Merkolth, inaal, and uvaln [New Races]

[Nonanonymous]

Merkolth

The merkolth are a race of planetouched altered from what once was a fey'ri to a bizarre combination of elf and styx dragon.
Physical Description: Merkolth resemble an elf at the right distance, however when one gets closer they notice that the skin is covered with slimy, rusty red scales, the presence of a pair of wings small enough to be useless for flight but that assist it in moving through water, a tail that splits into two long, bladed whips, hair that is a murky combination of blue and purple, and eyes that glow with a lurid yellow light.
Personality: As befits their heritage, merkolth are commonly suspicious, manipulative, selfish, and cruel. Many simply become hired swords for the simple pleasures of wealth and murder, while the more ambitious may become crime lords or attempt to usurp or found a kingdom or noble house. Much akin to styx dragons, they consider fiendish and/or rotting carrion to be a delicacy, and can often be found cannibalizing their own dead.
Relations: Merkolth can generally feign courteous relations with other races, though most of them are quite thorough xenophobes, knowing that their own kind are the least likely to stab them in the back, at least in the middle of the streets.
Alignment: Merkolth are usually evil, and tend toward neutrality. Some may develop a tendency toward good and manage to escape before they are struck down for their weakness, and still others may have been a youth when a war party of elves or their allies raided the town to imprison the rouge elf-breeds. These are, of course, extremely rare instances, given the nature of the species in general.
Merkolth lands: Merkolth tend to thrive wherever there is fetid water, or just a horribly corrupt community. Due to the highly feudal nature of their society, their establishments don't often survive long enough to evade destruction from within or without.
Religion: Merkolth worship whatever vile god or fiend promises them the most convincing rewards for the smallest requisite loyalty, or, alternatively, whichever being elicits the most fear from them.


Abilities and racial features
Merkolth have the following racial traits:


+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Wis. Merkolth are graceful and intelligent, but most seem rather mad even in comparison to their Fey'ri brethren.
Medium Size
Outsider: Merkolth are native outsiders.
Aquatic: Merkolth are aquatic humanoids, and have the accompanying sub-types.
Amphibious (Ex): Merkolth can breathe water or air equally well, without limitation.
Merkolth base land speed is 20 feet; their tails and webbed feet are not quite suited to use on land
Merkolth base swim speed is 40 feet. A merkolth has a +8 racial bonus on any swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. A merkolth can always choose to take 10 on a swim check, even if distracted or endangered. A merkolth can use the run action while swimming, provided she swims in a straight line.
Natural attack: A merkolth has a natural bite attack that deals 1d6 damage, a five foot high, five foot wide, 60 ft long line of acid breath attack that deals 2d4 damage for 1 round +1 round/three levels (Usable once per day), and a tail attack that deals 1d6 slashing damage. On a successful tail attack, a free grapple check may be made. On a successful bite attack, the bitten creature must succeed on a fortitude save or contract Stygian Rot, sustaining 1d3 damage to both Con and Cha.
Darkvision up to 60 feet
Low-light vision: Merkolth can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Immunity to disease and poison
+2 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Search, and Spot checks
Elf Blood: For all special abilities and effects, a merkolth is considered an elf. Merkolth, for example, can use or create elven
weapons and magic items with racially specific elven powers as if they were elves.
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, and Abyssal
Bonus Languages: Infernal, Undercommon, Dwarven, Celestial, Draconic, Aquan, Orc, Goblin, Giant, Gnome. Merkolth are familiar with their hereditary languages, as well as the languages of their enemies, business partners, and slaves.
Favored class: A merkolth's favored class is Sorcerer.
Level Adjustment +2

[Vadin]

LA+4 is, in my opinion, way too high for the Merkolth. Their only really powerful ability is the disease ability, and that in itself is pretty weak when you consider that most combats are over by the time the disease would start to take effect a second time. I'd put this down at LA+1, maybe +2.

[DracoDei]

Need to specify the damage type on the breath weapon... although from the persistent nature of it I assume it is Acid?

Also, you reference a lot of information about empires and races that aren't in the title and stuff... links would be nice.

[EvilElitest]

need fluff, i know who ferai are but really, please tell me more
from,
EE

[Nonanonymous]

I don't know why I never used the PHB as a template for races before... Ah well, that should cover the fluff for the merkolth. Anyhow, on to the other races!

