Destil
Explorer
I'm Looking for some feedback on these. Given that the Eberon campaign setting was designed for D&D it's odd how many changes I've come up with, though a lot of it is just my dissatisfaction with some stuff in 3.5 in general.
I wanted to integrate the 'new' races into the politics of the world a bit more. To this extent I'd screwed with the dragonmarked races a little to allow every race except warforged and Kalashtar to have that option.
All races follow the PH or the Eberon Campaign setting with the following changes.
Changelings - Changelings are the distant offspring of Elves and Doppelgangers, not humans. Therefore they can have the mark of shadow, however most disguise themselves as half elves or half-elves. Beyond that the rules changes are just small tweaks to make them more elf-like.
Dwarves - I'm in the camp that says the race is just too good in 3.5, so some of this is a tone down. Dwarves aren't master craftsmen in Eberon: they're more traders and miners. I switched the bonus to hit from goblins to Orcs, since Dhakaani is long gone. The AC bonus to giants I switched to any large creature, in part to help balance out the Dex hit and in part because it's just easier to remember.
Elves - There are three vastly different elven cultures, and I tried to represent this a bit in the rules. The idea behind the bonus to sense motive is that elves who have learned to adjust to the much faster pace of life of humans are a little better at reading others. I dropped the automatic search for secret doors because it's a weird and I always forget as a DM anyway. I'm still not sure how much of a boost a free Exotic Weapon feat could be for the Valenar... since this is a war like culture I'm not against letting them be good warriors but does this step on the toes of Humans too much?
Gnomes: I didn't like the PH gnome rules for Eberon gnomes. At all. I'd love to hear feedback and suggestions for these guys, it's where I've had some of the most trouble.
Half-Elves - Mostly balance, the Sense Motive bonus is to mirror elves.
Halflings - For some reason I think of a Halfling who's raised in the plains and one who grows up in Sharn as having two very different cultures, while a dwarf is pretty much the same regardless.
Halflings from the Tanleta planes receive these bonuses
Half-Orcs - An attempt to both bring them up to par, and highlight the orc's ancient druidic traditions and more mystic bent. I also moved the mark of finding to full blooded orcs instead of humans.
Humans -Humans can not have the Mark of Finding, only orcs and half-orcs have this mark.
Kalashtar - My psionics house rules are a huge mess... all I did with kalashtar is let them choose any 1st level psion or psychic warrior power instead of lesser mindlink, and it's a known power for them instead of a spell like ability (if they don't have any psionic classes they can spend their bonus power points to use it).
Shifters - Again, I moved a dragon mark into a 'halfbread' race. The flexible bonus fits the race a bit better IMHO and I can’t see it as overpowered (-2 to two ability scores is more than fair for any +2).
I wanted to integrate the 'new' races into the politics of the world a bit more. To this extent I'd screwed with the dragonmarked races a little to allow every race except warforged and Kalashtar to have that option.
All races follow the PH or the Eberon Campaign setting with the following changes.
Changelings - Changelings are the distant offspring of Elves and Doppelgangers, not humans. Therefore they can have the mark of shadow, however most disguise themselves as half elves or half-elves. Beyond that the rules changes are just small tweaks to make them more elf-like.
- Instead of a +2 bonus against charm effects changelings gain a +2 bonus to saves vs. Enchantment Magic.
- Changelings are immune to sleep effects.
- Changelings can have the Mark of Shadow.
Dwarves - I'm in the camp that says the race is just too good in 3.5, so some of this is a tone down. Dwarves aren't master craftsmen in Eberon: they're more traders and miners. I switched the bonus to hit from goblins to Orcs, since Dhakaani is long gone. The AC bonus to giants I switched to any large creature, in part to help balance out the Dex hit and in part because it's just easier to remember.
- Dwarves receive a -2 penalty to Dex, rather than Cha.
- Dwarves gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against any creature of size Large or greater, instead of the +4 vs. giants.
- Dwarves gain no bonuses to crafting or appraising metal and stone, but gain a +2 racial bonus to all appraise and profession checks instead.
- Dwarves gain a +1 bonus to hit against orcs instead of goblins.
- No weapon familiarity.
Elves - There are three vastly different elven cultures, and I tried to represent this a bit in the rules. The idea behind the bonus to sense motive is that elves who have learned to adjust to the much faster pace of life of humans are a little better at reading others. I dropped the automatic search for secret doors because it's a weird and I always forget as a DM anyway. I'm still not sure how much of a boost a free Exotic Weapon feat could be for the Valenar... since this is a war like culture I'm not against letting them be good warriors but does this step on the toes of Humans too much?
- Elves can not automatically search for hidden doors, though they retain their +2 bonuses to spot, listen and search.
