Tuesday May 04, 2004

Acceptable New Races:

Everybody wants to be something different (and if everybody actually was, then we’d all be the same).  Never mind that the player has never played a halfling, he still wants to play a race that’s NOT in the PH.  Sigh…  This is not really a problem, so long as there’s a good system for converting a “monster” into a PC, and so long as the variant race isn’t over-powerful, disrupting the balance of the game.  My hat is off to AEG for designing many different, interesting, and certainly playable races in their Mercenaries book.  I allow all of them in the Lorenvale campaign, and have included quite a few more from other sources.

Because the list of special races that may be played is rather large, the descriptions included here will be necessarily brief.  Without exception, these special races are from established sourcebooks or templates in those sourcebooks; that is, I haven't made up any.  Some of them are “monsters” in the original sense of the word, but are perfectly acceptable as player characters.  The fact that a whole article in Dragon Magazine was devoted to giving the level adjustment for all the monsters in the first MM indicates that the idea of playing other races is a popular one.  (And much has been made about this in the v3.5 MM.)  Obviously, most of the monster races are unacceptable as PCs, either because they are too freakish, evil, or hideous, or because they are excessively powerful.

The special races for the Lorenvale campaign were chosen primarily for their compatibility as well as their interesting qualities.  They were deemed both non-threatening to the balance of the game and desirable to play.  Finally, a wide variety was selected so that when a special race is rolled up during character generation, nearly any player will have a choice that suits him.  They are presented here in alphabetical order, in summary form, to give some idea as to their strengths and weaknesses, as well as basic traits, descriptions, societies and inherent rarity.  Included are the required percentile roll for availability, the statistical differences from a human, and the level adjustment (if any).

One final note, no player is required to play a special race, and other special races may possibly be considered.  The DM has the final say in all cases.

Graced with a touch of the holy, aasimars are usually tall, good-looking, and generally pleasant.  Some have a minor physical trait suggesting their heritage, such as silver hair, golden eyes, or an unnaturally intense stare.  Most aasimars are decidedly good-aligned.  They fight against evil causes and attempt to sway others to do the right thing.  Occasionally they take on the vengeful, judgmental aspect of their celestial ancestor, but this is rare.  They are rarely found in leadership positions and often live as loners due to their absolute dedication to goodness.  Others are less fanatical and fit seamlessly into normal human society.  Aasimars usually like a fair, straightforward contest.  Against a particularly evil foe, however, they fight with utter conviction and to the death.  (This text comes from the v3.5 Monster Manual.)

Adu'jas were already ancient when the elves were created.  As the elves matured, the adu'ja showed them the secrets of the natural world, its magic and power.  But as the elves sank into civil war (ultimately ending with the cursing and banishing of the "drow"), the adu'jas retreated from the world, taking their ancient mysteries with them.  Recently, they have realized that during their long absence, they failed to tend their duties, and imbalance has become the way of things.  Civilization is no longer in harmony with nature, and they have emerged once more to restore the proper balance.  Adu'ja are plant creatures, asexual and androgynous.  Their nasal slits are not noses, but pheromone exhausts that expel various scents according to its mood.  Their faces are ringed by soft, petal-like scales that, along with their skin, also change according to mood.  The elder adu'ja resemble natural flora, immoblie in the state of torpor that overtakes the extremely old ones.  These elders sprout "sapling" adu'jas every few centuries, who eventually mature and become part of the small community that governs the woodlands where they live.  (This text is adapted from Dragon Magazine #317.)

Air genasi are fast and free-willed.  Because the traits that identify them are subtle, many go unrecognized for what they are for many years and are sometimes mistaken for sorcerers, although their inherent arrogance and disregard for their appearance fools people into believing that they are charlatans at natural magic.  Those that are overtly different learn quickly to disguise their nature from common folk, at least until they are able to protect themselves and strike out on their own.

Most air genasi are descended from outsiders native to the Elemental Plane of Air, coming from bloodlines established thousands of years ago by the djinn.  A few rare air genasi derive from djinn summoned to various parts of the world.  Air genasi look generally human except for one or two distinguishing features related to their elemental ancestor.  Some examples of these features are light blue or pale white skin, light blue or pale white hair, a constant breeze in the genasi’s presence, flesh that is cool to the touch, a voice that can be heard over any non-magical wind, or sudden movement that is accompanied by a whistling wind.

Air genasi revel in their unusual nature, although few ever try to locate the being that founded their bloodline.  Since the ancestry is so old and has suffered many cross-breedings, it is almost impossible to tell by normal means if two air genasi are related.  As a result, all air genasi tend to treat each other as “cousins,” although in an arrogant and competitive way.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #293.)

Aradan

Ashemi are quite rare.  They are so long-lived and procreate so infrequently that any birth or death is a major event in ashemi society.  Ashemi average 6 ft. 6 in. tall, with narrow, thin, wiry builds.  Their skin is ivory white and completely hairless, though tough and resilient.  Some say they resemble tall elves but for their featureless golden eyes set wide on their face.  All are born with membranous vestigial wings; they cannot fly—they say their ancestors once could—but the clawed finger at the main joint of each wing can be used for light gripping.  They reach adulthood at 50, but live well beyond 1,000 years.  Most ashemi believe their race to be the oldest in existence, older even than the elves.

Aside from their unusual appearance, they are best known for their virulent hatred of evil and darkness.  They favor all things good and pure and peaceful.  They have a simple, perhaps even austere sense of beauty, and care little for material things.  True beauty, as they see it, lies in the wonder and grace of the universe.  If there is a conflict versus the forces of darkness, ashemi will lend their aid against evil.

