Shards of Nevermoor Pt IV

Onoz, another one!

Considering I tossed the Momeraths for minor redundancy and the fact I was not happy with their result, I went back to the drawing board and scraped something together to fill in the slight void that may have been left in the Corbie moving into their spot.

I have't really solidified the ideas behind these guys yet besides them being beautiful glass and crystal people who share souls. Still avoiding any real Living Construct rules. Glass can be as fragile, if not more so, than flesh and bone and they are still living creatures. Just weird ones. That are very pretty and sparkle. In a non-vampiric way.

Remnants
Ability Scores: +2 Charisma & +1 Intelligence
Size: Medium
Speed: 30ft
Psionic Network: Resistance to Psychic damage.
Felicity of Glass: When you roll a 1 on an attack, ability check, or save you can reroll the die and must keep the new roll.
Mirror Danse: When making a save vs a magical effect that has a partial effect on a successful save, if you roll a 20, the caster must also make the same save or be subject to the lesser effect.
Past Present Future: You gain training in one additional skill of your choice.

Shards of Nevermoor Pt III

How is a Raven like a Writing Desk? They are both Nevermoor Races!

First up we have our birds. These I fretted over for the longest time, trying to decide what I wanted to do with them. Did I want to make them Tengu or make them Kenku? I wanted to pull them away from the Aarakora, for sure, and I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to actually give them flight. Once I actually got to work on them, though, I was happy with how they came out.

Mostly. The stats are still the most 'in question' part of these guys but part of that is the back of my mind that is telling me to toss the Momeraths and put these in their place (Yup, doin' that...). In any case you've got little Raven men and little Owlmen and I like the way they came out...

Corbie
Ability Scores: Wisdom +2
Size: Small
Speed: 25ft
Flight: You have a flight speed of 30ft. You cannot fly while wearing any armor that would impose disadvantage to stealth or reduce your speed.
Path Integration: You can perfectly recall any path you have traveled.
Subrace: Caw or Hoo.

Zeche
Ability Scores: Dexterity +1
Steal the Sun: You are proficient in Sleight of Hand and you gain Advantage on any Sleight of Hand checks to take something you have seen with your own eyes.
Mimicry: You may create any sound as though using the Minor Illusion cantrip. If you have a spellcasting class you may use that classes casting stat, otherwise you use Charisma to cast this spell.

Buha
Ability Scores: Intelligence +1
Darkvision 60ft
Darklisten: Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) check at night or related to sound you are considered proficient in the Perception skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

***

And then we have these guys. At first I was going to have a variation on the Shardmind here, collective psychic energies housed in glass and crystal bodies... and then I decided against that. As much as I like the Shardmind and the Warforged I didn't want to burden this setting with a living construct that was too constructed and then, while talking to some people I decided to make a race built around The Luggage. Sapient Pearwood is still living after it's been shaped and turned into furniture or what have you, right? Magic and living wood and a strange shape that could be furniture but could also be Groot.

Pearwydd

Ability Scores: +1 Str and +1 Con

Size: Medium

Speed: 30ft

Chest of Drawers: Your internal structures are hollow and magic in some ways. You may store items you are carrying as though your body was a container and you count as large for the purposes of carrying capacity.

Wooden Wares: You have a Natural Armor of 12 + Dex that imposes Disadvantage on stealth rolls. This does not count as armor for the purpose of any abilities.

Applied Carving: During a short or long rest you may take time to subsume some of the equipment you are carrying. In this way you can integrate items you may want to use later. You must be proficient in the use of Armor or Weapons integrated in this way and Armor you use like this overrides your Wooden Wares ability. Any items that require hands to be actively used are limited to two, just as though you were using one in each hand. Mundane items are destroyed by this process. Magic items may require magic in order to be recovered or replaced.

Pearwyrds: You do not speak as other humanoids do. You gesticulate and grunt in monosyllabic approximations of language, enough to get across varying degrees of concepts to any other intelligent creature with or without a language. This does not impede most communication or your ability to cast spells (or others abilities to determine spells you are casting) and other races may take Pearwyrds as a language in order to better understand what you are saying. You, however, can only understand languages you know. You begin knowing Common and one other language of your choice.

So, for now, this is it. Unless I do replace the Momeraths with the Corbie outright. Then I'll maybe have to figure something else out...

Shards of Nevermoor Pt II

This one is going to be a shorter post, I'm only going to put up the next two races. These were some of the more complicated ones despite me effectively ripping off one from Daniel. Both of these are tied to each other, for the most part. In my head/canonically they're even related to each other. Both are races from the ruined remnants of the Old World. In any case let's get to starting with those. We will start with that one I stole, first.

