Hey guys! I’ll be running a Homebrew Pathfinder Campaign. This will be a High Fantasy RP with some Steampunk Elements (Clockwork machines, gunslinger’s guns, etc). It will be built around your characters and some major events of the world around them. Think about what kind of character you would like to play. Be as crazy or as mundane as you feel comfortable with - I can work with anything!
I have most of the pathfinder books on PDF. You can get them from my google drive. Please do not distribute them to anyone as they are watermarked with my information and can be traced back to me. They are just for your reference as my players.
In addition, you may prefer to read the information aggregated on a website. You can read up on classes you can play at this website
You can ask me specific information about the world if you need specifics to build your character, IE (Is there a city that has a bunch of Canals in it?) or (Where are some Dwarven lands that don't keep slaves?) etc. You can also read up on the races to get their stat block info at d20pfsrd.com, but the given history on the site is is slightly different, and Our Elves Are Different, as it were. Here are some descriptions of general racial traits that explain the average members of each race in the world:
The Race of Elves and the Race of Orrin are the dominant forces in the world. Sharing similarly long lives but often opposing views of the world, conflict between these races has driven much of the world's history. Status in the world is generally decided by the race's lifespan. Elves and Orrin live about 1000 years. Dwarves live about 500 years. Gnomes can live to be 250, Humans and Halflings can live to be about 50 - 100.
----Elves are human-height or slightly taller. They have a strong connection to the Other Planes, sources of great magical energy, and it is said they live half in this world and half in the others. They value natural order, tend to strongly believe in Fate, Destiny, and Chance. Their careful natures build cities that live in harmony with the surrounding landscape and barely appear to exist at all, though they may hold many people. They are the foremost students of magic in the world.
--------Elves have the greatest racial variance of any species. They are also the only species capable of producing children with other races. The most numerous of them appear with a human range of skin/eye/and hair colors, and are sometimes referred to as High Elves. Some elves however have more animal features, including furr on their ears, horns, tails, or various combinations of the two. These are sometimes referred to as Wild Elves. Some have strange colorations beyond the skin/eye/hair colors associated with the rest of mankind, like green, blue, yellow, etc. They may have all their features with unnatural colors or just a few. These are commonly called Wood Elves.
--------Depending on the culture and nation they come from, Elves behave differently to the various physical variations of elves. These range from no distinction (Elves are Elves) to beliefs in racial purity (Anyone not matching this type of Elf is an impure Elf).
----Orrin Orrin are physically larger than most of the other races, with skin ranging from a Jade-like green to a Sapphire like blue. They value beauty and strength and are architects and social creatures that seek to impose their version of Order on the universe. They tend to believe that the world belongs to them, or to them and the other races (If they are being generous), and it is both their divine right and holy calling to shape it as they wish. Their ingenuity diverts rivers into new paths, builds bustling cities in swamp lands, and carves monuments onto the sides of mountains.
---Dwarves once had empires and kingdoms that could deal on equal footing with the Elves and the Orrin, but conflict between these peoples led to the downfall of the Dwarves. Most live scattered now in lands either Elven or Orrin controlled, though some form small city-states in mountainous regions and seek to preserve their culture. The Dwarves generally believe they exist to create new things, and are the parents of invention, often seeking craft and artisan callings. Individual dwarves may gain renown and respect and good reputation, but the race as a whole has a reputation of being brutal and disrespectful of others, at one time believing they should be the master race of the world and encouraging a thriving slave trade, selling members of all other races but especially Gnomes and Kobolds.
---Humans are favored by the Orrin and have higher concentrations in those cities, though they can be found most everywhere. Few (but some) humans hold aristocratic or political positions, due to their traditionally shorter life spans. They are adaptable, and tend to take on the characteristics of the cultures that they live with. They are commonly merchants, or work in agricultural fields (Farming, fishing, hunting) or as servants. For an unknown reason, some rare humans are born with connections to a particular elemental plane. These children of humans are not considered human at all, but are sub-races of human. They are the Aasimar, Kayal, Ifrit, etc. and are described in the Other Races - The Planar Folk section.
