What would you do if you were....[Race and Culture Thread]

[Nyaricus]

PS, just a quick quip here, but what I get from you orc entry is that you are starting with the half-orc and then adding on abilities based on where you're from, right?

It's just a bit unclear, especially if one were unfamiliar with D&D - does the 'full blooded' culture get +2 Str, -2 Wis, or +4 Str, -2 mental stats? Stuff like that.

So maybe start with the full blooded race, and "build down" - otherwise this could get a bit confuseing.

However, it looks nice, and I am liking as usual

Cheers!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Nyaricus, yup.. unless noted the custom aspect stacks with the racial aspect...

I have to admit this is all first blush work, which I am saving to a word document. I intend on cleaning the document up so its clear how to use these new rules.

Through the characters constant contact with a manifest zone, they have better control over the zones related spell effect.
- Using Elements of Magic, they gain one bonus MP to spend on that element while casting in a manifest zone
- Using Core, they gain an effective Caster Level for that school while casting in a manifest zone.

Right now I am pretyt much tossing thoughts on paper and pushing it out to see how far off I am.. and speaking of being off, sticky topic today:

I have done some tweaks to the Elves…note that there is no half-breed listed here. Half-Elves only exist outside of the enclave-ish full-blood

Elves are one of the ancient races, and with their religious devotion to the Deathless, many eons of history reside within their cultural ideals. Elves tend to be fascinated with the furious pace of the shorter lived race, and often adventure with them in order to spice up their life.

Racial Aspect:
· Medium: As Medium creatures, Elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
· Lowlight vision:
· Gains a +2 racial bonus to saves against enchantment spells or effects
· Gains a +10 racial bonus to saves against sleep spells or effects
· Gains a +2 racial bonus to a chosen Perform and to a chosen Craft

Cultural Aspects:
Valenarian:
The Elves of Valenar are feisty and honorable. In their attempt to emulate their heroes of ancient battles, they take to horse and launch fearlessly into battle. Strong ties to their chosen War Party they ride with, in an almost feral bond of brotherhood.
- +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
- +2 Racial bonus to Perform(song) and Knowledge(Heraldry)
- Favored Weapons: Valenarian Double Scimitar, Lance
- Favored Class: Fighter
- Favored Skills: Ride, Handle Animal
- Blooded Feat: Ride By Attack {You may use this feat even without having the Mounted Combat feat}
- - Note, to gain Spirited Attack you still need to have Mounted Attack

Aerenal:
The Elves of Aerenal are patient, almost immortally so. Their long history of living under the threat of extinction has pervaded their sense of ‘right’. Strong ties to their chosen House, a web of intrigue and politics wrapped tightly about them.
- +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
- +2 Racial bonus to Diplomacy and Sense Motive
- Favored Weapons: Long bow and Rapier
- Favored Class: Wizard
- Favored Skills: Move Silently and Hide
- Favored Element: Death {Necromantic}

Umbragen:
The Elves of Xendrik jungles are savage and bestial. Strong ties to their birth Clan, survival in the jungles of Xendrik requires constant diligence and fierce combat.

- +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
- Xenophobic, you suffer a –5 to social related skill checks when used against someone from outside your own clan.
- +2 Racial bonus to Spot and Survival
- Favored Weapons: Short bow and Spiked Armor
- Favored Class: Cleric {usually of the Mockery}
- Favored Skills: Move Silently and Hide
- Favored Element: Death {Necromantic}
- Blooded Feat: Manifest Tolerance, due to living in a variety of manifest zones and lingering spell effects, you have gained a SR equal to 11 + class level
- Blooded Feat: Manifest Talent, due to living in a variety of manifest zones and lingering spell effects, you have gained the spell like ability to cast a spell 3 times a day. The spells you may cast with this ability are darkness, fairy fire, and/or dancing lights

Thanks for the encouragement and advice!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Its been pretty busy.. but driving on.. almost to the hardest one of them all.. Humans.

Added mechanic:
Cultural Enemy Due to decade long conflict between the cultures, the character gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls against members of another culture or race.

Still considering changing the Dwarves back to this instead of Favored Enemy...

