Xiqenz [PEACH] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Xiqenz [PEACH] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
M-bark
02-06-08, 07:53 AM Xiqenz

"Those nasty little buggers. First they just take the beating that I give them, then they beat me up, then they stole my wallet, and to top it all off they cunningly convinced the town guard that I was the bad guy. Oh, the nerve! If I ever get my hands on one of them, I’ll give them another beating they won’t soon forget!"
- Zacharias Giormino, erstwhile rich merchant

Physical Description: A xiqenzi appears humanoid in shape, varying in height between five to six-and-a-half feet or so, although shorter ones are much more common than tall ones. They usually have a compact-ish, slender build, and their skin is often very dark in colour, whilst their hair is often very light. Their eyes tend to be of colours that are not commonly found in the common humanoid races of the world. Instead of blue, green and brown, their eyes are purple, yellow and red.

Personality: Xiqenz are contemplative, mischievous creatures. Their kind often things in strange ways, “out of the box”, coming up with a plan for a certain thing, often involving doing something bad. They tend to be fairly optimistic, thinking in the way of “well, it could be worse…”

Lands: Xiqenz do not possess lands of their own. They are typically found as wanderers, either in the wild or in the great cities, and most often live amongst human, elven or dwarven societies, often in secret.

Alignment: You will more often find a xiqenzi wanderer than one who has actually settled down, unless the one you happen to find is one of the older ones. They have slightly selfish tendencies, but are capable of mustering a feeling of altruism at rare occasions. Xiqenz tend more towards evil and chaos, but good or lawful ones are not all that rare. Lawful good ones, however, are quite extra-rare (no pun intended, seriously :P).

Relations: Xiqenz can get along reasonably with others (as long as their alignments do not conflict too much), humans for certain, although they sometimes don’t get along as much with dwarves and elves, due to the gruffness of the former and the aloofness of the latter. They hate gnomes due to the fact that gnomes are even more mischievous than they are, and they don’t really like Halflings due to their light-hearted- and –footed-ness. They can get along quite well with half-orcs and savage humanoids, especially those xiqenz who live in the wild rather than the city, and due to their toughness, cunning, will and personality, they often make it to leaders of small tribes.

Religion: Xiqenz have quite a bit of respect in regards to deities, although they do not always see the value of worshipping deities. A single xiqenzi typically reveres and prays to one deity, and only that deity. If they feel at one time or another, that their deity has abandoned them, they often turn to worshipping different deity.

Language: Xiqenz are often found in the societies of other races, especially the common ones. All xiqenz know Common, and to a certain extent, Dwarven and Elven as well. They do not possess a language of their own.

Male Names: Fartagn, Misterl, Rivenzi, Marktzan, Merthzos, Figarentz.

Female Names: Barsha, Methara, Hildentha, Gnirenelhje, Basthjaw, Hihirian.

Family Names: Brasthjaak, Jaonzs, Chaákir, Smírthsz, Thiffer, Jakeral.

Adventurers: Xiqenz start wandering and adventuring pretty much as a part of their nature. Filled with wanderlust and mischief, xiqenz often pick up the mantle of adventurer.

Racial Traits:
Ability Modifers: Con +2, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2. Xiqenz are physically hardy and they can take a beating. They are smart and alert of their surroundings, and they tend to have strong personalities.
Size: Medium
Type: Humanoid (human)
Speed: 30 feet.
Vision: Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Light Blindness: The eyes of a Xiqenzi tend to have little pigment in them, making their eyes somewhat vulnerable to bright light. As long as a Xiqenzi isn't wearing special equipment to protect their eyes, they become blinded for one round when they are suddenly exposed to bright light (sunlight or that of a daylight spell), and remain dazzled for subsequent rounds as long as they stay in an area with bright light.
Weapon Proficiency: All Xiqenz are proficient with short swords.
Skills: Xiqenz have a +2 bonus on Bluff checks. They take a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks. Xiqenz are naturally quite good at lying, but they're less good at getting others to help them, due to distrust.
Automatic Languages: Common and Elven OR Common and Dwarven. Xiqenz lurk amongst other societies and make it a priority to know the language of those whom they live amongst.
Bonus Languages: Any. Xiqenz are smart enough to know that when you know more languages, you can listen in on more conversations and find out more, which can often lead to an increase in personal wealth if used properly.
Favored Class: Rogue

