Races of Equestria Expansion

Hey everyone, here's the nearly-final Races of Equestria expansion. I'd like to hear your comments on the contents. I'm going to add in lore about the Races of course and some additional design notes. maybe some images too. But regardless, here's what I'm feeling for the mechanics.

It's also perfectly possible I credited some of the wrong people, so let me know if I slipped up.

Either way, I'm pretty excited about these new races.

Races of Equestria - Nearly Final

Heart of Courage
Buffalo gain a +5 bonus when attempting a skill check that has a DC of 30 or higher.[*]

You've got an asterisk here, but no accompanying comment note.

Tribal Tattoos
Zebras have a Cutie Mark, and do not gain a 3rd trained skill like other non-pony races.

Font is incorrect on this one. You used Arial 11.5, instead of Calibri (Body) 11. Also, I haven't seen a note regarding non-pony races getting a third trained skill anywhere. So, for clarification, is it that the race either has a third trained skill, or a cutie mark?

Videocrazy wrote:
You've got an asterisk here, but no accompanying comment note.

Odd. I even remember what I wrote for that. Thanks, I'll fix it.

Videocrazy wrote:
Font is incorrect on this one. You used Arial 11.5, instead of Calibri (Body) 11. Also, I haven't seen a note regarding non-pony races getting a third trained skill anywhere. So, for clarification, is it that the race either has a third trained skill, or a cutie mark?

Thanks again, and yes - it is written in the player's handbook that non-pony races have that swap. I definitely should include the information in the Races of Equestria expansion.

My original intention was that zebras get the third training AND the cutie mark bonus.

Minotaur fluff text:

"These hooved, half-bull, half-macho creatures may look like monsters, but don't call them that, unless you want to visit your local dentist. They're large and in charge!"

Oh boy! Six new races! Coupled with the other five, that makes 11...

...and I'm planning on making six characters of every race for my Plethora of Pony PCs...

66 unique character concepts? I might have to hire an intern.

But still, choice is good! Choice is very good! I'm always a fan of character customization options, and races are a personal favorite of mine.

Griffon fluff-text:

"Half lion, half eagle, Griffons are a boisterous bunch. They tend to claim superiority, and with the ability of flight and razor-sharp talons, they may very well be able to back up that claim."

I put some fluff in my original post. As for Baby Dragons....

Dragons are some of the harshest creatures the world has ever known, both physically and mentally. It's amazing that they start out in eggs so small and helpless, and even more astounding how easy it is to tell a prospective mother that you'll care for the egg while she lives her life. Perhaps this is why Princess Celestia has arranged for a number of magical prodigies to raise eggs, as a long term gambit to make dragons more sociable... or perhaps she just likes to put dangerous firebreathers into the hooves of panicked young foals.

Horsepower
Hippogriffs receive training in only two skills, but gain a cutie mark.

^ Does this mean that Ponies get more than two trained skills?

Oops, missed the part about non-ponies getting 3 trained skills.

Masterweaver wrote:My original intention was that zebras get the third training AND the cutie mark bonus.

That might be a bit overpowered...

---

The second sentence in the second paragraph in Changeling's Trickery appears to have a typo ("the DC to recognize the form is a deception is 40").

In Cunning Disguise (and anywhere really), do you round up or down when adding half of an odd skill to something?

Other than that, looks good! Do we want more ideas for race-specific utility talents (like for zebras), or should we all put our thinking caps on and come up with more everypony talents?

Hey-o. I'm here with the rest of the fluff text that Dan asked me to think up. Here goes.

Baby Dragons: "Native to the southeast of Equestria, baby dragons stand no taller than a young foal! But be warned; with their thick scales and fiery breath, dragons are always a force to be reckoned with."

Donkey: "Similar to ponies in many ways, donkeys are more than meets the eye. Once they set their minds onto something, they won't rest until it's done, even if it takes a lifetime!"

Buffalo: "Tall, strong, and imposing, a buffalo's shadow looms over nearly any that stand before it. Don't be fooled, however, as you will never find a truer friend than a native of southern Equestria."

Hippogriff: "These eagle-pony hybrids live in a society ruled by honor; double-cross a hippogriff, and you'll be sure to pay. Gaining their trust, however, will net you a friend for life."

Zebra: "The number of zebra, as you may know, has slowly but surely begun to grow. In Equestria, they seek to live, and to the country, their talents give. Accepting of them, you must be, for they are just like you and me."

