Playable Races

[Yuthirin]

I've blown this up and am turning it into a PDF. Most of the work is already done. See this space in the near future!

[Yuthirin]

Templates

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Axiomatic Creature
[spoiler]"Axiomatic" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin of nonchaotic alignment.

An axiomatic creature uses all the base creature's statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature's Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.

Size and Type: Animals or vermin with this template become magical beasts, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Size is unchanged. Axiomatic creatures encountered on the Material Plane have the extraplanar subtype.

Special Attacks: An axiomatic creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special attack.

Smite Chaos (Su): Once per day, the creature can make a normal attack to deal extra damage equal to its Hit Dice (maximum 20 points) against a chaotic opponent.

Special Qualities: An axiomatic creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following special qualities.

Darkvision out to 60 feet.

Resistance to cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5, and sonic 5. If the creature has 12 or more Hit Dice, these resistances increase to 10.

Spell resistance equal to the creature's Hit Dice +5 (maximum 25).

Linked Minds (Ex): Axiomatic creatures of the same kind within 300 feet of one another are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in the group is not flat-footed, none of them are. No axiomatic creature in the group is considered flanked unless all of them are.

If the base creature already has one or more of these special qualities, use the better value.

Abilities: Same as the base creature, but Intelligence is at least 3.

Environment: Any lawful-aligned plane.

Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, as the base creature; 4 to 7 HD, as the base creature +1; 8 or more HD, as the base creature +2.

Alignment: Always lawful (any).

Level Adjustment: As the base creature +4.

Dragonborn of Bahamut

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Gods wage war through mortal pawns, and draconic deities are no different. Tiamat creates all sorts of dragonlike beings to manifest her power in the world, breeding warped creatures from her eggs. These evil entities act as the Chromatic Dragon's agents. Of the other draconic gods, only Bahamut stands between Tiamat and her evil goals. The conflict between them has raged for centuries. Those who know of this conflict refer to it as the Dragonfall War.

The Platinum Dragon foreswore breeding creatures to oppose Tiamat's spawn, instead accepting humanoid volunteers to his righteous cause. He only takes those truly dedicated to supporting his ideals and working against vile draconic creatures. A potential recruit's past actions matter little; all that counts is present and future devotion to opposing Tiamat and her spawn. Some wrongdoers have found redemption and purpose in becoming Bahamut's servants.

Those willing to give themselves into Bahamut's care and act as his emissaries in the mortal realms become his daughters and sons. Such humanoids give up all their former racial identity and are born anew. They become dragonborn.

Dragonborn are powerful, majestic creatures that resemble their adoptive father. They fight ceaselessly against the spawn of Tiamat, gaining allies in the Dragonfall War along the way. Dragonborn are great leaders with clear purpose. They are often the motivating nexus of an adventuring party.

The dragonborn children of Bahamut are a unique race in that they are not born; they are reborn. Each one enters the world as a half ling, an elf, a human, or a member of some other humanoid race with all that race's propensities and traits. Bahamut beckons to his would-be followers, and those few who might choose to serve him.

Most of those who hear the Platinum Dragon's call discover it early, before they reach adolescence. A few heed it after reaching adulthood and beginning their careers. Not all who are called answer.

The call is a strange event that one must experience to understand. It takes the form of a courteous mental question, asking if one's heart and soul are able and willing to undertake dedication to a noble and arduous purpose - protecting the world from the spawn of Tiamat.

Bahamut's call asks the chosen one if she is willing to give herself over entirely to this cause, giving up all that she was before to transform into one of Bahamut's children. This choice is never easy. The chosen one is made aware of the many sacrifices she must make, from her racial identity to her family and friends, even her whole way of life. The only reward for those forfeitures is service to the Platinum Dragon and his abiding love.
Noble. Draconic. Nearly every description of a dragonborn includes those two words. So thoroughly has a dragonborn physically transformed that only the framework of her former appearance remains. Dragonborn are always slightly bigger than most other members of their original race.

