Creating a new race with Spheres of Power
 

I've been trying to create a SoP conversion of the unicorn inside HeroLab (see attachment), but I've reached a point where I can't figure out what to do - or if it is possible at this moment.

I still need to replicate the following abilities:

• Easy Focus: The horn provides a wyrgrove unicorn the benefits of the Easy Focus boon, while not requiring any drawbacks in the first place.
• Spell Points: A wyrgrove unicorn gains a small reservoir of energy that it can call upon to create wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to ½ its racial HD + its Charisma modifier.
• Spheres and Talents: Wyrgrove unicorns have innate sphere-casting abilities. They have a caster level equal to their racial hit dice and gain sphere talents and abilities equal to 2 + their caster level. In addition, wyrgrove unicorns may select a casting tradition the first time they gain the spheres and talents racial feature.

So I'd like to reference a boon as a racial ability, give spell points and CL based on racial HD, and add a number of magic talents (like Life). Any ideas on how to approach this?

I have to admit, I hadn't considered the possibility of race-based spherecasting abilities. The "Class Talent Setup" component usually handles calculation of CL and talents granted based on class level, but it only looks at class levels, not racial HD. Rather stupid of me, in hindsight.

I can certainly create a race-based version of the talent setup component. I'll add that as a to-do for the next SoP update.

In the meantime, I was able to simply bootstrap abCasting to your unicorn race. That gave me a CL of 1 and no talents known. Applying Adjustments then allowed me to set those as appropriate.

I was also able to bootstrap Easy Focus to the unicorn race (with the CustTaken.cfgSoPTal tag so it shows up on the Magic Talents tab). However, the tab then complains that I've overspent on Boons. That's not unexpected, but it does mean I should probably make a "free boon" tag that will prevent a boon from incrementing the "boons spent" counter. Maybe a "boons allowed" adjustment as well.

Seems then I'll wait for the next update for now. Let's which bug I stumble upon next. ;) Thanks for adding it so quickly!

Edit:

I forgot: The Race Specials tab has also some entries requiring a minimum of class levels. The mentioned classes are Paizo-only. Is it possible to add SoP/PoW/other classes there as well? Or is that under LW control only?

LW only, I'm afraid.

Did you have an opportunity to add something to your files? If yes, what am I supposed to do?

Not yet, I'm sorry to say. It's on my to-do list.

IIRC, you mentioned you had added the racial casting stuff at least. But how do I access it?

It'll be in 1.10, which if all goes well I will be releasing by next week. There's a new "racial talent setup" component that mimics the class-based version. You'll bootstrap that (and also the core Casting ability) to a race in order to give it racial casting abilities.

Seems to work so far, but how do I add magic talents, boons and drawbacks?

If the race has specific magic talents (such as with Omnimentals), those talents should be bootstrapped to the race itself, with the CustTaken.cfgSoPTal and SoPTlClass.InitTalent tags.

To explain those tags: CustTaken.cfgSoPTal causes the talent to appear on the Magic Talents tab. SoPTlClass.InitTalent marks the talent as a "bonus" talent so that it does not count against talents spent.

If the race's casting abilities allow it to choose talents (such as with a Destructive Elemental), you enter values into the Talents Known array on the Race Talent Setup for the race. The creature will gain the number of talents corresponding with their HD, and this will stack with any talents they gain from levels in spherecasting classes.