The Races of NetherWorld

The race you choose for your character plays a large role in how your character will develop. Your race will help your initial stats in some areas based on which race you choose and the bonuses and penalties associated with it. In addition to your initial stats, each race has a maximum ability level for each attribute, which corresponds to the bonuses and penalties for each race. The race you select also affects the class you can be (e.g., Paladins can only be human, half-elf, elf, or high-elf).

Aquatic Elf

As their name implies, aquatic elves are natives of the oceans of NetherWorld, particularly the Karachian Sea and the Adreyatic Ocean. There, they are the implacable enemies of evil races such as the sahuagin and ixitxachitl, fighting them tirelessly. While they are born and typically live in the ocean, there are certain members of the breed who can survive on land without any problems while still retaining their ability to swim and to breathe underwater. They tend to be physically stronger than their land-based cousins.

Aquatic Elves can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, psionicists, monks, and druids. They gain bonuses to strength and constitution and suffer penalties to wisdom and dexterity.

Drow

The Drow, known also as Dark Elves, are the wickedest of the elves, dwelling deep underground and worshiping the maleficent spider demon-goddess, Lolth. Except for a few outcasts who have fled to the relative safety of the surface world, it appears that members of the race hate all other races. Much like their elven cousins, they have infravision.

Drow may be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, darkbringers, psionicists, defilers, monks, and necromancers. They gain bonuses to strength, intelligence, and wisdom and suffer penalties to dexterity and constitution.

Duergar

Also known as dark dwarves, this villainous race of subterranean dwarves has been warped by ancient, evil forces as well as their ancestors' misguided dabblings in eldritch wizardry. Unfortunately, this has left them weak in body; however, they have made up for this weakness in other ways. They are highly skilled in magic and thievery. Duergar have infravision.

Duergar can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, darkbringers, psionicists, defilers, and necromancers. They gain bonuses to wisdom and dexterity and suffer penalties to strength and constitution.

Dwarf

Dwarves are a short, sturdy folk who dwell in the mountains north of Midgaard. They are warriors of surpassing might and also are quite skilled in metalworking and related disciplines. Dwarves, however, are not very good at the practice of magic, although they may be spellcasters. They may see in the dark, using their natural skill of infravision.

Dwarves may be mages, clerics, thieves, and warriors. They gain bonuses to strength and constitution and suffer penalties to intelligence and wisdom.

Elf

Elves are the children of the forest, drawing great pleasure in the many aspects of nature. They tend to be quite graceful; when they walk, one is somehow reminded of a soft spring breeze. They are quite skilled as warriors and spellcasters. Elves have infravision, allowing them to see in the dark.

Elves may be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, paladins, rangers, monks, psionicists, druids, and necromancers. They gain bonuses to wisdom, intelligence, and dexterity and suffer penalties to strength and constitution.

Giant

Giants are large, hulking brutes who inhabit the mountains of NetherWorld. They are extremely slow-witted but are also exceedingly strong. They are excellent warriors and barbarians.

Giants can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, druids, and barbarians. They gain bonuses to strength and constitution and suffer penalties to intelligence and wisdom.

Gnome

Gnomes are distant cousins of the dwarves. In many ways, the look similar; however, gnomes, tend not to grow the thick, bushy beards that are so popular in dwarven society. They also are not as strong as dwarves, but that drawback is offset by their greater skill in magic.

Gnomes can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, and psionicists. They gain bonuses to strength and intelligence and suffer penalties to wisdom and dexterity.

Half-Elf

Half-elves have human and elven parents, resembling each to a certain extent. While they are not as tall and muscular as their human ancestors, their facial features have many human elements. Unfortunately, half-elves are often viewed with some distaste by both elven and human society; they compensate for that shortcoming by exhibiting a great drive for success. They often become quite powerful as adventurers.

Half-elves may be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, paladins, rangers, psionicists, monks, druids, and necromancers. They gain a bonus in wisdom and suffer penalties in strength and constitution.

Half-Giant

Half-giants are the result of a union between a human and a giant. While not as dim-witted or as strong as their giant parents, they aren't as bright as the typical human, either. They are excellent warriors.

Half-giants can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, druids, and barbarians. They gain bonuses to strength and constitution and suffer penalties to intelligence and wisdom.

