New Species balance

By Neredan Kaz, in Game Masters

Hi guys can you give me a hand? I am trying to balance a homebrew species for my campaign and would like some feedback.

Background:

The Arawakks were starting to develop space travel when they encounter a more hostile species, the Kharib. Beign more technologically advanced than the Arawakks the Kharib started inviding their planet and enslaving them. Trough cunning and guile the Arawakks started fighting back, by reverse engineering their enemies weaponry and vehicles they started improving their own until eventually they repelled their oppressors.

Lifespan: 400 years.

ARAWAKK

Felix_cristalcopysmall_zpsc65ee0dd.jpg

SPECIES ABILITIES

BRAWN 1

AGILITY 2

INTELLECT 2

CUNNING 3

WILLPOWER 2

PRESENCE 2

• Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn

• Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower

• Starting Experience: 100 XP

• Special Abilities: Arawakks begin the game with one rank in Vigilance. They still may not train Vigilance above rank 2 during character creation.

• Master Craftsmen: Arawakks start with one rank in the Gearhead talent.

Here is my take on the Arawakks. I will like for them to be cunning, to reflect their story and good at mechanics.

Can you please check if it is balanced?

Edit: Rearranged post and added lifespan.

Edited by Neredan Kaz

Looks fine, pretty comparable to lotsa races, nothing OP in my mind.

Thanks 2P51.

I will use them and see how they fare in game, and tweak them as needed.

I'd allow this in my game. Looks perfectly in line with most of the published species.

Yeah, I don't see any problems with them.

The Gearhead talent is something that can be picked up in Row 1 of multiple specializations, and the rank in Vigilance is nice but with a base Willpower of 2 doesn't make them super-good at reacting to danger.

Thanks guys for your vote of confidence.

I did see that I missed a physical description of my species so I did include an illustration my friend did for me a while ago.

Hope you like them and if you use them in your game, please let me know how did it go.

Thanks guys for your vote of confidence.

I did see that I missed a physical description of my species so I did include an illustration my friend did for me a while ago.

Hope you like them and if you use them in your game, please let me know how did it go.

Good job on the design and nicely executed art.

Edited by 2P51

Hi guys can you give me a hand? I am trying to balance a homebrew species for my campaign and would like some feedback.

I knew this looked familiar. I found the thread at https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/121240-homebrew-race-peach/ where this same race and this same image were discussed.

Edited by bradknowles

Waow my bad..!

I totally forgot I have done this. Our games were on a hiatus and never had the chance to implement them. I found my old notes and decided to tweak them a little. I guess I had to do a better job next time searching.

My apologies. :(

Is that your awesome art? :)

I wish! No it is from Kenneth Rocafort .

I had the blessing to meet him at college and got some Star Wars commissions from both him and his brother Carlos (equally talented) the Force is strong with his family hehehe...

Edited by Neredan Kaz

I totally forgot I have done this. Our games were on a hiatus and never had the chance to implement them. I found my old notes and decided to tweak them a little. I guess I had to do a better job next time searching.

No problem. It’s not like you committed some major crime or anything.

I wouldn’t have even remembered myself, if you hadn’t gone back and re-posted the same image that you had used before, which looked very familiar to me.

I’m glad we were able to help you find the previous thread.

I wish! No it is from Kenneth Rocafort .

I had the blessing to meet him at college and got some Star Wars commissions from both him and his brother Carlos (equally talented) the Force is strong with his family hehehe...

Awesome! Yea, there`s the signature and everything:)

Let me know if you ever want something more cartoony! :) http://slapsticky.deviantart.com/journal/

I'll keep you in the loop. I had check your art and really like it :)

Ps I added the Arawakk's lifespan.

Edited by Neredan Kaz

Pretty much agree with the above. It's well within the boundaries of balance used by other species.

And the art is really cool!

One of my player and I were discussing this, but I thought I'd ask those who have more experience with the system: What guidelines do you use when creating your own species? I imagine folks use humans as a base and every special ability takes away from the XP beginning characters get, but if that's the case, how do you price those special abilities? Any help would be hot. ;)

There are a lot of species now, my first step would be to simply go through them all and look for the closest match, and if I can just re-skin an existing one, perfect, if not, get as close as possible for an idea on stats and racial.

If you just can't find anything a rank of skill is viewed as non career, a talent kind of varies, you have to sort of guesstimate based on where the talent falls in various trees, and how common is it.

There are a lot of species now, my first step would be to simply go through them all and look for the closest match, and if I can just re-skin an existing one, perfect, if not, get as close as possible for an idea on stats and racial.

If you just can't find anything a rank of skill is viewed as non career, a talent kind of varies, you have to sort of guesstimate based on where the talent falls in various trees, and how common is it.

This is what I do. And then I come back here for a sanity check.

Edited by Neredan Kaz