Morph Bark
2012-08-16, 05:15 PM
So here is a race integral in some ways to my campaign setting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251075): the angels. Because I suck at typing up fluff coherently, I'll instead just leave it be for now and leave it for later, and will just answer any questions about fluff (and crunch of course) anyone might have.
Race mechanics set-up with the bloodlines and all is of course shamelessly cribbed from Gnorman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250820), whose name I still can't pronounce without sounding like Pumbaa.
If it looks unfinished, it's because, while it isn't, really, it also kinda is, mainly the fluff and the gliding ability, but that is just the same as you know. Anyway, I'm tired, so ciao, and have at it.
EDIT: Power-wise, this is supposed to be roughly on-par with Pathfinder races.
Angel
http://safebooru.org//samples/732/sample_5b547bc5cdd93e9131ad859c55d72949bba71371.jp g?737719
• +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom – angels are agile, but distanced from the world in their perceptions.
• Medium size
• 30' movement.
• Humanoid (planetouched) type.
• Low-light vision.
• Bloodline: All angels select a bloodline from the list below, which offer them different bonuses and abilities. This choice is permanent.
• Weapon Familiarity: Angels treat all firearms as martial weapons instead of exotic weapons.
• Angelic Craftsmanship: Angels may craft items of one technological tier higher than normally allowed for their level and ranks in Craft.
• Gliding (Ex): An angel can use her wings to glide, negating damage from a fall from any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Angels glide at a speed of 30 feet with average maneuverability. Even if an angel's maneuverability improves, she can't hover while gliding. An angel can't glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
If an angel becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, her wings naturally unfurl, and powerful ligaments stiffen them. The angel descends slowly in a tight corkscrew and takes only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter the actual distance of the fall.
• Flight (Ex): When an angel reaches 6 HD, she gains a fly speed of 30 feet with average maneuverability. An angel can't fly while carrying a medium or heavy load or while fatigued or exhausted.
An angel can safely fly for a number of consecutive rounds equal to her Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round). She can double this length of flight but is fatigued by such exertion. The angel is likewise fatigued after spending a total of more than 10 minutes per day flying. Because an angel can glide before, after, and between rounds of actual flight, she can remain aloft for extended periods, even if she can only use flight for 1 round at a time without becoming fatigued.
When she reaches 12 HD, an angel has enough stamina and prowess to fly without tiring. She can fly at a speed of 30 feet (average maneuverability) with no more exertion than walking or running.
An angel with flight can make a dive attack. A dive attack works like a charge, but the angel must move a minimum of 30 feet and descend at least 10 feet. An angel can make a dive attack only when wielding a piercing weapon. If the dive attack hits, it deals double damage.
An angel with flight can use the run action while flying, provided she flies in a straight line.
• +2 racial bonus to Diplomacy and Pilot checks. Angels also get one bonus starting language known, picked up from their ventures into Ymaggion.
• Automatic Languages: Angelic. Bonus Starting Languages: Any major languages (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13636297#post13636297).
• Favored Classes: n/a
Bloodlines
Gabrii
• +2 Charisma
• Gabrii gain one more additional starting language and may use tongues as a spell-like ability once per week. At level 6 they may use it once per day.
Raphai
• +2 Intelligence
• Raphai receive a +2 bonus on all Craft and Use Computer checks.
Urii
• +2 Constitution
• Urii add their Dexterity bonus in fire damage to attacks made with ranged weapons.
Michai
• +2 Strength
• Michai receive one Weapon Proficiency feat of their choice for free.
Personality: Angels as a society hold themselves to a strict code, as if the entire race were a police organization. They are a militaristic folk, as their ancestors and leaders have sworn them all to an oath of defending Ymaggion from outside forces. And if it weren’t for the fact that there aren’t as many angels as beings of other races, the fact that they have their internal struggles and the fact that many angels simply hit their peak early and don’t manage to advance very far, the world would never be troubled by forces from the outside. Many angels hold themselves accountable for catastrophe, as they are by nature compassionate, which is why they even get schooled in how to steel their hearts against such things and the evils that continue to rise and rise again.