Table: Starting Age
Adulthood Simple Average Complex

25 years +1d12 +2d10 +3d8

Table: Aging Effects
Middle Aged Old Venerable Maximum age

185 years 333 years 660 years +10d% years

Table: Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier

Male 4'08" + 2d10 120 lb. X (2d6) lb.
Female 4’07” + 2d10 100 lb. X (2d6) lb.
seventh_scroll
02-06-08, 09:03 AM I like the overall flavor of the race, but one thing is bothering me. Four ability scores increased, and no visible drawbacks. Also, I'd give them a favored class, either Bard or Rogue, due to their wandering and mischievous nature. This would mean that Xiqenz come from all walks of life, but a certain path appeals to most. All in all, not bad, but a tad overpowered in comparison to the core races.
M-bark
02-06-08, 09:53 AM I suppose Rogue as favored class indeed works better, so I changed that.

I knew it started out as being more powerful than core LA +0 races, but I hadn't thought of an appropriate weakness yet. I have added one now.
Devigod
02-07-08, 04:53 PM Hey, I hate to burst your bubble, but that weakness doesn't come close to justifying that many increases. Heck, two of the save penalties are canceled out!

You should either give them a level adjustment or take out the stat buffs...
They also have 40 foot land speed and darkvision.

Hmm... you probably need a level adjustment.
It might not be a bad idea to give them racial skill modifiers too. You could change their Cha bonus to a +4 racial bonus on bluff checks, based on the description, as they appear good liars.

Do you need some help here? This seems a little plain bland.
Thraxis
02-08-08, 12:11 AM for this, I would give them about +2 LA. the easiest thing to drop it, would be to give them -2 str, and drop their speed down to 30.

also, it bothers me you have no explanations of the "reasoning" of their abilities. In the phb and such, they explain *why* they have a -1 to saves and such. Also, having a base race with 3 very different languages is peculiar, if you explained it, it could work, but offhand, elven and dwarven seem anathema to each other as automatic languages.

Also, the humanoid type needs a subtype, even if it is humanoid (human). overall, you're min-maxing the race. Allow the race to have a more substantial and less esoteric flaw than "-1 saves"
M-bark
02-08-08, 04:04 AM I dropped the base speed and taken off the -1 to saves in favor of a different weakness, but I am yet looking for one. I also gave them a bonus to bluff and a penalty to diplomacy.

if you explained it, it could work, but offhand, elven and dwarven seem anathema to each other as automatic languages.

As said in the fluff part, Xiqenz lurk in cities and wander the lands, coming into contact with mostly humans, dwarves and elves. I did change a bit of it now, now there must be made a choice between Dwarven and Elven.

Also, the humanoid type needs a subtype, even if it is humanoid (human). overall, you're min-maxing the race. Allow the race to have a more substantial and less esoteric flaw than "-1 saves"

All add the subrace as being (human). As for the flaw, I was thinking about Light Sensitivy, perhaps. That they are a race that mostly comes out during darker times of the day, or that their eyes can't handle sudden presence of light (just as humans with red or purple eyes can't handle that).

This seems a little plain bland.

What seems so bland about it?
Devigod
02-08-08, 09:44 PM Why bland? I meant no offence. I meant it in terms of constructive criticism. It just seemed to me that you tossed on some modifiers, now added a weakness.
They seem a bit close to humans. If they're city skulks, they wouldn't bother learning elven, sylvan, ignan.... you could specify bonus languages, I guess.

It's looking better. I just meant that it needed some fleshing out. Now you have some skill mods, maybe you could add some unique abilities. I know that kenku can imitate voices, maybe you give these guys the ability to fake that they're getting beaten up, just fishing from your story thing.

I would echo Thraxis's point in explaining their penalties and bonuses in ability scores. Are city bandits normally emanciated? Or do they have a particular resistance to sewer disease? You could give them disease resistance.

