My silly players have decided they want the Predator and Fellpool (from Star Ocean) in the D&D campaign… so this is what we have…
Yautja Racial Traits:
+4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -4 Charisma
Medium-Size
Yautja base speed is 40 ft.
Natural Armor +1
Scent
+2 racial bonus to Jump, Climb, Swim, Hide, and Move Silently
Automatic Languages: Yautja
Bonus Languages: Common, Abyssal, Infernal, Orc, Dwarven, Goblin; Yautja occasionally learn the languages of the creatures they most frequently deign to prey upon.
Favored Class: Ranger; Yautja aspire to be hunters, a trait of the ranger class.
Level Adjustment +2; Yautja are more powerful than most races, and gain experience more slowly accordingly.
Fellpool Racial Traits:
+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
Medium-Size
Fellpool base speed is 30 ft.
+2 bonus to Balance, Listen, Hide, and Move Silently
+1 bonus to all saving throws.
One Bonus feat at 1st-level
Automatic Languages: Common, Fellpool
Bonus Languages: Celestial, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Undercommon
Favored Class: Any (highest level class is favored class); Fellpool feel no exclusive calling to any particular profession.
The predator ECL should be much higher. Deep gnomes don’t have near as many bonus, but have a +3 to their ECL. An overall +4 to stat mods, along with the AC bonus and racial bonus to those skills, are far too strong for a +2 ECL in my opinion.
Deep Gnomes have +3 because nondetection is always on, they get a +4 dodge AC bonus against every frickin thing that exists, and they have spell-like abilities!
The might have fewer ‘bonuses’ but that ain’t the only thing that counts!
The main thing about the predator is how bloody well equipped they are. That alone will cause them to get an ad hoc XP adjustment of anywhere between 150% to 300% depending on what level of equipment the guy has and whether it matches his character level.
The level adjustment is almost SOLELY based on the ability adjustments. Unlike Drow, who have a +1 from ability scores and a +1 from SR and spell-like abilities.
Yautja don’t have much going for 'em besides those uber ability modifiers. I might go over it again later and adjust to +3 or +4… but I am not certain if that will be necessary.
(the ad hoc adjustment refers to NPC predators vs. the players)
Viewing cat-people as ‘bimbos’ is a racial stereotype. In fact, the racial stereotype would vary from people to people. Using charisma on people who think all cat-persons are bimbos would get a circumstance penalty on the fellpool’s charisma check. Alternatively, if they are doing it with a people who think cats bring good luck it would probably be the inverse…
In my game the truth of the matter is that they are a mixed warrior/merchant race, with a few potent mages thrown in the mix (mostly sorcerers).
A few imbeciles might exist, but merely being a ‘catgirl’ (or catboy for that matter…) does not guarantee bimboness.
Well, even the basic D&D character races represent stereotypes, so you just can’t blame me. Of course, Orcs aren’t that bright… But hey, there are a few geniuses beneath that rabble…
And there might be snailish elves and sickly dwarves…
So it’s kinda difficult to determine how things should work. Oh well. goes to find a race handbook or something
and for my final verdict on the stat business: +2 dex, -2 wis. Thank you.