Changeling: "Changelings are nasty creatures, indeed. Very rarely will you see the insect-like true body of a changeling, as they can disguise themselves any way they please. However, not all of them are as evil as they say, who knows, you may have already met one..."

There ya go, then. EDIT: Yes, I totally just made an account to post something here that Dan asked me to do.

....wow. I feel insulted that nopony even looked at the fluff I originally made for these guys.

Masterweaver wrote:....wow. I feel insulted that nopony even looked at the fluff I originally made for these guys.

I had no idea that you had done so. The ones I made aren't final, it's up to whoever finalizes it to decide which ones to use. Sorry, I guess?

It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm just... yeah, just being a whiner.

If everypony else is like me then they've been trained to ignore fluff by all the rpg rulebooks they've read (especially the D&D ones where often the fluff has absolutely nothing to do with the thing it's for).

Ramsus wrote:If everypony else is like me then they've been trained to ignore fluff by all the rpg rulebooks they've read (especially the D&D ones where often the fluff has absolutely nothing to do with the thing it's for).

Considering that my actual roleplaying schedule can be more or less accurately kept by blue moons, the fluff is what I tend to focus on. I've happily spent many an hour reading through the monster descriptions in D&D and Pathfinder.

That said, I'm interested in your fluff, Masterweaver, I just didn't know it existed either... and now that I look for it, I can't find it. I'd be more than happy to read it if you could provide a link.

MW, a few of those have flavor that's rather setting specific. That kind of thing is fine in a setting book but, in a core book the descriptions should be more just about the qualities of the race itself. Or at least that's my view anyway.

Philadelphus wrote:

Masterweaver wrote:My original intention was that zebras get the third training AND the cutie mark bonus.

That might be a bit overpowered...

---

The second sentence in the second paragraph in Changeling's Trickery appears to have a typo ("the DC to recognize the form is a deception is 40").

In Cunning Disguise (and anywhere really), do you round up or down when adding half of an odd skill to something?

Other than that, looks good! Do we want more ideas for race-specific utility talents (like for zebras), or should we all put our thinking caps on and come up with more everypony talents?

Round down always, unless otherwise specified. (I'm running with the DnD rule here, feel free to correct me if it has been officially stated otherwise)

Masterweaver wrote:It's right in the first post...

Oh, right, that. I thought you were talking about some sort of fluff-specific thread or something. My bad.

I have to agree with Ramsus here, though. While your fluff is rather good for a particular campaign setting, it would need to be more generalized for the more "open-setting" nature of the system. A few edits here or there would fix that nicely, though.

But while we're on the topic, do we want a thread specifically for fluff? Because Lyra knows it would be handy to have all that stuff in one place.

Jason Shadow wrote:

Masterweaver wrote:It's right in the first post...

Oh, right, that. I thought you were talking about some sort of fluff-specific thread or something. My bad.

I have to agree with Ramsus here, though. While your fluff is rather good for a particular campaign setting, it would need to be more generalized for the more "open-setting" nature of the system. A few edits here or there would fix that nicely, though.

But while we're on the topic, do we want a thread specifically for fluff? Because Lyra knows it would be handy to have all that stuff in one place.

Cool, that should definitely be made.

WHOOT! ZEBRAS!

They definitely still need something more, but I'm glad they've made it into the latest expansion draft. I still think Masterweaver's "Dangerous Domain" ability could work for them, as it feels like a Zebra making the best out of what they have at hand, living in more dangerous territory - like the Everfree Forest - and still thriving on crit fails.

Otherwise, I'm going to have to think about that Alchemy table a bit more...

XandZero2 wrote:WHOOT! ZEBRAS!

They definitely still need something more, but I'm glad they've made it into the latest expansion draft. I still think Masterweaver's "Dangerous Domain" ability could work for them, as it feels like a Zebra making the best out of what they have at hand, living in more dangerous territory - like the Everfree Forest - and still thriving on crit fails.

Otherwise, I'm going to have to think about that Alchemy table a bit more...

I'm planning to use Alchemy as an Everypony talent. I'm not a fan of Dangerous Domain, since it's not very flavorful with Zebras. A pretty hefty stretch. Also both not that exciting and makes Derp way too broken. If we power up the Zebra, we could make the rhyming ability better or something similar.

Hey, as a completely not self-centered idea at all...since the main book has a pic of the first game's party I don't suppose this race book could have the main pic be replaced with maybe a party portrait of the Hooved Adventurer's campaign? (What, we deserve our shot at lasting infamy too don't we? =P )