Some homebrew races I do for a set purpose, like, "This game needs a 'half-ooze'!" or "Why exactly do centaurs have to *pay* to gain Quadruped when it basically takes away all the advantages of their Large size for a weak and highly situational benefit?"
This one I did for myself. Really hope that Pathfinder gnomes are as fond of alchemy in the Inner Sea as they were in my friend's homebrew setting...
Al'thar (al'thari, al'thari) and Ar'ketu (ar'keti, ar'keti)
The races currently known as "the al'thari" and "the ar'keti" are the by-product of generations of exposure to alchemical run-off and unsafe dumping practices on the part of the mountain gnomes. Enthusiastic tinkers and inventors, the mountain gnomes frequently give little thought to the consequences of their actions, and they were as surprised as anyone when humanoid creatures began to climb out of the two rivers bordering the City of Green Smoke.
The ancestors of the al'thari and ar'keti were two species of freshwater octopus, generally content to consume fish and pry open other river mollusks with their beaks. However, when the City of Green Smoke sprung up in the proverbial next door, their rivers were soon running every color of the rainbow with alchemical refuse and magically reactive by-products of the mountain gnomes' industry. Quite a few of the river creatures perished in the new environment, but the survivors quickly found themselves changing at an accelerated rate. The river octopi in particular, already blessed with an abundance of brain matter, found their wits quickening and new horizons of thought expanding before them. Many of them had begun to develop lungs and rudimentary limbs, and they climbed out of the rivers to investigate matters on shore.
Careless the mountain gnomes might be, but the discovery that they had accidentally birthed a new race was, in a word, shocking. Many worried about the problems that sapient creatures would face as unstable mutants without the real ability to communicate with other sapient life forms. As gnomes, they felt at least rudimentary responsibility to their inadvertent creations, and their curiosity was piqued at the puzzle posed by modifying them to fit the pressures of civilized life. Quickly, they were separated into two distinct classifiable species, the larger, faster "alberta catharsa molluska," or "Albert's Pure Mollusks," and the smaller, more-intelligent "armena klepta molluska," or "Armen's Thieving Mollusks." The former was named for an infamous incident when one accidentally fell into a rendering tank and was brewed into a particularly delicious alcohol, the latter for a moment when it stole and ruined the well-decorated hat of a passing priest that happened to contain several raw oysters as part of an arrangement.
Vast drag-net operations were conducted to strain all the various mutated octopi they could catch out of the river, and magic-users of all stripes, arcane and divine, alchemical and sorcerous, went to work on modifying them. After a few years of work and a couple truly disastrous missteps that the mountain gnomes prefer not to talk about, the modern al'thari and ar'ketu had each become a truly new humanoid race.
The average al'thar stands nearly seven feet tall, but is not really built to match, with long, thin limbs and a narrow torso. Were it not for their internal mantles, they would have difficulty walking upright under their own weight. An ar'keti, by contrast, is generally quite small, only a little taller than a gnome, and has a much thicker build. Both have smooth, rubbery skin over most of their bodies, and physically resemble a octopus perched atop a humanoid torso. Their four-digit hands have weak suction cups lining their palms and long, thin fingers. Most al'thar have skin colors along a spectrum from deep purple to dark blue, while ar'keti skin runs from a softer blue to a cool, dark green. Both races have very earthy skin tones.
Al'thari and ar'keti can be found in most mountain gnome settlements, having fully integrated into gnomish culture. Al'thari tend to be very polite and traditional, tending towards a lawful alignment, while ar'keti are louder and more creative, tending towards chaotic alignments. Both races are generally rather gregarious and good-natured, like their gnomish progenitors.
...I don't know how to post or scan pictures, so I can't show an al'thar wearing a suit, monocle, and top hat and an ar'ketu wearing street clothes and a cheap derby for reference. Just think really British octopus people.
