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Wukei
2005-09-18, 06:40 PM
I've been creating new races for Star Wars. Semi-human type races. But I was sort of looking for suggestions for improvement. I realize that there are already a Jedi and Sith race...but I wanted to make my own.

Karistan

Karistan come from the planet Karista. All are born with the innate ability to feel the force, and all are raised to be Sith. Not one Karistan has ever been anything but Sith, though there is a prophecy of one who would become Kalentite (the Karistan name for their king) that would be Jedi. Karistan have a unique ability to change from male to female at will, or vice versa. They look human, except for the fact that their females are around 1.9812 meters in height, and males can reach up to 2.4384 meters. Karista is hidden beyond the Outer Rim, and very few species (the Hutts being one) know of their race. Karistan are known as Sithians to their most hated enemies, the Jedarians.

Karistan Species Traits
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Karistan are strong, both in giving and taking a hit. However, due to the fact that they let anger guide their abilities, Karistan are not considered very stable by other races. (The races that know of them, that is.)
Medium-size. As Medium-size creatures, Karistan have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Karistan base speed is 10 meters.
All Karistan have the Force Sensitive feat.
+2 species bonus to Empathy. Karistan use others emotions against them as much as they use their own emotions.
+4 species bonus to Survival. Due to rituals into "manhood" that Karistan go through, they automatically have a better sense of surviving in bad situations.
Automatic Languages: Karistan, Basic



Jedarian

Jedarians come from the planet Jedar. All are born with the innate ability to feel the force, and all are raised to be Jedi. Not one Jedarian has ever been anything but Jedi. They look human, except for the fact that their females are around 1.2192 meters in height, and males can reach up to 1.524 meters. Jedar is hidden beyond the Outer Rim. Very few races know of it's existance.

Jedarian Species Traits
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution. Jedarian are quick and filled with wisdom, but they are quite weak.
Medium-size. As Medium-size creatures, Karistan have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Jedarian base speed is 10 meters.
All Jedarian have the Force Sensitive feat.
+2 species bonus to Empathy. Jedarian know how to read people's feelings better than most races.
+4 species bonus to Sense Motive. Having fought against the Karistan for so long makes Jedarians able to sense motives of other races.
Automatic Languages: Jedarian, Basic


I know the Jedarian looks almost like the Karistan...my friend actually came up with them, but I haven't seen her in a few years...

RobbieOC
2005-09-18, 06:55 PM
On first glance, it looks like the Karistans are going to be much more powerful than the Jederians are, at least combat wise. +2 to STR and CON is a pretty amazing boost. Especially for a Jedi character, who is already way powerful to begin with. And, a -2 Cha doesn't do much to offset that huge bonus.

The Jederians are also pretty powerful, but not as much.

As a typical rule of thumb (for myself, but I seem to remember reading this somewhere else...) I always say that +/-2 to a physical stat (STR, DEX, CON) is worth about +/-4 from the mental stats (INT, WIS, CHA). What I mean is, if a race has a +2 to STR, it either needs -2 in one of the physical stats or it needs a -4 in the mental stats (preferrably two separate ones).

The other bonuses aren't that big of a deal, it's just that the stats you gave them make them incredibly powerful. It just occurred to me that you might want them to be more powerful, but since you didn't mention it I'm assuming you didn't.

I'd love to help you get it worked out, if you want, just let me know if you were going for uber powerful or well-balanced (not that any of the species in Star Wars are really all that balanced...). ::)

Also, I've worked up several Star Wars species over the years, so I'd be glad to show you some of those if you want as well.

Wukei
2005-09-18, 07:00 PM
I've just never really wanted to play a Jedarian, so I haven't worked too hard on them...but I'll look it over a bit...what do you suggest?

Hzurr
2005-09-18, 07:01 PM
in Normal D&D stuff, I'd say they aren't balanced at all, but when comparing these to the other creatures in the Alien Anthology, or the SWRPG Handbook, I'd say they're about standard.

Wukei
2005-09-18, 07:04 PM
They're supposed to be standard...just little differences, you know?