Ashemi love the companionship of others, music (whether man-made or “natural”), and philosophical discourses about the nature of good and evil.  They get along well with all races that they believe to be inherently good, though races believed to be inherently evil are likely to receive outright hostility.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Axani have the blood of a lawful outsider coursing through their veins, most often a lawful neutral outsider like a mercane or an axiomatic humanoid, but sometimes a lawful celestial (such as an archon) or a lawful fiend (such as a devil) produces an axani descendent.  This happens most often when most of the axani’s mortal ancestors are strongly opposed to the good or evil component of the outsider’s alignment.

Axani typically have overly neat, orderly appearances.  They favor simple but elegant clothing and hairstyles.  They are often quite attractive, with well-formed, symmetrical features.  Some axani have a metallic tint to their skin or hair, but this is rare.  Like elves, axani have no facial hair or body hair.  As their linage indicates, most are lawful neutral, with lawful good and lawful evil as roughly equal minorities.  Neutral axani are extremely rare, and chaotic axani are almost unheard of.  Axani are drawn to the ordered, principled life of the monk, but any profession with a structured environment, such as soldiering, suits them.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #297.)

Bael are some of the most successful merchants in any land.  Aside from being quite beautiful, charming, and intelligent, they also possess a gift for finance and commerce.  They prefer to avoid combat when possible, mainly to avoid unsightly scars.  They also have an unusual affinity for animals, and many bael keep pets, even sentient ones.  Some bail achieve great wealth and power not as merchants but by offering themselves as professional diplomats and mediators.  For all their inherent greediness, bael have a code of conduct that prevents them from cheating employers or business associates, but does not prevent them from taking advantage of an ideal situation.  Once a deal has been made, they follow it through even if it is no longer beneficial to them.

Bael are often mistaken for humans, so close is the resemblance, yet they are more beautiful than humans, somewhat like elves, but more blunt and chiseled than elfin features.  They average 6 ft. tall with athletic builds, chestnut brown skin and golden bronze eyes.  They have beautiful smiles that can be quite disarming, but their eyes sometimes betray their greed and avarice, and perhaps their canine teeth are just a bit too sharp.  They tend to be chaotic, with little sway toward good or evil.

Bael hold no ill will toward any other race, except lahryk, who are their sworn merchant enemies.  All other races they view with varying levels of contempt, not from animosity, but from portentousness, because no one measures up to a bael.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Cansin

As children of randomness and entropy, cansin are most often descended from the inhabitants of Limbo, the plane of chaos.  Cansin generally appear disheveled and disorganized.  Their clothing is mismatched, their hair is mussed, and their caps perch at odd angles.  Cansin typically have at least one, but possibly several, minor physical traits that reflect their origins.  Some have eyes that randomly change color (not necessarily in sync), others have slightly irregular features, and still others carry around an aura of randomness that causes strange things to happen in the cansin’s presence.  This aura does not affect dice rolls in any way, but it can affect insignificant events like chance meetings, minor accidents, and strange but harmless occurrences.  Naturally, most cansin are chaotic, but their very unpredictability makes neutral and even lawful cansin more common than good tieflings, evil aasimar, or chaotic axani.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #297.)

Centaurs are woodland being who shun the company of strangers.  They are deadly archers and even more fearsome in melee.  A centaur is a big as a heavy horse, but much taller and slightly heavier.  Although generally mild-tempered, centaurs are always armed.  Their favorite melee weapon is the longsword.  When scouting or hunting, they carry composite longbows.  A centaur employing a lance deals double damage when it charges, just as a rider on a mount does.  Centaurs usually don't provoke a fight.  Their normal response to aggression is swift retreat, perhaps after launching a few arrow to discourage pursuit.  Among their own kind, centaurs are sociable creatures, but they have been known to become rowdy, boorish, and aggressive when under the influence of alcohol.  Centaurs are skilled in horticulture and may cultivate useful plants near their lair.  Though they typically shun dealings with humans, centaurs do trade with elves, especially for food and wine.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Infused with primal forces, chaonds are living embodiments of the force of chaos in the universe.  Though their slaadi ancestry may be several generations removed, these beings still fit only marginally into civilized societies.  A chaond resembles a human but seems much cruder, both in form and in temperament.  Its brutish appearance in usually marked by wild, unkempt hair, blocky facial features, and a stocky torso and limbs.  Its true nonhuman nature is given away by the slow, shifting colors of its eyes, hair, or skin.  The typical chaond has a gravelly voice that tends to come out like a croak when the creature is excited.

Most chaonds are chaotically aligned, which has earned them a reputation as wily and whimsical beings.  They often exist on the fringe of a society because they refuse to succumb to the rule of law.  Chaonds wishing to explore their primal sides usually take on professions that involve adventuring in the natural wilderness or harnessing elemental forces.

Considering their heritage, it should be no surprise that most chaonds fight dirty, with little regard for rules or fairness.  They often conceal small poisoned weapons on their persons.  But while chaonds enjoy a good brawl, there are few issues that they consider worthy of a fight to the death.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual II.)

