CAR (Create A Race): Contest

[King Kobold]

Hey everyone, its Satsu. I love making new gaming material to suprise my group with, new magic items, new feats, and new classes, but I enjoy creating one thing above all else; new races.

I've made up a few new races of my own that I'm quite satisfied with, and now I'm curious as to what manner of people could be spawned from some of the great minds at this board; therefore, I have decided to host the first CAR (Create A Race) contest. The winner(s)* of the contest shall recieve A FREE 3.0/3.5 D&D Supplement, chosen from the following-

Oriental Adventures (3.0)
Monster Manual 2 (3.0)
Monster Manual 3 (3.0)
Unearthed Arcana (3.5)
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3.0)
Draconomicon (3.5)
Lords of Madness (3.5)
Book of Exalted Deeds (3.5)
Stormwrack (3.5)

RULES-
The way this contest works is simple; you create a new race and post it here. The abilities of the race are completely up to the creator, the only rule being that the race may not have a level adjustment. One may submit as many entries as they please, although any given participant cannot win more than once. Entries must be submitted in the standard race presentation format outlined at this site, courtesy of Ertai. Entries should not only be easy, but pleasing to read. Judging will be based on the following factors-

Originality- First and foremost, I'm looking for something new; the less your race reminds me of one I read about/saw in a movie/etc., the more likely it is to score a win.
Detail- The more fleshed out your race is, the better.
Appeal- There should be something about your race that will make players want to have one as their character.
Adaptability- Your race should be easy to fit into most campaigns.

The deadline for submissions is 01/05/06, with winners being announced on or before 01/10/06.

Thats all, have fun, and heres hoping for a good turnout.

*Most likely, there will be only one winner, but in the event that I recieve two or more entries that I find equally appealing, then each of the entrants will have their pick of a prize.

[King Kobold]

Glad to hear you'll be participating Gorthaur! As for your questions, here are the awnsers-

1. You are correct in thinking that I meant that the flavor of the race should fit into most settings. Also, while I like d20 modern just fine, let me clarify that D&D is the game in mind for this particular contest.

2. Sorry Gorthaur, but racial HD constitutes a level adjustment, and the races submitted should all be playable from level one without modification (monster level system, etc.). Therefore, no LA, no racial HD.

Hope that clears things up, have fun! :D

[LackingHumanity]

I"ll gladly participate in this just to see if I can win it =) (Which I doubt, considering the creative competition in this forum) but about the prizes, I assume they're PDFs, not mail delivery right?, in case it's the latter, will it be open to people outside of the US?

[King Kobold]

No the prizes are the actual books. No PDFs here. If the winner is not a U.S. citizen, no matter, thats what international mail is for.

[Vedalken Cryomancer]

This is Satsu, just under a new account; I forgot the password to my old one and the password retrieval system never sent me an e-mail so I figured since I was switching to a different e-mail I might as well just make a new account for this site.

ANYWAY, to clarify upon my last post, this contest is open to all members of this site, even if they do not live in the United States. Prizes will be given in the form of the actual book that one might purchase from their local gaming store, I will ship the winner his/her/it's prize via air mail.

Hope that clears things up, if not, I'll be happy to answer any and all queries regarding the contest.

[King Kobold]

Allright, Skurvy fixed my account. :D

Let the contest continue!

[powermitch]

Sarrik Elves (Camouflaggellants)

To blend in, to disappear; it had always been the pride of the Sarrik Tribe of Half-Elves, since their brethren did not accept them, to be able to blend in to even the most garish environments. They were feared for developing such a skill, and were shunned whenever seen, which became less and less often over the years. Over time and through many magical experiments, the Garnoush Tribe became able to blend into their environments to a near flawless degree, earning the nickname "Chameleons". They became notorious spies and assassins, increasing the Tribe's fame while destroying what little regard that people held for them. Even among the evil they were not trusted, and more than one party of righteous folk sought to destroy them as a whole. After the head of the Tribe instructed his only son to assassinate the leader of the local church who opposed them the strongest, the attempt failed and the son was captured. He confessed the locations of the Tribe's hideouts, and nearly all of them were wiped out. The only ones to live were captured by the church, and forced to atone for their past history with self-flaggelation.

