Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zuj 05-04-07, 01:01 PM	After a much needed break from DMing (and DnD in general), I have decided to get back into it and finally begin building my own campaign world. I have pretty consistently run campaigns in Eberron, Ptolus, and Planescape in the past, and although I love all 3 of these settings, I desire more creative freedom than what can be found there. I wanted to start this thread to first help me brainstorm and hash out a lot of my setting. Here is what I got so far: Opius “Our world is a world the Gods ‘ave forgotten. There’s no use tryin’ to tell yerself otherwise, mate.” – Harrick the Ranger, to a green journeyman. Opius is a world torn asunder. It exists trapped between three realms that all vie for power over its inhabitants: the faerie, the shadow, and the damned. Unfortunately for the denizens if this world, life can be a bit difficult. Imagine a landscape draped in fog and shadow, where unidentified beings leer at you from the obstructing mist. Imagine a place where organized religion is in upheaval, and people live in fear from magic they once relied upon. Humanity exists at the whim of powers beyond our control. At the fringes of civilization, the stuff of nightmares are given breath. Every location in the Material World has 3 parallels that exist in the Threefold Realms. A metropolis might exist as a cathedral of demons in the Realm of the Damned, while it is an endless twilight maze in the Shadow. In the Faerie Realm, this same city might stink of death and loss, where only the mad fey reside, feeding on wayward souls. These reflections, seemingly unrelated, are always further intertwined than they seem. The same principles can hold true for objects, animals, and even people. Powerful magical artifacts might exist simultaneously in all realms, and in a relatively similar state. A simple item, such as a twig might be a burning branch in the Realm of the Damned, while it may be a dying wisp of smoke in the Shadow. It is also not uncommon to hear reports of people being replaced by fey or demonic interlopers that serve as a sort of “doppelganger”. In all known instances of this occurring, the remains of the lost individual never turn up. Here are some key rules/aesthetic differences that separates Opius from a standard DnD world: -Alignment ratings – All players start the game on a blank slate. Depending on their actions, characters will be assigned ratings on a Good/Evil and Lawful/Chaotic axis. Many beings and items react differently to characters of differing alignments, and by introducing alignment as a measurable game mechanic I hope to have players think about the repercussions of their actions, and be awarded for role-playing consistency. I will only have each alignment aspect be rated from 1 to 10 (think about the humantiy and primal urge stats in WoD as an example), and only pivotal choices will affect their alignments. This gives characters a lot of leeway in their basic day-to-day actions. Do you think this is a good idea? Any ideas for game mechanics to hash this out? 1. No clerics or paladins, or other divine casters, except for druids. I want the world to be isolated from the divine; I think this will serve to blur the lines of good and evil a bit more as well as create an overall foreboding feel. I understand this will make healing magic more difficult to come by, so I will have to think of ways to compensate for this. 2. Due to the lack of an astral plane, transportative magic is radically changed, or simply won’t function. More on this later. 3. Arcane magic is generally taboo. I want to do something different with it. My thoughts are it will be somewhat akin to the dark sun setting (though not nearly as drastic) in that arcane magic literally saps the life out of the world. My reasoning is that certain types of magic (conjuration, invocation and especially elemental subtypes) have to draw their energy from the world itself, due to the lack of other areas. A fireball spell might be sapped from a volcano miles away from the caster, while a cone of cold might steal a bit of the fury from a raging blizzard elsewhere. The goal is to emphasize how "unnatural" arcane magic is. Obviously this kind of knowledge is not possessed by the layman, but I wanted to use these changes to create a long historical conflict between mages and druids (who would obviously be aware of the effects). 4. Arcane Magic Users are a rarity. Due to religious inquisitions of the not-so-distant past, arcane magic users (mainly wizards and sorcerers) will be extremely rare. Because of superstitions, religious teachings (which I will flesh out more), and general distrust of outsiders, human cities and towns do not tolerate them (but they do fear them greatly), and Grey Elves will actually be the only "sanctioned magic users" in the world (more on this later). 