These servants of Bahamut epitomize devotion to righteousness. Their very appearance gives an impression of virtuous purpose. Dragonborn carry themselves with good deportment, seeing themselves as humanoid representations of noble dragonkind. When a dragonborn walks into an inn, patrons' heads turn and eyes stare. What they see is well worth a second glance. In every aspect of their presence, dragonborn consciously act as emissaries of their adoptive father, Bahamut.

Ability Modifiers: +2 constitution, -2 dexterity

Humanoid (dragonblooded): Dragonborn are humanoids with the dragonblooded subtype and any other subtypes they had before their transformation. For all effects related to race, a dragonborn is considered both a dragon and a member of their original race.

Age: A dragonborn emerges from their transformation as an adult, regardless of their previous age.

+2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the dragon type.

Immunity to Fightful Presence: Dragonborn are immune to the frightful presence ability of dragons, as if they were dragons themselves.

Draconic Aspect: Upon completing their transformation, a dragonborn chooses one of the following aspects to manifest about their person.
  -Heart
    Gain a breath weapon. A line of coruscating metallic color 5ft/HD long, dealing 1d8 + 1d8/3 HD. Reflex save halves, DC=10+1/2 HD+Con.
    Can be used once every 1d4 rounds
  -Mind
    Gain immunity to paralysis & magical sleep effects. Gain darkvision 30 ft & low-light vision. Gain +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, & Spot.
    At 6 HD, darkvision extends to 60 ft.
    At 9 HD, darkvision extends to 90 ft and low-light vision allows sight three times as far as a human in shadowy illumination.
    At 12 HD, darkvision extends to 120 ft, low-light extends to four times as far as a human.
    At 15 HD, gain blindsense out to 30 ft.
  -Wings
    Gain wings, +10 to Jump checks, allows gliding. Allows flight at 6 HD.
    Gliding: Allows for 20 ft forward movement for every 5 ft of falling. Average maneuverability. Cannot glide under a medium or heavy load. If the dragonborn becomes unconscious in the air, the wings naturally unfold, and powerful ligaments stiffen them. This allows a tight corckscrew fall that causes only 1d6 damage, no matter the distance fallen.
    Flight: Dragonborn can safely fly for a number of consecutive rounds equal to their constitution modifier. They can double this rate, but this results in fatigue. They can glide in between rounds of flight to extend this indefinitely. At 12 HD, this changes to normal flight of 30 ft with average maneuverability, no fatigue.

Automatic language: Draconic

Entropic Creature

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"Entropic" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, outsider, plant, undead, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

An entropic creature uses all the base creature's statistics and abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: Unless the creature was undead, its type changes to outsider. Do not recalculate the creature's Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves. Size is unchanged. The creature also gains the extraplanar subtype.

Special Attacks: An entropic creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special attack.

Negative Energy Ray (Su): An entropic creature can fire a ray of negative energy once every 1d4 rounds with a range of 60 feet. With a successful ranged touch attack, an entropic creature infuses a target with points of negative energy damage equal to 1d4 + its Cha modifier. This attack damages living creatures and heals undead.

Special Qualities: An entropic creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.

Limited Spell Resistance (Positive Energy) (Ex): An entropic creature has spell resistance equal to 15 + Hit Dice (maximum 35) against any spell or spell-like ability that uses positive energy, including cure spells.

Negative Adaptation (Ex): Entropic creatures do not lose hit points or need to make Fortitude saves due to being in a negative-dominant environment.

Negative Energy Aura (Su): Any living creature within 10 feet of an entropic creature loses 1 hit point per round due to the aura of negative energy surrounding it. Characters with immunity to negative energy effects, as well as other entropic creatures, are not affected by this aura. If conscious, an entropic creature can repress this aura as a standard action, but takes 1 point of Strength damage for each full minute that the aura is inactive. The aura is always functioning while an entropic creature is unconscious.

Outsider Traits:An entropic creature cannot be raised, reincarnated or resurrected (though a limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore life). It has darkvision out to 60 feet.

Turn Resistance (Ex): An undead entropic creature has +4 turn resistance.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Constitution +2, Charisma +2. Intelligence is at least 3.

Level Adjustment: +2.

Half-Vampire

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"Half-vampire" is an inherited template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature's size and type do not change.

