They're an LA: +1 race. I'm thinking they might make a better template, but I don't know . . . when do you make something a template, and when a race?
Anyway, I'm posting this with the hopes of getting comments on whether it needs to be balanced better, or if I might do this a different, better way. Any commentary, no matter how cruel, is welcome.
The Dragontouched
Dragons' magical nature allows them to crossbreed with virtually any creature. This usually occurs while the dragon has changed its shape; it then abandons the crossbreed young. These young are often spurned and rejected by the society they are born into for their bestial appearance. Sometimes they are able to become part of society, and have children of their own, and those children have children, and so on. Over time, the dragon's blood is diluted, but its presence is rarely washed out permanently. In such families, every few generations a child will be born who bears the marks of his Draconic ancestors. These are the dragontouched. The dragontouched have no culture or way of life common to the race, given their disparate origins. Occasionally groups of dragontouched will find one another and form collectives where their differences aren't as remarkable.
Personality: The dragontouched have physical aberrations that can cause them and the families that produce them to be ostracized and feared. On the other hand, their personal magnetism gives them an undeniable mystique. The dragontouched grow up in a world where few people get close, and those who do have a relationship more akin to worship than to love. As a result, many are inexperienced with emotion and can come off very arrogant--if charmingly so. They seem to possess an innate drive to excellence and an insatiable curiosity for the occult and the unknown. Often, they also inherit a covetous streak from their ancestors.
Physical Description: Dragontouched children grow up to be about a foot taller and proportionally heavier than their parents on average. They are usually well-muscled and beautiful, or at least impressive. Dragontouched also display two or more features that hint at their heritage. These could include things like:
Relations: The lot of the dragontouched can be a difficult one. Often treated as outsiders--if not actively ostracized--by their parents' race, they rarely feel comfortable among them. They tend to fare better among other races who are less disturbed by their "wrongness".
Alignment: Dragontouched have no tendency toward any particular alignment, other than that they tend to gravitate toward extreme and strongly-held points of view. More often than not, their alignment has no neutral component to it, and true neutral dragontouched are very rare.
Dragontouched Lands: The concept of lands for a people who have no culture is something of an oxymoron. There is the occasional commune, however. These places can be idyllic magical utopiae or hives of the worst kind of horror and degradation imaginable, depending on the prevailing attitudes of the enclave. The only constants are isolation from other civilization, and that magic is ubiquitous in these mini-societies.
Religion: All dragontouched have direct experience of self-generated magical power. Combine that with their tendency toward arrogance and very few of them tend to believe in gods, or to count on them for very much. Some dragontouched clerics worship the concepts of "dragonness" or power. If aware of their heritage, some worship the gods of dragons, or dragons themselves. Dragon-worshipping dragontouched are often regarded as deluded by other members of their race.
Language: The dragontouched speak only the language that they were born to. If they learn Draconic, they are able to become so fluent that they're indistinguishable from a native speaker.
Names: Dragontouched names vary greatly. They lack a unifying deity to give them a touchstone for their culture; indeed, they lack a culture at all. Therefore, no dragontouched names are truly typical. Some orphaned or abused dragontouched children get descriptive names: Scaly, Snakeboy, Witch-eyes, Forktongue, etc.
Adventurers: Dragontouched find themselves drawn to strange careers and unusual company. Taking up the life of an adventurer comes easily to many of them. They are driven by a ravenous curiosity and a seemingly endless greed.
DRAGONTOUCHED RACIAL TRAITS
NOTE: The game rule information above relates to dragontouched birthed of humans, but dragontouched born to other creatures will have different game rule information.
Anyway, I'm posting this with the hopes of getting comments on whether it needs to be balanced better, or if I might do this a different, better way. Any commentary, no matter how cruel, is welcome.
The Dragontouched
Dragons' magical nature allows them to crossbreed with virtually any creature. This usually occurs while the dragon has changed its shape; it then abandons the crossbreed young. These young are often spurned and rejected by the society they are born into for their bestial appearance. Sometimes they are able to become part of society, and have children of their own, and those children have children, and so on. Over time, the dragon's blood is diluted, but its presence is rarely washed out permanently. In such families, every few generations a child will be born who bears the marks of his Draconic ancestors. These are the dragontouched. The dragontouched have no culture or way of life common to the race, given their disparate origins. Occasionally groups of dragontouched will find one another and form collectives where their differences aren't as remarkable.
