With the actual text behind our first release coming along nicely, and two out of the 8 sections pretty much written, it's about time I leave some of the fluff behind and work on actual crunch.
So I thought I'd look at one of the new species in the game, the Lizard Folk. Using the AEC as a template, a new species needs several things, Ability Requirements, Ability Modifiers, Ability Min/Max, a few paragraphs of flavor mixed with any special abilities, saving throw bonuses (if applicable), class restrictions, and finally thief ability adjustments.
A tall order, I'll be developing the Lizard Folk over the next few posts, but figured I'd start with a few ideas, along with asking what you guys think should be included.
Opening Thoughts:
- A per standard fantasy fare, Lizard Folk, being cold-blooded should have some form of fire resistance but more sustainable to cold damage. Possibly half damage via fire, double via cold?
- Lizard Folk tough hide gives them an effective AC of 7 (The monster description has an AC of 5, but I feel that's too good a bonus) when unarmored, wearing armor overrides this AC if lower (it does not subtract from a "base" of 7), wearing armor of a higher AC also overrides this AC and is just a silly thing to do.
- Not totally sure on Ability Requirements/Modifiers/Min/Max yet, according to the monster entry they get +1 to damage because of their great STR, so they should atleast have a bonus there.
Ideas, agreements, disagreements thus far?
Sounds good so far to me. I know I wouldn't mind playing a cold-blooded killer. Well, literally cold-blooded this time, at least. (BIOLOGY JOKE NOBODY LAUGH) The suggested fire & cold resistance / vulnerability sounds okay as a start maybe, but being a biology nerd, I want to incorporate other aspects into that. Cold-blooded animals in cold weather slow down their metabolism, moving slower and using less energy. Sunbathing can help raise their temperature and keep them moving quickly when needed. This is approaching the ridiculous end of realism, but I dunno. Cold-blooded creatures would dislike caves because they can't sunbathe to warm up and they'll be moving slower than normal. It might not have or need any sort of mechanical effect, but it'd be nice to mention, maybe.
ReplyDeleteBonus to Str would be appropriate. Are lizard folk known for being bad at anything or not being good at something? That's where you can have the balancing negative modifier.
Classes? Paladin and Monk are obviously right out. Assassin doesn't really feel appropriate to me. Ranger? More likely, they did recover from the Sorrow (insert MGS3 reference here and never again) faster than other races, after all, they're skilled at surviving in and using the wilderness. Magic-User seems less likely, but not implausible, to me, and Illusionist doesn't fit at all.
@xwd:
ReplyDeleteI may not be a biology nerd, but have seen enough Discovery channel shows to understand cold-blooded creatures, and the fact that the name itself is a misnomer.
The point is to keep the rules simple though, a fire resistance/cold vulnerability is simple to track, but movement rates based on temperature may be a bit much, despite it being more true to life, or as true to life as walking talking lizard people are.
I was thinking about a DEX penalty to represent the slower metabolism and reaction that cold-blooded folks can have, but they can also be very explosive and their tail would add to balance, so does that cancel the other out? Dunno. I certainly don't want to do an INT or WIS bonus, because I want to portray them as just as smart as humans. Abilities still need work.
As for remaining classes, yes, Paladin doesn't work on the same basis as clerics don't, monks are too specialized. Assassins I never really liked as a class so I have a hard time securing where they belong in the world. Magic-User could work and so could Illusionist, as they're scholarly, however, I worry that people will only pick them because of the armor bonus (being as most MUs can't use AC beneficial stuff until magic items show up), so if they get it, it may be only at lower levels. Ranger is plausible too, I certainly don't like that only humans (who are often portrayed as the most civilized of all the species) could ever obtain that class.
Also, we know nothing is original and every name, event, etc. has shown up somewhere else ;)
Great! We can be bio nerds together. The name "room-temperature-blooded" might be more accurate but it's less catchy. I wasn't advocating changing movement speed based on ambient temperature, though I do find the concept of tribes of lizard people sunbathing before going out hunting for the day to be kinda neat. Like I said before, maybe we don't need any rules for this and people can just roll with it. It could just be something as simple as "lizard folk (and other cold-blooded races) tend to get cranky in cold temperatures."
ReplyDeletere: Ranger: flip through the AEC's race section and you'll notice that half-elves can be rangers too. No wait, I just remembered those don't exist. So yeah, right now only humans can be Rangers, and that's kinda silly.
And really, you're just lobbing them over the plate. I'M COVERED IN BEES!
"though I do find the concept of tribes of lizard people sunbathing before going out hunting for the day to be kinda neat. Like I said before, maybe we don't need any rules for this and people can just roll with it."
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in our chaotic release schedule I want to do "Species Books," 32-64 page supplements that delve into more details about each species, how they act, why they act that way, day in the life of, more fluff then crunch, but a way to show more about how each species lives. Stuff like what you said above is perfect for that kind of release.
But for the Player's Guide, it's more like the few paragraphs that are in the AEC for their Races, just a few lines to describe them, a few lines about their personalities, and a bunch of what bonus features they have.
"lizard folk (and other cold-blooded races) tend to get cranky in cold temperatures."
Indeed, that's more of what would show up in the Player's Guide.