Why do they have an increased Wisdom? Shell it or explain it with fluff. Or you could replace that with spot bonuses or search bonuses, they are adept at searching through scraps and at watching for potential threats. Listen too?

Then there's your LA problem. As is, these guys are far too powerful to play at 1st level. They need an LA with that many straight stat bonuses. You could replace the Con bonus with disease resistance, replace the Cha with your bluff bonus and there you have two less ability modifiers. You could also replace Wisdom with the above mentioned abilities or take it out altogether.

If you want them a 1st level race, you ought to have either no stat bonuses, or one +2 physical/mental bonus and one physical or two mental -2 penalties.

Okay, I hope that clarifies what I meant.
M-bark
02-09-08, 12:51 PM I didn't fluff out the stat mods at first, because most races I've seen don't have fluff for that, aside from the core races. Now there's added fluff for that, as well as for the reasoning on the languages. Also added Light Blindness.
Devigod
02-10-08, 12:21 PM Whatever, you do need a level adjustment though. I guess I'm just M-barking up the wrong tree.
Captain_Kobold
02-10-08, 05:15 PM I think that they are a fairly solid LA+1 as they are. +8 total unbalanced aility scores would normally give higher, but they are all only +2, so no single ability is getting boosted too far, and the rest of their abilities are 'meh' in terms of power and flavor. You could do away with the LA and just give them a couple of Humanoid Hit Dice instead perhaps?

Light blindness isn't too bad as a flaw since it can be countered by relatively cheap, non-magical items in exchange for a -2 penalty on Spot checks.
It does seem a bit odd that they are presented as a race of wanderers, but they have trouble travelling during the day, and don't have Low-light vision. The Darkvision and Light blindness would seem to point towards a subterranean origin instead.

