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41
Off Topic Fun / Re: Awesome stuff you have to share, V4
« Last post by trappedslider on March 14, 2024, 01:44:27 AM »
42
Off Topic Fun / Re: Things that make you LoL (Part 3)
« Last post by trappedslider on March 14, 2024, 01:43:43 AM »
43
Uncle Kittie's Hopefully Humorous Guide to Abominations / Re: Cinematica
« Last post by bhu on March 13, 2024, 08:51:51 PM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTZR5Ut9NpA

Andromedan
                      Medium Aberration
Hit Dice:             6d8+24 (51 hp)
Initiative:           +0
Speed:                30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class:          12 (+2 Natural), touch 10, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple:  +4/+8
Attack:               Slam +8 melee (1d3+4) or Disintegrator +4 ranged (disintegration)
Full Attack:          2 Slams +8 melee (1d3+4) or Disintegrator +4 ranged (disintegration)
Space/Reach:          5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:      Kidnap, Stun, Frightful Presence, Disintegrator, Sunder
Special Qualities:    Darkvision 60 ft., Emotionless, Disguise, Alien Machine, Forcefield,  Gaseous Form
Saves:                Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +7
Abilities:            Str 18, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills:               Bluff +4, Disguise +4, Drive +6, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (Earth and Life Sciences,  Physical Sciences, any 1 other) +6, Listen +4, Navigation +6, Pilot +4, Spot +4 
Feats:                Alien Weapons Proficiency (see D20 Modern), Personal Firearms Proficiency (see D20 Modern), Starship Operation (see D20 Future)
Environment:          Any? (unknown really)
Organization:         Solitary or Group )
Challenge Rating:     6
Treasure:             Standard
Alignment:            Neutral Evil
Advancement:          By Character Class
Level Adjustment:     ---

"Don't you worry Marge. I know where to get our men. Human men!"

The Andromedan's planet suffered a natural disaster, prompting them to flee in their fleet of spacecraft.  Searching for a new world, they come across the toxic planet Earth, losing all the females of their race along the way.  Finding humanoid life on the planet, they decided to settle down and construct suits that would let them survive our atmosphere while impersonating the locals.  Swiftly taking over many small towns, they set about researching ways to mutate Earth women to carry their children.  Notably, the Andromedan's are completely emotionless, and did not foresee a need to ask consent.  They begin kidnapping and replacing local married men who are childless in order to be ready when they make the necessary genetic breakthroughs.  They do, however, make some mistakes.  Animals can easily see through their disguise, which inspires an awful lot of pet murder.  They park their ship within walking distance of the town in a stupefying example of foolishness.  The technology that lets them pass as human also grants them emotions, which makes them behave oddly.  Being as Earth is toxic to them they don't partake of cigarettes or alcohol.  In 1950's America.  They mock humans for being dumb and short lived, but make glaring errors such as murdering people in the open on city streets, going swimming to keep up appearances (they can't swim), etc.  They are tall with hands of three tentacle like fingers, and stubby two toed feet.  Their mouth is circular, and it's eyes are the only other facial feature (besides some tubes, which may or may not be part of them).  Once they are discovered, all their ships flee, looking for another home.  Earth was the very first place they found after all, and given how inhospitable it is to them it's amazing they stopped here to begin with.

Kidnap (Su): If an opponent is helpless, paralyzed, stunned or unconscious, the Andromedan may change him into a Gaseous Form (as per the spell), after which the target is unconscious until he changes back to a solid form, and moves at 30 feet per round towards the Andromedan's ship.  So long as the Machine is working and on, the Andromedan may use this at will (it has a range of 10 feet), and the target remains in Gaseous Form until it arrives at the ship, and is plugged into the machine, or the machine is destroyed or turned off.

Stun (Ex): If the Andromedan successfully confirms a critical hit with it's Slam attack, it Stuns the target for one round.

Frightful Presence (Ex):Andromedans can inspire terror by charging or attacking. Creatures within 30 feet that have less hit dice than the Andromedan must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or become shaken for 2d6 rounds (if the Save is failed by 5 or more, the target is Frightened instead). The save DC is Charisma-based.  An opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that same Andromedan’s frightful presence for 24 hours.

Disintegrator : The Andromedans carry rayguns that fire a beam of unknown energy.  This weapon has a range of 100 feet, and can be fired every other round.  When firing it, the wielder makes a ranged touch attack, and if it is successful, the target must make a DC 19 Fortitude Save to take half damage, taking 12d6 damage if it fails.

Sunder (Ex): When the Andromedan,  in human or natural form, successfully hits an object with it's Slam attack, it gets a Sunder attempt as a Free Action without provoking an Attack of Opportunity.  If successful, the attack ignores Hardness.

Emotionless (Ex): In their natural state, the Andromedans are emotionless, immune to any mind-affecting effects.  Their machine, however, broadcasts emotions to them when they are in their artificial bodies in order to make their deception possible (meaning they lose this immunity).

