I like making up races or converting creatures into races so here is some stuff. Also note that I will not be using RP as people have stated that the point system is not a good judge of a races power.
Fey Touched
-Stats: +2Dex +2Cha -2Str
-Type: Fey
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Faerie Magic(SP)- If you have a cha score at least 11 you gain dancing lights and prestidigitation at will.
-Fey Trait-See Bellow
-Resist Magic- + 2 vs spells and spell powers.
-Skills: +2 Diplomacy +2 Perception
-Languages: common and sylvan
Fey Traits
Fey Skin- DR2/cold iron(becomes DR5/cold iron at level 9)
Spell Resistance- Gain SR10+lv
Faerie Glamor- invisibility 1 minute/level used in 1 minute increments.
Lesser Unearthly Grace- add cha bonus to AC, Fort, Ref, or Will save, can be changed once each day.
Water Fey- Gain a swim speed 30 and aquatic/amphibious subtypes.
Fey Resistance- Gain cold and electrical res 5(becomes 10 at level 9)
Change Shape- Can change into any one humanoid or small size animal.
Size Alteration- can become small size at will as reduce person(self only).
Tree Shape- Can change into a tree using tree shape at will(self only).
Wild Empathy- As the Druid ability.
Woodland Stride- As the Druid ability.
Stunning Glance- As the Nymph ability 1/day.
Blinding Beauty- As the Nymph ability 1/day.
Captivating Song- As the Harpy ability but usable 1 min./level in 1 minute increments.
Fey Immunity- you gain one immunity, you can choose(charm, confusion, disease, paralysis, poison, or sleep).
Gossamer Wings- Gain a fly speed 40(good).
Faerie Sight- Has see invisible as a constant spell effect.
Giantkin
-Stats: +2Str +2wis -2Dex
-Type: Humanoid(Giant, Human)
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Throwing Master- +1 racial bonus with thrown weapons.
-Tough Skin- +1 natural armor bonus
-Bonus Feat: deflect arrows
-Giant Trait: See bellow
-Skills: +2 Intimidate +2 Survival
-Languages: common and giant
Giant Traits
Any- slam 1d4
Cloud- obscuring mist(1/day)
Fire- fire res. 5
Frost- cold res. 5
Hill- prof. with great club and war hammer
Stone- +4 stealth in rocky terrain
Storm- elec. res. 5
Marsh- +4 stealth in swamps
Rune- charm person(1/day)
Tiaga- +2 vs enchantment and illusions
Wood- pass without trace(1/day)
Ash- +2 vs disease and poison
Cave- Prof. with battle axe and great axe
Desert- sandwalking
Jungle- Prof with short and long bows
Cliff- speak with animals(1/day)
Ocean- swim speed 30ft
River- hold breath
Slag- +2 damage bonus vs objects and constructs made of metal or stone.
Minotaur
-Stats: +2Str +2Wis -2Int
-Type: Monstrous Humanoid
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-WP Prof.- great axe, great club
-Tough Hide- +1 natural armor bonus
-Lesser Natural Cunning(Ex)- Immune to maze spells and gains a +8 bonus on survival checks to prevent from getting lost.
-Skills: +2 Intimidate +2 Survival
-Languages: common and giant
Cyclopes
-Stats: +2Str +2wis -2Cha
-Type: Humanoid(Giant)
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft
-Senses: Low-light vision
-Flash of Insight(Su)(1/day) as the Cyclopes ability(B1)
-Throwing Master- +1 with thrown weapons
-Tough Skin- +1 natural armor
-WP Prof.- (great axe, great club)
-Skills: +4 Perception
-Languages: common and cyclopes
Harpy
-Stats: +2Dex +2Cha -2Con
-Type: Monstrous Humanoid
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 20ft, Fly 60ft(good)
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-Captivating Song(Su)- as harpy ability but no more then 1 minute per level per day used in 1 minute increments.
