Post/Author/DateTime	Post
danzibr 02-16-07, 03:57 PM	Here's a race I've been working on. I don't know if they're balanced or not, but I hope so... I like them. I had originally named them "Special Cats" but wanted something different. I'm not quite done with organizing it, but it's close to done. M'kay, here we go, constructive criticism is appreciated. Rrenrens What they are: Cats, only special. Apperance Rrenrens (properly Chisai Rrenren, but everybody drops the first word) are indistinguishable from normal cats (except after marriage, see Relations), household or wild (though not the big ones, like leopards and such). They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, from long-haired to bald, white to black to tortoise shell, almost tailless (called nubbins) to extra long-tailed, fat to thin and tall to short. Males are typically larger than females, though not by much, but cannot be tri-colored. Like normal cats, Rrenrens have impressive dexterity, deep curiosity and are very likeable. In fact, anyone who claims they’re not a cat person simply hasn’t met the right cat. Unfortunately, due to their small stature they’re not very strong relative to your average Joe, and their curiosity often leads them into pickles and some may consider them rash. Rrenrens whiskers are nice for three reasons. Obviously, they make them look cool, but Rrenrens (other than the super fat ones) never, ever walk into an area they can’t fit through (since the whiskers are as wide as their body, sometimes longer). The third purpose is in the racial traits. Also, anyone who owns a cat knows they’re exceptional jumpers and sneakers. Some cats, less than a foot tall, can jump over six feet high! Rrenrens aren’t quite as practiced as their cousins, but still impressive. Rrenren Racial Traits • +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, –8 Strength, -2 Wisdom. Rrenrens are swift, intelligent and likeable creatures, but very weak and are often considered rash. • Tiny: As a Tiny creature, a Rrenren gains a +2 size bonus to Armor Class, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +8 size bonus on Hide checks, but they use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three fourths of those of a Medium character (usually half, but cats are quadrupeds, so 150% of .5 is .75). • Animal: For all effects related to race, a Rrenren is considered an animal. • Rrenren base land speed is 30 feet. • Low-Lighth Vision: A Rrenren can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. • +2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks (which they lose [actually, goes to -2] when wearing claws) and a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Balance checks. • They use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb, Jump and Swim checks. • If a Rrenren is actually engaged in melee (which is rare, but hey) and their enemy is invisible, the enemy does not get a bonus for being invisible (neither the bonus to hit nor does the Rrenren lose any AC bonus) and they don’t have to roll for concealment. However, unlike Blind-Fight, they still have to move at half speed in total darkness (or bust their face). • Bonus Feats: Claw Finesse • Scent, just like the animal ability. • Rrenrens are naturally excellent fallers. They take damage from falling as if it were ten feet less than it is, just like the Catfall ability. • Like regular cats, Rrenrens dislike water. A lot. They never bathe (although often clean themselves) and whenever they’re on a boat (or other water craft) they get -1 to attack, saves, and every skill check. Likewise, they usually don’t pick the water domain if they’re a cleric. • Also, they need to sleep a lot. They can sleep up to 18 hours per day, but need 10 to function normally (not be fatigued, regain their spells, etc). • Twice as long to fiddle with traps and get a -2 penalty on all such checks. • Hard time getting equipment on. For most equipment they have to have someone to help out. • They must have a helper if they go into item creation. Either one other normal biped or two Rrenren helpers. This person doesn’t have to give up any experience but they must stick around the entire time it takes to create the item. • Refer to equipment for more info. • Automatic Languages: Common and cat. Note that Rrenrens may speak with other felines or any race at any time. Bonus Languages: Any. • Favored Class: Wizard and Sorcerer. Age Rrenrens age quite similarly to domesticated cats. They reach full maturity at about two years of age and can live up to twenty five years or so. Adult: 2 years Middle Age: 9 Old: 16 Venerable: 23 Maximum Age: +1d10 years Height and Weight Height (measured to the shoulder): 6”-14” Weight: 5-20 lbs. Unlike their normal cat cousins, Rrenrens are not sexually dimorphic. Note: a cat that stands a foot and two inches at the shoulders and weighs 20 pounds is a big kitty. Physiology Aside from their increased mental capacity, Rrenrens are biologically identical to normal cats. Clothing Rrenrens do not have the worry