Both races have genders, but neither is visibly sexually dymorphic to mammalian onlookers, though part of the modifications the gnomes have made to them includes warm blood. Each race recieves a +15 circumstance bonus on all bluff checks made to pass as a member of the opposite sex to anyone but another al'thar or ar'ketu. Most tend to form mating pairs in a very gnomish fashion, though ar'keti tend to have more children at a time. Females gestate one to three eggs at a time, before they "hatch" and the young exit her body. The two races are somewhat interfertile, but the children they produce are always either al'thar or ar'ketu, not cross-bred hybrids. Neither can reproduce with other humanoid races without magical assistance.
Al'thari tend to find in steady professional jobs, such as accounting, medicine, mercantile work, and legal professions. Ar'keti tend to work in very creative sectors, becoming artisans, smiths, chefs, and artists of all stripes. Al'thari adventurers are usually gunslingers or priests of the gnomish gods. Ar'keti adventures are often alchemists or wizards. Both races are frequently rogues, and find the excitement of an adventurer's life fulfilling, though for a wide spectrum of reasons.
...Whew. That's more roleplaying stuff than I expected to write. Moving on...
Al'thar
Type: Humanoid (mollusk)
Size: Medium (0 RP)
Despite their great height, the slim build of most al'thari ensures they don't take up much space.
Speed: 30 ft. (0 RP)
Ability Scores: Standard (0 RP)
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Wis
While physically somewhat weak from their large size and aquatic origins, al'thari are a deft-handed and sensible people.
Languages: Standard (0 RP)
All al'thari can speak Common and Gnomish.
Traits:
Natural Armor (+2) (3 RP)
As mollusks, al'thari have a natural mantle within their bodies.
Greater Spell Resistance (3 RP)
The ancestors of the al'thari survived only because their bodies were better able to resist the surges of magically-reactive substances flooding their river home, and the al'thar have inherited that natural immunity.
Amphibious (2 RP)
Swim Speed 30 ft. (2 RP)
Most al'thari are quite comfortable in or out of water, so long as they can avoid soiling their clothes.
Darkvision 60 ft. (2 RP)
Most al'thari can see in the dark, a result of evolving from creatures that dwelt in murky river-bottoms.
Prehensile Face Tentacles (2 RP)
The long tendrils that ring the al'thari mouth can stretch to retrieve and hold a single item from their persons, exactly as if they had the Prehensile Tail racial trait.
RP Total: 14
Ar'ketu
Type: Humanoid (mollusk)
Size: Small (0 RP)
Speed: 20 ft. (-1 RP)
As a result of their smaller size, ar'keti cannot always move as quickly as their larger cousins.
Ability Scores: Standard (0 RP)
+2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int
Though stronger than the al'thari due to their more compact size, the ar'keti are not nearly as tough. However, they are extremely intelligent and quick.
Languages: Standard (0 RP)
All al'thari can speak Common and Gnomish.
Traits:
Natural Armor (+1) (2 RP)
Though not as developed as their larger cousins, ar'keti have a natural mantle within their bodies.
Greater Spell Resistance (3 RP)
The ancestors of the ar'keti survived only because their bodies were better able to resist the surges of magically-reactive substances flooding their river home, and the ar'keti have inherited that natural immunity.
Amphibious (2 RP)
Swim Speed 30 ft. (2 RP)
Like their racial cousins, ar'keti can freely breath air or water and swim quite easily.
Darkvision 60 ft. (2 RP)
The ar'keti's mollusk eyes can see into other spectra of light, giving them good vision in the dark.
Prehensile Face Tentacles (2 RP)
The long tendrils that ring the ar'keti mouth can stretch to retrieve and hold a single item from their persons, exactly as if they had the Prehensile Tail racial trait.
Skill Bonus: Stealth (2 RP)
Former ambush predators, ar'keti possess a modest degree of natural cameoflage, and are quite adept at making themselves hidden when they wish to be.
RP Total: 14
...Whew. That was a doozy. Thoughts? My main worry is that, while conceptually different from one another, there's just not a big enough gameplay difference between the two. And I'm not sure what to do about that.
