Serafina
2012-08-14, 02:19 PM
I already demonstarted one such race here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13725088#post13725088) This is going to be a thread for more of them.
The Advanced Race Guide gives a solution to balance races with more race points than the core races. The parties level is adjusted upwards for the purpose of calculating what foes they encounter. At higher levels this adjustment goes down for the same amount of race points - so i figured, why not give players more race points as they advance in level?
Now a lot of people still want to play the normal races, and that's fine. Thus i will not only present normal templates - half-dragon, half-celestial and such - but also templates that give more mundane advancements (more skills, attributes or such) that can simply represent that you are an advanced member of your race.
The templates presented here will refer to "Racial Heritage". That means how you retain some of the abilities of your race. They all cost about the same amount of points, and can also change your size etc.
Effects on your Campaign
Templates allow your players to play extraordinary, sometimes monstrous characters.
Templates make character stronger. Significantly stronger at higher levels. Characters without levels in a player class should never have templates, since templates represent special members of their race, or half-breeds between a normal race and some monstrous creature.
Templates make your character stronger, but they are adjusted in a way suggested in the Advcanced Race Guide - thus they should not necessitate a large increase in encounter difficulty (RAW they require none). They do not use Level Adjustment, so your players wont have to use that clunky mechanic.
How to apply Templates
Any character can select a template at character creation. It replaces his normal race, but he must select one racial heritage and gains all the benefits of it, as described in the template.
As a character gains Hit Dice (such as by gaining character levels), he unlocks new powers of his template, at 6, 11 and 16 HD.
Some templates can be acquired during gameplay. A character can never have more than one template, but if he has none and gains one it effectively changes his race. He replaces all the benefits of his old race and automatically has the racial heritage of his old race, applying its benefit as described in his template. Should a character lose bonus feats, skill ranks or other abilities due to this, he can no longer use anything that had those as a prerequisite until he fulfills the prerequisite again.
Any spells a race receives are spell-like abilties and use the characters HD for caster level.
Racial Heritage
Every Template has a Heritage - the race you originate from. Your Heritage determines your languages, some of your traits, your size and base speed and sometimes your attributes. You can always take feats, prestige clases and Archetypes of your Heritage, and you can replace racial traits you have with those available to the race of your heritage.
Dwarfen Heritage: You have the Defensive Training, Stability, Greed, Stonecunning, Hatred and Weapon Familiarity traits of a Dwarf. Your base speed is 20 feet, but it is never reduced by encumbrance or armor. You have the Dwarf subtype, speak Common and Dwarven, and can select the bonus languages of a Dwarf. If applicable, you gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom and -2 Charisma.
Elfish Heritage: You have the Keen Senses and Weapon Familiarity traits of an Elf. You have the Elf subtype, speak Common and Elven and can select the bonus languages of an Elf. If applicable, you gain +2 Intelligence, +2 Dexterity and -2 Constitution.
Gnome: You have the Defensive Training, Hatred, Obsessive and Weapon Familiarity traits of a Gnome. You are small and your base speed is 20 feet. You have the Gnome subtype, speak Common, Gnome and Sylvan and can select the bonus languages of a Gnome. If applicable you gain +2 Constitution, +2 Charism and -2 Strength.
Half-Elf: You have the Adaptability and Multitalented traits of a Half-Elf. You have the Elf and Human subtype, speak Common and Elven, and can select the bonus Languages of a Half-Elf. If applicable you receive +2 to any attribute.
Halfling: You have the Sure-footed, Weapon Familiarity and Keen sense traits of a Halfling. You are small and your base speed is 20 feet. You have the Halfling-subtype, speak Common and Halfling and can select the bonus languages of a Halfling. If applicable you gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma and -2 Strength.
Half-Orc: You have the Orc Ferocity and Weapon Familiarity traits of a Half-Orc. You have the Orc subtype, speak Common and Orc and can select the bonus languages of an Half-Orc. If applicable you receive +2 to any attribute.
Human: You gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever you gain a level. You have the Human subytpe, speak, gain one bonus language as if you had a high intelligence score and can select any bonus language. If applicable you receive +2 to any attribute.
