline in a balanced fashion. When they reach the appropriate level to lose the bracers, they'll be allowed to become the character they really want to be. Granted, they'll probably come equipped with their own storyline... and may provide for some interesting roleplaying when they finally ditch the bracers. Heh. Anyway... it's just a device. What do you think?
Edymnion 11-15-03, 08:44 PM	Um, have you considered how powerful these things would be as weapons if your players got their hands on fresh pairs? If you just really want to let people play high ECL characters at low levels, why don't you just use the monster classes for them? Not hard, really. Break the ECL up into levels, and distribute the creature's abilities out over those levels. Player has to take nothing but monster levels until they're caught up to the normal ECL, then they can start taking normal classes.
bolobaby 11-15-03, 08:55 PM	Breaking into monster levels. That must be something from that Monstrous Races handbook thingy... which I don't have... (seemed cheesy). Yeah, they would be way too powerful as a weapon. Hmmm. Maybe the technology/arcane secrets to make them has been lost?
Edymnion 11-15-03, 09:09 PM	Originally posted by bolobaby Breaking into monster levels. That must be something from that Monstrous Races handbook thingy... which I don't have... (seemed cheesy). Savage Species, and yeah, thats where they introduced the idea. There's currently a "Savage Progressions" article up on the front page (or Click Here For It (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031114a)) that will give you ideas on how its done. You don't need to book, just look over the things in the web features to get the feel of it, and away you go.
Kenkai 11-15-03, 10:17 PM	those template classes are really strong lol. perfect for epic levels or evne before (depending on what class you are) ;)
Wizard 11-16-03, 01:35 AM	Heh heh...animated bracers of humanity could be pretty insane. Imagine those things flying around...