World of Samardan: Common Races, The Sarrani...

Good Afternoon, Everyone:

Today I'm detailing the last of the common races of the World of Samardan campaign setting. As I've mentioned before, these will not be the only humanoids that will dwell in the setting, but these are the only ones that will be allowed as options as characters. Today's post deals with the Sarrani, which I had previously described as the Mystic Race. I also decided to depart from my original thoughts on the subject of appearance, and imply a relationship with the dinosaur-like creatures that inhabit Samardan.

Sarrani ("Dinosaur Men")
The Sarrani are reptilian humanoids typically standing between six and seven feet tall. Their scales are normally dull, earthy colors such as green, brown, or gray. They have a tail for balance, which measures three to four feet long. Typical weight for the Sarrani is between 200 and 300 pounds. Unlike most other humanoids, the Sarrani wear clothing, primarily togas or robes, in addition to the commonplace harness.

A wise and ancient race, the Sarrani have sought to master their psionic potential above all else. Armed with the knowledge that their world is dying, the Sarrani have placed a lot of their racial focus toward moving their minds outside of their bodies, thus shedding their mortal shells without experiencing death or the end of their personal existences. It is their firm believe that this has already been accomplished by the Ancient Ones, and that the Sarrani are their spiritual descendants. Many Sarrani regard those who have not developed their mystical potential as mere children, and dismiss them as irrelevant in the greater pursuit of psionic mastery. Fortunately, they express this belief with a great amount of compassion and charisma.

Basic Abilities: Sarrani have a +2 bonus to both Charisma and Wisdom, but a -2 penalty to both Constitution and Dexterity, reflecting their focus on spirituality over their own mortal shells. Sarrani have a base speed of 6.

Special Abilities: Sarrani possess vicious claws that can be used as natural weapons (1d4 damage each). In addition, Sarrani are able to temporarily leave their body for up to five minutes, projecting their minds at the same speed as their physical form. While outside of their bodies, Sarrani can travel in any direction, even through solid barriers, although energy barriers block their passage. This ability may be used once per rest period.

Saving Throws: Sarrani gain a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.

Common Languages: Sarrani speak both Trade and their native tongue of Sarranese, in addition to a number of languages equal to their Intelligence bonus, if any.

Suggested Skills: The following skills are suggested for Sarrani characters: Perception, Persuasion.

Now that I've laid out the basics for the three non-human common races, I think we can safely get back to the matter at hand, which is to create a map for the campaign setting.

With Regards,
Flynn

World of Samardan: Common Races, The Rakrani...

Good Afternoon, Everyone:

As you know, I'm currently detailing the common races of the World of Samardan campaign setting. These will not be the only humanoids that will dwell in the setting, but these are the only ones that will be allowed as character options. Today's post deals with the Rakrani, which I had previously described as the Expert Race. Although I was asked to consider the Kaldanes of Barsoom for this role, I have elected to reserve the ecological niche of a parasitic lifeform for the Big Bad Guy race of the setting, and did not want to create a level of sympathy for them by allowing characters with a similar dependency on another species.

Rakrani ("Spider Men")
The Rakrani are small in comparison to the other common races of Samardan, standing around four feet tall and weighing on average around 80 pounds. Rakrani possess many features similar to humans, save for the additional pair of arms they possess, which gives them a vaguely spider-like appearance. Like most other humanoids, the Rakrani go almost completely naked, wearing only a harness with little ornamentation.

The Rakrani focus on matters of the intellect. Driven by curiosity and intellectual pride, the Rakrani's culture is centered around science, philosophy, and the arts. Members of this academic race typically value logic and critical thought over emotion and irrational behavior. This multi-limbed race is widely known for the quality of their healers and sages, as well as their general inability to understand humor. Those Rakrani that spend time among other races often do so as observers, teachers and seekers of lore.

The Rakrani are intelligent enough to recognize that their survival as a species, as well as the survival of the world itself, depends on the maintenance of the poorly understood and almost incomprehensible technology left behind as the legacy of the Ancient Ones. Indeed, a majority of Rakrani venerate the Ancient Ones as near-divine beings. The more isolated of the Rakrani often regard those who do not share their passion for understanding the mysteries of the Ancient Ones as lesser beings, useful tools best suited for labor and experimentation. Fortunately, this view is rarely shared by those who interact regularly with other, less intelligent races.

Basic Abilities: Rakrani have a +2 bonus to both Dexterity and Intelligence, but a -2 penalty to both Constitution and Strength, reflecting their intellectual nature and smaller stature. Rakrani have a base speed of 5. Due to their smaller size, Rakrani gain a +1 bonus to their Defense and a +2 bonus to their Stealth rolls.

Special Abilities: Rakrani have an additional pair of arms, which grant them an additional action each round at a -2 penalty. Alternately, in cases where manual dexterity may have impact, Rakrani may use both pairs of arms (basically using all four hands) to perform such tasks, granting themselves a +1 on any related skill Dexterity-based checks. In addition, Rakrani are naturally mechanically inclined, and gain a +2 bonus on all Craft rolls.

Saving Throws: Rakrani gain a +2 bonus on all Reflex saving throws.

