Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2016 5:27:57 GMT
Heya blockheads, haven't spent much time around the DMB forums lately, until this week. Things are going to get busy again soon, so before that happens I thought I'd post a DM-nastic exercise for you to lift. This is not related to any particular episode, just something fun to do.
Let's build a race unique to Dayeimbe!
As with other "builder" DM-nastics, choose one of the entries below and fill it out. If you've already contributed to the thread and the build seems to be stalling, feel free to pick up another entry. While many other DM-nastics lend themselves to picking any open entry, I suggest participants fill this one out in the order entries appear. That said, most entries can have multiple submissions. Use your best judgment about adding to an entry that's already been filled. All questions posed under each entry are only suggestions. Include whatever information you feel like writing!
Kurivaim
Created by the Dayeimbe gods Ren and Yak, Kurivaim are blue-skinned, hairless humanoids whose eyes change color depending on their mood, and whose skin visibly pulses with electric current. Coastal Kurivaim tend to be lighter than desert dwellers, and male skin tones tend to be lighter than females, but both genders and subraces have uniquely colored patterns on their heads which serve to distinguish individuals from one another. All Kurivaim have dorsal fins and tails which aid in balance and locomotion, though size, length, and additional functions vary between subraces. The bones of their elbows, shoulders, knees, and heels protrude from the skin, forming boney spikes that extend from 3 to 6 inches from the body. Rarely, small boney protrusions also grow from the skull to form a "crown," a trait the Kurivaim consider a blessing. They live up to 60 years, and are true omnivores.
The shifting colors of their eyes form a major component of how Kurivaim communicate, an analog to tone of voice in other races; their own voices are relatively monotone. These differences have produced misunderstandings and occasional hostilities, and the high potential for miscommunication has caused a cultural tendency for Kurivaim to be xenophobic and distrustful of other races.
Those Kurivaim who visit or settle with other races often bear the burden of substance abuse. Trade with outsiders is limited, but their most common and popular exports are "natural medicines" with narcotic or hallucinogenic properties, and Kurivaim living among other races often turn to these substances as a coping mechanism. Substance use among Kurivaim in their own settlements is less common, most frequently practiced by those following a shamanic or druidic tradition.
The Kurivaim race includes two subraces, with the Rahu adapted to humid coastal environments, and the Sojast, who prefer the arid deserts of their ancestral home. Some speculate that sand is somehow essential to the well being of both subraces, and a lack of it in non-Kurivaim settlements may play a role in their tendency to self medicate.
According to Kurivaim legend, they were once a single people, but prone to intertribal warfare. From these conflicts rose the great warrior Rahak, who united the clans and began a campaign of subjugation against the races of neighboring lands. Well into the campaign, he received a baffling vision of the ocean and prosperity for his people, renaming himself Rahu (for "peace" in the ancient Kurivaim language). His most trusted lieutenant, Sojah, feared for the loss of everything they accomplished, and killed Rahu in a fit of rage.
The Kurivaim were split along ideological lines and broke into civil war, with believers in Rahu's prophecy ultimately driven to the dry coasts west of the An-Kuri desert. In a final climactic battle, Rahu's people drove a wedge into Sojah's army and killed Sojah himself. Both populations were decimated by the conflict.
A period of intense volcanic activity began shortly after the civil war, during the 4th Era of Dayeimbe, sometimes called the Age of Extinction. While both the Sojast (desert) and Rahu (coastal) survived the cataclysm, the mountains birthed in this process isolated them geographically. Over the next thousands of years, the Sojast would remain relatively unchanged. The mountains dramatically altered the climate of the coast, however, eventually turning it into a humid land with dense vegetation. The Rahu adapted to their new environment, both physically and psychologically.
Racial Features:
Ability Scores: +2 wisdom
Sensitive Tongues: All Kurivaim have exceptionally fine gustative perception and memory, allowing them to identify substances through taste alone. With only a trace sample, they can even detect most poisons which are otherwise tasteless to other races.
Electric Heritage: A blessing from their creators, Kurvaim have resistance to lightning damage from all sources.
Natural Weapons: The boney spikes protruding from their appendages can be used to make an unarmed attack that causes 1d4 + Strength modifier piercing damage.
Sojast: This subrace considers itself the "original" Kurivaim. They practice a nomadic lifestyle, thriving in parched deserts that other races cannot tolerate. Their numerous tribes constitute a population numbering around 150,000, spread across the sandy dunes of the An-Kuri Desert in west-central Dayeimbe.
Sojast males tend to be taller and more slender than females, respectively standing an average 5'2" and 4'8", while both weigh an average 110 pounds.
Their tails tend to be thick and rigid, used mostly for balance. The large fin on their backs and tails contracts in a normative state, but 8 boney spines allow the Kurivaim to fully extend the appendage. This is a voluntary movement, though a distressed or frightened desert Kurivaim may unconsciously display his fin. It is lined with many blood vessels, aiding in heat dissipation as they rest in the shade. Most desert Kurivaim also engage in fanning one another with their fins as a form of social bonding.
