Thoghts for a new race

[Thurbane]

Hi all,

I'm working on a new race for my own homebrew, and am fishing for ideas.

Here's the basics: there is a continent ruled by a single race, who are strong in technology (early gunpowder, alchemy, primitive clockwork etc.), but weaker in magic.

Physically, they are somewhere between Humans and Dwarves.

They'll have a racial bonus to tech related skills (Craft, Appraise etc.), a penalty to magic related skills (spellcraft, UMD). Favored race: any non-caster. Ability modifiers: Int +2, Cha -2.

I want them to be a LA +0 race, so feel free to add suggestions.

I also need a name for this race: something that captures technology, ambition and secrecy.

 

[Ilium]

I also need a name for this race: something that captures technology, ambition and secrecy.

"Human"

Seriously, everything you're describing sounds like flavor text to me. They could easily just be an ethnic/social group rather than a separate race.

 

[Machiavelli]

For a new race, try starting with either a new racial origin or a new niche for a race to fill. The niches are difficult to find, with so many races available in even the official sources, so I like to start with interesting origins when I'm in the mood for a new race.

How about a grisly accident involving a mold-crusted bath sponge and an Awaken spell horribly perverted by group casting rituals and divinely fueled metamagic? I could see a fun race spring from that...

 

[Thurbane]

I've decided I'm probably going to go with a slight variation of the Karsites from ToM.

The only real change is that their favored class changes from Binder to any non-caster.

They fit what I'm looking for pretty well - if you can't cast spells, you would learn fairly quickly to exploit technology; moreso than races who produce divine and arcana casters.