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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other A new race, the Librarians PEACH



EdokTheTwitch
2014-08-23, 09:59 AM
Hello everyone! This is an attempt at a 3.5 race, based on a monster concept I've seen on this forum a long time ago (source would be appreciated :smallsmile: ). Their appearance is based on the Planescape Dabus. Share your thoughts :smallsmile:

The Librarian



The Librarians are a race originating from the residual arcane force of a Wizards spellbook, and other magical tomes. They have no origin in nature, and are therefore often looked down upon, as freakish byproducts of civilization. Most of them end up, as their name implies, as workers in libraries.

Personality: Librarians are a race largely uninterested in the affairs of the living world around them, and only a few even develop enough interest to explore further than the first library they stumble upon (often the place where they were born). Their behavior and opinions are often based on the type of literature they are exposed to.

Physical Description: Librarians are not a particularly tall race, with every member of the race being precisely 5 feet tall, with the only variation present in the length of their hair, which becomes longer, and denser, the older they get. They look like wiry, old humans, standing completely upright, and their skin, gray in color, has a raspy, cardboard-like texture, with hair similar to the hair of a soft toothbrush. Every member of the race has two sets of short horns. Lastly, while they posses functional legs, most of them prefer to use their inborn ability to float.

Relations: The Librarians are often uninterested in the affairs of other races (except the ones that are unfortunate enough to read romantic novels). Other races rarely have anything to say about the Librarians, as they tend to stick to the libraries, and most people who would be prejudiced about a race rarely visit them in the first place.

Alignment: Librarians can, over the course of their long lifetime, develop a complex set of values and opinions, through the books they read. This translates into a completely unpredictable alignment, as it is just as likely for someone to encounter a champion of good and an aspiring warlord in their midst.

Lands: Librarians have no lands of their own, but they are mostly found in towns and cities large enough to support a library, and several Wizards. It is important to note that, if a library is threatened, the Librarians of the area will fiercely defend it, or at the very least, attempt to rescue the books.

Languages: Due to the fact that they originate from arcane spellbooks, all Librarians begin their life with a perfect knowledge of written and spoken Draconic (even illiterate ones, such as Barbarians). All of them adapt to the language spoken in their surroundings early in their life.

Names: As they are not a planned creation, most Librarians are never named. However, when they understand the concept of a name, they simply chose a name of a literary character that appeals to them at the time. Their gender is also purely subjective.

Adventurers: Librarian adventures are the ones that, after a long time, manage to read everything of interest in their library. After completing this, often absurdly long, process, they set off into the world, utilizing the knowledge they acquired to further any possible goals they chose for themselves.

Librarian Racial Traits

• -2 Strength, +2 to one mental ability score. While Librarians have weaker bodies when compared to most other races, their minds are finely tuned.
• Medium. As medium creatures, Librarians have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Librarian base land speed is 30 feet
• Spirit of the library: A Librarian constantly floats at the height of 2 inches from the ground. This ability can be dismissed and reactivated at will.
• Arcane attunement: A Librarian can absorb the knowledge to cast spells from a wizard’s spellbook. To do so, a Librarian must be able to touch the spellbook, and spend an hour studying it. After the period is completed, the Librarian gains the ability to cast a single spell, whose level cannot be higher than ¼ of the Librarians HD (round down, minimum 0), once per day. When a Librarian attunes him/herself to a new spell, the previous one is lost from his/her memory.
• A Librarian does not require air, food and water to survive. They sustain themselves through knowledge, and need to read a minimum of 100 pages per week to avoid starvation.

Inevitability
2014-08-23, 10:09 AM
One issue I could see arising is that of a Librarian Barbarian. They can't read, so they pretty much can't exist.

EdokTheTwitch
2014-08-23, 10:36 AM
Thanks for the response :smallsmile:

Hmmm, well, I thought the note in the languages section cleared that up... Will clarify, thanks. And in my (pointless) defense, a Librarian Barbarian makes no sense (even sounds funny xD)

What do you think about the power of the class overall?

Cipher Stars
2014-08-23, 01:46 PM
At your power question, it kinda seems too good for no LA, but seems too weak to bother paying for it. It might be fine with no level adjustment though.

But I like it. It'd be great to just read a hundred pages of something to sustain yourself. Wish I could do that ~,..,~; *Starving at the moment* Heavens knows I read enough. Already read several hundred so far this week. I'd rather keep my looks though, rather than become a sexless old looking person just for that. XD

EdokTheTwitch
2014-08-23, 04:28 PM
Yeah, I've successfully sustained myself too xD

And concerning the look, well, I think I would go with it, as there is a lot of spells that can fix that :smallbiggrin:

atemu1234
2014-08-23, 07:03 PM
At your power question, it kinda seems too good for no LA, but seems too weak to bother paying for it. It might be fine with no level adjustment though.

But I like it. It'd be great to just read a hundred pages of something to sustain yourself. Wish I could do that ~,..,~; *Starving at the moment* Heavens knows I read enough. Already read several hundred so far this week. I'd rather keep my looks though, rather than become a sexless old looking person just for that. XD

On the other hand, you'd get fat from reading too much :smalleek:. I don't know which I'd prefer.