Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Johnathan_Vagabond 12-18-07, 05:22 PM	I'd appreciate any help that I can get. This isn't the first time I've created a homebrew race (with luck though, it will be the first good homebrew race(s).) The setting is a world with four major continents and an archipelagio that connects two of them. One of the continents (Krestave) is mostly plains and forests, inhabited by the Centaurs and Satyrn respectively. Another (Ouros) is an advancing desert circled by a rain forest, which is home to the Djinni and lizardfolk. The third (Manalar) is a patchwork continent of many nations and territories in which Orgs, Humans, Gnomish, and Elden vie for power. The last continent is Dagon Fel (a dead but massive hellwyrm) on which the Dwere live. Within the archipelagio is the home of the Vagras. I have a decent amount of fluff set up for the races, as well as physical description, but I have trouble finalizing the stats. Don't be fooled by some of the names (djinni) as the races have changed and are all meant to end up with an LA+0 and advancement by class. I have general ideas about the class features and everything else, but they remain on the whole malleable and open to change (maybe there shouldn't be a plant like race?) Centaurs: A unique creature with a human torso seemlessly fused with an equine body. Given to chiseled facial features and heavy browlines. The hair on their head generally matches their coat. Unlike the centaurs of the MM, these centaurs are medium humanoids. Most of the time the centaurs' strength and speed make up for the impatience. Centaurs run wild and free within the continent of Krestave. They form nomadic groups that claim the territory they lay on. These groups are highly malleable and families or individuals will frequently set off to find a new group or create on from runaways. Centaurs get along very well with satyrn, and sometimes a satyrn filled with wanderlust will join a nomadic group. Any large group (25-50 centaurs) will have between 4 and 6 satyrn. Matings between centaurs and satyrn have resulted in successful breeding and are the source of the faun, a human torso and head merged with the full body of a deer (as opposed to the bipedal Satyrn). To maximize on their swift speed and hunt in open plains, the Centaurs have become exceptionally adept at ranged weapons. They are not frail in melee either. After battling human knights the centaur began to practice with armor and mounted combat techniques. Such combatants are classed in two different catagories among the centaur (and a rivalry exists between the two), one being responsible for hunting and the other for battle. Racial Traits (so far) +2 Str, -2 Wis Medium Size Humanoid Move Speed: 40ft (30 medium load/armor, 20 heavy load/armor) Natural Attack: Hooves: 1d6 20x2 B Quadrapedal Traits: +4 against Bull Rushes and Trips, treat Strength as 2 points higher for the purposes of carrying and encumberance +1 attack with Ranged Weapons +2 to Spot, Survival Bows are treated as Simple Weapons for Centaur. -4 to Grapple attempts, centaur bodies are not well designed towards grappling Faun (Centaur Subtype) Racial Traits (so far) -2 Str, +2 Dex, -1 Con, +1 Cha Medium Size Humanoid Move Speed: 40ft (30 medium load/armor, 20 heavy load/armor) Natural Attack: Head Butt: 1d4 19-20x2 B/P Quadrapedal Traits: +4 against Bull Rushes and Trips, treat Strength as 2 points higher for the purposes of carrying and encumberance +4 to Jump +2 to Spot, Survival -4 to Grapple attempts, centaur bodies are not well designed towards grappling Satyrn: (singular: Satyr) Short hairy men bipeds with the legs of a fawn and horns of a goat. While their features are solid and square, Satyrn are more nimble than they are strong. Their furry legs range in color between honey and black. The hair on their head almost never matches their fur. Satyrn horns also range a gamut of colors, from light gray to brown to black. Satyrn live amongst the forests of Krestave. Those that choose to make a home create one from skillfully woven branches. Eat, sleep, and live under the stars. Personal possessions are important to a satyr so they keep them hidden amongst innocuous piles of leaves or bushes, some even keep magically sealed holes. Satyrn tend to keep to themselves, grouping in twos and threes to mate or play. Providing for themselves is rarely an issue, most satyrn can hunt successfully and eat wild berries and roots. If satyrn do gather in large numbers it is at the behest of a very powerful satyr or centaur. Usually it involves the defence of a specific area, as it did when a human nation invaded southern Krestave. Despite their magnificently displayed horns, satyrn are sneaky and sly. They're abnormally skilled at staying unseen in the wild, regardless of their surroundings. In battles they seek to stay maneuverable knocking opponents around and disorienting them. Some saytrn study song magic and trap opponents with charms and illusions. Satyrn bards are recognized as perhaps some of the most able singers and musicians on the globe. Racial Traits (so far) +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Con, -2 Int Medium Size Humanoid Move Speed: 30ft (20 medium load/armor, 10 heavy load/armor) Natural Attack: Headbutt: 1d4 19-20x2 B/P Endurance +2 to Hide, Move Silently, Survival, Perform (music, instrument) Dwere: A short and solid race of humanoids grown accustomed to the rigors of mining in great mountain ridges. Their bones are thick and muscles strong. Dwere skin tends towards ruddy browns and grey and their hair is almost always white or light gray. Nearly all male dwere sport large beards and moustaches. The dwere