of clothes. If they walk about in the buff nobody seems to notice, and if they elect to wear certain articles of clothing or armor, that’s alright too. Grooming Rrenrens, like any self-respecting normal cat, constantly clean themselves. They take pride in having smooth, glossy coats. Rrenren Life Leisure Rrenrens love to lay around and do nothing. In fact, it seems that all the older Rrenrens do is sleep, eat, and sleep some more. Younger Rrenrens often play non-stop and many of the young adults go on adventures. Games They chase each around and play hide-and-seek and whatnot, but don’t really gamble or anything. Magic and Technology Rrenrens are fairly skillful with arcane magic but aren’t quite as advanced as other cultures in terms of technology. They mostly employ other peoples to build their houses and equipment, out of laziness and their difficulties to do so. Rrenrens at War They avoid war as much as possible, but if they truly must then they fight sneaky, like a cat. They’ll mercilessly kill their opponents at night and set up magical traps and such. Death Like any other race, Rrenren believe there is an afterlife. Society and Culture Society Varies. In some areas they don’t have much of a society at all, where in other areas they may have a city council or the like. Religion They stay away from evil gods. Alignment Rrenrens tend to lean towards good, but beyond that, nothing much. The druids that made them were all allegedly neutral good, which may impact the current Rrenrens, but there’s no way to tell. In general, they avoid evil alignments (maybe from their druidic creators or simply their nature), but don’t feel one way or the other for law or chaos. Hence, the most common alignment would be neutral good, but not too much more common than others. Also, chaotic neutral Rrenrens are nicknamed “Crazy Kitties.” Relations Unlike regular cats, Rrenrens mate for life. Marriage in their society is slightly stranger than most. They marry hesitantly, unlike some races, because divorce is nigh impossible for them. The ceremony has to be overseen by a druid, presumably relating to their origins, but Rrenrens elect not to wear wedding rings. Some people think they wear collars as a sign of marriage, but the true sign is a change in eye color. Most have blue or green eyes when they’re young that change to mainly green or yellow-green as they mature, but few Rrenrens have orange eyes and many white cats have blue eyes, or even a mix of blue and green. During the ceremony the druid somehow uses their magic to change the couple’s eyes to a matching combination of purples, blues, light reds, greens and yellows. No two couple’s eyes are alike, which makes it easy to identify one’s spouse. This process cannot be undone. They are more social than most cats, but dislike smelly creatures (like orcs). Other stuff Personality Personality-wise, Rrenrens have never lost their natural playfulness. Like most races, they have a wide array of traits. Some are social, some are loners, some are brave, some cowardly, etc. Names The first Rrenrens kept their names, names like Bunny, Spot, Smoky, Tiger, Socks, etc, and they pick suitable names (coloring or personality) for their children, derived from Common, usually. They often wish to give themselves different names than what their parents did (Smuggles attempted calling himself Lord Dairad the Devious Destroyer), but such nicknames usually don’t stick. They do have family names, but don’t use them often as they are simply for identifying who your family members are. Lastly, when their name contains an r they tend to roll the r, giving many people the false impression of the spelling of their names (people believe Tiger would be spelled Tigerr), but this isn’t the case and Rrenrens don’t have to roll their r’s, just choose to. Origins Rrenrens came to be from a group of cat-loving druids. These druids Awakened (as the spell) a bunch of normal cats, and it just so happened that these cats had sentient kittens. Over the generations they became more charismatic and intelligent but not as wise as the average Awakened cat. Also, they gave up their animal levels, hence reducing their level adjustment and overall making them more playable. Legends Nani, friend of Adrienne Allain. When the known world was in danger because the evil wizard Vermund summoned Greed (then died, being replaced by his granddaughter), fought back the forces of evil with her human companions. She was one of the few Rrenrens that actually enjoyed water, at least the sight of it. She still did not like being wet. There was a well-known (at least among Rrenrens) Rrenren named Smuggles (sometimes confused with Snuggles, see next paragraph). Before Smuggles, all Rrenrens had difficulty being wizards because they had such a hard time with the spell book (they couldn’t write well), but Smuggles invented a special spell book that allowed the Rrenrens to easily turn pages and scribe with nothing but their claws! A big improvement. Not only that, but he invented a set