ReturnOfTheKing
2015-03-20, 06:27 PM
In this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389894-Process-of-Elimination-Collaborative-World-Building) over at the World-Building subforum, we've been working on creating a steampunky post-apocalyptic science fantasy world with cool stuff like airships, robots and angel-riding psionic cowboys. Anyway, we've come up with a bunch of cool races, but they could use critique, bad. As in, they'll probably really suck without critique bad :smallannoyed:
So, we've opened a branch thread in the hopes that we can get that critique. Enjoy!
Based on the Mathuin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389902-Homebrew-Race-The-Mathuin-(PEACH)) by TylertheCreator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?77290-TylertheCreator).
In a world ravaged by planar energy from a deadly war, only the mysterious bears seem immune to the lingering magical energy that permeates the Wastes. No one is sure how this is possible, but some have taken to worshipping the bears, and cults have sprung up across Geula dedicating themselves to the magical beings. In an effort to become closer to their gods, some cultists have taken the ultimate leap by binding their bodies with that of a bear, becoming Ursans, somewhere between man and beast. This is considered the ultimate honour by most cultists. Ursans are treated as holy, even messianic figures, but they have to pay a steep price for their hubris - they are filled, sometimes overwhelmed, by the rage of the bear, and it can drive them to savagery, even insanity.
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2.
Age: Ursans, like their wild cousins, rarely live for long, generally reaching around 50 years of age at most. It depends on the subrace - while Blacks usually live to 40 and rarely exceed 50, Polars can live to be as old as 60.
Alignment: Ursans are driven by the bestial fury of the bear, and they tend towards chaos and evil. Yet the more dedicated and resolute cultists will try to strive to be lawful and good, and this struggle can define a person and help them truly understand what they're made of.
Bear Magicks: Like the bears which they dedicate their lives to, Ursans have mysterious abilities to avoid magical damage, giving them resistance to force damage.
Long Strides: You can choose to walk on all fours instead of on two legs. When using this trait, your base walking speed increases by 10 feet and you gain proficiency on Acrobatics checks to maintain balance. However, you can't hold items or wear armour while using this trait. If you dash while using this trait, you travel at twice your normal speed plus 10 feet and ignore all difficult terrain, but you can't do so again until after a long rest.
Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Ursan. Ursan is a deep and guttural language predominantly made up of roars and snarls. The Ursan tongue is considered sacred to the Bear Cult and is often used in prayer. It is considered blasphemous for a non-cultist or non-Ursan to speak it.
Subraces: Six subraces of the Ursan are known to exist. These are the Black, the Grizzly, the Polar, the Panda, the Sun and the Cave Ursan.
The most common and well-known variety of Ursan, Blacks are the result of magical binding with a black bear. They are hardy and adaptable, being skilled at eking out a living in a variety of wilderness conditions, even deep within the Wastes. However, they suffer from a lack of racial unity and cultural identity, and in an effort to find themselves, many take up adventuring.
Ability Score Increase; Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 5 and 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
One With Nature: You are considered proficient in the Nature skill.
Raking Claws: You can choose to deal deal 1d4 slashing damage instead of 1d1 bludgeoning damage when you make an unarmed strike.
Grizzlies are tough and strong, having been created by binding with a brown/grizzly bear. They are feared and renowned for their brute force and destructive power, and many take up careers as mercenaries or warriors. Yet the rage that boils within the blood of an Ursan is strong within them, and many Grizzlies suffer from insanity.
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 6 and 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
King of Beasts: You were born not just to roam, but to rule, the wild. You gain proficiency in the Intimidate and Survival skills.
Of all the Ursan subraces, perhaps none are more revered than the Polar. These strong, noble descendants of the bears of the north are known for their charisma and their pride. Many live in secretive noble orders, where they try to control their bestial rage and use it as a weapon rather than fear it as a danger to themselves and their comrades.
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 7 and 8 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Arctic Heritage: Thanks to your polar bear heritage, you have resistance to cold damage and you can ignore difficult terrain if it's ice or snow.
Armoured Bear: You ignore light and medium armour restrictions when using the long strides trait.
The Panda is an anomaly among the Ursans - unlike their savage kin, they are almost totally unaffected by the rage of the bear, thanks to discipline, self-control and dedication to order. They congregate in Bear Cult monasteries, where they live a simple life of worship and prayer. There are a rebellious few, however, who follow the path of their gods on a life of adventure and seek a deeper understanding of life that they can't find in a cloister.
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 5 and 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: You have a base walking speed of 35 feet.
Calm Mind; You are skilled at maintaining peace and serenity, even when chaos rages around you. You have resistance to psychic damage and advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Meditation: Pandas don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day.
Denizens of the jungle who were born from binding with a sun bear, Sun Ursans are perhaps one of the most unusual and mysterious Ursan subraces. They live in savage, acid-flooded rainforests where they form warrior tribes, embracing their inner rage rather than fighting it.
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Size: You are around 3 feet in height. Your size is Small.
Speed: You have a base walking speed of 30 feet.
Aboreal: When making a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to climb or descend an object, you are considered proficient in the Acrobatics skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Mask of the Wild: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, mist and other natural phenomena.
Perhaps the rarest and the most savage of the Ursan subraces, Cave Ursans were born from binding with one of the last of the ancient and mighty cave bears, giant bears which roamed the north in ancient days. Cave Bears are so rare that to bind with one is to become a god in the eyes of the cult, yet Cave Ursans face the greatest challenge of all the subraces. They are born of the most terrible and savage type of bear, and though many have tried, none have yet overcome it's ferocity with mind, body and/or soul intact.
