The Races

Diverse and exotic humanoid races are an essential element of fantasy. In Knight Realms, there are over twenty different races to choose from, with many exotic options for those who want to embellish their characters or just want an additional role-playing challenge. Each race has its own distinct racial qualities, including benefits, detriments, and role-playing and make-up requirements.

Each of the character races is described in the following sections. The races are defined on several different levels, including available starting professions, role-playing requirements, and racial qualities.

Humans are the most common and most versatile of the races.

Elves are an ancient, noble, and mystical race.

Dwarves are a stout and powerful people.

Hobbits don't really fit into any other category. They are a short, stout, and decent folk.

Katta are a race descended of ancient cats.

Goblinoids are not as bad as they sound, and can often be well regarded by other races.

Faerie Kin are creatures of nature, inhabitants of the forests and streams.

Racials

Racials is a term used to refer to the information about the races.  This information includes the additional benefits and detriments a character receives for playing a particular race.  These include makeup and costuming requirements, role-playing requirements, and additional skills or special knowledge the character receives for playing that race.

Restricted Races

For some races, there are limits to the number of players that can be playing them as PCs at any given time. This number is a percentage of the total number of players playing the game. For instance, because Dark Elves are a subterranean species and should be very uncommon on the surface, their numbers will be limited to about 5% of the total number of players. The exact list and limits of restricted races is not indicated in this rulebook, as changes in the game world may lead to changes in the relative populations of the races.

The availability of restricted races is on a first come, first serve basis. If a particular race is at its quota, any additional players wanting to play that race will be placed on a waiting list for the first available slot. A player who greatly increases the quality of the game, including the use of exceptional costuming and role-playing, may be allowed to play a race that is currently filled at the Director’s discretion.

Process for applying:

1) Send an e-mail to the Director and Atmosphere Officer. You will not receive an immediate reply to this.
In that e-mail include the following:
- Your name and the restricted race you want to play.
- A one page character history for that character should you be approved. Please note, one page only.
- A written description of your planned costume/make-up. Pictures will help ONLY if you already have the costuming. We strongly encourage you not to spend money on costuming for a character that you may never be approved to play.
- A written description of your intended role-play
- A last statement explaining why you believe that you will add to the overall atmosphere of the game by playing that race. 

2) Wait. You could wait one day, or much longer. In instances of a long wait, patience may someday prevail. We will store all the information you have sent us and consider your request. We will place you on a list for that restricted race. How high or low you are placed on that list could depend not only on when you placed your request, but could be effected by a number of other factors too numerous and vast to list.  As we decide that vacant slots are open, we will consider those at the very top of the list first and than work our way down.

If we do not send you a response in two weeks, you can send a follow up e-mail asking us about the status of your request. After that you may only send follow-up e-mails every three months thereafter. After the first three months, if you have not been approved, you may include a request to know the reason why not, so that you can be given a chance to attempt to make adjustments to increase your chances.  If after a year your request is still not approved, it is recommended you send in a brand new proposal and start the process over if you so wish.  The Director retains the right to approve or disapprove any request at any time and for any reason. 

Half-Breeds

Any race is capable of breeding with another race. However, the children of cross-breeding are always entirely one or the other of the parents’ races. The race of all children need not be consistent, but each of them must be one race only.

Language

All races possess unique spoken languages or dialects. A character begins play with the ability to speak her race’s native language in addition to Kormyrian – if the player so chooses; a player may opt to begin her character without the knowledge of Kormyrian and can decide that she has learned it at any time.

The skill Literacy will allow a character to write in Kormyrian, The Literacy: Other skill denotes a language that has a written as well as oral form, and a character can only write in that language if she possesses the appropriate skill.

For example, a barbarian can speak Kormyrian and Barbarian at character creation. If she learns the skill Literacy, she can write in Kormyrian. Because there is no Literacy: Barbarian skill, there is no written barbarian language. By contrast, a Bedouin can speak Kormyrian and Bedouin at character creation, and can learn Literacy to write in Kormyrian and Literacy: Bedouin to write in Bedouin, as well.

Lore

Each race is the subject of a Lore skill, which provides the character with knowledge of the race’s culture, history, customs, and etiquette. All characters are assumed to possess the equivalent of the Lore skill of their own races, and can utilize this knowledge in the same manner that a Lore skill can be used.

Starting Professions

Each character race has a list of professions that are available to the race as the first profession that can be acquired – either at character creation or learned, if the character begins without a profession. If a certain profession is not listed under a race’s available starting professions, a character of that race cannot choose to begin play with that profession. All other professions – except Dragoon, Healer, Psionicist, and Wild Mage - are available to all races after character creation, except for those listed as Prohibited Professions.

Penalized Professions

Each character race has a list of professions that can only be acquired by paying an extra build cost. A penalized profession costs fifteen build rather than the usual ten. This additional cost represents that the profession requires mental or physical attributes that are unusual to the race, and therefore learning the profession as that race is a greater challenge than it is for other races.

Prohibited Professions

Some character races have a list of professions that are not available to the race at all. A character can never acquire a prohibited profession list.

