Winged races. please tell! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Winged races. please tell! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Eshenaleros
04-24-07, 12:49 PM I've heard of a template called 'winged' that gives a creature a pair of wings, but i don't know what book it's in, the stats, or anything else. could someone elaborate?
Warforged Goblin
04-24-07, 12:58 PM That template is in the Savage Species book, which is not OGL and cannot be reproduced here. However, here's a LA +0 template I came up with that you might want to use.

SOARING CREATURE
Soaring creatures are found in and around areas with portals to the Plane of Elemental Air. While not true elemental creatures, they have been changed by the elemental energies they live, breed, and die in.

Soaring creatures are almost identical to their earthbound counterparts, except for the powerful wings on their backs. Their wings, while at first odd or shocking to the casual observer, match the creatures perfectly; a soaring crocodile has warty green reptilian wings while a soaring displacer beast has deep purple wings made of a velvety membrane of skin.

SAMPLE SOARING CREATURE
This example uses a black bear as the base creature.

As you traverse the mountain pass, a low growl alerts you to an airborne predator. A bear the size of a man glides through the air on powerful wings covered in coarse black hair.

Soaring Black Bear
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 Hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft (8 squares), fly 20 ft (poor)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6
Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d4+3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+3) and bite +1 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Flight, hollow bones, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +3, Jump +5, Listen +4, Spot +4, Swim +7
Feats: Endurance, Run
Environment: Temperate mountains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4 – 5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -

COMBAT
Soaring black bears use similar tactics to their non-flying cousins, attacking prey with claws and teeth.
Skills: A soaring black bear has a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Swim checks.

CREATING A SOARING CREATURE
“Soaring” is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature that does not have a fly speed (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A soaring creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.
Size and Type: The base creature’s size and type remain unchanged.
Special Qualities: A soaring creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities.
Flight (Ex): A soaring creature gains a fly speed equal to half its land speed with a maneuverability based on its Dexterity score (see table below).

Dexterity Maneuverability
9 and below Clumsy
10 – 13 Poor
14 – 17 Average
18 – 21 Good
22+ Perfect

Hollow Bones (Ex): Should a soaring creature be subject to a critical hit, the critical multiplier is increased by 1. Soaring creatures immune to critical hits take normal critical hit damage.
Skills: A soaring creatures gains a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks.
Abilities: -2 Str, -2 Con
Environment: Any mountains
Challenge Rating: +0
Level Adjustment: +0

Enjoy
YabaTheWhat
04-24-07, 01:37 PM That template is in the Savage Species book, which is not OGL and cannot be reproduced here. However, here's a LA +0 template I came up with that you might want to use.

SOARING CREATURE
Soaring creatures are found in and around areas with portals to the Plane of Elemental Air. While not true elemental creatures, they have been changed by the elemental energies they live, breed, and die in.

Soaring creatures are almost identical to their earthbound counterparts, except for the powerful wings on their backs. Their wings, while at first odd or shocking to the casual observer, match the creatures perfectly; a soaring crocodile has warty green reptilian wings while a soaring displacer beast has deep purple wings made of a velvety membrane of skin.

SAMPLE SOARING CREATURE
This example uses a black bear as the base creature.

As you traverse the mountain pass, a low growl alerts you to an airborne predator. A bear the size of a man glides through the air on powerful wings covered in coarse black hair.

Soaring Black Bear
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 Hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft (8 squares), fly 20 ft (poor)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6
Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d4+3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+3) and bite +1 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Flight, hollow bones, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +3, Jump +5, Listen +4, Spot +4, Swim +7
Feats: Endurance, Run
Environment: Temperate mountains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 4 – 5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -

COMBAT
Soaring black bears use similar tactics to their non-flying cousins, attacking prey with claws and teeth.
Skills: A soaring black bear has a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Swim checks.

CREATING A SOARING CREATURE
“Soaring” is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature that does not have a fly speed (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A soaring creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.
Size and Type: The base creature’s size and type remain unchanged.
Special Qualities: A soaring creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities.
Flight (Ex): A soaring creature gains a fly speed equal to half its land speed with a maneuverability based on its Dexterity score (see table below).

