Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kage_no_Neko 08-13-06, 04:54 PM	Recently Robert Wiese created a series of web articles called (Half)-Fiendish Variety (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060714a) and this got me thinking of the first place I had seen half-fiends, Planescape. I went searching through my old books and decided to try my hand at re-working the Half-Fiend template. In the end I disagreed with some of Mr. Wiese's recommendations, as they did not truly capture the feel of one of my favorite Planescape creatures, the Alu-Fiend. Alu-Fiend Picture Here (http://www.planewalker.com/encyclopedia/encyclopedia.php?intEntryID=61) created by Tony DiTerlizzi and provided by the great people at Planewalker.com. If my creation is received well enough I plan on posting it there. A last quick note, I fully admit to using and paraphrasing information from the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. This is done with admiration and respect for the original designers of Planescape. >>> *** <<< ALU-FIEND The woman before you is perhaps the most beautiful you have ever seen. She has attractive powerful features, but her sharp upsloping eyebrows and wings indicate her non-human origins. Tyraline CR 7 Alu-Fiend - Rogue 5 Usually CE Medium outsider (augmented human, chaotic, evil, tanar'ri) Init +3; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Listen +18, Spot +18 Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Dwarven; telepathy 100 ft. ________________________________________ AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 22; trap sense +1, uncanny dodge (+3 Dex, +4 natural, +5 armor) hp 25 (5 HD); DR 5/cold iron Immune electricity, energy drain, poison Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10, evasion; SR 20 Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +3; trap sense +1 ________________________________________ Speed 30 ft. [6 squares], fly 60 ft. (average) Melee +1 silvered longsword +4 (1d8/19-20) or Melee touch +3 (energy drain; provokes attacks of opportunity) or Melee unarmed strike +3 (1d3 plus energy drain; provokes attacks of opportunity) or Ranged shortbow +6 (1d6/x3) Base Atk +3; Grp +3 plus energy drain Atk Options Point Blank Shot, aligned strike (chaotic, evil), sneak attack (3d6) Special Actions change shape, energy drain Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, elixir of sneaking, dust of tracelessness, 3 daggers Spell-like Abilities (CL 5th): At will - darkness, detect thoughts (DC 20) 3/day - suggestion (DC 21) 1/day - dimension door ________________________________________ Abilities Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 26 SQ: Charism Feats Stealthy, Skill Focus (bluff)B, Point Blank Shot Skills Bluff +19 (+27 to distract from energy drain), Disguise +16 (+26 to appear human with wings concealed; +26 when using change self), Escape Artist +11, Hide +13, Listen +18, Move Silently +13, Perform (sing) +16, Search +10, Sleight of Hand +11, Spot +18, Use Magic Device +16 Possessions combat gear plus +1 mithral shirt, +1 silvered longsword, earring of feather falling (this is a ring, I just like this position better :D), shortbow with 20 arrows ________________________________________ Change Shape (Su) Small or medium humanoids only. Energy Drain (Su) Tyraline can drain energy by touching her victim as a touch attack, part of an unarmed strike, or part of a grapple; she is not proficient with such attacks and so provokes attacks of opportunity from her victim if the victim is armed. She can also drain her victim's energy if she can draw them into an intimate situation, in which case her victim must make an opposed Sense Motive versus Tyraline's Bluff check (to which she gains a racial bonus equal to her Charisma modifier) to notice the drain at all. Tyraline can bestow one negative level per round (two if she scores a critical hit as part of an attack) which has a save DC 20. Charism (Ex) Tyraline can use Charisma in place of Intelligence or Wisdom to determine the save DCs of any ability she possesses. Skills As an Alu-Fiend, Tyraline has a racial bonus to Bluff checks to conceal her energy drain in intimate situations equal to her Charisma modifier. She also has a +10 racial bonus to Disguise checks to appear human with her wings covered, and a +10 bonus to Disguise checks when using her change shape ability. Additionally, she shares her succubus mother's incredible intuition, giving her a +8 racial bonus to Spot and Listen checks. Languages As an Alu-Fiend, Tyraline has an instinctive grasp of the Abyssal language. Alu-Fiends are one of the rarest forms of Tanar'ri, being born of the union of a Succubus and a human male. Alu-fiends have the ability to grow and develop as their human fathers, yet have many of the abilities of their Succubi mothers. The Alu-fiend rogue presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments and Hit Dice ability score increases: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 15. Strategies and Tactics Tyraline avoids combat entirely if possible, preferring to use her detect thoughts ability to gain a greater understanding of her foes and her diplomatic skills to misdirect or circumvent them. If her foes are resistant to quick talk, she has no hesitation in employing her suggestion ability to get rid of them. When forced into combat she prefers to hide and attack with surprise when possible, making regular use of her darkness ability. Even when so forced, she only fights until she finds an avenue of escape (though she prefers to save her dimension door for times when she is unobserved, keeping it as an ace in the hole her enemies are unprepared for). After all, with her change self ability she can always come back for revenge disguised as someone else later. CREATING AN ALU-FIEND "Alu-Fiend" is an inherited template that can be applied to any female human. (At the DMs option this template can be applied to other female humanoids, but this is much rarer as Succubi seem to have an easier time seducing human men). This female human is referred hereafter as the base human (for non-humans, replace all references to human with the appropriate race). The alu-fiend retains all the human's abilities and gains those listed here. Size and Type: The human's type changes to outsider. She retains any subtypes and gains the augmented human, chaotic, evil, and tanar'ri subtypes. Challenge Rating: Depends on original class levels, as follows: Class levels 1-10, CL +2; CL 11+, CL +3. Alignment: Usually chaotic evil. Armor Class: An alu-fiend has a natural armor of +4. Speed: An alu-fiend has wings and gains a fly speed equal to twice her base land speed plus class bonuses, average maneuverability. Attacks: Alu-fiends gain no new attacks, but she gains the energy drain ability (described below) and as an outsider is proficient with all simple and marital weapons, irregardless of her class. Abilities: An alu-fiend's ability scores are adjusted from the base human as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Int +4, Wis +2, Cha +10. Special Qualities: An alu-fiend gains the following special qualities: Energy Drain (Su) The alu-fiend gains an energy drain ability similar to her Succubus mother. Unlike her mother, she can deliver her energy drain with any touch, such as a touch attack in combat or part of a grapple. This is not her preferred method and therefore she is not considered armed (and thus provokes attacks of opportunity from her victim if her victim is armed) unless she takes the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. She can also include an energy drain as part of an unarmed strike (or any strike with a natural weapon she may have in her current form). The alu-fiends preferred method of draining a victim’s energy is through more intimate association. If an alu-fiend can trick her victim into a passionate encounter the victim has to make an opposed Sense Motive versus the alu-fiend's Bluff check to realize he has been affected at all. The alu-fiend gains a racial bonus on such Bluff checks equal to her Charisma modifier, effectively doubling her Charisma for the