Some tweaks to the Gnomes as well

Throughout the history of Khorvaire the Gnomes of Zilargo have maintained neutrality to some degree or another. It is not known if the Gnomes were the original occupants of the continent or not, but it is known that few can keep up with the level of political intrigue of a Gnome. Ancient bloodlines exist within the race, allowing some members to excel at Arcane activity, and others seeming to have difficulty affecting {and being affected by} Arcane powers.
Gnomish merchants have plied the seas of Eberron since the age of the Dragons…at least that’s what the Gnomes will tell you

Racial Aspect:
· +2 Charisma, -2 Strength
· Small: As a Small creature, a gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
· Base land speed is 20
· Lowlight vision:
· Gains a +2 racial bonus to saves against illusion
· Gains a +2 racial bonus to a Listen
· Blooded Feat: Arcane Affinity: grants the character the +1 Caster level as a Bard. Spells for this ability are selected randomly from the Bard spell list
· Blooded Feat: Arcane Resistance: Grants the character +10 to resist Arcane spell effects. The characters caster level is treated as if 5 levels lower for the purposes of calculating his spells DCs.

Cultural Aspects:
Zilargo:
The Gnomes of Zilargo are embroiled in political plots from the moment of birth. It is not uncommon to have representatives of opposing secret societies gathered at the family dinner table.
- Favored Skills: Sense Motive, Gather Information
- Favored Weapons: Gnomish Hooked Hammer, Kukri
- Favored Class: Bard
- Cultural Enemy: Goblinoids
- Favored Element: Illusion

SeaFarer:
Drawn to the sea, many a young man and woman leaves land behind for the danger and hazards of seafaring trade. Pirates and merchants alike fear the waters, but rely on them for a living.

- Favored Skills: Climb, Balance
- Favored Weapon: Scimitar, Net
- Favored Class: Rogue
- +2 bonus to Profession (Sailor) and Craft (Scrimshaw)
- +2 bonus to Diplomacy when haggling for a bargain
- Sea Legs: +1 Dodge bonus to AC while on a moving vessel

 

[Greg K]

You may notice I have a tendancy to favor the Ranger class. IMO it makes sense for those ‘frontier’ cultures where the environment is shared with many nasty critters.

That's okay. I did something similar with the races in my game and tended to favor both the wilderness rogue and Barbarian hunter variants from UA.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Couple more.. started in on the Human

Also went back to the Gnome.. and changed the Blooded Feat caster type..

Feral:
Abandoned as a young child, you were raised by a pack of Wolves, or a Bear..or a badger.. .You grew to the point where you knew you were different and migrated for one reason or another into ‘civilized’ life.
- Favored Skills: Survival, Climb
- Favored Weapon: Great Club
- Favored Class: Ranger
- +2 bonus to Listen and Spot
- -10 penalty to all social skill checks.{Diplomacy, Bluff, Sense Motive}*
- Illiterate*
- Bonus Feat: Improved Unarmed Strike
*: These limitations can be overcome with the Feat “Civilized Training”

Street Urchin
Abandoned as a young child, you were raised on the rough streets of a large city.
- Favored Skills: Survival {Urban}, Gather Information
- Favored Weapon: Hammer {Light}, Sap
- Favored Class: Rogue
- +2 bonus to Bluff and Sense Motive
- Scrounge: When in a city, you can acquire mundane items with a CHA check vs DC 20. For each point over the DC, the max value of the scrounged item increases by 1gp.

Humans.. the ever-growing invaders of Khorvaire. Humans have an interesting genetic trait, thin bloodlines. One thing this means is that they can cross breed with other races. The other thing it means is immunity to Bane weapons. Bane weapons are created with a specific blood type that they are to be used against.
Humans do not take a Racial Aspect Feat, instead using one of the characters 2 starting Feat slots on any General Feat and gain a bonus skill point at each level.

