New Races

It is possible for DragonRaid players to have non-human LightRaider characters. This is a decision for the Adventure Master and his group to make, so it is not a standard practice that must be followed by all DragonRaid players. Adding non-human races can add a powerful dynamic to the play session by reminding us that God uses people from all sorts of cultures and ethnic groups and that we must look beyond the outer appearance and view believers who are "different" from ourselves as a brothers or sisters in Christ.

While using non-human characters, keep in mind that beings of different races have varying physical and mental bonuses and limitations. A gnome may drown in water that a human can wade through but may be able to quickly repair a device even if he has never seen it before. A dwarf may have a hard time reaching the lowest branch of a tree in order to climb it, but may never get lost in a maze of caves. An elf may be claustrophobic in caves or castle dungeons, but can see clearly at night. The Adventure Master must keep track of these sorts bonuses and limitations and make sure that the players role play them accordingly, otherwise there is no challenge in playing a non-human character.

Racial modifiers are applied to non-human LightRaider characters at the time they are originally made. Positive modifiers cannot increase a Character Strength, Ability, or skill above a rating of 10. Negative modifiers cannot reduce a Character Strength, Ability, or skill below a 1. Follow the character creation process listed below.

More detailed background material for non-human races will be provided in future expansions and adventures.

Building a Non-human LightRaider Character

1. Decide which race the LightRaider will be.

2. Roll the Character Strengths and the Strength and Agility scores normally. Add the applicable racial modifiers to the Character Strengths as well as the Strength and Agility scores.

3. Calculate the LightRaider's Character Abilities. Add Physical Vitality and Character Ability modifiers as applicable.

4. Calculate the character's skills, then add any racial skill bonuses. (Whenever ability and skill statistics are recalculated, add the racial modifiers after the calculations are done.)

Dwarves

This short, stocky race generally likes to live in hilly upland areas of Talania, especially in deep mountain complexes. Dwarves tend to be from 3.5 to 4.5 feet tall and the men are usually bearded. They are skilled weapon-smiths, and have a great love for forging the earth's minerals into all manner of objects. They have a bit of a dislike and distrust for humans, but among dragon slaves, the feelings are generally mutual. Dwarves are quite strong and resilient for their size, and their favorite weapon tends to be the warhammer.

LO -1
JO -1
Strength +1

PV +1

Endurance +1
Vision -2
Quiet Movement -1

Warhammer +2

Elves

As a race, elves generally avoid humans. They are generally between 4.5 and 5.5 feet tall, and are slight of build. They have sharp facial characteristics, including slanted eyes and pointed ears. Many elves are accomplished artists, musicians, or architects, and they all have an eye for beauty. Elves tend to live in secluded sylvan dwellings. Their reclusive settlements are some of the most architecturally astounding of any race. Generally, their weapon of choice is an elven bow.

Gentleness +1 Agility +3
Strength -3

PV -4

Quiet Movement +2

Bow +2

Gnomes

These little people (about 3 feet tall) generally like to live in burrows, which they dig in the sides of hills, or if necessary they bore straight down and then to the sides. Gnomes are very handy with their hands and minds and are usually good inventors. Because of their agility, they are generally skilled with most missile weapons, but most prefer the sling. Gnomes have very good vision, and can see well in the dark. Gnomes are also usually a bit cowardly, especially when facing giants or giant animals.

Agility +2
ST -1

PV -3

Courage -2
Vision +2

Any missile weapon +2

Races and Racism

Prejudice can exist between any two distinctive groups of people. Naturally, no fantasy race can simulate or directly correspond to any human race, but using non-human characters allows the Adventure Master the opportunity teach his players about the evils of racism. While human LightRaiders can have racial, cultural, physical, even linguistic, differences between them, the pronounced differences between elves and dwarves and how the characters react to each other can be used to stimulate discussion and possibly lead to serious personal assessment.

Possible uses of the racism issue between non-human races and Once Born and the TwiceBorn can include but are not limited to the following ideas:

1) LightRaiders might be under a subtle "sin enchantment" which denies, for instance, that dwarves have souls - or insist that elves smell funny and are thus "Dark Creatures" or "sub human".

2) Gnomes might face so much persecution from dragon slave humans that they distrust anyone over three feet high, and thus present a very difficult "rescue" challenge.

3) Naturally, dragons have an interest in keeping such racial tensions high - anything that hinders the spread of the OverLord's Truth or misdirects the energies of LightRaiders.

4) Many elves, dwarves, and gnomes live up to the stereotypes that others assign them. Most TwiceBorn elves and dwarves are not like the stereotype.

5) Once Born Dwarves exhibit skill with crafting and technology and tend towards putting their trust in technology over God.

6) Dwarves criticize elves for wasting all their time and effort on pleasure and useless art. Elves are thought to be lazy and don't pull their own weight. They are accused of having too many children and eat too much food.

7) Once Born Elves exhibit skill with art and music and poetry and tend towards ignoring the OverLord in pursuit of these pleasures.

8) Elves criticize dwarves for working too hard and having filthy habits. Dwarves also have more then their fair share of money and are always scheming how to get more.

9) Once Born Gnomes are consumed with a passion for knowledge. It is often difficult for TwiceBorn Gnomes to "let go of" their lust for knowledge. Even knowledge of the OverLord can become an idol if it only gratifies the flesh.

Races and Virtues

While non-human characters can be used to teach about racism, they can also be used to represent virtues:

1) Dwarves might represent the virtue of work. When a player is working with a dwarf to complete a task for the OverLord that involves hard labor, the dwarf's "virtue blessing" can reduce the difficulty level of the task by one, due to the dwarf's diligence.

2) Elves might represent the virtue of wisdom. An elf helping a LightRaider work through a time of tough decisions can increase his chance of making a wise choice by reducing the difficulty level of the Wisdom Success Check by one.

Other virtues can be applied to these or other fantasy folk.

Email me at: joerevesz@windstream.net