You Better Run, Better Run, Outrun my Gun [3.5/4e/5e Race, P.E.A.C.H.]

[Reality Glitch]

Another idea I've been working on, hopefully not as terrible as the last.

Spoiler: Universal Fluff

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Personality
Runners are cheerful and tend to have bouncy or bubbly personalities. They are extremely sociable and extroverted, living in large family groups or hanging out with a large numbers of friends. They are not particularly prone to violence, choosing "flight" over fight, which they are extremely good at. Though this behavior spills into their social interactions as well.

Physical Description
Runners average out at 9-12 feet tall with 2/3's to 3/4's of an individuals height being his or her legs. They are rather lanky usually capping out at 200 pounds in weight. their arms are short, never reaching more than a hand's length above their heads with webbed paw-like hands, making them look like mittens. Their features appear half-way between canine and ursine, though their ears tend to be on the slightly more floppy side and their legs end in the same shape of foot as an elephant's and tapering as they go up and connect at the hip. Fur/Hair colors range from mild and/or dark earthy tones to bright blond or gold, though albinism is relatively more common phenomenon among urban populations. Ocular albinism (blood red irises) are the only known eye color.

Relations
Runners' friendly and outgoing nature give themselves over to being on good terms with most other species, though they aren't too particularly fond of Aquatic races as their natural predators are large fish.

Alignment
Runners tend more towards the True Neutral or Chaotic Neutral alignments and those that do lean closer to being good, lawful, or evil so very mildly. This leads them to never being of extreme alignments. (Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Evil, chaotic Evil)

Using the M:tG color wheel variant, Runners are usually monogreen, occasionally they'll be red-green and/or green-white. Only a rare few are blue or black, and again, not very strongly so.

Lands
Runners are native to coastal regions with lots of wide-open space to easily maneuver through. Some "packs" have moved into more urban or industrialized areas as they are already high population centers.

Religion
Most Runners are usually agnostic, not because they don't have faith per say, but rather that they rarely take the time to think very hard about such matters.

Names
Runners usually have very short names, most of the time no more than a syllable, occasionally two.

Spoiler: 3.5 Runner

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Species Trait

• Monstrous Humanoid
• -4 Strength; +4 Dexterity; +2 Constitution; +2 Wisdom. Runners are, as their name implies, great at both achieving high speeds and sustaining them. Though this comes at the cost of there upper body strength.
• Large: As a Large creature, a Runner gains a -1 size penalty to Armor Class, a -1 size penalty on attack rolls, and a -4 size penalty on Hide checks.
• A runner's Base land speed is 60ft.
• Slender Frame: Unlike most large-size creatures, runners use the same weapons as humans use and have the same lifting and carrying limit as a Medium character. They are also slim enough to pass through medium spaces without incurring penalty, though they still count as squeezing through that space. Finally a medium creature can occupy a square that a runner occupies without penalty.
• Low-Light Vision: Runners can see twice as far in dim light and other low light conditions and retain the ability to see color under those conditions.
• Runners get a +4 racial bonus to Run checks.
• Runners ignore penalties to dice rolls do to their own movement.
• Runner's gain Run as a bonus feat.
• Scent (Ex): A runner can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
• Runners ignore all difficult terrain.
• Starting Languages: Common, one of any
• Bonus Languages: Any
• Favored Class: Scout.
• Level Adjustment: One Monstrous Humanoid racial Hit dice. This hit die is not replaced when a class level is taken.

Spoiler: Variant Runners

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Rather than the four classical elements, some runners might have ties to the Positive or Negative energy planes.

Positive Races
All members of positive races are positive energy creature that have the radiant subtype and the folloing traits.

• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against negative energy creatures or creatures of the necrotic subtype, including extraplanar creatures from the Negative Energy Plane.
• –2 penalty on all saving throws against spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities with the negative, necrotic, or necrocarnum descriptors or
  used by negative energy creaturesor creatures of the necrotic subtype, including extraplanar creatures from the Negative Energy Plane.
• In addition to being a positive energy creature, overhealing from positive energy can't cause ill side effects. (Including exploding from too much positive energy.)

Positive Runners
With positive energy flowing through their veins, positive runners are exemplars of their species, being even more energetic, upbeat, happy-go-lucky, and even a little ditzy. Positive runners are identical with runners as described above, except for some differences in racial traits.

