[3.5 + Pathfinder] Need A Slightly Unusual Race

[Palanan]

I'm trying to populate a wilderness with nonstandard races, and I need one in particular to live in coastal/piedmont regions. They would be living in a constellation of small tribal settlements, able to hold their own against dangerous predators and rival tribes, but individually no stronger than a standard race. (CR 1 at most, and absolutely no LA.)

I'd like to avoid all flavors of elf, dwarf, halfling, or any other heavily-used race. Is there something interesting, maybe with a distinctive personality and a little obscure, that could work here?

[Extra Anchovies]

Depending on how coastal you're talking, the Darfellan are an interesting aquatic-themed race.

Alternately, maybe one of the lizardfolk variants? Poison Dusk Lizardfolk are fun.

[Judge_Worm]

Crucians (turtle)are different, so are Grippli(frog).

[Mitchellnotes]

How about the kenku? Raven people could work well.

[Fax Celestis]

Are you amenable to homebrew?

Even if not, you could go with killoren or raptorans (RotW). If your coasts are like Britain instead of Hawaii, goliaths could work (RoS).

Im a particular fan of dromites (XPH/SRD), myself, but a lot of people don't share that view.

Do they have to be a PC viable race? You could go with pseudodragons, worgs, pegasi, or similar.

[LOTRfan]

Depending on how isolated these constellation villages you are, you could have Fauns; the descendants of an all-human tribal community that slowly became fauns after continuous intermingling with Satyrs.

Maenads are fun, they're basically sparkly Vulcans if you play up the "feels emotions intensely, so they must conceal them" angle. Pathfinder describes them as a coastal race that loves boating, too.

Phanatons are little squirrel people, perhaps they'd be good for a piedmont region? In the Savage Coast campaign, they live in one of the most hostile jungles in the world. Tiny, LA +0, and they already have fluff as tiny but tough survivors.

Pterrans are LA +0 flightless Pteradactyl people. Enough said.

Vanaras are monkey people.

[Psyren]

Seconding Kenku (a seagull, pelican or osprey variant), or you could use sahuagin.

[Kraken]

Seconding darfellan, and also consider one of the aquatic skinwalkers (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/more-races/standard-races-1-10-rp/skinwalkers-10-rp)

[atemu1234]

Kender from Races of Ansalon, if you dislike DMing.

[LOTRfan]

Im a particular fan of dromites (XPH/SRD), myself, but a lot of people don't share that view.

I'm a big fan of Dromites too; there aren't enough cool insectoid races in D&D. The dromites have the interesting element-based caste system too.

Also, if you're open to pathfinder, you might want to check out the Mahrog race in the pfsrd. They're supposed to be the remnants of an ancient of homo (like neanderthal or ergaster), one whose advancement in technology has been slightly suppressed by the fact that their goddess does a lot to protect them.

The cyclopeans from Dragon Magazine could be fun.

[Palanan]

Thanks for the suggestions so far--there are some good possibilities here, although I'm still looking for that special something.




Originally Posted by Fax Celestis
Are you amenable to homebrew?

…Do they have to be a PC viable race?

Definitely open to solid homebrew, and they don't necessarily need to be a PC race.

However, something essentially bipedal is a better fit here…I'm looking for a race that could approximate a human tribal culture, with hunting and small-scale subsistence agriculture.


Originally Posted by LOTRfan
Also, if you're open to pathfinder, you might want to check out the Mahrog race in the pfsrd.

…huh. Those are strange.

Not quite what I'm looking for here, but I'm going to keep those in mind.



As for the kenku, they occurred to me, but I've never been that fond of them and they don't quite fit what I'm looking for.

As for the habitat, I'd rather focus on the woodland aspect. Rolling hills mantled in mixed hardwood forest…roughly humanoid, or at least bipedal…tribal culture, not individually stronger than a human…anything else come to mind?

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Gathlain are fey that have symbiotic plant wings, from the ARG/B4 PF books. Kitsune, Nagaji, Wyvarans, Samsarans... just looking through the ARG is fun.

[Fax Celestis]

A few of mine, then. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?11048-Race-Russiti

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?10324-Races-Feats-Races-of-the-Eye

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?121942-d20r-Race-Phoe-Kun

[LOTRfan]

…huh. Those are strange.

Not quite what I'm looking for here, but I'm going to keep those in mind.

