[Pathfinder] Oakling Monk Level Adjustment

Download the advanced monsters module from the Pazio website, recreate the idea using the scheme, as an example you could do this:

They seem to want to be a plant so first lets give them the plant subtype, break the rules a little and spend 8 of 10 racial points to achieve this. Being medium spends 0 points this leaves us 2 points to achieve anything else we like so.

To save some point lets go ahead and go with a Greater paragon modifier. Their from a race of wise plant people, thoughtful and long term thinking, but their not too smart and their limbs are stiff given them: -2 dex, -2 int, +4 wisdom, that also gives us another 1 RP to use.

Lets make the race xenophobic in its language selection: Their normally isolated and are just now appearing amid the general population, this costs us 0 points and she would just need an intelligence score of 12 or some skill points in linguistics to speak to the party.

We will also add a fire vulnerability giving us another +2 points

Racial abilities:

Lets give this race Stability for 1 point (+4 racial bonus to this CBM score to resist bull rush or trip attempts on the ground)

Camouflage for 1 point: Racial +4 stealth in marshes or forested areas.

Silent Hunter 2 RP: Members of this race reduce the penalty for using Stealth while moving by –5 and can make Stealth checks while running at a –20 penalty (this number includes the penalty reduction from this ability).

Improved natural armor 1 RP: +1 to natural armor

So what you get is:

Hedgeling

Type: Plant

Base stats: -2 dex, +4 wisdom, -2 intelligence

Languages: Hedgeling

Racial traits:

Fire vulnerability: Hedgelings take double damage from fire or full damage if they make their savings throw

Stability: Rooted hard into the ground when they want to Hedgelings receive a +4 racital bonus to resist bull rush or trip attempts while standing on earth.

Camouflage: Hedgelings blend into swamp and forest areas almost perfectly and receive a +4 bonus to stealth checks while in such terrain.

Silent hunter: Hedgelings move with barely a sound and only take a -5 penalty to stealth while moving (-20 while running)

Bark armor: Hedgelings are covered in a thin but tough layer of bark giving them +1 to their natural armor.

Hows that?

Oakling isn't overpowered in the least. It's healing ability is 1/day and it heals a pittance, its ability to get up from prone will be rarely invoked, and the only good ability will be the protective sap which is not very effective at low levels in the first place.

It's hardly min-maxing, Oaklings just make good monks. Their biggest weakness is that they are affected by things that harm both humanoids and plants, use this against her. Pathfinder dropped LA because it doesn't fucking work and it becomes a liability three levels in. You also need to ask yourself "What's more powerful, this, or a level of wizard?"

If you still think it's OP, and you're doing point-buy, just give a slight penalty to the number of points she has to spend and leave it at that. You want to know overpowered? 3.5 Dromites.

you should add that whenever the character has not been in daylight for more than a day then she starts getting minus strength. maybe -2 for 24 hours with no sunlight, then another -2 for every 12 hours after that. then have the party go to the "land of always winter," haha.

This race is no more overpowered than a Dwarf. 2 +2 and 1 -2 stat adjustment is normal in pathfinder. They have an extra weakness in being susceptible to both plant and humanoid affecting abilities. And it has 2 minor abilities that are kind of useful. Really not overpowered.

edit: Also he is playing a monk, which is super weak class to start.

What about this race is over powered?

That's a neat race. The Sun Heal should go ahead and nourish for one day instead of one meal, 'cause nobody cares about one meal.

Let one player be extra-strong. You're the dm, you can hand out ultimate power left and right. If every player gets a turn being extra strong, rather than having everyone stay leveled-out, hoorah.

Yeah I agree with the others who are saying that's it's not really overpowered. FrugalNinja's suggestion is great though, it balances the race a bit more, making it more like a plant-ish Dwarf. Go with that.

Rooted Foot: Oaklings can stand up from being prone as a swift action instead of a move-equivalent action.

How does that at all mix with dodge and evasion? Getting all three is OP as hell.

Besides that there's some overlap in immunities that monks get at later levels.

Overall I wouldn't allow it unless there where some really serious drawbacks. That race just seems unbalanced as hell overall, and pretty incompatible with the image of a nimble monk.

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Okay, first and foremost that race is very overpowered. If it was a question of RP I would offer the player the option of playing a "tree person" who has the same racial profile as one of the normal PC races (their choice). Basically an reskin with no special mechanical effect.

Otherwise, my answer would be no.

If they want to play a race because it is overpowered then they are douches who are going to just ruin your game and should avoid like the plague.

However if they really like the concept of an Oakling, I would do with what FrugalNinja says and nerf the race to make it more balanced. I've done this with Ogres in my world and people don't really seem to mind. As long as it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck it's a duck ya know.