stand between 4 and 4 1/2ft tall but weight as much as a young human. Life underground adapted dwere hearing to where, though they have only two ears, each ear contains two holes. This helps the dwarves pinpoint sounds and allows some to echolocate. Dwere society is a stark contrast to the bleak world they live in beneath the ground. Flamboyant colors and clothes make them appear whimsical and silly. On many levels they are. They spend so much time deep in the earth with the threat of cave-ins and mine collapses that their light-hearted society serves to counterbalance their dangerous situation (make no mistake, they are deadly serious about engineering and safety). The study of magic has been long reveared by the dwere, who see any opportunity to make their mines and homes safer and stronger a blessed chance. Any magic worker is collectively known as an "earth mover" since any dwere mage studies such magic with passion. Because of they live on the back of a semi-dead evil dragon, Dwarves are well attuned to evil creatures and magics. Some of the most vile spirits and beings are drawn to Dagon Fel, especially the wyrm wood that grows on its back. The dwere have a long history of combating such ghouls and ghosts. Racial Traits (so far) +2 Con, -2 Dex Medium Size Humanoid Move Speed: 20ft (20 medium load/armor, 20 heavy load/armor) Dark Vision: 30ft Minecraft: This ability grants a dwere a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual metal, gem, and stonework. Something that isn’t stone, metal, or gems but that is disguised as such also counts as unusual. A dwere can use the Search skill to find stone, gem, and metalwork traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Stability: +4 against Bull Rushes and Trips. +1 attack with Ranged Weapons +2 to Spot, Survival +2 save against [Evil] effects +1 attack, damage, and AC vs. [Evil] creatures Automatic 50% chance to hit incorporeal undead with normal weapons, 75% to hit with magical weapons. +2 racial bonus to Appraise and Craft checks when dealing with stone, gems, or metal. Elden: Tree people that have similar forms to humans. While they retain many plant traits, their biology is different from that of most plants and thus do not gain the full benefits of the [Plant] type. Elden are a missing link between the animal and plant kingdoms. Their boughs stay supple and green, they have functional internal organs and though they do not sleep, they do slow down to mend themselves at night. Elden skin looks like bark and aside from a trio of eyes, lack distinctive facial features. Leaves grow on the top of their heads and shoulders. Most other features vary depending on what tree they were parented by. Elden can gather food from a variety of sources; they can penetrate living matter with their roots to absorb nourishment, or they can perform a limited version of photosynthesis. Either one can fully nourish an Elden, reducing the need for them to carry food or depend on harvests. In water elden float naturally, so it is difficult for them to below the surface. Elden gather in large open areas where they root themselves and become a 'city'. Not requiring buildings, the elden generally keep their unworn belongings below their feet and grow roots around them to protect them. Elden are sociable with other elden, although difference between tree types separates them, and look down on other creatures as interesting pets or the like. Different tree-types of elden affect their strengths and weaknesses strongly. Eldenoak are much stronger while Eldenbirch are more lithe. Eldenpine and Eldencedar are very canny and wise. Racial Traits (so far) Medium Size Humanoid Move Speed: 30ft (20 medium load/armor, 10 heavy load/armor) Half Plant: The Elden are affected by any spell that targets plants or humanoids. They do not sleep and are immune to sleep effects (they do require 4 hours of shut down time). Elden gain a +3 to save against poisons that don't also affect plants (or also affect humanoids). All elden have different internal organ systems and gain a +2 to AC vs. Critical hit confirmation. Heal checks made on Elden suffer a -2 penalty. Elden gain a +1 to save against mind effecting charms, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. +5 to disguise attempts to appear as a tree. +3 to Hide, Move Silently in forests. +2 to Survival As a full round action Elden can dig their roots into any soft soil and make themselves completely immobile. -2 to saves vs. fire or frost damage +2 to saves vs. lightning or sonic damage Humans: Known by the plural Hums, these adaptable people learned long ago to change themselves to their environment and their environment to themselves. (no changes) Gnomish: Short humanoids with large eyes, round noses, and brilliant minds. Though physically frail gnomish are quick witted and clever. Racial Traits (so far) -2 Str, -2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Cha Small Size Humanoid Move Speed: 20ft (15 medium load/armor, 10 heavy load/armor) Arcane Aptitude: Gnomish cast arcane spells at Caster Level +1 +1 to AC vs. targets larger than the gnome +2 to Use Magic Device +2 to Craft checks Master Craftsman: Gnomish requre 3/4 the normal time needed for crafting mundane or magical items Org: Large muscular people living amongst the higher mountains of Manalar. Org are relatively humanoid, despite their rocky skin and coloring. Because of their unique diet, Orgs have grown to excrete heavy minerals from their pores in such a way that it creates a hard, armor-like build up. This build up reduces their flexibility in trade for increased protection. Org are also less aware of the separation between themselves and nature, some orgs