---Halflings are a race favored by the Elves. They believe in gaining experience and travel, most living in caravans of house-wagons or even roving tent cities. Where some merchants may struggle to cross certain cultural divides, halflings can walk without fear; they are viewed generally as harmless and likeable by all. Halflings live about as long as Humans on average but it is said some can reach as old as 150 if they are very healthy. They are about half the height of humans, hence their common moniker. They have a name for themselves in the Halfling tongue but take no umbrage at the term 'Halfling'.
---Gnomes were once a lower caste of Dwarven society, kept as servants or manual laborers in factories. With the fall of the dwarven kingdoms, Gnomes have much more freedom, but often low economic prospects. The race as a whole has a reputation for being thieves, and many gnomes still live in poverty conditions (which perpetuates the image). Still, they are a clever people, with a good bent towards both magic or craftsmanship, and many can find wealth or power by studying at the feet of the Orrin or the Elves, or by joining Gnome-built settlements. In some mountainous Dwarven City-states, gnomes are still kept as lowest caste citizens or even slaves. Gnomes are a little taller than Halflings and a little shorter than Dwarves.
Humans are populous and short-lived, but their species has the strange trait that some other races may be born from human parents. These Planar Folk are of various rarities, and are born usually to normal human parents but are considered a separate race. They cannot reproduce with humans, with members of their own race, or with any other race known.
---Aasimar are Planar Folk tied to the Other Plane of Light and possess great magical power and a natural magical empathy with other creatures. As such, they tend to be gentle personalities who do little harm to others since they will likely feel it themselves, though they will fiercely defend others against attackers and are considerable foes if driven to conflict. Aasimar are natural protectors and guardians. Aasimar are very rare and their birth and existence is often celebrated or considered a good omen. Aasimar have blond, pale red, or white hair; pale blue, green, or grey eyes; and any natural skin-tone for humans. They have a lifespan of about 500 years, and can obtain rather high standing in any society. Out of all the humans in the world, there are likely to be only 10-20 Aasimar alive at any time, such is their rarity.
---Kayal are connected to the Other Plane of Shadow. They possess natural ability to slightly alter their features, with some effort. Kayal are neither naturally good nor evil, but their birth is often viewed as a bad omen and they are thought to be treacherous by most other people. Kayal are more common than Aasimar, usually 100 - 200 alive at any time. They have normal human lifespans. Their eyes are a dark brown or a black. They reflect light in the dark like a cat's. Their skin comes in a range of greys. (Kayal are listed in the books as Fetchlings)
---Ifrit are born with a connection to the Other Plane of Fire. They are restless and constantly driven to DO something and find frustration with normal society, with rules and bureaucracy. They find comfort in chaos or disorder as it rarely impedes them. They can be brash, hasty, likely to rush into something without thinking. There are usually 100 - 200 alive at any one time. Many are sent to Orrin Monasteries or Elven Schools of Magic to be taught self control. Ifrit have red hair and brown or yellow eyes, and commonly reddish or yellowish skin or dark brown or blackish-brown skin. They live to be about 250.
---Oreads are born with a connection to the Other Plane of Stone. Oreads appear as normal humans, but age very slowly, and have the lifespan of ~1000 years. They are resistant to acid (Fast Healing against acid damage) and can sometimes cause the ground to shake or break and crack around them when made angry or intensely emotional. They are considered to be sacred creatures by the Orrin, and will find much acceptance or renown amongst Orrin cultures and kingdoms. There are perhaps 50 of them alive at any time.
---Sylph are born with a connection to the Other Plane of Air. They appear normally human but are often skinny and frail looking like Half-elves. During periods of intense emotion blue swirls that look like tattoos may appear on their bodies and the air will shift and swirl about them. They are very fast, and can learn to use the wind to boost their speed, or use the air to muffle their steps and make themselves more stealthy. They are very in tune with the weather and can often predict changes in the weather before others. They live ~500 years, and there may be anywhere between 300 and 500 on the world at any one time.