This carried on for generations. The Tribe's population was carefully bred and taught to hate itself for crimes committed hundreds of years ago. Over time, the tribe's culture was lost in the self-loathing, and escape wasn't sought. The blending properties remained, but there was no need to use them in the dungeon beneath the church and this, too, was lost over time. Three hundred years after being captured, the massive church, and the surrounding town, was destroyed in a massive battle between the forces of good and evil. The sixty or so members of the Tribe wandered into the light for the first time in a long time, and fled to the forest nearby, seeking sanctuary from whatever destoryed their masters. Upon being forced to survive in the wilderness, they quickly discovered their latent powers and put the to good use.

Even after time had passed, the atoning for past actions has become a legacy to pass from one generation to the next. Shame is seen as a matter of great pride, and the deeper the intolerance for oneself and the subrace as a whole, the more respect one earns from the elders. Not deeming themselves worthy of a title, the Camouflagellants were named by those who first encountered them and, while only referring to each other as "one of my wretched kind", they do answer to their popular nickname.


Personality: The Camouflagellants are depressed by nature, and attempt to always find new reasons to despise themselves and their kind, while always trying to find ways to atone for being what they are. Some go mad with depression, and seek atonement in absolute evil, but most tread the path of good, fearing doing anything that adds to their guilt, while embracing all that they fail at as fresh cause for their beloved sorrow.

Physical Description: Living almost exclusively in the forests has left their skin a light reddish color, and possessing a texture like the bark of a thin tree. Their hair is often short, and they tend to wear all-organic garments, and nothing too bulky. Though originally strictly Half Elves, the Camouflagellants have mated heavily with humans, and now any Elven blood is as lost to time as their history. The upper bodies of the Camouflagellants are covered in scars from their whips, with a wound for every act of failure, and ten from the coming-of-age ceremony at the age of twelve.

Relations: Not finding too much fault in any but themselves, Camouflagellants only hate others who either are perceived to be standing in the way of atonement, or do wrong to those who have assisted the Camouflagellants in the past. Sometimes Camouflagellants will declare moral war on a race of the opposing alignment as a symbol of their will to atone, and carry out any and all actions that they can against that race.

Alignment: Camoflagellants are often good, with a preoccupation towards atonement manifesting itself in Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic ways, depending on the personality of the Camoflagellant. Some turn to evil to embrace what others of their subrace despise about themselves: the innate evil that every Camoflagellant is taught lies within him or her as a child. Few Camoflagellants are LN, TN, or CN, as there is too much passion in their blood to be so ambivilant to the moral implications of their actions.

Family: The Camoflagellants, despite loathing their own kind, embrace having children as a way to further the atonement for their unknown past. Despite the shimmer of Elven blood, they have children with the same regularity as humans. Every child is raised in the Camoflagellant way, even if the Father or Mother has to kidnap the child to do so. They are taught from birth to hate what they are, and to celebrate that natural failure with acts to attempt to atone for it. At the age of twelve, the child comes of age, and is treated to their first flagellation, ten lashes with a handwhip. They are presented with the handwhip and instructed in its use. At the age of sixteen, the child is seen as an adult and free to leave or stay by their family's side.

Lands: Throughout the years since their release, the Camoflagellants have wandered far from wherever their homeland originally was. They can be found in small bunches here and there, but mostly on thier own, leaving after the age of sixteen to embark on a life of atonement for their hated bloodline.

Religion: The Camoflagellants generally do not openly worship, as they do not feel worthy to speak to a God. They often revere gods of nature and their chosen alignment.

Language: Some Camoflagellants speak a broken dialect of Common that they picked up from their time underneath the large church, though most simply speak Common.

Names: Taken from Elf-sounding names of their past, Camoflagellants now mash elegant sounds together so that they may feel like hypocrites whenever they are referred to.

Male Names: Ariano, Seratho, Hyshelon, Jurenor, etc...

Female Names: Bellana, Yalera, Posali, Ryala, etc...

Family/Clan Names: Harotasia, Velosanera, Poliarol, Welstiander, etc...

