1

T h e SavageSpeciesbook offers n ew tem plates, presti ge

classes, spells, an d feats. I n addi ti on , i t con tai n s a wealth
of i n form ati on about h ow to bui ld an d advan ce m on ster
ch aracters, an d even h ow to tran sform a stan dard -race
ch aracter i n to a m on ster ch aracter. A s i f th at weren t
en ou gh to m ake i t cool, i t even presen ts en ti rely n ew
player ch aracter racesan th ropom orph i c an i m als an d
h alf-ogres. B u t th ose races h ave level adju stm en ts an d
starti n g E ffecti ve C h aracter L evels E C L s , so th ey aren t
appropri ate for creati n g 1 st-level ch aracters.
T h i s web en h an cem en t presen ts two n ew ch aracter
races, on e of wh i ch h as a +0 level adjustm en t, so i t can
be u sed to bu i ld a 1 st-level ch aracter. T h e n otes abou t
h ow th ese races were bui lt provi des a great dem on stra-
ti on of h ow to evalu ate an d ti n k er wi th level ad ju st-
m en ts. T h at i n form ati on wi ll p rove i n valu able wh en
you desi gn n ew races for your own cam pai gn .
PREPARATION
To un derstan d the n otes on level adjustments, you n eed a
copy of SavageSpecies. C opi es of th e Monster Manual an d
the DUNGEONMASTERSGuideare helpful, but n ot n ecessary.
CANINE
I love d ogs, so let s try to create a h u m an oi d wolf or
d og. We alread y k n ow th at we wan t a +0 level ad ju st-
m en t, so th at th e race wi ll be u sable for m aki n g a 1 st-
level ch aracter. From SavageSpecies,we kn ow th at avoi d-
i n g a level adjustm en t m ean s:
B alan ced abi li ty scores. R efer to Table 27: Abi li ty
Score E quivalen cies from the DUNGEONMASTERSGuide
to determin e wh at con stitutes balan ced ability scores.
M edi u m -si ze. I f som e oth er abi li ty gi ves a +1 level
ad ju stm en t, h owever, i t can b e can celled ou t b y
m aki n g th e race Sm all.
S p eed 30 feet. T h e creatu re can h ave n o sp eci al
m ode of m ovem en t.
N atu ral weap on s an d m an u factu red weap on s, i f
d esi red ) . S i n ce ou r n ew race i s can i n e, i t sh ou ld
h ave a bi te attack, but i t can n ot h ave a m ulti ple n at-
ural attack routi n e, an d i ts bi te m ust do dam age less
th an or equal to th at of a com parable m elee weapon .
R each 5 feet.
U p to two raci al ski ll bon uses
U p to on e raci al bon us feat.
A sp eci al attack o r sp eci al qu ali ty i s alm o st always
worth at least a +1 level adjustm en t, so we sh ould try to
avoi d gi vi n g ou r n ew race an y of th ose. T h at seem s a
sh am e, th ough , because th ose abi li ti es are wh at m ake a
race sp eci al. D warves an d gn o m es b o th get savi n g
th row bon uses an d abi li ti es such as ston ecun n i n g th at
are, essen ti ally, sp eci al qu ali ti es. Perh ap s revi ewi n g
th ose races m i gh t spark an i dea th at wou ld m ak e ou r
race un i que wi th out i m posi n g a level adjustm en t.
Credits
Design: Rich Redman
Editing: Penny Williams
Typesetting: Nancy Walker
Web Production: Julia Martin
Web Development: Mark A. Jindra
Graphic Design: Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege
Based on the original DUNGEONS& DRAGONS game by E. Gary
Gygax and Dave Arneson and on the new edition of the
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet,
Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, and Peter Adkison.
D&D, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, MONSTERMANUAL, and DUNGEON MASTERare regis-
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New Character Races
for Savage Species
A Savage Species Web Enhancement
2
So far, we ve d eci d ed on a h u m an oi d wi th can i n e
featu res, probably M edi u m -si ze, wi th balan ced abi li ty
scores an d a bi te attack. We could easi ly en vi si on m em -
b ers of th i s race as h u n ters, p erh ap s n om ad i c, wh o
spen d m uch of th ei r ti m e i n th e wi ldern ess. T h ey m ust
be tough , h ardy creatures, an d th ei r equi pm en t sh ould
be useful to h un ters.
N ext, let s m ove on to creati n g a stati sti cs block i n
th e Monster Manual style.
LAIKA
L ai ka was th e fi rst dog to orbi t th e E arth , an d h er n am e
m ean t b ark er i n R u ssi an . I t seem s an ap p rop ri ate
n am e for our n ew race.
We can ju st fi ll i n th e i n form ati on we ve alread y
deci ded on i n th e appropri ate spots i n ou r stat block,
m odi fyi n g th em for abi li ty scores an d oth er factors as
n eed ed . Wh ere a n ew d eci si on m u st be m ad e, I ll lay
out th e avai lable opti on s an d th en explai n m y selecti on .
Medium-Size Humanoid
Hit Dice: 1 d8+1 5 h p)
H um an oids use d8 H it D ice, so th at s already settled. I
wan t a laika to h ave a sin gle racial H it D ie, so th at it can
ch oose to trade th at i n for a class level, th us gai n i n g all
th e sam e ben efits th at a ch aracter would get at 1 st level.
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 1 2 +2 leath er arm or, +0 D exteri ty)
I assi gn ed typi cal equ i pm en t to lai k as, th en d eter-
m i n ed th ei r AC from th at an d th ei r D exteri ty. I ch ose
leath er arm o r b ecau se i t h as n o arm o r p ro fi ci en cy
p en alty, an d n o h u n ter wan ts a p en alty o n M ove
Si len tly ch ecks.
Attacks: B i te +0 m elee, or sh ort sword +0 m elee, or
com posi te lon gbow +0 ran ged
Damage: B i te 1 d4, sh ortsword 1 d6/1 920, com posi te
lon gbow 1 d8/x3
A h u m an oi d h as th e sam e b ase attack b on u s p ro-
gressi on as a cleri c, so a 1 -H D h um an oi d h as a +0 B AB .
T h e lai k as bi te dam age i s stan dard for a M edi u m -si ze
h um an oi d, an d i ts weapon s are th ose of a h un ter.
Face/R each : 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: L ai ka trai ts
As much as I would love to give laikas the scent special
quality, doin g so would mean th at a 1 st-level laika ch arac-
ter could detect an d possibly pin point in visible creatures.
Such an advantage would certain ly be worth a level adjust-
ment. I could go back an d ch an ge the races size to Small,
but even a n ormal wolf is M edium -size, an d a Small dog-
like h uman oid seems sillier th an I h ad in min d. See Laika
Traits, below, for wh at I do want to give them.
Saves: Fort +3, R ef +0, Wi ll +0
H um an oi ds get on e good save. U sually th at s R eflex,
bu t we wan t lai kas to be parti cu larly tou gh an d h ardy,
so I m ade Forti tude th e good save an d appli ed th e C on -
sti tuti on bon us to i ts h i t poi n ts.
Abilities: Str 1 0, D ex 1 1 , C on 1 3, I n t 8, Wi s 1 1 , C h a 1 0
T h ese scores gi ve th e lai ka abi li ty adjustm en ts of +2
C on an d 2 I n t. I th i n k th e bon u s to C on sti tu ti on i s
parti cularly powerful for a player ch aracter race. E very
ti m e a lai k a gai n s a class level, i t b en efi ts from th e
h i gh er C on sti tu ti on . H owever, th e ben efi t i sn t n ot as
powerful as a Stren gth bon us, so I ll pen ali ze on ly on e
oth er abi li ty score. I could reduce D exteri ty to balan ce
th e bon u s, bu t a h u n ti n g creatu re wou ld su rely wan t
th e abi li ty to u se ran ged weap on s wi th ou t p en alty. I
co u ld also p en ali ze C h ari sm a, b u t th en I wo u ld b e
d u p li cati n g th e d warf raci al abi li ty m od i fi ers. T h ere-
fore, I ch ose to pen ali ze I n telli gen ce.
Skills: K n owled ge n atu re) +2, L i sten * +4, Sp ot +2,
Wi ldern ess L ore* +3
As a h u m an oi d wi th an I n telli gen ce score of 8, th e
lai ka i s en ti tled to 4 ski ll poi n ts. Fi rst I ch ose th e class
ski lls th at I fi gured were appropri ate for th e lai kath e
four gi ven above. T h en I spen t i ts ski ll poi n ts, purch as-
i n g 3 ran ks of K n owledge n ature) an d 1 of Wi ldern ess
L ore. B ecau se i t s can i n e i n n atu re, I also assi gn ed i t a
+2 raci al bon u s see below) on L i sten an d Wi ldern ess
L ore ch ecks. I already plan on gi vi n g i t Alertn ess as i ts
fi rst feat, so th e bon uses on L i sten an d Spot ch ecks are
i n cluded h ere as well.
Feats: Alertn ess, Track B ) .
A laika is en titled to on e feat, an d I ch ose Alertn ess. I
also gave it Track as a bon us feat, sin ce it s a h un tin g race.
T h e rest of th e stat block i s m ean i n gless for ch ar-
acters, bu t I ve i n clu d ed i t h ere for th e sak e of com -
p leten ess. To create th i s secti on , I cop i ed th e i n for-
m ati o n fro m th e wo lf en try i n th e Monster Manual
b u t i m p roved th e treasu re to S tan d ard reason ab le
fo r a h u m an o i d ) an d set th e ad van cem en t to B y
ch aracter class.
Climate/Terrain: An y forest, h i lls, plai n s, an d m ou n -
tai n s
Organization: Soli tary, pai r, or pack 71 6)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Stan dard
Alignment: An y n eutral
Advancement: B y ch aracter class
L ai k as are exp lorers, ad ven tu rers, an d h u n ters. L ai k a
packs clai m terri tori es wi th out regard for con ven ti on al
poli ti cal borders, an d th ey roam th rough out th ei r lan ds
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i n search of gam e. A lth ou gh lai k a b ard s are u n com -
m on , ord i n ary lai k as love to si n g togeth er as a p ack
after th ei r even i n g m eal.
A lai k a i s th e sam e h ei gh t an d wei gh t as a h u m an ,
an d i t ages approxi m ately as fast as a h alf-orc. I ts body i s
covered wi th si lver, wh i te, black, brown , or reddi sh fur,
an d i ts eyes are blue, yellow, or brown . A lai ka h as a pro-
n ou n ced m u zzle, tri an gu lar ears set h i gh on i ts h ead,
an d a fur-covered tai l.
L ai k as are very gregari ou s am on g th ei r own k i n d ,
b u t th ey ten d to b e alo o f wh en d eali n g wi th o th er
races. O n ce a creatu re earn s th e tru st of a lai k a p ack,
h owever, i t can be i n form ally adopted by th e pack an d
treated as fam i ly.
L ai k as gen erally speak C om m on . T h ose wi th h i gh
en o u gh I n telli gen ce sco res learn th e lan gu ages o f
fri en ds or foes i n th ei r terri tori es.
Combat
L ai kas prefer to attack i n n um bers an d use cun n i n g tac-
ti cs. O ften a few lai kas di stract th ei r en em i es wi th bow-
fi re wh i le oth ers sli p i n to am b u sh p osi ti on s. L ai k as
regard bi ti n g as u n ci vi li zed, so th ey u se th ei r i m pres-
si ve teeth on ly i n ri tu al com bat for pack h i erarch y, or
wh en n o oth er weapon i s avai lable. A soli tary lai ka usu-
ally attem pts to escape con fron tati on u n less i ts oppo-
n en t i s clearly outm atch ed.
Laika Traits (Ex): L ai kas ben efi t from a n um ber of
raci al trai ts.
Balanced Ability Scores: A lai k a gai n s a +2 bon u s to
C on sti tuti on an d a 2 pen alty to I n telli gen ce.
Medium-Size: A lai k a gai n s n o si ze bon u s to Arm or
C lass, attack rolls, or ski ll ch ecks.
BaseSpeed: 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: A lai k a can see twi ce as far as a
h u m an i n starli gh t, m oon li gh t, torch li gh t, an d si m i lar
con di ti on s of poor i llum i n ati on . I t retai n s th e abi li ty to
d i sti n gu i sh color an d d etai l u n d er th ese con d i ti on s.
Speak wi th An i m als (Sp): O n ce per day, a lai ka can
use speak with animalsto com m un i cate wi th can i n e an i -
m als su ch as wolves an d dogs. T h i s abi li ty i s i n n ate to
lai kas. I t h as a durati on of 1 m i n ute th e lai ka i s con si d-
ered a 1 st-level caster wh en i t u ses th i s abi li ty, regard-
less of i ts actual level) .
Skillsand Feats: * A lai k a gai n s a +2 raci al bon u s on
L i sten an d Wi ld ern ess L ore ch eck s, an d i t recei ves
Track as a bon us feat.
AutomaticLanguages:A lai ka speaks C om m on .
BonusLanguages: D warf, E lf, G i an t, G n om e, G obli n ,
H alfli n g, K obold, an d O rc.
Favored Class:A lai kas favored class i s ran ger. A m ul-
ti class lai k a s ran ger class d o es n o t co u n t wh en
determ i n i n g wh eth er i t takes an X P pen alty see X P for
M u lti class C h aracters i n C h ap ter 3: C lasses i n th e
PlayersHandbook.
Laika Characters
A lai k as level adju stm en t i s +0. B u i ld lai k a ch aracters
ju st as you wou ld u si n g an y stan d ard race from th e
PlayersHandbook.
EVALUATION
E valuati n g th e level adjustm en t for lai kas i s pretty easy.
As a fi gh ter, a lai ka gets Track as a raci al bon us feat an d
two m ore class ski lls K n owledge n ature) an d Wi lder-
n ess L ore) , b u t i ts low I n telli gen ce score com b i n ed
wi th a fi gh ter s low sk i ll poi n ts balan ce th at ou t. As a
ran ger, th e lai ka already h as th ose ski lls as class ski lls
an d th e Track feat i s redu n dan t. M an y lai kas probably
tak e levels i n ro gu e, gai n i n g th at class s h i gh sk i ll
p o i n ts an d u si n g several o f th e ro gu e s class sk i lls
C li m b, H i d e, M ove S i len tly) to h u n t. I n sh ort, th e
lai ka doesn t seem parti cularly better or worse th an th e
stan d ard races i n th e PlayersHandbook, ju st d i fferen t.
T h at arran gem en t was ou r goal wh en we set ou t to
create a 1 -H D race wi th a +0 level adjustm en t.
BUGS
N ow let s bui ld a race wi th a m oderate level adjustm en t.
We wan t th e starti n g E C L to b e rou gh ly 4, so th at a
m em ber of th e race wi th on e class level i s equi valen t to
a 5th -level ch aracter. T h u s, we ll h ave to balan ce start-
i n g H i t D i ce an d level adjustm en ts to reach th at poi n t.
M ost p eop le are ei th er fasci n ated or rep elled b y
i n sects, so an i n sectli ke h um an oi d seem s li ke an exci t-
i n g vi si on for th i s race. I t seem s reason able th at th e
creature would h ave an i n sect carapace an d th us a n at-
ural arm or bon us , an d perh aps a flyi n g speed. A n atu-
ral arm or bon u s of u p to +5 i s worth a +1 level adju st-
m en t acco rd i n g to Savage Species. F li gh t wi th a
m an eu verabi li ty of average or worse also m eri ts a +1
level adjustm en t. I f we sti ck to th ese aspects, keep th e
abi li ty scores balan ced, an d look for som e sm all, clever
quali ti es to assi gn , th en th i s race could start wi th 2 H i t
D i ce. I f we m ak e th e race Sm all, we can i n crease th e
H i t D i ce, i m prove on e of th e two exi sti n g aspects, or
un balan ce th e abi li ty scores. After evaluati n g th ese pos-
si bi li ti es, I d eci d ed to gi ve th e creatu re a p oi son th at
affects D exteri ty for a +1 level adjustm en t) .
After assi gn i n g th ese quali ti es, I cam e to pi cture th i s
race as bei n g som eth i n g li ke a spi der eater or carn i vo-
rous h orn et. Q ui ck an d agi le, i t prefers to stri ke qui etly
from above wi th i ts sti n ger an d th en wi th draw to fi n i sh
4
i ts n ow-clu m sy op p on en t wi th ran ged attack s. B ei n g
able to vi su ali ze th e creatu re an d i ts tacti cs h elp s m e
wi th th e oth er deci si on s I h ave to m ake wh i le creati n g
th e stat block.
A fter p erfo rm i n g th e E valu ati o n see b elow) , I
ch an ged th e i m ago sli gh tly from th e descri pti on above.
I f you n oti ce a di fferen ce i n th e stat block, see th e E val-
uati on for wh y th at ch an ge was m ade.
IMAGO
Small Humanoid
Hit Dice: 3d8 1 3 h p)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. average)
AC: 1 7 +1 si ze, +1 D exteri ty, +5 n atural)
Attacks: Sti n g +3 m elee, or claw +3 m elee, or sh ort-
sword +3 m elee, or com posi te sh ortbow +4 ran ged
Damage: Sti n g 1 d4 plu s poi son , claw 1 d4, sh ortsword
1 d6/1 920, com posi te sh ortbow 1 d6/x3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poi son
Special Qualities: I m ago trai ts
Saves: Fort +1 , R ef +4, Wi ll +2
Abilities: Str 1 1 , D ex 1 3, C on 1 0, I n t 9, Wi s 1 2, C h a 8
I k n ow I wan t th e i m ago to h ave a h i gh D exteri ty
sco re. A cco rd i n g to th e DUNGEON MASTERs Guide, I
could pen ali ze Stren gth , C on sti tuti on , or som e com bi -
n ati on of I n telli gen ce, Wi sdom , an d C h ari sm a to bal-
an ce th at bon us. A flyi n g creature already h as a li m i t on
h ow m uch en cum bran ce i t can carry wh i le ai rborn e, so
I don t wan t to pen ali ze Stren gth . Wi sdom con trols per-
cepti on th rou gh m odi fi ers on L i sten an d Spot ch ecks,
so I don t wan t to pen ali ze Wi sdom . So I opted to pen al-
i ze I n telli gen ce an d C h ari sm a.
Skills: H i de +8, L i sten +3, M ove Si len tly* +8, Spot +3
M y vi si on of th e i m ago as a stalk er an d a stealth y
h un ter n ot on ly m ean s i t n eeds a h i gh D exteri ty score,
b u t also th at i t h as so m e ran k s i n H i d e an d M ove
S i len tly. S i n ce i t d o esn t h ave m an y sk i ll p o i n ts to
spen d on th ose ski lls, I also deci ded to gi ve th e i m ago a
+4 raci al bon us on M ove Si len tly ch ecks.
Feats: Alertn ess B ) , I m proved I n i ti ati ve
I assi gn ed Alertn ess as a raci al bon us feat because I
feel stron gly th at all i m ago ch aracters sh ou ld h ave i t.
Climate/ Terrain: Tem p erate an d warm lan d an d
un dergroun d
Organization: S oli tary, p ai r, swarm 35) , or h i ve
1 1 20)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Stan dard
Alignment: An y
Advancement: B y ch aracter class
I m ago are i n d u stri o u s, n o -n o n sen se creatu res.
M an y races fi n d th em bru squ e or ou t-ri gh t ru d e, bu t
th e i m ago are si m ply too focused on th ei r curren t tasks
to pay m uch atten ti on to soci al n i ceti es. T h at very focus
on work m akes th em pri zed laborers i n m an y parts of
th e world . I m ago en cou n tered ou tsi d e th ei r h i veli k e
vi llages are often work i n g on con tracts i n ord er to
bri n g m on ey back to th ei r h om es. O n th e rare reli gi ous
or poli ti cal h oli days wh en th ey do relax, i m ago en joy
dri n ki n g m ead an d si n gi n g. B ards are always welcom e
i n i m ago h i ves.
I m ago sp eak th ei r own lan gu age, wh i ch i s called
I m ago. To m ost outsi ders, i t soun ds li ke th e dron e of a
h orn et, am p li fi ed to su i t th e i m ago s p rop orti on ately
larger si ze. An i m ago th at deals wi th oth er races learn s
th e co rresp o n d i n g lan gu ages i f i t p o ssess a h i gh
en ough I n telli gen ce score.
