Groot & Rocket


Advice


Ok, this may be mostly the lack of sleep and the after effects of Jägermeister talking, but I sooo want to do a pair of PC's modeled on I AM GROOT and Rocket Raccon (movie version since I haven't read the comics).

I would prefer to do it in PFS since I am most likely to be able to find someone that wants to play it with me. I think the closest I could come would be a Half-Orc true primitive barbarian and a Kitsune (or Wayang) gunslinger/alchemist.

But if I really want to go for close, it would have to be with the race builder in ARG to really get the races down. Then I could only play it in a home game. Same classes I guess.

Anyone tried this yet? How would you build it for either the home game or the PFS game?


Play a Kitsune summoner and you get to just do it yourself.


Drogos wrote:
Play a Kisune summoner and you get to just do it yourself.

I thought about that. I might do it if I have to, but it would be so much more fun with a partner. Plus I think it would be difficult to get a summoner any good with guns.

Scarab Sages

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Groot will need an insanely high bluff skill. Not to tell lies, but to send hidden messages to make everyone understand what "I am Groot!" means from moment to moment.


Floral Colossus

Plant (10 RP):
This type encompasses humanoid-shaped vegetable creatures. Note that regular plants, such as those found in ordinary gardens and fields, lack Wisdom and Charisma scores and are not creatures, but objects, even though they are alive. A plant race has the following features.
•Plants have the low-light vision racial trait.
•Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
•Plants are immune to paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep effects, and stunning.
•Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from this activity. This means that a plant creature can sleep in order to regain spells, but sleep is not required to survive or stay in good health.

Large (7 RP):
Prerequisite: Humanoids taking this quality must have the giant subtype; Benefit: Large creatures gain a +2 size bonus to Strength and a –2 size penalty to Dexterity. Large races take a –1 size penalty to their AC, a –1 size penalty on attack rolls, a +1 bonus on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and a –4 size penalty on Stealth checks. A Large creature takes up a space that is 10 feet by 10 feet and has a reach of 5 feet.

Not sure of this one.

Slow Speed (–1 RP):
The race has a base speed of 20 feet. If the race is Medium, its members' speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.

Plants aren't much on book learning (-4 int) and don't have much of a personality (-2 cha), but know what is going on around them (+2 wis).

Greater Weakness (–3 RP):
Pick either mental or physical ability scores. Members of this race take a –4 penalty to one of those ability scores, a –2 penalty to another of those ability scores, and a +2 bonus to the other ability score.

Other than it's name, Groot doesn't speak the same language as anyone else. (Maybe Aklo?)

Xenophobic (0 RP):
Members of this race start with their racial language only. Races without a racial language cannot take this array. Furthermore, choose up to four languages (except for Druidic or other secret languages), one of which must be Common (or Undercommon, if the race is native to the Darklands). Members of this race with high Intelligence scores can choose from any of these additional languages.

Weeds are tough to kill.

Advanced Constitution (4 RP):
Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race receive a +2 racial bonus to Constitution. Special: This bonus can be taken multiple times, but each additional time it is taken, its cost increases by 1 RP. Its effects stack.

Stumps are hard to remove.

Stability (1 RP):
Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting bull rush or trip attempts while standing on the ground.

Wood is hard. (Not sure how many of these should be taken.)

Improved Natural Armor (1 RP):
Prerequisite: Natural armor racial trait; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +1 natural armor bonus. Special: This racial trait can be taken multiple times. Each additional time you take this trait, increase its cost by 1 RP. Its effects stack.

Plants regrow.

Fast Healing (6 RP):
Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race regain 1 hit point each round. Except for where noted here, fast healing is just like natural healing. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, nor does it allow a creature to regrow lost body parts. Fast healing continues to function (even at negative hit points) until a member of this race dies, at which point the effects of fast healing immediately end. Special: This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time fast healing is taken, its cost increases by 1 RP.

Plants blend in to the forest or jungle.

Camouflage (1 RP):
Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Choose a ranger favored terrain type. Members of this race gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks while within that terrain type.

Should obviously be good at plant magic.

