Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Vadin 07-29-07, 07:41 PM	I know that I posted most of this a week or so ago in a different thread, but its turned into a rather large race redux and a fundamental shift in how I and a few others look at races and their attributes. I invite you to comment, hate, love, break, or whatever. I'm also at something of a roadblock when it comes to half-orcs and half-elves, and wouldn't mind at all help recreating them in a similar fashion. I also invite people to take a crack at redoing races from books besides the PHB and homebrew races from the boards, here or otherwise. Racial Archetypes General Elves Stat-Penalty: -2 CON is a reflection of the naturally thinner and more frail elven body. Size: Medium size. Base speed: 30 ft. Untiring: Immunity to sleep spells and effects. Special: Low-light vision. Raised in the Trees Racial Feats: Elves are automatically proficient with the longbow, composite longbow, shortbow, and composite shortbow, as they spend most of their time hunting from a distance in tree branches. Observant: +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it. Blessed With Magic Racial Feat: Spell Focus demonstrates their inherent skill at a chosen type of magic. Let the Magic Flow:These elves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. Tougher than Average Racial Feat: Toughness and Endurance shows their natural hardiness in relation to other elves. Free to Expand: Without most elves fragile bodies, these elves are granted the gift of more free time as they don't have to worry as much about illness and fatigue. They are granted one more skill point per level, and four more at level one. General Dwarves Stat Penalty: Dwarves suffer a -2 penalty to dexterity, as their bodies aren't generally as agile as the other humanoid races. Size: Medium size Base speed: 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations). Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground). Special: Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all. Battle-Ready Weapon Familiarity: Battle-Ready dwarves may treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons. Anceint Foes: +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids, and a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too. Forge-Born Tougher Stuff: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison. Trained Eye: +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items. Learned Creation: +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal. Natural Armor: Forge-Born Dwarves have +1 natural armor, and are thus eligible to take feats to improve their natural armor. Stone-Priest Stonecunning: This ability grants a Stone-Priest dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A Stone-Priest dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. They can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Face the Flow: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. Humans Stat Penalty: Human characters have the option of not taking a penalty and thusly opting out of a +2 bonus. If they want the bonus provided by their background, they must take a -2 penalty to a stat. Size: Medium. Base Speed: 30 ft. Fast Learners: Humans have one extra skill point per level and four extra at level one. In addition, they may pick any skill except Use Magic Device to become a permanent class skill. The permanent class skill gains a +1 bonus. Varied Lifestyles: Humans gain an extra feat at level 1, which is in addition to the feat normally gained at level 1. General Halflings Stat Penalty: -2 STR. Halflings are, by their very nature, just little. Smaller bodies and smaller muscles add up to a generally lower strength. Size: Small. As a Small creature, a halfling gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character. Base Speed: 20 ft. Sneaky Take it all in: Sneaky halflings try and notice everything around them, like places to hide in and things they can climb up. This confers to them +2 racial bonuses on Climb, Jump, Hide, and Search checks Aim Between the Eyes: +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown weapons and slings. Collapsible Skeleton: Sneaky Halflings can fit into areas that would normally be too small for them and can fit into areas normally sized for Tiny creatures. Persuasive Confidence: A Persuasive halfling gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear. Fast-Talker: Persuasive halflings have a +1 racial bonus on all Charisma based skills except for Handle Animal and Use Magic Device and +1 racial bonus Disguise and Sense Motive. Sleight of Hand: A Persuasive halfling is skilled at fooling opponents at all times, especially in combat. When using the feint maneuver against animals and nonhuman opponents, no penalty is taken. It is still impossible to feint against nonintelligent creatures, however. Survivor Racial Feat: Survivor Halflings are used to tracking down their own prey and as such gain the track feat at level 1. Hangin' On: A Sruvivor halfling is granted a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws. Fast Getaway: Survivor halflings have stronger legs than most halflings, and as such gain +10 ft to their base movement speed and a +4 bonus on Swim and Climb