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So my wife challenged me to make two characters for her to consider starting to play Pathfinder with me.
The first is a PFS-legal character with a flying penguin familiar. The character should also use mostly ice-themed weapons and spells. This was fairly easy, as I had the Familiar Folio in front of me at the time: draconic sorceror with a bloodline familiar penguin (I think I created a Prinny!), then it is just about continuing with ice-themed spells, feats and equipment. Fun suggestions would be appreciated.
The second is more intense and more homebrew. I need a sentient penguin race for her to play in my home game. I informed her it would actually fit the setting using Ponyfinder, a fantasy MLP universe, and I'm aware of an actual penguin villain from earlier generations of the show (king Charlatan), so all I really need to do is make a race balanced with the other pony, etc. races.
Going in part from ARG, I'm thinking:
medium size
slow movement bipedal, but definitely swim speed plus perhaps a type of tobogganing speed only available on slippery surfaces.
Fingerless (ponyfinder rules)
Cold resistance
Not sure on ability scores, maybe -str, +con, +cha
Maybe fey subtype (like many ponyfinder races)
Maybe bite attack
More suggestions? Even better if someone more familiar with the inspiration has something.
For the race, Spelljammer back in 2E had a penguin race called the dohwar. They were updated to 3.5 by the Beyond the Moons project. You'll have to scroll down a bit in that page to get to the race section. It shouldn't be hard to Pathfinderize the BtM version.
If you base this too closely on an actual penguin then you will end up with a character with very limited ability. The penguin has a great swim speed and the toboggan ability, but will most often be moving at 10 ft. Toboggan requires being prone and then standing up at the end of it. Not great. Not having fingers will lose its novelty. Have you considered a somewhat anthropomorphized version?