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Silverbacked Skinwalkers are exceptionally large and intelligent. They tend to live in tight-knit communities and have a natural sense of chain-of-command. These traits make them natural soldiers and their lycanthrop heritage is often over-looked by their superiors due to their incredible battle prowess.
Ancestry: were-gorilla
Typical Alignment: LN
Ability Modifiers: +2 Int, –2 Cha (+2 Str while shapechanged)
Alternate Skill Modifiers: Climb, Intimidate
Alternate Spell-Like Ability: Swallow Your Fear 1/day
Bestial Features:
- Bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage
- +2 Racial bonus on Grapple checks
- Powerful Build: The physical stature of Silverbacks lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a Silverback is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the Silverback is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A Silverback is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A Silverback can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefts of this racial trait stack with the effects of abilities and spells that change the subject's size category.
- Climb Speed 20ft
Critiques are welcome :-)
1. Ability Score Bonuses: I really like Strength being a bonus for these guys but I really struggled with the other two. Gorillas are incredibly intelligent, but they are also social and intimidating. Perhaps a Wisdom penalty would make more sense than Cha. But I see these guys being natural Tetori Monks...
2. Finding a good SLA was really tricky, and I am not sure SYF is the best option but given the challenging and intimidating nature of gorilla society, I figured an anti-fear SLA was fitting.
3. Powerful Build is...Powerful. But I think it is in-line with +2 saves of the Witchwolf and See In Darkeness ability of the Fanglord.
4. Also not married to the name. Provide suggestions if you find it warranted.
Powerful build is way too strong. There's almost no reason to not take it over the other options, especially when there's overlap with it and the +2 grapple since size grants bonuses to CMB.
Powerful Build is not THAT powerful. Don't let people tell you otherwise.
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Powerful build amounts to +1 CMB, an average of +1-2 damage (but would be unusable if not shifted with powerful build), and the you can utilize combat maneuvers longer (given being treated as larger for things like trip and overrun).
Even with powerful build on the table, many martials will still take ragebred for the superior natural attacks and as I said before witchwolfs have +2 to all saves, and fanglords have See In Flippin' Darkness.
It doesn't give you actual reach, you get +1 CMB and a bigger weapon to swing around, as well as a minor bonus against creatures with Swallow Whole and such.
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Powerful build is solid and to get it they have to chose it over all other options and a constant -4 to Charisma based checks with non shapechanger humanoids in order to keep it on.
My biggest issue thus far would be with the +2 Int bonus since it's not the first choice I would think of when I think of the classic Gorilla (which might be Wis). That being said though the more I thought about it the more I'm digging the idea of a Silverback magus like Gorilla Grod or a monkey man wizard. But either way that choice is not easy.
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I am hoping for some advice on the SLA, I am primarily looking at the Bard/Skald playlist due this guy being intimidating, military (leader), making loud noise, and angry.
Here are my Primary Options:
Thundering Drums because who doesnt imagine a gorilla bangin the drums... or thumping on their chest
Resounding Clang mostly the same reasons as above
Mad Monkeys Sending the little'uns to do the dirty work
Clarion Call Barking orders across a battlefield
Ear Piercing Scream I envision it more of the gorilla bark/roar that we are familiar with.
Grease also known as slipping on a banana peel
Swallow Your Fear these guys eat fear for breakfast and it just makes them that much scarier
Blood Rage Gorillas get crazy angry/strong
Rage same reason as above
Blistering Invective didnt I say they were intimidating
Haunting Mists Gorillas in the Mist...
Heroism There guys are fearless leaders
Shatter Gorillas break stuff.
My favorites out of these would be Thundering Drums and and Blood Rage... What do y'all think?
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Personally I think you could swap the bite for a slam attack and have another option of +5foot reach for the long arms.
I am tempted to swap out the +2 to grapple checks for the +5ft reach... but I think that having
- Slam (1d8+ 1.5 str)
- +5ft reach
- Powerful Build
- Climb Speed 20
would be just a bit too strong... especially since they have a racial strength bonus
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Also yeah 5ft reach could be pushing it. Remember that unlike powerful build a flat 5ft reach would improve all their melee abilities without any extra investment on the part of the player, unlike powerful build where I would still have to buy and transport all that BIGGER gear.
The other thing I would say is that though Gorillas have large arms I wouldn't think they had any longer reach than other creatures of their size.
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Rolling through them now. Still reading through them all but from the few I have I can lay this out.
Drop Resounding Clang, Mad Monkeys, and any spells that are at the very least 3rd level spells.
Resounding Clang only really works on metal and though it is cool it doesn't feel like the spell like ability I would get from being king kong.
Mad Monkeys is amazing but it is a 3rd level spell which puts it pretty high above the power curve for the other spell like abilities common to not just normal race choices but the SLAs of the other skinwalker variants we've already gotten. Remember that's the same level as spells like fireball, haste, and fly so giving them to low level players is a lot of juice to give.
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Shillelagh would be cool but it feels more appropriate for a race with more connection to nature and trees, like something a treantfolk would have.
2nd 3rd lvl spells aren't unheard of but in most cases they are a more dominant part of the the races persona rather than a side ability. Remember you want the SLA to complement the gorilla theme not overshadow it.