of gesticulations comparable to normal hand gestures involving ear rotating, whisker twitching and tail swishing and swaying. Smuggles went into magic that helped him in his trickster ways, one day mysteriously vanishing without a word. Some believe he peeved the wrong person, but others think he went on to live happily ever after. Snuggles was a Rrenren known for her friendliness and compassion. She was a good Samaritan cleric, wandering from town to town saving people by not only healing but also slaying the bad guys. Being highly charismatic, she was a natural undead slayer. As she grew older she began to settle down, but never in one spot for too long. Adventuring Most Rrenrens have a tough time opening most doors (especially when the door handle is way up there), but any Rrenren can open the average door, and some Rrenrens are notorious for getting where they’re not supposed to be (and are easily smuggled). Combat inspired by Steevo’s suggestion (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=786174) most enemies disregard the precious little ol’ Rrenrens for the first round of combat. Some sadistic enemies may go straight for the cat, but most would fine your average human a much bigger threat… oh, how wrong they are. If they ever do decide to specialize in melee they always put ranks into tumble, since they have to be in the same square as an opponent to attack. Equipment http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a Now that that’s out of the way, Rrenrens have long employed dwarves (and other smiths) to forge them attachable claws. Granted, they never tolerate being de-clawed, but they slide on little metal claw gloves, so to speak, over their natural claws. These weapons come in fours (one for each frontal claw). Like any other weapon, they can be enchanted, but when Rrenrens have them equipped, they cannot retract their claws, and when they walk on surfaces such as wood or stone they make a clicking sound (giving a -4 to move silently, negating their racial bonus and then some). Also, when wearing these special claws they may elect to still be considered unarmed, and they’re naturally proficient with these claws. Likewise, Rrenrens that wear mitts (look at the above link) have holes cut into them so they still have access to their claws. Unfortunately, they have a tough time getting equipment on. Instead of writing it in paragraph format, here you go. • One skull cap or helm • One pair of lenses or goggles • One collar • One vest • One jacket • One belt or strap worn in front of or over the haunches (which they dislike, but will tolerate) • One pectoral or harness worn over the chest or shoulders • One pair foreleg bracers • One pair of foreleg mitts • Two rings worn just above the front paws, as anklets • One pair of hind leg mitts As for what they need help with, they can get their anklets, mitts (front and back) and claws on with their teeth, but they need help with everything else. They can get into most everything else, but can’t tighten them on their own. The specialized wizard book costs 50% more than your average one. Classes Rrenrens, like any other race, have different attitudes toward different classes. Barbarian: Having given up the majority of their feral aspect, combined with their size and strength (or lack thereof), only a modicum of Rrenrens choose to follow the path of the barbarian. Rrenren society doesn’t necessarily frown upon the barbarians, they just choose to not be them. However, on the rare occurrence a Rrenren does become a barbarian they make fierce battlers, nearly always catching their opponents off guard due to their small stature. Bard: Rrenrens make excellent bards. Their natural charisma, intellect and dexterity make them excellent performers. Cleric: Clerics are boring. Sure, they have divine power granted to them by their gods and many interesting prestige classes are available to the cleric, but Rrenrens simply don’t have much interest in clerics. Druid: As for (the few) druidic Rrenrens, most don’t elect to have a feline animal companion, though some do. They don’t really have anything against it (except maybe they wish they were as big as their larger cousins), but it’s just not a norm, even among those oddball druid Rrenrens. Nobody knows why they usually don’t choose the druid path—maybe because they don’t want the same profession as their creators or maybe they don’t like speaking Druidic. Nobody knows. Fighter: Similar to their outlook on barbarians, Rrenrens typically don’t make good fighters. Monk: Although strength is an important factor in being a monk, some Rrenrens do, indeed, follow this path. Even though their discipline is against their playful nature, Rrenren monks can become very powerful, especially when equipped with good claws. Paladin: Rrenrens don’t really like special mounts. There are quite a few that like the virtues of a paladin, but still don’t like riding around on other animals, in general. Ranger: Rrenrens can make very good rangers. They’re excellent natural