Hey everyone! I've been fiddling with some new core races for my own homebrew Pathfinder setting. One of said races was supposed to be SOMETHING of a humanoid merfolk-style race (without completely ripping off merfolk). I've been using the Racebuilding Guide found here for most of my race-balancing needs, and so far, it works out well.
Anyway, I've almost got a balanced race for it, but it seems so much more boring compared to every other core race.(Also, I don't have a name for it.. ) I want to try and avoid something that is only a one-trick pony that might be completely boring to play outside of an aquatic area, even if the aquatic parts are amusing otherwise. This is what I have SO FAR:
Racial Traits
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence: Decades of swimming have left them naturally stronger than others; and though they have good judgment, they aren’t as quick to learn as other races due to an attachment to tradition.
Natural Swimmers: _____ have a racial base movement speed of 30ft. and due to an almost water-dependant life have a base racial swim speed of 40ft. With their natural swim speed, they gain a +8 bonus on swim checks and swim is always considered a class skill.
Darkvision: _____ can see in the dark up to 60ft.
Amphibious: _____ can breathe naturally both under and above water. They have a set of gills that allow them to breathe underwater, and while above water, they have a complex system of lungs that allow them to breathe air.
Weapon Familiarity: _____ gain proficiency with the trident, net, and treat any weapon with the name “_____” in it as a martial weapon.
Languages: _____ begin play speaking Common, _____, and Aquan. _____ with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Draconic, Elven, Orc, and Sylvan.
With the race building guide I am, so far, at 9 points or so. Shown here as
Swim Speed (4)
Amphibious (2)
Darkvision 60ft (2)
Weapon Familiarity (1) (Making the Mancatcher from the APG a weapon used generally by them, giving it the name the _____ Mancatcher).
As you have probably noticed, the 5 underscores is just a placeholder for the true name for the race once I get it actually made. So, at the moment, it's kind of incomplete and needs another 1 point ability, but even with that, it seems kinda straight-forward, but boring. I'm looking for player and DM input on what might make this a balanced, yet fun race. This includes alterations to what is there so far, as if something about it seems horribly boring at the moment, I want to be able to alter, or remove that thing.
Thank you for your time and attention, everyone!
If they're amphibians, I'd recommend the following:
The Batrach were let into the world by the mad mage XXX, who was summoning a Great Elder One. After the events of XXX, the rift was sealed, but many of the Batrach who had followed the Great Elder One remained...and they multiplied.
Now, Batrach have their own communities, where they live in the fens and mangrove swamps, living off of fish, trading with humans. People still don't trust them.
In appearance, an adult Batrach looks like a 5' tall humanoid bipedal frog, with mottled white-and-blue skin; they have the ability to breathe through their skins when immersed in water, provided there's enough dissolved oxygen. Their ability to emit subsonic growls allows Batrach to communicate with amphibians (and each other) through the water and through the air, and their strange, low keening is an eerie counterpoint to the lands they live in.
Batrach are all born from eggs that are laid in swamps; the eggs hatch with fluke-like fish, about the size of a large salmon. All of these fish are unintelligent, and male. All adult Batrach are female...and the adults have no problems with eating the younglings, because if they don't, the results are bloody.
When the time of change happens, the transformation from male to female happens very quickly; the swimmer form attacks anything that provides enough protein and calories to cover the transformation, and the newly fledged female awakes, ravenous and territorial. The croaking of the community calms them down eventually, and they slowly make their way into society.
It is widely suspected, but not known to be true, that the Batrach still worship the Great Elder One, and sometimes kidnap victims to sacrifice on the alters of their underwater temples, to re-open the gateway, either to resume trade and communication, to go home, or open the doors of conquest.
(I'd replace the Weapon Familiarity with two spell like abilities, usable at will. The first is Talk to Animals (amphibians), the second is a variant on Whispered Message that allows them to communicate with each other verbally for miles, through strange eldritch croakings.)
The Batrach written language is not just marks on a surface; they're also nuanced by pheromones from the writer. (Batrach have the ability to 'taste' with their fingertips).
Merlings is appropriate without being a total ripoff of Mermfolk. Do these have fish tails or legs with finned feet or something?
What's their preferred class? Can easily see Bards, Rangers, or Sorcerers.
Not considering balance issues, just shooting option ideas:
Blindsense - based on sound echo location.
Resist Cold - avoid hypothermia in cold northern waters.
Stealth Bonus when in coral reefs or kelp forest, choose one.
Distance Sound Communication - calls and warnings uttered whistles, like whales, limited in number of 'calls'.
