Tralads (small, gollum-like humanoids) - PEACH please! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Tralads (small, gollum-like humanoids) - PEACH please! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
painfool
11-21-07, 02:18 PM Tralads (second version)
(small creatures somewhat physically inspired by LOTR's Gollum character - but only in appearance)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/numbvox/Tralad-1.gif
Tralads are a race of people living in two very different worlds. Many live as nomads on the open plains and want only to keep to themselves. Many others live in the dark alleys of nearly all multi-cultural cities, seeking personal gains and new experiences.

Personality
Tralads are highly defined by their surroundings. Wilderness tralads are nomadic scavengers mostly concerned only with being left alone. They try not to associate with other folks, and when forced to do so they try very hard not to cause any unneeded conflicts or attract any unwanted attention. They are almost stoic in their concern for their tribe, and they consider themselves to be very serious people. Urban tralads however often have taken well to the darker corners of city life. They typically have enjoyed the finer comforts of a nicer lifestyle are are willing to what it takes and make the necessary alliances to garnish further piecs of the good life. They are typically underhanded, but altogether pleasant people. Altogether most tralads are typically cautious people, but they are rarely cowardly. Both sorts of tralads however hold an unconventional amount of loyalty to their race - a sort of kinship that very few other races can truly understand.

Physical Description
Tralads would typically stand about 3 1/2 feet tall if they stood straight up, but their bodies are better suited to hunching forward with their knees bent as if they were almost about to walk around on all fours. Their weight varies greatly, but typically ranges from 30 to 70 pounds. Their skin is coarse looking and may come in various shades of blue, grey, or pinkish pale. Male tralads never grow any sort of hair, and females only grow it in a single patch of straight hair, usually light brown in color, running from the top of their heads to the center of their backs. Their faces look almost as if they were slightly goblinoid, and their hunched stance is further accented by a mild hump on their backs just below the neckline. Tralads are considered adults as early as the age of 10 and are lucky to reach even the age of 60. When tralads give birth, they usually have between 3 and 7 children simultaneously.

Relations
Tralads are fiercely loyal to their own kind, but feel a sort of lesser kinship with halflings as gnomes as brothers struggling to live in the "big people" world. They get along fairly well with humans and wilder elves, but often conflict with typically lawfully-inclined dwarves and pompous high elves.

Alignment
Tralads are as often good natured as they are malicious, but are almost always fairly chaotic.

Tralad Lands
Wilderness tralads live nomadically in very small tribes, typically consisting of only few families, usually no more than 30 strong. They follow plentiful food supplies looking to scavenge off any leftover prey from previous predators. Their moving villages are simple, erected teepees around a large fire pit. Urban tralads live in multi-cultural cities, often offering their services to thieve's guilds in exchange for a warm bed at night.

Religion
Tralads acknowledge and respect the gods, but most often don't see the worth in serious devotion.

Adventurers
More tralads take up adventuring simply because they've grown bored of the mundane or to seek out treasures that may better their position in life. They may have grown tired of the simple wilderness life and thirst for new experiences, or realized that working their way through urban life is a slower process than risking danger to acquire treasures and other riches.

Stats
• +2 dex, -2 cha: Tralads are nimble and surprisingly strong, but weak in social ability. (add -2 int if needed for balance)
• 30ft speed: Tralads are exceptionally swift creatures who have no trouble keep up with humans.
• Small. As Small creatures, tralads gain a +1 size bonus to AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters.
• Low-Light Vision: A Tralad can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +2 bonus to Survival (tralads are used to facing the struggles of the wilderness on their own).
• +2 bonus vs. Poison (a tralad's diet of whatever they can scavenge has helped to build up a strong resistance to poison).
• Languages: Common - Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, and Orc.
• Favored class: Scout (from Comp Adv - use Rogue if you aren't using that book), a multi-classing tralad doesn’t count levels of scout for the purposes of multi-classing.

Think this is balanced, overpowered, underpowered? I kind of feel that they're a bit underpowered, but yaba's FPs put them just right for 0 LA creatures (the biggest score going to their 30ft land speed).
gullas
11-21-07, 02:36 PM usually small creatures have -2 in strength....
Tema69
11-21-07, 02:37 PM Compare 'em to the Goblins:
Darkvision (G) > Lowlight (T).
+2 Dex, -2 Cha (T) > -2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Cha (G).
+4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks and Goblin as language (G).
So the Goblin has skill bonuses, darkvision, and extra language while the Tralad has no penalty to Str.

