Author Topic: Races  (Read 28050 times)

Offline oslecamo

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« Last Edit: October 09, 2018, 03:30:19 AM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2013, 12:00:24 PM »
Lunarian


The earth is littered with ruins of ancient advanced civilizations that colapsed over themselves or due to some external factor. Once proud races now forced to scavenge for survival on the dirt, shadows of their previous selfs.

Not the Lunarians. Descended from a group of extremely advanced humans in the fields of both magic and science, they decided there was no reason to crawl upon the impure earth, and ascended to an higher plane of existence. Legends speak of how the moon was once the new capital of the Lunarians, altough they seem to have left it to an even more isolated place since then. They've ever since cultivated a mighty civilization that has transcended death and bends even the gods to their will. However they've also grown more and more isolated, considering everything outside their pure domains to be below their attention.

Nowadays, Lunarians are barely seen by other races (except those few the Lunarians considered pure enough to join them on their new home). But when a Lunarian sets foot on the land of the impure, there's usually something behind it. Some say it's the lunarians advancing their own secret agendas, saving some civilizations while dooming others. Others say the lunarians themselves war against each other now and then, and that leads to refugees prefering to leave their “paradise” in search of another land. And then there's those saying some lunarians simply grow bored of their idlic life and go look for some excitment.

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« Last Edit: May 04, 2017, 12:35:03 AM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2013, 12:01:01 PM »
White Wolf Tengu


Originally created by a now forgoten god of a mountain, White Wolf Tengus combine the characteristics of dogs and humans, making them natural guardians, in particular when they hone their martial skills. However despite their strong sense of loyalty and duty, White Wolf Tengus aren't particularly bright, which means more often than not they're found serving other, smarter races.

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« Last Edit: August 10, 2015, 06:59:48 PM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2015, 02:00:09 PM »
Fairy


Fairies are basic manifestations of the main aspects of nature that spontaneously spawn in the wild, being more abundant in areas of great magic. Despite being bigger than most fey, almost all fairies are pretty weak and of limited power, only able to shoot basic blasts of energy. They still love playing pranks and living the good life, although some fairies eventually settle to living as caretakers of nature, trying to help things grow and develop for a change. The main characteristic of fairies however is the fact that they reform themselves soon after killed, which makes them very popular as servants among more powerful beings. Even if fairies are basically impossible to properly discipline.

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« Last Edit: September 17, 2017, 09:56:10 PM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2015, 07:44:54 PM »
Kasha



Kasha were once normal cats that have eaten the dead flesh of sentient creatures. Unlike other humanoid eating monsters, Kasha prefer flesh that's been dead for at least a day or two, or well cooked. Kasha consider undead in particular to be a delicacy. This leads to Kasha either roaming near funerals, graveyards or war zones to steal corpses, or taking up a job that allows them to directly interact with the recently dead. Often both. Kasha only rarely bother to hunt the living, since there's always some old people kicking the bucket or undead spawning to nom on, but they still get in trouble often with most civilized races that would prefer for their dead to rest in peace instead of serving as food. Some Kasha become heroic undead hunters, always moving towards places where there's news of a zombie outbreak or vampire conclave, ending the danger to the living while earning an excellent meal, while other Kasha actually promote the conditions for the spreading of ghosts and evil spirits to make sure they have plenty to eat.

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« Last Edit: July 01, 2018, 09:09:38 AM by oslecamo »

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2015, 12:41:26 PM »
Oni


Infernal beings from the Abyss who love to drink and fight, Onis once wrecked havoc across the material plane in great numbers thanks to their overwhelming physical prowess, until the civilized races discovered their glaring weaknesses and exterminated most of them, the survivors either retreating back to the lower planes or becoming wanderers trying to lay low from the eyes of the public. Most of their power went missing, but Onis can find them again with enough drinking and duels. Their bodies are unique in possessing a strange volatility, heritage from the primordial chaos where they were born.
 
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« Last Edit: September 25, 2016, 09:38:06 PM by oslecamo »

Offline CattyNebulart

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Re: Races
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2015, 07:28:24 PM »
Ok, quick review;

The Lunerians, I quite like them,  Ahead of You provides a nice scaling bonus with some flexibility,, also one of the rare cha bonus races.

