Player Character Race

[majorapat]

I'm creating a setting of my own and I want to make some unique races rather than run the old archetypes. Heres the first of the races.

NAIRA
• Size/Type: Small Humanoid
• Racial Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
• Size: Small, Naira are small creatures, and thus have a +1 size bonus to AC, +1 size bonus to attack rolls, and a +4 bonus to hide checks, but use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three quarters those of a medium creature.
• Base Land Speed: 20 ft.
• Racial Skills: The Naira have +4 bonuses on Balance, Jump and Swim Checks.
• Chameleon Skin: Their Chameleon skin gives them a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
• Hold Breath: As cold blooded creatures, Naira can hold their breath far longer than most creatures. A Naira can hold his breath for 4x its Constitution Score before it risks drowning.
• Low Light Vision: Naira have large eyes for their size which rarely blink. They are sensitive to light, and they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is colour vision. Naira can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
• Special Attacks: None
• Automatic Languages: Traders Tongue, Lizardman.
• Bonus Languages: Sylvan, Thieves Cant.
• Favoured Class: Rogue / Spellthief (undecided yet)
• Level Adjustment: +0

The Naira are a small reptillian race, who have a thick set of scales covering their bodies. What appear to be soulless eyes stare from their reptillian features. Their slow movements suggest they are incapable of fast movement, but when the time if right they will spring into action, the very embodiment of patience.

No-one quite knows why the Naira are scattered across the world like they are. They have their own lands, but they seem to naturally diffuse across the world. The truth behind it is that the Naira know what their speciality is, they know how and when to use it. The Naira, trade in information, if you want to know something about something, you go and see the local Naira, they'll know what you want to know, if they don't, they certainly will know someone who can tell you or find out for you. Those in the know know that the best spies and assassins are from the Naira Thieves guilds. For a race that makes it their business to know everyone else's business, they are very much an Isolationist culture. The Naira cities are designed to provide the most cover, mainly partly submerged and create as much natural darkness as possible; after all what you can't see isn't actually happening. This insistence on darkness, and a volatile society, those in power don't last very long unless they are good at their job, or have enough security to prevent their retirement .

[ExHunterEmerald]

Only +0?
I'd make it a +1, or remove some of the bonuses.

[majorapat]

How about that?

[ExHunterEmerald]

Better. Are they stunned in bright light?

[majorapat]

Well not at present, that could be added, but that would change the LA would it not? If so then I'd have to add something in to balance it. I can see why you would ask, prefering shadows and larger sensitive eyes.

How about Blinded in bright light.

+2 Jump?

[ExHunterEmerald]

Maybe one skill bonus, yeah, as long as they've got the bright light issue they're better balanced.

[LordOfNarf]

Their abilities are still realy high for a +0, as written, a middling low +1 at the least.
They also need at least 4 bonus languages, since that is the possible max int bonus a 1st level charachter can get.


I like the concept, its unique and inspired.

[Hario]

Their abilities are still realy high for a +0, as written, a middling low +1 at the least.
They also need at least 4 bonus languages, since that is the possible max int bonus a 1st level charachter can get.


I like the concept, its unique and inspired.
Warforged only get Common, so it is possible for a race to not be able to comprehend any other languages... :/

Also note *These wouldn't be too good in a normal party* because they don't have common as an automatic langugage... even with trader's toungue they don't know common, so almost impossible to talk to the party ;)

[LordOfNarf]

Warforged only get Common, so it is possible for a race to not be able to comprehend any other languages... :/

An d it is still beyond me why any sane player would play something with a cumulative armour check penalty while naked, and a non stacking armour bounus

[Hario]

An d it is still beyond me why any sane player would play something with a cumulative armour check penalty while naked, and a non stacking armour bounus
Why do people play half orcs? flavor? Besides light fortification and +8 AC automatic at lvl 1? pfft that's an auto win at lvl 1... (this is only an example of some warforged)

[Caelestion]

They should have balanced stats at a minimum, in my opinion.

[majorapat]

Yeah Traders tongue is the equivilant to Common in my campaign. As I said before I am trying to mix it up and make the campaign as distinct as possible. Traders tongue is basic at best, with pure languages being more vocabulary rich.

I've also posted on the Wizards forum and a couple of the posters has suggested the below as being a balanced LA +0 race.

Naira:
• Size/Type: Small Humanoid
• Racial Modifiers: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
• Size: Small, Naira are small creatures, and thus have a +1 size bonus to AC, +1 size bonus to attack rolls, and a +4 bonus to hide checks, but use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three quarters those of a medium creature.
• Base Land Speed: 20 ft.
• Racial Skills: The Naira have +4 bonuses on Balance, Jump and Swim Checks.
• Chameleon Skin: Their Chameleon skin gives them a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
• Hold Breath: As cold blooded creatures, Naira can hold their breath far longer than most creatures. A Naira can hold his breath for 4x its Constitution Score before it risks drowning.
• Low Light Vision: Naira have large eyes for their size which rarely blink. They are sensitive to light, and they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is colour vision. Naira can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
• Special Attacks: None
• Automatic Languages: Traders Tongue, Lizardman.
• Bonus Languages: Sylvan, Thieves Cant.
• Favoured Class: Rogue / Spellthief (undecided yet)
• Level Adjustment: +0

Or should it be:

Naira:
• Size/Type: Small Humanoid
• Racial Modifiers: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
• Size: Small, Naira are small creatures, and thus have a +1 size bonus to AC, +1 size bonus to attack rolls, and a +4 bonus to hide checks, but use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three quarters those of a medium creature.
• Base Land Speed: 20 ft.
• Racial Skills: The Naira have +2 bonus on Jump checks.
• Chameleon Skin: Their Chameleon skin gives them a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks.
• Hold Breath: As cold blooded creatures, Naira can hold their breath far longer than most creatures. A Naira can hold his breath for 4x its Constitution Score before it risks drowning.
• Low Light Vision: Naira have large eyes for their size which rarely blink. They are sensitive to light, and they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is colour vision. Naira can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
• Dazed in bright lights.
• Special Attacks: None
• Automatic Languages: Traders Tongue, Lizardman.
• Bonus Languages: Sylvan, Thieves Cant.
• Favoured Class: Rogue / Spellthief (undecided yet)
• Level Adjustment: +0

I prefer the first one.