Adventurers: Many Camoflagellants choose to wander until they find a mate, doing all that they can to atone along the way. No pleasure is afforded that they can function without, and the hardships that come with travel are seen as deserved and taken enthusiastically as they come. While some travel alone, Camoflagellants have no interest in dying before they are satisfied with their atonement, which is most often never. They travel with anyone they feel will extend their own lives and assist them on personal quests of moral atonement. Camoflagellants feel awkward around any heavily religious persons, such as Clerics and Paladins, and are reluctant to accept healing unless on the verge of death. They will not fight off the healer's touch, but would rather not if it could be avoided. They are also uneasy around any Divine Magic, and feel unworthy to experience such power as what comes from a deity. Again, they will not physically resist such an enchantment, but verbally resist as best they can.

Racial Traits

+2 Dex, -2 Cha
Spending their young lives training to be invisible to others and to hate themselves, the Camouflagellants have an above average Dexterity and a below average Charisma.

Medium-size: As medium-size creatures, Camoflagellants have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Camouflagellants' base speed is 30 feet.

They still possess Low-Light Vision, given to them by the clergy who held them captive so that they might see their own squalor and realize that they deseved it.

Camouflagellants have a racial skill bonus of +5 to Hide checks, and a +7 when they are in woodland enviroments.

Camouflagellants also have a +3 racial skill bonus to Move Silently, Survival, Spot, and Listen checks.

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Handwhip), Weapon Focus (Handwhip): From the earliest age, Camouflagellants are trained to use the handwhip as the method of immediate atonement for percieved failure. Most learn to use it as their first weapon as well, leading them to become as skilled at attacking others with the weapon as they are at attacking themselves.

Automatic Languages: Common, Camouflagellant Dialect (optional)

Favored Classes: Druid, Ranger. A multiclass Camoflagellant Druid's and Ranger's class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty. They naturally blend in with nature, and the direct manner of the Ranger's attack, and feel tied to the nature that the Druid fixates upon to gain power.

New weapon:
Handwhip - Looking like a leather cat o' nine tails, the homemade Handwhips of the Camouflagellants consist of a thick rope of leather as the handle, and each of eight little whips coming to an average of a foot and a half long. At the end of each little whip is a jagged stone, placed so that it will rend any flesh it hits at a high velocity.

Cost: -
Damage: 1D4
Critical: x2
Range Increment: -
Weight: 3 lb.
Type: Slashing

[King Kobold]

Pretty good stuff everyone, keep 'em coming. Seeing as the competition is starting to heat up, I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone regarding the factors upon which entries are being judged.

Originality- First and foremost, I'm looking for something new; the less your race reminds me of one I read about/saw in a movie/etc., the more likely it is to score a win.

Detail- The more fleshed out your race is, the better.

Appeal- There should be something about your race that will make players want to have one as their character.

Adaptability- Your race should be easy to fit into most campaigns.

[k-raov]

Probably not too good, but... Meh.

Graveling

Excerpt from the History Graveling, by Jiws Gordan-
All legends have a beginning. For the Gravelings, it starts with Gshtan. It is said that he awoke several millennia of millennias ago. He realized that he was alive, and began carving out of the very earth his existence. As the years went by, Gshtan realized that he was alone. So, he created Ichthen. From these two, spawned more and more Gravelings.

More years passed. The Gravelings carved their world out of the very rock that also sustained them. A mighty subterranean empire was forged. They were content to stay underground, never venturing farther than needed. This long-lasting peace was destroyed by the greedy Dwarves.

As the Dwarves dug deeper in their search for gold, they forced more and more of the denizens of the dark deeper. Eventually, these entities entered the land of the Gravelings. For the first time, the Gravelings had to take up arms against these foes. Eventually, the Dwarves finally discovered these rock beings. As the first pick pierced the outer shell of their domain, the Gravelings knew that their solitude would be forever broken.

The Dwarves attempted to enslave the Gravelings, seeing them as nothing more than intelligent rock golems. The Gravelings revolted, destroying a vast number of themselves and the Dwarves, before the Dwarves surrendered the Gravelings’ freedom.

