Variant Human Traits (for d20 mostly)

A friend of mine recently asked for my opinion regarding his new Forgotten Realms campaign for D&D 5E. He had an awesome idea to "reskin" the lore of the Realms, mixing it with Tolkien's Silmarillion. My favorite part was when he created alternative racial traits for the various human ethnicities of the Realms - in particular Chondathans, Calishites, Tethyrians, Damarans and Illuskans.

While I really liked his racial traits, I suggested going for less mechanics and more flavor. Of late I'm a great fan of racial traits that give thematic or flavorful abilities instead of just more modifiers/feats (you can see my last attempt with this approach for Pathfinder here). I was inspired by an excellent thread on RPGNet which suggested that each human "race" should have a unique knack (not just a +1 to Str, but something cool like "can talk with wolves" or "has a living shadow").

Here are my suggestions (because my friend was disregarding the cannon, I was not too worried with the official description of each human nationality). I tried to create Edition Neutral traits. Major inspirations were RPGs PbtA (like Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark), but I can't forget great ideas from 13th Age Glorantha and Frostbitten & Mutilated. I must stress that all traits below were created with PCs in mind - these abilities are extraordinary stuff and shouldn't be taken as "normal" racial traits for every NPC of the same ethnicity.

Calishites

Trait: Brother to Fire
Description: Calishites claim to have the blood of Efreeti, the powerful fire genies born of Smokless Fire. Calishites have indeed a fiery temper and an uncanny affinity with elemental fire. Once each game session (or once per long rest, DM's call), a calishite can summon his elemental affinity. This may be a conscious effort or not (probably a calishite wizard would say a mystic word or two, while a calishite warrior would say "it was luck"). When summoning his elemental affinity (a free action), the calishite can change any non-magical fire in his close proximity. For example:
- make a torch go out;
- keep a torch burning for another round, even if it should have go out;
- rekindle a dying fire;
- declare that a fire source nearby won't reveal his presence (for 1 round only);
- declare that a local fire source won't damage him (for 1 round only).
The DM has the final say. This trait should be adapted to the campaign's flavor - the calishite's affinity can be made to seem like pure coincidence or something clearly supernatural.

Chondathan

Trait: The Gift of Tongues 
Description: Your people traveled the Realms. Some legends say that a god blessed Chondal, the Patriarch, thus enabling his progeny to spread through Faerûn. Once each game session (or once per long rest, DM's call), a chondathan can understand something said by another intelligent creature or they can make themselves understood by another intelligent being (usually something that can be said during 1 round). This trait can be roleplaying intuitively (for a bard or wandering warrior) or as something clearly supernatural (a priest or wizard). If the DM is following a more mythic or high-magic campaign, this trait can be used by a chondathan to understand "words" spoken by beasts, monsters or even special objects (a magical sword) or places (a holy place).

Damaran

Trait: Born under the Scythe
Description: Damarans are said to be brothers of Death (or the Hooded Ones, given that the gods of death are many, like Myrkul or Kelemvor). Their history is a long and sad struggle against overwhelming forces of Darkness - like the Witch-King of Vaasa, the infernal legacy of Narfell, the barbarian Tuigan or the hobgoblin steel of the Red Hand. Damarans forged a civilization in inhospitable lands, living since then under the edge. Fatalists but strong-willed (some damarans are described as "cheerful maniacs"), they learned to live "under the Hooded One's Gaze".  Once each game session (or once per long rest, DM's call), a damaran can walk around a place and feel in his heart the answer to one of the following questions:
- Has someone died here since the last sunset/sunrise?
- Where is the closest place where blood has been shed?
- Has any undead or fiend passed by since the last sunrise/sunset?
Finally, if the DM is willing to play the symbolic/thematic aspects of this trait, any undead/fiend found by the damaran will always know his name or seems to be expecting him/her. The creature will still follow it's nature (probably attacking or devouring the damaran), but the affinity can be explored by the damaran PC to gain valuable information.