-Talon or Wing- see Garuda(B3)
-Skills: +2 Perception +2 Perform(sing)
Languages: common
Gargoyle
-Stats: +2Con +2Wis -2Int
-Type: Monstrous Humanoid(Earth)
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft climb 20ft fly 40(poor)
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-Horns- Gore(1d6)
-Stony Skin- +1 natural armor
-Freeze- as gargoyle ability(B1)
-Skills: +4 stealth in stony terrain
-Languages: common and terran
RP is an imperfect system, but still a tool that you can use to weigh abilities against one another. It still needs human arbitration.
Centaur
-Stats: +2Con +2Wis
-Type: Monstrous Humanoid
-Size: Large
-Speed: 50ft
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-WP Prof.: lance and long bow
-Bonus Feat: Run
-Undersized Weapon
-Quadruped:(+4 CMD vs Trip)
-Tough Hide: +1 natural armor
-Skills: +2 K(Nature) +2 Survival
Languages: common and sylvan
Lamia(serpent version)
-Stats: +2Dex +2Con +2Cha
-Type: Monstrous Humanoids
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft climb 20ft swim 30ft
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-Legless- Can't be tripped
-Tail Slap- Gain a tail slam(1d6)
-Lamia Magic(SP)- If you have a Cha score of 11 you gain charm person, daze, and sleep 1/day as spell powers.
-Skills: +2 bluff +2 Sense Motive
-Languages: common
Nixie
-Stats: +2Dex +2Cha -2Str
-Type: Fey
-Size: Small
-Speed: 20ft Swim 30ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Nixie Magic(SP) charm person and water breathing(1/day)
-Fey Skin- DR2/cold iron(DR5/cold iron at lv 9)
-Water Fey- aquatic/amphibious
-Natural Empathy- Gains +2(+4 if aquatic) on wild empathy checks.
-Skills: +2 Diplomacy +2 Perception
-Languages: common and sylvan
Satyr(or Faun)
-Stats: +2Con +2Cha -2Wis
-Type: Fey
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 40ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Satyr Magic(Sp)-charm person, dancing lights, ghost sound, and sleep 1/day.
-Fey Skin(see Nixie)
-Horns- Gain a gore attack(1d6)
-Skills: +2 Diplomacy +2 Perform(any one)
-Languages: common and sylvan
I made a non-derp kobold and a few other custom races. i'll look through your races and see if i can rate them.
scale
bad - Kobold
neutral - halfing
good - human/elf
strong - aasimir
OP - stronger than aasimir
rating
Fey-touched - OP
Giantkin - good
minotaur - good
cyclops - good
harpy - strong
gargoyle - strong
centaur - Strong (should have the uses medium weapons thing from centaurs to get down to good, right now they can use a large lance for double damage)
Lamia - OP (no negative stat)
nixie - good
Satyr - Strong (dem spell like abilities & 40ft speed)
Flavor matters more than stats. It's pretty trivial to stat a race if you know what you're doing. Writing lore and flavor about a race that makes players want to play them or GMs want to include them in their setting has way more value than a stat block.
Also, as Ciaran Barnes says, while the race builder isn't perfect, it's still a good starting point for figuring out the power of a race. One thing I did like about the race builder was breaking up abilities into three tiers with the lowest having abilities appropriate for a PC race. This can tell you what abilities are fine on a PC race and which should be left to NPCs.
With yours, it's hard to comment on any of them because I don't know whether they're PC or NPC races. Most of them are way too powerful or broken as PC races.
Actually the centaur has the undersized weapon trait;)
Arachne(like a Drider but upper half can be any core race)
-Stats: +2Dex +2Con
-Type: Monstrous Humanoid
-Size: Large(or medium if Halfling/gnome versions)
-Speed: 30ft climb 30ft
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-Web- You gain the web universal monster special ability
-Web Immunity- you are immune to web effects and can move through them or on them if they can support your weight.
