Myou
2009-03-26, 06:40 AM
I'm running a high powered 3.5 game (it's somewhat eperimental, I'm tweaking and modifying my rules as we go), and I'd love some help blancing the playable races. I'm sure some are a bit too good/bad, and that there are some classes not covered by them. :3
I stripped out the stereotyped "bonus to stoneworking" stuff, to me things like that depend on backstory, not race, are pretty useless, and are a pain to keep track of. If a player want a bonus to craft checks or something like that there are feats they can take, that makes a lot more sense than some sort of genetic memory.
Humans are slightly more powerful than in the PHB, and I want the other races to match up (rather than humans always being one of the best choices for any build).
LA is a pretty heavy burden, because it can't be bought off in my game, so I'm loath to hand it out too freely. Also, there are no favoured classes of multiclassing penalties.
The setting is a tropical ocean that spans the world's equator, dotted with islands of all sizes. Most settlements are of highly mixed race, but there are some areas where there is less variation and only a few races are common. I the past extraplanar travel and communication was common, but almost all contact with the gods and their servants and foes has since been cut off.
Humans
Humans are a youthful and inquisitive race. They are one of the most recent races to emerge, and even after tens of thousands of years they retain a youthfulness that the older races lack. Humans lead unusually varied lives and often become adventurers or explorers, making them common across the world’s oceans. Just as humans themselves, human societies and cultures tend to change quickly and rarely last more than a few hundred years.
Humans are very quick to learn and often hold high ambition which more than makes up for their shorter lifespan, but at the same time their short lives can lead them to think only in the present and neglect the past and future.
Type: Humanoid (Human)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common
Traits;
1 bonus feat at 1st level
+2 To one ability score of player's choice
Aging;
Adulthood: 20
Middle Age: 40
Old Age: 60
Venerable Age: 80
Maximum Age: +2d20
Elves
Elves are an ancient and ethereal race, similar to humans, yet also dissonant. They live in much greater harmony with nature and hold deeper spiritual and cultural beliefs that change little with time. Elves have an air of nobility and magic to them that many other races lack, and they tend to live slower, calmer lives as a result of their long lifespan.
They are said to have magical blood that heightens their senses and gives them a greater resistance to the magic of their enemies, and give them fair and unblemished complexions. This together with their lithe, flexible bodies makes them highly regarded as one of the most beautiful of races.
Type: Humanoid (Elf)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
+2 bonus to Listen, Spot, Hide, Move Silently and Search checks
+2 to saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities
+2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Str
Aging;
Adulthood: 100
Middle Age: 200
Old Age: 300
Venerable Age: 400
Maximum Age: +2d100
Dwarves
Dwarves are a hardy and heavily built race that are stouter and slower than other humanoids, but tougher and enduring. Their societies are some of the most insular and xenophobic, but also some of the most stable and unchanging. As a whole their race is gruff and unyielding, but while they seldom make friends easily, they are highly loyal to those that they do grow close to.
Dwarves are proud of their mining and metallurgy, most of their cities growing up in regions where precious metals can be found. Their heavy frames allow them to easily wear even the heaviest armours and make them tough warriors.
Type: Humanoid (Dwarf)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 20ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven
Traits;
Low-Light Vision
+4 racial bonus to saving throws against poison
Racial proficiency with all armours
Dwarves gain Toughness as a bonus feat
+2 Con, -2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 40
Middle Age: 80
Old Age: 120
Venerable Age: 160
Maximum Age: +2d40
Gnomes
Gnomes are a clever, nimble race, smaller than other humanoids but with an aptitude for survival that few others can match. Gnomes live in some of the most unstable and hostile environments the world has to offer – in glass cities under the ocean, among the freezing peaks of the tallest mountains, and on floating towns far out to sea. One of the most widespread race after humans, they are playful and light-hearted, with a gift for invention that they back up with skilled, dextrous hands, bringing many new creations to life.
Type: Humanoid (Gnome)
Size: Small
Base Speed: 20ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome
Traits;
+1 to all saving throws
+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con
Aging;
Adulthood: 30
Middle Age: 60
Old Age: 90
Venerable Age: 120
Maximum Age: +2d30
Orcs
Orcs are large and powerful, bigger than the other humanoids and wilder too. They have amazing strength and stamina, but short life-spans. They tend to live in loosely organised tribes in villages on the fringes of society, with little order or law. They are not mentally agile, but they tend to favour tribal traditions and physical achievement over laws and intelligence.
