Dark Sun LA & Muls

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

zombiegleemax

May 21, 2004 11:36:45
In the Dark Sun artikel in Dragon #319 several races gain new and improved abilities and LA, but they still look, to me, to powerfull for their LA.

The Mul is one of those races. We, me and my DM, have been discussion the Mul and think this would be a Mul with LA 0

Mul Racial Traits
• +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Muls are strong and known for
their great stamina, but gruff.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, mul have no special bonuses or penalties due
to their size.
• Mul base speed is 30 feet.
• Hardy: Muls need only half as much rest to eliminate the effects of
fatigue and exhaustion.
• Faster Natural Healing: Muls heal damage at twice the normal rate,
recovering 2 hit points per level per day.
• Weapon familiarity: Muls may treat two exotic weapons of choice as martial
weapons.
Choose from: bastard sword, bolas, bone-chain sword, cahulaks, gythka, net,
spiked chain or whip.
• Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret
languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass mul’s fighter class does not count
when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.


Your opinions on the overall LA of the races in the Dark Sun artikel, please.
And you opinion on our LA 0 Mul, please.

Thanks in advance for your replies.
#2

spasheridan

May 21, 2004 15:26:47
unbalanced attributes, automatic la+1.

that's just my opinion though
#3

zombiegleemax

May 21, 2004 15:34:22
I'am asking for opinions thus thanks for your reply.

It's indeed a difficult point. In its former LA +1 state the mul has a total of +6 to attributes, pps, inborn power and gains fast healing at some point. So we reduced it's powers.

Which attribute do you think should get a penalty or should we give charisma -4

Opinions on the LA of the Races in the Dark SUn artikel?


#4

kam3ham3ha

May 21, 2004 15:48:05
Something to keep in mind is that the creatures in that article are measured relative to the power level of Darksun and not the rest of the D&D. I could be mistaken but if you compare the darksun versions of races that exist in the psi handbook you'll notice that the version in the article are more powerful (at least another +1). So that would place the mul in the article at actually around +2 or +3. I don't have the magazine in front of me so I can't comment further than that.

As for making it +0 what you have looks okay to me. I woul'd forego the exotic weapon familiarity and just give them improved unarmed strike or improved grapple (one, not both) as long as they're wearing light or no armor. These guys are mostly trained as pit fighters and gladiators. From a normal D&D mindset all darksun weapons are technically exotic, however in darksun they are typically fighting with standard darksun martial weapons. A pit fighter/ slave fighter however, is always with a weapon or dies in the ring - unarmed combat (boxing or wrestling) does the job. Just my $0.02
#5

kam3ham3ha

May 21, 2004 15:54:12
Spasheridan is right about the attributes though. I missed that on my first glance. Give them either +2 str or +2 con, not both. You could knock off another mental attribute but then you really ensure that this is an uber fighter race and make people avoid taking any other classes with it. The opposite of the argument against giving mental stat bonuses to the Blue in the Blue threads.
#6

zombiegleemax

May 21, 2004 16:02:45
Thanks for the reply.

It does indeed create a powerfull race for fighters and i agree needs looking into. Though the charisma penalty would hurt in our campaign.

The improved unarmed or improved grapple are things i certainly will propose to my friend.

The Mul gets a LA +1 in the artikel. It does indeed feel to strong for just LA +1, but i would be stranger that LA suddenly becomes world dependant.

I think that they made some mistakes with the LA. It isn't exact science as is proven by discussion the blue is generating;) .



#7

zombiegleemax

May 21, 2004 16:06:51
Moving to the Dark Sun boards...

--Drake
#8

nytcrawlr

May 21, 2004 16:52:48
Might be better just using the mul from http://athas.org it's an LA +1 and pretty balanced.
#9

zombiegleemax

May 21, 2004 17:16:32
Thanks for the link, but i seem to suffer from spontanaous computerblindness cause i can't find the Mul .

The purpose was to build a LA 0 Mul, because we don't like using LA in our campaign. So even the La +1 is to much for us ;).

Also we were wondering if we were the only ones thinking that some of the races in dragon 319 were to powerfull for their LA.



#10

dawnstealer

May 21, 2004 17:35:02
Heh. Funny you should mention it, my man: we've been discussing on these boards how badly half-giants were screwed under the new system. Not sure if you played 2e Dark Sun, but half-giants were holy terrors; what appeared in the new psionics book and the Dragon magazine were basically half-half-giants.

