Raduin_Nimblegrund
First Post
I have set back to work on creating a completely aquatic campaign. But to do this I have set out to create a line of aquatic PC races. Be sure to read the descriptions, because I have altered the races somewhat to make them more distinct (Sea elves are more than just elves that live underwater) and in some cases I have altered the description and abilities to the point where they less resemble the originals. I have decided to post the races one by one so that they could be commented on individually.
I have to give kudos to steve bartell ( http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/stbartell/index.htm ) whose ideas I have shamelessly taken and molded to my own desires. ;] If you visit his site, be sure to look under the fathoms link where he has a handbook for a 2e aquatic campaign. (note that I have take ideas such as the Hai-Nu and Octofolk from him.)
The Hai-Nu are a fierce and reclusive race that live in the deeps of the ocean. They manage to live comfortably where few races would dare to go, due to the high pressure and the freezing cold. There, they attempt to be free from the events of the rest of the ocean. However, events of late have involved the Hai-Nu in the affairs of the rest of the sea, much to their dissapointment.
Hai-Nu
The Hai-Nu spend their time in the ocean depths, far away from all the other races. There, they live in small tribes lead by a tribal leader, and a cleric of their god, Sea Lord. There they seek harmony with the world around them. But all too often, the Hai-Nu are called to battle, and they are fierce opponents indeed.
Personality: Hai-Nu are usually a very calm, peaceful race. They would rather not associate with other races, but learn to tolerate them anyways. Their peaceful ways, however, belie their tremendous warrior-spirit. While they prefer peace over war, and would rather find other solutions to their problems, when forced to fight, a Hai-Nu is a deadly opponent. Hai-Nu can be very temperamental, and are capable of both deep serenity as well as bold ferocity.
Physical Description: Hai-Nu have lean, solidly muscled bodies, covered with bony ridges all over their bodies; on their chests, on their backs and shoulders, their faces, and jutting from their elbows and legs. Nearly all of their bodies, except their faces, hands, and feet are covered with blue, green, or yellow hair that keeps them warm in the depths. Their hands and feet are webbed and clawed, and have deep, penetrating eyes with black irises. They also have several rows of gill slits on the side of their necks, that function like a shark’s.
Relations: Naturally introverted, Hai-Nu would rather associate with others only if they have to. That said, they do maintain a thin relationship with a few other races, but these they only see on occasion. While they are aware of other deep-sea races, many Hai-Nu will spend their entire lives without ever seeing anyone but another Hai-Nu.
The Hai-Nu have a mutual respect for the Elves, however they are somewhat meddlesome in their ways. It is unheard of for a Hai-Nu to ask for help from the Elves, but when under attack by Ixitxachitl or Sea Devils, they accept help with silent consent. Locathah are twice as meddlesome as the Elves, due to their insistence in trade. Only a few Hai-Nu settlements in the higher waters have contact with the Locathah, and then only rarely. Merfolk, Octofolk, Quirden and Tritons are all the same to Hai-Nu. They see little of each other, and they are satisfied that way.
Alignment: Hai-Nu treasure both unity and freedom in their government, and as such can be either chaotic or lawfully aligned. Most would rather be in the middle, as neutral. In general, Hai-Nu are a good aligned race, however their xenophobia occasionally lends them toward neutrality in respect to good and evil.
Hai-Nu Lands: The Hai-Nu make their homes in the deepest, darkest, coldest parts of the ocean, where they are troubled little by outsiders. They prefer to make their homes in caves near heat vents, though their tough skin and hair protects them naturally from the cold.
Religion: Hai-Nu have a deep respect for their god, the Sea Lord. The Sea Lord is a very chaotic deity, whose anger they attribute to things like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Their religion focuses a lot on appeasing this god, which they do by offering him treasures and valuables by casting them into deep crevasses or the mouths of volcanoes.
Language: Hai-Nu language is a point of pride for the Hai-Nu. They consider their tongue sacred, passed down to them by the Sea Lord. It is an ancient language and has changed little over time. Hai-Nu are reluctant to teach it to other races; in fact, it is considered a form of treachery by a Hai-Nu tribe. In order for someone to learn the sacred tongue, he must first be accepted into the tribe as a blood brother, something few non-Hai-Nu have accomplished.
Names:
Male Names:
Female Names:
Hai-Nu Racial Traits
·+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: The Hai-Nu are not very well educated, and they find it difficult to trust other races. However, they are able combatants.
·Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Hai-Nu have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
·Hai-Nu base speed is 40 feet.
·Darkvision: Hai-Nu can see up to 60 feet in total darkness. However, this vision is black and white. Hai-Nu are quite comfortable this way, but many are amazed by the wide range of colors offered by the upper sea.
·Scentless blood: While the blood of most races attracts sea creatures such as kraynion and sharks, Hai-Nu have developed blood that does not attract such predators.
·Uncanny Memory: A Hai-Nu has a photographic memory, capable of remembering faces and names with perfect accuracy. This adds an additional 6 skill points at 1st level, just like a human’s extra 4 points.
·Always Armed: A Hai-Nu has claws on his hands, and Hai-Nu are naturally proficient in them. They have a choice between doing 1d3 subdual or actual damage with each claw. As a monk, this translates to a +1 to damage. (1d6+1 for levels 1-3, 1d8+1 levels 4-7, etc.)
·Automatic Languages: Hai-Nu. Bonus languages: Common, Locathah, Elven, Goblin, Orc, Sahuagin, Ixitxachitl. Hai-Nu often have difficulty speaking with outsiders, and sometimes must resort to speaking in the languages of their enemies.
·Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass Hai-Nu’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, page 56, PHB) Hai-Nu are often trained as warriors, and are deadly adversaries when angered.
I have to give kudos to steve bartell ( http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/stbartell/index.htm ) whose ideas I have shamelessly taken and molded to my own desires. ;] If you visit his site, be sure to look under the fathoms link where he has a handbook for a 2e aquatic campaign. (note that I have take ideas such as the Hai-Nu and Octofolk from him.)
The Hai-Nu are a fierce and reclusive race that live in the deeps of the ocean. They manage to live comfortably where few races would dare to go, due to the high pressure and the freezing cold. There, they attempt to be free from the events of the rest of the ocean. However, events of late have involved the Hai-Nu in the affairs of the rest of the sea, much to their dissapointment.
Hai-Nu
The Hai-Nu spend their time in the ocean depths, far away from all the other races. There, they live in small tribes lead by a tribal leader, and a cleric of their god, Sea Lord. There they seek harmony with the world around them. But all too often, the Hai-Nu are called to battle, and they are fierce opponents indeed.
Personality: Hai-Nu are usually a very calm, peaceful race. They would rather not associate with other races, but learn to tolerate them anyways. Their peaceful ways, however, belie their tremendous warrior-spirit. While they prefer peace over war, and would rather find other solutions to their problems, when forced to fight, a Hai-Nu is a deadly opponent. Hai-Nu can be very temperamental, and are capable of both deep serenity as well as bold ferocity.
Physical Description: Hai-Nu have lean, solidly muscled bodies, covered with bony ridges all over their bodies; on their chests, on their backs and shoulders, their faces, and jutting from their elbows and legs. Nearly all of their bodies, except their faces, hands, and feet are covered with blue, green, or yellow hair that keeps them warm in the depths. Their hands and feet are webbed and clawed, and have deep, penetrating eyes with black irises. They also have several rows of gill slits on the side of their necks, that function like a shark’s.
Relations: Naturally introverted, Hai-Nu would rather associate with others only if they have to. That said, they do maintain a thin relationship with a few other races, but these they only see on occasion. While they are aware of other deep-sea races, many Hai-Nu will spend their entire lives without ever seeing anyone but another Hai-Nu.
The Hai-Nu have a mutual respect for the Elves, however they are somewhat meddlesome in their ways. It is unheard of for a Hai-Nu to ask for help from the Elves, but when under attack by Ixitxachitl or Sea Devils, they accept help with silent consent. Locathah are twice as meddlesome as the Elves, due to their insistence in trade. Only a few Hai-Nu settlements in the higher waters have contact with the Locathah, and then only rarely. Merfolk, Octofolk, Quirden and Tritons are all the same to Hai-Nu. They see little of each other, and they are satisfied that way.
Alignment: Hai-Nu treasure both unity and freedom in their government, and as such can be either chaotic or lawfully aligned. Most would rather be in the middle, as neutral. In general, Hai-Nu are a good aligned race, however their xenophobia occasionally lends them toward neutrality in respect to good and evil.
Hai-Nu Lands: The Hai-Nu make their homes in the deepest, darkest, coldest parts of the ocean, where they are troubled little by outsiders. They prefer to make their homes in caves near heat vents, though their tough skin and hair protects them naturally from the cold.
Religion: Hai-Nu have a deep respect for their god, the Sea Lord. The Sea Lord is a very chaotic deity, whose anger they attribute to things like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Their religion focuses a lot on appeasing this god, which they do by offering him treasures and valuables by casting them into deep crevasses or the mouths of volcanoes.
Language: Hai-Nu language is a point of pride for the Hai-Nu. They consider their tongue sacred, passed down to them by the Sea Lord. It is an ancient language and has changed little over time. Hai-Nu are reluctant to teach it to other races; in fact, it is considered a form of treachery by a Hai-Nu tribe. In order for someone to learn the sacred tongue, he must first be accepted into the tribe as a blood brother, something few non-Hai-Nu have accomplished.
Names:
Male Names:
Female Names:
Hai-Nu Racial Traits
·+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: The Hai-Nu are not very well educated, and they find it difficult to trust other races. However, they are able combatants.
·Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Hai-Nu have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
·Hai-Nu base speed is 40 feet.
·Darkvision: Hai-Nu can see up to 60 feet in total darkness. However, this vision is black and white. Hai-Nu are quite comfortable this way, but many are amazed by the wide range of colors offered by the upper sea.
·Scentless blood: While the blood of most races attracts sea creatures such as kraynion and sharks, Hai-Nu have developed blood that does not attract such predators.
·Uncanny Memory: A Hai-Nu has a photographic memory, capable of remembering faces and names with perfect accuracy. This adds an additional 6 skill points at 1st level, just like a human’s extra 4 points.
·Always Armed: A Hai-Nu has claws on his hands, and Hai-Nu are naturally proficient in them. They have a choice between doing 1d3 subdual or actual damage with each claw. As a monk, this translates to a +1 to damage. (1d6+1 for levels 1-3, 1d8+1 levels 4-7, etc.)
·Automatic Languages: Hai-Nu. Bonus languages: Common, Locathah, Elven, Goblin, Orc, Sahuagin, Ixitxachitl. Hai-Nu often have difficulty speaking with outsiders, and sometimes must resort to speaking in the languages of their enemies.
·Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass Hai-Nu’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see Experience for Multiclass Characters, page 56, PHB) Hai-Nu are often trained as warriors, and are deadly adversaries when angered.
