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Thank you so much! But we should really be thanking Mikaze. This is one of the all-time best threads on the forum, in my opinion.
Dwarf, Minotaur, Dark Folk, Strix, Hag-Kin Changelings
Dwarves and minotaurs go together like wine and cheese. The strix and changelings, though...that's gonna be a tough sell.
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Thank you so much! But we should really be thanking Mikaze. This is one of the all-time best threads on the forum, in my opinion.
5d100
Dwarf, Minotaur, Dark Folk, Strix, Hag-Kin ChangelingsDwarves and minotaurs go together like wine and cheese. The strix and changelings, though...that's gonna be a tough sell.
Strix as Harpy-Kin.
You actually have a nice batch of Ancient Greek mythical type races going on there.
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Thank you so much! But we should really be thanking Mikaze. This is one of the all-time best threads on the forum, in my opinion.
5d100
Dwarf, Minotaur, Dark Folk, Strix, Hag-Kin ChangelingsDwarves and minotaurs go together like wine and cheese. The strix and changelings, though...that's gonna be a tough sell.
Strix as Harpy-Kin.
You actually have a nice batch of Ancient Greek mythical type races going on there.
maybe a world where the Greek heroes lost?
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Tengu, Dwarves, Sprites, Shifter, Adlet
A Cursed World Assimilated
Thousands of years ago, a great war shook the natural order of the world. Lycanthropes everywhere, tired of being hunted for their afflictions, struck back, and, through a grueling campaign, turned entire cities into werebeasts. Once turned, new recruits had no choice but join their new brothers, be slain by their old kin, or hide from both factions. The werebeasts' waves of Lycanthropy proved unstoppable, and eventually the curse became the dominant trait among the civilized races. The only race to avoid the brunt of the conflict were the Dwarves, whose natural toughness and giant seal-able cities proved an insurmountable road block in the Lycanthropes' agenda for a 100% turned world.
After countless generations, the Lycanthrope trait has been rooted so deeply in the genes of the world that the previously segregated races have melded together, are instead are identified by which werebeast their line hails from. Lycanthropy has lost its contactable trait, and instead manifests purely as a racial identity. Through in-fighting, natural selection, and malevolent mutations of the Lycanthropy, only three main lines have been able to survive and thrive: Those hailing from Werebears, Werewolves, and Werebirds. Tentatively, the Dwarves have recently reopened their cities. Upon meeting no further conflict, they have slowly begun to re-assimilate themselves with the outside world. With the conflict finally behind them, and the civilized races more intune with nature than ever before, Sprites have recently embraced the lives of adventurers and traders, and have integrated themselves with many societies.
Tengu are the descendants of Werebirds. Not the slumming, thieving, miscreants the default flavor-text would have you believe, Tengu have formed most of the upper class of what has become named the Upper World (the land not belonging to the Dwarves). Being less inclined toward combat, the Werebirds developed more refined social skills, which allowed them to survive as diplomats, couriers, etc, until the chaos died down. Tengu Racial Ability modifiers become -2 Con, +2 Dex, +2 Cha. Many lower-class Tengu still exist, and these make up the majority of adventuring Tengu; those who aim to escape poverty the hard way.
Dwarves were the only civilized race to escape the Great Cursing. They haven't changed a whole lot since their isolation. The biggest change from the default Dwarves is their Defensive Training trait is now defaulted to Deep Warrior. Many Dwarves look forward to reclaiming their land lost - left behind in their isolation - and have picked up the life of an adventurer to take it back. Many new trade partners await outside their grand halls, and seeking new relations with the new races also requires an Adventurer's touch.
Shifters represent those descendant from werebears. The Shifters have gained their names for being the only race whose ancient Lycanthropy shows least - at least until they let out an almighty roar and turn completely into a bear, ready to rip their foes limb from limb. In their natural form, they vaguely resemble humans, though their ears end in slight points. Though Humanoid in shape and appearance, their Lycanthropy has charged them with Fey blood. Shifters are naturally standoffish and most prefer a quiet life away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. The life of an Adventurer has a natural attraction for Shifters, mainly due to their wanderlust, and a life constantly away from crowds.
Ability Score Racial Traits Shifters are strong and tough, but socially awkward. +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Cha
Size Medium
Type Fey
Base Speed 30'
Natural Weapons Shifters gain 2 Claw attacks as Natural Weapons. They're Primary Attacks that deal 1d4 slashing damage plus their Str modifier.
SLA Once per day, a Shifter can transform into a Large Grizzly Bear as a SLA as though using Beast Shape II (CL equals total HD).
Languages Shifters begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Shifters with a High Int score can choose from the following: Adlet, Aklo, Giant, Tengu, and Undercommon.
Adlets are the ancestors of the werewolves. During the worst of the Great Cursing, the ancient werewolves found themselves moving to colder climates to avoid the ceaseless warring of the wererats, wereboars, and other violent werebeasts, who ultimately died out when they couldn't keep hold of their humanity and warred themselves into extinction. Before the Lycanthopy made its final evolution into Adlets, the shifting, chaotic nature of the curse granted them acclimation to the cold, which the modern Adlets have inherited. Though many have re-assimilated with the civilized world, Adlets are now always most at home in the cold and snow. Though their permanent form is that of a humanoid, they always have firce wolf heads atop their muscular bodies. With a natural pack mindset, an adventuring group commonly has an Adlet or two.
Ability Score Racial Traits Adlets are lithe and observant. +2 Dex, +2 Wis.
Size Medium
Type Humanoid with the Adlet, and Cold subtypes
Cold Adlets are immune to Cold damage, and gain Fire Vulnerability.
Base Speed 40'
Armor Adlets gain a +2 Natural Armor bonus to AC
Camouflage Adlets gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks while in snowy terrain.
Natural Attack Dalets gain a Bite Natural Attack. This is a Primary attack that deals 1d4 piercing damage plus your Str modifier.
Bonus Feat Adlets gain Weapon Focus as a bonus feat
Languages Adlets begin play speaking Adlet and Common. Adlets with a high Int score can choose from the following: Aquan, Auran, Gnoll, Sylvan and Tengu.
Sprites used to keep to themselves. After generations of an imbalanced world, however, they took it upon themselves to actively tend to their injured land. With the reemergence of Dwarves, and the recent lull in bloodshed, there's no telling what could happen next. The Sprites have chosen to position themselves in the throngs of society in order to keep a watchful eye on their more destructive neighbors, though they do have a hard time in adjusting to societal norms. A Sprite may turn to a life of adventure if he seeks a more hands-on approach at tending to nature. Some Sprites still simply grow bored living in the confines of city walls, and the wandering practices of an adventuring group can easily cure their ails.
Ability Score Racial Traits Sprites are extremely weak and slow-minded, but possess incredible grace, and are surprisingly stoic. -4 Str, -4 Int, +4 Dex, +2 Wis
Size Sprites are Tiny, and gain a +2 Size bonus to AC, a +8 size bonus to stealth, and a -2 Size penalty to CMB and CMD. They also have a natural reach of 0', and must therefore enter a creature's square to attack it in melee.
Type Fey
Base Speed 20'
Wings Sprites can use their wings to fly and have a Fly speed of 40' (Good)
Damage Reduction Fey have DR 5/Cold Iron
SLA Sprites have the following Spell-like abilities at will (CL equals total HD): Dancing Lights, Detect Evil, Detect Good.
Languages Sprites begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Sprites with a high Int score can choose from the following: Aklo, Auran, Celestial, Draconic, and Undercommon
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Where has this thread been hiding?! Loving this!
Gonna try my hand at this..
Back to back tanuki.. really? ... Well all right then.
This gives me some ideas, but in looking at the Tanuki specifically, I'd probably have to write up a race for them that fits the bill. And then another off-shoot one.
Oh.. oh nice! I have an idea there.
With custom constructs, and needing to bring the races in line with each other (probably slightly boost ratfolk and tiefling to advanced races at this point), going to be doing a little work with the race guide on this one.
Very interesting thread..
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Here's my twopenneth.
43 Pixie
60 Vegepygmy
70 Spriggan
42 Satyr
52 Harpy
84 Uldra (small blue-skinned fey adapted for cold environments)
Forest of Corn had grown. Since the cataclysm, which cause all of the civilised peoples to either die or leave via terrible magics, the world had been allowed to heal itself.
To the south of the forest were the Felyn, a nation of Pixies, unhampered by the encroachment of society they had flourished and grown. They had created many communities, ranging from villages to large fiefdoms, all based around the gnarled roots of the largest of the trees. They had formed a government of the sorocracy. Within the ancient religion of the Pixies, the only ones able to rule are female siblings born as twins, Whilst they share power, much of the day to day running of the Felyn Verdancy is undertaken by a civil service.
For the last 20 years there has been an uneasy entant cordial between the Verdant Felyn and The Crown. The crown is a hive of vegepygmies raised by their hive queen Grubzall in the canopy of the forest were she can gain much needed energy from the sun and attach her interface tendrils into the trees to communicate and control her children.
