Child, Variant (3.5e Template)

Author: Sulacu (talk) Date Created: January 10, 2008 Status: Under Development Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Child (Variant)

File:Child smiling.gif

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The knight errant's young squire, the child pupil of a wizard or druid, the prepubescent savage. Despite their difference of life style, they all have one thing in common. They are all young and inexperienced, and usually runs quite a few years short of adulthood. This template allows you to create a child character fairly easily. For information of how children with a character class are interpreted, please view the Children and Class Features section.

Creating a Child

Most truly, the child template is neither acquired nor inherited. The template serves to tone down the base creature's strengths to a level more natural to that of a relatively inexperienced child. The best way of describing this template is as a way to create a character of level 0.

Size and Type

For all intents and purposes and regardless of the child's actual size, it is treated as being one size category smaller than its normal counterpart. Its type remains the same, although it gains a 'Child' subtype.

Hit Dice

The actual Hit Dice of a child is half that of the base creature. For base creatures with only one Hit Die, the child gains a fractional ½ HD.

Note: A child of a base creature with only 1 HD that takes up a class with good base attack progression, like a fighter, still has a BAB of +0, since it possesses half a Hit Die and is, technically, 'level 0'.

Speed

A child's base land speed is in accordance to its new size category, excluding certain effects due to class.

Example: A human child will have a base land speed of 20 ft., but a human barbarian's child will have a base land speed of 30 ft.

Armor Class

The child gains a bonus (or loses a penalty) to AC in accordance to its smaller size. If the base creature has an innate natural armor bonus, it is halved and round down. The same goes for other such bonuses to AC, if applicable.

Example: A human child will have a +1 size bonus to AC. A troll child will have only a +2 natural armor bonus to AC.

Attack

The child retains his ability to use manufactured weapons, although they wield weapons corresponding to their size. They also retain any natural weapons of the base creature, their damage decreasing one step as per size. They gain a size bonus or lose a size penalty to attack.

Example: A human child wields a normal longsword two-handed, and can no longer use longbows or greataxes. A human monk child's unarmed strike will deal 1d4 damage instead of 1d6 damage.

Special Attacks

The child retains all special attacks of the base creature. Special attacks that deal physical damage change according to size category, whereas damage from magical special attacks decreases one die step (d6's become d4's, etc.). The DC of any special attack decreases by 1 due to the loss of HD. The range and duration of all of a child's special attacks halves.

Example: A troll child's Rend extraordinary ability deals a base damage of 2d4 instead of 2d6.

Special Qualities

The child retains all special qualities of the base creature. Special qualities like spell resistance, resistances, damage reduction, fast healing, regeneration have their quantities halved (round down). The range of sensory special qualities such as blindsight and darkvision halve as well.

Example: A troll child has regeneration 2 instead of 5 and darkvision out to 30 ft. instead of out to 60 ft.

Saves

A child gains saves in accordance with his Hit Dice. For children with ½ HD, good saves have a +1 base save bonus and average saves have a +0 base save bonus.

Example: A human child fighter has the following base save bonuses: Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +0.

Abilities

-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -1 Wisdom and +1 Charisma.

Skills

As normal.

Feats

As normal.

Environment

Any.

Organization

Any.

Challenge Rating

Half the base creature.

"Half the base creature." is not a number.

Alignment

Same as base creature.

Advancement

By character class. A child that 'levels' becomes a 1st level character (whether it is by gaining adulthood or simply becoming sufficiently trained or schooled).

Level Adjustment

−1.

Children and Class Features

A child can have a class same as his adult counterparts. Some might even become unusually skilled for their age and improve their skills before reaching adulthood. Savage children are taught how to hunt, druid children to respect the land. A wizard's pupil might know a few cantrips and, through diligent study, become more than just an innocent face. A fighter child knows how to handle a weapon and swing it. A monk child is brought up in a cloistered environment and knows the beginnings of enigmatic martial arts. A child bard knows how to perform. Children can do the same things as their adult counterparts, but are usually slightly less experienced and skilled at it. This section gives some pointers as to integrate class features into your child build.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

When a child's class bestows any sort of general weapon proficiency (i.e. simple or martial), he may instead pick two weapons of each category he is proficient in that he can wield without penalty. A child may not pick any weapons that count as two-handed for its base creature's appropriate size category. A child automatically gains all specific weapon proficiencies from its class (such as a druid's proficiency with a scimitar, or a monk's proficiency with a kama.

A child gains all armor and shield proficiencies that its class bestows, except for proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields.

Spells

A child that has a spellcasting class gains only the benefit of cantrips (0 level spells). They gain half the number of cantrips that a 1st level spellcaster of their class would be granted, rounded down. A child sorcerer for instance knows and can cast 2 cantrips per day. at half caster level

Class Features

A child has access to a number of class features that his class normally bestows at 1st level. Class features that contain special attacks that do damage decrease their damage die by one step (for example, a child rogue's sneak attack and a child monk's unarmed strike only do 1d4 damage). Class features that bestow enhancement or morale bonuses have these bonuses halved (a barbarian's rage for example will only grant a +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +1 morale bonus to Will saves). Class features that bestow temporary penalties are unchanged.

A child gains only 1st level class features that comply with at least one of these two criteria:

• The class feature associates with a certain Skill (using a skill check to perform a special task). Examples of this are, but do not limit to, a ranger's Track and Wild Empathy, a bard's bardic music and bardic knowledge, a rogue's trapfinding, etc.
• The class feature directly builds upon movement, weapon or armor proficiencies or combat capability, but may not grant additional attacks. Examples: a monk's unarmed strike and AC bonus, a rogue's sneak attack, a barbarian's rage, a paladin's Smite Evil.
• The class feature is an animal familiar.
• The class feature is an extraordinary ability.

A child does not gain 1st level class features that comply with the following criteria:

• The class feature is a spell-like ability. Examples: a paladin's detect evil.
• The class feature is an emanation or area effect. Examples: a paladin's Aura of Good.
• The class feature is a bonus feat.
• The class feature is an animal companion or mount.
• The class feature is a supernatural ability.

If for some class feature, both consequences apply, the child does not get that class feature.

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