All Other Professions

All other professions not listed in the PC's Race's starting, penalized, or prohibited class list – except Dragoon, Healer, Psionicist, and Wild Mage - are available to all races after character creation.

Role-Playing

Each character race contains a short paragraph describing the basics of role-playing for that particular race. Good racial role-playing is one of the key elements to successfully acting out the persona of a race. You must adhere to the basic guidelines of racial role-playing. If there is a reason that you wish your character to deviate from racial role-playing you must first get approval from the Chief Character Officer. It is important to read this section carefully before beginning play as a race, because failure to adhere to the standards can result in Rules Violations for improper role-play. You will find that the descriptions in this section are not overwhelming or comprehensive, and that you will have plenty of personality aspects available to breathe some special life into your character.

While the background sections for each race also frequently contain information that will be helpful in framing out a character of that race, it is not required that you express that content in your role-play; only the information in the Role-Playing section is considered necessary.

Costuming and Make-Up

Most character races have a description of typical clothing that they wear. In addition, some races require specific makeup to portray them properly.

Racial Benefits

Each character race has a list of one or more benefits with which a character of that race automatically begins play. Benefits may include starting with more than four Body Points or free skills.

Racial Detriments

For most character races, the limitation placed on professions represents the chief detriment of not being a standard human. Some races, however, have additional, special detriments, such as starting with less than four Body Points or being especially vulnerable to a type of damage.

Racial Skill List

Each race also has a racial skill list, from which a character can purchase a pre-set list of skills appropriate for that race. All racial skills can only be purchased one time, unless otherwise noted. You do not need to have a teacher to learn racial skills; you can inherently develop use of the skills by purchasing them.

Humans

The Human race reaches farther across the continent than any other race. Due to their strong social order, Humans have become the most populous race as well. Because they inhabit many different areas, some groups of Humans have developed very distinct cultures over the years. There are eight types of Humans that are available as distinct character races in Knight Realms – Kormyrians, Barbarians, Bedouins, Celts, Gypsies, Coast Haveners, Khitanese, and Londwynians. Each type is quite different from the next and reflects the true diversity of the world’s most prominent race. By far the most numerous and established of Human types are Kormyrians, of the Kingdom of Kormyre; these are the people that are typically meant when someone refers simply to humans. However, for the purposes of rules that specifically indicate the Human race, all of the types are considered to be Human.

The Human races are the only races that can be Dragoons, Psionicists, and Wild Mages. The availability of these three professions is specified within the rules for each of the eight Human races.

All humans mature to adulthood in their late teenage years and have a life span of approximately eighty years.

Kormyrian

Barbarian

Bedouin 

Celt

Coast Haven

Gypsy

Khitan

Londwyn

Elves

Elves of Arawyn are an old and powerful race. These graceful, slender beings once lived together as one large nation, but a civil war broke them into three completely different types. Now they all hold their own against the oncoming threats.

All elves mature to adulthood in their late teenage years and have a life span of approximately one hundred fifty years.

High Elf (Quinarian)

Sylvan Elf (Selendrian)

Dark Elf

Dwarves 

Dwarves are short, stocky folk who reside beneath the mountains and hills, mining ore and forging metal. They are fond of long, full beards and bottles of hard spirits. Dwarven stamina is as renowned as their often-dour demeanors. Their hardiness and dependability are as unwavering as the mountains they live beneath, and these characteristics make them a welcome sight in any civilized land.

All dwarves mature to adulthood in their late twenties and have a life span of approximately one hundred fifty years.

Dwarf

Dark Dwarf

Hobbits 

Hobbits....they're short....and they like to eat....what else is there to know?

Hobbits 

Katta 

Once, long ago, a race of cat-men inhabited nearly every part of the continent. The katta are the remaining species of a nearly extinct breed of feline. The two species of katta - the Jaxuaryans and Kitiera - have long and legendary histories that pre-date much of the Human kingdoms’ own histories. The Jaxuaryan people now inhabit the fertile jungles, while their smaller cousins, the Kitiera, have withdrawn to the dry deserts of the southwest.

Jaxuaryan

Kitierian

Goblinoids 

There are three breeds of greater goblinoids that reside in the goblinoid empire, known as Gaaldron - Hobgoblins, Imperial Orcs and Imperial Goblins. The Hobgoblins rule the structured empire accompanied by Orcs, Dark Dwarves, Goblins and Ogres. Those of Gaaldron live in much the same way as other civilized races, operating under the laws set by their god. Wild gobliniods who are not part of Gaaldron are usually considered vile and threatening, their pillaging war parties constantly harassing almost all the other races in all parts of the world.

Hobgoblin

Goblin

Ogre

Orc

Faerie Kin 

The following races are known as Faerie kin by those of woodland descent. They inhabit the primeval forests and the lakes and rivers of the country. They are all quick to show contempt towards other races that do understand and hold precious the natural world as they do. But in many other ways, the Faerie kin are all very different from one another.

All Faerie kin mature to adulthood in their early teenage years and have a life span of approximately one hundred fifty years.

Dryad

Nyad

Satyr

Sylph