| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Being only a 1 HD humanoid monster, I felt it a little of a waste not to convert this god-animated statues into something a player could use. Instead of the half-construct race, I have used the constructed racial trait of the androids.
As follows:
Humanoid (Celedon)
Medium Size
30ft movement speed
Constructed: Celedons count both as humanoids and as constructs. Androids gain a +4 racial bonus on
all saving throws against mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, and stun effects. They
are not subject to fatigue or exhaustion, and are immune to disease and sleep effects.
Standard: +2 str, +2 wis, -2 int
Granted power: The Celedon gains the first granted power of a single domain or inquisition within
the portfolio of their creator deity.
Song of the gods: Celedon's have the bardic performance of a bard of their level. Rather than Perform,
a Celedon uses Knowledge(Religion) when relevant. They can use this ability a number of times per day
equal to 4 + her Wisdom modifier and can employ either her voice or any musical instrument.
Bonus Feat: Skill focus(Knowledge:Religion)
I don't know anything about Celedons in Bestiary 5 since I havent seen the book yet, but conceptually I like the race.
The execution seems lacking. It gains a complete class feature that is extremely versatile in its use and scales with level + a domain power for which you didn't state the effective cleric level.
And on top of that they get a large amount of immunities and resistances.
The race is clearly overpowered, mostly thanks to Song of the Gods.
Yeah I have to second that. Giving it that ability as a monster is okay-ish, but on a race it's too good.
Instead I'd write it as a bonus to Knowledge Religion, the ability to use Knowledge Religion in place of Perform for Bardic Performance and similar class features, and/or Knowledge Religion being always a class skill.
Also regarding the domain ability or inquisition, it should have a clause stating if they take levels in cleric or inquisitor that they get an extra use of that ability or something, but they have to choose the same domain/inquisition for both the race ability and the class ability. (So no having two domains then suddenly a racial ability to grab a third.)
I flagged this as being in the wrong forum - I think it should be in Suggestions/Houserules/Homebrew, rather than Conversions...
Wait a minute...
They're immune to:
Fatigue + Exhaustion Effects
Disease (not Poison, thank god)
Sleep
Immunity to Fatigue, Exhaustion, and Disease aren't even Race Builder options. If they were, they'd be Advanced at the very least, if not Monstrous. On top of that, they get a +4 Bonus to some of the most common (and powerful) effects in the game.
These guys would make outrageous Barbarians, since they could Rage Cycle at 1st level, have appropriate statistic improvements/penalties, and have crazy bard and domain benefits, and that's obviously unintended.
They get a Domain/Inquisition Power that they can use, which I'm presuming will be based on their Wisdom and Character Level, which is outrageous considering they also get a +2 Wisdom bonus to their current score.
They also get Bardic Performance, the most iconic Bard class feature there is, but it's not even quantified as to what it does, or what it all grants. So this is either stepping on toes unneccessarily, or a dead feature that shouldn't even be mentioned.
Wait, and they get a Skill Focus Feat for free? Why don't you just tell them they can have everything except the kitchen sink?
All in all, we're looking at a ~30 RP creature. And that's just including their Immunities and Benefits to Saving Throws. You tack on the fact that they're copying 1-2 class features and that they can Rage Cycle at level 1 means that this race is extremely overpowered.
I could go a full 20 levels of Barbarian with this race and nothing short of GM FIAT or a swarm of Tarrasques would kill it.
I like the idea of a divine counterpart to the android. Make it a 20 RP race, also. Perhaps make Granted Power and Song of the Gods each usable once per day, just as the android's Surge ability is once per day.
Yes, Celedons are sorta like divine Androids-God-animated statues that in the Bestiary, are CR 1 Constructs.
Ah, limited by times per day seems the way to go. And as for the Barbarian thing, I'm realising I'm missing an android trait probably included specifically for that reason: Emotionless. Keeps them out of rages and most Psychic magic. That would work to temper the Constructed trait.
Keep the domain power to once/day and as a first level cleric/inquisitor.
And the Pseudo-bardic performance does seem pretty iconic, though it is definitely too strong straight. Maybe limiting it to countersong, fascinate, and inspire courage, with the limit that the rounds have to be used in one burst and it not stacking with bard levels.
As for why this is conversions, this was initially envisioned as simple conversion of monster to race, but I'll admit at this point Homebrew may fit better.
And I will note that the first draft further up was pretty much a direct conversion of the bestiary entry-the opinions and reviews should help in getting it more reasonable.
Right, it wasn't in the Bestiary entry, but turns out a little more has been added to constructed, explicitly denying them morale bonuses and Emotion effects. Here is draft number 2:
Granted power: Celedons are instruments of divine intent, and can manipulate their driving divine force into minor boons specific to each Celedon. At first level, the Celedon chooses a 1st level ability granted by an inquisition or Domain with uses per day. Once per day, the Celedon may use the chosen ability as if a first level cleric or inquisitor. If the Celedon every gains access to domains or Inquisitions, they must choose the same as they have here for at least one of their choices and may use that ability an additional time per day
Song of the gods: Made as much as a demonstration of a god's power as an instrument of their will, a Celedon is by its very nature a creature of worship. A Celedon with levels in Bard count their Bard level as 1 higher for the sake of their Bardic Performance ability, and may use Knowledge(Religion) instead of a perform skill for this ability.
Divine Instrument: Celedons gain a +2 racial bonus to Knowledge(Religion), and always count it as a class skill.
And because relevant: Favored class Bonus (Bard): Add +1 to the bard's total number of bardic performance rounds per day.