Common Languages: Rakrani speak both Trade and their native tongue of Rakranese, in addition to a number of languages equal to their Intelligence bonus, if any.

Suggested Skills: The following skills are suggested for Rakrani characters: Craft, Lore.

As before, this is the first draft. In my next post, I intend to move forward with the last Common Race, the spiritual Mystic Race.

With Regards,
Flynn

World of Samardan: Common Races, The Husrani...

Good Afternoon, Everyone:

First, my apologies for missing Monday's post. My birthday was this weekend, and I spent Monday recovering from a very hectic yet fulfilling weekend of celebration. I'm back, though, and ready to get down to the work of creating the World of Samardan campaign setting.

In my most recent departure from the checklist I wrote up, I'm detailing the common races of the setting. These will not be the only humanoids that will dwell in the setting, but these are the only ones that will be allowed for character creation. Aside from Earthlings and Native Humans, I previously discussed the addition of three other races as character options. Today's post deals with the Husrani, which I had previously mentioned as the Warrior Race.

Husrani ("Hyena Men")
The Husrani are the largest of the common races of Samardan, the males standing approximately eight feet in height, and weighing around 300 pounds. In appearance, the Husrani resemble humanoid hyenas, hence their name. Their whole bodies are covered in reddish-brown fur which becomes shorter as it surrounds their faces and clawed hands to reveal grey colored skin. Like most other humanoids, the Husrani go almost completely naked, wearing only a harness and jewelry.

As a people, the Husrani live in large nomadic tribes of families and individuals living together, moving from site to site every season. Born to the saddle, the Husrani are great riders, and display a great amount of affection and attachment to their gorkeshi mounts. They keep herds of domesticated livestock as their primary food source on the desolate upper plains.

The Husrani believe that battle is the greatest source of personal honor and glory, and the most honorable among them will even deliberately disadvantage himself in order to make fights last longer. Those who do not fight are seen as weak and cowardly, and thus are unworthy opponents; such people are better as servants and slaves. In Husrani society, the best death is one spent in battle, making a difference that leads to the greater success of the tribe. Indeed, to the Husrani, living a long, happy, and healthy life to a ripe old age and dying peacefully is seen as undesirable, dishonorable, or a burden. The Husrani are quite skilled with ranged weapons, from the thrown bola and spears to more advanced bows and radium rifles. Given their martial prowess, they are highly prized as mercenaries.

Basic Abilities: Husrani have a +4 bonus to Strength, but a -2 penalty to Dexterity and a -2 penalty to Intelligence, reflecting their large stature and barbarous nature. Husrani have a base speed of 6. Due to their larger size, Husrani suffer a -1 penalty to their Defense and a -2 penalty to their Stealth rolls.

Special Abilities: Skilled with ranged weapons, Husrani gain a +1 bonus on all ranged attack rolls. In addition, Husrani only suffer half the standard penalties on ranged attack rolls while mounted (–2 instead of –4 if their mount is taking a double move, and –4 instead of –8 if their mount is running.)

Saving Throws: Husrani gain a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saving throws.

Common Languages: Husrani speak both Trade and their tribal tongue, in addition to a number of languages equal to their Intelligence bonus, if any.

Suggested Skills: The following skills are suggested for Husrani characters: Riding, Survival.

This is the first draft, of course. However, without additional feedback, I'm likely to let this stand and move forward with the next Common Race, the multi-limbed Expert Race.

With Regards,
Flynn

World of Samardan: Common Races, Part One...

Good Afternoon, Everyone:

Based on comments made earlier this week, I suppose I should take a moment to address the concept of races for the World of Samardan campaign setting. As we are looking at Planetary Romance for our inspiration, I suppose I should take a moment to list some examples of the various races common to a few series in the genre:

• Barsoom (Edgar Rice Burroughs): Black Martians, Green Martians, Hormad (Synthetic Men), Kaldane, Red Martians, Yellow Martians and White Martians.
• Gor (John Norman): Humans, Kurii and Swamp Spiders.
• Green Star (Lin Carter): Humans.
• Kregen (Kenneth Bulmer under pseudonym Alan Burt Akers): Kregen is home to well over 120 diffs, or distinct races. Among the most common in the stories are Apim (humans), Brokelsh, Chuliks (yellow orcs), Djangs (four-armed humans), Fristles (cat men), Gons, Hobolings (halfling pirates), Kataki (devil men), Mezhtas (gnomes), Ochs, Undurkers (dog men) and Womoxes (minotaurs).
• Mars (Leigh Brackett): Anthropoids (ape men), Dhuvians (reptilians), Humans, and Sky Folk (winged men).
• Mars (Michael Moorcock): Humans and Argzoon (blue giants).

The only consistent race are the human variants, so that the Earthling hero has someone to rescue, fall in love with and eventually marry. A multi-limbed race is usually common, as are a race that is larger than normal humans. (In some cases, such as the Green Martians, they are the same race.) My original version of the World of Samardan setting used a somewhat limited selection of Kregen-inspired races, including Humans (umani), Devil Men (kelshani), Four-Armed Men (chardirani), Minotaurs (volkani), Orcs (piljanani) and Tiger Men (nemani). Now I've got a chance to do things differently, and I think I should.

