Okay, so for those who aren't familiar with the Animorphs book series, which is bloody awesome so read it! Sorry, anyways the Andalites are a major player race in the series, aliens, good aliens. Anyway they're kinda like a centaur, in terms of upper half humanoid, lower have equine. Difference being the equine half is more like a deer or small horse. They're covered with a short, fine fur that ranges from shades of blue or males, and more of a purple for females. They have slender arms, and really aren't any stronger than humans, actually weaker when it comes to their arms. They have no mouths and communicate through thought-speech, which is basically telepathy, and only have three vertical slits for a nose to breath. They have two almond shaped eyes, a little bigger than human eyes, but also two stalk eyes on their head. Two small stalks stick up out of the top of their head(they don't have hair), each with an eye on top. The stalk eyes can move and in any direction independent from their main eyes. They also have a strong, scorpion like tail which they use as a weapon. Oh and they eat by crushing grass and absorbing the nutrients through their hooves. Just had to add that fun fact.
Okay, with that basic description set here's my race.
Andalite
Average Height: 5'9"-6'2"
Average Weight: Don't know, probably like a hundred pounds heavy than humans or something.
Ability Scores: +2 Int, +2 Wis or Dex
Size: Medium
Speed: 7 squares
Vision: Normal
Language: Telepathy 5 (Now 10)
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance and Perception
Tail Blade: You have a tail blade, which can be used to make melee basic attacks. The tail blade counts as a light blade, with a +3 proficiency bonus doing 1d8 damage. Your tail blade cannot be enchanted.
Extra Eyes: You do not grant combat advantage for being flanked, and when you roll a Perception check you can roll twice and use either option.
One Eye Open: You don't sleep like normal creatures, but instead go into a trance-like state, always leaving one eye open. While in trance you notice any approaching enemies and other events going on as normal.
Blade Guard: You gain the blade guard racial power.
Blade Guard
With lightning speed you whip your blade out to deflect the oncoming attack.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You're targeted by a melee attack.
Target: The creature targeting you with the melee attack.
Effect: The target takes a -2 to the attack roll. Increase to -4 at 21st level.
Okay, so there's my attempt at an Andalite race in 4.0. This isn't because I'm going to use the race, though it'd be fun. I'm just on an Animorphs bender and thought this would be fun.
A couple things though about the race. The size is Medium mainly because in their descriptions as being part deer or small horse, I just can't imagine them Large, doesn't fit. Two, I don't want to get into a debate about Medium vs Large size. Sometimes I think Large fits for a race, not this time so yeah, will not change to Large just because they centaur-like.
I'm not entirely set on their ability score bonuses. The Int bonus is fine, but when it comes to the choice stats, not sure. Andalites are a very intelligent race, very scientific and all. They're also known for how well they move and all, hence the Dex option. I put Wis mainly because it works in conjunction with being a wise and intelligent race. The thing is obviously first off this leaves them as not very strong and their fort will suffer. Now Andalites aren't really that strong, so a Str bonus wouldn't work. But they do have two hearts and are suppose to have a better endurance and stamina than humans. So I'm considering ditching Wis and replacing it with Con.
Now obviously this would trait a low Fort for a low Will. I do think Dex is necessary but I guess I could change the Dex to Con and keep the Wis. I'm not entirely thrilled with just putting a racial feature to gain a defense bonus. But then again given their focus on the mind and telepathy and all I guess it wouldn't be too farfetched to have a Will bonus.
Alright, something I know will probably be mentioned, the Tail Blade racial feature. The reason it's a racial feature and not say, the encounter power is simply because the tail blade is a part of Andalites. Now obviously the tail blade will not be as effective for races who don't have a good Str, and I have considered putting something about being able to use Dex or Str maybe. But the thing is while all Andalites can use their tails, only those in the military really learn to use it as a real effective weapon. So not every Andalite should have the same proficiency with the tail blade as others. But I could see maybe having the player choose to use Str or Dex, though no other ability scores.
Well, I know the Extra Eyes feature is kinda powerful for a racial feature, given that it cancels CA for flanking the Andalite but it's the simple fact that an Andalite is looking around in all directions, all the time and knows how to handle enemies coming up on them.
