Tales from the Rocket House
This set of fantasy races would work with any of the character creation processes (random or otherwise), but would definitely create an unusual tone in the game.
Origin Myth:
Long ago, there was but one race, full of diversity, beauty, and grace, whose healthy and whole wills shaped their powerful, perfect forms. But over time, those people chose darkness over light, and fell into decadence. As their behavior and attitudes changed, so did their physical forms, becoming The Seven Peoples that now rule the world. If any unfallen Ancients remain, they have not been seen in many centuries . . . though perhaps the fallen descendants might not even recognize their ancient, truly healthy progenitors.
The Numbers
In game terms, each race has a driving passion (one of the seven deadly sins), a 1 CP weakness, and 4 CP worth of bonuses, for a total “cost” of 3 CP. Smaller and larger races sometimes have additional modifiers based on that size, but those are balanced so the total “cost” remains 3 CP.
The Seven Peoples
Goblins: Envy
As their small souls sought after the treasures, talents, friends, and lovers of others, Goblins’ bodies withered to spindly, green-skinned, bat-eared monstrosities. The desire to kill, steal, swindle, or take is strong in their kind, and when they have something, they no longer really want it.
Goblins are the smallest of all the races. They suffer -1 Strength and -1 Willpower(Intimidate) and gain +2 to Athletics(Dodge) and +2 to Awareness(Sneak/Hide) due to their size. They are naturally deceitful, gaining +1 Rogue, and are perfectly adapted to dark corners, caverns, and tunnels, and can even ‘see’ well enough to navigate in perfect darkness. Goblins possess no sense of claustrophobia whatsoever. Though goblins look profoundly unhealthy, they are immune to all nonmagical poisons and sicknesses, at least those that affect the other races.
Small Folk (Halflings) : Sloth
The Small Folk love life’s simple pleasures, perhaps too much, and spend their lives sleeping, eating, smoking, telling stories, and just visiting. A Halfling would sleep twenty hours a day if he could, and does when he can.
The second smallest race, Halflings suffer -1 Strength and -1 Willpower(Intimidate), but gain +2 Athletics(Dodge) and +2 Awareness(Sneak/Hide). Halflings have a knack for survival; crops grow for them with very little effort, though the yields are never really impressive, and they eat significantly less (roughly half what the other races do) than anyone else, though they greatly enjoy their food, and love expensive wine and food when they can get it. Hobbits have +3 Strength(Toughness) and +3 Willpower(Mental Resistance), and have the “Hard to Kill” edge as well.
Elves: Pride
For some of the ancients, Pride was the great sin. Those who felt a sense of superiority slowly found themselves drawn out, thin, and, in their own prideful eyes, saw themselves as even more beautiful than those who had not yet fallen. Elves maintain that ancient arrogance to the point that they have trouble accurately judging other races, or humbling themselves.
Equal in size with Dwarves, though much taller even than Humans, Elves are beautiful, fair, and willowy. Their forms, though exalted compared to the other races, are mere echoes, sad memories of the whole and healthy beauty of the ancients. Their arrogance gives them -1 Rogue, because they cannot truly read others’ intentions or stoop easily to deception. Elves have +2 Athletics, +3 Awareness (Perception), more due to enhanced senses than actual attentiveness, and the “Commanding Presence” Edge.
Dwarves: Greed
The smallness of soul that is Greed shrunk the Dwarves in stature, until they stand four or, at most, five feet tall. Fighting a constant war with the goblins to defend their hard-earned treasure, the Dwarves are as hard as the gemstones they covet, as tough as the gold they hoard like dragons. As a people, Dwarves are ruled by profit, and greatly prefer to earn than to take. They possess not the greed of the brigand raider, but the greed of the cut-throat businessman, working their underlings unceasingly, extracting every drop of surplus value, as the mail-clad robber-barons of this world.