The various races in a Planetary Romance series are typically (but not always) used as the embodiment of a specific personality type or cultural archetype, so that the author can express an opinion about that human trait under the guise of story. In the case of a roleplaying setting, there's still an element of that, as the players choose a character race that reflect a specific mindset, which in turn informs their character portrayal. As I don't have a solid list of story archetypes I want to comment on, as a Referee, I think I'll look at the game system itself. Since I'm creating this for my free Sword and Planet ruleset, I note that there are three primary classes: the Warrior, the Expert and the Mystic. It seems to me that I should be fine creating races that represent each of those as their best-suited archetype, leaving Humans for the more open-ended option.

The Warrior Race

My initial thought is that the Warrior race should probably encompass the larger multi-limbed race concept that is often found in these stories. In the core rules, I've already created the Green Martians to fit this role, but I don't want my work to be wholly derivative of Barsoom. Inspirations from the sources I've listed above include the argzoon (blue giants), djangs (four-armed humans), green martians, kurii and womoxes (minotaurs). Looking also to my larger D&D minis, I have a lot of gnolls and ogres that could be useful in representing a larger race when running a game, so I want to consider that as a factor as well.

Looking at the Warrior professions, I feel comfortable describing the Warrior race as tribal, and are great riders often hired as mercenaries, particularly cavalry. That covers half of the Warrior professions, leaving the other half for exceptional members of the race, as well as the more civilized humans of the setting. Culturally, I'm getting an impression growing in my mind of a cross between native American Indian tribes and Mongol raiders. I can work with that easily enough, and it's a fairly common trope in Planetary Romance settings.

The Expert Race

When I consider the Expert race, I picture something on the smaller side, agile and nimble, with an almost insatiable curiosity. This isn't a common archetype for the Warrior-centric story lines of Planetary Romance, to be certain, but a few examples exist. Inspirations from the sources I've listed above include the dhuvians (reptilians), the swamp spiders (spider men), the mezhtas (gnomes) and ochs. The ochs are multi-limbed, as are the swamp spiders. Hmm.... perhaps I can make the Expert race multi-limbed, and leave the Warrior race as the large race option. This thought intrigues me. Of course, I look over my D&D minis for other options, and come up with halflings, elves and even dwarves as possibilities, in terms of representing this race on the table.

Looking at the Expert professions, I immediately notice that the diplomat, healer and sage professions lend themselves to a strong academic mindset. With that in mind, I'm picturing the Expert race as observers, academics and seekers of lore. Culturally, I'd want to write this race up as having a strong Renaissance flavor, with an emphasis on the Age of Reason. Sadly, on a dying world with civilization in collapse, they will be fighting an uphill battle, trying to recover and preserve knowledge that almost seems destined to vanish. In this way, the Expert race helps draw attention to another fairly common trope in Planetary Romance settings.

The Mystic Race

The Mystic race may be the hardest to contemplate, simply because it isn't as common an option for races in the Planetary Romance genre. This is a very spiritual species, capable of unusual psychic gifts and similar abilities. Inspirations from the sources I've listed above include the yellow martians and white martians. For some reason, I want this race to be blue, maroon or crimson, and I picture them as having oversized craniums, perhaps similar in appearance to classic grey aliens. I don't have many miniatures I can use for such a bold color choice, but that's okay. I'm not going to limit this concept or others by the minis I have available.

Looking at the Mystic professions, I am drawn to the thoughts of a society that supports the Adept, the Doxologist and the Pretender, because of their specifically mental abilities. I immediately picture a culture that focuses on the concept of transcendence, moving the mind out of the body and shedding the mortal shell without experiencing death. While the Warrior race accepts the dying of the world and the Expert race is attempting to forestall the dying of the world through science and knowledge, the Mystic race is attempting to preserve itself beyond the dying of the world. The general focus of the Mystic race on psychic abilities and out-of-body experiences brings attention to these classic elements of Planetary Romance stories.

So far, I know we're going to have four major races in the setting, humans and the three I've started describing above. I'm going to continue to think about what I want out of these races, and post my finalized thoughts in my next entry. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts you'd like to share on the subject, I'm open to your suggestions.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox Game Mechanics: The Thulians, An Alien Species...

Good Afternoon, All:

In developing game mechanics for the Traveller Sandbox Experiment, we need to develop the appropriate statistics for the Thulians, a non-human alien race native to Amaterasu (Segin 3110 B688735-A). We've already defined them as being scholarly, and having enough interest in the human library known as the Ksitigarbha Institute that Thulians of sufficient social standing make at least one pilgrimage to the site during their lifetimes. With that in mind, exploring them should make for a very interesting opportunity.

Here's an Expanded Profile for their homeworld, which will be useful when using the rules found in Flynn's Guide to Alien Creation:

Amaterasu (Segin 3110 B688735-A): Starport Class B (Good); Medium (Low-G); Dense; Wet World; Mod Pop (90,000,000); Self-perpetuating Oligarchy; Mod Law; Early Stellar Tech. No Bases. Trade Codes: Garden World and Non-Industrial World. Koyane Shogunate.

