d20 klingons

Klingon Racial Traits

• Medium: As Medium creatures, klingons have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Klingon base speed is 30 feet.
• +4 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, -2 to Wisdom, -2 to Charisma: Klingons are quite strong and exceptionally resilient, however they suffer from violent, irrational tendancies and a lack of foresight.
• Brak'lul: Klingons are exceptionally hardy and difficult to kill due to their redundant organs which act as back-ups. This gives them the following advantages: +4 Fortitude save bonus, +4 Massive Damage Threshold bonus.
• Battle Rage (Ex): a Klingon can enter a state of frenzy which gives them some benefits and disadvantages. This state can be entered voluntarily, however in most cases it is due to injury, insult or some other form of provocation. If the state is forced, or the Klingon wants to end the blood rage at any time before the duration expires, they can attempt to prevent themselves from entering the blood rage state, or they can exit it, by succeeding at a Will save (DC 15). When in the company of other klingons, or after a significant amount of blood wine, this DC increases to 20. When in a blood rage, a klingon cannot use ranged weapons or any skill that is associated with Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma. Any enemy they can see, including anyone they perceive as an enemy, they must attack until they or their enemy is dead, or the blood rage ends. During the blood rage, a klingon gains a +2 to Strength, a +2 to Constitution, and a +1 to morale based saving throws, but suffer a -1 to Armour Class. The blood rage lasts for 3 rounds plus 1 round for every ability modifier point from their altered Constitution. This ability can only be used once per day, and when exiting the blood rage state, the klingon is considered fatigued until the combat has ended.
• Bone Armour: Klingons have a tough, extra layer of bone that gives them +1 Natural Armour Class bonus.
• Combat Proficiency: all Klingons are trained from a very early age how to fight and are thus proficient in the use of martial weapons, as well as light, medium and heavy armours. The bat'leth, mek'leth & d'k tahg are considered martial weapons for klingons.
• Automatic Language: Common, Klingon.
• Bonus Languages: Any.
• ECL +2.

Updated 29th of the 11th.

After much discussion and thought, the above is pretty much how I see klingons working in the d20 modern system.

One of the links in our Directory for d20 Trek has a preview of the Klingon entry. It has similar adjustments just limited them to +/- 2 and no constitution bonus.

Yeah, I've taken a look at those entries however I and a friend believe they're somewhat inaccurate. For 2nd ed. AD&D, a +2 would've been appropriate, but the d20 system is much 'flatter' and requires more of bonus to represent actual differences.

We've based our bonuses on several factors. Strength, for instance, was quoted on one of the series as being twice that of a human for the average klingon and three times for a vulcan. Extrapolating from that, it equals a +4 and a +8 in the d20 system.

A similar thing happens with Brak'lul. The Fortitude bonus essentially represents it the best even though it's only a single system mechanic adjustment. The reason being is that it affects all things that such a redundant system would affect. Examples include making it more difficult to kill a klingon, the Fortitude save counts towards the save vs. the massive damage threshold, as well as the stabilization saving throw, plus it works against poisons and diseases, all of which the klingon biology has been said to be resistant to.

While I can see that this fits the source material (gaming books, plus occasional lines and episodes) and so is a possible view of a race, I don't know that it really fits what we see klingons do on screen.

That Brak'lul thing showed up, what, once.

I don't ever remember a Klingon doing a feat of strength that some human couldn't do. "The average Klingon is twice as strong as the average Human." That doesn't say anything at all about what the Racial Maximum is. Klingons could simply use their point buy to raise their Strength, lowering their Charisma.

Klingons get smacked down in HTH combat by nearly anyone with a stated first name, so I don't know about saves or armor or anything like that.

They do seem to be able to take some punishment, and they do have the Battlerage thing, which could explain the apparently increased Str and Con.

That being said, most people expect Klingons to be badarses. To that end, I'd probably make +2 STR (Klingons are reputed to be stronger) -2 DEX (Klingons don't dodge, they don't hit things with their disruptors), +2 CON (Klingons are tough), -2 to WIS or CHA player's choice, along with the very well done Battle Rage ability you created. That's not good enough for me to let go at a +1 ECL, so I'd let it be +0. Someone might think it's too powerful, and then I'd add both the -2 WIS and CHA rather than go +1 on it.

With the +2 STR from the Rage and the +2 from the base, that's the +4 "Double Strength"you're looking for. The extra Con covers the "extra organs". Raged, that's even better.

Something that occurs to me.

Make all the races a +2 ECL. Including Humans (get CHA, luck based stuff, skill bonuses). Then you can just ignore ECL for everyone. The Klingon players will be happy. The Human players will be happy. You won't have to frag around with the whole ECL problem, and so be happier.

Alex