• -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma: Positive runners are great socialites and form emotional bonds more easily, but physically wear out faster than standars runners.
• Positive runners don't have the scent ability nor a sense of smell.
• Innate Motes: Positive runners innately have two motes, so a class-based mote pool has a maximum limit of two greater than normal.

Negative Races
All members of positive races are negative energy creature that have the necrotic subtype and the folloing traits.

• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against positive energy creatures or creature of the radiant subtype, including extraplanar creatures from the Positive Energy Plane.
• –2 penalty on all saving throws against spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities with the positive, radiant, or light descriptors or
  used by positive energy creatures or creature of the radiant subtype, including extraplanar creatures from the Positive Energy Plane.
• In addition to being a negative energy creature, overhealing from negative energy can't cause ill side effects. (Including imploding from too much negative energy.)

Negative Runners
Negative runners are an excidingly rare sight indeed. Their fur is solid black and their diposition sour and cynical. Although they aren't outcast from runner society, negative runners are introverted loners, slow to befriend and working with others usually only out of nessecity.

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Intellegence, -2 Charisma: Negative runners are more robust, a tad on the frail side and spend their time honing their mind instead of their social skills.
• Negative Runners Don't have the Slender Frame trait.
• A negative runner knows one fundemental of shadow as described on page 112 of Tome of Magic chosen at character creation which may be used a three times per day. The fundemental can be used an unlimited number of times per day as long as the negative runner is capable of using other fundementals or mysteries.

Spoiler: Species Paragon Class

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Hit Dice: d6.
Skill Points: 4 + Int Mod.
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Burrow(Str), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape artist (Dex), Fly (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int;each taken separately), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Athlete), Research (Int), Ride (Dex), Run (Con), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Urban Lore (Wis), Use Rope (Dex)
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Natural Weapons and Unarmed Strikes Only.

Level	B.A.B.	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Unarmored Speed Bonus
1	+0.5	+0.33...	+2.5	+0.33...	Speed Over Power	+10ft.
2	+1	+0.66...	+3	+0.66...	Great Escape	+20ft.
3	+1.5	+1	+3.5	+1	Expeditious Retreat	+30ft.

Unarmored Speed Bonus: While not wearing armor and carrying no more than a light load, each of a Runner Paragon's movement modes increase by 10ft. per Runner Paragon Level.
Speed Over Power: At 1st level, a Runner Paragon gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A Runner Paragon’s attacks may be with either foot interchangeably or even from knees, and legs, but no other part of his or her body. This means that a Runner Paragon may make unarmed strikes with his or her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a runner paragon striking unarmed. He or she uses its Dexterity bonus on attack and damage rolls for all his or her unarmed strikes instead of Strength. Usually a runner paragon’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but he or she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his or her attack roll. He or she has the choice of dealing lethal or non-lethal damage while grappling. A runner paragon’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons (such as the magic fang and magic weapon spells). A Runner Paragon also deals 1d8 damage with his or her unarmed strikes using his or her legs or feet.
Great Escape (Ex): At 2nd level a Runner Paragon gains Uncanny Dodge and Evasion as per the Rouge class. If you already have Uncanny Dodge or would gain it later, you get +1 to your Dexterity score and +2 to reflex saves instead. If you already have Evasion or would gain it later, you get +1 to your Dexterity score and +2 to reflex saves instead. These stack, so if you have Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, and Great Escape, the bonus is +2 Dex, +4 Ref.
Expeditious Retreat (Ex): 3rd level Runner Paragons can use Expeditious Retreat 1/day as an extraordinary ability and a caster level equal to his or her total hit dice.

Spoiler: Species Substitution Levels (Scout)

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W.o.t.C. Scout						Scout Fix
Level	B.A.B.	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Level	B.A.B.	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Skirmishes Known	Maximum Skirmish Tier Known/Intel/Fast Movement
2	±0	±0	+3	±0	Grace +1, Uncanny Dodge	1	±0	±0	+2	±0	Grace +1, Chosen Insight, Reconisence	1 fewer then Scout fix	Same as Scout fix
11	+8/+3	+3	+7	+3	Grace +2, Fast Movement +20ft., Skirmish (+3d6, +3 AC)	9	+6/+1	+3	+7	+3	Grace +2, Tempo Ability, Wis +2	2 fewer then Scout fix	Same as Scout fix
20	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+6	Grace +3, Blindsight 60ft., Bonus Feat	17	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Grace +3, Improved Evasion, Dex +2	3 fewer then Scout fix	Same as Scout fix

Grace: A runner scout gains a +1 competence bonus on Reflex saves at 2nd level, or 1st level if you're using the fix. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th/9th level and to +3 at 20th/17th level. A runner scout loses this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
This replaces Battle Fortitude, or a Skirmish known at each indicated level.
Fast Movement: A Runner Scout's enhancement bonus to speed increases to +30ft at level 20 unless your using the fix.