Burst of Bubbles - due to their complex lungs merlings can convert its exhaled water as air in the form of a cloud of bubbles, they can use to confuse its enemy, a one round concealment or 'blur' effect, as an aid to escape.
Is it possible to interbreed with humans, creating half-merlings?
Harpoons (sea javelin with barbs?) might be another possible weapon, perhaps even attached to a cord or chain to reel in 'catch'.
Probably can think of more, but getting tired... tomorrow perhaps.
GP
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I recommend some race that is cursed to never again know water and live on the bottom - they part the water as the travel. Water never touches them. All manour of kritters can attack them but as the ymove the water parts and flows around them. Their city sits in a bubble of Air and they must scoop it out of the perimiter wall and convert it just to get fresh air. THe Ocean above them bubbles with Hydrogen which burns on the surface when ignited.
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You could make them have more of the flavour of aquatic gypsies. Give them bonuses to trading skills and allow them to use their wisdom for the purposes of choosing their bonus languages.
I can imagine a group of head scarfed individuals with dark hair, goatees and dark eyes emerging from the sea. They could meet to trade at beaches.
You could make them have more of the flavour of aquatic gypsies. Give them bonuses to trading skills and allow them to use their wisdom for the purposes of choosing their bonus languages.
I can imagine a group of head scarfed individuals with dark hair, goatees and dark eyes emerging from the sea. They could meet to trade at beaches.
This is a great RP device, as well!
@AdAstraGames: Cool thought, but I kind of wanted to keep away from any real sinister back story to their existence. The elves are taking up that mantle in my campaign setting. Cool idea though, I definitely appreciated it. When I noted the amphibious part, I kinda only refer to the part that they are capable of living both on land and in the seas.
@gamer-printer: You may have given me the name for the race through that typo :P Where you wrote 'mermfolk', kinda gave me the idea of the name 'Merm' for the race. On that note, they have legs with finned feet. Their hands are also webbed, and they have fins that they can retract at will. As for favored classes... Rangers, Sorcerers I can see EASILY, and probably Bard. I can picture the females sitting on sun-covered rocks, singing, alike sirens.
@Yellowdingo: That's a crazy (Good crazy) idea. Very interesting for an RP perspective. Really sounds well thought out.
@ugly child: That is an interesting idea as well. I was kind of thinking of making this race part of a trader and commerce-type race that lives close to (or in, not sure) the water, and trades with people, with one of their best skills involving fishing, allowing them to trade fish with people from all around.
So far, I am liking these ideas :) It's really giving my brain a jump start! Thank you everyone!
On those notes, I wonder how many points in the race builder it would be to technically talk to amphibians as an at-will ability.
Hm, some other people have given me some ideas like having them have scent underwater, or actually making them blind but with some tremor-sense through echolocation.
Not sure how much of this would work... on the whole, I want them to have some interesting unique stuff kind of like how the other races have... well, the half-orcs have that ability to not die immediately, and whatnot.
Though this is a tricky race to balance that way, seeing as how I have to dedicate quite a few points towards them being actually aquatic.
I'd go with skill options the race is missing an RP element. What is the race particularly good at other than swimming and being all aquatic like. I like the gypsy mer-folk angle a lot better than a flashy racial gimmick.
might i suggest an idea for a sonic attack that might stun their foes, this ability would be based on an echolocation ability maybe usable only a few times a day
That's not a bad idea at all. And perhaps they get a bonus to Diplomacy or profession. Or perhaps Diplomacy and Profession (Merchant/Trader). Hmm...
Okay! So I have come to a decision of sorts. I really like the idea of them being gypsy-like, and possibly nomadic, or perhaps always just living near water, maybe in one of those towns that is more or less docks above the water (I can't recall the exact name). However, the abilities, I am trying to keep less circumstantial, which is fairly tricky.
_____ Racial Traits
+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence: Decades of swimming have left them naturally stronger than others; and though they have good judgment, they aren’t as quick to learn as other races due to an attachment to tradition.
Natural Swimmers: _____ have a racial base movement speed of 30ft. and due to an almost water-dependant life have a base racial swim speed of 40ft. With their natural swim speed, they gain a +8 bonus on swim checks and swim is always considered a class skill.
Darkvision: _____ can see in the dark up to 60ft.
Amphibious: _____ can breathe naturally both under and above water. They have a set of gills that allow them to breathe underwater, and while above water, they have a complex system of lungs that allow them to breathe air.
