Post/Author/DateTime	Post
AtsuiShoto 02-25-08, 06:19 PM	Well, here's an idea for a race with pretty exceptional psionic ability (for a +0 LA race), but at the loss of much of their mobility. I based this race originally on Jabba the Hutt, I will admit it, but as I fleshed it out I decided burrowing made good sense to explain how these things survived long enough to develop and advance their psionic abilities. Hence the connection to the bulette. Let me know what you think :) The hirritts are distant cousins to the feared bulette, or "land shark". Unlike their vicious, mindless kin, though, the hirritts are a people of deep thoughts. Their bulky form suits their sedentary lifestyle, as they spend much of their lives feasting on the fruits of philosophy and theology. To those unaccustomed to a hirritt's distant gaze and slick sheen of ectoplasm, his kind can be truly disgusting to behold. Hirritts communicate with their own kind through a deep, rumbling language that travels rather well through the earth, in which they commonly retreat for safety or peace enough to think. Medium Size Monstrous Humanoid: The hirritts gain no benefits from their type beyond those specifically detailed below. Speed: 10ft land, 5ft burrow. A hirritt's bulky, ungainly form is ill-suited to mundane surface travel, and his legs are too short to allow an upright gait, but he is able to burrow through dirt and loose material with the aid of a secreted slime of ectoplasm that allows him to more easily slip past the surrounding material. Indomitable: Medium or heavy armor or a medium or heavy load does not impose a speed penalty to the hirritts. However, any bonuses to a hirritt's base land or burrow speed are halved when applied, excluding his racial skate spell-like ability. -2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Cha Hirritts are a hardy, if somewhat ungainly, race. Already the focus of the disgust of some foreigners, hirritts are also prone to borderline antisocial introspection. When they do speak, their booming voices are more often agitating than impressive. +1 natural armor: Hirritts possess a tough and smoothly armored hide, especially thick on their heads and arms, to better push and claw through the earth. Natural Weapons: With the thick, horny hide on both his arms, a hirritt can make 2 natural slam attacks, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage, plus full strength bonus, with a x2 critical multiplier. Naturally Psionic: Hirritts gain 3 bonus power points at 1st level. While hirritts are then considered psionic creatures, this benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class. Slick: A hirritt can manifest the psi-like ability skate at will, with a duration of Concentration instead of the normal duration. He excretes ectoplasm to lubricate his body and propel him along the ground with a mere thought. Downright Slimy: A hirrit can manifest the psi-like ability concealing amorpha 1/day, with a manifester level equal to his number of hitdice. By excreting an exceptional amount of ectoplasm built up while sleeping, he can coat himself thickly and throw off his opponents' direct attacks. A hirrit can use his Downright Slimy ability once more per day for every 5 hitdice he has, up to 3 times per day at 15 hit dice. Earth Sense: A hirritt gains Earth Sense (see Races of Stone) as a racial bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. Automatic Languages: Hirritt, Common. Bonus Languages: Any. Hirritts can pick up any language they are heavily exposed to, which is usually just their native togue and common, but their speech is littered with the resonant thrums and low roars of their native speech in place of most inflection or subtlety. Favored Class: Psion. The few hirritts who find a place in the wider world are pleased to do so by expanding their understanding of their innate psionic abilities. LA: +0 And here's a racial [TACTICAL] feat that can expand the hirritt's usefulness in combat. The last of the three options may even be worthwhile to any hirritt who wants to make himself into a battering ram! [TACTICAL] "They may seem like slow, dumb slugs, but just you get caught beneath one on a hillside, and that damnable slime will ruin your day before you see it coming!" Prerequisites: Hirritt Slick ability, Dexterity 11+, BAB +3, Concentration 6 ranks. Benefits: Taking advantage of his substantial momentum and formidable forearms, a Hirritt gains extra combat options when skateing downhill. He may choose to use one of the following abilities only while moving or charging down an incline to gain the additional speed bonus from his skate psi-like ability. Oozy Burst: The hirritt may expend a power point to maintain concentration as a free action instead of a standard action. The hirritt cannot initially manifest his skate psi-like ability in this way; he must have manifested it prior to using Oozy Burst. Slide-by Attack: As a full-round action, the hirritt may maintain concentration on his skate psi-like ability while charging. He may make a single Slam attack against all enemies that pass within his threat range during the charge. If the attack hits an enemy, moving out of that enemy's threatened square as part of the charge no longer provokes an attack of opportunity (if an attack of opportunity is provoked before the successful slam attack, it is not affected). Pulverizing Run: After moving at least 30ft the hirritt may spend a power point to burrow up to his burrow speed (usually 5ft) into a solid surface, or he may burrow up to three times his burrow speed (usually 15ft) through dirt or loose gravel. He may not burrow into any material with a hardness greater than 8. During the entire round, the hirrit must follow the same movement restrictions that apply to a charge, except that he may burrow during this movement as described above.
