Pixes LA worth it? Other options? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Pixes LA worth it? Other options? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Venion
02-07-08, 09:35 PM Hello, for some reason the idea struck me that for an upcoming game I would like to play a Pixie type character (small, flies, etc) and the only race I've seen is the Pixie in the Monster Manual.

This race gets some pretty good stuff and as a result gets a +4 LA (+6 if you want it to have Otto's Irresistible Dance)

Now, I intend to play the Scout class and use him/her to scout, spy, gather information, and try my best to steer clear of combat unless forced (stay back, use some of the Pixie tricks + weird arrows + bow)

We're also starting at 5th level, so if I were to play this race I'd be 1st, which doesn't bode well combat wise, but RP wise the Pixie looks pretty good.

I have four questions:

1) Do you think the LA of +4(+6) is worth it for what the Pixie gets?

2) The MM doesn't go into details but what is specific about the two special arrows pixies use, do they just appear, buy them, or create them?

3) I am confused as to what the MM means when it states that "A pixie character exchanges it's 1 HD of fey for it's first class level" what does this mean exactly, as Fey do not get bonus HD.

4) My DM will not do a LA buyout to make the LA smaller, so are there any other similar alternatives race wise to the Pixie without a +4(+6) LA? (small, flies, etc)
ToastedAmphibian
02-07-08, 10:41 PM 1) Yes, sometimes

2) Its best to assume they have to buy them from other pixies. In general id say a PC does not get them

3) Pixies have a single racial hit die. Just like humans, Dwarves, Kobolds, Elves ect. When it comes to determing your HD, saves, skills, BAB ect, pretend yoru a human of your class level. Humans with class levels dont have ractial HD right? Same thing with pixies.

4) Using the LA buy off rules, it would be a LONG time before you could buy down you LA anyways. In this case it isnt a huge loss. I cant really think of anything else that fits your idea very well.

Ok, now back to 1. The pixie really has three thigns going for it:
A) Huge ability boosts. Great Dex, Great INT Great CHA Good Wis
B) Permanent Greater Invisibility
C) Flight

Why do you want to go scout? Permanent effect greater invisibilty nearly guarantees that most everything you fight will be flatfooted agisnt you 90% of the time. Sneak attack would probably be a better bet.

Have you thought of going Rogue/swordsage?
2 levels of sword sage gets you several handy manuevers if you need somethjing in a pinch, but more importantly gets you Wisdom to AC like a monks, and Assassins Stance which gives you +2d6 Sneak attack. Then go the rest of your levels in rogue. Use a bow, and you can sneak attack from 30ft. Flight should be enough to keep you out of easy melee attack from things that manage to see throuh your invisibilty, and your manueverabilty should let you evade the dragons bite (But not his breath)

Even with your spell resitance and evasion, area effect spells are going to be your biggest threat. Your fort save is gonna SUCK. Look into buying items that boost you Fort save.

Aside from taht you should be fine. If you make it to class level 4, you should do alright.
ciaran
02-07-08, 11:54 PM The arrows, like drow poison are at an unlimited supply when employed by the DM. You'll have negotiate with he/she your starting quantity and means & price of buying more.

Remember that the DCs will go up as you advance in level.
DC = 1/2 HD + Cha +2

I almost allowed a PC to play this class. I'm glad it didn't happen.

Not enough mid-level creatures would have any means at all of locating the Pixie PC. Not to mention, between a difficult DR, Gr Invis & Spell Resistance, your party members will end up taking most of the blows that could have ended up with you. Not fun for them... You may avoid incurring the wrath of your DM by avoiding Rogue-ish classes and maybe playing something like Favored Soul. It could actually work very well. Take a look at it.
Thraxis
02-07-08, 11:56 PM 1.) the pixie has quite an array of abilities, so it is *fair* by the rules. The invisibility is really useful, though I would have given it more racial HD to help it out with HP.

2.)In Savage Species, it mentions Pixies being able to make the arrows "as if they had the prerequisites needed". So I would assume they make them based on that quote.