At the moment there is little to distinguish them flavorwise from just dodgy humans or bigger Halflings.
M-bark
02-12-08, 01:10 PM I was unsure about assigning an LA to this race, so I decided to try out a LA calculator, and came out at +0.4 LA as it is, and that is with considering Darkvision as a minor power and applying light sensitivity rather than light blindness. I also tried out some others, but for some reason they gave negative modifiers even for high stat modifiers, so I didn't trust those.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
M-bark 02-06-08, 07:53 AM	Xiqenz "Those nasty little buggers. First they just take the beating that I give them, then they beat me up, then they stole my wallet, and to top it all off they cunningly convinced the town guard that I was the bad guy. Oh, the nerve! If I ever get my hands on one of them, I’ll give them another beating they won’t soon forget!" - Zacharias Giormino, erstwhile rich merchant Physical Description: A xiqenzi appears humanoid in shape, varying in height between five to six-and-a-half feet or so, although shorter ones are much more common than tall ones. They usually have a compact-ish, slender build, and their skin is often very dark in colour, whilst their hair is often very light. Their eyes tend to be of colours that are not commonly found in the common humanoid races of the world. Instead of blue, green and brown, their eyes are purple, yellow and red. Personality: Xiqenz are contemplative, mischievous creatures. Their kind often things in strange ways, “out of the box”, coming up with a plan for a certain thing, often involving doing something bad. They tend to be fairly optimistic, thinking in the way of “well, it could be worse…” Lands: Xiqenz do not possess lands of their own. They are typically found as wanderers, either in the wild or in the great cities, and most often live amongst human, elven or dwarven societies, often in secret. Alignment: You will more often find a xiqenzi wanderer than one who has actually settled down, unless the one you happen to find is one of the older ones. They have slightly selfish tendencies, but are capable of mustering a feeling of altruism at rare occasions. Xiqenz tend more towards evil and chaos, but good or lawful ones are not all that rare. Lawful good ones, however, are quite extra-rare (no pun intended, seriously :P). Relations: Xiqenz can get along reasonably with others (as long as their alignments do not conflict too much), humans for certain, although they sometimes don’t get along as much with dwarves and elves, due to the gruffness of the former and the aloofness of the latter. They hate gnomes due to the fact that gnomes are even more mischievous than they are, and they don’t really like Halflings due to their light-hearted- and –footed-ness. They can get along quite well with half-orcs and savage humanoids, especially those xiqenz who live in the wild rather than the city, and due to their toughness, cunning, will and personality, they often make it to leaders of small tribes. Religion: Xiqenz have quite a bit of respect in regards to deities, although they do not always see the value of worshipping deities. A single xiqenzi typically reveres and prays to one deity, and only that deity. If they feel at one time or another, that their deity has abandoned them, they often turn to worshipping different deity. Language: Xiqenz are often found in the societies of other races, especially the common ones. All xiqenz know Common, and to a certain extent, Dwarven and Elven as well. They do not possess a language of their own. Male Names: Fartagn, Misterl, Rivenzi, Marktzan, Merthzos, Figarentz. Female Names: Barsha, Methara, Hildentha, Gnirenelhje, Basthjaw, Hihirian. Family Names: Brasthjaak, Jaonzs, Chaákir, Smírthsz, Thiffer, Jakeral. Adventurers: Xiqenz start wandering and adventuring pretty much as a part of their nature. Filled with wanderlust and mischief, xiqenz often pick up the mantle of adventurer. Racial Traits: Ability Modifers: Con +2, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2. Xiqenz are physically hardy and they can take a beating. They are smart and alert of their surroundings, and they tend to have strong personalities. Size: Medium Type: Humanoid (human) Speed: 30 feet. Vision: Darkvision out to 60 feet. Light Blindness: The eyes of a Xiqenzi tend to have little pigment in them, making their eyes somewhat vulnerable to bright light. As long as a Xiqenzi isn't wearing special equipment to protect their eyes, they become blinded for one round when they are suddenly exposed to bright light (sunlight or that of a daylight spell), and remain dazzled for subsequent rounds as long as they stay in an area with bright light. Weapon Proficiency: All Xiqenz are proficient with short swords. Skills: Xiqenz have a +2 bonus on Bluff checks. They take a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks. Xiqenz are naturally quite good at lying, but they're less good at getting others to help them, due to distrust. Automatic Languages: Common and Elven OR Common and Dwarven. Xiqenz lurk amongst other societies and make it a priority to know the language of those whom they live amongst. Bonus Languages: Any. Xiqenz are smart enough to know that when you know more languages, you can listen in on more conversations and find out more, which can often lead to an increase in personal wealth if used properly. Favored Class: Rogue Table: Starting Age Adulthood Simple Average Complex 25 years +1d12 +2d10 +3d8 Table: Aging Effects Middle Aged Old Venerable Maximum age 185 years 333 years 660 years +10d% years Table: Random Height and Weight Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier Male 4'08" + 2d10 120 lb. X (2d6) lb. Female 4’07” + 2d10 100 lb. X (2d6) lb.
seventh_scroll 02-06-08, 09:03 AM	I like the overall flavor of the race, but one thing is bothering me. Four ability scores increased, and no visible drawbacks. Also, I'd give them a favored class, either Bard or Rogue, due to their wandering and mischievous nature. This would mean that Xiqenz come from all walks of life, but a certain path appeals to most. All in all, not bad, but a tad overpowered in comparison to the core races.