Illuskans

Trait: Friends to Crows
Description: the crow is one of the various symbols of the Savage North and was once the heraldry of Luskan itself. Illuskans have a legend that says that a crow can only be killed by one who have killed his kind. Illuskans respect and honor crows, seeing the birds as family. Once each game session (or once per long rest, DM's call), an illuskan can spend a few hours searching for a crow***. After meeting, feeding and befriending the bird, the illuskan can get the answer to one of the following questions (this can be a literal answer from a crow, if the DM likes a more mythical campaign, or it can mean an omen or intuitive knowledge - a gut feeling - from the illuskan):
- Are we being hunted or followed?
- Are there other humanoids closeby?
- Is there any haven nearby that we can reach before sunrise/sunset?
***If the party is any region where a crow can't be found - and the DM is willing to keep this trait thematic aspects - feel free to use other birds (vultures, ravens, falcons etc.).

Tethyrians

Trait: Oath of Truth
Description: Tethyrians live (and die) under oaths of vassalage and fellowship. Their entire kingdom is kept by those oaths and there is nothing more sacred than that. It is whispered that a god blessed tethyrian's oaths - probably Helm, Tyr, Torm or even Siamorphe.  Once each game session (or once per long rest, DM's call), a tethyrian can declare an Oath of Truth. Everything said by the tethyrian after the oath will be accepted as truth by all bystanders. The tethyrian must believe in what he/she's saying. Note that this isn't brainwashing - all parties in the scene will know, in their heart, that the tethyrian said the Truth, but they have total freedom to choose who they'll react to that Truth.

Thematic Versions of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook Races

OK, finally finish it. The last version of all Core Rulebook Races can be found here.

Now, I need to convince my players to try this madness...

Thematic Pathfinder Races – Half-Elf

Finally, here's my last Thematic Race. Now, to the compiled PDF. I'll update entries previous to the half-orc and revise everything based on feedback (unfortunately I still couldn't playtest this idea).

HALF-ELF

Fluff here.

Characteristics: Half-elves are Medium-sized humanoids that count as both [human] and [elf] subtypes for any effect related to race. They have Speed 30 ft. and Low Light Vision.

Starting languages: Half-elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Half-elves with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Basic Racial Traits

All half-elves start at 1^st level with following traits:

Adaptability: once per day, instead of rolling a Skill Check, you can choose to use the Key Ability Score instead as the result. You’re considered to be trained in the Skill. If you still fail the Skill Check, you regain the use of this Racial Trait.

One of a Kind: once per day, you can reroll a Charisma Check or CHAR-based Skill Check.

I’m not sure if Handle Animal and Use Magic Device should be here, I don’t want to limit this Racial Trait to social encounters. Besides, it does give the impression that half-elves have strong and unique personalities.

Between Two Worlds: choose one Basic Racial Trait from the Human or Elf entry.

Bonus Racial Traits

Choose one Advanced Racial Trait as a bonus Racial Talent at 1^st.

Racial Flaw

Choose one of the Flaws below.

Half-Breed: once per day, you can choose to have the worst combination of types, subtype and alignment against one effect. If your GM accepts this, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

This Racial Flaw tries to reflect feeling that some half-elves have that their heritage is cursed.

Lone Wolf: once per day, you can try to survive 5 rounds of melee combat without any allies in your threatened area and without assistance. If GM approves the trouble, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

Gregarious Creature: while in civilized locations you can choose one the following options – spend wealth to keep an extravagant lifestyle or to carouse (100-1.000 GP/level is a good suggestion) or trigger a random encounter while alone (you’re mistaken with someone or own a debt, for example). While away from civilization, you can choose to awake fatigued. Either option can be used and, if accepted by the GM, grant you an extra use of any racial trait for the next day (you don’t need to choose in advance).

Wanderer: after resting for 8 hours in the same place, you can choose to awake fatigued. Or you can convince your entire party not to sleep in the same spot. If your GM approves either option, you gain an extra use of any racial trait for the next day (you don’t need to choose in advance).

Advanced Racial Traits

Every time you gain an Ability Score Increase due to Level Advancement (4^th, 8^th, 12^th, 16^th and 20^th) you can choose instead one of the traits below.

Bastard Blood: once per day, you can ignore your humanoid subtypes for one encounter (or about 5 minutes), if advantageous. If you spend 1 round next to another humanoid, you can always tell if he’s also a bastard, but not which kind (half-elf, half-orc, tiefling, aasimar etc.).

Best of Both Worlds: choose another Basic Racial Trait or a Bonus Racial Trait from the Human or Elf entry. You can only choose Bonus Racial Traits without requisites.

Envoy: once per day, before rolling a Diplomacy Skill Check, activate this trait. If you fail, your target’s attitude toward you improves by one step. If you succeed, it improves by two steps. If Diplomacy was impossible, you don’t spend your daily use.

