| CloudCobra |
Hi everybody. I remembered that there's an item that traps your soul and spits out a copy of something with the Shadow Creature template tagged on. I believe it was the Nightglass or something along those lines, although a Mana Pool could probably pull the same thing off to convert a character into such a creature.
Back in D&D 3.5 tagging on the Shadow Creature template was a Level Adjustment of +2, and from the looks of the Race Builder that still seems to be approximately the case. Now that is way too powerful as a starting level character. So, just in case, I calculated it out using the Race Builder by using the template entry from Bestiary 4, pg. 238.
Now keep in mind that a regular Human is worth 9 RP and the template seems to add roughly 21 RP to that to arrive at the Monstrous Category of 30 RP, which allows us 5 traits per category. Granted, the Pathfinder version of a Shadow Creature is already weaker compared to the D&D 3.5 version, but I tried to nerf it further by using the Race Builder:
Race: Shadow Creature Human Clone
Type: Outsider [augmented (human)]
Standard point buy (15)
STR 10 +0 (-2 Clone)
DEX 10 +0 (-4 Weakness) -2 (Clone)
CON 10 +0 (+2 Weakness) -2 (Clone)
INT 10 +0 (+2 Weakness) -2 (Clone)
WIS 10 +0 (-2 Clone)
CHA 09 -1 (-2 Clone)
RACE BUILDER 14 = [9] + [21] Shadow Creature template (includes higher HD abilities) -[7] Weaknesses - [1] Weakness Ability Score Mod -[1] Standard Languages -[1] Slow Speed -[6] Clone (equivalent to 3 negative Flexible ability scores)
Type Humanoid (human) 0 RP
Size Medium 0 RP
Base Speed Slow & Steady -1 RP
Ability Score Modifiers (Weakness) -1 RP
Languages Standard 0 RP
Racial Traits:
Defense Racial Traits
Shadow Resistance 2 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Spell-Resistance, Lesser 2 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Shadow-Blending 1 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Energy Resistance (cold) 1 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Energy Resistance (electricity) 1 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Advanced Traits
Improved Resistance (Cold) 2 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Improved Resistance (Electricity) 3 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Monstrous Racial Traits
Damage Reduction DR 10/magic 6 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Flexible bonus feat 4 RP
Skilled 4 RP
Senses Racial Traits
Darkvision 60 ft. 2 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Low-light Vision 1 RP {Shadow Creature template}
Weakness Racial Traits
Delicious -1 RP
Shattered Soul -1 RP
Frightened by Magic -1 RP
Energy Vulnerability (fire) -2 RP
Energy Vulnerability (acid) -2 RP
Weakness (–1 RP): Members of this race gain a +2 bonus to one physical ability score, a +2 bonus to one mental ability score, and a –4 penalty to any other ability score.
Slow and Steady (-1 RP): The character has a base speed of 20 feet, but his speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Delicious (-1 RP): The character take a –2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks made to escape a grapple against any creature that has a bite attack with the grab ability.
Elemental Vulnerability (–4 RP): Members of this race have vulnerability to the chosen energy type. They cannot posses any racial trait that grants them resistance or immunity to this energy type.
Frightened by Magic (-1 RP): The character is uneasy around magic, especially spells that have large, impressive effects. Whenever the character is damaged or affected by a spell or supernatural ability that has an obvious visual component, he is shaken for 1 round (subject to GM discretion). A character that gains the ability to cast spells from a class feature is unaffected by this racial trait.
Shattered Soul (-1 RP): The character who is killed is exceptionally difficult to return to life. Those who attempt to return him to life using raise dead, resurrection, or similar spells must succeed at a caster level check equal to 10 + the character’s Hit Dice. If this check fails, the spell fails and the caster can’t return the shabti to life for the next 24 hours (though the caster can try again after this period).
Note: The Clonepod from page 42 of the Technology Guide says that "If the clone’s body and mind are not from the same source, all six ability scores are permanently reduced by 2 points." I considered this a -6 RP by making it equal to three negative Flexible ability score modifications. There is no official ruling for this.
This basically got the character down to roughly the RP equivalent of a Drow. Now a Drow was a level adjustment of +2, so this is already weirding me out that despite all the nerfing I still ended up so high. But to get it further down I'm only aware of the Level Adjustment rules from D&D 3.5.
VARIANT RULE: RACES WITH LEVEL ADJUSTMENTS (Player's Guide to Faerun, p.190)
For each negative level adjustment, he takes the following penalties:
⦁ -1 to all skill checks and ability checks;
⦁ -1 on attack rolls and saving throws;
⦁ -1 on level checks;
⦁ -1 to any spell DCs of spell-like abilities.
So double all of these for a +0 LA. Talk about a major hit...
So here's the question. Is there any other Pathfinder rule that you guys are aware of to nerf this without making such a character unplayable?
