Help designing Wolf-folks


Homebrew and House Rules


This is mostly a NPC race for my current campaing, but one player want to play one of those so I need to fil the details.

This is what I have so far

Spoiler:

Wolf-folks
Standard Racial Traits
Ability Score Racial Traits: ???

Size: Wolf-folks are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Base Speed : Wolf-folks have a base speed of 30 feet.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

Survivalist: Wolf-folks receive a +2 racial bonus survival and perception checks.

Wolf emphaty: This function like the Wild emphaty Ranger class feature (and stack with it) but can only be used on Wolves.

Senses Racial Traits
Darkvision: Wolf-folks can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

Defense Racial Traits

Cold Resistance: Wolf-folks Aasimars have Cold resistance 5
Defense Racial Traits

Fearless : Wolf-folks gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear effects.

Stability : Wolf-folks receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting trip attempts while standing on the ground.

Runner: Members of this race receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and cold environments.

Movement Racial Traits

Terrain Stride: In forest or Cold terrain Wolf-folks can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.

Sprinter: Wolf-folks gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.

Alternate Racial Traits

Toothy : Wolf-folk with this racial trait gain a natural bite attack, dealing 1d4 damage. The bite is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the creature is wielding manufactured weapons. This replace Survivalist and terrain stride class features.

Ferocity: Wolf-folk with this racial trait gain the following extraordinary ability: If the hit points of a member of this race fall below 0 but it is not yet dead, it can continue to fight. If it does, it is staggered, and loses 1 hit point each round. It still dies when its hit points reach a negative amount equal to its Constitution score. This replace stability, survivalist and runner class feature.

Scent : Wolf-folk with this racial trait gain the scent ability. This replace Darkvision, stability, and fearless class feature

Sacred Tattoo: Some Wolf-fols decorate themselves with tattoos which they consider sacred markings. Wolf-fols with this racial trait gain a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. This racial trait replaces Darkvision Terrain stride.

So,

1) Does it make sense? it is somewhat balanced?
2) What woudl be apropiated for the Ability Score Racial Traits?
3) What name would be cool for the race? (cause wolf-folks is boring)

Contributor

Pro-tip: Quoting your ideas to refer to in a post is obnoxious when you place it in spoilers. People are going to come to this thread to see your wolffolk race; why put it in spoilers?

Second, it looks like you took the time to lay out your race Advanced Race Guide style. That's nice, but not worth your time if you're not going to include the RP costs of everything. And you really should; if you're building a player race, RP cost is the most important aspect of the design. And let's face it, even if you intended them to be an NPC race, you're doing all of this for a player.

I'll be nice and break it down for you:

Ability Scores (?? rp)
Humanoid (0 rp)
Medium (0 rp)
Normal Speed (0 rp)
Cold Resistance (1 rp)
Darkvision (2 rp)
Fearless (1 rp)
Runner (2 rp)
Sprinter (1 rp)
Stability (1 rp)
Survivalist (6 rp)
Terrain Stride (1 rp)
Wolf Empathy (?? rp)

Total: 15 rp

Okay, here are some problems right off the bat:

Cold Resistance: Not really a problem, but I priced this at 1 rp because most other limited resistance racial traits grant 2 resistances for 2 rp or 3 for 3 rp. 1 for 1 rp seemed like a logical assumption.

Darkvision: Wolves, the animal you're basing this race on, don't get Darkvision. Why does this race?

Stability: I don't understand why they have this racial trait. If wolves are hard to trip, its because they're quadrupeds. Dwarven Stability comes from their low center of gravity and better balanced frames. Why do the wolves have this?

Terrain Stride: As written, you're only supposed to get one terrain. Your version gives two terrains of a very specific type. That might warrant a 50% increase in rp cost, because you're clearly getting more from the trait. Forest and Cold are both commonly encountered terrain types as well.