After rolling some dice and playing with the results, I came up with the following:

The Thulians
Descended from Omnivore/Gatherer stock, the Thulians are an intelligent Lesser Race native to the world of Amaterasu (Segin 3110 B688735-A). This warm-blooded bipedal humanoid species is warm-blooded, exhibiting bilateral symmetry. Like most lifeforms on Amaterasu, Thulians are all of a single gender, and bear live young after exchanging genetic material with another of their species. By convention, all Thulians are considered females in the native tongue of the Koyane Shogunate.

As a species, Thulians are quite intelligent, despite their rather animalistic appearance, and possess a near-eidetic memory. They possess exceptional hearing, and still retain their ancestors' natural ability as climbers. As a species, they are naturally curious, and value the pursuit of knowledge. Thulians believe that their world is a living entity, and are taught that the Great Mother has sisters among the stars. Many, therefore, seek to explore the stars in search of the Mother's Sisters. Scouts, explorers and starfarers hold a sense of prestige among the Thulians. The great wealth of data available at the Ksitigarbha Institute on Jizo (Segin 2901 A7978AA-A Amber Zone) appeals to Thulians on many levels, from their curiosity to their desire to locate the Mother's Sisters. Many members of the species struggle to make at least one pilgrimage to the great repository of data during their lifetimes.

The Thulians have Notable Intelligence (2d6+1). Thulians also have the Low Gravity Adaptation, Natural Climber, Acute Hearing and Eidetic Memory alien traits. Thulians start aging at 30, stand 160+(2d6x5) centimeters tall and weigh 55+(2d6x4) kilograms.

Based on what we see in the details given above, Thulians will likely be found in many of the space-based careers within the Koyane Shogunate. I wanted to give the fascination that Thulians have of the Institute a near-religious fanaticism. That's what led me to create the detail that they believe their world is a living entity, and that they believe there are others. As to why this might be so, I leave that to the imagination of the Referee.

For me, I'd assume that the Thulians have passed down knowledge gained by ancient encounters with one of the Progenitor races about 70,000 years ago. Over many, many generations, these stories have morphed from tales of worlds where other people lived to legends about the worlds themselves being alive and sentient. Of course, building an adventure arc around an effort to find one of the Great Mother's Sisters might be a lot of fun, too. (Such an adventure arc could even bring the PCs to a dead or dying planet that was once the birthplace of a highly advanced civilization. Brought low by its enemies in the War of the Ancients, this world could possibly tie in with the goals of the Progenitor AI guiding the Factor of Malsumis.)

Enjoy,
Flynn

Integrating The Worlds: Looking At Races...

Good Evening, All:

In a moment of inspiration, I started to consider what I would do if I were to follow Rob Conley's advice in blending elements from my various past campaigns into one core setting. One of the first elements that I decided to consider was to examine what races would be available for characters. Toward that end, I began by listing the various character races I've either allowed in my campaigns or that I've offered as an option, even if it wasn't taken. In addition, if I had a mini for it, I figured I needed to at least consider it. Looking at the list, I determined that an "Integrated World" could not, by virtue of sheer diversity, be limited to a small handful of character races. With that in mind, I tried to come up with a nice core list, removing the least interesting of those that duplicated a niche that had already been filled. What follows here is a "Master List of Character Races" for consideration in the "Integrated World" concept.

Races of the "Integrated World"
The following are civilized races commonly encountered among the myriad of kingdoms and nations of the "Integrated World". Not every race is common to a given area, so players should check with the GM to insure that a specific race is available as an option for a given campaign before building their character. The only exception to this rule is the Human race, which can be found in almost every region of the "Integrated World" that supports civilization.

Human
Humans are the standard by which all others are measured. Humans do not hold this distinction because they are the oldest, wisest, or strongest of the races, but because they are the most widespread and varied. Due to their high adaptability, Humans are found in more of the various environments of the world than any other race. Human skin tones cover a wide range of coloration, depending on region, from black, tan or white to yellow, red, blue and even green.

Artathi
The Artathi are a proud race of felinids who live on the vast plains. While most resemble a humanoid lion in appearance, covered with a thin tawny coat and leonine facial features, other sub-races of Artathi exist that resemble other species of large cats. As a rule, the Artathi are very close to Humans in terms of average height and weight, and possess a similar lifespan. A very proud race, the Artathi are easily insulted by others, and tend to react poorly to such efforts.

Dwarf
Dwarves are much like Humans, but generally living underground or in mountainous areas. They are famed miners and smiths although, like Humans, they specialize in any number of trades. Generally shorter than Humans, they are on average stockier and hairier, usually sporting full beards. In the distant history of the "Integrated World", dwarven smiths have created some of the greatest and most powerful items of power. Dwarves tend to be long-lived, living nearly four times the age of man (about 250 years), but are not prolific breeders, having children rarely and spaced far apart, and having few women among them. Dwarven children are cherished by their parents, and are defended at all costs from the dwarves' traditional enemies, which are typically giants and vile humanoids.

