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Xuldarinar
2014-04-19, 11:07 PM
RED ELVES
-Appearing as crimson and bald elves, the red elves are a race known to few due to for their isolationistic tendencies, and renowned among those that know of them for their technological achievements and their single-minded devotion to their creator, the Dwelveman.
-Physical Description: Generally roughly the height of humans, red elves possess a slender physique and long pointed ears, emphasized by a lack of hair. Their skin appears as leather rather than normal flesh, crimson like blood. Their eyes, while being within the normal range of colors, are red where they would be white in other races.
Their clothes vary in style, but individuals tend to wear a single color. Adventuring red elves are usually seen in black, where as others may be seen in colors such as red, green, blue, or even purple. Those colors are used to indicate their standing and function within their society.
-Society: Red elven society revolves around order and the development of technology. Every individual has a specific purpose among their society, represented by the clothes they wear. Those responsible for agriculture are seen wearing green, merchants are seen in blue, red is worn by those responsible for the core technologies and faith of their people, and purple is reserved for the administrative class. Those who are outcasts, having no place in society, are given a set of black clothes before being sent into the world. Regardless of one's caste as a red elf, with exception to adventurers, all red elves are expected to serve as part of their military.
-Spellcasters are shunned by the red elves, who view them as superstitious and primitive. To them, magic is a technology and should be approached as such. While spellcasters are not unheard of among the red elves, they are more often than not outcasts, only the greatest of which earn any kind of respect from their kin.
-Relations: When it comes to most races, they tend to ignore them. They care little for the lives of most races, though are more likely to show generosity to an Elf or a Dwarf than to an Orc. There are, however, two races that they pay any kind of notice to; Humans and Gnomes. While they prefer not to deal with humans first hand, they can be seen combing battlefields where humans recently fought, and bringing their dead with them. While this has started rumors that the red elves feed on the corpses of humans, they are quick to inform others that as part of their faith they must give proper burial to creatures with souls. Whether there is any truth in this, however, is not known. Gnomes, on the other hand, are generally hated by the red elves. This comes out of previous, and some of their first, encounters with gnomes that have ended in attempts to steal their technology.
-Alignment and Religion: Red Elves, contrary to their name-sake, focus on order far more than emotion or expression. Most red elves are lawful neutral, caring little for our concept of morality but emphasizing the productivity of their society. Adventuring red elves however, tend towards other alignments, being outcasts. In terms of faith, they shy away from most deities in favor of their creator as a race, a being they refer to as the Dwelveman, an individual believed to have been half-elf and half-dwarf. Whether there is any truth in this is unclear, but it is best not to challenge in the presence of one of the Children of the Dwelveman, as they have been known to refer to themselves as.
-Adventurers: Outcasts of their own society, adventuring red elves find themselves out of place even among fellow adventurers. Neither particularly perceptive nor socially adept, they get by on their knowledge, their agility, and the toughness of their skin.


RACIAL TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom: Red elves are an agile and intelligent people, but unfortunately many find them distant and not particularly perceptive.
Medium: Red Elves are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size
Half-Construct: Red Elves are humanoids of the Half-Construct subtype. As half-constructs, they possess the following traits: A +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and effects that cause either exhaustion or fatigue. They can not be raised or resurrected. Unlike most of this subtype, they still need to breath and eat, but they do not need sleep. They still may gain the benefits or rest, regardless of their lack of a need for sleep..
Normal Speed: Red Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): Red Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Natural Armor: Red Elves have a +2 natural armor bonus to their Armor Class.
Negative Energy Affinity: Red Elves are alive, but react to positive and negative energy as if they were undead- Positive energy harms them, while negative energy heal them.
Unnatural: Red Elves take a -4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to creatures of the animal type, and receive a +4 dodge bonus to AC against animals.
-Languages: Red Elves begin speaking Dwarven and Elven. Red Elves with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Common, and Gnomish.

