Goblin Mutation Feats (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Goblin Mutation Feats (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Talisman
06-11-07, 09:53 PM Okay, in my (upcoming) campaign, goblins are a PC race (slightly tweaked). I've described them as very adaptable and prone to mutation--bugbears, hobgoblins, urds and dolgrims are merely common goblin mutations. With this in mind, I've come up with a number of mutation feats.

These are supposed to be slightly more powerful than standard feats, but with drawbacks. Their type is "talent" because that's my shorthand for "feat that you can only take at 1st level."

Mutation: Abberant (Talent)
Benefits: You're just plain different. You suffer a -4 penalty on Diplomacy, Gather Information and Perform checks, as even other goblins think you're odd. On the plus side you gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Intimidate checks as you're both scary and hard to read. Also, for purposes of special effects, you count as an aberration rather than a humanoid (goblinoid).
Special: If you can talk your GM into letting you take aberrant feats from Lords of Madness, this feat becomes an aberrant feat as well as a talent, and counts as Aberrant Blood for purposes of prerequisites.

Mutation: Big (talent)
Benefits: You tower over the others of your tribe, and may even approach human height. You are a Medium creature with a base speed of 30'; you lose all size-based bonuses. You do not suffer the usual -2 penalty to Strength, but your size comes at a cost: your unusual size makes you clumsier, and you lose your racial +2 bonus to Dexterity.

Mutation: Eyes (talent)
Benefits: You have four small, vestigial eyes studding the sides of your face. Mere light-sensitive spots, they nevertheless grant you a +4 bonus on Search and Spot checks. However, you take a -2 penalty on saves vs. light- and vision-based effects and a -4 penalty on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks.

Mutation: Fangs (talent)
Benefits: You have unusually overdeveloped jaws and long, sharp teeth. You gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks and a bite as a natural weapon (1d4 damage).

Mutation: Runner (talent)
Benefits: Your arms are unusually long, and your knuckles are hard and calloused. You can lope along on all fours at a base speed of 40', but you cannot carry anything in your hands while doing so.

Mutation: Tail (talent)
Benefits: You possess a prehensile tail. Although not very dexterous, you can use it to lift and move objects and can even wield weapons with it. You cannot use your tail for any task requiring fine manipultion, such as the Open Lock skill. Your tail is considered to have Strength and Dexterity scores 2 points lower than yours.
Having a tail does not allow you to attack with three weapons in one round. Attacking with your tail counts as your off-hand attack; you are not coordinated enough to attack with both hands and the tail.

Mutation: Tiny (talent)
Benefits: You are seriously the runt of the litter. You are less than two feet tall, making you size Tiny. This grants you a +2 size bonus to attacks and AC and a +8 size bonus on Hide checks. On the downside, you take a -8 size penalty to grapple checks and must use smaller equipment and weapons, and your carrying capacity is reduced. Your racial bonus to Dexterity increases to +4, but your racial penalty to Strength likewise increases to -4. Have fun trying to Intimidate people.

Mutation: Tough Hide (talent)
Benefits: Your skin is thick and tough as old leather. Or perhaps you have a coat of reptillian scales, or dense fur. Whatever the reason, you have a +2 natural armor bonus but your thick hide imposes a -2 penalty on Reflex saves and all Dexterity-based skill checks. Also, you look odd even by goblin standards.

Mutation: Wings (talent)
Benefits: You sport a pair of vestigial, batlike wings on your shoulders. They are very difficult to conceal, and superstitious humans may mistake you for some sort of demon, but they have their uses. You gain a +2 bonus on Balance and Jump checks, and you treat all falls as if they were 10' shorter than they are. If you have the Slow Fall ability, add 10' to the distance you can Slow Fall.

Mutation: Wrinkles (talent)
Benefits: Your skin seems a bit too big, and sometimes changes colors slightly; you can also alter your appearance somewhat. Although highly unnerving, this grants you a +2 bonus on Disguise, Escape Artist and Hide checks.
Kevin Andrew Murphy
06-12-07, 12:52 AM I'd change the name of the "Shifter" talent to "Wrinkles" to avoid confusion but I like all of these and would happily use them in my game.
Armoracia Rusticana
06-12-07, 09:57 AM Tough Hide is better than most NA-giving feats.

