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Races in Correllendor
I wanted to simplify race somewhat in Correllendor so
that it did not feel like the racial bazaar that some
settings can become-- that is for another part of the world.
It is important to the story and setting that Correllendor
be predominantly human.
That said, the Illendi are almost entirely new. This page
lists the modifications and contexts for the PHB races in
Correllendor and notes additions and editions for the
setting.
- Humans
- ...of course. There's a 'default' nationality of
"Correllendor" in this setting; it's a human kingdom
that's been around for about 150 years. At that point it
united several smaller kingdoms. There are also
'Rokanoi', the older human culture in the area; they've
been around for about 2000 years with various cultures.
Many aspects of Rokanoi culture draw from the "Rokugan"
setting of the Oriental Adventures supplements. We have
had several humans, from an 'urban druid' to a taoist
cleric to a Rokanoi shugenja.
- Elves
- ... are surprisingly rare. Elves have largely avoided
the Correll region of the continent, and are 'latecomers'
to the continent anyway. There is an elven subculture,
closest to wood and high elves in description, that is in
the area interested in researching magic. Most elves are
in the area researching or travelling. The written
history of the Elves in
Correllendor is underway.
- Dwarves
- ... are also relatively rare in most of the country.
Older to the area than Elves and the Correll, but younger
than the Rokanoi. That said, some of the Correll cities
neighboring dwarven delvings (cities) have struck trade
pacts such that dwarves may be found in the human cities
trading or even settling down as craftsmen. Humans do
not go into delvings. Females also comprise about
10% of the dwarven population, and so are treated like
gold-- treasured and never let out of sight.
Cor's player once related the
history of the Dwarves -- as they know it.
- Halflings
- Called"Delwen" in the region, they have a fairly
specific history that stretches back about 1000 years,
and is local to an area just south of Correllendor. The
usual oddness of adventuring halflings applies. The
Delwen Downs are currently 'occupied' by a human cartel
that runs the area fairly brutally through trade in
pipe-weed.
- Half-orcs
- Just as odd as 3rd edition suggests. Orcs live in the
mountains and, with goblins, are the primary 'beastial'
humanoid race. Once upon a time, orcs were fairly
civilised and worked alongside humans. But that was a
very long time ago, and no one remembers it except in
legend. Now orcs are classically outcast, tribal and
nomadic, and their frequent raids into human lands
occasionally produce half-orcs.
Several non-standard races are also available in this
setting. These are quick descriptions, and I can provide
mechanics and statistics on request:
- Bariaur
- The goat-based centaurs from the Planescape
setting. In Correllendor, they live mostly in nomadic
tribes in the hills and plains surrounding Correllendor.
There is something of a cultural distinction between
hills and plains bariaur; hills bariaur live along the
foothills of the mountains surrounding Correllendor and
are stereotypically gypsy-like in their culture, nomadic
and somewhat anti-establishment, often suspect or
scorned, and with strong traditions and cultural codes.
Plains bariaur are much less 'civilised'; they are also
nomadic, but rougher, more 'barbaric'... more akin to the
image of the Mongol hordes. Plains bariaur live on the
plains of the Great Valley to the south of Correllendor.
They will also have interesting interactions with the
Illendi (see below), who consider them half-breeds.
- The "Illendi" are an advanced
culture composed of four races with the common thread of
having six limbs. There was an Illendi culture in the
vicinity of Correllendor over a thousand years ago, which
disappeared abruptly in a cataclysm that devastated the
entire region of the campaign. Legends maintained them as
god-like in power. Legends and prophecies also say that
they'll return to create another cataclysm, and that
appears to be coming true, as the campaign is evolving
around returning Illendi. There is a history
of the Seekers (the Illendi in Correllendor) which is
posted ... but which constitutes a spoiler for all of the
game's mystery and backstory. It is thus
password-protected.
-
- Illendi, Siarrans
- The "Siarrans" are essentially a race of four-armed
humans, and are most human-like of the Illendi. They are
available as a PC race with some backstory work and a +1
class level equivalent. For full statistics, see
below.
- Illendi, Anghil
- Anghil are essentially angels-- winged, though with
membranous wings more like bats' than like birds'. They
seem to be a more withdrawn, aloof, and magical race than
the Siarrans. They are available as a PC race with some
backstory work and a +2 class level equivalent.
- Illendi, Dondar
- The characters know nothing about this race beyond
a mural they encountered, which
made them look like they had the body of a canine with
long forelimbs, the torso of a human, and a long
serpentine neck that reached to an elongated, almost
camel-like head. They are not available yet as a PC
race.
- Illendi, Dragons
- In this setting, dragons are not only extremely rare,
but they are Illendi. They are predictably unavailable as
a PC race. The characters have met and befriended one
dragon who thought she was human, having been raised as
one. The hide coloration gives a general indication of
disposition --chromatic is still vicious, metallic kind--
but I have altered the breath weapons and some statistics
of most breeds. For instance, silver dragons breathe gas
and lightning, in keeping with their storm
affinity.
New Race: Siarran
Note: the name "Siarran" and the link between that name
and a four-armed humanoid is drawn from Mythic Races
by Fantasy
Flight Games , pg. 134 . I have added the remaining
traits and notes.
Personality: Siarrans are the most human of the
Illendi. They are adventurous, noble, and strong-willed.
Conversely, they are prone to being rash, prejudicial, and
violent. They revere family life but have a substantial
adventurous streak as well. Siarrans have a reverence for
wind, the weather, and the stars which is expressed
Physical Description: Siarrans look roughly like
humans with an extra set of arms branching from one-quarter
of the way down their torso. They tend to be tall and slight
compared with humans, and have slightly pointed ears. They
can be mistaken for half-elves if their lower arms are
concealed. In complexion and build they exhibit all the
variation of humans.