Inaal

Inaal are a race of nocturnal, moth-like fey that many sages speculate have some sort of connection to halflings. Most agree that they have strong connections to the Plane of Shadow and anywhere else that illusion spells draw on, due to their spell-like abilities.
Personality: Inaal are almost entirely the same as halflings in regards to personality, however inaal aren't quite as nomadic as halflings, making most of their homes in forests as befits their fey nature. In addition, they have less of a tendency to spend wealth than halflings do, rather they prefer to either purchase practical items or use their wealth to decorate their homes. Unlike most fey, inaal are just as comfortable in urban areas as they are in the wild, though they find living there unpleasant.
Physical Description: Inaal usually stand between 3' to 4' tall, and weigh about 30 to 40 lbs. Their skin is pale, their hair dark and coarse. They have large, solid black eyes which reflect red when exposed to light. Two small antennae sprout from their head, moving in accordance with their actions and mood. They posses short, sharp proboscis-like tongues which are strong enough to pierce wood, allowing them to feed off of sap as well as the blood of living creatures (Though this is only used in desperate situations, if at all.). Their most striking feature is a pair of large, moth-like wings with seemingly random and individually unique patterns of the darker fall colors. They generally favor comfortable, practical, and rather simple clothing, but they can't stand for it to be totally without decoration, and most tend to have a pendant of some sort they wear at all times, usually becoming their sort of signature. They reach adulthood at the age of 20 and generally live indefinitely discounting death in battle or due to disease.
Relations: Due to their similarities, inaal get along rather famously with halflings, elves and gnomes respect them as fey creatures, while dwarves and humans tend to find them quite disturbing. Still, they try to get along with everyone, but find lawful societies unpleasantly restricting, and they are frequent crusaders against evil and oppression.
Alignment: Inaal tend toward neutrality in the same fashion as a halfling, and are much more often good than evil.
Inaal Lands: Inaal have no definitive nations, instead living in loosely associated groups on the fringes of civilization, or traveling across the world in caravans as halflings do.
Religion: Most inaal worship either Obad-Hai, a neutral or good shadow or night deity if it exists in the campaign, or Ehlonna, and at least respect Stronmaus (Storm giant deity from Defenders of the Faith) and Olidammara. A sizable number worship those two as well, and generally all inaal pray to Fharlanghn while traveling.
Language: Inaal speak Sylvan and/or Umbral, possibly in a Nadsat-esque slang that is a combination of the two, and most write very little other than elders and spellcasters. Most myths are relayed by word of mouth, with written copies mainly distributed by the other races.
Names: Inaal choose their own names not long after they learn to speak as children, often basing their names on some facet of the natural world that particularly appeals to them. They don’t attach much more significance to their names, and it’s not unusual for an inaal to change names numerous times throughout his lifetime, as he encounters new manifestations of nature that appeal to him.
Adventures: An adventuring inaal most likely is on some sort of mission to bolster a cause they support, such as to protect the balance of nature, or to try to add credence to a political system. Many may simply be looking for excitement or glory, but wealth is generally considered a means to an end by most. Sometimes, it may be a sort of pilgrimage in the eyes of the inaal, and the most religious among them tend to leave on their own rather than travel with their family in a caravan.

Inaal Racial Traits


+2 Dex, -2 Str, +2 Cha. Inaal are quick, agile, good with ranged weapons, enchanting like most fey, but smaller and weaker than the other races.
Small: As a small creature, an inaal gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack roles, and a +4 size bonus on hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a medium character.
Inaal base land speed is 20 feet, and their fly speed is 40 feet with good maneuvarability.
+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, Spot, and Move Silently checks: Inaal are alert and stealthy.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions: Inaal are intimately familiar with illusions of all kinds
Add +2 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against illusion spells cast by inaal. Their innate attunement to the planes from which these spells originate from make their illusion more difficult to see through. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects, such as the Spell Focus feat.
Automatic languages: Common, Umbral(Or any other 'Common' for the Plane of Shadow.) and Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Halfling, Goblin, Auran, Terran, Aquan, Ignan, Celestial.
Blood Drain (Ex): An inaal can suck blood from a living victim with her tongue by making a successful grapple check. If she pins the foe, she drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained. On each such successful attack, an inaal gains 5 temporary hit points that last for up to 1 hour.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day -- Dancing Lights, Sound Burst, Darkness, Disguise Self, Web, and Fear. In addition, an inaal with a Cha of 18 or higher has the following spell-like abilities: Light of Lunia (PlH), Charm Person, Summon Swarm, Claws of Darkness (FRCS), Moon Blade(FRCS), Darkfire(MaF), Shadow Spray(FRCS). Her caster level is equal to her character level, save DC 10+Cha modifier+spell level.
Favored Class: Shadowcaster
Level Adjustment +3