Doppelgangers are strange beings that are able to take on the shapes of those they encounter.  In its natural form, the creature looks more or less humanoid, but slender and frail, with gangly limbs and half-formed features.  The flesh is pale and hairless, its large, bulging eyes are yellow with slitted pupils.  A doppelganger's appearance is deceiving even when it's in its true form.  A doppelganger is hardy, with a natural agility not in keeping with its frail appearance.  Because they can take the shape of any humanoid between 4 and 8 feet tall, doppelgangers are natural spies and assassins.  They can sneak past sentries, slip into secured places, and fool even lovers or close friends.  They are cunning and patient, willing to wait until an opportunity presents itself instead of attacking rashly.  Doppelgangers make excellent use of their natural mimicry to stage ambushes, bait traps, and infiltrate humanoid society.  Although not usually evil, they are interested only in themselves and regard all others as playthings to be manipulated and deceived.  When in natural form, a doppelganger strikes with its powerful fists.  In the shape of a warrior or some other armed person, it attacks with whatever weapon is appropriate.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Draconic (template)

Draconic creatures are descended from a dragon ancestor, although that ancestor is many generations removed.  They often bear hints of their heritage, such as slitted pupils or talon-like nails, and are sometimes mistaken for half-dragons.  A draconic character is more human than dragon, but still bears a few remaining vestiges of his draconic ancestry.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #301.)

Drallok

Dralloks are ruthless pragmatists, coldly assessing a person’s abilities and evaluating them in light of his own needs.  Even good-aligned dralloks tend towards this behavior, and while it makes them rather chilly company, it does ensure they gather the best, most capable companions on their adventures.  Dralloks rarely drink alcohol and have a Puritanical view towards life, preferring duty and toil to hours wasted in useless revels.

Clothing is tight, form-fitting robes that reveal slender, lithe figures.  Their faces are covered with tightly bound bandages, as are their hands and feet.  Normally dralloks wear robes over this costume, but not usually while adventuring.  The drallok’s eyes are the only part of the body that shows through their costume, and those jet black orbs have a disturbing tendency to reflect a viewer’s face back at him.  They are white-haired and white-skinned, but if exposed to sunlight, their skin turns an ugly purplish-black.

Dralloks treat all races with an even hand; that is, they use each equally to achieve their goals.  Good dralloks are quite rare, but those few who are benevolent are untiring workers for their chosen causes.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Descended from the original dark-skinned elven sub-race called the Illythiiri, the drow were cursed into their present appearance by the good elven deity, Corellon Larethian, for following the goddess Lolth down the path to evil and corruption.  Also called dark elves, the drow have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair.  They commonly have vivid red eyes (but a few ancestral lines have very pale eyes in shades of lilac, silver, pink or blue).  They also tend to be smaller and thinner than most elves.  Most drow on the surface are evil and worship an evil, cunning god, but some outcasts and renegades have a more neutral attitude.

Drow society is strongly matriarchal and rigidly controlled by the priesthood of the cruel and hungry Lolth.  From early childhood, all drow know that they exist only to provide their goddess with food and pleasure.  Those who survive to adulthood learn not to fear this eternal truth, but to embrace it.  Life is but a fleeting dance between predator and prey.  Eventually, everyone is torn apart and digested.  A drow who cannot find delight in agony and destruction is no drow at all, fit only for ritual slaughter.

Drow wanderers might, in exceedingly rare circumstances, claim the mantle of goodness.  Some individuals exile themselves from their murderous communities in search of a peaceful life out of Lolth’s reach.  In most cases, they’ll be consumed with shame and self-loathing, unable to shake fully the savagery of their formative years.  A supposedly good drow might not gut you in the night as you sleep, but he’ll still constantly wrestle with powerful impulses toward dishonesty, selfishness, and treachery.  The fact that surface-dwellers shun them at all costs makes life even more difficult for the infinitesimally tiny fraction of drow who sincerely seek redemption.

Drow have a unique sign language, Drow Silent Language, which allows them to communicate silently with hand gestures at distances of up to 120 feet as long as they can see each other.  Drow Silent Language is a bonus language for drow, and it counts as a normal language for others, who have to spend skill points to learn it.  It has no alphabet or written form.  (This text is a compilation from the Forgotten Realms sourcebook & Dragon Magazine #298.)

Long ago, mind flayers conquered the strongholds of clan Duergar of the dwarven kingdom.  After generations of enslavement and cruel experimentation at the hands of the illithids, the duergar rose against their masters and regained their freedom.  They emerged as a new sub-race of dwarf with limited mental powers.

The duergar, also known as gray dwarves, are an evil and bitter race, but retain the superior skill and workmanship of dwarvenkind.  They have found a niche for themselves in the Underdark, creating armor and weapons to trade with the warring races of that realm.  On the whole, they are evil, but some turn their backs on their fellows and seek a different sort of life.  For some, this means abandoning the evil gods of the duergar and embracing the traditional dwarven pantheon, while for others it is a more practical betrayal, usually involving stealing from other gray dwarves.  When discovered, an outcast is typically stripped of his possessions, tattooed on the face and arms to mark him as a criminal, and cast out under penalty of death.  Some clans secretly aid their outcasts—or encourage them to leave before they are found out.  To return is to die.

This grim fate drives most outcasts to the surface, where they struggle to survive in an unwelcoming world.  The surface dwarves hate the duergar because they turned to evil, and no other surface races hold much love for the gray dwarves.  Most of the gray dwarves met by surface dwellers are tattooed exiles, although a small number were lucky or smart enough to leave before being discovered.  Male and female duergar are bald, and women do not grow beards.  They are much thinner than other dwarves, with severe facial expressions, gray facial hair, and gray skin.  (This text comes from the Forgotten Realms sourcebook.)

Earth genasi are patient, stubborn, and contemplative in their decision-making.  Marked at birth with obvious traits reflecting their heritage, earth genasi are often shunned by others their age, but their physical gifts make them able to defend themselves against most cruel attackers.  Their strength and girth mean that they sometimes become bullies, attracting sycophants out of fear and respect for their power.

