SURFACE RACES

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Centaur     :95:80:90:75:90|++: -:**:--

   Centaurs represent an ancient, magical - possibly fey - cross between elven

or human stock and various equines.  They come in various sizes and shapes;

their equine lower bodies can be slender and deer-like, or, more commonly,

horse or zebra-like.  They are man-shaped above the waist, but their color here

is no more uniform than below, varying from the palest colors to deep brown.

   Centaurs seem to have inherited both a tendency to be herbivorous (though

at need they can eat meat) and a generally moral nature from their parent

races.  Though there are exceptions, most centaurs find themselves far more

attuned to their surroundings than men, and certainly more so than the dark

races.  It is therefore quite unsurprising that they seem especially suited to

professions such as rangers and druids.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Dwarf       :90:85:85:80:90|++: -:--:   

   Dwarves are relatively short, stocky, and powerfully-built creatures.  Long-lived and extremely sturdy, they are as well-known for their hardiness as for their cantankerous personalities.  Their thick, stout frames lend them poor dexterity, but high strength and stamina.  Some of the most renowned warriors and paladins have been dwarven; their inherent stubbornness allows even those with a less martial bent to go berserk.

   Dwarves average just under four feet in height, with thick, fur-covered

torsos and limbs and generally dusky complexions.  Male and female dwarves

alike proudly wear and take pride in their beards.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Gnome       :80:95:85:85:85| -: +: -: + 

   Gnomes, distant relatives of dwarves, are one of the most diminutive races

found on the Surface, smaller even than hobbits.  The most distinctive feature

of a gnome is his enormous nose; the size of a gnome's nose is a matter of

status among his fellows, and one is proud to boast of having the largest.

Gnomes tend to have brownish skin and pale hair, though this can vary; their

eyes may be any hue.

   Gnomes have fairly strong racial ties to nature and tend to live in rural or

woodland communities when among their own people, though some groups, clearly

closer to their dwarven cousins, eschew the woods in favor of caves.  Those

gnomes who leave their settlements to adventure often follow the path of the

ranger, drawn to explore the wild places of the world.

   Unlike dwarves, gnomes are a fairly magical race, almost as imbued with

mystical power as high-elves.  They are more specialized, however, than the

elves, concentrating on the illusory arts of the shadowmage.  As with most

races, they also have clerics who can wield holy magics granted by the Gods.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Half-Elf    :85:90:85:90:85|  : +: +: - 

   The half-elves are an oft-hated race by their mother races, the elves and

the humans.  Though humans tolerate the half-elves more than elves, they are

considered outcasts to the realms, bastards at best and half-men at worst.

Half-elves resemble elves more than humans, with delicate features and

distinctly elven eyes and ears.  They also, however, have much that comes from

their human heritage, and are often better built and stockier than elves, and

occasionally have facial hair.

   Though there may be a few exceptions, half-elves seem to have inherited a

moral nature and a longer life span than humans as well as other qualities

generally associated with the elven race.  They are more in harmony with the

land they live on than most men, making them adept rangers and druids, while

their dexterity allows others to follow the path of the cutpurse.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Half-Giant  :**:75:70:85:95|**://: +:-- 

   Half-giants, as the name suggests, are the result of breeding between humans

and the giant races, and combine the varied coloring of humans with the sheer

size and ferocity of true giants.  These brutes are the tallest and most

muscular of all the Surface races, exhibiting astounding strength and

endurance, but their mental gifts are far more limited; half-giants are slow of

wit and low in finesse, preferring violent action to negotiation or thought.

Half-giants are found in a variety of climates, but chiefly in the hot deserts

of the west, near the great city of Teron.

   Due to their considerable physical prowess and lack of mental talent, it

should not be surprising that almost all half-giants follow the path of arms,

becoming warriors or barbarians.  Half-giants are the most restricted in class

options of all the Surface races, but make up for it by being devastating

fighters.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

High Elf    :80:95:85:95:80|--:++:  :-- 

   High elves are among the oldest of the races of the Surface, with a long and

rich history and culture, although their numbers, power, and influence have

been in decline in recent centuries with the rise of humankind on the Surface.

Physically, high elves tend to be more slender than humans, with characteristic

pointed ears and slightly slanted eyes.  They are usually more dextrous, but

somewhat lacking in strength and toughness compared to humankind.  They are

mostly pale of skin but have a variety of hair and eye colors.