You think those are strange? You should see some of the other Alluria Publishing races. Just to highlight a few;


Parasitic mollusks that dig into and control semi-humanoid snails (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/3rd-party-races/alluria-publishing/zif)
Small-sized, one-eyed aliens that randomly adopt a racial trait from one of the standard races every morning (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/3rd-party-races/alluria-publishing/xax)
Two headed elves that act like the twin sisters in American Horror Story (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/3rd-party-races/alluria-publishing/taddol)
Blind, humanoid oozes who maintain their shape through magic (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/3rd-party-races/alluria-publishing/squole)
Tiny devil-lookalikes that are created when an evil-aligned demiplane slowly breaks down over several centuries (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/3rd-party-races/alluria-publishing/kval)

[black-jack]

I've used Hadozee (Stormwrack) from time to time for these situations. They're flying squirrels, but medium-sized monkeys.

[Jeff the Green]

Anthropomorphic toads?

[Judge_Worm]

Have you considered using a template as a race? Just give them HD=LA and most templates make a viable race .

And everyone always forgets about the Locathah.

[Sayt]

Spartan Sailor Hobgoblin Hoplites?

[Mr.Kraken]

If you're focused on woodland/plains traits of the place, maybe catfolk (RotW) and lupins (Dragon Compendium)? They could be rival tribes constantly at war.

[(Un)Inspired]

If you really want to focus of the woodland hills/ piedmont aspect of the terrain I don't think you could do much better than a Reverse Centaur.

They're very majestic.

[Fax Celestis]

What, the dreaded Asswere?

[(Un)Inspired]

What, the dreaded Asswere?

Oh god no. Something sublime

http://cdn.unfriendable.hollywood.com/2012/7/16/e910bf552cb5c87902b2f9dff48b9b2e.jpg

[gorfnab]

Beguilers (Shining South) could be amusing.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Fax Celestis
A few of mine, then….

I really like the russiti. There aren't enough good plant races out there, and I've been wanting to include one in this setting. The russiti aren't quite what I was looking for in this thread, but I'll keep them in mind for another region, deeper in the wilderness.

However, there's just one hitch: I don't use psionics. If I remove the psionic aspects, would that drop it down to LA +0? That would be a double win for my purposes.


Originally Posted by Ninjaxenomorph
…just looking through the ARG is fun.

It really is. I went through it last night and their writeup of the vanara caught my eye. LOTRfan mentioned those earlier, and while I wasn't completely convinced, I think they're the closest match I'm likely to find.

Also, the gathlain are another really interesting possibility. Odd but intriguing.

[Fax Celestis]

I really like the russiti. There aren't enough good plant races out there, and I've been wanting to include one in this setting. The russiti aren't quite what I was looking for in this thread, but I'll keep them in mind for another region, deeper in the wilderness.

However, there's just one hitch: I don't use psionics. If I remove the psionic aspects, would that drop it down to LA +0? That would be a double win for my purposes.

Oh yeah, definitely. The fire vulnerability is a huge enough deal that it almost puts them there itself. I'd probably make their favored class druid or ranger, then. Actually, archivist would be a cool favored class: would fit well with the INT bonus and would peg them less as "tree people who do tree things". And you could even have a whole cultural dynamic centered around turning deceased russiti into paper instead of being buried: that russiti's prayerbook is made of the bodies of his ancestors.

[Palanan]

Okay, thanks. I think druid will probably work well as a favored class for what I have in mind...or maybe even favored soul, drawing from the druid list? Worth tinkering with a bit.

As for the fire vulnerability, if I'm reading it right that's +1 extra for each die of fire damage. On the face of it that doesn't seem too bad...is there something else that would compound the damage?

And the paper thing...hmm. I'm wondering if paper made from russiti bark could be used for divine scrolls, perhaps with a bonus to CL or some other benefit, which would mean the russiti would be actively hunted by other races.

[Fax Celestis]

Okay, thanks. I think druid will probably work well as a favored class for what I have in mind...or maybe even favored soul, drawing from the druid list? Worth tinkering with a bit.

As for the fire vulnerability, if I'm reading it right that's +1 extra for each die of fire damage. On the face of it that doesn't seem too bad...is there something else that would compound the damage?

And the paper thing...hmm. I'm wondering if paper made from russiti bark could be used for divine scrolls, perhaps with a bonus to CL or some other benefit, which would mean the russiti would be actively hunted by other races.

It just means that it directly scales with the enemy. A CL 10 fireball will deal 10d6 to the party (average 35), but the russiti will take 10d6+10 (average 45). A great wyrm red dragon's breath weapon will be 24d10 vs most people (average 132), but 24d10+24 (average 156) against the russiti. It adds up fairly rapidly.

[Palanan]

Aha, thanks. This is for a commoner campaign, so no CL 10 fireballs anytime soon. :smalltongue:

[Fax Celestis]

Aha, thanks. This is for a commoner campaign, so no CL 10 fireballs anytime soon. :smalltongue:

Well, in that case, if a russiti is set on fire with a torch, he'll take 2d6+2 instead of 2d6 a round. Much smaller numbers, but still will add up quick.