Some Random Homebrew Races

[icyshadowlord]

Okay, I somehow have the feeling that I'm going to regret this, but I've decided to put the stats of my homebrew races over here. I've so far only made stats for them that fit the normal 3.5 game level of balance. What I wanna know now is if these races need some tweaking so they can be used in Tome D&D, or are they fine how they are now.

Also, before anyone says anything, I have come up with these completely from my own head. Some of them are more recent creations, while others are older ideas (and thus are probably a bit weirder or not as good in terms of quality writing)

With the introduction out of the way, here they are...

Akavish (It means spider in Hebrew.)

Short summary: Basically a weird bunch of humanoid creatures (they look human from the waist up) with the lower body of a spider. Could be mistaken for Driders, if they didn't differ from those beings in many ways...like by not being naturally magical and having mandibles on their otherwise normal faces.

These are the only racials that remain incomplete.

Racials (Male):

+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution

Type: Aberration (Akavish)
Medium size.
Akavish base land speed is 30 feet. They also have a climb speed of 15 feet.
-Tremorsense.
-Darkvision.
-Natural Climber: Akavishes have a +8 racial bonus on any Climb check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. Can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if distracted or endangered.
-Natural Weapon: Bite attack 1d6 damage. (Probably needs poison)

+2 natural armor bonus.

Racials (Female):
+2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Dexterity. (Subject to change)

Type: Aberration (Akavish)
Large (Tall?)
Female Akavish base land speed is 40 feet. They also have a climb speed of 20 feet.
-(Females start with 3 Racial HD)
-Tremorsense.
-Darkvision.
-Natural Climber: Same as male.
-Natural bite attack that deals 1d8 damage. (Needs poison?)

+5 natural armor bonus.

(Special Note on the Female. They are not meant to be played from Level 1. I forgot to clarify that before editing this post.
THEY HAVE 3 HD AND STRONGER RACIALS THAN THE MALES. AND THEY ARE LARGE. SO YEAH.)

Chloroph (Lame name, I know.)

Short summary: Half-plant humanoids who look like elves. The idea came from some plant-folk from a Dragon magazine. I thought they kinda sucked because they were fully plant-people instead of being genetically impossible half-plants. They get along with hippies (read "elves and fey") and don't usually like aberrations (despite being really weird if you ask a geneticist of any level)

Racials:

+2 Wisdom, +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength.

Type: Humanoid (Chloroph, Shapechanger, Plant*)
Medium.
Chloroph base land speed is 30 feet.
Low-light vision.
+2 racial bonus on Survival, Handle Animal and Diplomacy checks.
Alternate Forms (Ex): As a Free Action, a Chloroph can shape her outer form to a certain extent, with differing effects depending on the choice. Only one effect can be active at one time.

-A chloroph can blend into her surroundings, granting her a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide (Stealth) checks made in green enviroments like forests and marshlands. Provides Hide in Plain Sight in these situations.

-Also, the chloroph can sprout natural weapons in the form of thorny vines, which deal 1d4 damage and have the Disarm and Trip properties. You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with these weapons.

-Lastly, a chloroph can choose to form a thick shield of bark over her skin, granting her a +2 Natural Armor bonus. Growing the bark is a Free Action and doesn't provoke an Attack of Opportunity. The bark lasts for 1 round per character level. (Might tell this one to fuck off)

Humanoid Plant*. While Chlorophs have the Plant-subtype, they do not have any other plant type traits than the ones mentioned below.
-Half-Plant Immunities: The chloroph’s plant nature makes it immune to poison and paralysis. However, unlike most plants, a chloroph only possesses 25% fortification against critical hits, as it retains some vital organs. Finally, the chloroph is completely immune to natural disease, but can host and carry them.
-Photosynthesis: A chloroph only consumes 1/4th as much as a human as long as he has 4 hours of direct sunlight each day. Without sunlight, he must consume as much as a human.
-Photoregeneration: If allowed to rest in sunlight with 1 gallon of water for a day, the chloroph heals twice their character level amount of hit points. Otherwise he heals normally. The chloroph is also able to regrow severed limbs in one month (2 weeks with bed rest)
-Plant Empathy: You may use Speak with Plants twice per day. Caster level equals the chloroph's class levels. (Minimum 1st level)
-Vulnerability to fire: Take an extra 50% more fire damage from fire spells and effects. (Might be removed)

Kunian (Don't ask.)

Short summary: My first ever homebrew race, and surely one of the weirder ones. They are winged, elf-like humanoids (tall, slim and "beautiful" folk) with weird eyes (white pupils). Even more weird that they have a genetically determined caste system (They have workers, a "mid-class", a priest caste, and nobility.)

Racials:
+2 to stat, depending on caste.
Constitution for Worker
Strength for Warrior
Dexterity for Mid-Class
Wisdom for Priest
Intelligence for Noble and Royal Family.

-2 to stat, depending on caste.
Cha for Worker
Dex for Warrior and Priest
Str for Mid-Class
Con for Noble and Royal Family

Type: Humanoid (Kunian)
Medium.
Kunian base land speed is 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision.
-Wing-Aided Movement: +10 racial bonus to Jump checks.
-Gliding and Flight: Same as a Raptoran in Races of the Wild.

