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I have been thinking of re-skinning the main races to give a different feel for the game.
Humans - would remain untouched but have about 3 cultures. All of which are barbaric or northern aspected. In Golarian terms think Irrisen, Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. With just a touch of Numeria and Varisia thrown in for good measure.
Dwarves - would be humans bred to be small and stocky for hard labor. They would be tied into one of the three aforementioned cultures.
Half-Orcs - Would be degenerate or bestial men. Those that have lived in seclusion so long that they are now deformed and almost de-evolved.
Elves - would be known as Easterlings. Men from the far realms who have modified themselves by deep connections to ancient magics. More Vudra than Minkai.
Half-Elves - Will be known as the Reborn. undead brought to life by the use of positive energy magic, through strange rituals. Their culture is connected to that of the Easterlings.
Halflings - would be Satyr. A strange arcanely modified race. Some scholars think they were woodland creatures given sentience and anthropomorphism by an ancient archmage. Think small sized Tieflings.
Gnomes - Elves, more in kin to leprechauns, brownies and such and keeping the strange hair and connection to the feyrealms.
So any suggestions?
I'm for pretty much anything that injects new cultural variety/flavor into the normally monocultural non-human races. It's rather generic, but I'd go with Fey or Sidhe or anything else over "Elves" being the new name for gnomes... Elf/Elves carries too many expectations and preconceptions that I'm not sure you can break.
For the Easterlings, you might look at the racial traits of the elans, and swap out the psionic/power point abilities for spell-like and exceptional abilities. The Advanced Race Guide playtest doc might give you ideas and rough estimates on the ability "pricing" (although some of the playtest pricing can be a little wonky).
When I cobbled up my now-mouldering homebrew, I went with a more nationalistic approach. The non-human humanoids mostly kept their sense of their racial culture and traditions, but they were strongly shaped by the multicultural nation they lived in. So much so, that more often dwarves, half-orcs, half-elves, and halflings thought of themselves as members of a nation first, and a race second (if at all). So a coastal, shipbuilding/trading nation had percentagewise just as many non-human sailors, merchants, pirates/privateers, etc. as the humans. And when nations fought, there were usually plenty of non-human humanoids fighting against opposing-nationality members of their own race. This didn't eliminate racism in the societies, but citizens were much more likely to hate other nationalities instead.
I did keep the elves and elans ("scions") separate. The elves were preoccupied with their own secret agenda, and the scions held themselves above everyone else... even psionic humans.
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Yeah I might poke around for a few different names. I am thinking Gruff for the Halflings right now. Not sure on the gnomes.
Elan was where some of the ideas came for the reborn. My idea being that they are almost a hated subculture.
I also wanted variations for the classes. Maybe religious schisms for the different divine casters. So that not all Paladins get along with Oracles or Druids let alone monks.
Even better yet, Paladins and Inquisitors do not see eye to eye. The Inquisitors think that Paladins are binding their own hands by following a strict code. While the Paladins see the Inquisitors as lawless in general and the entire reason to have a code in the first place.
And all the humanoid races except the elves (and scions/elans) reached maturity at 16-20 yro... whatever the national cultural norm was. The elves still didn't hit maturity until 100ish (again, "secret agenda" reasons), and the scions were artificially uplifted from human stock, so they were "born" as physically young adults.
Yeah, I made the elans hated by many. But they were tyrannical badasses, and shaped the balance of power on the continent (and beyond).
I pretty much redefined the whole alignment system too. Good was the promotion of Life, Civilization, Happiness, and Betterment of All; Evil was the opposite. No humanoid race was inherently good or evil. Law was based on the races conception of civil order and upholding national/cultural values/traditions, and Chaos was individuality; the universal Law/Chaos were just two aspects of a greater whole. But I like shades-of-grey settings and moral/ethic problems for the PCs that had no easy answers.
While the game ran, I still threw in plenty of classic good vs evil stuff. Mostly I just tried to keep paladins and clerics from being Lawful Stupid, CN characters from being 100% random and/or insane, and a reason for necromancy/negative energy to be Evil (it also created environmental toxicity and mutations/stillbirths from its anti-Life nature). And monks were required to be Neutral Good, Neutral, or Neutral Evil.
It also helped by being in my 20s at the time and knowing with certainty all of Life's answers. :)
There is a lot of good untapped Slavic myth. I used a lot of Russian faery tales and a ton of Sumerian myth.
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lets see we could have:
A PRC called a Bogatyr
a variant harpy called a Alkonost
Various hags and of course baba yaga
a lich named Koschei who had not one but multiple Phylactery.
firebirds
flying carpets
werewolves
strange fairies such as the Domovoi, Bereginya or Rusalka
A goblin tribe called the Likho
call Aasamir, Vila and could add another race.
Vampires, of course I think I would use one of the others paizo put out.
use Vodyanoy as a stand in for the frog races.
I could even use some variation of the mythology and use higher powers such as St Elijah the Thunderer.
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Or I could use a bit of each.
