[Dragonstar] Galactic Races - got it today...

[trancejeremy]

I was amazed that my local game store got it in. Usually they are slow in getting new stuff in...

Anyway, I had trouble finding info on the book - FFG doesn't really mention it on their website. So here's what's in it:

The book basically consists of 2 parts - one section with new PC races, and one section full of templates.

Centaurs

Derro - really grumpy dwarves

Doppels - These are essentially Dopplegangers whose abilities have been toned down. They still seem a bit powerful for a +0 ECL race

Elem - Sort of like the Genasi

Ith-Kon - Sort of like Mind Flayers, only toned down a bit. Sort of look like Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama

Kobolds

Lizardfolk

Oruk - Oh my. Half-ogre, half-orc. Oh my.

Pershala - Cat people!

Pevishan - magical human looking people. Short lived

Quasta - weird, bird-cyclops thing with detached eyes

Sathoni - Plant person. Not sure what they look like

Siarran - Hippies with 4 arms

Tarn Idoun - living ioun stone people with detached limbs

Ulb - Intelligent slime. (Insert lawyer or politician joke here). Really, they are sort of like the Dralasite from Star Frontiers

Templates for races from certain types of planets. Low G, High G, amphibious, desert, artic, night-adapted, primative, advanced, space hardened.

Edit: Forgot the Eleti, which are a race of intelligent skeletons

 

[Morgenstern]

Cool!

I did a couple of those! How do you like 'em so far ?

 

[Brutorz Bill]

Could you give us some more info please?
I'm very intrigued by what you have told us so far.
Regards,
Brutorz Bill

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, there's not much more to tell.

Each race has 3 or 4 pages devoted to it. Description, game stats, and some racial feats. That's most of the book.

I like what they did to Kobolds. They are more annoying than evil.

I also like the Doppels - I was playing with the idea of doing something similar.

The Quasta are the strangest thing I've ever seen.

Anyway, it's an okay book, but nothing really exciting in it. Nothing that says "Wow, what a cool race". And several really aren't usuable, IMHO, though I have a problem with things that have detached parts flying about. (They don't make sense, in terms of the laws of physics.)

They also don't seem to include the standard tables for races, you know, with age ranges, height and weight ranges.

 

[Napftor]

A plug a day...

And for those of you keeping score at home on the Dragonstar races, there's another new race called the asharin in Mystic Eye's Raw Recruits. I believe trancejeremy referred to them as "human sized Yodas".

 

[physicscarp]

I hope this is better than it sounds!

Please tell me there is more original contant than this! Of the races listed in your writeup 7 can be found right in the Monster Manual and updated on my own, and 3 can be found in Mythic Races by FFG. This only leaves 5 truly original races for this entire supplement!!!

And the templates seem to be just environmental, which doesn't seem to require an entire template. I can understand the low-G and high-G, but space hardened? Or primitive? This should be covered by feats and skill selection, not a template.

Well, I haven't seen the book yet, but the Dragonstar support beyond the core books has not impressed me. Imperial Supply was dull, though Raw Recruits looks promising, this news about Galactic Races is quite a bummer.

Carp

 

[trancejeremy]

Re: A plug a day...

And for those of you keeping score at home on the Dragonstar races, there's another new race called the asharin in Mystic Eye's Raw Recruits. I believe trancejeremy referred to them as "human sized Yodas".

I had just watched Attack of the Clones before writing that review. (They do sort of look like him, though)

Actually, Mystic Eye did a better job presenting the Asharin than FFG did with theirs in Galactic Races. MEG kept the same basic format, but also included info on starting ages for the various classes, the age effect bands, and the random height/weight ranges.

 

[Napftor]

Re: Re: A plug a day...

I had just watched Attack of the Clones before writing that review. (They do sort of look like him, though)

Actually, Mystic Eye did a better job presenting the Asharin than FFG did with theirs in Galactic Races. MEG kept the same basic format, but also included info on starting ages for the various classes, the age effect bands, and the random height/weight ranges.

Thanks, Jeremy. The asharin are based off of my home campaign's race. I had written them up in the PHB style format and, wanting to be as complete as possible, left it that way for inclusion in RR. To MEG's credit, they did not change it.

 

[Morgenstern]

The Quasta are the strangest thing I've ever seen.

Those were one I did . I looked at the art and went "Wow. Cool. An alien race that's not just more humans with some sort of bad facial make-up. I want to work on those!" I really enjoy creating races that aren't just 'the same thing' with more Con or taller or shorter. The Quasta represent a truely new race to play, with different abilites, strengths, and weaknesses compared to the standard races. Their history is matched to the setting so that they're a real part of the empire, one that's moving onto center stage, and unlike so many of the "Ooo- red dragons, bad!" crowd, their high degree of patriotism and loyalty mean that this otherwise pleasant bunch is going to follow the emperor's example no matter how bad it might be...

Anyway, it's an okay book, but nothing really exciting in it. Nothing that says "Wow, what a cool race".

That's really too bad you felt that way . The Ulb were my other contribution (the intelligent oozes) and I thought they were another opportunity to play something really different, but still be an effective member of a party. They're immune to a lot of stuff because they are oozes, but they run (well, creep) screaming from cracked reactors and radiation spells .

And several really aren't usuable, IMHO, though I have a problem with things that have detached parts flying about. (They don't make sense, in terms of the laws of physics.)

Beholders don't make a lot of sense in terms of physical laws , and the Quasta (the race in question) are not so distantly related to them... I do chalk that one up to 'magic'.

They also don't seem to include the standard tables for races, you know, with age ranges, height and weight ranges.

Hmm. Yes. That would be usefull. I'll try to suggest generating tables for the new races with that information as a web supliment .

 

[Brutorz Bill]

Well Mr. Morgenstern, personally I really liked the book and am happy to have it in my collection.
The Quasta and Ulb are indeed very cool races. Nice work. While the age, weight etc. tables would have been nice the absence, of the info, is in no way a deal breaker.
Later,
Brutorz Bill