checks. Home in the Wild: A Survivor halfling gains a +4 bonus on Survival checks unless the skill is being used in the manner described in the Track feat. General Gnomes Stat Penalty: Much like halflings, gnomes are, without training, simply weaker than most of the other races and as such suffer a -2 penalty to strength. Size: Small. As a Small creature, a gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character. Base Speed: 20 ft. Special: Low-light Vision Keen Eyed: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions. Undergnome Thick-Skinned: Undergnomes gain DR 1/-, reflecting their thicker skin and tougher hides. Tunnel Hearing: Undergnomes listen to the vibrations of the stone and earth around them, granting a +2 racial bonus on Listen checks. Tunnel Feeling: Undergnomes are granted +2 racial bonuses to Search and Knowledge: Dungeoneering from their time spent among the dungeonesque tunnels, dwellings, and alleys of their stone cities beneath the surface. Burrowspeak: 1/Day—speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute) is granted, a gift from the animals they mimic so closely in their everyday activities. Ghostgnome Ethereal Magics: Add +2 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by ghostgnomes. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects, such as the Spell Focus feat. Illusory Gifts: A ghostgnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + ghostgnome’s Cha modifier + spell level. Illusive Twitches: Ghostgnomes gain a +2 racial bonus on Move Silently, Hide, and Sleight of Hand checks. Grudgegnome Know Your Tools: Grudgegnomes may treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons. Remember the Enemies: +1 racial bonus on attack rolls and a +4 racial bonus to AC against kobolds, goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears) and creatures of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants). Read the Past: Grudgegnomes gain a +2 racial bonus on Knoweledge: History checks. General Kobolds Stat Penalty: Suffering much the same curse as other small races, kobolds take a -2 penalty to strength. Unlike their mammalian brothers, kobolds also suffer from -2 constitution. Size: Small. As a Small creature, a kobold gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character. Base Speed: 30 ft. Special: Dark-Vision out to 60 ft. Scaly Hides: Kobolds have a +1 natural armor bonus. Dungeon Dweller Find the Foods: A Dungeon Dweller Kobold receives a +2 bonus on Craft(Trapmaking) and Search checks thanks to their prolonged amounts of time spent in subterranean environments. Duck and Weave: Their life revolves around escaping monsters and escaping adventurers. As such, they've developed some trick to help protect themselves. Dungeon Dweller Kobolds gain the Dodge feat as a racial bonus feat, but apply its +1 dodge bonus to AC against all enemies, meaning they need not choose just one to apply its benefits to. Drake Kin Claws of the Beast: Drake Kin Kobolds gain two claw attacks that deal 1d4 damage each. In a full attack, one claw must be the primary claw and the other must be the secondary, taking a -5 penalty to attack. Claws of the Beast may be considered monk weapons and used in conjunction with the Flurry of Blows class feature. If a character's unarmed damage would increase, their claw damage increase one step as well. Fear Not the Brother: Drake Kin Kobolds know well the cries of their brethren dragons, and gain a +4 bonus on saves to resist fear effects, including but not limited to those of dragons. Curious Look at That: A Curious Kobold gains a +2 bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks from trying to take in all of their surroundings at once. Been There, Done That: Curious Kobolds develop strange resistances to magic. A Curious Kobold gains a +1 to his saving throw bonus against any spell that allows a save and has affected him before. This +1 bonus does not accumulate each time a particular spell affects him, but only the first time, meaning that the bonus granted by this ability will never increase past +1. Backgrounds Backgrounds provide a character's stat bonus and give him a +2 bonus to Profession checks relating to his background. Physical Jobs Fisherman, laborer, or pack mule, your pre-adventuring profession has granted you a +2 bonus to strength. Skilled Jobs Before you became an adventurer, you were an acrobat, a message carrier, or a professional racer and thusly have +2 dexterity. Tough Jobs Some time ago, you worked as a blacksmith in a forge, or a cart-pusher in a mine, and have been gifted with +2 constitution. Intellectual Jobs You studied as a scholar, taught at a university, or helped the commoners navigate your local library. Your high-minded pursuits have granted you with +2 intelligence. Natural Jobs You have a +2 bonus to wisdom thanks to your previous employment as a tracker, a priest, or the local healer. Persuasive Jobs Whether you were a diplomat, a merchant, or a lobbyist for the underprivileged, your time spent talking with people of all varieties and types have trained you well and given you +2 charisma. Wildcard Jobs An amnesiac, a jester, a vagabond, or some other such odd job, you've been gifted in an unusual way. Add +2 to any one stat.
