Now available!
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•30 different half-breed races that are playable from the start, with more than half having a stronger variant more in line with their ancestry. From the Dwarf-Roper hybrid Lasher, to the Human-Troll halfblood Grendle, there are combinations and races for almost any concept.
Ooh, from the sounds of Lasher and Grendle, this sounds like the races from Bastards & Bloodlines!
I loved the Aellar, Blinklings, Sthein, Trixie, Watchers and Wendigo, particularly, and the potential for there to be 'LA +0' versions of them playable as starting races is very cool as they were mostly priced out of being playable in an LA +0 game in 3.X.
There were only 28 races (although half goblinoids and jovians included three to five sub-races) in the original book, and some, like the burrower, half-kuo-toa and mind ripper, are likely to be sir-not-appearing-in-this-book anyway. So I'm intrigued as to what new faces will appear!
•Alternate racial traits and new favored class options for all of the 30 new races presented in this book!
Excellent, the races being even more versatile shows promise!
Dot for great interest.
Will this be available as a softcover book in the future?
Oh goodie. More proofing work. Still, if it means more DSP releases, I'll pay the price.
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Ooh, from the sounds of Lasher and Grendle, this sounds like the races from Bastards & Bloodlines!
I loved the Aellar, Blinklings, Sthein, Trixie, Watchers and Wendigo, particularly, and the potential for there to be 'LA +0' versions of them playable as starting races is very cool as they were mostly priced out of being playable in an LA +0 game in 3.X.
There were only 28 races (although half goblinoids and jovians included three to five sub-races) in the original book, and some, like the burrower, half-kuo-toa and mind ripper, are likely to be sir-not-appearing-in-this-book anyway. So I'm intrigued as to what new faces will appear!
I am concerned that they took too much from Bastards and Bloodlines and from non-open sources -- each and every one of the races named above appears in this PDF. There is also a Satyr hybrid called a Piper (Is that familiar to anyone?).
(Also isn't mind flayer and beholder Wizard's IP?)
(Also isn't mind flayer and beholder Wizard's IP?)That's why I don't expect them to appear in this book.
I'm less enamored of the product now that I know that Owen isn't a part of it, but it's what the OGL allows.
they ARE in it though, at least the half-versions anyway.
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It's complicated and I don't have access to the PDF yet (on the road and busy) but they might be based on DSP's psionic monsters revisited, which also had mind flayers. They were completely reworked and while the art was similar, the mechanics and flavor were not. I suspect it's those plus the name "illithid" that are WotC's IP.
The book does indeed have half-variants of certain creatures, but when I verified the OGL it does state that it is indeed open.
Should WotC tell us that this wasn't their intention and ask us to remove it, we'll naturally redo those particular half-templates immediately.
You might want to clarify this for certain, and double check which Open Game Content statement that you're looking at gives you permission to base your work on their IP.
In the past some companies had limited permission to use some closed content. I believe the psionic monster book that Green Ronin put out has some closed content in it but it was spelled out that those pieces were not OGC. Likewise, Goodman Games has a limited license for Beholders and there were a few others but those were not transferable I believe.
I can't remember what Bastards and Bloodlines had in it and my game collection is currently packed for renovations.
In the past some companies had limited permission to use some closed content. I believe the psionic monster book that Green Ronin put out has some closed content in it but it was spelled out that those pieces were not OGC. Likewise, Goodman Games has a limited license for Beholders and there were a few others but those were not transferable I believe.
I can't remember what Bastards and Bloodlines had in it and my game collection is currently packed for renovations.
I think Bastards & Bloodlines was from the early 3.0 era which did not exclude certain monsters from the SRD (which is how Green Ronin published their illithid book).
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Okay, doing some rooting around in my garage I found my copy.
It says...
The following text is designated as Open Game Content: The name, racial traits, and any bracketed text of each half-breed in Chapter 2, plus the half-breeds at a glance section (including Tables 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3); Chapters 3 and 4.
However... in the previous paragraph it says...
