Wow those are not what i would have done. let me do some research and get back to you.
They don't look bad, I would have to take a closer look for balance, but nothing there seems way off.
Side Note: I hate the typical implementation of Genasi. They are always implemented as a human with a little bit of elemental blood. I would love to do an implementation that is a racial subtype. IE A dwarven Earth Genasi would have the same special ability as a human Earth Genasi, but would have very different base abilities.
They don't look bad, I would have to take a closer look for balance, but nothing there seems way off.
Side Note: I hate the typical implementation of Genasi. They are always implemented as a human with a little bit of elemental blood. I would love to do an implementation that is a racial subtype. IE A dwarven Earth Genasi would have the same special ability as a human Earth Genasi, but would have very different base abilities.
It sounds as though what you want is a template for each of the various genasi, one which could be applied to any humanoid (for example). I'd certainly like something like that, plus one each for the tiefling and aasimar.
It sounds as though what you want is a template for each of the various genasi, one which could be applied to any humanoid (for example). I'd certainly like something like that, plus one each for the tiefling and aasimar.They don't look bad, I would have to take a closer look for balance, but nothing there seems way off.
Side Note: I hate the typical implementation of Genasi. They are always implemented as a human with a little bit of elemental blood. I would love to do an implementation that is a racial subtype. IE A dwarven Earth Genasi would have the same special ability as a human Earth Genasi, but would have very different base abilities.
Pretty much.
Genasi in our games are simply characters with levels in sorcerer with the appropriate elemental bloodline.
That's pretty much describes exactly what a genasi is.
It also gives us the plus of having any race we want. For example you could play a dwarf earth genasi, or an elf air genasi.
Never made sense to our groups how genasi were all the same, even though they could potentially be born from different races (weirder still when a few people told us only humans could produce genasi).
if i can go through my old books and find it, i have a copy of Aasimar & Teifling: A guidebook to Plantetouched, i will go through it, as it has rules for creating your own planetouched, and can create templates.
this will help me too, as i have a Teifling character in my homebrew game that has just become the proud father of a half orc son, and, unfortunately, due to his trait "Demonscarred" he will invariably be a teifling too.
Yeah, the bit about genasi being all human bugged me as well. -.-
Right now I could see the "genasi"-stuff being represented as a line of feats. The first one could work along the lins of "pick an element (air, earth, fire, or water). you gain a +4 bonus on saves against effects with that element type and gain resistance 5 against the energy associated with the element.", with a few more added to round out the elemental feel of that line.
That way, a dwarven air genasi wouldn't work differently from any other dwarf, just have that little bit extra.
The feat line needs a little bit of work, I might post some of the things I cook up here when I'm done.
After pondering this, I was thinking something like this
Air Genasi Template(CR+0). This template can be applied to any humanoid.
Dex +2
Con -2
Wis -2
+2 on fly checks
Levitate(Sp): You can cast levitate once per day with a caster level equal to your character level.
Then throw in some feats from some of the old 3.5 splat books like
New Feat
Extra levitation: Requires air genasi. You can use your levitate 2 more times per day.
Agile levitation: Requires air genasi, level 5. You can now use your levitate spell like ability to cast fly instead.
Bonuses, you can use this on any race. It scales with feats so that the ability can be useful at later levels. My only problem is that I am not exactly sure how much a -2 Con should be worth in special abilities. I erred on the side on making it a little weak.
I always try to come up with alternatives to ability score adjustments. Why not give them bonuses and penalties to (element-)relevant skills? After all, if it's got skill bonuses in certain fields, any min-maxer out there will follow that road to build his superacrobat/bruiser/sneak/whatever. Since skills will be skills, they're easier to balance.
Also, one might just say they always get -1 to Fort saves and +1 to Ref saves to mirror any possible physical frailty.
Damn, if only I needed a genasi conversion badly, I'd start doing some more brainstorming. ^^
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Nice job.
I think you may have erred slightly on the cautious side in terms of resistance.
Aasimars and Tieflings have Resistance of 5, 5, 5.
A single 3 seems a little underwhelming.
Air Genasi seem to get the best power with Breathless. Who needs water breathing when you don't need to breathe at all? I know this is a carry over from the original race stat blocks but I think an appropriate spell like ability across each would give better balance.
Why do Earth, Fire and Water Genasi get the -2 for Chr? Again, its a carry over but this seems like a cop out penalty on the dump stat. No wonder a Genasi's favoured class was always 'Fighter'.
I think some good question are:
What tropes are these races trying to represent?
What personalities do this races have and how can their stats and abilities help the player bring this to life?
Most Air Genasi I have seen have levitate as a spell like ability. There is a feat line in Races of destiny to turn levitate into fly at higher levels.
I can see that, but what about any non-Sorcerer Genasi?Genasi in our games are simply characters with levels in sorcerer with the appropriate elemental bloodline.
That's pretty much describes exactly what a genasi is.
It also gives us the plus of having any race we want. For example you could play a dwarf earth genasi, or an elf air genasi.
Never made sense to our groups how genasi were all the same, even though they could potentially be born from different races (weirder still when a few people told us only humans could produce genasi).
