]The other PC races exist, but are not generally friendly to humans. You may meet elves, dwarves, etc., but like any tribal group in these dangerous lands, they aren't very trusting of strangers. Note that gnomes have not yet left the 1st world, so you're not likely to see one.
Half elves are rare, though not unheard of. Whether raised by humans or elves, they are often rejected by their tribes when they reach adulthood, or leave on their own due to feeling like they don't “fit in,” and strike out on their own to find their place in the world.
Half elves may choose two extra racial traits that fit their background.
Half orcs are less rare, but due to their fearsome appearance and traumatic conception, they are often killed at birth by human tribes. Among orc tribes, they are often abused due to their smaller size and greater intellect, and leave their tribes in search of a better life.
Half orcs are proficient with greataxes and greatclubs, They receive the Toothy racial trait, and one other racial trait that fits their background.
Halflings enjoy tight-knit tribal and family relations, though some fall afoul of strict taboos, and are sometimes rejected for being too different. They are faster than their descendants, since they don't live as luxuriously, and have plenty more things to run away from than modern halflings.
Halflings have low-light vision. They are proficient with the halfling sling staff. They are naturally nimble, and receive a +2 racial bonus to Stealth and Sleight of Hand checks. They gain the Fleet of Foot racial trait, and one other racial trait that fits their background.
Humans exhibit all the ambition and variety found in modern humans. While they are not yet close to being the dominant race they will eventually become on the surface world, they're already on the rise.
Humans may choose two extra racial traits that fit their backgrounds.
Note that some racial traits don't make sense in this caveman setting. Drow-related traits, for example, won't work, since drow don't yet exist.
Classes allowed: Adept, Expert, Warrior.
All characters have climb, knowledge (nature), perception, ride, survival and swim as class skills. You live off the land, so these things are natural to you.
All characters are proficient with simple weapons that can be made without metal, atlatls, all thrown weapons, and short bows. Crossbows don't exist.
Classes:
Shamans (Adepts) are as written, with the following changes:
Shamans (like magic itself,) are rare and unique in this world. You must have a minimum of 15 wisdom and 13 intelligence to take a level of shaman.
Shamans gain the Brew Potion feat at 3rd level, and bonus metamagic or item creation feats at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th levels, as wizards.
Shamans gain 0 level spells per day as sorcerers. A 4th level shaman can prepare 6 orisons per day, rather than 3.
Several spells have been added to the adept's spell list, so take note:
Experts are as written, but they gain Rogue talents as a rogue of their level, and may choose 4 traits at 1st level, on top of any racial traits they gain. They gain sneak attack as a rogue of their level. I'm not trying to force them to try to be like rogues (your concept may be very different), just more fun in combat.
Warriors are as written, but gain d12 hit dice. They are proficient with martial weapons not made of metal, medium armor not made of metal and wooden shields. They gain the Track ability (like Rangers), and can choose fighter-only feats, and begin play with Weapon Focus as a bonus feat. They also receive Endurance as a bonus feat at 4th level. Acrobatics is a class skill for warriors.
Warriors also get rage powers at 1st, 4th, and every 3 levels after that. Since they don't rage, the powers work as described for combat and “high alert” situations. Again, this is just to help your warrior be a little different from all the other warriors, and add a little fun.
Adepts start play with 70 gp worth of stuff and a complete healer's kit.
Experts get 140 gp worth of stuff and a masterwork item of their choice.
Warriors get 175 gp worth of stuff, and a masterwork item of their choice.
Be aware that some items can't be made in a primitive setting. There are no complex locks, though some wood or stone tools can still be used to disarm traps.[/spoiler]
Location, location, location:
The Pariah Mountains are hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and due to their location, get much less rainfall than other areas closer to the seas, or further inland.
It's sparsely populated, and not a place anyone would go to visit. That's where you live.
As long as anyone can remember, these mountains have been the destination of outcasts; people who, for whatever reasons, were ejected from their tribes. Some were criminals, some were crazy, and some just weren't liked by somebody with the wherewithal to have them exiled. It's a sort of penal colony for area tribes. Exiles are branded with their tribe's symbol, and are uniformly despised by any people they encounter. It's a death sentence, if you aren't strong enough to survive.
Many people sent to the mountains never make it. There are a lot of dangers here, and dangers in every direction leaving here. Along with the mistrusting and often cruel humans who live here, there are tribes of even meaner humanoids who eat whatever they can find, and think you look delicious.
Pariahs who aren't completely insane band together in small groups for mutual protection. They wander the valleys, scavenging whatever edibles can be found, and hunting what little over-hunted game is left, and, sometimes, fight for their lives.
If you're competent, you don't starve, but you don't really ever get fat, either. If the game lasts awhile, you will be able to visit other regions.