Physical Description: Angels stand tall and often well-built. Many wear long blue coats as uniforms, golden symbols on their shoulders signifying their rank. Angels usually have eyes of cool colours, such as blue, grey or violet, whereas their hair is often of a metallic colour or close to it, such as platinum, golden or silver blonde, coppery red or yellow. Urii angels often have hair of fiery red or other flame-like shades, sometimes even blue. Raphai have darker hair than other angels, browns being common, wheras Michai have the darkest eyes and skin, with the Gabrii being the fairest of all. All angels have a pair of feathered wings, which are mostly white, but some have some colour to them.
Relations: They’re mostly reclusive, which is why they don’t come into contact with most of the races. However, they stand on a strange footing with the dwarves, who have similar hard faith in the power of Law, but a slightly different and looser interpretation of it sometimes. Humans often regard them as messengers of the gods, at least the lower classes do, except in the big cities of Stamaria, where they are regarded as a symbol of an old and backwards system.
Alignment: Angels tend to be strictly lawful, many of them being good. They are not bound to alignment however, with a large number of chaotic angels being around, especially outside of the Core.
Lands: Angels don’t really have ‘lands’. Their home is the Core, another plane of existence hidden within the dimensional folds underneath the Earth. On the world of Ymaggion, they most commonly appear on the continent of Cyra, in the city of Traicen and the sunken city of Voya.
Language: Angels speak Angelic, corascic aggeli in their own tongue. They are apt with languages and start out knowing one extra language, due to either travelling the Earth and learning them in the field, or through a teacher who has done so.
Names: Angels usually take names of either grandeur or subservience to Elgehim, their chief god and lord of the light. Their names often end in ‘–el’, the first part of Elgehim’s name, but angels of higher birth and make often don’t have this. Angels who ‘fall’, renouncing Elgehim and leave their life in the Core, leave out the ‘-el’ part of their names.
Adventurers: The angels long ago swore to protect the world of Ymaggion for their lord Elgehim, and many still do. Younger generations of angels often take on other work however; fairly recently some even founded divisions to explore the world of Ymaggion, while others secretly work behind the scenes to scout around for other would-be world protectors. Rumour has it that the human Stalis clan’s arena tournaments are actually funded by angels.
Race mechanics set-up with the bloodlines and all is of course shamelessly cribbed from Gnorman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250820), whose name I still can't pronounce without sounding like Pumbaa.
If it looks unfinished, it's because, while it isn't, really, it also kinda is, mainly the fluff and the gliding ability, but that is just the same as you know. Anyway, I'm tired, so ciao, and have at it.
EDIT: Power-wise, this is supposed to be roughly on-par with Pathfinder races.
Angel
http://safebooru.org//samples/732/sample_5b547bc5cdd93e9131ad859c55d72949bba71371.jp g?737719
• +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom – angels are agile, but distanced from the world in their perceptions.
• Medium size
• 30' movement.
• Humanoid (planetouched) type.
• Low-light vision.
• Bloodline: All angels select a bloodline from the list below, which offer them different bonuses and abilities. This choice is permanent.
• Weapon Familiarity: Angels treat all firearms as martial weapons instead of exotic weapons.
• Angelic Craftsmanship: Angels may craft items of one technological tier higher than normally allowed for their level and ranks in Craft.
• Gliding (Ex): An angel can use her wings to glide, negating damage from a fall from any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Angels glide at a speed of 30 feet with average maneuverability. Even if an angel's maneuverability improves, she can't hover while gliding. An angel can't glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
If an angel becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, her wings naturally unfurl, and powerful ligaments stiffen them. The angel descends slowly in a tight corkscrew and takes only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter the actual distance of the fall.
• Flight (Ex): When an angel reaches 6 HD, she gains a fly speed of 30 feet with average maneuverability. An angel can't fly while carrying a medium or heavy load or while fatigued or exhausted.
An angel can safely fly for a number of consecutive rounds equal to her Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round). She can double this length of flight but is fatigued by such exertion. The angel is likewise fatigued after spending a total of more than 10 minutes per day flying. Because an angel can glide before, after, and between rounds of actual flight, she can remain aloft for extended periods, even if she can only use flight for 1 round at a time without becoming fatigued.
