TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS
PATHFINDER HOMEBREW:
MY CUSTOM DRAGON-TOUCHED RACES
Today I'm doing something a little different; sharing some detailed custom stuff I made for my Tabletop RPGs I run. As many of you probably know, for about half a decade now, me and my friends meet up about once a week to play Dungeons and Dragons, board games, video games, etc, and, once again many of you know this, I've shared content before. But I don't think I've shared like detailed mechanical stuff about my settings. So here, let's talk a bit about my newest setting...
I love Skyrim. But, ironically, it somewhat put a damper on two Dungeons and Dragons setting/campaign ideas I had swirling around in my head since as long as I've been developing my own settings/campaigns for Dungeons and Dragons:
1. It made me put off my Viking setting for a couple of years.
2. It kept me from making a campaign about dragon invasion.
Eventually, I made my Viking setting. The setting is based on the very first Dungeons and Dragons setting I ever made and I'll tell you guys about it another day.
Today, we're talking about dragons.
In my newest setting, Nyumeneera, dragons and "dragon-touched" races are an important element and theme. After all, the chromatic dragons and their servant races are part of the Tytanyan Pact, the most powerful empire that the world has ever known:
The dragons of Smolder, led by Red Typhon, live a decadent lifestyle where their chief concerns are maintaining their wealth from the mines of the island they inhabit and maintaining control over the prisoner/slaves/servants that work the mines. In order to maintain control, the dragons have three races that make up an administrative class in their society. The whip-cracking kobolds, the militant dragonborn, and the cunning and manipulative guivre.
These custom races are compatible with Pathfinder and, if you want to check them out in detail, there are links after the jump (hint: the links are under the pictures).
Kobolds are one of the most classic Dungeons and Dragons monsters and have gone through a lot of changes over the years. In this setting, the reptillian creatures are still just wannabe dragon, usually quite bitter and resentful of their weakness but, out of fear and admiration, obey their dragon overlords without question and serve as Smolder's slave drivers, guards, engineers, and much more due to their specialization in mining and cruelty.
I created Dragonwrought Kobolds because I didn't really like the Pathfinder version of the Kobold (very weak) and I wanted to create a "heroic kobold" so that, if a player wanted, they could play the reptillain equivalent of a halfling.
Design-wise, they are perfect for anyone wanting to play a sturdy rogue or sorcerer. The part of their design that is the most troubling is their unique racial ability, Shifty, based off of the 4e racial ability of the same name. I wanted to create a unique and potent experience, but I'm worried that the ability is far too overpower. Luckily, one of my players decided to play a kobold in my upcoming campaign, so we'll find out pretty quick.
Dragonborn are a core race in 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Personally, I thought it was a brilliant addition; they match the brand due to their draconic nature, they fulfill the archetype of the honorable warrior, and being able to breath fire or lighting or acid or ice is just a fun racial ability.
In Tytanya, the dragonborn are designed to be less charismatic and more sturdy. They are designed to quell rebellions in the mines and catch/return any slaves that escape. For player characters, they still make great honorable warrior types but, due to their connection to dragons, are not greeted as warmly as their 4e predecessors.
This race was the easiest to design, mechanically, and I think it will need little correction in the future.
Last but not least, is one of my very own original creations, the guivre. Originally called half-dragons when I designed them for 4th Edition, they got a complete design overhaul for the new setting and Pathfinder. If dragonborn are soliders and kobolds are whip-crackers, the guivre serve as the personal emissaries of the dragons they serve. They are eladrin (high elves) infused with draconic magic in the womb to create a race endowed with the physical might, mental acuity, and monstrous ambition of a dragon. These characters, typically, make for fantastic villains, but can also be great heroes for someone wanting to play a character with some complex motivations.
Design-wise, due to the high concept and ambitious design goals, this race has been the most challenging mechanically to create. They needed to have great ability scores, designed for specializing in gish style classes like Magus or multi-classing (Wizard/Fighter or Ranger/Sorcerer), and to have abilities that fit the themes of elves and dragons. In the end, they might be too powerful to really build, especially into a low level character.
I am still working out the kinks with this design, but I really like the flavor. Not to boast, but I think Guivres (as well as the dragon-touched races system) shows off some of my more creative ideas when it comes to Dungeons and Dragons.
If you guys like this stuff or have questions or have some suggestions on how to improve this content, please comment. I'm pretty open to constructive criticism because I want to make the best fantasy gaming content that I can make.