Gifted: choose one Skill. You always have a number of ranks in that Skill equal to your character level. This Racial Trait can be taken more than once.

If you spent ranks in the chosen skill before gaining this racial trait, you get those points back.

Hard Choices: once per day, choose one character and a general type of action, like “Attack”, “Move”, “Cast a spell”, “Use a spell-like ability”, “Withdrawn” etc. The GM must accept the type of action. Until your next turn, if the chosen character executes the declared action (and he knows which is) you gain an attack of opportunity against him. You can’t use this Racial Trait on the same character twice. in the Requisite: 4^th level.

A bastard’s life is tough and teaches a mix of dirty tricks and hard lessons. This Racial Trait, which may be a bit overpowered was made thinking on that.

Multitalented: choose a secondary class from Pathfinder Unchained’s Variant Multiclassing system. You gain the 1^st and 3^rd level secondary class features for that class. You can’t take levels in the chosen secondary class. This Racial Trait can be taken more than once; each time you buy it, you gain the next step of class abilities. Requisite: 4^th level.

Yeah, I said I wouldn't use the Variant Multiclass system, but in the end here it is.

Scoundrel: once per day, as an immediate action, choose a character interacting with you through a Skill Check. He can’t add skill ranks or a class skill bonus in his next Skill Check. However, for the next 5 rounds, you must roll twice and pick the worst result on every Skill Check against him.

Staunch Ally: once per day, when you use the Aid Another action, the assisted character can automatically roll twice and pick the best result at any time during his next turn.

Underestimate me once: once per day, you can reroll any check or roll against a pure-blooded humanoid. However, in the next round, he gains a free reroll against you. You can’t use this Racial Trait against on same character twice.

Versatile: once per day, you substitute one save for another.

Good luck explaining how.

Thematic Pathfinder Races – Human

HUMANS

Fluff here.

Characteristics: Humans are Medium-sized humanoids [human]. They have Speed 30 ft.

Starting languages: Humans begin play speaking Common. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Basic Racial Traits

All humans start at 1^st level with following traits:

Ambition: you gain 1 extra feat and additional skill rank at 1st level. You gain an additional skill rank whenever you gain a level.

Driven: once per day, if you fail a check by a margin of 5 or less, you can choose to succeed. After that, you suffer the fatigued condition, or another condition chosen by the GM.

This is a “success with cost” trait. The GM can freely choose the best condition for the situation. For example: Dazed, Prone, Staggered etc.

Fated: once per day, roll a d20. You can substitute any other d20 with the number you rolled, including rolls made against you by enemies which you’re aware.

Bonus Racial Traits

Choose one Advanced Racial Trait as a bonus Racial Talent at 1^st.

Racial Flaw

Choose one of the Flaws below.

Pride: once per day, you can deny the assistance or help of a non-human ally or friend. In combat, you can renounce a mechanical benefit. If your GM approves, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

Humans have an almost insane drive to prove themselves to the elder races.

Sins of Your Forbearers: once per day, another NPC gains a free reroll against you. If your GM approves, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

Humans came to these lands in the past and did some horrible stuff.

Temptation: once per day, you can choose to fail a Wisdom Check or a Will save. If your GM approves, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

If you’re open minded, you can activate this Racial Flaw if a player accepts an offer of power or do something stupid (like suffering an attack of opportunity) to get a powerful magic item.

Perfectionist: failure only fuels your determination. Once per day, after rolling a 1 on a d20, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

Advanced Racial Traits

Every time you gain an Ability Score Increase due to Level Advancement (4^th, 8^th, 12^th, 16^th and 20^th) you can choose instead one of the traits below.

Daring: once per day, you gain an additional standard action. This extra action can’t be used to execute an attack roll or cast a spell, spell-like ability or supernatural ability.

Don’t tell me the odds: once per day, you can choose one action that would provoke an attack of opportunity and execute it without inviting such attack.

Follow me: once per day, you can choose one ally to go together with you in the Initiative order.

Heroic Surge: once per day, you may recall a spell you have already cast or gain another use of a special class ability that is otherwise limited. This should only be used on spells and class abilities that recharge daily. Requisite: 4^th level Human.

It was just a scratch: once per day, as an immediate action, convert damage taken from one attack to nonlethal damage. This still can leave your unconscious.

Obstinate: once per day, ignore any condition inflicted upon you for 1 round.