Since that war, Gravelings have reproduced and are now found in small numbers wherever there are settlements or cities.

Personality: Gravelings are perhaps the most patient and honorable of people. Generally, they are very quiet, though they will talk at length about their interests. Gravelings tend to fear water.

Reproduction: A note about reproduction. Gravelings are asexual beings. A Graveling’s heart is a malleable silicone-based material. When a Graveling wants to reproduce, he must form another Graveling, then heat his flesh to melting and remove a piece of his heart. He then transplants the heart into the new Graveling, and that Graveling is born with all of the knowledge of the F1 Graveling.

Physical Description: Gravelings stand 8 feet tall, and weigh upwards of 1000 pounds. Their eyes are lava red, and their “skin” consists of an eighth of an inch thick stone. Underneath this shell, their bodies consist of a series of tubes that force raw silica throughout their bodies. Their voice is a result of 6 rocks rubbing together in their throats. They are hairless, of course, and they have no discernable ears or noses. A Graveling hears through vibration, though not very well. Their mouths consist of a slit on their face. Having no other discernable anatomy, they generally wear no clothing, and they wear a minimum of armor.

Relations: Gravelings have an unbridled hatred of Dwarves. They call the Peace Destroyers, as they ruined the entirety of the Gravelings’ culture by imposing themselves on them. The Gravelings get along formally with most other races.

Alignment: Due to their millennia underground, the Gravelings tend toward neutrality. They also tend towards lawfulness, as they feel that there are rules for a reason, thus those rules should be enforced.

Lands: The only city completely controlled by the Gravelings is their native city of Cthuy, though they do live throughout the world. They are outstanding stoneworkers, and their stone statues have fetched the highest prices. They also are impeccable scholars, and many have mastered the arcane arts. Many Gravelings also fill billets as bodyguards and soldiers.

Religion: The Gravelings worship their creator/ruler, Gshtan. There are also small cults devoted to Gshtan’s “queen,” Ichthen. Once every five years, a Graveling must return home to pledge fealty to Gshtan and Ichthen.

Language: The natural Gravelish sounds like stones rubbing together, as that is how the Graveling produces speech. This also transposes into other forms of speech that they may learn.

Names: A proper name in native Gravelish may take several days to say, as the speaker must cite the name, and the name of every Graveling that has been that Graveling’s forebear. Generally, though, names are reduced to the Graveling’s name itself. When a Graveling dies, that name may never be used again to name another Graveling.

Names: Grthaon, Mshgoun, Trethchag

Clan Names: There are no Family names, but when a Clan is pertinent, “...of the <clan>“ is used before naming the lineage.

Adventurers: Gshtan has ordained that every Graveling must leave Cthuy for a period of 50 years out of every 100. Given that Gravelings have no sense of ownership, they are sent into the world with nothing, and must work their way up. Generally, this means that they must go adventuring for the quick profit in order to settle into their new lives.

Graveling Racial Traits

* +2 CON; -2 DEX. Gravelings’ bodies are exceptionally healthy, but due to their stony shell, they are not as quick.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, Gravelings have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Gravelings’ base speed is 25 feet. Their long stride makes up for their slow movement.
* Darkvision. Gravelings have no problem seeing in no light.
* Gravelings automatically get a +1 to AC, as their skin helps protect them.
* Dwarves are the Gravelings' racial enemy, but the Gravelings do not gain any bonuses from this as their emotions do not overwhelm them.
* Gravelings receive a -2 to Reflex saving throws, and a cumulative -2 when saving versus anything water-related. Their bulk takes a lot to move at a quick pace.
* Fire Resistance- Gravelings are resistant to nonmagical fire at a resistance of 10. Living deep under the earth has given them an immunity, and their natural “skin” protects them somewhat from fire.
* Automatic Languages: Common and Graveling. Bonus Languages: Dwarven. Gravelings learned the Dwarves’ native language when the Dwarves were attempting to enslave them, and they have passed that knowledge on.
* Favored Class: Fighter. A Graveling's Fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty. Gravelings, though not fighting for long, Gravelings have shown a natural aptitude for many weapons. Also, their stone shell, and their patience are both virtues, which many a party has valued.

