I've wanted to play a Satyr for a long time now, but since they are CR 4 it seemed like a terrible choice. Then I read the passage on their weaker, more benevolent cousins, the Fauns. CR 1? Meant that a race was easier to build from, but I need to see if it needs to be tweaked (Mainly because Racial Points are a very lopsided system and it's sometimes hard to tell if what you're making is feasible).
Type: Fey (2rp)
Low-light Vision (0rp)
Size: Medium (0rp)
Speed: Normal (30ft) 0rp
Abilities: Flexible (+2 Dex, +2Cha) 2rp
Languages: Standard 0rp
*Common and Sylvan. May Learn Elven, Aklo, Draconic, Gnome, Giant, Goblin, Celestial with sufficient Intelligence.
Defensive Traits
Lucky, Lesser (2rp)
+1 to all Saving throws.
Fey Damage Reduction (3rp)
DR 5/Cold Iron
Skill Traits
Sociable (1rp)
Use Diplomacy again after a -5 failure to try to change the person's outlook about you again within 24 hours of the failure.
Skill Training (1rp)
Perform and Perception always class skills
Magic Traits
Spell-Like Ability, Lesser (2rp)
Hideous Laughter and Sleep.
Spell-like Ability, At-Will (2rp)
Ghost Sound.
I know the DR is too high (Fauns are supposed to have DR 2/Cold Iron, not DR 5/Cold Iron) but I wasn't sure if I should've reduced it to one racial point or two for the downgrade. I threw in Lucky, Lesser because their saves on the stat page is pretty high. I left out Panpipes because it seems pointless when you'll be getting class levels.
Should I remove anything? Add Anything? Is it too strong?
You're not using the race building rules properly here. Damage reduction is a monstrous trait. It gives Perception as class skills and no ability score penalty, which makes the race in of itself..
You're not using the race building rules properly here. Damage reduction is a monstrous trait. It gives Perception as class skills and no ability score penalty, which makes the race in of itself..
I'm aware, but the Faun is supposed to have that damage reduction naturally and otherwise qualifies for it as a Fey, that's why I chopped it down to 2 like in the Faun monster entry, rather than keeping the DR5/cold iron.
As for the abilities, Flexible is in the rules and any brewed race can take it. Azata-born Aasimars have the same bonuses as my version of the Faun, so I see no reason to change it.
In the ARG:
Flexible (2 RP): Members of this race gain a +2 bonus to any two ability scores.
Notice is says "any" two abilities and no penalties are listed, so I'm not using that one wrong, and I'm not changing it.
Previous Version:I've wanted to play a Satyr for a long time now, but since they are CR 4 it seemed like a terrible choice. Then I read the passage on their weaker, more benevolent cousins, the Fauns. CR 1? Meant that a race was easier to build from, but I need to see if it needs to be tweaked (Mainly because Racial Points are a very lopsided system and it's sometimes hard to tell if what you're making is feasible).
Type: Fey (2rp)
Low-light Vision (0rp)Size: Medium (0rp)
Speed: Normal (30ft) 0rp
Abilities: Flexible (+2 Dex, +2Cha) 2rp
Languages: Standard 0rp
*Common and Sylvan. May Learn Elven, Aklo, Draconic, Gnome, Giant, Goblin, Celestial with sufficient Intelligence.Defensive Traits
Lucky, Lesser (2rp)
+1 to all Saving throws.Fey Damage Reduction (3rp)
DR 5/Cold IronSkill Traits
Sociable (1rp)
Use Diplomacy again after a -5 failure to try to change the person's outlook about you again within 24 hours of the failure.Skill Training (1rp)
Perform and Perception always class skillsMagic Traits
Spell-Like Ability, Lesser (2rp)
Hideous Laughter and Sleep.Spell-like Ability, At-Will (2rp)
Ghost Sound.I know the DR is too high (Fauns are supposed to have DR 2/Cold Iron, not DR 5/Cold Iron) but I wasn't sure if I should've reduced it to one racial point or two for the downgrade. I threw in Lucky, Lesser because their saves on the stat page is pretty high. I left out Panpipes because it seems pointless when you'll be getting class levels.
Should I remove anything? Add Anything? Is it too strong?
UPDATED! Thanks to /u/CMEast on Reddit /r/Pathfinder_RPG
Type: Fey (2rp)
Low-light Vision (0rp)
Size: Medium (0rp)
Speed: Normal (30ft) 0rp
Abilities: Flexible (+2 Dex, +2Cha) 2rp
Languages: Standard 0rp
*Common and Sylvan. May Learn Elven, Aklo, Draconic, Gnome, Giant, Goblin, Celestial with sufficient Intelligence.
Defensive Traits
Fey Damage Reduction (3rp)
DR 5/Cold Iron
Skill Traits
Sociable (1rp)
Use Diplomacy again after a -5 failure to try to change the person's outlook about you again within 24 hours of the failure.
Skill Training (1rp)
Perform and Perception always class skills
Magic Traits
Spell-Like Ability, Lesser (2rp)
Hideous Laughter and Sleep, 1/day.
Spell-like Ability, At-Will (2rp)
Ghost Sound.
Pan's Performance (1rp)
Use a swift action to increase Spell-like ability DC by 2, 3/day
Altenate Traits
Fey Sorcery(1RP): Faun sorcerers/bloodragers with the Fey or Maestro bloodlines treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer class abilities. This trait replaces the Lesser Fey Damage Reduction trait.