Spoiler: Pathfinder Runner

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Species Trait

• Monstrous Humanoid (Bear, Dog)
• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom; -4 Strength. Runners are, as their name implies great at both achieving high speeds and sustaining them. Though this comes at the cost of there upper body strength. This already takes size modifiers into account.
• Large: As Large creatures, Runners take a –1 size penalty to their AC, a –1 size penalty on attack rolls, a +1 bonus on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and a –4 size penalty on Stealth checks. A Large creature takes up a space that is 10 feet by 10 feet and has a reach of 5 feet. See the Slender Frame trait for more detail.
• A runner's Base land speed is 60ft.
• Slender Frame: Unlike most large-size creatures, runners use the same weapons as humans use and have the same lifting and carrying limit as a Medium character. They are also slim enough that they squeeze as if they where medium. Finally a medium creature can occupy a square that a runner occupies without penalty.
• Low-Light Vision: Runners can see twice as far in dim light and other low light conditions and retain the ability to see color under those conditions.
• Distance Running: Runners receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid any of the ill effects from running and forced marches.
• Runners gain Run or Water Rat as bonus feat.
• Scent (Ex): A runner can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
• Runners ignore all difficult terrain.
• +2 racial bonus to Reflex.
• Starting Languages: Common, Fisk
• Bonus Languages: Any
• Favored Class: Runners add their levels in scout to their base land speed. They also add their levels in Gunweaver to their essence pool.
• Level Adjustment: This is a 30 R.P. Species with one Monstrous Humanoid racial Hit die that is not replaced by class levels.

Alternate Traits

• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma; -4 Strength. Runner's with this array are more inclined toward being sociable over in-tune with their senses.
• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom; -4 Intelligence. Runner's with this array have practiced their bodies at the expense of their minds.
• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma; -4 Intelligence. Runner's with this array are a bit ditzy, but are great for companionship.
• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence; -4 Strength. Runner's from urban populations are likely to have this array as they have spent more time learning the ways of civilization rather than the natural world.
• +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution; -2 Intelligence. Runners with this array are always considered to have a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump. This are the Sprinting Athletes of the Runner world.
• Sociable: When Runners attempt to change a creature's attitude with a Diplomacy check and fail by 5 or more, they can try to influence the creature a second time even if 24 hours have not passed. Replaces Distance Running.
• Urbanite: Runners gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Sense Motive checks made to get a hunch about a social situation. Replaces The Run feat.
• +2 Racial bonus to initiative. Replaces bonus to Reflex.
• Curiosity: Runners are naturally inquisitive about the world around them. They gain a +4 bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) become class skills for them. If they choose a class that has either of these Knowledge skills as class skills, they gain a +2 racial bonus on those skills instead. Reduces Dexterity bonus to +2.
• Integrated: Runners gain a +1 bonus on Bluff, Disguise, and Knowledge (local) checks. Replaces Distance Running or the Run Feat.
• Nimble Attacks: Weapon Finesse. Replaces Run.
• Quick Reactions: Improved Initiative. Replaces Run.
• Sprinter: Runners gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions. Replaces Distance Running.
• Bob and Weave: Runners ignore penalties to dice rolls do to movement. Replaces Difficult Terrain Ignorance.

Spoiler: 4E Runner

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Ability Scores: +2 to Dexterity, +2 to Constitution.
Skills: +2 to Endurance, +2 to Nature or Diplomacy.
Speed: 12 Squares
Size, Origin, and Type: Large Natural Humanoid (Bear, Dog)
Vision: Low-Light Vision
Laguage: Common, Choice of one other
Slender Frame: Unlike most large-size creatures, runners use the same weapons as humans use and have the same lifting and carrying limit as a Medium character. They are also slim enough to pass through medium spaces without incurring penalty, though they still count as squeezing through that space. Finally a medium creature can occupy a square that a runner occupies without penalty.
Keep Running: You Get a +2 racial bonus to Constitution and Endurance checks made to prevent becoming fatigued or exhausted from Physical activity.
Steady Run: You ignore penalties to all dice rolls do to your own movement.
Leaping Step: You ignore all Difficult Terrain.

