Racial Varients
Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 8:52 pm
In keeping with my tradition of occasionally posting game mods that no one asked for, I've written up some racial variants for your consideration.
Starting and Racial Abilities
Dwarf
Optional
Life of Study: Dwarves can use their extra Speak Language Skill Rank on any Craftsman or Knowledge skill.
Elf
Optional
Longevity: Elves can sacrifice an Attribute Point to get an Artisan, Knowledge, or Language Skill Rank.
Woodlonging: Some elves are deeply connected to the Blood Wood, and as such always know the direction and approximate distance to the Blood Wood. Such elves are obsessed with the Wood and will feel driven to visit or heal it. +2 on any sort of Navigation test.
Racial Variant
Blood Elves: Blood Elves may travel from the Blood Wood for a variety of reasons, but it is very hard on them and uncomfortable for everyone else.
Racial Abilities:
- Unappealing to Horrors: Intelligent Horrors always target Blood Elves last, if at all. They cannot get any nourishment from them, so tormenting them is like eating dirt.
- Pain Resistance: Blood Elves ignore 1 point of Wound penalties.
- Reduced Recovery Tests: Blood Elves have one less recovery test per day. If he would normally have 1 recovery test per day, he can only make a recovery test every other day.
- Armor Restrictions: Other than Fernweave, armor and clothing must be specially crafted to be worn over the thorns, increasing its cost by three to four times when purchased outside of the Blood Wood.
- Intense Reaction: Nearly all Namegivers begin with an Attitude of one worse than normal towards Blood Elves. However, any successful Interaction tests results in a free additional success.
- Intense Woodlonging: In addition to knowing the direction and distance to the Blood Wood, Blood Elves may become physically ill as a result of their obsession with the Wood. Triggers for Intense Woodlonging vary, but may include near death, the death of a loved one, a major triumph, or intense reaction to a work of art. When the GM rules that it has been triggered, the elf must make a Willpower test against the number of months the elf has been away from the Wood. On failure, the character becomes afflicted with Wood Consumption.
Wood Consumption
Type: Debilitation Death Effect Step: 7 Onset Time: 1-2 months.
Interval: Chronic/1 Month Duration: Cronic
A Blood Elf taken with Wood Consumption know as soon as he fails the Willpower test. As with other Debilitating diseases, for each Success the disease gets against the victim’s Toughness Step he suffers -2 to all tests. If the penalty exceeds the victim’s Toughness Step, he is bedridden. If it exceeds his Toughness x2, he dies and cannot be revived through any means short of the intervention of a Passion. The only cure is to spend a night in the Blood Wood while suffering from no Wounds or Damage and to take a morning recovery test.
Humans
Optional
Wellspring: Humans can take on other race’s starting Attributes, Movement and Karma ratings in lieu of the Versatility talent. The human doesn’t get access to Versatility, but instead chooses a starting Attribute array, Movement Rate, and Karma Modifier from Dwarfs, Elves, Orks or Trolls. They do not get access to any other racial abilities.
Obsidimen
All Obsidimen can enter the Dreaming, a nearly coma-like level of deep meditation. While in the Dreaming, Obsidimen do not need food or drink. If Obsidimen enter into communal Dreaming with one another, they can communicate telepathically with a range of Touch. Obsidimen can also enter into the Dreaming with their Liferock, meaning that in addition to other benefits, they benefit from the Liferock’s Armor. Entering or leaving the Dreaming requires a narratively appropriate amount of time, anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour.
Optional
Natural body: Obsidimen add +2 to any tests to hide when they are not moving and in a natural environment, such as forest or cave. This reduces their starting Charisma value by 1.
Longevity: Obsidimen can sacrifice an Attribute Point to get an Artisan, Knowledge, or Language Skill rank.
Orks
Optional
Iron Stomach: +2 to all tests vs ingested poisons or tainted food or drink. This reduces their starting Perception value by 1.
Trolls
Optional
Trolthelia: Deposits of trolthelia form natural weapons, granting the troll +2 to damage tests in unarmed combat. Reduce starting Charisma and Perception Attributes by 1.
T’skrang
Swimming: All t’skrang have a Swimming ability (Player’s Guide p. 201) - they use their standard Movement Rate when swimming.
Optional
T’skrutio: T’skrutio is a kind of skin adaptation that lets t’skrang change their skin color in response to their emotional state. It cannot be used for camouflage, but can be used to communicate to other t’skrang in visual range. Both t’skrang must succeed on a Charisma (6) test in order for the communication to take place. It is believed that T’skrutio was much more common in legendary times. T’skrutio can be learned using the Read/Write Language skill, and the character must start with at least one rank in R/W Language spent on T’skrutio.
Racial Variant
K’stulaa: K’stulaa are strange mutant t’skrang born with flaps of skin between their arms and legs that allow them to glide. They are not born with the natural fear of heights as other t’skrang and are often driven from their homes as bad omens. Sesslakai Aropagoi, the House of the Spirit Wind, nestled in cliffs in the southern spur of the Throal Mountains, is the only place where k’stulaa are consistently born. The Sesslakai Aropagoi takes in k’stulaa no matter where they are born, however.
- K’stulaa cannot wear any armor with an Initiative Penalty.
- K’stulaa can speak K’stulaa fluently as a magical ability.
- K’stulaa can learn the Gliding Skill.
- Gliding
Step: Rank + Dex Action: Standard Strain: 1 Cost: Novice.
After falling or leaping from an elevated position, the k’stulaa makes a Gliding test (5) in order to begin gliding. Once gliding, she can move 2 yards horizontally for each yard she drops vertically. Gliding is also used for any aerial tricks the k’stulaa wishes to attempt. Actions that use either arms or legs (such as weapon attacks or unarmed attacks using arms or legs) break the glide. The k’stulaa can use a standard action to make another Gliding test to resume gliding.