-Undersized Weapons
-Multiple legs(+12 CMD vs trip)
-Skills: +4 with craft/profession skills related to silk and thread.
-Languages: common and underdark
Medusa
-Stats: +2Con +2Cha -2Str
-Type: Monstrous Humanoid
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 30ft
-Senses: Darkvision 60ft
-All-around Vision
-Petrifying Gaze- 1/day 30ft range gaze 1 target fort save(DC10+1/2 lv+Cha mod) flesh to stone.
-Snakes- gain bite attack(1d4)
-Skills: N/A
-Languages: common
Faerie
-Stats: +4Dex +2Cha -4Str
-Type: Fey
-Size: Tiny
-Speed: 20ft Fly 60(good)
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Faerie Magic(SP) dancing lights and prestidigitation at will.
-Faerie Glamour- Invisibility 1 minute per level can be used in 1 minute increments.
-Fey Skin-see Nixie
-Skills: +2 Diplomacy +2 Perception
-Languages: common and sylvan
Gravoon(alien race that lives on a high gravity world, large hands and feet, skin ranges from reddish brown, grey, or greyish green.)
-Stats: +2Str +2Con -2Dex
-Type: Humanoid(Gravoon)
-Size: Small
-Speed: 20ft
-Senses: N/A
-High Density(Ex) DR2/-, energy res. 5(acid, cold, elec., and fire)
-Tough Skin- +1 natural armor
-Slow and Steady- as dwarf ability.
-Stability- as dwarf ability.
-Leaper- always considered to have a running start on jump checks.
-Skills: +8 jump checks.
-Languages: common and gravoon
Actually the centaur has the undersized weapon trait;)
oh missed that
Arachne - OP
Medusa - not a 0HD race as hard as you want it to be. dat gaze
Faire - OP
Gravoon - Strong
Can always change the gaze attack to stunning(1d4 rounds) but makes the target look like it has been turned to stone.
Shellkin(Turtlefolk)
-Stats: +2Con +2Wis -2Dex
-Type: Humanoid(Shellkin)
-Size: Medium
-Speed: 20ft Swim 30ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Shell- Can hide inside shell, gain an additional +4 natural armor bonus, but can't attack or cast spells.
-Armored- +2 natural armor
-Hold Breath- as monster ability
-Skills:
-Languages: common and aquan
Kercpa(Squirrelfolk)
-Stats: +2Dex +2Cha -2Str
-Type: Humanoid(Kercpa)
-Size: Small
-Speed: 30ft Climb 30ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Leaper- Always considered to have a running start when jumping.
-WP Prof.(bolas, short bow)
-Mobile- Doesn't provoke AoO when climbing and can change directions when retreating or charging.
-Skills: +2 Acrobatics
-Languages: common and kercpa
Lupinian(Wolffolk)
-Stats: +2Str +2Wis -2Int
-Type: Humanoid(Lupinian)
-Size: Medium
-Speed 40ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Scent- as monster ability
-Loyal- +2 save vs charm, dominate, and fear effects.
-Bite- Gain a bite attack(1d6)
-Skills: +2 Perception +2 Sense Motive
-Languages: common and lupinian
Tibberran(Rabbitfolk)
-Stats: +2Dex +2Cha -2Str
-Type: Humanoid(Tiberran)
-Size: small
-Speed: 30ft
-Timid- +1 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively, taking full defense, or while stealthing.
-Leaper- see Kercpa
-Leaping Attack- If you move at least 10ft using a jump chack gain a +1 damage bonus plus an +1 for every additional 10ft. You can you can use this ability as part of charge action.
-Skills: +8 jump chacks +2 Perception
-Languages: common and Tiberran
Can always change the gaze attack to stunning(1d4 rounds) but makes the target look like it has been turned to stone.
gaze attacks are just really strong regardless of their effect. should not be on a 0HD race. all your party members can't look at you. MAYBE if it was dazed(don't drop held stuff) for one round and you can activate your gaze one per day for 1 round as a standard action.
wait just read the 1 target (that's not a gaze attack), in which case it becomes neutral/good so long as it's no longer flesh to stone.