At least ¾ of the earth genasi are the descendants of outsiders native to the Elemental Plane of Earth.  The rest are descended from earth deities or servants of earth deities.  The bloodlines spring up wherever worship of earth deities is common.

Earth genasi have mostly human features except for one or two distinguishing traits related to their elemental ancestor.  Some examples of these features are an earth-like texture to the skin, rough facial features, eyes that look like black pits or gems, a gravelly voice, very large hands and feet, iron gray hair, sweat that resembles mud, or a metallic sheen to the skin or hair.

Like all elemental planetouched, earth genasi are proud of their nature and abilities, but unlike the air genasi who are boastful, their pride is quiet and noble.  Earth genasi are pragmatic about their parentage, usually not going out of their way to learn their ancestry but not avoiding the topic either.  They have no special relationship with others of their kind, although they seem to prefer others that share their physical differences.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #293.)

The fey are known for their curiosity (some would say obsession) with humanoids and giants, and sometimes a fey falls in love with one of these creatures.  The creatures known as feytouched have a half-fey and a humanoid or a giant as ancestors.  Feytouched are a widely varied group of being--some are wispy and beautiful while other are ugly and brutish.  Some resemble elves, with pointed ears and almond shaped eyes.  Others look more like trolls, with warty skin and disproportioned limbs.  Regardless, all feytouched have at least one feature or characteristic that is out of the norm--vibrantly colored hair, feathered eyebrows, or a propensity for speaking in rhyme, for example.  Despite their natural appearance, all feytouched are highly charismatic beings that draw attention wherever they go.  Feytouched have no cohesive culture; either they become isolated loners, or they immerse themselves in cosmopolitan society, sampling everything life has to offer.  They are also drawn to the same natural settings that other fey call home.  Most fey respond favorably to feytouched and consider them distant cousins.  Feytouched rarely think of combat as something serious.  They enjoy toying with their opponent, but can become truly enraged when things turn against them.  They are usually baffling and erratic in combat.  (This text comes from the Fiend Folio.)

The stereotypical fire genasi is hot-blooded and quick to anger, and they have earned that reputation.  Mercurial, proud, and often fearless, they are not content to sit and watch the world pass them by.  Fire genasi have obvious physical traits that mark them as different from humans, and they are often the targets of cruel pranks in their childhood and adolescent years.  Some fire genasi are able to use their quick wits to turn the table on their tormentors, while others find that their barbed words only make their foes more angry.  Many fire genasi are destroyed as infants by their own parents, who fear that they are demonspawn.

Most fire genasi are descended from efreet.  They have mostly human features except for one or two exceptional traits related to their elemental ancestor.  Some examples of these features are charcoal gray or deep red skin, red or orange hair that waves like flames, eyes that glow then the genasi is angry, unusually warm skin, large red teeth, or a body odor that smells like smoke.

Fire genasi are proud of their ancestry and consider themselves superior to normal humans, although the smarter ones don’t make an issue of it.  Because the efreet-descended genasi have almost no chance of finding their original elemental ancestor, they make no effort to do so, simply enjoying the gifts their ancestor’s blood has granted them.  They enjoy the company of their own kind and have been known to form elite groups of mages or fighters that hire themselves out based on their skill and heritage.  They also have been known to adopt the fire genasi children of human parents.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #293.)

After a struggle for survival that stretches back to the fall of the drow, the ghost elves now flourish in cities built on the Ethereal Plane.  During the elven civil war, the ghost elves maintained isolation and neutrality, but were later attacked by the newly cursed drow and fell easily to their marauding.  What appeared to be a rescue from the drow turned out to be enslavement (called The Tempering) to a conniving pit fiend for countless centuries.  Through cunning and secret pacts, they won their freedom.  But fear of fiendish retribution haunted them.  It was then that they discovered their connection to the Ethereal Plane, and gradually began to call this strange transitive plane their home.  Their cities are hidden deep in thick forests and are mostly underground.  To this day, they are constantly vigilant, watching for the seemingly endless hunts of fiends who seek to exact revenge for "elven treachery."  Ghost elves are passionate about their people and homes, but because of their past and their constant struggle with fiends, they tend to extreme wariness, and make friends only after a series of tests and trials.  They despise the haughtiness in their cousin elves, but necessarily maintain a distance that makes them seem cold.  Nearly all ghost elves have grey hair and pale skin, with the occasional jet-black hair.  All ghost elves have eyes like twin mirrors, lacking white, iris and pupil.  Their skin glows with a pale white light in darkness, and are often mistaken for ghosts by others (hence the name).  Locals call them "forest demons."  They treasure privacy above all and hide the portals to the Ethereal Plane with powerful magic.  The greatest challenge facing a would-be diplomat to the ghost elves might be finding evidence of their existence at all.  (This text is adapted from Dragon Magazine #313.)