Vadin 07-29-07, 07:41 PM	Relic Fused (Spikes01k) Relic fused were modified by an ancient society of wondrous power. They were able to combine living humanoids with magical devices. For the most part they appear human, but they have a number of small gems seemingly randomly implanted in their body that glow slightly on command. These gems do not produce enough light to be of any help with vision in dark areas. however. Also ,a large portion of a relic fused body is covered in mechanical looking metal, making parts of them look much like a Warforged and leaving other areas completely human. As little as a tenth of their body may be covered, or as much as three whole limbs. General Relic Fused Stat Penalty: Severe taxation on the brain curses Relic Fused with -2 to Int, and their terrible creation process gives them a -2 to any physical stat they choose. Size: Medium Size. Base Speed: 30 ft. Special: Darkvision 30 ft. Transmutation Master Remember the Method: A Transmutation Master remembers parts of how he was created, and the magic of transforming comes naturally to him. When he gains a new level spells in a Vancian casting class (classes with spells per day), he can add one spell of the Transmutation school to his list of spells known for free. It Comes Naturally: On character creation, a Transmutation Master picks one 0 level Transmutation spell that he can cast once per day with a caster level equal to his character level. Rock Solid Racial Feat: This relic fused is more suited to a harder life than most. They receive the Endurance feat as a bonus racial feat. Unwavering: They can hold their breath three times longer than a normal human can, and gain a +1 racial bonus on Fortitude and Will saves. Rocky Skin: They gain a +1 Natural Armor Bonus, and are eligible to improve this armor bonus with monster feats that increase. Shielded Steel Skin: At least two limbs or an equivalent amountof space on their body is covered with metal. The magical aspect of their body's coating has provided them with a great deal more protection than most. These relic fused's base armor (their AC without armor, DEX, or any other bonuses) is 12 instead of 10, and as such can never be denied them be the attack touch or flat-footed. Stop the Blow: Shielded Relic Fused gain a +2 racial bonus on Fortitude saves.
Vadin 07-31-07, 01:16 PM	No feedback on the removal of stats from races? Nobody wants to take a crack at doing their own races like this? Nobody wants to try their hand at half-elves and half-orcs like this?
DM Zoc 07-31-07, 03:45 PM	I think I get what you're going for, making stats and races independent of each other. While it makes for great balance, it doesn't make a lot of sense in the world. I mean, haflings have about a quarter the mass of a half-orc, but halflings are notorious farmers; the average three foot tall guy would be significantly stronger than the average seven foot tall guy. Also, I'm confused about this "before becoming an adventurer" thing. If you were a farmer before becoming an adventurer, wouldn't you just be a multiclass commoner/adventurer?
gbnogkfs 07-31-07, 10:05 PM	ah... the dreaded NPC classes... one of the worst pieces of 3rd edition...
DM Zoc 08-01-07, 12:01 AM	ah... the dreaded NPC classes... one of the worst pieces of 3rd edition... You were a big fan of the old system where NPCs had arbitrary stats, without pattern or formula?
Vadin 08-01-07, 05:20 PM	Previously, I had racial penalties, but stat bonuses were reflected by your background. In that setup, the best a halfling or gnome could manage was +0 to strength and becoming stat-neutral. My personal favorite method (pick a bonus, your penalty depends on your race), but i figured i might as well get the reaction of separating the two entirely. On the 'before you were an adventurer', you had to do something before you adventured. It's not like you were BAM! born in a party of four other characters of roughly the same ability as you with a common goal. Even if he started really early, there had to be a time, even if it was really short, where your adventurer had a job, or helped at a job, or maybe even just hung out while everybody else did his job.
DM Zoc 08-01-07, 06:07 PM	That system where penalties are based on race makes more sense to me than your current suggestion, although it makes even more sense to me that stat bonuses are also based on race. Realistically, the half-orc farmer is going to be stronger than the halfling farmer, even assuming all other factors being equal. I've always took that "pre-adventuring" period to be the time where you allocate your rolls. You were a farmer, so all of that working out put the 15 in Str and the 14 in Con; you didn't have much time to socialize with others, and you always stunk like pigs when you did, so that's why you put the 8 in Cha. Under this system, the halfling farmer (15-2=13 Str) is still stronger than the half-orc ... uh, scholar (8+2= 10 Str). Maybe I just don't get why you're doing this, or what you find wrong with the normal system. I'm sure your main point went way over my head.
Vadin 08-01-07, 06:42 PM	Why does the half-orc scholar have 8 str to start out with? And that +2- where's that from? Also, half-orcs aren't written out yet. Another race might be a better example. At first, I had different archetypes giving different bonuses. Then someone suggested making them (the bonuses) independent of race. I like this idea. I liked it a lot. Why are all people of one race good at something? Look around you and you'll see that it obviously isn't true. Not all big people are really strong. Not all little people are faster with better reflexes. This way made more sense and opened up new party roles for races the previously couldn't fill them. Also I removed -2 CHA from dwarves. They aren't all antisocial at all! That's entirely based on setting, not on anything that has to do with them! Every explanation for the -2 charisma is always based around culture, and thats completely up to the dm. Why are my city dwelling merchant dwarves running around with -2 CHA? Well, they aren't anymore. Now their stat penalty is a reflection of their stout bodies and denser builds.
