[5E] World of Kulan: Race (Origin) Conversions

[Knightfall]

This thread is going to be where I try to convert my own races/subraces for the World of Kulan to work for 5E. I'm not sure how much I'm going to work on this, but I wanted a thread for me to post my conversion attempts. Of course, I'm going to key on the Lands of Harqual and its multitude of subraces.

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Alternatively, see here for more of my 5E racial designs for Tarras, which will be to 5E what Kulan is to 3E.

 

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LANDS OF HARQUAL

5E PHB

Dwarf
• Hill Dwarf
• Mountain Dwarf

Elf
• High Elf
• Wood Elf
• Dark Elf (Drow): NA; drow do not exist on Kulan.

Halfling
• Lightfoot
• Stout

Human

Dragonborn

Gnome
• Forest Gnome
• Rock Gnome: NA; there aren't any rock gnomes on Harqual.

Half-Elf

Half-Orc

Tiefling: NA; the 5E tiefling isn't appropriate for the Lands of Harqual.
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5E DMG

Eladrin (subrace): NA; the eladrin isn't appropriate for the Lands of Harqual. I might use it for Janardûn's elves.

Aasimar
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Elemental Evil Player's Companion

Aarakocra

Gnome, Deep (subrace): this race isn't native to Harqual, but they do live in the Underearth beneath the continent.

Genasi: while this race isn't native to Harqual, they can be encountered on the continent from time to time, as spelljammers and planewalkers. Genasi are native to the Lands of Fate on Kanpur, however.

Goliath: NA; there aren't any goliaths on Harqual. On Kulan, goliaths are only native to The Fallenlands.
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Unearthed Arcana

Changling: NA; there aren't any changlings on Harqual. On Kulan, changlings are only native to parts of the continent of Kanpur (and maybe the Underearth).

Minotaur: NA; the minotaur isn't appropriate for the Lands of Harqual. I will use it for Triadora's Horn minotaurs, however. There are minotaurs on Harqual but they are as per the 3E MM.

Shifter: NA; there aren't any shifters on Harqual. On Kulan, shifters are only native to parts of the continent of Kanpur and the Wakuna Islands.

Warforged: NA; there aren't any warforged on Harqual. On Kulan, the warforged are only native to parts of the continent of Kanpur.

 

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DWARVES OF HARQUAL
Ability Score Changes. Either your Constitution score increases by 2 or your Strength and Wisdom scores both increase by 1, and your Charisma score decreases by 1.

Languages. You can speak, read and write Dwarvish. Note that Torin dwarves have a mainly oral tradition. However, they can and do write in Dwarvish, and sometimes Suar, when dealing with non-dwarves.

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Here are the three major dwarven subraces for Harqual.

HILL DWARF (modified)
There are hill dwarves on Harqual. While the 5E hill dwarf subrace seems fine for Harqual, I'm not sure if the about the Ability Score Increase for Wisdom. That doesn't really fit my idea of a hill dwarf. (Perhaps my hill dwarves will have +1 to Strength instead of Wisdom.) I don't want to change too much, so I'll likely leave it as is for now. Hill dwarves speak, read, and write one Harqualian language in addition to Dwarvish – most choose Common.

HIGH DWARF (Mountain Dwarf, modified)
The Mountain Dwarf subrace would be the basis for the High Dwarves of Harqual. However, High Dwarves have a +2 Wisdom bonus as I designed them for 3E. So, I'd want to keep that. As well, High Dwarves would have a Ability Score Decrease for Charisma of -1. High dwarves don't have the Strength increase. High dwarves speak, read, and write Undercommon in addition to Dwarvish.

TORIN DWARF
The Torin dwarves of Harqual are unique from the two subraces listed for 5E. The race will have an Ability Score Increase of +1 or +2 for Dexterity. It will likely be +2. Torin dwarves don't live underground and are more at home in the savannas of The Far South. They do live in hilly terrain and, rarely, low mountains. Torin dwarves often suffer from claustrophobia. I'm thinking that if they are underground, they have disadvantage. Torin dwarves will have additional proficiency with ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows and their stonecunning will apply to woodworking as well as stonework. Torin dwarves speak their own unique version of Dwarvish (called Torin), and speak the common language of The Far South, Suar. Torin dwarves rarely read or write but they can.