Dexterity Maneuverability
9 and below Clumsy
10 – 13 Poor
14 – 17 Average
18 – 21 Good
22+ Perfect

Hollow Bones (Ex): Should a soaring creature be subject to a critical hit, the critical multiplier is increased by 1. Soaring creatures immune to critical hits take normal critical hit damage.
Skills: A soaring creatures gains a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks.
Abilities: -2 Str, -2 Con
Environment: Any mountains
Challenge Rating: +0
Level Adjustment: +0

Enjoy Even with the penalties, that's still too good for LA+0 as a template. A creature with no racial hit dice and no LA could end up with good maneuverability flight at minimal cost. Strength penalties have minimal impact on an archer, and no impact at all on an arcane caster. While the CON penatly would moderately hurt an archer or arcane caster, they can make up for the loss almost completely by taking the Improved Toughness feat (complete warrior) once they meet the prerequisites (which is about the time the Fly spell becomes available, presuming they don't take any levels in a class with a high fortitude save).

The main problem with flight at low levels is it lets the flying character stay entirely out of range of any opponent without a ranged attack. While a winged PC might still have to contend with ranged attacks from, say, a kobold, they'd be completely invulnerable when facing any of the following in an open or outdoor area:
>> Unintelligent undead
>> Non-flying abberations, magical beasts, and animals
>> Oozes & Plants
>> Most constructs
>> Any other creature without flight or ranged attacks
Basically, if a creature can't attack the flying PC, then none of its weaknesses matter at all.

Now, if an entire campaign takes place underground in a series of narrow corridors, then the ability to fly doesn't matter much. It will still help them avoid certain traps, but with the lost constitution, they'd be more vulnerable to others. The problem is that most campaigns do not take place entirely in small corridors. Even underground campaigns include large cavernous areas where a flying PC could stay clear of dangerous monsters.
Garonak
04-24-07, 05:19 PM The Winged Template is in MM2. LA+2

