Changeling Race - Revised (for Ponyfinder Campaign)


Homebrew and House Rules

Dark Archive

This is for a very particular campaign, where every race is fey, and it is possible for some to realize where this race comes from or what campaign it is for. Of note is that there are a number of flying races in this setting along with non-fliers, which given the setting and inspiration it would be impossible to divorce these races from their natural state as fliers so please don't tell me that has to be removed. Each of these flying races start with have 30 fly speed and clumsy maneuverability which can be increased via taking a feat multiple times unless said otherwise.
Please, I ask for whatever advice or thoughts that you're willing to put aside time for.

Changelings
Where others see a pony, the truth lurks beneath the flesh. Pony society plays unwitting host to a discreet set of shapeshifters, you among them. You draw small amounts of energy from others by proximity, though perhaps different motivations draw you to adventuring. Though Changelings tend more towards selfish alignments, individuals can seek greater things, despite their origin. Flutterpony legend holds that the Changeling are their fallen kin, twisted by dark magic.
Changelings Racial Traits:
Type: Fey (changeling)
Racial Traits:
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, -2 Strength
Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, changelings have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size
Fast Speed: Changelings have a base speed of 40 feet, and a bipedal speed of 20 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Changelings see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Flight: Changelings have a fly speed of 30 feet with clumsy maneuverability.
Shapeshifting (Su): You have a specific pony shape that you can take at will. You gain a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks to appear as that pony.
Deceptive: A changeling gets a +2 racial bonus on bluff and disguise checks.
Fingerless: See fingerless rules.
Quadruped: Due to being four-legged, ponykind receive +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense against trip attacks and +50% carrying capacity.
Languages: Common and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: A changeling with high intelligence scores may choose Griffin, Deerish, and Undercommon
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RACIAL FEATS
Emotion Eater
Prerequisites: changeling, 13 Cha, Diplomacy 7
Whenever a changeling stays in the company of one who has an attitude of Helpful towards them for 3 hours, they may force their victim to pass a DC 10 + 1/2 level + Cha modifier, will negates, and if failed they take 1d4 Wis temporary damage. A changeling gains a +1 temporary bonus to all saves and spellcasting DC checks for every point their victim loses to Wis, and can stay transformed for a number of hours equal to the same amount. This ability can be used 1/day plus 1 addition time per 4 levels.
 
Greater Deception
Prerequisites: changeling, 13 Cha, Disguise 7
You can add a +8 bonus when making a roll for disguise checks but only when Shapeshifting is used, which stacks with the deception and shapeshifting ability.

Greater Emotion Eater
Prerequisites: changeling, 15 Cha, Diplomacy 9, Emotion Eater
The DC to save against the ability Emotion Eater increases to DC by an additional +2, will negates, and if they fail the victim takes 1d6 Wis. This otherwise follows the rules of the Emotion Eater ability, or alternatively in combat it can be used by passing an Intimidation check to demoralize the victim. Lastly, mattering the Wis damage taken, the victim becomes either Sickened (1-3), Dazed (4-5), or Nauseous (6). This ability can be used a number of times equal to 1/day plus 1 addition time per 4 levels.
 
Hidden Spell
Prerequisites: changeling, Still Spell, Silent Spell, Spellcraft 11, caster level 10
Benefit: The feats Still Spell and Silent Spell can be used without increasing increasing casting time or spell level, and anyone trying to identify a spell cast by one with this feat adds a +10 penalty to such rolls.

Adept Shapeshifting
While even immature Changeling ponies can imitate one form, you have learned how to take on new roles, giving you much improved flexibility.
Prerequisite: Changeling, Shapeshifting racial trait.
Benefit: You may imitate any ponykind that you have seen, gaining +10 to Disguise checks to appear as that particular pony. This works otherwise like your usual shapeshifting ability.

Rapid Shapeshifting
You change in almost the blink of an eye, allowing you to assume new forms in the midst of other activities.
Prerequisite: Changeling, Adept Shapeshifting, character level 5th.
Benefit: When you change forms, you do so as a move action instead of standard.


Pony? Is there something you aren't saying about your campaign?

Dark Archive

Ciaran Barnes wrote:
Pony? Is there something you aren't saying about your campaign?

Well I have a couple of campaigns, but yes there is something I am leaving out about one of them.


I thought his was about the Eberron race. You should probably specify that this is for Ponyfinder.

Dark Archive

Lemmy wrote:
I thought this was about the Eberron race. You should probably specify that this is for Ponyfinder.

Admittingly I wanted to avoid that on the off chance that some people would pass this by and not even look at the homebrew because it involves the subject of ponies.


JonathonWilder wrote:
Lemmy wrote:
I thought this was about the Eberron race. You should probably specify that this is for Ponyfinder.
Admittingly I wanted to avoid that on the off chance that some people would pass this by and not even look at the homebrew because it involves the subject of ponies.

Well... They will probably look, see the mention of ponies and then leave anyway.

Most people (myself included) don't play Ponyfinder, so they are probably unfamiliar about the game's balance and flavor expectations. In normal PF, flight alone gives a huge advantage to the race, specially at lower levels... In Ponyfinder, I have no idea.


I don't kknow if you used the PF rules for race-building or not, but how many RP would you call this race?

SHAPESHIFTING
Does the character retain the ability to fly in pony form?

DECEPTIVE
I think an additional bonus to Disguise is redundant, but perhaps it fits with the flavor of the class. Is there another aspect to theit personality that would warrant a bonus to a different skill?

