Re: Character Creation
On The Variety and Essence of the Races
There are seven Races all living in relative harmony in Karick's Bend. All told, the population is about 3500 - a fair sized town, but a town, nevertheless.
Only about 350 of them are Dwarves, and if anyone was actually counting, it would be them. There was no real influx of Dwarves at the time of the Scourge - the ones who live here now are descended from those who had moved there before, generally as merchants. There was an Ambassador and his family present when everyone moved underground, and they've remained in Karick Bend's upper echelons - not exactly `nobility', but the Lorston Family is quite wealthy by the town's standards, and participate actively in the government. It's largely through their influence that Throalic (the Dwarven language) has remained the "core language" despite the Dwarves relatively small portion of the population.
Dwarves average about 4' tall and around 120 pounds, with a range of skin tones from pinkish to ebony. They do tend to be rather hairy, and for the men to stay clean-shaven is a harder task than for some of the other Races, but there's no great cultural significance to their beards; their ears have a bit of a point to the tips, but not as much as elves do. They reach physical maturity at around 10, and live to be around 100.
They tend to be very family-oriented and clannish; it's a noted tendency that while the Dwarves are certainly a part of Karick's Bend, they're also very much their own people, and take care of each other.
Dwarves get +2 Strength and Toughness, but -2 to Charisma. They use a d6 for their Karma Die. They get Heat Sight, but aren't fast runners by any stretch.
The Elves number about 700 now, and are actually one of the most populous races - their low birthrate is healthily offset by their even lower deathrate, and there was a large influx at the time of the Scourge from Elves who didn't really trust their Queen to protect them. (Alachia, Queen of the Elven Kingdom in the Wyrmwood, just a few weeks' travel to the Northeast of Karick's Bend, is remembered to have had her own plan. Nobody knows yet how that worked out for her. It is likely that over the last 15 years at least a handful of elves have been curious enough to go have a look, but it's still a dangerous world out there, and either it's so wonderful that they haven't wanted to come back, or something ate them.) The elves are generally friendly - the good people of Karick's Bend took them in when they needed it, and that's become a core part of their racial personality. Nevertheless, their primary loyalty is always to immediate family - their children, and their parents, are deeply important to any elf, and their lifespan inherently sets them somewhat apart from everyone else, sometimes turning this into a bit of a `caretaker' attitude.
Elves tend to top 6 feet in height, and average 150 pounds. They tend to be highly symmetrical, with skin tones ranging from alabaster white, through the pinks and browns, and into a deep midnight black. They're naturally un-fuzzy, but their head hair is luxurious, and often grows in unusual colors. They tend to live to around 300 years, and therefor passed far fewer generations underground than any other race - in many ways, the beginning of the Scourge wasn't so long ago for them. Their long viewpoint has made them well-valued in the government; Karick Bend's current Mayor, Laeth Marawel, is just one.
Elves get +2 to Dexterity, and +1s on Perception, Willpower, and Charisma; they have -2 to their Toughness. Elves use a d6 for their Karma Die. They get Low Light Vision, and, being pretty leggy, a small bonus to their speed.
You might be familiar with Humans; they adapted well to living underground, and are re-adapting well to living on the surface again. There are almost 900 of them in the town, and they're found in every social strata and corner. They tend to get along well with everyone, as a species; individuals, of course, vary. Oh, it's probably worth noting that Humans, like the other Races, do have their own Language, called Landisian. They haven't made any great effort to hold onto it, but it's still around.
Their average lifespan is 75; they average about 5'7, and 150 pounds, and skin tones range from a very dark brown to a very light pink, with very rare albinos.
Humans warrant a bit of discussion, actually. Non-Adept Humans are, as happens in a lot of systems, kind of the disadvantaged cousins - no Attribute bonuses (or penalties, true), and they bump into things when it gets even a little bit dark. They have a d8 for their Karma, though, which is helpful.
But one of the most common discussions about Earthdawn as a system is that for PCs, who are invariably adepts, Humans are a little over powered. They get a Talent called Versatility, that lets them learn the Talents from any other Discipline; all they need is a teacher. These don't help them gain Circles (levels), but it can allow for some combinations that the designers probably didn't really intend. When it comes up, it's very nice to have. But then again, so would be being able to read at night.
