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I find it interesting that in our hobby, we often craft these vast magical worlds full of fantastical locations, brilliant histories and powerful magics, yet these worlds are always populated by humans. Humans with pointy ears, short humans with beards, humans with horns or a halo, human humans. Of course, many settings have unique historical and cultural differences between Dwarves, Orcs, Tieflings or Halflings, etc., but when you boil it all down, the world is run by humanoids and everything else is just a monster.
For a long while now, I have wanted to run a campaign that, while still having humans as one of the selectable races, would replace the other standard fantasy races with totally unique choices. For example, take Middle Earth. It isn't just populated by Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Orcs. In addition to Ents (which still follows the "Humans with Blank" formula, this being Humans with trees for limbs), Middle Earth is also populated by the Eagles and Spiders. Because of the movies, most people either don't know or have forgotten that the Eagles were a sentient race with their own ruler (Gwaihir the Windlord) and lands where they dwell. They weren't just Summoned Monster VII. They didn't just fly the Fellowship into Mordor because they feared the Mordor archers and siege weapons, just like they feared Gondor's. They weren't mindless beasts, but people.
Now imagine the dynamic shift for a game if one of the players was a sentient eagle as tall as a man. Imagine how that world might have evolved differently if Humans, Eagles and Spiders commingled in such a way as standard fantasy settings might have Humans, Elves and Orcs mingle. The change in mechanics and setting seem very exciting to me. There are already creatures in the various bestiaries that are sentient races, capable of taking class levels if a GM customizes them.
What I would like to see is a book, similar to the Advanced Race Guide, that introduces a series of very non-standard and unique races to the game. While it might have common monster types in it (such as a more balanced Centaur PC race), add other races and options. It would need a section dedicated things like magic item slots or how certain race might interact with certain items (To use the Eagles as an example again, they lack hands and can only grasp with their talons. Many items designed for humans might be totally useless to them and even simple things like a quill and paper might be outside their abilities.)
"But Koujow, why not just use the race creator in the Advanced Race Guide or just post something in the Homebrew section to make them?" Well, mostly because not only am I terrible at building balanced homebrew material but I also don't feel myself terrible original. (See how I used only Eagles as an example for proof of that) Paizo has created a lot of interesting and fun stuff that is more balanced than something I might come up with. I am also uncertain how to approach some of the grander mechanics (see magic item slots or interaction between items not designed for your race).
I also hope that others might see an interest in this as well and give their own opinion or views. If enough people think it is interesting, you never know, in a few years, there might be a new book. (I await your call, Paizo. ;D )
TL;DR -Less humanoid races, please
I've previously made races like this for PF, one was a medium sized bird race that took on traits from creatures they devourered and had two tentacle ended tails that could be used to wield weapons. The same setting had a race of giant psionic spiders with extra legs that point upwards and a head that can turn upsidedown without issue, since they evolved on a subjective gravity plane.
The game you want to play, or at least the setting you want to use is Talislanta which after 5 commercial editions is now made free to download by it's creator at talislanta.org.
One of the editions actually used the D20 system, so that should help you out.
I don't think 10010 variations of humans and elf meet the requirements of this thread.
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The game you want to play, or at least the setting you want to use is Talislanta which after 5 commercial editions is now made free to download by it's creator at talislanta.org.Talislanta is good for weirdish humanoids, but isn't going to completely satisfy someone asking for playable eagles.
The Eagles were just an example of a race that is not humanoid but could playable.
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I'd love rules for a playable aranea, personally. They're one of the coolest nonevil monsters in the whole game.
I once made an aberration race that had 8 tentacle limbs had a rooster-like head. I think it had a squid-like ink ability, had a speed equal to 5 feet multiplied by the number of limbs dedicated to locomotion, and used different numbers of tentacles to wield weapons based on light/one-handed/two-handed.
I'm working on a homebrew campaign right now, and want to have a dozen "humanoid" races and then a number of really non-humanoid races.
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When I suggest unique races, I also want to emphasize that I do not only mean something along the lines of "awakened" animals. While the Eagles of LotR or Aslan from Narnia, taking all the humanoids races and replacing them with intelligent animals is not what I meant. I want some new races that are completely unlike anything we have had before.
I was flipping through the bestiaries looking for ideas and while a vast majority of it either Humans with (Blank) or just straight up monsters, a couple did catch my eye. There are two species called Thriae and Formian. Both are insect-like species, although the Thriae pretty much just Humans with (bee like qualities). A while back, when Starcraft 2 had first released, I talked with the other GM in my group about a race based on the Zerg. The Race itself would be composed of a large number of subspecies and most would be slaves to the hive mind. But one of the subspecies would be like Kerrigan, both connected and influenced by the Hive Mind, but free to act on her own free will and capable of influencing the Hive Mind. (I will let you know, I still haven't played Heart of the Swarm or the original Starcraft, so this idea was based entirely off of what I learned from the base Starcraft 2).
Back to Pathfinder, I think a race along these lines would be a bit out there and kind of weird, but it would be totally new and something players haven't really done before. An insectoid species with racial abilities that focus on the unique nature of insects, such as carapace, multiple limbs and a hive mind. While the PC wouldn't necessarily be a Hive Queen, I personally imagine that subspecies as a kind of Nobility among the race. I never worked out how it would all play out mechanically, but I found it at least an interesting idea.
As something a bit less far out there, imagine if Paizo created PC versions of common monsters. A medium sized, less powerful version of the Centaur. I can imagine a Khanate of Centaurs threatening empires and arguing with halflings about being used as a personal mount.
Or young Naga adventurers, long before they are generic CR 8 humans with snake bodies monsters, trying to interact in a world with things like door handles.
I even have a crazy idea about a playable race of Dragons. Not dragonlike Dragonborn or people with the blood of dragons. Give some reason why they start out at the same power of lvl 1 PCs (they are a different species or they are from a plane where dragons are weaker or because I gorram said so) and they can pick up feats or class abilities to further grow into actual, full power dragons.
My point is not to just make a book with a typical Disney line up of characters and make them playable. It is to add either completely new and out there races for people to play or to even go back and take some older, classic monsters and make them playable. Preferably a bit of both.
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I demand PC flumphs!!!
I'd love rules for a playable aranea, personally. They're one of the coolest nonevil monsters in the whole game.
Orthos has his own 0HD aranea player race, and they seem to work well for him and his gaming group. I'm working on my own version of spiderfolk, but they got backburnered by getting some 3PP's stuff into df20pfsrd.com
I'd love rules for a playable aranea, personally. They're one of the coolest nonevil monsters in the whole game.Orthos has his own 0HD aranea player race, and they seem to work well for him and his gaming group. I'm working on my own version of spiderfolk, but they got backburnered by getting some 3PP's stuff into df20pfsrd.com
Ah! How did I get here? I was eating breakfast when there was a bright light...
The Dragonstar sourcebook Galactic Races has some interesting races. It's D&D 3.0 compatible, so it would require some conversion.
There's also the Ponyfinder books. Those are pretty much devoted to nonhumanoids.
I think a sphinx-like race would be interesting.
That's a riddle you need to answer. :p
It would have a human-like face, but also natural attacks, a feline quadruped body, and would have to come up with some innovative ways to deal with tools and other objects requiring manipulation.
Bully bipeds to do your work for you.It would have a human-like face, but also natural attacks, a feline quadruped body, and would have to come up with some innovative ways to deal with tools and other objects requiring manipulation.
Or charm them or trick them to do it for you. The possibilities are endless!
If you consider 3 endless....
;-)