I just realised I’ve mentioned stuff about my races but haven’t actually said what I’ve done to them in concrete terms. So here are the mechanics of the five races:

Dwarves:

• +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha (same as standard Dwarves)
• Medium Size (standard)
• Slow and Steady: like standard Dwarves, these ones only have a speed of 20, but are unaffected by encumbrance.
• Darkvision 60 feet (standard)
• Deep Warrior: +2 Dodge AC vs Aberrations, +2 on CMB attempts to grapple Aberrations (this replaces the usual Dwarven training against giants, because I like the idea of my Dwarves digging Too Deep under their desert. You can swap this out for other similar abilities though, at my discretion.
• Greed: +2 on Appraise checks to price nonmagical goods containing metal or gems (just like standard dwarves)
• Emnity: +1 on attack rolls against Gnomes (this replaces the usual bonus against orcs and goblins, which don’t exist in this setting. Gnomes step on Dwarven toes all the time, though)
• Endurance: You get the Endurance feat for free (this replaces the usual Dwarven resistance to magic and poisons, since the ability to endure extreme temperatures makes sense in a desert. It also gives Dwarves easy access to the excellent Diehard feat)
• Stability: +4 to resist being bull rushed or tripped while standing on the ground (standard ability)
• Stonesinger: Treated as one level higher when casting Earth spells or spells gained from a bloodline/domain/mystery relating to Earth (replaces Stonecunning, the ability standard Dwarves have to easily notice unusual stonework)
• Weapon Familiarity: All Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, picks and warhammers, and treat Dwarven weapons as martial (standard)

Gnomes

• +2 Con, +2 Cha, -2 Str (standard)
• Small size (standard)
• 20 feet speed (standard)
• Low-Light Vision (standard)
• Pyromaniac: like Stonesinger, but applied to Fire magic. Furthermore, the extra level is applied to Alchemist bomb damage. Finally, Gnomes with a Charisma of 11 or higher can cast Dancing Lights, Flare, Prestidigitation and Produce Flame as spell-like abilities once each daily (this replaces the normal spell-like abilities Gnomes get as well as the Gnomish affinity for illusions)
• Master Tinker: +1 on Disable Device and Knowledge (Engineering) checks. Gnomes are also proficient in any weapon they, personally, have built (This replaces the defensive training and hatred traits of Gnomes that normally give them minor combat bonuses against certain enemies, such as Dwarves still have. To clarify on that last point, a Gnome Wizard who makes a magical longsword is proficient in THAT longsword, not all longswords)
• Keen Senses: +2 on Perception checks (standard ability)
• Obsessive: +2 on a single Craft or Profession skill of the player’s choice (standard ability)
• Weapon Familiarity: Gnomes treat any Gnomish weapon as martial (standard ability)

Halflings

• +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Str (standard)
• Small (standard)
• 20 Speed (standard)
• Wanderlust: +2 on Knowledge (Geography) and Survival checks, and are treated as one level higher when casting spells or using abilities that provide or enhance movement (this replaces the usual luck and resistance to fear of Halflings)
• Keen Senses: +2 Perception (standard)
• Outrider: +2 to Handle Animal and Ride checks (this represents those Halfling eagle-riders, replacing their usual bonus to acrobatics and climbing)
• Weapon Familiarity: All Halflings are proficient with slings and treat Halfling weapons as martial (standard ability)

Elves

• +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con (standard)
• Medium Size (standard, but bear in mind that Elves are the tallest of the common races and, unlike most settings, the height considered normal is closer to 3 or 4 feet)
• 30 Speed (again, this makes Elves the fastest of the common races under most circumstances)
• Low-Light Vision (standard)
• Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magical sleep effects and get a +2 bonus to resist enchantment (standard)
• Spirit of the Waters: All elves are proficient swimmers (+4 on Swim checks and the ability to Take 10 on them under any circumstances)
• Weapon Proficiencies: All Elves are proficient with longspears, tridents and nets (this replaces their usual proficiency with longswords, rapiers and shortbows). They are still proficient with Elven weapons of course.

Humans

• Humans are very different from their normal counterparts. Very different indeed. Their abilities vary widely, depending on what element they lean towards.
• Ability Scores: Earth: +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Cha; Fire: +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Wis; Air: +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con; Water: +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
• Size: All Medium
• Speed: All 30
• Spell-like Ability: All Humans have one spell they can cast as a Spell-like Ability once per day: Earth: Magic Stone; Fire: Burning Hands; Air: Feather Fall; Water: Hydraulic Push
• Elemental Resistance: All Humans have Resistance 5 to one type of energy damage: Earth: Acid; Fire: Fire; Air: Electricity; Water: Cold
• Elemental Affinity: Humans with domains (or similar features) corresponding to their element have +1 caster level

I’m not outright banning any classes, but there are a few restrictions I’m putting on. Mostly to do with spellcasting classes.

