Daelkyr Half-Blood
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5’6” -6’2”
Average Weight: 135-220 lb.
Ability Scores: +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, Deep Speech
Skill Bonuses: +2 Arcana, +2 Intimidate
Aberrant Origin: You are born tainted with the corrupt nature of the Daelkyr, so you are considered an aberrant creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Unbalanced Mind: You gain a +5 racial bonus to saving throws against charm effects.
Symbiont: You are born with one of four symbionts. Choose one of the following options at character creation:
Breed Leech: You can use bolster body as an encounter power.
Crawling Gauntlet: You can use retributive rake as an encounter power.
Shadow Sibling: You can use shadow skin as an encounter power.
Throwing Scarab: You can use acid shard as an encounter power.
You can change your symbiont using the summon symbiont ritual, which you gain automatically and can cast even without the ritual caster feat.
Bolster Body
Your breed leech floods your body with aberrant chemicals.
Encounter
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to your level plus your Constitution modifier.
Shadow Skin
Your shadowy aura throws off your enemy’s attack.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You would be hit by an attack.
Effect: You gain concealment until the end of your next turn.
Retributive Rake
You claw at an enemy that would dare harm you.
Encounter
Immediate Reaction Melee 1
Trigger: You are hit by a melee attack
Target: The attacking creature
Attack: Strength +2 vs. AC, Constitution +2 vs. AC, or Dexterity +2 vs. AC
Hit: 2d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Increase to +3 bonus and 3d8 damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 4d8 + Constitution modifier damage at 21st level.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character’s life.
Acid Shard
You hurl a shard of crystalline carapace from your throwing scarab.
Encounter * Acid
Minor Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength +2 vs. AC, Constitution +2 vs. AC, or Dexterity +2 vs. AC
Hit: 2d10 acid damage.
Increase to +3 bonus and 3d10 damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 4d10 damage at 21st level.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character’s life.
Summon Symbiont
You channel the power of the Daelkyr to call and bind a new symbiont.
Level: 1
Component Cost: 50 gp
Category: Binding
Market Price: -
Time: 1 hour
Key Skill: Arcana (no check)
Duration: Permanent
You detach and slay your current symbiont, then summon and attach a new one. You can choose a new symbiont as described in the daelkyr half-blood racial description, replacing your racial power. If you have multiple symbionts, this ritual replaces only one.
Symbionts are less willing to bind to more powerful half-bloods, since their influence over their host lessens. The component cost is 500 gp for paragon tier characters and 5,000 gp for epic tier characters.
You must be a daelkyr half-blood to perform this ritual.
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An obvious racial feat is something like 'Second Symbiont', similar to the genasi's extra manifestation feat.
How does it look?
I'm thinking that the ability to change the symbiont via a ritual could be overpowered. How about making each of the powers a feat (If PC wants to change a symbiont he can retrain his feat when he levels-up).
Should consider the option to allow only one symbiont-feat in heroic, two in paragon, three in epic (need to decide if the PC gets a free symbiont-feat at level 1 or he needs to spend his own feat).
A suggestion for the feats:
Heroic tier
Breed leech (Bolster Body)
Crawling gauntlet (could flavor the "Claw Fighter" feat from "Playing Gnolls")
Shadow Sibling (Shadow Skin)
Throwing scarab (Acid Shard)
You hurl a shard of crystalline carapace from your throwing scarab.
At-Will * Acid
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Special: you lose one healing surge and hit the target for the healing-surge-amount as on going acid damage (save-ends).
Paragon
Stormstalk
Winter cyst
Spellwurm
Epic
Tentacle whip
Tongue worm
In that case all symbiont should be defined as monsters with their related powers:
for example:
Warhorse power - Charger (while mounted by a friendly rider of 3rd level or higher;
at-will) ✦ Mount
Throwing scarab - Acid Shard (while hosted by a 3rd level or higher;
at-will) ✦ Symbiont
and the feat "Symbiont Combat" could be given free to the Daelkyr Half-Blood.
Nice work ieattrollsforbreakfast.
I'm thinking that the ability to change the symbiont via a ritual could be overpowered. How about making each of the powers a feat (If PC wants to change a symbiont he can retrain his feat when he levels-up).