Winged One
2005-09-18, 07:28 PM
I'd give the Karistan a penalty to WIS rather than CHA, but also give them a penalty to Diplomacy.

Wukei
2005-09-18, 07:30 PM
There's no reason to give them a penalty to Wis. It doesn't make sense.

RobbieOC
2005-09-18, 07:33 PM
I'd just drop one of the bonuses to each of the species. That would do a lot to help the balance (such as it is in Star Wars). Also, a little fleshing out of the species as a whole would be great. Example names, personality, etc. Explain the history between the two species some; how did they first meet? When did their feud start? Why did their feud start? That kind of stuff can actually go a long way to making a species seem more playable than when you've just got the stats to work with...

Winged One
2005-09-18, 07:35 PM
"They let their anger guide thier abilities" sounds more like a WIS penalty than a CHA penalty. Although we might have a different understanding of what various stats mean.

Wukei
2005-09-18, 07:37 PM
In the current game they're supposed to be NPCs only, and a bit mysterious...so all of that information isn't needed, currently...but I'll pull it up soon...

RobbieOC
2005-09-19, 03:22 AM
In the current game they're supposed to be NPCs only, and a bit mysterious...so all of that information isn't needed, currently...but I'll pull it up soon...

Well, that makes sense why we wouldn't have it then. Is it something the PCs are supposed to find out at some point? Or is it always suppsed to be a mystery, like even at the end of a long quest to help the Jederians, just to frustrate the PCs? Cause I love doing that to PCs... heh.

I'd like to see it anyway, just for fun.

Wukei
2005-09-19, 08:11 PM
All right...it's been modified some...tell me what you think. I've also added one of the wildlife inhabitants of Karista (and I'm working on a background story for the planet.)

Karistan
Karistan come from the planet Karista. All are born with the innate ability to feel the force, and all are raised to be Sith. Not one Karistan has ever been anything but Sith, though there is a prophecy of one who would become Kalentite (the Karistan name for their king) that would be Jedi. Karistan have a unique ability to change from male to female at will, or vice versa. They look human, except for the fact that their females are around 1.9812 meters in height, and males can reach up to 2.4384 meters. They are also an ageless race. At their twentieth year of age, they are able to call upon the powers of the Force to stop the aging process (though they don’t take advantage of this until certain ages, or some don’t take advantage of it at all). Karista is hidden beyond the Outer Rim, and very few species (the Hutts being one) know of their race.

Karistan Species Traits
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Karistan are strong, both in giving and taking a hit. However, due to the fact that they let anger guide their abilities, Karistan are not considered very stable by other races. (The races that know of them, that is.)
Medium-size. As Medium-size creatures, Karistan have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Karistan base speed is 10 meters.
All Karistan have the Force Sensitive feat.
+2 species bonus to Empathy. Karistan use others emotions against them as much as they use their own emotions.
+4 species bonus to Survival. Due to rituals into "manhood" that Karistan go through, they automatically have a better sense of surviving in bad situations.
Automatic Languages: Karistan, Basic


Appearance: As mentioned before, Karistan can get up to 2.4384 meters in height. Their eyes are normally gold or silver, but can change with their mood into black or red. Their hair can range from white to black, with unique colors such as pumpkin and bright red seen occasionally.

Names: Male: Renn, Task, Aerek, Alaik. Female: Natina, Azarra, Talia. Surnames: Kalentite (royal first child, only), Entine, Saraan, Arisaaite.

Kelanstan
At his twentieth birthday, every male of the Karistan race goes through the same process into adulthood. Only half of them survive. The reason is that they are sent out to face a Kelanstan. The Kelanstan is a beast that stands at 3.048 on all fours, though it can stand on its hind feet. Its teeth are normally around .4572 meters, and their claws are .6096 meters. The deadly creature is quick, Force sensitive, and more likely to attack a person attuned with the Force than someone that is not.