A half-vampire uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Armor Class: A half-vampire's natural armor bonus improves by 2.

Attack: A half-vampire retains all the attacks of the base creature and also gains a slam attack if it didn't already have one. If the base creature can use weapons, the half-vampire retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A half-vampire fighting without weapons uses either its slam attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has one). A half-vampire armed with a weapon uses its slam or a weapon, as it desires. A half-vampire's natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Full Attack: A half-vampire fighting without weapons uses either its slam attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has one). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a slam or other natural weapon as a natural secondary attack.

Damage: A half-vampire has a slam attack. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the half-vampire's size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better.

Size   Damage         Size   Damage
Fine         1        Large      1d8
Diminutive   1d2      Huge       2d6
Tiny         1d3      Gargantuan 2d8
Small        1d4      Colossal   4d6
Medium       1d6   

Special Attacks: A half-vampire retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains one of those described below. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 half-vampire's HD + half-vampire's Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.

Blood Drain (Ex): Some half-vampires can suck blood from a living victim with their fangs by making a successful grapple check. If the half-vampire pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained. A half-vampire can't drain more points of Constitution in a single hour than its Constitution score. When a half-vampire drains a victim's Constitution, it gains 5 temporary hit points, no matter how many points it drains. Temporary hit points gained in this way last for up to 1 hour. If a half-vampire has this ability, it also gains the blood dependency special quality described below.

Charm Gaze (Su): Some half-vampires can charm humanoid or monstrous humanoid opponents just by looking into their eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the half-vampire must use a standard action, and those merely looking at the half-vampire are not affected. Anyone the half-vampire targets must make a successful Will save or fall under the half-vampire's influence as though affected by a charm monster spell (caster level equal to HD). Any creature that successfully saves against a half-vampire's charm gaze cannot be affected by that halfvampire's charm gaze for 24 hours. The ability has a range of 30 feet.

Children of the Night (Su): Some half-vampires can command the lesser creatures of the world. Once per day, a half-vampire that has this special attack can call forth 1d4 rat swarms, 1d3 bat swarms, or a pack of 1d6 wolves as a standard action. (If the base creature is not terrestrial, this ability might summon other creatures of equivalent power.) These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the half-vampire for up to 1 hour.

Special Qualities: A half-vampire retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains those described below.

Blood Dependency (Ex): If a half-vampire does not use its blood drain special attack against at least one living creature each day, it must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or become fatigued. Each day after the first that the half-vampire does not drink blood directly from a living creature, the DC increases by 1 until it fails the save and becomes fatigued. After that, it must make a DC 20 Fortitude save each week (with the DC increasing by 1 each week thereafter) that it does not use its blood drain or become exhausted.

The fatigue or exhaustion caused by blood dependency cannot be eliminated by rest (though magic can offset the condition until the vampire fails another save). Using its blood drain ability eliminates a half-vampire's fatigue immediately, or reduces exhaustion to fatigue.

Only half-vampires with the blood drain special attack (see above) gain this special quality.

Damage Reduction (Su): A half-vampire has damage reduction 5/silver or magic.

Fast Healing (Ex): A half-vampire heals 1 point of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point but less than half its full normal hit points. As long as the vampire has more than half its full normal hit points, its fast healing does not function (but other forms of healing still function normally).

Resistances (Ex): A half-vampire has resistance to cold 5 and electricity 5.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Cha +2.

Skills: Half-vampires have a +2 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks. Otherwise, same as the base creature.

Feats: A half-vampire gains Improved Initiative, if the base creature doesn't already have that feat.

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +2.

Necropolitan

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"Necropolitan" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A necropolitan speaks any languages it knew in life, and it has all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: The creature's type changes to undead, and it gains the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice: Increase to d12.

Special Qualities: A necropolitan retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below.

Resist Control (Ex): Necropolitans have a +2 profane bonus on their Will saving throws to resist the effect of a control undead spell.

Turn Resistance (Ex): A necropolitan has +2 turn resistance.

Unnatural Resilience (Ex): Necropolitans automatically heal hit point damage and ability damage at the same rate as a living creature. The Heal skill has no effect on necropolitans; however, negative energy (such as an inflict spell) heals them.

Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that as undead creatures, necropolitans have no Constitution score.

Level Adjustment: +1

Ritual of Crucimigration
Any living humanoid or monstrous humanoid can petition for consideration to undergo the Ritual of Crucimigration, which (if successful) enables the creature to become a necropolitan. The petition for consideration requires a fee of 3,000 gp and a written plea.

The Ritual: The first part of the ritual requires the placement of the petitioner on a standing pole. Cursed nails are used to affix the petitioner, and then the pole is lifted into place. The resultant excruciating pain that shoots like molten metal through the petitioner's fingers and up the arms is not what finally ends the petitioner's mortal life, however, since death usually comes from asphyxiation and heart failure. As petitioners feel death's chill enter their bodies, many have second thoughts, but it is far too late to go back—the cursed nails and chanting of the ritual ensures that the Crucimigration is completed.

The ceremony that lasts for 24 hours—the usual time it takes for the petitioner to perish. During this period, two or three zombie servitors keep up a chant initiated by the ritual leader when the petitioner is first placed into position. Upon hearing the petitioner's last breath, the ritual leader calls forth the names of evil powers and gods to forge a link with the Negative Energy Plane, and then impales the petitioner. Dying, the petitioner is reborn as a necropolitan, dead but animate.

Shade

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Over two thousand years ago, the ruler of a Netherese flying city transported his entire city onto the Plane of Shadow in order to explore that dim and perilous plane. For thousands of years, the City of Shade was lost to human knowledge, but in 1372 DR it abruptly returned to Faerûn above the Dire Wood. Today it soars above the deserts of Anauroch, land that was once a fertile part of the Empire of Netheril. Why the Netherese - now known as the Shadovars - returned, and what they are planning, are two mysteries that trouble the rulers of every nation in Faerûn. Most fear that solving these vital riddles will provide them with answers they will not care to hear. Until then, the Shadovars scheme in secret, their true goals a mystery to all but their ruler, the High Prince Telamont, and his twelve sons, the Princes of Shade.

Not all Shadovars are shades. The Princes of Shade decide who is to be given such a blessing, and they are stingy with their favors, careful to only empower those who are sure to be loyal to them and their causes. Prospective candidates are stringently tested for ability, loyalty, and resourcefulness.

Shades look just like normal humanoids, although their skin is gray to inky black, as are their eyes. They are thinner than most humans, and they prefer to dress in dark-hued clothes or armor.

Human Shadovars are never made into shades until after they have reached the age of majority. There are no such things as young shades, and shades who marry produce normal offspring.

Shades have extraordinarily long lifespans. By trading some portion of their souls for the stuff of shadow, they extend their lifespans tenfold.

Shades live to serve the High Prince and their fellow Shadovars. Most have grown up in the City of Shade as loyal champions of the High Prince's regime. While individual shades may have personal agendas, few conflict with the purposes of Shade's rulers, since disobedient or disloyal Shadovars are not likely to have been transformed into shades in the first place.

Shades consider themselves superior to all nonshades around them. After all, that's what they've been raised to believe from birth. Only the most worthy Shadovars are chosen to become shades. Most shades go adventuring only at the behest of their superiors. They are normally given specific orders about what they are to do on such missions. Shades rarely share their true reasons for adventuring with any non-Shadovar allies they may temporarily make. They do not trust those outside Shade, and any relationships they strike up with strangers are sure to be temporary.

Life in the City of Shade fits into a strictly controlled hierarchy. The High Prince sits at the top of the hierarchy's pyramid, with his sons - the Twelve Princes of Shade - right below him. Beneath them, the arcanists (Shadovar sorcerers and wizards) stand, with the military next down in importance. At the base of the pyramid, there are four levels of commoners. In descending order, these are the crafters (skilled laborers), the merchants (those who distribute necessary goods throughout the City of Shade and import and export needed materials), the servants (those who work as personal servants to people above them), and the slaves (who do the worst of the society's grunt work).

