Arleah makes use of the PRC race system. We also have several homebrewed templates. If you wish to play anything besides the standard seven race choices provided by base NWN (human, elf, half-elf, dwarf, half-orc, gnome, halfling) then this post contains relevant information for you.
We utilize a custom ECL system on Arleah - ECL will lower your maximum potential level relativel to level 40 by the amount listed. Races and templates will have their ECL listed next to them, if higher than 0, in the lists below.
Origins
While we have chosen to not list several races that are strongly tied to their plane of origin (i.e. Krynnish races, Athasian races), we have left in a few setting-specific races that are easily explained away in our setting. This is simply a reminder of the server rule that Arleah is a unique and separate setting; if your race is supposedly unique to another setting, please come up with an origin from within Cardathia, no matter what your race's default description says.
For any subrace not listed below
While the PRC provides a number of subraces, it obviously does not have them all. If the below listed subraces do NOT have the elven, dwarven, gnomish or halfling subrace you wish to play, simply utilize appearance and roleplay to simulate it. If the subrace is highly exotic, please ask a DM their opinion before proceeding. Please note that the 'subrace' field will be cleared on character creation. If you would like a subrace to be added to the server, see the 'Anything Else' clause at the bottom of this post.
Consistency - No shortcuts
Many scripts will react to you based on your race. If the subrace exists within the PRC race system, you must choose it. For example, you may not make an elf, use the subrace button to name it 'drow' and then use drowish skin/hair coloration; you must request the actual drow race from the PRC pack. 'I wanted to save time' is not acceptable. 'I don't care about the stats of that race, I'm fine without them' is not acceptable. 'I don't want to deal with the penalties associated with that race' is very not acceptable.
Half-breed characters
The PRC race system offers a few new 'half' races, such as Half-drow (and full races where we only had half before, such as Orc). If your character fits that description, please use the relevant PRC half- race for your character. If your character does not fall into any of these, use your discretion. If your character is half gnome, half orc, it is up to you if you want to pick one or the other. When in doubt, you can always ask a DM their opinion.
Languages and custom races
We will not be doing full automated language handout for permission-based races, please ask a DM for your languages. The list of racial languages can be found near the bottom of this page, please read that for which languages you are entitled to free of the background languages int mod deal. All non-permission races can now use the Rest menu to acquire racial and class languages automatically.
Don't forget, half-breed characters are not required to learn racial languages (I.E. half-elf and elven language). You may still request them and they will not count against your character background language picks at character creation, but there can certainly be background reasons for not having learned it (say, half-elf raised by humans that would not have been able to pass the elven language along). For more information on this, see the relevant section of the server rules under "Miscellaneous".
Roleplay Token Cost
Custom races now have a token cost associated with them. Though we previously utilized a flat cost, the cost is now determined by ECL. Racial ECL x 10 / Template ECL x 20 (e.g. Avariel, a 2 ECL race, would cost 20 tokens; Curst, a 3 ECL template, would cost 60 tokens). See the Roleplay Tokens page for information on reduced template token costs.
Before You Apply
Questions and discussion are encouraged before applying! We don't expect that you come up with a perfect application on the first shot. Feel free to use the arleahrequests@gmail.com address to send in a 'pre-application' of sorts so you can have the DM team discuss your idea with you!
You can apply for a non-standard race by emailing us at arleahrequests@gmail.com .
Though we generally leave the substance of the application up to the applicant rather than supplying a list of information we want to see, I'd like to share some general tips to help direct expectations.
First, note that any character that massively or completely breaks from that race's expected society/lore/history is going to have an uphill battle; while we're okay with these sorts of concepts, we do actively try to avoid situations where the expected proportion is thrown off. As an example, we'd approve a Duergar Paladin if the application was exceptionally badass, but if we receive three more applications for Good aligned Duergar when they are traditionally evil, it isn't going to go well without some serious groundwork.
Many of the below races have not previously been applied for and/or represented in Cardathia yet; due to this, the first applicant will likely be fighting an uphill battle, as we're greatly relying on them to help define the presence of that race in Cardathia. In such a case, we're expecting an awesome dynamic for the character, and an awesome dynamic for the race. This compounds with the above tip as well: If someone applied to be, say, the first Chaond we've ever approved (an outsider race born of Chaos itself) and decided they simply -must- be a Lawful Neutral samurai, we're probably going to decline outright.