   Mentally, high elves are highly gifted.  Most high elves are keenly

intelligent, and the greatest among them easily transcend any human in

intellectual capacity.  High elves were the teachers and mentors of the high

men, the first forebears of humans, and to a lesser extent of some of the

common human strains.  They maintain a usually close relationship with dwarves,

although not without occasional disagreement or conflict, and similarly with

their wood elf cousins; although certain high elves may sneer at the wood

elves' comparative lack of culture, overall their two kindreds are close

allies, especially in view of the ongoing threat from the third elven kindred,

the drow of the Underdark.  High elves have their share of bigots just as any

other race, but overall tend to be the most cosmopolitan of the elven kindreds,

equally at home in the forests beloved by their wood elven kin, or in cities,

whether of their own building or that of their dwarf and high man allies.

   High elves are among the most magical of the Surface races, outclassed in

the sorcerous arts only by sprites.  High elves make talented mages and

clerics, and occasionally also druids - though not as frequently as their wood

elf kin - and have some more limited talent in the illusory magics of the

shadowmage profession.  Despite their comparatively low strength and

constitution, their high dexterity enables them to develop some talent as

warriors, at least with ranged weapons and certain melee weapons - their

general preferences are for swords and spears rather than the less elegant

bludgeoning weapons.  Occasionally, as with wood elves or half-elves, a high

elf may be drawn to the thieving arts; such folk are usually renegades or

outcasts, unwelcome in high elven society.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

High Man    :90:85:95:80:85| +:  :--: - 

   High men are the elder race of humans, precursors to the common mass of

humanity that covers much of the Surface world today.  Once masters of a mighty civilization and close allies to the elven and dwarven kindreds, today high men are a race in retreat, their culture a shadow of its former greatness and their numbers steadily dwindling as common humans spread and intermarriage blurs the old racial divisions.

   Physically, high men tend to be slightly taller and more muscular than

common humans, this physique yielding them notable strength and endurance at

the cost of slightly reduced agility.  In coloring, high men generally have

light skin and dark hair, though intermarriage with both the newer humans and

the elf races can vary this.  Culturally, high men have a strong affinity

toward good, probably to some extent a product of elven influence on the early

years of their development, and are quite magic-oriented.  The noble paladins,

so rare among other races, are more numerous among this people than any other.

High man culture holds little room for stealth or duplicity, and none at all

for evil, leaving the classes of shadowmage, thief, and antipaladin forbidden,

though some of the most terrible inquisitors known have been fallen high man

paladins.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Hobbit      :75:85:90:**:90|--: -:--:++ 

   Hobbits are a wee folk, only ranging between three and four feet in stature.

Their hair tends to be curly, with the same colors found among humans.  In

fact, excepting their feet, hobbits are quite similar in appearance to humans,

just on a smaller scale.  On the top of each foot grows a curly mass of hair,

and no hobbit will wear shoes or boots of any kind, instead ornamenting their

toes with a variety of rings.  Fortunately, they have developed extraordinarily

tough feet and can walk over rocky ground with ease.

   Hobbits are a friendly and easygoing people, valuing good conversation

second only to a good meal.  As a result, most hobbits have a bit of a pot

belly, but their society as a whole feels a round belly is a mark of dignity.

They are very friendly and tend to be very helpful, and can almost always be

found wearing a smile.  They are usually wary of strangers at first, but once

they relax they will happily chat for hours.  There is little or no magic about

them, except whatever enchantment helps them to disappear quietly and quickly

in the woods, utilizing an innate affinity for both nature and the earth.  

As a result, they choose to live in happy valleys and rolling hillsides, away from the bustle of a big city, making comfortable homes out of cozy burrows in the earth.  While adventurers among their kind are rare, hobbits are a very strong-willed people, who, when forced to fight, can do so with surprising intensity and vigor.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Human       :90:90:90:90:90|  :  :  :   

   Humans are by far the most populous race in all the Surface realms.  They

are versatile, hard-working creatures who excel at just about any task they put

their hand to.  Humans are also a diverse race, encompassing a greater variety

of sizes, shapes and colors than most other races.  Most are omnivorous, but

some are herbivores by choice.  The latter points to the many different beliefs

of humans - they have the potential to do enormous good or vilest evil.  They

do, however, have a choice - they are not inherently driven by base desires or

instincts.

   As a race, humans are clever and can easily adapt to just about any

environment.  They are also good students, able to develop a multitude of

useful skills.  As a result, humans can choose just about any profession.

   Some of the largest and most prominent cities and nations of the Surface

world are inhabited solely or mainly by humans, and many other nations include

at least some human component.  This is not to say that humans dominate the

Surface - certainly not in the way that the drow dominate the Underdark - but,

united, they can exert considerable influence on events of the world.  Sadly,

the human species is rarely united: rivalries and even open conflicts between

tribes, nations, or cities are more widespread among them than among many other

Surface races such as dwarves or elves.

   Humans may occasionally be found also as slaves in the Underdark, captured

by drow on their infrequent raids against the Surface world.  This is uncommon,

since humans are not preferred as slaves by the dark elves due to their

comparatively short lifespans, and do not have the history of conflict with the

drow that the dwarves and Surface elves do.  Those humans who do exist as

slaves in Aluhryn or other cities of the Underdark have had their spirits

thoroughly broken and cannot be played as player characters.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Lizard-Man  :90:80:85:90:90| +: -:  : - 

   Whether lizard-men are a naturally evolved race of intelligent lizards or

the result of a mad god's experiment is unclear.  What is clear is that these

bipedal lizards have entrenched themselves deeply in the ecology of the

Surface, carving out niches in swamps, jungles, and other wetlands.  Lizard-men

are possessed of both fearful strength and frightening speed, making them

efficient and skillful warriors and thieves.  They lack the refined

intelligence required to work intricate magic, but do have a certain affinity

for their gods, allowing them to employ clerical prayers with some degree of

effectiveness.

   Lizard-men average about six feet in height.  Their head, backs, and limbs

are covered with fine scales approximately a quarter inch across.  These are

tough and help protect them from attack.  Coloration of the scales varies

greatly - varieties include dusty brown, yellowish green, olive green, and

forest green.

   A lizard-man's chest and stomach is fleshy, not scaled, and is generally a

slightly lighter shade than the rest of his body.  Their heads are flat and

contain thick eye ridges to help protect their highly sensitive eyes, which

have a second set of translucent eyelids to protect their vision in bright

light.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Minotaur    :95:80:75:80:90| +: -: +:// 

   Minotaurs are a bestial race of half-human, half-bull appearance.  Their

heads are bovine, with powerful goring horns, while their bodies appear human,

though more powerfully muscled than most humans and covered in coarse hair,

usually dark-colored.  Minotaurs are found in a variety of environments and

climates.  Tales abound of minotaurs inhabiting strange subterranean

labyrinths.

   Minotaurs are very strong and tough, but a little clumsy.  Their mental

capabilities are less impressive; they are generally known as among the least

wise and intelligent of the races, though due to their physical prowess few

would say so to a minotaur's face.  However, their senses are surprisingly

sharp: hearing, smell, and above all, sight.  Minotaurs can see further, and

with greater accuracy, even than elves, although they lack the elven ability to

see into the infrared spectrum.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Mul         :90:85:80:85:90| +:  :--: 

   Muls are the result of the coupling of a dwarf and human.  Muls have existed

since their two parent races first came into contact with each other, but have

never been common.  They tend to stand as tall as their human parent, but

retain the build and proportions of a dwarf, weighing an average of three

hundred pounds, all muscle.  Due to the limited compatibility between the two

races, all muls are hairless and genderless.

   The personalities of most muls usually reflect their dwarvish parent.  They

tend to live apart from their progenitors because of the inherent biases most

races have against their half-breed nature.  Muls have, over the time of their

self-imposed exiles, become gruff and tend toward violent reactions, living out

their lives in hatred and spite.  One of the major inheritances from their

dwarven heritage is that they are tenacious fighters with stamina for battle

matching that of a dwarf on occasion.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Sahuagin    :90:80:80:85:90| +:--:  : 

   The sahuagin are a brutal race of predatory fish-men.  These ruthless beings

dwell in intricate caves in the sides of large crevasses in the floor of the

Dragon Sea.  Sahuagin raid villages on shore and ships at sea for food and

supplies.  They kill for fun and eat anything they can take down.  Sahuagin

males have been known to eat their own young as hatchlings due to deformity or

other ailment.

   Sahuagin typically have deep green or blue scales and black fins.  They have

large, lidless, yellow or red eyes and webbed fingers and toes that end in

vicious claws.  There is little way for an outsider to discern the sex of a

sahuagin, though females tend to be slightly smaller.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Satyr       :85:80:**:95:90|  :  : +: 

   Satyrs are a race of half-man, half-goat bipeds.  Carefree, fun-loving

children of nature, satyrs' heads, torso, and arms are human, while they have

the hind legs of a goat.  Their heads are adorned by a pair of short, sharp

horns poking through their thick hair.  Satyrs' skin tone ranges from nut-brown

to fair to bright red; their hair and furred legs range from deep brown to red.