Red Elf Adulthood: 110 Years
Starting Age for Intuitive Classes: 110+3d8 Years
Starting Age for Self-Taught Classes: 110+4d8 Years
Starting Age for Trained Classes: 110+6d8 Years


FAVORED CLASS OPTIONS

Aegis: Add +1/4 to the aegis's customization points.
Alchemist: Add +1/4 alchemical bonus to Intelligence when using a cognatogen.
Brawler: ???
Cavalier: ???
Cryptic: Add +1 to Craft checks for a singe craft skill.
Gunslinger: Add 1/3 point of maximum grit.
Investigator: ???
Kineticist: Add 1/3 point of damage to void element blasts that deal damage.
Monk: Add +1/4 to the monk's ki pool.
Occultist: ???
Psion: When manifesting psion powers of the metacreativity discipline, add +1/3 to the effective manifester level of the power, but only to determine the power’s duration.
Rogue: Add a +1/2 bonus on Disable Device checks regarding mechanical traps and a +1/2 bonus to trap sense regarding mechanical traps.
Slayer: ???
Swashbuckler: ???
Tactician: Add +1/2 to the maximum number of creatures allowed in the tactician's collective.


EQUIPMENT

-Negatite: Negatite is a metal commonly used by red elves as a coating for their weapons and armor. While not strong enough to be fashioned into durable tools, it can be bonded to armor and weapons made of steel. The process for creating negatite is known only to a handful of red elves, and all that is known of it is that silver is used, and quicksilver also results from the process.
When bonded to a weapon that deals slashing or piercing damage, attacks using the weapon briefly poison those hit by it. Weapons that remain imbedded, such as arrows or broken parts of blades, continue to poison the individual it is imbedded in until they die or the negatite is removed from their body. Negatite functions as an injury poison, dealing 1 point of strength damage on a failed fortitude save (DC 15 + Weapon Enhancement Bonus x 2). When imbedded, such as by an arrow, the target must save against it once per minute until its removal.
-When wearing a suit of armor coated with negatite, mindless undead largely ignore them, simply perceiving them as other mindless undead. Furthermore, when the wearer is attacked with a weapon with an enhancement bonus, that bonus is treated as one less than it actually is.
-Negatite can only be applied to metal items, and doesn't work on rare metals such as adamantine, cold iron, and mithral.
Negatite has 10 hit points per inch of thickness and harness 9.

SOCIETY EXPANDED

-Caste System: As one may notice, seeing most red elves is that they seem intent on color coordinating their own wardrobes. Each color having a specific meaning when it comes to red elves. While they don't see one color as being better than another, they take the position that each color, or cast, has its own important role in their society. This isn't determined by family. but is determined upon the red elf reaching adulthood.

-Blue Caste: Merchants, red elves wearing blue are among the most commonly seen and spoken to by members of other races. They are responsible for trade and more often than not make their own wears.

-Green Caste: Farmers, red elves wearing green are often seen towards the fringes of red elven cities, which in of themselves are few in number. They are responsible for the production of food and various herbs, and make a living selling these things to the merchants.

-Purple Caste: Administrators, red elves wearing purple run their government on all levels. Among the most varied in their duties, these red elves deal in law keeping and dealing with their relations with other races, when such things come up.

-Red Caste: Keepers of technology and faith, red elves wearing red hold a very strange position within their society. They are the most educated and are known for their skills with their core technologies. They are also seen on occasion outside, removing recently dead humans from battlefields.

-Black Caste (Out-caste): Adventurers and outcasts, red elves wearing black are seen on occasion leaving red elven cities. While few keep to their black garb they are expected to wear it whenever they return home, in those rare cases that they do. Still, regardless of the fact they are seen as outcastes they are still welcomed home and are not looked down upon in the least, unless of course they have taken up a practice that they themselves look down upon.


