Forsaken of the Desert (3.5e Race)[PEACH]

Design Notes:

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This race is a subrace of Elf that was designed for the Blades Of Keran Setting. It refers to several races in that setting: For example Karmainan's are effectively Humans, Newesti are effectively High Elves, the Aegis can be seen here.

Dunesti
Origin
During the early years of the Second Era, a race known to others as elves were created by the god Kephra, Lord of the Wild. He designed them to have an eternal bond with nature. They lived happily for two generations but afterwords two cults were forged. One worshiped the primordials and thought that the world should be returned to its base elements. The Domễ cult believed that they deserve more gifts from their god who left them in the wilds without any tools or resources. The Primordial Cult were slain by the Divines for their blasphemy. The Cult of Domễ saw this as the Divines attacking and began a plan to kill the Divines before they destroyed all mortals.

They began to learn magic seperate to divine. Using these new talents they tried to recreate the Primordial Cult to turn them into warriors of vengence. But the reanimated creatures that come back weren't undead. They were first Demons. They were the first creatures to have died without worshipping a god. As such they had nowhere for their souls to go. These souls just drifted the Astral Sea until they reached Primus. He talked to these soul and corrupted them further than anything ever seen before.

These Demons then started to slaughter the Domễ cult. The survivors of the cult were exiled by the other elves to the plains of Sumra for betraying their creators. The cultist were branded the name Dunesti (Or Exiled Elves), while the others elves saw themselves as being true uncorrupted elves and adopted the name Newesti (True Elves).

After a year of the Dunesti travelling through the plains a blight fell upon them, the land of Sumra was transformed from its former virgin soil into a near lifeless desert. Currently only a single mortal knows the cause for this severe change and he is currently being hunted by the Sumran Empire.

Personality
The Dunesti are arrogant and intelligent. Dunesti are also cold and slightly distant, knowing that surivial in the desert is hard, and they need to do whatever is required to surivive. It is knowing that they do survive in the hostile land of the desert is actually the cause of their sense of superiority.

Dunesti try to think of all the risks of an action, but because of the speed of thought they don't take long to make decisions. This allows them to be great leaders.

Physical Description
They stand at the same height as Karmainians, with less weight because of their lithe and thin bodies. They have tanned skin, and slightly pointed ears. Their eyes aren't almond shaped unlike the Newesti, looking more like Karmainian. Their hair is dark and normally long, serving to keep the sun's glare and heat off their faces.

They have slower metabolisms than Newesti or Karmainians, which is very useful when travelling the desert, but this often causes them to gain weight faster if they aren't nomadic. This also slows the effects of poison slightly, which is useful in that most creatures of the dunes have dangerous toxins.

Dunesti are seperated from the Fey unlike the Newesti, and as such cannot breed with Fey, the aging process is much quicker, and they don't naturally merge with the Feywilds. This has made them more likely to be able to procreate with Karmainians and the children that result aren't sterile.

Relations
They aren't seen as elves anymore by the Newesti, as they were exiled long ago, but since that was eras ago they are instead treated like Karmainians. They are also currently in a war with the Karmainians and the Gnomes of North Karma so most are suspicious of each other at best. Dunesti are friendly with all other species though, because of a treaty between Sumra and most other nations. They also strangely friendly with Aegis because they didn't reach Sumra during the Aliēnus War.

Alignment
They tend towards Chaotic Neutral, doing whatever is necessary for them to survive.

Lands
The Dunesti rule the Empire of Sumra. Sumra is a the largest country in the world of Keran, being of continental size. It is a giant desert with the exception of the Mountain ranges in the east and the forests beyond the mountains. It has many cities in it, with the largest being Sumrana a city on the back of a colossal golem in the image of a Tortoise. With the exception of Sumrana, all the major cities are built from sand and clay, both of which are empowered by magic.

The reason Sumra's a desert is because the Sun Rana heats it more than anywhere else. He burns the entire desert, but his focus is centred on the city of Sumrana itself. This has caused the people of Sumrana only able to go outside at night, as the surface of Sumrana at day becomes hot enough to set even the toughest and wettest flesh aflame.

There are very few oasises, but those that exist are surronded by small towns which rely on its water. Bandits normally attack these town's for water.

