Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 TamashiNoShukaku Oct 14, 2014 14:44:46	So I had a brilliant idea for a new race, the Varashi, a race of graceful creatures (similer to Elves), however, instead of having solid bodies, they are made up of swirling light or shadow (light or darkness depends on alignment) and hence, glide across the environment. They can make themselves appear more or less solid for social interactions and even choose the color of their skin, eyes, hair, etc. An average Varashi can live anywheres from 500 to 1000 years. Now since the Varashi are mostly just a swirling mass of shadow or light, it is quite difficult to hurt them, poisons have no effect (no blood or organs to poison), though magic and enchanted weapons deal extra damage and they can be killed through brute force, though not very easily. The thing that keeps a Varashis' body from dissipating is its vessel (armor or clothing), a Varashi can flow from one vessel to another, depending on personal preference or situation, though if the vessel is damaged or destroyed, the host will suffer injury or death. The vessel isn't limited to armor or clothing, in a worst case scenario, the Varashi can posses a living creature, friend or foe and either simply inhabit the target or dominate it's mind and take control, though the latter usually destroys the vessels mind and puts great strain on the body, as a result, this is seen as horrific and monstrous-a stigma among the Varashi-and those who perform this act are shunned and never forgiven. When a Varashi enters its vessel, they gain control of its shape and properties, enabling them to melt into the shadows to slip past guards or enemies, or bolster its defensive strength, they can even turn into a roiling mass of light or shadow, vanishing from one spot and solidifing in another.     So that's my idea, if anybody reads this and can offer constructive criticism or new ideas, that would be epic!
#2 Artifact Oct 14, 2014 21:58:09	'Beautiful ghosts' is how I'm thinking of your Varashi.  I love the flavor.   As far as mechanics, I recommend Ghostwalk (a supplement for 3e)  It's been a long time since I last looked at the book but it was all about playing ghosts.  Varashi aren't ghosts but in effect at least, they are similar.  Lots of adventure ideas, encounter sites, all the jazz.  It would be easy enough I think to convert rules from 3e to 5e.
#3 seti Oct 14, 2014 21:51:21	I could totally see how I'd build the Varashi in 4e...No idea about 5e...Yet. (LOL, DMG, maybe?)   That is a cool race idea. I'd maybe limit it to just using something (cloths, armor, etc.) as a shell, though. Possessing sentient beings might be too much, especially for a PC race. Also, any DR/insubstantialness might be too much if not handled just right. Maybe they dissapate/die if their vessel (clothes, armor, etc.) is utterly distroyed. Essentially, being reduced to 0 HP, and making death saves for them = desprately trying to find anything to incorporate. Even if it's just a cloak/blanket/loin cloth. Filling a vessel/outfit is a really great idea to allow them to interact with the material world like any other PC.   That 3e book Artifact mentions sounds like it'd have some good ideas.   On a side note, I really hope 5e eventually has racial feats and more racial abilities. As it is, in the PHB, races either only get level one stuff, or peak out at level 5 or so (eg: the Tiefling gets a final spell/spell-like ability at level 5). That's just not enough to keep race interesting, IMO. By the time a campaign gets far, with everyone over level 10, say...Race doesn't really have any impact on anything mechanically.   I've been thinking about plant, elemental, undead, and energy-based races. Wilden, Genasi, revenant, and Shardmind never quite did it for me. Although, I'd like to see them return to 5e. (Well, maybe not the Shardmind...But something like it.   For my steampunky largely water with islands homebrew world, I did make up an amphibious, intelligent, octopoid race. I only have 4e mechanics for them, though.
#4 Hebitsuikaza Oct 15, 2014 13:44:02	Well, first.... The moment you describe your race in any way, shape or form as "similar to elves"... you can just stop. Just stop right there. Don't go any further. You need not continue. You are done. Finished.   There are already 10,000 varieties of elf-- damn near every single individual elf is a special subrace unto itself. Gold, Gray, High, Wood, Wild, Dark, Aqua, Light, Moon, Sun, Star, Sea, Mist, Shadow....   No need for any more elves. Unless the race is designed to replace elves or is elves by a different name (Ravenloft Elves use a different name), they are unnecessary.     And what do you have beyond that? They can take on any shape of anyone they like whenever they want, they are damn near indestructable, immune to everything but magic and thus flat out cannot be harmed by about half the monsters and half the player classes-- they come across one, they just flat out win.   Even if they are killed, they aren't killed because they can just hop to any body in the vicinity and claim it.     This is not only not remotely appropriate for a player race on virtually every level... I have to wonder what kind of twink would even think to suggest such a ridiculous idea and I really hope the answer is one who is only in middle school... but even as a monster, this would be an incredibly ridiculous thing to put against PCs to do battle with. Unless the entire party has magical weapons, half the party can just go ahead and walk to a corner to sit on their hands while the spell casters fight it-- and even if the spell casters do win, it can just auto-kill any character in the party and then claim all their stats and equipment instantly. Unless the wizard has some way to banish creatures to another plane permanently (and they don't because no such spell exists) then the only possible result is a TPK.   So-- if you want a cheap monster that heroes cannot imaginable defeat-- well, at least this is a more creative foe than having one of the Great Old Ones rise out of the sea. But unless you are doing a one-shot with sort of a slasher theme where the players all understand that their characters will end up dead by the end and there is nothing they can do about it-- the challenge is just to see how long they can survive... well.... it isn't even appropriate set of abilities for a monster.   And as a race? A RACE?!! Look, the thing with races are that, quite simply, there needs to be some parity in their abilities with humans. You need to be able to say humans are better than them as just as many things (or just as important of a thing) as they are superior to a human. That is clearly not the case here. Here we are seeing a frighteningly indestructable smoke monster with a "save or die" ability that can appear to be anyone at any time. That's not a race. That is a horrific nightmare.
