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    Other races in Cerilia

    So I've been interested in Birthright from a distance for quite some time, and I'm finally considering running a campaign in it at some point in the near future. The issue is, my group tends to really like "exotic" races, and this is one thing Birthright seems to lack. Are there any articles or guides for modifying the setting to incorporate races like Dragonborn, Gith, Thri-Kreen, Warforged, etc.? Any advice for how a DM would best do so?

  2. #2
    Moo! Are you happy now? Arjan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kzinssie View Post
    So I've been interested in Birthright from a distance for quite some time, and I'm finally considering running a campaign in it at some point in the near future. The issue is, my group tends to really like "exotic" races, and this is one thing Birthright seems to lack. Are there any articles or guides for modifying the setting to incorporate races like Dragonborn, Gith, Thri-Kreen, Warforged, etc.? Any advice for how a DM would best do so?
    if they always have played exotic races, then the exotic races would be normal by now, meaning playing a human is quite exotic then

    but you can always throw in an accident where a PC gets infected by an Azrai bloodline and the PC gets corrupted (mentally and visibly)

    If i recall right there were some exotic races written up for Aduria by Ian Hoskins
    http://www.birthright.net/forums/sho...pires_of_Blood

    http://web.archive.org/web/200210212...99/intro4.html
    Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.

  3. #3
    In any case, in my own time I thought of some possible justifications for other races - sleeping on the subject, I decided any nonhuman races should at least be rare in Cerilia, on the level of Halflings at minimum and more often on the level of Elves and Dwarves. Anyway, surprisingly, one of the ones that came to me most easily was the mantis-like Thri-Kreen.

    Any attempt to make Thri-Kreen a player race must, of course, look to Dark Sun for inspiration. In that setting, they were desert nomads with a strong tribal culture and racial memory, making them valuable allies for adventurers in spite of their completely alien mindsets. It also solidified the race's connection to desert. In Birthright, they could be easily located in the arid plains and steppes of Khinasi, where most humans regard them as little more than pack animals in spite of their simple weapons and tools. Of course, this isn't the case at all - Thri-Kreen have an advanced nomadic culture of their own, albeit one very different from the "civilized" kingdoms which dominate Cerilia. A possible campaign hook, whether there be Thri-Kreen player characters or otherwise, would be the Thri-Kreen suddenly revealing themselves to the other kingdoms to demand they stop incursion on their peoples' sovereign hunting grounds. Such a thing may very well manifest Regency in Kreen packleaders, and create a whole new wedge in Cerilia's political landscape.

    Of course, psionics are also a large part of the Kreen legacy. The best way I can think to implement this is to keep it in line with Birthright's focus on bloodline powers - the strongest packleaders among the Kreen are those who manifest these strange powers through their bloodline, and it could also very well allow Kreen Regents to control Source holdings.

    Any thoughts on this? Places I could improve?

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    Site Moderator AndrewTall's Avatar
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    The obvious ways to add exotic races to my mind would be:

    1. Offspring of awnsheghlien (possibly ehrsheghlien);
    2. Late refugess from the shadow world/spirit world;
    3. Victims of an incursion of the shadow world into Cerilia which left the inhabitants and possibly land warped;
    4. People from another continent, Djapur is almost undescribed, Aduria isn't much better, the other continents are unknown, I did a small amount on stuff on 'lands of the utter west' but in practice explorers whose ship was driven far by a storm and wrecked on the shores of Cerilia could be anything you want;
    5. The underdark - barely mentioned in BR aside from warlock of the stonecrowns and a few karamhul references but there's no reason it shouldn't be there;
    6. Small tribes in barren places as you note with the thri-kreen.

    You could if you wish throw in spelljammers and planewalkers - the latter possibly summoned by magic, or coming via the shadowworld (and possibly quite confused).

    I would make the thri-kreen druids probably, but 3e psionics could work albeit make the game quite 'busy'.

    The taladas boxed set (Dragonlance 2nd continent) is a great source of alternate views of the usual races if you can find it if you are interested in that sort of stuff, it has horse nomad elves, post-civilisation sidhe and pre-civilisation sidhe, minotaurs, etc.

    Best of luck.

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    Member Swashbuckler's Avatar
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    I've always favored yuan-ti and kobolds for conniving foils to the PC's dreams of wealth and conquest. Yuan-ti could easily be a race populous in Aduria since the BoMD, with their leadership as blooded scions of Azrai.
    "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
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    Quod illo, senito aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.

  6. #6
    Oddly, my biggest conceptual problem at this point is dragonborn - most races are easy enough to justify through the things Andrew listed, but dragons have such an important place in Birthright that it seems difficult to introduce a race so connected to them. I've considered taking cues from Dark Sun and Dragonlance and making them creations of an ancient wizard, but that seems like it would drive a pretty powerful wedge into the setting. Any thoughts on this?

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    Senior Member arpig2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewTall View Post
    Djapur is almost undescribed
    I have been working on detailing Djapar. It isn't ready for publication yet, but if anybody is interested in the details, just write me. and I can give you a rough outline.
    As far as the Dragonborn, I have them living on the Dragon Isles located between Cerilia and Djapar.
    Call me Bob.
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    Ehrshegh of Spelling Thelandrin's Avatar
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    If you play up the changes in the standard races, they could seem quite exotic nonetheless. Xenophobic, immortal, priest-hating feyl compulsively lawful, anti-magical rock spirits who ghost through mountain passes as quickly as men do paved roads; alien half-sidhe with a foot in both worlds and the ability to command magic that normally only those blessed by the gods can manage.

    You could even re-fluff tieflings as the last of the humans still fleeing from the Shadow two millennia on, yet carrying the cursed mark of the Betrayer and being spurned by all who see it, despite their noble intentions.

    Ius Hibernicum, in nomine juris. Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kzinssie View Post
    Any thoughts on this? Places I could improve?
    The one thing i would say is make sure you keep the thri-kreen balanced. Coming from Dark Sun, where the power level is bit higher, you don't want this race to outshine the others. Running amok across Cerilia might be bad. They're inherently tougher than other humanoids, so they should have something to balance that: limited numbers perhaps, disadvantages when not in hot dry climate, etc.

    Of course, the end goal is to have fun. So long as that happens, one cannot be critical.

    -Fizz

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