We do not have a great deal of automated hostility scripting on the server; those that are applying for traditionally hostile 'monster' races are expected to respect the setting and plan their roleplay around what should happen rather than what scripts dictate. On a related note, we'll likely deny any applications that attempt to justify an exception to this hostility up front; this takes time, effort, and good roleplay.
When you get approved (or are choosing a race/subrace that is on the 'no approval required' list)
With Enhanced Edition, no external character generation is necessary; simply create the character in game per normal, then await a DM to authorize your character to leave the SS Arleah.
Vampirism, Lycanthropy, Lichdom, etc
Undead PCs and our various lycanthropes are now represented racial templates that apply on top of your character regardless of base race. Due to the secretive nature of these creatures, their stats will not be released. Do not seek these for character power, as they come with penalties to fairly balance how powerful they are. There is no going back once you are committed.
Please note that Werewolf and Lich are no longer handled by their respective PRC classes, we have implemented an entirely custom template system that requires no feats or class levels on the part of the player.
Race Stats
You can read up on what the pros and cons of each race is at the PRC Manual's webpage. Some of the changes we have made to these races can be found in the server changelogs, and at some point in the Custom Content list as well. You will not be able to find stats on our custom races, templates, and specific modifications to top shelf races, and we will not be releasing that information; they are reserved for players who care about how enjoyable the roleplay of those options are, not how powerful or penalized they are.
Unrestricted Races
These races/subraces have no application process, they can be made freely in game. All of these races are present somewhere in Cardathia, even if they may not necessarily have their own unique settlement or civilization; we're happy to discuss this to further enrich server lore, and always willing to relay precedented roleplay from other players who have played these previously. They generally have no more animosity or risk than their vanilla counterparts.
Dwarf
Elf
Gnome
Half-Elf
Half-Orc
Halfling
Human
Aquatic Elf
Arctic Dwarf
Deep Halfling
Fireblood Dwarf
Forestlord Elf
Forest Gnome
Ghostwise Halfling
Glimmerskin Halfling
Gold Dwarf
Half-Drow
Rock Gnome
Snow Elf
Silverbrow Human
Stonehunter Gnome
Strongheart Halfling
Sun Elf
Tallfellow Halfling
Tundra Halfling
Urdunnir
Whisper Gnome
Wild Dwarf
Wild Elf
Wood Elf
Lore Restricted Races
These options have a mild to moderate amount of research needed to properly portray in our setting. Characters are expected not to intentionally break our lore or invalidate others who play this race. There are also a few minor ways that these races are discriminated against in some locations in Cardathia.
Aasimar ECL: 1
Air Genasi
Avariel ECL: 2
Earth Genasi
Fire Genasi
Mul ECL: 1
Tiefling ECL: 1
Water Genasi
Pariah Races
These races are unwelcome in most places in Cardathia - if discovered. An orc with a helmet may pass as a half-orc if they're careful, and a kobold with a hood might pass as a halfling. There are a few more serious races mixed in here, but they generally have a racial mechanism to help them blend in. These races demand an understanding of how hostility is handled on Arleah; we do not have any complex systems that determine if you are wearing a hood or if not; you are expected to play this appropriately and respect the setting.
The disguise lifestyle is never risk-free, let alone those that play these races without any regard for secrecy. To be absolutely clear, these races are for those who enjoy a prolonged uphill battle and understand that they are entrusted with the responsibility of properly representing racial tensions even in the absence of a DM.
Asabi ECL: 3
Buomman
Changeling ECL: 1
Chaond ECL: 1
Drow ECL: 2
Duergar ECL: 1
Fey'ri ECL: 2
Frostblood Orc
Githyanki ECL: 1
Githzerai ECL: 2
Gray Orc ECL: 1
Khaasta ECL: 4
Kobold
Lizardfolk ECL: 1
Nathri ECL: 1
Orc
Orog ECL: 1
Poison Dusk Lizardfolk ECL: 1
Shadowswyft ECL: 1
Lycanborn*
Svirfneblin ECL: 3
Tanarukk ECL: 4
Tuladhara ECL: 1
Viletooth Lizardfolk ECL: 1
Zenythri ECL: 1
*As the 'Shifter' race was too easily confused with the class(es) and very concept of polymorphing in general, we've renamed it Lycanborn to better represent what it is in our setting.
Outcast Races
These races are unwelcome almost universally in Cardathia and generally have no mechanism to hide what they are due to their appearance, size, etc. The default reaction of the average citizen of Cardathia will be 'this monster is attacking me and needs to die' not 'new friend?'; these races require absolute compliance with how hostility is handled on Arleah. We usually do not have automatic guard hostility based on race in most cases, you are expected to play this appropriately and respect the setting.