QUADRUPED
Include a note in here indicating that the bonus is only gained when in pony form.

EMOTION EATER
On the one hand, it seems intended for an NPC villain. On the other hand, if a PC does ffind a way to abuse this, it is very broken. Temporary is not a bonus type, so bonuses from multiple creature might stack. Temporary just indicates that the bonus will end at some point. What does it mean when you say "can stay transformed"?

GREATER DECEPTION
This is more as aspect of shapechange than deception, isn't it? Racial bonuses always stack, so it is redundant to say that it stacks with the other two abilities.

Dark Archive

Well it can be assumed, especially since about a third of the ponykind race are natural born fliers, that there have been more ways of countering the benefits of flight... especially in a combat situation, a.k.a. anti-flier tactics.

Then there is the important note that they start with clumsy maneuverability and of note one is generally move faster walking then flying.

Lastly, flight is helpful only in certain situations as in buildings or many 'dungeons' the space may well be too cramped to fly in.

Generally, since flying is such a normal part of everyday life for so many the DM is much more justified in making it so flying isn't a huge advantage.

Dark Archive

Ciaran Barnes wrote:

I don't kknow if you used the PF rules for race-building or not, but how many RP would you call this race?

SHAPESHIFTING
Does the character retain the ability to fly in pony form?

DECEPTIVE
I think an additional bonus to Disguise is redundant, but perhaps it fits with the flavor of the class. Is there another aspect to their personality that would warrant a bonus to a different skill?

QUADRUPED
Include a note in here indicating that the bonus is only gained when in pony form.

EMOTION EATER
On the one hand, it seems intended for an NPC villain. On the other hand, if a PC does find a way to abuse this, it is very broken. Temporary is not a bonus type, so bonuses from multiple creature might stack. Temporary just indicates that the bonus will end at some point. What does it mean when you say "can stay transformed"?

GREATER DECEPTION
This is more as aspect of shapechange than deception, isn't it? Racial bonuses always stack, so it is redundant to say that it stacks with the other two abilities.

1. Unless the race doesn't have natural flying yes a Changeling keeps the ability to fly, otherwise they do not.

2. They are a race that feeds on emotion, using their natural shapeshifting and racial traits to infiltrate in the societies of other races and in cities. Perhaps you have suggestions?
3. They count as quadruped naturally, being four legged themselves, pretty much every race is quadruped.
4. Perhaps it could use a little balancing, the feat was a homebrew to show how it would seem changeling feeding affected the victim in the tv show. Also, one that last bit I apologize as that was a carry over for when the base racial trait Shapeshifting wasn't 'at will'.
5. It is an extension of the racial trait Deception, but yes Shapeshifting is connection. Do you have a suggestion on rewording the feat?


JonathonWilder wrote:

Well it can be assumed, especially since about a third of the ponykind race are natural born fliers, that there have been more ways of countering the benefits of flight... especially in a combat situation, a.k.a. anti-flier tactics.

Then there is the important note that they start with clumsy maneuverability and of note one is generally move faster walking then flying.

Lastly, flight is helpful only in certain situations as in buildings or many 'dungeons' the space may well be too cramped to fly in.

Generally, since flying is such a normal part of everyday life for so many the DM is much more justified in making it so flying isn't a huge advantage.

Combat is only one facet of the game, though... Flight adds a lot of options on every part of the adventure. It's innately a very versatile and useful ability.

And the fact that enemies are expecting it doesn't really reduce its usefulness... I mean, even in normal PF anyone beyond 6th level would be a fool to not expect flying enemies, but that doesn't stop it from being a powerful ability.

I'm not saying you can't balance it, I'm just saying that there's much, much to flight than just "I stay out of melee" (if nothing else, you can always float a few feet from the ground to get a +1 to attack rolls ^^).

In any case, I don't really know Ponyfinder, so I don't know the specifics.

Dark Archive

@Lemmy
It may add a lot of options, but nowhere near that of spellcasting or other class abilities. Sure it may be useful and even helpful in overcoming certain challenges but as a DM/GM I have never seen natural flying as something that can ruin the game or that which can really be considered OP.

Shrugs, I never saw it as the big deal others turned it into. I will look into it in seeing if Ponyfinder handles it differently though I don't believe the game does.


JonathonWilder wrote:

@Lemmy

It may add a lot of options, but nowhere near that of spellcasting or other class abilities. Sure it may be useful and even helpful in overcoming certain challenges but as a DM/GM I have never seen natural flying as something that can ruin the game or that which can really be considered OP.

Shrugs, I never saw it as the big deal others turned it into. I will look into it in seeing if Ponyfinder handles it differently though I don't believe the game does.

Well... I never said it's game breaking or as good as spell-casting (it doesn't have to be uber-broken to be unbalanced), only that it is really good. Better than pretty much anything that other the core races of Pathfinder get.

Anyway, it's your game... Like I said, I don't know how Ponyfinder works. I have no idea what are the game's expectations or the other pony races' abilities.


My questions weren't neccessarily for you to answer to me. They are things that might require clarification in your write-up.

For the skill bonus, you'll have to consider the fluff part of the race, which is basicly unknown to the rest of us. Your race has a Strength penaly, but perhaps a bonus to Climb or Swim would be appropriate. They have a bonus to Charisma, and I don't think that neccessarily warrants a bonus to two Charisma-based skills. Perhaps a bonus to Sense Motive or to a Knowledge skill?

Since Disguise already has the +10 from shapechanging, perhaps Greater Deception should instead grant a bonus to Bluff when imitiating the specific pony shape?

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