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Some might remember that I have a (slower then I would like to admit) running personal project for an ancient greek inspired setting. And of course Ancient greek would be nothing without their monsters.
But we also know that humans (and other races if pc) are thirsty af and hump everything if given chance. So here a little test for 2 ancenstries based on pc races hooking up with 2 well known monstrous species.
I tried to make them fitting and flavorful but am not sure about the balance though
Demi-Cyclops
One of your parents was a cyclops. You have a single large eye instead of two smaller ones.
Other possible telltale signs of your heritage are above-average size, a bald head or a horn growing from your forehead. You gain Low-Light Vision and access to Demi-Cyclops Feats.
1st Level
Ferocity (Reflex)
Frequency: once per day; Trigger: You would be reduced to 0 Hit Points but not immediately killed.
Effect
Fierceness in battle runs through your blood, and you refuse to
fall from your injuries. You avoid being knocked out and remain
at 1 Hit Point, and your wounded condition increases by 1.
Flash of Insight (free Action)
Frequency: once per day; Trigger: You are about to roll a d20
Effect
Your natural insight allows you a glimpse of possible outcomes, you gain a success (but not a critical success) on the roll instead of rolling.
Cyclopean Throwing Techniqe
Cyclopean Warriors are infamous for their ability to throw rocks with enormous precision at their Prey. You have learned to adapt these techniqes for yourself and become adept in throwing whatever you can get in your hands. Objects count as weapon when you throw them, the damage type depending on their shape and damage based on their size.
Palmable Objects (coins, pebbles and other small trinkets) deal 1d4 damage and get the agile trait while bigger objects (mugs, rocks, small furniture items) deal d6 damage. They all have the thrown trait and a range increment of 10ft.
5th Level
Cyclopean Throwing Expertise
Prerequisities: Cyclopean Throwing Techniqe
Effect
You trained your Throwing Technique to be more versatile and dangerous.
Thrown Objects you use profit from the fundemental runes of Handwraps of Mighty Blows. Learn also how to chug bigger objects. You can throw large Objects (tables, crates) at your enemies. They are considered two-handed throwing weapons and deal d8 damage. Furthermore your throwing range increment increases by 5ft.
Powerful throw
Prerequisities: Cyclopean Throwing Technique
Effect
You increase the damage die of all thrown Objects by one step.
Adept Seer
Prerequisities: Flash of Insight
Effect
You learn how to focus your abilities of insight. You gain Read Omens as Innate Occult Spell. You can use this once per week. Beginning at 10th Level you can use it once per day. If you have not used the ability for one week you might gain an insight in a random event determined by the gamemaster that might or might not concern you and your comrades. This insight might happen in an instant or cause you to fall into trance in a non-threatening (but still possibly disadvantegeous) situation.
9th Level
Flash of Brutality (free Action)
Frequency: oncer per day, recharges when ferocity is used. Trigger: you are about to succeed an attack. Prerequisities: Ferocity
Effect
Your Attack becomes a critical success.
Cyclopean Throwing Mastery
Prereqisities: Cycplopean Throwing Expertise
Effect
You further increase the range increment of your thrown objects by 5ft. Furthermore your thrown objects profit from property runes on your Handwraps of Mighty Blows and you learn the 'take aim' special Action.
Take Aim (1 Action)
Frequency: once per turn, after you thrown you can't take aim for 1d4-1 turns.
Your deep connection to your heritage allows you to make incredible throws. You double your throwing range increments for the next object thrown and ignore cover of your target as long as you can throw over said cover.
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Demi-Medusa
Your Mother was a Medusa, you are most likely an outsider in your Society. Your skin has a tint related to the snakes your monstrous parent is close to, it might even be scaly. You have snakes instead of hair that grant you the Snake Fangs natural weapon which deals 1d4 damage and has the agile and finesse traits. You gain access to Demi-Medusa traits.
1st Level
Venomous Serpents
The variety of Snakes you are related to is highly poisonous. The target of you Snake Fangs weapon has to save against the Serpent Venom. The Save is based on Fortitude and your class DC. A Critical Failure results in the Target beeing affected by the poison at stage 2.
Serpent Venom (Poison) Saving Throw Class DC Fortitude Maximum Duration 6 Rounds Stage 1 1d4 Poison Damage and enfeebled 1 (1 round) Stage 2 2d4 Poison Damage and enfeebled 2 (1)round
Special: You can only choose this feat at first level.
Paralyzing Gaze
You gain Tanglefoot as innate Primal Spell you can cast at will. It has only concentration components and does not launch a projectile at enemies but instead lets their limbs grow stiff.
5th Level
Medusas Many Eyes
You learn to use the optical capabilities of the snakes on your head. You gain Darkvision and All-Around Vision. Furthermore you can use the snakes on your head to carefully peek around corners.
Dangerous Poison
Prerequisities: Venomous Serpents
Your personal Snake Poison has become more dangerous. You increase the damage of Stage 1 to 1d6 and from stage 2 to 2d6. Furthermore you can decide to cause your enemy to become clumsy instead of enfeebled.
9th Level
Mind Numbing Poison
Prerequisities: Dangeous Poison
Your Snakes can create even more varied Poison. You can now decide to cause Stupefied instead of enfeebled or clumsy.
Poison Coating (2 Actions)
Prerequisities: Venomous Serpents
You carefully apply the Poison of your serpents to whatever Weapon or Missle you are holding. The next attack with the Weapon you are wielding appliest the Poison of your Serpents.
13th Level
Petrifying Gaze
Prerequisities: Paralyzing Gaze
You fully unlocked the potential of the Lethal Gaze your ancestors are feared for. You gain Flesh to Stone as innate Primal Spell. You can cast this spell twice per day and it has only concentration components.
De-Petryfing Gaze
Prerequisities: Petryfing Gaze
You learned the finer arts of your innate Gaze and are now able to reverse the effect. You can use your casts of Flesh to Stone to instead cast Stone to Flesh.
"Balance" depends on the setting. Some of these are more powerful than core options, but that might be fine at your table. They're not TOO out of line towards abusable, if that is your concern.
Flash of Insight should have the {fortune} tag.
I think Cyclopean throwing technique needs some rewording to work better with follow-on feats. Perhaps consider "Anything you throw is a weapon in your hands. When you throw an object up to 1 bulk that is not a weapon, you do not suffer the normal -2 penalty for using an improvised weapon, and you are considered trained in with that weapon. Palmable Objects (coins, pebbles and other small trinkets) deal 1d4 damage and get the agile trait while bigger objects (mugs, rocks, small furniture items) deal d6 damage. They all have the thrown trait and a range increment of 10ft."
Then Cyclopean Throwing expertise can go as is, though perhaps also with a (higher) bulk limit.
You might also consider giving access to a critical specialization effect to thrown objects. The Hammer group looks nice.
As for Demimedusa, I really like how you worked out the gaze attack, but I would also add that a creature can use the "Avert Gaze" action to gain a bonus to the save against it.
Thanks for the input
the throwing line was certainly one of the points I am not sure about and adding a critical group is also an excellent idea
for medusa - thanks for the good review, avert gaze as option against those is also an very good idea
also it is a relief that at least one pesona lready says that they are not too out of line - a bit stronger then usual certainly is fitting thins those are both based on powerful monsters
half-blooded ancestries
the idea was that the full ancestries are hard to implement for players but half-bloods can retain enough of their flavor while being pc compatible