Author Topic: [Race] Caliban  (Read 2105 times)

Offline Skyrock

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[Race] Caliban
« on: October 20, 2018, 02:48:33 PM »
(Ravenloft 3.5 PHB p. 37ff)


Caliban are humans who have been deformed and twisted in the womb through the lingering malign resonance of witchcraft, black magic, alchemical pollution, curses and the like.

They are the "Igors" and "Quasimodos" of the Demiplane of Dread, malformed outcasts often becoming embittered by the shunning they face and ending up in the service of evil, although they have also always sported a good number of noble exceptions struggling to overcome the hostility of the general public through good deeds.
  • +2 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
  • Medium: As Medium creatures, Caliban have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Caliban base land speed is 30 feet.
  • Low-Light Vision: Caliban can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
  • Willing Deformity: All Caliban get this feat (Heroes of Horror p.125) regardless of their alignment, and may acquire additional deformity feats using it as a prerequisite without needing to fulfill alignment prerequisites. This feat grants Caliban a +3 bonus on Intimidate checks.
  • Slight Build (Ex): The hunched and stunted stature of a Caliban lets him function in many ways as if he were one size category smaller. He gains an additional +4 bonus to Hide and Move Silently and +1 AC and to-hit. He also can squeeze through tight passages and share space with allies like he was one size smaller. A Caliban can use weapons designed for a creature one size smaller without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.
  • Conduit of Power (Su): The lingering magical resonance responsible for the state of the Caliban can strengthen spellcasters. As a full-round action, the Caliban can declare fealty and designate a character other than himself as the beneficiary of this ability. As long as he is within 30ft of the Caliban, the beneficiary gains a +1 bonus to caster level checks concerning arcane or invoker magic, such as for overcoming spell resistance or counter-spelling, as well as a damage bonus to his Eldritch Blast ability if he is a Warlock. This bonus increases by +1 for every 5 full character levels of the Caliban, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. Additionally, all monetary and XP costs for creating undead and crafting golems done by the beneficiary are reduced by a percentage equal to the doubled bonus. On the flipside, as a swift action the beneficiary may use Command against the Caliban supporting him as a supernatural ability at-will, using Charisma as the spell-casting ability to determine the save DC. A Caliban can only boost one beneficiary at most, and may at any time as a full-round action designate a new one or simply end the effect, ending the benefit for the old beneficiary. Multiple uses of this ability by multiple Caliban do not stack, only the highest bonus is counted. (For this ability, one - and most commonly only one - Caliban is often found as the hunchbacked servant of evil magic-users, necromancers and warlocks, especially those with an unhealthy obsession with creating undead and flesh golems. The ability to command the Caliban is treated lightly, and often the catalyst for a dramatic break-up when the interests of a Caliban and his master diverge.)
  • Languages: As humans of the same domain.
  • Base Outcast Rating: 5
« Last Edit: October 20, 2018, 02:57:24 PM by Skyrock »

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: [Race] Caliban
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2018, 10:08:09 AM »
Is there any drawback to playing a martial character as a Caliban? They seem ideally suited to it.

Offline Skyrock

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Re: [Race] Caliban
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2018, 02:27:07 PM »
Caliban are indeed well-suited for martials. In the original rules they were originally just re-fluffed Half-Orcs.

Offline Stratovarius

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Re: [Race] Caliban
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2018, 02:28:35 PM »
I guess I'm saying it's more that the races seem to be heavily bucketed into class by race. Is that setting accurate?

Offline Skyrock

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Re: [Race] Caliban
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2018, 02:52:35 PM »
Quote
Calibans are widely considered brutish, savage creatures; their name is a corruption of "cannibal," stemming from their most infamous reputed habit. In truth, many Calibans are simple-minded, petty brutes, but this is often the product of their upbringing. Rejected as monsters, most calibans spend their lives hidden in dank cellars or flee civilization to roam the wilds.
Yes, seems accurate. And also befits the classic gothic horror archetype of the hunchbacked henchman/assistant/bell ringer after which they are modeled.

They also make very good rogues with that Slight Build feature, especially if they manage to find a way to become small. All the advantages of being tiny, and still maintaining reach as a smal creature to flank, sneak-attack and opportunity attack without additional investment like Confound The Big Folk.