They can sometimes be found living in more developed towns and cities, but are less common in such places than the other races.
Type: Monstrous Humanoid (Orc)
Size: Large
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Orc
Traits;
10ft space and reach
Orcs gain Endurance as a bonus feat
+2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 10
Middle Age: 20
Old Age: 30
Venerable Age: 40
Maximum Age: +2d10
Kobolds
Kobolds are a race of burrowing reptilians, slightly shorter than dwarves but equally heavily built, their thick, hard scales and strong frames making them one of the toughest of all races. With their slow movements and poor eyesight above ground they are not the most capable fighters, but they are great survivors.
They tend to be shyer and less outgoing than other races, but they are reliable and level-headed.
Type: Humanoid (Reptilian)
Size: Small
Base Speed: 20ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
Light Sensitivity
+2 Natural Armour
+4 Con, -2 Str, -2 Dex
Aging;
Adulthood: 15
Middle Age: 30
Old Age: 45
Venerable Age: 60
Maximum Age: +2d15
Aasimar
Aasimar are descended from celestial beings who interbred with humans in the distant past when such holy creatures were commonplace. They are similar to humans, but are marked from birth with soft white lines and markings on their skin and golden hair that shine sin the sunlight. Aasimar eventually grew apart from the rest of human kind, becoming a distinct race of their own. They posses supernatural beauty and great wisdom, one of the few races that can challenge the elves in both, and like the elves they are in touch with the natural world around them, albeit to a lesser extent. Unlike the elves however, they rarely hold strong spiritual beliefs, tending to feel that the heavenly realms have abandoned them, instead doing their best to live up to their own morals and ideals.
Type: Outsider (Native)
Size: Medium
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Celestial
Traits;
Aasimar can cast Light at will as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to their character level
+2 Wis, +2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 200
Middle Age: 400
Old Age: 600
Venerable Age: 800
Maximum Age: +2d200
Teiflings
Just as the Aasimar are descended from celestial beings who interbred with humans, the Teiflings are descended form demons who did the same. They bear striking markings and physical traits inherited from their evil ancestors, specific traits running in families. Most have unusual skin colour or markings and some form of horns. Many also have tails, but beyond that each lineage is unique and easily identified by those who know the Teifling race well.
Teiflings are seldom as beautiful as Aasimar, but they have a darker charm of their own and are often highly charismatic and intelligent. In the past they faced great struggles to find a place in the world, few members of the other races accepting the offspring of demons, but in recent times they have broken free of the influence of their ancestors, and while they are rarer than the other races they are slowly growing in number and are gaining acceptance into the cultures of the other races.
Type: Outsider (Native)
Size: Medium
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Abyssal
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
Telepathy (100ft)
+2 Int, +2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 200
Middle Age: 400
Old Age: 600
Venerable Age: 800
Maximum Age: +2d200
Satyrs
Satyrs are a race of magical creatures resembling children from the waist up but with hind-legs and a tail more reminiscent of a horse. They have a magical quality to them, able to produce lights and sounds at will, and are clever and wise. They are smaller than some races, but are unusually quick for their size, which helps make up for their relative fragility.
They are most at home in woodland and forests, rarely living in towns or cities, but they do sometimes come to such place to learn magic or trade with other races. Normally they live in small groups or no more than twenty, but sometimes they form small villages.
Type: Humanoid (Fey)
Size: Small
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan
Traits;
Low-Light Vision
Satyrs can cast Ghost Sound and Dacing Lights at will as spell-like abilities.
+2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Con
Aging;
Adulthood: 35
Middle Age: 70
Old Age: 105
Venerable Age: 140
Maximum Age: +2d35
Centaurs
Centaurs are powerful, wise beings who normally live nomadic lifestyles, hunting and travelling in small familial groups, roaming the plains and forests of the larger islands in the world. They are, like orcs, not common in towns and cities, but they have a more disciplined and organised view of the world than orcs to, which allows those that wish to fit in well in civilisation.
