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The primary homebrew setting I tinker with on and off–I only ever actually had a group to play in it with back in the pre-Pathfinder RPG days, sadly–is based in North American folklore, history, and urban legends. There's a lot of influence from Northern Crown, though the many innovative things Pathfinder does with monster roles were also a major factor.
Some place-name notes: Terrapinia is the continent analogous to North America, Pasipha is the European analogue, Hyraxia is a powerful Pasiphan nation dominated by monstrous humanoids (where humans and gnomes are second-class citizens at best, leading many to emigrate to Hyraxian colonies in Terrapinia), and Calafia is an island nation (based on the legends of California as an island) of amazons whose griffon-riding warriors defend huge natural deposits of rare metals.
The Arimaspoi are less directly based in N.A. lore, but were instead a natural extension of the development of the setting, while the Nibinabeg (sing. Nibinabe, pronounced nih-bee-nah-bay) are derived directly from lore of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Menominee, and other related cultures.
ARIMASPOI
You court danger. Legend tells that the one-eyed arimaspoi were once nothing more than a race of nocturnal nomads, until they ran afoul of some hungry griffons, which devoured the prize stallions of the high chief. When the high chief's kin hunted down and killed the griffons in revenge, they discovered a tremendous cache of treasure. Ever since then, every arimaspi trains from childhood to battle griffons (and other flying magical beasts) and win treasure, making an entire race devoted to adventuring. Until recently, this has meant that their numbers were few, but the Hyraxian queens have gathered as many arimaspoi as they could in order to battle the griffon-riding armies of Calafia and conquer western Terrapinia. Offered the chance for fame and fortune utilizing your traditional skills skills, you or your parents jumped at the opportunity to cross the ocean- or maybe to just get away from the monsters dominating Hyraxia, some of whom remind you a little too much of griffons.
Arimaspoi have the following racial traits:
Ability Scores: Dex +2, Wis +2, Cha -2. Arimaspoi are nimble and perceptive, but their singlemindedness makes them impersonal.
Size: Medium
Type: Humanoid (Arimaspi)
Base Speed: 30 ft.
Languages: Arimaspoi begin play speaking Hyraxian (substitute w/ Common). Those with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Astrenika, Calafian, Nivardais, Pahawichasa, Ohodamnoki, Shuro, or Verdanian (substitute w/ Auran, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Elven, Sphinx, and Sylvan).
Ancient Foe: Arimaspoi get a +2 dodge bonus to AC against magical beasts, and a +2 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks made to grapple creatures of that type.
Greed: Arimaspoi get a +2 bonus on Appraise checks to determine the price of non-magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds arimaspoi for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Skill Bonus: Arimaspoi get a +2 bonus to Ride and Stealth checks
Sky Sentinel: Arimaspoi gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls, a +2 dodge bonus to AC, and a +2 bonus on Perception checks against flying creatures. In addition, enemies on higher ground gain no attack roll bonus against arimaspi characters.
NIBINABEG
You are the soul of the rivers. As a nibinabe, you greatly resemble the merfolk of the ocean, but you are a creature of freshwater rather than the salty oceans. While legend tells that you and your kin can command terrible storms, the truth of the matter is that your innate powers of weather manipulation are much more limited, and while your senses are well-suited to life underwater, they put you at a disadvantage in the open air, especially with loud noises like thunder.
Nibinabeg have the following racial traits:
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom. Nibinabeg are flexible and possess great knowledge, but their senses are specialized for being underwater, and they are easily frightened.
Size: Nibinabeg are Medium creatures.
Type: Humanoid (Aquatic)
Base Speed: Nibinabeg have a base land speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumberance. They have a swim speed of 50 feet, and receive a +8 racial bonus to Swim checks.
Languages: Nibinabeg begin play speaking Neshnaabemowin (substitute w/ Common) and their own language, Nibinabemowin. Nibinabeg with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Griserlander, Kanuhsaka, Nivardais, Nunaruktitut, or Verdanian (substitute w/ Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Elven, Halfling, and Sylvan).
Camouflage: Nibinabeg gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks while in or on water.
Skill Training: Knowledge (nature) and Survival are always class skills for nibinabeg.
Water Sense: Nibinabeg can sense vibrations in water, giving them blindsense 30 ft. against creatures that are touching the same body of water.
Slapping Tail: Nibinabe can use their tails to make attacks of opportunity with a reach of 5 feet. The tail is a natural attack that deals 1d8points of damage.
Amphibious: Nibinabeg are amphibious and can breathe both air and freshwater. They cannot easily breathe saltwater, and must hold their breath or make a DC 30 Fortitude save to avoid becoming sickened for each round they attempt to breathe saltwater, plus 1d4 rounds after leaving a saltwater environment.
Nibinabe Magic: Nibinabeg add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells they cast that affect the weather. Nibinabeg with Charisma scores of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day— alter winds, read weather, obscuring mist. The caster level for these effects is equal to the nibinabe's level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the nibinabe's Charisma modifier.