I will mention here the Obsidimen, although there aren't any in Karick's Bend. You've heard of them, though - people literally made of rock. You've heard they lived even longer than the Elves. But that's all.
Orks are about as numerous as Humans - maybe a few less, because there were fewer to start with. The Orks of Karick's Bend started as Scorchers - raiders - who joined the community because, well, the people were nice to them. Like the Elves, this made a big impression, and one that has stayed; the Orks tend to feel fiercely protective of their home. It's well known that Orks can have a short temper, and that it is physically difficult for them to control it, but societally, they do their best, and everyone else tries to be understanding. All the same, it's good to remember that they can become violent quickly, especially when provoked - it's a brave thief who would try to filch from an Orkish shopkeeper, as they're remarkably unlikely to just shout for a guard. They also make up about 80% of the guards.
They're pretty big - as tall as an Elf, but with a sturdy 225 pounds, on average. Common skin colors include olive, beige, and the usual pink/tan/ebony range. Their hair is almost always black, and coarse, and usually significant, although some have almost none at all. They have pointed ears, usually, but not always, shorter than elves; their large, pointed lower canines, protruding over their upper lips, are usually more note-worthy, as they do bite. Their natural lifespan runs about 40 years.
Orks get a +3 Strength and +1 Toughness, but -1 on Willpower, Dexterity and Charisma. They have Low Light Eyes like Elves, and, like Humans, get a d8 on their Karma Die. They also get the highest bonus to their Movement rate, making them hard to run away from when they get mad.
Did I say Orks were pretty big? That, in all fairness, only applies when they're not standing next to a Troll. There are very few Trolls in Karick's Bend; only around a hundred, total, and if there's any Race you're going to have not met, it's...well, an Obsidiman. But after that, Trolls are actually possible. The Trolls that came to Karick's Bend all come from the Frostiron Clan, and therefor all include Frostiron in their Names. They each have three Names, and they're significant; the one that they go by in conversation (something like Me'thari, or Alash'ma'ar), then their Clan Name, and then...something more descriptive, that they will only share with close friends. (So a full Troll's name might be Me'thari Frostiron Clawbreaker, say; but few people will ever know them as anything but Me'thari Frostiron.)
They have an intricate and very strong concept of honor which, quite honestly, few who are not Trolls have ever really grasped. Even after living together for 500 years. Their honor system itself has actually kept them somewhat insular; the Troll community is distinct, far more than any of the others, and they're very cautious about contact beyond it. Nevertheless, they do support Karick's Bend - if they didn't, they wouldn't still be there, after all. They just do it in their own way. They're unfailingly polite, but when they feel insulted, can become even more violent than an Ork... and it can be even harder to guess what might be taken as an insult.
Trolls average 8-and-a-half feet tall, and a whopping 500 pounds or more - usually all muscle. Skin colors range from olive to dark brown, and is generally rough. Not all of them have the pronounced lower-canines like Orks do, but about half of them share that, and they often grow actual horns. Unlike Dwarven Beards, a Troll's horns do have cultural import. Their average lifespan is about 50 years.
Trolls have awesome Attributes - +4 Strength, +2 Toughness, and +1 Willpower, offset by just a -1 on Perception. They also have Heat Vision - very handy in the icy mountains they normally call home. They use the smallest Karma die, however, with just a d4, and their bulk offsets their height, giving them neither bonus nor penalty to their movement rate. Before adding the bonuses, Trolls have to have at least 11 in their Strength and Toughness, so their actual minimums are 15 and 13.
If anybody does choose to play a Troll, we'll be talking about their Honor. Probably even if you're one of the experienced players. grin
The T'skrang - all five hundred or so of them - occupy an interesting niche. They didn't actually go into the Kaer with everyone else. At least, not exactly. The lizard-like people were able to go dormant, planning to just sleep out the entire Scourge. Many of them just buried their eggs and hunkered down to sleep along the Serpent River, but many chose to hibernate behind the further safety of a kaer's Wards. Some of these woke up a little bit early...but only a little. In effect, this means that the entire T'skrang race essentially skipped over the whole trauma of the Scourge, and sometimes don't understand what everybody else is so glum about. I mean, they understand, but they don't `get it'. You had to be there, I guess.
