Races

Heroes in the worlds of Final Fantasy can be both human and more than human. Over the course of many games, the mantle of world-saviour has variously fallen on the shoulders of rat-girls, cat-robots, feral Yeti, lion-men, moon-people and creatures too strange to describe in just a handful of words. Accordingly diverse are the options available to FFRPG characters. Over the next few pages, players will find a representative, if by no means complete sampling of the races and species which populate the Final Fantasy universe. Others, like the aquatic Hypello or the enigmatic Gurgans, have been left for future works to cover. GMs interested in adding more races to their games can find concrete advice for doing so in Chapter 10.

Racial Attributes

For reference’s sake, the following table recaps the Racial Maximums first presented in [[Creation|Chapter 2]. More details on Maximums and their effect on character creation and advancement can be found there.

Race STR VIT AGI SPD MAG SPR
Human 10 10 10 10 10 10
Bangaa 12 12 10 9 9 8
Creimire 8 10 13 11 9 9
Dwarf 10 13 10 8 9 10
Elf 13 13 7 9 7 11
Galka 11 15 10 9 8 7
Mithra 9 9 12 12 9 9
Moogle 8 6 11 12 11 12
Nu Mou 10 9 10 7 12 12
Qu 10 11 6 7 13 13
Ronso 12 13 9 7 12 7
Tarutaru 6 7 9 11 12 15
Varg 11 8 12 13 8 8
Viera 12 6 12 12 12 6
Yeti 13 15 6 9 7 10

Differentiating Races

For simplicity's sake, the FFRPG’s races differ only in their Attributes, appearance, and background. This allows the races to be balanced against each other in campaigns where non-humans are the norm, making no one race decisively better than the rest. In campaigns where non-human characters are a novelty rather than a fact of life, however, it may make sense to differentiate them, giving their physiology and abilities actual gameplay implications. The optional rules in this section offer some suggestions on how GMs can accomplish this.

Skills

Because of fundamental differences in physiology, some races are better – or worse – at certain activities than others. A tiny Tarutaru, for instance, would have more trouble lifting a boulder than a hulking Yeti, while an agile Mithra has better hand-eye coordination than a lumbering Qu. Most of these differences are reflected by the races' Attributes, but there are some things that go beyond the scope of a simple statline. To reflect this, non-human characters can be given a Racial Modifier to certain Task Checks. A Racial Modifier can be either a bonus or a penalty, and stacks with Synergy and Enhancement Bonuses. Suggested Modifiers for several races are listed below.

Creimire

Double-Jointed Legs

Thanks to the structure of their legs, Creimire can jump further and survive greater falls than other races. Creimire gain a +20 Racial Modifier on any Acrobatics and Climbing rolls where these abilities are beneficial.

Dwarf

Dense Body

Dwarves have intense difficulty swimming due to the natural density of their bodies. Dwarves suffer a -30 Racial Modifier on all Swimming rolls, regardless of the circumstances.

Heat Tolerance

A Dwarf can endure higher temperatures than most, flourishing even in the midst of molten lava. Dwarves gain a +40 Racial Modifier on Survival rolls made in desert and volcanic environments, though only when their personal survival is concerned.

Moogle

Small Size

Due to their diminutive size, Moogles gain a +20 Racial Modifier on Stealth rolls and Attribute Checks in situations where their small stature is beneficial.

Qu

Eat Anything

A Qu can find nourishment in anything, digesting rocks and sands as readily as a fine roast. Qu gain a +40 Racial Modifier on Survival rolls made for foraging food, though only for the Qu itself – other races simply don't have the stomach for it.

Ronso

Cold Tolerance

Due to their high body temperatures, Ronso can weather far colder climates than most other races. Ronso gain a +20 Racial Modifier on Survival rolls made in arctic and cold environments, though only when their personal survival is concerned.

Tarutaru

Small Size

Due to their diminutive size, Tarutaru gain a +20 Racial Modifier on Stealth rolls and Attribute Checks in situations where their small stature is beneficial.

Yeti

Snowman

A Yeti is capable of living comfortably in sub-zero temperatures, and have little to fear from such environments. Yeti gain a +40 Racial Modifier on Survival rolls made in arctic and cold environments, though only where their personal survival is concerned.

Senses

In situations where the senses come into play, FFRPG characters use their Awareness Skill to determine what they pick up. As this Skill covers every sense, a character's sight, smell, and hearing are all assumed to be equally good. As the descriptions given over the course of this chapter make clear, though, this is not strictly the case for every race. To reflect this, GMs can apply Racial Modifiers to non-human characters' Awareness rolls depending on the senses being used. A table of suggested modifiers has been given below, breaking Awareness down into the six senses used by monsters in Appendix II and offering appropriate Racial Modifiers for each. Any sense with a strikethrough (—-) is not naturally available to the race in question.

Race Day Vision Night Vision Smell Hearing Life Sense Magic Sense
Human 0 0 0 0 - -
Bangaa -20 -20 0 +20 - -
Creimire -10 -10 +10 +10 - -
Dwarf -10 +10 0 0 - -
Elf 0 0 0 0 - -
Galka 0 0 0 0 - -
Mithra 0 +10 +10 +10 - -
Moogle 0 0 0 0 - 0
Nu Mou 0 0 0 0 - +20
Qu 0 0 0 0 - -
Ronso 0 0 0 0 - 0
Tarutaru 0 0 0 0 - 0
Varg -10 +10 +10 +10 - -
Viera +10 +10 0 +20 - 0
Yeti 0 0 0 0 - —-

Traits

Finally, races may be differentiated by use of Traits. While some of the unique attributes of certain races can be covered by the Advanced Traits given in Appendix IV, others are best represented by the new Advanced Traits presented below.

Moogle

Limited Flight

Effect: Moogles have small wings on their back, though they cannot fly, only hover – and even then only when unencumbered. Doing so is a tiring process, limiting the amount of time a Moogle can feasibly spend airborne.

  • -1 Point (Spontaneous): By spending 1 Point, a Moogle character can use her wings to pass over obstacles, avoid traps, cover impassable terrain, or escape a treacherous situation.

Yeti

Ice Breath

Effect: Though not potent enough to use as a weapon, a Yeti's breath is still cold enough to freeze objects, provided these are no larger than a tankard of ale or a puddle of water.

  • -1 Point (Spontaneous): By spending 1 Point, a Yeti character can use his cold breath to aid himself or the party.

Viera

Child of the Forest

Effect: Viera have a close relationship with their native woods, and are at a significant advantage when in their 'home turf.'

  • -1 Point (Spontaneous): By spending 1 Point, a Viera character can recognise and bypass the powers used to cloak Viera villages from outsiders.
  • -1 Point (Spontaneous): By spending 1 Point while in her native forest, a Viera character can communicate with the woods to locate any other Viera native to the forest, even if they are not currently in the area. Locations obtained in this manner will be vague rather than direct (“Esle has passed through the cold mountains into the rift of ancient battle.”) and may require interpretation to be of any use to the party. Alternately, the Viera can find the exact location of any and all non-Viera life forms currently within the forest, as well as ones that have recently passed through the woods. This effect should be limited to Viera who have recently left their forest, and not be available to long-term exiles.

Chapter Glossary

The following list recaps some of the most important concepts introduced in this chapter for quick reference.

Racial Modifier
A modifier imposed to a Task Check as a result of a race's unique physiology.
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