The White Wolf Tengu... I like them scent is a fairly rare ability and hard to get, and guards watchdog... well
"God's Watch Dog: White Wolf Tengus have Low Light Vision and a +2 Racial bonus to Spot  checks, which is further increased by an amount equal to the highest level maneuver they know. Spot is always a class skills for a White Wolf Tengu." Up to this point it is fine, a little weak but not terribly so, the scaling bonuses however are too strong.

Maybe a 1'st level stance giving lowligth vision, 3'rd 60 foot darkvision, 5'th doubeling scent range, 7'th giving see invisibility? 9'th could give true seeing, though most schools don't have level 9 stances.

Not that see invisibility is a huge dealbreaker as they already have scent. but permanent true seeing is a bit much, and some of the boni are a bit early. If you think that is too weak maybe give them Track as a bonus feat and let them roll vs spot for tracking? Or perhaps the elven ability to detect secret doors? However not all of those abilities.

Fairies... Well I like them, and I like what you did with their respawn mechanic, but flight at level 1 is a bit much. Maybe 1'st level stance gives the  jump bonus, 3'rd clumsy flight at 30ft, 5'th average flight at 40 ft and 7'th good at 50ft?

The damage from mook is also a bit low, maybe make it 1+(stance lvl)d4's of damage? or 1+(stance lvl) damage but as a touch attack?

Kasha are fun, but you forgot the LA+1 entry for then :p They are too strong for a LA+0 race.

Oni - they are fun, but the strength bonus for being in a stance is too good, also their vulnerability is a bit complicated, not a huge fan of it.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2015, 12:55:34 AM »
Ok, quick review;

The Lunerians, I quite like them,  Ahead of You provides a nice scaling bonus with some flexibility,, also one of the rare cha bonus races.
Nice, I'll most probably play that one in your campaign.  :)

The White Wolf Tengu... I like them scent is a fairly rare ability and hard to get, and guards watchdog... well
"God's Watch Dog: White Wolf Tengus have Low Light Vision and a +2 Racial bonus to Spot  checks, which is further increased by an amount equal to the highest level maneuver they know. Spot is always a class skills for a White Wolf Tengu." Up to this point it is fine, a little weak but not terribly so, the scaling bonuses however are too strong.

Maybe a 1'st level stance giving lowligth vision, 3'rd 60 foot darkvision, 5'th doubeling scent range, 7'th giving see invisibility? 9'th could give true seeing, though most schools don't have level 9 stances.

Not that see invisibility is a huge dealbreaker as they already have scent. but permanent true seeing is a bit much, and some of the boni are a bit early. If you think that is too weak maybe give them Track as a bonus feat and let them roll vs spot for tracking? Or perhaps the elven ability to detect secret doors? However not all of those abilities.
Well, it's more that See Invisibility is a 2nd level spell effect, and True Seeing is a 5th level cleric/6th level wizard effect. Even right now the White Tengu is gaining those effects at quite the delayed rate in relation to a caster. Sure they're racial traits, but they're only "unlocked" if you're not playing a fullcaster. Also the WWT is supposed to be more guard than hunter, so track/detect secrets wouldn't fit thematically I believe. This race was basically supposed to be a combat sentry, and to do that in D&D you really need a bunch of effects you normally only find on spells.

Fairies... Well I like them, and I like what you did with their respawn mechanic, but flight at level 1 is a bit much. Maybe 1'st level stance gives the  jump bonus, 3'rd clumsy flight at 30ft, 5'th average flight at 40 ft and 7'th good at 50ft?
I know that flight at 1st level is indeed pushing it a bit, but I really wanted to make floating fairy low-level NPCs a possibility. That's why it's just 10 feet at 1st level (assuming you took a martial class). They technically can fly, but they're not gonna be able to use that to either escape or pursue anyone. If a fairy wants to get anywhere in time at 1st level, they have to get on the ground and walk.

The damage from mook is also a bit low, maybe make it 1+(stance lvl)d4's of damage? or 1+(stance lvl) damage but as a touch attack?
At first level 2d4 is equivalent damage to a light crossbow for medium size and to an heavy crossbow for small size. Shorter range but doesn't need to be reloaded. Right now they hit about as hard as bows in average at 1st level.