Most spellcasting classes have options to personalise that character’s magic. Wizards have school specialisations, Sorcerers have bloodlines, Clerics have domains and so on. Here I’ll be listing what class options I don’t want you to take, and in one or two cases mandatory tweaks.

General restriction: If you’re a primary caster (your main schtick is spellcasting), and you have a class option that intimately affects your spells and what spells you learn (Wizard schools, Sorcerer bloodlines, Cleric domains, Oracle mysteries, I think that’s it), you can only take options that relate to the elements, to nature, or to necromancy. Although you probably shouldn’t do necromancy. I’m including it because I have a personal liking for the undead, and if I didn’t have specialised necromancers I’d be hard-pressed to justify hordes of undead that you may or may not have to fight. If you’re curious about whether a particular option fits with that, ask me.

Wizards: Other than Necromancy, Wizards can’t take standard school specialisations. Instead, they can only take Elemental schools. In fact, you’re required to, no generalist Wizards.

Druids: You must be an Animal Shaman. An Animal Shaman is a type of Druid with an extremely strong affinity for a certain animal. A Bear Shaman, for example, can take on minor bear aspects, can shapeshift into a more powerful bear than a normal Druid (but won’t be as good at turning into other animals), and can summon bears a lot more easily and dangerously than other Druids. Any type of animal goes, but all Druids have this affinity. You don’t have to take an Animal Companion if you don’t want to, but your domain is still subject to the general limitation above.

Rangers: You have to take the Shapechanger archetype. Normally, Rangers are like Aragorn, prowling through the woods and slaying enemies with either two weapons at once or with archery. These rangers channel their inner animal and fight with tooth and nail, making them far more feral and animalistic than the typical Ranger.

Monks: As mentioned earlier, I’ll be using jiriku’s monk remix, which is a far more satisfying class than the default, horribly designed, monk.

Soulknives: No tweaks, other than that they exist.

Obviously, each race has its own element (with Humans being any).

But aside from that, each individual has an elemental leaning. Sure, it’s far more common for a Gnome to favour fire spells, and all Gnomes are good at them but an individual Gnome might lean towards Earth or even Water.

What does this mean?

Mostly, it’s cosmetic. A person whose element is Fire will have that show in all of their non-elemental spells (their Create Water spell isn’t about to make boiling water). Their Light spell will resemble a small (harmless) flame, their Colour Spray will look like brightly coloured flames, their healing spells might feel like a nice hot bath. This effect is purely cosmetic, independent of race and totally up to the player. I’m putting this in for flavour and also for an easy way to explain an Elven wizard who specialises in Earth magic.

This does not affect:

• What spells you can learn
• What kind of damage your spells do
• The appearance of spells that already have an element
• Your personality
• Your appearance

It’s just what your normal spells look like, and a little bit of flavour. It may be important within the game in that people will draw conclusions about you based on your element, and for RP purposes you probably should pick an element that coincides with the spells you learn. You don’t have to pick spells that correlate with your element, but most people you see probably will.

There are five races: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling. All straightforward, except not really. Each one of these races is different from the norm. For starters, all have an inherent elemental bent. Characters of that race tend to be better with that element (not necessarily magically) than characters of other races. 

Dwarves: Earth element, dwarves are simply better at Earth magic than other races. Theirs is the central nation, they live in what is effectively Egypt geographically, although not culturally. Quiet and reserved, they live mostly under the sands, although they are also skilled mounted warriors and many are seen riding camels. They are on good terms with Elves, with whom they trade on their nile-equivalent (bear with me, names are what I find hardest when worldbuilding). They see more Humans than other races do, though still not many, and are amiable with Halflings. Their cities are the most cosmopolitan, with a mix of other races in there. They hate Gnomes, due to frequent border clashes and wars.

Gnomes: Fire element, Gnomes are more skilled at Fire magic than other races. Hot-headed, impulsive and downright scary, Gnomes make their cities in volcanic mountain ranges, although they are spread fairly wide. Nobody likes Gnomes generally, and although they can be nasty there are plenty of exceptions to that rule. They can be extremely charming when they want to be, and some Dwarf cities even have a Gnome quarter that tends to mind its own business (since it’s Dwarves we’re talking about though, they are barely tolerated). Skilled engineers, mechanics and alchemists, Gnomes who don’t like their country’s politics can often make a decent living among other races, once they prove themselves trustworthy (not the easiest thing to do). Gnomes are very small, coming up to a Human’s hip, with eerily large eyes and wild, bright hair.