Shellkin - neutral/good
kercpa - neutral/good
Lupinian - good/Strong (remove bonuses to perception and sense motive since you already have bonus wisdom to make it neutral/good)
Tibberran - good can't stealth while being attacked, perception bonus seems out of place, maybe replace with +2 competence bonus to notice ambushes
NOTE: perception bonuses are rare, so don't use them often. sometimes perception is always considered a class skill would be more appropriate.
I reiterate...are these PC races or NPC races?
I reiterate...are these PC races or NPC races?PCs and NPCs follow the same rules in pathfinder (barring a few non-core subsystems like traits or action points). There is virtually no difference between a 'PC race' and an 'NPC race'.
The big difference that usually occurs between races that work as PC races and those that are usually left to NPCs is racial hit-dice, since having RHD typically becomes a burden the more you level up. As the thread topic says, all of Dragon78's races in this thread have 0 racial hit-dice (the same as the core races).
I'm familiar with how races work in Pathfinder, thank you. I'm talking about design, not rules. Some races are designed mainly for creating NPCs, not PCs. Drow noble is a good example. This is why you find most race descriptions in bestiary books instead of player companions. Design standards differ wildly depending on the intent of the race description. Because of this, I can't really provide feedback on a race description unless I know whether it's meant as a PC race or otherwise.
I'm familiar with how races work in Pathfinder, thank you. I'm talking about design, not rules. Some races are designed mainly for creating NPCs, not PCs. Drow noble is a good example. This is why you find most race descriptions in bestiary books instead of player companions. Design standards differ wildly depending on the intent of the race description. Because of this, I can't really provide feedback on a race description unless I know whether it's meant as a PC race or otherwise.I reiterate...are these PC races or NPC races?PCs and NPCs follow the same rules in pathfinder (barring a few non-core subsystems like traits or action points). There is virtually no difference between a 'PC race' and an 'NPC race'.
The big difference that usually occurs between races that work as PC races and those that are usually left to NPCs is racial hit-dice, since having RHD typically becomes a burden the more you level up. As the thread topic says, all of Dragon78's races in this thread have 0 racial hit-dice (the same as the core races).
that's why i'm just giving generic power levels so if they want it to be stronger they can make it stronger, if they want it more balanced they can make it weaker.
First, I echo the need for fluff and flavor. I used to not care, but a friend swapped out two races in his game to disasterous results and I stand castigated. Even when the race's fluff is discarded, you usually get a good bit of an idea to bounce off. Most races would be lifeless without backstory, the core of role play. That said, I am grabbing a few of these to modify some of my own concepts.
To the three tiered pseudo-rating ARG system and the pathetic point system (does anyone not Paizo like it?), I just took it all with a pound of salt and followed a post from Umbral Reaver. I point out the system using my own points and then charge X attribute points to play the more powerful races, with an extra point of two for the rare ones to weed out the min-max types. Under 3.5, my 'OP' Elves cost 5 extra to play and I still had seven players of Elves.
As for the toning down of gaze attacks, the 0 level Medusae that have been used locally has worked quite well, according the rumor. One round 'stun' is the norm with a reduced DC. One game uses feats to eventually reach parity with the race while another scales by level. Neither is mine so I can't post them w/o permission.
Bandw2, on the 'OP' races, could I request a bit on what you see as over powering. On some I have my own ideas, but I've always found illumination in others' views. Each one you've 'OPed' I agree with, but would like your thinking on them, perhaps even your solution (s). I guess for that matter, what ideas you have to fix the weaker ones. Btw, I agree with your judgement of Core Halflings being on the weak side, any suggested improvements?
A 1/day single target gaze effect isn't to game breaking and changing to stun isn't to bad. Though we can always design a racial feat that changes it to flesh to stone at lv9 or higher.
