Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zardnaar May 25, 2007 4:20:28	Heres a race I've thought up. Comments good or bad are always welcome. Not Darksun enough to weak/overpowered bring em on. Psiforged Psi Forged are artificial lifeforms constructed by Psions of great power. Their origin is unknown and they have only recently appeared in the Tyr region after Free Year 15. Very little is known about them. Personality Psiforged tend to be very unemotional and distant and seem to lack empathy. Once they spend time around other races they tend to emulate them to some degree. They are capable of experiencing human and demihuman emotions however although they seem to learn them from whatever cultural group they are currently with. Well traveled Psi Forged tend to be as complex as any member of other species. While not overly emotional they tend to become quite passionate about individuals, quests or interests. Most Psiforged seem to have dim racial memories of a yellow sun and fields of grass and fertile land. It is unknown if they are lost in time, survivors of a previous age, or have some ability to dream or see into the past. Then again the Athasian sun may have driven them mad. Physical Description Psiforged look like humans with lightly tanned skin tone and tend to be attractive specimens of that species. Some would even say they look as if they have been sculpted. What sets them apart is the colour of their eyes and lack of pupils. Psiforged eyes look like crystal or perhaps glass and are usually amythest, emerald, ruby, sapphire, topaz, in colour. Rare specimens have metallic coloured eyes. In all cases hair colour also matches the eyes. Psiforged internal skeletons are made of a crystal like substance that matches the eye colour. While they are a living construct they can perform any biological function a human can they are infertile. They can enjoy any physical sensation a human can but sometimes see no need to do so- eating for example. Relations Psiforged simply have no opinion on other races and treat each individual as an individual. Most races assume they are some sort of new race and have no particular attitude towards them. Halflings and Kreen however find Psiforged to be totally inediable. Alignment Psiforged tend towards neutrality in alignment although they may be of any alignment. They have a slight tendency towards law over chaos. Psiforged Lands Psiforged have no known lands and are rare in the Tyr region and unknown before Free Year 15. They are more commen north of the Tyr region. Rumors have reached Kurn of a Crystal Legion . This unit of Psiforged appeared to be carving out a small empire north of Lava Gorge Religion Psiforged have no religeous beliefs There are no known Psiforged Clerics of Druids although this is from lack of interest from the Psiforged rather than lack of talent. Language Psiforged have no racial language. They know one or more languages usually commen although they tend to use archaic forms of it and speak rather slowly and in a formal style. Names Psiforged tend to have human like names . They don't seem to care to much and often have Dwarven, Elven or other races names or even combinations of names. Adventurers Racial Traits *+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence. Psiforged are intellegent and agile. *Medium Size. Psiforged have no penalties or bonuses due to size * Psiforged base speed is 30 feet. *Darkvision 60 feet. Psiforged can see in the dark. *Endure Elements(ex). Psiforged are immune to extremes of weather. Treat this as the spell of the same name on page 226 of the Player's Handbook * Timeless (ex)Psiforged are immortal. They appear as mature humans in the prime of their life. They suffer no adverse effect form aging and gain no bonus or penalty due to the aging process. They are immune to spells and effects that age a creature. * Living Construct. Psiforged are living constructs. Rules for living constructs can be found on page 23 of the Eberron Campaign Setting,page 215 Monster Manual 3 and page 40 of issue 354 Dragon magazine. Automatic Language: Commen Bonus Languages: Any Favoured Class: Psion *Level Adjustment +1. Psiforged are more powerful than normal races and advance slower. For the DM. I haven't decided on the origin of the Psiforged but are leaning towards them being created by the Mindlords via an epic power involving the life seed. 2 reasons. 1. Additional security now the Border guardians are starting to fail. 2. New bodies for the Mindlords. Thesik probably has worked out why Barani and Kosveret are starting to go nuts- being stuck in an obsidian orb for thousands of years. A Psiforged body would offer immortality and be able to enjoy the things humans take for granted. Essentially Psiforged are upgraded humans and I'm wondering if i could add an extra feats and skill points to the Psiforged as ATM they don't look to good for LA+1. Timeless is irrelevent in most games, 60 darkvision and endure elements aren't a big deal and can be duplicated easily by spells/psionics or other races like Elves and Dwarves. That leaves +2 intelligence and dex hmmmn.
#2 Jaysyn May 25, 2007 7:53:50	Timeless is irrelevent in most games, . Someone isn't using any unique undead with age-draining attacks. Also, being immortal would give you a completely different outlook on life. I don't know anything about "Living Construct" (& don't care for Eberron at all) but if you get even half of the normal construct immunities then the LA should be a lot higher then +1.