Bloodline Blessing: Depending on caste, a kunian gains a different kind of racial bonus that distinguishes the kunian from the other castes.

Worker: Kunians of the worker caste gain a +2 to Fortitude saves to resist exhaustion effects.

Mid-Class: Kunians of the mid-class caste gain a +1 racial bonus to Reflex saves.

Warrior: Kunians of the warrior caste gain a +1 racial bonus to all Will saving throws.

Priest: Kunians of the priest caste are treated as one level higher when casting spells with the cold descriptor or using granted powers of the ice/cold domain.

Nobility and Royal Family: Kunian nobles and royalty are treated as one level higher when determining the effects of any spell or effect they cast with the cold descriptor, including spell-like and supernatural abilities.

+2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks.
+2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Exceptional Looks: -2 racial penalty on Disguise and Bluff checks when attempting to impersonate a person of a different race or kunian caste.

Marahnian (No, seriously.)

Short summary: Partly draconic (if we used some 3.x book called Races of the Dragon, they'd count as Dragonblood), subterranean humanoids with a fanatic devotion to their god (god of darkness and death) and an equally mad obsession with order and law. They hate dark elves but get along with dwarves (sometimes with Duergars as well) and are one of the rare few non-evil (for the most part at least, since they are rarely good) races in the Underdark.

Racials:

+2 Strength, -2 Dexterity. (Might also add +2 Charisma.)

Type: Humanoid (Marahnian, Dragonblood)
Medium: As medium creatures, marahnians have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Marahnian base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision.
-Natural weapon: Headbutt (1d6) and two Claw (1d4) attacks.
-Proficient with the Battleaxe, the Greataxe and the Halberd.

+2 Natural Armor Bonus.
+2 on Jump, Balance and Swim checks.

Holstaur (Not really an original idea of mine, but yeah. COWGIRLS!! And no, they do NOT have udders.)

Short summary: Basically a female-only race which is the result of making a more human-like Minotaur (like not having a bull head) with a different kind of disposition (mainly an affinity for humans) and more human-like attitude (as in having great varience in living spaces and societal structures). Of course, everyone is free to alter them depending on the campaign world. Bonus points if they were Minotaurs (female ones, please) that were changed by the whims of some god or through some kind of miraculous redemption plot.

Racials:

+2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity. (I would add +2 Strength as well, but I think that would be too much.)

Type: Humanoid (Holstaur)
Medium: As medium creatures, cowgirls have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Holstaur base land speed is 30 feet.
-Darkvision: Holstaurs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
-Natural weapon: Gore (1d4). If the holstaur charges, her gore attack deals 2d4 points of damage, plus 1½ times her Strength modifier. A holstaur can attack with a weapon at her normal attack bonus and make a gore attack as a secondary attack (-5 penalty on the attack roll, and half Strength bonus on the damage roll).

Powerful Build (Ex): See Half-Giant or Goliath.
+2 racial bonus on Diplomacy, Search and Spot checks.
Racial Feat: Holstaurs may take the Scent special quality as a feat.
Minotaur Cunning (Ex): Sharing the natural cunning of their minotaur cousins, a holstaur gains a +4 bonus on Intelligence checks to escape Maze spells as well as giving her the ability to detemine which way is north automatically.

Fang Fish/Napici Namah (Cheers for fucking weird names. These are pirahnafolk)

Short summary: Pirahna people. What more is there to say? They are timid (and genuinely afraid) when alone, bloodthirsty when they smell food, and generally fond of ganking the enemy in big numbers and ripping them to shreds.

Racials:

+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution, -2 Charisma.

Type: Humanoid (Aquatic)
Medium: As medium creatures, napici namah have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Napici namah base land speed is 25 feet. They also have a swim speed of 60 feet. A napici namah can move through water at its swim speed without making Swim checks.
-Superior Low-Light vision: See Aquatic Elf for details.
-Darkvision.

-Natural Swimmer: Napici namah have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. He can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. He can use the run action while swimming, provided he swims in a straight line.
-Gills: Napici namahs can survive out of the water for 1 hour per point of Constitution (after that, refer to the suffocation rules).
-Light Sensitivity.
-Scent (Ex): You probably all know this one.

(Napici namah can take Keen Scent as a racial feat at level 6. This ability is identical to the Keen Scent of a shark, except that the ranges are halved when not in water)

Natural bite attack that deals 1d6 damage.
+3 natural armor bonus.

Blood Frenzy: Once per day a napici namah that takes damage in combat can fly into a frenzy in the following round, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. It gains +2 Constitution and +2 Strength, and takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. A napici namah cannot end its frenzy voluntarily.

+2 racial bonus to Survival and Profession (Hunter) checks, and both are always treated as class skills.

Zarkaia (Another original with a very weird name.)