-Military: All residents of red elven cities are expected to be a part of the military, and undergo considerable training when not otherwise occupied with duties put on them by their caste. They are trained in the usage of light weaponry, and to be able to move as a single unite across a battlefield rather than individuals. Viewing them in combat from a distance on a large scale, one might compare them to a swarm of red ants. Rarely though, do they ever enter the battlefield alone. More often than not they are accompanied by a large assortment of constructs, ones possessing the robot subtype being the most common by far.

-Symbol: From their banners to their armaments, one may notice somewhere on their surface a red crescent moon, split down the middle. The red elves have taken this up as their symbol, in reverence to their creator. According to their tales, the Dwelveman would mark all of his creations with his symbol, which was a red crescent moon. Being his greatest achievement, their flesh was made to be the color of his mark, and they themselves would mark what was theirs with this symbol split down the middle, incomplete as these things were not crafted by the hand of their maker himself.

-Death: Red elves are believed to live absurdly long, even eternal lives, provided they do not sustain severe injuries. While it is not fully known what they do with their dead, though assumed that they bury their dead as they claim to do with others, they are known to go to great lengths to recover their fallen from outside their city walls. This becomes a greater curiosity in that, while they have said they believe that creatures with souls deserve proper burial, they do not believe themselves to be ensouled creatures.

-Technology and Magic: Red elves hold nothing short of reverence towards technology, exceeded only by their devotion to the Dwelveman. As such, their people are often equipped with advanced pieces of technology where other races might wield tools of magic. Perceiving magic as primitive, they hold a similar perception of spellcaster that most civilized races have of barbarians. Rare as it is however, there are objects in the world that integrate both elements of technology and magic, and to the red elves this is blasphemy. They believe that only the Dwelveman has the right to integrate such things, and to create or wield such things is to proclaim one's self their creator's equal.

-Technology and its Antithesis (Pertains only to campaigns in which Chaositech exists): A technology of chaos, the red elves find fascination in chaositech. While inherently lawful beings, there are those among their society that study and even publicly use such devices. These individuals are met with caution, however, as they know the dangers these present.

umbrapolaris
2014-04-19, 11:42 PM
interesting, but if they despise arcane arts what kind of "technological magic" they favor?

seems you have to make a class for them :D

Xuldarinar
2014-04-20, 12:19 AM
interesting, but if they despise arcane arts what kind of "technological magic" they favor?

seems you have to make a class for them :D

Out the gate on this one eh? Well, lets think about this.

Divine magics? Druids would be the most likely users of that, primarily among the ranks of those dealing in agriculture. Then again, standing far apart from nature, they in of themselves wouldn't be likely for red elves. The red elves wouldn't frown on divine magic in the same way as the arcane, recognizing its source, but they just don't get involved so much with deities. Higher powers and such, as to them the highest power they care for is the Dwelveman.

Alchemy, almost certainly would be practiced. Common even, taking a role where traditional spellcasters might otherwise exist.

Gunslingers. Even in a setting where guns don't exist, these guys certainly would have given gunpowder a shot. While not magic per say, you wouldn't argue with a bullet any more than you would a fire ball.

Psionics, which would be a rare gift among them, would be far better accepted than the arcane arts.

Shadow magic, as fond of it as I am I cannot give this one an exception. Its alien, its magic. The red elves wouldn't trust it and prefer a red elf practicing it leave. They could earn respect, but it would take a lot of time and quite the substantial demonstration.

The binding of spirits, such as what occultists would do, would also face much the same. It is practically defined by superstition. Drawing symbols on things to summon spirits, is not a power they would deny exists but would view it as primitive except perhaps with the summoning of only the most technical minded spirits/vestiges.

Going back to 3.5, the artificer would likely be accepted among the red elves, being popular especially among the Red Cast.

umbrapolaris
2014-04-20, 12:34 AM
In an low-magic campaign, their nation could stand with others but in a normal or high-magic one , i wonder how they would face invasion from other avid magic-using races.

i can envisage their army based on melee classes, gunslinger and psionicists (with maybe Erudite as spellcasters counterparts ).

i think they may have adapted Artificers specialized in dispelling/countering arcane users.