Disguise (Ex):  The Andromedans can become gaseous and seep into an artificial body created from a human they have kidnapped.  This looks perfectly like the human they wish to mimic, and sounds perfectly like him too.  Animals, particularly ones with Scent, seem to see right through this disguise, and are never better than Hostile towards the Andromedan.  When uninhabited, this is an object with a Hardness of 5, and the same hit points as the Andromedan inhabiting it.

Alien Machine:  Kidnap victims are placed into a special machine that allows them to be kept alive and unconscious as long as they are plugged in.  It also provides several other benefits to the Andromedans:

It powers the artificial bodies they inhabit while disguised as humans, which protects them from Earth's atmosphere (If they are not in their artificial body, it still protects them from the atmosphere).  If the machine is destroyed, turned off, or the human it is mimicking is unplugged, it can take only a single move action or attack action and is destroyed utterly in the next round if it cannot escape.  This also happens if the Andromedan is given oxygen while in it's bodysuit, pretending to be a human.

It allows a version of telepathy with all other Andromedans of the creatures choice within 20 miles.  It also provides them access to the memories of the unconscious human they are mimicking.  When making a Skill Check, the Andromedan uses it's own ranks of the ranks of the human it is mimicking, whichever is greater.  It also lets them speak the language of the person they are impersonating.

It provides a forcefield, which is visible in their normal form, but invisible when being hidden in their bodysuits.  This forcefield renders them immune to damage from opponents who aren't adjacent to them  (and still stops Bludgeoning or Ballistic damage even if the opponent is adjacent).  A Disintegrate spell )or their own weapons) will destroy the forcefield on contact.  This sort of works like a Wall of Force that protects them from all directions.

Gaseous Form (Su): The Andromedans may cast Gaseous Form at will as a Supernatural Ability.  Unlike normal, they are immune to Earth's atmosphere in this form, and have a movement speed of 30 feet.  They must assume Gaseous form to enter or exit their human disguise (this is a Move Action).

Combat: In their human disguise, the Andromedans rely on their Slam attack, unless they are mimicking a member of a profession that can carry some sort of weapon.  In their natural form defending the ship, or to get rid of evidence (bodies) they use disintegrators.

44
Off Topic Fun / Re: Awesome stuff you have to share, V4
« Last post by bhu on March 13, 2024, 08:44:18 PM »
nice!
45
September 1776 / Re: Talkin' like it's 1759! (OoC chat)
« Last post by bhu on March 13, 2024, 08:43:38 PM »
Robby?  You ok?
46
Off Topic Fun / Re: Awesome stuff you have to share, V4
« Last post by trappedslider on March 13, 2024, 02:48:36 PM »
So,due to budget issues that would have happened with owning a car, I got a scooter/moped

(click to show/hide)

I even decorated it a bit
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47
Min/Max 3.x / Re: Full spell list
« Last post by NewtypeChris on March 12, 2024, 03:16:27 PM »
48
Homebrew and House Rules (D&D) / Re: New NPC Classes
« Last post by Garryl on March 12, 2024, 12:30:05 AM »
Sublime Adept NPC class
A simple NPC martial adept class. Uses the maneuvers from a single discipline moderately well.

Hit Die: d8



Level
Base
Attack
Bonus

Fort
Save

Ref
Save

Will
Save


Special

Maneuvers
Known

Maneuvers
Readied

Stances
Known
1+0+0+2+0Chosen Discipline220
2+1+0+3+0--221
3+2+1+3+1--221
4+3+1+4+1--321
5+3+1+4+1--321
6+4+2+5+2--321
7+5+2+5+2--421
8+6/+1+2+6+2--431
9+6/+1+3+6+3--431
10+7/+2+3+7+3--531
11+8/+3+3+7+3--532
12+9/+4+4+8+4--532
13+9/+4+4+8+4--632
14+10/+5+4+9+4--642
15+11/+6/+1+5+9+5--642
16+12/+7/+2+5+10+5--742
17+12/+7/+2+5+10+5--742
18+13/+8/+3+6+11+6--742
19+14/+9/+4+6+11+6--842
20+15/+10/+5+6+12+6--853

Class skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Climb, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local), Martial Lore, Profession, and Swim. A sublime adept also adds the key skill of his chosen discipline to his class skill.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sublime adepts are proficient with all simple weapons and with all martial weapons from among his chosen discipline's associated weapons. Sublime adepts are also proficient with light armor and with shields (other than tower shields).

Chosen Discipline: A sublime adept chooses a single martial discipline from among all of the martial disciplines. He studies this martial discipline alone, learning its maneuvers and training with its favored weapons and key skill.

Initiator Level: Unlike other martial adepts, a sublime adept does not always count full class level towards his sublime adept initiator level. A sublime adept's initiator level equal to 2/3 his class level, rounded up, rather than his full class level. As with all characters, he still adds 1/2 his total level in other classes to his sublime adept initiator level. Consequently, a single-classed sublime adept's maximum maneuver level learned is 1st at 1st level, increasing by 1 maneuver level every 3 class levels thereafter.

Maneuvers: A sublime adept begins his career with knowledge of two martial maneuvers. Only his single chosen martial discipline is available to him.