Resourcefulness: you gain 1 extra feat. This Racial Trait can be taken more than once. Requisite: Human 4^th level.

Strange Ancestry: once per day, you can choose to have the best combination of type, subtype and alignment against one effect. Requisite: Human 4^th level.

Thematic Pathfinder Races – Gnome

I’m still trying to work out how to model Humans. To be fair, I don’t know if Humans really need a “Thematic Race” version (I like the extra bonus feat and skill rank). However, I want to try something in order to given them a Racial Flow and a “Reroll” system. 

About the Half-Elves, I’m aiming for a mix of versatility and diplomacy. I was pondering if it was worth to use Pathfinder Unchained’s Variant Multiclassing instead of the Multitalented (I don’t like Favored Class as written and don’t the rule almost since D&D 3^rd). In the other hand, Variant Multiclassing seems to much trouble.

Finally, I’m revising the Elf, Dwarf and Halflings entries, to follow the new format. I will try to post all of them in a PDF file. Maybe next week.

OK, that’s it for now about the project. Let’s see my Thematic Gnome.

As you can see here, here, here, also here and finally here, I have a personal obsession/problem with Gnomes. I really like Paizo’s version, even though I also want to push the theme (and mechanics) further. I’ll try to control myself here… without any hope of succeeding (as I already removed the Hatred and Defensive Training traits, which I believe are leftovers from previous editions where Gnomes were just cousins to Dwarves).

GNOMES

Fluff here.

Characteristics: Gnomes are Small-sized humanoids [gnome]. They have Speed 20 ft. and Low Light Vision.

Starting languages: Gnomes begin play speaking Common, Gnome, and Sylvan. Gnomes with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, and Orc.

Basic Racial Traits

All gnomes start at 1^st level with following traits:

Glamour: you may freely cast, as a spell-like ability, dancing lights, ghost sound and prestidigitation. Once per day, you may cast silent image. The caster level for these effects is equal to the Gnome's level. The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the gnome's Charisma modifier.

If you and your GM are fine with the idea, feel free to change the 3 cantrips above, to better suit your Gnome.

Feyblood: once per day, you can reroll a Bluff or Stealth Skill Check or a save against Illusions. This is my basic “Fey Basic Trait”. You’re good at cheating, sneaking and seeing through glamour, which are things I believe every fey should be good at.

Otherworldly: once per day, you can reroll a Use Magic Device or a save against a spell or spell-like ability. You can make Use Magic Device Skill Check even if untrained.  You can feel the presence and general direction of portals and similar effects within 60 ft.

The way I see it, a Gnome should sense even the smaller planar intrusions, like summonings and teleports.

Bonus Racial Traits

Choose one Advanced Racial Trait as a bonus Racial Talent at 1^st.

This is my fault, I just can’t lock on any set of Bonus Racial Traits. I see each one almost as a different Gnome Concept.

Racial Flaw

Choose one of the Flaws below.

First World Memories: your fey heritage is stronger. Once per day, you can choose to be of the Fey creature type. If the GM approves and you suffer a disadvantageous or harmful effect because of it, you regain the use of any of your racial traits.

A personal suggestion here would be that, besides specific spells and class features that already affect fey creatures, you’re also vulnerable to cold iron. Perhaps, you’re fatigued/exhausted if exposed to cold iron; or a cold iron weapon can automatically confirm a critical against you.

Bound by Oaths: if you give your word, you’re bound by it. Once per day, if your liberty of action is seriously hindered by a sworn oath, and your GM approves, you regain the use of any of your racial traits.

You can even break your oath and suffer a curse, if both you and your GM are fine with that.

Fickle and Impulsive: once per day, during a non-combat encounter, you can react in an unreasonably fashion to something otherwise completely mundane (a suggestion would be to roll a die: if it comes even, your reaction is ridiculously disproportional; if odd, your reaction is the opposite of what would be socially expected). During the chosen encounter (or about 5 minutes), you always roll twice and pick the worst result. If your GM approves, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

I’m still not happy with this Racial Flaw. I was trying to model the idea that fey are unpredictable. Offering a free drink to a Gnome can either leave her hopelessly in love – even with a half-orc bartender – or completely in rage.

Gnomish Collection: pick a type of relatively common item – like paintings, maps, clocks, helms, locks, carpets, flags, coins etc. You manically collect and store the chosen item. Once per day, if your mania puts you in trouble and the GM accepts, you regain the use of any of your racial traits

If you choose something like coins or gems you’re in for some real trouble, because you won’t see it as money.

Bleaching: you lost your gnomish collection, broke a (really) sacred of oath, suffered torture under cold iron or otherwise endured a fate equally dreadful. In the end, your fey heritage was purged from you. You have a pale and greyish complexion. Once per day, you can ignore a morale bonus, healing or otherwise beneficial effect. If your GM approves, you regain the use of any of your racial traits.

Advanced Racial Traits

Every time you gain an Ability Score Increase due to Level Advancement (4^th, 8^th, 12^th, 16^th and 20^th) you can choose instead one of the traits below.

Animal Speak: you’re constantly under the effect of speak with animals, as a supernatural ability. The caster level for this effect is equal to the Gnome's level.

Because it’s flavorful and fun!

Dream Feast: you don’t require food or water for 24 hours if you sleep at 30 ft. of another intelligent (Int 3+) creature that also sleeps and dream. Once per day, during your sleep, you can enter another’s dream and ask one question, as if using speak with dead. An unwilling dreamer can attempt a Will save (DC is 10 + half the gnome’s level + the gnome's Charisma modifier).

Fey Step: once per day, you can become incorporeal for 1 round as a swift action.

I’m totally stealing this from the Dawnforge Campaign Setting.

Gnome Fighting Style: you treat any weapon with the word "gnome" in its name as a martial weapon.

If you are already proficient with any of the weapons above due to a class feature, you gain a daily reroll to attack rolls, combat maneuver checks or damage rolls with those weapons.

Pixie Friend: creatures with the Fey subtype won’t attack you unless provoked. Once per day, you can reduce your size to Tiny for one encounter (or about 5 minutes) as a supernatural ability. The caster level for this effect is equal to the Gnome's level.

Touch Emotions: emotions are almost a physical thing for you, they can be smelled, seen or even touched. With a full-round action you can tell the emotional state of any creature within 30 ft. and, if desired, establish telempathic contact with them, sending simple emotions and ideas. If telempathic communication is established, the target knows it’s origin.

Telempathy is used here as limited form of mind contact, usually one-word thoughts, like ‘Danger!’, ‘Help!’ or basic emotions/impressions like Anger, Happiness, Fear etc.

I’m leaving the biggest Advanced Racial Trait for the end. The idea was to give more flavor, but I think I overstepped. If it’s not fun for the table and the GM, please ignore it.

Gnomecraft: you can do a week’s work in a day with your Chosen Skill. The Chosen Skill must be a Craft or Profession. The Chosen Skill must be connected or associated with your Gnomish Collection Racial Flaw. This racial trait can be use only once every 7 days (or once every other game session).

Finally, choose one of the secondary benefits below:

- Fey Restoration: you may freely cast, as a spell-like ability, the cantrip mending. Once per day, you my cast make whole. Both effects have a casting time of 1 minute and a caster level to the Gnome's level. Requisite: your Chosen Skill must be a Craft.

- Glamour Item: you can create a large or smaller masterwork item made of ordinary objects. This consumes your weekly use of Gnomecraft, requires 10 minutes and can only be used to make common items (nothing alchemical, neither explosives, engines, clockworks etc.). For example: a rope made of leaves, a shield made of twigs, a plate of paper etc. The Glamour Item work as a supernatural effect with a caster level equal to the Gnome's level. Only 1 Glamour Item can exist at a time. Requisite: your Chosen Skill must be a Craft. (It isn’t necessary to stress that Glamour Item requires GM approval. In my games, I like to rule that Glamour Item can be instantly dispelled by cold iron.)

- Gnome Master: you always take 20 with your Chosen Skill, without taking extra time or spending more money. (Yes, this may be overpowered and might not work with other subsystems, like Downtime, but if a player buys it, he’s telling you that he wants to be a Super-Master-Craftsman – even in a dungeon crawling RPG – so, I hope to give this trait a few careful tries, watch out for combos, and see how it works.)

- Gnome Tinker: you can create a small or tiny animated object. This consumes your weekly use of Gnomecraft and requires 10 minutes. For example: a wooden toy, a clockwork bird etc. If stats are necessary, consult the Pathfinder Refence Document for elementals and animated objects of the small or tiny size. The Gnome Tinker object work as a supernatural effect with a caster level equal to the Gnome's level. Only 1 Gnome Tinker object can exist at a time. Requisite: 4^th level Gnome, your Chosen Skill must be a Craft. (Again, this is a trait that expressively requires GM approval. And yes, I let it clear to my Gnome player cold iron can instantly dispel his animated ally.)

