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So, for the first time I'm stepping out of the role of playing a spellcaster and playing its polar opposite.

Basically I'm going for a reach/Glaive focused fighting build. Its a high powered campaign (Roll 5d6 and drop the lowest two) and I'm coming in at 6th level.

I'm playing a Human and here are my stats after factoring in the human bonus and the 4th level +1 to a stat.

STR 18
DEX 18
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 12

The Feats I've chosen:
1st Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (Glaive)
2nd Combat Reflexes
3rd Cleave
4th Power Attack
5th Step Up
6th Stand Still

The following is the armor/weps I've purchased,
+1 MWK Glaive
+1 Light, Fortification Medium Breastplate (+7 to AC altogether)
MWK Armored Kilt (+1 to AC)
MWK Helmet (DM's Homebrew armor, +1 to AC)
MWK Buckler (+1 to AC)

Giving me 24 AC.

Mostly the goal is a build that allows mobility while keeping enemies at a safe but reachable distance and of course being able to give them a thrashing :]


So, in this settings, I've got a campaign going. Out of the gate at the first level I decided to thrust the party into some strong hints that certain old evils in the area are stirring to life and maybe seeking a comeback.

However, Its a medium paced campaign and I am now a bit worried that the party is too focused on a major story arc and I am now looking for ways to distract them into smaller story arcs. Mainly because they don't have enough experience.

The situation now, the party has discovered some sort of artifact, a book made of bronze and gold (like a binder with metal pages) that contains revelations of some ancient construct that housed the soul of some evil creature from beyond the mortal world, and talk of trying to resurrect it. However they have learned there is a sister book that would be needed to do some dreaded incantations. Currently they are seeking anyone with information about the book, or its sister book.

However currently I am worried that they are now so engrossed into this story arc that it would be hard to hook them into other story arcs at all.

idk, advice? tips? tricks?


Okay, so as I'm designing this homebrew setting, I've been going over and over about races, or lack there of. My ideal number of races is in fact, 1, that's right, 1 single race. That race is Human, Homo sapien, that bipedal tetrapod we all seem to be. However obviously some humans are a bit different then other humans.

Abhuman or Differently Human as some might say possess other "racial," traits but in terms of lore and fluff they are just supposed to be humans with some special blessing at birth or unique ancestry. A lot of it a rewrite of already familiar "Monsters as Player character races," however they have been redone to suite the fluff.

Flame/Sun Kissed, (Elemental Fire bloodline):


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Fire Elemental blooded Humans pick one ability score other then Wisdom to give a +2 to that stat.
  • Senses: darkvision (60 feet.)
  • Spell-Like Abilities: burning hands 1/day (caster level equals the characters total Hit Dice).
  • Resistance(s): fire resistance 5.
  • Elemental Affinity: Flame touched sorcerers with the elemental (fire) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Clerics with the Fire domain use their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Oracles with the Flame mystery treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all Oracle spells and class abilities.

Earthborn, (Elemental Earth bloodline):


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Earth Elemental blooded Humans pick one ability score other then Charisma to give a +2 to that stat.
  • Senses: darkvision (60 feet.)
  • Spell-Like Abilities: burning hands 1/day (caster level equals the characters total Hit Dice).
  • Resistance(s): Acid resistance 5.
  • Elemental Affinity: Earthborn sorcerers with the elemental (earth) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Earthborn clerics with the Earth domain cast their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Oracles with the stone mystery treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all Oracle spells and class abilities.

Wind Souled, (Elemental Air bloodline):


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Air Elemental blooded Humans pick one ability score other then Constitution to give a +2 to that stat.
  • Senses: darkvision (60 feet.)
  • Spell-Like Abilities: feather fall 1/day (caster level equals the Characters Hit Dice).
  • Resistance(s): electricity resistance 5.
  • Elemental Affinity: Elemental Air bloodline sorcerers with the elemental (air) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Elemental Air bloodline clerics with the Air domain cast their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Oracles with the Wind mystery treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all Oracle spells and class abilities.

Divine Bloodline:


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Outsider blooded Humans pick one ability score and receive a +2 to that stat.
  • Senses: darkvision (60 feet.)
  • Racial Skill Bonuses: +2 racial bonus to either Diplomacy and Perception checks if ones ancestor is a Good outsider or +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Stealth checks if ones ancestor is an evil outsider.
  • Spell-Like Abilities: Either Darkness or Daylight 1/day depending on ancestry
  • Resistance(s): Either cold, electricity, and fire resistance 5 if evil connection, acid, cold, electricity resistance 5 if good connection.
  • Divine Magic: Sorcerers of the Celestial, Abyssal, Infernal and Destined bloodlines bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Clerics with the domains of Evil, or Good cast their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Oracles may discuss with their DM to treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all Oracle spells and class abilities depending on if the Mystery seems related in some way to their Divine (Good or Evil) ancestry.