These races may find it extremely difficult to perform even basic functions such as visiting vendors and finding a safe rest spot. To be absolutely clear, these races are for those who enjoy a prolonged uphill battle and understand that they are entrusted with the responsibility of properly representing racial tensions even in the absence of a DM.
Azer ECL: 5
Baaz Draconian ECL: 1
Bozak Draconian ECL: 6
Bugbear ECL: 2
Flind ECL: 2
Gnoll
Goblin
Half-Giant* ECL: 2
Half-Ogre ECL: 2
Hobgoblin
Kapak Draconian ECL: 4
Minotaur ECL: 4
Neraph
Nezumi ECL: 1
Ogre ECL: 2
Sunscorch Hobgoblin
Tasloi
Troglodyte ECL: 2
Troll ECL: 6
Wemic ECL: 4
*As the default Half-Giant race is naturally psionic, we will be using Athasian Half-Giant. These characters will, of course, not actually be from Athas. This will be clarified in a future TLK update. I wanted to make note of this distinction as the Athasian Half-Giant racial stats are very different from the default Half-Giant, please make sure you are reading the correct entry in the manual.
Top Shelf Races
The following races are available to be chosen, however, they are either extremely powerful, have an incredible deal of responsibility to roleplay properly, are regarded with hostility in Cardathia, or two/all of the above. Given those problems, these applications will be under EXTREMELY strict scrutiny. Please do not apply for these races if you are new to the server, as they will not be granted to anyone that whose roleplay style is not familiar to us. To be completely clear, these races are not for the faint of heart - we require that applicants be on board with our vision for what these races should be - we have high expectations and we will not dispense them easily. We actively work to keep these rare and special and will not approve any application that does not promise to heighten how these races are portrayed in Cardathia.
Brownie ECL: 5
Dragonkin ECL: 6
Drider ECL: 6
Grig ECL: 3
Hound Archon ECL: 6
Nixie ECL: 4
Nymph ECL: 6
Pixie ECL: 5
Satyr ECL: 4
Volodni ECL: 4
Warforged ECL: 1
Bralani Eladrin ECL: 6
Rakshasa ECL: 6
Naztharune Rakshasa ECL: 6
Yuan-ti Pureblood ECL: 3
Zakya Rakshasa ECL: 6
Non-standard Dragon Disciple backgrounds*
(Arleah) Celestial** ECL: 4
(Arleah) Devil** ECL: 4
(Arleah) Demon** ECL: 4
(Arleah) Dragon** ECL: 6
*By default, only the standard 5 metallic and 5 chromatic dragon disciple heritages are available. This permission is to utilize one of the other 28 gem, lung, or obscure dragon heritages.
**These races are not a part of the PRC pack, we created them ourselves from scratch. Their statistical bonuses are generous but will remain secret; please do not apply for these races if you are only interested in the statistical benefits, we take creatures this powerful and this roleplay-intensive very seriously.
The following races are template races, they apply on top of your current race. Please note that these 'template' races undergo the most stringent scrutiny for anything permission related on the server. These are entirely homebrewed; they do not use any mechanics from PRC's templates of PRC's template classes. ECL penalties compound with any existing racial ECL (I.E. a Minotaur with an ECL of 4 becomes a Death Knight, reaching a new total of ECL 8 adjustment).
Vampire
Requires both a writeup for permission AND a player vampire willing to turn you (though the latter may be arranged if the former is really well done). ECL: 4
Lycanthrope/Werecreature
Requires a writeup for permission. Please specify in your writeup if you already have a player character willing to turn you, if you require a player character to turn you, or if your character is a born lycanthrope. ECL: 2
Lich
Requires a writeup. Lichdom is a rare secret generally only passed on by powerful undead beings and other players; please ensure that your character has acquired the knowledge from one of these sources. ECL: 4
Death Knight
Requires a writeup. Please specify in your writeup if you already have a player character with the knowledge to create a Death Knight, or if this requires DM intervention. ECL: 4
Curst
Requires a writeup. Please ensure that your writeup properly outlines the divine being responsible for your cursed state and why. ECL: 3
More templates to come in a future update...
Anything else not listed here should be discussed with an administrator, as it effectively counts as higher than top shelf - you must convince us to add something new or change our minds on something we had previously removed. Exceptions and additions are not impossible, but very, very rare. Also, if you were approved for something not listed above in a previous incarnation of Arleah and plan to play that character again, please speak with an administrator, as we do try to honor grandfathered characters.