DM Zoc 08-01-07, 08:37 PM	Why does the half-orc scholar have 8 str to start out with? And that +2- where's that from? Also, half-orcs aren't written out yet. Another race might be a better example. I'm saying, after people roll their stats, they allocate certain stats based on the character's pre-adventure life. A Half-orc who spends his whole childhood in the library will have less strength than one who spends his days working in a field; this is normally represented by setting Strength to his lowest stat. Under the normal system, the half-orc would then get a +2 bonus to represent that his muscles are still larger than those of a human. At first, I had different archetypes giving different bonuses. Then someone suggested making them (the bonuses) independent of race. I like this idea. I liked it a lot. Why are all people of one race good at something? Look around you and you'll see that it obviously isn't true. Not all big people are really strong. Not all little people are faster with better reflexes. This way made more sense and opened up new party roles for races the previously couldn't fill them.I'm saying, there is biological fact that someone of a race averaging 6 feet tall will have larger muscle cross-section than someone of a race averaging 3 feet. I'm not saying that a really short guy who pumps iron non-stop couldn't bench press more than a much taller guy who didn't work out as much, just that it would take less effort for the bigger guy, and the bigger guy would have more potential. This is represented by the halfling who puts his high roll in Strength, even after the normal -2 penalty, would have higher Strength than the half-orc who put his low stat in Strength. With all of the physical stats, at least, racial bonuses and penalties represent biological tendancies.
Vadin 08-01-07, 11:38 PM	If the half-orc never chooses to develop hi smuscles past being a little bit stronger than some other people, why does he get +2 strength? He shouldn't. Sure, he has the potential, but if he never develops that potential he doesn't have that bonus. That's what this system is all about.
Spikes01k 08-02-07, 08:24 AM	Not all stats are equal to another. If you are going to give humans the option to take a -2 to a stat then you need to define what they can get with what minus.
Vadin 08-02-07, 01:29 PM	Seriously, no matter how 'unequal' the stats are (and yes, i know that DEX is one of the best stats and CHA and WIS are useless unless youre a sorceror or a divine caster) but +/-2 does not make that huge a difference. Seriously. Check out Star Wars d20, for example. All races are LA +0, and the vast majority of them have +4s in stats. And in that game, if you look hard enough, you can find a race with +4 in your best stat and -2 or -4 in a dump stat. Having used those races repeatedly in D&D I can safely say that its not a big deal at all to have +/- 2 to any stat.
Spikes01k 08-02-07, 02:06 PM	Thats a good argument.
gbnogkfs 08-02-07, 09:37 PM	You were a big fan of the old system where NPCs had arbitrary stats, without pattern or formula? I was a fan of the system when for an NPC to be weak meant to have less levels and not the same number but crappier. I've never understood why, when 3rd edition makes all the classes equally strong (same advancement tables and supposedly same power per level), it has to introduce a series of deliberately weaker classes to be used by NPCs. Where is the need for a Warrior 10 when you could have, say, a Fighter 8? Where is ever the need for a Commoner 2? remember than to get a level you need the same XP, NPC class or not... BUT, this is really OT
Vadin 08-02-07, 10:09 PM	Sort of. I'm debating wether or not NPCs (like commoners) would have access to the archetypes.
sigma999 08-02-07, 10:37 PM	ewww the Commoner class. :{ They should all be Experts. Expert with Profession (Farming) does everything a Commoner 'peasant' would do daily, especially with Skill Focus haha. Anyways, I like what you did here, but my gripe on the subject of resorting and categorizing PHB races is that many creators/designers neglect to seperate (or acknowledge) the difference between "racial" and "cultural". Elf weapon proficiencies, dwarf familiarities and halfling throwing, all examples of cultural traits, among others. Anyone growing up or training with these racial cultures should learn such as feats. I believe they should not be counted among racial traits at all. Stat bonuses and penalties, racial skill bonuses like Spot and Listen, Sleep Resistance, all these are inherently genetic; you simply can't learn to physically 'become more like an orc' even though D&D should have better ways to 'train your stats' and pump Strength. These traits should be common, yet few, among the respective races. :twocents:
Vadin 08-03-07, 01:39 PM	I tried to seperate the races out into combinations of their own racial backgrounds and cultural backgrounds. The cultural background parts of the archetypes are based on more or less standard fantasy setting versions of the races with racial influences thrown into the mix as well. Completely seperating races and their cultures means losing most of the archetypes and keeping just the general forms of the races with maybe a few racial abilities (like racial save bonuses) but nothing else to help them out.