trackers but because the only weapon they can use are their natural claws and the special-made ones they’re limited to the melee specialization. Rogue: They also can make very good rogues. It takes them twice as long to do disarm traps due to their lack of thumbs, but they have keen senses and are exceptional sneakers. Sorcerer: Rrenrens may not have stronger draconic blood than any other race, but they can be fine sorcerers. Many Rrenrens become either sorcerers or wizards, but do not seem to have a preference. Wizard: Thanks to Smuggles, Rrenrens have no problems with spell books and can actually end up being better wizards than most. As for wizardic and sorcereric Rrenrens, they often choose a regular old cat to be their familiar. That when, when they’re in a non-Rrenren party (as it often happens), they still have someone they can relate and talk to… sort of. Before bonuses, claws do 1d2 and bite does 1d3 (appropriate for their size). Able to do both claw attacks at the same bonus, then the bite at a -5. They can’t take animal feats, seeing as how they’ve given up their animalistic roots. Dan
Thomar_of_Uointer 02-17-07, 12:07 AM	Stat bonuses: +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, –8 Strength, -2 Wisdom. Size: Tiny: As a Tiny creature, a Rrenren gains a +2 size bonus to Armor Class, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +8 size bonus on Hide checks, but they use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three fourths of those of a Medium character (usually half, but cats are quadrupeds, so 150% of .5 is .75). Skill bonuses: Rrenrens have a +2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks (which they lose [actually, goes to -2] when wearing claws) and a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Balance checks. They use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb, Jump and Swim checks. Special Abilities: Low-Light Vision, Scent, fall as if 10’ less (Slow Fall?) Speed: Rrenren base land speed is 30 feet. Bonus Feat: Claw Finesse Languages: Automatic Languages: Common and Rrenren. They may also communicate with any other cat. Bonus Languages: any, except secret languages Favored Class: Wizard and Sorcerer Level adjustment: +0 Before bonuses, claws do 1d2 and bite does 1d3 (appropriate for their size). Able to do both claw attacks at the same bonus, then the bite at a -5. They can’t take animal feats, seeing as how they’ve given up their animalistic roots. Okay, their first problem is that they make better wizards and sorcerers than humans. It doesn't matter if they don't make very good melee combatants, because that's really not going to affect a wizard or sorcerer. LA +1. What do you mean by "animal feats"? Because "fall as if 10' less" is not a standard ability given in the monster manual, it would be very courteous of you to write it up for us. You know, just in case there's some glaringly powerful or weak attribute you are thinking of that we might not be thinking of. Besides that, they don't have any overtly strange abilities. Everything looks like a good LA +1.
danzibr 02-17-07, 02:40 PM	By fall as if 10' less I mean... let's say a cat jumps off a 90' cliff. It would be treated as 80' for a Rrenren. I suppose there would be restrictions, like it would start at 20' or so. This is the first anything I've created. Also, my animals feats I mean monsters feats, stuff like this: http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/monsterFeats.html Lastly... I don't really like LA +1 anything (except maybe Goliath), so what would you advise I change (aside from the stats) to tone them down? More penalties? Thanks for your input. Dan
Grod_The_Giant 02-17-07, 02:54 PM	they look like a decent LA+1, but would you please format the first post a bit better? EDIT: Here, I'll do it for you. Just quote me and copy what I quoted from you. Rrenrens What they are: Cats, only special. Physical Description: Rrenrens (properly Chisai Rrenren, but everybody drops the first word) are indistinguishable from normal cats (except after marriage, see Relations), household or wild (though not the big ones, like leopards and such). They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, from long-haired to bald, white to black to tortoise shell, almost tailless (called nubbins) to extra long-tailed, fat to thin and tall to short. Males are typically larger than females, though not by much, but cannot be tri-colored. Height (to the shoulders when on all fours): 6”-14” Weight: 5-20 lbs ]size="1"]Note: a cat that stands a foot and two inches at the shoulders and weighs 20 pounds is a big kitty.[/size] Like normal cats, Rrenrens have impressive dexterity, deep curiosity and are very likeable. In fact, anyone who claims they’re not a cat person simply hasn’t met the right cat. Unfortunately, due to their small stature they’re not very strong relative to your average Joe, and their curiosity often leads them into pickles and some may consider them rash. Rrenrens whiskers are nice for three reasons. Obviously, they make them look cool, but Rrenrens (other than the super fat ones) never, ever walk into an area they can’t fit through (since the whiskers are as wide as their body, sometimes longer). Lastly, if a Rrenren is actually engaged in melee (which is rare, but hey) and their enemy is invisible, the enemy does not get a bonus for being invisible (neither the bonus to hit nor does the Rrenren lose any AC bonus) and they don’t have to roll for concealment. However, unlike Blind-Fight, they still have to move at half speed in total darkness (or bust their face). Also, anyone who owns a cat knows they’re exceptional jumpers and sneakers. Some cats, less than a foot tall, can jump over six feet high! Rrenrens aren’t quite as practiced as their cousins, but still impressive. Personality: Personality-wise, Rrenrens have never lost their natural playfulness. Like most races, they have a wide array of traits. Some are social, some are loners, some are brave, some cowardly, etc. Names: The first Rrenrens kept their names, names like Bunny, Spot, Smoky, Tiger, Socks, etc, and they pick suitable names (coloring or personality) for their children, derived from Common, usually. They often wish to give themselves different names than what their parents did (Smuggles attempted calling himself Lord Dairad the Devious Destroyer), but such nicknames usually don’t stick. They do have family names, but don’t use them often as they are simply for identifying who your family members are. Lastly, when their name contains an r they tend to roll the r, giving many people the false impression of the spelling of their names (people believe Tiger would be spelled Tigerr), but this isn’t the case and Rrenrens don’t have to roll their r’s, just choose to. Cons: Like regular cats, Rrenrens dislike water. A lot. They never bathe (although often clean themselves) and whenever they’re on a boat (or other water craft) they get -1 to attack, saves, and every skill check. Likewise, they usually don’t pick the water domain if they’re a cleric. Also, they need to sleep a lot. They can sleep up to 18 hours per day, but need 10 to function normally (not be fatigued, regain their spells, etc). Twice as long to fiddle with traps. Hard time getting equipment on. Society: Varies. In some areas they don’t have much of a society at all, where in other areas they may have a city council or the like. Religion: They stay away from evil gods. Alignment: Rrenrens tend to lean towards good, but beyond that, nothing much. The druids that made them were all allegedly neutral good, which may impact the current Rrenrens, but there’s no way to tell. In general, they avoid evil alignments (maybe from their druidic creators or simply their nature), but don’t feel one way or the other for law or chaos. Hence, the most common alignment would be neutral good, but not too much more common than others. Also, chaotic neutral Rrenrens are nicknamed “Crazy Kitties.” Relations: Unlike regular cats, Rrenrens mate for life. Marriage in their society is slightly stranger than most. They marry hesitantly, unlike some races, because divorce is nigh impossible for them. The ceremony has to be overseen by a druid, presumably relating to their origins, but Rrenrens elect not to wear wedding rings. Some people think they wear collars as a sign of marriage, but the true sign is a change in eye color. Most have blue or green eyes when they’re young that change to mainly green or yellow-green as they mature, but few Rrenrens have orange eyes and many white cats have blue eyes, or even a mix of blue and green. During the ceremony the druid somehow uses their magic to change the couple’s eyes to a matching combination of purples, blues, light reds, greens and yellows. No two couple’s eyes are alike, which makes it easy to identify one’s spouse. This process cannot be undone. They are more social than most cats, but dislike smelly creatures (like orcs). Origins: Rrenrens came to be from a group of cat-loving druids. These druids Awakened (as the spell) a bunch of normal cats, and it just so happened that these cats had sentient kittens. Over the generations they became more charismatic and intelligent but not as wise as the average Awakened cat. Also, they gave up their animal levels, hence reducing their level adjustment and overall making them more playable. Legends: Nani, friend of Adrienne Allain. When the known world was in danger because the evil wizard Vermund summoned Greed (then died, being replaced by his granddaughter), fought back the forces of evil with her human companions. She was one of the few Rrenrens that actually enjoyed water, at least the sight of it. She still did not like being wet. There was a well-known (at least among Rrenrens) Rrenren named Smuggles (sometimes confused with Snuggles, see next paragraph). Before Smuggles, all Rrenrens had difficulty being wizards because they had such a hard time with the spell book (they couldn’t write well), but Smuggles invented a special spell book that allowed the Rrenrens to