I got Races of the Wild, you got the questions

[Jakar]

Do the cat folk after having a burst of enegy have to lick themselves for a while and then find some sun or a nice lap to sleep for hours?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Do the cat folk after having a burst of enegy have to lick themselves for a while and then find some sun or a nice lap to sleep for hours?

Reminds me of the 'Flop' Feat on the WotC site a few April Fools back...

 

[ivocaliban]

Do the cat folk after having a burst of enegy have to lick themselves for a while and then find some sun or a nice lap to sleep for hours?

I'm ashamed of you! One would think that being able to lick one's self would be its own reward.

Have to indeed!

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Please tell about the fluffy stuff. Cities/towns and culture;someplace said the elves belong to the classes at diffent % numbers. Size of cities/towns. Thank you very much.elforcelf.

Sorry, but I haven't read much of that (the fluff of Lost Empires is first of my list)

I did read the part about elf aging and death. I liked it. It explains why they seem ageless, and how they die. They do indeed age (with age categories and the penalties) but without the pain and discomfort of many other races. They also accept that they're not the spry youngster they once were and won't try to be the person they were in their youth (if they are, for example, no longer able to be a decent fighter, they give it up, and do other things instead, like teaching others how to fight, something that benefits from their keener might). Some elves make the mystic trip near the end, but it's not the old "their souls go to a different land", but a very real interplanar travel with the usual magic in search of the homeland of the elven deities (Arvandor). Most elves prefer to die amidst their brethren, though. Dying in battle is a noble thing, but not something elves seek out (like dwarves often do). They prefer to die in the comfort of home.

Another interesting bit is elves and adulthood. Elves don't take a century to become an adult. They grow a bit slower than humans (about 25 years instead of 20 for humans to "fill out"), after that, they remain virtually timeless for decades. Even another elf can tell if an elf is 30 or 100 just by looking at him, but a short conversation will reveal the real age, as the elves gain experience, grace, patience, emotional maturity, and wisdom.

The starting age from the PHB is simply the time at which most elves feel ready to leave home.

Not sure I like this at all. I've noticed a trend in the race books to provide several major races with some "dark twin" style deity. It worked well enough in Races of Stone (Gelf Darkhearth being Garl's counterpart) because of the dualistic nature of Gnomes, but this Dallah Thaun seems to be taking things a little too far for my liking. It certainly seems to move halflings even farther away from their origins. Of course, like everything in the series it's optional material. I could see it working in a campaign, just not my current one.

Well, I think this isn't exactly the usual dark twin situation. The deities aren't twins. They are the same being (Dallah isn't only revered as a single deity, but also as an aspect of Yondalla). They aren't ancient rivals, and indeed their churches work together. They are really two sides of a coin, not two different beings as often in this dark twin thing (like Shar and Selune)

Do the cat folk after having a burst of enegy have to lick themselves for a while and then find some sun or a nice lap to sleep for hours?

Sure, why not.
They also have big ornate cat trays in their homes, and scratch trees (which they never use btw, they're just a religious thing. They sharpen their claws on the furniture).
They also have an aversion to water (tread as shaken if they get wet), and of course the -4 penalty to all bluff checks, because they purr if something goes to their liking.

Their spell-like ability consists of them making large eyes and meowing, and onlookers must succeed at a will save or lose their action and dex to AC as they go "aawwww cute".

 

[Swiftbrook]

Races of Stone had Heavy Armor Optimization and Greater Heavy Armor Optimization feats. Any feats like that in there for sheilds, light or medium armor?

-Swiftbrook

 

[ivocaliban]

Well, I think this isn't exactly the usual dark twin situation. The deities aren't twins. They are the same being (Dallah isn't only revered as a single deity, but also as an aspect of Yondalla). They aren't ancient rivals, and indeed their churches work together. They are really two sides of a coin, not two different beings as often in this dark twin thing (like Shar and Selune)

Yes, but I still think that concept seems more appropriate for a race that has such a distinct dualistic nature (Gnomes) instead of Halflings. (Then again I don't know how Halflings are presented in Races of the Wild so I could be mistaken.) Despite the nature of the beast, however, there is still a tendency within the Races books for creating a troublesome deity that serves as the dark twin (even if not a separate being) or counterpart of the founding deity. It seems to push Halfling faith down a Taoistic path that doesn't really fit my concept of Halflings. Again, I can see such a deity being useful, but it goes against the Halfling community and faith as I see it.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Races of Stone had Heavy Armor Optimization and Greater Heavy Armor Optimization feats. Any feats like that in there for sheilds, light or medium armor?

-Swiftbrook

No. Shouldn't be too hard to do by yourself, though.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

there is still a tendency within the Races books for creating a troublesome deity that serves as the dark twin (even if not a separate being) or counterpart of the founding deity. It seems to push Halfling faith down a Taoistic path that doesn't really fit my concept of Halflings. Again, I can see such a deity being useful, but it goes against the Halfling community and faith as I see it.

I agree, but I think the goal here is to provide a racial diety for pretty much any type of character. Elves who go over to the dark side have Lolth to worship if they want to stay within (more or less) the Seldarine, the gnomes had Urdlen long ago (and now Garl's dark twin), the dwarves have always had various grimmer figures (and a very nice evil entity now), and halflings need something comparable. I know a LOT of people who play psycopath halflings for some reason (and well before Order of the Stick came on the scene), and now they have a diety that lets them be both very halfling and not particularly cuddly.

More troubling to me is the apparent decision to only detail two halfling dieties at all, and give the others a cursory treatment.

 

[Milkman Dan]

Ruathar:
Entry Requirements: BAB +6 Or Any Skill 9 ranks OR 3rd-level spells. And you must have performed a great service to an elf community (it has guidelines)

Abilities: d6, 4+ skills, medium BAB, good ref, will. full spellcasting. Beyond that, they get a means to let other elves know what they are, and you get some of the elves' racial abilities (including increased lifespan).

Sounds nice! My cleric PC might actually benefit from that, given the increased skill points and Reflex save. Looking forward to reading it in more details.

 

[Pseudonym]

Elves:
Alobal Lorfiril: Demigod of revelry, hedonism and excess of all kinds.
Corellon Larethian: You know that one
Deep Sashelas: Patron of the aquatic elves, elven god of the oceans. His consort, Trishinia, Queen of the Dolphins, is mentioned in name.
Elebrin Liothiel: God of orchards, gardens, harvest.
Hanali Celanil. The goddess of love, romance, beauty, enchantments, and so on.
Lolth: You know this one, too
Sehanine Moonbow: Goddess of mysticism, dreams, death, journeys, transcendence, moon, the stars, the heavens.
Vandria Gilmadrith: The Daughter of Corellon and Araushnee, goddess of war, guardianship, justice, grief, vigilance and decision.

Halflings: Only two deities are described in length, but there are the relevant rules for 5 other deities form the Forgotten Realms (Arvoreen, Brandobaris, Cyrollallee, Sheela Peryroyl, Urogalan)
The two deities described are Yondalla and Dallah Thaun, CN goddess of halflings, secrets, guile, thieves and rogues, acquisition of wealth, death. Dallah Thaun is the dark aspect of Yondallah, pysically split from her when she created the halflings. You cannot really worship one without worshipping the other, both hear the prayers meant for any of her. They know everything the other one knows. They have different methods, but the same goals - the benefit fo the halfling race, so they work together instead of against each other.

Any idea why the designers have decided to drop pre-existing minor deities for the non-human races in favor of the new ones we're seeing? Not sure I like it.