Hi all.
I'm laying the groundwork for a future homebrew campaign based on R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy (and the following Aspect Emperor series), so this will only make sense if you are familiar with the story.
The first thing I'm working on is building the Nonman race, which I've tried to do true to the story. I'm looking for input on how to tweak it, or what I've done well/poorly, or potential loopholes.
If you are still reading this without knowing the world, the Nonman race is supposed to be superior to humans, and immortal, but at great cost (as described more fully under 'Weaknesses').
Also, more details on Nonmen in the series wiki page at http://princeofnothing.wikia.com/wiki/Nonmen
Nonman (16RP)
Racial Qualities
Type: Aberration (3)
Size: Medium (0)
Speed: Normal (0)
Ability Scores: Advanced (4) +2 Phys, +4 Int, -2 Cha
Language: Standard (0)
Racial Traits
Ancient Foe (3): Sranc (+2 AC and Grapple)
Shards of the Past (5): Knowledge: History, and Knowledge: Local (+2 to 2 skills and considered class skills)
Hatred (1): Sranc and Inchoroi (+1 Atk vs Hated races)
Sword-Trained (4)
CUSTOM TRAITS
Immortality: Even the youngest of Nonmen are millennia old. Nonmen do not experience aging effects, and cannot die of natural causes. This immortality renders them immune to natural diseases and aging, but not magical ones. They also cannot die of starvation, thirst, suffocation, drowning, extremes in temperature, or any other mundane effect except physical violence or magic. However, they do still suffer the negative effects of these situations (eg, nonlethal damage, fatigue, etc). Such situations which would normally kill a human simply render the Nonman unconscious until they recover hitpoints restoring them to at least 1 positive hitpoint. Nonmen who do die do so (almost universally) in epic fashion. Suicides among Nonmen are exceptionally rare, but possible.
Womb-Plague: Nonmen are exclusively male. In a vain deal for immortality, Nonmen agreed to allow the Inchoroi to become their physicians in exchange for peace. The Inchoroi cured their diseases, and then retreated to the Ark. Shortly afterward all the Nonman females began to die, beginning what is now known as the womb-plague, and ensuring the slow and painful extinction of the Nonman race.
Weaknesses (Negative ? RP)
Lost in the Past: Due to their extraordinarily long lives, Nonmen have significant short-term memory problems, and spend much time in absent minded reverie. Once per hour there is a 50% chance that the nonman forgets where he is, who the people around him are, and everything that has happened to him in the past 24 hours. If the Nonman’s “Elju” is with him, this is reduced to a 25% chance once per day.
Erratic: After thousands of years of life, Nonmen are driven insane by their memory loss. They are only capable of remembering the most painful and traumatic experiences of their lives. Once per week at a random point during the week a Nonman has a 25% chance, +25% per each week since the last occurrence, of being reminded of a lost love one, or some other tragic event in the past. This causes the Nonman to become enraged for the maximum possible number of rounds (Rage as the Barbarian ability with a class level equal to his character level) and inflict grievous injury or death to an ally or friend nearby (not including his Elju). If no such person is nearby, he will instead focus on any other random person in the vicinity. If there are no people around the Nonman will howl and rage aimlessly for the duration of the rage. This condition gradually progresses into the Dolour (see “The Dolour”). If the Nonman’s “Elju” is with him, the chance of having an Erratic episode remains at 25% each week, rather than accumulating.
Intact: 1% of Nonmen (typically the youngest of the race) are still “Intact” and do not suffer from the Lost in the Past or Erratic weaknesses. They instead progress from Intact to Erratic in the same way an Erratic progresses to the Dolour (see below).
The Dolour: Instead of aging, Nonmen suffer from a mysterious effect known as “The Dolour”. Once per century a Nonman rolls a d%. There is a 50% chance, +1% per century that the Nonman has lived, that the he succumbs to the Dolour (or an Intact becomes an Erratic). Once a Nonman’s mind has finally broken he seeks out a reclusive existence of woebegone insanity, lashing out at anyone who disturbs him. This normally drives him to seek out the darkest, deepest underground places he can find nearby. Nonmen suffering from the Dolour often form colonies together, though apparently not for any observable social reason, as they do not interact with one another. The Dolour cannot be reversed by any mechanism save a Miracle, and even then it simply returns him to being an Erratic, with the same growing chances of succumbing to the Dolour again.
Elju: An Elju (Nonman word for ‘Book’) is a person that a Nonman may designate to travel with him in order to remind them of who he is. Having an Elju mitigates, but does not entirely eliminate, the possibility of having Erratic episodes and becoming Lost in the Past. A Nonman must spend 1 hour per day in quiet discussion with his Elju in order to benefit from the Elju’s presence. During this time the Elju reminds the Nonman of his past deeds, how he has come to be where he is, what he is doing, and who the other people are that he may also be traveling with. An Elju forms a close bond with the Nonman, and cannot be forgotten through Lost in the Past or raged against during Erratic episodes. An Elju can only ever be the Elju for 1 Nonman during his or her lifetime. A Nonman can only ever have 1 active Elju at a time.
To become a Nonman’s Elju you must spend 1 continuous month with the Nonman, during which time you learn about his life and exploits through strange sermons and recountings as he laments his past. Alternatively, a newly designated Elju can spend 1 week with a Nonman’s former Elju if they are alive, can be found, and are willing to relate the details of the Nonman’s life. A new Elju gains a permanent +2 to Knowledge (history), and Knowledge (history) is always considered a class skill for the Elju.