Type: Monstrous Humanoid
Size: Large Quadraped
Base Speed: 60ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan
Traits;
10ft space and 5ft reach
A centaur's hooves can be used as natural weapons (2 hooves, 1d8 slam each)
A centaur is considered mounted for all mechanical purposes
Centaurs use medium weapons rather than large
+2 Str, +2 Wis
Aging;
Adulthood: 50
Middle Age: 100
Old Age: 150
Venerable Age: 200
Maximum Age: +2d50
Merfolk
Merfolk are a happy and playful race, one of the youngest to grace the ocean, a race that evolved in the sea and only developed the ability to venture onto land in recent times. With a lithe, toned humanoid form above the waist and a flowing, glistening tail they are fast and graceful in the water, a beautiful sight to behold. Their ornate fins and colourful skin and scales vary hugely between families, with as many variations as there are species of fish in the sea.
When they leave the water their fins melt into their bodies and their tails split in two to form legs, giving them the appearance of oddly patterned humans with webbed fingers and toes. They often make their homes among the other races along coastlines and rivers, but also have many undersea villages and towns that few outsiders visit.
Type: Humanoid (Aquatic)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Aquan
Traits;
Low-Light Vision
Swim Speed 30 ft
+10 racial bonus on all Swim checks, ability to take 10 on Swim checks even if rushed or threatened, ability to use the run action while swimming
Ability to breathe both water and air
+2 Dex, +2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 25
Middle Age: 50
Old Age: 75
Venerable Age: 100
Maximum Age: +2d25
Naga
The naga are widely acknowledged to be the oldest of all the races that live on the ocean. From the waist up they look similar to humans, but they have a serpentine race to their features that humans lack. Rather than legs, naga posses long, powerful tails that account for easily three quarters of their size, making them little smaller than centaurs and considerable heavier. They have thick, curved horns and colourful, patterned skin and scales that rival the merfolk in both spectacle and variation, and they tend to wear few clothes, often little more than a loincloth and letting the tropical sun keep them warm. They are one of the most openly affectionate and caring races, valuing physical contact and placing love and family above all things.
Naga possess not only toned, strong bodies, but powerful minds and personalities that make them one of the most capable races. They were the first race to delve into magic and are highly attuned to the arcane arts. While they are warm-blooded they love to bask in the sun and tend to be active and cheerful on overcast days.
Type: Humanoid (Reptilian)
Size: Medium (Quadraped for mechanical purposes)
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
Scent
+2 Natural Armour
+2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
Level Adjustment: +1
Aging;
Adulthood: 500
Middle Age: 1000
Old Age: 1500
Venerable Age: 2000
Maximum Age: +2d500
Thanks in advance guys! ^^
I stripped out the stereotyped "bonus to stoneworking" stuff, to me things like that depend on backstory, not race, are pretty useless, and are a pain to keep track of. If a player want a bonus to craft checks or something like that there are feats they can take, that makes a lot more sense than some sort of genetic memory.
Humans are slightly more powerful than in the PHB, and I want the other races to match up (rather than humans always being one of the best choices for any build).
LA is a pretty heavy burden, because it can't be bought off in my game, so I'm loath to hand it out too freely. Also, there are no favoured classes of multiclassing penalties.
The setting is a tropical ocean that spans the world's equator, dotted with islands of all sizes. Most settlements are of highly mixed race, but there are some areas where there is less variation and only a few races are common. I the past extraplanar travel and communication was common, but almost all contact with the gods and their servants and foes has since been cut off.
Humans
Humans are a youthful and inquisitive race. They are one of the most recent races to emerge, and even after tens of thousands of years they retain a youthfulness that the older races lack. Humans lead unusually varied lives and often become adventurers or explorers, making them common across the world’s oceans. Just as humans themselves, human societies and cultures tend to change quickly and rarely last more than a few hundred years.
Humans are very quick to learn and often hold high ambition which more than makes up for their shorter lifespan, but at the same time their short lives can lead them to think only in the present and neglect the past and future.
Type: Humanoid (Human)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common
Traits;
1 bonus feat at 1st level
+2 To one ability score of player's choice
Aging;
Adulthood: 20
Middle Age: 40
Old Age: 60
Venerable Age: 80
Maximum Age: +2d20
Elves
Elves are an ancient and ethereal race, similar to humans, yet also dissonant. They live in much greater harmony with nature and hold deeper spiritual and cultural beliefs that change little with time. Elves have an air of nobility and magic to them that many other races lack, and they tend to live slower, calmer lives as a result of their long lifespan.
They are said to have magical blood that heightens their senses and gives them a greater resistance to the magic of their enemies, and give them fair and unblemished complexions. This together with their lithe, flexible bodies makes them highly regarded as one of the most beautiful of races.