5. I've also decided I would like to alter and add my own races to make this setting truly my own: -Elves will be split into Jade Elves and Pure Elves. Pure Elveswill be elves that have forsaken their natural roots and have embraced arcane magic. In the lands of Opius, they are the only tolerated magic users that can traverse most human lands, and that is the way they like. I want this race to have a large, subtle hand in the human empire through careful diplomacy and espionage throughout the known world, they will have given themselves a practical monopoly on arcane knowledge. They do this by maintaining Elven Embassies in most major cities. People rely on them to deal with rogue magic users, and the average commoner probably has a healthy bit of fear and awe when they are seen outside their own headquarters. *Note: the above was just a framework for Pure Elves; I am still working on their underlying motivations, but the basic ideas above seem like I could build alot from them. Jade Elves will be very similar to wood elves, and they will have a limited ability (perhaps through feats?) to navigate and survive in the Fey Realm. I wanted to work out some kind of pact or agreement the Jade Elves have with the often wild and dangerous fey creatures that would give them these kinds of abilities, perhaps in the form of racial feats or race-specific spells or substitution levels. I am possibly even thinking about making Jade elves a fey subtype (per Razorboy's suggestions below). Jade Elves often hire themselves out (or in some cases take it open themselves) to guide travelers through some of the more dangerous areas of the wilderness. Due to the strong influences the Threefold Realms have on the world, Jade Elf guides are very sought by human settlements to serve in these areas. Jade Elves do not tend to get along with grey elves. The unique magic of the setting pre-disposes these two sub-races to be against one another. As I flesh out the elven history, I hope to expand on a lot of these ideas so people don't view these two races as just "different flavors" of elves. Both elven races will have the haughtiness and sense of importance that is present in your standard elves of a DnD fantasy world. There will be a few key differences. Pure Elves tend to look down on humans as a lesser race, whereas Jade Elves look at them as a race that simply "haven't found their way" in the natural world. Dwarves are very xenophoic in Opius. They exist in only the most ancient mountain homes, and are only very rarely seen travelling outside of their borders. Within the depths of their holds, most dwarves wage almost constant warfare against the horrors that lurk beneath them. In recent years (since the Gods left the world), aberration attacks from the Deep Shadow have been on the rise and the worldwide dwarf populations have nearly been cut in half because of it. These attacks have infused the dwarven race with an even-more aggressive and warlike mentality than is common in other worlds. Almost everything they create is made with military purpose in mind, and many dwarves would be considered 'fanatical' in their devotion to the defense of their clan and hold by other races. My overall goal for the dwarves when all is said and done is to create them with an almost "dark-steampunk" feel. They create all manner of invention and weapons for war, to mixed success. I can invision a few dwarven inventors becoming very much like "mad scientists", obsessed with developing the next greatest technology to defeat their attackers, even if their technology might be detrimental to their well-being in the future. I want their society to be very much the product of a "caste" system of government. They will be strictly regimented, and individuality will be almost a foreign concept (the occassional adventuring dwarf being an exception, of course). The best way to describe them would be a cross between Plato's Republic, and The Clans from Battletech (don't know if anyone has read those around here). From their perspective, they are protecting the world from all manner of alien threats, and most of them are certain it will spell the end of their race. They see the surface races as clueless, naive, and ungrateful for the sacrifices the dwarven race has made to keep the world safe. The Caelhun (pronounced kay-loon) are a race of beastmen that live in the deep wilderness. They are the descendants of a race of people that worshipped a mad arcanist in ages past. Through his experimenting with all manner of arcane devices, he caused all manner of wild magical energies to spread across the land. The Caelhun are the byproducts of these warping energies. Each Caelhun is a unique creature that looks like some form of human/animal hybrid. Most are bipedal and combine their animalistic qualities in the form that might resemble a lycanthrope (in their half-man, half-beast shape). I want to stress that most of these beings combine the uglier qualities of their respective animal subtypes, and many simply look hideous without resembling any specific single animal at all. The Caelhun exist in tribes that roam the more untamed land. Because of their arcane origin, they are rejected by the fey (who see them as abominations), despite the Caelhun reverance of the natural world. The Caelhun see themselves as pariahs who protect a land that instinctively reject them. They envy the grace and beauty of jade elves, and they long for acceptance by the Faerie Realm as a whole. Unfortunately, most jade elves see the Caelhun as a bitter reminder of the warping power of arcane magic; the two races frequently wage war over their differences. Any insights/ideas/critiques? (I will be updating this first post pretty consistently to hash out more as I think of it. Thus, parts might seem only halfway typed or incomplete. I just want to keep it all in the same place.)
