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Unwanted spawn of gods and primordials, hated by both and loved by few

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height:  6'6"-7'6"
Average Weight:  250-350 lb.

Ability Scores:  +2 Dexterity; +2 Strength or +2 Charisma
Size:  Medium
Speed:  7 squares
Vision:  Low-light vision

Languages:  Common, Primordial, choice of one other
Skill Bonus:  +2 Intimidate, +2 Athletics or Endurance
Nourished by Hunger:  You are capable of eating and gaining nourishment from inorganic materials.  As long as you have access to and are capable of swallowing at least a pound of soil, ash, dust, small stones, coins or the like per day, you are not subject to starvation or thirst.
Rejected by Creation:  Your birth was abomination, an insult to the natural order.  You are considered an elemental creature and an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Unholy Energy:  Choose one of acid, cold, fire, lightning or radiant.  You gain resist 5 + one-half your level to that damage type.  In addition, while you are bloodied, your attacks deal 2 extra damage of that type.  This extra damage increases to 4 at 21st level.

Reforged By Pain/Nephilim Racial Utility
Pain that would give other creatures pause is your default condition.
Encounter
Immediate Reaction - Personal
Trigger:  You are subjected to an effect that would daze, stun or immobilize you.
Effect:  The triggering effect ends.

PHYSICAL QUALITIES
Nephilim are tainted souls born from the mixture of elemental and immortal blood. These abominable beings who should not exist resemble humans, but more in mockery than homage. They tower head and shoulders over most other races. Their limbs are stretched so as to be all the same length, and their bodies are slender for their height, giving them a gangly appearance.

Nephilim born merely from the mingled blood and ashes left on battlefields between the immortal and elemental beings generally have a doughy appearance, without many distinguishing features. Those born from lesser races... such as the pairing of a deva and genasi, for example... often have lovely features, marred only by draconic fangs and markings considered to be ill-omened in one parent's culture, usually red hair or an odd number of digits on the hands and feet.

PLAYING A NEPHILIM
Nephilim are, as a rule, broken beings. The gods see them as abominations that should never have come to be. The primordials look on them with scorn, failures of beings that couldn't perform to the task of crushing the deities and their works. Nephilim are often given to angst and nihilism, eschewing external codes of morality (especially those of the gods that hate them) as they attempt to make sense of the mad worlds in which they find themselves. Most adventuring nephilim develop an attitude of self-deprecation as a coping mechanism, unwilling or unable to deal with the hatred pouring in on all sides.

Other nephilim are simply unstable, and dangerously so. Hated by the gods and their followers, scorned by primordials and demons, and generally distrusted everywhere they go, they seek to establish their place in the hierarchy wherever they can. Might makes right, and the nephilim lash out to make dead certain that the only way to look down on them is to stand over their corpse. Such nephilim also find themselves unable to stand the sight of their ilk, and often the breaking point can be found where two such nephilim meet, as they immediately clash in their attempts to kill and eat the other in a mad attempt to gain power.

Nephilim generally hold very few deities in any sort of regard, but the few who do often look to deities of pain or madness, such as Torog or the Chained God. These few reverent nephilim are outcasts among outcasts, all the more likely to devour or be devoured by their kin, who see in them the potential of acquiring a god's love and thus, becoming whole.

Nephilim Characteristics: Bitter, cynical, grim, impulsive, lonely, ruthless, violent

Male Names: Abram, Adam, Arramos, Gartrand, Ishmael, Makaidos, Mordred, Nimrod, Samson

Female Names: Alanna, Emilie, Eva, Irene, Morgan, Sarai, Shachar, Tabitha, Tisiphone

FEATS

Empowered by Agony
Prerequisites:  Nephilim, reforged by pain racial power
Benefit:  While you are bloodied or suffering from ongoing damage, you gain a +1 feat bonus to damage rolls.  If you are both bloodied and suffering from ongoing damage, this bonus becomes +2.
At 11th level, this bonus increases to +2 (or +4 for both conditions).  At 21st level, it increases to +3 (or +6 for both conditions).

Enlightened by Suffering
Prerequisites:  11th level, nephilim, reforged by pain racial power
Benefit:  The first time you are bloodied during each encounter, you can regain the use of your reforged by pain racial power.

Godscorch Invective
Prerequisites:   Nephilim
Benefit:  Whenever an enemy deals damage of the type matching your Unholy Energy to you, that enemy takes damage of the same type equal to your resistance.

Recast by Rage
Prerequisites:  Nephilim, barbarian
Benefit:  While you are raging or in a berserker fury, you gain resist 3 all.  This increases to resist 6 all at 11th level, and to resist 9 all at 21st level.

Satiated by Terror
Prerequisites:  Nephilim, Charisma 15
Benefit:  When you hit a creature with an encounter or daily power that has the fear keyword, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier, plus 1 for each additional creature hit by the same attack.

Shielded by Scorn
Prerequisites:  Nephilim, monk, Flurry of Blows class feature
Benefit:  When you use your flurry of blows power while wielding no weapon other than your monk unarmed strike, it deals 2 extra damage of the same type as your Unholy Energy.  In addition, the resistance granted by your Unholy Energy increases by 2. 

AWESOME. 

I also get what you're going for with the mad mixture of Primordial and Divine, but why the aberrant origin in that case?  It makes me think of a few of your characters and their backstories, for sure, but I'm not sure that Aberrant origin is how that would be understood in the 4e setting. 

Still, that's really a flavour thing.  Mechanics look fine – looks a bit based off of the Vryloka Race, though without the racial penalty.  Everything there is standard, I don't think it's too much. 

