Best race ever, based slightly off athens and greek statues

[EvilElitest]

This idea was inspired by Mewtarthio on a thread involving the spell Statue on the gaming thread, Me and silent night worked this out. Let me know what you think.
New names are needed, as their current empire is called the banana empire. Other silly names will be found that need change




Concept by Mewtarthio. Work by EvilElitest and SilentNight
Race: The Cronens
The Cronens are one of the last races created by the Titan gods before their fall. Strikingly perfect they possess the ability to become as they appear, statues of marble.
Description:
Cronens appear as marble statues brought to life. Impossibly beautiful it is as if they were carved from livin stone. Hair that wavers in an unseen breeze, not a strand out of line, perfecly shaped bodies and sleek, hard muscles. They stand about the same hight and weight as humans in their normal forms. In staue form Cronens can weigh as much as 500lbs. Cronens usually live to be about 300 years old.
Personality:
Cronens are haughty and short-sighted. Even the lowest Cronen knows they are superior to almost every other form of life in the world. They are skilled diplomats and fiercely represent their growing empire in the world's politics. They count many skilled philosophers among their people and are known as some of the best sculptors in the world.
Government:
The capitol city is ruled directly by a High Chancellor and two Consuls. The High Chancellor acts almost like a dictator/President, basically having near absolute power in theory, but he needs the approve of both consuls or half the senate. The two consuls have powers over Military or Social powers, one for each and are appointed by the Chancellor before they are elected by the Senate, which is made up of two smaller senates, the inner and the outer. The outer council, which includes all Cronens from the middle class up, can veto the Chancellor's ideas and are responsible for the electing members of the inner senate in conjunction with the upper-class Cronens. Only upper-class Cronens may sit on the inner senate and they elect the Consuls and Chancellors.
History:
[spoiler]
For most of their history the Cronens created their great capital city Titania on a relatively distant area of the continent and advanced their social, educational, technological and miltary to new heights. After which they claimed all of the generally uninhabited lands around them, building more cities and advancing their culture. After driving back the monster hoards from the east and north, they subjugated a few minor human, gnomish and halfing city states. They have lost a two wars so far, one against the elves and one against the dwarves and had a stalemate with a local human empire, but are still powerful enough to maintain their still budding empire. Their main powers are in their ships and spellcasters but their miltary is not to be underestimated. Currently they are at peace with most of their neighbors and focus upon taking over the barbaric hobgoblin lands to the east for slaves, land, and gold, but they bid their time, waiting for their neighbors to make a mistake. The gnomish and human city states are the most afraid knowing that they could be easily dominated by the powerful Cronen Empire and have form a loose correlation to hold them back, but it is untested.
Relations:
Viewing themselves as superior to most creatures the Cronens have a hard time not getting in over their heads. They have mixed relations with the local races as follows.
Orcs- Barbarians, these brutes were the northern threat to the Cronen Empire, coming down in a massive hoard. After causing major damage the empire, the Cronens were able to drive them back and dominate some of their lands, as well as crushing most of their hoards. Currently, most of the orcs are slaves to the Cronens, and serve at the bottom rung of the social ladder, they lack the normal slave rights (though it is customary to provide food and clothing for your slaves) they also act mostly as laborers, who's blood and sweat created the massive inhumanly large palaces and fortresses of the Cronens (really freaking huge). the orcish lands are mostly untamed, and the orcish hoards are rallying again to stick back for vengeance.

Half-orcs, ether captured during the orc/human wars/raids, or breed in captivity, the Cronens view half orcs as a sign of civilization and have a weak spot for them. While they were treated as normal orcs at first, the statue folk saw the difference and now remove them from their parents early one. They place them at the top of the slave social ladder, serving as personal body guards or assistance to the statue folk. Most half orcs form a dog like relationship with their master, totally loyal to their arrogant but respectful masters. The Cronens have even considering giving them voting powers, though this is a hotly contested point. However many half orcs travel to their cities to join them in their great civilization. The other slave races hate them with a passion

Goblins- When the hobgoblin empire from the east attacked, they use their largest slave body the goblins as fodder troops. When the Hobgoblins were defeated in the battle of the unnecessary amount of background music, most of the goblin surrendered and were taken as slaves by the Cronens. While they are treated badly, their life is far better than the one they lived under the hobgoblins and so they are rather loyal to their masters. The Cronens quickly learned goblins were better suited as house slaves rather than labor slaves, and now goblins work at everything from cooks, to street sweepers, to artisans, to clerks. Goblins have some social rights, see slaves

