The idea of a human as a "host" has become a often explored trope in this day and age. Some common examples are: the Goa'uld, the Yeerks, Venom of spider-man fame, Starro's minions, the Bugs from Starship Trooper, trill (to a degree), and many more. We've developed the book of Symbiosis to reflect this new trope.
Included:
The "Primal Host" base class. They utilized powerful symbiotes to devistate their foes. However... there is a price. You must allow your symboiote to "indulge" and use a fun new relationship mechanic to gain the maximum potential from your body's guest!
Extra feats
Symbiotic Item: New living wondrous items that bond themselves to you ("wondrous" but they are actually non-magical) Included are ways to design these items, a dozen new items, and some very creepy cloaks!
Product Availability
Fulfilled immediately.
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This is an interesting look at the concept of symbiosis, by creating a character class defined by the presence of a symbiote. In this interpretation, the symbiote confers combat advantage to its host through possibilities of morphing the host's body to generate, for example, claws or fangs (or for that matter, armour).
The development of this concept is good if marred by sloppy grammar, particularly abuse of apostrophes, and by calling the symbiote itself the 'urge' when that term would appear to be better applied to whatever it is that the symbiote wants out of the relationship. This idea, that the symbiote wants something specific, is well handled as a concept, with a rule mechanic to measure if it is getting enough of whatever it wants - neat!
There is plenty of scope to take symbiosis as an idea further - there are many different kinds of advantages that having a symbiote could confer, and it is not something that necessitates a complete character class - a wizard, say, with a symbiote that boosts his intelligence could be a formidable character... no matter that his symbiote is so curious that the poor wizard starts each day tired and red-eyed, because the symbiote was using the wizard's body to read magic tomes all night! The upside is that the wizard can access the knowledge, the downside is that he has not had sufficient rest to function well physically.
As a start in looking at this fascinating and unexplored area in fantasy gaming, this is a good one! Food for thought indeed.
Cool! Now if only my landslip delayed train could get me to a computer quicker. Until then I'll curse my smartphone for being so ... useful. Come to think of it, I think my brother and wife might consider me a host for my smartphone...
Things from war hammer, to rapier, to longsword, to falchion and whatnot.
Alright. But does it also grant you proficiency with other weapons of that type or just the urge's weapon form? Say I chose a longsword profile as one of my urge's forms. Would that mean I could use any longsword with proficiency or just my urge as a longsword?
Just the urge, think of it like a sword of ages that contains the knowledge in using it. Effectively it lends you the moves, but if your GM is willing to listen to an alternate take you could potentially sneak in on some muscle memory. (Or it might be a good justification to take proficiency in it)
Just the urge, think of it like a sword of ages that contains the knowledge in using it. Effectively it lends you the moves, but if your GM is willing to listen to an alternate take you could potentially sneak in on some muscle memory. (Or it might be a good justification to take proficiency in it)
I see. Which reminds me, the part about Symbiotic items, I'm assuming since they already have favor abilities, they can't be enchanted.
I guess a possible houserule could be you gain proficiency with actual weapons 2-3 levels after gaining the profile. Or maybe you could have proficiency in symbiotic weapons matching your profiles since they'd have to grown from a sample of your urge.
Also, regarding morphs. The Weapon Bound host still gains them, with the exception of Predator's Tools, Lashing Limbs, or any morph that requires the use of primal weapons, right?
Also, while not a question, I found this interesting:
Since weapon bound host still gains morphs, that means that even in weapon form, the urge is still bound to them. That brings to mind the image of the weapon-urge connected to the host by a fleshy, vein-like cord sticking out of their wrist.
Geez, you may actually have to make an update to this book there's so much potential.
We think so too!
We have some of the groundwork laid out for that product.
That product is designed to update and offer more content some of our classes we've produced in the past (noble, skirmisher, primal host, invoker, etc).
Be aware though that we have a few products ahead of that one. It looks like, if everything goes according to the schedule, it will be launching in the first few weeks of November. That date is not "locked in" yet (just tentative) so don't hold me to it. It is 5th on the production schedule.
Okay, I've liked the idea of this class for awhile, and I finally got a DM to allow me to try it out. As a result, I have a few questions I hope I can get answered here, as well as some comments.