- An Elves’ Weapon Proficiencies depend on their cultural upbringing:
- Elves from Valenar and the war-like Tairnadal of Aerenal are trained in martial weapon proficiencies to match their chosen ancestral hero. They may choose any four martial weapons. Alternately, they can exchange two martial weapon proficiencies for a single exotic weapon. The Scimitar, Double Scimitar and Longbow or Scimitar, Great Scimitar (Falchion), Lance and Shortbow are the most common.
- Elves from families that have lived in Korvhore for centuries if not millennia typically have proficiency with the most common weapons in their area. The Longsword, Shortsword, Rapier and Longbow in urban environments and the Shortspear, Battle Axe, Shortbow and Longbow in the wilderness. These elves also gain a +1 bonus to sense motive.
- The more traditional elves of central Aerenal who revere the undying court have weapon proficiencies tied to their family traditions, they follow the same rules as the Valenar and Tairndal, but can not take an exotic weapon proficiency. Elves of Aerenal also gain a +2 racial bonus to craft checks when working with wood, precious metals and gemstones.
Gnomes: I didn't like the PH gnome rules for Eberon gnomes. At all. I'd love to hear feedback and suggestions for these guys, it's where I've had some of the most trouble.
- Ignore the PH rules, use the following instead.
- Ability adjustments: -2 Str, +2 Con
- Size: Small
- Base Speed: 20’
- Low light vision
- Gnomes treat Knowledge (all skills) and Diplomacy as class skill regardless of class.
- Gnomes gain a +2 racial bonus to charisma checks to command a bound elemental, this is increased to +4 if the gnome can speak the native language of that elemental. Additionally a gnome using an Elemental Bound item gains some tangible benefit like 1 extra charge per day, +2 save DC, +1 to damage et cetera, determined by the DM on a per-item basis.
- Researched Arcana: Gnomes can cast more arcane spells per day. They treat their spellcasting ability score for any arcane casting class as if two points higher for determining the number of bonus spells per day they can prepare or cast.
- Gnomes receive a +2 bonus to Craft (alchemy).
- Automatic languages: Common and Gnome. Bonus Languages: Aquen, Ignan, Terran, Auron, Goblin.
Half-Elves - Mostly balance, the Sense Motive bonus is to mirror elves.
- Half elves receive 4 bonus skill points at 1st level, and 1 at each subsequent level.
- Half-Elves gain a +2 bonus to Sense Motive instead of Diplomacy and Gather Information.
- Mixed blood: For any effect related to race, a half-elf is considered both an elf and a human.
Halflings - For some reason I think of a Halfling who's raised in the plains and one who grows up in Sharn as having two very different cultures, while a dwarf is pretty much the same regardless.
Halflings from the Tanleta planes receive these bonuses
- +2 racial bonus on Survival, Handle Animal and Ride, instead of Climb, Jump and Move Silently.
- +2 racial bonus to all saving throws against heat and [fire] effects, instead of against fear.
- Weapon familiarity with Talenta Boomerangs:
- No non-proficiency penalties for using it as a simple weapon, but it won’t return.
- If used as a martial weapon it will return.
- Replace any specific proficiency gained from a class for a Sling with the Tatelnta Boomerang.
- No bonus to hit with slings.
- +2 bonuses to Hide, Move Silently and Heal instead of Climb, Jump and Move Silently.
- +2 racial bonus to all saving throws against disease, instead of fear.
- +1 to hit bonus with thrown weapons and crossbows, instead of thrown weapons and slings.
Half-Orcs - An attempt to both bring them up to par, and highlight the orc's ancient druidic traditions and more mystic bent. I also moved the mark of finding to full blooded orcs instead of humans.
- Half-Orcs gain a bonus feat at 1st level, as humans do.
- Half-Orcs may use the spell Speak With Animals once per day as a supernatural ability, as a druid of their caster level.
- Mixed blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered both an orc and a human.
- No weapon familiarity.
- (note: half-orcs live longer than humans in Eberon, use the Halfling age tables).
Humans -Humans can not have the Mark of Finding, only orcs and half-orcs have this mark.
Kalashtar - My psionics house rules are a huge mess... all I did with kalashtar is let them choose any 1st level psion or psychic warrior power instead of lesser mindlink, and it's a known power for them instead of a spell like ability (if they don't have any psionic classes they can spend their bonus power points to use it).
Shifters - Again, I moved a dragon mark into a 'halfbread' race. The flexible bonus fits the race a bit better IMHO and I can’t see it as overpowered (-2 to two ability scores is more than fair for any +2).
- Shifters can have the mark of Handling.
- Shifters have a +2 bonus to Str, Dex or Con (player’s choice at 1st level, once chosen it may not be altered) instead of Dex.
- Spells that draw on negative energy like the Inflict Wounds series and Harm only deal half damage to a warforged.
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