About the Races

Elves are, without a doubt, the most prominent and influential race in the world. They usually have sun-kissed skin, long, silky hair, and colorful eyes. They are a naturally diplomatic race, granting them a natural bonus to diplomacy (I don't do diplomacy checks, really; we'll roleplay it out, but if you're playing an elf you'll have a slight advantage.)

Half-elves are somewhat uncommon in the world. Elves see all the other races and inferior save for the ingenious gnomes, who are impossible to reproduce with. Still, the occcasional lust or love will blossom between a human and elf, and the result is a half-elf. No changes from the PhB.

Gnomes are darker skinned than usual. You'll never see a pale-skinned gnome in this world, except for the occasional albino born and then thrown off Fazzdrack at birth (as its the sign of a bad omen). Their skin ranges from chestnut brown to black, and they have little hair on their heads to speak of -- though they're quite capable of growing thick beards and bushy eyebrows. They gain a +2 bonus to balance thanks to their upbringing on a constantly-moving dragon.

Half-orcs are the horrifying result of the union between a man and an orc. At least, that's how the stories go. Nobody is really sure how half-orcs came about, though they were no doubt in some way connected to the orc tribes in Boraen. Their skin is usually light green, given the lack of sunlight in Boraen, and their hair is stringy and they're usually balding. They are given a +5 resistance to cold.

Dwarves are short, stocky, and freakishly strong little men. They're similiar to your average dwarf in almost every way, save for their skin; it is always ghost-white, which causes a great deal of stress to the gnomes. +3 resistance to cold, +5 to intimidate checks vs gnomes.

Halflings are a strange race of miniscule beings hailing from a few small islands off the coast of Marunda. After their island was invaded by unknown beasts, they fled to Saudeiln, but found themselves unwelcome; they had no money to speak of, no work, and no purpose. Thus, the Elven Council agreed to give them a home so long as they worked for room and board alone. They are generally regarded as simple-minded and lazy herb smokers, though only the latter is true. As such, they are usually addicted to the substance ("herbweed"), and have a withdrawal symptom that gives -1 STR, -1 CON and -1 DEX if they do not smoke for a week. However, they're incredibly agile creatures when they're not being lazy, and are granted a +1 dex bonus (in addition to the +2 in the phb).

Humans are the second most prevalent race in Edrae. While their leaders follow orders from the Council behind the scenes, they are nonetheless ambitious and easily adaptable to situations presented to them. Their skin tone ranges from light to dark, and their hair can be anywhere from stringy to fair. No changes from PhB.