3.) basically the concept is you don't give the pixie any skills/hp/saves/BA for its fey level, and instead jsut give it the respective properties of the class you give it (scout for instance)

4.)nycters, while still a total of lvl 5, trade the LA for racial HD, so you at least get feats/skills/hp/BA/saves for your higher level. This is also a small winged monster (MM III)

poison dusk lizardfolk have good dex/camoflauge/etc for only +1 LA (MM III)
it doesn't fly, though

hope I've helped, Thraxis
runestar
02-08-08, 12:02 AM 1) Do you think the LA of +4(+6) is worth it for what the Pixie gets?

Quite. Though you may find the going quite tough at lower lvs, when you have so few hp. Things should get better when you have more class lvs under your belt.

2) The MM doesn't go into details but what is specific about the two special arrows pixies use, do they just appear, buy them, or create them?

Savage species apparently classifies them under a feat which allows them to create sleep arrows.

4) My DM will not do a LA buyout to make the LA smaller, so are there any other similar alternatives race wise to the Pixie without a +4(+6) LA? (small, flies, etc)

You could try the petal from MM3 (Humongous racial stat mods, LA+2), which would make excellent rogues or swordsages.:)
Venion
02-08-08, 09:04 AM I rolled up the stats 17, 13, 16, 12, 13, 16, was just curious where you all think I should put them? Putting the 17 or a 16 into CON seems like a good idea to me just because I'll be missing 4 HD than the other players, assuming they do not play any LA races.
Venion
02-08-08, 09:14 AM Remember that the DCs will go up as you advance in level.
DC = 1/2 HD + Cha +2

Are you sure about this? The book just gives flat DC save values to everything a Pixie does (Spell-like abilities, arrows) and makes them CHA based and a +2 Racial Bonus given to the target.
Nada_Rakshasa
02-08-08, 02:22 PM If you have access to a copy of Underdark you might look into the Gloaming race. They're fairly pixie-ish with +2 LA and may be something you'll be interested in. Just a suggestion.
runestar
02-08-08, 07:10 PM I rolled up the stats 17, 13, 16, 12, 13, 16, was just curious where you all think I should put them? Putting the 17 or a 16 into CON seems like a good idea to me just because I'll be missing 4 HD than the other players, assuming they do not play any LA races.

Those are some crazy stats.

If you are going scout, I suppose you can dump cha. You will want high dex/int to boost your skills (remember that they get open lock/disable trap as per the errata, so you can function as a decent rogue). Every bit of con helps, though that is less useful at lower lvs as you have so few HD. Wis is optional, though if you do not plan on wearing armour (because your dex will be obscene later on), a monk's belt can help boost your AC further. Str is moot unless you plan on entering melee combat.
ciaran
02-08-08, 08:05 PM Are you sure about this? The book just gives flat DC save values to everything a Pixie does (Spell-like abilities, arrows) and makes them CHA based and a +2 Racial Bonus given to the target.

Pretty sure. Its consistent with the formula (1/2 HD + Ability Mod) in the back of the MM. The Monster Entry has a Cha 16 (+3), 1 HD (1/2 = +0) and a racial +2. They list the DC as 15. If the DM decides to not advance the DC with level then the arrow abilitiy you're paying for loses potency. The Ability Focus feat in MM should boost one or both as well.
runestar
02-08-08, 09:14 PM They list the DC as 15. If the DM decides to not advance the DC with level then the arrow abilitiy you're paying for loses potency.