- Enchanted Performance: your fey skills can win friends in unexpected places and help allies. This consumes your weekly use of Gnomecraft and requires a few hours (when in doubt roll a 1d4). After executing your Chosen Skill for non-hostile NPCs (usually a group of no more than 10), you improve their attitude toward you and your party by 2 steps. Your Enchanted Performance also grants a minor fey blessing to those who witness it (again, usually no more than 10 creatures), for example: remove the Exhausted/Fatigued conditions, regain hit points as if after a full rest, grant the benefits of a goodberry spell (or other 1^st level that fits), regain a daily ability (class feature or racial trait), gain 1 free reroll etc. Requisite: your Chosen Skill must be a Profession. (The GM has the final call and it’s hard for me to pinpoint a long list for this trait. I’m trying to encompass a lot of folklore: from a brownie taking care of a house, to a dryad dancing in the woods – these are things that, when watched by mortals should lift their spirits or refresh them.)

Improved Gnomecraft: pick a secondary Craft/Profession as Chosen Skill and new benefit from Gnomecraft. Don’t worry if your second choice doesn’t correspond to your Gnomish Collection Racial Flaw. Requisite: Gnomecraft.

Thematic Pathfinder Races – Half-Orc

Trying a new format, based on my last post.

HALF-ORCS

You can read more about the standard Pathfinder half-orc here.

Characteristics: Half-orcs are Medium-sized humanoids that count as both [human] and [orc] subtypes for any effect related to race. They have Speed 30 ft. and Darkvision 60 ft.

Starting languages: Half-orcs begin play speaking Common and Orc. Half-orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, and Goblin.

Basic Racial Traits

All half-orcs start at 1^st level with following traits:

Ferocity: once per day, when brought below 0 hit points but not killed, you can fight on for 1 more round as if disabled. At the end of his next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, you immediately fall unconscious and starts dying (yup, I didn’t change it… this is the perfect example of the kind of trait I'm looking for).

Brute: you can always reroll a Strength or STR-based Skill Check. Once per day, you can take 20 with a Strength or STR-based Skill Check without increasing the action time.

Born to Violence: if you start a fight, you can roll Initiative twice and pick the best roll (OK, this is one evil racial trait and maybe an underpowered one, must playtest it).

Bonus Racial Traits

Choose Beastheart, One of the Monsters or Orcish Fighting Style as a bonus Racial Talent.

Racial Flaw

Choose one of the Flaws below.

Wrathful: once per day, after being provoked, wounded, humiliated or intoxicated, you can choose to suffer the confused condition for 1 round. If your GM accepts this, you remain confused until things calm down or until either you or an ally spends a full-round action. After the encounter, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits. (I thought about requiring “a full-round action and a Will save or check”, but it sounded too much.)

Perversions and Monstrosities: once per day, when you fail a Charisma Check or Diplomacy Skill Check in a civilized setting, the NPCs’ attitude toward you can decrease by two steps. You can’t affect those NPCs again for the next 48 hours. If your GM accepts this, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits.

Bloodied: the first time each day you’re reduced below half your total hit points, you regain a daily use of any of your racial traits. (This one started as an Advanced Racial Trait, but thinking about it, what I really wanted was to motivate a half-orc player to get wounded. I’m still pondering if the trigger here should be “half total hit points” or “one quarter total hit points”.)

Advanced Racial Traits

Every time you gain an Ability Score Increase due to Level Advancement (4^th, 8^th, 12^th, 16^th and 20^th) you can choose instead one of the traits below.

Beastheart: once per day, you can reroll an Acrobatics Skill Check (for jumps only), Concentration Check, Intimidate Skill Check (even against animals and beasts with Int lower than 3) or Survival Check, substituting the Key Ability for Strength (this racial talent represents how a half-orc can summon his bestial instincts and savagery to succeed at certain tasks).

Darkborn: once per day, during one encounter (or about 5 minutes), you operate if the light conditions were decreased by one step. This racial trait doesn’t work on areas of bright light.

Deathblow: once per day, you can deliver an attack of opportunity against an enemy that confirms a critical hit against you. Because both attacks occur simultaneously, you can kill each other. (This started as a variant version of the Driven By Pain racial trait.)