Type: Humanoid (Elf)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
+2 bonus to Listen, Spot, Hide, Move Silently and Search checks
+2 to saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities
+2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Str
Aging;
Adulthood: 100
Middle Age: 200
Old Age: 300
Venerable Age: 400
Maximum Age: +2d100
Dwarves
Dwarves are a hardy and heavily built race that are stouter and slower than other humanoids, but tougher and enduring. Their societies are some of the most insular and xenophobic, but also some of the most stable and unchanging. As a whole their race is gruff and unyielding, but while they seldom make friends easily, they are highly loyal to those that they do grow close to.
Dwarves are proud of their mining and metallurgy, most of their cities growing up in regions where precious metals can be found. Their heavy frames allow them to easily wear even the heaviest armours and make them tough warriors.
Type: Humanoid (Dwarf)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 20ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven
Traits;
Low-Light Vision
+4 racial bonus to saving throws against poison
Racial proficiency with all armours
Dwarves gain Toughness as a bonus feat
+2 Con, -2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 40
Middle Age: 80
Old Age: 120
Venerable Age: 160
Maximum Age: +2d40
Gnomes
Gnomes are a clever, nimble race, smaller than other humanoids but with an aptitude for survival that few others can match. Gnomes live in some of the most unstable and hostile environments the world has to offer – in glass cities under the ocean, among the freezing peaks of the tallest mountains, and on floating towns far out to sea. One of the most widespread race after humans, they are playful and light-hearted, with a gift for invention that they back up with skilled, dextrous hands, bringing many new creations to life.
Type: Humanoid (Gnome)
Size: Small
Base Speed: 20ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Gnome
Traits;
+1 to all saving throws
+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con
Aging;
Adulthood: 30
Middle Age: 60
Old Age: 90
Venerable Age: 120
Maximum Age: +2d30
Orcs
Orcs are large and powerful, bigger than the other humanoids and wilder too. They have amazing strength and stamina, but short life-spans. They tend to live in loosely organised tribes in villages on the fringes of society, with little order or law. They are not mentally agile, but they tend to favour tribal traditions and physical achievement over laws and intelligence.
They can sometimes be found living in more developed towns and cities, but are less common in such places than the other races.
Type: Monstrous Humanoid (Orc)
Size: Large
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Orc
Traits;
10ft space and reach
Orcs gain Endurance as a bonus feat
+2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 10
Middle Age: 20
Old Age: 30
Venerable Age: 40
Maximum Age: +2d10
Kobolds
Kobolds are a race of burrowing reptilians, slightly shorter than dwarves but equally heavily built, their thick, hard scales and strong frames making them one of the toughest of all races. With their slow movements and poor eyesight above ground they are not the most capable fighters, but they are great survivors.
They tend to be shyer and less outgoing than other races, but they are reliable and level-headed.
Type: Humanoid (Reptilian)
Size: Small
Base Speed: 20ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
Light Sensitivity
+2 Natural Armour
+4 Con, -2 Str, -2 Dex
Aging;
Adulthood: 15
Middle Age: 30
Old Age: 45
Venerable Age: 60
Maximum Age: +2d15
Aasimar
Aasimar are descended from celestial beings who interbred with humans in the distant past when such holy creatures were commonplace. They are similar to humans, but are marked from birth with soft white lines and markings on their skin and golden hair that shine sin the sunlight. Aasimar eventually grew apart from the rest of human kind, becoming a distinct race of their own. They posses supernatural beauty and great wisdom, one of the few races that can challenge the elves in both, and like the elves they are in touch with the natural world around them, albeit to a lesser extent. Unlike the elves however, they rarely hold strong spiritual beliefs, tending to feel that the heavenly realms have abandoned them, instead doing their best to live up to their own morals and ideals.
Type: Outsider (Native)
Size: Medium
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Celestial
Traits;
Aasimar can cast Light at will as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to their character level
+2 Wis, +2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 200
Middle Age: 400
Old Age: 600
Venerable Age: 800
Maximum Age: +2d200
Teiflings
Just as the Aasimar are descended from celestial beings who interbred with humans, the Teiflings are descended form demons who did the same. They bear striking markings and physical traits inherited from their evil ancestors, specific traits running in families. Most have unusual skin colour or markings and some form of horns. Many also have tails, but beyond that each lineage is unique and easily identified by those who know the Teifling race well.