Maeglin_Dubh 02-25-08, 07:32 PM	Ah, I see why you had Earth Sense on the mind. It looks interesting. I wouldn't play as one, since I don't understand psionics and I value mobility very highly, but they would make great NPC's, and people who like psionics will find a way around the movement restriction. I wish I could help more, but I don't fully grasp how to balance (thus my appeals for help with my races), but I like what you have so far. Relation to the bulette is nifty.
AtsuiShoto 02-25-08, 08:01 PM	Why, thanks for your input! Usually I worry that the feel of the race's identity and place in the world suffers too much from the slightly outlandish mechanics, so it's awesome to hear you like the feel of it. Oh, and with skate you could get up to 20/round movement... at the cost of all of your standard actions. Going downhill, your speed would pick up to 35/round, as per the power's description. It's not so much a in-combat ability, I'm afraid. Even running with the Run feat would only get you up to 25/round. I'm thinking a racial feat may allow skate use as a move action. Maybe the movement speed should go to 10/round, instead. Or maybe it becomes a move action (and maybe concealing amorpha goes to 3/day uses) at some higher hitdice. That last idea is borrowing a page from your kelikera claw advancement, but on the mental side of things over the physical.
Maeglin_Dubh 02-25-08, 08:24 PM	Something that makes them better at skate than normal would be totally ok, as far as I can tell. It would reflect the necessity of their practice of it, and that they actually do it better than most, it being a bit more essential to their way of life. A feat would do that, since of course, some would simply choose to be sedentary.
AtsuiShoto 03-01-08, 02:25 PM	Seriously, no interest here? I'm just curious what folks think about a character with minimal in-combat mobility, and how that limitation does (or does not) balance out the Hirritts' various bonuses. Barring mechanical input, is this an intriguing racial idea? Any holes that need plugging to make this believable?
thefishcometh 03-01-08, 03:12 PM	I'm not a fan of the psionics system, but from what I know, this looks pretty balanced. The 5ft land speed is a real killer, so that balances out almost any bonuses you give them. Burrow is very situational, so that's balanced as well, in my opinion.
Ecalsneerg 03-01-08, 03:21 PM	Ok then. I'm familar with psionics and I have to say.... woah. This integrates psionics into the race just as seamlessly as with Elans. As it stands, they're pretty balanced. However, I'd knock their speed up a tad, so they're comparable to other races but only while concentrating. Otherwise, I see little too weak or too underpowered. Does skate work with burrow speeds BTW?
AtsuiShoto 03-01-08, 04:03 PM	Does skate work with burrow speeds BTW?Nope. Skate and Burst specifically call out "land speed", so no help with burrowing. The burrow speed was something I added simply because it made sense for the race (and then it led to the bulette relationship). It IS a potent form of movement for utility purposes, but I kept it at the 5' speed for the same reason I did with the land speed: it becomes less powerful for pure combat purposes within a turn-based initiative order. As it stands, they're pretty balanced. However, I'd knock their speed up a tad, so they're comparable to other races but only while concentrating. Otherwise, I see little too weak or too underpowered. Hm. The 20 feet with Skate is already comparable to small races and interacts with barbarian Fast Movement, monk speed bonus (etc.) normally. It also jumps up to 35 feet going downhill (I can imagine that fact adding a fun sort of quirk to the behavior and reputation of Hirritts). Do you think it should still be bumped up? I just had an odd thought: The base land speed COULD be increased, perhaps to 10 or 20 feet, and then add a clause that any bonuses to base land speed are halved! That makes ALOT of sense to me, as a barbarian Hirritt may learn to be faster through his experiences ranging across large distances, but he still has stumpy legs and he still drags his belly along the ground. I'm familar with psionics and I have to say.... woah. This integrates psionics into the race just as seamlessly as with Elans.Thanks! That was the hope. I am mulling over ways to use the 3 bonus power points (like the Elan gets), but I may just leave them as is to encourage the use of psionic classes and items (since the hirritts DO have a decidedly strong inclination to explore and expand their psionic abilities). I was going to tie the power points into the Concealing Amorpha psi-like ability, but then Concealing Amorpha would be a full-fledged power, and the hirritts full-fledged manifesters. I'm not sure I'd like to open up that can of worms.
AtsuiShoto 03-01-08, 04:18 PM	Most recent rebuild, with an eye toward upping the power just a little, and integrating the changes to how land speed bonuses work: (deleted)
AtsuiShoto 03-17-08, 11:12 PM	I've added the tactical feat idea I brainstormed today to the top post of the thread. At this point I'm quite happy with the way this race looks. I'll likely whip up some more thorough fluff soon, now that the mechanics are nearing being set in stone. I think there is plenty of room for some deep, thoughtful, maybe even a bit humorous background writing. Any ideas in that regard, as well as advice for the tactical feat, would be appreciated indeed!
AtsuiShoto 03-31-08, 11:35 PM	Oy, I've been gone 2 weeks and almost expected a response. How's that tactical feat sound? Looking back at it, I'm a touch hesitant about the potential for abusing the 3rd option, and I'm worried that it could be an overly complicated feat for the simple goals it is trying to accomplish.