 

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MINOR DWARF SUBRACES FOR HARQUAL

BITRAN DWARF: This Transformation race has an Ability Score Increase of +2 for Charisma and a Ability Score Decrease of -1 for Intelligence. Bitran dwarves also know the resistance cantrip. Bitran dwarf's that choose to be sorcerers gain access to the Druid's Mountain Circle Spells as sorcerer spells, if those spells aren't already on the Sorcerer Spell List. Bitran dwarves have their own language called Bitran.

DUERGAR: TBD.

DWARF OF THE BADLANDS: This subrace comes from the 3E sourcebook, Sandstorm. The main change I made to the race for 3E was to allow them flintlocks as martial weapons. Thus, for 5E, badlands dwarves have proficiency with the pistol and musket listed on p. 268 of the 5E DMG.

GLACIER DWARF: This subrace comes from the 3E sourcebook, Frostburn. I'll revise the subrace for 5E at some point, but it's not a major priority.

OTHER VARIANT DWARVEN SUBRACES ON HARQUAL
I've placed several other dwarven subraces/subcultures on Harqual. Korvosan dwarves are based on the Pathfinder RPG dwarves and Tyrian dwarves are the dwarves of Athas. These two dwarven subraces are Transformation races.

Two other dwarven subraces on the continent are the Seacliff dwarves from Stormwrack and the Sundered dwarves based on the subrace from the 2E Complete Book of Dwarves. The sundered dwarves will likely use the main Dwarf Traits for 5E without any other subrace options.

 

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ELVES OF HARQUAL
Ability Score Changes. Either your Dexterity score increases by 2 or your Charisma increases by 2, and your Constitution score decreases by 1.

Languages. You can speak, read and write Elvish and one other Harqualian language of your choice. Note that both Desert elves and Silver-wilds have mainly oral traditions. They never write in the traditional sense but can often read what others have written in Elvish.

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Here are the five major elven subraces in the Lands of Harqual.

BLOOD ELF
Blood elves are corrupted forest elves. This subrace is as close to a dark elf that exists in the Lands of Harqual. I've semi-completed the racial traits for blood elves: see here.

DESERT ELF
The desert elves of Harqual stand apart from the other elves of the continent. Desert elves gain an Ability Score Increase of +1 for Dexterity and an Ability Score Decrease of -1 for Intelligence. They mature faster and don't live as long. Desert elves reach adulthood near the age of 50 and live to be 350 years old. Desert elves use the Base Height and Height Modifier for Humans on p. 121 of the PHB; they use the Base Weight and Weight Modifier for Wood Elf. Desert elves have proficiency with the javelin, spear, shortbow, and longbow. Their speed is equivalent to those of the Wood Elf entry on p. 24 of the PHB. Desert elves have a social penalty that causes them to have disadvantage in any urban environment. Desert elves only speak Elvish and they have a strict oral tradition; they can read Elvish, written by other elves, 25% of the time. Desert elves have advantage on saving throws against fire-based spells and disadvantage on saving throws against cold-based spells.

FOREST ELF (Wood Elf, modified)
Forest elves are closest to the Wood Elf entry. your Strength score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score decreases by 1. (This replaces the standard +1 to Wisdom for Wood Elf.) You speak, read, and write Sylvan in addition to Elvish and the other Harqualian language you choose.

HUNTER ELF (Wood Elf)
For 3E, I used the Westryn Elves of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor for my hunter elves. However, for 5E, I think it's best to stick with the Wood Elf as written. You cannot choose Common or any other human language as your additional language.

SILVER ELF (High Elf)
The silver elves of Harqual are closest to the High Elf entry. However, silver elves have different weapon proficiencies: rapier, scimitar, longbow, and shortbow. You speak, read, and write Sylvan in addition to Elvish and the other Harqualian language you choose.

 

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MINOR ELF SUBRACES FOR HARQUAL

EE'AAR: This races comes from the Mystara campaign setting. My 3E version was created using the Winged Creature template (I think). The ee'aar have an Ability Score Increase of +1 for Wisdom and an Ability Score Decrease of -1 for Constitution. The ee'aar have proficiency with the longsword, rapier, longbow, and shortbow. The ee'aar will have a walking speed of 30 feet.

Flight. You have a flying speed of 40 feet. To use this speed, you can't be wearing medium or heavy armor.

RMOAHALI: This d20 system race is from the sourcebook known as Frost & Fur: The Explorer’s Guide to the Frozen Lands. The race is large sized for 3E, so I'm going to alter it like how WotC altered the Goliath race in the Elemental Evil Player's Compaion:

Ability Score Alteration. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score decreases by 1. (This replaces the standard ability score changes listed above for all elves.)