I am not sure that those sleep arrows are even factored into its LA, since it is not listed anywhere in its PC stat block. Though as an ex ability, it's DC should scale with lv.
Rulebook
02-10-08, 04:19 AM skrew sleep arrows... a pixie rogue/monk/master shuriken thrower is sheer terror. constant invisibility means constant sneak attacks. anything you cant Sneak Attack, you can fly away from.
Argaud
02-10-08, 08:18 AM 4) My DM will not do a LA buyout to make the LA smaller, so are there any other similar alternatives race wise to the Pixie without a +4(+6) LA? (small, flies, etc)
Apply the half-fey template to a halfling or gnome and you have a small, flying character with great dex and cha and impressive slas for just LA +2.
Prime32
02-12-08, 02:13 PM You could try the petal from MM3 (Humongous racial stat mods, LA+2), which would make excellent rogues or swordsages.:)
I was thinking about a petal gestalt warlock//druid with a Huge air elemental companion. Think about that for a second. The petal can share space with it, too.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Venion 02-07-08, 09:35 PM	Hello, for some reason the idea struck me that for an upcoming game I would like to play a Pixie type character (small, flies, etc) and the only race I've seen is the Pixie in the Monster Manual. This race gets some pretty good stuff and as a result gets a +4 LA (+6 if you want it to have Otto's Irresistible Dance) Now, I intend to play the Scout class and use him/her to scout, spy, gather information, and try my best to steer clear of combat unless forced (stay back, use some of the Pixie tricks + weird arrows + bow) We're also starting at 5th level, so if I were to play this race I'd be 1st, which doesn't bode well combat wise, but RP wise the Pixie looks pretty good. I have four questions: 1) Do you think the LA of +4(+6) is worth it for what the Pixie gets? 2) The MM doesn't go into details but what is specific about the two special arrows pixies use, do they just appear, buy them, or create them? 3) I am confused as to what the MM means when it states that "A pixie character exchanges it's 1 HD of fey for it's first class level" what does this mean exactly, as Fey do not get bonus HD. 4) My DM will not do a LA buyout to make the LA smaller, so are there any other similar alternatives race wise to the Pixie without a +4(+6) LA? (small, flies, etc)
ToastedAmphibian 02-07-08, 10:41 PM	1) Yes, sometimes 2) Its best to assume they have to buy them from other pixies. In general id say a PC does not get them 3) Pixies have a single racial hit die. Just like humans, Dwarves, Kobolds, Elves ect. When it comes to determing your HD, saves, skills, BAB ect, pretend yoru a human of your class level. Humans with class levels dont have ractial HD right? Same thing with pixies. 4) Using the LA buy off rules, it would be a LONG time before you could buy down you LA anyways. In this case it isnt a huge loss. I cant really think of anything else that fits your idea very well. Ok, now back to 1. The pixie really has three thigns going for it: A) Huge ability boosts. Great Dex, Great INT Great CHA Good Wis B) Permanent Greater Invisibility C) Flight Why do you want to go scout? Permanent effect greater invisibilty nearly guarantees that most everything you fight will be flatfooted agisnt you 90% of the time. Sneak attack would probably be a better bet. Have you thought of going Rogue/swordsage? 2 levels of sword sage gets you several handy manuevers if you need somethjing in a pinch, but more importantly gets you Wisdom to AC like a monks, and Assassins Stance which gives you +2d6 Sneak attack. Then go the rest of your levels in rogue. Use a bow, and you can sneak attack from 30ft. Flight should be enough to keep you out of easy melee attack from things that manage to see throuh your invisibilty, and your manueverabilty should let you evade the dragons bite (But not his breath) Even with your spell resitance and evasion, area effect spells are going to be your biggest threat. Your fort save is gonna SUCK. Look into buying items that boost you Fort save. Aside from taht you should be fine. If you make it to class level 4, you should do alright.
ciaran 02-07-08, 11:54 PM	The arrows, like drow poison are at an unlimited supply when employed by the DM. You'll have negotiate with he/she your starting quantity and means & price of buying more. Remember that the DCs will go up as you advance in level. DC = 1/2 HD + Cha +2 I almost allowed a PC to play this class. I'm glad it didn't happen. Not enough mid-level creatures would have any means at all of locating the Pixie PC. Not to mention, between a difficult DR, Gr Invis & Spell Resistance, your party members will end up taking most of the blows that could have ended up with you. Not fun for them... You may avoid incurring the wrath of your DM by avoiding Rogue-ish classes and maybe playing something like Favored Soul. It could actually work very well. Take a look at it.
