There are nine races from which nearly all Magi originate. Following each brief description, I have included a racial template. These are merely suggestions based on the common characteristics of each race. Feel free to make some changes to these if you like, so long as the Merits balance out the Flaws. Be reasonable, however. One or two giant Halflings might stretch as tall as 5ft tall (not Short), but certainly none have ever qualified as Huge. I am willing to accept custom races on the condition that you ask me nicely, have a good idea I can work into my world easily (Moogles, Draconians, and Half-Demons, for example, don't fit in), and get my approval.
Flaws chosen to earn Freebie Points are not included in these templates. You may still take up to 7 additional points of Flaws to increase your supply of Freebie Points for character generation.
Dwarves are short, stocky humanoids (4ft) who live underground. They are clumsy, but sturdy creatures. They have strong wills, but their stubbornness and pessimism tend to get on people's nerves. Dwarves usually sport long beards, and even many female dwarves can grow facial hair ranging from side whiskers to full beards and mustaches. Though they possess great longevity, Dwarves are slow healers because of their slow metabolisms. They are skilled with metal and stone, but their subterranean lifestyle gives them little opportunity to study plants, animals, and other living systems.
Short (1pt Flaw)
Unaging (2pt Merit)
Bard's Tongue (1pt Flaw)
Sphere Natural - Matter (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Life (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
Slow Healing (3pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Dexterity (3pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Charisma (3pt Flaw)
Concentration (1pt Merit)
Iron Will (3pt Merit)
Legendary Attribute - Stamina (5pt Merit)
Elves are tall (6½ to 7 ft), lithe humanoids with pointed ears and incredible grace. Though frail, elves have developed keen senses. They can live for millennia, though once they reach adulthood, most elves' metabolic processes reach a degree of stasis, making them dependent on magic for healing. Shy creatures, elves have a long history of friendship with the Faerie Folk. Elven bodies need less sleep than most other races'. Elves make their homes in forests and other places of magic. Their regular contact with living things makes them powerful manipulators of flora and fauna. Elves do not find much interesting in mundane physical objects, though, and few ever master the inanimate. Very few elves can grow facial hair of any kind. Their hair ranges from browns and blacks to green and auburn.
Degeneration (3pt Flaw)
Light Sleeper - 4 hours per night (1pt Merit)
Unaging (2pt Merit)
Sphere Natural - Life (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Matter (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
Acute Senses (3pt Merit)
-1 dot of Stamina (3pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Strength (3pt Flaw)
Shy (1pt Flaw)
Fae Blood (4pt Merit)
Empaths are friendly cyclopean humanoids of five to six feet in height. They are slow, ponderous creatures, seeming to consider the wisdom and consequences of their every move. Most empaths can hear the voices of the spirits, and the majority master some small magical feat during their adolescence. Constant contact with the Umbrood can have an adverse effect on empaths, however, and many are haunted by nightmares that disrupt their sleep. Empaths are skilled diplomats, and many of them seek to understand the secrets of the mind. The most notable feature of empaths is their single eye at the center of their forehead. Few people notice this oddity, however, once an empath begins to talk, for they are excellent conversationalists.
One Eye (2pt Flaw)
Medium (2pt Merit)
Sphere Natural - Mind (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Entropy (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
-1 dot of Dexterity (3pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Wits (3pt Flaw)
Common Sense (1pt Merit)
Legendary Attribute - Charisma (5pt Merit)
Nightmares (1pt Flaw)
Parlor Trick (1pt Merit)
Gnomes are small humanoids (usu. 3ft tall) with large noses who live in small burrows in forests or under hills. Many are very intelligent, with an incredible gift for memorization, but they often become so lost in their own thoughts that they do not notice the events transpiring in the world around them. Gnomes - like the spirits for which they take their name - are creatures of the earth, and most carry the scent of their homes wherever they go. Many develop a small magical talent as children, usually a small illusionary effect that allows them to fool the unwary. Gnomes are fond of machines, and deal well with every manner of chaos. While they are famous pranksters, they like to be certain that their victims recognize that they are being tricked.