#5 seti Oct 16, 2014 16:03:20	A noncorporeal PC race could work, though. (Ignore the elf part, you hate it. That's OK)   It becomes corporeal by 'wearing' a form. ie: medium sized clothes, armor, etc. IMO, it should not be able to possess any creatures. Maybe it could enter a willing host for a short time (rest) in order to find another vessel/outfit to occupy.... if its vessel (clothes) are  damaged/distroyed, it essentially has to make death saves, or die...Like any PC who is reduced to 0 HP. So it still has HP,  It could essentially become 'invisible' and be able to pass through objects, but that put it in a state where it's dying. Maybe it can do this for 1 minute per long rest. Past 1 min., it drops to 0 HP. Also, it cannot touch, effect, or manipulate pysical things. (unless it keeps a glove on or something, lol.) It should not be immune to damage. At higher levels (and with more support for racial feats, racial abilities that go beyond 5th level, etc.) it could start to do some awesome stuff. It's bound by a catch 22; if it wants to effect the world, it has to make itself volnerable to the world. It could have a volnerability to other incorporeal/etherial/force damage/whatever to help balance some stuff too.  When we see the DMG with the Warforged as a sample race, we'll see how things that might not need to breathe, eat, and drink are handled in 5e. Maybe it 'heals' not through heal spells, but only through spending HD, long rests, and spells like Mend, or Make Whole cast on its vessel/outfit. I think the OP's Varashi is a cool concept. It needs mechanical work, for sure. In a way, it reminds me of (forgot his name) the poltergeist in Hellboy (second movie, some comics). That dude needed the suit to do anything.
#6 mellored Oct 16, 2014 9:25:42	Hmm...  how to balance this....   +1 Dex +2 Wis   Vision: Normal. Speed: 30   Ethereal: When you are not possessing anything, you are in Ethereal form, similar to the Etherealness spell, except you can be seen, cannot take any objects (including armor or cloths) with you, and you take 1d12+your level in unpreventable damage at the start of your turn.  You can take an action to possess armor or cloths that is not worn, a non-magical object that is not worn or carried, or a creature, ending this effect, and allowing you to interact with the material world.  Once you possess something, you can take an action to turn back into Etherial form, and must do so before possing something else. There are special places in the world where you do not take damage.   You are immune to poision. If you would become petrifed, loose 1/2 your maximumn hit poitns instead.  Anything you are possessing turns to stone, and you are considered to be possessing it as an object, allowing you to leave and find something else.   Possess Armor:  Treat any posessed armor or cloths as if you have donned and are wearing it.  The armor or cloths (or a combination) must cover at least 90% of your body, including gloves, boots, and helm. You can interact with the material world and take damage as normal.  You can also change armor and cloths without needing to go back to ethereal form, but do so at the normal speed.  You can be stabilized with the mending cantrip.   Possess Object:  The object must be medium size.  You cannot attack, cast spells, use class features, and your senses are the same as in Ethereal form.  You can use the object as if it you where there, and must still make any ability check as normal.   Such as Dexterty (slight of hand) for unlocking a chest, or Charisma (Performance) for playing a piano, or Strength (Athletics), to hold a door closed against an enemy.  You gain advantage on any of those checks, and checks related to the object, including history checks.  If the object does not have moving parts you can still move, but slowly and inncacuratly.  Such as a statue walking at 1/2 your normal speed, and not able to hit a creature.  If the object takes damage, you take damage instead after any of it's vulnerability and resistances are applied.  If you are healed, you regain 1/2 the normal amount.  You can be stabilized with the mending cantrip. At level 7, you can possess small objects. At level 14, you can possess large objects.   Possess Creature: The creature makes a Charisma save with wisdom as your casting stat.  If they fail, you use the creature as a container.  You can see though it's senses, and telepathicly communicate with it, but otherwise have no effect on it.  If the creature takes damage, you take 1/2 of it and creature takes the other 1/2.  This possession is disturbing to both you and your host, and neither can benifit from a short or long rest.  A creature may take an action to attempt another Charimsa save to expell you.  Creatures may choose to fail this save, and constructs have disavantage.  You cannot posssess creatures protected by with Protection from Good and Evil.  If the creature dies, you are possessing it's corpse like you would with possess object.     Sub-Race: Light: While in ethereal form, you can see twice as far, and have truesight. Shade: You only take 1d6+1/2 your level while in ethereal form. Shadow: While you are in Ethereal form, you cannot be seen.   Optional Rule: Your sub-race is based on your alignment.  If your alignment shifts, so does your sub-race.
#7 rampant Oct 16, 2014 10:49:27	The sub race powers seem a bit strong.
(Reply to #4) DoctorBadWolf	Hebitsuikaza wrote: