Character 95 - Keeler Frot

I really enjoyed writing this week’s character. This is one of those times when the random bits really just coalesced into something right from the get-go. The only problem was that I had half of this background written and I still couldn’t figure out what class to choose. Although the character’s intelligence was extremely high none of the actual casting classes made sense. He also had a high enough wisdom to be a divine caster but nothing there sung to me either. Eventually I found just the archetype that I was looking for in the investigator class, the majordomo.

Keeler Frot

Lord Hugrin Firebelly was a good and honorable man who chose to live the life of a full-time crusader. As the tenets of Angradd say, “passivity gives evil a chance to thrive and spread” and so the dwarven lord left his lands in the hands of his sons and set out to find evil to thwart.

He didn’t go alone, however. Being a lord he still had a certain life he felt he deserved to live, and on the road with him came squires and servants of all kinds. His retinue included more than just dwarves and among his servants was an orc man and his human wife. These two had made a home on the dwarf’s lands when no one else would have them, and when he left on his personal crusades they opted to head off with him.

Keeler was the duo’s first and only child. He was born on the road when the lord was traveling to the front in Lastwall. He was born rather sickly but the clerics on in the lord’s retinue saw him survive the rough childbirth. The young half-orc grew up to be big, although not strong, and a bit flabby around the middle.

The young boy’s heritage and immensity saw him teased and bullied a lot as a child. It didn’t help that he didn’t know how to communicate the way others did. He missed social cues that caused him even more trouble. This drove him to a life buried in books. The tomes never talked back or teased him.

His mother died when Keeler was only eight. She contracted an illness and although the clerics were able to cure the disease once they discovered it, it had eaten away at her body from the inside. She passed not long after the sickness was actually cured but nobody resurrects a peasant even if they had the ability to.

Keeler’s life always seemed to be in disarray. Chaos came from all the traveling and he began to keep his life as ordered as he possibly could; everything in its place and a place for everything. After the death of his mother, this habit became even more pronounced and he had a hard time dealing with anything that was out of order. Whereas this organization was helpful in many situations it tended to grate on the others around him.

In Ustalav there was a battle against a cult of Urgathoa worshipers. Members of the church of Angradd had alerted the lord to the evil afoot and he went without delay. The cultists were crafty and had no problems with civilian casualties in their reach for undeath, and although the group was eventually routed, Keeler’s father fell when he jumped in front of a poisoned arrow meant for Lord Firebelly. And so at age twelve the young half-orc was without any family.

Because Keeler’s father was so dedicated to the Lord – having gone as far to give his life for him – he took the now almost grown man under his wing. Lord Firebelly tutored the boy in the ways of his patron, Angradd. Keeler took well to the idea of tactics, as it seemed very orderly to him, but the battlefield appeared to destroy all that order. The half-orc took up the worship of his liege’s deity but he would never make a good paladin.

What Lord Firebelly did discover was the Keeler had a way with the organization of his schedule and apartment, so he tested a theory and saw that his pupil also could get his household staff to move things along. Although he had a tendency to ruffle their feathers when giving orders, the lord took him on his chief steward.

Things around the camp got done faster and with more precision, but in the first few months he lost a lot of staff who couldn’t put up with Keeler’s seemingly uncaring attitude. Lord Firebelly wished to keep his staff but craved efficiency, so he gave Keeler an assistant: a young dwarf lass with a gift for gab who was the daughter of one of his knights. Keeler would come up with the plans and she would give the orders.

Lord Firebelly’s retinue has settled in Mendev where Keeler’s liege believes the greatest battle for Golarion will be waged. The half-orc now has a proper household to attend as well as briefings on tactics for his lord’s forays into The Worldwound. Life on the front isn’t so bad now that Keeler has found his place.

How did your half-orc turn out? What class did the random rolls suggest? Where did he grow up if not one specific town? Who was the liege lord that mentored him? How does a half-orc worship a dwarven deity?

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Random Roll 95 - The Randomness

As we take a look at this week’s random rolls we find a half-orc whose never had a homeland of his own. His parents never bore a second child and eventually died themselves. He was also bullied all his life, possibly for his advanced intellect. A large – although not strong – man he he has seen the most influence in his life from a liege lord. So what do we do with this unfortunate half-orc?

Gender:Male

Race:Half-orc

Human Ethnicity:Taldan

Nationality:Mendev

Age:22

Height:6’2”

Weight:262

Alignment:Lawful Good

Str: 9

Dex: 12

Con:  14

Int: 18

Wis: 14

Cha: 9

Homeland:No True Homeland

Parents:Both of your parents are dead.

Siblings:You have no siblings.

Circumstance of Birth: [Lower-Class Birth] You were born among peasants or slum denizens. You grew up working the land around a village or manor, practicing a rudimentary trade, or begging in a settlement.

Parent's Profession:Serfs/Peasants

Major Childhood Event:[Bullied] In your early life, you were a victim— easy prey for those stronger or cleverer than yourself. They beat you when they could, using you for their sport. This abuse nursed a powerful flame of vengeance.

Influential Associate:[The Liege Lord] You became close with someone you were bound to serve, be it a minor lord or lady, master (in the case of a slave), prince or princess, king or queen. Though this person held power over you, she held you closer than a subject or servant. As a result, you're used to dealing with and being close to power, and your name is known among the ranks of the privileged.

Conflict: [Seducer] You tempted or manipulated someone to act in accordance with your whim, careless of whether it was in their own best interests.

Conflict Subject: Artisan.

Conflict Motivation: Family.

Conflict Resolution: [Regret and Penance] Not only do you regret your action, but you have publicly admitted to it and did your best to make amends for the wrongdoing. Most know of the conflict’s details and those who don’t can easily find them out if they know where to look or whom to ask.

Deity/Religious Philosophy: Angradd

Romantic Relationship(s):[Experience but No Substantial Relationships] You’ve had a fling or two, but have so far shied away from any ties or commitments.

Drawback:[Family] Your family means everything to you, and there is nothing you wouldn’t do for them. Maybe your ties extend to your entire clan or bloodline, or perhaps there is one specific member of your family you hold closer than any other.

(Trait) Battlefield Caster

(Trait) Bullied

(Trait) Influence

(Trait) Orphaned

(Trait) Outcast

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Drawback) Family Ties

In the comments tell us how you would flesh out this character? What class would half-orc gravitate toward? How has he faced so much sorrow but managed to stay good and true?  Why does he follow a dwarven god? If he has no homeland where is he from? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on  my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Character 86 - Borgo Blackscale

Illustration by Luis Perez

Snakes. This week our random rolls really gave us the opportunity to get serpentine. We had a half-orc who follows the goddess of the naga and all things snake-like. He was big but not strong, hefty but not durable. Although touched by divine power at birth and the fact he at one point died really spoke to a divine class, his low wisdom made that impossible. We had to make do with a high intelligence and a high charisma. So to that end I kept to the basics and went with the sorcerer class. But how did I tie it all together? Let’s find out.

Borgo Blackscale

Borgo Blackscale was born to a small enclave of orcs living in the swamps of the Hooktongue Slough. His tribe had lived in the area for a few generations after fleeing Numeria. Upon their arrival they had come to follow a water naga who used the area they were dwelling as her summer home. If they served her she promised to protect them from the boggards and trolls that infested the area.

The orcs became a serpent cult, serving the naga and paying homage to the goddess of her kind, Nalinivati. Occasionally the naga would bring other followers, lost mainly, to the little village and one of these men would become Borgo’s father. When the half-orc was born he was blessed by the shaman and came into the world with a crack of divine energy.

The cult was pretty self-sufficient, most of what they needed could be found in the swamplands. The group would occasionally need to hire out to run off particularly foul beasts when the water naga was in her winter home, and a mercenary crew arranged to come through around that time every year. The band was small but effective and always dealt fairly with the orcs. Borgo was always keen on the mercenaries being able to travel where they wanted when they wanted, and he respected them for their fairness with his people.

Growing up Borgo wanted the freedom that the mercenaries had, although he quite misunderstood what kind of responsibility freedom meant. He wanted to be an outlaw like tales he heard of famous other ne’er-do-wells in the River Kingdoms. He even went so far as to rob a young wizard who was travelling the waterways near the swamp. But the use of violence to threaten another never sat right with him so he never told anyone although, he regrets it deeply.

Illustration by Luis Perez

On his fifteenth birthday Borgo was officially inducted into the cult. As all who had come before him, the rite of passage was a trial by snake bite. The snakes they use usually didn’t give more than an allergic-like reaction but Borgo went into shock and died. His passage over to the other side was brief, but long enough to give the boy – now a man – a new outlook on life. His emotional changes were also accompanied by physical changes, which included a patch of black scales on his chest.

Between being touched by Nalinivati at birth and his near death experience, something awakened inside of him. The touch of the serpent in his blood allowed him to force his will upon the world in strange new ways. When the water naga returned in the summer she found the young boy struggling to manifest his power and she trained him. She taught him that his powers came from within and showed him how best to force them into existence. For this Borgo would always love his mentor although he knew she would never reciprocate.

When she could teach him no more she suggest that he do as she did; head out into the world and explore, although never forget about home. So Borgo packed his things and made plans to set out into the world. His plan is to travel for a year and then return home and share his experiences.

So what became of your half-orc? What class did the he choose? How did he die? Why did he rob a spellcaster? Who was the mercenary that influenced him?

Bringing these characters to life is a second full-time job. A pledge of as little as one dollar a month on my Patreon or a one-time donation to my paypal can help keep the lights on while I concentrate on producing new content for you.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media; please join us on Facebook,  Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

The character illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart. 

Random Roll 86 - The Randomness

Some times its fun to get back to basics. This week we wll take our random rolls back to one of the core races, a half-orc. I’ve done a few half-orcs and I’ve quite enjoyed writing all of them up and this one is looking to be no different. I’m amused most that he is a 6’ 7” near 300lb monstrosity but he has no real strength and is quite lithe for his size. The fact he worships a goddess that is mainly followed in a far off land by the serpentine naga should also be an fun bit to tie into the background. Want to see how I do it? Tune in Friday.

Gender: Male

Race:Half-Orc

Human Ethnicity:Kellid

Nationality: The River Kingdoms

Age:  18

Height: 6’ 7”

Weight: 297lbs

Alignment:True Neutral

Str: 8

Dex: 14

Con:  12

Int: 15

Wis: 11

Cha: 17

Homeland: Orc Settlement

Parents: Both of your parents are alive.

Siblings: You have no siblings.

Circumstance of Birth: [Energy Infused] During your birth you were exposed to potent source of divine energy.

Parent's Profession: Artisans

Major Childhood Event: [Died] You died, or came so close to death that you walked the boundary between the realms of the living and the dead. Having passed from life's domain once, you have a unique perspective on life, perhaps even a greater appreciation for it—or maybe your experience caused you to reject all trivial things, focusing only on matters of true import.

Influential Associate:[The Mercenary] With this person, there was always a cost. No deed was done making a trade for something of equal or greater value. Whether this individual's actions tended toward good, evil, or pure balance, he was always fair in his dealings. You respected this trait and it influenced your own philosophy.

Conflict: [Armed Robbery] You robbed someone with the threat of violence.

Conflict Subject:Spellcaster.

Conflict Motivation: Amusement or Entertainment.

Conflict Resolution: [Secret Regret] You regret the conflict, but go to great lengths to keep it secret and try desperately to forget it ever happened. Only you and maybe a select few people know of your involvement in the conflict.

Deity/Religious Philosophy:Nalinivati

Romantic Relationship(s): [Several Inconsequential Relationships] You have had many lovers but no long-lasting, meaningful relationships.

Drawback: [Love] Your love for someone motivates you. When this person is in danger, you’re prone to feel weak, powerless, or angry.

(Trait) Artisan

(Trait) Fearless Defiance

(Trait) Mercenary

(Trait) Sacred Conduit

(Trait) Sacred Touch

(Trait) Scrapper

(Story Feat) Arisen

(Drawback) Lovesick

In the comments give us your ideas for how to make this into a fully realized character? What class would this character take up? How did he die? Why does he follow a naga goddess? What divine energy touched him? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Character 57 - Imir Jornson

Before we get to the character for those of you who weren’t around last year my day job heads into its busy season starting in October. It will become a little more difficult for me to produce content during this time and so for October through January I will be putting random character generation on hiatus. The first week of February the CRB will begin a new year of interesting characters.

This week’s half-orc from Nex has finally come to life. We learn what his lower than average charisma means. We find out what class I believe he was inspired to take. All in all the disparate pieces of information fit together nicely. First though we look at what I’ve read into the harrow cards that were drawn.

Harrow Interpretation

Signifier Card: Although the Queen Mother is fond of the powerless and underclass so they can serve her. With this character’s background of being brought up in bondage I don’t see this as part of the character. Instead I’m going to use her aspect as the keeper of knowledge to show that the character is someone who is always looking for other people’s secrets although keeping his own.

Card One: The characters origins are represented by the peacock. The appearance of this card always signifies sudden personal shift in attitude or societal change. I see this as the character’s family having once not been slaves, possibly even having been important where they were from. In this case they originate from an Ulfen tribe and within the Kelesh Empire. Although the shift from freeman to slave is horrible it did bring them together.

Card Two: An event that affected the character childhood is represented by the Trumpet. For this I am going to combined the kidnapped event and the Seer influential associate. The archon is an aggressive force who wades into the direst situations without hesitation in the cause of right. In this case the seer and his allies, took the character from his family. Although this is technically kidnapping the character it is also setting him free from bondage.

Card Three: The Rabbit Prince is the card of the vagaries of combat. I see this character being a combatant but also being able to effect unorthodox tactics. He doesn’t just out think his opponents by being smarter, he does so by being able to read their next move. He also knows that anyone trained or not can fall in combat and has no problem taking other tacts. This leads me to thinking he will be in the inquisitor class.

Card Four: The future of the character is seen in this card. The Desert represents a journey that can be deadly but with promise of great things at its conclusion. With Osirian near Nex I think this also literally represents a desert. And a mystic or doctor bringing salvation shows that the seer that has been influencing this character all along sets him on this quest.

Imir Jornson

Although not technically legal in Nex, in the land of arcane might magic users often get away with whatever they want. Deep in the bowels of the Shattered Range the powerful Medusa sorceress Naenani’s power holds sway. This dark and vain creature seeks interesting slaves to help keep her realm moving. She imports subjects from all over the Golarion.

Kalia Deseertflower was the daughter of a trader who fell on hard times in Qadira. Jorn Shatterstobe was a half-orc war leader of one of the Ulfen tribes in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Taken away from their homelands, their lives turned from fame and fortune to shackles and services, but they also turned to love.

Imir was the second child born to the two slaves, named after Kalia’s grandfather. Their first was his older sister Nuath. Imir was a quite child withdrawn but always watching. He learned to toil becoming strong of back, but also stole moments to expand his knowledge by scouring his captors library. His mother always said he would be so much more than just a slave, although when she died, frozen in place by the Medusa to preserve her beauty, all those thoughts slipped away.

They came in the night, slipping into Naenani’s underground complex unseen. They grabbed Imir and a few others and stole away from the dark place. For the first time in his entire life Imir was free, but at the cost of the loss of his family. The group that kidnapped him from his father was a collection of freedom fighters who served various gods of good. Although Imir wept for his father and sister the seer who had specifically pulled him from the Medusa’s home promised one day that he would free them himself.

Being free was a new experience for Imir. At first he didn’t know what to do with himself without being told. After a while he went the opposite direction of just doing whatever he wanted because he could. This form of action taught the young half-orc a hard lesson when one of his playmates shattered his leg, permanently forcing a limp at a young age, due to Imir’s own negligence.

The lesson brought some sense to the young boy who sought out the oracle to help find his true path. The seer was a follower of the Empyreal Lord Kelinahat. He used his gifted abilities to organize a group of intelligence gatherers for the holy warriors based out of Nex. With no clear ideas about religion Imir asked if he too could dedicate himself the powerful Archon. The seer laughed but promised to show him anyway.

Imir’s natural talent for reading people suited him quite well as a spy. He could read most people at a glance and had a knack for sizing up a situation quicker than anyone else. He also learned from others in the group the arts of stealth, and fighting. Still the shy boy he was in the Medusa’s stronghold he didn’t do so well with speaking, that was left to the young Human who had a gift of gab.

Armas the Silver-Tongued was quite impressive when he spoke and this drew Imir to him like a moth to a flame. Like his parents a change in circumstance brought Armas and Imir together and even in his naïveté the two fell in love.

Finally Imir thought he was ready. Ready to make his way back to where he was born and rescue his father and sister. But the seer said it was not the time. Imir and Armas’ future was across the sands. They needed to head into Osirian, and he could not tell them why or where. But here they would find their destiny. Once this was done Imir would have all the power he needed to rescue his father and sister.

So as it turns out this seems to be a great background for a character starting in the Mummy’s Mask campaign. But its only my interpretation. How would you have made this character? What class would you have chosen for our half-orc? Why does this does he choose to worship Kelinahat? How did you interpret the harrow reading?

From bondage to freedom, so to I hope these characters help free up your imagination. If you find inspiration in these backgrounds please consider donating to my Patreon. Looking for more from the CRB? Come find me on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open for questions and comments on all platforms.

Random Roll 57 - The Randomness

Born into slavery under the surface of magic rich land of Nex. Our half-orc this week easily understands his surrounding, while being above average although not exceptional so in almost every other aspect. He lack a gravitas, which could take the form of an unsettling appearance, or just not being personable. How do we form these snippets of background into one cohesive story?

Gender: Male

Human Parent Ethnicity: Mixed heritage: Ulfen and Keleshite.

Race: Half-Orc

Nationality: Nex

Age:  26
Height: 6’ 5”
Weight:283 lbs

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Str: 13

Dex: 13

Con:  14

Int: 13

Wis: 17

Cha: 9

Homeland: Subterranean

Parents: Only your father is alive.

Siblings: You have 1 biological sibling.

- biological older sister

Circumstance of Birth: [Born into Bondage] You were born into slavery or servitude. Your parents are likely slaves or servants, or you were sold into slavery as an infant.

Parent's Profession: Serfs/Peasants

Major Childhood Event: [Kidnapped] You were kidnapped at some point in your childhood. The kidnappers might have been pirates, slavers, thieves looking for ransom, a powerful guild seeking to blackmail your parents, a cult, and so on else. Before you were released, were ransomed, or escaped, you picked up on various aspects of the criminal underworld.

Influential Associate: [The Seer] You were close to a person who claimed to see the future—perhaps an oracle, seer, prophet, or merely some festival charlatan. Whether they're true or a trick, you've seen visions of distant places and of times that may come to pass. The seer's influence either made you into an optimist with a drive to change the future or a fatalist resigned to accept it.

Conflict: [Negligence] You caused someone else to suffer by your own inaction, disregard, or excessive recklessness.

Conflict Subject: Child or young person.

Conflict Motivation: Amusement or Entertainment.

Conflict Resolution: [Secret Regret] You regret the conflict, but go to great lengths to keep it secret and try desperately to forget it ever happened. Only you and maybe a select few people know of your involvement in the conflict.

Deity/Religious Philosophy: Kelinahat

Romantic Relationship(s): [Current Lover] You are currently involved in a romantic relationship.

Drawback: [Youth] You reflect upon your youth as a golden time, one ever present in your mind and that refuses to fade into the background. Every day, you feel yourself growing older and closer to your inevitable end. You seek ways to make yourself look and feel young in attempt to rekindle that fire of your adolescence, but despite your attempts, you realize that your time still draws ever nearer.

(Trait) Canter

(Trait) Life of Toil

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Trait) Scholar of the Great Beyond

(Trait) Scrapper

(Story Feat) Liberator

(Story Feat) True Love

(Drawback) Vain

Harrow Reading

We read the cards in the cross pattern.  Card one being where the character came from, card two an important event in the characters life, card three represents a talent the character will have , and card four represents where the character is going. Surrounded by the signifier that represents the character.

Signifier Card: The Queen Mother (lawful neutral, Wisdom) is knowledge personified. The formian knows all but does not reveal anything to anyone who does not show her proper worship. She is fond of the powerless and the underclasses, for they serve her when the more powerful refuse. She represents the need to become part of a society, or to bow before those who know more than you.

Card One:  The Peacock (neutral, Dexterity) is a creature of astonishing beauty, but it is a beauty that can only be retained if frozen like a cockatrice’s statues. Smarter people accept the passage of time and dance out of The Peacock’s way. Its appearance always signifies a sudden personal shift in attitude or societal change.

Card Two: The Trumpet (lawful good, Constitution) is a declaration of power. This archon is an aggressive force who wades into the direst situations without hesitation in the cause of right. It is a card that grants all or nothing at all.

Card Three: The Rabbit Prince (chaotic neutral, Dexterity) is a quirky fellow who represents the vagaries of hand-to-hand combat. The Prince is battle personified and nothing if not capricious. As his broken sword symbolizes, any combatant can fall in battle, no matter how brave or skilled. This card sometimes stands for younger members of royalty or other powerful households.

Card Four: The Desert (chaotic good, Constitution) is an environment so bleak that none can survive it without aid. For those who find that aid, the journey across the wastes can lead to great things. The sphinx on this card can refer to a mystic or doctor bringing salvation in times of plague or illness.

In the comments please tell us what character you would make with these disparate pieces information? What class would this Half-Orc naturally gravitate towards? How did his mother die? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider (that’s me) by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle

Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Google+, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

It Takes More Than a Rib

Creating Races In Your Game

The last two pieces I’ve worked on for 3pp have been races. The books are still in editing and not out yet, but I’d like to talk a little bit about race creations as I feel I’ve gained some new insight. To some this will be old hat stuff, I’m sure. To others it might be new ground you haven’t explored but have thought about. This is also a way for me to get some of my thoughts onto a page so I can look back at them later.

Where do you start when creating a race for your game? There honestly is no one answer. Sometimes you just have a cool idea, Maybe you want a blind race that can still get around. Maybe you need something to fill a specific role such as a race of desert traders to round out an area of your world. In one case the editor thought a certain real-world critter was cool and he wanted a race based on them. So starting points can vary from person to person.

The thing about building a race is that it’s far more complicated than just throwing a few racial abilities together. Sure, I can just go in and manipulate the numerical system to get a mechanically good race, but why would I? The question should become why you choose certain racial features, not just if you can afford them. So what factors do we use to choose the traits of our races?

Genetic traits are one of the first things we think of when we think about race. Size first and foremost comes to mind. General physical make: dwarves are hardy, orcs are strong, halflings are nimble. These all come from genetic factors. Some magical abilities can be considered genetic. An aasimar’s ability to cast light and a teifling’s ability to cast darkness are genetic markers from their planar blood. Even some skills bonuses can represent a genetic leg up like perception bonuses for halflings and keen sense for elves.

Cultural factors also play a big part in the choices we make for our races. One of the most obvious cultural choice is hated enemies. Gaining an attack bonus against or a dodge bonus to avoid certain creatures because you fight them often is cultural. Many of the skill bonuses are cultural too. The gnomes bonuses to craft and profession are learned behavior. So when handing out racial abilities that are not genetic you have to ask ourselves what it is about this creature’s culture gives it these abilities.

Environment is another thing that can help shape your new race. Not all elves are born in the forest, and the snowcaster elves of Golarion get bonuses for surviving in cold weather. Environment can give little changes to your standard races that can alter their culture slightly or over time give them slightly different genetic modifiers. It’s more of an effect on the other two categories than a thing of its own.

Genetics, culture, and environment are important, but this is also a game and there are rules so you do need to make sure your race is also mechanically viable to play. Races should have their niche, but a lot of races creators err too much on the side of being exceptionally good at only this one thing. Many times that leaves a race that is both one dimensional and flat, as well as one that can’t do much other than the one thing it’s good at. Learning to balance out a race so it can do a few things is a fine art; one even I’m not sure I’ve mastered yet.

All of this is a very basic overview of the process, but I didn’t even have a lot of this going into my first race building project for a Pathfinder 3pp title. When you’re writing something for more than just one game you also have other factors to think about;  Race specific feats, races specific traits, alternate racial abilities, and racial archetypes to name a few. Today I am just focusing on the very basics of making a new race for your Pathfinder game.

What new races have you created? Why do they exist in your world? What is your most common way to start the race creation process? Share your process with everyone in the comments so we can get a better understanding of the process.

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Character 23 - Standing-Stone

A strong, smart, charismatic half-orc; that all screams paladin to me. So today you get to meet the Abadarian half-orc paladin I made from Monday’s random rolls.

The Shadde-Quah or Axe Clan of the Shoanti are not known for their acceptance of outsiders. The hardy seafaring people don’t much appreciate change or variance. Even when you are born into the tribe, if you are different you are shunned. Such was the life for Standing-Stone’s parents among the people. Both Half-Orcs born of violence, they naturally took to each other as they were kept on the outside of the clan. And when their first child, a daughter, was born of full-orc blood their situation only worsened.

Looking to put distance between themselves and the tribal home of the Calphiak Mountains, the Half-Orc parents and their Orcish child left the lands of Varisia all together. The family trekked south as tales of the free land of Nirmathas spoke of a kingdom where one’s status was determined by their actions, not their heritage. They settled in a small town on the Tournadel River, near the border of Lastwall, wedged between the Northern and Southern Fangwood. It is here in these new lands that Standing-Stone was born.

Unlike his sister, Standing-Stone was born a half-breed like his parents. He was premature and sickly, and the midwife thought the child would never survive. But against the odds, he did. He grew up listening to the tales his father told, not just to him but to the whole town. His parents place as lore keepers among the Shadde-Quah translated quite nicely to a job as entertainers in a trading town’s main inn. His love of tales and his scrawny stature saw Standing-Stone, at the time called Slender-Reed, dive into book learning.