At the age of ascension (13 years old), every citizen is tutored in basic spellcraft and subjected to a battery of tests to determine how his skills can best serve the City of Shade. Then, at the age of majority (18 years old) each person embarks upon the job for which he was trained. Unless the person suddenly displays a new aptitude, he works at his designated career until the day he dies. Those citizens who prove to be especially important and loyal are transformed into shades. This is one of the greatest honors a Shadovar can receive. Only a small percentage of Shadovars are transformed, and commoners and low-ranking military officers are never chosen for transformation.

Outside the City of Shade, most shades keep to themselves. They may travel singly or in small groups, but any alliances they make with non-Shadovars - which are rare - are sure to be alliances of convenience. Only a Prince of Shade or a Shadovar officer of captain's rank or higher can leave the City of Shade without an escort, and such a person had better have a defensible reason for doing so.

All shades have the following powers when within shadows or darkness. In well-lit surroundings (daylight or the radius of a daylight spell) none of these powers function.

Ability Modifiers: A shade's Constitution and Charisma scores increase by +2.

Speed: Increases by 20 ft. (or 15 ft., if the character wears medium or heavy armor).

Armor Class: The shade gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC.

Attacks and Damage: The shade gains a +2 competence bonus on attacks and damage.

Saves: The shade gains a +4 luck bonus on all saving throws.

Skills: The character gains a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. He does not suffer skill check penalties due to darkness.

Control Light (Sp): The shade can decrease the levels of light within a 100-foot radius by a factor of 10% per level. For characters and creatures dependent on light to see, this decreases the effective range of vision for them by the same percentage. For each 25% decrease in light, anyone within the area gains a +1 circumstance bonus on Hide checks.

Fast Healing 2.

Invisibility (Sp): The shade can use this ability once per round as a sorcerer of his level.
Shadesight (Sp): The shade has 60-foot darkvision. He can see normally through any darkness effects but not through fog, invisibility, obscurement, and so on.

Shadow Image (Sp): Three times per day, the shade can use this spell-like ability (similar to the mirror image spell) as a sorcerer of his level. This creates 1d4 figments of the shade, +1 per three levels.

Shadow Stride (Sp): As often as once every 2 rounds, a shade of 8th level or higher can vanish from his current location and reappear in any shadowy area within 300 feet. This is a move-equivalent action.

Shadow Travel (Sp): If the shade is 12th level or higher, then he can use teleport without error to reach a shadowy locale on the same world or plane shift to access the Plane of Shadows. A shade can shadow travel once per day.

Spell Resistance: 11 + character level.

Level Adjustment: +4.

Tainted One

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Tainted ones are humanoids who have been corrupted by drinking a special yuan-ti elixir. The result is a person who looks almost exactly like his normal self, but whose mind has been twisted to the yuan-ti way. They serve as yuan-ti agents and spies in humanoid lands. Tainted ones sometimes develop distinctive mannerisms such as licking their lips constantly, drawing out their sibilants when speaking, or keeping large serpents as pets.

Ability Modifiers: +2 Constitution. Surviving the transformation makes the tainted one stronger.

Poison Bite: A tainted one gains a venomous bite, although he does not gain a natural attack with which to deliver it. In order to use his poison, he must make a successful grapple check against a foe, and then make a successful melee attack. Fort save (DC 10 + the tainted one's Con modifier) negates, initial and secondary damage 1d4 temporary Constitution. The poison can also be injected against an unresisting foe with a kiss.

Poison Immunity: Immune to all forms of snake venom, including his own.

Spell resistance 12 + 1 per two levels.

Psionics (Sp): The tainted one can produce the following effects labeled in italics. Treat these as if cast by a sorcerer of the tainted one's level.

Poison 1/day: Fort save (DC 13 + the tainted one's Con modifier).

Polymorph 3/day: Into viper forms only.

Feats: The tainted one gains Alertness as a bonus feat.

Automatic Languages: As base race.

Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Yuan-Ti.

Level Adjustment: +2. Tainted ones are more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the common races of Faerûn. Their many powers and bonuses comprise this level adjustment. A player may play a tainted one yuan-ti with class levels as a character with total levels equal to his class levels + 2.

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[Anastasia]

Test. This thread really is rather laggy.