Instead of Tieflings I decided the vague idea behind the mongrelfolk was more appropriate. Or at least fit the concept of the world a bit better. Creatures that appear to be patchwork forms of myriad humanoids from a world that is a mash of others. Likely, lore wise, they are people who live too long next to the frayed edges of the broken world and were changed. Warped and twisted by the roiling chaos beyond... thus all the craziness and random stuffs. Mongrelfok Ability Scores: Roll 1d6 where each value 1-6 corresponds to the way your Ability Scores are laid out on your Character Sheet. Reroll threes. +1 to the Ability Score corresponding to your d6 roll. +2 to Constitution. Size: Medium but varied. Speed: 25ft; Armor does not hinder. Primordial Resistance: You have advantage on saves vs poison damage. Ancestral Chaos: Roll 1d8 -

1. You also have resistance to poison.
2. You have Darkvision 60ft
3. You are trained in Insight and Persuasion
4. You do not need to eat or drink as long as you spend one hour in sunlight per day.
5. You do not incur two failures when rolling a 1 on a Death Save
6. You gain a long and high jump from a standing start equal to your Strength score in feet
7. You do not use extra movement when swimming.
8. You have a +1 bonus to your AC.

Even Madness Has Its Methods: Choose one - you do not need to breathe or sleep; you gain a +1 cumulative bonus, up to +5, on Stealth checks made to hide for every round you stay shrouded in complete darkness; you learn the cantrip Mage Hand; you may roll again on the options given for Ancestral Chaos and keep both results.

***

The Agog are another race suggested to me by Daniel. They've wandered a bit further from the base concept but that one was... very hard to pin down. Which makes some sense. Where the Mongrelfolk are warped from the broken nature of the Old World the Agog are those who are broken by it trying to fix itself. Those that find themselves at the borders between realms as they come to being have their existences warped and partly erased. Somewhere between living scribbles and paintings, smudged drawings brought to life. Agog Ability Scores: +1 to any two Size: Medium. Speed: Walking speed 35ft Flexibility: You have advantage on dexterity checks and saving throws to escape bindings, grapples, anything that impedes your movement or any attempts to squeeze or stretch through unusual spaces. Bedlam's Knack: As an Action you can search through your belongings for an object that may be useful in any given situation. What you are searching for should usually not be worth more than 5g and weigh no more than 5lbs although exceptions may be made. The DM should make a roll in some way to gauge the effectiveness of this search and may include the possibility for outlandish effects. Vital Rebound: When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright you can drop to 1 hit point and be stunned for one round instead. You can do this a number of times equal to your constitution modifier before this ability is expended, you must take a long rest to recharge it.

So that's it for these two, for now. I was going to include the next race since I'm close to completing it, but that'd have left me little for the next post. So, just these. Next week the birds and... Furniture?!?

Shards of Nevermoor Pt I

Good job me on making this thing happen so often. Close Sarc-Mark.

So I'm back again, for now, with more gaming stuff. After months of moving and getting settled in a new location and then moving again to escape the dire bedbug invasion I am hopefully stable once again. Given my stability and the fact that I haven't been in a live game for what may be over a decade I have the itch to run. Live. With real dice around a real table.

This requires people, which I have, and to know what they may be familiar or comfortable with. And what I'd be comfortable with. Gladly 5th Edition seems to be a go to.

And we all know I cannot leave well enough alone. None of this straight from the book stuff. I'm, of course, piling up stuff for a 'fresh' setting. Cobbled together from cannibalized ideas I've hoarded over the years. The main thing this presents is a whole new set of Player Races! I opted for a mix of original ideas and ones given to me by my friends and players.

This is the first half of these races, boiled down to short descriptions and temporary racial statistics for quick reference and suggestions as to any adjustments that may need to be made. These are unpolished and, in places, unfinished in the less crunchy portions. I've also opted to completely omit the Alignment sections since most PC's are going to be what PC's are going to be and no racial predilection towards some arbitrary moral compass should change that.

We'll start with the Whispe, a race I first devised earlier this year when pondering elemental origins of a lot of what we consider the core races. Namely the earthen sources of both dwarves and gnomes and what would happen if you messed with those. The Whispe are, in concept, living spirit flames and humanoid ectoplasmic candle alike. Ghost magics given form and mind and life their own. I've even got a life-cycle in mind for them and, sum total, I like how the rules are working for them. Bright Spirit may be a little excessive, I admit. Also I did away with Darkvision for them because they can produce lights and seeing in the dark seems a bit redundant.

Whispe

Ability Scores: Int +2, Dex +1

Size: Small

Speed: 25

Cunning: Adv on Int, Wis, Cha vs magic.

Ghostfire: You may use either the dancing lights or produce flame cantrips at will. Each time you do this you expend one hit point. These hit points remain spent and cannot be healed, effectively lowering your maximum hit points, until you take a short rest or you choose to end the spell effect. If you use produce flame to attack the hit point remains spent until you take a long rest instead.

Bright Spirit: Unlike other races Whispe add their Con modifier to Death saving throws.