Githyanki are an ancient line of humanlike beings residing on the Astral Plane, filling their armories for their next skirmish, raid or war.  Githyanki are gaunt, averaging a little over 6' tall and typically weighing around 170 lb.  They enjoy elaborate dress and baroque armor.  In fact, they revere weapons and armor, and it is not uncommon for a githyanki to show more regard for a panoply of possessions than for its mate.  Like dwarves, githyanki are craftmasters, although they focus exclusively on items of warfare.  Their items are distinctive, and non-githyanki who acquire them run the risk of immediate retribution should they encounter githyanki.  They are seasoned combatants, familiar with the tactical use of ambush, cover, and psionic sniper attacks from afar.  However, they prefer to engage their enemies in hand-to-hand combat so they can bring their devastating melee weapons to bear.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Githzerai are a hard-hearted, humanlike people who dwell on the plane of Limbo, secure in the protection of their hidden monasteries.  Githzerai average more than 6' tall and weigh about 160 lb.  Some have gray eyes instead of yellow.  All of them dress in drab, unadorned clothing.  As a rule, githzerai are close-minded, keep their own counsel, and trust few outside their own kind.  Able to fight without weapons and armor, githzerai monks yearn to bring the "good fight" to their enemies, the githyanki and the mind flayers.  In melee, githzerai sorcerers often use their powers to enhance the monks, warriors and rogues.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Celestials’ magical nature allows them to crossbreed with virtually any creature.  The offspring of the resulting unions, half-celestials, are glorious and wonderful beings.

To carry out their responsibilities, celestials sometimes spend great amounts of time in mortal realms.  Being devoted and kind, they occasionally fall in love with mortals: humans, elves, unicorns, and similar creatures.  The objects of celestial affection are never evil and are always intelligent.  They always return the love of their immortal paramour and willingly conceive the child, usually caring for it since the celestial has other duties.

No matter the form, half-celestials are always comely and delightful to the senses, having golden skin, sparkling eyes, angelic wings, or some other sign of their higher nature.  Though noble and compassionate, half-celestials are often dismayed at the evil among their kin and take a stern, sometimes harsh view of base instincts or malevolent actions.  Never truly fitting into any mortal society, half-celestials are usually loners and wanderers attempting to right wrongs wherever they can.  (This text comes from the v3.5 Monster Manual.  For the Lorenvale campaign, half-celestials are assumed to be half-human.)

Dragons are legendary creatures.  Rarer still are half-dragons, the offspring of dragons and humanoid races.  Born with the power of a dragon’s blood in their veins, these children are touched by a special destiny.  Some might say they’re cursed with a heavy burden, for their powers and appearance set them apart from society, and their mortal blood taints them in the eyes of many dragons.

Their magical nature makes dragons capable of breeding with almost any material creature by assuming that creature’s form.  This is not something dragons take lightly, and half-dragons are usually born for one of two reason: as part of a dragon’s greater scheming or (more rarely) out of true love between a dragon and a mortal.

Half-dragon children are born with scaly skin the color of their dragon parent, reptilian eyes, sharp teeth, and claws on their fingers and toes.  They tend to have elongated, sinuous features and pointed ears.  Although some find half-dragons strangely exotic, many find them hideous, leading some mortals to abandon half-dragon children.  Even if accepted of their mortal parents, they rarely find open acceptance in society.  They are feared and shunned for their strange appearance, mistrusted and often considered cursed or bringers of bad luck.  In rare cases, the dragon parent raises the half-dragon child.

Although born to either chromatic or metallic dragons, the alignment of the dragon parent does not necessarily dictate the half-dragon’s alignment.  As thinking creatures, half-dragons can choose their own beliefs, based in part on how they were raised and taught.  Chromatic half-dragons may have a natural propensity toward evil, and metallic half-dragons toward good, but that does not make their alignment a foregone conclusion.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #284.  For the Lorenvale campaign, half-dragons are assumed to be half-human.)

Half-Jann

In arid deserts and fertile river valleys, janni nomads roam, free to mingle with more mundane societies.  With their homogenous mix of all the elements, jann have more in common with creatures of the Material Plane than other genies.  Mixed relationships among the jann and their neighbors are more prevalent than one might suspect, although children from these unions are few and far between.  These half-jann gain much from their janni heritage, both in appearance and innate power.  Half-jann typically have warm-hued skin with a hint of red or gold, and hair that ranges from fiery red to lustrous gold.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #313.)

Less often, but noteworthy enough for poets to create epic sagas of romance and passion, gentle woodland nymphs fall in love with those who live in their woods, men who treat the land and animals with the reverence and awe such things deserve.  These relationships almost never last, as nymphs are fickle creatures and become bored with mundane mortals.  However, on rare occasions, such liaisons lead to a child, always female, who mixed the best traits of the nymph with those of her lover.  Many nymphs are so overjoyed by the beauty of their children that they raise them as their own daughters, teaching them the ways of the trees and wilderness, while others find the mixing of their fey blood with mortal baseness abhorrent, and they leave the child in the care of the father and fade away, never to be seen again.  Half-nymphs are always beautiful, vibrant, and graceful.  They inheret their mother's natural loveliness, and their near-perfect appearance tends to make them stand out in any society in which they are raised.  They end up being magnets for suitors, both heroic and base, who go to great lengths to win their favor.  (This text comes from  Dragon Magazine #313.)

Hill giants are selfish, cunning brutes who survive through hunting and raiding.  Skin color among hill giants ranges from light tan to deep ruddy brown.  Their hair is brown or black, with eyes the same color.  Hill giants wear layers of crudely prepared hides with the fur left on.  They seldom wash or repair their garments, preferring to simply add more hides as their old ones wear out.  Adult hill giants are about 10-1/2 feet tall and weight about 1,100 lb.  A hill giant's bag usually contains 2d4 throwing rocks (30-50 lb ea.)  They prefer to fight from high, rocky outcroppings, where they can pelt opponents with rocks and boulders while limiting the risk to themselves.  Hill giants love to make overrun attacks against smaller creatures when they first join battle.  Reckless brutes of incredible strength but little wit, hill giants are never truly accepted into society.  Yet they do well on its edges and frontiers, forging a strong and profitable existence.  Despite their rugged appearance and great size, their basically humanoid shape makes it easy for them to relate with more civilized folk.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Of all the reptilian biped races, lahryk are the most civilized.  Unlike most other reptilian species, they are not hatched from eggs, but are birthed live.  Any new births into a lahryk family are treated with great reverence, ceremony, and celebration.  Lahryk form communities comprised of relatives and extended families.  Through centuries of hoarding, most lahryk families have amassed sizable fortunes, which they seek to further enlarge at every opportunity.  Lahryk who leave the community are expected to tithe 20% of all money they acquire back to the family.