Dwarves are the same size as Elves, the median size of the races, but are shorter and squat in form. They suffer -1 Athletics and -1 Awareness(Sneak/Hide) due to their thick forms. They gain, however, +1 Strength, +1 Willpower, +2 Rogue(Negotiation) and +2 Strength(Toughness).
Humans: Lust
Those among the Ancients who were overcome by their desires found themselves not so much changed as debased. Humans look the most like the progenitors, but retain little of their beauty and grace. Ruled by a deep fear of death and desire to reproduce, humans seek power and status, largely so they can attract, bed, and eventually cheat on, the most desirable possible mates. Men have killed, died, and even fought wars over women. Although some few humans have taken (and even kept) vows of celibacy, as a rule, they are as driven by their reproductive urges as common animals.
Humans are the third largest race, and as such, gain +1 Strength. They are also the most charming and deceitful, and gain +1 Rogue. Humans are also known for determination, gaining +1 Willpower.
Orcs: Wrath
Anger, hatred, and rage grew like poison, often in reaction to the depredations of the greedy and envious. At first, this anger was righteous, and led to justice. But in many cases, justice did not satisfy the smoldering rage, and the wronged obsessed over revenge. Some even came to love their rage, hating for the sake of hating, fighting for the thrill of winning. These Ancients became hard, ugly, tough, with tusks jutting out like boars’, thick brows, heavy hands, and knotted muscles. Orcs will virtually always take any challenge wherein only their own lives are at risk. They are warriors, however, and know better than to doom their comrades for the sake of personal honor. Minor cruelties and casual violence are so common among Orcs that actions that shock other races may go unnoticed by them. Orcs are very attuned to personal insults and ‘honor’ (which can best be thought of as ‘face,’ or the inability to brush off the slightest insult or challenge).
The second-largest of the races, Orcs average six feet tall, and some are even larger. Orcs gain +2 Prowess and +2 Strength, but suffer -1 Rogue due to their direct and antagonistic nature.
Trolls (Gluttony)
Those ancients overcome by luxury and conspicuous consumption eventually ate their way to gargantuan size and inhuman form. Trolls stand from six to seven feet tall, but are much heavier than Men or Orcs. Trolls’ arms are long, and when they run, they often lope along on knuckles and feet like great apes. Trolls’ mouths are broad, their jaws jut forward like pigs’, and they can open their mouths as wide as snakes can, all the better to eat.
Trolls, being the largest of the races, gain +1 Prowess (mostly due to the great reach of their arms) +4 Strength, and +1 Willpower(Intimidate) but suffer -1 to Athletics(Dodge) and -3 to Awareness(Sneak/Hide). Trolls are always hungry, and would eat constantly if they could. In fact, they require no less than three times the food that most of the races do. If a troll is allowed to eat to satiety (which could literally involve eating a horse), that troll will almost immediately fall asleep, and sleep at least six hours (usually more). The troll will, of course, wake up hungry.
Though some trolls live in the dark reaches as cannibals, eating anything or anyone that comes into their way, others live in villages, and some have even made it in the cities. It is said that the best chefs in the world are urbanized Trolls, whose incredible love of food drives them to create the most incredible dishes imaginable.
Final Thoughts
I know this is mostly a design column, not a setting column, but I thought this went well with recent columns. I know that, to a large degree, “Chaotic Evil Orcs” have fallen out of favor, and mapping personality traits to races, even fantasy races, is a little gauche, but I thought the opportunities for roleplay were definitely there.As anybody who has attempted a period of celibacy knows (I’m assuming we’re all humans here), fighting one’s basic instincts and nature can be done, but it isn’t easy. Playing a dwarf who has chosen to be charitable or an orc who’s chosen nonviolence could be an interesting prospect.
And as for the ancients … what if they weren’t quite so wholesome and flawless as they were made out to be? What if The Seven Peoples aren’t so much fallen as specialized, and the ancients were masters of all seven sins, cruel, greedy, lustful, and proud? Their return could certainly shake things up.
