Erberor
2015-05-25, 08:54 PM
Races of Gontholmar
So I'm working on a set of races for a campaign (and the world it takes place in, Gontholmar, as you may have known from the title), and I need some feedback. In general, I'm looking to make choice of race more meaningful and overall have greater impact. Some of these races are designed under a somewhat specific idea that differs from the typical vision of that race (most notably orcs, goblins and gargoyles), and I'll make notes about those as needed.
So, before I begin, it should be said that I'm looking to balance things around the human race, with the modifications I've made. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Human
As normal except as follows:
Ability score adjustments: +1 to two different ability scores
Human is good. Not much to change at all, and it gives a good balance point for the other races. I did decide on +1 to two stats instead of +2 to one because that struck me as being slightly too good.
Elf
INCOMPLETE
As normal except as follows:
Ability score adjustments: +2 DEX, +2 CHA, -2 CON
Ancient Learning: Elves gain two ranks for every skill point invested in knowledge, craft and profession skills, and add those skills to their class skills.
Elves are more or less the same as in normal D&D, but I'll give the description anyway. Elves are aloof, old, and knowledgeable. Ever since, and for hundreds of years before, their largest kingdom collapsed on itself, elves have rarely felt the need to take part in or even be aware of what's going on in the world around them. Lacking ambition, most elves remain in isolated communities and live peaceful lives. Those outside of such communities are usually wanderers, often bards, who desire to travel the world.
Now, as for the startling incompleteness, Ancient learning hardly puts Elf on par with Human (as far as I can tell). I need something more. Suggestions are not merely welcome, but practically essential.
Dwarf
As normal except as follows:
Ability score adjustments: +2 CON, +2 WIS, -2 CHA
Dwarven Military Training(replaces weapon familiarity): Dwarves are proficient with all martial axes and hammers, and the Dwarven Urgosh and Waraxe. When taking a feat that can be taken multiple times for different weapons (weapon focus line, improved critical, etc.) a dwarf may instead take the feat and have it apply to all weapons mentioned above (write it down as, for example, "weapon focus: Dwarven Weaponry")
Dwarven Armor Training: Dwarves increase the armor bonus from worn armor by 2 and decrease the Armor Check Penalty by 1 (minimum zero)
Dwarves are at large unchanged in terms of racial identity. When showing this to a friend, he did express concerns about Armor Training being a bit too good, but I don't think so. I'm slightly more worried about how hard these abilities might shoehorn dwarves into certain classes (like, you know, fighters and the like...oh, and clerics).
Orc
Ability score adjustments: +2 STR, +2 CON, -2 CHA, -2 INT
Skill bonuses: +4 Intimidate, +2 survival
Orcish resilience: Orcs gain Endurance and Improved Toughness as bonus feats, even if they do not meet the requirements. In addition, incoming healing effects heal an additional 2 hit points per dice rolled (2 extra for Cure light wounds, 4 for CMW, etc.)
Extra skill points: 4 extra skill points at level one, 1 extra point every level after (exactly like the human)
Furious blows: Orcs gain Power Attack as a bonus feat. Orcs can power attack with light weapons as though they were 1H, with 1H as though they were 2H, and when power attacking with a 2H weapon the bonus damage from power attack is multiplied by 3 instead of 2
Ok, so here's the first major departure from the existing rules. Orcs in this world are strong, tough, stubborn and often rather crass. However, they are also trustworthy, honorable and hardly the savages they are often portrayed as in many fantasy settings. I have taken a fair amount of inspiration from Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls with regard to...more or less everything there is to say about orcs.
I chose to give orcs extra skill points to compensate for the dock to intelligence. Orcs should be somewhat inferior with intellect related functions, but I don't want them to be less skillful because of it.
Goblin
INCOMPLETE
Ability score adjustments: +2 DEX, +2 INT, -2 STR
Small size, 20 ft speed
Skill Bonuses: +4 on all craft skills, +4 Appraise, +2 Bluff, +2 search, +2 Open Lock, +2 Disable Device
Extra Skill Points: As Human/Orc
Tinkerer: Open Lock, Disable Device and all craft skill are class skills. In addition, Goblins may take ranks in Craft(alchemy) without having to be a caster. Finally, Goblins may find traps with a search DC above 20 without trapfinding, but the DC to find the trap is increased by 5.
Here's another one fairly far removed from the classic D&D race. As with Orcs, I based my Goblins on those seen in Warcraft (as well as the Goblins in a friend's setting): they are crafty, smart tinkerers. They are also shrewd, deceptive and keep to their own, rarely if ever taking sides in any conflict, barring potentially lucrative alliances.
Anyway, that's what I'm going for here. Goblins are fundamentally oriented toward a certain degree of skillmonkeying. As with the other incomplete races, however, I think I might need to add something more to it, ideally something that encourages intelligent play.
To be added: halflings, gnomes (maybe), Gargoyles and Minotaurs, possibly others.