Lahryk are very loyal to their own kind, especially family.  They are cautious, incessantly tasting the air with their tongues, trying to sense any possible danger.  They are slow to changes in emotion, but if pushed hard enough and long enough to the point of anger, they are just as slow to let that anger pass.  Every emotion comes at its own pace, and the most intense emotion a lahryk might possess is the love of riches.

Lahryk stand about 5 feet tall with rough, scaly skin that looks almost reptilian, an impression that is strengthened by their lack of exterior ears—they hear via tympanic membranes on either side of the head.  They also lack any protruding nose, possessing just two slits they can open and close at will.  Their skin ranges in color from beige or light tan to dark brown.  The lahryk language is extremely difficult for other races to speak, because it uses many different types of tongue clicks and glottal pops.

They hold no ill-will to any race, save the bael, for whom they hold an innate dislike, viewing them as snobbish competitors for accumulation of wealth and too smart and tall for their own good.  They demonstrate loyalty to their group and have either lawful or neutral alignments.  Because they are so devoted to family, few will leave the comfort of home.  Occasionally, young lahryk are sent on a mission, but as being alone is terribly uncomfortable, the young envoy will instinctively find another group to join, and will forge a bond of loyalty to that group superceded only by his loyalty to family.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Lizardmen are primitive reptilian humanoids that can be very dangerous if provoked.  Although they are omnivores, lizardmen prefer meat; popular lore holds that lizardmen prefer humanoid flesh, but this charge is largely unfounded (though some tribes do eat captives or slain foes).  Some more advanced tribes build huts and use a variety of weapons and shields; leaders of these tribes may have equipment stolen from or obtained in trade with other intelligent creatures.  Lizardmen fight as unorganized individuals, preferring frontal assaults.  Lizardmen have a patriarchal society in which the most powerful member rules the others.  Shamans offer advice but rarely become leaders themselves.  Survival is the utmost concern of lizardmen, and a threatened or starving tribe will go to incredible lengths to ensure its continued existence.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Magirn

Like their familiar ancestors, the magirn are incomplete souls at best, always longing for the companionship of others.  And the only thing that tempts a magirn away from his friends is knowledge, particularly of magic.  Like a dragon or dwarf hoards gold, a magirn gathers all the knowledge of magic he can, but freely imparts his discoveries to any who wish to know.

A magirn resembles a gnome in height and frame, but the similarities end there.  They have mottled gray flesh, oddly rounded eyes, and elongated limbs, and many carry vestigial animalistic features reflecting his ancestry.  They get along well with most races, but find those most interested in the fight a bit frightening.

Magirn have no language of their own…except the “language” of magic itself.  They fairly leap at the opportunity to join an adventuring party, which suits both their goals of knowledge and community in one swoop.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Makall

Makall are cold and calculating, lacking emotions commonly found in other mammals, and have no understanding of such basic concepts as happiness, sorrow, and anger.  Much of this stems from their natural telepathic link with other makall; they have no need to express emotions, for each knows what the other is experiencing.  Despite lacking emotions, they have a strong sense of justice.  Makall are short, slender reptilians, as small as halflings and extremely slender, almost fragile-looking.  They lack tails and have large, razor-edged talons at the ends of their toes.

Makall are on good terms with the good, civilized races.  They admire the strength and martial prowess of dwarves, and consider them natural allies.  (Much of this affinity is actually a shared height as the makall sees that the dwarf must suffer the same plight as he.)  Makall are no taller than halflings or gnomes, and they view these other races almost like little bothers.  The taller races are seen as stronger, more powerful creatures that must be overcome through skill and determination, manifesting in a competitive attitude toward those they are forced to look up to.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Mechanatrixes are planetouched who can trace their ancestry to one of the bizarre clockwork beings that reside on the plane of Mechanus.  Mechanatrixes are mostly human in appearance, buy they have one or more mechanical or inorganic features.  Most mechanatrixes have smooth skin with a faint metallic sheen.  They behave with cold rationality and have a no-nonsense attitude toward life.  As befitting their nature, mechanatrixes have an affinity for mechanical objects of all kinds.  They have an innate understanding of engineering and all sorts of crafts.  The more martial-minded mechanatrixes become excellent siege engineers.  Like other planetouched beings, mechanatrixes never quite fit into any society.  Most human societies shun them, while those from the plane of Mechanus believe them to be tainted and impure.  As a result, they are often loners, but they are rarely bothered by this lack of social contact.  Most mechanatrixes are firm believers in law and do whatever they can to fight chaos and bring order to tumultuous areas.  Despite their prowess, mechanatrixes prefer to avoid combat since they see it as destructive and wasteful.  However, when they are forced to fight, they attack with shrewd tactics.  Mechanatrixes are not only immune to electricity, they are actually healed by it.  Because of this, they actively goad an opponent that uses any electricity attack.  (This text comes from the Fiend Folio.)