[LackingHumanity]

Here's something original, a quadra-ped 1st level race.

<center>Murngak</center>

Adventurers are wary of the night and of it's many beasts, feral and murderous, with many a man's blood on their breath but even more are weary of just one creature, the cheeky, mieschievous Murngak. There is a certain dignity in death that may not be found when one is hanging from his toes, bare as a babe in the middle of the road, while in the trees the Murngak chuckles, pleased at a prank well done.

Physical Description: They are small and stout, like balls of fur, with wide bat like ears on each end of their head, and a cheeky smile underneath their grey eyes which look like moons in the night. They walk on four legs, all of which strangly resemble arms, with the feet being much like small pale human hands. Their fur comes in a variety of colours, from purple to sky blue to pale bone white, with their faces and abdomens usually being of a different colour from the rest of their body. Their tails reach a length equal to their bodies plus half, they are thick and muscular with a full coat of fur.

Relations: Murngaks get along great with Gnomes, for they both share a love of jest, magic and tinkering, even halflings appreciate the company of these strange and cheerful creatures. Angsty Elves and grumpy Dwarves however hate the little bothers and their mischievous behaviour. Humans don't seem to mind them but human children love them.

Murngaks live in huge packs ("Garren") made of several communing families, all of which occupy a territory (a "Nip") in the forest, and have a dominant male figure ("Wik") who rules with his seven wives and advisors ("Nats"). Murngak males often have more than one mate but they may only choose to place their seed in one (The "Kety"), who usually gives birth to between one and five baby Murngaks ("Mincies").

Alignment: Murngaks tend to lean very much towards Chaos, with a tendency to stray as much away from evil as they would lawful. However there have been cases of Murngaks who are vile at heart but these are often castaways from the community.

Murngak Lands: Murngaks are lazy and prefer nature's empty trees than a home built from their wood and sweat.

Religion: Murngaks tend to consider themselves feral when it comes to homekeeping and Religion and thus they just say "No", but tame Murngaks, i.e those that live in human communities are known to take up dieties, especcially those of Nature.

Languages: Common, Gak. any bonus.

Names:

Female first names tend to end with the letter Y which in Gak is the feminine: Kiny, Mory, Mimy, Misy, May.

Male first names tend to be four letters long with the name ending with two consonents: Pipp, Mart, Tomn, Macc.

Lastnames are always three letters long and a certain Onomatopaeic potency to them: Pop, Wam, Jam, Wit.

Adventurers: Murngaks are born for travel and adventure, if it doesn't come to them then they are more than happy to seek it. Often they become rogues and bards and stick to a free life but it's not unheard of that a Murngak joins a guild or even overs his services as a mercenery fighter.


Murngak Racial Traits-

-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity. Murngak tails are strong but not as strong as a human arm, and their hand-like feet are pretty nimble as well, and they often use them to manipulate complex devices like locks.

Small: As a Small creature, a Murngak gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.

Murngak base land speed is 40 feet.

Darkvision 60 ft

Strong tailed: The Murngak's tail is strong enough to handle any weapon, and they can easily manipulate two handed missile weapons by also using their weaker fore legs.

One armed: However two-handed weapons and two weapons are out of the question.

+2 on Search, and Spot checks due to their keen eyes.

+2 on listen checks due to their sensitive ears.

+2 on climb due to their nimble feet.

+2 to balance because of their prehensile tails.

Shrill: Murngaks are wild creatures, often living in habitats filled with larger predators, thus as protection they developed the ability to wrestle free from their enemy's claws by screaming into their ears. As a free action, if a Murngak is caught in a grapple, it can force it's opponent to make a will save (vs 15 + Murngak's character level) or immedietly let go of the Murngak.

Lightfoot: Due to their nimble feet and quick step, Murngaks are never hindered by the ground below, wheater it's snow, grass or mud. When walking, terrain penalties do not apply to Murngak landspeeds, however they still apply if the Murngak is running.