razorboy 05-04-07, 05:13 PM	Gotta say, I love the concept. Although I understand your desire to purge divine classes from the world, perhaps introducing a new class (or class variant) with healing abilities would be good (it could have a casting progression of only up to and including 6th level spells for instance, like a bard). Also, not too sure why you would get rid of druids; in a setting where fey play a major part (as this one seems to be), I could certainly see a lot more uses for a druid. On the subject of paladins: I like the alignment axis system (worked very well in NWN games), so how about using non-casting paladin variant from Complete Warrior (I think), or perhaps using the Paladin of Freedom, Paladin of Tyranny and Paladin of Justice variants from Unearthed Arcana, and removing divine as the source of their power (instead perhaps they draw from the other realms, or from inner belief a-la Planescape)? On the subject of elves: I like the idea of Jade Elves having a special connection to fey. Perhaps Jade Elves could be a weaker form of fey themselves that can exist indefinitely in the real world? Also, there's an ECL+1 race of Changelings from Dragon magazine (I'll try to find the issue #) that are quite good, and would be appropriate to a setting such as this. P.S. It's really nice to see another Ptolus DM on the boards. I hope to read more of your stuff soon. :)
Zuj 05-04-07, 05:23 PM	Thanks for the reply, Razorboy! A few answers: -If you read above, druids are the exception to the no divine caster rule. That should allow some healing to be in there, combined with bard spells. - My solution to the no-paladin thing is to use the Crusader from Tome of Battle. I think it is flavorful and allows characters from any alignment to play a "Champion" type role. They also open up the doors for more healing options. -Good idea on making the Jade Elves a kind of fey subtype. I will explore this more.
Zuj 05-04-07, 07:21 PM	I've added dwarves and a race of man-beasts to my post above. I have also added a bit more on grey elves. Everything in this thread will be in a very "rough draft" type format until I am happy enough with my results to consider polishing up the writing. *edit: I've updated dwarves a bit more.
Zuj 05-06-07, 11:36 AM	The next race: Kobolds! Since my world doesn't have gnomes or halflings, I wanted to have another "small race" to take their place and differentiate my world from the typical setting. Enter the Kobold. Kobolds are perhaps one of the most populous races in all of Opius. The exist in the lower echelons of human society, and can be found in the ghettos of many a large city. The exceptional few my rise to higher positions in society, but the general person views the little buggers as a bit of a nuisance. One unique aspect of kobold society is they are really the only one of the common races who hasn't lost faith in the divine. They all worship a mysterious dragon god (who's name incidently varies from tribe to tribe), and are convinced that their race's destiny is to ascend to a position of great power in the world when their master returns. The kobolds believe that this dragon god is the progenitor of their race, and this view is considered laughable by most other people. Some scholars believe that what the kobolds insist on might have some grain of truth, pointing to the high proportion of kobold's born with sorcerous talent. This fact troubles many humans and grey elves greatly. *as always please critique and comment (I'm sure someone else has something to say...) **My other question was to ask people if they had any kind of good ideas for the magical cataclysm that swept across Opius and sundered it from the outer planes. I was thinking maybe it was just magical storms of unexplanable origin. This would lead to the general distrust of wizards, because most people might ascertain that arcane magic users were responsible (maybe organized religion was at the height of an Arcane Inquisition at the time?). Any thoughts or ideas?
Zuj 05-07-07, 09:28 PM	All right, I did A LOT of brainstorming with a friend of mine last night, so I think I'm jsut going to set to work on this setting completely and take each part in stride. A lot of the concepts at the beginning of this thread hold true, but from here on forward I am going to try and make everything a bit more polished. As always I will still be open for suggestions. Introduction coming soon!
Madsamurai 05-07-07, 11:33 PM	I have tried to do something similar in a campeign I ran recently, though no to this scale. For the cataclysm, I am partial to something like a war between several (now destroyed) factions of arcanists. For extra fun, you could have the war end with the casting of a mighty spell that saved the world but in doing so sundered it.