check. In either case, the alu-fiend can bestow one negative level per round (two if she scores a critical hit as part of an attack) and has a save DC of 10 + 1/2 her class levels + Cha modifier. Charism (Ex): Alu-fiends are a passionate race, letting their emotions guide them in times of joy and rage, and when others would use rational thought or intuition instead. Because of this, an alu-fiend can use Charisma in place of Intelligence or Wisdom to determine the save DCs for abilities that are normally Wisdom- or Intelligence-based. Damage Reduction (Ex): An alu-fiend with 1 through 10 class levels has damage reduction 5/cold iron. With 11 or more class levels her damage reduction increases to 10/cold iron. Immunities: An alu-fiend is immune to electricity, energy drain, and poison. Resistances: The alu-fiend has energy resistance 10 versus acid, cold, and fire. Spell Resistance: An alu-fiend has spell resistance 15 + class levels. Darkvision (Ex): The alu-fiend has darkvision 120 feet. The alu-fiend also gains the following abilities as she gains class levels. CLs Special Qualities ----- ----------------- 1-2 change shape, darkness 3/day, telepathy 3-4 darkness at will, detect thoughts at will 5-6 dimension door 1/day, suggestion 3/day 7-8 charm monster 1/day 9-10 greater teleport (self plus 50 lb. only) 1/day, plane shift (self plus 50 lb. only) 1/day 11-12 dimension door 3/day, mass suggestion 1/day 13-14 charm monster 3/day, greater teleport (self plus 50 lb. only) 3/day 15-16 dimension door at will, suggestion at will 17-18 greater teleport (self plus 50 lb. only) at will, summon monster IX (fiends only) 1/day 19-20 charm monster at will, mass suggestion 3/day Change Shape (Su): The alu-fiend can assume the form of small or medium humanoids. While so changed she has a +10 bonus to Disguise checks to appear as a member of the race she is impersonating. Telepathy (Su): As a tanar'ri, the alu-fiend has telepathy 100 feet. Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): An alu-fiend gains spell-like abilities as she gains class levels as indicated in the table above. Her caster level equals her class levels and all save DCs are Charisma based. Skills: The alu-fiend has a +10 racial bonus to appear human as long as her wings are concealed. In addition, she shares her succubi mother's intuitive senses, gaining a +8 racial bonus to Spot and Listen checks. Languages: Alu-fiends have an instinctive understanding of the Abyssal language (it is an automatic language for the alu-fiend). In addition, alu-fiends treat Celestial and Infernal as bonus languages in addition to the ones provided by their class or for being human. Level Adjustment: Same as base human +5. SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS Alu-fiends prefer to work alone, but they are frequently found amongst the groups of unknowing victims they are working upon. If part of a group, they will almost certainly have one or more people duped into being their defenders and champions. Found alone, they will play the victim, grateful to her saviors and showing some moderate skills so she can remain (at least for a little while) to help. Deceiver (EL 7): The players arrive in a new town to find the local constable wrapped around the little finger of his new young paramour, Tyraline. Shortly after they arrive people around town start mysteriously dying. While not directly implicated, the players are under suspicion. If the players track the deaths back to Tyraline they had best tread carefully, the constable is insanely jealous and most of the guards are her friends. ECOLOGY As an outsider, an alu-fiend does not need to eat, drink, or sleep, but when she does she has a decidedly carnivorous appetite. Also, an alu-fiend does not need to use her energy drain ability, but she finds its use extremely pleasurable. Alu-fiends do not contribute to the ecology of an area except as a predator of humanoids and other higher creatures. While blending in amongst mortals an alu-fiend rarely does anything to stand out, but amongst her fiendish brethren she will almost certainly alter her environment to suit her tastes and establish her dominance. Environment: Alu-fiends are unique amongst fiends in that they are native to both the Abyss and the home plane of their father (usually the prime). This renders them immune to most attempts at banishment and allows them to be resurrected like any other native. In the Abyss they setup communities amongst themselves to defend their station in the ranks of the tanar'ri. A few alu-fiends live on Shendilvar and serve Malcanthet; Malconthet seems to find the service of her grandchildren acceptable, unlike so many normal tanar'ri. Typical Physical Characteristics: Alu-fiends are born as any other human, though the wings they are born with give them away. They learn to fly around the time they learn to walk, and though they are more resistant to damage and do not need to eat, drink, or sleep, they otherwise do not appear very remarkable as children. Upon reaching puberty an alu-fiend's other powers begin to manifest including her telepathy and change shape abilities. Once she completes puberty (roughly age 15 to 17) she simply stops aging and becomes as immortal as her mother. The wings of an alu-fiend vary between individuals; most appear bat-like, but a few have been known to be feathered or even insect-like. One to three pairs of wings have been observed on differing alu-fiends, some with small pairs of wings growing out of their hair instead of horns. Colors range from naturally occurring skin or feather tones to blues, reds, greens, and other shades; and even iridescent hues. There is even some belief among scholars that while all alu-fiends have wings, the shape, color, and count of her wings are under her control and the natural form of her wings is whatever she last chose. Other than her wings an alu-fiend's actual physical characteristics are typical for a lithe young female human of her father's society, though an alu-fiend's features are always patrician with sharp upsloping eyebrows and she carries herself with an inherent noble bearing. Alignment: As a native of the Abyss, an alu-fiend is normally chaotic evil. Interestingly, about 20% of alu-fiends are chaotic neutral or true neutral. This usually occurs when her succubi mother seduces a non-evil mortal and the alu-fiend retains a hint of her father's morality. SOCIETY Alu-fiends tend to be hateful, even by tanar'ri standards, because of their dual nature. They view themselves as outcasts, neither human nor tanar'ri. Other tanar'ri view them the same way, as lowly and without purpose. Only the alu-fiends' power keeps them in contention as an existing tanar'ri race. In the abyss they will generally carve out a community of just alu-fiends and succubi, violently resistant of the encroachment of other fiends. Liltu are welcomed as well, but their own nature keeps most of them away. A rare few alu-fiends undertake great rituals to advance themselves to full succubi or even lilitu; as such actions are simply another path to power, alu-fiends that take such a path are accepted as any other succubi or lilitu would. Amongst mortals, alu-fiends know their tanar'ri nature will eventually outlast even their strongest supporters, causing them to be feared and reviled by the next generation. For this reason, alu-fiends trying to live amongst mortals will hide their nature, moving as tide and time require. All this presupposes that the alu-fiend is not there to cause trouble, feed, and flee.:schemes: A significant proportion of alu-fiends take levels in a spellcasting or manifesting class. Sorcerers, bards, and wilders are obvious choices, but with their superior intellects wizards and psions are not uncommon; even alu-fiend clerics, druids, psychic warriors, and rangers are not unknown. The significant benefit to the alu-fiend is their racial Charism ability which allows them to base the save DCs of any spells, powers, or other class abilities on their strong point, their Charisma. LORE Characters with ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about alu-fiends. When a character knows to