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I'm about to start a campaign based in Katapesh and involving extensively the Obari Ocean as opposed to the Inner Sea. One thing I'm working on is the PC races, and I'm thinking of a different set of races:
Human, Gnome, Halfling, Suli, Gnoll, Ifrit, Oread, Sylph, Undine.
I'm also thinking of beefing up the non-Suli races as follows (Sulis are fine as is):
Oread: Add Stability and +1 Natural Armor
Sylph: Add Vestigial Wings (not as real wings, but as an affinity for flight)
Undine: With a Swim speed, they're fine as is
Ifrit: Not sure, but not an attack form--don't want them to seem like fire-only Sulis!
For Gnolls, I'm not sure how I plan to do it. I like John Mangrum's version, though.
Thoughts? Potential pitfalls?
I'd add in Vanara; while the fluff of them places them primarily as a Vudran race, they would certainly fit in a Garundi campaign with a few fluff tweaks.
two words CAT FOLK
Have you taken a look at the Advanced Race Guide's section on Featured Races? It might give you some ideas for alternatives to the races you mention above.
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I've been looking through the Advanced Race Guide. Certainly there would be possibilities for catfolk, vanaras, tengu, vishkanyas, and ratfolk. So now we're looking at a list like:
Human
Gnome
Halfling
Gnoll
Suli
Ifrit
Oread
Sylph
Undine
Catfolk
Ratfolk
Tengu
Vanara
Vishkanya
Twice the number of possible choices than standard. Starting out in a place as cosmopolitan as Katapesh, that's probably fine. On the other hand, we're reaching the point that it might just be thrown open to the entire list (why not dwarves and samsarans?).
So how would you feel? Would you rather see a tight list of races for a campaign, or a very wide open one?
One thing that does bother me is that catfolk, ratfolk, tengu, vanaras, and vishkanyas are all +Dex races. It kind of reduces variability. I'm going to think about this some more.
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So now we're looking at a list like:
Human
Gnome
Halfling
Gnoll
Suli
Ifrit
Oread
Sylph
Undine
Catfolk
Ratfolk
Tengu
Vanara
VishkanyaTwice the number of possible choices than standard. Starting out in a place as cosmopolitan as Katapesh, that's probably fine. On the other hand, we're reaching the point that it might just be thrown open to the entire list (why not dwarves and samsarans?).
So how would you feel? Would you rather see a tight list of races for a campaign, or a very wide open one?
I'd prefer a tighter list, myself, for the 'common' races, with others only appearing as the occasional face in the crowd or uncommon encounter.
For Katapesh, Human and Gnoll (without racial HD) seem pretty much required, flavorwise. Dwarves and Halflings also feel appropriate, but are optional if you plan on filling their niches with other races. (Gnomes, as visitors from Nex, perhaps, and Elves, barely ever, but from the Mwangi, when seen at all.)
Some sort of elemental/genie-touched races, such as the Suli or the not-Genasi, also, but I wouldn't want to use all of them. Perhaps one of them, say, the Undine, are common-ish in Katapesh, having been partially driven out of the seeper sea by local Sahuagin or something, and hugging the shallows (and even living ashore, in seaside communities), to avoid the depredations of the Sahuagin. Having noticeable populations of Undines, Oreads, Ifrit, Sylphs *and* Suli begins to feel a little too 'cantina' for me. Perhaps one or more of the others exist only out in the deserts, and are rarely seen in the cities (or are rare enough that they don't even have communities or cultures of their own, just cropping up from time to time).
Tieflings, of Div and Rakshasa bloodlines, also seem like they would be present, in at least some small numbers. A Rakshasa crimelord with a bunch of Rakshasa-blooded Tiefling flunkies, could make an interesting bit of local flavor. (Particularly if she's a female Rakshasa, and is the mother (or, in some cases, grandmother, etc.) of all of the tieflings who work in her little crime-family, and so is somewhat protective of them and regards it as a very personal betrayal if one of them strays from her motherly stewardship...)
While I'm obviously already making an exception for Gnolls, which should be rife in the area, I'm not a huge fan of animal-headed folk, so I'd skip Tengu and Ratfolk entirely, and perhaps only have the rare Catfolk (nomadic tribes that roam the desert, mostly seen in Katapesh proper as slaves brought in for sale by the Gnolls).
Vanara and Vishkanya would be dead last on the list, IMO. They don't feel very 'Katapesh-y' to me.
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Why not just discuss this with your players? See what they would think would fit?
Or, yanno, what he said. :)
Find out what they want to play, and those will be the races you can put more of a focus on as natives of *this* version of Katapesh (unless one of them specifically *wants* to be 'the only catfolk in town'), while the others fade into the background!
Within reason, of course. If one player wants to play a Gebbite expatriate Dhampir, and have there be a smallish 'Dhampir quarter' in town with dozens of like-blooded fellows, that's cool, but if another PC wants there to be a large population of Aasimar or Changelings or Androids, that doesn't quite fit the region or themes as well...
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My players are relatively new to Pathfinder, and even newer to Golarion. Although they are interested in something new, too many choices could lead to paralysis. So that's why I'm speaking about it here, as well.
Gnomes are definitely in, though. They're popular with this group.
But, thanks for the discussion! I think I'm going to cut down the list to as follows:
Human
Gnome
Halfling
Gnoll
Suli
Catfolk
Ratfolk
With the note that the catfolk and ratfolk are rare.
My players are relatively new to Pathfinder, and even newer to Golarion. Although they are interested in something new, too many choices could lead to paralysis. So that's why I'm speaking about it here, as well.
Gnomes are definitely in, though. They're popular with this group.
But, thanks for the discussion! I think I'm going to cut down the list to as follows:
Human
Gnome
Halfling
Gnoll
Suli
Catfolk
RatfolkWith the note that the catfolk and ratfolk are rare.
I have a couple of Suli and Gnoll feats in my thread if your interested.
shameless self pluggingwilling to work with you on some campaign themed ones too if you are interested.
And i was told there was desert Lizardfolk in the area.