Zuj 05-31-07, 09:01 PM	As many can see, I haven't updated in a few weeks, but I've been hard at work! The following is what I've created so far from the ideas above: 73 years ago, the Great Paroxysm changed the world as we know it. Magical storms streaked across the land, bathing cities in wreathes of flame and chaos. The Tyreian Empire, the greatest kingdom in the man’s history, was brought to its knees. Every creature: man, elf, or dwarf; has been affected by this upheaval, and no corner of the world will ever be the same again. -Cassius Du’vali, Chronicles of the New Empire: Volume I In the dark corners of the world lie secrets best untold. Feral man-beasts gather for war upon a dismal, run-down village. A wizard as ephemeral as the shadows he conjures leeches the essence out of a benevolent king. An unspeakable horror is awakened in the depths of the earth. The common races struggle for power over one another while the machinations of a thousand malevolent devils threaten the entire world’s existence. The pious missionary finds himself lost in a realm that stinks of debauchery and hopelessness, only to find that it is the place he has always called home. In the world of Opius, these are all sad truths. Opius is a dark fantasy campaign setting designed for players that crave a grittier, more visceral experience than the core rules allow. This is a setting where alignment is thrown out the window, and the world itself works to corrupt the common man. Modern notions of faith are all but extinguished; clerics and paladins are extinct. The formerly prevalent Church of Onus fights to keep its worshippers, declaring magic of any form blasphemous and punishable by death. Divine spellcasting exists only in the hands of a mysterious order of druids, who turn their powers against the common man almost as often as they try to help him. In less than a century after a world-spanning disaster called “The Great Paroxysm”, humanity struggles to restore their once great empire. Wonders of architecture, science, and magic are lost, and all have labored greatly to rebuild. Throughout the New Empire, an assembly of Dukes and Barons work to reclaim the land and its former prosperity. Border warlords have their own ideas, and many of the baronies formerly under the Empire’s control may never be reclaimed. Warrior guilds everywhere sell their services out to the highest bidder, further complicating the power struggles along the borders. Unfortunately, the above is only a fraction of the adversity that humanity must face. The real threat lies beyond the mortal realm. In the wake of the Great Paroxysm (detailed later), the multiverse was sundered from the world Opius. This had many effects: 1. No Gods or Divine Magic- The once powerful Church of Onus, famed for their divine favor, have lost contact with their deity. Since the Paroxysm, no divine magic has worked in the lands of Tyreia, save for that of the paganistic druids. Divine magic items that were already created at the time of the disaster still work, though the Church keeps most of these items for their own uses. 2. Elemental magic works differently- Because of the lack of other planes, all elemental magic is drawn from the world itself. The energy necessary for a fireball spell. The create water spell actually siphons water from another source. 3. No Transitive or Outer Planes- Opius has its own unique cosmology that varies greatly from the standard “Great Wheel” variant. The astral plane does not exist, so travel through it is impossible, and players will find that spells relating to it function differently. The three remaining planes (or “realms” as scholars call them, due to their unique nature), are as follows: Faerie- A wild, untamed realm where the denizens of the fey court rule. Faerie bleeds through into the natural world in the wildest, untamed wilderness. The fey that live there are mischievous, unpredictable, and extremely dangerous. Other than that, their temperaments can vary greatly. Shadow- A dark reflection that mirrors our own world, Shadow is the realm of secrecy, death, and mystery. It exists in every corner where no light reaches, and it’s long tendrils stretch across the entire mortal realm. Infernus- The hellish realm. Infernus is the home of the fiends: foul demons and devils who seek to subvert and corrupt the lives of mortals. It is a realm of endless seduction, deceit, and torture. Each plane has become parallel to the material world, and the boundaries between them stretch thin in many areas. In many areas, it is difficult to discern where the mortal realm ends, and the another realm beings. The creatures from these planes walk the world forms disguised from the eyes of the common man. Through their influence, Tyreia loses a bit of itself with each passing day. *Note- The above is obviously a quick primer. As the campaign progresses, this will be added to, abridged, etc. A brief history of the Human Empire of Tyreia- A Golden Age The Old Empire, as most folks called it, once stretched across the entire continent of Tyreia. It was not too long ago when all civilized men bowed to a common Emperor, and prosperity was more frequent than poverty for all but the lowest peasants. Many scholars would say that these were the glory days of mankind, and never would an age of such widespread growth and happiness occur again. The Demon Incursions During the rule of Emperor Rhyalis XI, the southern coasts of Tyreia were invaded by an enormous horde of barbarians from across the Burnesian Sea. The unstoppable horde rampaged across the fertile lands of South Tyreia, and a scant few settlements survived untouched. Despite the ferocity of the invaders, the Emperor remained un-phased and extremely confident in the might of the Imperial army. Through better training, superior equipment, and the defensive advantages of cities built by the Empire’s best engineers, it was only a matter of time before the horde would be routed. Most expected the filthy barbarians to be run-down and slain on the way back to their ships in a month’s time or less. What actually happened could hardly be further from the Emperor’s dreams. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Tyreia, the horde was led by a demonic host more terrible than the world had ever seen before. Through the use of infernal magic, and the leadership of the demon tyrants, the horde marched all the way to the city of Wuld, a port city twenty leagues south of the Imperial capital. Divine Aid As the invasion dragged, on and word of the supernatural creatures spread, the Emperor summoned his most knowledgeable court-wizards to help combat the threat. Unexpectedly, another group heeded his call: the Church of Onus. Through the combined magic of the Empire’s most powerful wizards, and the strength of purpose and divine knowledge of the Church, the demonic horde was driven back, never to near the capital cities gates again. Although it would be many years before all of the foul creatures and savages were swept the land, the victory at Wuld energized the Empire with renewed vigor. The size of the Imperial Military surged to unprecedented numbers, and arcane academies overflowed with new students. The Church of Onus gained the widespread of the common-folk, and their clerics were welcome across the entire land of Tyreia, converting thousands of non-believers as they healed the wounded land. Arcane Betrayal? As the incursion was squelched, it is widely believed that many of the demon generals survived. Historical records indicate that as battles became less and less frequent, many arcanists retreated from the public eye. Arcane Academies were shut down without warning and all but a select few stopped admitting new students. In an age where wizards were so often seen battling the enemies of the Empire, the common man never speculated how one might spend his time in periods of peace. It had been a generation since the Empire’s armies were at rest. Now that peace had come, suspicion had arrived with it. What were the Empire’s sorcerers up to? What secrets did their impossible tall, dark towers hold? In the 527th year of the Old Empire, tragedy struck the Royal family. The Emperor was assassinated. In the political upheaval that followed (the only heir to the throne was only five years old), the Church of Onus took control of many government functions. In investigating, the Emperor’s death, they discovered that his trusted friend and confidante, the High Archmage Adazaktheurus (or Adazak the Black as he was known thereafter) was responsible for his demise. With the vast support of the Empire’s ruling class, the Church began a far-reaching Inquisition of arcanists everywhere. If one could so easily slay the near-divine Emperor, then what could thousands do if left to their own devices? The Inquisition Like a wild-fire, zealotry spread to all but the most isolated reaches of the Tyreian Empire. Arcanists fell victim to frenzied mobs, Church Inquisitors, and their own scheming peers. Many went into hiding, and others fled the continent, never to return. Some committed suicide to avoid the wrath of the Church. Arcanists were not the only group affected by the Inquisition; any ill-regarded person found themselves on a pyre for any small slight. The mysterious druids, who had a subtle, aiding hand in the Demon Wars, were accused and punished for dark pacts and foul deeds far from their actual practices. The Great Paroxysm At the height of that final battle, the sky split open, and a great magical storm swept across the land. Cities were leveled, forests were burned, and the world itself erupted in angry fissures. All of the participants of the Last Battle were lost; there were no known survivors. For five days, most believed the end-times had come. The Church was powerless to protect its flock in the wake of such a catastrophe, and the Old Empire was decimated. The Elven Treaty On the sixth day, strange ships appeared on the horizon of the Empire’s western coasts. Without a word, a fair race of elves, similar to those that dwelled in the deep forests of Tyreia, arrived in the ports of every major Tyreian coastal city. Without asking for anything in return, they offered their services in restoring the Empire to its former glory. The ruling class, eager to begin rebuilding, accepted the Elves’ offer. As events unfolded, the Pure Elves (as they called themselves) were instrumental in the construction of the New Empire. Through clever diplomacy, they earned the even the Church’s trust, despite their arcane practices. A treaty was struck between the New Empire and the far-off land of Aoelarn, and the Church of Onus blessed the union of the two powerful nations. With this document, the Pure Elves were allowed to establish embassies in every major Imperial city. They bargained for the ability to practice arcane magic; in return the would aid the Church in eliminating any rogue magic users found in Tyreia. The Church, in hardly a position to argue, agreed to the Elves’ terms, giving the fair folk a virtual monopoly on arcane knowledge. Today 70 years later, the Empire is still rebuilding, and trying to unite some its borders. The Church still has a large