I wouldn't know much about balancing, but I'd say the Tralad is slightly underpowered. Add some racial skill bonuses or sumthing.. just my 2cents. ;)
painfool
11-21-07, 02:49 PM usually small creatures have -2 in strength....

I'm aware of that. I also made a large race with -2 str that was considered fairly well received and balanced. The idea is that tralads are stronger than the typical small race.
painfool
11-24-07, 09:31 PM Anyone else have any thoughts?
Viktor_Von_Doom
11-24-07, 09:41 PM It needs something more, theres not enough to its abilities to make me wanna play it.
painfool
11-24-07, 10:15 PM Think I could get away with giving it a bonus to move silently (to emphasis their stalker/scavenger-like talents) without pushing it into being unbalanced? As is, Yaba's FP system has it at right about the middle of a 0 LA race because of it's +10 to base land speed.
Watsyurname529
11-24-07, 10:45 PM I would add maybe a +2 to Survival seeing as they are the leave me alone while I live in a cave/woods type of people. Or maybe a +2 bonus vs. Poison seeing as they are the type to eat anything and have strong stomachs. Otherwise they're pretty balanced if underpowered if anything.
painfool
11-24-07, 11:20 PM I would add maybe a +2 to Survival seeing as they are the leave me alone while I live in a cave/woods type of people. Or maybe a +2 bonus vs. Poison seeing as they are the type to eat anything and have strong stomachs. Otherwise they're pretty balanced if underpowered if anything.

Good points on both - I'm adding them both. FP puts +2 survival at 1 point, and +2 bonus vs. poison at another 1 point - so it shouldn't be a drastically unbalancing change.
Watsyurname529
11-25-07, 10:40 AM I'd say now thats pretty good and fairly balanced. Also, for more of a flavor thing I would add Undercommon to the lists of Bonus Languages seeing as also they'd be the type to live underground and learn the language.
ragoftag
11-25-07, 09:24 PM Interesting take on a small race, without being a 'halfling in a X suit'. I'd like to see a bit more fluff to make them stand out and be even more distinctive. Nice work so far!
painfool
11-27-07, 01:57 PM I'd say now thats pretty good and fairly balanced. Also, for more of a flavor thing I would add Undercommon to the lists of Bonus Languages seeing as also they'd be the type to live underground and learn the language.

.....why exactly would they be any more likely to live underground than humans? Gollum from LOTR might have, but that's not what these people are - I was just using him as a reference for how they look, not how they act/think/behave.
Watsyurname529
11-27-07, 07:06 PM .....why exactly would they be any more likely to live underground than humans? Gollum from LOTR might have, but that's not what these people are - I was just using him as a reference for how they look, not how they act/think/behave.

It was just a suggestion. Do what you please. It was just a thought to broaden their limited language selection.
painfool
11-27-07, 07:34 PM I understand, and I'm sorry if that came off sounding unappreciative - it wasn't meant to be. I was just clarifying that they're not naturally subterranean folk.
AtsuiShoto
11-27-07, 08:10 PM I have a suggestion you're welcome to play around with. How about an ability like this:
When wearing light or no armor, carrying nothing in its hands, and using its hands for nothing else, a Tralad may move on all four limbs to gain +20' base movement.
You could drop back to the normal 20ft movement rate, then add this ability to bump it to 40ft (which is GREAT for a scout, because then 10' is even achievable while climbing or swimming). It's highly situational, but it adds the idea that the forward hunch really IS useful for running on all fours, when needed.