Halfling

Halflings are short, mischievous people who are characterized by curly brown hair, hairy feet, and a wonderful sense of humor. They are stockier than kender and are perhaps more intelligent. While they are most skilled at thievery, they have been known to excel in other areas as well. They are also the most stealthy race, seemingly having a natural skill at sneaking successfully.

Halflings can be mages, clerics, thieves, druids, and warriors. They gain a bonus to dexterity and suffer penalties to strength and wisdom.

Half-Orc

Half-orcs are a repulsive cross-breed between humans and orcs. Utterly lacking in social skills, they are hated and viewed as an abomination by most of the other, more civilized, races of NetherWorld. Nonetheless, they are highly skilled thieves and often serve as assassins in the hire of the leaders of certain (to be unnamed here) clans.

Half-orcs can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, darkbringers, defilers, barbarians, and necromancers. They gain bonuses to dexterity and constitution and suffer penalties to intelligence and wisdom.

High Elf

High elves are the elite upper crust of elven society. They tend to be the leaders in the valley of the elves. They, like their elven brothers, tend to be excellent as warriors and spellcasters. However, they do not have infravision.

High elves may be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, paladins, rangers, monks, druids, and psionicists. They gain bonuses to dexterity and intelligence and suffer penalties to strength and constitution.

Hill Dwarf

Hill dwarves are even shorter and sturdier than their dwarven cousins. While they cannot see in the dark, they are much more skilled at magic than are their dwarven cousins.

Hill dwarves may be mages, clerics, thieves, and warriors. They gain bonuses to strength and constitution and suffer a penalty to dexterity.

Human

Humans are the most common race in NetherWorld. They may be found throughout the land, especially in the major cities and smaller villages such as Elk Rapids.

Humans may be any class, gaining no bonuses and suffering no penalties to their initial statistics.

Kender

Kender are thinner versions of halflings. They tend to be quite quick and dextrous. Unfortunately, they also have a great propensity for telling tall tales and stealing everything in sight. Needless, to say, they make great thieves.

Kender can be mages, clerics, thieves, and warriors. They gain bonuses to dexterity and constitution and suffer penalties to intelligence and wisdom.

Mountain Dwarf

Like the duergar, mountain dwarves live deep underground. However, that is where the resemblance between the two ends. Mountain dwarves are physically impressive and are among the most doughty fighters in the land. They also are nowhere near as skilled in the magical arts as the duergar are. Since mountain dwarves live so deep underground, they have developed a finely tuned ability to see in the dark -- infravision.

Mountain dwarves can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, and barbarians. They gain bonuses to strength and constitution and suffer penalties to wisdom, intelligence, and dexterity.

Shadowelf

Shadowelves are a crossbreed of a Drow and an unknown race. Shadowelves are shunned by the Drow community, as they are considered to be unworthy to serve that race's vile spider demon-goddess, Lolth. Shadowelves have the elven ability of infravision.

Shadowelves can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, psionicists, monks, darkbringers, defilers, druids, and necromancers. They gain a bonus to dexterity and suffer penalties to strength and constitution.

Svirfneblin

The svirfneblin are also known as deep gnomes. Distant relatives of normal gnomes, they and their ancestors have lived in the deepest caverns of this land for so long that they have lost all pigmentation in their hair and skin. They also are physically weak; however, they have made up for these problems by highly training their minds. They are powerful practitioners of magic and have infravision, allowing them perfect vision in the darkest of places.

Svirfneblin can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, and psionicists. They gain bonuses to intelligence and wisdom and suffer penalties to strength, dexterity, and constitution.

Tinker Gnome

Tinker gnomes resemble their gnomish cousins in many ways. However, they are even more skilled in the art of magic and the discipline of the mind.

Tinker gnomes can be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, and psionicists. They gain bonuses to intelligence and constitution and suffer penalties to strength and dexterity.

Wild Elf

Wild elves are a particularly xenophobic branch of the elven race. They choose to live in the wilderness, eking out their existence far from civilization and society. Since they always have to be on their guard, they have developed a second sense of sorts, which allows them to detect hidden creatures.

Wild elves may be mages, clerics, thieves, warriors, psionicists, monks, druids, and barbarians. They gain bonuses to dexterity and constitution and suffer penalties to strength and wisdom.