Just a little something i've been meaning to write up. Thoughts and correction of errors are appreciated! This is just a draft, and when I have the time and inspiration, I plan to add favored class options and alternate bloodlines... maybe some variant abilities and physical features, racial archetypes, and racial feats, too.
Humans whose ancestry includes the blood of neutral outsiders, Liminals are a race of conflict and concordance. Spiritually torn between the varied potential of mortal morals and ethics, and the more balanced and metaphysically ordained will of their planar ancestors, they live a life acutely aware of their unnatural role, yet gifted with a sense of the balance of the universe. Although this personality tends to result in an alignment that favors no one extreme, their individual experiences growing up just as often lead to a compassionate or malicious adulthood. Although capable of lying dormant for many generations, the heritage that produces liminals always eventually manifests, often seemingly just in time to correct some imbalance in their home community. Most often born to tribal cultures with large numbers of powerful druids or cloistered sects devoted to a faith of neutrality and balance, they are seen as born to a religious or diplomatic life, fated to act as intermediaries between the spiritual and secular worlds. With an innnate gift to set all around them on equal terms by forcing the telling of truths, many others pursue the path of the diplomat or the peacekeeper. Even those liminals who tend towards good, evil, chaos, or law typically see themselves as correctors of an imbalance, striking out against factors they see as favoring their opposite alignment.
Physical Description
Liminals strongly resemble their human forebears, yet always have some sign of their planar ancestry. This may range from the subtle—having one eye be an opposing color to the other, or hair that always remains perfectly symmetrical regardless of external factors—to the more dramatic, such as having hair that looks like the night sky complete with twinkling stars, or a body of uniformly gray features with no change in hue or tone. One notably universal characteristic is androgyny; liminals of any sex tend to have the same tall, lightly built frames that favor neither masculinity nor femininity, and an exceptionally high proportion of liminals are born intersex or otherwise possessing features not clearly male or female.
Random Liminal Starting Ages:
Adulthood: 60 years
Intuitive¹: +4d6 years (64 - 84 years)
Self-Taught²: +6d6 years (66 - 96 years)
Trained³: +8d6 years (68 - 108 years)
1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, and witches.
3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.
Random Liminal Height and Weight:
Base Height: 5 ft. 0 in.
Height Modifier: +2d8 in. (5 ft. 4 in. - 6 ft. 6 in.)
Base Weight: 90 lbs.
Weight Modifier: +(2d8×5 lbs.) (100 - 170 lbs.)
Society
Born to humans, liminals lack a true society of their own, and yet are also by nature partly outside of the culture of their birth, instinctively aware of the greater cosmos. Though this sense often leads them to sympathize with folk from other cultures, it also often means that they have trouble relating to concepts like patriotism and loyalty. Thinking in terms of "the big picture", they sometimes overlook local concerns in favor of more widespread issues, leading them to be shunned; at other times, they devote unusual attention to everyday matters that only their gut feelings tell them will have an impact on the world at large, earning the favor of those who see them as always willing to help. In the spiritual communities where they are most often born, liminals are typically seen as being ideal candidates for priesthood, training as a shaman, or as impartial lorekeepers and judges. Due to their tendency towards androgyny, liminals are often given names that are neither especially masculine nor feminine.
Relations
Even among their human kin, liminals are exceptionally adaptable to other races, sometimes seeming to be just a bit more comfortable among elves, dwarves, and gnomes than their own kith. This is an illusion, however; those other races will see the opposite tendencies among visiting liminals. Predictably, liminals find the best company among other half-breeds and beings of planar ancestry, finding in them others with the same sense of marginality. Half-elves and half-orcs especially are fast companions, with many liminals seeing them as embodiments of balance between their parent races. However, some rare liminals grow hostile towards other mixed-ancestry folk, seeing in them a perversion of the natural order and the crossing of boundaries not meant to be crossed. The sole exception to these rules seem to be halflings, whose practical outlook and marginal role among larger folk mesh well with liminals' tendency towards objectivity and disconnect from their parent race.
Non-Human Liminals:
The balancing forces of the universe who lend their essence to the blood of liminals do not exclusively favor humans, though the great numbers and potential for varied alignments among humans mean that liminals are indeed most often born to human mothers. Liminals of other races embody the same principles of concordance and balance between the physical and metaphysical, though typically as expressed in their base race. Half-orc and half-elf liminals favor neither ancestral race, their features giving the immediate impression of a perfect balance between human and non-human. Dwarven liminals often have bodies that seem to be stony below the waist, and colored like the sky above it, as if their forms were mountain peaks reaching into the sky; indeed, they tend to have an un-dwarven fondness for stargazing and watching clouds. Of the less common humanoids, those that thrive on the periphery of other races—catfolk, tengu, and ratfolk in particular—sometimes produce liminals, and the connection lizardfolk have to the balance of the natural world means that liminal births among their tribes are not unknown.
Non-human liminals have the same base statistics as human liminals, with the exception of size; a gnomish liminal is Small but possesses the same statistics and abilities as a human liminal, with the differences being only in outward appearance. Non-human liminals do not possess any of the racial abilities of their base race; however, they are typically raised within the same culture as members of their base race, and usually adopt the same fighting style, train with the same weapons and armor, and learn the same skills.
Alignment and Religion
Liminals are typically of neutral alignment, though many tend towards law or chaos, and others towards good or evil. It is not unheard of, however, for an individual liminal to find themselves of a less moderate mindset, favoring two extremes in moral and ethical alignment. Even so, the great majority of liminals favor deities of balance, the natural world, or dualistic concepts like life and death. Some also find themselves drawn to faiths of knowledge and invention, or primal deities and ancient fey gods. Especially popular is the dualistic Gozreh, with many liminals finding meaningful symbolism in the transition between surf and sky.
Adventurers
Liminals often become adventurers, whether out of a need to experience the vast scope of the wider world, or even encouragement from their home community to go out and act on their behalf. Liminals make for intuitive rogues and rangers and uncanny witches, and those who embrace their spiritual nature make for wise clerics and powerful druids.
Ability Score Racial Traits: Liminals are intuitive and graceful, but their nature as something in-between mortality and outsiders makes their connection to life tenuous at times. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, and -2 Constitution.
Type: Liminals are outsiders with the native subtype.
Size: Liminals are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Base Speed: Liminals have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Liminals begin play speaking Common. Liminals with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
Defense Racial Traits
Liminal Resistance: Liminals have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Skill bonus: Liminals have a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks.
Magical Racial Traits
Spell-like ability: Liminals can use zone of truth once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to the liminal's class level).
Senses Racial Traits
Darkvision: Liminals have darkvision 60 ft. (they can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.)
Alternate Racial Traits:
The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.
Advanced Light and Dark A liminal's intermediate role in the cosmos means that they sometimes walk the boundaries of life and death. Three times per day as an immediate action, a liminal with this racial trait can treat positive and negative energies as if it were an undead creature, taking damage from positive energy and healing damage from negative energy. This supernatural ability lasts for 1 minute once activated. This racial trait replaces liminal resistance.
Cosmic Visage Some liminals have eyes that seem to open onto the depths of the universe, starry voids occasionally marred by the passage of comets and the flaring light of novas. When making eye contact, they gain a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks. This racial trait replaces skill bonus.
Lesser Envisaging Liminals with hereditary connections to aeons and related beings possess a limited form of the ability of those creatures to communicate thoughts. Once per day as a free action, a liminal with this racial trait may communicate with a single creature by telepathically projecting images and sounds; this ability cannot target any creature immune to mind-affecting effects. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
Liminal Magic A liminal with this racial trait with a Charisma score of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like abilities (the caster level is equal to the user's character level):
1/day—comprehend languages, deathwatch, sanctuary, share languages
This racial trait replaces the
Lifebound The connection of liminals to cosmic forces ensures that they resist death; they gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws made to resist death effects, saving throws against negative energy effects, Fortitude saves made to remove negative levels, and Constitution checks made to stabilize if reduced to negative hit points. This racial trait replaces liminal resistance.
Symmetrical Grip Many liminals have perfectly balanced features, but a rare few show this symmetry on more than one axis; not only are they ambidextrous, but their feet can function as hands. When in a prone position or while balancing on one foot (DC 10, DC 15 to perform complex actions), a liminal with this racial trait can wield weapons or hold items with their feet so long as they are not wearing shoes; attacks made with feet in this manner take a -10 penalty even if the liminal is not wielding any other weapons. Liminals with this racial trait receive a +2 racial bonus to Climb checks, and may switch which hand is treated as their off hand as a move action. This racial trait replaces skill bonus.
One thing that's been bugging me going over the rules, is that the folks in charge of the Bestiaries at Paizo don't seem to be able to care much for properly categorizing hyenas.
For starters: the Dire Hyena is listed as also being called a "hyaenodon". Now, the actual animal called the hyaenodon isn't remotely related to hyenas; heck, it's not even related to any currently existing species, the entire order to which they belong went extinct. Is this intended to be a case of using an existing name for a fictional creature, or did someone mix up hyaenodons and pachycrocuta?
Another petty grievance from your unfriendly neighborhood hyena fan: hyenas aren't canines, and are not closely related to them (they're closer to felines, but that's still a stretch), so why is it that the Animal Lord template's Species Affinities for Canine Lords include hyenas? To me, it's as if the Dinosaur Lord also included Crocodiles because they're big, scaly, and "primitive".
I realize that we're free to ignore such things and make house rules in our own games, but with all the misinformation about hyenas that already exists, it really bugs me to see this in my favorite game.
A while back, I decided that I wanted to see one of my favorite campaign settings–Doug Anderson's Northern Crown–get some more love. I'm fond enough of this setting that I have no problem transcribing the OGL content from it, letter-for-letter, though it takes quite a bit of time and I haven't had the time or energy for it for a few months.
For those unfamiliar with Northern Crown:
Northern Crown is a d20 system (3.5 edition) campaign setting based in an alternate 17th century North America, in a world where myths, monsters, and magic are all very real. There's a lot of departures from real-world history, and some things happened earlier or later than they did in our own timeline: an analogue of the United States (complete with an ersatz Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson) exists in the form of the tiny Republic of Sophia, while the Nieu Nederlands battles with New Sweden, and an immortal Phillip of Spain contends with the half-fey daughter of Elizabeth I.
Players in Northern Crown take advantage of the existence of both modern scientific knowledge (better known as Natural Philosophy) and ancient magic, as well as the assistance of both historic figures like Tenskwatawa, heroes of tall tales such as Paul Bunyan, and figures who combine both legend and reality, like Johnny Appleseed. The setting as a whole seems to draw extensively upon sources like Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker books, as well as Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series.
I created a TVTropes article for the setting a while back, but it's in need of some wiki love.
Ideally, I'd like to have all the OGL content from Northern Crown transcribed, converted to Pathfinder, and then released for free online, under the name Annus Mirabilis (reflecting the 1666 date of the campaign setting). However, there are a few problems with this, the main one being that the otherwise mostly-OGL text is littered with terms that are Product Identity, and I could use some help coming up with alternatives.
Product Identity terms, and possible replacements:
Chiron Franklyn:, an NPC, effectively a much earlier incarnation of Ben Franklin. I'm going with "Daedalus" Franklin to keep in line with the setting's tendency to use Hellenic names for the "Civil Name" that Sophians take upon becoming citizens.
Northern Crown: The continent of North America, in a world where Amerigo Vespucci isn't doing anything special. For now, I'm going with Corona as a substitute.
Southern Cross: The continent of South America (see above). Going with Crux for now.
Coven of Naumkeag: The ruling body of the Witchling city-state of Naumkeag.
Dark Years: the first century or so of colonization and exploration, when natives were slaughtered by sword, gun, and disease in countless numbers, and slaves were brought by the hundreds from Libua to labor in the new world.
First Lord of Sophia: Equivalent to POTUS.
First Magus of Sophia: Franklin's official position, seems to be the official title for the most powerful Natural Philosopher (read: mad scientist) in the Republic.
First Ones: the native peoples. Columbus didn't reach the New World in this timeline, so nobody mistook it for the Indies. In my transcriptions, I've been going with Aboriginals instead, reflecting what I felt was the most neutral of the present-day alternative terms.
The Greening of Albion: A deliberate effort to return Albion (fey-influenced Britain) to a more natural, fey-friendly state.
Kelt Renegado: Celtic immigrants in Appalachia who reject Carolingian (the Carolinas as ruled by Charles II and his court-in-exile in the New World) rule.
Kieran Scot: A Celtic ruler, a witch whose inspiration I haven't been able to determine, assuming there's a real person he's based on.
L'Ordre du Sang: A vampire-ruled secret society that I'm calling L'Ordre Ploutocratique (the Plutocratic Order) for now.
Le Dragon Rouge: a cabal of French sorcerers serving the Devil.
Los Illustrados: a loose group of scholars, scientists, and artists seeking to spread reason and knowledge. Most likely going with the obvious Illuminati Moundraiser: Any of the several extinct cultures known in real life as Mound Builders, hence a renaming to Moundbuilder.
Nyamban, Nyambe: Northern Crown used the Nyambe campaign setting as its African analogue. While I'm tempted to just go with "African", the use of archaic or alternate names makes me lean towards going with something else. For now, I'm using Libuan/Libua.
Philathelias Jeferson: Thomas Jefferson analogue.
Rebecca Blackthorn: leader of the Witchlings
Republic of Sophia: I've been calling it the Republic of Fredonia Solomonic Order: also known as the Order of the Temple of Solomon, a semi-secret order holding the ancient knowledge and wisdom of King Solomon. My suspicion is that this is meant to be an analogue for the Freemasons, but I'm reluctant to step on the Masons' toes.
Sons of Cincinnatus: a conspiracy of high-ranking Sophians prepared to stage a coup in case public support of the current government wanes significantly. For now, I'm going with the somewhat less evocative Order of Cincinnati.
Uncounted Time: the period in the history of the New World before contact with Uropans (NC tends to use this spelling as an alternative to Europeans, and calls the continent Uropa). I'd like something a little less inaccurate to the native conception of history, because many indigenous cultures did have means of recording history.
Unknown West: The unmapped western frontier.
Unseen Hand: Short for "The Unseen Hand of the Lord", a secret Europan-based organization composed of members of all faiths, which actively opposes evil cults.
Uropan: "European". I've been using the slightly modified Europan for the time being.
Vinlander: Viking settlers in the New World, having been around much longer than most Uropans. I'm vacillating between using Marklander or Vinlanding(ar); for the time being, i'm using the latter in my own notes.
Witchling: a culture of witches, the nightmare of Cotton Mather come to life. I've been using Witchan, based on the older pronunciation of "Wiccan".
Woodland Confederacy: The union of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa peoples. I'm going with the real-world term Council of Three Fires
I'll also need a lot of help with converting classes, feats, spells, monsters... pretty much every single crunchy bit. I'm happy to transcribe the fluff, but I have a poor sense for power balance and could really do with another hand or two to handle the rules. Before that gets started, though, I need suggestions for replacing the Product Identity. Any takers?
Of course, new content is welcome as well, and there's some fluffy stuff that I personally think needs fixing or outright replacement as well, so I'm looking for folks with new ideas, too! I'll be incorporating a Swedish culture that I posted (way back when, as "Fenghuang") over at the Atlas Games forums to favorable response.
In developing my North American-styled homebrew setting, I decided two things relating to religion: that there is a cultural analogue to Christianity, and that it does not teach that it is the only true religion. This left room open for other pantheons, which worked out well, because I also wanted to have a nod to the influence of ancient Greece and Rome on the art and philosophy of the US, leading to the creation of a pantheon of original deities.
I went with original ones for several reasons, mostly personal, but I also wanted to try to avoid falling into the trap of creating an original pantheon that was full of gods real people would never choose to worship (a pretty common problem with pantheons in games, in my opinion). I hope I've achieved something that seems organic, while still being original and useful for games.
I welcome comments, criticisms, corrections of typos, and use of these in your own games!
Asphodelos, Flower of the Underworld:
ASPHODELOS (THEOI KTHONIOI) Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: The afterlife,
Domains: Death (Undead subdomain only), Healing, Plant, Repose, Scalykind
Symbol: A stalk of asphodel
Favored Weapon: Trident
Eighty years ago, the original gods of the dead fell in battle, becoming mere shades lost among the throngs of the afterlife; in the confusion that followed, the nymph of the flower asphodel has risen to a position of authority, her role as feeder of the multitudes of spirits placing her in a position of recognition. The reprecussions of this are still being felt among mortals, who are struggling to deal with revisions to ancient temples and determining proper rites, while the ascended goddess copes with her new position.
Avissa, Queen of the Wine-Dark Sea:
AVISSA (THEOI KTHONIOI) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: The ocean, springs, deep caverns, secret lore, the depths of the night sky
Domains: Earth (Caves subdomain only) Knowledge, Rune, Water, Void (Dark Tapestry subdomain only)
Symbol: A hand with two fingers pointing downwards
Favored Weapon: Harpoon
The strange and unpredictable goddess of the deepest seas and darkest pits is also the ruler of the dark spaces between the stars. She is said to have borne children by Kyranos–the lesser gods Ephialti and Kuon–as well as (somehow) by the goddess Polias Zea: the goddess of alleyways and secret passages, Dioda. This has made her a patroness of forbidden romances; however, she is also said to have many stranger children, monsters and abominations not easily defined, and to be the creatrix of hags, and is thusly feared.
Deiros Pater, the Mountain Father:
DEIROS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Fatherhood, rulership, wealth, thieves and beggars
Domains: Air, Community, Earth, Nobility, Trickery
Symbol: A staff with a cap of unpolished gold
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Deiros is the god of high mountains, and as such is the ruler of the city of the gods, Korife. However, he is also said to be fond of sneaking out in disguise and acting like a common beggar, or attempting to steal from his own vaults and treasuries by sneaking past his cloud giant guards in the form of a mortal.
Cauyo, The Sun That Shines Over All:
CAUYO (PROTOGENOI) Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Light, heat, judgement, balance, medicine, herbs
Domains: Fire, Glory, Healing, Law, Sun
Symbol: A sunburst
Favored Weapon: Kukri
Cauyo (spelled Kauio in older texts) is the ancient embodiment of the blazing sun, particularly when highest in the sky. She is seen as a stern goddess, whose wrath burns to ash, and whose distance in cold winter bites just as viciously, yet who is also beloved of plants, and whose light warms and cheers. Oaths sworn in Cauyo's name are taken most seriously of all, for far too often are violators known to combust in the rays of the sun.
Ceraunos, The Wandering Champion:
CERAUNOS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Heroism, travellers and nomadic peoples, thunderstorms, lightning, goatherds
Domains: Glory, Liberation, Strength, Travel, Weather
Symbol: A stormcloud
Favored Weapon: Greataxe
Among the nine gods of Korife, Ceraunos is the most beloved by the common folk: a boisterous, fun-loving god believed to often appear among mortals in pursuit of adventure or pleasure, his appetites are just as legendary as his storied deeds.
Exypne, Skillful Creatrix:
EXYPNE (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Crafts, machinery, fishing, magic, inspiration
Domains: Artifice, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Trickery
Symbol: A net
Favored Weapon: Snag net
When the gods created mortals, Exypne designed their hands and fingers (and their tongues, some jest with a wink), and when she saw that their clever but slender hands were ill-suited for catching game, she taught them to make nets, and how to speak the correct words and motion properly to cast spells. Her creations are numerous, and it is said her mansion in the city of the gods is littered with half-finished devices ranging from the simple to the unspeakably wonderous, overseen by inevitables and axiomites who eternally labor to bring some organization to it.
Kyranos, The Master of Bloodlust:
KYRANOS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Chaotic Evil (Clerics may be any alignment)
Portfolio: Berserker rages, destruction of evil
Domains: Death, Destruction, Madness, Protection, War
Symbol: The severed head of a demon
Favored Weapon: Falcata
Among the nine gods of Korife, Kyranos is something of an oddity, a plainly wicked god who is none the less seen as necessary, unleashed upon the enemies of the gods in order to destroy them utterly. Indeed, many of his clerics pray to keep his influence at bay, rather than to invite his power. Despite his murderous madness, Kyranos is said to dearly love his fellow gods of Korife, and to despise other evildoers; clerics speak of visions of him wearing the still-bleeding hides of fiends who thought to seek his allegiance.
Menos, the Moon:
MENOS (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: The moon, the tides, the night sky, revelry
Domains: Chaos (Whimsy subdomain only), Darkness (Moon subdomain only), Void, Water
Symbol: A silver disc
Favored Weapon: Shortbow
Among the primal protogenoi, Menos is the only one to have deigned to join the younger gods in Korife, and enjoys a position of high status as one of the Nonatheoi ruling the city. Often appearing as a handsome young man made of nebulous darkness with one eye held shut and the other gleaming silver, he is known to have many dalliances with mortals, and few of his priests cannot think of a time when their relationship with their god has become more intimate.
Polias Zea; Magna Thea, the Great Goddess of the City:
POLIAS ZEA (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Knowledge, love, family, tactics, defense, cities
Domains: Charm, Community, Knowledge, Protection, War (Tactics subdomain only)
Symbol: A drafting compass
Favored Weapon: Longspear
Popularly known simply as Zea, she has several aspects: maiden, virgin, wife, mother, matron. In all of these, she is portrayed as unusually wise and bright-eyed, prone to investigating things. Myth tells that in the war of the gods, Zea rose from her studies and rallied the other goddesses and the young and elderly of Korife to its defense while the male gods sallied forth. She is said to have had many suitors, heedless of gender, and in her curiosity over the subject created a great tome analyzing matters of love, romance, and lust in systematic detail.
Scula, Veiled Oracle of Kerafi:
SCULA (NONATHEOI) Alignment: TN
Portfolio: Prophecy, birds, divination, marriage
Domains: Animal (Feather subdomain only), Fire (Smoke subdomain only), Knowledge, Rune, Void
Symbol: A strip of hide inscribed with runes
Favored Weapon: War razor
Seer of the sacred fires of the city of the gods, Scula is the wife of Deiros, said to appear clad in animal hides that mask her eyes, yet to move with greater precision and speed than most with eyes unclouded. Her relationship with Deiros is believed to be founded on his inability to fool her, and those hoping to be able to trust their spouses often consult priests and oracles of Scula, waiting their turn among philosophers and lesser spellcasters.
Thumos, Breath of the Earth:
THUMOS (TITAN) Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Volcanos, dragons
Domains: Earth, Evil, Fire, Scalykind, Weather
Symbol: A piece of volcanic stone
Favored Weapon: Terbutje
The dragon-titan, Thumos is the ancient enemy of the gods. Although driven down into the earth in mythic times, it is said that this obsidian-scaled horror remains in the depths of the planet, mellowed by time and defeat from a force of pure destruction into one of smoldering hatred, whose plots reach throughout the centuries. Many lesser dragon-cults are in actuality fronts for his worship, with few but the highest initiates aware of the truth.
Thymomeni, Wrath of the Divine:
THYMOMENI (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Lawful Evil (Clerics may be any alignment)
Portfolio: Punishment of oathbreakers, blasphemers, and heretics
Domains: Death, Destruction, Glory, Evil (Fear subdomain only), Luck (Curse subdomain only)
Symbol: A broken chain
Favored Weapon: Spiked chain
Like Kyranos, Thymomeni is an evildoer among good gods, yet her character is more reserved and even seen as noble in purpose. In ages past, Thymomeni unwittingly betrayed secrets of the city of the gods to its enemies, and as sentence swore to act as the agent of divine justice. Embodying the notion of evil acts for good purposes, her creations–the kytons–specialize in tormenting the most evil of souls in the afterlife, and it is said that she personally rides forth astride a cowed demon in order to punish those who steal from temples of the gods.
Tryfilli, The Thriceformed God:
TRIFYLLI (NONATHEOI) Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Animals, cowherds, beauty, plants, snakes
Domains: Animal, Charm, Earth, Plant, Scalykind
Symbol: A wreath of clover
Favored Weapon: Sickle
A deity of plants and animals both domesticated and wild, Trifylli often appears to worshippers in three aspects, as a satyr, nymph, and an androgynous faun clad in green. A pastoral deity, they are favored by farmers, rangers, and druids; this has brought their faithful into conflict with the ruling class of Hyraxia and its colonies (including the states of Nueva Rhoa), where satyrs and fauns are deemed low-caste.
The primary homebrew setting I tinker with on and off–I only ever actually had a group to play in it with back in the pre-Pathfinder RPG days, sadly–is based in North American folklore, history, and urban legends. There's a lot of influence from Northern Crown, though the many innovative things Pathfinder does with monster roles were also a major factor.
Some place-name notes: Terrapinia is the continent analogous to North America, Pasipha is the European analogue, Hyraxia is a powerful Pasiphan nation dominated by monstrous humanoids (where humans and gnomes are second-class citizens at best, leading many to emigrate to Hyraxian colonies in Terrapinia), and Calafia is an island nation (based on the legends of California as an island) of amazons whose griffon-riding warriors defend huge natural deposits of rare metals.
The Arimaspoi are less directly based in N.A. lore, but were instead a natural extension of the development of the setting, while the Nibinabeg (sing. Nibinabe, pronounced nih-bee-nah-bay) are derived directly from lore of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Menominee, and other related cultures.
ARIMASPOI
You court danger. Legend tells that the one-eyed arimaspoi were once nothing more than a race of nocturnal nomads, until they ran afoul of some hungry griffons, which devoured the prize stallions of the high chief. When the high chief's kin hunted down and killed the griffons in revenge, they discovered a tremendous cache of treasure. Ever since then, every arimaspi trains from childhood to battle griffons (and other flying magical beasts) and win treasure, making an entire race devoted to adventuring. Until recently, this has meant that their numbers were few, but the Hyraxian queens have gathered as many arimaspoi as they could in order to battle the griffon-riding armies of Calafia and conquer western Terrapinia. Offered the chance for fame and fortune utilizing your traditional skills skills, you or your parents jumped at the opportunity to cross the ocean- or maybe to just get away from the monsters dominating Hyraxia, some of whom remind you a little too much of griffons.
Arimaspoi have the following racial traits:
Ability Scores: Dex +2, Wis +2, Cha -2. Arimaspoi are nimble and perceptive, but their singlemindedness makes them impersonal.
Size: Medium
Type: Humanoid (Arimaspi)
Base Speed: 30 ft.
Languages: Arimaspoi begin play speaking Hyraxian (substitute w/ Common). Those with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Astrenika, Calafian, Nivardais, Pahawichasa, Ohodamnoki, Shuro, or Verdanian (substitute w/ Auran, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Elven, Sphinx, and Sylvan).
Ancient Foe: Arimaspoi get a +2 dodge bonus to AC against magical beasts, and a +2 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks made to grapple creatures of that type.
Greed: Arimaspoi get a +2 bonus on Appraise checks to determine the price of non-magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds arimaspoi for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Skill Bonus: Arimaspoi get a +2 bonus to Ride and Stealth checks
Sky Sentinel: Arimaspoi gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls, a +2 dodge bonus to AC, and a +2 bonus on Perception checks against flying creatures. In addition, enemies on higher ground gain no attack roll bonus against arimaspi characters.
NIBINABEG
You are the soul of the rivers. As a nibinabe, you greatly resemble the merfolk of the ocean, but you are a creature of freshwater rather than the salty oceans. While legend tells that you and your kin can command terrible storms, the truth of the matter is that your innate powers of weather manipulation are much more limited, and while your senses are well-suited to life underwater, they put you at a disadvantage in the open air, especially with loud noises like thunder.
Nibinabeg have the following racial traits:
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom. Nibinabeg are flexible and possess great knowledge, but their senses are specialized for being underwater, and they are easily frightened.
Size: Nibinabeg are Medium creatures.
Type: Humanoid (Aquatic)
Base Speed: Nibinabeg have a base land speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumberance. They have a swim speed of 50 feet, and receive a +8 racial bonus to Swim checks.
Languages: Nibinabeg begin play speaking Neshnaabemowin (substitute w/ Common) and their own language, Nibinabemowin. Nibinabeg with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Griserlander, Kanuhsaka, Nivardais, Nunaruktitut, or Verdanian (substitute w/ Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Elven, Halfling, and Sylvan).
Camouflage: Nibinabeg gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks while in or on water.
Skill Training: Knowledge (nature) and Survival are always class skills for nibinabeg.
Water Sense: Nibinabeg can sense vibrations in water, giving them blindsense 30 ft. against creatures that are touching the same body of water.
Slapping Tail: Nibinabe can use their tails to make attacks of opportunity with a reach of 5 feet. The tail is a natural attack that deals 1d8points of damage.
Amphibious: Nibinabeg are amphibious and can breathe both air and freshwater. They cannot easily breathe saltwater, and must hold their breath or make a DC 30 Fortitude save to avoid becoming sickened for each round they attempt to breathe saltwater, plus 1d4 rounds after leaving a saltwater environment.
Nibinabe Magic: Nibinabeg add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells they cast that affect the weather. Nibinabeg with Charisma scores of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day— alter winds, read weather, obscuring mist. The caster level for these effects is equal to the nibinabe's level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the nibinabe's Charisma modifier.
Sensitive Hearing: Abrupt exposure to loud noises (including being hit by an attack dealing sonic damage) deafens nibinabeg for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are shaken as long as they remain in the affected area.
Other races in the works: Gobkin (half-goblinoid race), Skookums (kin to sasquatches), and Thunderers (beings of northeastern woodland folklore). Comments, critiques, and identification of problems are welcome!
Forgive me if this is something that has already been covered, but I haven't been able to find any information on whether creatures affected by the spell awaken (or spells like anthropomorphic animal and reduce person made permanent) breed true, or if their children (or saplings) are normal members of their species. I can see how it could become quite ridiculous in cases like a single awakened tree, considering the incredible number of viable seeds any given tree puts out; in contrast, a reduced human giving birth to a normal-sized child would suffer from a host of potentially fatal complications.
Is there an official ruling on this, is it at the DM's discretion, or have I come to the wrong place with this question?