Wolf Empathy: This is absolutely, unquestionably overpowered. First, how could this even stack with the Ranger/Druid ability? That class feature uses your ranger/druid level to determine the effects, so following the precedents this ability would either A) use your Hit Dice or B) be absolutely worthless unless you're a ranger/druid. In option A), you're doubling wild empathy if you're a ranger/druid (or it does nothing because the bonus can't exceed your Hit Dice).

Here would be my proposed changes:

+2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom: [RACE] are cunning and possess keen senses. (2 rp)
Humanoid: Members of this race are humanoids with the [RACE] subtype.
Medium: As Medium creatures, [RACE] receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: [RACE] have a base speed of 30 feet.
Cold Acclimated (Ex): [RACE] possess cold resistance 5 and are always 5° F warmer when determining environmental effects (or 3° C). Furthermore, [RACE] can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed while within cold terrain. Magically altered terrain affects them normally. (2 rp)
Natural Attacks (Ex): [RACE] possess a bite attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. (2 rp)
Scent (Ex): [RACE] gain the scent special quality. (4 rp)
[RACE] Tactics (Ex): [RACE] are naturally cooperative and trust in their comrade's tactics. At 1st, 8th, and 16th level a [RACE] receives a bonus teamwork feat; he must meet the prerequisites of this teamwork feat. Furthermore, the [RACE] treats other [RACE] as though they had the same teamwork feats that he possesses when determining if he receives their benefits. Other [RACE] do not receive the benefits of his teamwork feats unless they actually possess those feats. (5 rp)

Total: 15 rp

Some notes:

• Yes, I did just homebrew some new traits for you. You're welcome. ;-)
Cold Acclimated Is cold resistance and terrain stride mixed together. With the removal of Forest terrain, it expands the area that you can actually place these humanoids in your world. Need a nomadic tribe of coldland wastewalkers? Now it makes more sense. The "5 degrees warmer" thing is both a bonus and a penalty, so it costs no RP.
• I focused mostly on the more primal, savage traits for the core race. This doesn't seem like a very civilized people to me, so its the direction I went.
Race Tactics was designed to fill the gap in the iconic wolf image that you were missing; pack tactics. Its a restrictive solo tactics mixed together with a teamwork feat version of Focused Study. It also encourages your players to coordinate races somewhat to avoid the "menagerie effect" that people complain about. For example, I've seem plenty of parties with multiple ratfolk because the race mechanically rewards you for having multiple ratfolk. I think players will be tempted to double up on this race because it gives a very helpful benefit for doing so.


Alexander Augunas wrote:

Cold Resistance: Not really a problem, but I priced this at 1 rp because most other limited resistance racial traits grant 2 resistances for 2 rp or 3 for 3 rp. 1 for 1 rp seemed like a logical assumption.

seems reasonable.

Alexander Augunas wrote:

Stability: I don't understand why they have this racial trait. If wolves are hard to trip, its because they're quadrupeds. Dwarven Stability comes from their low center of gravity and better balanced frames. Why do the wolves have this?

I wnated them to have a defensive trait, stability just seemd fine to me.

Alexander Augunas wrote:


Darkvision: Wolves, the animal you're basing this race on, don't get Darkvision. Why does this race?

My bad. Low light vision then.

Alexander Augunas wrote:


Terrain Stride: As written, you're only supposed to get one terrain. Your version gives two terrains of a very specific type. That might warrant a 50% increase in rp cost, because you're clearly getting more from the trait. Forest and Cold are both commonly encountered terrain types as well.

Maybe the lost of darkvison balance this??

Alexander Augunas wrote:


Wolf Empathy: This is absolutely, unquestionably overpowered. First, how could this even stack with the Ranger/Druid ability? That class feature uses your ranger/druid level to determine the effects, so following the precedents this ability would either A) use your Hit Dice or B) be absolutely worthless unless you're a ranger/druid. In option A), you're doubling wild empathy if you're a ranger/druid (or it does nothing because the bonus can't exceed your Hit Dice).

I see, my band. The option (A) seems good to me.

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