That's easy. They are multiclassed characters. A genasi fighter, for example, might be an Elf air elemental sorcerer 1/fighter X. He remains an extremely potent fighter, and now has some themed abilities to go along with his heritage. When you think about it, a 1 level dip is no more of a loss than any other opportunity cost is.
That's easy. They are multiclassed characters. A genasi fighter, for example, might be an Elf air elemental sorcerer 1/fighter X. He remains an extremely potent fighter, and now has some themed abilities to go along with his heritage. When you think about it, a 1 level dip is no more of a loss than any other opportunity cost is.I can see that, but what about any non-Sorcerer Genasi?Genasi in our games are simply characters with levels in sorcerer with the appropriate elemental bloodline.
That's pretty much describes exactly what a genasi is.
It also gives us the plus of having any race we want. For example you could play a dwarf earth genasi, or an elf air genasi.
Never made sense to our groups how genasi were all the same, even though they could potentially be born from different races (weirder still when a few people told us only humans could produce genasi).
So to be a fighter genasi, I have to give up a level, and I gain a couple of spells that will always be cast at level 1. I find that option somewhat underwhealming.
So to be a fighter genasi, I have to give up a level, and I gain a couple of spells that will always be cast at level 1. I find that option somewhat underwhealming.
It's not as underwhelming as many posters would have you believe. From my observation, most people play genasi for the cool flavor they provide rather than the mechanics. What is a genasi if not a character with a bloodline tied to the elemental races? Elemental bloodline sorcerer seems like a perfect fit.
Even if you are one of those who cares greatly for the power mechanics, you aren't really losing much out of it: just a few hit points and 1 pt of base attack bonus. In return, you get some cool at will abilities (cantrips), some minor attack/defense/utility spells, expand your class skill list, and can shore up a few weaknesses (such as Will saves). Sure you also lose your top tier abilities from level 20th, but who really ever gets there in practice anyways?
Things like Mystic Theurge and Eldritch Knight make different class combinations for this kind of genasi even more usable should you be willing to go for the extra investment.
Stuffmore stuff
another option might be to just use feats, look up the aberration feats out of lords of madness. this opens them up to any race and any class.
the first level feat could even be -2 to one stat and +2 to another with a spell like ability attached on. then more feats to give better abilities and the more feats you have the better the abilities get.
Another option might be to just use feats, look up the aberration feats out of lords of madness. this opens them up to any race and any class.
the first level feat could even be -2 to one stat and +2 to another with a spell like ability attached on. then more feats to give better abilities and the more feats you have the better the abilities get.
Not a bad idea, but it's pretty much the same as mine. You are giving up opportunity costs in exchange for others in order to reach a certain character concept.
Not a bad idea, but it's pretty much the same as mine. You are giving up opportunity costs in exchange for others in order to reach a certain character concept.Another option might be to just use feats, look up the aberration feats out of lords of madness. this opens them up to any race and any class.
the first level feat could even be -2 to one stat and +2 to another with a spell like ability attached on. then more feats to give better abilities and the more feats you have the better the abilities get.
I really liked the stuff in I think it was races of destiny. There were feats that let you upgrade your Aasimar, Tiefling, and Genasi spell like abilities.
Instead of having a few level 1 spells, an air genasi started with levitate, and could upgrade that to fly with a few feats.
An Aasimar could turn their light ability 1/day into daylight 3/day then into searing light 3/day.
Not a bad idea, but it's pretty much the same as mine. You are giving up opportunity costs in exchange for others in order to reach a certain character concept.Another option might be to just use feats, look up the aberration feats out of lords of madness. this opens them up to any race and any class.
the first level feat could even be -2 to one stat and +2 to another with a spell like ability attached on. then more feats to give better abilities and the more feats you have the better the abilities get.
Absolutely, it's just an expansion on your idea, and the idea's from other books.
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You could try scaling the resistances, say Energy Resist 1 / HD, up to 5 at 5th (with a race-specific feat that they can take to cause it to keep raising to a max of 20 at 20th). A caveat that a creature with Fire Resistance can't 'catch on fire' would probably make sense, and have the side-benefit of annoying those munchkins who would deliberately fail their saving throw so that they could walk around 'on fire' forever.
Random powers I've used for similar part-elemental races, either as feats, traits or racial powers;
Water-borne - You can take a double move or Run action to run across water as if it were solid ground. If you end movement on a liquid surface on any given round, you fall in normally, but you are able to cross a surface of water up to 115 ft. across (in a dash, or even farther if you have the Run feat) without even getting your feet wet.
Breath Holding - you can hold your breath for 4x Con rounds underwater, instead of 2x Con rounds, and you have a +4 bonus to Con checks to avoid drowning. (The cheap version of water breathing, if that ability is only to be granted later through a feat, or HD advancement.)
Neriad's Kiss - You can breath underwater, and with physical contact (not necessarily a kiss), you can share that ability with another by concentration, allowing them to regain their breath (and stop drowning) long enough to possibly return to the surface.
