Goblin Squad Member
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I'm wondering if at some point it will be possible to play a monstrous PC.
In D&D playing a monstrous character is balanced by the ECL of the effective monster. However, I think a system akin to monstrous class levels in Savage Species (or the Savage Progressions articles ) could work in PFO. This would allow us to playing a 'juvenile' version of a particular race (with minimal perks). We could then either devote training time to developing the racial characteristics or class skills. There could be restrictions on how many class level a PC can gain before having to advance a new racial level. So if someone devote 2.5 years to get to a standard race to level 20, someone could use the same time to acquire racial levels and a lesser amount of class level.
Another way I could see this work is using this sort of system to acquire a template progressively (as seen in the Savage Progressions level). Let's say you have a level 13 Wizard and you want to become a lich. Then once you've learn't the blueprint on how to acquire this template, you could devote some of your training time towards leveling the lich template levels instead on your pure wizard levels.
A perfect example of how the above could work is the Yuan-ti. A player could start as a human. Eventually gain the tainted one template, and then continue to work through the yuan-ti racial types until they become a pure-blood (or whatever the final ultimate version of the yuan-ti is called)
I've always loved the idea of being able to play a monstrous creature or acquire a template. It may not be super popular option until people gain their first 20 levels. After that I suspect people would like to acquire this sort of thing.
Is anyone else interested in this sort of thing? If so what would you like to be able to play/acquire?
First off, I came here expecting races between monstrous PCs. Like the Half-Ogre 50m dash. Then I opened it, and thought, "Oh...of course."
Anyways, I imagine that this sort of thing would be initially unavailable. GW has a lot on their plate right now, and I assume that monsters as PCs are not high on their priority list. That being said, I can definitely see this idea going somewhere, as Monstrous PCs are a supplemental part of pretty much every RPG.
I think your idea for how to progress it is interesting, and I can't think of anything to reply to it right now (I'm tired). I'm sure someone far more capable has something clever to say about this.
In short: Don't get your hopes up for playable monsters on release, or 50m ogre dashes.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would hope that the base races would be expanded eventually. But, I highly doubt i will ever be running around as a Troll in PFO. Well without some form of magic. With Beast Shape, Giant Shape, Plant Shape, Polymorph and other spell I do see some classes being able to become those kind of creatures for a short time. Also lets not forget the Druids and the Wild Shape SA.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I wonder if eg LOTRs Monster Play Ettenmoors feature could be looked at in some form?
I like the idea of a few players or so (or devs) acting as "Hero mobs" and having the utility to control armies of mobs or some such as well as their own character...