easily turn pages and scribe with nothing but their claws! A big improvement. Not only that, but he invented a set of gesticulations comparable to normal hand gestures involving ear rotating, whisker twitching and tail swishing and swaying. Smuggles went into magic that helped him in his trickster ways, one day mysteriously vanishing without a word. Some believe he peeved the wrong person, but others think he went on to live happily ever after. Snuggles was a Rrenren known for her friendliness and compassion. She was a good Samaritan cleric, wandering from town to town saving people by not only healing but also slaying the bad guys. Being highly charismatic, she was a natural undead slayer. As she grew older she began to settle down, but never in one spot for too long. Adventuring: Most Rrenrens have a tough time opening most doors (especially when the door handle is way up there), but any Rrenren can open the average door, and some Rrenrens are notorious for getting where they’re not supposed to be (and are easily smuggled). Combat: inspired by Steevo’s suggestion (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=786174), most enemies disregard the precious little ol’ Rrenrens for the first round of combat. Some sadistic enemies may go straight for the cat, but most would fine your average human a much bigger threat… oh, how wrong they are. If they ever do decide to specialize in melee they always put ranks into tumble, since they have to be in the same square as an opponent to attack. Equipment:http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a Now that that’s out of the way, Rrenrens have long employed dwarves (and other smiths) to forge them attachable claws. Granted, they never tolerate being de-clawed, but they slide on little metal claw gloves, so to speak, over their natural claws. These weapons come in fours (one for each frontal claw). Like any other weapon, they can be enchanted, but when Rrenrens have them equipped, they cannot retract their claws, and when they walk on surfaces such as wood or stone they make a clicking sound (giving a -4 to move silently, negating their racial bonus and then some). Also, when wearing these special claws they may elect to still be considered unarmed, and they’re naturally proficient with these claws. Likewise, Rrenrens that wear mitts (look at the above link) have holes cut into them so they still have access to their claws. Unfortunately, they have a tough time getting equipment on. • One pair of lenses or goggles • One collar • One vest • One jacket • One belt or strap worn in front of or over the haunches (which they dislike, but will tolerate) • One pectoral or harness worn over the chest or shoulders • One pair foreleg bracers • One pair of foreleg mitts • Two rings worn just above the front paws, as anklets • One pair of hind leg mitts As for what they need help with, they can get their anklets, mitts (front and back) and claws on with their teeth, but they need help with everything else. They can get into most everything else, but can’t tighten them on their own. The specialized wizard book costs 50% more than your average one. Classes: Rrenrens, like any other race, have different attitudes toward different classes. Barbarian: Having given up the majority of their feral aspect, combined with their size and strength (or lack thereof), only a modicum of Rrenrens choose to follow the path of the barbarian. Rrenren society doesn’t necessarily frown upon the barbarians, they just choose to not be them. However, on the rare occurrence a Rrenren does become a barbarian they make fierce battlers, nearly always catching their opponents off guard due to their small stature. Bard: Rrenrens make excellent bards. Their natural charisma, intellect and dexterity make them excellent performers. Cleric: Clerics are boring. Sure, they have divine power granted to them by their gods and many interesting prestige classes are available to the cleric, but Rrenrens simply don’t have much interest in clerics. Druid: As for (the few) druidic Rrenrens, most don’t elect to have a feline animal companion, though some do. They don’t really have anything against it (except maybe they wish they were as big as their larger cousins), but it’s just not a norm, even among those oddball druid Rrenrens. Nobody knows why they usually don’t choose the druid path—maybe because they don’t want the same profession as their creators or maybe they don’t like speaking Druidic. Nobody knows. Fighter: Similar to their outlook on barbarians, Rrenrens typically don’t make good fighters. Monk: Although strength is an important factor in being a monk, some Rrenrens do, indeed, follow this path. Even though their discipline is against their playful nature, Rrenren monks can become very powerful, especially when equipped with good claws. Paladin: Rrenrens don’t really like special mounts. There are quite a few that like the virtues of a paladin, but still don’t like riding around on other animals, in general. Ranger: Rrenrens can make very