Elf
A long-lived people with a tremendous oral history, the Elves have tended to isolate themselves from the rest of the world, preferring the woodlands to which they once felt a strong sense of connection. Elves often appear as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and other natural places, underground, or in wells and springs. Elves tend to be beautiful, fair and slender, possessing unusual speed and agility, and generally prefer to fight with the bow. Tribal Elves might use a spear, while the more civilized tend to prefer blades.

Goblin
A crude, uncouth humanoid, the Goblin stands a little over three feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Its eyes are usually dull and glazed, varying in color from red to yellow. A Goblin’s skin color ranges from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red; usually all members of a single tribe are about the same color. Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught Goblins to exploit what few advantages they have: sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight is meaningless in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise. Goblins are known for their small size and stealthy nature.

Kelshani
A majority of the Kelshan are nothing more other than members of a vile and despicable race of the cavernous underworld, raiding the surface world for slaves and treasure to sacrifice to their patron, Sandamos, the Lord of Demons. However, there are those among the Kelshan who have come to see another path, one of Light and Redemption, and are often ostracized from their native communities for their beliefs. These red-skinned humanoids bear a strong resemblance to devils, complete with forked tails, small bony horns upon their heads and cloven hooves for feet. Along with their general tendencies towards cruelty and sadism, their physical appearance has earned the Kelshan the nickname of “devil-men.”

Kobold
Reptilian humanoids standing a little over three feet in height, Kobolds are generally considered a cowardly race. The scaly hide of a Kobold ranges from a dark rusty brown to a dull black, with eyes that glow bright red in the the dark and two small horns on their temples that range from deep dun to a pale bone white in color. Kobolds are often not taken seriously due to their size and lack of physical strength, but they more than make up for these deficiencies with ferocious tenacity.

Lizardfolk
Barbaric reptilian humanoids somewhat resembling a humanoid crocodile walking upright, lizardfolk typically live a tribal existence, fishing and gathering when they can, and scavenging or raiding their neighbors when times are harsh. When full grown, lizardfolk stand a head taller than the average Human and weigh perhaps fifty pounds more. Their scaly hides range from dark green to deep brown, and their non-prehensile tails extend perhaps a yard or so behind them. Lizardfolk rarely wear clothing or armor, although they occasionally wear harnesses from which they can fasten tools, pouches and weapons.

Mageborn
Long considered to be the result of the magical breeding of Humans and elves by ancient draconic magelords, the mageborn are a fairly reclusive race with a strong connection to arcane magic. The exact nature of their true origins is lost in the distant past, and the mageborn no longer suffer the prejudices once given to their ancestors in the first few generations of their existence.

Mantid
Roaming the deserts and savannas of the equatorial regions, the Mantids are a race of large, intelligent insects. Mature Mantids are roughly 7 feet tall at the shoulder and 11 feet long. Three pair of limbs extend from the Mantids' thorax: the lower pair is used for walking, the upper pair manipulates the environment and the middle pair can be used for either walking or handling objects. The Mantids' green, chitinous exoskeleton is extremely durable and resistant to damage. Mantids have two compound eyes similar to those of a fly or other object, two antennae pick up vibrations in the air, and vicious mandibles for the shredding and rending of their food. Mantids often wear harnesses and even some forms of clothing, but they rarely wear armor.

Minotaur
Minotaurs are a race of humanoids resembling a large Human with the head of a bull (or cow, for females of the species). As large as most Giantkin, Minotaurs stand well over 7 feet tall, and are quite broad and muscular. Unlike bovines, Minotaurs do not have a great diversity in their shaggy coat: their fur is brown to black while their hairless hide ranges through normal Human skin tones. For many Minotaurs, clothing is minimal, usually restricted to a loin cloth, light toga or skirt. Fierce and independent, Minotaurs are not considered bright or overly original in their thinking.

Ooloi
Ooloi are an aquatic race living in large bodies of water, with slick, bluish skin, webbed hands and feet and black, glassy eyes that are often considered expressionless. Two long tentacles grow from the back of their hairless scalps, and are treated with much the same reverence as Dwarves hold for their beards. Ooloi stand as tall as the typical Human and weigh around 100 pounds. Despite their frail appearance, Ooloi are deceptively strong and agile. Maturing a few years later than Humans, the Ooloi can live for over 150 years. As a species, the Ooloi are known for their religious devotion and frequent periods of contemplative meditation.

Orc
Orcs stand between six and seven feet tall and usually weigh between 180 and 250 pounds. They have greenish or jaundiced skin, jutting jaws, prominent teeth and coarse body hair. Due to their poor reputations, Orcs are often on poor terms with some of the other races. Orcs are drawn to violent careers suitable to their temperament and physical strength, such as mercenary work. They often find companionship among adventurers, many of whom are fellow wanderers and outsiders.

Quillback
Small slouching humanoids bearing a coat of sharp spines upon their scalp and the back of their torso, Quillbacks stand just under four feet in height and weigh around 80 pounds. Quillback spines and their underlying hides are typically shades of brown or grey, although occasionally they may be white. Somewhat slower than larger races, Quillbacks are more than capable of using their quills and claws to defend themselves from attack, and will even take the offensive if their family or communities are endangered.