Teiflings are seldom as beautiful as Aasimar, but they have a darker charm of their own and are often highly charismatic and intelligent. In the past they faced great struggles to find a place in the world, few members of the other races accepting the offspring of demons, but in recent times they have broken free of the influence of their ancestors, and while they are rarer than the other races they are slowly growing in number and are gaining acceptance into the cultures of the other races.
Type: Outsider (Native)
Size: Medium
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Abyssal
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
Telepathy (100ft)
+2 Int, +2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 200
Middle Age: 400
Old Age: 600
Venerable Age: 800
Maximum Age: +2d200
Satyrs
Satyrs are a race of magical creatures resembling children from the waist up but with hind-legs and a tail more reminiscent of a horse. They have a magical quality to them, able to produce lights and sounds at will, and are clever and wise. They are smaller than some races, but are unusually quick for their size, which helps make up for their relative fragility.
They are most at home in woodland and forests, rarely living in towns or cities, but they do sometimes come to such place to learn magic or trade with other races. Normally they live in small groups or no more than twenty, but sometimes they form small villages.
Type: Humanoid (Fey)
Size: Small
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan
Traits;
Low-Light Vision
Satyrs can cast Ghost Sound and Dacing Lights at will as spell-like abilities.
+2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Con
Aging;
Adulthood: 35
Middle Age: 70
Old Age: 105
Venerable Age: 140
Maximum Age: +2d35
Centaurs
Centaurs are powerful, wise beings who normally live nomadic lifestyles, hunting and travelling in small familial groups, roaming the plains and forests of the larger islands in the world. They are, like orcs, not common in towns and cities, but they have a more disciplined and organised view of the world than orcs to, which allows those that wish to fit in well in civilisation.
Type: Monstrous Humanoid
Size: Large Quadraped
Base Speed: 60ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan
Traits;
10ft space and 5ft reach
A centaur's hooves can be used as natural weapons (2 hooves, 1d8 slam each)
A centaur is considered mounted for all mechanical purposes
Centaurs use medium weapons rather than large
+2 Str, +2 Wis
Aging;
Adulthood: 50
Middle Age: 100
Old Age: 150
Venerable Age: 200
Maximum Age: +2d50
Merfolk
Merfolk are a happy and playful race, one of the youngest to grace the ocean, a race that evolved in the sea and only developed the ability to venture onto land in recent times. With a lithe, toned humanoid form above the waist and a flowing, glistening tail they are fast and graceful in the water, a beautiful sight to behold. Their ornate fins and colourful skin and scales vary hugely between families, with as many variations as there are species of fish in the sea.
When they leave the water their fins melt into their bodies and their tails split in two to form legs, giving them the appearance of oddly patterned humans with webbed fingers and toes. They often make their homes among the other races along coastlines and rivers, but also have many undersea villages and towns that few outsiders visit.
Type: Humanoid (Aquatic)
Size: Medum
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Aquan
Traits;
Low-Light Vision
Swim Speed 30 ft
+10 racial bonus on all Swim checks, ability to take 10 on Swim checks even if rushed or threatened, ability to use the run action while swimming
Ability to breathe both water and air
+2 Dex, +2 Cha
Aging;
Adulthood: 25
Middle Age: 50
Old Age: 75
Venerable Age: 100
Maximum Age: +2d25
Naga
The naga are widely acknowledged to be the oldest of all the races that live on the ocean. From the waist up they look similar to humans, but they have a serpentine race to their features that humans lack. Rather than legs, naga posses long, powerful tails that account for easily three quarters of their size, making them little smaller than centaurs and considerable heavier. They have thick, curved horns and colourful, patterned skin and scales that rival the merfolk in both spectacle and variation, and they tend to wear few clothes, often little more than a loincloth and letting the tropical sun keep them warm. They are one of the most openly affectionate and caring races, valuing physical contact and placing love and family above all things.
Naga possess not only toned, strong bodies, but powerful minds and personalities that make them one of the most capable races. They were the first race to delve into magic and are highly attuned to the arcane arts. While they are warm-blooded they love to bask in the sun and tend to be active and cheerful on overcast days.
Type: Humanoid (Reptilian)
Size: Medium (Quadraped for mechanical purposes)
Base Speed: 30ft
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic
Traits;
Darkvision, Low-Light Vision
Scent
+2 Natural Armour
+2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha
Level Adjustment: +1
Aging;
Adulthood: 500
Middle Age: 1000
Old Age: 1500
Venerable Age: 2000
Maximum Age: +2d500
Thanks in advance guys! ^^