Fertile Soil (2 RP):
Prerequisite: Outsider (native) with ties to the Plane of Earth, fey type, or plant type; Benefit: Sorcerer members of this race with the verdant bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Clerics who are members of this race with the Plant domain use their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. This trait does not give members of this race early access to level-based powers; it only affects powers that they could already use without this trait.

Getting hit with a block of wood hurts (slams).

Natural Attack (1 RP):
Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Pick one of the following natural attacks: gore, hoof (if the race has hooves), slam, talons, or wings (if the race has flight). Members of this race receive one natural attack of the chosen type. Gore, slam, and talons are primary natural attacks, while hoof and wings are secondary natural attacks. The damage is based on the creature's size . Special: This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time, pick a different natural attack.

Reach (1 RP):
Prerequisite: Large size; Benefit: Members of this race have a reach of 10 feet.

Wood Burns!

Elemental Vulnerability (–2 RP):
Prerequisite: Outsider (native) with ties to an elemental plane; Weakness: Pick one of the following energy types: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. Members of this race have vulnerability to the chosen energy type. They cannot posses any racial trait that grants them resistance or immunity to this energy type. Special: This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, choose a different energy type. If a race has vulnerability to fire and immunity to cold, it gains the cold subtype. If a race has vulnerability to cold and immunity to fire, it gains the fire subtype.

Whew, I think that’s already a total of 28 race points. Making it a 2 level bump race. If I add on some of the other abilities that make sense it would go even higher.

Suppose I could get rid of the advanced constitution and improved natural armor and just rely on the fast healing.

Seems like it should also have DR 5/slashing, but that isn't one of the options in the list. But it is pretty close to:
Skeletal Damage Reduction (2 RP): Prerequisite: Undead type; Benefit: Members of this race gain DR 5/bludgeoning.


Imbicatus wrote:
Groot will need an insanely high bluff skill. Not to tell lies, but to send hidden messages to make everyone understand what "I am Groot!" means from moment to moment.

But then anyone could know. Wouldn't it be better to give Rocket and insanely high sense motive with respect to Groot so that only he can understand Groot?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

I feel like Groot has regeneration, not fast healing, seeing as he can com back from getting completely obliterated.


Yeah, but don't think that is one of the options. Plus I don't want the race to be so high level that it isn't playable any more.


What do you guys think about classes/builds.

Groot can probably best be done as a true primitive. Hmm... Although he has some almost spell like abilities. Maybe he should be a rage prophet or skald.

Rocket Raccoon seems gunslinger or maybe gunslinger/alchemist to get explosive shots. Would one of the other gun toting classes or archtypes be better?


Mad Dog barbarian 1 (to get the sapling treant below) / spellscar drifter cavalier x

Have tree, will shoot things.

Quote:


Sapling Treant

Starting Statistics

Size Medium; Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d6); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7; Special Qualities double damage against objects, low-light vision.

4th-Level Advancement

Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.


As far as existing stuff goes, the Nagaji is a pretty close approximation of Groot. Big, dumb, charming, and tough. I'd play a paladin.

As for rocket, I'd go ratfolk. They're similar in that they're small mammals, and ratfolk even have a racial trait called tinker, which fits him just about perfectly. Having never played a gunslinger I can't speak to the efficacy of the Gulch Gunner racial archetype, but vanilla alchemist and the plague bearer archetype are both great classes.

Contributor

Abraham spalding wrote:

Mad Dog barbarian 1 (to get the sapling treant below) / spellscar drifter cavalier x

Have tree, will shoot things.

Quote:


Sapling Treant

Starting Statistics

Size Medium; Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d6); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7; Special Qualities double damage against objects, low-light vision.

4th-Level Advancement

Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.

While not incredibly broken in any sense of the word, this (sadly) doesn't work for PFS (which is what the OP asked for) because as written in the Advanced Race Guide, only elves with the treesinger archetype can take plant companions.