Subrace Features -
Ability Scores: +1 Constitution
Desert Fortitude: Sojast do not suffer penalties from the first two levels of exhaustion. Upon acquiring the third level of exhaustion, they also suffer penalties from the first two levels.
Rahu: The Rahu typically build communities in the sides of cliffs and in cave systems near the shore, some of them quite expansive, reaching populations in the tens of thousands. Smaller settlements occasionally reach further inland, lining the rivers leading to the sea. Major cities maintain a capable naval force as an essential part of their security, extending protection to outlying Rahu settlements. In all, the total population of coastal Kurivaim is approximately 1 million.
Rahu females tend to be taller and heavier than their male counterparts, respectively standing an average 5'6" and 4'8", and weighing around 110 and 90 pounds.
The tails of coastal Kurivaim are longer and flatter than their desert counterparts, with a short, rubbery fin extending from their mid back to mid tail, allowing them to swim with a grace and speed unattainable by most humanoids.
Subrace Features -
Ability Scores: +1 Dexterity
Aquatic Adaptation: 30' Swim Speed
Entries marked (X) have been filled. * indicates an entry that could be expanded on. Entries with neither mark have no submissions.
* 1. Name of the race, name of subraces?
(X) 2. Origin. Did they evolve from an animal? Were they made by a god? Are they a hybrid of two other races?
* 3. Distinguishing physical features: What makes them outwardly non-human? How long do they live? What is their preferred diet? (average height and weight, body proportions, differences between male and female, differences between subraces?)
* 4. Distinguishing psychological characteristics: Do they fit some stereotype, ala hippy elves and greedy dwarves? Do they tend to subscribe to one religion or philosophy? (additional information on culture, social structure, ideologies, etc.)
(X) 5. Do they have a favored habitat (mountains, deserts, etc.) or are they adaptable and ubiquitous? What is the cause of this? What is the effect of this?
(X) 6. Population size. Worldwide, do they number in the millions? Tens of thousands? Less? Why?
(X) 7. Population density. Do they live solitary lives for the most part? Maybe they live in nomadic tribes, and if so, how big are the tribes? Or do they establish settlements? How big or small are the settlements? Or is there a lot of variation?
* 8. Race relations. How do they get along with other races? (expand with specific race relations, i.e elf-kurivaim, human-kurivaim)
* 9. Does the race have any subraces? Describe one. (coastal and desert kurivaim have been proposed and elaborated on. There's still room for additional subraces, though I personally caution against creating more)
10. Famous members and groups of the race. A king? A hero? A villain? A trade guild? An army? (mulitple entries)
11. Extra stuff. Feel free to add any pertinent information about this race. (multiple entries)
X. STAT BLOCK TIME
A. Ability score modifications.
B. Racial features (*)
C. Subrace ability score modifications and racial features (*)
Let's build a race unique to Dayeimbe!
As with other "builder" DM-nastics, choose one of the entries below and fill it out. If you've already contributed to the thread and the build seems to be stalling, feel free to pick up another entry. While many other DM-nastics lend themselves to picking any open entry, I suggest participants fill this one out in the order entries appear. That said, most entries can have multiple submissions. Use your best judgment about adding to an entry that's already been filled. All questions posed under each entry are only suggestions. Include whatever information you feel like writing!
Kurivaim
Created by the Dayeimbe gods Ren and Yak, Kurivaim are blue-skinned, hairless humanoids whose eyes change color depending on their mood, and whose skin visibly pulses with electric current. Coastal Kurivaim tend to be lighter than desert dwellers, and male skin tones tend to be lighter than females, but both genders and subraces have uniquely colored patterns on their heads which serve to distinguish individuals from one another. All Kurivaim have dorsal fins and tails which aid in balance and locomotion, though size, length, and additional functions vary between subraces. The bones of their elbows, shoulders, knees, and heels protrude from the skin, forming boney spikes that extend from 3 to 6 inches from the body. Rarely, small boney protrusions also grow from the skull to form a "crown," a trait the Kurivaim consider a blessing. They live up to 60 years, and are true omnivores.
The shifting colors of their eyes form a major component of how Kurivaim communicate, an analog to tone of voice in other races; their own voices are relatively monotone. These differences have produced misunderstandings and occasional hostilities, and the high potential for miscommunication has caused a cultural tendency for Kurivaim to be xenophobic and distrustful of other races.
Those Kurivaim who visit or settle with other races often bear the burden of substance abuse. Trade with outsiders is limited, but their most common and popular exports are "natural medicines" with narcotic or hallucinogenic properties, and Kurivaim living among other races often turn to these substances as a coping mechanism. Substance use among Kurivaim in their own settlements is less common, most frequently practiced by those following a shamanic or druidic tradition.
The Kurivaim race includes two subraces, with the Rahu adapted to humid coastal environments, and the Sojast, who prefer the arid deserts of their ancestral home. Some speculate that sand is somehow essential to the well being of both subraces, and a lack of it in non-Kurivaim settlements may play a role in their tendency to self medicate.