She has decided that she needs to understand her world further, and to this end she has created a subset of her children called the wanderers. They are less reliant on control by their queen and are imbued from birth with independence and skills to allow them to survive in the world, some are train in combat, others in stealth, others in the control of plants and animals.
The peace between the Verdant Felyn and the Crown was brokered by the Concordance, a quiet deeply religious race of Spriggans. This quiet sect is often seen as the arbiter and guardian of the forest. They try to remain impartial in all matters.
Whilst the Concordance helped bring about peace, before the entant cordial news and entertainment was passed from one race to the next by the Backay, A nomadic race of Satyr who survived as bards, spies, and traders between the many suspicious races.
To the north of the forest is the lake of gulgamsh, which flows from the mountains of Emeret. The mountains provide a home for the Gulga, a warlike band of Harpies ruled by General Metch. As a right of passage, the harpies must go through The Clipping. This is ritual in which adolescent Harpies have their wings cut and they are given an ordeal which will often have them enter the forest, which they must complete before they are allowed back into the Gulga. Their task can be so arduous that often, their task isn’t completed even though their wings have regrown (which takes several years).
The final key player in the world of the forest of Corn are the Uldra. They are an Anarchistic society who live in the cold dank caves on the edge of the lake. The Uldra people have a severe dislike of authority figures, and because of this have had many run ins with the sometimes patronising Crown.
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Where has this thread been hiding?! Loving this!
Gonna try my hand at this..
Back to back tanuki.. really? ... Well all right then.This gives me some ideas, but in looking at the Tanuki specifically, I'd probably have to write up a race for them that fits the bill. And then another off-shoot one.
Oh.. oh nice! I have an idea there.With custom constructs, and needing to bring the races in line with each other (probably slightly boost ratfolk and tiefling to advanced races at this point), going to be doing a little work with the race guide on this one.
Very interesting thread..
It tends to get hidden now and again, but it's well worth bumping up for new folks to find.
The races you rolled could end up being very oriental with Tieflings as a form of Oni.
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24 Ratfolk
12 Tiefling (humanoids with fiend ancestry)
68 Tanuki (short raccoon-like humanoids)
68 Tanuki (short raccoon-like humanoids)
92 Construct-based Humanoid (wildcard, make your own!)
Back to back tanuki.. really? ... Well all right then.
RUINS AND ROBOTS
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The world is cold, barely habitable, as the tail end of an ice age pulls back the glaciers revealing a harsh tundra. It is in this tundra that the new surviving intelligent life has found evidence of an ancient people. Ruins filled with dormant technology, not active for potentially millions of years.
It was underground that the Skrawl can be found. A race of ratfolk that dug underground to escape the barren ice lands above. Evolved into an intelligent life in their own right, they communicate as much through supersonic squeeks and chirps as they do through normal speech, and pool their knowledge across their society, patchwork, no single ratfolk really retaining all knowledge of a subject on his own. The largest ratfolk dens are an advanced society, with great pursuits in knowledge. However, seperated from the others they are quite simplistic, barely able to speak their grandiose thoughts even in their own language.
Their methods of crafting is as patchwork as their minds... and while exploring deeper in the ruins of the underground, accidentally stumbled on the first contructs and activated them, bringing them to the new era.
Once awakened, these constructs, called Eternals, found that their central data core connection was lost and they had to rebuild. The original peoples that had built them are long gone, but these preservers are still keeping their knowledge and culture alive.
Soon after a "data core" was recovered and activated, they knew again their purpose.
Early on, the reactivated constructs had attempted to use their technology, combined with a discovered magical font into the outer planes to bring back their creators. Not as a resurrection of individuals, but as a resuscitation of the race as a whole. They found the best source of primordial incubation: the chaotic realms of the Proteans. Their result was a failure. Too much of the chaotic nature of the Proteans twisted the efforts at bringing back the ancient race, resulting in a twisted and varied race of mixed blood.
The tieflings suffer from urges and thoughts that boil up from an unlived ancestry. Sometimes recalling a life that is nothing like it is now, dreaming of silver spires and flying devices that reached the stars. Other times, all thoughts may be dashed apart by a screaming, nihilistic void, like a burning hole in their mind.
From then on, the eternals decided to only create more of themselves, to discover the intricacies of the era in which they now exist, and try to recover all their precursor knowledge.
Many other races had evolved over the aeons; the catfolk, kitsune and even tengu each having small tribes. But none had thrived as much as the tanuki. A race of raccoon people believed to once be fey spirits of nature.
When some tanuki discovered the eternals, they were enamored with the idea of self perfection. The tanuki are normally very in-tune with the cycles of nature, and of reality. They believe they are currently in an age of golden spiritualism, that it is too soon for the era of iron that heralds the robotic nature of the eternals.
However a subset of tanuki felt this was an opportunity to accelerate the cycles of life, or even perhaps blend them! Enthusiasm lead to a schism in their culture. The inquisitive tanuki forsaking their supernatural roots and taking in the cybernetic nature of the constructs.
..
Here's a breakdown of the races.
~Basics~
Humanoid (ratfolk)
Size Small
Speed Slow
Ability Scores -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Wis
Languages Standard: Common & Skrawl (Aklo, Draconic, Eternal, Gnoll, Tanuki, Tengu, and Undercommon)
~Traits~
Senses
- Darkvision 60'
Skills
- Skill Bonus: +2 racial bonus to craft (alchemy), perception & use magic device
- Class Skills: perception and use magic device
- Stonecunning
Movement
- Burrow (20')
- Terrain Stride (underground)
Offensive
- Swarming
Other
- Rodent Empathy
- Shared Intellect
.
Shared Intellect
Description
Skrawl communicate on two levels, normal speech and an unconsciously transmitted supersonic series of squeaks and chirps called Skrilling. Knowledge gained is transmitted, shared and modified amongst any skrawl within hearing, such that they do not rely on themselves to retain fully the information, nor to fully comprehend things alone.
This is both an asset and a drawback, as while together they can accomplish great intellectual tasks, a single skrawl doesn't retain the full information, and may even have trouble comprehending complex concepts when no longer in touch with his brethren.
Effects
When two or more skrawl are close enough that they can hear each other, they each gain a +2 temporary bonus to Intelligence. This is always treated as a temporary bonus, due to the nature of the source.
Once there is 3 or more skrawl communicating, a sort of group mind develops, separate but connected to all the skrawl involved. This group mind allows any connected skrawl to reroll knowledge checks, and make knowledge checks untrained. A skrawl can re-attempt a knowledge check as many times as there are skrawl in the group mind, however it takes 1 round for the group mind to reconsider the situation.
Note: new subtype - Zoetic Construct
- Eternals have resistance 5 against positive energy, including curative magic. Eternals count as both humanoids and as constructs for purposes of spells and effects, such as the spells make whole and rusting grasp. Eternals do not heal normally with rest, and cannot have damage restored with the heal skill, however they can be repaired using the knowledge (engineering) skill in place of the heal skill for the checks.
- Eternals are immune to disease, poison, sleep, exhaustion and fatigue effects.
- Eternals cannot be raised or resurrected except by being brought back to a precursor crucible.
- Eternals do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these activities. This means that an eternal can drink potions to benefit from their effects and can sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities is required for the construct to survive or stay in good health.
~Basics~
Humanoid (zoetic construct, eternal)
Size Medium
Speed Normal
Ability Scores +2 Str, +2 Int, -2 Cha
Languages Standard: Common & Eternal (Catfolk, Gnoll, Skrawl, Tanuki, Tengu, Undercommon, and Vanara)
~Traits~
Senses
- Ultravision (see in darkness)
Skills
- Scanners (+2 bonus to Perception)
- Self Repair (+1 bonus to Knowledge (engineering), treated as a class skill)
Other
- Data Connection (choose one option)
Data Connection
Knowledgebase: The eternal gaisn access to a wide range of data, though full of holes due to out-dated information or systems failures. Can make knowledge checks untrained, and count all knowledge skills as class skills.
Skillset: Access to applied sciences, granting temporary skill boosts. Gain the following spells 1/day - crafter's fortune and bestow insight. The eternal must be the subject of each spell, but can choose any skill for bestow insight.
ID Scan: By cross referencing data and run through heuristic algorithms, even the most esoteric information can potentially be gleaned. The eternal may cast identify once per day. Also, once per month, the eternal may attempt a legend lore spell if the thing is at hand, or they are at the place in question. This casting does not require any material or focus items, however there is only a 25% chance of success.
Alternative Racial Traits
Arcane Sight: Some eternals have altered sensors to detect magical auras. They gain low-light vision and detect magic as a constant spell-like ability (caster level equal to their character level). This racial trait replaces ultravision.
Exoskeleton: Many eternals focus their design on a protective nature. They gain a +1 racial bonus to natural armor. This racial trait replaces scanners.