Xuldarinar
2014-04-20, 12:53 AM
In an low-magic campaign, their nation could stand with others but in a normal or high-magic one , i wonder how they would face invasion from other avid magic-using races.

i can envisage their army based on melee classes, gunslinger and psionicists (with maybe Erudite as spellcasters counterparts ).

i think they may have adapted Artificers specialized in dispelling/countering arcane users.


That wouldn't be unreasonable, and may in time inspire some home-brews.

One could use them as a place from which creatures of the Robot subtype could come from, given their fondness for technology. You send an army, they march out accompanied by Machine Soldiers and Gearsman, maybe a few Myrmidon. You send the big guns, they send out an Annihilator or two.

umbrapolaris
2014-04-20, 01:02 AM
One could use them as a place from which creatures of the Robot subtype could come from, given their fondness for technology. You send an army, they march out accompanied by Machine Soldiers and Gearsman

Yes the Iron-Man class (homebrewed here) just pop in my mind ^^

Xuldarinar
2014-04-20, 01:09 AM
Yes the Iron-Man class (homebrewed here) just pop in my mind ^^

Not what I had in mind, but I took a look and that does fit them quite well. Thank you for mentioning it.


Wish I could share all the details of this race, but the one who came up with the very concept would prefer that there be some mystery remaining about them. But I think enough is there that one can figure out most of what hasn't been said.

Xuldarinar
2014-04-24, 03:04 AM
And now I really call upon the aid of others.

I want to fully flesh out this race, and while there is some things I am not posting just because.. what would the fun be if everyone knew everything out of the gate, especially when this comes to the table for my up and coming campaign, there is still a lot I feel needs at least determined.

And so, I ask all of you to ask. Ask anything, present anything you like. I will answer what hasn't been answered, and develop answers to questions that I haven't developed anything for yet. If you have ideas/suggestions/things you would like to contribute then do so. I will consult my DM and the one who came up with the red elves in the first place to see what he thinks. If you have a question I cannot really answer yet, and it is not for lack of an answer, I will say so.


Consider this homebrew as both [PEACH] and an on going work in progress.

umbrapolaris
2014-04-24, 10:58 PM
more and more they appear to me as stylish cyborg via their half-constructs trait :smallbiggrin: ; maybe creating some unique racial mechanical grafts available to the entire race (not only to artificers).

for the fluff, they could be originating from the same crystal world as the illithids and were their nemesis in that world (forcing illithids to flee), their "technology" helping countering illithids mental abilities.

just an idea ^^

Xuldarinar
2014-04-24, 11:07 PM
more and more they appear to me as stylish cyborg via their half-constructs trait :smallbiggrin: ; maybe creating some unique racial mechanical grafts available to the entire race (not only to artificers).

for the fluff, they could be originating from the same crystal world as the illithids and were their nemesis in that world (forcing illithids to flee), their "technology" helping countering illithids mental abilities.

just an idea ^^


Mechanical grafts, thats an interesting idea. I like it. I certainly will have to put in some.

Thats an interesting idea for fluff. It may or may not be used but I do like it. Already, though its not blatantly stated, they do have a connection to illithids. More as a source of inspiration for the Dwelveman or some coincidental elements within their society. (PM for details if you are curious).

umbrapolaris
2014-04-24, 11:30 PM
Mechanical grafts, thats an interesting idea. I like it. I certainly will have to put in some.

will be cool ^^


(PM for details if you are curious).

i will let you polish it , and will discover when it's done, i like surprises :smalltongue:

Xuldarinar
2014-04-25, 12:03 AM
i will let you polish it , and will discover when it's done, i like surprises :smalltongue:

Well, for now I will say you may be able to put things together from the information there, though obviously there is information not alluded to.

Xuldarinar
2015-11-16, 10:07 PM
It has been some time since I touched this. I'd certainly like to polish the race up and make them feel a bit more.. complete.