Kasha are fun, but you forgot the LA+1 entry for then :p They are too strong for a LA+0 race.
Hmmm, what makes you say that? They have 0 sum of ability score modifiers, a weaker shape change, and then pretty much the rest of the abilities are only good against the dead and undead. I guess if you were playing an undead centric campaign they may look a bit too strong, but they would still need to be a martial initiator, meaning they weren't playing an actual anti-undead class like cleric or paladin.

I'm not a big fan of LA, so I would rather cut down stuff than making it LA+1.

Oni - they are fun, but the strength bonus for being in a stance is too good, also their vulnerability is a bit complicated, not a huge fan of it.
Str based beaters need some love too. Again, at least it's not gonna be picked by any wizards/clerics. But what's exactly complicated about the vulnerabilities? I wanted to keep it simple and thematic.

Thanks for the critiques!

Offline CattyNebulart

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Re: Races
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2015, 11:27:19 PM »
Kasha are fun, but you forgot the LA+1 entry for then :p They are too strong for a LA+0 race.
Hmmm, what makes you say that? They have 0 sum of ability score modifiers, a weaker shape change, and then pretty much the rest of the abilities are only good against the dead and undead. I guess if you were playing an undead centric campaign they may look a bit too strong, but they would still need to be a martial initiator, meaning they weren't playing an actual anti-undead class like cleric or paladin.

I'm not a big fan of LA, so I would rather cut down stuff than making it LA+1.

The only race I can think of that is LA 0 and can change shape is tibits and they have some special wonky restrictions on it.
The other two abilities are a bit weak to carry a race on their own but both would be very strong compared to most baseline races.

Drop a +2 bonus or axe some abilities, you are right is is weak for and LA+1 race... but it is a bit too much for a LA+0 race.

Oni - they are fun, but the strength bonus for being in a stance is too good, also their vulnerability is a bit complicated, not a huge fan of it.
Str based beaters need some love too. Again, at least it's not gonna be picked by any wizards/clerics. But what's exactly complicated about the vulnerabilities? I wanted to keep it simple and thematic.

For a single race nothign really, but when I imagine trying to handle 6 players each with their own set of weaknesses... it is complicated for the GM, it's not as something player handled.
Otherwise the problem is much like with the Kasha just too much, and the additional complication that being drunk is not really defined, nor how long it lasts, nor it's penalties. Also the STR boosts are fairly big, only a few other things give that much, though yes, unlike what WotC thinks STR is probably the least valuable stat.

You are welcome for the review, sorry the followup took that long.

Offline CrazyYanmega

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Re: Races
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2015, 01:15:52 PM »
Hi! I was wondering if you could make a viable Inchling race? I've always wanted a viable, super small race.

If it could be compatible with non-ToB classes for more flexibility that would be fantastic.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2015, 03:30:01 AM »
The only race I can think of that is LA 0 and can change shape is tibits and they have some special wonky restrictions on it.
The other two abilities are a bit weak to carry a race on their own but both would be very strong compared to most baseline races.

Drop a +2 bonus or axe some abilities, you are right is is weak for and LA+1 race... but it is a bit too much for a LA+0 race.
Good idea, turned the neko shape into a feat. The Corpse Voyage school allows one to turn into a cat anyway now that I think about it.

For a single race nothign really, but when I imagine trying to handle 6 players each with their own set of weaknesses... it is complicated for the GM, it's not as something player handled.
Otherwise the problem is much like with the Kasha just too much, and the additional complication that being drunk is not really defined, nor how long it lasts, nor it's penalties. Also the STR boosts are fairly big, only a few other things give that much, though yes, unlike what WotC thinks STR is probably the least valuable stat.
For the record, I did make rules for being drunk in this subforum. Although I guess I should add a link to the race.

As for big str boosts, cough spells cough wildshape cough natural spell druid with bite of the WereX cough. +10 Str in return for being in a 9th level stance is spare change compared to what  fullcasters can pull off.  :p

You are welcome for the review, sorry the followup took that long.
No problem, since I'm myself returning from a two-wek hiatus. :blush

Hi! I was wondering if you could make a viable Inchling race? I've always wanted a viable, super small race.

If it could be compatible with non-ToB classes for more flexibility that would be fantastic.
Super small race that isn't necessarily tied to martial schools? Coming right up.

Starts as fine but only gains the benefits of tiny until gaining some extra levels, then some little extras so that every Inchling isn't automatically gonna be a spellcaster of sorts.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2015, 03:30:29 AM »
Inchling


The little people, hiding right under everyody's noses. Well, not as much as hiding, but more like nobody paying them attention. But they have their pride too. Constantly seeking ways to prove their worth to the other “giant” races.