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Eshenaleros 04-24-07, 12:49 PM	I've heard of a template called 'winged' that gives a creature a pair of wings, but i don't know what book it's in, the stats, or anything else. could someone elaborate?
Warforged Goblin 04-24-07, 12:58 PM	That template is in the Savage Species book, which is not OGL and cannot be reproduced here. However, here's a LA +0 template I came up with that you might want to use. SOARING CREATURE Soaring creatures are found in and around areas with portals to the Plane of Elemental Air. While not true elemental creatures, they have been changed by the elemental energies they live, breed, and die in. Soaring creatures are almost identical to their earthbound counterparts, except for the powerful wings on their backs. Their wings, while at first odd or shocking to the casual observer, match the creatures perfectly; a soaring crocodile has warty green reptilian wings while a soaring displacer beast has deep purple wings made of a velvety membrane of skin. SAMPLE SOARING CREATURE This example uses a black bear as the base creature. As you traverse the mountain pass, a low growl alerts you to an airborne predator. A bear the size of a man glides through the air on powerful wings covered in coarse black hair. Soaring Black Bear Medium Animal Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 Hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 40 ft (8 squares), fly 20 ft (poor) Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6 Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d4+3) Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+3) and bite +1 melee (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: Flight, hollow bones, low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Climb +3, Jump +5, Listen +4, Spot +4, Swim +7 Feats: Endurance, Run Environment: Temperate mountains Organization: Solitary or pair Challenge Rating: 2 Advancement: 4 – 5 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: - COMBAT Soaring black bears use similar tactics to their non-flying cousins, attacking prey with claws and teeth. Skills: A soaring black bear has a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Swim checks. CREATING A SOARING CREATURE “Soaring” is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature that does not have a fly speed (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A soaring creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes. Size and Type: The base creature’s size and type remain unchanged. Special Qualities: A soaring creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities. Flight (Ex): A soaring creature gains a fly speed equal to half its land speed with a maneuverability based on its Dexterity score (see table below). Dexterity Maneuverability 9 and below Clumsy 10 – 13 Poor 14 – 17 Average 18 – 21 Good 22+ Perfect Hollow Bones (Ex): Should a soaring creature be subject to a critical hit, the critical multiplier is increased by 1. Soaring creatures immune to critical hits take normal critical hit damage. Skills: A soaring creatures gains a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks. Abilities: -2 Str, -2 Con Environment: Any mountains Challenge Rating: +0 Level Adjustment: +0 Enjoy
YabaTheWhat 04-24-07, 01:37 PM	That template is in the Savage Species book, which is not OGL and cannot be reproduced here. However, here's a LA +0 template I came up with that you might want to use. SOARING CREATURE Soaring creatures are found in and around areas with portals to the Plane of Elemental Air. While not true elemental creatures, they have been changed by the elemental energies they live, breed, and die in. Soaring creatures are almost identical to their earthbound counterparts, except for the powerful wings on their backs. Their wings, while at first odd or shocking to the casual observer, match the creatures perfectly; a soaring crocodile has warty green reptilian wings while a soaring displacer beast has deep purple wings made of a velvety membrane of skin. SAMPLE SOARING CREATURE This example uses a black bear as the base creature. As you traverse the mountain pass, a low growl alerts you to an airborne predator. A bear the size of a man glides through the air on powerful wings covered in coarse black hair. Soaring Black Bear Medium Animal Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 Hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 40 ft (8 squares), fly 20 ft (poor) Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6 Attack: Claw +6 melee (1d4+3) Full Attack: 2 claws +6 melee (1d4+3) and bite +1 melee (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: Flight, hollow bones, low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Climb +3, Jump +5, Listen +4, Spot +4, Swim +7 Feats: Endurance, Run Environment: Temperate mountains Organization: Solitary or pair Challenge Rating: 2 Advancement: 4 – 5 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: - COMBAT Soaring black bears use similar tactics to their non-flying cousins, attacking prey with claws and teeth. Skills: A soaring black bear has a +4 racial bonus on Jump and Swim checks. CREATING A SOARING CREATURE “Soaring” is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature that does not have a fly speed (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A soaring creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes. Size and Type: The base creature’s size and type remain unchanged. Special Qualities: A soaring creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities. Flight (Ex): A soaring creature gains a fly speed equal to half its land speed with a maneuverability based on its Dexterity score (see table below). Dexterity Maneuverability 9 and below Clumsy 10 – 13 Poor 14 – 17 Average 18 – 21 Good 22+ Perfect Hollow Bones (Ex): Should a soaring creature be subject to a critical hit, the critical multiplier is increased by 1. Soaring creatures immune to critical hits take normal critical hit damage. Skills: A soaring creatures gains a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks. Abilities: -2 Str, -2 Con Environment: Any mountains Challenge Rating: +0 Level Adjustment: +0 Enjoy Even with the penalties, that's still too good for LA+0 as a template. A creature with no racial hit dice and no LA could end up with good maneuverability flight at minimal cost. Strength penalties have minimal impact on an archer, and no impact at all on an arcane caster. While the CON penatly would moderately hurt an archer or arcane caster, they can make up for the loss almost completely by taking the Improved Toughness feat (complete warrior) once they meet the prerequisites (which is about the time the Fly spell becomes available, presuming they don't take any levels in a class with a high fortitude save). The main problem with flight at low levels is it lets the flying character stay entirely out of range of any opponent without a ranged attack. While a winged PC might still have to contend with ranged attacks from, say, a kobold, they'd be completely invulnerable when facing any of the following in an open or outdoor area: >> Unintelligent undead >> Non-flying abberations, magical beasts, and animals >> Oozes & Plants >> Most constructs >> Any other creature without flight or ranged attacks Basically, if a creature can't attack the flying PC, then none of its weaknesses matter at all. Now, if an entire campaign takes place underground in a series of narrow corridors, then the ability to fly doesn't matter much. It will still help them avoid certain traps, but with the lost constitution, they'd be more vulnerable to others. The problem is that most campaigns do not take place entirely in small corridors. Even underground campaigns include large cavernous areas where a flying PC could stay clear of dangerous monsters.
Garonak 04-24-07, 05:19 PM	The Winged Template is in MM2. LA+2