Thraxis 02-07-08, 11:56 PM	1.) the pixie has quite an array of abilities, so it is fair by the rules. The invisibility is really useful, though I would have given it more racial HD to help it out with HP. 2.)In Savage Species, it mentions Pixies being able to make the arrows "as if they had the prerequisites needed". So I would assume they make them based on that quote. 3.) basically the concept is you don't give the pixie any skills/hp/saves/BA for its fey level, and instead jsut give it the respective properties of the class you give it (scout for instance) 4.)nycters, while still a total of lvl 5, trade the LA for racial HD, so you at least get feats/skills/hp/BA/saves for your higher level. This is also a small winged monster (MM III) poison dusk lizardfolk have good dex/camoflauge/etc for only +1 LA (MM III) it doesn't fly, though hope I've helped, Thraxis
runestar 02-08-08, 12:02 AM	1) Do you think the LA of +4(+6) is worth it for what the Pixie gets? Quite. Though you may find the going quite tough at lower lvs, when you have so few hp. Things should get better when you have more class lvs under your belt. 2) The MM doesn't go into details but what is specific about the two special arrows pixies use, do they just appear, buy them, or create them? Savage species apparently classifies them under a feat which allows them to create sleep arrows. 4) My DM will not do a LA buyout to make the LA smaller, so are there any other similar alternatives race wise to the Pixie without a +4(+6) LA? (small, flies, etc) You could try the petal from MM3 (Humongous racial stat mods, LA+2), which would make excellent rogues or swordsages.:)
Venion 02-08-08, 09:04 AM	I rolled up the stats 17, 13, 16, 12, 13, 16, was just curious where you all think I should put them? Putting the 17 or a 16 into CON seems like a good idea to me just because I'll be missing 4 HD than the other players, assuming they do not play any LA races.
Venion 02-08-08, 09:14 AM	Remember that the DCs will go up as you advance in level. DC = 1/2 HD + Cha +2 Are you sure about this? The book just gives flat DC save values to everything a Pixie does (Spell-like abilities, arrows) and makes them CHA based and a +2 Racial Bonus given to the target.
Nada_Rakshasa 02-08-08, 02:22 PM	If you have access to a copy of Underdark you might look into the Gloaming race. They're fairly pixie-ish with +2 LA and may be something you'll be interested in. Just a suggestion.
runestar 02-08-08, 07:10 PM	I rolled up the stats 17, 13, 16, 12, 13, 16, was just curious where you all think I should put them? Putting the 17 or a 16 into CON seems like a good idea to me just because I'll be missing 4 HD than the other players, assuming they do not play any LA races. Those are some crazy stats. If you are going scout, I suppose you can dump cha. You will want high dex/int to boost your skills (remember that they get open lock/disable trap as per the errata, so you can function as a decent rogue). Every bit of con helps, though that is less useful at lower lvs as you have so few HD. Wis is optional, though if you do not plan on wearing armour (because your dex will be obscene later on), a monk's belt can help boost your AC further. Str is moot unless you plan on entering melee combat.
ciaran 02-08-08, 08:05 PM	Are you sure about this? The book just gives flat DC save values to everything a Pixie does (Spell-like abilities, arrows) and makes them CHA based and a +2 Racial Bonus given to the target. Pretty sure. Its consistent with the formula (1/2 HD + Ability Mod) in the back of the MM. The Monster Entry has a Cha 16 (+3), 1 HD (1/2 = +0) and a racial +2. They list the DC as 15. If the DM decides to not advance the DC with level then the arrow abilitiy you're paying for loses potency. The Ability Focus feat in MM should boost one or both as well.
runestar 02-08-08, 09:14 PM	They list the DC as 15. If the DM decides to not advance the DC with level then the arrow abilitiy you're paying for loses potency. I am not sure that those sleep arrows are even factored into its LA, since it is not listed anywhere in its PC stat block. Though as an ex ability, it's DC should scale with lv.
Rulebook 02-10-08, 04:19 AM	skrew sleep arrows... a pixie rogue/monk/master shuriken thrower is sheer terror. constant invisibility means constant sneak attacks. anything you cant Sneak Attack, you can fly away from.
Argaud 02-10-08, 08:18 AM	4) My DM will not do a LA buyout to make the LA smaller, so are there any other similar alternatives race wise to the Pixie without a +4(+6) LA? (small, flies, etc) Apply the half-fey template to a halfling or gnome and you have a small, flying character with great dex and cha and impressive slas for just LA +2.
Prime32 02-12-08, 02:13 PM	You could try the petal from MM3 (Humongous racial stat mods, LA+2), which would make excellent rogues or swordsages.:) I was thinking about a petal gestalt warlock//druid with a Huge air elemental companion. Think about that for a second. The petal can share space with it, too.