good rangers. They’re excellent natural trackers but because the only weapon they can use are their natural claws and the special-made ones they’re limited to the melee specialization. Rogue: They also can make very good rogues. It takes them twice as long to do disarm traps due to their lack of thumbs, but they have keen senses and are exceptional sneakers. Sorcerer: Rrenrens may not have stronger draconic blood than any other race, but they can be fine sorcerers. Many Rrenrens become either sorcerers or wizards, but do not seem to have a preference. Wizard: Thanks to Smuggles, Rrenrens have no problems with spell books and can actually end up being better wizards than most. As for wizardic and sorcereric Rrenrens, they often choose a regular old cat to be their familiar. That when, when they’re in a non-Rrenren party (as it often happens), they still have someone they can relate and talk to… sort of. When Rrenrens do item creation they need an assistant. Technical stuff: Stat bonuses: +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, –8 Strength, -2 Wisdom. Size: Tiny: As a Tiny creature, a Rrenren gains a +2 size bonus to Armor Class, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +8 size bonus on Hide checks, but they use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three fourths of those of a Medium character (usually half, but cats are quadrupeds, so 150% of .5 is .75). Skill bonuses: Rrenrens have a +2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks (which they lose [actually, goes to -2] when wearing claws) and a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Balance checks. They use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb, Jump and Swim checks. Special Abilities: Low-Light Vision, Scent, fall as if 10’ less (Slow Fall?) Speed: Rrenren base land speed is 30 feet. Bonus Feat: Claw Finesse Languages: Automatic Languages: Common and Rrenren. They may also communicate with any other cat. Bonus Languages: any, except secret languages Favored Class: Wizard and Sorcerer Level adjustment: +1 [corrected] Before bonuses, claws do 1d2 and bite does 1d3 (appropriate for their size). Able to do both claw attacks at the same bonus, then the bite at a -5. They can’t take animal feats, seeing as how they’ve given up their animalistic roots. Dan Finally, you seem to have some abilities and equipment mentioned in the 'fluff' that need to be added to the technical stuff.
danzibr 02-17-07, 02:59 PM	Okay... I'll get to work on that, today maybe. Thanks for editing the format, btw. I had all the right stuff bolded and whatnot in Microsoft Word, but when I copied and pasted it into this posting box, it went to crap but I didn't notice. Any suggestions on what to change (I do not, however, want to mess with the stats) to drop their LA down to nothing? Thanks for your time. Dan
danzibr 02-17-07, 09:29 PM	Okay, I changed the format and added a couple things in (-2 on all trap checks and some flavor stuff). I see why they would make better wizards and sorcerers than humans. They get +2 to AC from size, +2 to AC from their dex, +2 to either int or cha and no penalty to con. Actually, I was thinking of giving them a -2 to con because they're so tiny. Would that balance it out more? Oh, and also, even though they'd make better wizards and sorcerers, they'd make much much worse fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, probably rogues, druids and clerics, so why would naturally being a better arcane caster automatically be a +1 LA? Hmm, hope that helps some. I'm still quite open to advice and sorry for double posting. Dan
Thomar_of_Uointer 02-19-07, 01:30 PM	Oh, and also, even though they'd make better wizards and sorcerers, they'd make much much worse fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, probably rogues, druids and clerics, so why would naturally being a better arcane caster automatically be a +1 LA? Because very few players will play a barbarian, fighter, paladin, or ranger of this race. They make better wizards than humans (+1 to all spell save DCs, and an extra spell slot or two, it's worth about nine feats but the way they overlap makes it come out to about three) and because of that you need to give them level adjustment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min-maxing If you don't want them to have a level adjustment, just drop the mental ability score bonuses. Also, why can't they use any of the monster feats? The only ones they qualify for would be Multiattack and Improved Natural Weapon (both perfectly valid choices for characters with natural attacks, even at LA +0), and you have failed to define their natural attack (damage, attack routines, and so on, look at some of the race descriptrions in the Monster Manual to see what I mean). Why aren't they magical beasts? Animals by definition cannot have an Intelligence higher than 2. You could make them magical beasts that are treated as both animals and magical beasts for the purpose of spells (like the half-elf's elf blood trait).