On to your question of the Muls, if you have an increase to Str or Con, you must reduce some combination of Int, Wis, and Cha in equal measure. One way to do it is something like this:

+2 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Cha

That's a 0 LA, but I, like Nyt, suggest the Athas.org version.
#11

nytcrawlr

May 21, 2004 17:48:13
Originally posted by De Batavier
Thanks for the link, but i seem to suffer from spontanaous computerblindness cause i can't find the Mul .

Laziness by any other name....

http://athas.org/releases/ds3/ds3_imageless_v1.00.pdf

Need to know how to search a little to be able to find it in the pdf, but it's in there. ;)
#12

skitzboy_dup

May 21, 2004 19:16:18
Here's what I'm using at the moment for Muls...it's a combination of the original concept from 2E and the one from Athas.org

Basic changes from Athas.org version are increased Charisma penalty, brought back the Int penalty, removed Darkvision, reworded and expanded the Extended Activity ability a little, removed the nonlethal DR, removed the LA +1, and changed the favored class from gladiator to fighter since in my campaign gladiatior is a PrC, not a core class.

Mul Racial Traits
• +4 Strength, +2 Constiution, -2 Intelligence, -4 Charisma.
• Medium Size
• Mul base land speed is 30 feet.
• Tireless: Muls gain a +4 racial bonus for performing a physical action that extends over a long period of time (hard labor, running, swimming, etc.) This bonus stacks with the Endurance feat. This bonus may also be applied to saving throws against spells or effects that cause exhaustion, enfeeblement, fatigue, or weakness.
• Extended Activity: Muls may engage in 12 hours of physical exertion (hard labor, forced march, overland movement, etc.) without suffering from fatigue or making a Constitution check.
• Dwarven Blood: For all special abilities and effects, a mul is considered a dwarf.
• Automatic Languages: Common.
• Favored Class: Fighter.
#13

nytcrawlr

May 21, 2004 19:25:31
Originally posted by Skitzboy
Here's what I'm using at the moment for Muls...it's a combination of the original concept from 2E and the one from Athas.org

Basic changes from Athas.org version are increased Charisma penalty, brought back the Int penalty, removed Darkvision, reworded and expanded the Extended Activity ability a little, removed the nonlethal DR, removed the LA +1, and changed the favored class from gladiator to fighter since in my campaign gladiatior is a PrC, not a core class.

Mul Racial Traits
• +4 Strength, +2 Constiution, -2 Intelligence, -4 Charisma.
• Medium Size
• Mul base land speed is 30 feet.
• Tireless: Muls gain a +4 racial bonus for performing a physical action that extends over a long period of time (hard labor, running, swimming, etc.) This bonus stacks with the Endurance feat. This bonus may also be applied to saving throws against spells or effects that cause exhaustion, enfeeblement, fatigue, or weakness.
• Extended Activity: Muls may engage in 12 hours of physical exertion (hard labor, forced march, overland movement, etc.) without suffering from fatigue or making a Constitution check.
• Dwarven Blood: For all special abilities and effects, a mul is considered a dwarf.
• Automatic Languages: Common.
• Favored Class: Fighter.

That's teetering a bit because of the +4 to Str, but not a bad LA +0 version.
#14

zombiegleemax

May 22, 2004 3:55:59
Originally posted by Dawnstealer
Heh. Funny you should mention it, my man: we've been discussing on these boards how badly half-giants were screwed under the new system. Not sure if you played 2e Dark Sun, but half-giants were holy terrors; what appeared in the new psionics book and the Dragon magazine were basically half-half-giants.

On to your question of the Muls, if you have an increase to Str or Con, you must reduce some combination of Int, Wis, and Cha in equal measure. One way to do it is something like this:

+2 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Cha

That's a 0 LA, but I, like Nyt, suggest the Athas.org version.

Thanks for the reply.
I haven't played Dark Sun, but my DM integrates elements from Dark Sun in his campaign.
We're now trying to implement all the changes the XPH made in our campaign world.

So the Half-Gaint should actualy get more abilities and thus a higher LA


NytCrawlr
Laziness by any other name....

http://athas.org/releases/ds3/ds3_imageless_v1.00.pdf

Need to know how to search a little to be able to find it in the pdf, but it's in there.

Thanks for the link. Normaly it takes people ages to discover my true nature, you just needed one post;)
#15

nytcrawlr

May 22, 2004 10:53:20
Don't make me bust out my dragon on you...


IMAGE(http://www.middleofeverywhere.com/komodragon3.JPG)
#16

zombiegleemax

May 22, 2004 11:11:44
That would certainly make me display some activity..running..