Kobolds are generally only used for building labor, as not enough of them are around for anything else. The Cronens still aren't sure what to do with them

Bugbears worked as overseers and under commanders under the hobgoblin rule, and fill a similar position now, acting generally as commanders of the slaves and fighters for the Statue folk. many have become sailors due to the need of free labor and the limited freedom. They enjoy quite a good deal of rights under the Cronens, but are cunning enough to realize the ways to abuse their power
Hobgoblins belong to an Eastern empire that had a vast army of slaves under its command, including bugbears, kobolds and Goblins. After a massive war with the Cronen Empire, they pulled back under terms of a truce. While a minor war is going on at current it is worth noting that hobgoblins aren't taken as slaves, but as prisoners (though some are slaves in their own empire) as the statue folk respect their powers. Hobgoblins in their cities are ether prisoners or turn coats, many of the latter were slaves in their own society and now serve a new master out of ambition. They are the miltary commanders and the controllers of the non statue populations. The Cronens don't trust them and for good reason

Humans- After their success, a few human city states were taken over by the Cronens. However they quickly learned that their human slaves were far more troublesome than the goblinoid ones, for one they were more intellegent and organized. Also, most importantly, they were better off in their old lives, something that can't be said for most other races. The Cronens reclucently increased the treatment of the humans so that while they are slaves they have some rights. Humans act as the elite slaves, for they can do most any task

Gnomes- A single gnomish state was taken over by the statue folk and the gnomes have now become an essential part of the new culture. Much like the greeks were treated by the Romans, so the gnomes are treated by the Cronens. Their ideas of architectures and engineering are essential to the statue folk culture and they are treated quite well a by their masters as far as slaves go in exchange for their ideas

Halfings- The wandering bands of halfings have act as merchants and traders in the statue folk culture. The statue folk tolerate them as a necessary evil for they are rarely accepted in the free cities so the halfings are needed to peddle the Cronen's goods.

Elves- The Cronens respect the elves power because of their long lived empire and ancient powers, however they resent their arrogence and magical power. The Cronens would like nothing more than to crush and enslave the insolent elves under the rule of their mighty empire, but fear and respect their power and so don't do it yet

Dwarves-Cronens fear dwarves greatly and avoid them at all costs, for these earthen folk know far to much about them for their comfort. After their greatest miltary defeat in history resulting in a fight with the dwarves, the statue folk are content to leave them alone

Gnolls- these folk still raid the Cronen lands but less now after their great wars and have been generally driven off. Cronens hate they savages however and prefer to kill them on sight

Warforged- Cronens view these creatures as abominations and often kill them on sight
[/SPOILERS]


Society:

Spoiler

Cronen culture is based on a Caste system as follows.
0.Slave-caste:self-explanetory. Anything the Cronens have conquered. Different races have different rights as circumstances merit. They are the lowest class and do not even deserve a ranking.
6.Alloy/Glass/Iron?:Anything non-Cronen that is not a slave. Certain favored slaves(like the gnomes) fall into this category as well. These people can enter and trade within the Cronen empire provided they register when entering and leave any town. They have to pay slightly higher taxes on bought and sold goods as well as a higher income tax if they are employed. They are banned from certain districts and ceremonies and may only live in certain areas of the city. They are likely to be ruled against in any legal dispute regardless of the truth. Also, their holdings may be seized if their race starts a war with the Cronens and they may be drafted for war or labor in times of need. They cannot vote.
5.Shale: This is the lowest of the Cronen classes, making up the poor and the unskilled workers who do labor slightly above that of a slave.
4.Ore: This is the second lowest Cronen class, making up skilled workers, armorers, farmers (a sacred duty), some adventurers and hunters (another sacred art). the most basic foot troops are included here as well. They make up the majority of the population and can vote for mombers of the outer senate.
3.Obsidian: This class includes soldiers of rank, artists, poets, merchants, dancers, singers and shipbuilders. non-normal casters are included here as well. Most Cronen adventurers are from this caste. They represent the middle-class and may be elected to the outer senate.
2.Limestone: This includes Rich merchants, Priests, politicians, diplomats, high-rankng officers, Wizards, Knights, Crusaders, Sorcerers, the rare warlock and paladin (who are rare because of the evil nature of the society) and lesser nobles. Some adventurers as well. These make up the majority of the inner senate and on rare occaisions are elected consul.
1.Marble:The highest and rarest caste only they can become High Chancellor. They also make up the majority of the elected consuls and some of the inner senate. Very rarely will adventurers come from this class but occaisionally they do. Most of them are politicians, diplomats, merchants and generals.
On caste system, Cronens inherit the caste of their parents. However a Cronen can raise their caste through exceptional exploits or a large donation "to the good of all Cronens".

