Cayzle's Wemic Site

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3E Wemics PCs by the Book

In the Dungeon Master's Guide (page 22), there are rules for playing monsters as characters. If the monster has one hit die (like a goblin or a kobold), then the character is treated just like other traditional characters -- elves, humans, dwarves, etc. If the monster has more than one hit die, then there is a game balance problem.

These rules assume that the monster as it appears in the Monster Manual is the basis for the character. So, for example, an ogre player character starts out as a standard ogre -- 4d8 hit dice, max hit points for the first die, large in size, +5 natural armor, very good strength and constitution, etc. Obviously, such a player character would be much greater in power than a standard first-level human or elf -- that's the game balance problem.

The solution that the DMG uses is to rule that no ogres are allowed as player characters until the traditional player characters in the game are fifth level. Then an ogre character could start play as a character level four PC. When the ogre has enough experience points to become a character level 5 PC, the ogre can multiclass, for example, as an ogre (monster level 4) / cleric (class level 1).

To recap, a monster character has monster levels equal to her hit dice and a character level equal to her class levels plus her monster levels. A monster PC can begin play (with monster levels only) when traditional PCs have one more character level than the monster PC has monster levels. (By the way, a monster has as many monster levels as it has hit dice.)

Wemic Applications
Now let's apply the DMG rules to wemic characters. In doing so, I am using my own revised version of the wemic as the moster base and not the version that can be found in Monsters of Faerun, for reasons I detail in my review of the Faerun book. The differences between the two are not great, but I recommend my version as better.

Specifics:

• Ability Scores A stock wemic has Str 18, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 11. This translates into Str +8, Dex +4, Con +2, Int normal, Wis -2, Cha normal. As per the Player's Handbook, roll 4d6, drop the lowest roll, repeat six times, arrange to suit, and apply these racial modifiers. Note that at character levels 8, 12, 16, etc., a wemic gains an ability score increase, just like all characters.
• Alignment Any, although wemics tend toward neutrality.
• Hit Dice A wemic has 5d8, but the first is maxed at 8 hp, so the wemic's hit points total 8 + 4d8 + (5 x Con bonus).
• Languages A wemic begins play speaking Wemic and heavily Accented Common. With a higher Int, other languages can be added: Unaccented Common, Sylvan, and others as deemed appropriate by the DM for the campaign. Wemics may know the languages of creatures that travel or dwell near them.
• Skills Just like all monsterous humanoids, wemics gain skill points equal to double their Int plus 2 per extra hit die -- for a 5 hit dice wemic, this means 2 x Int + 6. These ranks can be spent one-for-one on certain class skills: Balance, Craft (primitive objects), Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Wilderness Lore; max rank is 8. All other non-exclusive skills must be bought two-for-one as cross-class skills with a max rank of 4. Note that wemics begin the game illiterate, just like barbarians -- they can use skill ranks to learn to read. They can also use skill ranks to Speak Language and remove the great majority of their accent when speaking Common. Also note that wemics have a +4 racial bonus on Jump, Move Silent, and Hide checks. In tall grasses and in natural underbrush, their Hide check rises to +8.
• Feats Wemics can select just one feat. Stock wemics pick Alertness, but a PC wemic can choose freely. Note that at character levels 6, 9, 12, etc., a wemic gains a new feat, just like all characters. Feats requiring writing are not allowed unless the wemic has learned to read.
• Weapon and Armor Proficiency Wemics are proficient with leather armor and shields. They know how to use shortswords, longswords, greatswords, daggers, all spears, all clubs, and javelins. And they can attack with their claws; if a wemic attacks with claws and weapon, the claws are the secondary attack at -5 to hit (and strength damage bonuses are halved).
• BAB and Saves Wemics with no class levels have a Base Attack Bonus of +5, because they have 5 hit dice and are monsterous humanoids. As per the Monster Manual, page 13, Monsterous Humanoids have good reflex and will saving throws. So a wemic's base saves are Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, Will +4 -- and these are further modified by Con, Dex, and Wis.
• Favored Class Wemics are not given an experience point penalty if their monster levels or ranger levels are unbalanced with other class levels.
• Special Abilities
  • Natural AC +2
  • Low light vision
  • Move 40 feet
  • Pounce -- Wemics, like lions, can leap into the fray of melee. With a charge action, a wemic can pounce upon his or her enemies, gaining a full attack instead of a standard attack. A wemic also gain a full attack when making a partial charge (a partial pounce, in this case).
  • Large in size -- AC: -1; To Hit: -1; Hide: -4; Carrying capacity is doubled; Armor weighs double and costs quadruple; Medium weapons are light weapons; Large weapons are one-handed weapons; Huge weapons are two-handed.
• Game balance considerations Because wemics are large and strong, they may be overpowering in play, especially as rangers, fighters, and barbarians. I very seriously recommend that no wemic should be a monk -- the combination of size and speed, plus claws, makes the class too potent (not to mention the pain of having to rewrite the monk rules). You may also want to consider other balancers:
  • Allow pounce attacks only if the enemy is caught flat-footed (surprised).
  • Emphasize the disadvantages of playing a monster -- unwelcome in towns and cities, attacked by strangers, charged extra for all goods and services, makes children cry, outlawed, etc.
  • Emphasize the disadvantages of playing a large creature -- frequent dex checks in human shops and homes to avoid knocking things over, hard to fit in small spaces, sinks small boats and rafts, very hard to get out of pits (ropes tend to break under a wemic's weight), etc.