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Size: You are between 8 and 9 feet tall. Your size is Large.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Darkvision: Thanks to your cave-dwelling forebears, you have superior vision in dim and dark conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
Juggernaut: When dashing while using the long strides trait, you have advantage on saving throws against melee attacks.
So, we've opened a branch thread in the hopes that we can get that critique. Enjoy!
Based on the Mathuin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389902-Homebrew-Race-The-Mathuin-(PEACH)) by TylertheCreator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?77290-TylertheCreator).
In a world ravaged by planar energy from a deadly war, only the mysterious bears seem immune to the lingering magical energy that permeates the Wastes. No one is sure how this is possible, but some have taken to worshipping the bears, and cults have sprung up across Geula dedicating themselves to the magical beings. In an effort to become closer to their gods, some cultists have taken the ultimate leap by binding their bodies with that of a bear, becoming Ursans, somewhere between man and beast. This is considered the ultimate honour by most cultists. Ursans are treated as holy, even messianic figures, but they have to pay a steep price for their hubris - they are filled, sometimes overwhelmed, by the rage of the bear, and it can drive them to savagery, even insanity.
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2.
Age: Ursans, like their wild cousins, rarely live for long, generally reaching around 50 years of age at most. It depends on the subrace - while Blacks usually live to 40 and rarely exceed 50, Polars can live to be as old as 60.
Alignment: Ursans are driven by the bestial fury of the bear, and they tend towards chaos and evil. Yet the more dedicated and resolute cultists will try to strive to be lawful and good, and this struggle can define a person and help them truly understand what they're made of.
Bear Magicks: Like the bears which they dedicate their lives to, Ursans have mysterious abilities to avoid magical damage, giving them resistance to force damage.
Long Strides: You can choose to walk on all fours instead of on two legs. When using this trait, your base walking speed increases by 10 feet and you gain proficiency on Acrobatics checks to maintain balance. However, you can't hold items or wear armour while using this trait. If you dash while using this trait, you travel at twice your normal speed plus 10 feet and ignore all difficult terrain, but you can't do so again until after a long rest.
Languages: You can speak, read and write Common and Ursan. Ursan is a deep and guttural language predominantly made up of roars and snarls. The Ursan tongue is considered sacred to the Bear Cult and is often used in prayer. It is considered blasphemous for a non-cultist or non-Ursan to speak it.
Subraces: Six subraces of the Ursan are known to exist. These are the Black, the Grizzly, the Polar, the Panda, the Sun and the Cave Ursan.
The most common and well-known variety of Ursan, Blacks are the result of magical binding with a black bear. They are hardy and adaptable, being skilled at eking out a living in a variety of wilderness conditions, even deep within the Wastes. However, they suffer from a lack of racial unity and cultural identity, and in an effort to find themselves, many take up adventuring.
Ability Score Increase; Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 5 and 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
One With Nature: You are considered proficient in the Nature skill.
Raking Claws: You can choose to deal deal 1d4 slashing damage instead of 1d1 bludgeoning damage when you make an unarmed strike.
Grizzlies are tough and strong, having been created by binding with a brown/grizzly bear. They are feared and renowned for their brute force and destructive power, and many take up careers as mercenaries or warriors. Yet the rage that boils within the blood of an Ursan is strong within them, and many Grizzlies suffer from insanity.
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 6 and 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
King of Beasts: You were born not just to roam, but to rule, the wild. You gain proficiency in the Intimidate and Survival skills.
Of all the Ursan subraces, perhaps none are more revered than the Polar. These strong, noble descendants of the bears of the north are known for their charisma and their pride. Many live in secretive noble orders, where they try to control their bestial rage and use it as a weapon rather than fear it as a danger to themselves and their comrades.
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 7 and 8 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Arctic Heritage: Thanks to your polar bear heritage, you have resistance to cold damage and you can ignore difficult terrain if it's ice or snow.
Armoured Bear: You ignore light and medium armour restrictions when using the long strides trait.
The Panda is an anomaly among the Ursans - unlike their savage kin, they are almost totally unaffected by the rage of the bear, thanks to discipline, self-control and dedication to order. They congregate in Bear Cult monasteries, where they live a simple life of worship and prayer. There are a rebellious few, however, who follow the path of their gods on a life of adventure and seek a deeper understanding of life that they can't find in a cloister.
Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Size: You are between 5 and 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: You have a base walking speed of 35 feet.
Calm Mind; You are skilled at maintaining peace and serenity, even when chaos rages around you. You have resistance to psychic damage and advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Meditation: Pandas don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day.
Denizens of the jungle who were born from binding with a sun bear, Sun Ursans are perhaps one of the most unusual and mysterious Ursan subraces. They live in savage, acid-flooded rainforests where they form warrior tribes, embracing their inner rage rather than fighting it.
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Size: You are around 3 feet in height. Your size is Small.
Speed: You have a base walking speed of 30 feet.
Aboreal: When making a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to climb or descend an object, you are considered proficient in the Acrobatics skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Mask of the Wild: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, mist and other natural phenomena.
Perhaps the rarest and the most savage of the Ursan subraces, Cave Ursans were born from binding with one of the last of the ancient and mighty cave bears, giant bears which roamed the north in ancient days. Cave Bears are so rare that to bind with one is to become a god in the eyes of the cult, yet Cave Ursans face the greatest challenge of all the subraces. They are born of the most terrible and savage type of bear, and though many have tried, none have yet overcome it's ferocity with mind, body and/or soul intact.
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Size: You are between 8 and 9 feet tall. Your size is Large.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Darkvision: Thanks to your cave-dwelling forebears, you have superior vision in dim and dark conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
Juggernaut: When dashing while using the long strides trait, you have advantage on saving throws against melee attacks.