Ratkin
Ratkin generally look like humanoid rats, roughly the size of a Human with a rat’s head and tail. Ratkin fur exhibits the same ranges of coloration as do rats and other rodents. As a species, Ratkin tend to form small tribes or bands, living in areas that other races avoid. In the cities, Ratkin congregate in slums or sewers. While Ratkin appreciate protective laws, they are unconvinced that the authorities have their interests at heart. In the wild, Ratkin form bands that follow more aggressive tribes, picking the scraps left over from vicious raids.

Rhinoc
Resembling muscular, broad-shouldered humanoid rhinos, the grey-skinned Rhinoc have a long history as mercenaries and soldiers. Carrying themselves with a militant demeanor, the Rhinoc possess a single horn upon their head which they use to gore their enemies on those rare occasions when they are caught without a weapon readily in hand.

Serpentfolk
The Serpentfolk of the "Integrated World" are a race of lithe snake-men representing a giant snake from the waist down and a human-like torso and upper arms that end in clawed hands. The Serpentfolk's head, however, resembles that of a snake, with a scaled hood similar to that of a cobra. Serpentfolk are completely covered with scales that are mottled green and yellow, with brown, black and red also appearing in some individuals. Their vicious bite is often poisonous.

Tarthani
Larger than Orcs, Tarthani are four-armed giantkin that stand between seven and eight feet tall, and weigh over 300 pounds. The range of their skin coloration covers the usual spectrum of earth tones, from a light tan to a deep grey in color. Although their thick brow ridge, broad jaws and clumsy gait suggests a primitive intellect, Giantkin are as intelligent as Humans.

Valefolk
In many ways, Valefolk closely resemble Humans except for being half the height. The majority of the Valefolk tends to live quiet lives in their homes within the rolling hills of temperate regions and, despite being well suited for the task of thievery, do not pursue a life of larceny. The Valefolk have a calm confidence and a surprising self-assurance that frequently causes these short humanoids to be underestimated by their foes, for they can be both quick and precise when they fight to protect those they hold as their own. Highly regarded for their compassion and innate knowledge of herbalism and midwifery, the Valefolk are widely known as healers. Those Valefolk that have become disenchanted with the sedentary ways of their people walk the earth as nomadic wanderers, traveling healers and seekers of fame and fortune.

Vanaran
The Vanarans are ape-like humanoids known for their bravery and inquisitive nature. Dwelling in subtropical and temperate forests, Vanarans stand about a head shorter than Humans, and weigh twenty to thirty pounds less. With a prehensile tail and nimble fingers and toes, Vanarans can climb very easily, and are at home as easily when swinging through the treetops as they are walking upon the ground.

Vulturan
The grey vulturine-headed humanoids known as the Vulturan can be found in many civilized ports around the world as slaves, workers, or mercenary guards. Reeking of the carrion that make up much of their diet, Vulturans are rarely welcome among polite social circles for their poor manners and even poorer hygiene; indeed, these beings are rarely welcomed by many outside of their own people.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Of Campaigns Past: A Multitude of Races...

Good Evening, All:

Work has been quite hectic of late, and I haven't had much of an opportunity to focus on gaming as I would have liked. However, I know that I need to make at least one more post this week, so I'm taking a few minutes to discuss the races of my previous campaign settings, as part of exploring my past games for items to mine for my own elusive "perfect milieu". In this post, I figure I'd list some of the many races I've used frequently in games past.

First, though, I think I'll briefly mention my use of races. In most of my campaigns, I tend to offer a lot of races, particularly in the beginning of my GMing career. I believe I was influenced by a wide variety of sources. Star Wars, in particular, was one great influence. At a young and impressionable age, I enjoyed the cosmopolitan nature of the many species of the cantina scene, among others. My favorite novels growing up were Planetary Romances, often populated by a wild and diverse range of races.

Common Fantasy Races: A majority of my worlds have had a number of common fantasy races. I always have humans as an available character option. In addition, I often include elves (often with an asian flavor), dwarves, halflings and orcs. I truly dislike gnomes, because I've never seen them played well, so I don't include them as options.

Common Planetary Romance Races: I often have one or more races that are inspired by the Sword & Planet novels I enjoy so much. For example, exotic humans with skin tones of strange hues, such as cerulean or crimson, are common in many Planetary Romance adventures. In my case, I've frequently used a blue-skinned human race I call the Merimen, who are exceptional merchants, as well as a crimson-skinned human race known as the Merokee, who live in a tribal society similar to that of the Native Americans of the Great Plains. Inspired by the green men of Barsoom, I commonly use a four-armed giant humanoid race I often describe as having ogre-like features, save for the four arms and a much fairer complexion. These four-armed giants are known as the Tarthani, and are perhaps the most frequently encountered non-standard race of all of my campaigns.

Uncommon Races: There are other fantasy races I've allowed as character races in previous campaigns, including minotaurs, goblins, kobolds, hawkfolk, serpentfolk, mantisfolk, lizardfolk, catfolk, dogfolk and even ratfolk. In particular, I found a good number of the races from Fantasy Flight Games' Mythic Races to be wonderful additions to my campaign worlds. In particular, I enjoyed using the Coivald, Rezorbek, Artathi, Ooloi and Siarrans (like medium-sized Tarthani).