* Bangpūtys - God of seas and storms
* Jarilo - God of vegetation, fertility and spring; also associated with war and harvest
* Morana - Goddess of harvest, witchcraft, winter and death
* Perun - God of thunder and lightning
* Rod - The birth-giver, creator of all existent.
* Svarog - God of fire, sometimes described as a smith god
* Svetovid - God of war, fertility and abundance
* Veles - God of earth, waters, and the underworld
* Zaria - Goddess of beauty
* Živa - Goddess of love and fertility
* The Zorya - Three guardian goddesses that represent the morning, evening and midnight stars - Ladies of Magic
*Belobog - The White God; god of light and sun
*Berstuk - Evil god of the forest
*Chernobog - The Black God the opposite number of Belobog
*Dodola - Goddess of rain, the wife of Perun
Ancient heroes
* Dažbog - The Sun Warrior
Or some variation of each maybe just re-skinned from the golarion deities.
Or I could use a bit of each. <snipped>
If you can, you might want to pick up a copy (new or used) of Gaiman's American Gods for some flavor ideas on Svarog, the Zorya, and Cernobog.
There was a realllllly old game Darklands for PC that had some great Germanic paganism elements. I wish I still had the documentation for it.
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Or I could use a bit of each. <snipped>If you can, you might want to pick up a copy (new or used) of Gaiman's American Gods for some flavor ideas on Svarog, the Zorya, and Cernobog.
There was a realllllly old game Darklands for PC that had some great Germanic paganism elements. I wish I still had the documentation for it.
;) why pick up a copy of something I already have.
Sounds good to me. I'm always in favor of this kind of approach. Using cultures just a little off from people's knowledge base/expectations is good way to keep it fresh. If they are a culture that has not just history but some ethnography on them, all the better.
So, here's a stab at a possible Easterling (or maybe Reborn) write-up for you, using my Pathfinder-ized scion homebrew race. I'm not sure it's a good fit though, as Easterling brings to my mind a more martial race, like the Easterlings presented in the LotR.
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Scions are defined by their class levels -- they do not possess racial Hit Dice. All scions have the following racial qualities.
Bloodline: Scions are humanoids with the Human and Fleshwoven subtypes, and count as both for any effect related to race.
Self-Determined Greatness: Scions designate two ability scores as paramount and one as sacrificial. Scions receive a +2 racial bonus to one physical and one mental ability score of their choice. They also receive a -2 racial penalty to one of their other two physical scores of their choice. Once made, these choices are immutable.
Medium: Elans are Medium creatures, and they have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Elans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision (ex): Scions can see twice as far as normal humans in conditions of dim light.
Body & Mind Unity (ex): A scion subconsciously directs the body's natural healing to greater effect. A scion receives a shi modifier, equal to the sum of its Constitution modifier (if positive) and the modifier (if positive) of its paramount mental score. When a scion heals naturally, it also heals its shi modifier in hit points. Unless engaged in disruptive activity (any physical activity exceeding a DC 10 + shi modifier Concentration check), the scion naturally heals at this rate. A scion also adds its shi modifier when healing naturally while undergoing complete bed rest for an entire day or while being tended successfully by someone with the Heal skill. When being healed by a magical or psionic effect, a scion does not add its shi modifier.
Enlightened Flesh: Scions receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, infestations of the flesh (such as spore attacks and parasitic infestation), and becoming nauseated or sickened.
Preternatural Guard (ex): Scions subconsciously analyze their environment for possible danger and calculate multiple scenarios for defense. As long as they are not mentally helpless, scions gain a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
Spell Resistance (su): Scions receive spell (and psionic power) resistance equal to 6 plus their total class levels.
Scion Magic (su?): Whenever casting a spell (or manifesting a psionic power) with the mind-affecting descriptor, scions receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell (and psionic power) resistance. In addition, scions receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic (and psionic) items with the mind-affecting descriptor.
Keen Senses (ex): Scions receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Aberrant Nature (ex): Although human in appearance, a scion's fleshwoven nature unconsciously provokes mild uneasiness and perplexion in those not of scion heredity. Except for when a scion makes Intimidation skill checks, scions receive a -1 racial penalty to Charisma-based skill checks when interacting with non-scion humanoids and natural animals.
Languages: Scions begin play speaking Common and Ashrata (the scion racial language). Scions with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Elven, Draconic, Dwarven, and Infernal.
- Type: Humanoid
- Size: Medium
- Base Speed: Normal Speed
- Ability Score Modifiers: based on Standard Modifiers (0 RP) but player chooses at begin of play, so
- Language: Standard Array
- Defense Racial Abilities: Body & Mind Unity, rewritten descripter, but mechanically equivalent to old Rapid Healing feat from the 3.5 SRD, so priced similar to Weapon Finesse
- Defense Racial Abilities: Enlightened Flesh, modified version of half-orc Plagueborn
- Defense Racial Abilities: Preternatural Guard, nearly identical to Halfling Luck
- Defense Racial Abilities: Spell Resistance, as drow Spell Resistance, Lesser
- Magical Racial Abilities: Scion Magic, as (Elven Magic 2 RP) but limited scope, so
- Skill and Feat Abilities: Skill Bonus [Perception] ()
- Senses Abilities: Low-Light Vision
- Weakness Abilities: Aberrant Nature, roughly half the price of a -2 penalty to Charisma, so
Using the Elite/Heroic attribute array and 1 level of a PC class, the scion should be equivalent to a CR 1/2, like an aasimar or tiefling.
