Stone Disciples [3.5e Race][PEACH]

Design Notes:

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This race is technically a variant of Dwarf, but it has been changed for my Setting Blades of Keran. Because of this I have given them new fluff, new mechanics, etc. So while this may look like a normal dwarf at a glace, it is actually a seperate entity. Please Evalutate And Comment Honestly.

Dwarf
Origin
Dwarves are said to have been created by Genon, the god of elemental stone, during the early stages of the second era. He aimed for them to be the perfect society, but found they didn't develop. So he made a deal with Rana, god of the sun and elemental fire, and imbued his creations with fire.

This trait normally only causes them to have indepentent thoughts and act as unique individuals, but sometimes it is more powerful resulting in Jinn.

Personality
Dwarves are very patient and cautious by nature, but also are stubborn and won't change their minds after they have made a descision. They are very traditionl people who will always try and do what their ancestors would. They don't believe in giving something for nothing, this has made the Dwarves seem inhosbitable to others despite simply being rational.

They generally aren't greedy and simply believe that you must earn what you gain, otherwise you are greedy and a bane to society. These people generally aren't cared for by others and get no sympathy.

These traits generally alienate others, they enjoy the solitude this has granted them as it allows them to enrich their own culture how they wish rather than losing control because of other races.

Physical Description
Dwarves stand only 4 feet tall but they are so broad and compact that they are on average, almost as heavy as Karmainians. Dwarven men are slightly taller and noticably heavier, than dwarven women. Dwarven skin is typically a shade of white, brown or black with the colour determining their social Caste.

The lower chin of a Dwarf is covered by a thin layer of bone and at the very bottom of the chin a single horn curves outwards. The horn of a male is normally seen as a personal area in dwarven culture and is never to be seen by anyone but family and intimidate individuals. Females on the other hand lack the horn and do not need to cover their faces in any way.

As such men generally grow beards or cover there faces with clothing, helmets, or clay masks. Most Dwarves wear thick clothes as their homes are cold.

Jinn are a rare caste of Dwarf which are imbued with elemental fire upon being choosen. Their breath is like smoke and their skin is always tanned. They strangely cannot grow facial hair and lack the bone that covers the chins of other dwarves.

Relations
Dwarves are seen as selfish by other races. They have never gotten along with the Durzites seeing them as amoral and selfish. This caused the Dwarves to develop in isolation which has caused dwarves to slowly become slightly xenophobic of other cultures. They are currently in a War with the Newesti. They generally don't trust Sarli or Murderer's because of their nature to create undead.

Gnomes generally aren't allowed in Dwarven cities because of the damage caused during the Aliēnus War.

Alignment
Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend towards neutral.

Lands
Dwarven cities lie on the sides of colossal caverns, deep within the Tulvarn. These caverns are actually part of the underdark so they often have several guard towers around the outside walls.

As these cities are vertical rather than horizontal they Dwarves can section their cities better than other species. As such each caste is placed in a different layer. The Workers dwell in the upper most layer, Artisans in the second, Merchants in the third, Knights in the fourth, and Nobles and Jinn in the lowest layer. Slaves have no layer as they must move through the whole city, they do have an area that only they move through though.

There is a passage of thin tunnels which twist and turn through the different sections of Dwarven Cities, these tunnels connect the the main areas of the city and are known as Whisper Caves, because you can here whispers from the whole city in them.

Religion
They worship Genon of the earth. They believe that he is the creator of the Dwarven species and seeks to help them. It is believed every thousand years a Dwarf is choosen by Genon to be his prophet, this prophet automatically becomes the current ruler of the dwarves overriding the previous ruler. The first prophet Jachin used his power to create a colossal sphere, at the centre of this sphere is a large black Onyx which is said to be a gate to Genon's personal realm.

After your Clan Elder chooses your Caste you must touch this Black Crystal, after which you are sorn to be that caste for all your life.

Language
Dwarves are taught to speak Traders Tongue and Lexarn. This way they can communicate not only with themselves but also travellers who have stumbled into Dwarven Land.