Sensitive Hearing: Abrupt exposure to loud noises (including being hit by an attack dealing sonic damage) deafens nibinabeg for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are shaken as long as they remain in the affected area.
Other races in the works: Gobkin (half-goblinoid race), Skookums (kin to sasquatches), and Thunderers (beings of northeastern woodland folklore). Comments, critiques, and identification of problems are welcome!
awesome i love the theme and actually planned on doing some North American campaign stuff after assasins creed three came out so this is quite helpful
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awesome i love the theme and actually planned on doing some North American campaign stuff after assasins creed three came out so this is quite helpful
Glad you enjoyed it! Here's another one, an advanced race (should work out to about 20 RP by ARG standards, perhaps a little more) created to be antagonists in a campaign I'm preparing. They're heavily based on science fiction and conspiracy theories, so don't be surprised if this smacks a bit of V, the Chitauri, or a rant your estranged great uncle went off on the last time he was invited over:
You are the heir of hatred. Countless epochs ago, your ancestors diverged from humanity by becoming more like reptiles, though the exact cause is lost to legends. Some say that the cause was allegiance to a reptilian god cast out by the other deities of humanity, others tell of a curse wrought upon your people by an enemy nation of wizards, and still others claim that your kind are the true race of humans, and all others are stunted mutants stuck in mammalian form. Whatever the cause, you have grown up with a racial hatred and mistrust of ordinary humans and their allies. While past generations of reptoids were reduced to small numbers in secret wars against humanity, your people have learned the art of subterfuge, relying on your innate shapeshifting and a spiteful study of human instincts in order to infiltrate human society.
Placed in key positions–both those of great power, and the most unassuming roles–you and your kin subtly influence the course of human culture to bring it to destruction, even if the exact reasons are forgotten.
Although united by loathing of humans and plan of infiltration, reptoids are just as varied and diverse as your hated kin, and show a surprising range of possible features and personalities. In your natural form, you resemble a towering reptilian humanoid of at least eight feet in height, though your exact features may only be in common with your close family; you might possess slit or rounded pupils, a prominent dewlap or spiny fin, or bulbous batrachian lips. Your tail may be short and plump, or long and whiplike; your color can be anything from shades of green to gray, pitch black, or reddish earthy tones, and may be speckled or striped with other colors as well. You are especially likely to resemble only your mother, as reptoids can produce parthenogenetically, not needing the contributions of a male to bear viable children.
Although your ability to conceal your identity is a potent weapon, so too are your very humors; reptoid saliva and blood contains a highly virulent cocktail of diseases to which they are naturally immune. In their human disguises, this often leads reptoids to become "Patient Zero" for outbreaks of diseases, a role that the crueler members of this species relish.
Reptoid Racial Traits
Ability Score Racial Traits: Reptoid characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Size: Reptoids are Large creatures, and receive a -1 size bonus to their AC, a -1 size bonus on attack rolls, a +1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a -4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
Base Speed: 30 ft.
Language: Reptoids begin place speaking their own secret language of hisses and gestures (transliterated simply as "Reptoid"), and one human language. Reptoid characters with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
Bite: Reptoids have a natural bite attack (1d4 plus poison [see below]). The bite is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the creature is wielding manufactured weapons.
Breath Weapon: Once per day, as a standard action, a reptoid can make an extraordinary breath weapon attack, spitting a 10 ft. line of venom. All creatures within the affected area must make a Reflex saving throw to avoid being hit. The save DC against this breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 the user's character level + the user's Constitution modifier. Those who succeed at the save are untouched; otherwise, they contract Reptoid venom (see below).
Human Form: A reptoid character can assume the appearance of a single unique human, becoming a Medium-size creature and losing its size-based bonuses and penalties. The form is static and cannot be changed each time it takes this form. The reptoid gains a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks made to appear as a human. Changing its shape is a standard action. This trait otherwise functions as alter self, save that the creature does not adjust its ability scores.
Inborn Loathing: Reptoids are so innately disgusted by humans, that a reptoid character who attempts to perform an action that directly benefits at least one human at a cost to itself takes a -2 racial penalty to this action.
Plagueborn: Reptoid characters +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, ingested poisons, and becoming nauseated or sickened.
Silver Tongued: Reptoid characters gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Bluff checks. In addition, when they use Diplomacy to shift a creature's attitude, they can do so up to three steps up rather than just two.
Toxic: A number of times per day equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1/day), a reptoid can envenom a weapon that they wield with their toxic saliva or blood (using blood requires the reptoid to be injured when he uses this ability). Applying venom in this way is a swift action.
Reptoid Venom: Contact; save Fort DC 10 + 1/2 the reptoids's Hit Dice + the reptoid's Constitution modifier; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con; cure 1 save.
At least in the (Earth-based) campaign I'm working on, the ultimate origin of the Reptoids is that they are descended from the humans of Antichthon, the Counter-Earth, deliberately altered by the asura rana Pancavissa, the Father of Plagues, and given false (and often conflicting) memories of suffering at the hands of humanity and its gods in order to act as a weapon against them.