ask the right questions and makes a successful skill check the following is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Knowledge DC 10 Fiends can mate with almost any other creature. When succubi have children with mortal men, the result is an alu-fiend, the most comely of such unions. Knowledge DC 15 The female facing you is an alu-fiend, born from a succubi and a mortal. Like her mother, she exists to tempt morals from the paths of law and good. This result reveals all outsider and tanar'ri traits. Knowledge DC 20 While not as tough as her succubi mother, an alu-fiend shares her ability to consume the very essence of her victims. Though she is resistant to magic, the alu-fiend takes full damage from cold iron weapons. Knowledge DC 25 Although they are true tanar'ri, alu-fiends continue to exist only because they fight constantly for their position in the abyss. They call home both the abyss and the home plane of their fathers, making them uniquely immune to banishment. Even more amazing, a rare few alu-fiends are not evil or even chaotic. This reveals all other alu-fiend traits. TYPICAL TREASURE Alu-fiends have treasure typical to a NPC of a level equal to their challenge rating. Approximately 75% of alu-fiends carry an additional enchanted weapon, often gifts from their evil mothers. Most such gifts are common make, but roughly 15% are special weapons (e.g. sword of life stealing, etcetera). The alu-fiend relies heavily on such a special weapon and will never willingly part from it. In addition the alu-fiend has a roughly 75% chance to have magical armor as a gift from her mother. 5% of such armor is special (e.g. plate mail of etherealness, etcetera). ALU-FIENDS IN EBERRON Alu-fiends in Eberron, like their succubi mothers, call the plane of Mabar, the Endless Night, home (and are therefore immune to all negative energy effects). They also call Eberron home and the majority choose to live in Eberron. There are much greater numbers of alu-fiends which are not evil or chaotic in Eberron, some even becoming strong champions for the forces of good or law as their inherent nature gives them much better insight into their foes. ALU-FIENDS IN FAERUN As her regular attendants, Lolth's succubus allies are more likely to have frequent contact with the drow than with most other races. Therefore, while still nowhere near as common as human based alu-fiends or the draegloth, drow based alu-fiends are not unknown in the annals of Faerun. Any such drow alu-fiends would lose the human's bonus feat and skill points and gain the drow's racial abilities as normal. Because nearly all the drow's racial abilities are duplicated or superseded by those in the alu-fiend template, any drow alu-fiend takes the alu-fiend's CR and LA modifiers and discards those from her drow traits.
Kage_no_Neko 08-25-06, 11:49 PM	:bump: No opinions about my alu-fiend? Does anyone disagree with how I did the spells, or any of the other aspects? Has anyone run one?
Mitchell 08-26-06, 01:13 AM	No comment on the mechanic, but Alu-Demons (female 1/2 fiends) and cambions (male 1/2 fiends) go back to 1st edition. They called them "semi-demons" at that time.
HomerJaySimpson13 08-26-06, 01:33 AM	Why can it only be applied to a human? I thought it was any mortal who mates with any succubus.
Kage_no_Neko 08-26-06, 05:58 PM	No comment on the mechanic, but Alu-Demons (female 1/2 fiends) and cambions (male 1/2 fiends) go back to 1st edition. They called them "semi-demons" at that time. I did not know that. I originally got into D&D with second edition, was introduced to half-demons in Planescape. Thanks for the info.:) Why can it only be applied to a human? I thought it was any mortal who mates with any succubus. The first paragraph from the alu-fiend description from the Planescape Monstrous Compendium says: Alu-fiends, the horrid female offspring of succubus and human, look like comely human females with attractive, powerful features. Only their sharp, upsloping eyebrows and wings indicate the truth. No where else in the description does it make mention of any race accept human and succubus. You notice I did leave open the option for the DM to allow an alu-fiend built around another race, it is just not from the original material.
HomerJaySimpson13 08-26-06, 06:05 PM	it looks good
Silverthumb128 08-26-06, 10:04 PM	I think the LA is too low. Compared to Half-Fiend, the NA is higher by 3, the ability scores are higher (+10 Cha?), more SLA's, better flight speed, Energy Drain, better SR, and better DR. All that at the cost of an extra LA. This looks more like +8, more comparable to Vampire. Even then, it seems to have more than Vampire.
Kage_no_Neko 08-26-06, 11:47 PM	I think the LA is too low. Compared to Half-Fiend, the NA is higher by 3, the ability scores are higher (+10 Cha?), more SLA's, better flight speed, Energy Drain, better SR, and better DR. All that at the cost of an extra LA. This looks more like +8, more comparable to Vampire. Even then, it seems to have more than Vampire. You are missing a few things: One, the half-fiend gets two claw attacks and a bite attack, the alu-fiend has no natural attack forms. Two, the overall ability spread differs from the half-fiend by only +4 (negligible for an increase in LA from 4 to 5). Three, the half-fiend gets a smite attack, which is replaced by the energy drain in a way that is not immediately useful in combat, provoking attacks of opportunity and all. Four, the changes in spell-like abilities have more to do with role-playing than combat (this is certainly no where near the heavy hitter in combat the original half-fiend is). Five, the DR is completely inline with the DR changes described by Mr. Wiese. And the NA is only marginally better than that specified by Mr. Wiese. Six, for +1 to LA, gaining +2 to existing spell resistance is minor. Last, about the flight speed, I have always had an issue with the fiends getting shortchanged when it comes to flight. They either get half the flight speed of a comparable celestial, or have reduced maneuverability, or both. I disagree with that and so gave the alu-fiend the same flight speed as a half-celestial, even if I did leave her with only average maneuverability (instead of good).
Silverthumb128 08-27-06, 06:24 PM	You are missing a few things: Seems most of what I missed was clarifying where this template is still above & beyond the Half-Fiend in terms of abilities & LA: One, the half-fiend gets two claw attacks and a bite attack, the alu-fiend has no natural attack forms. But they do get Telepathy, and a total of 4 subtypes from the template alone. And Change Shape at Will, and Electricity/Energy Drain immunity. Unrelated bonuses, but its plenty to push the Alu-Fiend past Half-Fiend in this regard. Two, the overall ability spread differs from the half-fiend by only +4 (negligible for an increase in LA from 4 to 5). That's not all that would boost the LA, as already mentioned, but that's enough to help. Three, the half-fiend gets a smite attack, which is replaced by the energy drain in a way that is not immediately useful in combat, provoking attacks of opportunity and all. Smite 1/day, as opposed to Energy Drain. How many times per day? Doesn't seem to be a limitation. Infinite Negative Levels/day does not compare to Smite 1/day. Four, the changes in spell-like abilities have more to do with role-playing than combat (this is certainly no where near the heavy hitter in combat the original half-fiend is). Of course, Suggestion at will has nothing to do with being useful in combat. And Greater Teleport at will isn't useful at all, and is only good for roleplaying. The best part is, Half-Fiend uses only 3 of its SLA's more than 1/day. You have 3 that are useable at will. Five, the DR is completely inline with the DR changes described by Mr. Wiese. And the NA is only marginally better than that specified by Mr. Wiese. I don't know who Mr Wiese is, can you give a link? What exactly makes him an official source? Six, for +1 to LA, gaining +2 to existing spell resistance is minor. As mentioned in response to your point #1 & #2, there are a few abilities that, while you say they're minor, add up.