Combat
I m ago u su ally attack on th e wi n g, swoopi n g down on
oppon en ts an d sti n gi n g th em . T h ey th en fly off, pep-
peri n g th ei r foes wi th arrows wh i le th ei r poi son takes
effect. I m ago d o n ot retreat, bu t th ey m ay wi th d raw
from com bat lon g en ou gh to gath er rei n forcem en ts.
Poison: An i m ago deli vers i ts poi son Forti tude save
D C 1 1 ; C on sti tu ti on -based) wi th each su ccessfu l sti n g
attack. T h e i n i ti al an d secon dary dam age rati n gs are th e
sam e 1 d6 poi n ts of D exteri ty dam age) .
Imago Traits (Ex): I m ago ben efi t from a n um ber of
raci al trai ts.
Balanced Ability Scores: An i m ago h as a +2 bon u s to
D exteri ty, a 2 pen alty to I n telli gen ce, an d a 2 pen alty
to C h ari sm a.
Small: As a Sm all creatu re, an i m ago gai n s a +1 si ze
bon u s to Arm or C lass, a +1 si ze bon u s on attack rolls,
an d a +4 si ze bon us on H i de ch ecks. H owever, i t m ust
u se sm aller weapon s th an h u m an s u se, an d i ts li fti n g
an d carryi n g li m i ts are th ree -qu arters th o se o f
M edi um -si ze ch aracters. I m ago can n ot fly wh en carry-
i n g m ore th an a li gh t load.
Skillsand Feats: An i m ago gai n s a +4 raci al bon us on
M ove S i len tly ch eck s, an d i t recei ves A lertn ess as a
bon us feat.
AutomaticLanguages:I m ago.
Bonus Languages: C o m m o n , D warf, E lf, G i an t,
G n om e, G obli n , H alfli n g, O rc.
Favored Class: An i m ago s favored class i s rogu e. A
m u lti class i m ago s rogu e class d oes n ot cou n t wh en
5
determ i n i n g wh eth er i t takes an X P pen alty see X P for
M u lti class C h aracters i n C h apter 3: C h aracters i n th e
PlayersHandbook.
Imago Characters
An i m ago h as a +2 level ad ju stm en t. T h u s, an i m ago
ch aracter s E ffecti ve C h aracter L evel E C L ) equ als i ts
starti n g H i t D i ce 2) plu s i ts level adju stm en t 2) plu s
i ts class levels.
EVALUATION
T h e i m ago s i n i ti al level ad ju stm en t was calcu lated as
follows:
+1 for n atural arm or bon us
+1 for fli gh t wi th m an eu verab i li ty worse th an good
+1 for poi son th at doesn t reduce C on sti tuti on
1 for si ze Sm all
+2
T h us, an i m ago ch aracter wi th n o class levels, copi ed
di rectly from th e stat block, sh ou ld be equ i valen t to a
4th -level ch aracter. I open ed up m y DUNGEON MASTERs
Guideto C h apter 2: C h aracters an d fou n d Table 241 :
N PC R ogue to m ake com pari son s. I bui lt th e followi n g
table for com pari son .
Imago,
Attribute No Class Levels 4th-Level Rogue
HP 9 20
AC 17 17
Initiative +5 +7
Speed 30 ft. 30 ft.
Fly Speed 40 ft. (average) None
Melee Attack +2, 1d6 damage +5, 1d6+1 damage
Ranged Attack +3, 1d6 damage +8, 1d6+1 damage
F/ R/ W +1/ +4/ +2 +3/ +8/ +2
+8 +10
Listen +3 +7
Move Silently +8 +10
Spot +3 +7
Poison 1d6 Dex/ 1d6 Dex None
Racial Bonus Feat Alertness None
E ven assu m i n g th at an i m ago ch aracter wou ld h ave
equ i p m en t equ i valen t to th at of an y oth er 4th -level
ch aracter, i t seem ed clearly i n feri or i n m ost ways to a
stan d ard -race ch aracter of th at level. T h e followi n g
op ti on s for b ri n gi n g i t i n to b alan ce occu rred to m e.
