Born of a union of mortal and elemental, a stonechild is a hardy entity grounded in soil and stone and gifted with incredible strength, fortitude and a keen intellect. Although they are not the outcasts that half-orcs often are, stonechildren are rarely raised among others of their kind. Most stonechildren grow to maturity while living in dwarf or human communities, and those few who stay on the Material Plane often wander alone, taking up the mantle of adventurer.
Stonechildren are most comfortable in and under the mountains; because of this preference, they usually end their wandering by settling with a community of dwarves. As they grow older, even the most adventurous stonechildren become more and more likely to seek a way to the Elemental Plane of Earth and surround themselves with others of their kind.
Personality: Stonechildren relish challenges and enjoy proving their own strength. They admire those who make their own way in life, and they feel a sense of camaraderie with the earth itself. Even when travelling alone through dangerous areas, stonechildren remain solid and sensible. Stonechildren keep their feelings hidden behind a slow practicality, and when they find someone’s company unpleasant they usually just leave quietly. Stonechildren are stalwart in the face of adversity, whether it takes the form of the physical dangers of combat or the long solitude of life as a wanderer.
Physical Description: With rough, grey skin and a stony bulk, a stonechild looks like a powerful human made out of stone. Stonechildren have tremendous physical strength and fortitude, and can easily overpower most humanoids. Stonechildren do not have hair, and their eyes are limited to shades of grey, black or the occasional gem-like hue (usually a muted blue or green). Although their tough hide resembles stone, they are outsiders, not elementals. Stonechildren grow to nearly 7 feet tall, and they can easily weigh more than 300 pounds.
Relations: Tough, reliable, and focused on the utilitarian, stonechildren get along with most races. Stonechildren are closer to dwarves than any other race, and they often settle in dwarf communities for a time. Many humans and dwarves seek to emulate the strength and silence of the stonechildren, but their strength and practicality can seem alien to elves and gnomes.
Of the few stonechildren who do not live on the Elemental Plane of Earth, most are wanderers, and as such they enjoy the company of halflings. For their part, halflings readily acknowledge the value of having a large, physically powerful stonechild with their troupe.
On the other hand, stone children sometimes have a difficult time understanding the elf mind-set. Like stonechildren, elves are close to nature, but elves share none of the stonechildren’s connection to stone and the power of the earth, making them seem flighty and unfocused.
Alignment: Stonechildren make their own way in life, keeping a balance between following the rules and laws of others and adhering to their own sense of honour. This outlook leads many stonechildren to adopt an attitude of neutrality. Although they make their own choices, stonechildren have a deep love of the earth and a compassion for others. In their own way, stonechildren are workers for the cause of good, quietly protecting others when they can.
Stonechild Lands: Stonechildren do not have lands of their own on the Material Plane. Even on the Elemental Plane of Earth, their numbers are sparse, but they occasionally form permanent communities along with elementals and other earth creatures. On the Elemental Plane of Earth, stonechildren build secure dwellings in the sides of great caverns, usually with the help of powerful elementals.
Religion: Because they often wander alone, stonechildren do not have any racial religion. Most stonechildren adopt the religion of their mortal parent or the community in which they grew up, making a wide array of deities the norm for any group of stonechildren. Although Moradin the Soul Forger is primarily seen as the deity of the dwarves, stonechildren also venerate his powers over stone, his solid strength, and his prodigious skills at the forge. More stonechildren revere Moradin than any other single deity, but even his worshippers fall far short of constituting a majority.
Language: Stonechildren speak both Terran and Common, but they prefer Terran. They are more intelligent than many humanoids, and they pick up languages readily. Almost all stonechildren learn Dwarven early in their life, and many master other languages as well. Stonechildren do not have a literature of their own, although many individual members of the race have kept records and stories of their travels.
Names: Stonechildren share some of the naming conventions that dwarves have, but they are far less rigid about the process. Whereas dwarf names belong to the family and clan, stonechildren bond closely to their names, making them intensely personal things. Stonechildren also do not follow the strict naming traditions of dwarves, and they create new names with each new generation. Some of their typical names derive from the Common names for different types of stone.
Male Names: Beltan, Fartach, Ingot, Ored, Slate.
Female Names: Berna, Kihild, Merna, Shale, Zeea.
Family Names: Angaran, Kar-Gulduk, Pal-Mituk, Raskanik, Rendark.
Adventurers: Stonechild adventurers usually travel in search of something they desire. For some, this goal is material wealth; for others, it is a chance to study with famed craftsmen. Some want to seek out more of their kind on the Material Plane, while others search for new ways to test themselves in physical combat. Stonechildren are tough and ready for whatever comes their way, and many stonechildren go off on adventures at least once or twice in their lives.
Source: Races of Stone (Page 92)
Your character can be either male or female.
Every player character starts as an adult. You can choose or randomly generate your character’s age. If you choose it, it must be at least the minimum age for the character’s race and class (see Table: Starting Ages). Your character’s minimum starting age is the adulthood age of his or her race plus the number of dice indicated in the entry corresponding to the character’s race and class on Table: Starting Ages.
Alternatively, refer to Table: Starting Ages and roll dice to determine how old your character is.
| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 years | +3d6 (63—78) years | +5d6 (65—90) years | +7d6 (67—102) years |
1 This category includes barbarians, rogues and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, fighters, paladins and rangers.
3 This category includes clerics, druids, monks and wizards.
With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his or her mental ability scores increase (see Table: Aging Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.
| Middle Age1 | Old Age2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 years | 188 years | 250 years | +2d% years |
1 -1 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
2 -2 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
3 -3 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
When a character reaches venerable age, the DM secretly rolls his or her maximum age, which is the number from the Venerable column on Table: Aging Effects plus the result of the dice roll indicated on the Maximum Age column on that table, and records the result, which the player does not know. A character who reaches his or her maximum age dies of old age at some time during the following year, as determined by the DM.
The maximum ages are for player characters. Most people in the world at large die from pestilence, accidents, infections or violence before getting to venerable age.
Choose your character’s height and weight from the ranges mentioned in the appropriate race description or from the ranges found on Table: Height and Weight. Think about what your character’s abilities might say about his or her height and weight. A weak but agile character may be thin. A strong and tough character may be tall or just heavy.
Alternatively, roll randomly for your character’s height and weight on Table: Height and Weight. The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s extra height beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character’s extra weight beyond the base weight.
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 5’ 4" | +2d12 (5’ 6"—7’ 4") | 200 lbs. | ×2d6 (204—488 lbs.) |
| Female | 5’ 2" | +2d12 (5’ 4"—7’ 2") | 180 lbs. | ×2d6 (184—468 lbs.) |
Source: Races of Stone (Page 86)