Kage_no_Neko 08-27-06, 07:10 PM	I don't know who Mr Wiese is, can you give a link? What exactly makes him an official source? Check the link in the first paragraph of the starting post of this thread. Mr. Wiese wrote the web enhancement for Fiendish Codex I that this is based off of. Smite 1/day, as opposed to Energy Drain. How many times per day? Doesn't seem to be a limitation. Infinite Negative Levels/day does not compare to Smite 1/day. True, not an exactly equal exchange. But the energy drain does provoke AoO, and part of the difference is (in my mind at least) included in the fact that the alu-fiend is short three natural attacks. All things considered I consider the energy drain worth less than the NA and smite abilities combined. Of course, Suggestion at will has nothing to do with being useful in combat. And Greater Teleport at will isn't useful at all, and is only good for roleplaying. The best part is, Half-Fiend uses only 3 of its SLA's more than 1/day. You have 3 that are useable at will. Suggestion and greater teleport at will occur at the 15th class level mark, replacing horrid wilting 1/day. Suggestion is a 3rd level language dependent, mind affecting spell limited to one to two sentences, useful in combat yes but at 20th ECL I have to assume most equivalent creatures are as good as immune. Greater teleport is a very powerful ability I agree, but once again this is at 20th ECL. Say the same as an 8th level something Succubus which has equivalent or greater spell-like abilities and claw attacks. Horrid wilting is a 8th level spell that does (assuming 15th level) 15d6 damage to every living being within a 60 ft. spread at a range of 1000 ft., with a Fortitude not Reflex save for half. But they do get Telepathy, and a total of 4 subtypes from the template alone. And Change Shape at Will, and Electricity/Energy Drain immunity. Unrelated bonuses, but its plenty to push the Alu-Fiend past Half-Fiend in this regard. I agree that telepathy is nice, but in and of themselves the 4 subtypes mean absolutely nothing. The chaotic and evil subtypes do give the alu-fiend the aligned strike ability, but the augmented human and tanar'ri do not in and of themselves give anything which is not listed elsewhere in my description. Electricity immunity replaces electricity resistance 10, definitely better. Energy drain immunity is nice, but I have not seen it come up often (not anywhere near as often as energies or poisons, or even diseases in the games I have played). I have never seen change shape as anything but at will. This is an incredibly useful ability, how much in combat depends entirely on how it is used; but it is certainly useful outside of combat. As mentioned in response to your point #1 & #2, there are a few abilities that, while you say they're minor, add up. I agree, but with what you lose and/or replace I felt raising the LA to +5 from +4 was reasonable. I could see possibly going to +6, but nowhere near +8 (this does not compare to a vampire).
Silverthumb128 08-27-06, 07:33 PM	True, not an exactly equal exchange. But the energy drain does provoke AoO, and part of the difference is (in my mind at least) included in the fact that the alu-fiend is short three natural attacks. All things considered I consider the energy drain worth less than the NA and smite abilities combined. You shouldn't try to balance out abilities the possible restrictions you'll entail. By that logic, all spellcasters, because such a large number of spells induce an AoO, are completely equal to any combat-based class, even with the ability to cause immense amounts of damage to multiple targets. See what I mean? Its not the penalty, its the ability itself. Suggestion is a 3rd level language dependent, mind affecting spell limited to one to two sentences, useful in combat yes but at 20th ECL I have to assume most equivalent creatures are as good as immune. You can assume that, but there are always instances in which assuming immunity doesn't mean immunity is the case. Ability, not penalty. Greater teleport is a very powerful ability I agree, but once again this is at 20th ECL. Say the same as an 8th level something Succubus which has equivalent or greater spell-like abilities and claw attacks. Its an ability that the template has, whether 20 ECL or not. I should have said that when I was talking about abilities the template has, I meant the maximum-given ability, as opposed to somewhere in the middle. That, and there aren't any level 8 Succubi, unless you're using a Savage Progression. If its a Half-x build, should it really have the same-strength abilities as its parent? I agree that telepathy is nice, but in and of themselves the 4 subtypes mean absolutely nothing. The chaotic and evil subtypes do give the alu-fiend the aligned strike ability, but the augmented human and tanar'ri do not in and of themselves give anything which is not listed elsewhere in my description. Again, its small abilities that add up. The more small abilities you have, the faster they'll add up. I have never seen change shape as anything but at will. This is an incredibly useful ability, how much in combat depends entirely on how it is used; but it is certainly useful outside of combat. Yes, which is why I mentioned it. Its usefulness makes it something to consider when tallying up how much the LA is. I agree, but with what you lose and/or replace I felt raising the LA to +5 from +4 was reasonable. I could see possibly going to +6, but nowhere near +8 (this does not compare to a vampire). Even after discussing it to this length, I'd still say +6 at least. +8 was at first glance, but +7 still seems pretty accurate.
Kage_no_Neko 08-27-06, 08:04 PM	I disagree with you in that you ignore penalties. While they in no way eliminate the bonuses gained from the ability, they do make the ability less useful and therefore somewhat less expensive (in whatever terms you wish to use). Its an ability that the template has, whether 20 ECL or not. I should have said that when I was talking about abilities the template has, I meant the maximum-given ability, as opposed to somewhere in the middle. You cannot compare a 1st level rogue alu-fiend with a rogue human, and say that the LA should be greater than +5 because someday she will be able to use some great ability at will. You can only compare equivalent creatures, not potentials that may never come to be. The only way to properly compare them is to take concrete, built examples and compare them; not potentials for the future. For example how would you compare Tyraline (my 5th level rogue alu-fiend) with a 10th level human/elf/dwarf/etcetera character. That, and there aren't any level 8 Succubi, unless you're using a Savage Progression. At the back of the MM, on pg. 290 it discusses improving the monster (i.e. increasing its challenge) and one of the ways is by giving it class levels. So in other words, I am talking about a Succubus with all of its racial HD and abilities, and 8 levels in some character class, giving it an ECL of 20 (the CR will be 15 or 12, depending upon whether the class chosen is associated or not as described in the MM pg. 294). If its a Half-x build, should it really have the same-strength abilities as its parent? The alu-fiend does not have all the same abilities of the succubus, many but not all. The other thing you must consider is this is different from a standard half-fiend, she is a true tanar'ri, hence the greater LA. Also, as shown by YabaTheWhat in the threads dedicated to his feature point (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=667683) system, the increase in abilities for ECL is not linear, but more exponential. So moving from LA +4 to +5 is a greater jump than moving from +3 to +4. If this is enough to make up the difference between a half-fiend and my alu-fiend I do not know, but I would like YabaTheWhat's opinion on the matter.