Ancestral Tongues: Through the flickering of their own soul-flames a Whispe can speak to the faintly lingering echoes of the ancient dead. Any humanoid creature that has been dead for a decade or more can be spoken to as though it were alive and were in possession of a small fraction of it's former knowledge.

***

The replacement Dwarves were culled from an off-hand comment from a friend and a thought of "I can do that" because I did it for 4E. Of course upon actually attempting it it was a bit more involved than replacing one racial ability with a semi-useless wildshape at will. When it came down to it I actually opted to not even try to figure out a way to make Turns Into A Bear a racial thing because no matter how I looked at the possibility it was stepping on Druid toes. Instead they are just burly giants who are very bearlike.

Beorning

Ability Scores: +2 Con +1 Str

Age: Human

Size: Hefty but Medium.

Speed: 30

Darkvision: 60ft

Tireless: You have advantage on rolls vs increasing your exhaustion level.

Hibernation: When taking a long rest you must spend the majority of it sleeping with no more than one hour at either the beginning or end of the rest being spent on other activities. At the end of a long rest, however, you can gain back half again the number of hit dice you would normally be entitled to, up to your maximum.

Tool Proficiency: brewer supply, fishing kit, or beekeeper's suite.

Keen Hunter: You have advantage on wisdom checks used to track or forage for food.

Bear's Endurance: +1 HP per level.

***

The Goji are straight up Dragonborn replacements. Kobolds that were cursed/blessed in a wendigo situation. Turned into giant (for kobolds) dragon-devouring monsters. They are tiny Kaiju. A race of humanoid Godzillas. Complete with atomic breath. Radiant is Divine Radiation, right?

Goji

Ability Scores: Str +2 Cha +1

Size: Medium

Speed: 30

Breath Weapon: You can use your action to exhale radiant energy. When you use your breath weapon, each creature in a 15ft cone must make a dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 radiant damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Protean Adaption: Any time you are subject to an attack or effect that does a damage type that isn't bludgeoning or slashing damage and requires a save you can choose to forego the save. At the beginning of your turn you gain Resistance to that type of damage for one hour per HD, if multiple damage types were caused by the effect you must choose one. This ability is expended until you take a short rest.

***

Joan asked me for snow elves. So I just went the Fairy Court routes. I mixed up some of the stuff depending on what I felt would work best for each of the two courts. Not 100% on either of them, really. In the end I may toss the Summer Court and stick with just the Snow Elves as asked for.

Sidhe

Ability Score Increase: Your Dex score increases by 2

Age: -Ageless

Size: Sidhe range from just over 5 to 6 and a half ft tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30ft

Keen Senses: You have proficiency in Perception.

Fey Origins: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Trance: Sidhe don't need to sleep.

Subraces:  Two courts stand from the lands of faerie, those of Winter and Summer. Amongst them their emissaries to the material planes are the Sidhe.

Winter Sidhe

Ability Score Increase: Your Int score increases by 1

Darkvision: Accustomed to lands that are bathed in endless dusk, twilit forests, and being productive day and night sidhe have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60ft of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Winter Weathering: Advantage on saves vs cold and resistance to cold damage.
Weapon Training: Greatsword, Rapier, Shortbow, and Longbow.

Summer Sidhe

Ability Score Increase: Your Cha score increases by 1

Summer Magics: You know the Druidcraft and Create Bonfire cantrips. Charisma is your spellcasting stat for these spells unless you have a spellcasting class, then you may use that classes stat instead.

Spring's Sister's Secret: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, mist, and other natural phenomena.

Weapon Training: Spear, Trident, Longbow, and Shortbow.

***

Momeraths are, of course, the halfling substitutes. Tiny fuzzy insect creatures, equal parts moth and spider. I may build up a Feat that gives them nigh-useless wings and weird shadowy powers to help settle my feelings about them.

Momerath

Ability Scores: Dexterity +1 Wisdom +2

Size: Small

Speed: Walking speed 25ft. Climb Speed 20ft.

Darkvision: 60ft

Scuttle: You may move through the space of any creature that is larger than you.

Skulk: You may attempt to hide when you are only obscured by a creature that is larger than you.

Neeevermind...

Next post I'll set up the more complex races. Mongrelfolk more or less ripped off from Daniel's Tieflings. Strange, living 'paintings'. Tengu...? and Some big living crystals or something.

Exordium Redux

So, hey guys. Been a while, hasn't it? Yeah, remember when I ran that nWoD game and then nothing happened because getting people to play online is a huge pain in my fat, hobbit ass? Yeah. Good times. Goooood times.

But enough about the past, I'm here to talk about the future. And the present. Which is what the future will turn into. If I can get myself into a good rhythm I'll be updating this with small snippets of information on a setting (or two if you're lucky?) I'm working on. Fantasy Setting with no specific system attached.

For now, though, I'm just saying hi while I work on getting this thing cleaned up some.

Stuff to do. Things to tear down...