danzibr 02-19-07, 07:16 PM	Good call with the feats and magical beasts. I agree with you there. I was also considering giving them a -2 to con and lowering their class hit die roll by one. You know, like certain races/templates, or maybe just templates, increase theirs? The reasoning would be that the cats are not very tough. Then again, I could just drop the intelligence bonus... but dropping the cha bonus just doesn't fit them. And as for comat I should add tactics? Like, "Kobolds like to attack with overwhelming odds - at least two to one - or trickery; should the odds fall below this threshold, they usually flee. However, they attack gnomes on sight if their numbers are equal." I'll have to do that too. And thanks a lot for your input. I want this little cat race to work. Dan
danzibr 03-07-07, 04:24 PM	:bump: So does anyone think if I implement a con penalty or remove a cha or int bonus is worthy of dropping the LA? Dan
Thomar_of_Uointer 03-07-07, 09:22 PM	:bump: So does anyone think if I implement a con penalty or remove a cha or int bonus is worthy of dropping the LA? Dan If you remove all the mental ability score bonuses (you can remove the Wisdom penalty too), it'll be LA +0.
HammerSmashed 03-07-07, 10:45 PM	lol i dont see how they are LA 1. I thought that str was worth 1.5 as a stat. so having -8 to strenth and having +4 dex and +2 int is less than what your giving up. Also -2 wis and +2 cha is also giving up more for less since that it is metioned that charisma is the least worthy stat. Plus there are races that are better than others at other things. Like and elf that adds to int and takes away con wouldent really make a good barbarian. as for the special things the race gets i guess taking 2 con which is prolly the most important stat in the game would balance it out more. But as i see it it prolly at borderline LA1 w/o the con penalty since your really taking more than giving in my opinion. Also why is everything based off humans? I mean they are good at any class so they wont be better at being a wizard than a Gray elf. Then again i may be wrong.:P
danzibr 03-08-07, 12:15 PM	I think dropping the cha and implementing a con penalty should work... I mean, although I personally love cats (obv.), I've met quite a few disagreeable kitties and it's true they're not hardy (relative to other races). However, I still maintain that cats are smart. So the stats would be: Str -8, Con -2, Wis -2, Dex +4, Int +2. -12 v. +6. And HammerSmashed, I totally agree with you (though others don't and would redirect you to mini-maxing). I also agree that cha is the least useful stat... so maybe I'll add the bonus back in. The con penalty, however, does make sense to me. I suppose it wasn't my intent to make an overpowered LA +0 race but just to make a neat race that simulates playing a sentient domesticated cat. Every race has their pro's and con's and some make better classes than others, so yeah, why compare to humans? You're not going to give a Mongrelfolk a LA of +1 because they make good meat shields while disregarding the fact they'd make a poor Sorcerer. Dan
HammerSmashed 03-10-07, 11:35 AM	lol but people always see the battle mechanics. That favor the race. ok so a dragon of large size notices the cat is casting spells. Ohh wow hey maybe ill just overrun the thing. So the cat gets powned.... Ohhh hey Mr.Wrestling thing or hey Mr construct wow im a cat and i just got a ass kicking lol. So if people where to look at it the being tiny part is just gay alot the time. Ohh dont mention the attacks of oportunity when trying to attack close combat becouse the monster just rushed up to you. Then the orcs notice where the spell coming from. Ohhh wait the cat looks weakest lets go for him..... I personally love this class and it does get gimped on alot more which i believe evens out the LA. Also the -2CON is more for flavor since cats really arent too sturdy. So really if you look at it the cat looses as much as it gains and to me it looses a little more than that. But once again I love this Race.;) One more thing, but seriosly would anyone make a Fraal barbarian?
danzibr 03-17-07, 11:14 AM	Hmm, I wonder what page this got to. Bump. Dan