Genasi

[Nanshork]

Genasi


HD: d8

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1	+1	+0	+0	+2	Elemental Body, Elemental Heritage, Elemental Dominion

Skills Points at Each Level: (4 + Int Modifier)
Class Skills: The Genasi's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff, (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Move Silently (Dex), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex).

Proficiencies: Genasi are proficient with simple and martial weapons and light armor.

Genasi Class Features:

Elemental Body (Ex): Genasi lose all other racial bonuses and become Outsiders gaining all racial traits of that type (primarily Darkvision 60 feet), also gaining the Native subtype.  They are Medium sized with a base speed of 30 feet.

Elemental Heritage (Ex): A genasi is either an Air Genasi, Earth Genasi, Fire Genasi, or Water Genasi and once chosen its elemental heritage cannot be changed.  When a heritage is chosen, gain all benefits listed for it.  Each heritage also has an associated saving throw that increases to the Good Progression to match their Will save.

In addition, a genasi gains +1 on all saving throws against spells/effects with the chosen heritgate (Air, Earth, Fire, Water).  This bonus increases by +1 per 5 HD.

(click to show/hide)

Air Genasi
The air genasi gains either +2 Dex or +2 Int
Reflex becomes a good saving throw for the genasi
Breathless (Ex): An air genasi does not need to breathe, so they are immune to drowning, suffocation, and attacks that require inhalation (such as some types of poisons).

Earth Genasi
The earth genasi gains either +2 Str or +2 Con,
Fortitude becomes a good saving throw for the genasi
Stability (Ec): An earth genasi gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).

Fire Genasi
The Fire Genasi gains either +2 Int or +2 Cha
Reflex becomes a good saving throw for the genasi
Fire Resistance: 5

Water Genasi
The Water Genasi gains either +2 Con or +2 Wis
Fortitude becomes a good saving throw for the genasi
Breathe Water (Ex): Water genasi breathe water as an extraordinary ability.  In addition, they gain a swim speed equal to their land speed.

Elemental Dominion (Sp): Genasi gain a number of Elemental Points equal to 1 point / HD.  These points can be used to cast spells from the Cleric domain associated with their Elemental Heritage (Air, Earth, Fire, Water).  The genasi can choose any spell from that domain and spend a number of points equal to (2 * spell level) - 1 to cast it as a spell-like ability (the genasi cannot spend more points than it has remaining).  Elemental points refresh at the beginning of each day.

[Nanshork]

In progress, still sorting out the Elemental Heritages including fixing the stats (currently listed are what's in the books minus the penalties).

Edit: Okay, almost done. 

Control Flame for the fire genasi is straight out of the book but really weak.  Contemplating replacing it with Produce Flame as a SLA.

Skills are a combined list of all four plus appropriate (Sense Motive to go with the other social sklls, listen to go with spot).

For stats I'm thinking: Air (+2 Dex), Earth (+2 Str), Fire (+2 Int), and Water (+2 Con) as that will closest match the source material but I'm really on the fence here.

Earth and Fire genasi didn't get an ability to match Air's breathless and Water's water breathing + swim so I took a page from the elemental race section of UA.  Earth now gets Stability and Fire gets fire resistance. 

[Garryl]

If you're worried about it, take a page from Neverwinter Nights 2. Fire Genasi got a 1/day Body of the Sun-type effect (deal fire damage to nearby creatures every round for a few rounds). Might want to normalize the different options a little more so they're all at a 1st-level SLA or a lower-end 2nd-level SLA. Create Water is a cantrip, while Levitate is a 2nd-level spell. You can probably do alright if some of the Genasi have a 2nd-level spell and some have only a 1st-level spell, but one that is more useful than average for its level.

[Nanshork]

I agree that the abilties need to be normalized more, Create Water is pretty crappy.  I hadn't even thought about changing it but it needs to be buffed.

I want to stick with SLAs though, easier to manage and balance than custom abilities when I'm working with a class that has four choices.

[Garryl]

Body of the Sun is a spell. The Spell Compendium version is a 2nd-level spell that deals 1d4 damage/2 levels/round to everyone within 5 feet of you for 1 round/level (Reflex half). Just slap a minimum CL 2nd (or something like that) on the SLA so it actually does anything at 1st-level.