Their hooves and horns are typically black.  Satyrs are exclusively male, and

most wear beards.

   Bands of satyrs frolic in the forests, frequently playing flutes and dancing

joyously.  These happy creatures are known to have a good relationship with

their centaur cousins.  They also spend a lot of time chasing comely dryads and

wood nymphs.  Satyrs are the epitome of nature's carefree ways.

   Satyrs' empathy with nature makes them among the wisest of the races.  They

are also very graceful and agile, and able to strike their opponents with

uncanny speed, whether with fist, weapon, or hoof.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Sprite      :75:**:90:**:75|//:++: +: 

   Sprites are the smallest and weakest of all the Surface races, but the most

mentally and magically gifted, outclassing even the high elves.  More than any

other race, they truly deserve the label of faerie that the drow of the

Underdark use as a generalization for all Surface races, being no more than a

foot in height with gossamer wings protruding from their backs.  Sprites are

usually pale of skin - though not always - and can have just about any hair and

eye color imaginable.

   Sprites are not a numerous species, due to both a low birth rate and their

physical frailty.  The only region in the Surface world where they are found in

great number is the Faerie Kingdom.  However, many sprites are possessed of a

powerful curiosity and wanderlust, and thus leave Faerie to travel the world.

Sprites are poor physical fighters, being too weak of musculature to deal out

much damage to an enemy and lacking the endurance to take much damage in

return, but their excellent dexterity - matched on the Surface only by

hobbits - together with their wings give them a heightened ability to dodge

enemy blows.  All sprites are expert fliers and indeed will more often fly than

walk, especially outside of Faerie, as most outland structures are made for

much larger creatures.

   Sprites are renowned as the most intelligent and intellectual of all the

races, Surface and Underdark alike.  No other race matches their intellectual

accomplishments, though the high elves and gnomes of the Surface and the drow

of the Underdark all share second place.  This long-lived people also tend to

demonstrate the wisdom that comes with great age and experience, unlike the

more impetuous elves.  Sprites are an inherently magical race and almost all

sprites have at least some spell-casting aptitude.  They are usually inclined

toward good, although neutral and even rare evil sprites are also known.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Triton      :90:85:85:80:85|  : +:--:-- 

   Tritons are merfolk, denizens of the seas, but able to venture forth upon

land at need.  They are a proud, prickly, easily-offended people, but for all

that, are generally aligned toward the powers of good, and are staunch foes of

the vile sahuagin.  Neutral and evil tritons are known, but comparatively rare,

and usually exiled from triton society upon discovery.

   Physically, tritons are of similar height to humans and elves, but very

different in anatomy and coloring, as one might expect from a race that spends

much of its time in the oceans.  They are bipedal like humans, but both legs

are finned to aid in their swimming, and scaled, usually in a silver or blue

shade, occasionally green.  Above the waist, tritons more closely resemble

well-muscled humans, often with long hair and elaborately curled beards.

   Tritons' superior musculature enables them to do well as warriors.  They are

also more magically gifted than many of the other, more exotic races, and can

become powerful mages.  The most wise and devout of goodly tritons may find

great power as pious clerics or noble paladins.

Race         St:Iq:Ws:Dx:Co|Hp:Ma:Mv:Xp

Wood Elf    :90:80:85:90:85| -: +: +:-- 

   Tritons are merfolk, denizens of the seas, but able to venture forth upon

land at need.  They are a proud, prickly, easily-offended people, but for all

that, are generally aligned toward the powers of good, and are staunch foes of

the vile sahuagin.  Neutral and evil tritons are known, but comparatively rare,

and usually exiled from triton society upon discovery.

   Physically, tritons are of similar height to humans and elves, but very

different in anatomy and coloring, as one might expect from a race that spends

much of its time in the oceans.  They are bipedal like humans, but both legs

are finned to aid in their swimming, and scaled, usually in a silver or blue

shade, occasionally green.  Above the waist, tritons more closely resemble

well-muscled humans, often with long hair and elaborately curled beards.

   Tritons' superior musculature enables them to do well as warriors.  They are

also more magically gifted than many of the other, more exotic races, and can

become powerful mages.  The most wise and devout of goodly tritons may find

great power as pious clerics or noble paladins.