Should consider the option to allow only one symbiont-feat in heroic, two in paragon, three in epic (need to decide if the PC gets a free symbiont-feat at level 1 or he needs to spend his own feat).
While the idea of retraining symbionts has its merit, attaching it to feats does seem a bit artificial to me. I think a ritual is a better mechanic in that it happens when your character decides it to, rather than happening instantly when you level up. A breed leech shouldn't instantly morph into a throwing scarab.
I think a good way to resolve the problem (and to keep symbionts from being changed to often) is to simply attach a clause to the ritual stating it can only be cast once per level.
A suggestion for the feats:
Heroic tier
Breed leech (Bolster Body)
Crawling gauntlet (could flavor the "Claw Fighter" feat from "Playing Gnolls")
Shadow Sibling (Shadow Skin)
Throwing scarab (Acid Shard)
You hurl a shard of crystalline carapace from your throwing scarab.
At-Will * Acid
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Special: you lose one healing surge and hit the target for the healing-surge-amount as on going acid damage (save-ends).
Paragon
Stormstalk
Winter cyst
Spellwurm
Epic
Tentacle whip
Tongue worm
I'd rather each be available from level one. I don't really see why a tentacle whip should be inherently epic. They're no more fantastic than throwing scarabs. Perhaps even less so.
The Symbiont keyword could be used on a monster similar to the way the Mount keyword is used (MM p.282), If to follow the same approach as mounts a generic feat like the "Mounted Combat" (a feat that lets you access mounts abilities in combat, see also DMG p.46-47) could be defined (e.g "Symbiont Combat" feat allow the use of the symbiont powers in combat).
Interesting approach, but I think it's unnecessary to have separate combat stats for the symbionts. They're never going to be fought alone, only as attachments to other monsters or NPCs. In that case, they only need to be extra powers attached to stat blocks.
Another approach could be to open a new magic item slot called 'Symbiont', stat each symbiont as a magic item, and give the half-daelkyr free access to the slot, potentially opening it more than once. Trouble with that is your racial ability will get less useful to you at certain levels, then get a sudden burst of power. That's not really a fun way to play it.
Interesting approach, but I think it's unnecessary to have separate combat stats for the symbionts. They're never going to be fought alone, only as attachments to other monsters or NPCs. In that case, they only need to be extra powers attached to stat blocks.
I actually used a symbiont as a standalone monster in a 4e encounter (think about the scene from Alien where a 'facehugger' attempts to attach itself to Ripley's face).
The 'Mount' approach also solves the scalability issues since the monster's power-use is prerequisite by the PC reaching the monster's level.
I haven't seen any example in the MM for a 'Mount' power which has a different level prerequisite then the monster's own level. but in theory there is nothing preventing the definition of two or more different monster powers with different level prerequisites. allowing the PC to scale and even gain access to new powers from the same symbiont monster as he levels up.
I also don't think that the use of symbionts is restricted only to the Daelkyr Half-Blood race (but having a "Mounted Combat"-like feat will allow them to be better hosts. similar to how a PC trained in Mounted Combat is better/have access to using the Warhorse charge power).
Another approach could be to open a new magic item slot called 'Symbiont', stat each symbiont as a magic item, and give the half-daelkyr free access to the slot, potentially opening it more than once. Trouble with that is your racial ability will get less useful to you at certain levels, then get a sudden burst of power. That's not really a fun way to play it.
If to follow the Warforged components example - It can be a Wondrous Item slot with a "Special: Only a half-daelkyr character can use this item" attribute. Now, If to follow some of the 3.5 concepts in the ECS (p. 299) I think the item should be available for every race - but half-daelkyr are exempt from the initial skill check needed to prevent the symbiont from dominating the PC (other races risk the chance of getting dominated by the symbiont).
About ways of accruing new symbiont:
- Buy one from the black market (not easy to find, need to figure out a price list).
- Gain one by subduing (knocking unconscious) the symbiont monster (when alone) or its host (a heal skill maybe needed to remove the symbiont safely from its original host).
- Get friendly with a place like the Atur Academy in Karrnath, preform some quests/tasks for them.