Short summary: One of my weirder ideas. They basically look like "pretty" versions of what D&D books count as Half-Fiends, having wings, claws, tails and eyes with black scleras. They are also Outsiders, since they lived on the Prime Material Plane until they were banished into the Plane of Shadow for tampering with the wrong kind of magic (as in, some deity got mad at them for trying to find out how the universe works through magic). They still kick ass in their new home too, but are kinda bitter about the whole exile shit.

Racials:

+4 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength. (Probably should reduce to +2 Intelligence.)

Type: Medium Humanoid (Extraplanar)

Medium.

Zarkaia base land speed is 40 feet.
Low-light vision.

See in Darkness (Su): Zarkaias can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a Deeper Darkness spell.
+10 racial bonus to Jump checks.

-Gliding: See Raptoran.
-Flight: See Raptoran.
-Resist Cold 10.

Spell-Like Ability: Cause Fear - 1/day. Caster level 5th. The save DC is Charisma-based.
-Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): Zarkaias can use the Hide skill even while being observed (except in natural daylight, the area of a Daylight spell, or a similar effect).

Light Blindness: You all know this one probably.
+2 racial bonus to Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks, and a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks in dark or dimly lit areas.

ALRIGHT!!

So, that's all of them. Now...*Hides*

Edited all the errors. Also, I went off and killed all the fluff text because I thought it might look retarded. Lastly, tried to make this look less painful to look at. To what degree I succeeded in that is unknown.

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[Kaelik]

So I don't have the fortitude to read through them all right now, but:

1) Plant people seem kinda weak, very little to recommend them over... anything.

2) Spider people the males are... I guess okay, kinda weaksauce-average, but I could maybe see a rogue build that uses them. Tremorsense and climb speed vs poor stat mods but plus dex. I can see it.

Spider people female... Are too good. First of all, why would anyone ever play a male when they could get all that, but better, as a female. Those stat mods are too good, and the still have Tremorsense, a climb speed, and faster land speed than normal, and +5 Natural Armor. And Int or Cha based caster should seriously consider this race, because it's too good.

That said, what is your purpose? What is your balance point? Are you trying to make a basic LA 0 race for PCs?

[icyshadowlord]

Well...I guess I made a tl;dr here, but yeah... My purpose? I just wanted to make a few LA 0 races that the PCs could try out, or that I could play them myself if the DM allows. As for balance point, I myself would like to ask what do you mean by that? And as I stated in the beginning, I wanted to now if these are safe in both 3.5 and in Tome D&D.

I FORGOT!! The female Akavish is supposed to have 3 Racial HD to start with...when I originally created them, I had Savage Species in mind
(back in the days when I didn't know any better)

Edits for added content and clarification.

[Dominicius]

Ok this is probably not what you were asking for but goddamnit, format your post better so it is actually readable first.

[icyshadowlord]

I have never been too good with that kind of stuff (as amazing as that sounds).
Wanna give a few guidelines to how I WOULD format the post instead of simply complaining about it?

[shadzar]

Wanna give a few guidelines to how I WOULD format the post

Text Size
Color

---

horizontal ruler

things like that help separate the parts of a post.

otherwise putting a quote tag around the races, could help define what one is and the other stops.

loose example:

Male
Racial
Information

---

Female
Racial
Information

Just something to break up things into manageable format to see where one ends and the next race begins.

[icyshadowlord]

Alright, thanks. I'll try working this into a more easy-to-look at form. Though I also wanna see people's answers on the actual questions I had as well, so yeah.

Edit...bump?

[icyshadowlord]

I usually try not to do this, but...BUMP!!

[sabs]

Icy.

I had a couple of questions.
Your Dragonkin underdark folks. You've got people who are used to fighting underground in tunnels, etc, specializing in Halberds and Great Axes? that seems.. a bit weird
Your female spiderfolks are supposedly great climbers, but they have a -2 dex?

[Quantumboost]

Your female spiderfolks are supposedly great climbers, but they have a -2 dex?

Climb uses Strength, not Dexterity.

[icyshadowlord]

Oh...uuuh, what do you suggest as replacements for them Underground weapons? My only thought WHY they wield those is cultural...as in, their god's favored weapon is the Great Axe.

And...yeah, I did say the racial scores are subject to change, and being Large is usually a bad point for Dexterity, right? Besides, I can't think of anything else to penalize.

[sabs]

Underground weapons would tend to be short. Short swords, broadswords, battleaxes.

A halbert is going to be 6'-8' tall. I know the underdark has some big caverns, but if you get caught out in a tunnel, you're scrooged.

[Prak]

Underground weapons would tend to be short. Short swords, broadswords, battleaxes.

A halbert is going to be 6'-8' tall. I know the underdark has some big caverns, but if you get caught out in a tunnel, you're scrooged.

That or thrusting weapons, but still, ideally short. When I did a reskin of dwarves for an animal skinned fantasy setting, I gave the dwarf analogues "punch hammers" basically blunt weights on spear shafts. Still silly (though I designed them to be shorter than the race itself), but better in a cave than an axe, it carries some dwarf feel, being a hammer, and it mimics the race itself, as I made them goat people.