It may, however, be too "gimmicky" for your liking. I used it for a race I made up called the "fimblywhatsits", because they had much the same posture as your race and I figured it just fit.
painfool
11-27-07, 08:33 PM I do like the idea, just not for this race. They should be able to move 30ft even with stuff in their hands. But again, the idea is a good one for other situations.
AtsuiShoto
11-27-07, 08:39 PM the idea is a good one for other situations. Like this one? (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=908032)

(A shameless plug, I know :blush:)
painfool
12-14-07, 12:30 AM Minor update, just changed to a better picture.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
painfool 11-21-07, 02:18 PM	Tralads (second version) (small creatures somewhat physically inspired by LOTR's Gollum character - but only in appearance) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/numbvox/Tralad-1.gif Tralads are a race of people living in two very different worlds. Many live as nomads on the open plains and want only to keep to themselves. Many others live in the dark alleys of nearly all multi-cultural cities, seeking personal gains and new experiences. Personality Tralads are highly defined by their surroundings. Wilderness tralads are nomadic scavengers mostly concerned only with being left alone. They try not to associate with other folks, and when forced to do so they try very hard not to cause any unneeded conflicts or attract any unwanted attention. They are almost stoic in their concern for their tribe, and they consider themselves to be very serious people. Urban tralads however often have taken well to the darker corners of city life. They typically have enjoyed the finer comforts of a nicer lifestyle are are willing to what it takes and make the necessary alliances to garnish further piecs of the good life. They are typically underhanded, but altogether pleasant people. Altogether most tralads are typically cautious people, but they are rarely cowardly. Both sorts of tralads however hold an unconventional amount of loyalty to their race - a sort of kinship that very few other races can truly understand. Physical Description Tralads would typically stand about 3 1/2 feet tall if they stood straight up, but their bodies are better suited to hunching forward with their knees bent as if they were almost about to walk around on all fours. Their weight varies greatly, but typically ranges from 30 to 70 pounds. Their skin is coarse looking and may come in various shades of blue, grey, or pinkish pale. Male tralads never grow any sort of hair, and females only grow it in a single patch of straight hair, usually light brown in color, running from the top of their heads to the center of their backs. Their faces look almost as if they were slightly goblinoid, and their hunched stance is further accented by a mild hump on their backs just below the neckline. Tralads are considered adults as early as the age of 10 and are lucky to reach even the age of 60. When tralads give birth, they usually have between 3 and 7 children simultaneously. Relations Tralads are fiercely loyal to their own kind, but feel a sort of lesser kinship with halflings as gnomes as brothers struggling to live in the "big people" world. They get along fairly well with humans and wilder elves, but often conflict with typically lawfully-inclined dwarves and pompous high elves. Alignment Tralads are as often good natured as they are malicious, but are almost always fairly chaotic. Tralad Lands Wilderness tralads live nomadically in very small tribes, typically consisting of only few families, usually no more than 30 strong. They follow plentiful food supplies looking to scavenge off any leftover prey from previous predators. Their moving villages are simple, erected teepees around a large fire pit. Urban tralads live in multi-cultural cities, often offering their services to thieve's guilds in exchange for a warm bed at night. Religion Tralads acknowledge and respect the gods, but most often don't see the worth in serious devotion. Adventurers More tralads take up adventuring simply because they've grown bored of the mundane or to seek out treasures that may better their position in life. They may have grown tired of the simple wilderness life and thirst for new experiences, or realized that working their way through urban life is a slower process than risking danger to acquire treasures and other riches. Stats • +2 dex, -2 cha: Tralads are nimble and surprisingly strong, but weak in social ability. (add -2 int if needed for balance) • 30ft speed: Tralads are exceptionally swift creatures who have no trouble keep up with humans. • Small. As Small creatures, tralads gain a +1 size bonus to AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters. • Low-Light Vision: A Tralad can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. • +2 bonus to Survival (tralads are used to facing the struggles of the wilderness on their own). • +2 bonus vs. Poison (a tralad's diet of whatever they can scavenge has helped to build up a strong resistance to poison). • Languages: Common - Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, and Orc. • Favored class: Scout (from Comp Adv - use Rogue if you aren't using that book), a multi-classing tralad doesn’t count levels of scout for the purposes of multi-classing. Think this is balanced, overpowered, underpowered? I kind of feel that they're a bit underpowered, but yaba's FPs put them just right for 0 LA creatures (the biggest score going to their 30ft land speed).