While his big sister took well to the fighting arts early, Standing-Stone spent much of his time reading and watching people. He made friends easy and he attracted others to confide in him. Growing up he spent much time as the ear to Four-finger Fezik, a Kelesh thief who came to Nirmathas to escape an uncertain future. The “reformed” criminal often regaled the young half-orc with tales of his own daring crimes. More importantly, he imparted life lessons and taught him how to pay attention to more than just the outward actions of people.

Standing-Stone should have learned these lessons better as he failed to see the true motives of Fezik. When the “ex”-thief’s past caught up with him, his friend managed to convince his pursuers of a greater bounty on the half-orc’s family. Fezik made his escape as the bounty hunters went to Standing-Stone’s household. Unaware of the ruse and defending against an unprovoked attack the young man’s mother was felled before the truth could come out. Because of Fezik, Standing-Stone lost his mother.

As he grew up and became a man, the half-orc hit a growth spurt. His strength became the talk of the town, although he still had a bit of a glass jaw. On his 14th birthday he lost his childhood name of Slender-Reed and became Standing-Stone. Being on the border of Lastwall and near the Hold of Belzkan meant orc attacks happened on occasion. Standing-Stone’s parents apprenticed the now strapping boy to a local priest of Gorum, following in his sister’s footsteps.

Standing-Stone didn’t take very well to the teachings. The chaotic nature of the god was abrasive to the sensibilities the half-orc had gained while his nose was buried in a book. There were many offense to the Gorumite and the apprentices were meant to carry out the punishments for these. Being tasked with the lashes of another apprentice who had failed to stand against the insurmountable odds of some local bullies was the last straw for Standing-Stone. The half-orc himself “failed” to properly apply the punishment and left the service of the Gorumite with no regrets.

The young man, now adrift, began searching for his place in the world; and with many travelers and traders coming through the small town on the river he had many paths to follow. What he knew of religion had left a sour taste in his mouth, so it surprised his parents greatly when he took up with some Abadarian warriors he met at the inn where his father worked. The sense of order and dedication spoke to Standing-Stone and he signed on to fight in the service of the knights in Lastwall.

During battles against the Orcs of Belzkan, Standing-Stone showed that his strength as well as his intellect could turn the tide. He began to make a name for himself, and when the Lord of the First Vault bestowed upon him the ability to smite the evil attacking the borders many of the aspiring paladins were in awe. Standing-Stone accepted the trust his god had imparted upon him, and dedicated himself even further to all that was right and good in the world.

Having served his term as a defender of Lastwall, Standing-Stone has returned home. His sterling reputation preceded him, something that he takes maybe a little too much pride in. The half-orc knows not what his god has planned for him, but he awaits the call of the Judge of the gods for whatever he sees fit.

Half-orcs are not known for their civilized manner, but an Abadairan paladin is certainly off the beaten path. If you’ve enjoyed meet Standing-Stone then consider becoming a patron of the CRB here. Also remember to follow us on twitter @SimonSezCRB. If you’re afraid of missing a beat, head to the sidebar and sign up for email notification, and be one of the first to know when a new posting hits the CRB. This is especially good if you’re finding the CRB on reddit as I can only post to a given reddit once a week. And finally there is a tumblr for the CRB, if you’d to see some more frequent musings from yours truly.

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Way of the Gun: Itinerant Gunslinger's of Lorris

 It’s Saturday and it's time to talk about a god. For those of you who haven’t been a part of my explorations into the religions of Golarion, here’s how it works:

Imagine, if you will, you're making a character for a group. Your only instruction is that you must be a worshiper of a specific god. You do not need to be a divine casting class, although you can be, but the party’s purpose is working toward the goals of this specific divine being. I'd like not just a race/class combo, but a little bit about why the character would choose to dedicate themselves to this particular deity. Feel free to make up secret or not-so-secret orders within the church, or even sects outside of the church that you think might be interesting. With only this one piece of information that must be true, let your imagination go wild with the rest.

Today's god

Lorris, Neutral Good Empyreal Lord of charity, the disadvantaged, and volunteering.

Lorris’s Pathfinder Wiki page

Lorris’s Archives of Nethys Entry

The idea for this came from a group of characters that got put out as a test to see what we would build; four gunslingers who multiclass into something else. It got me thinking about what four gunslingers would be doing hanging out together? That spawned the idea for a Magnificent Seven style troupe, which of course is really just a retelling of Seven Samurai.