Weapon Familiarity: _____ gain proficiency with the trident, net, and treat any weapon with the name “_____” in it as a martial weapon.
Languages: _____ begin play speaking Common, _____, and Aquan. _____ with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Draconic, Elven, Orc, and Sylvan.
Swim Speed (4)
Amphibious (2)
Darkvision 60ft (2)
Weapon Familiarity (1) – Trident, Net, _____ Mancatcher
Was what I had so far, but I am willing to change some things around. I was thinking of giving them a penalty of needing like, 3 times the water intake of a human to stay hydrated above water, which might be a -1 or -2 penalty (Not sure). Another idea given to me was that they have a Natural AC of either +2 or even up to +4, that degrades over time, and when it hits 0, the race becomes dehydrated, and must either drink a LOT of water, or sleep immersed in water for at least 6 hours. Someone also pointed out, with their odd body shape, they'd probably have to wear different armor, or even have their proficiencies for armor dropped by a level (like, fighter ones of them would only have medium proficiency), due to the fact that things feel lighter and can be moved easier underwater than above water. There are a LOT of ways that this can go, but I am unsure how I want it to be. In discussing it with many people, it sounded like I wanted to make it almost into 2 separate races, but I want to avoid that. I also don't want to make it seem like it favors some classes FAR above others as well. Any thoughts?
What do these guys look like?
Basic human-fish merfolk?
Frog people?
Newt people?
Dolphin or orca people?
Otters?
Sharks?
Duck, Swan, or Goosefolk?
Dagonites? (2 fish-tail-like legs?)
Octopus-folk? Caecelia? Dr. Zoidbergs? Tentacle dreadlocks?
Crabfolk? Lobsterkin? Crayflesh?
I guess now is as good a time as any to answer that (should've answered it sooner). Okay, so! Unlike regular merfolk, I was thinking that this race has actual legs, as opposed to fish-tail bottoms. Their feet and hands are slightly webbed, to allow for better swimming. I was thinking of making them all have aspects of other sea-creatures. They have retractable fins, something similar to what Dr. Zoidberg can do with his head-fin, though with other ones everywhere else along their bodies, like on their arms and legs. Many of them (if not all) will have something of smaller shark teeth, or smaller fangs sticking out of the bottom of their mouths similar to that. I wasn't sure if I wanted them to have hair, or if I wanted them to have fins that look similar to hair, kinda like this thing. I also keep kind of picturing the females (and some males) having something akin to dreads, or possibly corn-rows, but I am unsure if I wanted to actually give them hair. Maybe I'd give them things more similar to tentacles, or like the things on the heads of the Nautolan in Star Wars.
I was thinking of making them all have aspects of other sea-creatures. (...appearance descriptions...)
Tieflings are a good example of this, you can generally go hog-wild with their appearance as it never truly changes their stat block. "Tieflings look mostly human except for some physical traits that reveal their strange heritage." Also see this THREAD: 1000 Tiefling Apperance Quirks.
A thought, IF you allow coastal birds (seagulls, penguins, etc.) I recommend letting said player use Tengu. There is a free set of variants for the Tengu via Kobold Quarterly on their site. (LINK: 1 of 4)
Yeah, that's true. Tiefling are more or less like "They're partly demonic, go crazy with their appearance", which is pretty cool.
By the looks of their stat blocks, to be an aquatic race, the abilities they'll HAVE TO have would be amphibious (Since I want them to be able to adventure), natural swim speed, and probably darkvision to see underwater. Unless I gave them a dif type of darkvision that only works underwater? Not sure if that'd cut the cost of it to 1 point.
... and probably darkvision to see underwater. Unless I gave them a dif type of darkvision that only works underwater? Not sure if that'd cut the cost of it to 1 point.
Merfolk - Low-light vision
Sea Hag, Skum - Dark visionBoggard Dark vision & Low-light vision
Sahaugin - Dark vision, Blind sense
Merfolk seem to only require Low-light vision, I'm guessing they would likely have some sort of underwater light source, Everburning torches? Eternal candles? Continual flame globes?
I never noticed that. That's kind of odd that they only need low-light vision. Maybe they are just assumed to be able to see underwater or something like that? Because I doubt they always spend their time within 5 feet of the water's surface.
For what it's worth, one more comparison... *shrug*
LINK: 3.5E AQUATIC ELF
Also called sea elves, these creatures are waterbreathing cousins to land-dwelling elves.
Aquatic elves fight underwater with tridents, spears, and nets.
Aquatic Elf Traits (Ex)
These traits are in addition to the high elf traits, except where noted.