Kelanstan: Predator 15; +3 Init (dex); Defense 21 (+10 natural, +3 dex, -2 size); Speed 20 m; VP/WP 140/95; Attack +10/+5 melee (+2d8 bite or +3d6 claw); Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3; Str 28, Dex 17, Con 18; Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 4. Challenge code: G. Feats: Force Sensitive, Control, Burst of Speed.



(+1 level adjustment on the Karistan thanks to advice...)

Wukei
2005-09-20, 03:59 PM
*waves hands frantically* "we are here, we are here, we are here"

I know, it's bad to bump..but I really need suggestions!

RobbieOC
2005-09-20, 11:39 PM
I like it. I think my biggest suggestion would to drop the Constitution bonus and make Charisma simply -2. The reason is because of the empathy bonus. You've explained that they use other's emotions against them, but with a -4 it's going to be very hard to do that and it leaves them with a net +0 to empathy (it is charisma based, isn't it? I don't have my book with me, so I'm going by memory.) If you make it -2 it gives them a net of +1 to empathy, so at least that's a positive.

Or, make it +2 STR, +2 CON, -2 CHA and give them a +1 level adjustment. It's not normal to have a level adjustment in Star Wars, but I'd do it if the situation called for it, and this way you can make the species like you want to without it being unbalanced.

That Kelanstan is nasty, I might try to throw it into a game at some point to humble some arrogant padawns... heh heh heh.

Wukei
2005-09-21, 10:02 AM
Yea, keep in mind only the hutts know about the planet except for a time of about 200 years, then it goes back to being hush hush...I'm gonna give the history of it soon...who told me to give the charisma a -4 modifier in the first place? oh well...back to -2 and a level adjustment...not like it really matters, as a Sith race, they're NPC only.

(Kalentite's not going to turn into Drizzt...)

Wukei
2005-09-21, 10:55 AM
All right, this is unusual for Star Wars as well, but here I go:

Half-Karistan

Karistan have died out. They were all but one murdered 5000 years ago (before the battle of Yavin) by the Jedi. Now, any living with any significant amount of Karistan blood are the children of the last Kalentite.

Personality: Rash, short-tempered, violent, driven; or calm, rational, and cautious. They can be as versatile as their human parentage.

Physical Description: Half-Karistan can reach 2.1336 meters in height and can have either Karistan or human genetic traits. Half-Karistan age slower than their human parent, and can live up to 300 years in age.

Language: Half-Karistan speak Basic, as the Karistan language has been dead for over 4,000 years.

Adventurers: Most of the half-Karistan are drawn to adventures simply to make a name for themselves that has nothing to do with Kalentite. Most go to the Jedi for training, but there is still a debate going through the Order of whether even a half-Karistan is stable enough to accept into the temple.

Half-Karistan Species Traits
+2 Con, -2 Cha. Half-Karistan's lineage is now known throughout the galaxy. But people tend to focus on the bad things. Half-Karistan can still take a punch, however.
Medium-size. As Medium-size creatures, half-Karistan have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
All half-Karistan have the Force Sensitive feat. Because of their lineage from a Force generated race, all half-Karistan have the Force Sensitive feat.
All half-Karistan have the Fame feat. Because all half-Karistan are related to the well-known Karistan, Kalentite, they are also well-known.
Automatic Languages: Basic

So, yea...these guys get a bonus feat, but it's not "choose your own feat", it's chosen... I thought it'd be good, though...now I've got to run it past my GM. (He wanted me to play Kalentite at level 1 after the battle of Yavin, cuz he liked him...I came up with the half-Karistan idea, instead...Kalentite's definitely not level 1 5000 years after he was born..)

Caelestion
2005-09-21, 10:59 AM
Is it really necessary to put "2.1336m". I'm really not sure that hundredths of a centimetre really matter! :)
About the Fame feat - they may be well known, but Fame is in a good way. Considering their unpleasant temperaments and the fact that their parent race were wiped out, it might be more appropriate to take Infamy. (The Arkanians are very well known, but are infamous for their bioengineering.)

Cael.