And here's a stab at a much more martially-focused Easterling. I had old homebrew notes about such an offshoot race, but I'm not sure I ever wrote it up... so I did now. These guys would be the elite grunts, eventually rising to either sergeants or possible "special forces" candidates. They have the potential to rise fairly high in the ranks, but most probably wouldn't be happy to leave the frontline duty. Most discharged exalts would probably become mercenaries or adventurers. The scion leaders probably fear (at least a little) that these guys are "too good," and might eventually organize a coup d'état against the scion regime.
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Exalts are defined by their class levels -- they do not possess racial Hit Dice. All exalts have the following racial qualities.
Bloodline: Exalts are humanoids with the Human and Fleshwoven subtypes, and count as both for any effect related to race.
One of the Elite: Exalts designate an ability score of their choice as paramount and receive a +2 bonus to it at creation. Once made, this choice is immutable.
Medium: Exalts are Medium creatures, and they have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Exalts have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision (ex): Exalts can see twice as far as normal humans in conditions of dim light.
Body & Mind Unity (ex): An exalt subconsciously directs the body's natural healing to greater effect. An exalt receives a shi modifier, equal to the sum of its Constitution modifier (if positive) and the modifier (if positive) of its paramount score. When an exalt heals naturally, it also heals its shi modifier in hit points. Unless engaged in disruptive activity (any physical activity exceeding a DC 10 + shi modifier Concentration check), the exalt naturally heals at this rate. An exalt also adds its shi modifier when healing naturally while undergoing complete bed rest for an entire day or while being tended successfully by someone with the Heal skill. When being healed by a magical or psionic effect, an exalt does not add its shi modifier.
(Lesser) Enlightened Flesh (ex): Exalts receive a +1 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, infestations of the flesh (such as spore attacks and parasitic infestation), and becoming nauseated or sickened.
Preternatural Guard (ex): Exalts subconsciously analyze their environment for possible danger and calculate multiple scenarios for defense. As long as they are not mentally helpless, exalts receive a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
Soldier's Training (ex): Exalts receive a +1 racial bonus on Perception and Intimidate skill checks, and always treat both as class skills.
Well-honed Reflexes (ex): Exalts receive a +2 racial bonus to Initiative checks.
Aberrant Nature (ex): Although human in appearance, an exalts's fleshwoven nature unconsciously provokes mild uneasiness and perplexion in those not of scion heredity. Except for when an exalt makes Intimidation skill checks, exalts receive a -1 racial penalty to Charisma-based skill checks when interacting with non-scion humanoids and natural animals.
Languages: Exalts begin play speaking Ashrata (the scion racial language). Exalts with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Aklo, Common, and Infernal.
- Type: Humanoid ()
- Size: Medium ()
- Base Speed: Normal Speed ()
- Ability Score Modifiers: Human Heritage Modifier ()
- Language: Xenophobic Array ()
- Defense Racial Abilities: Body & Mind Unity (), rewritten descripter, but mechanically equivalent to old Rapid Healing feat from the 3.5 SRD, so priced similar to Weapon Finesse
- Defense Racial Abilities: Enlightened Flesh, Lesser (), modified version of 1/2 strength Plagueborn
- Defense Racial Abilities: Preternatural Guard (), nearly identical to Halfling Luck
- Skill and Feat Abilities: Soldier's Training (), as combined Skill Bonus (2 RP) and Stalker (1 RP)
- Skill and Feat Abilities: Well-honed Reflexes (), as 1/2 strength Improved Initiative
- Senses Abilities: Low-Light Vision ()
- Weakness Abilities: Aberrant Nature (), roughly half the price of a -2 penalty to Charisma
No biggee. I didn't think I'd nail it exactly, but figured I might provoke some more thought on how you might think they should be fleshed out. I just figured if these dudes are remaking themselves, they'd shoot for something badass like Cap America (physically) or Mr. Fantastic (intellectually). I hate when a race's backstory is supposed to awe-inspiring and have enemies trembling... and then you take a closer look, discover they're rather milquetoast, and wonder what everyone is so afraid of.
And all I know of Middle Earth is from The Hobbit and LotR. So I'm not up on the Easterling lore that you are.
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No biggee. I didn't think I'd nail it exactly, but figured I might provoke some more thought on how you might think they should be fleshed out. I just figured if these dudes are remaking themselves, they'd shoot for something badass like Cap America (physically) or Mr. Fantastic (intellectually). I hate when a race's backstory is supposed to awe-inspiring and have enemies trembling... and then you take a closer look, discover they're rather milquetoast, and wonder what everyone is so afraid of.
And all I know of Middle Earth is from The Hobbit and LotR. So I'm not up on the Easterling lore that you are.
well, really just using the name. I am not that stuck on it as of yet.