They have what they would call a "strong oral tradition", and what others might call a "prediliction for lying". They love stories, and like to make things exciting. They tend to be flamboyant and dramatic, energetic and cheerful. They love to swim and bathe; if they're away from water for more than a week or so, their skin gets itchy. If you see a T'skrang acting glum or irritable, that's likely why, but it doesn't happen much around Karick's Bend... what with the river, and all.
They tend to be just a little bit taller than Humans, but with about a six-foot-long tail added on, bringing their average weight up to around 200 pounds. Their skin colors vary wildly, but usually bright, vivid colors, and many have a majestic crest atop their heads. They finish maturing at around 10, and live to be about 80. The T'skrang are a matriarchal, communal culture - a given T'skrang child doesn't actually know who "their parents" are, as the eggs are all just hatched and raised together.
T'skrang get a +1 on their Dexterity, Toughness, and Charisma, with no Attribute penalties. They don't have any special vision, though, or any effect on their movement rates, and they use the average Karma die of d6. They do have Tails, however, which they can hit people with.
Note that the Tail rules have changed a bit between editions. In 1st, you could only use it as an Unarmed Combat attack, where it did your Str+3 damage (and could also add a small weapon, for up to Str+5 damage total). But that was your Attack for the round - the main advantage to it was that, well, you could carry your tail anywhere, and it was virtually impossible for anyone to tie up, so it was kind of a handy hold-out weapon that did decent, if not overwhelming, damage.
In 3rd Edition, they've added Tail Attack and Tail Defense options to combat; apparently, in 3rd, you can take a -2 to all of your Actions in the round to make an additional attack with your Tail. In exchange, they took away the +3 to its Damage, so it now does only your Strength, with a maximum +2 for a small weapon lashed to it. Alternately, the T'skrang can take a -1 to -3 penalty on their Actions for the round, and add the inverse amount to their Physical Defense, using their Tail to protect themselves.
Given the kind of blended Edition I'm using...I'm honestly willing to let a PC choose which they want to use. Either way seems to have its pluses and minuses to me. And T'skrang body types vary more than most races, so I rather like the idea that some have heavier, but less agile tails (that do more damage, but basically require a whole-body motion to whap someone with, using your whole Action, and can't be used defensively), while others have thinner and more dextrous ones that don't get the same momentum, but are more versatile.
Oh, and as with the Trolls, there are some points of T'skrang culture that I'll want to talk over a little with anybody playing one. Just things that somebody who isn't a T'skrang (and doesn't have Racial Lore: T'skrang, of course) wouldn't know, is all.
And finally, the Windlings outnumber the Trolls about two-to-one, yet are out-massed by them about twenty to one. (Um, as a matter of fact, I did do the math on that. Why?) As the name suggests, Windlings are small people with wings. Societally, they're a bit of a chaotic factor; friendly, good-intentioned, but they don't pay too much attention to the social constructs of the people around them. They do sometimes seem to have some sort of indecipherable hierarchy of their own - occasionally one will mention `nobles' of some sort, but nobody who isn't a Windling seems to have any clue who these nobles are. The Windlings of Karrick's Bend hunkered down miserably through the Scourge, and are, en-masse, overjoyed to be back in the sun again.
They get to be around a foot and a half tall, and weigh about 13 pounds, with a set of double wings, like a dragon fly. Their skin colors are actually quite similar to those of the T'skrang; bright, vivid, and varied. (Although curiously enough, in the Kaer, they tended to be fairly monochrome.) Otherwise, they look a lot like tiny elves; luxurious hair of almost any color, light body hair, pointed ears.
Windlings have +2 Charisma, and +1 Dexterity and Perception; but they also have -4 on Strength and -3 on Toughness. What's more, their maximum Strength, before the penalty, is 11, so the strongest Windling will only have a 7. But, they use the best Karma Die, with a d10, and they get a bonus of +2 to their Physical Defense, which can make them deucedly hard to hit. (And believe me, we keep trying!) They are also the only race with natural Astral Sensitive Sight; with a Perception Roll, they can try to see the Astral imprints of everything within 10 yards. Note that if they roll all 1s, though, they take a point of damage.
Oh, yeah, and they can fly. Their Walking movement rate has a very steep penalty, but their Flying movement is pretty fast. Flying is like running, though - it's tiring, so they walk most of the time. Being wet stops their wings from working, though.