Lastly, the racial power I had a real hard time with. Honestly couldn't think of anything. I wanted to do something about how Andalites are good with figuring out technology and understanding how things work, but that's such a subjective thing that I decided to go with something else. Now I have it for only melee attacks mainly because how the racial power is suppose to work fluff wise is the Andalite would whip out their tail and smack the weapon being swung at them, knocking it aside so it misses. It's feasible it could be worked to deflect arrows, but at the same time I didn't want it to be used to deflect say a ranged acid orb or other magical ranged power. Physical attacks are fine, but magic just wouldn't work for this power. So yeah...not sure. I like the power but wouldn't mind some suggestions on other racial power options.
Okay, so here it is. I've been pondering making a paragon path dealing with training in tail blade combat but haven't really focused on it yet so not sure. Also not sure feat wise I have a few ideas so maybe I'll add more later.
Tail blades: If you want ANY Andalite to actually consider using their tail blade past level 4 or so, it needs to be enchantable. After that point, the differences in attack bonus and damage would make it entirely worthless. I'd rank this somewhere around the level of the Eladrin or Elves weapon proficiency only if it's enchantable. Also, you should change the wording so it can be used for something besides MBAs.
Telepathy: May be OK, and it matches the books, but the range of 5 may present trouble in some situations.
Extra Eyes: I'm less concerned about the lack of combat advantage from flanking, and more about the reroll on perception. That seems somewhat über, especially if the player in question has high perception already (druids, rangers, clerics, and wis-based class). Maybe change it to a bonus, or maybe a free skill training in perception, another skill, or another skill?
One eye open: Don't remember this from the books, but it's been a very long time since I read them. Should be fine though.
Blade Guard: Overall it seems kind of meh. The Heroic Effort power gives a +4 bonus to any attack, I don't see why this power shouldn't hand out at least a -3 penalty.
Overall the race seems just a little weak. I think it might need one more minor feature.
The telepathy is the exact same distance as the Kalashtar and Shardmind. And they only speak through telepathy anyway so I'm not changing that. I actually considered making it range 10, but then remembered in the books that the though speak range wasn't THAT far unless boosted by tech, so I dropped it to 5.
Honestly, I don't consider rerolling perception to be that uber. I mean it's basically just giving them a little better chance on succeeding, but this is a race that has four eyes, two of which are constantly looking around in all directions. So they're basically a race that is always looking around even if they are specifically looking for something. As for characters with high perception, most likely if they have a high skill they'll be succeeding on the throw anyway. I considered just a bonus but that's why I put Perception as one of their skill bonus skills instead.
The One eye open is just a name for the feature, it's essentially the same as the Eladrin's trance except that they don't have a reduced extended rest time like the Eladrin, that's all. And by fluff standards it's because the race does actually sleep with one eye open.
Yeah, Blade Guard isn't my most favorite functioning part of this race. I wouldn't mind adding an atk penalty, but I have a tendency to make things too powerful sometimes so I decided to start small with the racial power and see what happens.
Tail Blade
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You're targeted by a melee attack.
Target: The creature targeting you with the melee attack.
Attack: Primary Ability + 3 vs. Reflex (+6 at 11, +9 at 21)
Hit: 1d8 + ability modifier damage and the target takes a -2 penalty to the triggering attack.
Special: If you miss with this attack, it is not used up.
Keep the anti-flanking feature, but rerolling perception IS a bit powerful right off the bat. Maybe make it a Heroic tier racial feat?
Also, andalites had some redundant organ systems (like Krogan!), such as 3 hearts and a centaur is bound to be more robust than an average humanoid, so maybe switch out +2 Wis for +2 Con.
What would really kick ass though, is a playable Hork-Bajir race.
Being unable to communicate outside of 5 squares can be quite problematic, and as I recall, thought-speech had pretty good range as long as it's directed. I'd change it to Telepathy 10, and extend it to telepathy 30 for allies. As the only means of communitaction, it needs a better range.