---Undine are rare humans born with the connection to the Other Plane of Water. They appear human except they have skin-tones in a blue or green like an Orrin, have webbed hands and feet. They are amphibious and aquatic, meaning they can live well in both the water and on land. Their lifespan is ~250 years. There may be up to 1000 Undine alive at any time. Depending on the culture they are born into, they may be revered or reviled.
These two races are born with the traits of two racial parents. Essentially, stat wise you will get to pick and choose between the various racial bonuses of both parent races (In the case of Half-elves) or between Dhampir and the mother’s race in the case of Dhampir.
---Dhampir are extremely rare. A vampire must bite a pregnant woman to produce a Dhampir. A pregnant woman of any race, bitten by such a creature, but who survives, will birth a Dhampir. Dhampirs have grey skin and a sensitivity to sunlight. They have the magical ability to command or charm others. They react to negative and positive energy as the undead do, though they are immune to most spells that turn or banish undead and are not 'undead' themselves. Dhampir are often viewed as cursed, though they have no natural inclination to be either good or evil. Shunned from society, they often become self serving, but many are drawn to the field of monster hunting and adventuring, finding less fear (and some respect) in going where others fear to tread. They live ~1000 years, regardless of their parent's race. Wolves and Ravens seem drawn to them, and they will often have a wolf or raven companion.
---Half-elves are capable of being born from any union of an elf with another race (Except Changeling, Trox, Drider, and Centaurs). Their lifespan is halfway between the expected lifespan of the non-elven parent and the elven parent, so half-human-half-elves may live to be 500 or so, Half-Orrin-half-elves live ~1000 years. Because of the wide variety of Elven physical characteristics, Half-elves are likely to be treated as full elves in most societies, provided they are not born into a culture which has some notion of what constitutes elven pure bloodlines.
These species resemble bipedal humanoids, but have traits considered to be akin to certain animals. Some are like Centaurs, with human upper bodies and animal bodies from the animals 'neck' down.
---Catfolk are as the name describes, humanoid cat-like creatures. They are about as tall as humans, but are covered in fur, with cat-like ears, claws on the end of their hands, and tails of varying lengths. They live in small settlements congregated mostly in Elven territories. They have natural claws they can use as weapons, ensuring they are never quite disarmed. Many races find catfolk clever and appealing, and so they gain bonuses to social checks with other races. They also have a powerful sense of smell. They live about as long as humans.
---Ratfolk are as the name describes, humanoid rat-like creatures. They are about as tall as halflings. They were quite numerous and common amongst all the kingdoms, living about as long as Gnomes and generally well respected. Their population was drastically destroyed several generations ago by a plague. Even though the plague only infected Ratfolk, they now have a reputation for being disease-ridden. Many cities explicitly bar Ratfolk from entry. the few Ratfolk remaining in the world often find a place in Halfling caravans. The elves believe that Ratfolk have fallen so low in number that their race will soon die out.
---Kobolds are small Lizard-like folk who claim to be descended from dragons. They are about as tall as a Gnome or a Halfling. While they are clever, they have few educational prospects and often live in poverty with Gnomes, also being a race formerly dominated by Dwarves. They live about as long as humans. The Kobolds suffered severely under Dwarven domination and lost almost all their culture and religion, being used only for unskilled labor and with little value placed on their life by their Dwarven masters. They have adapted very poorly to freedom, and have a worse criminal reputation than Gnomes, and with a shorter lifespan they have fewer economic prospects. They have a natural armor in their scales, and often surprise others with how crafty and smart they can be, considering their reputation.
---Tengus are a bird folk. Resembling humanoid ravens, with feathers of white, black, brown, or grey, Tengus reach about 5 feet tall at maximum. They hail from a single small country that does not generally partake in the conflicts between the Elves, Orrin, and the former Dwarven nations. Tengu are often accomplished sword fighters and duelists; Dueling is a legal form of settling disputes in the Tengu Nation. Tengu are also adept at learning other languages. They serve as impartial translators for other races throughout the world, an honorable position many Tengu seek to attain. Tengu have small wings as part of their arms, and while they cannot fly, they can glide with them in order to prevent damaging themselves in falls.