Kage_no_Neko 08-27-06, 08:55 PM	As a quick side note, I found a link to Soldarin's ECL Calculator (http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/shadows/Handbook/ECLcalc.html) on another thread. Now I know this will not be exact, given that the template provides no racial HD, the results I got were: 1 HD; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 20; 1 Major power, 2 Medium power, Minor spell-like abilities: Total ECL is 6.0. 15 HD; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 23; 3 Major powers, Major spell-like abilities: Total ECL is 20.4. I also understand that the system may not be accurate, and that it is built around the 3.0 system, but overall I think it stands the LA +5 pretty well.
YabaTheWhat 08-28-06, 01:28 PM	Without going through the whole thing, let me just say now that level drain (aka energy drain) is a huge ability. Consider what happens if this ability is placed on a monk (or anyone with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat or the Improved Grapple feat). Every hit drains a level, which means they may drain anywhere from 1 to 5 levels per round from their target, depending on the target's touch AC and the Alu-Fiend's level. The level drain occurs so long as the unarmed strike hits the target's touch AC, even if it does not penetrate the target's full AC. Grappling drains a level every round unless the Alu-Fiend is pinned, because the ability only requires a touch attack, and you have to be touching someone to grapple them. (When initiating a grapple, the level drain would occur after the touch attack but before the opposed strength check.)
Kresalak 08-28-06, 02:01 PM	For reference, Energy Drain on any touch is worth the first level ability of a prestige class (Soul Eater).
YabaTheWhat 08-28-06, 04:01 PM	For reference, Energy Drain on any touch is worth the first level ability of a prestige class (Soul Eater). And what are the requirements of the prestige class (or what's the minimum ECL needed to achieve it)? Let me add to my earlier statement that 12 touch hits on a hill giant with this ability will kill it. The level drain ability bypasses damage reduction (making it very lethal to anything with few hit dice), and ignores spell resistance.
Kage_no_Neko 08-28-06, 08:08 PM	Every hit drains a level, which means they may drain anywhere from 1 to 5 levels per round from their target, depending on the target's touch AC and the Alu-Fiend's level. Not true, in the description of the alu-fiend's energy drain it clearly states: In either case, the alu-fiend can bestow one negative level per round ... So even an alu-fiend monk would still only be able to apply one negative level per round. I stated this clearly because I remember seeing in either the FAQ, the errata, Libris Mortis, or somewhere on the WotC site that the number of negative levels a creature delivers is supposed to be a specified number per round, which they can not exceed (I am sorry that I do not remember exactly where). Let me add to my earlier statement that 12 touch hits on a hill giant with this ability will kill it. Given the restriction above, that means that it will take the alu-fiend, one-on-one, 12 rounds to kill the hill giant with this ability. Since the hill-giant is CR 7, that means the class level 2 alu-fiend (given the current level adjustment), maximum hp 36 (2nd level barbarian, max Con, raging) has to survive 12 rounds against attacks that do at +16/+11 (2d8+10) and two +10/+10 (1d4+7). Even assuming she only gets hit with the highest attack bonus each round, average damage, and DR 5/cold iron, she will still take 14 damage a round. So she can survive at most 4 rounds of getting hit (remember that the 5 temporary hit points from energy drain do not stack, you replace the old points with the new highest like any other beneficial ability, Main35FAQv08162006 pg. 78).
YabaTheWhat 08-29-06, 11:35 AM	Given the restriction above, that means that it will take the alu-fiend, one-on-one, 12 rounds to kill the hill giant with this ability. Since the hill-giant is CR 7, that means the class level 2 alu-fiend (given the current level adjustment), maximum hp 36 (2nd level barbarian, max Con, raging) has to survive 12 rounds against attacks that do at +16/+11 (2d8+10) and two +10/+10 (1d4+7). Even assuming she only gets hit with the highest attack bonus each round, average damage, and DR 5/cold iron, she will still take 14 damage a round. So she can survive at most 4 rounds of getting hit (remember that the 5 temporary hit points from energy drain do not stack, you replace the old points with the new highest like any other beneficial ability, Main35FAQv08162006 pg. 78). Except that the Alu-Fiend flies. Spring attack suddenly becomes your best friend. And with the Improved Flight feat, they don't even need to waste movement maneuvering. While this comes out to a total of 5 feats for a fighter or 4 for a monk (making monk 1 / fighter 2 the fastest way to achieve it), it's still a pretty deadly tactic against a creature who isn't particularly vulnerable to grappling. I did miss the max 1/round notation. Just don't count this feature as a trinket; if used properly, it's lethal.
Kage_no_Neko 08-29-06, 05:32 PM	Except that the Alu-Fiend flies. Spring attack suddenly becomes your best friend. And with the Improved Flight feat, they don't even need to waste movement maneuvering. While this comes out to a total of 5 feats for a fighter or 4 for a monk (making monk 1 / fighter 2 the fastest way to achieve it), it's still a pretty deadly tactic against a creature who isn't particularly vulnerable to grappling. A monk 1 / fighter 2 alu-fiend is ECL 8, which puts it one up on the Hill Giant already. Of course the giant does get to throw big rocks at you which you will always be within the first range increment using this combo. I did miss the max 1/round notation. Just don't count this feature as a trinket; if used properly, it's lethal. I completely agree. I just think that for balancing purposes giving up two claw attacks, one bite attack, and the smite attack (the least of the three) is worth equivalent to a little more than the once per round provokes AoO level drain in the trade off I did for this template. The rest of the changes then added the extra LA. In any case, I recognize that energy drain can be abused in the extreme; but this creature was designed more form the original alu-fiend concept, which was a temptress/manipulator fiend with human tendencies, versus a combat machine.
Grod_The_Giant 08-29-06, 09:26 PM	hmmm...i haven't read through all this, but: The alu-fiend i know most about (from war of the spider queen) didn't exhibit all these qualities. I'd give suggestion and alter self (but like the succubus entry in the MM), a bonus to charisma and allow them to apply their charisma modifier to saves, like the nymph.
Kage_no_Neko 08-30-06, 12:36 PM	The alu-fiend i know most about (from war of the spider queen) didn't exhibit all these qualities. I remember reading that as well, but my alu-fiend is based upon the original design from Planescape as I stated. The alu-fiend from War of the Spider Queen did not get a lot of "screen" time in the books. She definitely made use of the teleport abilities, change self, and suggestion or charm abilities. All things considered I would put her about 11th to 12th character level on my template :).