Beholder, kuo-toa, mind flayer, and umber hulk are copyright Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and are used with permission.
My take, IANAL, is that you can't use those terms without receiving permission from WOTC.
I would rework the Burrower to be a gnome/tunnel brute, half koa-toa as a half-(whatever paizo uses for kuo-toa), mind ripper as a humanoid/phrenic scourge, half-beholder as a half-evil eye, and so on.
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And it's alive again! It's been a serious ride, but Hybrids and Halfbreeds has now officially transformed into Bloodforge. Those who snagged the original Hyrbids and Halfbreeds should be able to just download the new book without a difficulty.
Are all the races fully illustrated?
Are all the races fully illustrated?
Yes, some artwork looks better than others within the book.
Is this going to get a print release or only pdf?
Design Manager
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The Ragi: All races are fully illustrated, in color.
Geppou: We're hoping to give it a print release, but that takes a little time and we need to see if the full-color art translates into a B&W release or if we need to go color on it (in which case it becomes more expensive).
Not to derail, but Anguish had some questions about DSP's print run policies over in the Akashic Mysteries product thread that kind of relate to this.
And now, the errata, now available for open testing. Let us know if any errors persist within the errata or despite it.
Two questions:
One flavor text: Are most race breeding hybrids? I remember one person's criticism of Bastards & Bloodlines was there this seemed to be common when one could imagine more creative (and potentially less squicky) origins for how two very different creatures could hybridize (such as the backstory for the Blinkling). Also how often are hybrid parents described as tragic romances? That was another criticism: that somehow "this leads to heartbreak" was annoyingly common.
Much fewer of these races are breeding hybrids, and several are mysteries lost to time (Blinklings debate their origins at storytelling competitions, f'rinstance). Tragic romances were something that no one involved in the re-write wanted at all, and have been avoided in their entirety...which is not to say that none of these half-breeds are tragic. Half-sahuagin have the weight of the world on their shoulders; Thrallspawn are slaves unable to remember a time when they were free. But as far as the relationship between the half-breed and the parents go, I think the worst one could talk about is the Merg's persistent convenience problem with visiting both parents regularly (to wit: the sea is full of horrible lethal crap, which makes visiting the land-bound parent complicated).
Practical question: Why is the price a dollar less on Paizo than RPGnow?
Lemme ask the boss.
Can some post the names of the thirty species and one-sentence descriptions of what they are?
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Can some post the names of the thirty species and one-sentence descriptions of what they are?
I got'cha covered.
Aellar: Originally created from elves and giant eagles to fight an invasion in the skies, Aellar are a proud race of airborne warriors.
Alicorns: The rare children of elves and unicorns, Alicorns wonder if their virtue is truly real or a blood-borne compulsion.
Blinklings: Claiming heritage from halflings and blink dogs (details vary from story to story), blinklings love an active lifestyle.
Decataur: The intellectual children of elves and centaurs, decataur run in their own herds and favor razor wit over brute force.
Grendle: The children of trolls and humanoids, Grendle are raised to rulership over savage tribes and seem destined for greatness.
Half-Gnoll: The spawn of slaves in a society defined by murderous sloth, Half-Gnolls must fight or die.
Half-sahuagin: Created to stabilize the corrupted bloodlines of the sahuagin, these half-breeds have the fate of their people in their hands.
Hexbreather: The half-breed spawn of orcs and hags, Hexbreathers are created to enforce their mothers' wills.
Houri: The children of elves and nymphs, Houri yearn to escape the shadow of their mothers' greatness.
Kestrel: Kestrel are the legacy of a great act of redemption that brought a settlement of halflings and a murder of harpies together, and are a living reminder of the power of good.
Kijin: Claiming heritage from elves and oni, Kijin leave a society that rejects them and thirst to punish the wicked.
Lasher: These profane dwarf/roper hybrids are created as footsoldiers for the Phrenic Hegemony.
Lurker: A failed attempt at replicating the success of the lashers, Lurkers hide in the shadows of Material Plane worlds, preparing them against the coming invasion.