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Play a Runner if you want to....
•....be a member of a one of the fastest races alive.
•....be fast talking and very excitable.
•....play a race that Favors the Monk class.

Spoiler: Shoreline Speedster Paragon Class

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Prerequisite: Runner
Unarmed Strike (11th): As Monk (Player's Handbook 3).
Feet of Foot (11th): Increase your base land speed by 2 squares.
Fast Runner (14th): Increase your base land speed by another 2 squares.
Speed Demon (17th): Increase your base land speed by yet another 2 squares.
Expeditious Retreat (20th): You gain the Expeditious Retreat power (Player's Handbook) except you use Dexterity instead on Intelligence and replace the Arcane keyword with the Martial keyword.

EVADE!!!! Shoreline Speeder Utility 11
Daily No Action Personal
Trigger: When a power w/ an effect on a miss misses you.
Effect: You do not become subject to the effect.

Spoiler: 5e Runner

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Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age: Oxymoronically, Runners actually age rather slowly reaching adulthood by 40 and dying at around 200 years of age.
Alignment: Runners tend more towards the True Neutral or Chaotic Neutral alignments and those that do lean closer to being good, lawful, or evil do so very mildly. They are friendly and excitable, mentally and emotionally emulating their physical speed.
Size: Runners average out at 9-12 feet tall with 2/3's to 3/4's of an individuals height being his or her legs. They are rather lanky usually capping out at 200 pounds in weight. Your size is Large, but see the Slender Frame trait.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 60ft.
Slender Frame: Unlike most large-size creatures, runners use the same weapons as humans use and have the same lifting and carrying limit as a Medium character. They are also slim enough to pass through medium spaces without incurring penalty, though they still count as squeezing through that space. Finally a medium creature can occupy a square that a runner occupies without penalty.
Low-Light Vision: Runners can see twice as far in dim light and other low light conditions and retain the ability to see color under those conditions.
Scent: A runner can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Languages: You can Speak, read, and write Common and Fisk. Runner language, known as Fisk, is very fast paced, with it's writing very hastily jotted down and in long, occasionally ranty, rambly, run-on sentences, but never droning or uninteresting if you can understand it and keep up with what the speaker is saying. Fisk is spoken only, writing "in Fisk" always uses another language's script.
Subraces: There are four known Subspecies of runner: Endurance, Tactical, Urban, and Radiant. Choose one.

Spoiler: Endurance Runner

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Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Keep Running: Endurance Runners get a +2 racial bonus to constitution checks made to prevent becoming fatigued or exhausted from Physical activity.

Spoiler: Tactical Runner

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Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by another 1.
Steady Run: Tactical Runners ignore penalties to all dice rolls do to their own movement.

Spoiler: Urban Runner

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Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increase by 1.
City Runner: Because of your experience growing up in a crowded and cluttered city, you've adapted to swerving in and around obstacles without slowing down. You ignore all difficult terrain.

Spoiler: Radiant Runner

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Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increase by 1.
Radiant Light: You get your choice of 2 innate motes or 2 Ki.

[curious-puzzle]

Very unique race! I can see a swordsage of one of these with Shadow Blade and Setting Sun spinning around tossing people left and right. I was curious about a couple things:

Why the Wisdom bonus? Seems out of place from the rest of your description.

Is the speed bonus from the Racial paragon class an enhancement bonus, or an untyped bonus?

Caster level on the expeditious Retreat is equal to hit dice?

Looks good, I like.

[Reality Glitch]

I reworded the movement increase so that it's a straight up increase rather than a bonus, and fix the expeditious retreat.

As for the Wisdom bonus, it part of their animal senses.

[Reality Glitch]

I've added the Albino subspecies to the 5th edition Runner.

[Reality Glitch]

Added a Pathfinder version and put the fluff into it's own section.

[DracoDei]

If there senses are just good, rather than them being especially good at crafting (or Profession? I never can remember which uses which stat...), and they aren't especially in touch with the divine, then just give them bonuses to the sensory skills such as Spot and Listen.

