Races for new campaign setting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Races for new campaign setting [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ewancummins
04-30-07, 10:31 PM I am making a new campaign setting. The world will have many classic D&D elements, but will draw less from Tolkien. No orcs. No halflings. No treants.

I need LA 0 races for player races. Humans are a must. Halflings are out. Half orcs are out[ I like them, but I don't want orcs in, so they go. Perhaps another monstrous race can take their place?]. Everything else is a possibility. I'm open to suggestion from the boards, so fire away.
Delfedd
04-30-07, 11:02 PM Hobgoblins and Bugbears.

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with halflings. Just make them look ... different.

The halflings in my setting are basically the lost boys from Peter Pan... except to achieve the "never grow up" status, the necromancers had to use... a lot more tubes than you would expect on a normal boy. They also have bulbous eyes.
ewancummins
04-30-07, 11:38 PM Hobs and bugbears, eh? I do like them. There's really no need for orcs, with all the lovely goblinoids out there[ hobs, bugbears, regular old gobbos, norkers].

Lost boys, tubes, bulging eyes---- creepy!

I have mixed feelings about elves. I cannot stand the tree hugging hippie elves who are also arrogant elitists that happen to be good at EVERYTHING. That's something I really want to avoid.

I am thinking of making the elves closer to something out of medieval legendry. Elves are a race of magic users, neither especially friendly nor inimical to man. Time is distorted in their homelands. They see nothing wrong with using enchantments to compel others to serve them. They aren't snobbish and arrogant, so much as amoral and bizarre [by human standards]. Oh , and they have no special animosity toward dwarves. They aren't actually fey, but they may have pacts with certain fey creatures. Maybe fiendish pacts, in some cases. Tiend paid to hell? Misfit elves and political exiles may enter the outside world as adventurers.

Dwarves are so easily pigeonholed as Scottish accented miners with big axes and big beards. I'd like to work around that , as well. Maybe they herd sheep and goats, and grow potatoes as a staple? I suppose they might have very advanced metallurgy and stonework engineering. Maybe they are at a proto industrial stage, held back only by their own craftsman ethic keeping them from mass producing lower quality goods? I might work some elements from the Greek city states into the Dwarf background, with each city having it's own peculiarities. The Greek love of creating beautiful sculptures and buildings fits. So does the militia system many polei had. The Olympics might have a parallel in a pan-dwarven sports match in honor of Moradin. Heck, the Greek gods even live on top of a mountain.

Of course, I want to avoid racial monocultures. There will be room for variant demihuman cultures[ just not many subraces]. Humanity will be more diverse, though.
Johnny_Angel
05-01-07, 12:59 AM I'm not sure if this will help or not, but in my games there is a group of dwarves who dress and speak in a manner akin to the stereotypical Mexican/Hispanic thugs (i.e. They wear their hats sorta down over their eyes and say things such as "holmes" a lot.)

As far as different races...well, I know it might sound slightly cheesy, but my advice would be to not reinvent the wheel mechanically. You don't want orcs, but that doesn't mean you can't have a race that is mechanically similar to orcs, but different flavorwise and in appearance. I do think that it would be interesting to see some unique creations and see some lesser used races get more attention though.

You could make lizardfolk more common; perhaps Kobolds interact with society on a much more open scale. You could easily replace the "small-folk" role of halflings and gnomes with kobolds and goblins.

Do you have any roles or niches that you want certain races to fill or are you just looking for a list of races to use that are outside the normally presented PHB races?

just a quick off the top of my head list
Humans
Shifters
Catfolk
Kobolds
Goblins
Hobgoblins
Dwarves
Wild Elves
Darfellan
Raptorians
Araes
05-01-07, 01:54 AM Unless its a rather important aspect, you might consider allowing up to +1 races in your setting, as that opens up a whole bevy of interesting choices like Gnolls, Lizardfolk, Aasimar, Tieflings, ect... Also, with a little bit of work you could nerf them slightly so that they would conform to +0 ratings and still include them.

Ex: A lizardfolk might be a +0 by simply removing one of its +2 scores and dropping its natural armor bonus a bit.
Delfedd
05-01-07, 06:23 AM Again, I didn't like standard Dwarves or Elves. So I made 'em different.

At the begining of the world, the world was ruled by kobolds and lizardfolk and other reptilian species. They built large magical temples.

These temples where so infused with magic, that the stones actually animated themselves. The creatures where given life by the gods (or magic or something else) and have since carved faces on the highest rock. The Grutham as they call themselves must still eat and drink, although they prefer shale and other kinds of rocks over carbon based foods.

The elves in my campaign are similarly interesting.

Think... think tieflings, but an entire race of them.

Honestly the best way I can describe them quickly.

Remember, in D&D form follows function.

This means the creature can look like whatever you want it to, as long as it's stats match up.