Size. Rmoahali elves range from over 8 to under 10 feet tall and have robust builds. Your size is Medium.

Longstrider. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Ancient Bloodline. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Nature Magic. You know the guidance cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the fog cloud spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the gust of wind spell once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

GRAY ELF: I'll be converting the classic gray elf based on the racial traits from the D&D Monster Manual v.3.5.

SILVER-WILD: Silver 'wilds' are the same as silver elves but with these changes: Silver 'wilds' have an Ability Score Increase of +2 for Strength and an Ability Score Decrease of -1 for Intelligence and -1 for Charisma. Silver 'wilds' know Barbarian and Elvish. Silver 'wilds' have proficiency in the Survival skill. They have the Fleet of Foot trait of the Wood Elf on p. 24 of the PHB.

OTHER VARIANT ELVEN SUBRACES ON HARQUAL
There are seven other types of elves in the Lands of Harqual. The most important of these are the Elves of the Far South (or southern elves), Island-Dwelling Elves (or islander elves), and Urban-Dwelling Elves (or urbanite elves). Urbanite elves use the Elf Traits listed on p. 23 of the PHB without any subrace modifications. Southern elves and islander elves will have subrace options. Southern elves will be similar to the High Elf entry. Islander elves will be more, unique.

The other elves of the continent are Transformation races. The Aphranæn and Vananean Elves come from the world known as Maran. The Elves of Korvosa are the elves of the Pathfinder RPG. And the Elves of the Tyrian Valley are from the world of Athas. All of these subraces will have unique options for them, but I want to finalize more of the standard elven races first.

 

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HALFLINGS OF HARQUAL
Ability Score Changes. Either your Dexterity score increases by 2 or your Wisdom and Charisma scores both increase by 1, and your Strength score decreases by 1.

HAIRFOOT (Halfling, modified)
The hairfoots of the Lands of Harqual don't really conform to either of the two subraces presented in the 5E PHB. I would say that, as written, my hairfoots are more in line wit the base Halfling Traits presented on p. 28. However, hairfoots will have additional ability score adjustments: an Ability Score Increase of +1 for Wisdom and an Ability Score Decrease of -1 for Intelligence. Hairfoots are often wise but rarely scholarly. Another difference is that hairfoots don't know Common as a racial language, only Halfling. Hairfoots, while fun-loving, prefer to keep to themselves so they rarely learn the languages of other races. Finally, I'm going to give them proficiency with the Animal Handling skill.

LIGHTFOOT (Lightfoot Halfling, modified)
Obviously, my lightfoot will be based on the Lightfoot presented in the 5E PHB. For 3E, my lightfoots conform to the Halfling presented in the PHB v.3.5, but I gave them Urban Tracking as a bonus feat and I let them use Knowledge (local) untrained. For 5E, I'm simply going to give them proficiency with the Investigation skill. On Harqual, lightfoots are from The Far South so they know Halfling and the common tongue of that region, Suar.

NORTHCHILD HALFLING [ICEFOOT] (Stout Halfling, modified)
The third main subrace of halflings on Harqual are the icefoots. These halflings live primarily in the Northlands. for 5E, they will conform to the Stout entry with the following additions: an Ability Score Decrease of -1 to Charisma; advantage on saving throws against cold-based spells and disadvantage on saving throws against fire-based spells; proficiency with the Survival skill; and they know Barbarian and Halfling as their languages.

These are the three major subraces of halfling in the Lands of Harqual. I'll get to the minor races either later today or tomorrow.

 

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MINOR HALFLING SUBRACE FOR HARQUAL

NIHIL: This subrace is another Maran race brought to Harqual during The Transformation. The nihil are known for being odd and bookish. For 5E, the nihil have an Ability Score Increae of +1 for Intelligence and an Ability Score Decrease of -1 for Charisma. Nihil halflings always have proficiency with all wizardly weapons, as well as the following two weapons: club and sickle. They also have proficiency with the Arcana skill. Nihil hallfings speak their own racial language, unrelated to Halfling, and a language called Javeldian — the cultural language of the humans brought to the Lands of Harqual from Maran.

OTHER VARIANT HALFLING SUBRACES ON HARQUAL
There are only three other types of halflings in the Lands of Harqual. Two of them are Transformation races brought to Kulan during that planar event: the Halflings of Korvosa from the world of the Pathfinder RPG and the Halflings of the Tyrian Valley brought to Kulan from Athas. The main differences for these races will be skill proficiencies and languages, although the Tyrian halflings will be very different.

