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First Draft
Not the most original but i thought i would give it a try
The Half Oni
A Half Oni is the result of a mating (willing or no) between an Oni and a human.
What does your race look like?
Half Oni vary widely in appearance. Sometimes they look monstrously like their Oni parent, with green to blue skin, horns on their head, perhaps an extra eye in the fore head, and sometimes they take after their human parent…. with barely a trace of their Oni Parent. Perhaps it is only a glint of light in their eyes, a bluish or greenish tint to their skin…each Half Oni is different and an individual.
Where does your race tend to live and why? -
Half Oni either live in the wilderness amongst their Oni sires and Bakemono if their mothers are captured and held as sex slaves for an Oni. Sometimes an Oni will desire a more intelligent and powerful “Lieutenant” to help him heard his Bakemono. Or they live on the outskirts of human communities, shunned.
Sometimes an Oni will develop a penchant for impregnating innocent virgin girls. He will appear as a “handsome” stranger, seduce the girl, then once she is pregnant, leave her for the next innocent and sully her virtue.
What kind of relationship does the race have with others?
Half Oni runs the range of human personalities good bad evil chaotic and anything in between. Amongst Oni and bakemono kind, if they are strong, quick, intelligent, they may be able to fight their way into a position of authority and usefulness, Otherwise they are devoured by their Oni parent, or Bakemono.
As for their relationship with humans, they are often shunned and despised. It is possible to earn some grudging respect and a place in the hierarchical feudal society, but they must be exceptional people to do so.
They tend to favor fighters, monks, magi, sorcerers, and oracles.
Type trait: Native Outsider 2 RP
Dark vision 60’
Native Outsiders eat breath and sleep.
Size Trait: Medium 0 RP
Base Speed trait: 30 Normal 0RP
Ability Score Modifier Trait: Standard Modifier 0 RP
+2 physical +2 mental -2 another trait
+2 Str -2 int +2 Cha
Language Trait: Standard Array 1 RP
Common, Infernal, +7 other languages it can learn.
Racial Abilities:
Spell Resistance Lesser 2 RP
Spell like ability: Darkness 3 RP
Spell like ability: Invisibility 2 RP
Spell Like ability: Charm Person 1 RP
Spell like ability: Sleep 1 RP
Spell like ability: burning hands (cold) 1 RP
Change Shape: 6 RP
Flight 4 RP
Total RP: 26
Well I think this first draft is far too powerful.
Type trait: Native Outsider 2 RP
Size Trait: Medium 0 RP
Base
Speed trait: 30 Normal 0RP
Ability Score Modifier Trait: Standard Modifier 0 RP
+2 Str -2 int +2 Cha
Language Trait: Standard Array 1 RP
Common, Infernal, +7 other languages it can learn.
Racial Abilities
Dark vision 60’
Spell Resistance Lesser 2 RP
Spell like ability: Darkness 3 RP
Spell like ability: Invisibility 2 RP
Total: 10
A little better, but I still think powerful.
What do you think?
I will play test the race at my Saturday night game tomorrow, tweak it and try it again next Saturday night.
Melissa Litwin
“Interesting, though as you said not the most original. One quibble, probably only because I lived in Japan for awhile: bakemono means monster. Use the English word, because while a lot of people on these boards probably watch anime, a lot don't, and your half-oni are very confusing to someone who doesn't know what bakemono are.”
Thank you for taking the time to look at my post. I wasn't really trying to re invent the wheel, more trying to get a feel for these new rules from which you can build a race.
my basic inspiration was that of the 1/2 orc at least for the background. Then I took a look at the Oni entry in the Bestiary and I tried to take some from that.
I Used Oni and Bakemono, really out of my own ignorance. I remember the Bakemono from the 1st edition Oriental Adventures D&D book as really being goblins. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I will include Monster with (Bakemono) in parenthesis afterwards in future refinements.
one small tweek i am thinking of is +2 STR +2 INT and -2 CHA, which was the modifiers for a Tiefling who was an "Oni Spawn" in the "Tieflings of Golaron" article in the "Bastards of Eberus" Pathfinder Issue. I am also thinking of narrowing there "favored class" down to Magi ( Magus) fighter mages. Im going to give this race for one of my players to use in the game I'm running this evening. We shall see how it works.
Again thank you.
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Play Test:
I ran a game last night, PFS Shades of Ice part II: exiles of winter.
I took one of my characters, a PFS 4th level Elven Magus, and simply, switched him over to a half-Oni with
Type trait: Native Outsider 2 RP
Size Trait: Medium 0 RP
Base Speed trait: 30 Normal 0RP
Ability Score Modifier Trait: Standard Modifier 0 RP
+2 Str +2 int -2 Cha
Language Trait: Standard Array 1 RP
Common, Infernal, +7 other languages it can learn.
Racial Abilities
Dark vision 60’
Spell Resistance Lesser 2 RP
Spell like ability: Darkness 3 RP
Spell like ability: Invisibility 2 RP
Total: 10
Favored class: Magus
The player who used the Magus did all right. I think he hung back in the back ground a little too much and cast a few spells. He told me that he liked the race and it didn’t feel too powerful. He didn’t use the spell like abilities. This player usually plays a fighter. My usual guinea pig didn’t show up.
I guess my own thoughts are, even though it is only 10 RP build, it still feels more powerful.