Starting and Racial Abilities
Dwarf
Optional
Life of Study: Dwarves can use their extra Speak Language Skill Rank on any Craftsman or Knowledge skill.
Elf
Optional
Longevity: Elves can sacrifice an Attribute Point to get an Artisan, Knowledge, or Language Skill Rank.
Woodlonging: Some elves are deeply connected to the Blood Wood, and as such always know the direction and approximate distance to the Blood Wood. Such elves are obsessed with the Wood and will feel driven to visit or heal it. +2 on any sort of Navigation test.
Racial Variant
Blood Elves: Blood Elves may travel from the Blood Wood for a variety of reasons, but it is very hard on them and uncomfortable for everyone else.
Racial Abilities:
- Unappealing to Horrors: Intelligent Horrors always target Blood Elves last, if at all. They cannot get any nourishment from them, so tormenting them is like eating dirt.
- Pain Resistance: Blood Elves ignore 1 point of Wound penalties.
- Reduced Recovery Tests: Blood Elves have one less recovery test per day. If he would normally have 1 recovery test per day, he can only make a recovery test every other day.
- Armor Restrictions: Other than Fernweave, armor and clothing must be specially crafted to be worn over the thorns, increasing its cost by three to four times when purchased outside of the Blood Wood.
- Intense Reaction: Nearly all Namegivers begin with an Attitude of one worse than normal towards Blood Elves. However, any successful Interaction tests results in a free additional success.
- Intense Woodlonging: In addition to knowing the direction and distance to the Blood Wood, Blood Elves may become physically ill as a result of their obsession with the Wood. Triggers for Intense Woodlonging vary, but may include near death, the death of a loved one, a major triumph, or intense reaction to a work of art. When the GM rules that it has been triggered, the elf must make a Willpower test against the number of months the elf has been away from the Wood. On failure, the character becomes afflicted with Wood Consumption.
Wood Consumption
Type: Debilitation Death Effect Step: 7 Onset Time: 1-2 months.
Interval: Chronic/1 Month Duration: Cronic
A Blood Elf taken with Wood Consumption know as soon as he fails the Willpower test. As with other Debilitating diseases, for each Success the disease gets against the victim’s Toughness Step he suffers -2 to all tests. If the penalty exceeds the victim’s Toughness Step, he is bedridden. If it exceeds his Toughness x2, he dies and cannot be revived through any means short of the intervention of a Passion. The only cure is to spend a night in the Blood Wood while suffering from no Wounds or Damage and to take a morning recovery test.
Humans
Optional
Wellspring: Humans can take on other race’s starting Attributes, Movement and Karma ratings in lieu of the Versatility talent. The human doesn’t get access to Versatility, but instead chooses a starting Attribute array, Movement Rate, and Karma Modifier from Dwarfs, Elves, Orks or Trolls. They do not get access to any other racial abilities.
Obsidimen
All Obsidimen can enter the Dreaming, a nearly coma-like level of deep meditation. While in the Dreaming, Obsidimen do not need food or drink. If Obsidimen enter into communal Dreaming with one another, they can communicate telepathically with a range of Touch. Obsidimen can also enter into the Dreaming with their Liferock, meaning that in addition to other benefits, they benefit from the Liferock’s Armor. Entering or leaving the Dreaming requires a narratively appropriate amount of time, anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour.
Optional
Natural body: Obsidimen add +2 to any tests to hide when they are not moving and in a natural environment, such as forest or cave. This reduces their starting Charisma value by 1.
Longevity: Obsidimen can sacrifice an Attribute Point to get an Artisan, Knowledge, or Language Skill rank.
Orks
Optional
Iron Stomach: +2 to all tests vs ingested poisons or tainted food or drink. This reduces their starting Perception value by 1.
Trolls
Optional
Trolthelia: Deposits of trolthelia form natural weapons, granting the troll +2 to damage tests in unarmed combat. Reduce starting Charisma and Perception Attributes by 1.
T’skrang
Swimming: All t’skrang have a Swimming ability (Player’s Guide p. 201) - they use their standard Movement Rate when swimming.
Optional
T’skrutio: T’skrutio is a kind of skin adaptation that lets t’skrang change their skin color in response to their emotional state. It cannot be used for camouflage, but can be used to communicate to other t’skrang in visual range. Both t’skrang must succeed on a Charisma (6) test in order for the communication to take place. It is believed that T’skrutio was much more common in legendary times. T’skrutio can be learned using the Read/Write Language skill, and the character must start with at least one rank in R/W Language spent on T’skrutio.
Racial Variant
K’stulaa: K’stulaa are strange mutant t’skrang born with flaps of skin between their arms and legs that allow them to glide. They are not born with the natural fear of heights as other t’skrang and are often driven from their homes as bad omens. Sesslakai Aropagoi, the House of the Spirit Wind, nestled in cliffs in the southern spur of the Throal Mountains, is the only place where k’stulaa are consistently born. The Sesslakai Aropagoi takes in k’stulaa no matter where they are born, however.
- K’stulaa cannot wear any armor with an Initiative Penalty.
- K’stulaa can speak K’stulaa fluently as a magical ability.
- K’stulaa can learn the Gliding Skill.
- Gliding
Step: Rank + Dex Action: Standard Strain: 1 Cost: Novice.
After falling or leaping from an elevated position, the k’stulaa makes a Gliding test (5) in order to begin gliding. Once gliding, she can move 2 yards horizontally for each yard she drops vertically. Gliding is also used for any aerial tricks the k’stulaa wishes to attempt. Actions that use either arms or legs (such as weapon attacks or unarmed attacks using arms or legs) break the glide. The k’stulaa can use a standard action to make another Gliding test to resume gliding.