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« Last Edit: December 08, 2017, 08:38:03 PM by oslecamo »

Offline ketaro

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Re: Races
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2015, 04:30:21 PM »
You said they are strong and slow, but then penalized strength and boosted dex. That...didn't make sense lol

Offline Anomander

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Re: Races
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2015, 04:50:30 PM »
Strong and slow compared to something their size.
Which is probably meant to be interpreted as "less of a strength penalty than usual and less of a bonus to dexterity than something of that size usually has."

Offline CrazyYanmega

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Re: Races
« Reply #14 on: November 08, 2015, 02:29:46 AM »
Thanks for making this! My DM is considering allowing me to go Ape-Totem Barbarian/Frenzied Berserker. Since Power Attack, Rage, and Frenzy don't scale with size...  :lmao

Offline DavidWL

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Re: Races
« Reply #15 on: November 27, 2015, 12:33:14 AM »
I really!  Like the inchlings, but this is probably overpowered for only a racial pick for a caster...  +8 to Ac and attack, +16 to hide,  for a caster,  is pretty bunk and a lot better than most any other racial pick...

Maybe something else to balance it better for mid level casters...  Maybe - 2 to cha, int, wis.   Or -1 caster level.   Or something...  With other corresponding bonuses.. ?

Best,
David

Offline CrazyYanmega

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Re: Races
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2015, 09:15:22 PM »
I really!  Like the inchlings, but this is probably overpowered for only a racial pick for a caster...  +8 to Ac and attack, +16 to hide,  for a caster,  is pretty bunk and a lot better than most any other racial pick...

Maybe something else to balance it better for mid level casters...  Maybe - 2 to cha, int, wis.   Or -1 caster level.   Or something...  With other corresponding bonuses.. ?

Best,
David

Perhaps make it so it can't take a class with only half BAB.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2015, 02:57:37 AM »
Shinigami


Shinigami are an ancient race of unknown origins, older than the gods. Some call the Shinigami gods themselves, although the truth is that they're are always found performing menial manual labor while under orders from younger yet more powerful beings. Due to their natural abilities Shinigami often end with the job of lecturing the souls of mortals on how to reach their correct afterlifes. Alas as the number of mortals multiplied combined with to the Shinigami's own natural lack of ambition, a myriad of other beings were brought to help deal with dealing with the souls of the dead, resulting in an extensive and complex divine bureaucracy where the original Shinigami make only a minuscle percentage of the organization.

Among mortals, seeing a Shinigami is often considered an ill omen for it may mean they're about to die. It's even a bigger ill omen for the undead and immortals since it may means the divine bureaucracy has decided to hunt them down. That's mostly unfounded since the task of “harvesting” particularly reluctant souls if left to more brutal beings like the Marut model of Inevitable or ancient Oni. However unfounded fear is still fear that is so deeply rooted even enlightened celestials believe in it. Several Shinigami actively enjoy using their reputation to get their way with mortals. Actually with the expontential increase of divine bureaucracy, more and more Shinigami can be found finding excuses to delay their job, like helping random people in need and challenging villains or just messing with others.

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« Last Edit: March 17, 2018, 08:29:25 PM by oslecamo »

Offline CrazyYanmega

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Re: Races
« Reply #18 on: December 05, 2015, 03:32:35 AM »
Hey, oslecamo, mind if I make a Menreiki race? I have an idea for a fairly powerful race that has an interesting drawback.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Races
« Reply #19 on: December 05, 2015, 06:30:26 AM »
Sure, I'm curious to see that. Altough that's one character I don't know much about besides that she solo-ed Reimu and two stage 6 bosses triple custom card. Hmm, 17 cards with fancy names, could make for an interesting Forbidden School. For  Dream battle perhaps with the skill of sense motive to represent balancing emotions and also mocking religions... But I'm already working on Sakuya's schools and a bunch of other stuff, so into the backburner it goes. Gah, too dispersed...

Added the "Too Small to Succeed" racial ability, the Inchling can't join the big boy girls clubs that prepare spells. Sorcerers would still be fine. Because you're not a wizard/cleric/arqhivist.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2016, 05:45:05 AM by oslecamo »