Communication Protocols: Some eternals focus on developing universal translation. They gain a +4 racial bonus to Linguistics checks, and may select an additional language every time they place a rank in the skill. This racial trait replaces scanners.
YASHIMANO TANUKI (Spiritual)
~Basics~
Humanoid (tanuki)
Size Small
Speed Normal
Ability Scores +2 Con, +2 Cha
Languages Standard: Common & Tanuki (Auran, Eternal, Kitsune, Skrawl, Sylvan, Tanuki, and Terran)
~Traits~
Senses
- Lowlight vision
Magic
- Constant effect - detect poison
- Self-Sustaining: At-will - purify food/water & 1/day - create food/water
- Change shape (lesser): raccoon (Tiny, gain scent & climb 20')
Other
- Sake Affinity: Tanuki have a strange reaction to rice wine. It brings out a random magical effect within them. If they have a jug of sake at their side, they can spend a swift action to take a swig and gain one of the following effects (roll 1d4 to determine the effect): arcane sight, fly, heroism, and rage. The effects last only a single round, until the beginning their next turn. While under these effects, the tanuki is tipsy, and must roll twice on any acrobatics checks, taking the lowest one. The tanuki can gain the effects from sake affinity a number of rounds per day equal to their character level.
Alternative Racial Traits
Scent: Gain scent. Replaces constant detect poison.
Crafter: Gain at-will - mending, 1/day - minor creation. Replaces self-sustaining.
Trickster: Gain at-will - mage hand, 1/day - shrink item. Replaces self-sustaining.
Sneak: Gain at-will - know direction & message, 1/day - invisibility. Replaces self-sustaining.
Clawed Grip: Gain 2 claws and climb 20'. Replaces change shape (lesser).
------------
INUGAMI TANUKI (Engineers)
~Basics~
Humanoid (half-construct, tanuki)
Size Small
Speed Normal
Ability Scores floating +2
Languages Standard: Common & Tanuki (Auran, Eternal, Kitsune, Skrawl, Sylvan, Tanuki, and Terran)
~Traits~
Senses
- lowlight vision
- Mechanical Eye: At-will - sift
Other
- Self-Modification Package (choose one)
All additions are considered "cybernetic" in nature.
Helping Hand: Gain Multi-armed (one extra arm) and +2 all craft and disable device checks.
Tooth & Nail: Gain climb 20', 2 claws, bite (1d3), and a +1 racial bonus to natural armor.
Tail Enhancement: Gain a prehensile tail, with the slapping tail and tripping tail racial traits.
Leg Replacement: Gain Fleet-footed, Jumper, Sprinter, and Stability racial traits, as well as +10' base speed.
Mechanical Arm: Can wield weapons one size larger when using that arm, and may use two-handed weapons as a one-handed weapon in that hand at a -2 penalty. Also treats the arm as a shield, used similarly as a buckler (granting +1 AC). No armor check or spellcasting penalties, as it's natural use of their arm.
~Basics~
Outsider (native)
Size Medium
Speed Normal
Ability Scores +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Wis
Languages Standard: Common & Protean (Abyssal, Draconic, Eternal, Infernal, Skrawl, Tanuki, and Undercommon)
~Traits~
Senses
- Darkvision 60'
Skills
- +2 racial bonus to Bluff and Stealth checks
Magic
- Spell-Like Ability: Tieflings can use darkness once per day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this ability equals the tiefling's class level.
- Protean resistance (acid, electricity and sonic resistance 5)
- Protean Sorcery: Tiefling sorcerers with the Protean bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer class abilities.
Other
- Shards of the Past: Pick any two skills at character creation. Gain +2 bonus to each, and treat both as class skills.
Alternative Racial Traits[/i]
[b]Shattered Mind: The tiefling's mind is constantly assailed by conflicting voices from a genetic past and the screaming void of the Proteans. This dual-mind grants some protection, but at a cost of distraction. Gain a +2 bnus to Will saves, a +2 racial bonus against mind-affecting effects, however they have a -1 penalty to concentration checks due to distraction. Once per day, whenever the tiefling takes damage in combat, they fly into a frenzy for 1 minute, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Constitution and Strength, but a -2 penalty to AC. This racial trait replaces shards of the past.
Other lesser races would include other "advanced animals", such as the Catfolk, Tengus, Kitsune, Vanaras, and Gnolls.
..
Ugh. That was a doozy. Sorry if bits of that felt rushed (missing flavor text). Doing this when I should be sleeping.
I built this from a campaign idea I already had with constructs, and picked up a few things I really liked in other media (the Skritt from Guild Wars 2 increasing intelligence in numbers, and cybernetic raccoons from Guardians of the Galaxy *grin*).
I seriously love this campaign setting idea, and would totally love to run or play in such a campaign. All the races are high teens in race points, so they'd be treated as Effective Level +1 up to 5th level or so.
WORTH IT.
Love that this setting has a simultaneous feel of super advanced future-tech and could totally give a place for the technology guide... but alongside a near apocalyptic wasteland and nature-based environment and animal races... complete with spelunking ruins for future-old tech! Hidden caches of who-knows-what held in futre-old tech stasis!
Crazy!
Tengu
Bariaur (centauroid with a mountain goat-like lower half)
Sprite
Kobold
Serpentfolk
Huh. This is an...interesting set of choices...
Drider (spider-people)
Illumian
Merfolk (fish-people 1.0)
Gillmen (fish-people 2.0)
Shae (shadow-people)
I've got an idea! I actually have an idea!
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Looks like this'll be the thread that finally gets me to make a post on this site.
1d100 → [78] = (78) = Vodyanoi (salamander-like humanoids)
1d100 → [54] = (54) = Naga
1d100 → [67] = (67) = Sasquatch
1d100 → [52] = (52) = Harpy
1d100 → [53] = (53) = Medusa
That’s… interesting. Seems to be a fairly reptilian world I’m rolling up here, not to mention that Harpies & Medusa are both female-only species (& after looking up Naga, I realize I had the completely wrong idea about them – more serpenty than I originally thought). Let’s see what I can do with this…
---
“From the body of the serpent god came the land, from its blood came the rivers, and from its fangs spilled out the poisonous marshes. In this way all that we know is the result of a great sacrifice.”
The tropical lands of [X] are claimed to have been formed from the corpse of an ancient serpent god. Few profess to know the god’s name or how such a mighty being died, but it is said that the god’s blood still runs through the three main races of the world, their scaly forms as proof of their divine right to rule over it.
“From the blood and bone of the serpent god came the mighty Naga, the most regal of us all.”
The largest and most physically prominent of the three divine races are the Naga. With the powerful and supple body of a snake, they are said to have inherited the serpent god’s form. Whimsical in nature, the Naga race rarely stays in any one place at a time, frequently travelling along the many rivers and marshes throughout the region. Perhaps befitting of their powerful physical forms, most Naga prefer to take levels as Fighters, Barbarians, or Rangers. Nagas with ties to magic tend to become Sorcerers or Bloodragers, wielding long-forgotten power carried in their divine blood.
“From the spit and venom of the serpent god came the native Vodyanoi, the most proficient of us all.”
The second of the three divine races are the Vodyanoi, said to have inherited the venom of the serpent god. Living in the marshes said to have been formed by the serpent god’s fangs, the Vodyanoi are experts at the handling of manners of poisons and live in harmony with the marshy land around them. Vodyanoi prefer to take levels as Alchemists, Witches, Shamans, or Druids. More adventurous Vodyanoi tend to take levels as Hunters or Monks.
“From the eyes and curses of the serpent god came the mysterious Medusa, the most tragic of us all.”
The last of the three divine races are the Medusa, said to have inherited the dying curses of the serpent god. Physically, they bear the least resemblance to their reptilian progenitor, as the only one of the three divine races to have significant areas of flesh instead of scales on their bodies. However, the gaze of a Medusa carries the hatred of a dying god, dooming nearly all living creatures who meet it to turn to stone. Unable to fully control this power, Medusa fashion tends to focus on hoods, veils, and masks to prevent others from accidently falling victim to their gaze. Due to the act of hiding their faces, Medusa are often regarded as exotic mysteries by other races and commonly take religious or mystical roles in society. Medusas prefer to take levels as Oracles, Clerics, Mediums, or Spiritualists. Medusa who embrace the killing potential of their gaze tend to take levels as Slayers or Magi.
.
“While all races owe their lives to the divine serpent, not all are worthy to claim ancestry from it. We must remember to treat these lesser beings in the manner they most deserve.”
Outside of the three divine races, other intelligent races are typically treated as second class citizens in the more civilized areas of the world. Elsewhere, they are viewed as being no more than animals and can only look forward to a life of isolation or slavery.
“Mere songbirds, only barely worthy of being considered as intelligent beings.”
