I like someone of the plane-touched races that were detailed in the FR hardcover and then a bunch of other places. Aasimar, tiefling, genasi etc.
Does anyone use them in there Greyhawk campaign?
Would you say they were official Greyhawk races?
Are plane-touch races mentioned in any official material?
Any other thoughts on using plane-touched races?
Originally posted by Morphious
Does anyone use them in there Greyhawk campaign?
Would you say they were official Greyhawk races?
Are plane-touch races mentioned in any official material?
Any other thoughts on using plane-touched races?
To wit:
Yes, but they are quite rare...no communities of them.
If it is found in the MM's or The Fiend Folio...yes.
Hmmm...it's been a while since I read things word for word, so I am not sure.
Use them...but do so with moderation. Greyhawk is all about classic D&D...traditional D&D. Unless the Planetouched races' lineage can be traced back to an original D&D race, it shouldn't be used to often.
Given the immense amount of extra-planar activity on Oerth (temple of elemental evil, Iuz, Baalzy and other powerful fiends), I would say that there is a fair amount of such people on Oerth. Maybe not so much aasimar, but definitely a good deal of tieflings, especially around the Great Kingdom, Shield Lands and Bandit Kingdoms.
"What the hell is a baatezu?"
Halber
tieflings on the other hand are decended from a fiend, but are not directly its child, they are at most 1/4 fiendish in nature, and often much more diluted... it has been this way since the teiflings first appeared in 2e planescape products.
In fact I have used the plane-touched once and only as an NPC. I like to keep the plane-touched rare they just seem more special that way.
Develop the GH specific races along with your list of standard demi-humans and human cultures. IMO plane-touched races should be a resource which is not pulled from often.
Originally posted by Gadodel
To wit:
Yes, but they are quite rare...no communities of them.
If it is found in the MM's or The Fiend Folio...yes.
Hmmm...it's been a while since I read things word for word, so I am not sure.
Use them...but do so with moderation. Greyhawk is all about classic D&D...traditional D&D. Unless the Planetouched races' lineage can be traced back to an original D&D race, it shouldn't be used to often.
I agree.
Also, there is a major case to be made for allowing "plane-touched" creatures: Iuz! He's a cambion! That's essentially just a souped up version of a tiefling, IMO a Cambion is someone who has direct fiendish parentage, while Tieflings' fiendish bloodline is a bit more indirect. Iuz should be the only, or one of maybe a handful of demon born personages in the flanaess, but there is surely room for someone whose great great grandmother had a liaison with some planar creature, or whose father dabbled a little too closely in the forbidden arts (perhaps becoming an acolyte of the skin or similar prestige class before fathering the PC).
I use Tieflings, Aasimar, and Genasi (all types), but like Gadodel suggested, I keep them extremely rare, 1 PC per party at the most.
Just remind players that even if you're an Aasimar, the mundane commoners of the world are not always going to look kindly on those who aren't normal. You think Half-Orcs and Half-Elves have it bad? You aint seen bigotry yet, my friend.
Throw the PC a few refusals of business, have him get kicked out of a few towns, have her get a lynching once in a while. It will give the thrill seeking power hungry players something to think twice about when going for a quick route to some extra powers, and will make the experience even better for a player who is actually trying to play the unique freak who is trying to overcome his heritage to do good in the world.
Just remind players that even if you're an Aasimar, the mundane commoners of the world are not always going to look kindly on those who aren't normal. You think Half-Orcs and Half-Elves have it bad? You aint seen bigotry yet, my friend.
Throw the PC a few refusals of business, have him get kicked out of a few towns, have her get a lynching once in a while. It will give the thrill seeking power hungry players something to think twice about when going for a quick route to some extra powers, and will make the experience even better for a player who is actually trying to play the unique freak who is trying to overcome his heritage to do good in the world.
And just remember that most common people have no idea of the planes so they have no idea of what kind of creature is a planetouched. Of course if the planetouched is a horned bat winged who smokes without a cygar then people isnt going to be very favourable but features such as blueish skin and hair or fins isnt going to have people come to them with pinchforks, they only are going to be seen as non-humans but not monsters like orcs or goblins.
Also most physical features can be more or less disimulated, vestigial tails can go inside a cloak and horns can be disguised as part of a helm. The harder to disimulate are the skin colors and tails and hoofed legs, the later could be disimulated with robes or skirts and the former with make out and by hiding the body with cloak or full armor.
I like to see aasimar like the weirdest kind of planetouched, I think that they are only common as highborns, lineages of powerful and rich families that track down their rise in power thanks to ancient adventurers with contacts in the planes and such, just like in real life it is said that kings (like the emperors of japan) are directly decendants of divine beings. Aasimar features are similar to highborns, that is pale blood and fair hair and face.
actually alu-demons became alu-fiends in 2e and half-fiends in 3e, they have always had one fiendish parent (in this case a demon).
tieflings on the other hand are decended from a fiend, but are not directly its child, they are at most 1/4 fiendish in nature, and often much more diluted... it has been this way since the teiflings first appeared in 2e planescape products.
Check out Malanthet's write up in this month's Dragon - cambions and alu-demons are back in their own right as the offspring of succubi! A quasi-official write up cannot be far behind!
