tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264635622364229027.post5652963266937234754..comments2012-06-07T14:34:31.887-07:00Comments on Alea Iacta Est: The SownThrower of Stoneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15598551470559673576noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264635622364229027.post-18216583027752038182011-12-12T09:01:51.668-08:002011-12-12T09:01:51.668-08:00Although I did not have the pequeninos in mind whe...Although I did not have the pequeninos in mind when designing these, it's probably impossible to say they didn't influence it at all since I read Ender's Game and subsequent books for the first time about two months ago. Although I have had the idea for these guys for a few years; I've been creating them as a race in Spore periodically, although I never seem to have the patience to reach Space stage anymore.<br /><br />I had envisioned yes that they must be sown on humanoids but can subsist on anything. The flavor justification would be that they can only successfully parasitize (not quite the right word, but close) on a few species, but they can actually consume the bones themselves and repair the humanoid bones with calcium carbonate once they are established. It's a little weak, but the mechanical/real reason I felt the need to do this is the following:<br /><br />If they could be sown in any creature, then they couldn't feasibly be a playable race, since there would be unlimited variability in what they were like. This is the route I would have went if they were a template, of course, but I decided against it early on in the design process because I thought they'd be cooler playable.<br /><br />If I had said they needed to consume humanoids to live, though, under DnD rules that makes them evil. Just like its evil to wear a cloak made from leather of a sentient species, it would almost certainly be evil to eat the bones of one, even if they were taken from already dead individuals. This gives them a bit more wiggle room, although of course I'm sure technically the act of sowing would be considered evil. DnD's morality can not handle complexities like this, unfortunately.<br /><br />But yeah, basically, I wanted to restrict them mechanically to being humanoids but allow them the freedom to simply be misunderstood rather than actively hunting out humanoid corpses to eat.<br /><br />Another option of course is to say they don't need to eat bones at all, but that's a lot less cool.<br /><br />Their design I would say is balanced for 3.5, although possibly overcorrected a bit. For Pathfinder I would probably reduce the penalties a bit, but not eliminate them, as plant type and immunities are still very good bonuses. -2 on each would probably be fine; you might be able to get away with only a -2 in Charisma since the twenty foot move speed is also a significant penalty.Thrower of Stoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15598551470559673576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264635622364229027.post-27752810588796136722011-12-12T08:25:25.889-08:002011-12-12T08:25:25.889-08:00Oh, I love these guys! This race is absolutely A-...Oh, I love these guys! This race is absolutely A-1 in terms of flavor; I've never seen anything like them. The closest would probably be the pequeninos from Speaker for the Dead, but there were only a few similarities there. Now, presumably they can subsist on the bones of any creature type, but can they only create more Sown from humanoids?<br /><br />Mechanically, I also like what I see. The Con bonus is appropriately offset by the penalties, and the watered-down plant immunities feel useful without being TOO awesome. Strong skill bonuses are also nice. If anything, I might wonder if the stat adjustments are too harsh, given Pathfinder's generosity with bonuses compared to 3.5, but I think it's reasonable as-is.mdkammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06167181216362516814noreply@blogger.com