Low-Light Vision
Characters with low-light vision have eyes that are so sensitive to light that they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is color vision. A spellcaster with low-light vision can read a scroll as long as even the tiniest candle flame is next to her as a source of light.
Characters with low-light vision can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
EDIT: Oh yea, Yuan-Ti Halfbloods have the "random appearance quirk" thing going on too, some more extreme than others. Yea, I know, sooooo 4 posts ago.
Yeah, that definitely sounds like it'd be something to consider. It's still weird that nothing addresses actual light sources underwater, because I doubt every one of them has a source of light for underwater. Also, considering they're a race who were born to live in the water, it'd be odd for them not to be able to see underwater.
How about a phosphorescent antenna like angler fish of the Benthic variety or any of the other deep sea fish with glowing globes that give off light to combine with their low light vision. Or perhaps Merm can attract lifeforms with phosphorescent qualities who follow them around providing the necessary light to navigate the dark waters below.
Just a thought.
GP
Those are both good thoughts. Almost makes me want to ask Paizo or Wizards if Merfolk had been intended to live mostly in shallow water, or in caves or something, just to make sure. I don't want to spend extra points on this race if alternate abilities are possible to balance it out and make it more interesting.
Those are both good thoughts. Almost makes me want to ask Paizo or Wizards if Merfolk had been intended to live mostly in shallow water, or in caves or something, just to make sure. I don't want to spend extra points on this race if alternate abilities are possible to balance it out and make it more interesting.
I would assume shallow water, since they function in air as well.
All hail Mr.Fishy.
Well, crud. I kind of hoped to have this race go deeper underwater than Merfolk supposedly do when they go below surface. Suppose this race would need darkvision then.
Well, crud. I kind of hoped to have this race go deeper underwater than Merfolk supposedly do when they go below surface. Suppose this race would need darkvision then.
...or have differing tribes for 'coastal', 'reef', 'Mariannas Trench', etc...
Well, yeah, that works. The only thing that really makes me kinda need a stable version is that using the PF Race Building guide to balance it (Which seems to work very well, btw) makes it that if I have one tribe have darkvision, and one tribe have low-light, the one with darkvision will actually have less room for other abilities/skills/etc, through race.
While I agree that the Race Building Guide is great for creating balanced and playable PC races, you shouldn't completely exclude LA+1 races. Perhaps Deep Merm, will fall into that category, and thus make a less desireable PC race because their powers exceed the 10 point limitation.
Perhaps only reef and kelp forest Merm are the only playing PC races, while deep merm are excluded, and only a monster race. Kind of like Drow were compared to normal elves.
GP
Hm, that might work, though I was trying to build more into the core races without level adjustment (For that matter, I noticed that in the bestiary, I couldn't actually find rules for level adjustment, though I'm sure there's some record of how to deal with that in Pathfinder).
Okay, well, I guess I'm going to go with the shallow swimming thought. Though in people's opinions, about how deep do you think they can go before it gets considered deep and dark for the purposes of sight or sunlight/moonlight/etc getting through the water?
With a quick Google-Fu...
About 5% of sunlight reaches 262 feet down into the ocean, though particulates like silt, algae and others can reduce this to 162 feet or less. Photosynthesis is impossible below 660 feet. From 660 feet down to 3,000 feet only 1% of sunlight reaches this layer. Below 3,000 feet it is perpetually dark.
GP
Oh sweet! Thank you very much! That answers my question then. Low-light vision sounds more than adequate to accommodate their vision underwater (Assuming it's not too silty or algae-filled).
Okay, so I so far have as MUST HAVES: Low-light vision for seeing underwater, amphibious, and their natural swim speed. Which should be... let's see...
Low-light (1), Amphibious (2), Swim Speed (4). 7 Points total. Leaves me with about 3 points for balance purposes. I kinda want to make them interesting abilities, or perhaps skill bonuses to help with RP Value (Which people did point out they were lacking, and I fully agree. I like RP value). Was contemplating making it that they generally have jobs and are quite dedicated to what they're good at, and kinda give packages based on that. Like, merchants would get +2 to appraise and profession, whereas a hunter gets +2 to survival and Knowledge: Nature or handle animal or something, and the storytellers (if there are any) would get +2 to linguistics and diplomacy or something like that. They are based on tradition and may be tied to doing what they feel they are best at in their community and helping them thrive through what they can put their all into. Perhaps that final 1 point ability will also be tied to their dedication package, depending what I can find that balances... Not much can kinda go well with a 1 point ability, so I'll have to figure it out a bit. Thoughts?