Alignment:
Cronens have a lawful streak reminiscient of the stone they become. Most are uncaring about the concepts of good and evil but a fair majority leans towards lawful evil. There is a small minority comprised of LG and true nuetral Cronens but there is little deviation from the four.
Religion:
As children of the Titan gods Cronens view divine beings with a general mistrust. They worship the Titan gods in a fairly secular manner, observing ceremonies and holidays but not with any kind of religious zeal. Few of them actually believe that the Titans will return.
Language:
Cronens speak their own language, Cronen, which uses the an older version of the Dwarven alphabet, Terran, common, and some learn the anguages of the planes.
Names:???????
Adventurers:
Cronen adventurers are relatively rare compared to other races. They mostly come from the Obsidian and shale castes as those castes have the lowest social status amongst Cronens. Though adventurers from the other castes are not unheard of. Cronen adventurers either leave their homes to gain wealth and status or to increase the Cronen empire's influence.

Stats

Spoiler

Cronen Racial Traits
.+4 Charisma, +2 Constitution, -2 Wisdom: Cronens are amazingly beautiful and skilled diplomats despite their lofty attitude and tough like rocks. However, they are quite short-sighted as a result.
.Medium
.Cronen base land speed is 30ft.
.+4 racial bonus on diplomacy checks. Cronens are master negotiators
.+2 racial bonus on Craft( sculpting ) and Knowledge (architecture and engineering). With everyone they see a testament to perfection Cronens know what it should look like.
.Spell-like abilities:1/day:Statue. CL equals the Cronens HD.
.Automatic languages:Common, Cronen and
.Stonecunning: As dwarves
.+2 natural armour
.Automatic languages:Common, Cronen and Terran. Bonus languages:Dwarven, infernal, draconic, orc.
.Favored Class:Sorcerer.

what do you think? Comments, questions, concernes?
from
EE

[Kellus]

Ridiculously powerful for a LA +0 race. By my calculations it comes to Level Adjustment +2. Also, you need formatting badly. I mean, you say 'automatic languages' twice in the stat block. Seriously. Proofread. A little bolding or underlining goes a long way.

Fluffwise... It seems alright, I suppose, but very very setting-specific. They also don't seem very party friendly, such as in a party that includes a warforged and with the whole 'usually evil' thing. Are these guys even intended for player use?

[SilentNight]

That would be my fault. I am new to the forums so I don't yet know all the things you can do to a post. Also I forgot to put that they are an LA +3 but I guess +2 works. They weren't really designed with PC's in mind. We kind of just took the first things that came to our minds.

[EvilElitest]

Originally Posted by Kellus

Ridiculously powerful for a LA +0 race. By my calculations it comes to Level Adjustment +2. Also, you need formatting badly. I mean, you say 'automatic languages' twice in the stat block. Seriously. Proofread. A little bolding or underlining goes a long way.

Sorry then were suppose to be plus 3 LA, but i forgot to add that, do you think +2 works

I'll get to the editing tomorrow when i get some sleep

Fluffwise... It seems alright, I suppose, but very very setting-specific. They also don't seem very party friendly, such as in a party that includes a warforged and with the whole 'usually evil' thing. Are these guys even intended for player use?

1. Setting specific i admit, but you can just take their capital and make it into a city state
2. My games tend to have plenty of evil races/players, that is never a problem
from
EE

[EvilElitest]

bump, anyone interested, anyone
from
EE

[Psionic Dog]

I'll second the statement that this is an LA +2 race.

Also, with the fluff you already have it wouldn't take much more work to convert this into a campaign setting.

Frankly, more intriguing than the race itself.

EDIT: Have you considered giving this race 2 natural HD and a +1 LA? It would make even the common crone peasants as strong as typical soldiers, thus adding to their inflated egos.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

For names, I would suggest you have a look at the names of the cities you have already named, and go along with some theme.

[FlyMolo]

These guys actually remind me of the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. Spooky.

[Icewalker]

I like it. Mind if I tweak it slightly and add it to my campaign world, with credit and link?