Spikes01k 08-03-07, 01:53 PM	Please don't forget to give me credit for my race ok? P.S. Please note the changes I made to the transmutation spell focus ability.
Captain_Kobold 08-03-07, 03:02 PM	If the half-orc never chooses to develop hi smuscles past being a little bit stronger than some other people, why does he get +2 strength? He shouldn't. Sure, he has the potential, but if he never develops that potential he doesn't have that bonus. That's what this system is all about. He gets +2 strength to represent the heavier build and stronger frame he has by virtue of being a half-orc. Humans are the 'baseline' race with no stat adjustments by which others are compared. Thus out of a human, halfling and a half-orc scholar (all devoting little time to physical activity = putting their 8 stat in strength) the half-orc will be stronger due to his inherited physique, and the halfling will be weaker since his size allows less muscle. If they had all put their 18 stat in Strength (developing their strength as much as they could), the half-orc's superior size and musculature would still make him stronger than the human, and the Halfling would still be weaker than the human since his size does not allow as much muscle or force. However the halfling who has devoted his effort to being strong (put an initial 18 score into strength) would still be stronger than the half-orc who has not put much effort into being strong (put an initial 8 into strength). The racial bonuses and penalties are just that: Racial adjustments. The number you choose to assign to that stat before adjustment represents the effort to which the character has developed that ability.
Vadin 08-03-07, 11:40 PM	I can agree with you on the penalty part (I've set stat penalties back to racially determined), but I'm adamant on separate bonuses. If you want, I can post how I had the stat bonuses in each archetype (they usually aren't hard to figure) just to show you how it was before they were separated (the races and the bonuses, that is).
Vadin 08-05-07, 02:22 PM	Posted up my take on kobolds. Still more than willing to post custom races and still lookin' to see if anybody would be willing to do half-elves and half-orcs.
Spikes01k 08-06-07, 12:48 PM	Relic Fused (Spikes01k) Relic fused were modified by an ancient society of wondrous power. They were able to combine living humanoids with magical devices. For the most part they appear human, but they have a number of small gems seemingly randomly implanted in their body that glow slightly on command. These gems do not produce enough light to be of any help with vision in dark areas. however. Also ,a large portion of a relic fused body is covered in mechanical looking metal, making parts of them look much like a Warforged and leaving other areas completely human. As little as a tenth of their body may be covered, or as much as three whole limbs. General Relic Fused Stat Penalty: Severe taxation on the brain curses Relic Fused with -2 to Int, and their terrible creation process gives them a -2 to any physical stat they choose. Size: Medium Size. Base Speed: 30 ft. Special: Darkvision 30 ft. Transmutation Master Remember the Method: A Transmutation Master remembers parts of how he was created, and the magic of transforming comes naturally to him. When he gains a new level spells in a Vancian casting class (classes with spells per day), he can add one spell of the Transmutation school to his list of spells known for free. It Comes Naturally: On character creation, a Transmutation Master picks one 0 level Transmutation spell that he can cast once per day with a caster level equal to his character level. Rock Solid Racial Feat: This relic fused is more suited to a harder life than most. They receive the Endurance feat as a bonus racial feat. Unwavering: They can hold their breath three times longer than a normal human can, and gain a +1 racial bonus on Fortitude and Will saves. Rocky Skin: They gain a +1 Natural Armor Bonus, and are eligible to improve this armor bonus with monster feats that increase. Shielded Steel Skin: At least two limbs or an equivalent amountof space on their body is covered with metal. The magical aspect of their body's coating has provided them with a great deal more protection than most. These relic fused's base armor (their AC without armor, DEX, or any other bonuses) is 12 instead of 10, and as such can never be denied them be the attack touch or flat-footed. Stop the Blow: Shielded Relic Fused gain a +2 racial bonus on Fortitude saves. Seems good, they only thing I would change is the fact that they should be able to chose any stat instead of any physical, but it is your post really, so I guess I can't complain too much.
Vadin 08-06-07, 01:19 PM	I suppose any stat would work, but it seemed that they already took a -2 to intelligence, so a -2 to physical stat would stop them from being complete and total beasts in combat. A -2 to DEX seems like it would be the most logical choice and the least harmful, btw.
Vadin 08-07-07, 03:05 PM	Still undecided on whether or not NPCs should have access to archetypes... Thoughts, questions, comments?
Vadin 12-31-07, 05:31 PM	What can a bump hurt? :bump: