I had an idea that I wanted to get opinions on when dealing with different racial sub-cultures.
Tome of Secrets introduced a mechanic for allowing players to choose an "occupation" to represent skills that where developed during adolescence (prior to first level) and as I looked over them it got me to thinking......
Could something similar be used to represent cultural differences within a given race ?
Rather than trying to completely re-create racial abilities for sub-races, they could choose a specific cultural package, that is simply tacked on to the existing racial modifiers.....for example....
These are all different cultural packages for different sub-races of Elves in the setting we will be starting in a few months.
Hulder Folk
Race: Elven
You where raised in the forests of the Hulder folk, either as a native, or one of their changelings.
Skills: Choose 3 of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill you select is already a class skill, you receive a +2 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Escape Artist, Intimidate, KN Nature, KN Planes, Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival, Use magic device.
OR
Hulder Changeling
Race: Human
Skills: You may add Escape artist and Stealth as permanent class skills. If they are already class skills, you receive a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill.
Bonus feat: You treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages: you may add Elven to your languages known.
Cha'asii
Race: Elven
Abilities: In addition to the normal Elven ability adjustments, you take a -2 to Strength, and a +2 to charisma.
Skills: Choose 3 of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill you select is already a class skill, you receive a +2 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Climb, Craft (Alchemy, weapon smithing, or trapmaking), Disable device, Escape artist, Handle Animal, Heal, KN Nature or Dungeoneering, Sense motive, Spellcraft, Stealth, or Survival.
Clan Elves
The hosk’i imou merkitsa (“people of the land before”), also known as the Elf Clans, are a wild and dangerous group of tribes, infamous for their savagery. They are a nomadic people, living in yurts and dependent upon their herds of horses for most of their livelihood.
Race: Elven
Abilities: A Clan Elf receives a +2 to Wisdom instead of the usual +2 to intelligence.
Skills: Choose 3 of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill you select is already a class skill, you receive a +2 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Craft (Armor smithing, Bowmaking, or weapon smithing), Handle Animal, Perception, Ride, Stealth, Survival, Swim.
Are these first level feats?
It's not a "feat" in the normal sense, but just like the occupations in tomb of secrets, something that each player may choose at character creation.
Characters would be free to choose either a cultural package, or an occupation....but not both.
What I'm liking is that it's a simple way to reflect cultural differences between different set's of the same core race.
I had some concern about actual ability modifier changes, but my current thinking is that as long as the net result is a change of zero, it shouldn't be unbalancing.
Those don't look very zeroed at all. None of them lose anything compared with the race they're based on.
Those don't look very zeroed at all. None of them lose anything compared with the race they're based on.
Sorry, I'm not explaining very well.
I'm referring strictly to ability modifiers when I say that.
Any changes to the core races ability modifiers must be at a net zero...so for example.
The Cha'asii gain the normal Elven ability score modifiers, and in addition take a -2 to strength score and a +2 to charisma score, for a net change to the core racial ability modifiers of zero.
Beyond that it's adding the same thing that an occupation adds.
2 to 3 skills as racial class skills, and maybe a bonus racial feat.
I had an idea that I wanted to get opinions on when dealing with different racial sub-cultures...
I use racial levels for my Elves, with feats allowing the sub-races.
I've looked at the idea of racial levels as well.
But it doesn't really express differences in cultural upbringing prior to first level very well.
This approach tends to curb my nasty habit of feeling like I have to re-write every cultural variant of each race, and sometimes going overboard ability wise ;)
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I actually rather like this idea. Cultural differences are something that are rarely considered when selecting a race.
I AM a little wary of the ability modifiers, however. In my mind, things that are tied directly to your physical being aren't exactly cultural in nature. Trying to draw the line between cultural and racial abilities can be somewhat difficult at times.
Let's look at the elf for example:
Elf Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution: Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their form is frail.
Medium: Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. See Additional Rules.
Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
Elven Magic: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.
Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Weapon Familiarity: Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages: Elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
Some of these are obviously racial:
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution
Medium
Normal Speed
Low-Light Vision
Elven Immunities
Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Some are obviously cultural:
Weapon Familiarity
Languages
But then you have certain abilities that are hard to quantify as one or the other:
Elven Magic: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.
Do Elves recieve those +2 bonuses because Elven culture is weighted pretty heavily toward arcane studies, or because Elves have a natural affinity for magic? It could be argued either way, and one side may have sprung directly from the other.
i.e. If Elves are naturally gifted in magic, it stands to reason that elven culture would lean that way, and vice versa. If elves place a high emphasis on magic, they would surely eventually adapt a natural affinity to it.
Mostly, this springs to mind because of the possibility of one race being raised by another. A Dwarf raised among elven society would certainly lose his cultural traits and gain those of the Elves. But the line between cultural and racial is often blurred to the point of nondistinction.
Enough of my rambling. I like what you've done here, and look forward to more of your work.
Thank you for your solid input Viking.....
I have been mulling over some of the same considerations.
For example the switch from +2 Int, to +2 Wis of the clan elves is pretty solidly steeped in their lifestyle.
However the Cha'asii are actually smaller (average 4 foot plus a few inches) hence the additional -2 Strength, which I was trying to balance out to "zero net" on the base elven modifiers.
Hopefully more ideas will surface, as I think the base approach is a simple and solid way to express the differences in different sub-cultures, without the need to write up a bunch of separate races.
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It really is. We should write up what kind of cultural traits each of the base races gets. I'm at work right now, but I'll do some stuff on my break.
Did you intend for the cultural backgrounds to add to everything the races get? Because I honestly can't see the Clan Elves getting the same weapon proficiencies as the High Elf. I mean, the bows and possibly the longsword seem appropriate, but the rapier is the kind of weapon that only applies to the more advanced, intellectual races in my mind.
I'm trying not to go "hog wild" making changes to the core race, as that was kind of the point to taking this approach ;)
Having said that, I can certainly see switching some racial features for others...as long as balance is maintained.
But the cultural package shouldn't net the character more than 3 new skills, and possibly a racial feat, or it starts to out perform the occupations.
What I'm looking at is allowing players to choose one occupation OR one cultural package at character creation, so net benefit needs to remain consistent as possible across the board.