Driven by Pain: once per day, you can negate a critical hit against you (treat it as a normal hit). (This trait is based on the idea that a critical hit just makes a half-orc angrier).

Frenzy: once per day, when subjected to a Compulsion effect or Fear-derived condition, you can choose instead to become confused.

One of the Monsters: once per day, at the start of a non-violent encounter, you can declare that a creature’s initial attitudes toward you (and thus your party) is automatically improved by one step. This racial trait only work on orcs, other savage folks (gnolls, goblinoids, ogres etc.) and maybe monstrous humanoid (like minotaurs).

Orcish Fighting Style: you are proficient with greataxes and falchions and treat any weapon with the word "orc" in its name as a martial weapon.

If you are already proficient with any of the weapons above due to a class feature, you gain a daily reroll to attack rolls, combat maneuver checks or damage rolls with those weapons.

Not Now: once per day, you can postpone the effects of one attack for the beginning of your next turn.

Scent: you gain the Scent ability.

Smash: once per day, you deal full damage with a melee attack. The used weapon gains the broken condition. If it doesn’t make sense for the item to break, after using this racial trait you’re fatigued.

Wild Attack: once per day, after failing a melee attack, you can bite, claw or otherwise unleash your frustration on the same target. This requires a swift action and deals 1d6 of damage, plus your Strength modifier.

This seems more like a "one and half-orc" than a "half-orc".

The design behind my "Thematic Races"

Thank you for the feedback regarding my “Thematic and Simple” versions of Pathfinder Core Rulebook races.

First, it’s now clear that they aren’t simple. I guess that’s in part due to my lack of skills with English and text organization. Anyway, I’m editing the previous posts titles to “Thematic Pathfinder Races”. I hope to better edit them in the future (maybe a PDF, never did one before).

The basic idea/principles behind these alternate race rules are:

• Remove the racial modifiers and all those numbers and minutiae. This is really just my opinion and there isn’t anything wrong with the Pathfinder. I just don’t like all those +1 or +2, or various circumstantial modifiers.
• However, I do like Rerolls or D&D 5E’s Advantage/Disadvantage. I also love to use dice as modifiers (like DCC RPG, Cortex or Alternity). Rolling dice is fun!
• I like FATE’s original design philosophy which postulates that you don’t need abilities that are mechanically constant (Aspects came originally from this I guess). What I want at my table are racial traits that – once activated – give the spotlight to player’s race of choice. At that moment, the mechanic should make a difference.

Thus, I removed all modifiers and little mechanical bonuses. I tried to exchange them for daily rerolls or similar traits.

Each race now basically gives you this:

• 4 Beneficial Traits (1 of which you can choose).
• 1 Detrimental Trait.

The Detrimental Trait works almost like a FATE’s Aspect (if you know FATE then you can see the Detrimental Trait as a sort of “specific Aspect”, one that can only be activated negatively). The idea of the Detrimental Trait is to showcase a specific racial “flaw” and to grant a new daily use of another racial trait (I find it more interesting than a boring -2 to some Ability Score). It’s a rule that does requires cooperation between the GM and the Player.

Explanations given (I hope), this is your basic racial traits for a 1^st level Elf Ranger:

 Keen Senses.

 Elven Soul.

Nimbleness.

 Elven Fighting Style.

 Frail Form (detrimental Trait).

A 1^st level elf wizard would maybe choose these:

 Keen Senses.

 Elven Soul.

 Nimbleness.

 Elven Magic.

 Frail Form (detrimental Trait).

Note the “”. I use it to mark when a specific Racial Trait is activated. It’s just a suggestion.

To keep my design goal that race should matter at higher levels, you can now choose to acquire new Racial Traits at 4^th, 8^th, 12^th, 16^th and 20^th levels, instead of gaining an Ability Score advancement (I suggest changing the Pathfinder rules so that an Ability Score advancement now grants a +2 to one Stat or a +1 to 2 Stats).

So, at 4^th level, our Elf Ranger could choose to take a new Racial Trait. His abilities are now:

 Keen Senses.

 Elven Soul.

 Nimbleness.

 Elven Fighting Style.

 Frail Form (detrimental Trait).

 Bond with the Land.

That’s all for now. I’ll try to post the Half-Orc next.

As always, any feedback is really appreciated.