So the Grutham have stability, the ability to move at the same speed when using armor, increased constitutions, decreased charismas, etc.
Jayne
05-01-07, 07:52 AM I would agree with Araes. Opening it up to LA +1 races would increase your range to choose from ten-fold.
Johnny_Angel
05-01-07, 05:30 PM What I did with one of the campaigns I was running was to have everyone start at level 4; that opened up some of the low LA creatures. It's also (in my opinion) a good starting point because everyone has both their first ability point increase and their first new feat.
ewancummins
05-01-07, 09:24 PM I'll consider allowing LA +1 races. Lizardfolk rock the house.
ewancummins
05-01-07, 11:06 PM I ran a D&D game a couple years back in which the elves were portrayed very differently than in the PHB. They were similiar in some respects to what I described above.

The elves lived in Ouphame [elf-home] , a alternate world [possibly a demiplane- never really defined in play] connected closely to the prime plane. It was always summer there. The elves were divided into two subcultures. The high elves lived in tower-cities made of stone and glass. The wood elves[ big surprise] lived in the woods, in lodges. The high elves were mages, artisans, aristocrats, etc. All the brute work was done by thralls[ non elves subjected to multiple charm spells]. The wood elves were foresters and game wardens who oversaw the woods, orchards, and hunting grounds of the race. They also provided rangers, trackers , and assassins.

Other creatures besides elves lived in Ouphame.The elves main opponents were ghouls[the undead remnant of an ancient human civilization that the elves had destroyed centuries ago] and fiendish dire squirrels. Yep, squirrels. Most other intelligent creatures were either magical beasts or humanoid servitors of the high elves. Some of the magical beasts were hunted for sport by elvish lords and ladies.

Ouphame was ruled by a king , but the various elvish families wielded considerable power and influence. Each stronghold pretty much ran its own internal affairs. The elves cooperated in mutual defense and in slave taking raids against humans and other demihumans [the raids mostly involved charming people, rather than actually attacking them and chaining them up, BTW].

These elves had abandoned any gods their ancestors may have worshipped, long ago. They consquently had few clerics. They weren't really chock full of druids either, being more of an arcane focused race. They did have excellent nonmagical medicine, centuries ahead of most other races. That was partly due to the need to compensate for lack of clerical healing.

Most elven adventurers were political exiles, or else had grown bored of the courtly life and endless hunts and rides of Ouphame and sought adventure among the other races.