Names
Dwarves name is granted to him by his clan's elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper Dwarven Name has been used and reused through the generations. A dwarves name is not technically his own. It belongs to his clan, and if he has shamed the clan they will revoke his name and clanship. From then onward they will be known as "Falkner", which means Fallen in Lexarn. In addition to his name, a Dwarf also has a Caste that he is born into. This caste is the Dwarves role in society and cannot be changed by any but the clan's elder.

Male Names: Asad, Hisein, Maram, Murad, Nagi, Naveed, Qadir, Suhayl, Zulfikar.
Female Name: Arij, Ayesha, Galila, Gawahir, Khadiga, Lulu, Maryam, Rajya, Taliba.
Castes: Slave, Worker, Artisan, Merchant, Knight, Noble, Jinn.

Racial Traits

• +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma.
• Humanoid (Dwarf).
• Small: As a Small creature, a Dwarf gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
• Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
• Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkv/ision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
• Caste: The Caste of the Dwarf grants it abilities for the Caste. See below for Details.
• Feyborn Foe: A Dwarf is trained from a young age in the art of killing elves. As such a Dwarf gains a +1 racial bonus on attack and damage rolls against creatures with the Elf Subtype. A Dwarf also gains a +4 racial bonus on survival checks to track elves.
• Powerful Build: The physical stature of dwarves lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a dwarf is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the dwarf is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A dwarf is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A dwarf can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.
• Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarf’s Fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.

Caste Traits

• Slave: A Slave must know how to move through the city as fast as possible and innately knows how to travel through the Whisper Caves. A Slave gains a Climb speed equal to his base land speed and gains a +2 racial bonus to Listen checks while underground.
• Worker: A Worker must be able to work for as long as possible with low cost to resources. The Worker is immune to fatigue effects and can survive on one-tenth the food and water a Karmainian would require.
• Artisan: An Artisan must be able to focus on minute details while still saying focused on the whole task. The Artisan gains a +2 racial bonus to Concentration, Craft, and Sense Motive Checks.
• Merchant: A Merchant is a tricker at heart who's life depends on his wares. A Merchant gains a +2 Racial Bonus to Bluff, Forgery, and Profession checks.
• Knight: A Knight is a strong warrior who must never falter. The Knight gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground). He also gets a +1 racial bonus on will saves against fear effects.
• Noble: A Noble gains a +2 racial bonus to Diplomacy checks. Against Athach this bonus increases to +10.
• Jinn: A Jinn is a natural born mage that is imbued with fire. A Jinn gains the ability to cast Produce Flame as spell-like ability once per day. At 5 HD it can be cast three times per day. At 10 HD it can be cast at-will. The caster level for this effect is equal to the Jinns Hit Dice.

Vital Statistics


{table="head"]Dwarf Random Height and Weight| | |
Gender|Base Height|Height Modifier|Base Weight|Weight Modifier
Male|3'9"|+2d4|130 lb.|x (2d6) lb.
Female|3'7"|+2d4|100 lb.|x (2d6) lb.[/table]

Please PEACH. Also does anyone have any ideas for the Noble Caste ability?

No responses...
Is this too similiar to standard dwarves, is its favour boring, mechanics unbalanced, or poorly worded?

I can't speak much for the mechanics but the race seems interesting enough. I like the caste system though for some reason it just feels out of place with dwarves (Probably just cause I am used to them being what they usually are.) Overall though they are an interesting race.

Curious about where you got the whole chin bone idea?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Virdish

I can't speak much for the mechanics but the race seems interesting enough. I like the caste system though for some reason it just feels out of place with dwarves (Probably just cause I am used to them being what they usually are.) Overall though they are an interesting race.

Curious about where you got the whole chin bone idea?

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The caste system came from the idea of a Layered Society and having each person suited to their roles in society as it as Genon's aim to make the dwarves perfect.

The Bone chin idea came from me wondering why they always had beards. My first idea was they were absorbent and helped them survive in cave-ins but that gave males a feature females didn't get so I reworked it isn't appearance and culture.

Looking at the mechanics they look appropriate and appear balanced. I've say they are on par with phb dwarves so would work well with other established races

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Virdish

Looking at the mechanics they look appropriate and appear balanced. I've say they are on par with phb dwarves so would work well with other established races

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Thats what I was aiming for, thanks.

Does anyone else have any views about this race or suggestions for the Noble Caste?