Tower of Shadows: Races

Races Common to the Kingdom

Men (Human)

Men are by far, the most populous Race of The Kingdom, and likely beyond. They are a diverse group and known for the quickness by which they adapt to new environments and circumstances. The Nobility are all Men, and this has been true for centuries. This has led to a sense of superiority among many communities, and Men often look down on the other Races common to The Kingdom at best, and outright suspicion and hatred at worst. This is especially true the closer one comes to the Fallrest, where the King holds his Royal Court.

• Race Abilities:
  • Brawn 2 | Agility 2 | Intellect 2 | Cunning 2 | Willpower 2 | Presence 2
• Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn
• Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower
• Starting XP: 110
• Special Abilities: Men may select to non Class Skills and gain the first Rank in each at no Cost. They may not train these Skills above Rank 2 at Character Creation.

Gamorak (Gamorrean)

The swine like Gamorak are one of the most common Races beyond men to be found within the lands of The Kingdom, though they tend to reside on its fringes, away from the Men dominated townships and small cities. Powerfully built, the Gamorak commonly find themselves employed as guards or laborers where their great strength can be put to use but their slow wits is not a hindrance. This is not to say that all Gamorak are brutish, there have been, in fact, great Gamorak scholars, but overall they struggle with adapting to new ideas or complex problems.

• Race Abilities:
  • Brawn 3 | Agility 2 | Intellect 1 | Cunning 2 | Willpower 2 | Presence 2
• Wound Threshold: 12 + Brawn
• Strain Threshold: 9 + Willpower
• Starting XP: 90
• Special Abilities: Gamorak begin the game with one free Rank in Athletics. They may not train Athletics beyond Rank 2 at Character Creation.
• Great Strength: When calculating a Gamorak's Encumbrance Threshold or when checking the effect of the Cumbersome Quantity, consider their Brawn to be 1 higher.

Kanaan (Arkanian)

Kanaan are one of the Races nearest in appearance to Men, and many Men believe that the two are in fact one singluar race. The Kanaan however, openly reject this, and are easily offended by such suggestions. The are of the same height, build and features as Men, though nearly all Kanaan are of much fairer skin and hair, and have pure white eyes.

Dorrin "Hellions" (Kel Dor)

Up until two centuries ago, Dorrin were believed to be brutish monsters - given their appearance. Their skin is tough and leathered, and when encountered beyond their volcanic, underground "lairs" they spoke with a disturbing buzz and kept their eyes concealed. Because of this, the superstitious folk of The Kingdom, took them to be monsters and called them Hellions. Then, quite by accident, a group of miners mistakenly opened a breach into the outer walls of one of the Dorrin's largest cities, now called Brimstone, that a dialog and trade could eventually develop. This did not come easy, however, as the miners did not survive the poisonous gasses that the Dorrin breathe. This led to a decades long war between the Dorrin of Brimstone and the Justicar Knights of the Holy Church. While peace was eventually made between the Crown and the Dorrin - these folk have never forgotten or forgiven the loss of life at hands of the Justicars and most Dorrin avoid them whenever possible.

Dorrin cannot breathe the same air as other Races. To venture beyond their volcanic homes, they employ a strange insect known as a Bitox which afixes itself to their faces and into their mouths. It is, in fact, this creature that makes their "speech" - rubbing its legs and wings together like a cricket to form words and essentially repeating what a Dorrin is saying.

• Race Abilities:
  • Brawn 1 | Agility 2 | Intellect 2 | Cunning 2 | Willpower 3 | Presence 2
• Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn
• Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower
• Starting XP: 100
• Special Abilities: Dorrin begin the game with one Rank in Knowledge(Education). They may not train Knowledge(Education) above Rank 2 during Character Creation.
• Dark Vision: When making Skill Checks, Dorrin may remove up to two Setback Dice due to darkness.
• Hell Breath: Dorrin must wear a specialized mask to breathe anything but Volcanic Gases. Dorrin automatically gain this at no cost. Without this, Dorrin begin to Suffocate.

Drafan (Chandra-Fan)

While not as physically numerous as the Gamorak, the Drafan are by far the most commonly seen Race other than Men in the towns and cities of The Kingdom. Immensely social, outgoing, and often overwhelmingly cheerful, the small Drafan have insinuated themselves into nearly every facet of civilized culture. Though subterranean in origin, these bat-like creatures have shown little difficulty finding roles and work throughout the lands of Men.

Their small size makes it easy for them to work in places that would otherwise be difficult for Men, and their keen eyes and small hands make them excellent craftsmen in their own right. Unfortunately Drafan have a quirk throughout their culture and have difficulty with the concept of personal possessions. That's not to say they are a Race of thieves, though many believe them to be, but instead they simply struggle with the notion that an object that is not expressly and clearly marked as belonging to another individual, is somehow forbidden.

Physically, Drafan stand only a span tall at most, are covered in short black or brown fur and have large ears, eyes and snouts.

• Race Abilities:
  • Brawn 1 | Agility 3 | Intellect 2 | Cunning 3 | Willpower 1 | Presence 2
• Wound Threshold: 9 + Brawn
• Strain Threshold: 11 + Willpower
• Starting XP: 90
• Special Abilities: Drafan begin the game with one Rank in Vigilance. They may not train Vigilance above Rank 2 during Character Creation.
• Small Stature: Drafan are smallar than Men and count as Silhouette 0 Creatures.
• Acute Sense: Drafan have excellent hearing, smell and sight, and remove up to two Setback Dice from any Perception Check.

Other Races

Fey Born

Dites (Clawdite)

To many, Dites are the subject to myth and legend. Rare in the most extreme of circumstances, Dites (also commonly called Changers) are believed to have the ability to change their bodies to appear as other people. This has led to a severe level of mistrust and outright hostility from the common people of The Kingdom. If it is known that a Dite has taken up residence in an area, especially in rural communities, they can expect to become the scape-goat for any misdeeds or unfortunate circumstances that befall the folk of that community.

In their natural form, Dites appear as an reptilian or amphibian bi-ped with protruding cheekbones, sunken jaws, broad noses and large eyes.

• Race Abilities:
  • Brawn 2 | Agility 2 | Intellect 2 | Cunning 3 | Willpower 1 | Presence 2
• Wound Threshold: 9 + Brawn
• Strain Threshold: 9 + Willpower
• Starting XP: 95
• Special Abilities: Dites begin the game with one Rank in Resilience. They may not train Resilience above Rank 2 during Character Creation.
• Changling: As an Action, a Dite may Suffer 3 Strain and make a Resilience() Check. If they succeed, they change their appearance to match that of a Silhouette 1 Character who they have observed before. As observer may make an Opposed Perception vs Deception Check to detect that the Dite is not who they appear to be. Boost or Setback Dice may apply based on the circumstances.

Beast Born

Vanen (Shistavanen)

racial fluff here

description here.

• Race Abilities:
  • Brawn 1 | Agility 2 | Intellect 2 | Cunning 3 | Willpower 2 | Presence 2
• Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn
• Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower
• Starting XP: 100
• Special Abilities: Vanen begin the game with 1 Rank in Vigilence, but may not train it above 2 at character creation.
• Night Vision Vanen have excellent night vision and negate the penalities of low light conditions. This does not allow them to see in total darkness.
• Natural Hunters Vanen treat Survival as a Class skill regardless of what class they are.

Dashaan (Transdoshan)

A race of tall, scaled lizardmen, known for their brutality and savagery. Dashaan are almost universally despised throughout the realms they inhabit due in large part to their practice of taken captives as slaves.