Favored Class: Rogue

[RolePlayingGeek]

Falerion


The town was beseiged, they could never tell where the next attack would arrive. They watched in horror as a mass desendended from above, spear tips glistening. Suddenly the mass split and on the ground was a bloody mass of what once was a platoon.

Physical Description: Bird like and harsh, they are covered in feathers that are brown or black except for their fore arms. They have no vocal chords and communicate telepathically. They have no legs and spend most of their life on the wing, if they do land, they walk using their stubby arms.Their eyes are black, gold, or red.

Relations: Falerions fly in clan groups called by others "flocks". Wild and free, fight easily and are irritable. They are good to be around so long as they get their way, they coyuld be described as petulant.


Background: An extra planar people, they were brought to Faerun by a power hungry wizard in order to have an army of flying minions. They disagreed, and carried the wizard up a mountain and dropped him to his death. The portal was never closed so they have access to Faerun and their own plane. They live in high colonies and compete with dragons for food and territory, they eat meat. They repoduce often and have broods of 3-4 per year. Falerions mate for life.

Alignment: Falerions are almost beasts themselves and are Chaotic Neutral. They get along well with slaads, humans, and just about anyone else so long as they are not pressed to follow rules.

Falerion Lands: They live in great airees on mountain peaks, they compete with dragons for land and for food.

Religion: Falerions are animistic.

Languages: Common (telepathic), Faleric

Names:
They have no names among them selves but accept names that other races give to them, they are recognized by their 'thought voice', They are content to be called 'Birdy' by other "less fortunate" races.

Adventurers: Falerions were born to fly and fight for their family, they prefer ranger as a class.

Falerion Racial Traits-

-2 Int, +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.

Medium sized: all the hinderances/benifits of being a medium creature

Falerion base land speed is 10 feet.
Falerion base fly speed is 40 feet (good)

+2 on Search, and Spot checks due to their keen eyes.

Proficiencies: All falerions know how to use a longbow and a spear.

[LackingHumanity]

Thanks Gorth, I appreciate it ^_^, I made significant changes, removing the Cha bonus, heithening landspeed and reducing the skill bonuses.

I also gave it two minor abilities to make up for the inability to use two handed melee weapons or wield two weapons at once, which I consider a heavy disadvantage.

Hope it's more balanced now.

[k-raov]

Thanks mate. As I said, it probably wasn't going to be that good. Tried to fix it a bit though, so any new input would be appreciated.

[WarDragon]

Hmm... Gravelings look to me like they'd be Elementals, rather than Humanoids. No idea how you'd make that viable at ECL 1, though.

[stormwell55]

Ok, I'll give this a shot.

Right, heres the basic details for this new race of mine;

Name: Gorks, or 'The Gorks'

Appearance: Gorks generally look just like humans, but their ears tend to be the same shape and colour as a Goblin's would be. They always tend to be dark haired, whilst their eyes are generally grey in colour though they are known to be other colours. They tend to be the same size and weight of average humans, but they appear to be much stronger.

Background: Little is known about the origins of the Gorks, but many believe they are a side effect from the supposed 'Great Fall' of the Ancient Terran Empire.

Most Gorks can be found in many idustrial urban areas, working as cheap labour. But a few are known to be mercs and adventureers.

RP stats;

Gork

Popular Starting Feats: Point blank shot, Tracke, Two-weapon fighting.

Optionial Ability Adjustments: Dex +2, Cha -2

Auto Class Skill: Survival

Racial Skill Bonuses: +2 racial bonus on climb, hide, spot and listen checks.

Social Flaw: socially isolated (optionial)

Base Height: Male 5'7", female 5'1" (+ 2d10 inches)

Base Weight: Male 155 lbs, female 105 lbs (+ height mod x 2d4 lbs)

Automatic Language(s): Common

Base Speed: 30ft

* 1 extra feat at first level

*4 extra skills points at 1st level and 1 extra point each level after

*Favored Class: Any

Sight: Low-light vision

[King Kobold]

Well everyone, the results are in! After some difficult judging, I have decided that we have not one, but TWO winners.

Gorthaur the Cruel, and Acolyte!

I have PMed both of you.

Those of you whom did not win this contest, take heart, as I've decided to hold one of these contests about once every other month.