Halflings: Air element, Halflings are skilled at any magic that involves movement. Flight spells, spells for increasing speed, teleportation. They tend to be nomadic, although some make settlements in high places such as mountaintops (sometimes leading to conflict with the local Gnomes), and the sight of a Halfling flying in the air isn’t terribly uncommon. Some tame and ride giant fliers (often eagles), some use dirigibles built by friendly gnomes, some simply fly around under their own magical power. Halfling sailors are a common sight as well, using their magic to good effect there in other ways. Most common, though, are the Halfling nomads, wandering from place to place for no reason other than that they love to be on the move. This lifestyle and skillset naturally lends itself to careers as messengers and couriers; if you want to get somewhere or transport something, large or small, it will likely be done by a Halfling. Small, agile and light, Halflings averaging only a few inches taller than Gnomes. They have good relations with most other races (except Gnomes), and a good reputation for trustworthiness.

Elves: Water element, Elves are less elemental magically than the other races, though they still make excellent Wizards. Elves aren’t any better at Water magic than anyone else. They are, however, far more at home at sea than any other race; any given Elf can swim better than almost any non-Elf (except those Humans with an affinity for water), and even the Wizards are competent fighters with long spears, tridents and nets. They live on islands and floating towns off the coast, as well as some going up and down the nile-equivalent on boats for a living. They have good trade relations with Dwarves, often acting as go-betweens for other Dwarves, ferrying cargo up and down the river. Relations with Halflings are fairly good, often the only other sailors they see, although due to the size difference mixed crews rarely work out well. Elves and Gnomes have very little interaction, and most of what Elves feel about Gnomes is taken from the stories told by Halflings and Dwarves, both of whom hate Gnomes. Elves are the tallest of the common races, averaging human height, with slight, agile builds. In some ways they resemble overgrown Halflings, who share their pointed ears and have similar builds in miniature.

Humans: Normally, in a D&D campaign, Humans are the default race, the standard against which all other races are measured. Elves have +2 intelligence, +2 dexterity and -2 constitution? That means the average Elf is smarter, more agile and more fragile than the average Human. This isn’t the case here. There is no default race. Humans are rare, but not unheard of - everyone knows what a Human is, really, they’re tall people who can have any element in the blood. In fact, I’m not using the default Human at all. I’m representing the Human race with four races called Planetouched: normally, these are Humans with some sort of elemental ancestry, perhaps some kind of genie. They are deviations from the norm. Here, they are the norm, all four of them. Humans can be Earth, Fire, Air or Water (scroll to the bottom for racial features). As mentioned earlier, Humans are not the most common race. They’re found everywhere, in small numbers and scattered tribes. Individual Humans have different relations with other races, they are not a cohesive group. As they often live alone, Human Rangers, Druids and Witches are not uncommon.

I may do more detailed writeups of each race later, dealing with them individually

I suppose I might as well make a post dealing with the three classes I’ve yet to mention: Fighters, Rogues and Cavaliers. There’s really not much to say here, though. They don’t use magic, they use their intense training. I’m not really changing anything that requires any tweaks to these characters, so there’s no reason to do a writeup on each. The only reason the last three classes aren’t in the same category is because they end up with blatantly supernatural abilities. These ones don’t, but don’t disregard them. All three are experts at what they do and, unlike many other classes, can function all day long at peak efficiency.

As alluded to in my last post, every individual has magical power within. Sometimes this manifests explicitly as spellcasting. It’s something most classes can do to some extent or other. Three of the classes I’m going to describe here use their inner power to fuel their abilities in nonmagical ways, by channelling it completely inwards and controlling their emotional state in different ways.

Monk: Obviously, monks are all about self-control and achieving things physically impossible through intense emotional training. They achieve perfect inner balance, manifesting it outwards in extraordinary feats. At higher levels, this actually does manifest in ways that can only be described as magical. Kung-fu teleportation? Fuck yes. As a side-note, I will not be using the standard monk from the books, because (frankly) it sucks. I’ll be using a homebrew version that retains the feel of the original but actually does what it’s meant to do effectively. It can be found here.

Barbarians: Barbarians are another class that traditionally fights with its emotions. Normally this would be completely nonmagical and pure Charles Atlas, but Pathfinder has options for Barbarians that channel the energy of totems or the raw fury of the elements, options that I’m going to include here. What I’d like to stress about these Barbarians, though, is that they are not primitive savages who fly into a rage at a moment’s notice. My Barbarians are masters of self-control, taking every emotion and hiding it behind a stoic facade, allowing it to build up until they choose to release it in a fearsome display of rage, all the more terrifying in contrast to their usual calm exterior.

Soulknives: A class I’ve always been partial to from my early days of D&D, Soulknives fight with weapons forged of pure thought. While normally they exist under the Psionic rules (hated by many), they are actually perfectly usable without invoking a weird second kind of magic called psionics that’s just like magic but isn’t, truly, I swear. A weapon made of pure energy, powered by the focus of the wielder, that can very easily be magical. And so it is. They have no spells, so they are not true spellcasters, but they do have their mind blade, and can do amazing things with it. They fit under my category of emotional classes because, in terms of training, they are very similar to monks, don’t you think? They can be found here.