[Reality Glitch]

You have a point, I changed it so you could choose which mental ability score you increase

[DracoDei]

You have a point, I changed it so you could choose which mental ability score you increase

Aaaand you just made this even more of a caster race than it was when it had to be wisdom that the bonus was to...

If you are Ok with that then fine, but I thought I should point it out.

[Reality Glitch]

I had the idea of them making good monks and druid, so I'm not that peeved.

[Reality Glitch]

I've added Variant races for the Positive and Negative energy planes in 3.5 and a subrace for 5th.

[dragonjek]

Some nitpicks:

Radiant and Necrotic subtypes/damage don't exist in 3.5. Your description of negative energy races also doesn't say if they heal from negative energy or not (which would make their protection from exploding due to overhealing only useful for undead negative energy races).

Your choice of ability score spread between the positive and negative Runners is... strange. Positive energy is a source of renewal and life; negative energy consumes, weakens, and devours. So why do positive energy Runners tire quickly, and why has negative energy kept necrotic Runners stronger?

You should probably put a short description alongside the alternative ability bonuses for the Pathfinder Runner so that they look more like variations of the race and less like a list of numbers.

[Reality Glitch]

Some nitpicks:

Radiant and Necrotic subtypes/damage don't exist in 3.5. Your description of negative energy races also doesn't say if they heal from negative energy or not (which would make their protection from exploding due to overhealing only useful for undead negative energy races).

The Radiant Subtype is from Tome of Radiance, which is linked in the Positive Runner's Stats. I added Necrotic to balance it out.

Your choice of ability score spread between the positive and negative Runners is... strange. Positive energy is a source of renewal and life; negative energy consumes, weakens, and devours. So why do positive energy Runners tire quickly, and why has negative energy kept necrotic Runners stronger?

Negative runners are supposed to be inverted personality-wise so I had the ability adjustments reflect that. The negative Runners still lose the bonus to constitution just as the Positive runners.

You should probably put a short description alongside the alternative ability bonuses for the Pathfinder Runner so that they look more like variations of the race and less like a list of numbers.

Fixed.

[Debihuman]

I like these a lot but you have some redundancies in 3.5 that detract. First, lose the racial subtypes. They have no game mechanics. Only Humanoids get racial subtypes (and those come with specific traits); Scorpionfolk don't have scorpion as a subtype and centaurs don't have horse as a subtype.


Also, I'm not a fan of language proliferation. I fail to see the need for racial languages unless it serves a useful purpose. [Centaurs don't have a racial language for example]. Dogs are fairly social living in packs but bears are not. Is Fisk used for establishing a hierarchy? That's the sort of information that makes sense for a racial language.

Humans don't have ape as a racial language. Many sentient races share physical traits with Animals, it's almost insulting to think of them as "Animals" in that respect. A centaur would be highly insulted if you referred to him as a horse for example.

Debby

[Reality Glitch]

I like these a lot but you have some redundancies in 3.5 that detract. First, lose the racial subtypes. They have no game mechanics. Only Humanoids get racial subtypes (and those come with specific traits); Scorpionfolk don't have scorpion as a subtype and centaurs don't have horse as a subtype.

Right, I forgot about that. Guess I had M:tG on my mind at the time.

Also, I'm not a fan of language proliferation. I fail to see the need for racial languages unless it serves a useful purpose. [Centaurs don't have a racial language for example]. Dogs are fairly social living in packs but bears are not. Is Fisk used for establishing a hierarchy? That's the sort of information that makes sense for a racial language.

I was following the logic of, "They've been isolated from most other civilized races for dozens of generation. Why wouldn't their language take a different evolutionary path? Like halfling, until forth edition." Though now that I think about it, it was kind of silly of me to apply real-world logic to a game, I'll remove it.

Humans don't have ape as a racial language. Many sentient races share physical traits with Animals, it's almost insulting to think of them as "Animals" in that respect. A centaur would be highly insulted if you referred to him as a horse for example.

That went down a tangent. But regardless, they don't have the ability to speak with bears, dogs, or their common ancienter, so I'm not sure where that tangent came from, and with the removal of the subtypes that just leaves their visual description which I didn't think is too off-base since if I remember correctly the Monster Manuel describes centaurs as having horse-like features (though probably in more blunt terms), and I'd think the only reason humans aren't described as being ape-like because they're the baseline everyone is familiar with (which is also why superficially and/or mechanically different races such as elves are described as "human-like"). So how else would I describe how runners look?