#3 Zardnaar May 25, 2007 8:36:55	Someone isn't using any unique undead with age-draining attacks. Also, being immortal would give you a completely different outlook on life. I don't know anything about "Living Construct" (& don't care for Eberron at all) but if you get even half of the normal construct immunities then the LA should be a lot higher then +1. I'm not a fan of Eberron either but the living construct subtype is starting to bleed into other settings. Apart form Darksun it is the only other campaign setting where Psionics have a major presence in the world- most worlds its kinda an add on.Warforged don't get a LA at all and they're a living construct. Big drawback as well. Healing magic only heals half of its normal hit points. Vulnerable to spells that effect constructs. Cannot heal damage normally by resting. Don't need to sleep, breathe or eat. Immune to poison,sleep,paralysis,disease,nausea, fatigue,exhaustion,and energy drain. Theres a bit more to it than that but thats the guts of it. Aging attacks are rare. Perhaps a few spells and ghosts maybe? Can't think of any other aging effect that is likely to be used. At LA+2 its a weak race at best. LA+2 gets you Drow, Half Vampires and various other races that are alot better than a Psiforged. To be honest I'm not sure if I'll end up using them in game or on Athas but they seem to be a logical progression for a sentient psicrystal- sorta. My next DS campaign might be set in Free Year 1015 and the Psiforged are for that time period.
#4 cnahumck May 25, 2007 9:14:21	Anything more than +1 LA is a hindrance, especially to casters/manifesters. I have some ideas for something similar to this for an area I am developing, but they will not be player characters, so LA is not as big of an issue. (NPC's LA don't matter, only CR). That said, it is an interesting concept. I always thought the gnomes would have done something like this during the Cleansing Wars.
#5 Jaysyn May 25, 2007 9:55:47	Aging attacks are rare. Perhaps a few spells and ghosts maybe? Can't think of any other aging effect that is likely to be used. That's the great thing about Dark Sun, nearly all of the intelligent undead are unique & can have whatever powers you'd like them to. Still, the whole living construct thing seems kinda of munchkinish with all those immunities & only a +1 LA. Are they immune to critical hits as well? Anything more than +1 LA is a hindrance, especially to casters/manifesters. It's supposed to be a hindrance, it's there for balance not to make a PCs life easier.
#6 dunsel May 25, 2007 12:31:46	My first thought of origin was they were the creations and servants of the Order. The Order was allegedly scattered. Maybe around FR14 they were released from their stasis and stumbledout into the world.
#7 cnahumck May 25, 2007 12:33:33	It's supposed to be a hindrance, it's there for balance not to make a PCs life easier. I know this. What I am saying is that Manifesters and Casters need to pay attention to this, because it will screw them later. A psion with a +1LA will always be a ML behind. That better make the benefits worth it.
#8 Zardnaar May 25, 2007 17:43:42	Living constructs are vulnerable to critical hits and death magic etc. I listed their immiunities and as I mentioned the living construct subtype has a few downsides as well. In regardes to the timeless issue apart form aging attack immortality or close to it probably doesn't come up in most D&D games. A standard elf lives for several hundred years and I've never had one in game die of old age even with aging attacks and 2nd ed haste and wish spells.
#9 nomadicc May 26, 2007 19:09:42	Living Construct isn't munchkin-ish at all... they've got a good balance of unique (for a PC) abilities and some pretty harsh balancing traits as well. One thing about Warforged in Eberron is the presence of artificers who can use the Repair X Damage spells. Theres obviously no artificers in DS, and most wizards/sorcerers probably won't those spells in their knowledge. How do you plan to balance this healing deficit for the LCs? (if at all) Overall, the race as written is pretty damn cool! I'd consider a -2 CHA given their lack of "personality", similar to the half-giants.
#10 cnahumck May 27, 2007 1:06:42	One thing about Warforged in Eberron is the presence of artificers who can use the Repair X Damage spells. Theres obviously no artificers in DS, and most wizards/sorcerers probably won't those spells in their knowledge. How do you plan to balance this healing deficit for the LCs? (if at all) Shapers (psions) have repair damage.
#11 Zardnaar Jun 09, 2007 6:49:46	Shapers (psions) have repair damage. Artificers are commen in Eberron and are cheap to hire. Not to many Psions probably have Repair construct as a known power.
#12 mouthymerc Jun 09, 2007 7:49:38	Artificers are commen in Eberron and are cheap to hire. Not to many Psions probably have Repair construct as a known power. If you are going to introduce Psiforged into your campaign, especially as a usable race, it would be a good idea to have options for healing that are more common. Yes, regular healing works at half effect, but having shapers around that can psionically heal them would not be out of hand.
#13 Zardnaar Jun 09, 2007 8:03:04	If you are going to introduce Psiforged into your campaign, especially as a usable race, it would be a good idea to have options for healing that are more common. Yes, regular healing works at half effect, but having shapers around that can psionically heal them would not be out of hand. They won't be very commen in my games. The Crystal Empire will probably have Psiforged psions with repair construct known. Otherwise its half healing fomr the local cleric. That it a big drawback to the living construct type which is quite powerful to balence it out.
