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Over the weekend I thought it would be fun to create some custom races based off of two monsters seen in the Bestiary. The two that almost immediately caught my eye were the Homunculus, and the Will-o'-Wisp. In real life I greatly enjoy their lore, and in-game I like the spin Paizo took on them as well. When I made them into playable races I decided to mix the 2 different mythologies together.
All of that said this is the first time I have ever done something like this, and would greatly appreciate any feedback regarding balance and anything else I should add.
Here is the link: Homunculi and Wisps.
Again, would love to hear any feedback!
I feel like the homunculus should be able to be resurrected if you do something with its core. Also: what the hell does the tally system do without a feat? Is the answer nothing at all? That is probably not desirable. I will also note that there is no risk to adding to the tally, really. Maybe the tally should increase at a rate of once per year? It would give the race a good call to adventure.
The wisp is too wacky for me. It can drop physical traits entirely and rely on the ability to possess slain dragons.
Thank you for your response!
I added a use to the base Magic Core that (hopefully) solves the resurrection problem as well (a bit of a compromise).
I also changed the way possession works with the Wisp so that you can only possess creatures of a certain size, with reductions to their physical stats.
That does curb the problem but it does not remove it. There are some still very very strong creatures of small size that a will-o-the-wisp could steal. And there is still nothing to stop the wisp from dropping physical stats entirely if it think it can rely on a possessed body.
Here is how it would probably need to work:
1. Let the will-o-the-wisp use a small, tiny, or medium body.
2. The whisp can use no racial abilities when it is possessing a body: neither its own racial abilities nor the abilities of its dead host.
3. The possessed body uses the whisp's stats with modifications:
*A small body increases the wisp's strength and con by +2 and reduces
its dex bonus by -2.
*A medium body undoes the +4 dex bonus and +4 strength penalty all
together. The con penalty disappears too.
*A tiny body maintains the whisp's normal physical stats.
4. I would change it so that the whisp's possessed body does not decompose (and maybe even remains preserved until after a few days of being possessed; this would allow the whisp to essentially have a few fake bodies lying around for various purposes). This will result in the whisp being more able to act like a normal party member.
Also: natural invisibility is too good. I know real whisps have this but it is not something you should give to a player character, let alone at level 5.
Made some more tweaks to the Wisp's abilities.
Natural Invisibility now requires at least level 10 (10 ranks of Stealth), Dexterity of 14, and the "Master of the Body" racial feat.
Possession was changed to mostly to your suggestion, with some minor changes. Health of the Wisp in the body is the max health of the wisp, or the max health of the deceased (whichever is lower). I also allowed non-combat Ex abilities of the possessed body.
Thank you for the suggestions! Is the Homunculus balanced as is?
I am still not sure about natural invisibility, but that is okay.
And doesn't the host have the whisp's class levels for hit points? I understand class levels to be a manifestation of skill rather than actual improvements to the physical body. Improvements to the physical body are improvements to con itself.
And I think the homunculus is weak for the vast majority of things but they can be really good casters or eventually good rouges if they have the money for an agile weapon. A tiny race is sort of hard to deal with, I think.
Good point about the HP - changed!
Thanks for all the help!
No problem, guy. I like doing this stuff.