Personality: The dragontouched have physical aberrations that can cause them and the families that produce them to be ostracized and feared. On the other hand, their personal magnetism gives them an undeniable mystique. The dragontouched grow up in a world where few people get close, and those who do have a relationship more akin to worship than to love. As a result, many are inexperienced with emotion and can come off very arrogant--if charmingly so. They seem to possess an innate drive to excellence and an insatiable curiosity for the occult and the unknown. Often, they also inherit a covetous streak from their ancestors.
Physical Description: Dragontouched children grow up to be about a foot taller and proportionally heavier than their parents on average. They are usually well-muscled and beautiful, or at least impressive. Dragontouched also display two or more features that hint at their heritage. These could include things like:
- metallic- or color-tinged skin;
- slitted pupils;
- unnaturally cold or hot skin;
- an acidic, sulfurous or ozone scent;
- thin, translucent scales;
- small, bony ridges on the jaws, eyebrows, elbows, spine or other extremities;
- one or more small horns;
- jaw fringes or whiskers;
- crested or bat-winged ears;
- sharp and/or jagged teeth;
- vestigial tail;
- hairlessness;
- spinal- and/or head-crests;
- nictitating membranes;
- long, narrow and/or forked tongue;
- vestigial, non-functioning wings;
- monochromatic eyes; and so on.
Relations: The lot of the dragontouched can be a difficult one. Often treated as outsiders--if not actively ostracized--by their parents' race, they rarely feel comfortable among them. They tend to fare better among other races who are less disturbed by their "wrongness".
Alignment: Dragontouched have no tendency toward any particular alignment, other than that they tend to gravitate toward extreme and strongly-held points of view. More often than not, their alignment has no neutral component to it, and true neutral dragontouched are very rare.
Dragontouched Lands: The concept of lands for a people who have no culture is something of an oxymoron. There is the occasional commune, however. These places can be idyllic magical utopiae or hives of the worst kind of horror and degradation imaginable, depending on the prevailing attitudes of the enclave. The only constants are isolation from other civilization, and that magic is ubiquitous in these mini-societies.
Religion: All dragontouched have direct experience of self-generated magical power. Combine that with their tendency toward arrogance and very few of them tend to believe in gods, or to count on them for very much. Some dragontouched clerics worship the concepts of "dragonness" or power. If aware of their heritage, some worship the gods of dragons, or dragons themselves. Dragon-worshipping dragontouched are often regarded as deluded by other members of their race.
Language: The dragontouched speak only the language that they were born to. If they learn Draconic, they are able to become so fluent that they're indistinguishable from a native speaker.
Names: Dragontouched names vary greatly. They lack a unifying deity to give them a touchstone for their culture; indeed, they lack a culture at all. Therefore, no dragontouched names are truly typical. Some orphaned or abused dragontouched children get descriptive names: Scaly, Snakeboy, Witch-eyes, Forktongue, etc.
Adventurers: Dragontouched find themselves drawn to strange careers and unusual company. Taking up the life of an adventurer comes easily to many of them. They are driven by a ravenous curiosity and a seemingly endless greed.
DRAGONTOUCHED RACIAL TRAITS
- +2 Strength, +2 Charisma. Dragontouched have a shadow of the strength of their draconic ancestors and the strength of their blood makes them more attractive, fascinating or terrifying than others.
- Medium-size. As medium-size creatures, dragontouched have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Dragontouched base speed is 30 feet.
- Resistance 5 to any hit point damage from dragon breath. Immune to the frightful presence ability of dragons.
- +2 racial bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. Like their ancestors, the dragontouched are resilient to magical effects.
- Darkvision: Dragontouched can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dragontouched can function just fine with no light at all.
- +2 racial bonus to Spot and Listen checks. Like dragons, the dragontouched are intensely attuned to their surroundings, and notice things most others miss.
- Dragons can cast prestidigitation 1/day as per a sorcerer of their character level.
- Dragon blood. For all special abilities and effects, a dragontouched is considered a dragon. Dragontouched, for example, can use special dragon weapon or magic items as though they were dragons, and are susceptible to bane effects that target dragons.
- Level Adjustment: +1
- A dragontouched's favored class is sorcerer.
Code:
Adulthood Bbn, Rog, Soc Brd, Ftr, Pld, Rng Clr, Drd, Mnk, Wiz
15 years +1d4 +1d6 +2d6
Middle Age Old Venerable Maximum Age
200 years 200 years 500 years +3d% years
Base Height Height Mod. Base Weight Weight Mod.
Male 5' 10" +2d10 150 lb. x(2d4) lb.
Female 5' 5" +2d10 105 lb. x(2d4) lb.[/color]