The third halfling subrace is that of the Fire River Halflings (a.k.a. Riverfoots) that live along the river of the same name. They aren't found anywhere else. Riverfoots are exactly like Harqualian lightfoots except for the following: they have proficiency with Water-based vehicles that can travel on lakes and rivers instead of the Investigation skill and they know Common instead of Suar in addition to the Halfling language.

 

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HUMANS OF HARQUAL
There are numerous human cultures for the Lands of Harqual, as well as several PC options that can be considered true subraces. It's interesting that WotC decided to put the Human Names and Ethnicities for the Forgotten Realms in the 5E PHB since I'd already decided (recently) to add many of those ethnic groups to Harqual with altered names. I did this because I've placed a homebrewed version of Waterdeep on the continent and I wanted most of the ethnic groups as options under 3E. Below you can see the various Realmsian ethnicities that I've included in the Lands of Harqual as options for players, as well as details on how they are different for Kulan.

Calishite ― These humans are known as Charans on Harqual. They are primarily found in the lands along the Chara Coast. Charans are considered a common human ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them, but I also have a homebrewed list for the region, as well. (The list and several others have already been posted in my Lands of Harqual thread. I might revise the lists and re-post them here. -KF)

Chondathan ― These humans are known as the Rethanthi on Harqual. They are primarily found in the lands surrounding the Reth Mountains on the Storm Peninsula. The Rethanthi are considered an uncommon ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them, and I do not have an alternate list.

Damaran ― These humans are known as Callans on Harqual. They are primarily found in the Kingdom of Navirosov on Calla Island, as well as the island chain that extends southeast from the island. Callans are considered a rare ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them, and I might have a dedicated list for the Kingdom of Navirosov.

Illuskan ― These humans are known as The Taal, or Taals (singular is usually Taali), on Harqual. They are primarily found in the lands surrounding the City of Deepwater, although they are not limited to that region. Taals can be found in many places in the northern lands of the continent, especially along the west coast. Taals are considered a common ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them, but I do have a dedicated list of names for the Taal of Deepwater.

Mulan ― These humans are known as Theninites on Harqual. They are found only in the lands of the Thenin Peninsula of the Far South. Theninites are considered a very rare ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them. Theninite PCs are few and far between.

Rashemi ― These humans are known as the Varani on Harqual. They are found only in the lands of the Varan Peninsula of the Far South. The Varani are considered a very rare ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them. Varani PCs are few and far between.

Shou ― N/A. This ethnic group doesn't exist on Harqual.

Tethyrian ― These humans are known as Nebralese on Harqual. They are primarily found in the lands of the Nebral Peninsula. The Nebralese are considered a very rare ethnic group. The names listed in the 5E PHB are appropriate for them. Nebralese PCs are rare but not unheard of.

Turami ― N/A. This ethnic group doesn't exit on Harqual.

Beyond the Realmsian ethnicities listed in the 5E PHB, the Lands of Harqual also allows for the following Realmsian ethnic groups: Arkaiun (known as Akratians, uncommon), Durpari (known as Freiians, uncommon), Halruaan (known as Paianese, rare), and Shaaryan (known as Lioneans, rare).

When it comes to human racial traits, I might alter them to allow players to choose the variant listed but either with or without the extra feat. If without the feat, I'll likely give the player a choice to pick two additional proficiencies (one skill, and one of something else).

Next, I'm going to breakdown the various homebrewed human ethnic groups I've come up with for the Lands of Harqual. It will be quite the process. Some will have major changes to racial traits (e.g. Northlanders). After that, I'm going to delve into the human ethnic groups presented in various D&D 3E and D20 sourcebooks. At most, I'll mention them. Some will get more details here than others.

 

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Homebrewed Harqualian Human Ethnic Groups
Each section will have its own post.

Common
Anorian
Avionalle
Belin *
Denilan
Dhaoninean (and Kiltannian) *
Jov
Minari
Northerner (Northlander) *
Onan
Qualitian
Shaulite
Stonnish
Tullean Commonblood
Tullean Halfblood *
Vindi

Uncommon
Arkhangelese
Blaiddtân
Dalenmann (Twilight Valley Barbarian)
Ervenik
Kieli
Lochfolk *
Ruelian
Trelian (Descendant of Trel) *

Rare
Aate
Getacian
Sprache
Tiani
Toraane
Valoran

Very Rare
Adabrilian
Gallyrion
Ismand
Kaltaan
Onan Wildman (Wild Plains Barbarian)
Thersean

* Considered a true subrace.