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After looking at the origins listed in the first 2 box sets I don't see any snake people. I want to run a game set in Florida so I need some lizard/snake people as a viable race option.

How card would it be for me to cook up a new optional Origin for my game?

First 2 box sets?

Do the expansions have more origins in them?

If so where did you see a list?


I wouldn't think it would be too hard to do a snake or lizard origin.

Snake
DEX based bio with some sort of poison bite or grab attack +4 to Stealth 
Some kind of limited blind sense or some sort of bonus to grabs or bonus to squeezing
Maybe even the ability to unhinge the jaw and eat an entire Thanksgiving turkey

Lizard could be similar with camoflage, poison spit, poison skin, bonus to speed (depending on lizard type)

 

Snake

 

Snake Traits

Mutant Type: Strength; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.

Skill Bonus (Level 1): Gain a +4 bonus to Perception checks.

These Scales Aren’t Just for Show (Level 1): Gain a +1 bonus to AC.

You Call That Poison? (Level 1): Gain resist 10 poison.

Snake Critical (Level 2 or 6): When you score a critical hit, the attack deals 1d10 extra damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends).

 

Snake Powers

Crushing Jaws of Defeat

Snake Novice

With a quick lunge, you sink your fangs into an exposed bit of your opponent’s flesh and wrap them in a powerful embrace.

At-Will * Bio, Physical

Standard Action, Melee 1

Target: One Creature

Attack: Strength + your level vs. AC

Hit: 1d6 + Strength modifier + your level physical damage and target is immobilized until the start of your next turn.

 

Taste of Victory

Snake Utility

As your fangs sink into your prey, you decide to leave them a little surprise.

Encounter * Bio, Physical

Immediate Reaction, Melee 1

Trigger: You damage an enemy with your Crushing Jaws of Defeat power.

Effect: Target takes ongoing poison damage equal to your Constitution modifier.

 

Crushing Doom

Snake Expert

Wrapping your body around your opponent, you begin to crush the life from it.

Encounter * Bio, Physical

Standard Action, Melee 1

Target: One creature of your size or smaller.

Attack: Strength + your level vs. Reflex

Hit: 2d10 + Strength modifier + twice your level physical damage, and the target is restrained (save ends).

Effect: (here’s where it gets a bit wonky) If the target does not save you can continue to crush it on subsequent turns. In other words, this power recharges every turn until the target saves, but you can only use it on the original target.

Oct 13, 2010 -- 9:27AM, serok42 wrote:

First 2 box sets?

Do the expansions have more origins in them?

If so where did you see a list?

Preview of FiFG here: wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4pr/2...

Oct 13, 2010 -- 10:49AM, FlashbackJon wrote:

Oct 13, 2010 -- 9:27AM, serok42 wrote:

First 2 box sets?

Do the expansions have more origins in them?

If so where did you see a list?

Preview of FiFG here: wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4pr/2...

Ohhh Thanks. I was aware of the expansions I just didn't know that they had more origins in them.

Each of the two expansions have 160-page books in them equivalent in the size to the GW box set book. So they're really rule expansions, with more monsters and additional concepts, like Cryptic Alliance cards and so on.

I believe we will have 60 origins by the time the game is done coming out.

But to answer the OP, yeah, it should be pretty easy to make new origins. Looks like some folks have come to your rescue already. The trickiest part is balancing the core powers, but frankly even that seems like less of a factor in GW. Some origins just have better powers than others. It's all random, they all die fast, and your best powers come from Alpha Mutation anyway. So make the power you want, and if it's obviously better than an at-will make it an encounter. Otherwise, you're good to go. 

Looks like they already had 4 Origins coming I was thinking about writing up.

Now all I got left is Canine & Hooved. 

Ha! I'll be a rebel. I'll have them roll a orgin from each table!!!

Better yet, I'll probably take all 60 orgins and select 20 that fit the feel of my game:

• Psyhic Wars - Mental origins only. People will be "human" only in that they don't have an orign that affects their appearance
• Animal Farm - Physical, animal Origins only.
• SuperCops - Origins that enhance armor, technology and reflexes. Staying away from weirder Origins like Rat Swarm and Gelantious.

Never heard of the great mouse detective I take it.

Oct 13, 2010 -- 9:59AM, Doomed_Prophet wrote:

Crushing Doom

Snake Expert

Wrapping your body around your opponent, you begin to crush the life from it.

Encounter * Bio, Physical

Standard Action, Melee 1

Target: One creature of your size or smaller.

Attack: Strength + your level vs. Reflex

Hit: 2d10 + Strength modifier + twice your level physical damage, and the target is restrained (save ends).

Effect: (here’s where it gets a bit wonky) If the target does not save you can continue to crush it on subsequent turns. In other words, this power recharges every turn until the target saves, but you can only use it on the original target.

That doesn't have to be wonky at all. There are some D&D powers that mimic this kind of effect by using the 'sustain (action type)' wording. Restrained (save ends) should probably be replaced by a Grab, possibly with a flat penalty to escape the Grab... -4 is what the Essentials Assassin preview used for their Garrote Strangle, which seems about right.

In this case, you would just add a text line after the hit entry that says:

Sustain Standard: 2d10 + Strength modifier + twice your level physical damage, and you sustain the grab. You can only sustain this power if the target is still grabbed by you.

Hrm. I see just now after typing this that Grab isn't listed in the GW rulebook. In that case, restrained is probably the right idea, but I'd make the snake-ish character have to immobilize themselves in order to sustain the attack.

Effect: The target becomes Restrained. The target may spend a Move action to make an Acrobatics check against your Reflex, or an Athletics check against your Fortitude. If they succeed, they may shift 1 and are no longer Restrained.

Special: At the beginning of your turn, if the target is still Restrained by this power, you may spend a Standard action to automatically hit the target with this power again, dealing full damage.

(Also, remove Save Ends from the effect)
- - -

Wordy, but those are the Escape Grab rules as concisely as possible, and a fairly properly written version of sustain.