As one of the several types of sprites, a pixie is normally rather reclusive, but they will go out of their way to fight evil and ugliness or to protect their homelands.  Legend claims that a pixie, like any sprite, dies only through injury or disease.

Pixies are merry pranksters who love to lead travelers astray.  They can be roused to surprising ire, however, when dealing with evil creatures.  Pixies love to trick misers out of their wealth.  They do not covet treasure themselves but use it to taunt and frustrate greedy folk.  If a victim of pixie pranks exhibits no greed or demonstrates a good sense of humor, the tricksters may allow the individual to choose a reward from their hoard.

When visible, pixies resemble small elves, but with longer ears and gossamer wings.  They wear bright clothing, often including a cap and shoes with curled and pointed toes.  Pixies stand about 2 ½ feet tall and weigh about 30 pounds.

The normally carefree pixies ferociously attack evil creatures and unwanted intruders.  They take full advantage of their invisibility and other abilities to harass and drive away opponents.  (This text comes from the v3.5 Monster Manual.)

The quinametin are towering, comely humanoids of an ancient race thought to be the predecessor of humanity.  It is said they have titan blood in their veins.  Legend has it that the quinametin used to dominate the land, but their civilization fell into decadence, and their numbers dwindled for unknown reasons.  Some believe that they offended the gods with their haughty ways and were punished with a plague that killed most of their kind and left their cities in ruins.  Whatever the cause of their decline, the remaining quinametin roam far-off regions in small hunting parties, eking out their sustenance from the land.  Only their proud demeanor and imposing stance serves to remind the world of their former greatness.  Quinametin dress very sparsely, usually wrapping only a few pieces of cloth or beast skin around their bodies.  Occasionally, they go naked except for their weapons and adventuring trappings.  Quinametin dislike armor, but most carry large shields.  They are very skilled at fighting as a unit, and their war parties always have team tactics worked out in advance.  They tend to know the lands they roam quite well, and make use of special terrain (slopes, gorges, etc.) as much as possible.  Despite their civilized roots, quinametin have forsaken their past in favor of a closer tie to nature.  They are moderately xenophobic, having learned over time that they tend to inspire an inconvenient mixture of awe and mistrust in other humanoids.  (This text is taken from Dragon Magazine #317.)

Satyrs, also known as fauns, are hedonistic creatures that frolic in the wild places of the world.  They love fine food, strong drink, and passionate romance.  A satyr's hair is red or chestnut brown, while its hooves and horns are jet black.  A satyr is far more likely to be carrying musical instruments or bottles of wine than weapons.  For the most part, satyrs leave travelers alone.  The are, however, more than a little mischievous and often seek fun at the expense of those who wander too near their woodland homes.  the keen senses of a satyr make it almost impossible to surprise one in the wild.  Conversely, with their own natural grace and agility, satyrs can sneak up on travelers who are not carefully watching the surrounding wilderness.  Once engaged in battle, an unarmed satyr attacks with a powerful head butt.  A satyr expecting trouble is likely to be armed with a bow and a dagger, and typically looses arrows from hiding.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Shyfts are planetouched beings descended from one of the native races of the Ethereal Plane.  Belonging fully neither the Ethereal Plane nor the Material Plane, they have the ability to move back and forth between both planes.  Shyfts appear as regular, unassuming humans.  In fact, almost everything about them is forgettable and easy to overlook.  They prefer to wear dark, simple clothing that does not draw any attention.  Shyfts do not seem to mind that they are so inconspicuous and use it to their advantage.  They are excellent spies, since they can listen in on coversations from the safety of the Ethereal Plane and sell any information they hear to the highest bidder.  Shyfts are also known to specialize in assassination, thievery, and other criminal pursuits.  Shyfts rarely attack an opponent directly, since they prefer to use stealth, ambush, and traps to win battles.  They use their ethereal jaunt ability to either lurk on the Ethereal Plane, scouting for just the right moment to attack, or to flee from a threat on the Material Plane.  (This text comes from the Field Folio.)

An extraordinarily rare race—numbering almost certainly less than two thousand—the taranuhls are nevertheless inordinately feared as well.  A product of unknown magic, the race’s bloodthirst is almost literal, and even their closest associates hesitate to trust a taranuhl in their midst.  Though initially thought to be an obscure breed of Infernal or Abyssal (hence the name), all inquiries have suggested the race’s origin lies in the meddling spellcraft of humans.

The taranuhls act deliberately like the more common humans they resemble; namely, however they wish.  They can be petty, cruel, just, loving, bored, excited, or any other extreme that humans are capable of.  To the last, however, the taranuhl have an uncommon urge to the hunt and destruction of other intelligent beings, a desire that bars them from true goodness or lawfulness.  Though most attempt to keep their predatory urges hidden, the thrill they get from a kill is addictive, and few can suppress the drive for long.

Taranuhls are almost identical to their human forebears in appearance.  The only difference is that taranuhls have a preponderance of markings along their hands, arms, knees, and sometimes even foreheads and mouths.  These markings closely resemble scars, but a thorough search reveals tiny openings for the black, bone-like spurs the taranuhls use to kill.  These retractable spurs are rarely longer than two inches from the “sheath” of skin, but clearly mark their owner as inhuman.  The number of thorns varies between taranuhls: some have only a dozen or less while others are nearly covered with them.  Taranuhls favor dark colored clothing, particularly reds and blacks, the better to hide the bloodstains attendant with using their spurs.