More Heritages may be introduced for other races, but for now i'll stick to the core races.
The Advanced Race Guide gives a solution to balance races with more race points than the core races. The parties level is adjusted upwards for the purpose of calculating what foes they encounter. At higher levels this adjustment goes down for the same amount of race points - so i figured, why not give players more race points as they advance in level?
Now a lot of people still want to play the normal races, and that's fine. Thus i will not only present normal templates - half-dragon, half-celestial and such - but also templates that give more mundane advancements (more skills, attributes or such) that can simply represent that you are an advanced member of your race.
The templates presented here will refer to "Racial Heritage". That means how you retain some of the abilities of your race. They all cost about the same amount of points, and can also change your size etc.
Effects on your Campaign
Templates allow your players to play extraordinary, sometimes monstrous characters.
Templates make character stronger. Significantly stronger at higher levels. Characters without levels in a player class should never have templates, since templates represent special members of their race, or half-breeds between a normal race and some monstrous creature.
Templates make your character stronger, but they are adjusted in a way suggested in the Advcanced Race Guide - thus they should not necessitate a large increase in encounter difficulty (RAW they require none). They do not use Level Adjustment, so your players wont have to use that clunky mechanic.
How to apply Templates
Any character can select a template at character creation. It replaces his normal race, but he must select one racial heritage and gains all the benefits of it, as described in the template.
As a character gains Hit Dice (such as by gaining character levels), he unlocks new powers of his template, at 6, 11 and 16 HD.
Some templates can be acquired during gameplay. A character can never have more than one template, but if he has none and gains one it effectively changes his race. He replaces all the benefits of his old race and automatically has the racial heritage of his old race, applying its benefit as described in his template. Should a character lose bonus feats, skill ranks or other abilities due to this, he can no longer use anything that had those as a prerequisite until he fulfills the prerequisite again.
Any spells a race receives are spell-like abilties and use the characters HD for caster level.
Racial Heritage
Every Template has a Heritage - the race you originate from. Your Heritage determines your languages, some of your traits, your size and base speed and sometimes your attributes. You can always take feats, prestige clases and Archetypes of your Heritage, and you can replace racial traits you have with those available to the race of your heritage.
Dwarfen Heritage: You have the Defensive Training, Stability, Greed, Stonecunning, Hatred and Weapon Familiarity traits of a Dwarf. Your base speed is 20 feet, but it is never reduced by encumbrance or armor. You have the Dwarf subtype, speak Common and Dwarven, and can select the bonus languages of a Dwarf. If applicable, you gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom and -2 Charisma.
Elfish Heritage: You have the Keen Senses and Weapon Familiarity traits of an Elf. You have the Elf subtype, speak Common and Elven and can select the bonus languages of an Elf. If applicable, you gain +2 Intelligence, +2 Dexterity and -2 Constitution.
Gnome: You have the Defensive Training, Hatred, Obsessive and Weapon Familiarity traits of a Gnome. You are small and your base speed is 20 feet. You have the Gnome subtype, speak Common, Gnome and Sylvan and can select the bonus languages of a Gnome. If applicable you gain +2 Constitution, +2 Charism and -2 Strength.
Half-Elf: You have the Adaptability and Multitalented traits of a Half-Elf. You have the Elf and Human subtype, speak Common and Elven, and can select the bonus Languages of a Half-Elf. If applicable you receive +2 to any attribute.
Halfling: You have the Sure-footed, Weapon Familiarity and Keen sense traits of a Halfling. You are small and your base speed is 20 feet. You have the Halfling-subtype, speak Common and Halfling and can select the bonus languages of a Halfling. If applicable you gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma and -2 Strength.
Half-Orc: You have the Orc Ferocity and Weapon Familiarity traits of a Half-Orc. You have the Orc subtype, speak Common and Orc and can select the bonus languages of an Half-Orc. If applicable you receive +2 to any attribute.
Human: You gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever you gain a level. You have the Human subytpe, speak, gain one bonus language as if you had a high intelligence score and can select any bonus language. If applicable you receive +2 to any attribute.
More Heritages may be introduced for other races, but for now i'll stick to the core races.