Forum

The new kin and their abilities are confusing when they are not used for a player character. An example: The karkion have the "Wings" ability as player characters, which they can activate by spending 1 WP. That trait, however, is not listed in the NPC stat block. Does that mean the karkion NPC can't fly? If these abilities are meant only for player characters, why do any of the kin NPC stat blocks have WP listed?

Is it intentional that the Nocturnal trait for Nightkin only applies a negative effect? Should they not have some kind of dark/low-light vision akin to the Goblin in Forbidden Lands?

Regarding the WIll-O-The-Wisp, it's lore imply that the Will-O-The-Wisp is a sphere of light dancing around. This dosn't quite match it's given image, where it appears as a humanoid carrying a lantern on a staff. This could perhaps be resolved by just adding a bit that while "active", it looks for a corpse that it reanimates to put it into a lantern. The flame itself is the actual Will-O-Wisp, but it needs someone/something to carry it around.

Heh, I thought the same thing about that image.

The new kin and their abilities are confusing when they are not used for a player character. An example: The karkion have the "Wings" ability as player characters, which they can activate by spending 1 WP. That trait, however, is not listed in the NPC stat block. Does that mean the karkion NPC can't fly? If these abilities are meant only for player characters, why do any of the kin NPC stat blocks have WP listed?

The fact that all of the example kin have WP listed seems to imply that yes, NPCs can access their kin abilities (at least that's my interpretation).

Do Nightkin player characters suffer the effects of the Nocturnal trait?

Just like you have for Nightkin and Rare Kin, I would have liked to see a few examples of "Civilized Kin". There are now examples for orc and goblins, I would like to have seen (if it's still possible to include), a few examples for the kin from the Core Rulebook (humans, elves, dwarves, mallard, wolfkin, etc.). Like Human (mage, knight, hunter), Halfling (thief, merchant), Dwarf (warrior, merchant), Elf (mage, scholar, hunter), etc. and so on, for each of the CRB kin. A few different kin/profession NPCs ready to drop into a game.

Maybe I'm missing this, but where are the sizes for the new kin? The ogre specifically states they are large, but the frogmen, the hobgoblins (just a couple of examples) do not have a size listed? I'm sure they are not all "regular" are they?

On the ogres "body slam" p. 10.
"...inflicts 2D6 bludgeoning damage (excluding the damage bonus)"

I'm assuming you don't use the damage bonus at all, correct? That's not like a "base" number before adding the damage bonus, right?

I initially thought that, but on reflection it makes the ability relatively weak given comparative weapon damage (a Light Warhammer does 2d6+db as an example). Given the 3 WP cost, I think it’s 2d6+db plus the other aspects (knocking prone, being able to dash).

EDIT: the fact that they mentioned damage bonus at all implies that it’s relevant as PCs can have variable damage bonuses and a weak ogre PC might only do a base 2d6 on a Body Slam but a strong ogre PC might do 3d6 (noting it’s only if they’re available as PCs that they get the ability)

Blood Demon: Feels a bit inconsistent that it keeps jumping between being called a Blood Demon or a Onaqui in it's abilities and attacks. Do like it having an alternative name, but maybe pick one for the abilities/attacks?

Rare Kin: Similarly to the above point, it feels inconsistent in how some of the kin are called "Kin" Like "Wolfkin", "Nightkin" and "Tree Kin", but the rest are called "Cat People" "Frog People" or "Lizard People". I'd personally lean more to refer to them as "Kin" as well.

Further to this:

... Need clarification or a new chart that gives base movement for the new kin before AGL modifiers.

Going on the slowest movement in the entries, it seems most kin's base movement will be 10 meters, except for cat kin and Karkion who may have 12 meters.

I tried retro-calculating a default movement value for each kin, and it's inconsistent in some cases.

Example 1: for goblin it is consistent because a Scout with an AGI damage bonus of +D4 must have at least Agility 13, which means he also has +2 Movement, so the default for the kin would be 10. And it checks out because a Warrior, with no AGI damage bonus and therefore <13 Agility, has a Move of 10.

Example 2: for a Frog People though, Hunters and Shamans both have 10 Movement. But Hunters have +D4 AGI damage bonus, and therefore an implied Agility of at least 13, which would also give a +2 bonus to movement.

Same with Hobgoblins: all three NPC types have Move 10, but the thief has AGI damage bonus +D4, so where's his extra +2 Movement bonus for having an implied 13 Agility?

So yes -- agree with Von Ether we need a table. But moreover, it would be nice if the NPCs had a consistent maths behind them, so that the more agile (based on their agility bonus modifier) had extra Agility built in consistently.