---Gnolls are a hyena folk. Long ago, in a civilization that predated the Elves, Orrin, and Dwarves, the Gnolls once built temples and cities far and wide in the warm central region of the land, though now they are mostly torn down. The Elves and Orrin histories say that the Gnolls went to war with themselves, and brought their society low. Now they mostly live in barbaric roving bands that travel the whole globe. They are viewed with distrust by most civilized folk, as if their resemblance to scavenging pack hunters is more than on the surface. Gnolls receive little education naturally, though many schools in Elven nations do not turn away any prospective student no matter their race. As such, the race on the whole is rather uneducated and reputed to be stupid, though the few smarter creatures among them prove this to be untrue.
---Centaur are half-human, half horse looking creatures. The live in a region of vast dry plains, steppes, and desert where most other races do not settle. They possess a semi-nomadic culture, moving between two settlements twice a year. Though they have a proud warrior tradition, they are also accomplished scholars and value artisans in their culture highly. They live about as long as Gnomes. they are generally standoffish to outsiders and do not seek to permit entry to their lands or look for trade, but Halflings, Ratfolk, Kobolds, and Gnomes are usually welcomed if they are well mannered. Centaurs hate slavery in all forms, and possess a strong dislike of the Tengu for a reason known only to them and the Dwarves for their history of racial politics.
---Trox are an insect folk, about 6 feet tall on average walking on two legs and with two primary and arms and 2 secondary arms. They are great at digging and live mostly in vast underground cave systems. Few Trox leave their homeland and few members of the other Races ever see Trox, though some have been seen more often since the war with the Dwarven Nations. Trox live about as long as humans. They have the ability to sense vibrations in the ground up to 30 feet away, knowing instantly where anything is touching the ground nearest them without needing to 'see' it physically.
---Drider are as Centaurs, but half-human, half spider. They live for thousands of years but subsist solely on Trox. They must feed once every decade or starve. Elusive and solitary hunters, there are almost no Drider left in the world.
---Ironborn are constructed creatures. Not content with simply enslaving existing peoples, the Dwarves created the Ironborn, a race unto itself though incapable of reproduction. Built for various tasks, including combat, their creation was met with revilement by the Elves as unnatural life-forms and with fear from the Orrin as tools of military might in the belts of the Dwarves. It was their creation which spurred the Elven Nations and Orrin Nations to unite against the Dwarven Nations as a common enemy. Ironborn gain many different traits depending on what they were built for, but usually resemble some sort of humanoid. Many were destroyed, and indeed some elven nations demand the destruction of all Ironborn on sight. They typically find themselves welcome only in Orrin lands, though some few elves take pity on them as 'soul-less' creatures which have no greater place in the universe. Ironborn have all the same emotions as most humanoids, but have almost no social skills, and are terrible at deception.
---Kitsune are a shapeshifting race. They appear as a member of any other race, but their true form is that of a large fox. They may shift between these forms at will as a standard action. If a kitsune appears as a Dwarf they will always appear as that dwarf; they do not have more than two forms. Kitsune are generally secretive and live amongst the people whose form they take, never revealing their true nature. However, they live a very long time, approximately 2000 years. They have the ability to expend some of the magical energy that collects in their body to make themselves better at certain skills or attacks, when the need calls for it. They are supposedly ruled by a class of sacred Nine Tailed Kitsune, who are immortal and possess amazing magical abilities. Nobody knows how many Kitsune exist in the world, even other Kitsune.
---Changelings are pale skinned creatures that resemble humans with flat noses and flat ears. They have yellow eyes and pale, white hair. They have the ability to alter their physical self to resemble that of any Small or Medium humanoid creature and to maintain it as long as they are able to maintain concentration. This does not affect their clothing or equipment. Changelings live about as long as Gnomes. They often live among the Elven Nations as the Orrin tend to distrust the shapeshifting nature of these creatures. If possible, they will attempt to always be in disguise, and reveal their true shape only to those with whom they have a strong bond. Changelings are born from any union of Changeling + any race, and there are no half-changelings.