I do like the rules and it is good to have the base races there as a guide to follow.
I will need to chew this over further.
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Melissa, thank you. I like your idea of Female Oni. I didn't know there were female Oni. that does make a loot of sence. Hmmm interesting possibilities.
I picked the +2str and +2 int and -2 cha, because of that previous article now what was it? "Tieflings OF Golarion." I picked the Magus because, i thought that class would express well what an Oni was a "fighter mage".
Yes he is too powerful.
Hmm....let me think. I just looked up the "Ogrima" an old 2nd edition monster from the "Golden Voyages" little Al Quadim Boxed set. It is a monster who is a cross breed of an ogre and an ogre magi. Its got 4 hd instead of 8, and for spells has Levitate Blurr, and Chill touch. All lesser versions of an Ogre Magi's magic.
and here is the Tiefling
tiefling
Type
Outsider (native) 2 RP
Size : Medium 0RP
Base Speed:30 0RP
Normal
Ability Score Modifiers 0RP
Standard (+2 Dex, +2 Int, –2 Cha)
Languages
Standard 1RP
Racial Abilities
Darkvision 60 ft.
Fiendish resistance 2RP
Fiendish sorcery 1RP
Skill bonus (Bluff ) 2RP
Skill bonus (Stealth) 2RP
Spell-like ability 1RP
Total
RP: 11
Revised Half Oni
The Half Oni
A Half Oni is the result of a mating (willing or no) between an Oni and a human.
What does your race look like?
Half Oni vary widely in appearance. Sometimes they look monstrously like their Oni parent, with green to blue skin, horns on their head, perhaps an extra eye in the fore head, and sometimes they take after their human parent…. with barely a trace of their Oni Parent. Perhaps it is only a glint of light in their eyes, a bluish or greenish tint to their skin…each Half Oni is different and an individual.
Where does your race tend to live and why? -
Half Oni either live in the wilderness amongst their Oni sires and Bakemono if their mothers are captured and held as sex slaves for an Oni. Sometimes an Oni will desire a more intelligent and powerful “Lieutenant” to help him heard his Bakemono. Or they live on the outskirts of human communities, shunned.
Sometimes an Oni will develop a penchant for impregnating innocent virgin girls. He will appear as a “handsome” stranger, seduce the girl, then once she is pregnant, leave her for the next innocent and sully her virtue.
Female Oni will often play a similar role to the Succubi in “western” mythology. They will enter a household at night, and while the houshold is asleep, mate with their chosen male. Sometimes they lure their chosen male to their mountain stronghold, and either behave like a black widow, and devour him, or they maintain a charmed harem of young men, and they use these young men as guards, and agents to further their own plans.
What kind of relationship does the race have with others?
Half Oni runs the range of human personalities good bad evil chaotic and anything in between. Amongst Oni and monsterkind (bakemono) , if they are strong, quick, intelligent, they may be able to fight their way into a position of authority and usefulness, Otherwise they are devoured by their Oni parent, or other monsters (Bakemono.)
As for their relationship with humans, they are often shunned and despised. It is possible to earn some grudging respect and a place in the hierarchical feudal society, but they must be exceptional people to do so.
Half Oni
Type trait: Native Outsider 2 RP
Size Trait: Medium 0 RP
Base Speed trait: 30 Normal 0RP
Ability Score Modifier Trait: Standard Modifier 0 RP +2 Str +2 int -2 Cha
Language Trait: Standard Array 1 RP
Common, Infernal, +7 other languages it can learn.
Racial Abilities
Dark vision 60’
Lesser Spell resistance 2 RP
Spell like ability: Jump 1RP
(possibly at will?)
Spell like ability: blur 2 RP (1/day caster level =hd)
Total cost 8
Half Oni tend to be Magi
I swapped out the spell like abilities. Darkness and invisibility just seemed too powerful
Jump could be a "under developed Fly" besides there is lots of jumping in wu xia films.
Blur could be a undeveloped "invisibility"
Please god tell me what those "RP" are, and where the list for abilities are/their costs or how to calculate!!!!
I just got the best idea ever for a non-level based pathfinder campaign.
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Certainly you can find the PDF here
Paizo is play testing some new rules. these are rules on how to "build" a race.
The RP are "race points".
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Final thoughts on the "Build a Race" system. At first I didn't like it because i thought it was an open invitation to take whatever abilities you wanted. but i have grown to like the system. I think it is a good idea to be primarily a "GM" system.
I wish i had more time to "playtest" the rules. In the one game i did have a player play the 1/2 oni, he was very cautious. I was hoping for a chance to play the race myself last weekend, but i was unable to make the game.
I guess i'm going to say some things that have already been said. I second the "lego" idea where you take away some of the prerequisites and be more free to mix and match things.
The "Half Oni" while not the most origional nor inspired idea, i think in the end turned out ok. Like anything it took several drafts to "boil" it down to something that might be usable.
As has been said elsewhere, I think not all the choices were equal choices. For example Fiendish resistance and lesser spell resistance. Both cost 2 BP but one is clearly superior to the other. In the blog post, it seems that the developers have realized this.
All in all i think this looks like it will be an interesting system in the Advanced Race guide. Im looking forward to it.
Also I really like Play testing the materiel. in some small way it makes me feel as if in some small way i was involved in the development of the product, and of course, wets my apatite for the upcoming book. Thanks and good luck.