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Batpony race!

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Post  Zarhon Sat Aug 25, 2012 7:52 pm

Batponies seem like a cool race choice. So let's make them!

Batpony
Batponies are similar to their pegasi brethren, but with a few obvious differences: Their eyes are slitted like that of a cat, their ears are longer and more sensitive, and their wings are leathery, rather than feathery. They are most commonly seen as personal guards for the night princess, Luna.

Racial traits

Leathery wings

Batponies can walk on clouds and fly with poor maneuverability (you take -10 penalty to precision and athletics skills while flying). It takes practice to fly with grace and options for that appear in the utility talents.

Blind as a bat
Batponies have eyes that are well adjusted to seeing in the dark, acting as though they have Nightwatch. Their eyes can't handle too much brightness, however: They gain a -5 penalty to perception checks via sight in bright areas*, as well as a -10 penalty to flying in such conditions, unless wearing a blindfold, closing their eyes, or otherwise "flying blind".

Sensitive ears
Batponies have ears that acts like a radar, detecting sounds bouncing off surfaces. This grants them the following:
- They can detect obstacles in their path whilst flying, even if they can't see them.**
- They can hear sound frequencies and faint sounds other creatures cannot, as well as a +5 bonus to perception checks via hearing.
- Once a day, they can focus their hearing to "map out" a location within 200 feet, giving them a rough idea of the terrain, as well as revealing certain sounds within.***

Sonic Scream - Daily
Batponies can emit an incredibly-high pitched scream, deafening all nearby creatures that hear it for 5 minutes and disorienting them for 20 seconds. Creatures that cover their ears or wear some sort of ear protection beforehand are unaffected.****

* This includes a room that's very brightly lit, like a movie studio/rock concert, or outdoor areas where the sun isn't obscured by clouds. They can see normally during dusk/dawn/twilight, storms, or in dark areas (caves, rooms lit with a few candles...)
** They still have to be good fliers to avoid said obstacles, if they're flying straight at them whilst blind, at full speed. Their hearing just warns them of it before they crash.
*** You may be able to hear the sound of hoofsteps, loud machinery, or general talking (murmuring of an audience, for example). You wouldn't be able to tell where and what the sound is coming from, unless you can recognize the sounds (Perception check, DC varies on distance/audibility).
**** This does not affect you, but can affect allies. Warn them beforehand!

Also, have a picture because it's awesome.

Edit: Some feedback on the flying penalty would be appreciated. Is it too high? Should I remove it? I added it purely to make sure the batponies aren't "overpowered" compared to other flyers. Also, would weather-crafting be appropriate for them?
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Post  Karilyn Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:38 pm

1. They should have cutie marks (since you indicated over Skype that they don't have cutie marks). They are after all normal ponies.
2. Whatever racial traits they have needs to be balanced against Pegasi weathercrafting.
3. Sonic Scream should be a talent that Batponies can take, as opposed to a racial trait.
4. Don't go crazy with stat penalties and buffs.
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Post  Zarhon Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:56 pm

Made an updated draft of the batponies:

Batpony
Batponies are similar to their pegasi brethren, but with a few obvious differences: Their eyes are slitted like that of a cat, their ears are longer and more sensitive, and their wings are leathery, rather than feathery. They are most commonly seen as personal guards for the night princess, Luna.

Racial traits

Pegasi ancestry
Batponies have a Cutie Mark, and do not gain a 3rd trained skill like other non-pony races.

Leathery wings
Batponies can walk on clouds and fly with poor maneuverability (you take -10 penalty to precision and athletics skills while flying). It takes practice to fly with grace and options for that appear in the utility talents.

Blind as a bat
Batponies have eyes that are well adjusted to seeing in the dark, acting as though they have Nightwatch. Their eyes can't handle too much brightness, however: They gain a -5 penalty to perception checks via sight in bright areas.*

Sensitive ears
Batponies have ears that acts like a radar, detecting sounds bouncing off surfaces. This grants them the following:
- They can detect obstacles in their path whilst flying, even if they can't see them.**
- They can hear sound frequencies and faint sounds other creatures cannot (e.g. dog whistles).
- They have a +5 bonus to perception checks via hearing.
- Once a day, they can focus their hearing to "map out" a location within 200 feet, giving them a rough idea of the terrain, as well as revealing certain sounds within.***

Batpony Utility talents

Sonic Scream - Daily
Batponies can emit an incredibly-high pitched scream, deafening all nearby creatures that hear it for 5 minutes and disorienting them for 20 seconds. Creatures that cover their ears or wear some sort of ear protection beforehand are unaffected.****

Sonar maneuvering - 3/Day
You can substitute a stunts or acrobatics check with a perception roll, as well as remove any penalties from such checks that would come from being unable to see what you are doing. The perception rolls counts as a hearing check, affected by "Sensitive Ears".


