David Shelley, On Races

I’ve talked about the specifics of character creation in an earlier update. In this one, I’ll discuss some of the specific Races from a technical perspective. Edwin McRae, our narrative designer will be showcasing them from a Lore perspective. We have eight Races and eight Classes designed, but we won’t commit to having them all in the initial game until we finalize some budget aspects. I’ll talk more about Classes and Specialties in the future.

• Shade Elf. One of two elvish races, with the Shade Elves living in the deep forests close to the imperial homeland. The are very mobile, fast (Running and Flash Step Abilities), never surprised, and acrobatic.
• High Elf. Much closer to their Fae ancestors, the High Elves have a close link to the Dreamlands. They can restore their long term health through trance, so they can remain awake through the nights. Sealed doorways are no barrier and High Elves can pass through them without opening the door. They have the Fate ability which reduces the effects of Crticals and Fumbles for themselves and increases them on their opponents.
• Imperials. The humans who lead the empire, martial and noble. They have a bit of luck, some resistance to damage, both short and long term, plus a bit of combat move to avoid Opportunity Attacks, and Fastdraw to speed up weapon switching.
• Half-Shade. The Shade Elves are close enough to the heart of the empire to interbreed with the Imperials. As one might expect, they have some resistance to damage, some mobility, still can’t be surprised.

Half-Shade Healer

• Dwarf. From the harsh desert lands, the Dwarfs have high resistance to damage, and to knockback and knockdown.
• Kralik. A human race from a tropical, mountainous southern province; less developed, with wild and dark gods who provide them resistance to magic, greater luck, a single use per encounter teleport, and unnatural sight (see invisible).
• Drakyri. A race interbred with dragon blood, though they have destroyed their relationship with the dragons in the previous generation. They avoid the dragons by hiding beneath the earth. They have good movement, including Surefooted, which allows them to ignore difficult terrain, and can operate in full darkness. They can sleep while wearing their armor, making them safer while camping.

Drakyri Archer

• Feydri. The sisters to the Drakyri, who mended their disagreement with the dragons. Their more recent connection to the dragons gives them unnatural sight, along with Surefooted, some toughness and agility.