Feyborn (Feyish blood and/or Ancestry):


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Feyborn humans pick one ability score except constitution and receive a +2 to that stat.
  • Senses: Low-light vision.
  • Racial Skill Bonuses: +2 racial bonus on Survival and Spellcraft checks.
  • Spell-Like Abilities: dancing lights 1/day (caster level equals class level)
  • Immunities/Saving Throw Bonuses: Immunity to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
  • Languages: Automatically begin play knowing Sylvan on top of whatever other languages can be learned based on intelligence.
  • Fey Affinity: Feyborn sorcerers with the Fey bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Wind Blessed clerics with the Plant or Animal domain cast their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Oracles with the Nature mystery treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all Oracle spells and class abilities.
  • Weaknesses/Vulnerabilities: Cold Iron weakness, any critical hit received from a cold Iron weapon does an additional 1d4 points of damage.

Dhampir (Vampire ancestry, or taint):


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Dhampir's receive a +2 to one stat of their choosing other then Constitution.
  • Senses: darkvision (60 feet), low-light vision.
  • Racial Skill Bonuses: +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Perception checks.
  • Immunities/Saving Throw Bonuses: Saving Throw Bonuses: +2 racial bonus against disease and mind-affecting effects.
  • Blood Drinking: Dhampir can gain sustenance from the blood of the recently dead. As a standard action, Dhampir can drink the blood of a creature that died within the past minute per class level. The creature must be corporeal and must have blood. This ability heals you 1d6 hit points if the creature is medium sized or larger and nourishes you as if you’d had a full meal, it heals 1d4 if the creature is small sized and does not provide nourishment.
  • Resist Level Drain: A dhampir takes no penalties from energy draining effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels then he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw.
  • Deathly Affinity: Dhampir sorcerers with the undead bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Dhampir clerics with the Death or Repose domains cast their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. Dhampir Oracles with the bones mystery treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all Oracle spells and class abilities.
  • Weaknesses/Vulnerabilities: Light Sensitivity. Blood Craving (Must use the Blood drinking ability at least once every 2 weeks or become sickened, if blood is not consumed within the next week, characters land speed is reduced to 10 feet and has a temporary 1d4 drain on his or her constitution.

Dragonborn (Draconic blood):


  • +2 to One Ability Score: Dragonborn Humans pick one ability score other then Dexterity to give a +2 to that stat.
  • Dragons Blood: Dragonborn count as dragons for any effect related to race.
  • Senses: darkvision (60 feet.)
  • Immune to Dragon Fear Dragonborn are immune to a dragon’s frightful presence.
  • Keen Senses Dragonborn receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
  • Dragon Breath Dragonborn have retained the dragon breath of their draconic heritage, manifesting itself in the form of a line with a length of 5 feet per class level (capping out at 20 feet). The dragon breath deals 1d6 points of energy damage for every 5 levels (Reflex save for half damage), to a maximum of 4d6 at 20th level. The type of energy breath weapon is determined by the dragonborn’s specific draconic origins as follows: acid (black or copper), cold (silver or white), electricity (blue or bronze), fire (brass, gold or red), or poison (green). The dragon breath ability is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive.
  • Draconic Affinity: Dragonborn sorcerers with the Draconic bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities.

Now lore wise these various "alternative humans," come about in a lot of different ways, but I am mainly wondering if stat wise these rewrites and homebrew "races," are balanced against the baseline human in PF since I want to avoid them being more powerful in every way. I kind of like them in niches, but I'd rather not have them be more stat wise powerful and versatile then standard humans.


So I am eagerly working to construct a campaign setting that is solely humans as the playable race. The inspiration for this setting is the early Iron Age, late Bronze age and I am going for that ancient world feel, so things like a halfling, dwarf or an elf would be a extremely rare mythic being one might encounter but not actually a playable race.

Basically all the players, NPC's ect will be human of various sorts.

So far I want to use the baseline human racial traits already in the pathfinder rules, but instead of two traits you get three, the third having to be specific to your characters country of origin or place one was raised and plausible a few alternative traits such as being born with dwarfism (Like real world dwarves) and being small sized by sacrificing say ones bonus feat at first level. Also one can gain bloodlines similar to the ones in unearthed arcana or a sorcerers bloodlines, granting one special abilities, but these come at the cost of ones second starting feat. (Unless one is a sorcerer, then one gets the bloodline that comes with the class, and their second starting feat).

I am just wondering if this sounds balanced or if I am going about this all wrong and making the players too powerful right out of the gate.