For Water Genasi, you could replace it with Obscuring Mist or Fog Cloud (also taken from NWN's implementation).

[Nanshork]

What about basing the SLAs off of the elemental domains?

Air gets Obscuring Mist, Earth gets Magic Stone, Fire gets Burning Hands, and Water gets Obscuring Mist?

Hmm, doubling up seems shitty.

Ohh, okay, how about this to replace the SLA section as another class ability.  (I would also remove the part restricting your choice of domains, and this will help match the scaling that Aasimar and Tieflings have.)

Elemental Dominion (Sp): Genasi gain a number of Elemental Points that can be used to cast spells of the element chosen for their Elemental Heritage.  They gain 1 elemental point / HD that can be used to cast spells from the Cleric domain associated with their Elemental Heritage as a spell-like ability.  Casting a spell costs a number of points equal to (2 * spell level) - 1.  Elemental points refresh at the beginning of each day.



This way you aren't stuck with junky spell-like abilities at high level, but you're still pretty much as 1/day unless you want to cast your lower level ones, and you get the same progression as a cleric for casting the domain spells.

[Stricture]

I like that better than restricting your domain.

How about the ability to boost spells with your elemental descriptor? Fire Genesai could boost the CL of spells with the fire descriptor up to 1+HD/4 levels. With a cost of 1 point per CL and a supply of 1 point per HD.

Maybe Animate Water as an SLA?

EDIT:
Wave Blessing and Sink

As a sort of Sink or Swim package. Two SLA but rather situational.

[Nanshork]

If I go with the domain SLA option I'll just be sticking with the spells on the domain list instead of trying to come up with balanced new spells to add to each character.


I'm on the fence about CL boosting, if it went in it would use the same points as the SLAs.

[Nanshork]

Elemental Dominion added, domain restriction removed.

I'm concerned that if I add more abilities the genasi will end up overpowering the Aasimar/Tiefling.


I still am not sure how to deal with the stat bonuses...

[Garryl]

I'd pare it down to +2 to a single ability score. That or up it to +2 to two ability scores for all of them. Given that this is still taking up your race choice, in addition to a level, you can probably get away with +2 to two stats (maybe add Wis for water and Cha for fire). The comparison points of Aasimar and Tiefling look to have stronger SLAs at a glance.

[Nanshork]

I'd pare it down to +2 to a single ability score. That or up it to +2 to two ability scores for all of them. Given that this is still taking up your race choice, in addition to a level, you can probably get away with +2 to two stats (maybe add Wis for water and Cha for fire). The comparison points of Aasimar and Tiefling look to have stronger SLAs at a glance.

Right now what's listed is the base stats per the book, I know that they're not good.

So you're thinking: Air (+2 Dex, +2 Int), Earth (+2 Str, +2 Con), Fire (+2 Int, +2 Cha), Water (+2 Con, +2 Wis)?

[Garryl]

Something like that.

I may not be the best person to ask about balance for these classes. I don't have a good sense of the general balance point for Oslecamo-type Monster Classes.

[oslecamo]

If you give a total of +4 to stats at first level, it easily overshadows the elemental abilities and this becomes a stat boost dip instead of an elemental planetouched class.

Besides other classes around here don't get better than +2 total stats at first level unless there's a significant drawback.

[Nanshork]

If you give a total of +4 to stats at first level, it easily overshadows the elemental abilities and this becomes a stat boost dip instead of an elemental planetouched class.

Besides other classes around here don't get better than +2 total stats at first level unless there's a significant drawback.

  I forgot about the stats of Aasimar/Tiefling which I was trying to balance this against.

How about this?
Air (+2 Dex or +2 Int), Earth (+2 Str or +2 Con), Fire (+2 Int or +2 Cha), Water (+2 Con or +2 Wis)?

Or would it be better for each to get a specified stat, no options?

[Nanshork]

Any advice on the stats?  I think we're done except for that (unless anyone thinks otherwise).

[oslecamo]

Your suggestions of stats seem good.

[Nanshork]

Your suggestions of stats seem good.

Stats implemented.  I can't think of anything else to adjust.

[oslecamo]

So I was gonna add this to the index when I noticed there was already a version. Done by me. Hahaha, my bad not cleaning it from the request list...

Well added this anyway, no sense letting your hard work go to haste. Just a reminder to cross-check the request list with the index to see what's already been done or not.