During the season of Desertbane it is basically impossible to survive in the wastes. It gets so hot that flesh dries and sets alight. Water nigh existant. The only refuge is underground or inside the city of Sumrana.

Religion
They turned their backs on the Divines in their creation, so there generally no religious practice in Dunesti culture. Often they only have temples to the Moons of magic and Atlan, goddess of water. The Dunesti hate the Divine Rana as he lays waste to Dunesti's land each day with his unrelenting heat.

In addition to the Divines, it is legal to worship Demon Princes and the Infernal Lords publicly. This strangely has reduced the amount of cults in Sumra, with most instead opperating more similiarly to policed religions in other countries.

Language
They are all taught to speak Sumran from a young age, this language is based off an ancient dialect of Estilex with several words of Infernal mixed in. When spoken its words sound poetic but give off a cold and distant persona.

Names
They are given their names from their parents two weeks after they are born. This name is generally words in Sumran.

Male Names: Belshatzzar, Dawid, Filippu, Gedeon, Jericho, Samuilu, Zaboulon
Female Name: Jescha, Merob, Michol, Naamah, Sepphora, Thamar
Surnames: Bolshadi, Masajaes, Pascaes, Tyser

Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, –2 Strength
• Humanoid (Elf)
• Medium: As Medium creatures, Dunesti have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Dunesti's base land speed is 30 feet.
• Abyssal Taint: Because of the Dunesti's hand in creating the first Demons they're minds are slightly linked. Dunesti receive a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks against creatures with the Demon subtype.
• Desert Endurance: Dunesti receive a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of hot and cold weather. A Dunesti also counts as having the Heat Endurance Feat.
• Dunesti Proficiency: A Dunesti is automatically proficient with Scimitars, Shortbows and Katar's.
• Light Sensitivity: Dunesti are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell, after 1d4 rounds in bright light the Dunesti recovers from being dazzled.
• Low-Light Vision: Dunesti can see quadrupel the distance of Karmainians in Moon-light or otherwise shadowy illumination.
• Magic of the Dune's: When in the Desert a Dunesti gains +1 caster level to all spells.
• Night Life: Most Dunesti live out their lives at night, rather than the day. As such they take a -4 racial penalty to appraise, search, and spot checks while in bright light. But they gain a +4 racial bonus to Appraise, Search, and Spot checks while in Shadowy Illumination.
• Slow Metabolism: A Dunesti gain a +2 racial bonus against poison. They also only require only one-half the the food and water it takes to sustain a Karmainian.
• Favored Class: Sumran Warcaster or Wizard.

Vital Statistics


{table="head"]Dunesti Random Height and Weight| | | |
Gender|Base Height|Height Modifier|Base Weight|Weight Modifier
Male|4'10"|+2d8|100 lb.|x (1d4) lb.
Female|4'5"|+2d8|80 lb.|x (1d4) lb.[/table]

Any comments?

Is the fluff too generic? Are the Mechanics too generic? Are the Mechanics to similar to High Elves. Is it overpowered for LA+0 or underpowered? Is it missing something?

Still no comments...
Is the fluff or mechanics horrid, or something?

Not horrid, just not... spectacular. This seems a fairly solid race. My favorite part is the penalty to Strength instead of Constitution - that alone is a vast improvement over the standard-issue elves.

With the sun busy trying to kill them like it is, why haven't they built anything underground? Do they have any means of going outside in their city during the day, such as total-body coverings soaked in an alchemical unguent that chills enough to move about, at least for a little while? What kinds of animals do they use?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Solaris

With the sun busy trying to kill them like it is, why haven't they built anything underground? Do they have any means of going outside in their city during the day, such as total-body coverings soaked in an alchemical unguent that chills enough to move about, at least for a little while? What kinds of animals do they use?

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Several sections of Sumrana are built in the inside of the Golem, but it is generally too think to dig through and because it is a golem it is underground. As for the other area's of Sumra the sun isn't hot enough to be instant death it simply is as hot as a desert.

Also going outside in Sumrana acts as amazing heat and deals fire damage so, fire resistance or immunity will help, chill metal will stop your armor from heating up, endure elements should weaken the effects.

As for animals, they use Sumran Riding Lizards which have the similar statistics to a Horse. They also have fire elementals, and some weak and stupid demons and devils which are treated as animals.