gullas 11-21-07, 02:36 PM	usually small creatures have -2 in strength....
Tema69 11-21-07, 02:37 PM	Compare 'em to the Goblins: Darkvision (G) > Lowlight (T). +2 Dex, -2 Cha (T) > -2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Cha (G). +4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks and Goblin as language (G). So the Goblin has skill bonuses, darkvision, and extra language while the Tralad has no penalty to Str. I wouldn't know much about balancing, but I'd say the Tralad is slightly underpowered. Add some racial skill bonuses or sumthing.. just my 2cents. ;)
painfool 11-21-07, 02:49 PM	usually small creatures have -2 in strength.... I'm aware of that. I also made a large race with -2 str that was considered fairly well received and balanced. The idea is that tralads are stronger than the typical small race.
painfool 11-24-07, 09:31 PM	Anyone else have any thoughts?
Viktor_Von_Doom 11-24-07, 09:41 PM	It needs something more, theres not enough to its abilities to make me wanna play it.
painfool 11-24-07, 10:15 PM	Think I could get away with giving it a bonus to move silently (to emphasis their stalker/scavenger-like talents) without pushing it into being unbalanced? As is, Yaba's FP system has it at right about the middle of a 0 LA race because of it's +10 to base land speed.
Watsyurname529 11-24-07, 10:45 PM	I would add maybe a +2 to Survival seeing as they are the leave me alone while I live in a cave/woods type of people. Or maybe a +2 bonus vs. Poison seeing as they are the type to eat anything and have strong stomachs. Otherwise they're pretty balanced if underpowered if anything.
painfool 11-24-07, 11:20 PM	I would add maybe a +2 to Survival seeing as they are the leave me alone while I live in a cave/woods type of people. Or maybe a +2 bonus vs. Poison seeing as they are the type to eat anything and have strong stomachs. Otherwise they're pretty balanced if underpowered if anything. Good points on both - I'm adding them both. FP puts +2 survival at 1 point, and +2 bonus vs. poison at another 1 point - so it shouldn't be a drastically unbalancing change.
Watsyurname529 11-25-07, 10:40 AM	I'd say now thats pretty good and fairly balanced. Also, for more of a flavor thing I would add Undercommon to the lists of Bonus Languages seeing as also they'd be the type to live underground and learn the language.
ragoftag 11-25-07, 09:24 PM	Interesting take on a small race, without being a 'halfling in a X suit'. I'd like to see a bit more fluff to make them stand out and be even more distinctive. Nice work so far!
painfool 11-27-07, 01:57 PM	I'd say now thats pretty good and fairly balanced. Also, for more of a flavor thing I would add Undercommon to the lists of Bonus Languages seeing as also they'd be the type to live underground and learn the language. .....why exactly would they be any more likely to live underground than humans? Gollum from LOTR might have, but that's not what these people are - I was just using him as a reference for how they look, not how they act/think/behave.
Watsyurname529 11-27-07, 07:06 PM	.....why exactly would they be any more likely to live underground than humans? Gollum from LOTR might have, but that's not what these people are - I was just using him as a reference for how they look, not how they act/think/behave. It was just a suggestion. Do what you please. It was just a thought to broaden their limited language selection.
painfool 11-27-07, 07:34 PM	I understand, and I'm sorry if that came off sounding unappreciative - it wasn't meant to be. I was just clarifying that they're not naturally subterranean folk.
AtsuiShoto 11-27-07, 08:10 PM	I have a suggestion you're welcome to play around with. How about an ability like this: When wearing light or no armor, carrying nothing in its hands, and using its hands for nothing else, a Tralad may move on all four limbs to gain +20' base movement. You could drop back to the normal 20ft movement rate, then add this ability to bump it to 40ft (which is GREAT for a scout, because then 10' is even achievable while climbing or swimming). It's highly situational, but it adds the idea that the forward hunch really IS useful for running on all fours, when needed. It may, however, be too "gimmicky" for your liking. I used it for a race I made up called the "fimblywhatsits", because they had much the same posture as your race and I figured it just fit.
painfool 11-27-07, 08:33 PM	I do like the idea, just not for this race. They should be able to move 30ft even with stuff in their hands. But again, the idea is a good one for other situations.
AtsuiShoto 11-27-07, 08:39 PM	the idea is a good one for other situations. Like this one? (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=908032) (A shameless plug, I know :blush:)
painfool 12-14-07, 12:30 AM	Minor update, just changed to a better picture.