The most prevalent of the non-reptilian races, Harpies are a strange mixture of flesh and feathers. While viewed as unintelligent and forgetful birdbrains, a Harpy’s voice carries a strange charm and their song is highly treasured. Many churches take pride in having a choir of harpies sing the praises of the dead serpent god, or prayers to the eternal Ouroboros. Free harpies are flighty and often find themselves wandering civilized territories looking for shiny objects or other distractions. As they often rely on their charms to survive, most harpies prefer to take levels in Bard, Cleric, Oracle, or Mesmerist.
In the less civilized areas of the world, Harpies are kept and bred as slaves for their voice. The few harpies which manage to escape slavery typically attempt to organize violent rebellion against their serpent masters. By using their enchanting voice, they are able to lure their oppressors into natural dangers before attempting to finish them off. Such harpies tend to take levels in Rogue or Skald.
“Legends and nothing more, the ‘forest men’ are merely the result of overactive imaginations by those with nothing better to do.”
Long thought to be nothing more than myth, Sasquatches have only recently begun to mingle with the other intelligent races of the world. With great strength and an ability to live in harmony with nature, most sasquatches take work either as physical laborers or forest guides. Even after joining together with the other races, the habits and lifestyles of these creatures is still far from understood. While many are excited at the idea of finally learning more about the long reclusive creatures, others consider the Sasquatch to be a threat to the current balance of civilization. Sasquatches often prefer to take levels in Ranger, Hunter, Druid, or Shaman. More aggressive sasquatches are also sometimes known to take levels in Brawler or Fighter.
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Drider: Driders are one of many subraces of humans twisted by direct contact with the spellplague, but they’re the only that’s retained a self-awareness. In their efforts to escape the spellplague, they fled into the mines and caves, and there they began creating their own world, far from the dangers of the surface.
Driders face a life-long struggle between their dual natures. Their society is built on cooperation to survive in the harsh environs below the ground, and violence against other Driders is frowned upon. However, their spidery aspects make long-term cooperation difficult, and exiles, runaways, or adventurous spirits occasionally make their way to the surface, where they’re forced into interacting with other survivors of the spellplagues. Driders tend toward scavenging, their many legs giving them stability even in the deteriorating and unstable old cities.
Illumian: When the lands of Algren came under the spellplague millennia ago, the lucky few humans in the ivory citadels were forced to take harsher and more draconian steps to survive. An ever-increasing reliance on magical sustenance over generations changed the citadel-dwellers, who found themselves first addicted to the arcane energies from birth and then held together by magic. Even as the spellplague faded, the leylines the ivory citadels had been built on flared back to life, and the overwhelming magical torrent completed the citadel-dwellers’ transformation into the Illumians.
Today, the Illumians are the only settled dwellers of the inner continent, where occasionally, the spellplague flares up again. They live within their citadels, studying their nature as half-arcane beings, and trade with both the Merrow of the rivers and the Shae of the north. Recently, a few Drider exiles have surfaced near the ivory citadels, but while the Illumians aren’t yet convinced of the spider-peoples’ trustworthiness, they’ve grudgingly given refuge to them.
Merfolk: Of all the races that survived the spellplagues, the Merrow were the least changed. Their natural homes in the rivers of Algren turned out to be natural breaks to the spelllague’s power, and they simply continued roaming up and down their watery roads. With the weakening of the surface-dwellers, the Merrow have begun to claim some of the old, abandoned cities, constructing huge dams and earthen dikes to sink the ancient ruins beneath the rivers’ waters. The first of these aquatic cities is nearing completion even now.
Most Merrow live a wandering, nomadic life, calling all rivers home rather than one. While able to breathe saltwater, the taste tends toward unpleasantness, and most Merrow avoid the coasts, though a small subrace lives along the beaches of the western sea. Merrow tend to be packrats, and often have interesting things for trade at the ivory citadels and the not-as-salty deltas of the big rivers, where they trade with the Gillmen. In general, Merrow aren’t particularly in tune with the arcane, preferring their own wiles or those of their gods over the proven danger of magic.
Gillmen: For nearly a millennium, the cause of the spellplague went unknown, until the first of the Gillmen arrived in Merrow lands. Claiming to be the creations of the powerful aboleth, they revealed that their master-creators had sought to displace the god of magic and enter the pantheon of the world themselves. The events of the spellplague were a direct result of their plan coming to fruition, though it was only partially successful. The god had been toppled, yes, but no aboleth remained beneath the waves to celebrate their victory. The Gillmen gradually left their prisons and began exploring, eventually finding their way to the surface.
Gillmen are the most recent arrivals on Algren. They tend toward physical beauty and social charm, and have quickly established embassies with most of the other races of Algren. The notable exception is the merfolk, with whom they’re in competition for living space. The number of Gillmen below the waves is unknown, but it’s possible there are many hundreds of cities at the bottom of the sea, filled with them.
Shae: In the North, the spellplague struck especially hard, flattening vast expanses of forest and changing the very color of the aurora. Most civilization in the region had been built with arcane assistance, and the spellplague created a feedback loop with the greatest of the northern cities, Cael Drunin. When the spellplague receded, what was left was a large gate to a shadowy doubling of Algren.
The Shae have settled into their newfound home on the continent. Used to the darkness and cold of the Shadow Plane, the frozen north doesn’t bother them, and they’ve begun a thriving export/import economy with the Illumians, trading their knowledge for that of the natives and the exotic goods of the material plane for those made across the gate. Rumor persists of an isolated pocket of humans, the survivors of Cael Drunin, on the far side of the gate, but the Shae are protective of their only link to their homeland and secretive about what’s beyond.
Forlarren
Grindylow
Dragonborn
Uldra
Drider (already did them once, rerolling them)
Flumph
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= Asherati (desert-dwelling hairless elf-like beings capable of swimming through sand)
= Half-Elf
= Dwarf
= Gillmen
= Raptoran (winged and taloned elf-like race)
The Oasis Town of Aljann is what makes the trade across the Burning Wastes, a large desert that borders many prosperous nations, possible. The city is built all around a large lake fed by a planar breach into the elemental plane of water, a phenomenon located nowhere else in the desert.
At first, the Oasis was simply a place that the nomadic Asherati and Raptoran tribes would visit in the course of their wanderings. Later, when the tribes hired themselves as guides to those who wanted to cross the desert, they would bring the various traders and merchants to the oasis as one stop on their journey. From there, some of the merchants decided to stay by the Oasis and build their stores there, selling to other merchants who stop by for a water break.
The largest of these groups of merchants was the dwarven Goldshield clan. There were tensions between the dwarves and the elves of the desert at first, but after the dwarves agreed that the water itself belonged to everyone in the oasis, and thus could not be bought or sold, things mostly calmed down. The dwarves instead focused on growing hardy crops, training themselves as repairmen, and other such jobs that a caravan would gladly pay for.
Of course, a good many caravans were human too. And while many never stopped for long in Aljann, they did have liaisons with their asherati and raptoran guides. The half-elves born from these unions proved unfit for the wandering lifestyle that the tribes had, unable to swim through sand or soar through the air. Some were abandoned in the desert to die, but the more compassionate parents would bring them to the Oasis. Many were adopted by various dwarven families, and thus grew up with dwarven values. After the first generation of half-elves grew up, they started marrying and having children of their own. This has led to a significant population of half-elves in the city, all of whom are fluent in common, elven, and dwarven.
Very recently, a fifth population has moved into Aljann, albeit unintentionally. A small village of Gillmen which had been living on the elemental plane of water, was sucked through the portal and into the oasis. No one is quite sure how the event happened, and no one is quite sure how this all will play out yet. The tensions between the gillmen and the other Aljannians are very high right now. There hasn't been any outright violence yet, fortunately enough.
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I got interested in this thread, so hears my go at it;
Half-elf
Half-elf (Drow)
Dhampir
Gillmen
Tiefling
Well, it's worth a try, and everything is pretty much Elven.
Long ago, when their was nothing, the vast infinity was inhabited by Awin and Asherra, who shaped space and created many different worlds, they also gave birth to several children, who gifted with their powers became God's and Goddess's. Sol & Luna, the twins, Terra, the youngest sister, Ghram & Polis the brothers, Andal the high mage, Janit the Eternal, Nalla and Tanerias, who where slain by the Aberrations. Terra shaped the world, created the flora and fauna,; Sol created Daylight, sky, and it's first inhabitants, the High Elves; Luna created the Night, stars, the worlds waters, and also created her own version of the Elves, the Drow. Ghram gifted these peoples with knowledge of artisanship, music and dance, so they could enjoy their existence. Polis, gave them knowledge of craftsmanship, metallurgy, and fighting, so they could protect themselves. Andal gifted them with the knowledge of Magic, both to heal, and to shape the land around them. From Janit, they were given the breath of life, and longevity.
