Maelstrom Rules: Race

Key Concepts
There are six races in the Known World and two from the New World. In addition, there are eidolons and the three awakened races that have recently appeared in the world. You must choose one of these races. There are no half-breeds in the world of the Maelstrom.

All of the races, except humans, have a phys-rep requirement. This is the minimum make-up or prosthetics that must be applied to play a member of the race. You do not need to use the methods described for the minimum phys-rep but you must produce somethings that is equivalent or better if you choose not to use them.

Most of the races have special abilities that are only available to that race. These are described in the pack that you receive after you book as a member of that race.

There are photographic examples of all the races in the Maelstrom campaign in the costume and make-up guide.
Avians
Minimum Phys-rep: Feathered face and brow.

Birdlike humanoids with a prominent beak and a feathered face. Your character may be avian if your culture is Alkyon, Free Islands, Merisusi or Rukh.

Dragons
Minimum Phys-rep: Fifteen foot long full body dragon costume including wings.

Fifteen foot long winged reptiles, whose bodies are entirely covered in thick rigid scales. Much of their massive length is in their tail and although they cannot fly they all have large, leathery wings. Most have powerful claws.

Dragons become more powerful as they age. If you play a dragon whose costume is mobile then you will receive the advantages that are appropriate for a young dragon. If you play a dragon whose costume is immobile then you will receive the superior advantages that accrue to an old dragon. Your character may be a dragon if your culture is Free Islands or Maya.

Dracoscions
Minimum Phys-rep: Scales on forehead.

Dracosions are humans that have imbibed dragon’s blood. They have thick rigid scales around their face and forehead, and some have wings and claws. Their scales are always the same colour as the dragon that created them. Your character may be a dracoscion if your culture is Free Islands or Maya.

Humans
Minimum Phys-rep: None.

There are no phys-rep requirements to play a human. Your character may be human if your culture is Fidelia, Flambard, Free Islands, Freiboden, Kamakura or Malathaia.

Mokosh
Minimum Phys-rep: Protruding snout with prominent incisors.

Mokosh have a protruding snout filled with sharp teeth and prominent incisors. They are covered in fur, with a wide diversity of markings and colouration. Some have clawed hands. Your character may be mokosh if your culture is Free Islands, Kamakura, Gnoll or Merisusi.

Wemics
Minimum Phys-rep: Full face cat make-up.

Furred humanoids with the facial features of a cat, although they have a wide disparity of markings on their fur. Your character may be a wemic if your culture is Amun-Sa, Free Islands or Tritoni.

Myrmidons
Minimum Phys-rep: Chitinous plates covering the face.

Mostly bipedal, these insectoid characters have hard, chitinous plates that surround their face and body. They are usually about the same size and shape as a human, but their physical appearance varies significantly from tribe to tribe. Some myrmidons have claws. Your character may be a myrmidon if your culture is Azarch or Tlaxti.

Ophidians
Minimum Phys-rep: Snake scale make-up covering all visible skin.

The ophidians are snake-like humanoids who have scaly skin covering short flattened noses with two prominent fangs. Your character may be an ophidian if your culture is Onontakha.

Dryads
Minimum Phys-rep: Brown bark make-up or leaf motif make-up covering all visible skin.

Dryads appear to be a form of tree spirit set free in the New World during the last few years. Most dryads are roughly human in appearance although dryads of all sizes and shapes have been found. They all have mottled green and brown bark like skin often covered in foliage. All dryads must select Awakened as their culture.

Eidolons
Minimum phys-rep: soul symbol on forehead.

Cultures available: any except Awakened

Eidolons are the immortal servants of the deities. As true immortals they cannot be killed although they can be banished from the mortal world for a time. Eidolons are sent where the deities choose, to convey their wishes and blessings to the mortals.

Many millennia ago there was a great war in the Known World and many eidolons fell from grace. After they lost the war, those that fell were trapped in the Maelstrom. They became known as fallen eidolons to distinguish them from the loyal eidolons who remained true to the deities. Everyone assumed that they were gone forever until they escaped a decade ago.

As an eidolon you are capable of changing your physical form, but whatever shape you assume your heritage is always apparent by your soul symbol. You must include a visible soul symbol on your forehead just above your eyebrows. A soul symbol is a mystical symbol a few inches across. We recommend that you use a character from an oriental alphabet.

If you choose to play an eidolon you must select a single culture to represent the mortal people you have spent most time dealing with. You are not part of this culture but will receive the briefing sheet for this culture to represent the information you have learned about the mortal people of that culture.

Loyal eidolons who enter the Maelstrom become aware of the wishes of the divine but nothing more than that. You have the same free will to interpret the deities wishes that any mortal character might have.

Fallen eidolons who enter the Maelstrom risk becoming trapped there once more. If you are able to gather mortal souls this will allow you to gain power and move more easily between the Maelstrom and the real world.

Eidolons are incapable of learning skills the way a mortal being would. Loyal eidolons can only gain abilities bestowed on them by the deities. The only way for a fallen eidolon to become more powerful is to acquire mortal souls.

Special rules: If you choose a Known World culture for your eidolon then you must choose whether to begin as a loyal eidolon or a fallen eidolon. If you choose a New World culture then you will begin play as a loyal eidolon.

You do not receive any points to purchase advantages or skills and may not start with any equipment.

Because of the immortal nature of eidolon characters, a player in the Maelstrom campaign may only ever play one eidolon character.

Facets
Minimum Phys-rep: Crystal gem on forehead.

Facets are sentient gems that grow crystalline bodies to carry them around. Their body is, effectively, an appendage grown to support the gem and they can grow it in any shape they choose. Most facet bodies have strong angular lines to the flesh. All facets must select Awakened as their culture.

Golems
Minimum Phys-rep: Grey stone make-up covering all visible skin.

Golem is the name given to the stone statues that have become animated in the New World during the last few years. Although most golems resemble one of the known races they can look like virtually anything. The only thing that they have in common is their grey stony skin. All golems must select Awakened as their culture.

Undead
Minimum phys-rep: soul symbol on forehead. Any other racial phys-rep will also apply.

Cultures available: any except Awakened

Special rules: You can only create an undead character if the character you are loyal to knows the “Touch of Blasphemy” ritual.

Pick your culture and race as normal and follow all the normal rules except that you cannot start with a devotion.

Necromancy allows you to continue to exist after death. Although your soul is not restored to life, you retain all the personality, memory and skills that you had when you were alive.

Undead are not a true race, you should pick your culture and race and create your character as normal. You can purchase skills, advantages and equipment as appropriate for your race and culture. You cannot be an undead dryad, eidolon, facet or golem so you may not select one of the magic races if you are creating an undead character.

You can only choose to begin as an undead character if someone in your group is playing a necromancer and knows the ritual “Touch of Blasphemy”. You must be loyal to this character. Your arcane link to your necromancer taints your soul and this prevents you from being devoted to a deity.

As an undead, you resemble the character you were in life, except for the addition of a soul symbol. You must follow the normal minimum phys-rep rules for your race but also include this soul symbol on your forehead just above your eyebrows. A soul symbol is a mystical symbol a few inches across. We recommend that you use a character from an oriental alphabet.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.