I think your best bet for PFS, OP, is to go the summoner route with Groot as your eidolon. Maybe take a level of Gunslinger (Mysterious Stranger) at 1st level in order to gain a free gun, which you couldn't otherwise do in PFS.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Groot goes well as a Plant Companion (elf Treesinger archetype). I worked that up for my Slumbering Tsar game a while back:

Quickwood Companion Stats:
Sapling Quickwood
Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 20 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack 1 Bite (1d6), 2 Roots (1d3) (secondary); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7; Special Qualities low-light vision, darkvision 60', Roots 10' reach; Resist Fire 5, Electric 5.
4th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack 1 Bite (1d8), 2 Roots (1d4) (secondary); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4; Special Qualities Pull (root, 5'), Roots 30' reach; Resist Fire 10, Electric 10.

Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Cleaving Finish for flash.

Previous thread LINK.

The Exchange

Luckily for Rocket, the Gunslinger class already exists. Although I could make an argument for Alchemist, simply for access to bombs. Aside from an uncanny ability to control the recoil of guns that should be flinging him on his little behind, we don't know what his cybernetics do. (I don't know if ARG's ratfolk are PFS-legal, but if so that's probably the closest match.)

Groot, despite his size and strength, has so many random 'powers' that I'd probably build him as a sorceror (Verdant), grab a level of fighter (Brawler) at 2nd, and break into Eldritch Knight eventually. I'm not aware of any plant races in PF (for good reason: the Plant type has almost as many immunities as Undead and none of the baggage): I'd use half-orc for lack of anything better.


I wrote up Rocket using Techslinger Gunslinger from the Technology Guide, and Awakened (advanced template) Raccoon: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2rg40?Guardians-of-the-Galaxy

For PFS Rocket might work well in an Iron Gods campaign, there should be plenty of tech firearms. Groot might work using a custom plant race combined with Treesinger Druid.


Well, the only abilities I recall seeing out of Groot are dancing lights, something close to prestidigitation, and a mass version of cushioning bands. Not sure that rates a full casting class like druid or sorcerer.

If I were to do Groot as an eidolon, how would you best make Rockett decently competent with a gun?

Can you have an animal companions that is a plant? I can't really remember the plant creatures in the books. They rarely come up. Is there one that would be even kinda close? I think there is a hunter archtype that uses a gun and has an animal companion.

Thanks for the link Mujaba, I never saw that back then. Should have expected it wasn't a new idea.

Silver Crusade

Rocket & Groot

Rocket- Kitsune 1 Gunslinger/1+ Hunter
Groot- Sapling Treant as animal companion.

It's a long haul, but at Hunter 10 you get Raise Companion, which is as close as you'll get to a regenerating Groot...


Also, Groot must have skill ranks invested in Perform (Dance).


I threw together a Ghoran Viking for the Numeria AP (at the time I was just messing around, I didn't think of Groot until later) who had some obvious similarities. Even the expel seed kind of works for Groot's auto-rez.

I mean, ultimately it's a superhero character from a cosmic setting, so there are things that don't really translate, but Ghoran has the advantage of being common enough it shows up in Hero Lab.

His main advantage is just immunity to 99% of all will saves, but that's kind of nice when you're a martial character.


Step 1) Play a Briarborn and pick up some of their feats(like Photosynthetic Healing!).
Step 2) Play a Gifted Blade Soulknife(and maybe add the Deadly Fist archetype too) or Psychic Warrior to manifest Expansion.
Step 3) "I AM GROOT!"

Liberty's Edge

I am starting up Iron Gods and have two people doing Groot and Rocket using 20 point race build. Tweaked Groot from a base of Ghoran and tweaked Rocket from a base of ratfolk. Groot ended up being a druid and Rocket a Machinesmith(Louis Porter Jr. Design) with a repeating heavy crossbow. Groot obviously has a lot of powers that can't be matched up, but overall they both look fun


Just remember, His Divine Majesty King Groot the 23rd, Monarch of Planet X, custodian of the branch worlds, ruler of all the shades, is ROYALTY, and should be treated as such.

We'll tactfully ignore the allegations that he was arrested and ultimately exiled from his homeworld for impersonating the king and is actually just a prince pretty far down the line of succession. Surely these are scurrilous lies perpetrated by His Majesty's enemies.

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