However, they where not alone, and powerful alien entitles, who had formed on the outskirts of space, outside the watchful eyes of Awin and Asherra. Eventually they attempted to fight them, to steal their divine power for themselves. The aberrations waged a long war against Awin, Asherra, and their children, and would have won if not for the sacrifice of Nalla and Tanerias, who, using their own bodies, imprisoned the most powerful Aberrations into the darkest corners of space, never to be seen again. The weaker, or smarter, ones fled to the planet Se'valla, and many other planets, where they hid from those they had once tried to slay, waiting for the time to strike again.
For many years the God's and Goddess's left the High Elves and Night Elves alone, fighting their own war, and they lived in peace, giving thanks to their creators, shaping the world as they needed, hunting and gathering only what they needed to survive. After a time though, the Elven people where discovered by the Aberrations on Se'valla, and many where twisted by the words their words, and eventually they grew jealous, and prideful, so, in their hubris, attempted to create their own peoples, who would become the Humans. With these humans as slaves, assistants, and whatever else they needed them to be, they taught them Magic, and how to fight. After several generations, with the help of Humans, Elves, and their descendants, the Half-elven children, along with powerful magics taught to them by the Aberrations, attempted to overthrow the Gods. They slew Sol & Luna, and severely wounded Janit, before Plois, Ghram, Andal and Nalla succeeded in crushing the rebellion. Sol became the sun, and Luna became the moon, and thus the cycle of day and night continued without them. Janit's blood spilled across the land, infused with his anger and sadness, it transformed those that it touched.
His blood transformed many of the remaining humans into twisted, hateful and darker versions of themselves, and thus the Vampries where born, and from them, after forcefully, or by tricking Elves, the Dhampir were eventually born. Gaia, who's hatred of her siblings deaths, and the hatred of their creations, unleashed a dark, deplorable, curse on the Elves of those involved in slaying them, and these families became the Tieflings, forever cursed to bear the sin of their ancestors. Several surviving highborn Drow and High Elves gathered their families, and using ancient magics, twisted their form so they could survive in the depths of the ocean, to hide from the wrath of the remaining Gods, although the dark things they found their would twist them even further and eventually they became the Gillmen.
Many centuries have passed since then, and the story of the Gods has faded into myth. Today, the descendants of the Elven people, Half-Elves and Half-Drow, are split into two kingdoms, with many of the Half-Elves living in the Great Southern forest, and the Half-Drow living mostly in the Northern mountain range . The Gillmen, as their called, live mostly in large costal cities, standing both above ground, and deep beneath the water. Tieflings and Dhampir, commonly seen as outcast, are typically nomadic, but some have gotten together and made small cities dotting the western plains, although some larger cities can be found as well.
So, I decided to use Elves as the main basis for the core races. That means most Tieflings and Dhampir are Half-Elf instead of Half-Human. Tieflings are not cursed by the blood of demon forbearers, instead cursed by Gaia for the sins of their ancestors. Gillmen are no longer former humans, or, originally twisted by the Abolths. I pretty much wanted to focus on the creation myth of the world, it's 5 main inhabitants, and some other bits for story. I could definitely take the time and flesh this out better, giving more detail to what goes on in the current year of this world, along with other details.
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Okay, using my own method I got..
16, 3, 10, 17, and 7. Looks like Dwarves, Orcs, Gnomes, Undine and Sylph.
What a strange combination...
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I just can't take Flumphs seriously...
Warforged
Dwarf
Orc
Half-Orc
Forlarren
Mul (half-dwarf/half-human)
This setting writes itself, really.
Vegepygmy
Goliath
Duergar
Nymph
Cecaelia
And an alternate, just because:
Centaur
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Can't believe I'm only just now discovering this awesome thread. I gotta give this a shot, let's see what we get!
23 - Lizardfolk
70 - Spriggan
43 - Pixie
25 - Vanara
56 - Minotaur
Hmm... These races seem to lend themselves to a forest setting, except for the minotaur. This should be interesting, I'll be back soon with a rough draft.
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Thank you so much! But we should really be thanking Mikaze. This is one of the all-time best threads on the forum, in my opinion.
5d100
Dwarf, Minotaur, Dark Folk, Strix, Hag-Kin ChangelingsDwarves and minotaurs go together like wine and cheese. The strix and changelings, though...that's gonna be a tough sell.
Four month mark? Better think of something fast! I'm a month behind my standard pattern!
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"HELLO, and welcome to MinCo™!" the voice blared out. The dark creeper ignored it, walking hurriedly ahead. "We hope that you enjoy your visit, and remind you to take one of the MinCo™-approved™ Safety Muskets™ for your own protection should you choose to enter the Restricted Lower Quarters™, colloquially known as the "Gloom Tunnels"™."
The hallway was long and pitch black. The only sounds she made were the soft pats of her bare feet and the swishing of her long cloak, but even these were drowned out by the constant blabbering of the magic mouth Welcome Rune. "Incidentally, we at MinCo™ remind you NOT to enter the Restricted Lower Quarters™, colloquially known as the "Gloom Tunnels"™, as they are NOT SAFE and STRICTLY FORBIDDEN™ to lesser beings. Minotaurs™ and Clanless™ are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN™ from journeying through one of the Restricted Lower Quarter Hatches™, colloquially known as "Doomhatches"™, unless your Friendly Dwarverseer™ accompanies you.
A sign on the wall depicted a smiling minotaur pushing a cart full of glowing pale ore. The dwarven runes read, "MinCo: What's MINE is OURS!". A long string of symbols, including ™, followed the company motto.
She rolled her eyes, though beneath her hood, nobody could see it. Hopefully, though, nobody could see her. She hoped the strix had kept up his end of the bargain. She looked at one of the MinCo Caretakers. The little rune-encrusted ball of glass looked back at her, nearly invisible up in the high ceiling.
"REMEMBER: Dark folk™ DO infest the Restricted Lower Quarters™, as well as other Undesirables™, and they WILL feast upon your flesh™ should you come within their reach without the guidance of a Friendly Dwarverseer™ to protect™ you!"
She kept walking. There were several large, locked doors ahead. She had to make sure she found the right one before the dwarves worked out which of the Welcome Runes had been activated. She examined the runes above the doors, then looked at the scroll in her hand. She only got one shot at this thing.
"ALERT™!" The voice suddenly picked up in volume. She clutched her ears, caught off-guard. "All MinCo Enforcers™ be advised! A suspected Undesirable™ has entered the Menagerial District™!"
She picked out the door and hurried towards it. Unlike the others, it was crafted out of thick stone. As she began to read off the scroll, she heard the stamping of metal footsteps. Dwarven shouts echoed through the hall. She spared a glance back—three dwarves and two iron golems.
She grinned as the scroll completed successfully, and the door swung open. She looked the lead dwarf in the eye, then pointed to the glowing runes above the door. "Too late."
RUST MONSTER MATING BALL ROOM
OCCUPIED
Comprised of three allied clans of dwarves—Clan Miagro, Clan Intterak, and Clan Nasma—MinCo™ has ruled the great MtCo™ (formerly known as Mt. Strixarin) for as long as any of its Law-Abiding Residents™ choose to remember. The labyrinth of tunnels has gradually expanded like a cancer in the mountain, slowly hollowing it out from the inside out.
The minotaurs are from a far-off land long since stripped of resources by the industrious dwarves. Gradually, their relationship with the dwarves has progressed from enemies at first meeting, to allies during the Hag Wars, to employees as their own resources dwindled, and finally to whatever they are now. Minotaurs have a proud cultural heritage that has been ferociously stomped out by their masters, and to this day treasure puzzles, games of wit, and lateral thinking. What culture remains encourages minotaurs to seek unorthodox solutions to problems (though it also encourages them to know how to use an axe in case more orthodox solutions are needed). Not all minotaurs are happy about their servitude, and many seek to erode the powerful alliance of dwarf clans from within. These minotaurs often use their cunning to subvert the much more direct-minded dwarves' commands.
The strix are the native and rightful owners of the mountain they still call Mt. Strixarin. When they first met the dwarves, MinCo™ politely requested use of the mountain's interior. They reasoned that, as the strix only used the outside of it, there was no reason to object. The strix, seeing the state of the minotaurs, objected. Violently. Now, the strix are much fewer in number, and their continued embrace of "hag magic" (arcane magic) has not helped their image since then. Strix despise the deep tunnels, but as their nests and hollows are burned and collapsed, many have crept within regardless, or even been bought off. Some strix do work for MinCo™ these days, and have in fact done quite well for themselves. As long as they toe the line. Others continue to fight, and a small outpost of strix called "Last Roost" survives atop the mountain, using powerful artifacts to keep their enemies at bay.
The changelings are a bit of an embarrassment to MinCo™. During the Hag Wars, some minotaurs and dwarves were tempted or claimed by the foul magic of the hags, and changelings were the result. They are referred to as "Clanless", and almost entirely disenfranchised—not least for their innate talent for "hag magic". Many changelings hide their "abnormalities" if at all possible. Others journey down to the Gloom Tunnels to make their fortune there. Many remember concepts introduced to them by their mothers, and some more ruthless changelings seek to conquer Last Roost and use the artifacts within to take control of the entire mountain.