[Eighth_Seraph]

It's official, Halflings are obsolete. I prefer the structer for the first one as well, but it needs to be a +1, as it has double the skill bonuses for jump and balance, and a huge Hide bonus. For a rogue, this is too awesome. A +1 should be good, I think, though.

[majorapat]

I'm determined to try and keep it a +0 LA race. I've adjusted the skills to a +2 to the skills, and added that the chameleon power doesn't work with anything more than light armour.

I've changed the details a bit more and added some background info (heaven forbid! :))

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• Size/Type: Small Humanoid (Reptilian)
• Racial Modifiers: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
• Size: Small, Naira are small creatures, and thus have a +1 size bonus to AC, +1 size bonus to attack rolls, and a +4 bonus to hide checks, but use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three quarters those of a medium creature.
• Base Land Speed: 20 ft.
• Racial Skills: The Naira have +2 bonuses on Balance, Jump and Swim Checks.
• Chameleon Skin: Their Chameleon skin gives them a +5 racial bonus on Hide checks. This applies only when the Naira is wearing light or no armour.
• Hold Breath: Naira are birthed in the spawning pools of their cities, as such they spend the first 2 years of their lives in an aquatic environment. After leaving the spawning pools they retain some of their amphibian abilities, and so they can hold their breath far longer than most creatures. A Naira can hold his breath for 4x its Constitution Score before it risks drowning.
• Low Light Vision: Naira have large independant eyes which rarely blink. They are sensitive to light, and they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is colour vision. Naira can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
• Special Attacks: None
• Automatic Languages: Traders Tongue, Lizardman.
• Bonus Languages: Sylvan, Thieves Cant.
• Favoured Class: Spellthief
• Level Adjustment: +0

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The Naira are a small reptillian race, who have a thick set of scales covering their bodies. What appear to be soulless eyes stare from their reptillian features. Their slow movements suggest they are incapable of fast movement, but when the time if right they will spring into action, the very embodiment of patience.

No-one quite knows why the Naira are scattered across the world like they are. They have their own lands, but they seem to naturally diffuse across the world. The truth behind it is that the Naira know what their speciality is, they know how and when to use it. The Naira, trade in information, if you want to know something about something, you go and see the local Naira, they'll know what you want to know, if they don't, they certainly will know someone who can tell you or find out for you. Those in the know know that the best spies and assassins are from the Naira Thieves guilds. For a race that makes it their business to know everyone else's business, they are very much an Isolationist culture. The Naira cities are designed to provide the most cover, mainly partly submerged and create as much natural darkness as possible; after all what you can't see isn't actually happening. This insistence on darkness, and a volatile society, those in power don't last very long unless they are good at their job, or have enough security to prevent their retirement .

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Creation Myth:

In the dawning ages, a young woman named Egle, discovered after bathing with her two sisters, a serpent amongst her clothes. Speaking in an intelligent voice, the serpent agrees to go away only after Egle pledges herself to him in exchange for him leaving the clothes, not realising the possible consequences. Three days passed, thousands of serpents come for the bride, but are tricked by her relatives three times in a row. The first night they use a goose, the second night, a sheep, and the third night a cow Was given instead. The Mor bird, known for its wisdom, warns about the deceit everytime. Angry serpents return the final time and take Egle with them to the bottom of the sea to their master.

When they arrive at the lair, instead of seeing a serpent, Egle meets her bridegroom Nega, a handsome human, the Serpent Prince. They lived together happily and bore four children, until Egle decides to visit home and Nega forbids it. Egle pleads with her husband, promising to return to him once she has seen her family. Egle and the children are reluctantly let go by Nega, who says that they have a week before they are required to return.

Egle returned to her family, and the week passed quickly. Egle's relatives did not wish to let their long lost family to return to the sea and decide to kill Nega. Egle's brother's try to force the children to reveal the secret calling that will summon forward their father. The boys are threatened and beaten by their uncle's, though they remain silent and do not betray their father. Their frightened sister, fearing for their lives, discloses the secret to their Uncles:

"Nega, dear Nega,
If alive - may the sea foam milk
If dead - may the sea foam blood...."

The twelve brothers call forth Nega the Serpent from the sea, and set upon him with their farming tools, a whirlwind of scythes reap the life from Nega.

Worried Egle wanders to the sea shore and calls for her husband. A few moments later, only foams of blood return from the sea. Egle realises that her husband is dead, and runs to her children in tears. She tells them about their Fathers death, and they reveal what her brothers have done. At this moment, Egle took the mantle of her dead husband and become the Queen of Serpents. Her vengence was swift and decisive, as a punishment for betraying their father, Egle turned her children and herself into the first of the Naira. Her children took on the familiar base colour of the Naira, of motled greens and browns, where as Egle took on an albino form. It is from this legend that when an Albino Naira is spawned, it is said that their brood and the Albino itself are destined for great things.

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