have died because they let their rock grow to much, and started to believe that they were rocks themselves. To maintain their internal balance of nutrients and minerals, orgs need to consume a least a pound of stone or metal per week. A single org can consume up to his Constitution score pounds of stone or metal in a day and this causes them to grow another layer of stone armor in 3d4 hours. Eating more than that causes the org to feel nausious for 1d4 hours. Orgs live in large societies all along a mountainside. Their homes sprout from outcrops on steep slopes, although some of the more southern orgs carve their homes into the actual rocks, (like Anasazi). There they work stone and iron in a manner that rivals the dwere. Their petroglyphs adorn many mountains and they are a surprising blend of spiritual and practical, perhaps because inches away from falling death. Org towns and buildings are always shocking to those unfamiliar with the org. When creating a building or a wall, they will gather together in large groups and grow their exterior stone so that it melds with the ground and with the stone of those beside them. This creates large works of stone without seams or mortar. With this technique, creating a full building can take a month. [list=Racial Features] Stone Skin: +1 Armor bonus to AC, -1 Dex, -1 Cha. An org gains another layer of stone skin each week. Must like hair cuts, orgs chisel this stone off in such a way that pleases them, and leaves them with as much stone skin as the prefer. Djinni: Swarthy creatures of the Circle Desert with wild hair coloring and color changing abilities. Their bodies are always flecked with sand, and this sand is what gives them that power. When covered with at least a pound of sand, a djinni's skin can force it to refract the light at such an angle that it reflects certain hues and colors. Because this is a survival trait, djinni never bath with water, they are loathe to go near it. It is difficult at times to know what a djinni really looks like, and this has made them accomplished illusionists and sneaks. Djinni average in height between 4 and 6ft and 130-180lbs. The only thing a Djinni can't change the color of is they eyes and djinni eye color varies so widely that they use it to identify each other. Despite the djinni's dislike of water, their homeland, the circle desert on Ouros, is surrounded by a dense rain forest (which the desert creeps steadily forward by an inch a year). They often find themselves in conflict with local amphibious and reptilian inhabitants like lizardmen and yuan-ti. Border wars (which occur at the edge of the desert and the forest) are common. Djinni build small settlements of baked mud brick that stem from the base of large rock outcroppings and give protection against sandstorms. While neither side of the conflict can penetrate deeply into the others territory (Djinni hate water, skalykind are dried out by the desert) they drive themselves at each other with vengence. To make matters worse for them, their hard-bitten life has made Djinni intractible to other peoples. They have a general distrust towards anyone from the 'wetlands' (meaning where it rains, ever.) They survive mostly on minor works of irrigation, sheltered from the vicious sun by large swaths of cloth, and on the dead of their opponents. Part of the djinni war with the skalykinds of the jungle and swamp is for food, as the retilian and amphibious creatures there eat the djinni as well. Racial Ability: Any djinni with a pound or more of sand at their disposal can alter their coloration taking half a minute. This grants them a +4 racial bonus to disguise attempts. Vagras: Seafaring people from the sunken continent of Lucedelia. They are short and nimble with both lungs and gils, land and fish eyes. Their land eyes are large, like a humans, while their fish eyes are small and just to the outside of their normal eyes. When on land these eyes are covered by airtight flaps of skin. The vagras have a skin that shimmers with tiny fishscales and helps them glid through the water with ease. They also use their scales much like the djinni use sand, to refract light to appear different colors (but vagras scales have a much smaller range of colors as they are not true prisms). For clothes most vagras dress in the skins of sea creatures that wont become wet and bogged down. They never need worry about a lack of moisture as they sail in large family centered fleets to trade with the world. In this vein, vagras are the most ecclectic of societies. As master seafarers, vagras have a natural affinity for navigation and weather reading. Most family fleets are too large to tempt pirates, but frequent sea battles makes vagras skilled at both melee, ranged, and magical combat. Many say they are the children of the sea, and that the water goddess Swi blesses them with uncanny luck. The only real vagras land based settlement is on the island of Zaz, and even that is only partially on land. A series of interconnected floating docks weave into and around a lagoon on the southern coast of Zaz. From there vagras hold ceremonies and meetings when necessary. Far from innocent waifs, they discuss which places have blessed and which have insulted them and how to punish them, whether it be swindling, defaming, or completely ceasing trade relations. It is also here that arranged marraiges are made between family fleets to tie different families to one another. The vagras remain a tight nit group, and aside from the djinni, the most racially homogenous. Racial Ability: Vagras can flex and twist their scales to change their colors. When using this to disguise themselves they gain a +2 racial bonus to disguise.