Merg: The children of merfolk and landwalkers, Merg learn a sense of wonder and beauty in a deadly world.
Murk: The spawn of orcish conflicts with troglodytes and other races, Murks temper savagery with unusual perception and empathy.
Oggr: Children of ogres and humanoids, Oggr carve out niches in the edge-places of society, thriving through pragmatism and cunning.
Ornibus: Created as slaves by a demon lord looking to cheat his way into divinity, Ornibii are insane, savage, and more than a little lost.
Piper: The children of satyrs, Pipers spread joy where they go and walk the line between responsibility and exuberance.
Rana: Born of ophiduans and lizardfolk, Rana join the societies of other humanoids looking for someone to converse with as an equal.
Spring Child: The sons and daughters of dryads, Spring Children delight in the best of both untamed wilderness and civilization and live in the flower of eternal youth.
Sthein: Born of royal naga and the elves that aid them in guarding their charges, Sthein are driven from their homes to give them a choice in their own future.
Thrallspawn: The sinister verizals' answer to both elans and the horrors of the Phrenic Hegemony, Thrallspawn are reborn as slaves and sent to infiltrate mortal society.
Trixie: Magical children of deep friendships between gnomes and pixies, Trixies delight in creating beauty and inspiration from raw magic.
Watcher: The legacy of an act of heroism, Watchers are born into dwarven societies as the favored of the mountain gods.
Woodborn: Created as living power sources for an enchanted forest, Woodborn are growing far beyond anything their creators intended or expected.
Wulfkin: The murderous cubs of winter wolves and humanoids that prove their place as part of the pack, Wulfkin grow up lonely and savage.
Hope that helps!
Half Giants?
I can't believe I missed them.
Dreige: The half-breed survivors of an ancient and fallen empire, the Dreige dream of their revenge against the fey that destroyed their culture.
Truly a race I can get behind! How Fey are tolerated the way they are often described eludes me.
*Reads the posted list of races*
Great now yet another PDF I Just Have To Get, if only for the wulfkin and half-gnolls. It'd be interesting to see how they're all done as playable races.
I have the PDF and I will say that each race is worth playing as.
Compared to say... Advanced Race Guide you can expect
-less underpowered races
-more useable racial feats
-a few races on the level of Aasimar/Tiefling/Human
-very cool PrC
I'm still making an official review, but I'd give it about 4/5 stars. Currently I have a placeholder review up.
PG. 86 Greater Spark of Divinity [Heritage] feat. I think the levels in which things happen need a look at.
It requires level 13 and "at 15th
level, and every 5 levels thereafter, you gain an additional
use per day of the chosen spell."
The way it's written it seems more like minimum level 10 would make more sense.
PG. 86 Greater Spark of Divinity [Heritage] feat. I think the levels in which things happen need a look at.
It requires level 13 and "at 15th
level, and every 5 levels thereafter, you gain an additional
use per day of the chosen spell."The way it's written it seems more like minimum level 10 would make more sense.
Future-proofing, mostly. The wording exists in the event that post-20 play happens, and also for monsters with CR higher than 20.
Questions and comments!
First off, the Grendle...are interesting. I can't help but notice that Imperius Bearing is objectively better then Mocking Call with no disadvantage whatsoever. Has this been errata'ed?
Secondly, what does the evil subtype of the Ornibus entail? Can they only be evil-aligned? Also, they're covered in chitin, spikes, and the text mentions that they usually only wear loincloths and leather armor. Can they still wear armor without penalties? I suppose that this is one of my problems with the book; some of these species are so bizarre it's kind of hard to imagine them wearing armor. Like the Lurker and Lasher for instance. The cool thing about the Ornibus is, and I'm not sure if you guys noticed this, is that there's a demon lord in Golarion canon who would be a perfect "fit" for them. You know, this guy?. And they have +2 str and cha. I can just imagine an army of freaky insectoid antipaladins charging across the Worldwound. It's enough to make any Mendevian crusader go, "Screw it, I'm headed for the Elfgates!".