Weapons and Armor:
Since metallurgy has yet to be developed, weapons and armor are considered to be made of materials other than metal. There are no swords, but axes, spears, clubs, daggers, etc. can be made of other materials, like in Dark Sun.
For convenience (and because I don't want to bother with damage penalties, breakage, etc.), we'll use the weapons as listed in the CRB. A morningstar is a club with spikes. An axe is made from stone, onyx, or dinosaur bone, and scraped on a rock until it's sharp. Making weapons isn't that hard, but it takes time.
Armor, again, is made from other materials. You can make or acquire armor using various hides, the epitome being dragon scale armor, which can equal chainmail or a breastplate. It's not easy for NPC-classed people to take down a dragon, so it's very rare.
Magic before, you know, Magic:
The gods, for whatever reasons, aren't involved enough with early humanity to care about having churches, clerics, druids, etc. The only humanoid spellcasters you'll find are shamans, who may worship a specific god, or a more generalized idea of the divine.
Dragons and other creatures can sometimes cast spells not on the shaman's spell list. Their connection to magic is more developed than humanoids have yet to attain. Creatures with spell-like abilities can use them as written.
Many monsters have DR/whatever. Since you won't have things like cold iron or adamantine, it's not fair of me to make you face things you can't really hurt. I'll adjust things to keep it fair. Expect more DR/slashing, piercing, etc. if that's the case.
Magic items can be won, found or created. There won't be many, but I'll try to make sure you have stuff that works for you. A shaman can make potions, but she has no money to make them with. She acquires the necessary materials (assuming she can find them,) and brewing it takes her a day. Done.
Money:
Doesn't exist, as such. Living as nomadic primitives, you have no use for coins, anyway. Treasure takes the form of things that are useful to your lifestyle. You can trade pretty baubles for things, but most trade is in food, furs, weapons, and things brought from far away, like oranges and such.
A potion of CLW is extremely valuable. Considering how badly someone may need it, and what they can offer, they might offer you a horse, or a nice meal and a place to stay, or their firstborn. I can't be exact, but that's what roleplaying is for. I'll try to make sure you have what you need to have a good time.
Hm... color me interested. Probably a warrior of some kind.
Can we have any idea of the current characters? Wouldn't want to overlap. Also, are bows around?
EDIT: Also, by racial trait, do you mean an option like presented in the Advanced Race Guide, or traits like background traits from the Advanced Player's Guide?
We had 5 people; a human warrior, half orc warrior, human shaman, half elf shaman, and a halfling expert.
The halfling got busy and dropped, so an extra warrior and expert would be great. We need combatants.
All characters are proficient with all thrown weapons and shortbows. Warriors can use longbows. That's just stuff cavefolk would know. They also get a lot of class skills that fit for a primitive campaign.
I'm pretty open to traits from any PF book. You'll end up with 4 traits, at least 2 of which are racial traits. Experts will end up with 6.
It's "Pariahs in the age of Serpents." Take a look at the game to see if it sounds like something you'd like to play. We're about 40,000 years ahead of current Golarion, so it's a different world. Humanity has yet to rise and dominate like it will later. Low tech, low magic, high combat with lots of dinosaurs and weird monsters.
The party's about to hit 4th, so new players can make their characters and jump in at 4th level, rather than 3rd.
The rules should explain a lot. Let me know if you have any questions.
Alright, I'll try to clarify my question. This is one of those places where Paizo made a mistake using the same terms...
By "racial trait" do you mean a trait like from here, the optional background traits option? Or do you mean things like these, in the case of a half-orc? I'm thinking you mean the latter now that I reread your first post, but your second post indicates the former? Or can you choose freely between them?
Maqli's already jumped into the campaign, and he's doing a great job saving the party from an encounter that was maybe a bit too much for them (embarrassed grin).
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Sorry about that. Weekends are my work weeks. I was pretty tired when I got home last night. I will have a character to post either tonight or tomorrow.
Experts are as written, but they gain Rogue talents as a rogue of their level, and may choose 4 traits at 1st level, on top of any racial traits they gain. They gain sneak attack as a rogue of their level. I'm not trying to force them to try to be like rogues (your concept may be very different), just more fun in combat.
(This means you start with 2 racial traits, and pick 4 more.)
They're also good because: All characters have climb, knowledge (nature), perception, ride, survival and swim as class skills. You live off the land, so these things are natural to you.
(These are in addition to any other 10 class skills you choose.)
All characters are proficient with simple weapons that can be made without metal, atlatls, all thrown weapons, and short bows. Crossbows don't exist.
(You don't suck with ranged weapons.)
A less sophisticated opportunist than your typical "modern" rogue, but there are no galas to attend, or magical traps to disable on exquisite treasure chests.
We have no metal, weak magic, and we don't know what money is.
