Help with a Race?

[djkester]

One thing I'm doing for this campaign is working on building a nice set of races for people to pick from. however, I'm also wanting to avoid just a straight port from other systems/games. For example Dragonborn in the world are evolved from Kobolds through exposure to dragons.

What I'd like from you guys are, ideas of races you'd like to see in the game world. Anything from any game, book, comic, or other is possible. If this is something you'd like to do just writeup the race anyway you see fit. If it helps to express the race in game terms use any system you like to express the ideas.

Also, one note. These races do not need to be balanced. Since character balance is not maintained by racial balance alone races can have vastly different power levels. Also, as a note if you want to create the arch type character of that race that might also be useful.

Some ideas I'm working on now from other input I have is:

1. Cat Race
2. Demi-god.
3. Half-Demon
4. Hill Giant
5. Dwarf
6. Hill People (gnomish/halfingish)
7. Humans
8. Highmen
9. Elves

Likely all of the above will have story deviations from LoTR and D&D as I love to put my own spin on them.

Let the ideas fly.

[randy]

I must confess a fascination with the Haruchai in the Thomas Covenant Chronicles- a race swearing off the use of both weapons and magic. Extremely loyal to whatever cause they are following. Seems like a little tweaking could make an awesome race for backstory and role-playing opportunities.

[djkester]

It has been a long time since I read those books. As a kid i was also in love with them. I think they could make both a Race and a background option for the campaign. I have some ideas that come immediately to mind around these guys.

For other's on the forum here is the text from WikiPedia article on them:

Haruchai are a hardy race of warriors living in the Westron Mountains, west of the Land. The Haruchai shun the use of weapons or magic, taking pride in their own physical prowess and the purity of their service, which is never given lightly. They also have the ability to communicate amongst themselves via mental telepathy. Outwardly stoic, even seemingly emotionless, they could also be considered arrogant in their beliefs. It is revealed on several occasions that the Haruchai are a deeply passionate race, capable of swearing a lifetime's worth of service if sufficiently moved. The first of these commitments came when an army of Haruchai marched into the Land, some 2,000 years before Covenant’s coming to the Land. The Old Lords, led by High Lord Kevin, refused to meet the Haruchai in battle, lest the noble Haruchai be destroyed by the Lords' Earthpower. Instead, the Lords gave the Haruchai precious gifts. The wonders of the Land, and the compassion and wisdom of its Lords, moved the Haruchai to swear The Vow, an oath to protect and serve the Lords. Swearing The Vow caused the best 500 of these Haruchai to become the Bloodguard; functionally immortal, never growing old, never sleeping, and allowing themselves to be separated from their former families in the Westron Mountains. When a Bloodguard dies in battle, his body is sent back into the mountains for burial, and another Haruchai comes to Revelstone to continue The Vow and take his place among the Bloodguard. If the body is destroyed or otherwise unrecoverable and cannot be sent back, no Haruchai replaces them and the number of Bloodguard is diminished. During the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Bloodguard disbanded in shame after three of them were corrupted by a fragment of the Illearth Stone and made to serve Lord Foul. In the Second Chronicles, Haruchai are frequently chosen by the Clave for blood rites ostensibly intended to ward off the Sunbane: their blood is considered especially potent because of their endurance and vitality. Thomas Covenant is told "Redeem my people. Their plight is an abomination." Several thousand years later, in the time leading up to the Final Chronicles, the Haruchai claimed authority over The Land, dubbing themselves its "Masters." As such, they made it their mission to prevent any and all uses of Earthpower, which they had come to see as leading inevitably to disaster in the hands of mortals, since mortals are capable of despair and desecration. To this end, they suppressed the history of the Land so that its inhabitants would forget about the Earthpower, and detained anyone they found who had learned enough to make use of it.

[randy]

Gotta love the internet! I'd forgotten about the telepathy... I'll have to reread the books. Of course never start those books if you're depressed, they're not exactly "happy tree friend" material. But the races the author builds and the characterizations are incredible.

[anarkeith]

Actually, I think Thomas Covenant is Happy Tree Friend material. The cartoon is full of black humor and stuff getting cut up in gory and disgusting ways. I'm sure they've had a leprosy episode. Or they should.

[steve]

OK, here's one REALLY outside the box. How about a green martian? They are 15 feet tall, have tusks like a boar, two legs and four arms. From Edgar Rice Burroughs, Barsoom (Mars) series. I can't remember what they call themselves but I'm sure it's not "green martian". I think they fight with two swords. The movie, John Carter of Mars, is supposed to be released next year so you can be the leading edge RPG race dude. ("Yup, I added them to my campaign even before it was a blockbuster movie"). Sure to be a chick magnet. In the movie the leading green martian, Tars Tarkas, will be played by Willem Defoe. I'm still not sure how they'll pull that off.

[djkester]

This reminds me of Mortal Kombat's Grong character (I think i have that name right.) I think a completely alien race would be a blast. Including 4 armed giants. I think I'd like them to be something akin to Yeti in the world. Surrounded by mystery and ancient history. I'm not talk about Big Foot Yeti but the more traditional Asian stories.

[anarkeith]

Or a Wookiee? (I had to look up the spelling ;D)

[steve]

Or a Weren, from Alternity, another great RPG game by WotC that was driven into the ground and abandoned. Weren are a lot like Wookies. They are big, furry and primitive. Even though society is at a Star Wars or Traveller tech level Weren only use black powder muskets and revel in personal combat.