When she reaches 12 HD, an angel has enough stamina and prowess to fly without tiring. She can fly at a speed of 30 feet (average maneuverability) with no more exertion than walking or running.
An angel with flight can make a dive attack. A dive attack works like a charge, but the angel must move a minimum of 30 feet and descend at least 10 feet. An angel can make a dive attack only when wielding a piercing weapon. If the dive attack hits, it deals double damage.
An angel with flight can use the run action while flying, provided she flies in a straight line.
• +2 racial bonus to Diplomacy and Pilot checks. Angels also get one bonus starting language known, picked up from their ventures into Ymaggion.
• Automatic Languages: Angelic. Bonus Starting Languages: Any major languages (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13636297#post13636297).
• Favored Classes: n/a
Bloodlines
Gabrii
• +2 Charisma
• Gabrii gain one more additional starting language and may use tongues as a spell-like ability once per week. At level 6 they may use it once per day.
Raphai
• +2 Intelligence
• Raphai receive a +2 bonus on all Craft and Use Computer checks.
Urii
• +2 Constitution
• Urii add their Dexterity bonus in fire damage to attacks made with ranged weapons.
Michai
• +2 Strength
• Michai receive one Weapon Proficiency feat of their choice for free.
Personality: Angels as a society hold themselves to a strict code, as if the entire race were a police organization. They are a militaristic folk, as their ancestors and leaders have sworn them all to an oath of defending Ymaggion from outside forces. And if it weren’t for the fact that there aren’t as many angels as beings of other races, the fact that they have their internal struggles and the fact that many angels simply hit their peak early and don’t manage to advance very far, the world would never be troubled by forces from the outside. Many angels hold themselves accountable for catastrophe, as they are by nature compassionate, which is why they even get schooled in how to steel their hearts against such things and the evils that continue to rise and rise again.
Physical Description: Angels stand tall and often well-built. Many wear long blue coats as uniforms, golden symbols on their shoulders signifying their rank. Angels usually have eyes of cool colours, such as blue, grey or violet, whereas their hair is often of a metallic colour or close to it, such as platinum, golden or silver blonde, coppery red or yellow. Urii angels often have hair of fiery red or other flame-like shades, sometimes even blue. Raphai have darker hair than other angels, browns being common, wheras Michai have the darkest eyes and skin, with the Gabrii being the fairest of all. All angels have a pair of feathered wings, which are mostly white, but some have some colour to them.
Relations: They’re mostly reclusive, which is why they don’t come into contact with most of the races. However, they stand on a strange footing with the dwarves, who have similar hard faith in the power of Law, but a slightly different and looser interpretation of it sometimes. Humans often regard them as messengers of the gods, at least the lower classes do, except in the big cities of Stamaria, where they are regarded as a symbol of an old and backwards system.
Alignment: Angels tend to be strictly lawful, many of them being good. They are not bound to alignment however, with a large number of chaotic angels being around, especially outside of the Core.
Lands: Angels don’t really have ‘lands’. Their home is the Core, another plane of existence hidden within the dimensional folds underneath the Earth. On the world of Ymaggion, they most commonly appear on the continent of Cyra, in the city of Traicen and the sunken city of Voya.
Language: Angels speak Angelic, corascic aggeli in their own tongue. They are apt with languages and start out knowing one extra language, due to either travelling the Earth and learning them in the field, or through a teacher who has done so.
Names: Angels usually take names of either grandeur or subservience to Elgehim, their chief god and lord of the light. Their names often end in ‘–el’, the first part of Elgehim’s name, but angels of higher birth and make often don’t have this. Angels who ‘fall’, renouncing Elgehim and leave their life in the Core, leave out the ‘-el’ part of their names.
Adventurers: The angels long ago swore to protect the world of Ymaggion for their lord Elgehim, and many still do. Younger generations of angels often take on other work however; fairly recently some even founded divisions to explore the world of Ymaggion, while others secretly work behind the scenes to scout around for other would-be world protectors. Rumour has it that the human Stalis clan’s arena tournaments are actually funded by angels.