The Eared Empire is populated primarily by Beastfolk, bipedal versions of various animals. Beastfolk can also sometimes be found outside the Empire and across many other lands, but the Empire is where they are most highly concentrated.
This is a bit of a draft, as I'm still throwing together ideas. Races in JammerHearts will probably work as just races, in that you can, say, be a Catfolk Cleric or a Mousefolk Thief. I might still allow races-as-classes for some things, if people so desire them.
Thus far, I don't have any special racial abilities figured out mechanically, but I'll post some ideas with each one of these. I VERY MUCH welcome suggestions or ideas to make this all work.
MOUSEFOLK
Are mechanically identical to halflings, whatever edition or ruleset you're using. Like Halflings, they love good food, simple comforts, and are very good at hiding, and are surprisingly tough little buggers.
I may change one thing, in that Mousefolk may be allowed to take on Arcane magic classes, given how iconic the Sorcerer's Apprentice is... but with the drawback of that they have to take the Wild Mage kit, as their magic is inherently fickle and unpredictable, and tends to lead to giant armies of brooms conquering the world, or random teleportation accidents. They'd also lose their innate magic resistance.
Mickey Mouse is the iconic Mousefolk, though he may not be the best example as he's a ridiculous jack of all trades.
Note that halflings don't exist in JammerHearts, at least not on any known world. There's just Mousefolk.
CATFOLK
Catfolk are nimble and quick creatures. Acrobatic and lithe, they can perform feats of dexterity beyond the ken of most. That being said, they're often known for being aloof, haughty, and arrogant. They tend to get along poorly with all other types of beastfolk save Cowfolk, including each other.
Racial ability adjustments:
+ 1 Dexterity, -1 Wisdom
Catfolk are nimble and quick, but not entirely in tune with the world around them.
Possible thoughts for other racial traits: Something to do with always landing on their feet; not as good as what Birdfolk will get (see below) but something quite good. Something with stealth, but not as good as Mousefolk. Something with climbing and excellent balance, which should just plain be good. Low-light vision/infravision/whatever. Maybe a better unarmed attack, because claws.
Catfolk likely favor Thief/Rogue/Expert and Ranger, as well as Magic-User. While they can probably take on the Cleric class, they aren't as good at it.
Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet is a good example of a member of the Catfolk race.
DOGFOLK
Dogfolk are known for being a little slow on the uptake, but often unshakably loyal. They also tend to have a deep connection to the world around them, an innate inner-connectedness
+1 Wisdom, -1 Intelligence. Dogfolk aren't the brightest bulbs in the pack, but they have keen senses and seem more naturally in-tune with their surroundings.
Possible thoughts for other traits: Something to do with being really good at finding stuff. Something to do with picking up tricks/skills fairly quickly, slash memorizing by rote. Maybe being good at herding stuff. Idk.
Dogfolk are probably really bad at Arcane magic and being sneaky. They make good Fighters, Clerics, Paladins, and Rangers.
BIRDFOLK
Birdfolk are keenly intelligent creatures. They often either go into business, or into the scholarly arts. Some birdfolk do have terrible tempers, though.
+1 Intelligence, -1 Constitution. Birdfolk are possessed of a keen intellect, but their hollow bones render them somewhat fragile.
Reduce falling damage by 10ft: While Birdfolk cannot actually fly, they do tend to have long feathers on their arms, and can slow their descent by rapidly flapping. Birdfolk treat all falls as 10 feet shorter than they actually are.
Possible thoughts for other traits: oh jeez I don't know? They should be the same size as Mousefolk though, they ain't big
Birdfolk heavily favor magic-using classes.
COWFOLK
Cowfolk are often the grunt labor of the Empire. Tough as nails but not terribly bright, Cowfolk can take a lot of punishment, but aren't known for being thinkers and planners.
+1 Constitution, -1 Intelligence. Cowfolk are tough as nails, but tend to be a bit slow on the uptake.
Other traits: I don't know I might just cut out cowfolk because I seriously have no idea
BEARFOLK
Big and lumbering, Bearfolk are fairly rare. If they weren't, they'd make up the majority of the Empire's armies. As it stands, Bearfolk in the military tend to be elite troops, made for intimidation and big damage.
+1 Strength, -1 Dexterity: Bears are big and powerfully built, but not particularly nimble.
Other traits: they should be really damn tall, much bigger than normal. I mean they're bear-dudes.
***
Rabbits, Chipmunks, and Squirrels have the same stats as Mousefolk; as do Rats, but rats are second-class citizens and tend to be treated rather terribly and discriminated against. Foxes are actually most similar to Catfolk. Wolves are Dogs. Some Birdfolk are also Velociraptors. They still have feathers, and are still small, they just have teeth, and are considered weird looking mutants.
HRM.
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