Johnathan_Vagabond 12-18-07, 05:23 PM	My post, for later use if needed. (All mine!)
Johnathan_Vagabond 12-19-07, 12:55 PM	I've added some attempts at stats for these races, I don't really know how good they are, but they are a rough approximation of what I'm going for. (Charisma will be less useless in my campaign, as it will affect a morale system).
Pulpo 12-23-07, 06:37 PM	You have good ideas. Three things centaurs should have -4 to Grapple [and resisting trip] attempts, centaur bodies are not well designed towards grappling [or not falling]. They should also have a balance penalty. I also recomond a shady not evil race, Subterainian perhaps and a fiendish race.
Pulpo 12-23-07, 08:39 PM	A shady race. Kai-Vesh: a frail race that lives in the dark and specialize in stealth, illusion, and mind affecting spells. They are pale, gaunt, disproportionately long limbed, with dark hair their eyes come in an astounding array of colors the most odd colors are silver, violet, and dark green. They have sensitive ears, eyes, and noses. A clan society they have small feuds amongst themselves rarely causing anything worse than a skirmish, the clans have names in their native tongue that are related to the clan’s main profession. For example, Clan Shadow Talon breeds and tames beasts; Clan Night Strike carries out assassinations etc. The Kai-Vesh are known to hiss when aggravated, the strange people love nature and empathize with all things misunderstood. Strong love of artistic things they love haunting melodies made with woodwinds and sculptures of pyramids, spheres, reptiles, themselves, and dragons. Racial traits • -2 str -2con +2int +1dex +1 cha • Medium 4 ½ to 5 ¾ ft • Speed 30 ft • Track • +2 spot +2 listen +2 survival when tracking [from strong sense of smell] + 2 Knowledge Dungeoneering +1 move silently A fiendish race Ulbazor: The infernal Ulbazor are nasty fiend of varying sorts that live on Dagon Fel in fortress cities that look like burning stone pillars in lakes of lava that reach into billowing black clouds of burning ash In which red lightening crackles and writhes within. Ulbazor; Thralgin: large brutes that look like hairless gorillas with sharp large teeth, claws, spiral horns, hooves, eyes that glow like hot coals, and elephant-like skin that comes in black red and brown. • +4 str +3 con -4 int -4 cha • Large • 20 ft • Slam 1d6 blu • +2 natural armor • +4 intimidate Ulbazor; Nalgish [Gremlins]: Small cunning and swift Nalgish are in terms of appearance lanky winged goblins with spiteful thin faces, grasping clawed hands and small horns. They are nasty pranksters who love pain screams and fear. • +2 dex +1 int -4 str -2 con • Small • 30 ft Fly 40 ft* • +2 Bluff +1 Disable device +2 craft trap +5 jump [from flapping wings] +2 climb [also from wings] *a note on flying the Nalgish have thin membrane on frail bat like wings that only hold them up when unencumbered and are not taking penalties for fatigue of exhaustion they can only stay air born for as long as they can run at four times their speed. Ulbazor; Ajezmereth: Thin fiends that look like attractive humanoids with no hair, curved horns that sweep back over their heads. Ajezmereth are deceitful and corrupting and have razor claws. • +2 cha -2 wis • Medium • 30 ft • Claw 1d4 • +4 bluff +4 diplomacy +2 move silently +2 craft poison making • +1 caster level on charm spells It is of course up to you if such races even exist and if they what they are like, however if you like my ideas feel free to use them as a springboard.
Johnathan_Vagabond 12-26-07, 03:32 PM	I agree that centaurs should be weak to grappling, however they are quadrapedal, and quadrapeds always get a +4 to resist trips and bull rushes. Centaurs probably would look at humans and go "Hmmm... only two legs, thats a -4 to resist trip attempts, no stability." I also don't want any major inhabitants on Dagon Fel aside from the Dwere. They rule the continent (as per history) and no one else questions that or really desires to live there. The dwere were once widespread across both Manalar and Krestave (two different continents) on which they built the Eye of Krestave (though their architecture has since changed a great deal). One of the major continents, Dagon Fel, as I've said I think, is a mostly-dead hell-wyrm chained to the ocean floor with six great chains (also made by the dwere with the help of the gnomish). The dwere were so nearly wiped out by the wyrm that their built homes upon the back of the dragon, situated above its right lung (and their next settlement was over the left lung) so that they would know immediately if the wyrm ever drew breath again. They've dominated the continent but a conspiracy amongst the dwarven royalty has lead the people to believe the legends of the hell wyrm were actually metaphorical and really about dwereism, brotherly love, and steadfastness. No one else wants to live on Dagon Fel, because its a nasty place. Incorporeal undead roaming around, causing trouble, etc.