I love the ability scores too.  Combination we haven't really seen yet, gives a nice array of classes:

Dex/Str offers perfect scores for: Weaponmaster, Slayer, Ranger, Scoundrel, Thief, Specialised Bladesinger (of the Half-orc Melee-Training Str variety that jettisons Int), Barbarian, Berserker, Monk, and Executioner.

Dex/Cha offers perfect scores for: Scoundrel, Thief, Skald, Sorcerer, Hexblade, Binder, Templar (of the very specific Bow+Battle Cleric's Lore variety that jettisons both Str AND Wis), Ardent, Monk, Embertiger's Soulknife, Assassin, Executioner, and Vampire. 

Dex in general provides the key ability for Scoundrel, Thief, Ranger, Scout, Hunter, Bladesinger, Bow-Templar, Monk, Embertiger's Soulknife, Assassin, Executioner, and Vampire. 

Str in general provides the key ability for Weaponmaster, Knight, Slayer, Ranger, Marshal, Templar, Paladin, Cavalier, Blackguard, Runepriest, Barbarian, Berserker, and Warden.

Cha in general provides the key ability for Bard, Skald, Sorcerer, Elementalist, Warlock, Hexblade, Binder, Paladin, Ardent, and Vampire. 


It's a pretty good mix, I'd say.  lends itself heavily to the stealthy/skillful classes, but you've also got a few faith-based classes and a few shadowy and psionic classes in there too.

You're half-divine (immortal origin), half-primordial (elemental origin), clearly not fey and rejected by the lot.  You don't belong.  That's why you have the aberrant origin.

Also, I was hoping someone might come up with an alternative for By Hunger Nourished before I started rolling out feats/racial utilities and suchlike.  General theme of the racial stuff is going to be in line with Malfeas' themes:  Pain, resentment, self-loathing, lashing out at others because of it.

With maybe a little stuff for the mingling of the bloodlines, but mostly I want to carve out that little niche of masochism first.  

Just to clarify what I think Marandahir was trying to get at.

From the compendium on Aberrant Origin:

“Aberrant creatures are native to or shaped by the Far Realm.”

In 4e Aberrant creatures are from the Far Realm (or twisted by its power)

The Far Realm plays its own role in makeup of the cosmos, meaning neither the Primordials nor the Gods made it or have any influence in it (I like to think of it as another dimension that’s leaking into the world of DnD) It is ruled by lack of a better term (I’m sure there is one) by giant mutant monsters (the 9 tongued worm the only one I remember by name) they are on the same level as Primordials and Gods (Save locked away in the Far Realm)

If the parents of the Nephilim are Primordial and the Gods I’d give them both Elemental and Immortal Origins (just because saying they are Aberrant implies they are cousins to Mindflayers)

Save all that Nerdum I just dropped; I really like the Race, and think it fills a role (Racily) which isn’t filled in terms of game play and mechanics (As Marandahir pointed out with the class selection potential)

 

I like your racial power a lot as it is; but if you’re looking for something more pain releated I’d give a look at some Blackguard stuff (a lot of take Damage to do Damage in it (from what I remember from my friends character)).

 

What about something like this-

Encounter- Standard Action.

You do a MBA on yourself; after the damage resolves you choose a target and they receive double damage of unholy energy type choice.  (I’d also align a debuff (prone, dazed, ext) depenet on the type of Unholy Energy type they chose ((Acid=ongoing dmg, Cold=slower ext.)

Role play wise I could see it as they stab/cut themselves and sling unholy blood or bile at an opponent (hurts them, but does even more damage to an opponent) 

I’d focus your feats/themes on life loss and effects you gain when bloodied or take damage; Also ones that buff your Unholy Energy option.  (Maybe one that links your Claw Hands to the damage type from Unholy E.)

If you really want to go the pain route, I’d def throw in some options for small hp regeneration

Hope this helps, looking forward to seeing more ((Also have a picture of what you think one would look like?)) 

...Bah, got that bit about the aberrant origin in both threads now, guess I really should change it...

And no, I don't have pictures, sorry.  Mostly because I haven't found a "naked' Evangelion yet...

EDIT:  Claws of the Beast removed, per feedback from GitP.  Aberrant Origin replaced with Rejected by Creation.

EDIT2:  My MSN springboard just supplied one.

Can I say this just got major Stars in my book because you picture choice?  (Love that anime)

What was the reasoning behind the removal of Claws? You could always copy and paste the Gnoll claw mechanics or just give them a straight attack/damage roll buff to unarmed attacks.

I def feel like the races need another perk to it to give it some flavor and umph.

Mar 4, 2013 -- 1:53PM, CliveDauthi wrote:

Can I say this just got major Stars in my book because you picture choice?  (Love that anime)

What was the reasoning behind the removal of Claws? You could always copy and paste the Gnoll claw mechanics or just give them a straight attack/damage roll buff to unarmed attacks.

I def feel like the races need another perk to it to give it some flavor and umph.

Ultimately?  Decided that they were unnecessary after realizing how stoopid my argument defending them was in the GitP thread.  So they got tossed away and might come back as a feat or something later.

And I feel the same way; right now my gut instinct is to switch By Hunger Nourished to a straight translation of the Malfeas charm of the same name (gain nourishment by eating or drinking anything that happens to be at hand... which is to say a "survival day" for a Nephilim is significantly cheaper due to simply being able to scoop up a handful of sand and eat it) and switch the power to something more comparable to the shifters' ones (By Pain Reforged).

BUMP