Kage_no_Neko 10-12-06, 12:53 PM	:bump: Has anyone played one of my alu-fiends? Or run across one as an enemy? I would be grateful if you posted the results.
Kage_no_Neko 12-16-06, 04:33 PM	:bump: Still no opinions on how an alu-fiend plays? As a character or as an enemy? Please tell me someone tried running one.
AMGriffin 12-24-06, 11:35 AM	Abilities: An alu-fiend's ability scores are adjusted from the base human as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Int +4, Wis +2, Cha +10. Holy Jesus.
Kage_no_Neko 12-24-06, 02:36 PM	The adjustments are not that bad; and Charisma is treated so poorly by the WotC products that it matters even less.
Grizzled Gryphon 12-24-06, 03:33 PM	While I like the template, I am not fond of using anything with big level adjustments. It just nerfs the characters too much, IMO. Why would I want to play a Half-Dragon fighter, when my hit points are going to be so far behind the rest of the party? Now, this template has potential for a skill monkey class. However, I wouldn't even want to play a sorc with this template, as the LA nerfs the caster level too much. There HAS to be a better way to do the LA thing...
Kage_no_Neko 12-24-06, 03:51 PM	While I like the template... Thanks. I am not fond of using anything with big level adjustments. It just nerfs the characters too much, IMO. Why would I want to play a Half-Dragon fighter, when my hit points are going to be so far behind the rest of the party? Unfortunately I have to agree with you. I really do not like high LA races/templates, but that was how this came out. In the end I run with the idea that if a character plays a race or template that is not totally enhancing for his class/archetype, he should be able to talk the DM into lowering the LA. It requires a flexible DM, but I have found most amenable to this idea. Now, this template has potential for a skill monkey class. However, I wouldn't even want to play a sorc with this template, as the LA nerfs the caster level too much. There HAS to be a better way to do the LA thing... Any level adjust beyond +2 is too detrimental for a caster to be worthwhile (though see my comment above). Even with the LA buy-off found in Unearthed Arcana a small level adjustment still eats too much of your casting ability at low-levels. I agree about the need for a better way of doing the LA thing. Something I read recently in the Everquest II RPG is that several of the races have N% reduction in the experience they gain (anywhere between 5% and 25%). Something like this might work, though there would have to be a drop-off point where the adjustment starts to go down. Of course in the EQ II RPG races that are monstrous humanoid types get d8 hit dice or their class level hit dice (whichever is better) at every level.
Grizzled Gryphon 12-24-06, 04:27 PM	I almost preposed a Gestalt idea, where you have the racial "class" on one side, and the character class on the other. However, this is too powerful for a regular game, and still suboptimal for a gestalt game. Not too bad for a gestalt game, though. Of course, this implies a racial progression like what is found in Savage Species. I have found that the Savage Species progression isn't all that great, either. Yes, you can play any given creature from first leve, but in the end, you will still be way behind the curve in caster level, or BAB, or whatever it is you are aiming at for the character. Now, in Complete Psionics, they have some new progressions for the races in the EXP. For example, the Thri-Kreen has its racia abilities spread out more, but it gets class abilities mixed in, as well. Still not as optimal as a human version of the class, but definetely an improvement. It seems to me that playing a Thri-Kreen is better with the new progression, though. I hope that WOTC comes out with the formula that they used for this, so we can apply it to other creatures. Like this template, for example!:P
AMGriffin 12-24-06, 09:33 PM	The adjustments are not that bad; and Charisma is treated so poorly by the WotC products that it matters even less. Charisma +10!? Bards, paladins, and sorcerers all get a MONSTER boost from this. Also, let's not forget the force of personality feat.
Grizzled Gryphon 12-25-06, 09:55 AM	Not to mention the Dragon Shaman. Yeah, he may be behind the curve with his damage, BAB, and other things, but his Touch of Vitality will be monsterous. Almost makes it worth it. Almost. Not sure what the force of personality feat does, but even with the +10 to Cha, he wouldn't be worth it as a sorc or bard. I would rule that the subtypes precludes being a paladin. Chaotic, Evil, and Tana'ri really aren't very paladin-ish virtues. Being five levels behind the curve really nerfs any class, but especially casters. Being five levels behind? So, at 5th level, you have first level hit points. With a sorc or bard, that means one arrow or ranged touch spell will probably outright kill you. And who wants to fight even a CR 6 creature with one hit die? So, combat types are out. Does the +10 to Cha make this somehow feasible? No, no it doesn't. I just don't think the benefits that level adjustments "adjust" for make up for it. A human sorc at 6th level vs. an Alu-Half Fiend that is ECL 6th is going to OWN the Half Fiend. Without even having to try very hard, either. Sure, in the right situation, the Half fiend could win, but in the right situation, a kobold could kill a 20th level char, too. What is the fix for this prob? No idea. I have tried many different things, and none of them work.
Kage_no_Neko 12-25-06, 12:20 PM	No creature with a LA greater than +1 and no racial hit dice is going to be able to stand against a character of their ECL on their first class level. So sure a 1st level alu-fiend sorcerer is not going to be able to stand up against a 6th level human sorcerer. But how about an 3rd level alu-fiend sorcerer versus a 8th level human sorcerer? Lets switch that to a bard, or rogue (or even a paladin)? After a few class levels the +5 LA is not as bad as at the first class level (though honestly I would still never play a full caster class with an LA greater than 2). ________________________________________ The Force of Personality feat (Complete Adventurer pg. 109) says: Benefit: You add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Wisdom modifier) to Will saves against mind-affecting spells and abilities. So I agree that this is great for an alu-fiend, but it still requires giving up a feat. Similar is the Fey Blood feat found in the Giant In The Playgrounds (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/3CsX278ZDGQQ62al3RP.html) page which allow you to use your Charisma instead of Wisdom as your primary casting stat. as a druid. I have actually though of making a alu-fiend druid character with these to starting feats (the one everyone gets and the extra for being part human). Some of the abilities are duplicated (immunity to poison and such) but it would make for an interesting character, someone having turned from her heritage to the call of nature. And speaking of turning form her heritage, there is nothing wrong with an alu-fiend paladin as long as the DM agrees and the player is willing to work for an effective character. Obviously an alu-fiend is going to have a harder time staving off temptation, but that is what makes it a good role playing foil.