Once a sublime adept knows a maneuver, he must ready it before he can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by a sublime adept is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. His maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and he does not provoke attacks of opportunity when he initiates one.

A sublime adept learns additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the table above. He must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. See Table 3-1: Highest-Level Maneuvers Known (TOB 39), to determine the highest-level maneuvers he can learn.

Maneuvers Readied: A sublime adept can ready both of the maneuvers he knows at 1st level, and as he advances in level and learns more maneuvers, he is able to ready more, but he must choose which maneuvers to ready. The sublime adept readies his maneuvers by exercising, practicing, or meditating for 5 minutes. The maneuvers he chooses remain readied until he decides to exercise again and change them. He need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready his maneuvers; any time he spends 5 minutes in practice, he can change his readied maneuvers.

The sublime adept begins an encounter with all his readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times he might have already used them since he chose them. When he initiates a maneuver, he expends it for the current encounter, so each of his readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter.

Stances Known: At 2nd level, the sublime adept acquires knowledge of one stance from his chosen discipline. At 11th and 20th level, he can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and he does not have to ready them. All the stances the sublime adept knows are available to him at all times, and he can change the stance he is currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description.



Change Log
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49
I think Divine Retribution isn't bad as a general idea, it just needs a curated spell list. The Adept might make for a better starting point, as it has a bigger focus on divine damage spells like Scorching Ray and Lightning Bolt. The Warmage spell list and evocation-heavy cleric domains like the Fire Domain could be used to pad out spells above level 5. Or you could hand out a pseudo-Quicken Spell, so that weak low-level evocations stay relevant and work better with the action economy of mid-levels onward.

I concur. I love the idea of the ability and a curated spell list is exactly what it needs. I just don't feel like searching for spells for it at all right now. Well, actually, that's not quite right. I spent a bit of time looking through the SRD, and came up with the following (in the spoiler). Couldn't find anything at 6th level that fit, 2nd and 4th level were a little light, and I don't love how many of the 5th level spells were just save-or-lose.
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The original version in 1001 homebrew ideas actually had the quicken aspect; the spells were cast as a swift action by default.

Iron Body Training is a little weird.

It's a bit of a design-by-committee ability, which is really weird to say given that it was only me working on it. There were a few different thought processes that went into it.
  • 1) Make an ACF that is associated with Iron Heart. At one point, I was trying to do this for all nine disciplines, but Devoted Spirit (Divine Retribution), Desert Wanderer (Desert Wind), Battlefield Commander (White Raven), and Iron Body Training (Iron Heart) were the only ones I could come up with anything decent for.
  • 2) Trade away something that doesn't overlap with the other warblade ACFs. Warblades don't actually have many class features at low levels, and I'd already written two for each of Uncanny Dodge and Battle Clarity, and I don't want an ACF that exchanges Weapon Aptitude, which doesn't give direct combat effects, for an ability that does. That basically leaves skills and proficiencies.
  • 3) How about armor proficiency? And 5E's barbarian has that cool (but impractical) Con-to-AC instead of armor thing. How about something like that? Maybe do a monk's AC bonus-type ability, but based on Int, since it's already a warblade secondary stat? Just switch it to an armor bonus instead of untyped, so it can avoid stacking with armor without needing that pesky no-armor-worn clause explicitly spelled out, fit the barbarian-inspired theme of just blocking hits with your mighty thews rather than dodging them, and match the paradigm I tried out with my pressure strikes monk. And you can still use a shield, as intended, which is why that proficiency wasn't removed.
  • 4) It's got to scale, since it's replacing armor, and I still want to tie it a bit more directly to Iron Heart. How about based on your Iron Heart maneuvers? Scaling with the level of maneuvers known keeps the numbers around the right place in napkin math land, although if it's a little high then the fact that it fluctuates up and down a bit based on whether or not you've actually used an Iron Heart maneuver might balance that out.
  • 5) Uh, oh. It's a 1st-level class feature that gives an attribute to AC. We don't want Int to AC to be overly easily accessible with a 1-level dip for non-warblades. I know! Cap it by Strength, too, so that those wizards and jade phoenix mages can get something but not too much out of it. It won't affect pure warblades, since what kind of melee warblade won't have a higher Strength and Intelligence already?

So, yeah, a little weird. But I kind of like it, you know? If I get to doing another pass on it, I might tweak the numbers a bit, and the bit about needing to initiate Iron Heart maneuvers to keep the full benefit might get axed, no matter how much I appreciate its quirkiness. Even without that, its physical defensiveness fits Iron Heart better than I thought. Despite the aggressiveness associated with the discipline from Punishing Stance at level 1 and Strike of Perfect Clarity at level 9, more than half of its maneuvers and stances are about crowd control, defense, and damage mitigation (11/21). I'm pretty sure only Devoted Spirit and Setting Sun beat it on that front.
50
Board Business / Re: Additional Forum / Discord Integration Accomplished
« Last post by Stratovarius on March 11, 2024, 11:10:49 PM »
Very cool to see this working, and I will be using this in short order for Arhosa PbP.
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