Questions and comments!
First off, the Grendle...are interesting. I can't help but notice that Imperius Bearing is objectively better then Mocking Call with no disadvantage whatsoever. Has this been errata'ed?
The current errata out for testing is a few posts up in this thread; feel free to offer suggestions!
Secondly, what does the evil subtype of the Ornibus entail? Can they only be evil-aligned?
It means the same thing it does for all other creatures with the evil subtype; ornibii are treated as being evil in addition to all of their other alignments when resolving spells and abilities. The way an ornibus is raised makes them incredibly likely to be evil, but they're free-willed moral actors with all that entails.
Also, they're covered in chitin, spikes, and the text mentions that they usually only wear loincloths and leather armor. Can they still wear armor without penalties? I suppose that this is one of my problems with the book; some of these species are so bizarre it's kind of hard to imagine them wearing armor. Like the Lurker and Lasher for instance.
It's true that creating armor for these races is difficult, but it's far from impossible. Concessions will need to be made, but PF already has rules for armor for unusual creatures (which I encourage you to ignore, because it's a needless penalty). Ornibii use piecemeal armor; Lashers don't cover their arms. Etc, so forth.
The cool thing about the Ornibus is, and I'm not sure if you guys noticed this, is that there's a demon lord in Golarion canon who would be a perfect "fit" for them. You know, this guy?. And they have +2 str and cha. I can just imagine an army of freaky insectoid antipaladins charging across the Worldwound. It's enough to make any Mendevian crusader go, "Screw it, I'm headed for the Elfgates!".
Awesome ^_^
This is my favoured version of the Piper. i'll definitely use this for my drunk bard/alchemist Catrider.
so aellar wizards can have a +8 caster level to air spells by 18th before feats huh, seems like a lot but ill reserve judgement since ive havent tried it out yet. I dont particular dabble in air spells so out side of some river of wind shenanigans i dont know if the +3 caster level at level 3 is a big deal.
This will be a silly question but with 'beastfolk' races like the alicorns, half-gnolls, and wulfkin, just how animal-like do they look? In the end it's all a question of group and individual player preferences, of course (I assume that the 'wolfscarred face' oracle curse from Blood of Angels leaves you looking like a gnoll or original Howling-style werewolf, when the actual intent is probably more 1941's Jack Pierce Wolf Man), but an official answer would be helpful.
This will be a silly question but with 'beastfolk' races like the alicorns, half-gnolls, and wulfkin, just how animal-like do they look? In the end it's all a question of group and individual player preferences, of course (I assume that the 'wolfscarred face' oracle curse from Blood of Angels leaves you looking like a gnoll or original Howling-style werewolf, when the actual intent is probably more 1941's Jack Pierce Wolf Man), but an official answer would be helpful.
Not very, usually. Half-gnolls and blinklings look the most animalistic; wulfkin can be mistaken for non-cold humanoids (right up until they ice breath your ass), alicorns mainly resemble slightly gangly elves, aellar appear mostly as winged elves.
I'm guessing that means they don't have artwork?
All thirty races do in fact have artwork.
So I edited my review, it turns out "Type or Subtype" included HUMANOID, derp. All the PrCs work as long as your party has HUMANOIDS (AKA everything except most Aasimar and Tieflings.)
I have a question about the Sthein. What is their movement rate...30ft? The Alternate Form Ability says:
"Alternate form (Su): As a full-round action a sthein may
switch between her serpent form and a fully humanoid
form. In humanoid form a sthein has the same facial
features and coloration but develops two normal legs in
place of her long tail. A humanoid sthein is Medium-size
and has a base speed of 30 feet. She retains all her normal
abilities in this form but cannot make bite attacks."
Does that mean the Sthein has a 30ft movement rate in both their Serpent and Humanoid forms? I was also wondering if the Sthein in Serpent form would have the Legless quality(i.e. Legless: have no legs, and cannot be tripped)?
Thanks in Advance; and I have to say this is one of my favorite Race Books for Pathfinder!