Grizzled Gryphon 12-25-06, 07:03 PM	Agreed, on all apects, there. If I needed to make a 10th level char for a game, I would not be opposed to a +5 or less LA creature, but still not for a caster. I have found that as long as you have as many levels as you LA, you are moderately OK. However, I have to go back to the Dragon Shaman idea with this guy. You get your Dragon Shaman level doubled, times your Cha modifier for Touch of Vitality. Now, granted, you don't get the Touch of Vitality until 6th level. So, you would effectively be 11th. So, let us compare a human Dragon Shaman of 11th level vs the Alu Fiend of the same level. We will leave out the equipment part of this, as we can assume they will be the same. We will also give them straight tens for stats, for ease of use. Alu Half Fiend Dragon Shaman, touch of vitality: Cha 20 +5. 6th level, so 12 x 5 means 60 healing. The Human Dragon Shaman Touch of Vitality: Cha 10 +0. 11th level, so 22x0 means 22 healing. Now, this could be considered unfair. So, we can use the starting packages from the PHBII. Each of the 3 examples have a 13 in Cha. So, it is apperently the second highest stat on the totem pole of important stas for the Dragon Shaman. But, even using those as a basis, it doesn't compare. So, lets give the Human the level and equipment bonus that he can have? Well, a Cloak of Charisma+2 wouldn't be out of the question at that level. But, this guy has focused on being as charismatic as he can be, so we will go with a +3. Also, the guy put all of his level adjustments into Cha. So, with a base of 13, with a +3 from equipment, and a +2 from levels, he has an 18 Cha. The Alu has a base of 13, with a +10 from levels, and a +1 from an item (this one focused on Con, instead), and none from his levels, we have a Cha of 24. So, Alu has 12 X 7 for 84 healing. Human has 22 X 4 for 88 healing. Well. So, even with its best stat, a human is better at it than the Alu. Another blow to the current LA system. LOL. I honestly thought the Alu would shine out, there... Hopefully, this is a good example why the +10 to Cha isn't too much for a LA +5 creature.
Penknight 12-25-06, 11:00 PM	So, I guess that makes the half-fiend template in the Monster Manual a default alu-fiend?
Penknight 12-26-06, 05:36 AM	So, I guess that makes the half-fiend template in the Monster Manual a default alu-fiend?Um, yeah. Heh. Just pay me no heed. This has been answered elsewhere. *waves hand* "This is not the post you're looking for."
Kage_no_Neko 12-26-06, 12:55 PM	I agree with you Grizzled Gryphon, in a high level campaign you can get bye with about half your ECL being LA and racial hit dice (by high I mean 7-20 ECL, beyond that it starts getting silly to have more LA). There are exceptions where a higher LA is still worth it for non-pure casters (an example would be one of my valkyries with three levels of say ranger or scout in a group of ECL 18 characters).
Kage_no_Neko 01-27-07, 09:02 PM	Just checking to see if anyone has played one of these (either as a party member, or as the DM as the foe) and would be willing to write how it has gone? EDIT: I have also added Celestial and Infernal as bonus languages of all alu-fiends; since all the outsiders I have seen on both sides of the war always seem to know these languages, I figure alu-fiends should have the possibility of knowing them as well.
far2far2return 02-11-07, 12:25 AM	it would gain benefit w/ the bard. Just ***** out with perform skill and fascinate. start w/ 30 cha. (18, +10, +2 cloak) max ranks, sword of singing (magic of fearun( i think), +6 to perform sing when drawn, +1 wpn bons) and skill focus for a total of 23 in the skill. Of course this is all pending the dm not stopping you on book usage. Further, i now look upon a compnedium of monsters from 2nd ed. , w/ no cover, just a compilation of monsters. the only identifying mark being MC8 in the upper right hand corner. I see an alu fiend with base ac of 5. it is a T'nar'ri, and as such gets resistances, immunities, darkness at will, infravis (240 ft.), tele. w/o error at will. Specifically an alu-fiend: unlimited use of: charm person, dim door (once a day), Shape change (any humanoid), ESP, and suggestion. 75% chance to sense impending danger. usually has magic armor or weapons. hope it helps, maybe not, that's my 2 bits.
Kage_no_Neko 02-11-07, 09:01 PM	Further, i now look upon a compnedium of monsters from 2nd ed. , w/ no cover, just a compilation of monsters. the only identifying mark being MC8 in the upper right hand corner. I see an alu fiend with base ac of 5. it is a T'nar'ri, and as such gets resistances, immunities, darkness at will, infravis (240 ft.), tele. w/o error at will. Specifically an alu-fiend: unlimited use of: charm person, dim door (once a day), Shape change (any humanoid), ESP, and suggestion. 75% chance to sense impending danger. usually has magic armor or weapons. Thanks. I built my alu-fiend with the Planescape Monstrous Compendium as I said. It duplicated these abilities exactly for the alu-fiend written up there. I decided to leave off the darkness at will and dimension door once per day (D.D. does not seem to get you anything with T. w/o E.). I could see adding darkness back in but am not sure where. The idea was to create a template out of these stats ala the half-fiend. Do you think I did a good job?
Alder_Fiter_Galaz 02-12-07, 10:36 AM	I looks that many monsters who in 2nd edition have powers at will and in 3rd have this powers 3 per day or 1 per day
Kage_no_Neko 02-12-07, 12:55 PM	I looks that many monsters who in 2nd edition have powers at will and in 3rd have this powers 3 per day or 1 per day From what I have been able to see of both the Erinyes and Succubus which made the transition from Plansescape Monstrous Compendium to the MM, while some of the powers have been changed slightly, if they had a ability usable at will in Planescape they still had that ability usable at will in 3.5. I tried to duplicate the Sp abilities usable at will for the alu-fiend into the template. The progressively increasing spell ability table gave me that option without front loading the fiend to have an unplayable LA. Of course you may still consider +5 LA to heavy to play, but you can always discuss that with your DM.
Kage_no_Neko 05-22-07, 12:57 PM	Thomas M. Reid, amazing author of the book Insurrection in the War of the Spider Queen series has just released a new book returning to the alu-fiend Aliisza he first wrote about there. The book is titled The Gossamer Plain (http://ww2.wizards.com/books/Wizards/Products/?doc=955537400&dcmp=ILC-BOOKSGOSSPLNDND) and is the first in a new trilogy The Empyrean Odyssey. I plan to pick it up this weekend and see how she compares to my write up, but I just had to post notice once I saw the news. After I read the book I will post again (and perhaps do some tweaking, I am never satisfied).