Satyr Anatomy(2RP): This faun is more bestial than its normal kin and receives either one gore or two hoof attacks, chosen at character creation. The gore attack is a primary natural attack, dealing 1d6 piercing damage. The hoof attacks are secondary natural attacks that deal 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage. This trait replaces the Lesser Spell-like Abilities trait.
Sylvan Proficiencies(1rp): This faun grew up on a more martial
lifestyle, learning the arms of his ancestors rather than the intricacies of social grace. A faun with this trait receives proficiency in the scimitar and shortbow. This trait replaces the sociable trait.
Reckless Beastman (2rp): This faun throws caution to the wind and embraces the choas of life, rushing face-first into all his problems. A faun with this racial trait gains a +10 to his movement speed. This trait replaces the Pan's Performance and Skill Training traits.
You're asking if your race is overpowered. I'm telling you: it's overpowered.
Damage reduction is listed as a monstrous trait, an ability inappropriate for a standard race, for a reason. When designing a player race, you have to give them abilities appropriate for a 1st level character since PCs get their power through obtaining class levels. Fauns and Satyrs have all these abilities because they're not 1 HD creatures. Damage reduction is a broken ability to give to a 1st level player character. In addition, it's not very integral to your concept.
Yes, standard races can take Flexible ability scores. My point was that even if you took away the damage reduction, it's still a very powerful race. Also, aasimars are not a good example of a balanced player race. They're one of the strongest featured races in the game, one of the reasons being the lack of a racial ability score penalty. Admittedly, using the Flexible ability score trait is a major pet peeve of mine as I attribute it to lazy design.
I'm not a big fan of Pan's Performance, which lacks the faun's flavor. I'd change it such that the race receives a +1 bonus to their enchantment spell DCs if they use a musical instrument as a focus component.
If you want the DR for flavor purposes, you could make it a vulnaribilty to cold iron instead (taking additional damage from cold iron weapons or wounds caused by cold iron not healing naturally/requiring a CL check). That would be more appropiate for a PC race.
Fey Damage Resistance is actually an Advanced trait, not a Monstrous trait, so it is an acceptable choice per RAW. That being said, I agree that it is quite powerful for a low-level character and would prefer it if it were added as an optional racial feat, perhaps at level 7.
Spell-like Ability (At-Will), on the other hand, is a Monstrous trait, and should be dropped. I realize you only chose a cantrip but still…
I don't see a problem with the DR, sure it means they are less likely to take lethal damage at low levels, at level 1 for instance someone swinging a d8 at them can only possibly do d6 worth of damage to them not including Str. But is that really that big of a difference?
As for making them take more damage, and that damage not heal naturally or at least requiring special means such as healing spells or CR checks. That is unfair to the player and makes them a huge financial liability at early levels when spell slots matter and getting healing items cheap is hard.
Its not a huge deal, but it will make the person playing the Faun feel singled out and much weaker then the rest of the party. And if the Cleric has to keep throwing heals to the Faun then even other players might have a problem.
I don't see a problem with the DR, sure it means they are less likely to take lethal damage at low levels, at level 1 for instance someone swinging a d8 at them can only possibly do d6 worth of damage to them not including Str. But is that really that big of a difference?
As for making them take more damage, and that damage not heal naturally or at least requiring special means such as healing spells or CR checks. That is unfair to the player and makes them a huge financial liability at early levels when spell slots matter and getting healing items cheap is hard.
Its not a huge deal, but it will make the person playing the Faun feel singled out and much weaker then the rest of the party. And if the Cleric has to keep throwing heals to the Faun then even other players might have a problem.
There is only a handful of creatures with cold iron attacks. Unless an enemy does his research and prepares accordingly, a fey PC probably won't encounter cold iron weapons at all. Which means that DR 5/cold iron is almost as good as DR 5/-. That's hardly trivial at lower levels, especially compared to other player options that grant DR.
For the same reason, having a weakness against cold iron is not unfair towards the player. The GM can and should exploit it a few times during a campaign, but it certainly won't come up on a regular basis.
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FAUN 9RP
FAUN RACIAL TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma: Fauns are agile and attractive but are prone to poor decision making.
Medium: Fauns are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Fauns have a base speed of 30 feet.
LowLight Vision: In dim light, fauns can see twice as far as humans.
Faun Magic: Fauns gain a +1 bonus to the DC of any saving throw against enchantment spells that they cast. Faun’s with a Charisma score of 11 or higher also gain the following spelllike abilities: 1/day ghost sound, hideous laughter, and sleep. The caster level for these effects is equal to the faun’s level. The DC for the spelllike abilities is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the faun’s Charisma modifier.
Fey Defense: Fauns gain DR 2/cold iron.
Muse: Fauns receive a +2 racial bonus on a Performance skill of their choice.
Forest Strider: Fauns can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed while within forests. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.
Languages: Fauns begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Fauns with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Gnome, Halfling, Terran, and Orc.
ALTERNATE RACIAL TRAITS
Goat Eyes: Some fauns have rectangular pupils that allow panoramic viewing. Fauns receives a +2 to Perception checks. This racial trait replaces fey defense.
Mountain Goat: Fauns are immune to altitude sickness and do not lose their Dexterity bonus to AC when making Climb checks or Acrobatics checks to cross narrow or slippery surfaces. This racial trait replaces forest strider.