R ai se i ts H i t D i ce. O n e m o re H i t D i e wo u ld
i m prove i ts B AB an d i ts n on -good savi n g th rows, i n
ad d i ti o n to i n creasi n g i ts h i t p o i n ts. B ecau se o f
rou n di n g, th e poi son s Forti tu de save D C wou ld be
un affected. T h at addi ti on al H i t D i e would also pro-
vi d e an oth er sk i ll p oi n t, bu t i t wou ld n ot p rovi d e
an oth er feat.
I n crease th e raci al bon u s to D exteri ty. T h i s opti on
would i m prove th e creature s ran ged attack rolls an d
R eflex save. I f I m ade Weapon Fi n esse sti n ger i ts
raci al b o n u s feat, th at attack ro ll wo u ld also
i m prove.
Ad d oth er abi li ty bon u ses, or rem ove th e p en alty
to I n telli gen ce or C h ari sm a. A bon u s to Stren gth
wou ld i m p rove m elee attack s, a bon u s to C on sti -
tu ti on wou ld i m p rove h i t p oi n ts, Forti tu d e save,
an d th e p o i so n s F o rti tu d e save D C . A b o n u s to
I n telli gen ce wo u ld i n crease sk i ll p o i n ts, an d a
bon u s to Wi sd om wou ld i n crease th e Wi ll savi n g
th ro w b o n u s an d th e raci al b o n u ses o n L i sten
an d Sp ot.
I n th e en d I deci ded on a com bi n ati on of i n creasi n g
th e H i t D i ce an d ad d i n g a +2 raci al b o n u s to
Wi sd o m . T h e resu lti n g co m p ari so n was clo se
en ough to be worth th e +2 level adjustm en t an d th e
starti n g E C L of 4.
SUMMARY
I h op e you en joy i n clu d i n g lai k as an d i m ago i n you r
cam p ai gn . I also h o p e th i s treatm en t clari fi ed th e
p ro cess o f creati n g a n ew p l ayer ch aracter race.
Wh i le i t i s fai rly si m p le, k eep i n m i n d th e followi n g
p oi n ts.
A player sh ould n ever create a player ch aracter race
wi th ou t th e D M s perm i ssi on at th e begi n n i n g an d
h i s or h er cri ti cal revi ew at th e en d. I n gen eral, on ly
D M s sh ould create n ew races.
I t s m uch easier to balan ce races with low or n on exist-
en t level adjustm en ts th an i t i s to do so wi th h i gh er
on es. T h e greater th e level ad ju stm en t or starti n g
E C L , th e m ore argu m en ts th ere are over wh at th e
level adjustm en t an d startin g E C L sh ould be.
Always com pare your race wi th oth ers i n th e gam e,
an d wi th N P C s wh ose level m atch es you r race s
starti n g E C L . T h e N PC tables i n C h apter 2: C h arac-
ters of th e DUNGEON MASTERsGuideare extrem ely
useful for th i s.
C reatin g a player ch aracter race is on ly the begin n in g.
O n ce you h ave the race, you sh ould decide whether it
h as a patron deity, wh at its society is like, an d whether
it uses an y race-specific equipment. You may also want
to p rovi d e som e back grou n d i n form ati on or even
create a prestige class peculiar to th at race, such as the
arcan e archer an d the dwarven defen der.
6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
B efore R i ch R ed m an cam e to Wi zard s of th e C oast
R P G R & D d ep artm en t, h e h ad b een an A rm y
o ffi cer, a d o o r-to -d o o r salesm an , th e m an ager o f a
co m p u ter sto re, a fu n d rai ser fo r a veteran s assi s-
tan ce g ro u p , an d th e m an ag er o f Wi zard s o f th e
C oast s C u stom er Servi ce d ep artm en t. R i ch i s a p ro-
li fi c gam e d esi gn er, h avi n g work ed on th e Dungeons
& Dragonsgam e, th e d20 MODERNRoleplayingGame,
th e Marvel Super HeroesAdventure Game, an d
Dark*Matter. Wh en h e s n o t wo rk i n g as vi ce p resi -
d en t of T h e G am e M ech an i cs, a d 20 d esi gn stu d i o,
R i ch d o es freel an ce g am e d esi g n , co o k s, an d
p erform s yoga.