Races for a homebrew game.

[llamatron2000]

These are three races for a homebrew game I'm running. I'd just like balance advice, and any comments/observations anyone might make. I wanted every race to get some kind of stat bonus, wanted to avoid a lot of writing of racial characteristics, and wanted every character to also have an NPC class in addition to their first level. I also wanted a focus on mental stats rather than physical, to account for culture and all those skill modifiers we see on character sheets. So....here goes:

Human

+2 to intelligence or charisma
+2 to another stat

Humans get a free feat at 1st level

initial class: expert


Humans are clever, adaptable, ambitious, and charming.  
They frequently pick up many skills in their day to day 
life, and they have a surprising knack for survival and 
expansion, despite their short lives compared to other 
races.  They are the dominant race in the world.

Za'har(elf)

low-light vision 60ft
+2 to dexterity
+2 to wisdom
-2 to constitution

Za'har choose either Weapon Focus(longbow or scimitar) or Combat Casting as a free feat.
Za'har get Mounted Combat as a free feat(they do not need to meet prerequisites)

initial class: adept, or warrior


Za'har are a desert people who make their home in the 
lands that remain of a once-great empire to the south of 
the human lands.  Their skin color ranges from very 
dark, to lightly tanned, and have pointed ears.

Za'har tend towards chaotic and neutral alignments.  
Their culture values freedom and survival above all 
other things, and their morals tend to reflect this.  
Za'har communities usually have loose leadership, and 
every person in the community has equal say, even those 
who are shunned or disliked.  Most Za'har communities 
are not above raiding caravans if it means they will get 
food, water, or money out of it.

Za'har are most often part of magical and military 
professions, and every Za'hari citizen is conscripted 
into twenty years of military service upon reaching 
adulthood, usually serving as local guard, though they 
may be sent to war.  A low fertility rate, and 
slow growth rate means that they cannot expand quickly 
or replace fallen soldiers.  Because of this, all Za'har are expected to 
make themselves useful in a community, or they may find 
themselves shunned.

Korobokuru(dwarf)

Small

powerful build

Korobokuru do not become encumbered by heavy armors, as per dwarf rules

darkvision 60ft

+2 constitution
-2 to two mental stats
+4 to the remaining mental stat


Korobokuru start out with either Weapon Focus(dwarven waraxe) or Iron Will

initial class: Aristocrat


To the mountainous areas to the east, the Korobokuru 
live, masters of a vast, underground and aboveground 
empire, and famous for their craftsmanship and peculiar 
warrior culture.  Korobokuru can be considered 
dimwitted, but this is generally not the case.  
Korobokuru are focused, as they would put it.  They are 
smaller than humans, but are wider, and generally 
powerfully built.  Their men pride themselves on their 
facial hair, which is most often a well-combed beard, 
sometimes decorated with an ornament.  Up-dos are 
fashionable among women, with more complex hairstyles 
and ornamentation quite popular.

Korobokuru tend towards Lawful and Good alignments.  
They understand the value and protection that comes from 
a highly ordered society and existance.  Every man and 
woman has a place, and they are made known of it.  They 
have a strong sense of justice, and even if they may 
seem very harsh about enforcing the law, they do it out 
of a belief that the good of the many is greater than 
the good of one.  Korobokuru live by a warrior ideal.  
Courage, patience, altruism, and above all else, loyalty 
are virtues that are important to their society.  This 
applies to all castes, and those who flout these morals 
can be subject to ridicule, if not exiled.

Korobokuru have a highly stratified caste society with 
nobles on top, and from top to bottom, warriors, 
craftsmen, merchants, and laborers.  Marriages must be approved by 
the community as a whole, and Korobokuru are not allowed 
to marry further than one step higher than their 
station.

 

[Flame_Excess]

It makes the dwarf characters tempted to gain levels in mage for the armor benefit and that doesn't make balance to me.

 

[llamatron2000]

edited. Gave them standard dwarf armor-ness.

 

[Arkhandus]

I'm assuming these don't have the normal racial features from the Player's Handbook?

If that's the case, then these races are pretty imbalanced.

Elves get an ability penalty that humans do not, and their ability bonuses are specific whereas the humans get to choose. Their bonus feat is specific as well, whereas once again humans get a choice. Their initial class thingie is only marginally better for some, and the only advantage they get is low-light vision. They need to lose the Constitution penalty or gain another ability bonus, like a Charisma bonus or something.

Dwarves are even worse off. Only one ability bonus, and two ability penalties that humans don't suffer. No physical ability bonuses either, so they're less warrior-inclined statistically. Their bonus feat is less useful and more specific (don't they still have to take Exotic Weapon Proficiency in the dwarven waraxe to make any decent use of it?). They get darkvision and the advantages of Small size in exchange for one of their ability score penalties I guess, but are still kinda weak. Ditch the other ability score penalty at least, or give them a Strength bonus or Constitution bonus. That will still leave them a bit disadvantaged though.

 

[llamatron2000]

There. Made a few adjustments. Elves get an additional feat now.

Dwarves get a constitution bonus and their mental bonus is higher. They also now have another option in their initial feat selection to make up for their mental deficiency somewhat.