Also Tiny is little bit powerful. For casters, mostly. And for ranged rogues and the like. +4 to ranged touch attacks (dex+size) AND to touch AC, +10 to hide (dex+size). Nuff said.
Yanagita Kunio
06-12-07, 12:28 PM Sorry to ask a non-sequitor...but what are Urds and Dolgrims?

The feats are nice, though the NAC one is a tad strong.
Talisman
06-13-07, 09:13 PM I'd change the name of the "Shifter" talent to "Wrinkles" to avoid confusion but I like all of these and would happily use them in my game.

I should have thought of that myself, given that I played a shifter ranger. Done.

Tough Hide is better than most NA-giving feats.

True. Maybe if I add a couple of skill penalties, such as -2 on Diplomacy, Tumble, or Gather Information?

Also Tiny is little bit powerful. For casters, mostly. And for ranged rogues and the like. +4 to ranged touch attacks (dex+size) AND to touch AC, +10 to hide (dex+size). Nuff said.

Good point about casters. I'm not terribly worried about rogues, because Tiny size = Tiny weapons and horribly low Strength. Any suggestions on how I can make a balanced feat to allow a 2'-tall goblin?

Sorry to ask a non-sequitor...but what are Urds and Dolgrims?

Urds are a race from 2nd Edition...cowardly, winged, big-eyed goblin-eque guys. I don't know if they were ever officially related to goblins, but in my world they are.
Dolgrims are from the Eberron setting. They're aberrations formed from a pair of goblins, with four arms and two big, toothy mouths.
ragoftag
06-14-07, 07:36 PM I am so shamed! I was going to do something similar, based of SJG's Goblins, months ago! Oh the humanity! (Or would it be "the Goblinity"?)

Good luck, looks good so far, well the TH is a bit too good, but keep going, add subsequent feats, watch Labyrinth a few times for inspiration, Huzzaah!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Talisman 06-11-07, 09:53 PM	Okay, in my (upcoming) campaign, goblins are a PC race (slightly tweaked). I've described them as very adaptable and prone to mutation--bugbears, hobgoblins, urds and dolgrims are merely common goblin mutations. With this in mind, I've come up with a number of mutation feats. These are supposed to be slightly more powerful than standard feats, but with drawbacks. Their type is "talent" because that's my shorthand for "feat that you can only take at 1st level." Mutation: Abberant (Talent) Benefits: You're just plain different. You suffer a -4 penalty on Diplomacy, Gather Information and Perform checks, as even other goblins think you're odd. On the plus side you gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Intimidate checks as you're both scary and hard to read. Also, for purposes of special effects, you count as an aberration rather than a humanoid (goblinoid). Special: If you can talk your GM into letting you take aberrant feats from Lords of Madness, this feat becomes an aberrant feat as well as a talent, and counts as Aberrant Blood for purposes of prerequisites. Mutation: Big (talent) Benefits: You tower over the others of your tribe, and may even approach human height. You are a Medium creature with a base speed of 30'; you lose all size-based bonuses. You do not suffer the usual -2 penalty to Strength, but your size comes at a cost: your unusual size makes you clumsier, and you lose your racial +2 bonus to Dexterity. Mutation: Eyes (talent) Benefits: You have four small, vestigial eyes studding the sides of your face. Mere light-sensitive spots, they nevertheless grant you a +4 bonus on Search and Spot checks. However, you take a -2 penalty on saves vs. light- and vision-based effects and a -4 penalty on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks. Mutation: Fangs (talent) Benefits: You have unusually overdeveloped jaws and long, sharp teeth. You gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks and a bite as a natural weapon (1d4 damage). Mutation: Runner (talent) Benefits: Your arms are unusually long, and your knuckles are hard and calloused. You can lope along on all fours at a base speed of 40', but you cannot carry anything in your hands while doing so. Mutation: Tail (talent) Benefits: You possess a prehensile tail. Although not very dexterous, you can use it to lift and move objects and can even wield weapons with it. You cannot use your tail for any task requiring fine manipultion, such as the Open Lock skill. Your tail is considered to have Strength and Dexterity scores 2 points lower than yours. Having a tail does not allow you to attack with three weapons in one round. Attacking with your tail counts as your off-hand attack; you are not coordinated enough to attack with both hands and the tail. Mutation: Tiny (talent) Benefits: You are seriously the runt of the litter. You are less than two feet tall, making you size Tiny. This grants you a +2 size bonus to attacks and AC and a +8 size bonus on Hide checks. On the downside, you take a -8 size penalty to grapple checks and must use smaller equipment and weapons, and your carrying capacity is reduced. Your racial bonus to Dexterity increases to +4, but your racial penalty to Strength likewise increases to -4. Have fun trying to Intimidate people. Mutation: Tough Hide (talent) Benefits: Your skin is thick and tough as old leather. Or perhaps you have a coat of reptillian scales, or dense fur. Whatever the reason, you have a +2 natural armor bonus but your thick hide imposes a -2 penalty on Reflex saves and all Dexterity-based skill checks. Also, you look odd even by goblin standards. Mutation: Wings (talent) Benefits: You sport a pair of vestigial, batlike wings on your shoulders. They are very difficult to conceal, and superstitious humans may mistake you for some sort of demon, but they have their uses. You gain a +2 bonus on Balance and Jump checks, and you treat all falls as if they were 10' shorter than they are. If you have the Slow Fall ability, add 10' to the distance you can Slow Fall. Mutation: Wrinkles (talent) Benefits: Your skin seems a bit too big, and sometimes changes colors slightly; you can also alter your appearance somewhat. Although highly unnerving, this grants you a +2 bonus on Disguise, Escape Artist and Hide checks.
Kevin Andrew Murphy 06-12-07, 12:52 AM	I'd change the name of the "Shifter" talent to "Wrinkles" to avoid confusion but I like all of these and would happily use them in my game.
Armoracia Rusticana 06-12-07, 09:57 AM	Tough Hide is better than most NA-giving feats. Also Tiny is little bit powerful. For casters, mostly. And for ranged rogues and the like. +4 to ranged touch attacks (dex+size) AND to touch AC, +10 to hide (dex+size). Nuff said.
Yanagita Kunio 06-12-07, 12:28 PM	Sorry to ask a non-sequitor...but what are Urds and Dolgrims? The feats are nice, though the NAC one is a tad strong.
Talisman 06-13-07, 09:13 PM	I'd change the name of the "Shifter" talent to "Wrinkles" to avoid confusion but I like all of these and would happily use them in my game. I should have thought of that myself, given that I played a shifter ranger. Done. Tough Hide is better than most NA-giving feats. True. Maybe if I add a couple of skill penalties, such as -2 on Diplomacy, Tumble, or Gather Information? Also Tiny is little bit powerful. For casters, mostly. And for ranged rogues and the like. +4 to ranged touch attacks (dex+size) AND to touch AC, +10 to hide (dex+size). Nuff said. Good point about casters. I'm not terribly worried about rogues, because Tiny size = Tiny weapons and horribly low Strength. Any suggestions on how I can make a balanced feat to allow a 2'-tall goblin? Sorry to ask a non-sequitor...but what are Urds and Dolgrims? Urds are a race from 2nd Edition...cowardly, winged, big-eyed goblin-eque guys. I don't know if they were ever officially related to goblins, but in my world they are. Dolgrims are from the Eberron setting. They're aberrations formed from a pair of goblins, with four arms and two big, toothy mouths.
ragoftag 06-14-07, 07:36 PM	I am so shamed! I was going to do something similar, based of SJG's Goblins, months ago! Oh the humanity! (Or would it be "the Goblinity"?) Good luck, looks good so far, well the TH is a bit too good, but keep going, add subsequent feats, watch Labyrinth a few times for inspiration, Huzzaah!