#14 cnahumck Jun 09, 2007 12:17:43	Artificers are commen in Eberron and are cheap to hire. Not to many Psions probably have Repair construct as a known power. They might. It all depends on the build. After a few blaster powers, you really should get some variety. How many energy powers does a character really need?
#15 Zardnaar Jun 09, 2007 17:41:42	They might. It all depends on the build. After a few blaster powers, you really should get some variety. How many energy powers does a character really need? About 2 energy ball and energy missile IMHO.
#16 mouthymerc Jun 10, 2007 13:13:03	They won't be very commen in my games. The Crystal Empire will probably have Psiforged psions with repair construct known. Otherwise its half healing fomr the local cleric. That it a big drawback to the living construct type which is quite powerful to balence it out. My concern here is that it is a kind of artificial drawback. You are trying to put in a drawback where I don't think one is needed. It almost sounds like you are penalizing a player for taking a psiforged, rather than a drawback. I think it would drive many players to try and skirt the problem. Perhaps they will find a psion who can make them a ring of psionic repair damage. Making it a little difficult is one thing, making it all but impossible as a drawback is quite another. Imagine a player choosing to play a drow and the GM is okay with that. Then the GM runs all the games so they take place on the surface and the majority of the action takes place during the day. Unless he forewarned the player that this would happen, it would not be very fair. I guess the only point I'm really trying to make here is that the player should be fully aware of what he is in for. If he is going to need twice as much healing as everyone else a majority of the time, it may influence how he plays. It may also influence his choice of class, too.
#17 Zardnaar Jun 10, 2007 16:06:05	My concern here is that it is a kind of artificial drawback. You are trying to put in a drawback where I don't think one is needed. It almost sounds like you are penalizing a player for taking a psiforged, rather than a drawback. I think it would drive many players to try and skirt the problem. Perhaps they will find a psion who can make them a ring of psionic repair damage. Making it a little difficult is one thing, making it all but impossible as a drawback is quite another. Imagine a player choosing to play a drow and the GM is okay with that. Then the GM runs all the games so they take place on the surface and the majority of the action takes place during the day. Unless he forewarned the player that this would happen, it would not be very fair. I guess the only point I'm really trying to make here is that the player should be fully aware of what he is in for. If he is going to need twice as much healing as everyone else a majority of the time, it may influence how he plays. It may also influence his choice of class, too. Living constructs have alot of advantages over normal races in terms of what they're immune to. The healing issue is the draw back to their other advantages. Its not impossable for him to get healed but he won't be able to stroll into any town and head for the nearest temple and get healed up like normal PCs do.
#18 mouthymerc Jun 10, 2007 16:25:23	Living constructs have alot of advantages over normal races in terms of what they're immune to. Yes, but these advantages are built into the race, along with the disadvantages of being a construct. It is almost as if you are ad hoc-ing an additional drawback onto the race. The healing issue is the draw back to their other advantages. Its not impossible for him to get healed but he won't be able to stroll into any town and head for the nearest temple and get healed up like normal PCs do. Oh, he could take normal healing, but it will take double the amount over his compatriots. I don't think that this will be a drawback as much as an annoyance. Anytime some player's character needs an excessive amount of some resource, be it healing or cash or whatever, it can lead to problems. A living construct already has special needs for healing, these needs don't need to be compounded even more so.
#19 Zardnaar Jun 10, 2007 16:45:45	First time I saw a warforged I thought they needed a LA of +1. They had a big list of immunities- enervate for example is useless on them, poison, several enchantment spells etc. I'm not going out of my way to make a living constructs life hard and to be honest haven't even used them in game yet as my next game I run will be DS or Eberron- I want to play both dammit. However you are taking a race with some built in disadvantages. If you take an Athasian half giant for example you will have to pay more money for your equipment armor in particular. If you're a Drow on a normal world sunlight will be annoying and you might also get killed/arrested on sight. I'm not presenting Psiforged as a standard race to play. More of an NPC race with the option of a PC if someone really wants to play one I'll let them. At least this race can interact with the more normal races easier than a Warforged for example. A Psiforged can fall in love, have sex, eat food, and do anything a more or less normal human/elf/dwarf etc can do except reproduce sexually.
#20 tweedledope Jun 12, 2007 12:38:16	No power point bouns? Odd...
#21 Zardnaar Jun 12, 2007 16:06:36	No power point bouns? Odd... I try and avoid them. Its one thing I don't like about Psionic races in the Psionics Handbook. The bonus power points are a racial ability and it would be incorporated into their stat block or level adjustment. What if you're not Psionic or don't use Psionics? Change the Psiforged name, and favoured class and you can use it in any setting really. The Kalashtar in Eberron for example get a points power point at every level and not much else in terms of racial abilities. A totally wasted ability if you don't use the Psionics handbook.