* This includes a room that's very brightly lit, like a movie studio/rock concert, or outdoor areas where the sun isn't obscured by clouds. They can see normally during dusk/dawn/twilight, storms, or indoors (as long as the lights aren't super bright).
** They still have to be good fliers to avoid said obstacles, if they're flying straight at them whilst blind, at full speed. Their hearing just warns them of it before they crash.
*** You may be able to hear the sound of hoofsteps, loud machinery, or general talking (murmuring of an audience, for example). You wouldn't be able to tell where and what the sound is coming from, unless you can recognize the sounds (Perception check, DC varies on distance/audibility).
**** This does not affect you, but can affect allies. Warn them beforehand!


Last edited by Zarhon on Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:06 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Karilyn Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:02 pm

Definitely more polished now.

Pegasi - Weather control
Hippogryphs - Can you use magic to be the fasest thing in the sky (and assumedly get Gryphon utility talents)
Batponies - Sound based powers

Works for me.
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Post  Cardbo Sun Aug 26, 2012 1:18 am

Na-na-na-na! Batpony!

Hey. Someone had to say it.
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Post  XandZero2 Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:51 am

-Just gonna throw this out there, but technically, I don't think bats are normally blind. It's a common misconception. Check it out on Wikipedia.

Still, I like the current concept - though it was considered earlier in the hooved races thread (by me). The Sensitive Ears thing is pretty flavorful though. I like it a lot, and since you're giving a penalty for the Nightvision in the daytime, I can see this balancing out well with Pegasi too.
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Post  Zarhon Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:09 am

XandZero2 wrote:-Just gonna throw this out there, but technically, I don't think bats are normally blind. It's a common misconception. Check it out on Wikipedia.

Yeah, they aren't blind (basic logic: If they were, evolution would develop them to not have eyes in the first place), however creatures with very sensitive nocturnal eyes (e.g. owls) can damage their eyesight from overexposure (since their eyes can "see" even the faintest lights in total darkness, exposing them to sunlight could easily blind them). That's why they're mostly inactive during the day. Bats that hunt bugs via echolocation fit into this, as they have very small eyes.

For the batponies, I suppose they would count as fruit eating bats, though: They have large eyes, aren't strictly nocturnal and eat fruits/vegetables. I took some liberties on account of their cat-eyed slitted pupils though.
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Post  Appkes Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:03 pm

O.o

Bat-ponies don;t have cutie marks, do they?
I just traversed like a hundred updates of Moonstuck, and couldn't find a single Cutie mark on a bat-pony anywhere.
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Post  Zarhon Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:31 pm

Appkes wrote:O.o

Bat-ponies don;t have cutie marks, do they?
I just traversed like a hundred updates of Moonstuck, and couldn't find a single Cutie mark on a bat-pony anywhere.

Yeah, considered that at first, but realized that it doesn't make sense if they're more based off the Luna guards. They probably have cutie marks, but we can't see it underneath the armor, similar to how we can't see the cutie marks of Celestia's royal guards, who are obviously pegasi/regular ponies and have their own.

For an idea of what the batponies look like, observe these few pictures. (Source)

Huh, I just noticed in that barroom picture that the bartender and another pony is a unicorn-batpony. Maybe I should add them in as a variant of some sort? As in, wingless, but has ponykinesis (but no other unicorn abilities).

Edit: Let's add some variants then! New stuff is underlined.

Batpony
Batponies are similar to their pegasi brethren, but with a few obvious differences: Their eyes are slitted like that of a cat, their ears are longer and more sensitive, and their wings are leathery, rather than feathery. They are most commonly seen as personal guards for the night princess, Luna.

Racial traits

Pony ancestry
Batponies have a Cutie Mark, and do not gain a 3rd trained skill like other non-pony races.

Pony Heritage
Choose either Leathery wings (pegasus), or Horned bat (unicorn) as your batpony race variant. This affects your physical appearance.

Leathery wings
Winged batponies can walk on clouds and fly with poor maneuverability (you take -10 penalty to precision and athletics skills while flying). It takes practice to fly with grace and options for that appear in the utility talents.

Horned bat
Horned batponies have a horn that allows them to perform basic Ponykinesis. It takes practice to levitate objects and options for that appear in the utility talents.*

Blind as a bat
Batponies have eyes that are well adjusted to seeing in the dark, acting as though they have Nightwatch. Their eyes can't handle too much brightness, however: They gain a -5 penalty to perception checks via sight in bright areas.