Wukei
2005-09-21, 11:00 AM
But Kalentite was a hero, not a murdering psychopath like the rest of their race...otherwise I would have gone with infamy. It is only because of Kalentite that they're famous at all.

RobbieOC
2005-09-21, 12:32 PM
Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they should have a -4 Charisma. My fault. :-/

I do like the look of the Half-Karistan a lot. I would maybe give them one more little bonus, but without knowing about more of their history I wouldn't know what's appropriate... You said you're still working on that, so I can be patient. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Wukei
2005-09-21, 12:34 PM
I thought two feats and two bonuses to their abilities was enough...if not too much..

NeaZyneave
2005-09-21, 12:43 PM
OK, here it goes.... you may consider it spam, but it is actually a statement....

WEG, WEG, WEG!!!!

sorry guys, I know you need a way to feed your RPG and or SW addiction, but the D&D-rules for the game, just take the 'spirit' out of it.

Give it a shot, try the WEG rulesystem....

Wukei
2005-09-21, 12:45 PM
but that doesn't help for what I'm trying to do, so yea...personally, I'd consider it spam...but without a link, it's not really spam...so I dunno..

Caelestion
2005-09-21, 04:33 PM
Of course it's spam. Spam is any unwanted communication that doesn't help the current topic in any way.
If you say about the Karistan though, but it does remove the possibility of having nasty Karistan (the ol' Fame feat is for nice guys).

Cael.

Old_el_Paso
2005-09-21, 06:01 PM
I think they're a little over powered.

Wukei
2005-09-22, 12:08 PM
The half-Karistan or the Karistan and the Jedarian? The Karistan and Jedarian are supposed to be overpowered, and an NPC class only. Now, I ran the half-Karistan template by my GM, and he likes it. So I'm playing a half-Karistan in my next game...it's gonna be fun.

Old_el_Paso
2005-09-22, 04:21 PM
Oh, they're NPC... Then... COOL! ;D

Wukei
2005-09-22, 04:28 PM
I know I promised everyone a storyline about how Karista was discovered...and since I'm unable to move today, this sounds like as good a time as any to do that. Let me finish catching up with BDK, and I'll write you up the Origin of Karista.

GreenWarden
2005-09-24, 10:45 AM
I have always wanted to play a Vurk,
(ie. Trebor Coleman, the Jedi who gets anhiliated by Jango Fett on the Arena Balcony on Geonosis)

Vurk

Vurks hail from the watery world of Sembla. Sembla's waters are very warm, and they are split up by volcanic ridges of Developing continents. Vurks are a nomadic amphibian race, whos technology does not meet galactic standards.

Vurks are humanoid race, they are amphibius reptilians, who have distinctive crsets running up there extended skulls. Males are ususally 6'3 and females are about 6'0. Both genders have dark eyes, and have different shades of blue-ish green skin.

Vurk Racial Traits

- +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity. Vurk are Tough and Wise, but there reflexes are less than average.
- Medium-size. As medium size creatures, Vurk take no penalies due to their size.
- Vurk base land speed is 30 feet
- All Vurk recieve a +4 racial bonus on all swim checks. They are all born as swimmers and msut learn to swim at a young age because of their environment.

Vurk Picture- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Coleman_trebor.jpg

((I am open to suggestions, to perfect this race))

Winged One
2005-11-14, 06:56 PM
Yes, I am aware that this is a truely vile act of thead necromancy.

Anyway, about the Half Karistan, do they get the gender thing that's mentioned in the full Karistan entry?

Wukei
2006-03-04, 03:07 PM
Oh, WO asked a question while I was sick (for a month) and I just now got back to reading this thread because I'm playing a half-Karistan in a game.

No, they don't change sexes. Though they do look a lot like both sexes (like Vaarsuvius).

White Blade
2006-03-08, 04:50 PM
Just a note: No such thing as LAs in SWD20.

Beelzebub1111
2006-08-07, 09:16 AM
You should give them something if they start in a class that is already force sencitive. Like the Miliruka (SP?)

Anyways, I noticed that the jedarians are quite short. Just an observation.