Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Skritz_the_Lizardmen 06-03-07, 11:00 AM	I was thinking of "symbiotic" race. Kinda like a cross between Venom and Spawn...im talking about a race whos is a merging of two beign. Essentially its an human fused whit a "thing" that form its skin and, partially, its muscle. The two can't separate unless someone cast wish or a god interfere. The twist to it is that the symbiote would have a mind of it own, using the rule for "Intelligent Item". I was just wondering if the those rule could be used. When a player create such caracter, the Dm would roll the stat for the Symbiote. Alignement would be randomly generate.Im still working on the stat but i think this can make them fun to play!!! Of course, they would have some benefit...even tough im not sure what usefullability they could have...
Majick 06-03-07, 03:30 PM	Sounds like an interesting idea. Kinda like a cursed item that you can't, well, uncurse i guess (unless very high level as you stated). See now, would you make them have some sort of level adjustement and hit dice depending on the power of the symbiote or the abilities it confers to you? And you mentioned something similar to a sentient item for rolls - how will you find the DC for this will save? Based on power levels again? It's hard to say what would work better. It could of course be a template, like lycanthropic or vampire and would make for some interesting RP if this thing had it's own alignment (but then again lycanthropes have their own too and so do vampires :P) Another question: Would you be able to supress the symbiote like a lycanthrope can supress their curse? Would you have something similar to control shape? Would that be used instead of will saves perhaps? Keep me posted, i'd like to know what you do with it :D
Skritz_the_Lizardmen 06-03-07, 06:27 PM	In a way, its like if your own flesh was a cursed item. You CAN control it, but its not 100% control. Imagine you wear an organic suit of armor, melded whit your flesh and muscle. The "thing" as a mind of it own!!!! Your "skin is alive!" Also, you can't uncurse it, since its a part of you. Except it make make use of the intelligent item rule. As i said above, your skin is alive! Important note: My DMG is 3.0, but my other book are 3.5!!! "Living Skin" have the following stat: Intelligence: 2d6 Wisdom: 2d6 Charisna: 3d6 Other then that, they behave like living object, so there might be a conflict. There alignement is determined randomly or by the DM. Living skin can't talk, but they can use emphatic abillity ability to make their message clear. It should be noted that living skin are NPC. In other word, you are "wearing" an NPC!!! They use normal rule for "Ego", but add 5. Each time the caracter gain an Hit Dice, the ego value increase by 1. At first, a player might beleive this thing is more usefull then harmfull....but when he will uncover it woill be too late!!!
Zaver 06-03-07, 06:41 PM	I don't think any one would take that race at creation. The idea of making a character that is only partially under my control is beyond unappealing. As something in the world it could be awsome under a good DM. Make for really interesting games with very little work. BBEGs who are using them to take over the kingdom, players stumbling on them and having to face what they could become all manner of plot hooks just from one race. With a bad DM though, this just screams railroading. Lot's of people would be complaining about how they got stuck with one that was "randomly generated" to make them act like the DM wanted.
Rerecros 06-03-07, 06:43 PM	There is smbiotic armor in ECS, and it's not permanent.
Korlall 06-03-07, 11:55 PM	I think that a symbiootic character is an interesting idea. Still, if two being are gonna live in the same body, no player would like to play such a character if they have to deal with the other aspect... But, if only one being is sentient, i guess it can be a good character. Think about the Goa'uld in Stargate. Jaffa has a Goa'uld parasite within their body with help getting faster healing, resistance to radiation and other energy based effects. Still, they never intereact with each other except while in their state of "Kelnorim" or the like... in which the parasite can "communicate" his emotions (but will never have a direct discussion together). The symbiotic is that the Jaffa can't remove the parasite without dying. I guess Wizard of the coast took this idea when making the puppeteer monster from... MMII or MMIII... Anyway... For what is it to make it a race or a template, it depends on if the symbiose can happen bewteen different kinds of race... That is, if a Lycanthrope were always a "wolf" lycan and only a human could be a lycan (forget about the curse and the cure), that would make the character unique and permanent so a "race" would be best... If you're symbiose can happen on different raqces, at different time of their life, or it can be stopped, you ahve to got with a tempalte (in order to apply it later afeter the character creation of being able to remove it). This makes me think of Elan... even still is not a symbiose, they are created by a ritual and become a "new race". I can you can do the same... For example, your symbotic could be some king of special elf. Not a specific subrace but maybe a prophetic like.... let's say, at each 1000 years or so, a special elf is born.... If that elf pass the ritual (on birth), it become that race, if not, it's a normal elf like any other... The ritualcould be like bringing it to the... humm... Centaur sanctuary, performing a ritual in which a spirit of an ancient... great horse spirit joins with the elf giving him weird physiology, plus feeling within it the presence of the spirit... He may or not be able to communicate with it... Anyway, that was just a quick example, but i think you can work around that.