Cultural Aspects:
Eldeen Reaches
Growing up in the shadow of the ancient Treants, stewardship of the natural world is a common focus. Regardless, respect for the power of the natural world is core to your being. You have seen many powerful beasts and hazardous glens.
- Favored Skills: Survival, Knowledge: {Nature}
- Favored Weapon: LongBow, Hand Ax
- Favored Class: Druid
- +2 bonus to Hide and Move Silently
- Herbologist: When in a forest, you can acquire mundane herbs that can replenish a single use of a Healer’s Kit {+2 to Heal checks} or provide assistance in fighting off a poison’s effects {+2 to the next Fort save against the poison.

Thrane
The powerful Theocracy protects you and serves you. At least that’s what the City Watch’s door says..mind you manners here.
- Favored Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge: {Religion}
- Favored Weapon: Halberd, War Hammer
- Favored Class: Cleric
- +2 bonus to Craft: Weapon smith and Profession: {Choice}
- Blooded Feat: Soul of the Flame: You gain the granted power of either the protection or destruction domains. You use half your total level instead of cleric level for this granted power.

 

[Nyaricus]

continueing to look great dude; you should really gather theseup and make it into a .DOC or something

Q: are you going through Eberron's Regions to do this? Just curious

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Actually its a .doc on my computer.. once I get the rest of the regions hammered out I will format it pretty and post it up on post #1.

Yes, I am focussing on the Eberron regions as this is my current favorite setting... and not so coincidently the *only* setting I have the books for

The Human piece I have left kinda for last as they are the most varied.. and therefore hardest. There should be a distinct difference between a Cyrian and a Brelander, and more of a difference between either of those and a Karnatthian.

 

[Nyaricus]

Actually its a .doc on my computer.. once I get the rest of the regions hammered out I will format it pretty and post it up on post #1.

Yes, I am focussing on the Eberron regions as this is my current favorite setting... and not so coincidently the *only* setting I have the books for

The Human piece I have left kinda for last as they are the most varied.. and therefore hardest. There should be a distinct difference between a Cyrian and a Brelander, and more of a difference between either of those and a Karnatthian.

Cool. Personally, Eberron just didn't "do" it for me, but I really like what you are doing here, regardless of my preferences

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Added my word document up at Post #1

I look forward to any comments for improving on this!

 

[Spatzimaus]

Well, long ago IMC we tweaked the existing races a bit to help with this. Humans gained the "Thin Blood" ability, which had two effects:
1> They can crossbreed with any other humanoid race (which means the other races can't crossbreed with each other; no half-Elf half-Dwarves)
2> They can't be the selected enemy for Bane-like abilities. They CAN still be a Ranger's Favored Enemy, though.

So, the only half-breeds IMC were half-Humans.

Next, we added "Backgrounds", generally referred to as "racial/regional skills". Depending on your upbringing, you'd get two or three skills tagged as "racial skills", meaning they were always class skills, AND you'd get an extra 1 skill point per level that could only be spent on these skills. Also, any "racial" weapon proficiencies would be tied to the background.

For instance, Dwarves would get Craft (any one related to metal or stone), Knowledge (geology) and Knowledge (Dwarf)*. They also got Axe proficiency and weapon familiarity with the Dwarven Waraxe and Urgosh.
Elves got Craft (any one related to wood or cloth), Knowledge (Nature), and Knowledge (Elf)*, plus the longsword/bow proficiency.
To reflect the Humans' greater diversity, they got: any one non-exclusive skill, any one Craft/Knowledge/Profession skill, and either Speak Language OR one weapon proficiency. We had originally made up regional lists, but that was just too much work. Also, the Human +1 skill point only applied to regional skills (to balance the fact that they have more selection)

*-Knowledge(race) includes all Knowledge skills, including history, geography, genealogy, etc., but only as they applied to that race and its culture. If the character has sufficient ranks in other Knowledge skills that also apply to any roll, use whichever is higher and add a +1 synergy bonus for each 5 ranks of the lower skill.

Anyway, the point is, your background would determine which set of "racial" skills and proficiencies you used. A human raised by Elves would use the Elf racial skills instead of the Human ones, and vice versa, although the +1 skill point for Humans is tied to true race, not upbringing. It made it very easy to play around with upbringings; a Half-Ogre raised by Humans, and so on. We never tied Favored Class into it, though; that would have been too abuseable.