First off, when the relationship starts going up, you get bonuses to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution-based checks. It seems obvious that it would apply to Strength checks to break something, as well as to Constitution checks to stabilize, but is it meant to apply to...
...skill checks such as Acrobatics, Climb, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, and Swim?
...attack rolls?
...Fortitude and Reflex saves?
...initiative checks?
I picked a flesh-bound primal urge, which netted me the formless body morph for free at first level. Since formless body changes the natural armor bonus into a bonus added to his Dexterity bonus to AC, if a primal host later takes the assimilate armor morph, does the armor's maximum Dexterity bonus now apply to this total? That is, if you have 16 dexterity, and 16 charisma, thus granting me 16 AC, with both morphs, and have your urge absorb a chain shirt, which has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +4 and an armor bonus of +4, do I have 20 AC (10 + 3 (Dex) + 3 (formless body natural armor) + 4 (armor) or 18 AC (10 + 4 (Dex + formless body natural armor reduced by max Dex bonus) + 4 (armor)?
One of the primal weapons listed is a 'tail-whip'. Is this supposed to be a tail slap? A sting? Other? I'm presuming at least that you're supposed to go look at the normal table of natural attacks/weapons and choose the normal damage for your size, at least.
Symbiote breed is listed in the table, but it's not actually listed as a class feature, you just list primal urge breeds at the end...which is also a bit confusing since it's called symbiote breed in the table and primal urge breed in the heading. You also don't at any point define what 'symbiosis' is, so it took me a bit to realize that the abilities listed under the primal urge/symbiote breed were what this was referring to, further complicated by the fact that the text listed under the primal urge breed doesn't always specify what level you attain them at. I initially thought that flesh-bound primal urges got Formless Symbiote and Ooze Armor at 1st level.
When you allow your primal urge to take control of your body, is your primal urge capable of using abilities that would normally require you to spend favor points? I'm guessing it shouldn't be allowed, since otherwise it's kind of funky if the primal urge can burn the host's points (not to mention those points would represent its relationship with...itself?) but this doesn't seem to be addressed.
In general, actually, I wish the indulgence section was split up into more class features, so you can clearly see that you need a) to select a personality quirk (which is referenced, but the list of personality quirks is not explicitly mentioned and left to be discovered), b) to select a primal host breed (which as I previously said is mentioned in the table and nowhere else) which later grants you symbioses, c) that you have a class feature called favor tokens, and this is how you get them. It would be particularly helpful for stat blocks, much like the section where you note how many rounds of rage, ki, lay on hands, etc., are remaining. Again, personal preference speaking.
Another little thing that is purely petty personal desire, I wish that the Full-Body Form ability under Molded Form lasted for longer; one minute per level is fine for a quick buff for combat, but I feel it's insufficient for actual infiltration attempts; ten minutes per level, or even an hour per level would be a lot better...but that's probably more of a complaint against alter self than it is against anything in this class.
Overall, I like this class, it is about as MAD as the monk to which it bears some resemblance, but it has a lot of fun features and flavor despite a few confusing aspects and problems here and there. Currently just hit level 2, as well as getting my relationship up to Agreeable, so thought I'd seek some clarification on a few things as I ponder my first morph...
Hey, I *love* this class, but I just wanted to ask, would there be a chance to gain favor tokens in non-combat situations (ex: Curious symbiote, and the party enters a mystical library. PC allows symbiote to take control for a time, and gets X favor tokens). I could understand not wanting to do non-combat situations, as the reward to risk could be (depending on the situation, and the GM) much higher than in combat.
Maybe to balance it out, if you give up control in a non-combat/social setting, you take a -4 penalty to any sort of skill checks?
Hey, I *love* this class, but I just wanted to ask, would there be a chance to gain favor tokens in non-combat situations (ex: Curious symbiote, and the party enters a mystical library. PC allows symbiote to take control for a time, and gets X favor tokens). I could understand not wanting to do non-combat situations, as the reward to risk could be (depending on the situation, and the GM) much higher than in combat.
Maybe to balance it out, if you give up control in a non-combat/social setting, you take a -4 penalty to any sort of skill checks?
As a huge proponent of integration of roleplaying and game mechanics- totally. It would be, of course, at the discretion of the GM.