With the idea flourishing in my mind, I did something I don’t usually do in these Saturday explorations and worked my way backwards--A band of travelling gunslingers who end up in towns when they are needed most. I wanted to give them a connection that was more than just four random characters thrown together, a greater meeting as it were, and that’s when I found Lorris. A god of charity, of helping the disadvantaged. Sadly there are no Golarion gods with firearms as their favored weapon, but such is life.

Now that I’m actually writing this, I like to think of them as more of an A-Team. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the… I admit this is where I have a problem with names, but you get the point.

There are legends on Golarion. Legends of massively destructive monsters, of deities wielding world-eclipsing power, and even of mortal men who seek to make the world a better place than the one they found. One such legend speaks of four men who walked out of the wastes of Numeria. Four men who travel the badlands to the bread basket of Brevory and through the chaos of the River Kingdoms. Four men whose sole goal in life is to help those who cannot help themselves.

The legend speaks of the leader of the group--a quick witted human with golden blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkle as if staring at the reflection of the sun on a crystal clear lake. It is said he has a flare for the dramatic and a mind that can run circles around even the greatest scholars. Some say he chose the life of a lawman wherever he was from, but was disillusioned by the corruption. Other tales say he was framed for some crime or another and fled. With a pistol in one hand and a rapier in the other, This man leads his troupe from the front, never backing down in the face of evil or oppression.

“Off we go lads, ol’ Vesta never met a target she didn’t like. Don’t want to live forever, do ya?”

(Human Investigator Steel Hound/Sleuth 2/Gunslinger (Mysterious Stranger) 1/Swashbuckler (Picaroon) 1/ investigator X)

Following this mythical leader into battle is a savage beast. Although his pronounced tusks and ridge brow give away his orcish ancestry, his ruddy and weather skin tone speak to his origins among the Numerian tribes. They say he is an outcast from one of the tribes that shunned technology. In the heat of battle during a giant raid he found a deformed and broken firearm in a pile of junk and used it to win the day. With no prior training he intuitively slapped together some scraps and forced the weapon to work, almost as if through the strength of his own determined will.

Although he loses himself in the heat of the moment, those who claim to have met the quartet say he is a gentle soul. He seems to take a particular shine to children, with practically a childlike demeanor of his own. But never forget that he is a savage killer, even if he has calms between outbursts.

“Ghuran put this um.. um this here. And that um.. whatever that is there. See and now lightning stick make big boom all the time.”

(Half-Orc Gunslinger (Gun Scavenger) 9/Barbarian (Savage Technologist) 11)

If the tales of the wild rages of the half-orc are to be believed, then so too must the tales of the stoic dwarf. Whereas many gunslingers, especially those who use a pistol, try their best to keep mobile, the dwarf lumbers through the battlefield in a full set of plate armor. Rumor says that he was a mercenary for many years, using his gun to make money from whoever paid the highest with no question or qualms. These days, like the others, he carries with him a holy symbol of the Empyreal Lord Lorris.

He never speaks of whatever change occurred--or anything really for that matter. Now, however, his gun has been imbued with holy might. Some say they have seen him smite a foul undead behemoth from 20 paces. Others say they’ve witnessed the stoic dwarf heal the injured with but a touch of his hands. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he has changed his ways, and his righteousness grants him some divine ability.

“...” (His gun does the talking for him)

(Dwarf Gunslinger (Gun Tank) 5/Paladin (Holy Gun) 15)

The last and possibly least (in size that is) member of the drifters is a gnome with wild eyes and a shock of red hair that looks like a roaring blaze when it blows in the wind. As is true of many of his people, the small scion of the first world is always inquisitive. Much like his half-orc compatriot his gun seems to be thrown together from whatever various oddments he could find. What people mistake as slapdash are the gnome’s ingenious experimentations. Even beyond his mechanical prowess, the wild-eyed gunslinger adds potent magical capabilities to his firearms.

“Magic is technology, technology is magic. Trust me, this is going to work wonders... But maybe you should stand back over there just in case.”

(Gnome Wizard (Spellslinger) 5/Gunslinger (Experimental Gunsmith) 5/Eldritch Knight 10)

When a small village is beset by bandits and there is no one else to turn to, the four unnamed gunslingers might just come over the horizon. Then you will know Lorris sees your plight and looks upon your town with favor.

And now that you’ve seen my followers of Lorris, who are yours? What character would you make that is devoted to the Savior Hound?