CervantesTheDefenestrator
2007-05-26, 04:54 PM
The Eberron campaign setting introduces many new and interesting twists on the typically "evil" races, such as drow, orcs, and goblins. They have richer and more interesting cultures, as well as their own place in society. You can't just say "It's an orc/drow/goblinoid! Kill it!". This makes many of them an attractive option for player characters. Unfortunately, both level adjustments and in some cases rather mediocre racial features may discourage many players from choosing this option. Plus many of the racial features were made for standard D&D, and don't really fit in with the Eberron perspective. Therefore, I have decided to introduce the Eberron racial features for these races, suited for their cultures and environment, and all with a level adjustment of +0. I actually won't make them all up, I will give the Eberron version of the drow and orc. I will give guidelines for the goblinoids, and leave it to a discussion to decide what their features should be. And you are free to give suggestions for drow or orc as well. I will give all racial features, not just the ones I am changing, what you see is the full version.
Drow (Eberron)
Medium-Size.(why is Meduim the only size category with the word Size in it?)
30ft land speed
Darkvision 60ft
-2 Str, +2 Dex
+2 on saves vs. spells and spell-like abilities
Faerie Fire, Dancing Lights, and Darkness each 1/day
Automatic proficiency with the drow longknife and xendrik boomerang.
Light Blindness
+2 on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks
+2 on Craft (poisonmaking)
Poison Use: A drow can poison a weapon without any chance of poisoning himself. If he gains this ability through feats or class features, he then gains the ability to apply poison as a move action. If he gains that ability again, any contact or injury poison delivered with a weapon to a flat-footed opponant within 30ft gets +1 to the save DC.
Automatic Languages:Drow. Bonus Languages:Giant, Common, Draconian.
Favored Classes: Ranger or Scout
I replaced the weapon proficiencies with ones more campiagn-specific. It is unlikely that the jungle-going drow will have access to hand crosbows or rapiers. They use poison a lot, so it would make sense for them to be familiar with it's use. I added the upgradable ability because I hate wasted features. They gain a bonus on Survival checks because that is more important than being able to find secret doors, something they will have little need for(Unless they like raiding giant ruins). I kept the spell-like abilities and saving throw bonuses as a residual effect of the giant's hold over them, their ability to both resist and use magic innately. However, they gain no SR, because that would be too good an ability for a Level Adjustment +0 creature. Also, it has been a while since the giants, so the resistance might wear off after a while. I figure life in the jungle would toughen them up, so I took away the Con penalty. I had to give them some penalty, and drow are actually a little smaller than regular elves. Another option would be to put the penalty in either Int or Cha. Probably Int, since they don't get a lot of time for book learning. And the favored classes are more suited to jungle living. Living at least somewhat on the surface doesn't do much for their darkvision either.
Orc (Eberron)
+2 Str and Con, -2 Int and Cha
30ft speed
Only -1 penalty to AC when charging
Darkvision 60ft
Light Sensitivity
+2 on Survival and Intimidate checks
Scent, if ever they gain scent through any other source, the range is doubled, and they gain blindsense 5'.
Languages: As normal D&D half-orc
Favored classes: Barbarian or Druid
Half-Orc (non-Eberron specific, regular half-orcs suck, it's about time someone improved them)
These are in addition to their current features.
+2 Con
+2 on Survival and Intimidate
Only -1 penalty to AC when charging
I figured that orcs are kind of scary, hence the bonus on Intimidate. They seem to favor all-out charge attacks, so it would make sense that they would eventually learn to defend themselves better when making a charge. They also have big noses, I made them upgradable as well. Better ability adjustments and a nice increase in speed rounds them off rather well.
Let me know what you think, and someone make suggestions for the goblinoids. Remember that they used to have a large empire, and still cling to the memory. Interestingly enough, they also have a rich bardic tradition, especially the hobgoblins. Giving them class features that make them good bards would be interesting, and not just bonuses on perform checks. They also fight well as a unit, maybe a feature that focuses on group tactics. Both is probably too much, and the bardic feature won't be useful to a non-bard. Maybe a choice between two features?
Drow (Eberron)
Medium-Size.(why is Meduim the only size category with the word Size in it?)
30ft land speed
Darkvision 60ft
-2 Str, +2 Dex
+2 on saves vs. spells and spell-like abilities
Faerie Fire, Dancing Lights, and Darkness each 1/day
Automatic proficiency with the drow longknife and xendrik boomerang.
Light Blindness
+2 on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks
+2 on Craft (poisonmaking)
Poison Use: A drow can poison a weapon without any chance of poisoning himself. If he gains this ability through feats or class features, he then gains the ability to apply poison as a move action. If he gains that ability again, any contact or injury poison delivered with a weapon to a flat-footed opponant within 30ft gets +1 to the save DC.
Automatic Languages:Drow. Bonus Languages:Giant, Common, Draconian.
Favored Classes: Ranger or Scout
I replaced the weapon proficiencies with ones more campiagn-specific. It is unlikely that the jungle-going drow will have access to hand crosbows or rapiers. They use poison a lot, so it would make sense for them to be familiar with it's use. I added the upgradable ability because I hate wasted features. They gain a bonus on Survival checks because that is more important than being able to find secret doors, something they will have little need for(Unless they like raiding giant ruins). I kept the spell-like abilities and saving throw bonuses as a residual effect of the giant's hold over them, their ability to both resist and use magic innately. However, they gain no SR, because that would be too good an ability for a Level Adjustment +0 creature. Also, it has been a while since the giants, so the resistance might wear off after a while. I figure life in the jungle would toughen them up, so I took away the Con penalty. I had to give them some penalty, and drow are actually a little smaller than regular elves. Another option would be to put the penalty in either Int or Cha. Probably Int, since they don't get a lot of time for book learning. And the favored classes are more suited to jungle living. Living at least somewhat on the surface doesn't do much for their darkvision either.
Orc (Eberron)
+2 Str and Con, -2 Int and Cha
30ft speed
Only -1 penalty to AC when charging
Darkvision 60ft
Light Sensitivity
+2 on Survival and Intimidate checks
Scent, if ever they gain scent through any other source, the range is doubled, and they gain blindsense 5'.
Languages: As normal D&D half-orc
Favored classes: Barbarian or Druid
Half-Orc (non-Eberron specific, regular half-orcs suck, it's about time someone improved them)
These are in addition to their current features.
+2 Con
+2 on Survival and Intimidate
Only -1 penalty to AC when charging
I figured that orcs are kind of scary, hence the bonus on Intimidate. They seem to favor all-out charge attacks, so it would make sense that they would eventually learn to defend themselves better when making a charge. They also have big noses, I made them upgradable as well. Better ability adjustments and a nice increase in speed rounds them off rather well.
Let me know what you think, and someone make suggestions for the goblinoids. Remember that they used to have a large empire, and still cling to the memory. Interestingly enough, they also have a rich bardic tradition, especially the hobgoblins. Giving them class features that make them good bards would be interesting, and not just bonuses on perform checks. They also fight well as a unit, maybe a feature that focuses on group tactics. Both is probably too much, and the bardic feature won't be useful to a non-bard. Maybe a choice between two features?