Taranuhls find almost no safe haven if exposed for what they truly are: creatures bred purely to hunt and murder others.  Not surprisingly, then, taranuhls go to great lengths to hide their natures and painstakingly disappear into human culture.  The underworld is the sole exception to this paranoia.  To the criminal element, nothing is worth the risk of angering a taranuhl, as they literally do kill others without a second thought.

Even with their bloodthirsty drives, taranuhl are not necessarily amoral creatures—many of the neutral taranuhl find their actions as disturbing as do others, but find their addictions impossible to break.  Those who adventure desperately try to hide their nature.  The subterfuge rarely lasts, however, as the call to the hunt comes to the fore in invariably lethal manners.  Should a party continue to accept the character, they must do so cautiously.  If pressed, a taranuhl’s addiction may drive him to turn on his comrades.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Twisted, devious, and untrustworthy, tieflings more often than not follow their inherent traits and heed the call to evil.  A few defy their nature, but still must fight against popular opinion (if their nature is known) or the feeling of otherworldly “wrongness” that seems to follow them wherever they go.

Aside from a demeanor that many find disturbing, many tieflings are indistinguishable from humans.  Others have small horns, pointed teeth, red eyes, a whiff of brimstone about them, or even cloven feet.  No two tieflings are the same.

In most human societies, tieflings maintain a low profile, operating as thieves, assassins, or spies.  Occasionally they rise to a position of power, but when their nature is revealed they quickly become outcasts.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Uldrath

Uldrath are quiet and gruff.  They care little for idle chatter and prefer to keep silent for the lack of anything important to say.  When aroused to action, they become energetic and outgoing.  As most uldrath spend their early years on the tundra, they find the trappings of civilization endlessly fascinating.  Alcohol in particular is an uldrath delicacy, and many barkeeps have learned the hard way that a young uldrath’s imposing stature belies his capacity to hold his liquor.

Uldrath stand 8 feet tall on average.  Their faces and body form resemble a bear’s, though they walk upright and have opposable thumbs.  Great fangs extend downward from their upper jaws, and “long fang” is a common uldrath expression for a respected or accomplished individual.  Their fingers are rather stubby, looking slightly more like paws than hands.  Their fur runs from dark brown to a fine, downy white.

Uldrath feel protective towards smaller races and consider them helpless and puny, and this attitude turns patronizing at times.  They get along well with all the good races and despise the destructive, evil humanoids such as orcs and goblins.  Uldrath have a strong tendency to be lawful and good.  (This text is adapted from the Mercenaries sourcebook.)

Water genasi are patient and independent, used to solving problems on their own and not afraid to take a lot of time doing so.  At times they are like terrible storms, fierce and destructive, but most often they present a tranquil appearance despite whatever emotions run underneath their quiet surface.  Water genasi are often abandoned by their human parents and raised by aquatic creatures such as sea (aquatic) elves, dolphins, locatha, merfolk, sahuagin, or even aboleth.  Water genasi usually leave their parents upon reaching maturity, taking to the open sea in order to explore, learn, and develop their own personality and place in the world.

Most water genasi are descended from a water elemental outsider such as a marid (water genie) or triton.  A rare few are born to outsider servants of the evil water deities (although it is not known why these matings eventually produce water genasi instead of tieflings).

Water genasi look generally human except for one distinguishing feature related to their elemental ancestor.  Some examples of these features are lightly scaled skin, flesh that is clammy to the touch, blue-green skin or hair, excessive perspiration, hair that moves as if underwater, blue-black eyes, or a muffled voice that sounds like it is coming from underwater.

Water genasi feel that they are unique and superior to the humans that bore them, and they have little or no interest in others of their kind.  Only in large communities of sea elves are more than one water genasi likely to spend much time together.  (This text comes from Dragon Magazine #293.)

The yuan-ti are descended from humans whose bloodlines have been mingled with those of snakes.  Their evilness, cunning and ruthlessness are legendary.  Yuan-ti constantly scheme to advance their own dark agendas.  They are calculating and suave enough to form alliances with other evil creatures when necessary, but they always put their own interests first.  All yuan-ti possess some snakelike features, and many have snake body parts.  Yuan-ti are geniuses and fight as such.  They plan elaborate traps and utilize their surroundings superbly in combat, preferring ambushes to direct confrontation.  They also prefer ranged attacks and spells to melee.  Yuan-ti purebloods appear human at first glance, with only very subtle snakelike features.  A pureblood is about the same height and weight as a human.  They are the least intelligent of the yuan-ti, though they still pride themselves on being more intelligent than humans.  Purebloods often disguise themselves as humans and work among them as spies.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual.)

Their evilness notwithstanding, yuan-ti can reform, renouncing their heritage and lineage as much as a drow or duergar.

Zenythri

A zenythri appears as a perfect version of a human.  Its skin is flawlessly smooth, and its muscles are well defined and taut.  Even its hair falls effortlessly into place around its handsomely chiseled face.  A zenythri could almost blend unnoticed among humans were it not for the slightly blue or purple tint of its skin and hair.

Most zenythris feel compelled to contribute to the societies in which they dwell.  As such, they actively work toward positions of responsibility, which often bring with them significant social status.  Zenythris are natural leaders and consummate strategists, and they gladly accept leadership roles.  These planetouched seem to have no interest in good or evil so long as they accomplish their goals.  Such a disposition lends itself as readily to tyrannical methods as benign ones.

Zenythris fight instinctively, sizing up opponents for strengths and weaknessess during melee.  They relish executing difficult combat maneuvers and work hard to develop complex fighting styles.  (This text comes from the Monster Manual II.)