And in the Gloom Tunnels, one finds the dark folk. The dark folk never really lived in the upper reaches of the mountain even before MinCo™ moved in, but they never like being told where to go. They signed agreements and promptly proceeded to ignore them. Dark folk are utterly despised by MinCo™, and MinCo™ has undertaken numerous strategies to eliminate them, such as their most drastic strategy: Releasing clouds of toxic gas beneath. This has succeeded in all-but wiping out many deep-dwelling species like rust monsters (outside of the dwarves' captured specimens, of course), while also making the dark folk themselves both more numerous (due to the lack of predators) and much more angry. They welcome enemies of MinCo™ with open arms, but their wild, totally free ways can be unnerving to many newcomers used to the strict structured style of MinCo™. Their current leader is a politically savvy but highly radical and aggressive dark slayer who preaches the motto, "Make the mountain great again."
The dwarves rule the mountain. In theory. In reality, Clan Miagro and Clan Intterak rule the mountain, and Clan Nasma cleans up after them. MinCo™ is a powerful force largely controlled by the two clans that managed to mostly avoid fighting in the Hag Wars. Clan Nasma, which, alongside the minotaurs, committed to the bulk of the conflict, is decidedly the weakest of the three. Because of this, Clan Nasma is the most friendly to minotaurs, the most hostile to changelings, and the most sympathetic to those who object to the status quo. Many dwarves retain good ideals and fear that MinCo™ is becoming an increasingly immoral entity, but those who object have an uncanny tendency to trip and fall into one of the "Doomhatches"—a handy way to get rid of someone, as dwarves don't tend to live long in the miasma-clouded Gloom Tunnels where dwell the dark folk, their fellow rebels, and worse things. Dwarves themselves value technological prowess and divine magic highly, as well as "stone calligraphy"—runecarving.
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Gargoyle, Adlet, Duergar, Thri-Kreen, Shae.
Well, this should be interesting. I already have an idea.
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Gnoll
Catfolk
Vanaras
Dueragur
Thri-Kreen
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Looks like we've got some bi-thri-kreen going on.
And Double Duergar, too.
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Harpy
Vodyanoi
Nymph
Dwarf
Tengu
Dragon-Based Humanoid
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Monkey-folk
Medusa
Sylph
Merfolk
Thri-kreen
Sounds like the makings of a Magic: the Gathering set right there...
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Derro
Asherati
Darfellan
Satyr
Dragonborn
...
I got nothing.
1d100 Derro
1d100 Asherati
1d100 Darfellan
1d100 Satyr
1d100 Dragonborn...
I got nothing.
Well, each of those represent a kind of regional dominance: derro the underground, asherati the sands, darfellan the coasts and seas, satyrs the hills and forests, and dragonborn everything else (mountains, plains, swamps, etc.). Does that help?
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Another connection: Satyrs and derro are both in their own ways kind of nuts.
1d100 Derro
1d100 Asherati
1d100 Darfellan
1d100 Satyr
1d100 Dragonborn...
I got nothing.
Well, each of those represent a kind of regional dominance: derro the underground, asherati the sands, darfellan the coasts and seas, satyrs the hills and forests, and dragonborn everything else (mountains, plains, swamps, etc.). Does that help?
Another connection: Satyrs and derro are both in their own ways kind of nuts.
Hey, yeah. Could lead to some interesting racial tensions/racism for reasons of false-association.
A wild kind of semi-insanity (or full-on insanity in the case of derro) of hedonism, individualism, and anarchy; opposed by the tendencies for the rigid militarism of dragonborn (as servitors of the platinum dragon/bahamut); compared or contrasted with the communal survivalist tendencies of the darfellan and asherati - both of which can and do live "below" the "surface" in some ways - in hidden, secluded places of close-knit tribal groups.
Which begs to be compared and contrasted: the satyrs', darfellans', and asheratis' tendencies toward either being loners or being tribal and primitive with the more 'advanced' and 'civilized' dragonborn and (sort of) derro.
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1d100 Derro
1d100 Asherati
1d100 Darfellan
1d100 Satyr
1d100 Dragonborn...
I got nothing.
Well, each of those represent a kind of regional dominance: derro the underground, asherati the sands, darfellan the coasts and seas, satyrs the hills and forests, and dragonborn everything else (mountains, plains, swamps, etc.). Does that help?Another connection: Satyrs and derro are both in their own ways kind of nuts.Hey, yeah. Could lead to some interesting racial tensions/racism for reasons of false-association.
A wild kind of semi-insanity (or full-on insanity in the case of derro) of hedonism, individualism, and anarchy; opposed by the tendencies for the rigid militarism of dragonborn (as servitors of the platinum dragon/bahamut); compared or contrasted with the communal survivalist tendencies of the darfellan and asherati - both of which can and do live "below" the "surface" in some ways - in hidden, secluded places of close-knit tribal groups.
Which begs to be compared and contrasted: the satyrs', darfellans', and asheratis' tendencies toward either being loners or being tribal and primitive with the more 'advanced' and 'civilized' dragonborn and (sort of) derro.
niiiiiice
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Oh, nice. Two spider races and two water races.
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Oh, nice. Two spider races and two water races.
... and an undecided one...
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I'll be back with a full post later but I wanted to try my hand at this. My rolls were based on the Wizards Dice Roller.
62 Cecaelia
82 Changeling
31 Duergar
90 Dragonborn
08 Orc
I have a good feeling about this.
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my wife rolled and got
Pseudodragon, Gargoyle, Grindylow, Undine, and Centaur
the hard part I attempted to turn pseudodragon into an RP breakup to see roughly how it compares to everyone else, and found it to be around 38ish, not counting the poison and blindsense, which i couldn't find a close enough equivilent for. so looks like grindylow and undine will get boosted for this world. probably centaur too. not sure yet. will post a mock write-up or the world in a bit.
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Wayang
Gearman (Constructed race)
Grippli
Orc
Uldra (Small, cold-weather fey creatures)
Long ago, Ozarrk was a massive planet dominated by thick-barked trees of godlike proportions, tall and with canopies scraping the murky, misty heavens. These trees encompassed the entire ecosystem of the planet, the crust of which had no dry land, only water cloudy enough to match the foggy heavens above. The trees were supported by towers of roots seeping into the swampy soup. Somehow, the bottoms of the trees were massive hollows surrounded by a ring of column-like roots supporting the massive trunks, and were as dark as pitch, an eternal night. In the murky depths of the water, nothing lived. All deceased creatures would drop from the mile high trees into the waters to be recycled back into the life cycle of the planet.
In the first few billion years of the strange Ozarrk's existence, two main humanoid races established a foothold within the trees: the Grippli and the Orc. They lived very different lives, and for millennia never knew of the other species. Grippli lived on branches near the canopies of the trees, hungrily devouring their way through the swarms of monster insects that lived in the sunniest reaches of the trees. The thin atmosphere of the planet ended up allowing the Grippli of the high canopy to develop a unique adaption: Heat storage. During the day, the canopy would heat to scalding temperatures, and the Grippli would store the heat in sacs near their stomachs to help them digest food. During the night, the sacs would let heat flow into the naturally cold-blooded animal's blood stream to heat its body. Grippli learned to do the majority of their hunting at night to help keep their bodies from freezing in the frigid night air.
Orcs, on the other hand, are blind on this planet. Well, blind sensing. They lived since the dawn of their era in the outer layers of the thick trees' bark, carving out colonies in the wood and never seeing the light of the sun. They developed acute vibrational senses that help them to detect when prey is munching its way through the mid-layers of the bark. From there, the orcs used their natural strength to tear through the sappy wood and reach a meal- typically one large enough to last a fully grown male orc for days, making the vast amount of energy expended to catch the prey entirely worth it.
Ozarrk was untouched in this state for billions of years. There was a minor amount of evolution in the creatures of the planet and the trees themselves, but the trees still stretched upwards for miles and lived for hundreds of thousands of years.
---
8.13 Billion Years Post Formation- The Ripping
---
Deities get bored. Deities get rambunctious. And sometimes, deities make mistakes. The Ripping was one of these mistakes. It changed Ozarrk forever.
One moment, a powerful god of entropic chaos plane-shifts between three planes at once, trying to see if it can exist on all three at the same time. The next moment, all three planes were torn up and down, spacial anomalies and planar overlaps everywhere. Ozarrk was the center of the Material Plane's ripping. A shadowy deity's army of millions of wayang slave engineers was the center of the Shadow Plane's ripping. A frozen tundra of a demiplane was completely destroyed at the chaos deity's third point of connection, and an entire race of tiny icy fae known as Uldra were almost entirely wiped out of existence in the process.