Sensitive ears
Batponies have ears that acts like a radar, detecting sounds bouncing off surfaces. This grants them the following:
- Winged batponies can detect obstacles in their path whilst flying, even if they can't see them.
- Horned batponies can hear and recognize the sound of spells being cast.**
- They can hear sound frequencies and faint sounds other creatures cannot (e.g. dog whistles).
- They have a +5 bonus to perception checks via hearing.
- Once a day, they can focus their hearing to "map out" a location within 200 feet, giving them a rough idea of the terrain, as well as revealing certain sounds within.

* They can take the ponykinesis-boosting unicorn talents, but none of the other unicorn abilities.
** They cannot recognize the specific spell/ability/utility being cast unless they've heard and identified it before.
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Post  Appkes Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:09 pm

I sta corrected! Even more Moonstuck later, I have confirmed that Batponies do, in fact have cutie marks. Of a sort.


Unless that pony was very good at a wavy line, I'm not sure whether my discovery means anything.

But good god I want to play a Batpony
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Post  Xel Unknown Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:16 pm

I too can't wait to build a Batpony of my very own! XD
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Post  Appkes Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:32 pm

I will totally make a batpony with an eyepatch who speaks only in Narrative.
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Post  Xel Unknown Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:02 pm

Come to think about it... Maybe they should be able to wear sunglasses to help shield their eyes from bright areas?
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Post  Jason Shadow Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:41 pm

Something I'd like to point out: apparently, flight is considered much more powerful an ability than ponykinesis is. The "horned" variety of batpony might need a bit of a boost...
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Post  Xel Unknown Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:04 am

Maybe have them naturally have "It's Witchcraft" as a Racial trait? That'd be the easiest way I can see to give them a boost.
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Post  Appkes Thu Nov 01, 2012 3:25 pm

They shouldn't gain Über magic speshal know-where-you-are abilities as a free no magic talent. After all, Echolocation doesn't work that way.

It would make, if buffed, a darn good magic talent though.
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Post  Zarhon Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:00 pm

Might as well update the batponies with the genetics expansion:

Winged Batpony:

Horned Batpony:

Cave Batpony:

Hmmm... Maybe echolocation should be winged variant only? Would make sense that they would need it most.

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Post  Paper Shadow Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:17 pm

Zarhon wrote:Hmmm... Maybe echolocation should be winged variant only? Would make sense that they would need it most.
That is true, but the rest wouldn't be Bat Ponies without it, would they?

In fact, on that note, are there even non-winged Bat Ponies in the first place?
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Post  Zarhon Wed Dec 05, 2012 1:48 pm

Paper Shadow wrote:
Zarhon wrote:Hmmm... Maybe echolocation should be winged variant only? Would make sense that they would need it most.
That is true, but the rest wouldn't be Bat Ponies without it, would they?

In fact, on that note, are there even non-winged Bat Ponies in the first place?

Well I used this picture as a basis for them (the pony tending the bar):
image:

There's also the fact that royal guard ponies come in the horned variant (as can be seen from Shining armor and background guards). So it's not a stretch that it probably applies to Luna's batpony guards as well.
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Post  Paper Shadow Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:57 pm

Zarhon wrote:
Paper Shadow wrote:
Zarhon wrote:Hmmm... Maybe echolocation should be winged variant only? Would make sense that they would need it most.
That is true, but the rest wouldn't be Bat Ponies without it, would they?

In fact, on that note, are there even non-winged Bat Ponies in the first place?

Well I used this picture as a basis for them (the pony tending the bar):
image:

There's also the fact that royal guard ponies come in the horned variant (as can be seen from Shining armor and background guards). So it's not a stretch that it probably applies to Luna's batpony guards as well.
Fair enough...
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Post  Whiteeyes Wed Dec 05, 2012 8:30 pm

Eh, I prefer just the winged bat ponies. Making uni-bats based on a singular background piece of fan art seems silly.

Also dividedon the CM issue. On one paw, they're a pony race so they should have one. On the other paw, not having one makes them a very interesting sub race.
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Post  edised Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:43 pm

it seem to me that luna may have made them, probable as nightmare moon, so mabe their are night unicorns. but thay are not really bat pones.

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Post  Dusk Raven Mon Jul 01, 2013 6:16 pm

With the advent of the 8-point racial trait template, I insist this thread be updated.

In the meantime, I'll be wondering whether Nightwatch or Echolocation is better... given that I'd guess, given their eyes, that batponies would have good vision, but those two abilities kind of render each other moot...
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Post  Hayatecooper Mon Jul 01, 2013 7:42 pm

For a bat pony? I'd say echolocation it does fit the whole bat thing a lot more.
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Post  Philadelphus Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:43 am

Dusk Raven wrote:In the meantime, I'll be wondering whether Nightwatch or Echolocation is better...
I guess it depends on whether you're going for megabat- or microbat-themed batponies.
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