While I've tried worlds with fewer races, I always seem to come back to a more cosmopolitan world. I suppose that means the ultimate "perfect milieu" for me would have to include a wide variety of racial options, beyond the standard handful that often are the only races described in a Player's Handbook. The hard part about it, I guess, would be to create a cohesive whole for all of them in a world where each have their place. That reminds me of the setup behind the Nine Kingdoms of Arn campaign, which I will dive into sometime next week.

So, what kind of races do you like in your campaign worlds? Do you play with unusual races, and if so, would you mind sharing some thoughts on them? What races have given you the greatest sense of enjoyment as a player? As a Referee?

With Regards,
Flynn

The Book of Races: Twelve New Races for Old School Games...

Good Afternoon, All:

I'd like to take a moment to announce my latest fantasy supplement, the Book of Races, which describes twelve new races for your Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord or other Old School fantasy campaign. Here's the blurb I've been posting to announce it:

If you are like many fantasy gamers, you've probably spent a small portion of your gaming budget here and there collecting plastic miniatures, and perhaps you've ended up with a number of figures for characters that aren't detailed in Swords & Wizardry or some other preferred retro-clone system. Maybe you are trying to convert modules or campaign settings from one of the latter editions of the "World's Most Popular Roleplaying System" into a simpler and potentially more elegant gaming system, and want to offer new racial options for characters in such a campaign. It might even be that you are seeking new and unusual racial character options to add spice and variety to your own homebrew setting. Whatever your reasons for wanting more Old School character races, the Book of Races intended to help you meet those needs and then some.

Welcome to the Book of Races. This supplement has been developed with the Swords & Wizardry rules system in mind, and should prove easy to use for both Referees and players alike. Other "retro-clone" rules systems may find the material useful with only minimal conversion efforts. This supplement is divided into two sections. The first section, New Races, describes a dozen new races for use in your fantasy campaigns. In this section, each race is described with game mechanics as suggested by the Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, which details fantasy races as a game mechanic separate from character classes. The second section, Racial Classes, provides specific racial classes for Referees that prefer their non-human characters to operate in a character class structure similar to Fighting Men, Clerics and Magic-Users.

The Book of Races details the Artathi, the Duar, the Elde, the Eldeblooded, the Feytouched, the Giantkin, the Goblin, the Hyrknoff, the Kelshan, the Ordath, the Vaelan and the Wyrmblooded. As an added bonus, an appendix detailing an alternate Simple D6 check system is included at the end of this supplement.

Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are the trademarks of Matthew J. Finch. The author of this supplement is not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch or Mythmere Games.

This 22-page product can be found on RPGNow (in PDF, $3.99):
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=3066&products_id=85668&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=3066

Or on Lulu (in PDF, $3.99, and Print-On-Demand, $8.99):
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/book-of-races/13569005

With Regards,
Flynn

Stellar Quest: The Four Player Races...

Good Afternoon:

Because the concept of Stellar Quest continues to haunt me, I've decided to look into the concept of developing this pseudo-Trek game a little further. Following Inferno's recommendation to check out Old School Star Trek Role-Playing, I found a nice thread discussing common races in a Trek campaign. The basic list for primary character races includes: Humans, Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites. While there's also a list of hostile races, including Gorn, Klingons, Kzinti, Orions, Romulans and Tholians, these probably should not be included as basic player races in a game based on interstellar exploration aboard a Federation starship.

Andorian
These blue-skinned, white-haired humanoids are known as much for their focus on honorable combat as for their two blue antennae. In a Stellar Quest clone, I'd likely do something akin to the following: +1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution, +4 on perception-based Wisdom checks, +2 on saving throws vs cold and cold-based effects.

Human
Being the standard race for any roleplaying game, Humans represent the baseline character abilities from which the other races are derived.

Tellarite
These short, stocky humanoids are covered with hair and have faces reminiscent of a pig's. Somewhat resembling a cross between an orc and a dwarf in some regards, filled with stubborn pride and a love for arguing, the Tellarites would probably have the following racial abilities: -1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +2 to AC against creatures larger than man-size due to their stature, +2 on saving throws vs fear.

Vulcan
A humanoid species known widely for their stoic nature and logical minds, the Vulcans are probably the most recognizable of the primary Trek races. Given their basic nature, and trying to keep it simple for gaming purposes, I'd probably give Vulcans the following racial abilities: +1 Strength, -1 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, -1 Charisma, +4 on knowledge-based Intelligence checks, +2 on saving throws vs heat and heat-based effects.

These are just simple racial write-ups, which do not include all of a species's traditional abilities (such as a Vulcan's mind meld or nerve pinch, for example.) I'm still up in the air on what would need to be covered, as I'm not a fan of just front-loading a ton of abilities on one race but not on others, but at least the above gives you some ideas of what I would do with racial traits.

What do you think?

With Regards,
Flynn

The Kelshan - A New S&W Race...