Relations: Siarrans share the Anghil and Draconic
racial disdain for four-limbed races, which they call
"kurlendi" meaning "low people". Encounters between Siarrans
and kurlendi have degenerated into violence often enough
that there is automatic distrust between the races. Siarrans
look to dragons with near-reverence, Anghil as equals, and
consider Dondar to be too aloof and often alien.
Alignment: Siarrans tend toward neither good nor
evil, nor even neutrality. All alignments may be found among
Siarrans.
Siarran Lands: The vast majority of Siarrans live
on the subcontinent of Illendor, where several nations fill
as wide a variety of ecological and societal niches as
humanoids do in other regions. Siarrans generally prefer
temperate grasslands, forests, and hill areas to mountains,
but they can be found nearly anywhere. In the Nothoreadhel
campaign, a sizable community of Siarrans has recently
formed several colonies in the mountains of central
Correllendor, and PCs are likely to come from that
group.
Religion: Siarrans worship a variety of deities
that are only secondarily affiliated with spheres or
domains. The religion is a mix of ancestor worship and
polytheism. Most venerated beings are historical or mythical
figures that have come to be associated with a sphere or
domain, but the reverence and request for aid is to the
figure rather than the sphere, and often reverence is handed
down through the family. One common and shared deity is
Sha'rah, the Lady of the Winds, who appears as an ageless
silver dragon. She is often credited with creating the race
when she was touched by the stirring of marsh grass in a
storm, and imbued the reeds with life and limbs. The
Seekers, the multiracial group beginning the colonies in
Correllendor, also together venerate the dragon Myristil,
the Hearthsinger, who supposedly visited the group's founder
in a vision and showed him their lost 'homeland'.
Language: Siarrans speak their own language
(slavic in sound), but frequently know Draconic, Anghili,
and Dondaran as the languages are related. Each of the
Illendi languages is related to Draconic like Polish and
Russian are related among earth languages. Scholars may know
Auran, and knowledge of Common and Elvish languages is
growing. There is a "common" writing script used in everyday
life, but 'traditional' or magical documents use an alphabet
that is supposedly draconic in origin.
Names: Names are given by parents and are a mix of
historical and meaningful names. A Siarran will typically go
by their given name, though a family name is used among some
groups, while others follow a matronymic convention where
surnames are given as a variant on the mother's name.
Male Names: Goradzh, Jamilov, Piet'ranj,
Parnasset, Senet, Valen, Vyodor.
Female Names: Aniela, Jolanta, Kamil, Siroun,
Taleen, Tesjyn, Zdenka.
Matronymic Names: use -afel where the mother's
name ends in a vowel sound and sia- where the mother's
name ends in a consonant sound: Anielafel, Jolantafel,
Siakamil, Sirounica, Siataleen, Tesjynica, Zdenkafel.
Adventurers: For some Siarrans the wind calls
irresistably, promising excitement, wealth, power, trouble,
or escape. Adventurers come from almost all walks of Siarran
life and are united only by their wanderlust and love of
tales.
Siarran Racial Traits:
- +2 Dexterity, -1 Constitution: Siarrans have
the wind's grace, but tend to be fragile.
- Medium-size: As medium-size creatures,
Siarrans have no special bonuses or pennalties due to
their size.
- Siarran Base Speed is 30 feet.
- Four-armed: A Siarran has four arms. Siarrans
have one "on" hand and three "off" hands and may take
feats that require more than two limbs: multiweapon
fighting, improved multiweapon fighting, greater
multiweapon fighting, and multigrab.
- Multitasking: Siarrans get the multitasking
feat for free. Siarrans can use each pair of arms to
perform a distinct partial action. All such partial
actions occur simultaneously. They can therefore attack
with one or two arms while using a magic item, reloading
a crossbow, or casting a spell with two other arms.
Additionally, this may be used in combat to gain a second
(but not third or fourth) attack without requiring the
attack to be a full action, though off-hand penalties
still apply.
- Skill Synergies: Siarrans gain a +2 racial
bonus to skills when they can use all four arms: climb,
disable device, open lock, pick pocket, perform, swim,
and use rope.
- Automatic Languages: Siarran and Draconic.
Bonus Languages: Any, with a story preference for Anghil
and Dondar.
- Favored Class: Rogue and Bard. A multiclass
siarran rogue or bard does not count when determining
whether he suffers an XP penalty (see Experience for
Multiclass Characters, PHB p. 56). Wanderlust, music,
stealth, and wit are all gifts of the wind and run in a
siarran's blood.
- Racial Class Level Bonus: +1. A siarran earns
experience and rises in level as though they were one
level higher than their actual class level.
Discussion: So there it is. I'll modify it again
if need be, but I think that this will work. Giving Siarrans
multitasking for free does not help them with the
feat progression as I'd first considered, but it creates an
alternative that is more useful for all classes. A Siarran
can now attack in three ways in a round:
- move and attack once with on hand, no penalties.
- move and attack twice with on and upper off hand, at
-4/-8 penalties (unmodified, assuming light weapon in
off-hand)
- attack four times as a full action, at -4/-8/-10/-10
(ditto)
Those can then all be modified with the usual feat
progression, so that with three feats and a light weapon, a
Siarran can be attacking at -2/-2/-4/-4. The part that I see
as most dicey is the argument that multitasking can create a
second attack without requiring a full action. My reasoning
is thus: A partial action is generally defined on PHB p. 127
by saying that you can "do as much with a partial action as
you could with a standard action mnus a move." A standard
action is basically a move plus a partial action.
Multitasking doubles that partial action to two partial
actions, i.e. allows a movement plus two partial
actions.
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