When the dust settled, half of Ozarrk was completely missing, leaving the planet a bizarre semi-sphere of a planet, held together only by the arcane magics expelled from the decimated demiplane in The Ripping. What was left of Ozarrk was alien and fragmented. Trees grew upward into black voids, and what used to be the canopy was split from the trees entirely and hung in the air as if held in place by invisible puppet strings. The temperature of the entire planet had dropped drastically. The murky waters of the planet's crust was frozen in place.
What Ozarrk is currently is chaos, as if the deity who destroyed the planet had somehow become an integral part of the planet itself. The Wayang, seeing that their homes in Shadow plane were being crushed under mile-wide tree trunks, began to tunnel into the trees as the orcs had once done, only to be greeted by the barbarous orcs themselves. The orcs, who had never sensed a creature living beyond the bark of their precious trees, fought bravely against the alien Wayang as any territorial warrior would.
As the Wayang population diminished to tiny numbers, the Wayang's deity realized that there was only one way for his creations to live on: create their own race. The Wayang were used to the fires of the forges and clash of hammers on metal; they had been forced to serve the deity for their entire millennia-long lives. So they created a protection from the orcs. An anti-orc in its own right. The Wayang created a race called the Gearmen. They were the antithesis of orcs, were everything that the orcs needed to learn to be. They were programmed to act as a cohesive unit. They were weaponized, while orcs fought with their sharp teeth and filed claws. They had no fleshy organs to target. The orcs didn't know how to destroy this new menece, and the tables have suddenly turned. The Wayang and the Gearmen have, as of late, destroyed the orc population, leaving only a few orc undiscovered in the most remote trees of Ozarrk. The orc are dying out, and a new order of Wayang is beginning to replace them.
---
The Uldra and the Grippli, on the other hand, are a success story of utmost teamwork and cooperation. Neither have the slightest clue about the constant war between the Wayang and the Orc, and are not at all affected by it. See, both of these races were left to fend for themselves in a new, frigid environment full of rapidly evolving monsters and nightmarish terrors from the Shadow Plane. Grippli are used to the canopy, but many died from the cold, not knowing how to stay warm without the blaring daily sunlight of above. The Uldra have always lived on a tundra, and have no idea how to fend for themselves in the thick foliage of the ex-canopy. Though they were shy and afraid of each other at first, the two races have come together and learned that they are an extremely mutually beneficial pair: Grippli help Uldra build shelter and find food, and Uldra use their knowledge of the tundra to craft heat-efficient garb for the Grippli from the furs and hides that the Grippli hunt.
---
Ozarrk is a world of incredible variety, especially after The Ripping, but makeshift civilizations still live in its harsh climate. Whether fighting to protect a home or working together to survive, the races of the Ozarrk are varied, dangerous, and may prove to be Ozarrk's last hope.
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5d100
Gargoyle, Adlet, Duergar, Thri-Kreen, Shae.
Well, this should be interesting. I already have an idea.
"Well, what have we here?" Chutter put down her dusting tools. She rubbed her main claws together, then gripped with all four at a glass cylinder stuck in the cliff face. She tugged with all her might.
The cylinder came out about one inch. She let out an angry series of clicks.
"What is tiny bug trying to do?"
Chutter turned. A hulking wolf-like beast with glowing blue eyes loomed over her, giving a wide, toothy grin that she knew had nothing to do with kindness or mirth. It breathed out, and she felt icy particles form on her chitinous front.
"Looks like the shadowmen left behind one of their scrolls," she clicked to the adlet. "One of those big ones. Ones..." She cocked her head, searching for the word. "Ones made of that soft stuff."
"Fabric." She and the wolfperson turned. Bulvyeg was walking over, accompanied by three other duergar. The aged solider peered at the cylinder. "A shae tapestry. Exquisite."
"Hey." Chutter released some anger pheromones. The dark dwarves all stiffened, while the adlet's grin widened. "I found it first. Don't get that greedy look in your eye. Mine."
Bulvyeg's eyes narrowed. He leaned over. "Perhaps you should have brought more members of your hive," he muttered, "if you thought you deserved the right to claim anything in our excavations. This is Ulkerieg territory, and...Oh, I'm sorry, that's right." He adopted an expression of mock embarrassment. "You haven't got a hive, have you?"
Chutter's claws sprang to her scimitars. At the same time, the duergar lunged for their own weapons. She was about to leap at the fleshy freak when she heard the ponderous words of the wolfman again.
"Beardmen. Bug. Maybe you can kill each other." The adlet snorted. "Maybe. Maybe."
It pointed up. They all followed its finger. A great wooden vessel had descended from the clouds. Vaguely resembling a mix of nautical ship and carriage, it was born aloft from the top by eight winged beasts of stone. Its interior was totally pitch-black. The barge was headed straight for the ledge.
"But maybe," the wolfman went on, "we should reach our elevator before they do."
Gulvyeg turned away from Chutter and roared out,
With a final wrench, Chutter yanked the cylinder from its fossilized resting place and bolted—just as the panic set in.
In the Living Valley's beginning, there was only darkness and stone. From the stone grew enormous masses of fungi. From the darkness came the shae. Within the towering fungi, the shae carved their cities and civilizations, crafting wondrous treasures and powerful guardians. For centuries they ruled. Then the light reached the desert, and the fungi died. They fled within their homes, clinging to what darkness remained, and concocted one last creation as their civilizations crumbled around them. From the stone came the gargoyles. Beasts of flesh and rock, these creatures would serve the shae abroad, venturing out into the hated light and using their wings to provide shade and transport.
But now that light was here, others began to arrive. From beneath the stone came the duergar, led by a charismatic leader in exodus from some ancient distant war. The duergar were eager to loot the remains of the shae empire for magic and gold. Some actually ascended straight up into the fungal mesas to do so.
Meanwhile, from some old failed experiments long ago there came the thri-kreen. These would become this valley's second rulers. They bred quickly and fast, overwhelming those who sought to rule the surface with sheer numbers. But they had a custom: When a hive grew too great, it would split apart. Eventually, the numbers of hives themselves became too great, and the species tore itself apart in the War of Queens.
And finally, in this time, the desert had turned into a prairie, and from the mountains surrounding the desert came the adlets, white-furred wolfmen eager to explore this new tundra.
Shae: The shae once ruled this land, but now they are confined to the few fossilized plateaus of fungus that haven't been totally overrun yet. They are a weary giant surrounded by mosquitoes, and though many of them long to drive out those who would loot their remains, many others simply wish to make their way in this new world—or even team up with the looters to try to learn more about their legacy. Shae are a very proud people, but tend to struggle with explaining exactly what they have to be proud of due to their loss of lore. They hate the sunlight, but contrary to popular conception, it doesn't actually kill them. They usually respect gargoyles, but they see duergar as brutish murderers, thri-kreen as upstart vermin, and don't really know what to make of adlets.
Gargoyles: Theoretically, the vulture-like soaring gargoyles are perfectly loyal to their creators. They carry the shae aloft in great shaded "goylebarges" the few times the shae decide to really confront particularly impetuous looters, and generally serve as faithful protectors and servants. But many gargoyles are growing increasingly discontented, especially because many shae are slipping in showing the gargoyles the respect and privilege they have grown accustomed to—either due to a decay in values or, more often, a simply decay in resources. Some gargoyles have even taken to leaving their warrens, though with no way to reproduce, there is always some pressure to stay with the species.
Gargoyles are instilled with strong senses of duty and prefer to have a cause, but can also be tremendously fervent philosophers—if one gets it into its head to drop that duty, it will become one of the most pedantic proponents of this new ideology in mere hours. They generally respect shae (who they see as equal partners rather than masters), grudgingly admire duergar's sense of tradition, and actually have a strong kinship with their fellow creations, the thri-kreen. Adlets interest them tremendously.
Duergar: The duergar of the valley are not actually evil, though they are very self-interested. They fled a hostile and warlike society and have since formed layer upon layer of confusing, overlapping traditions meant to avert such senseless conflict. All this has led to them being virtually paralyzed as a society. Now, many seek to reform the traditions—all in different directions.
This said, they can all agree on common enemies, and will generally let traditions slide before a majority vote. Duergar see the gargoyles mainly as dangerous weapons, the shae as arrogant, impotent fops, adlets as extremely handy but risky tools, and generally detest the thri-kreen. Despite this, duergar society teaches them to be willing to work with just about anyone. Duergar are very interested in treasure, since being rich is the main way anything really happens in their society.
Adlets: The adlets are chaotic and strange in their behavior. They don't have strong bonds to fellow adlets, but generally respect adlets more than non-adlets. That doesn't mean they're friendlier to their own race, however—in general, the less an adlet respects you, the nicer it will be to you. Adlets do have two sexes, but entirely lack much of any concept of gender, and most other species assume adlets reproduce asexually because of this. Adlets who identify strongly with a gender actually tend to run into problems within what society adlets have.