According to Kurivaim legend, they were once a single people, but prone to intertribal warfare. From these conflicts rose the great warrior Rahak, who united the clans and began a campaign of subjugation against the races of neighboring lands. Well into the campaign, he received a baffling vision of the ocean and prosperity for his people, renaming himself Rahu (for "peace" in the ancient Kurivaim language). His most trusted lieutenant, Sojah, feared for the loss of everything they accomplished, and killed Rahu in a fit of rage.
The Kurivaim were split along ideological lines and broke into civil war, with believers in Rahu's prophecy ultimately driven to the dry coasts west of the An-Kuri desert. In a final climactic battle, Rahu's people drove a wedge into Sojah's army and killed Sojah himself. Both populations were decimated by the conflict.
A period of intense volcanic activity began shortly after the civil war, during the 4th Era of Dayeimbe, sometimes called the Age of Extinction. While both the Sojast (desert) and Rahu (coastal) survived the cataclysm, the mountains birthed in this process isolated them geographically. Over the next thousands of years, the Sojast would remain relatively unchanged. The mountains dramatically altered the climate of the coast, however, eventually turning it into a humid land with dense vegetation. The Rahu adapted to their new environment, both physically and psychologically.
Racial Features:
Ability Scores: +2 wisdom
Sensitive Tongues: All Kurivaim have exceptionally fine gustative perception and memory, allowing them to identify substances through taste alone. With only a trace sample, they can even detect most poisons which are otherwise tasteless to other races.
Electric Heritage: A blessing from their creators, Kurvaim have resistance to lightning damage from all sources.
Natural Weapons: The boney spikes protruding from their appendages can be used to make an unarmed attack that causes 1d4 + Strength modifier piercing damage.
Sojast: This subrace considers itself the "original" Kurivaim. They practice a nomadic lifestyle, thriving in parched deserts that other races cannot tolerate. Their numerous tribes constitute a population numbering around 150,000, spread across the sandy dunes of the An-Kuri Desert in west-central Dayeimbe.
Sojast males tend to be taller and more slender than females, respectively standing an average 5'2" and 4'8", while both weigh an average 110 pounds.
Their tails tend to be thick and rigid, used mostly for balance. The large fin on their backs and tails contracts in a normative state, but 8 boney spines allow the Kurivaim to fully extend the appendage. This is a voluntary movement, though a distressed or frightened desert Kurivaim may unconsciously display his fin. It is lined with many blood vessels, aiding in heat dissipation as they rest in the shade. Most desert Kurivaim also engage in fanning one another with their fins as a form of social bonding.
Subrace Features -
Ability Scores: +1 Constitution
Desert Fortitude: Sojast do not suffer penalties from the first two levels of exhaustion. Upon acquiring the third level of exhaustion, they also suffer penalties from the first two levels.
Rahu: The Rahu typically build communities in the sides of cliffs and in cave systems near the shore, some of them quite expansive, reaching populations in the tens of thousands. Smaller settlements occasionally reach further inland, lining the rivers leading to the sea. Major cities maintain a capable naval force as an essential part of their security, extending protection to outlying Rahu settlements. In all, the total population of coastal Kurivaim is approximately 1 million.
Rahu females tend to be taller and heavier than their male counterparts, respectively standing an average 5'6" and 4'8", and weighing around 110 and 90 pounds.
The tails of coastal Kurivaim are longer and flatter than their desert counterparts, with a short, rubbery fin extending from their mid back to mid tail, allowing them to swim with a grace and speed unattainable by most humanoids.
Subrace Features -
Ability Scores: +1 Dexterity
Aquatic Adaptation: 30' Swim Speed
Entries marked (X) have been filled. * indicates an entry that could be expanded on. Entries with neither mark have no submissions.
* 1. Name of the race, name of subraces?
(X) 2. Origin. Did they evolve from an animal? Were they made by a god? Are they a hybrid of two other races?
* 3. Distinguishing physical features: What makes them outwardly non-human? How long do they live? What is their preferred diet? (average height and weight, body proportions, differences between male and female, differences between subraces?)
* 4. Distinguishing psychological characteristics: Do they fit some stereotype, ala hippy elves and greedy dwarves? Do they tend to subscribe to one religion or philosophy? (additional information on culture, social structure, ideologies, etc.)
(X) 5. Do they have a favored habitat (mountains, deserts, etc.) or are they adaptable and ubiquitous? What is the cause of this? What is the effect of this?
(X) 6. Population size. Worldwide, do they number in the millions? Tens of thousands? Less? Why?
(X) 7. Population density. Do they live solitary lives for the most part? Maybe they live in nomadic tribes, and if so, how big are the tribes? Or do they establish settlements? How big or small are the settlements? Or is there a lot of variation?
* 8. Race relations. How do they get along with other races? (expand with specific race relations, i.e elf-kurivaim, human-kurivaim)
* 9. Does the race have any subraces? Describe one. (coastal and desert kurivaim have been proposed and elaborated on. There's still room for additional subraces, though I personally caution against creating more)
10. Famous members and groups of the race. A king? A hero? A villain? A trade guild? An army? (mulitple entries)
11. Extra stuff. Feel free to add any pertinent information about this race. (multiple entries)
X. STAT BLOCK TIME
A. Ability score modifications.
B. Racial features (*)
C. Subrace ability score modifications and racial features (*)