Short (1pt Flaw)
Eidetic Memory (2pt Merit)
Echoes - area nearby always smells of damp earth and leaves (1pt Flaw)
Sphere Natural - Entropy (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Mind (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
-1 dot of Perception (3pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Strength (3pt Flaw)
Parlor Trick (1pt Merit)
Legendary Attribute - Intelligence (5pt Merit)
Halflings are a diminutive folk (2½-3 ft tall) who live in comfortable burrows beneath fertile hills. They have a love for the comforts of home - hearth, kitchen, and bed - but many prove themselves exceptionally brave and lucky adventurers. They are, by and large, an honest folk who enjoy telling stories and singing songs. Halflings make excellent spies, scouts, and burglars. While they are not opposed to Magi on the whole, halflings prefer quiet, subtle effects to loud and flashy ones.
Acute Hearing (1pt Merit)
Daredevil (3pt Merit)
Short (1pt Flaw)
-1 dot Strength (3pt Flaw)
Sphere Natural - Correspondence (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Forces (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
-1 dot in Manipulation (3pt Flaw)
Deep Sleeper (1pt Flaw)
Lucky (4pt Merit)
Myshari are a proud, noble race with red skin and dark hair. They stand approximately 5½ to 6 feet tall. Their civilization rests on a foundation of morality and ethics, and rare indeed is the myshar who does not abide by his or her own principles. The myshari immerse themselves in religion, and many are blessed with divine companions and prophetic powers. In exchange for such gifts, a myshar devotes his life to honesty and compassion. Magi among them find the channeling of raw divinity easy. Most myshari find it difficult to reach out to distant places with their magic, however.
Code of Honor - varies by Tradition and character (2pt Merit)
Compulsion, supernatural - never lie (5pt Flaw)
Manifest Avatar (3pt Merit)
Sphere Natural - Prime (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Correspondence (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
Compulsion, psychological - never take a life (3pt Flaw)
Oracular Ability (3pt Merit)
Olmecs are a frail humanoid race with pale skin, wispy hair, and tiny vestigial wings. They stand roughly 5½ to 6½ feet tall. Olmecs have an affinity for the arcane that aids both their ability to perceive and command magick. They mature at an alarming rate, however, and few olmecs live past their teens. Olmecs do their level best to accomplish as much as they can during their short lives, and most Magi among them favor flashy magicks that cry out to the world, "I am still alive!" They regard time as a kind of enemy, and few ever master the magic related to it.
Ability Aptitude - Awareness (1pt Merit)
Mayfly Curse (5pt Flaw)
Light Sleeper - requires no sleep (3 pt Merit)
Lightning Calculator (1pt Merit)
Sphere Natural - Forces (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Time (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
-1 dot Stamina (3pt Flaw)
Dual Traditions (7pt Merit)
Tanaks are feline humanoids slightly shorter than the average Myshar (5 to 5½ ft). They possess all the deadly grace and athletic skill of the cats they resemble, but they are not as strong as many of the other races. Tanaks are friendly, but an ancient curse laid on their people centuries ago makes it very difficult for them to tell the truth. As a result, many people do not trust Tanaks, even when they manage to overcome the compulsion to lie. Tanak speed is legendary, and they have an almost perfect sense of timing. They tend to consider this the only true reality, though, and world-walking is a challenging endeavor for a tanak.
Acute Vision (1pt Merit)
Ambidextrous (1pt Merit)
Catlike Balance (1pt Merit)
Time Sense (1pt Merit)
Compulsion, Psychological - never tell the truth (4pt Flaw)
Sphere Natural - Time (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Spirit (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
-1 dot Strength (3pt Flaw)
Legendary Attribute - Dexterity (5pt Merit)
Wints claim to be the descendants of giants, and few would object. These men and women are huge (7 to 8 ft tall) and shaggy, and many possess a strength beyond that of any mortal creature. Most are simple-minded hunters and herders, though underestimating a wint is a bad idea. Wints are more in tune with the spirit world than any other race. Most believe in the existence of nature spirits who live everywhere, from waterfalls to belt buckles, but a few revere a particular deity. Magi among the wints have a difficulty manipulating raw magic, for some reason. Some scholars have speculated that their Patterns are less adept at controlling the Fifth Essence.
Huge Size (4pt Merit)
Primal Marks (2pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Wits (3pt Flaw)
Concentration (1pt Merit)
Sphere Natural - Spirit (5pt Merit)
Sphere Inept - Prime (5pt Flaw)
Other common racial characteristics:
-1 dot of Appearance (3pt Flaw)
-1 dot of Intelligence (3pt Flaw)
Legendary Attribute - Strength (5pt Merit)
| Back to Rules | Back to Mage: Epic Fantasy | Back to Role-Playing Games | Back to Creation | Home |
© 2001 by Eric Zawadzki
Please respect the time, energy, and creativity I have put into this project.