That being said rage isn't a terrible choice that is 3rd lvl but it is very limited in who would use it. Most non martials wouldn't get much out of it and even a magus would be hard pressed since he couldn't cast while it was going.
Grease also feels too out there for the concept and more like something silverback's would cast rather than something they could just do.
Clarion Call is on the money but just boring unfortunately. It just lets you make loud noises and be heard over long distances. It's helpful but no more than a trumpet or ghost sound and just doesn't make me as a player or gm go, "that makes me want to play one of these".
Ear Piercing Scream is really good but it's biggest problem is that it can only be heard by the target and no one else, so the silverback will sound terrifying to that one guy and just be mute motioning to everyone else.
Already talked about Swallow Your Fear being really cool but still on the fence about since it's a bit too situational and I feel like there has to be something more thematically appropriate out there. But it is a good 2nd or 3rd choice.
Blood Rage is just too good as an SLA for this build but I could totally see it being a racial spell they would have cooked up alongside the orcs.
Almost forgot this one. Blistering Invective is really cool and on point, the one issue it really has is that as a Silverback if you use it on a nonshapechanger humanoid while shapechanged you take a -4 penalty to the Intimidate check which makes it a little hit or miss. Also I kind of wish it could be sonic damage rather than fire. Sonic feels more in line with the chest beating kong shout than burning someone up.
Still reading through the last 3 will hit you back as I get to them.
Current front runners are Swallow Your Fear, Ear-piercing Scream, Thundering Drums, and Blistering Invective.
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Thundering Drums and Blistering Invective are my favorites so far. Thundering Drums is very strong but VERY THEMATIC!
What do you guys think about Long Arm that would solve the 5ft reach thing.
Super boring, but "Speak with animals (of the type you're associated with)" is a recurring skinwalker SLA.
Alternately, Animal Aspect (Gorilla or Monkey only)?
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I was thinking that an appropriate feat for all skinwalkers would be something like this:
Prerequisites: 3 Ranks Intimidation; Skinwalker
Benefit: When shifted into your bestial form, you do not receive the normal -4 Charisma penalty on Intimidation checks.
In my homegames I houserule that Intimidation runs off of either Str or Cha, the player's choice upon character creation.
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Animal Aspect (Gorilla) is an obvious but potentially very very powerful choice.
A level 1 tetori silverback with the extra feature feat would have a +10 grapple without factoring in strength.
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Just a couple more house-rules that I often play with in regards to Skinwalkers:
Skinwalkers qualify for Aspect of the Beast under the Lycanthrope clause,
All racial ability bonus are changed to the following format: (+Mental Stat)+ [shifted (Penalty Stat) & (+Physical)]. For example: Coldborn receive +2 Wisdom all the time and -2 Cha & +2 Con while shifted.
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Animal Aspect (Gorilla) is an obvious but potentially very very powerful choice.
A level 1 tetori silverback with the extra feature feat would have a +10 grapple without factoring in strength.
Actually I think that plays out to a +11. +1 Str bonus, +1 powerful build, +2 shift grapple bonus, +2 Improved Grapple bonus, +1 BaB, +4 Animal Aspect.
Either way I'm not digging animal aspect either. It's too easy and just feel redundant with what you have already done.
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What about Summon Minor Monster (Monkeys)?
Its not powerful but a clever player could make it useful.
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Still not really a fan of giving them Summon abilities.
Again I don't think of gorillas as summoners and if we are talking about an SLA it should give you something you can't imitate with other skills. If you wanted to try something close to that again the speak with animals option fits more appropriately.
Right now though I'm thinking that the Thundering Drums, Blistering Invective, or Shatter are probably some of my top choices. The latter gives you this awesome ability to scream at a guy and blow up his sword or crumble his armor. That seems pretty quaking in the boots when you have to worry about the squad of Silverbacks having a battle cry that destroys all their enemies stuff.
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I agree with Shatter, and it has a precedent as a SLA for one of the Tiefling sub-races. I think that makes the most sense from a power perspective and with the roaring flavor I think we are going for. Therefor we are ready for ROUND 2!
Ancestry: were-gorilla
Typical Alignment: LN
Ability Modifiers: +2 Int, –2 Cha (+2 Str while shapechanged)
Alternate Skill Modifiers: Climb, Intimidate
Alternate Spell-Like Ability: Shatter 1/day
Bestial Features:
- Two Slam attacks that each deal 1d6 + str. These are primary attacks
- +2 Racial bonus on Grapple checks
- Powerful Build: The physical stature of Silverbacks lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a Silverback is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the Silverback is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A Silverback is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A Silverback can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of abilities and spells that change the subject's size category.
- Climb Speed 20ft
Neat. The second build looks good to me.
Oooo...Wereape Lycanthopes, neat IDEA!
We definitely need more Lycanthrope variants. Werapes, Wereravens, Weresaurians, Wereserpents, Wereskunks, Werespiders(etc etc). ^_^
Oooo...Wereape Lycanthopes, neat IDEA!
We definitely need more Lycanthrope variants. Werapes, Wereravens, Weresaurians, Wereserpents, Wereskunks, Werespiders(etc etc). ^_^
I've been tinkering on these two, but I can't finish them to share until after I've submitted by SupaStah! entry.