As far as PC vs NPC races that is completely up too you or your DM if you are not a DM. If you are a DM, you can use them however you want.
As far as fluff goes most of them have stuff you can use or make up on your own since many of them are so common place(minotaur, centaur, etc.). It's not like there hasn't been 0HD versions of most these guys in some edition or another. I am just making stats for fun really, if people want to use then cool, if not then cool as well.
Also Bandw2, I would like to know what you consider OP?
Keep in mind that many of these races may seem stronger but I have rules to boost the power of existing races when I wish to allow powerful races like Kasatha, Trox, Svirfneblin, Syrinx, etc.. Also keep in mind I have never been a fan of making 99% of a race one alignment or alignment type such as evil.
Sorry if I have disappoint anyone for lack of fluff, balance, or "what were you thinking!".
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Smurf
-Stats: +2Dex +2(special) -2Str
-Type: Fey
-Size: Tiny(3 apples high)
-Speed: 20ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Bonus Feat: Run
-Smurfy Mind- smurfs can choose wich mental stat they get a racial bonus on based on there personality.
-Smurfy Talent(see bellow)
-Skills: +4 with one skill(see bellow)
-Languages: common and smurf
Smurfy Talent/Skill- all smurfs are born with a talent they are really good at. Most are good at a craft, profession, or perform skill. But jus about any skill could be used for a talent. Also 1/day with there chosen skill they may roll twice and take the best roll.
A 1/day single target gaze effect isn't to game breaking and changing to stun isn't to bad. Though we can always design a racial feat that changes it to flesh to stone at lv9 or higher.
it's more like you do it to the BBEG and then the GM cries(if it was flesh to stone, i didn't notice it was only 1 target and thus gets knocked down to neutral/good).
Also Bandw2, I would like to know what you consider OP?
scale
bad - Kobold
neutral - halfing
good - human/elf
strong - aasimir
OP - stronger than aasimir
so OP is me being silly. basically anything that get's more flavor than the class that sits atop it. so stuff that makes you immune or neigh immune to things, a ton of spell like abilities(or ever 2 or 1 several times per day or At will), and flight. good stat combos also are a part of it. +2str+2int -2chr is very strong, while -2 str +2 con +2 wisdom is very meh. Anything tiny is vry strong as they make wonderful casters.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Smurf
-Stats: +2Dex +2(special) -2Str
-Type: Fey
-Size: Tiny(3 apples high)
-Speed: 20ft
-Senses: Low-light Vision
-Bonus Feat: Run
-Smurfy Mind- smurfs can choose wich mental stat they get a racial bonus on based on there personality.
-Smurfy Talent(see bellow)
-Skills: +4 with one skill(see bellow)
-Languages: common and smurfSmurfy Talent/Skill- all smurfs are born with a talent they are really good at. Most are good at a craft, profession, or perform skill. But jus about any skill could be used for a talent. Also 1/day with there chosen skill they may roll twice and take the best roll.
strong/OP
devastatingly good caster. get spellcraft as your skill and you can be a pretty damn good spellcaster.
I have no problem with immunities except immunity to all mind-affecting effects. Personally I think that the Ifrit, Oread, Sylph, and Undine should get energy immunity to there respective element. I also think the Vishkanya should get poison immunity.
Arachne (version 2)
Alternate version of the race were it is more human with spider like traits such as monochromatic eyes with extra smaller eyes on the forehead. Skin tones range with normal human colors but there hair is usually white or black with red eyes. They also have the ability to sprout spider legs from there back to grant them a climb speed and help with using there spider silk.
Stats: +2Dex +2Cha -2Wis
Type: Humanoid(Arachne)
Speed: 30ft climb 30ft
Senses: Darkvision 60ft
Web(see universal monster rules)
Web Immunity
Skills: +4 craft/profession related silk and thread.
Languages: common and arachne
If you want an origin story say they are the cursed descendants of the original Arachne from the Greek myth.