Good Evening, All:

The following is a racial write-up for the Kelshan, another new race for the Hammersong's Legacy campaign setting, written in support of Swords & Wizardry. As always, your thoughts and input are most welcome.

The Kelshan
Servitors of Sandamos, the Great Tyrant, Lord of Demons, these red-skinned humanoids bear a strong resemblance to devils. Along with their general tendencies towards cruelty and sadism, their physical appearance has earned the Kelshan the nickname of "devil-men."

Character Advancement: Kelshan characters may advance in the same manner as Elves, under the Elven Adventurer class as described in the Core Rules, or the Variant Elf class in the White Box rules.

Weapon/Armor Restrictions: Whether advancing as a Magic-User or a Fighting-Man, the Kelshan are trained in the use of a whip in addition to other weapons based on his advancement.

Sadistic Reputation: The Kelshan as a race are known for their cruel and sadistic natures, which imposes a -2 penalty on all reaction rolls involving a Kelshan character. However, foes of the Kelshan also suffer a -1 penalty on morale checks for the same reasons.

Saving Throw: Kelshan are resistant to enchantment and charm magics; they get +4 on saving throws to resist such effects.

Languages: For campaigns that give each race its own dialect, the Kelshan should be able to speak with demons, humans and hyrknoff.

With Regards,
Flynn

Hammersong's Legacy: The Kelshan...

Good Morning, All:

One of my goals when developing the Hammersong's Legacy setting was to find uses for the more common minis I've collected over the years. Given WOTC's predisposition towards tieflings and other demonic folk, I have a number of tiefling adventurer miniatures that I wanted to have a use for. However, I didn't want to go with the traditional perspective on tieflings themselves.

As I was thinking about my quandary, I remembered a race called the Kitaki from the Dray Prescot of Antares series, by Kenneth Bulmer. This was a race that were very devilish in appearance and temperament, but were just as earthly and mundane as any other on the face of Kregen. With that concept in mind, I created a race called the Kelshan:

Kelshan
These red-skinned, fork-tailed folk are known as sadistic slavers and cruel warriors in service to their dark master and patron deity, Sandamos, the Grand Tyrant. Were it not for the fact that a common enemy during the War of All Gods bound together people whose differences might have otherwise made such a union impossible, we would never have known these “devilfolk” to be anything other than a vile and despicable race, unworthy of our attention. Yet, in fighting side by side, there are those among the Kelshan who have come to see another path, one of Light and Redemption, and those Kelshan whom I know that walk that path are good and noble folk, as devout a friend as any could imagine. Sadly, the actions of the majority may doom these few social exiles to a life burdened by mistrust and antipathy.

I was thinking about giving the Kelshan a -2 penalty on reaction rolls due to the sadistic reputation the race has, in addition to any benefits I give the (low-light vision, a bonus on saves versus charm and mind-affecting effects, or something like that). What do you think?

With Regards,
Flynn

Hammersong's Legacy: The Wyrmblooded...

Good Evening:

Here's another snippet from the fantasy setting I'm working on, Hammersong's Legacy. This time, I thought I'd drop a note about one of the races from the setting, the Wyrmblooded. Here's what the race chapter currently says about them:

Wyrmblooded
Not all of the depravities wrought on the world came at the hands of the gods. The ancient serpentfolk known as the Drakon once used their vile mysticism in a terrible experiment to warp the offspring of powerful dragons into a more servile race. Though many variations were forged over the course of this magical rite, the most viable results were the predecessors of the Wyrmblooded race. Through careful breeding, these beings were forced to become a slave race in service to their mortal creators. When Soleron, the Sun Lord, approached the most powerful of the Wyrmblooded and convinced them to join the cause of the Gods of the New Order, the Wyrmblooded gained their most cherished of gifts: freedom. Despite the trials and tribulations these people have suffered, they are a race filled with gratitude and joviality, for the Wyrmblooded have discovered a great inner strength within themselves. While many look upon this world and see only devastation and hardship, the Wyrmblooded see triumph and opportunity.

The Wyrmblooded are inspired by the Dragonblooded Humans from the Modern SRD, as well as the Half-Dragon template from both the SRD and the Modern SRD. (Besides, it would be nice to have a use for those Dragonborn minis that I occasionally pick up as part of my D&D mini habit.) In a post-apocalyptic setting, it seemed fitting that there should be a race that looked upon the tragedy with joy instead of sadness. It is this almost enthusiastic exuberance that I want the Wyrmblooded to bring to the table. I have yet to fully settle on their abilities game-wise, but I can already imagine these valiant, proud warriors leading the way through mortal danger to recover the lands they had lost, claiming them now as a free people, and adding that whole paladin-esque hero vibe to the group without having to play a holy warrior.

As the only suggestion I've seen thus far in terms of what game system to support with this setting has been Swords & Wizardry, I imagine that the Wyrmblooded will likely be able to advance much like Fighting-Man/Fighter up to 8th level. If I decide to give them a breath weapon, it would start off small and increase in damage potential at 4th and 7th levels. However, I'm not entirely sold on the breath weapon idea. The jury is still out, and I'm open to suggestions if people wish to make them.

Enjoy,
Flynn