So I'm working on a set of races for a campaign (and the world it takes place in, Gontholmar, as you may have known from the title), and I need some feedback. In general, I'm looking to make choice of race more meaningful and overall have greater impact. Some of these races are designed under a somewhat specific idea that differs from the typical vision of that race (most notably orcs, goblins and gargoyles), and I'll make notes about those as needed.
So, before I begin, it should be said that I'm looking to balance things around the human race, with the modifications I've made. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Human
As normal except as follows:
Ability score adjustments: +1 to two different ability scores
Human is good. Not much to change at all, and it gives a good balance point for the other races. I did decide on +1 to two stats instead of +2 to one because that struck me as being slightly too good.
Elf
INCOMPLETE
As normal except as follows:
Ability score adjustments: +2 DEX, +2 CHA, -2 CON
Ancient Learning: Elves gain two ranks for every skill point invested in knowledge, craft and profession skills, and add those skills to their class skills.
Elves are more or less the same as in normal D&D, but I'll give the description anyway. Elves are aloof, old, and knowledgeable. Ever since, and for hundreds of years before, their largest kingdom collapsed on itself, elves have rarely felt the need to take part in or even be aware of what's going on in the world around them. Lacking ambition, most elves remain in isolated communities and live peaceful lives. Those outside of such communities are usually wanderers, often bards, who desire to travel the world.
Now, as for the startling incompleteness, Ancient learning hardly puts Elf on par with Human (as far as I can tell). I need something more. Suggestions are not merely welcome, but practically essential.
Dwarf
As normal except as follows:
Ability score adjustments: +2 CON, +2 WIS, -2 CHA
Dwarven Military Training(replaces weapon familiarity): Dwarves are proficient with all martial axes and hammers, and the Dwarven Urgosh and Waraxe. When taking a feat that can be taken multiple times for different weapons (weapon focus line, improved critical, etc.) a dwarf may instead take the feat and have it apply to all weapons mentioned above (write it down as, for example, "weapon focus: Dwarven Weaponry")
Dwarven Armor Training: Dwarves increase the armor bonus from worn armor by 2 and decrease the Armor Check Penalty by 1 (minimum zero)
Dwarves are at large unchanged in terms of racial identity. When showing this to a friend, he did express concerns about Armor Training being a bit too good, but I don't think so. I'm slightly more worried about how hard these abilities might shoehorn dwarves into certain classes (like, you know, fighters and the like...oh, and clerics).
Orc
Ability score adjustments: +2 STR, +2 CON, -2 CHA, -2 INT
Skill bonuses: +4 Intimidate, +2 survival
Orcish resilience: Orcs gain Endurance and Improved Toughness as bonus feats, even if they do not meet the requirements. In addition, incoming healing effects heal an additional 2 hit points per dice rolled (2 extra for Cure light wounds, 4 for CMW, etc.)
Extra skill points: 4 extra skill points at level one, 1 extra point every level after (exactly like the human)
Furious blows: Orcs gain Power Attack as a bonus feat. Orcs can power attack with light weapons as though they were 1H, with 1H as though they were 2H, and when power attacking with a 2H weapon the bonus damage from power attack is multiplied by 3 instead of 2
Ok, so here's the first major departure from the existing rules. Orcs in this world are strong, tough, stubborn and often rather crass. However, they are also trustworthy, honorable and hardly the savages they are often portrayed as in many fantasy settings. I have taken a fair amount of inspiration from Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls with regard to...more or less everything there is to say about orcs.
I chose to give orcs extra skill points to compensate for the dock to intelligence. Orcs should be somewhat inferior with intellect related functions, but I don't want them to be less skillful because of it.
Goblin
INCOMPLETE
Ability score adjustments: +2 DEX, +2 INT, -2 STR
Small size, 20 ft speed
Skill Bonuses: +4 on all craft skills, +4 Appraise, +2 Bluff, +2 search, +2 Open Lock, +2 Disable Device
Extra Skill Points: As Human/Orc
Tinkerer: Open Lock, Disable Device and all craft skill are class skills. In addition, Goblins may take ranks in Craft(alchemy) without having to be a caster. Finally, Goblins may find traps with a search DC above 20 without trapfinding, but the DC to find the trap is increased by 5.
Here's another one fairly far removed from the classic D&D race. As with Orcs, I based my Goblins on those seen in Warcraft (as well as the Goblins in a friend's setting): they are crafty, smart tinkerers. They are also shrewd, deceptive and keep to their own, rarely if ever taking sides in any conflict, barring potentially lucrative alliances.
Anyway, that's what I'm going for here. Goblins are fundamentally oriented toward a certain degree of skillmonkeying. As with the other incomplete races, however, I think I might need to add something more to it, ideally something that encourages intelligent play.
To be added: halflings, gnomes (maybe), Gargoyles and Minotaurs, possibly others.