Adlets are violent and mean, but this is more a manner than a moral stance. They have little interest in treasure. Instead, adlets treasure stories, and like to learn about the other species as much as possible. Adlets therefore have roughly the same opinion of all non-adlets: Interesting. Some have had bad experiences with the thri-kreen, though, due to one hive that has the custom of making adlet pup skins into hats.
Thri-Kreen: The thri-kreen were originally created by the shae, then cast aside in favor of gargoyles. They were not successfully destroyed, however, and actually learned how to create "queens" within their society. A deliberately engineered eusocial species emerged, and the thri-kreen rapidly spread to cover the entire valley. During the recent War of Queens, though, many of the newer hives were totally obliterated. It is important to note that thri-kreen hives do not overlap—a thri-kreen whose hive has been destroyed has nowhere to go. Even a stranded queen, if alone, cannot replenish her people—she needs more from her own hive to accomplish anything. Numerous thri-kreen are therefore now hiveless or all-but-hiveless, forced to wander the prairie until their inevitable death.
Thri-kreen have strongly social mentalities, so some have taken to forming "surrogate hives". Generally, they do this with other species—even nonsentient ones like coyotes or prairie dogs—rather than fellow thri-kreen. Though thri-kreen have very strong survival instincts, many would rather die than let harm come to their hive. Thri-kreen hate the shae, who they (wrongly) suspect encouraged the War of Queens to get bloodier and bloodier. They can barely stand duergar and are relatively neutral on gargoyles and adlets.
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Satyr, Harpy, Sahuagin, Pseudodragon, Shae
Oh, come on. Shae twice in a row?
That said, this is just the excuse I needed to do that other idea I had. Back in 1-3 months!
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Satyr, Harpy, Sahuagin, Pseudodragon, Shae
*Crackle*
~~ AAAAAAAaaand before we get back to your sick satyr tunes, here's a message from our sponsors! ~~
Oh, great." Aspha grimaced. "What is it this time?"
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"Good gods, Skask!" Aspha's hands flew to her ears. The harpy flapped her wings and landed on a small rocky outcropping in the surf, displacing two very irritated seagulls in the process. They squawked at her. She ignored them. "Do you have to make that horrible . . . noise?"
Skask, a housecat-sized dragon with a long stingered tail and a bad drinking habit, alighted on the rocks next to her. ~It's not technically a noise,~ the pseudodragon's voice said in her head. ~It's in your brain, I mean. And I can't really help it, no. We just entered sahuagin waters, and you know how obnoxious the sahuagins' pseudodragons tend to be about their broadcasts.~
Aspha watched as Skask started snatching up seagull eggs. In the perpetual darkness of these oceans, the little dragon was just a dark gray shape among other lighter gray shapes. It had been a while since Aspha had had the pleasure of seeing her friend's beautiful purple scales glinting under proper light. This outing had taken longer than planned.
She rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, can you put the sahuagins' broadcasts on instead, then?" She watched Skask swallow each egg whole, entirely heedless of the seagulls pecking at her scaly hide. "I just want some music playing while we scavenge. I don't care if it's their national anthem, or . . . whalesong, or whatever those moistmothers play. Anything's better than silence."
Skask gave what for a dragon passed for a shrug. She reached up and fidgeted with the little metal implant embedded among her sharp horns, allowing her innate telepathy to be overridden by another broadcast—this time one put out by a nearby sahuagin-run pseudodragon station.
~~ ...REMINDER TO ALL GOOD CITIZENS TO GIVEGOOD BORROWEDWEALTH TODAY. IT IS GOOD GENERAL MALFEKNIOR'S BIRTHDAY TODAY. GENERAL MALFEKNIOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING ALL GOOD CITIZENS FROM THE NOTGOOD SHADOWCRIMEDOERS. AS WELL AS THE VERYNOTGOOD WRONGBRIGHTFOLK. REMINDER, TODAY IS DOUBLEDAY, SO DOUBLE BORROWEDWEALTH WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE RETURNED TO GOOD GENERAL MALFEKNIOR. FAILURE TO GIVEGOOD DOUBLE BORROWEDWEALTH IS CONSIDERED BADCRIMEDO, AND IS ADDRESSED VIA ~~
"NEVER MIND! Forget I asked!"
Drunkards, seers, and those with mental disorders inadequately treated sing, scream and mutter of a distant ocean. Sailors with more guts than brains brag of having sailed far, across the sea, across the next sea, further and further out. Sailing to the sunset. Sailing into an ocean where darkness holds perpetual reign, an ocean caught between the Plane of Shadow and the Material. A world where darkness means protection from the Lurkers in Light. A world from which there is no return—but then how, the less-drunk ask, did this sailor come back?
But to those originating in this land, it is the Silent Ocean. The last remnants of a world nearly destroyed, flung into the very cosmology of the multiverse to spare it oblivion. Scraps still being picked clean, but slower, now. One day the Lurkers of Light will track down the last shaeman, and the precarious balance will shift, and darkness will fail to the unbearable brightness.
But for now, business is business, and business must grow.
The shaes are those responsible for this world's questionable salvation. Once, they belonged to a race long forgotten—some near-hairless ape creatures with huge goblin-like feet. But to escape the lurkers' inexorable advance on the world, their leaders worked a powerful spell. And continue to work it to this "day". The magics dragged their nation's cathedral, scattered pockets of land, and a vast ocean to fill the void into a pocket dimension adjacent to the Plane of Shadow. Now, the shaemans—those same leaders, unable to die of old age, rabidly protected by the faithful and scattered to several secure sanctuaries—hold their world together in a frail balance. Many shaes have taken to wandering in ghostly ships, hunting lurkers in light that have made it in, protecting old relics that the more unpleasant sort would seek to pilfer and sell. Others are that more unpleasant sort. Most, however, seek simply to live in piece in the enormous and perpetually-on-the-brink-of-collapse Cathedral of Shadow: The capital of shae culture, or what's left of it.
The harpies were caught in the spell by virtue of being a maritime species already. Now, many nest in the shaes' cathedral's rafters, repairing and recobbling what can be salvaged in exchange for the residence. Though many call the cathedral home, most still venture out, salvaging the very ruins the shaes would rather preserve. Many have turned to piracy. Many harpies are an oddly upbeat lot. They still love music, and gravitate towards satyr barges where they can freely sing before willing crowds. Others have kept to the roots of harpy culture, however, and hunt humanoids as the harpies of old once did: With mesmerizing song and bloodied claws.
The sahuagins are a complicated lot. Dragged into the Silent Ocean despite having no need of it (at least in their arrogant minds—the lurkers had not yet begun targeting their depths), their structured, labyrinthine society curses the shaes and lurkers in the same breath. That said, most actual sahuagin are actually very easy people to get along with. Life is easy for a sahuagin who follows the many, many complicated, sometimes contradictory laws, and most sahuagin privately realize that the greatest problem for their species is their leadership, not those on the outside. It is quite common for sahuagins to venture out to trade and "get away from it all", and some even become adventurers—though the price for this unscheduled departure can vary from "community service" to "death by jellyfish", depending on what day of the week the sahuagins' calendar thinks it is today.
The satyrs are an abrasive and confusing species. Long ago, several of their kind made a deal with their fellow fey, the lurkers in light. The details of this deal are lost to the annals of history, but it might have something to do with why so many satyrs are still alive. It is a source of shame to the satyrs, and they try very hard to keep it on the down-low around other species. The satyr culture is capricious, wild, and extremely "used car salesman-ish". Most satyrs run enormous barges, guarded by well-paid security and powered by potent sorcery. From there, they broadcast their location to the whole Ocean, advertising all sorts of useful products. Be it mercenaries, some old technology, or a long-lost treasure map, there's little you can't find at a satyr barge auction. Other satyrs wander on little skiffs, seeking treasures or fortune. Some, it is said, even seek a way to stop the lurkers in light, and redeem their people's forgotten betrayal.
But how does an ocean with no natural sunlight and little in the way of real landmasses allow four distinct cultures to communicate at all?
Pseudodragons, that's how. These canny creatures were enslaved by what the shaes used to be long ago, but now they fly free—albeit with little radio transmitters embedded in their heads that, disturbingly enough, seem to actually "breed true". In large enough numbers, pseudodragons can broadcast messages across the world, or jam the signals of other stations. All pseudodragons can tap into frequencies along with their innate telepathy—it's some sort of fusion of magic and technology. Because of this incredibly useful ability, Pseudodragons can find employment with just about everyone, though they find it hard to make real friends after how the proto-shaes treated them. But business is business.
Naga, half-elf, changeling (hag-kin), dragonborn, tengu. Lot of familiar faces, huh? I guess nagas are new...
...
And then there's the part where I hate all my rolls and privately decide that this will be the time I just give up and reroll, this time for sure, I'm gonna do it, just you watch me.
Hrm. Might as well give it a try!
Nereid (aquatic nymph-like fey)
Serpentfolk
Dark Folk
Nixie
Spriggan
... Lotta fae-flavor here. I like it!