As for the whole tail blade issue, here's how I'd do it:
Tail Blade: You have the tail-blade at-will power
Tail Blade
Blah blah, flvor flavor flavor
At-Will
Standard Action Melee 2
Attack: Your level+5 vs AC
Hit: 1d10+Your Highest Ability Modifier
Special: This power can be used as a melee basic attack.
Basically, this means "Andalites always have a melee basic attack that's worth a damn" and little else, which is nice enough, but the lack of any weapon or implement keywords keeps it from breaking too hard.
About making the Tail Blade the encounter power, I don't know I gotta think about it. But if I were to do, it wouldn't be Melee 2. Their tails don't have reach, the tail can reach to attack people in front, but it really only attacks adjacent enemies when used so it doesn't have reach. But otherwise yeah the power is solid enough.
Personally, I like Lady_Ishtar's version. It makes up for the disparity between Blade Guard and things like Heroic Effort, it makes it sufficiently different from the aforementioned, and it lets Andalites use their Tail Blade to attack without making it their primary weapon.
On telepathy, the idea is to not make it less useful than speaking. On the instance in the 2nd book, the series is riddled with inconsistencies as a result of ghostwriting. I'd make it at least 10 squares, maybe more, and the extended range for allies sounds good.
It occurs to me that Damon_Tor's version, while it does prevent using the Tail Blade as a primary weapon, and it does make it somewhat useful to non-melee classes, for a fighter or another Strength based class, without reach it is practically useless.
Personally, I like Lady_Ishtar's version. It makes up for the disparity between Blade Guard and things like Heroic Effort, it makes it sufficiently different from the aforementioned, and it lets Andalites use their Tail Blade to attack without making it their primary weapon.
On telepathy, the idea is to not make it less useful than speaking. On the instance in the 2nd book, the series is riddled with inconsistencies as a result of ghostwriting. I'd make it at least 10 squares, maybe more, and the extended range for allies sounds good.
Well not having reach doesn't make the tail useless. It still attacks adjacent enemies like the majority of weapons do. Sorry maybe I wasn't clear, I didn't mean for Damon_tor's to not have ANY reach, but a regular Melee 1.
And yeah, probably will change the telepathy to 10 as I wanted to originally. Though really 5 isn't THAT bad, but yeah 10 works out fine.
About making the Tail Blade the encounter power, I don't know I gotta think about it. But if I were to do, it wouldn't be Melee 2. Their tails don't have reach, the tail can reach to attack people in front, but it really only attacks adjacent enemies when used so it doesn't have reach. But otherwise yeah the power is solid enough.
On reach: it's not entirely clear exactly what the range of the tail is, and the art varies greatly, but in some of it the tail is pretty freaking long:
That's a reach weapon, no doubt about it. Since melee reach 1 is both nigh-useless to ranged classes and muct be special somehow to be useful to melee classes, reach 2 is what makes sense in terms of game design.
The telepathy is the exact same distance as the Kalashtar and Shardmind. And they only speak through telepathy anyway so I'm not changing that. I actually considered making it range 10, but then remembered in the books that the though speak range wasn't THAT far unless boosted by tech, so I dropped it to 5.
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And actually thought speech doesn't extend that far really. Just in the second book it was hard for Tobias who was keeping watch outside a house to hear Rachel inside the house when she started heading into the basement.
But they talk between birds of prey all the time! (And I agree with the other posters since you can't base the Animorphs rules on the first few books. For example, Telepathy only works the one way for Andalites, unless the other person is also Telepathic (Jake "thinking" to Tobias in response to his Thought-Speak, for example, is false. [Though I like to think of it as a cat-thing :p ])
Being unable to communicate outside of 5 squares can be quite problematic, and as I recall, thought-speech had pretty good range as long as it's directed. I'd change it to Telepathy 10, and extend it to telepathy 30 for allies. As the only means of communitaction, it needs a better range.
Agreed.
I think I may snag this as an NPC race, though I'd need to also stat out Hork-Bajir and Taxxons if I want an "Animorphs themed world". (Think 4e meets Stargate, or Fringeworthy.)