It's not terribly original, nor did I intend it should be. I drew upon English[ and other European] legends in making Ouphame. They were supposed to be fairy tale elves of the old school- Tam Lin or Thomas the Rhymer as opposed to LotR.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ewancummins 04-30-07, 10:31 PM	I am making a new campaign setting. The world will have many classic D&D elements, but will draw less from Tolkien. No orcs. No halflings. No treants. I need LA 0 races for player races. Humans are a must. Halflings are out. Half orcs are out[ I like them, but I don't want orcs in, so they go. Perhaps another monstrous race can take their place?]. Everything else is a possibility. I'm open to suggestion from the boards, so fire away.
Delfedd 04-30-07, 11:02 PM	Hobgoblins and Bugbears. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with halflings. Just make them look ... different. The halflings in my setting are basically the lost boys from Peter Pan... except to achieve the "never grow up" status, the necromancers had to use... a lot more tubes than you would expect on a normal boy. They also have bulbous eyes.
ewancummins 04-30-07, 11:38 PM	Hobs and bugbears, eh? I do like them. There's really no need for orcs, with all the lovely goblinoids out there[ hobs, bugbears, regular old gobbos, norkers]. Lost boys, tubes, bulging eyes---- creepy! I have mixed feelings about elves. I cannot stand the tree hugging hippie elves who are also arrogant elitists that happen to be good at EVERYTHING. That's something I really want to avoid. I am thinking of making the elves closer to something out of medieval legendry. Elves are a race of magic users, neither especially friendly nor inimical to man. Time is distorted in their homelands. They see nothing wrong with using enchantments to compel others to serve them. They aren't snobbish and arrogant, so much as amoral and bizarre [by human standards]. Oh , and they have no special animosity toward dwarves. They aren't actually fey, but they may have pacts with certain fey creatures. Maybe fiendish pacts, in some cases. Tiend paid to hell? Misfit elves and political exiles may enter the outside world as adventurers. Dwarves are so easily pigeonholed as Scottish accented miners with big axes and big beards. I'd like to work around that , as well. Maybe they herd sheep and goats, and grow potatoes as a staple? I suppose they might have very advanced metallurgy and stonework engineering. Maybe they are at a proto industrial stage, held back only by their own craftsman ethic keeping them from mass producing lower quality goods? I might work some elements from the Greek city states into the Dwarf background, with each city having it's own peculiarities. The Greek love of creating beautiful sculptures and buildings fits. So does the militia system many polei had. The Olympics might have a parallel in a pan-dwarven sports match in honor of Moradin. Heck, the Greek gods even live on top of a mountain. Of course, I want to avoid racial monocultures. There will be room for variant demihuman cultures[ just not many subraces]. Humanity will be more diverse, though.
Johnny_Angel 05-01-07, 12:59 AM	I'm not sure if this will help or not, but in my games there is a group of dwarves who dress and speak in a manner akin to the stereotypical Mexican/Hispanic thugs (i.e. They wear their hats sorta down over their eyes and say things such as "holmes" a lot.) As far as different races...well, I know it might sound slightly cheesy, but my advice would be to not reinvent the wheel mechanically. You don't want orcs, but that doesn't mean you can't have a race that is mechanically similar to orcs, but different flavorwise and in appearance. I do think that it would be interesting to see some unique creations and see some lesser used races get more attention though. You could make lizardfolk more common; perhaps Kobolds interact with society on a much more open scale. You could easily replace the "small-folk" role of halflings and gnomes with kobolds and goblins. Do you have any roles or niches that you want certain races to fill or are you just looking for a list of races to use that are outside the normally presented PHB races? just a quick off the top of my head list Humans Shifters Catfolk Kobolds Goblins Hobgoblins Dwarves Wild Elves Darfellan Raptorians
Araes 05-01-07, 01:54 AM	Unless its a rather important aspect, you might consider allowing up to +1 races in your setting, as that opens up a whole bevy of interesting choices like Gnolls, Lizardfolk, Aasimar, Tieflings, ect... Also, with a little bit of work you could nerf them slightly so that they would conform to +0 ratings and still include them. Ex: A lizardfolk might be a +0 by simply removing one of its +2 scores and dropping its natural armor bonus a bit.
Delfedd 05-01-07, 06:23 AM	Again, I didn't like standard Dwarves or Elves. So I made 'em different. At the begining of the world, the world was ruled by kobolds and lizardfolk and other reptilian species. They built large magical temples. These temples where so infused with magic, that the stones actually animated themselves. The creatures where given life by the gods (or magic or something else) and have since carved faces on the highest rock. The Grutham as they call themselves must still eat and drink, although they prefer shale and other kinds of rocks over carbon based foods. The elves in my campaign are similarly interesting. Think... think tieflings, but an entire race of them. Honestly the best way I can describe them quickly. Remember, in D&D form follows function. This means the creature can look like whatever you want it to, as long as it's stats match up. So the Grutham have stability, the ability to move at the same speed when using armor, increased constitutions, decreased charismas, etc.
Jayne 05-01-07, 07:52 AM	I would agree with Araes. Opening it up to LA +1 races would increase your range to choose from ten-fold.
Johnny_Angel 05-01-07, 05:30 PM	What I did with one of the campaigns I was running was to have everyone start at level 4; that opened up some of the low LA creatures. It's also (in my opinion) a good starting point because everyone has both their first ability point increase and their first new feat.
ewancummins 05-01-07, 09:24 PM	I'll consider allowing LA +1 races. Lizardfolk rock the house.
ewancummins 05-01-07, 11:06 PM	I ran a D&D game a couple years back in which the elves were portrayed very differently than in the PHB. They were similiar in some respects to what I described above. The elves lived in Ouphame [elf-home] , a alternate world [possibly a demiplane- never really defined in play] connected closely to the prime plane. It was always summer there. The elves were divided into two subcultures. The high elves lived in tower-cities made of stone and glass. The wood elves[ big surprise] lived in the woods, in lodges. The high elves were mages, artisans, aristocrats, etc. All the brute work was done by thralls[ non elves subjected to multiple charm spells]. The wood elves were foresters and game wardens who oversaw the woods, orchards, and hunting grounds of the race. They also provided rangers, trackers , and assassins. Other creatures besides elves lived in Ouphame.The elves main opponents were ghouls[the undead remnant of an ancient human civilization that the elves had destroyed centuries ago] and fiendish dire squirrels. Yep, squirrels. Most other intelligent creatures were either magical beasts or humanoid servitors of the high elves. Some of the magical beasts were hunted for sport by elvish lords and ladies. Ouphame was ruled by a king , but the various elvish families wielded considerable power and influence. Each stronghold pretty much ran its own internal affairs. The elves cooperated in mutual defense and in slave taking raids against humans and other demihumans [the raids mostly involved charming people, rather than actually attacking them and chaining them up, BTW]. These elves had abandoned any gods their ancestors may have worshipped, long ago. They consquently had few clerics. They weren't really chock full of druids either, being more of an arcane focused race. They did have excellent nonmagical medicine, centuries ahead of most other races. That was partly due to the need to compensate for lack of clerical healing. Most elven adventurers were political exiles, or else had grown bored of the courtly life and endless hunts and rides of Ouphame and sought adventure among the other races. It's not terribly original, nor did I intend it should be. I drew upon English[ and other European] legends in making Ouphame. They were supposed to be fairy tale elves of the old school- Tam Lin or Thomas the Rhymer as opposed to LotR.