Darkon Slayer 05-31-07, 05:16 PM	En-world has a good conversion for the Alu-fiend and it includes the racial hit dice that it should have, the alu-fiend was not ment to be a template. I made a few modifications that I felt it need and here it is. ALU-FIEND Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar) Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (average) Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 light shield), touch 12, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2 Attack: +1 short sword +5 melee (1d6+1/19-20) or javelin +4 ranged (1d6) Full Attack: +1 short sword +5 melee (1d6+1/19-20) or javelin +4 ranged (1d6) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Draw health, spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, darkvision 60 ft., poison immunity, resistances (acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5), telepathy 100 ft. Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 19 Skills: Bluff +11, Concentration +4, Diplomacy +9, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (any one) +7, Listen +4, Perform (any one) +9, Profession (any one) +4, Sense Motive +6, Spot +4 Feats: Weapon Finesse Environment: Lower Planes Organization: Solitary or pair Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +3 This comely human female has attractive, powerful features. Its sharp, up-sloping eyebrows, small black horns and leathery wings indicate fiendish origin. Alu-fiends are the female offspring of a succubus and a human male (or a male of another humanoid race). Though part demon, not all alu-fiends are inherently evil (although alu-fiends of any good alignment are extremely rare). However, alu-fiends tend to be bitter, hateful creatures - even by tanar’ri standards - because of their dual nature. They are as outcasts, neither human nor tanar’ri. Other demons see them as lowly half-breeds without purpose, while mortals think of them as "lesser succubi". COMBAT Alu-fiends are aware of their weakness in comparison with true fiends. They rely on their guile and charms to avoid conflict, or rather to delay it until they can isolate their foes and place them in a vulnerable position. An alu-fiend’s unarmed attacks, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Draw Health (Su): At will, a wounded alu-fiend can make a touch attack against a living creature to inflict 1d8 + Cha modifier, at the same time curing itself of the same amount. Any excess healing is wasted. An alu-fiend at full health cannot use this ability. Spell-like Abilities: At will – Alternate form. 3/day – charm person (DC 15), darkness, detect thoughts (DC 16), 1/day – dimension door, suggestion (DC 17). Caster level equal to hit dice. Save DCs are Charisma-based. In addition, once the alu-fiend reaches 9th character level, she becomes able to use greater teleport (self plus 50 lb. of objects only) once per day. Telepathy (Su): Alu-fiends can speak with any living creature within 100 ft. that has a language. Alu-Fiends as Characters Alu-Fiends possess the following character traits: — +4 Dex, +2 Con, +4 Int, + 8 Cha — Medium Outsider. Alu-fiends are usually native to one of the chaos-aligned lower planes, and have the extraplanar subtype when they are not on their home plane. — An alu-fiend’s base land speed is 30 ft., and has a fly speed of 60 ft. with average maneuverability — Darkvision out to 60 ft. — +2 natural armor bonus — Racial HD: An alu-fiend starts with 2 levels of outsider which grant her 2d8 hit dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and base saving throws of Fort +3, Ref +3, and Will +3 — Racial Skills: An alu-fiend’s outsider levels grant her 2 x (8+Int modifier) skill points. Her class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge, Listen, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, and Spot. — Racial Feats: An alu-fiend’s outsider levels grant her one feat. — Special Attacks (see above): Draw health. — Special Qualities (see above): Damage reduction 5/cold iron, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to poison, resistance to acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, and fire 5, telepathy 100 ft, spell-like abilities. — Skills: Alu-fiend’s have a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Sense Motive checks. — Automatic Languages: Abyssal, Planar Trade. Bonus languages: Any. — Favored Class: Sorcerer — Level Adjustment: +3
Kage_no_Neko 06-05-07, 12:45 PM	En-world has a good conversion for the Alu-fiend and it includes the racial hit dice that it should have, the alu-fiend was not ment to be a template. It was not originally written that way I agree, but why not? If there are half-fiends out there why not create a version that is the alu-fiend? And can you post a link to the En-world version? I made a few modifications that I felt it need and here it is. ... Draw Health (Su): At will, a wounded alu-fiend can make a touch attack against a living creature to inflict 1d8 + Cha modifier, at the same time curing itself of the same amount. Any excess healing is wasted. An alu-fiend at full health cannot use this ability. Spell-like Abilities: At will – Alternate form. 3/day – charm person (DC 15), darkness, detect thoughts (DC 16), 1/day – dimension door, suggestion (DC 17). Caster level equal to hit dice. Save DCs are Charisma-based. In addition, once the alu-fiend reaches 9th character level, she becomes able to use greater teleport (self plus 50 lb. of objects only) once per day. So you got rid of the level drain and changed/replaced the change shape with alter form? The other spell like abilities you list at 3/day and 1/day were originally written as usable at will, which is why I allowed that at higher levels. I also don't see the need for dimension door if you have greater teleport at will (which the alu-fiend write up I based mine upon did). Overall I see what you did, and though I thank you for the input I disagree with your choices and prefer my own (though I could just be biased :D).
Darkon Slayer 06-11-07, 03:14 PM	The orginal alu-fiend has the hp drain ability not a lvl drain ability my change to the En-world one was to make it an always active ability instead of a number of uses per day. I have the Monsterous manual for 2nd ED that re untroduced the alufiend for witch you use the picture of. I understand what you mean about the teleport but dimesion door and teleport are totally different in there usefullness. I don't have the link for it, because I made a copy of it and was going to use it in my game, after i did some alterations.
Darkon Slayer 06-11-07, 03:21 PM	http://www.enworld.org/cc/converted/outsider/demon/alu-demon.htm this is one of the refrence points I used in making my version.
Kage_no_Neko 06-20-07, 08:15 AM	Thanks for the link, Darkon Slayer. You are right that the original alu-fiend had a hp drain instead of the level drain that the succubus had. But in the current edition of D&D there is no such thing as that hp drain. The alu-fiend's stolen hit points never went away, she just healed the damage normally. That was why I decided to give her a level drain instead of the much weaker vampiric touch, especially considering the original alu-fiend (and the version I created as well) was not designed with a claw attack. After re-reading the writeup of both dimension door and teleport I agree with you that they are nuanced differently. DD allows you to teleport to any location you can specify in range as opposed to teleport that requires at least passing familiarity. In game play what this means is that while someone with DD could say transport me X feet in some direction, or directly to the opposite side of a door, you can not get that effect with teleport. I am thinking about it and perhaps I will change it. ------------------------------------------ On a side note, I did read the book The Gossamer Plain. The story of Aliisza was well written and in the end I thought both sides (the good and the bad) were manipulative bastards, but Aliisza never made much use of her racial abilities once the story started, so I did not really have much to compare my write-up to. I recommend the book, but it looks like I will have to wait for the next book in The Empyrean Odyssey before being able to compare my write-up.
Kage_no_Neko 06-21-07, 12:09 AM	EDIT: I had been thinking for a while about possibly adding back in the darkness ability of the original alu-fiend. After discussing with Darkon Slayer the differences between dimension door and teleport, I decided to add that as well. Adding both of these spells into the spell progression required me to re-order the list a bit, and I ended up adding mass suggestion as a three times per day ability at 19th class level. Overall I am pleased with the new spell progression and I do not think adding darkness to the 1st through 4th class levels is enough to change the +5 LA, but I did change the CR to +2 for 1-10 class levels, +3 after that. I also added a bit about alu-fiends in Faerun. This is minor, as it is based upon the description of Lolth in the Drow of the Underdark book recently published. Perhaps if I can learn more about Faerun's cosmology I will modify or change the entry, but right now I still do not know enough. Either way suggestions for this area are appreciated.