hand in government, along with the Pure Elves. Arcane Magic is still outlawed, and most known magic-users have been lost to obscurity. The Council of Dukes have taken over the Imperial Throne until a suitable heir can be found. The Empire lives on; a shadow of its past glory. Obviously, the above is a very human-centric view of the history of Tyreia. Throughout this time, the mysterious jade elves have lived in the oldest forests of the human world, the holds of the dwarves are buried below the vast empire, unbeknownst to the surface world, and a race of primal man-beasts have raided the fringes of civilization since time unmemorable. Here is a look at some of the races that call Opius home: Races of Opius (please refer to my previous posts for some more in-depth descriptions) Humans- Humans are like the humans from the Core Rules, with the following changes: -1 extra bonus feat (this is in addition to the one they get normally) -Humans can choose one skill that will always be a class skill Pure Elves- Pure elves are a highly civilized and magically advanced race that came to Tyreian lands about 73 years ago. They maintain enclaves in most large Tyreian cities, and generally keep to themselves. - +2 to Intelligence. - -2 Constitution. - Low-light vision - +2 listen, search, and spot checks. An elf that passes within 5 feet of a secret door gets an autopmatic search check to notice it due to their finely tuned senses. - Free martial weapon proficieny in: longsword, short sword, and all bows. - +2 racial saving throw bonus against illusion spells and effects - +2 Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcane) checks. - Natural spellcasters- Every Pure Elf can cast one first level arcane spell of their choice once a day (chosen at character creation, this cannot be changed later). Their effective caster level is ˝ their character level. - Natural diplomats- Pure Elves get a +2 racial bonus on diplomacy, bluff, and intimidate checks when dealing with humans. - Favored class: Wizard. Jade Elves- Jade elves have lived in the lands of Tyreia for millennia. They have a close relationship with the Faerie Realm, as well as various druid circles. Unlike the pure elves, most Jade Elves do not practice arcane magic due to its adverse effects on the natural world. - +2 Dexterity - -2 Constitution - Low-light vision - +2 listen, search, and spot checks. An elf that passes within 5 feet of a secret door gets an autopmatic search check to notice it due to their finely tuned senses. - Free martial weapon proficiency in: scimitar, kukri, and all bows. - Immune to magic sleep effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus vs. enchantment spells and effects. - +2 survival checks; survival is always a class skill. - Jade elves begin the game with a minor fey ability of the player’s choice. If the ability chosen is a spell-like ability, the effective caster level is ˝ their character level. - Due to their connection with Faerie, jade elves receive a +2 racial bonus on diplomacy and sense motive checks involving creatures of the fey subtype. - Favored class: Ranger. Dwarfs- Dwarfs are the most xenophobic race in Opius. They shut themselves out from the world in their enormous, labyrinth-like holds. The average person has never seen a dwarf and their various technological items, are always a curiousity for the other races. - +2 Constitution - -2 Charisma - 60’ Darkvision - Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on search checks involving unusual stonework. A dwarf who passes within 10 feet of unusual stonework is allowed to make an automatic search check to notice anything out of the ordinary. - +2 racial bonus to appraise or craft checks involving stone or metal - +2 racial bonus to a craft skill of the player’s choice - Stability- dwarves gain +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull-rushed or tripped when standing on the ground. - Battle-wary- Due to their war-like nature, dwarves are accustomed to wearing armor sometimes for days on end. A dwarf suffers one less armor check penalty than other races for wearing a suit of armor. Any abilities that require a dwarf to be wearing light armor to operate also function if the dwarf is in medium armor. - +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poison. - +2 racial bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities. - +1 racial bonus to resist influence from other planes. - Tech-savvy- every new, 1st level dwarf is allowed an additional 300 gp to purchase a technological item of the player’s choice at character creation. -Weapon familiarity- dwarves treat any dwarf specific weapons as martial weapons, rather than exotic. - +1 to hit creatures of the aberration subtype. Kobolds- Kobolds exist both in their own subterranean domains and within ghettos of larger human cities. They are insufferable pranksters, and most other races view them as a nuisance. One item of interest is the fact that they are the only widely devout of the common races, worshipping a nameless dragon god who they believe is their progenitor. This, combined with the fact that many kobolds are born with sorcerous talent troubles scholars everywhere. - +2 Dexterity - -2 Strength - Size small - 60’ Darkvision - +1 Natural Armor Bonus - +2 Craft (trapmaking). Trapmaking is always a class skill. - +2 Move silently and Climb Checks - +2 racial saving throw bonus against spells or effects of the Fire, Acid, Cold or Electric descriptors. - 1 free dragon heritage feat of the player’s choice. -1 free dragonblood or kobold racial feat (details in Races of the Dragon)