Desert Creature / Tundra Walker - You gain a +4 bonus to Con checks / Fort saves to avoid damage from environmental heat (for desert) or cold (for tundra) and gain the equivalent of energy resistance 1 / HD (to 5 at 5 HD) vs. nonlethal damage from environmental heat or cold. Alternately, the +X bonus to Con checks could also be based on HD (to +5 at 5 HD), or even be paired off with penalties to the opposite climate (or even half-strength penalties, so that a 5 HD Fire-Kin would have +5 to his Con checks vs. environmental heat, but -2 to his Con checks vs. environmental cold), depending upon how one wants to balance it.
Internal Furnace - Your internal heat is so intense that your body becomes red-hot during combat. All hand to hand attacks inflict 1 hit point Fire damage, and all attacks made upon you with natural weapons inflict 1 point of Fire damage upon the attacker. Attacks made with purely metal weapons also benefit from this extra damage, but not until the second round of combat. Because of this trait, you cannot wear flammable items safely, and you may have to wear special cured leather in place of cloth, etc. doubling the cost of some common items (although your starting outfit remains free).
Deadly Spittle - You can generate doses of Alchemist's Fire within your fiery digestive system, and spit them out with a 10 ft. range increment as a standard action which provokes an attack of opportunity as a ranged attack. These substances lose potency two rounds after leaving your gullet, and cannot be bottled and stored for later use. You can generate a number of doses per day equal to 3 + your Con modifier.
Storm Kin - You count as up to two size classes Smaller or Larger, as you wish, whenever you encounter the effects of high wind, and you can change this as a free action at will, allowing you to stand fast against a sudden gust, or to allow yourself to be hurled away from a more dangerous situation by a strong wind. You take half damage from any damaging wind effect (such as a genie's whirlwind or a tornado), as well as suffering only half the normal ranged weapon penalty or perception check penalty for the effects of strong winds or violent weather. You can hurl yourself through the air with great ease, having double normal jumping distance for a check result, and can choose to use your Dex modifier in place of your Str modifier for Jump and Climb checks. You have a +10 racial bonus to Acrobatics checks to reduce damage from falls, and automatically ignore the first 10 ft. of falling damage (which stacks with the 10 ft. reduction if an Acrobatics check is made).
Stability - as a dwarf, for earth-kin.
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My take on Genasi was a little different, though I have not had the opportunity to test these in play as niether group I am involved with has expressed any interest in playing genasi. I set them up as a feat, though I am wondering if it shouldn't be more than one feat and break up the abilities. It seems more thematic to me and therefore maybe a little more powerful than a normal feat.
Feat: Elemental Heritage [Air]
Can only be taken at 1st level
+2 Reflex
Can hold breath 4x con (in rounds)
+4 con check to avoid drowning
Electricity Resistance +1/HD
Fly is always a class skill
Languages: as race + Auran
Feat: Elememtal Heritage [Earth]
Can only be taken at 1st level
+2 Fortitude
Darkvision +15ft
Stabilty (or +2 to Stability)
Acid Resistance +1/HD
Appraise is always a class skill
Languages: as race + Terran
Feat: Elemental Heritage [Fire]
Can only be taken at 1st level
+2 Reflex
+5 Spd per 5 lvls
Produce Flame 1/day (+1/day per 3 lvls) as druid of same level
Fire Resistance +1/HD
Acrobatics is always a class skill
Languages: as race + Ignan
Feat: Elemental Heritage [Water]
Can only be taken at 1st level
+2 Fortitude
Swim Spd 10 (or +10 to swim spd)
+5 to Swim Spd per 5 lvls
Cold Resistance +1/HD
Swim is always a class skill
Languages: as race + Aquan
I am torn between thinking that these are too much or not enough and that anyone taking water is gonna get short changed a bit in that I made Swim a class skill (when it has special rules for having a swim speed in the skill listing). At a loss for any other skill that I could add there it came down to Swim or Heal.
@Digeridork:
I like those feats. To me, they don't seem overtly powerful, although I'd include the caveat that they count as "Lighting Reflexes" or "Great Fortitude", respectively, meaning you can't take both the racial feat AND one of the others, but you CAN qualify for the improved save feats by virtue of the racial feats alone.
Also, as having a swim speed already lets you treat Swim as a class skill, you might change the extra class skill to Craft (Alchemy), Perception or Survival. You will find a way to justify this. ;-)
Here's what I think the Pathfinder version of the Genasi could have:
(1) A limited form of Spell Resistance that works only against their particular element. So an Earth Genasi with this Spell Resistance ability would be able to resist taking damage from any spell that has the Earth descriptor. They could start out with a base SR of 5 and gain a point of resistance for every 2 character levels they gain.
and add in that they are more susceptible to another subtype. Like fire genasi are more suspectible to water based spells
Could be combination of 1st level only feats & Campaign Traits. That way your heritage can be stronger than some of your siblings. Another thing for templates. They don't have to follow the +2, +2, -2 combination. For a template your could just have a +2, -2. Tones the power back a bit, and shows that one heritage might get more of something at the expense of another. Then the little bonuses can be feats & traits.