Probably going to put them on a large-ish island with some mysterious force that few know about, something to do with things attacking them, which is why they haven't spread much (they are busy combating this mystery threat). Probably tending more towards lawful neutral, but still very prejudiced racially. Also with less slaves due to their smaller connection with the outside, as well as being on an island.

Seems like it is slightly modeled after Athens...as mentioned in the title...which is awesome. Gotta have a mighty fleet if modeled after Athens.

Oh, I also gotta change the caste Obsidian to something else, as that already has meaning in my world.

[EvilElitest]

Originally Posted by Psionic Dog

I'll second the statement that this is an LA +2 race.

Also, with the fluff you already have it wouldn't take much more work to convert this into a campaign setting.

Frankly, more intriguing than the race itself.

EDIT: Have you considered giving this race 2 natural HD and a +1 LA? It would make even the common crone peasants as strong as typical soldiers, thus adding to their inflated egos.

Thank you, i live making culture races. What did you like specifically about the fluff, because me and Silentnight who is amazing worked very hard on that

For names, I would suggest you have a look at the names of the cities you have already named, and go along with some theme.

So named after Titians and whatnot. Because my old names included teh Banana Empire and the battle of unnecessary amounts of background music

These guys actually remind me of the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. Spooky.

Sorry i don't know about them

I like it. Mind if I tweak it slightly and add it to my campaign world, with credit and link?

Probably going to put them on a large-ish island with some mysterious force that few know about, something to do with things attacking them, which is why they haven't spread much (they are busy combating this mystery threat). Probably tending more towards lawful neutral, but still very prejudiced racially. Also with less slaves due to their smaller connection with the outside, as well as being on an island.

Seems like it is slightly modeled after Athens...as mentioned in the title...which is awesome. Gotta have a mighty fleet if modeled after Athens.

Oh, I also gotta change the caste Obsidian to something else, as that already has meaning in my world.

1. Sure feel free, let me know how you use them
2. Ok, i can see that happening
3. We all love Athens, i tried to get that general feel
4. Feel free to change Obsidian, enjoy your self
5. What did you like specifically?

from
EE

[Squidmaster]

Looks good. I have one question through. Why do they hate warforged. Do they think of them as some kind of imitation or something, kind of like what Treebeard thinks of trolls?

[EvilElitest]

Originally Posted by Squidmaster

Looks good. I have one question through. Why do they hate warforged. Do they think of them as some kind of imitation or something, kind of like what Treebeard thinks of trolls?

Yes accully, they view them as an abomination, humans taking the raw elements and tainting magic to create artificial life. They also hate undead and golems, but warforge are sentient and far more human like and they view it as a crime against nature
from
EE

[Pepz]

Man, I so wish I was starting a campaign right now :) Not sure if I would like to have Cronens in my party or as the big bad evil guys...either way I really love their feel :)

[EvilElitest]

Originally Posted by Pepz

Man, I so wish I was starting a campaign right now :) Not sure if I would like to have Cronens in my party or as the big bad evil guys...either way I really love their feel :)

Thank you, what do you like specifically?
from
EE

[SilentNight]

Thank you everyone for the responses. We tried our hardest. Most of the grammar errors are my fault as I said earlier since I typed up the final draft when I was sleep deprived and then EE apparently pasted it into a thread. But yeah, we mostly focused on culture since if there's no fluff there's not a lot of fun.

To clear up one vague point: Under the alignment section when it says the smal majority lean towards lawful Evil that means that most Cronens who are not LN are LE. Not the other way around. I like Psionic Dog's idea about racial HD.

@: EE, dude you should get around to editing the first post. Thanks for the compliment though.

[EvilElitest]

Originally Posted by SilentNight

Thank you everyone for the responses. We tried our hardest. Most of the grammar errors are my fault as I said earlier since I typed up the final draft when I was sleep deprived and then EE apparently pasted it into a thread. But yeah, we mostly focused on culture since if there's no fluff there's not a lot of fun.

To clear up one vague point: Under the alignment section when it says the smal majority lean towards lawful Evil that means that most Cronens who are not LN are LE. Not the other way around. I like Psionic Dog's idea about racial HD.

@: EE, dude you should get around to editing the first post. Thanks for the compliment though.

I will, it just requires more sleep then i currently posses
from
EE

[EvilElitest]

Hey silentnight, can you edit this, because i just don't have the time
from
EE