Space Races
Hello everyone, and welcome to another From the Workshop. This week’s experiment involves new player-character races. Back in the olden days (and oftentimes still today), there didn’t use to be much difference between fantasy and science fiction. I thought that it might be fun to “fantasize” (as in, “to make fantasy”) a couple of the races from Master of Orion 2, a classic sci-fi strategy game. While these races are technically unique, and are only loosely based on those from MOO2, I think that anyone familiar with the game should be able to see the similarities, if they squint, and maybe tilt their heads to the side a little.
Haa’rka
The haa’rka are a race of powerfully-built warriors who have not only endured but thrived in conditions that would have wiped out less hardy races. Hailing from deep, dark caves far below the surface of the world, much deeper than most dwarves or orcs are inclined to go, the haa’rka constantly strive to prove themselves against greater and greater difficulties.
Physical Description: The haa’rka are a massively-built race, and almost universally bulge with muscles beneath their incredibly tough and thick skins. Their faces are short, squat, and somewhat doglike, except that they have a pair of oversized teeth jutting up from their lower jaw almost like small tusks. Their arms are thicker around than most humanoids’ legs, and on average they stand nearly seven feet tall.
Society: Haa’rka society is nearly as tough and unforgiving as their environments. Haa’rka communities are deep, deep underground, located near sources of great geothermal activity: underground volcanoes, lava flows, and the like. Haa’rka society has survived only because they train themselves to endure, meaning that a haa’rka has no sympathy for those who can’t pull their own weight. Most of a haa’rka’s time is spent in combat training, or else in active combat, raiding other haa’rka tribes or other subterranean races for resources. Haa’rka society values nothing more than prowess in physical combat.
Relations: Haa’rka primarily see other races as targets to raid, thinking little of their lives and nothing of taking their meager possessions. The best that the average humanoid can hope to be seen as by a haa’rka is a worthy enemy, or perhaps even a dangerous threat. On the other hand, most haa’rka view haa’rka of other settlements, tribes, and sometimes even families in the same way. Rarely, a haa’rka who spends a great deal of time around other races might be inclined to adopt a member of another race as an honorary blood brother, but this is quite rare.
Alignment and Religion: Haa’rka have little place for religion, though they have a vague system of ancestor worship, believing that the great warriors from their family and clan’s past look over them, judging their prowess in battle. Despite their raiding activities, most haa’rka are inherently lawful, as they are ingrained from birth to unquestioningly obey the orders of their legitimate superiors (the elders and commanders of their clan).
Adventurers: Most haa’rka adventurers are either exiles from their home clans, cast out for some unspeakable crime, such as disobedience, or else were lost or separated from their clans, and were unable to find their way back home. In both cases, they find the surface world a mix of fascinating and revolting, as they both marvel and are disgusted at the opulence and abundance of resources, and the casual way in which the surface races take them for granted and enjoy their soft and pleasant lives.
Male Names: Bra’tang, Do’rang, Hobatt, K’rosh, Nor’dos, Urkast
Female Names: Brr’ta, Ca’rrlast, Gilla, Rrst, Uunda, Yrthk
Racial Traits
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence: Haa’rka are tough and strong, but have somewhat slow reflexes and minds.
Medium: Haa’rka are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties based on their size.
Slow and Steady: Haa’rka have a base movement speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Haa’rka have darkvision 60 ft.
Massive: Haa’rka are hulking creatures with massive muscles, especially in their arms. A haa’rka’s unarmed attack deals damage as though it were Large size, and haa’rka can wield weapons sized for Large creatures without penalty.
Battle Cunning: Haa’rka may not be academically bright, but they have a keen instinct for combat. Haa’rka gain a +1 racial bonus on all weapon damage rolls, and gain a +2 racial bonus to initiative checks.
Solid Frame: Haa’rka are exceptionally resilient and enduring, and gain a +3 racial bonus to CMD versus effects that would move them from their square (such as bull rush, push, pull, and similar abilities).
Weapon Training: Haa’rka train extensively with military weapons, and all haa’rka spend at least some time in the military. Each haa’rka gains proficiency with a single martial or exotic weapon of its choice.
Siluvian
Siluvians are an all-female race of empaths and psychics. They are often very friendly with other races, and are known for their placid calm and general friendliness. Those who know the siluvians well, however, know that beneath the surface there are much deeper currents and eddies, and most siluvians are very cunning manipulators who cause the other humanoid races to dance at their command.
Physical Description: A siluvian’s most striking feature is her skin tone, which can range from a deep blue through several shades of violet and into a bright pink. Siluvians are somewhat taller than humans, averaging around 6’ tall. All siluvians are women.
Society: Siluvian society is a mirror of the average siluvian: calm and peaceful on top, but with hidden and sometimes sinister complexities below. Siluvians tend to be highly involved in civic politics, and siluvian societies are almost all democracies, where nearly every issue is decided by vote. They highly value the arts, especially song and the spoken word, but generally have great respect for any art form with emotional components.
Relations: Siluvians are dependent upon other races to propagate their species, and so tend to foster relationships with other humanoid races, especially elves and humans. The child of a siluvian and a member of another race is always a siluvian, and when a siluvian reaches maturity she goes out into the world in search of an ideal mate. After this, she returns alone to siluvian society, where she gives birth, and, typically, hands the child over to a communal state nursery to be raised.
Alignment and Religion: Siluvians can be of any alignment, and worship a wide array of deities, many of which are from the same pantheons that the other races worship. In general, they tend towards chaotic alignments, as they are very empathic, and so strongly in touch with their feelings. Though all siluvians appear friendly and open, nearly as many of them are evil as truly good.
Adventurers: A siluvian in search of a mate often adventures for several years before finding someone that they deem worthy of fathering a siluvian child. It is not uncommon for siluvians to once again leave siluvian society after giving birth, however, to live amongst the other races. Most of these become diplomats, advisors, inquisitors, counselors, or the like, but some feel the call of adventure instead.
Female Names: Aliara, Cenndra, Eleria, Issara, Loriani, Nassani.
Racial Traits
+2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Siluvians are highly empathic, and have strong personalities, but they are physically less durable and unaccustomed to strenuous activity.
Medium: Siluvians are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties based on their size.
Normal Speed: Siluvians have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Siluvians can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light (see low-light vision).
Empathic: Siluvians have a natural affinity for reading the thoughts of others, granting them a +4 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks. This also gives them a greater insight into what others want to hear, granting a +2 racial bonus on Bluff checks.
Foresight: Siluvians are all gifted with a limited ability to see the future. Once per day, the siluvian may cast augury as a spell-like ability, using her total Hit Dice as her caster level. Alternatively, she may instead choose to expend this ability as a free action to gain a +4 racial bonus to any initiative check. She may choose to apply the bonus after seeing the result of the check, but must do so before combat actually begins.
Unearthly Beauty: Siluvians are universally beautiful, and gain a +2 racial bonus on all Diplomacy checks. This bonus increases to +4 when the siluvian is using her Diplomacy on a male humanoid creature.
That’s it for today. If this article goes over well, you can expect to see some more races along these lines. Have a good weekend, everybody.