Diversifying humans

[ekarney]

I've been reading through the regions in Forgotten Realms and I was wondering what mechanical bonuses we could give to racial variants of humans to put them on par with strong heart half long

[Ashtagon]

I'd suggest checking out Mongoose's Conan d20, and use the human subraces in that.

[Vhaidara]

Well, my "Minor Homebrew" page (linked through my sig) has 4 human racial variants who have been exposed to the energies of the Elemental Planes.

[Ettina]

Well, since the human racial bonuses are so customizable, maybe the different choices represent different races. For example, you could chose a set of extra feats that are only available to each race of human as their first level bonus feat. Or the extra skill points at first level have to be assigned to one of a certain set of skills representing what that culture does.

[A Tad Insane]

Replace the free bonus feat with a specific one, with a regional feat being the best.

[The Viscount]

The Human clans from Oriental Adventures each have a different skill as a class skill.

[DrMotives]

The Human clans from Oriental Adventures each have a different skill as a class skill.

I have to dig out that book again, but I thought those differences only came up Samurai & Shugenja classes, and again with every clan's custom PrC in the Rokugan world chapter in the back.

*Edit* Shame on me, so they do have that.

[Extra Anchovies]

Take a look at the d20 Conan RPG from Mongoose Publishing. It has twenty-five human subraces. I've described it in the past as "like the FR regional feats on crack".

[Flickerdart]

Considering that a bunch of subraces are just "take the racial bonuses from this other race" it should be very simple to adapt other races to humans. Give them the halfling's +1 to saves instead of the bonus feat, for instance. You could also take existing human subraces that make simple replacements (silverbrow human, azurin) and adapt them. Finally, there are elemental and environmental racial variants in UA that have general traits, which could be slapped on humans to make Arctic/Desert/Jungle/Air/etc humans.

[Ashtagon]

I have to dig out that book again, but I thought those differences only came up Samurai & Shugenja classes, and again with every clan's custom PrC in the Rokugan world chapter in the back.

*Edit* Shame on me, so they do have that.

If you look at the Rokugan Campaign Setting book (NOT Oriental Adventures), those human clans are discussed in more detail, although still not as comprehensively as Mongoose Conan.

[Milo v3]

I once made it so each culture had a separate list of allowed Bonus Feats.

[VariSami]

What is it with the people suggesting limitations on the power level of humans when the OP asked for extra bonuses which would balance them with Strongheart Halflings who also receive a free bonus feat on 1st level in addition to a multitude of other bonuses? (Not everyone is doing this but those suggesting limitations on the free feat or replacing it with benefits that do not equal a feat, +1 to all saves is overshadowed by Luck of Heroes, for example, are.)

While I do not know about the Conan D20, it seems like a logical first step. All I have heard is that the system integrates some rules variants such as armor as DR so they might be needed to be taken into consideration.

Other than that, I think giving Able Learner (Races of Destiny) to all humans for free might be an easy cure. The feat is damn strong but fits thematically and encourages diversifying the roles the character can play. It is not actually a regional variant, though. Some other feats to consider as such locked additional but regional bonus feats might be Jotunbrud (Races of Faerûn) and Arcane Schooling (Player's Guide to Faerûn) to fit the differences between regions.

[Extra Anchovies]

While I do not know about the Conan D20, it seems like a logical first step. All I have heard is that the system integrates some rules variants such as armor as DR so they might be needed to be taken into consideration.

It does, but it's still a d20 system so the races are compatible. Most of the human subraces just have different skill bonuses, automatic proficiencies, and sometimes ability score modifiers, but it's enough to lend them some variety especially when they all have premade cultures to use (thank you, Robert E. Howard).