Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Halaku 06-24-07, 02:33 PM	I was wondering if anyone had made, or if wizards ever released, a monster class for the Unbodied in the XPH, ala savage species?
InkBlot 06-24-07, 04:05 PM	Not in The Mind's Eye or Complete Psionic. Possibly on some seperate web article, but not one I've seen.
Thomar_of_Uointer 06-24-07, 07:34 PM	Grrr... I'm working on one right now. The incorporeal bit is difficult, but the Savage Progressions ghost deals with it. This is one I might actually want to play later on.
Halaku 06-24-07, 08:04 PM	you have my curiosity and attention good sir
Thomar_of_Uointer 06-24-07, 08:17 PM	Hit Telepath Level Dice Level Special 1st 1d8 0 Incorporeal traits, darkvision 60', fly 30' (perfect) assume likeness (Medium), incorporeal touch attack (1d3), +2 Cha 2nd 1d8 1 Hide mind (+2), +2 Wis 3rd 2d8 1 Telekinetic force 1/minute, +2 skills, +2 Int 4th 2d8 2 Incorporeal touch attack (1d4), assume likeness (Small), hide mind (+4), +2 Dex 5th 3d8 2 Telepathy, +2 Con 6th 3d8 3 +4 skills, hide mind (+6), +2 Cha 7th 4d8 3 Telekinetic force at will, incorporeal touch attack (1d6), +2 Wis 8th 4d8 4 Hide mind (immune), assume likeness (Large), +2 Int Hide Mind: An unbodied gains the indicated bonus to saving throws against effects that attempt to identify it as psionic. A bit bare-bones, and it assumes you understand most of the rules behind it, but that's it. Have fun!
Halaku 06-24-07, 08:20 PM	thank you muchly
munin 06-25-07, 09:38 AM	racial ability score modifiers? all at 1st level? I'd spread them out -- the unbodied has +16 racial bonuses, easy to distribute over 8 levels. The following progression complements save and AC progression: +2 Con +2 Int +2 Cha +2 Wis +2 Dex +2 Wis +2 Cha +2 Int how do pre-5th-level unbodied communicate with each other? How about telepathy (10-ft.) at 1st level, with a progression up to 100 ft. 10 ft. -- 30 ft. -- 60 ft. -- 100 ft. -- A 1st-level unbodied would be pretty invulnerable to most CR 1 encounters (except the occasional goblin shaman with magic missile prepared). Feels like it needs a nerf to balance it. Partial vulnerability to normal weapons until 3rd or 4th level (when magic weapons start showing up)? (incorporeal "matrix" is not yet stable and can be affected by metal weapons?)
Thomar_of_Uointer 06-25-07, 09:49 AM	racial ability score modifiers? all at 1st level? I'd spread them out -- the unbodied has +16 racial bonuses, easy to distribute over 8 levels. The following progression complements save and AC progression: +2 Con +2 Int +2 Cha +2 Wis +2 Dex +2 Wis +2 Cha +2 Int how do pre-5th-level unbodied communicate with each other? How about telepathy (10-ft.) at 1st level, with a progression up to 100 ft. 10 ft. -- 30 ft. -- 60 ft. -- 100 ft. -- A 1st-level unbodied would be pretty invulnerable to most CR 1 encounters (except the occasional goblin shaman with magic missile prepared). Feels like it needs a nerf to balance it. Partial vulnerability to normal weapons until 3rd or 4th level (when magic weapons start showing up)? (incorporeal "matrix" is not yet stable and can be affected by metal weapons?) D'oh! Let me add those real quick... How do they talk? They're baby unbodied, you didn't talk when you were young either. :P
munin 06-25-07, 11:59 AM	How do they talk? They're baby unbodied, you didn't talk when you were young either. :P A 1yo baby is speaking eir (http://www.aetherlumina.com/gnp/technical.html) first words. A 2yo toddler can form simple sentences. Given d20's "humans are adults at 15yo", that's about 1/8 of the way to adulthood, so I think telepathy at 1st level is reasonable for an unbodied (assuming similar cognitive development, considering their ancestors). Not getting telepathy until 5th level is like a human not being able to speak until they're 9 or 10. A newborn baby has the physical organs to speak, but not the information structure to do so intelligibly. Similarly, a newborn unbodied should be able to verbalize telepathically, but it won't make sense for a year or two. It also depends on your intention for the monster class. Does it represent a low-level creature you encounter? In that case, a 1st-level unbodied could be a newborn without the ability to speak and still provide a challenge. If it's intended as a playable character (as monster classes were originally designed), then it's probably starting as a young adolescent and it definitely has a need to communicate before 5th level (sign language in an assumed form?).
Sarlax 06-25-07, 12:44 PM	Not getting telepathy until 5th level is like a human not being able to speak until they're 9 or 10. It's like not being able to talk ever. Most people won't break past 1st or 2nd level, let alone 5th. Every 1st-level PC is already exceptional by virtue of having a PC class instead of being a commoner or expert. Racial progression classes are very weird things because they draw out abilities that creatures usually have at adulthood (for thri-kreen, for instance) or receive instantly (for vampire spawn). Instead of thinking of a racial class as the "growing up" phase for a monster, it should be recognized for what it is: an abstract spreading of powers so that a player can be a monster without being unbalanced. The race shouldn't be socially crippled for several levels beforehand.