M-bark 02-06-08, 09:53 AM	I suppose Rogue as favored class indeed works better, so I changed that. I knew it started out as being more powerful than core LA +0 races, but I hadn't thought of an appropriate weakness yet. I have added one now.
Devigod 02-07-08, 04:53 PM	Hey, I hate to burst your bubble, but that weakness doesn't come close to justifying that many increases. Heck, two of the save penalties are canceled out! You should either give them a level adjustment or take out the stat buffs... They also have 40 foot land speed and darkvision. Hmm... you probably need a level adjustment. It might not be a bad idea to give them racial skill modifiers too. You could change their Cha bonus to a +4 racial bonus on bluff checks, based on the description, as they appear good liars. Do you need some help here? This seems a little plain bland.
Thraxis 02-08-08, 12:11 AM	for this, I would give them about +2 LA. the easiest thing to drop it, would be to give them -2 str, and drop their speed down to 30. also, it bothers me you have no explanations of the "reasoning" of their abilities. In the phb and such, they explain why they have a -1 to saves and such. Also, having a base race with 3 very different languages is peculiar, if you explained it, it could work, but offhand, elven and dwarven seem anathema to each other as automatic languages. Also, the humanoid type needs a subtype, even if it is humanoid (human). overall, you're min-maxing the race. Allow the race to have a more substantial and less esoteric flaw than "-1 saves"
M-bark 02-08-08, 04:04 AM	I dropped the base speed and taken off the -1 to saves in favor of a different weakness, but I am yet looking for one. I also gave them a bonus to bluff and a penalty to diplomacy. if you explained it, it could work, but offhand, elven and dwarven seem anathema to each other as automatic languages. As said in the fluff part, Xiqenz lurk in cities and wander the lands, coming into contact with mostly humans, dwarves and elves. I did change a bit of it now, now there must be made a choice between Dwarven and Elven. Also, the humanoid type needs a subtype, even if it is humanoid (human). overall, you're min-maxing the race. Allow the race to have a more substantial and less esoteric flaw than "-1 saves" All add the subrace as being (human). As for the flaw, I was thinking about Light Sensitivy, perhaps. That they are a race that mostly comes out during darker times of the day, or that their eyes can't handle sudden presence of light (just as humans with red or purple eyes can't handle that). This seems a little plain bland. What seems so bland about it?
Devigod 02-08-08, 09:44 PM	Why bland? I meant no offence. I meant it in terms of constructive criticism. It just seemed to me that you tossed on some modifiers, now added a weakness. They seem a bit close to humans. If they're city skulks, they wouldn't bother learning elven, sylvan, ignan.... you could specify bonus languages, I guess. It's looking better. I just meant that it needed some fleshing out. Now you have some skill mods, maybe you could add some unique abilities. I know that kenku can imitate voices, maybe you give these guys the ability to fake that they're getting beaten up, just fishing from your story thing. I would echo Thraxis's point in explaining their penalties and bonuses in ability scores. Are city bandits normally emanciated? Or do they have a particular resistance to sewer disease? You could give them disease resistance. Why do they have an increased Wisdom? Shell it or explain it with fluff. Or you could replace that with spot bonuses or search bonuses, they are adept at searching through scraps and at watching for potential threats. Listen too? Then there's your LA problem. As is, these guys are far too powerful to play at 1st level. They need an LA with that many straight stat bonuses. You could replace the Con bonus with disease resistance, replace the Cha with your bluff bonus and there you have two less ability modifiers. You could also replace Wisdom with the above mentioned abilities or take it out altogether. If you want them a 1st level race, you ought to have either no stat bonuses, or one +2 physical/mental bonus and one physical or two mental -2 penalties. Okay, I hope that clarifies what I meant.
M-bark 02-09-08, 12:51 PM	I didn't fluff out the stat mods at first, because most races I've seen don't have fluff for that, aside from the core races. Now there's added fluff for that, as well as for the reasoning on the languages. Also added Light Blindness.
Devigod 02-10-08, 12:21 PM	Whatever, you do need a level adjustment though. I guess I'm just M-barking up the wrong tree.
Captain_Kobold 02-10-08, 05:15 PM	I think that they are a fairly solid LA+1 as they are. +8 total unbalanced aility scores would normally give higher, but they are all only +2, so no single ability is getting boosted too far, and the rest of their abilities are 'meh' in terms of power and flavor. You could do away with the LA and just give them a couple of Humanoid Hit Dice instead perhaps? Light blindness isn't too bad as a flaw since it can be countered by relatively cheap, non-magical items in exchange for a -2 penalty on Spot checks. It does seem a bit odd that they are presented as a race of wanderers, but they have trouble travelling during the day, and don't have Low-light vision. The Darkvision and Light blindness would seem to point towards a subterranean origin instead. At the moment there is little to distinguish them flavorwise from just dodgy humans or bigger Halflings.
M-bark 02-12-08, 01:10 PM	I was unsure about assigning an LA to this race, so I decided to try out a LA calculator, and came out at +0.4 LA as it is, and that is with considering Darkvision as a minor power and applying light sensitivity rather than light blindness. I also tried out some others, but for some reason they gave negative modifiers even for high stat modifiers, so I didn't trust those.