Liminal (Article Race)

:For other Liminal, see Liminal (disambiguation).
==Liminal (Dragon Magazine #250)==
Liminals are descended from ancient unions between humans and merfolk. Unlike the other sea races, they are not considered humanoids and do not suffer the disadvantages of humanoid characters. Liminals appear similar to humans, with rich golden-colored skin and light brown or blond hair. They have gill slits in their throats and bright-colored eyes of yellow, blue, or green. Their fingers and toes are partially webbed.
Liminals are insightful and outgoing, receiving a +1 to Wisdom and Charisma. However, they are frail, suffering a -2 penalty to Constitution.
Liminal characters can be fighters (up to 14th level), rangers (up to 15th level), mages (up to 12th level), thieves (limit 12th level), or bards (no level limit). Liminals may be multi-classed as fighter/ mages, fighter/thieves, ranger/mages, or mage/ thieves.
Liminals can breathe in air or water and receive the swimming proficiency as a bonus. They swim at their full normal movement rate (a base of 12). Their maximum functioning depth is 700 feet, and their underwater vision is 1.5 times human vision. Liminals must keep their gills damp and are particularly susceptible to dehydration while on land. Liminals must drink twice as much water in a day as other characters or suffer penalties for dehydration.
Liminals receive a +1 bonus to their attack rolls when using a trident, the preferred weapon of their race.
Liminals are close with the animals of the sea, being somewhat outcast from the society of other demihumans. Liminals have the innate ability to bond with aquatic mammals (dolphins, otters, seals, etc.), befriending one such animal at a time as a pet. This pet must be a mammal of Size M or smaller. The liminal must spend one month with the animal while it is still young, after which the animal becomes completely loyal, following the character everywhere (in the water) and obeying simple commands. Liminals may have only one such pet at a time and must wait 100 days after the death of one pet to gain another. Choice of companions is always subject to the DM's approval.
Liminals tend to adopt the roles of merchants, diplomats, and other roles involving interaction or mediation between the cultures of the land and sea. Liminals learn from an early age that settling down on land or sea is fatal both to the individual and to the race. Liminals are encouraged to marry only other liminals, to protect the existence of their race and to maintain their cultural identity. A liminal who marries a human can no longer rely on other liminals for help.
Liminals worship an androgynous deity called Eq'aa. The ultimate ideal of their religion is the unification of two "half-breeds" into two whole, complete beings through marriage. The bond of marriage is thus vitally important to all liminals. Married liminals have a special bond similar to that between a wizard and a familiar: they can communicate telepathically at a distance of up to one mile and always know each other's exact location within the same distance. If separated beyond that distance, each partner still knows the general direction in which the other is located.
When a married liminal couple joins hands, one partner can lend power to the other, granting one of the following effects:
* An increase of 1 level in spell effects and the like, at no cost to the supporting partner.
* Shared strength, increasing one partner's Strength score by 1 for every 2 points sacrificed by the other.
* Lent health, transferring hit points from one partner to the other on a 1-to-1 basis. The receiving partner cannot have more hit points than his or her normal maximum.
The first two uses of this power last only as long as the couple holds hands.
Liminal marriages are so close that couples who are separated by more than one mile slowly waste away. Each partner loses 1 hit point per day of separation (due to loss of sleep and appetite) until they are reunited or killed.
Liminals rarely survive the death of their spouses. If one partner dies, the other immediately loses one half his or her normal maximum hit points. These hit points can be recovered normally.
Starting age for liminal characters is 15 +1d4; maximum age is 90+ 2d20. Liminals reach middle age at 45 years of age, old age at 60, and venerable at 90. Height is 62/56+1d12; weight is 145/80+8d10.
:James Wyatt is the author of "The Maze of the Morkoth," an undersea adventure appearing in DUNGEON Adventures #70, available in September.
==Skills & Powers for Liminals==
Liminal PCs begin with 30 character points to spend on racial abilities. The basic character point cost for liminals is 25 points, which purchases the abilities listed below, leaving 5 character points for nonweapon proficiencies or additional abilities.
Liminals' Special Abilities: Animal companion, fast swimmer, trident bonus, liminal racial abilities.
If the player wishes to create a customized liminal character, abilities may be chosen from the list below. Abilities cost either 5 or 10 character points.
* Animal companion (10): Described in the main text as a standard ability.
* Close to the sea (5): Liminals with this ability heal faster when totally immersed in salt water. When this character is underwater, he heals 2 hp damage overnight rather than the 1 point normally healed by other races. This bonus does not apply in fresh water or out of the water.
* Depth sense (5): The character can determine her approximate depth underwater on a 1-4 on 1d6.
* Fast swimmer (10): Described in the main text as a standard ability
* Speak with animals (10): Once a day, the liminal can use the speak with animals ability, as a priest of the same level. This ability works only with aquatic animals, however.
* Tough hide (10): Taking after the merfolk ancestry this liminal has tough skin. The character has a natural armor class of 8. If the liminal wears armor that would improve his AC to better than 8, this ability has no effect. If the character wears armor that gives him an AC of 8 or worse, he may add a +1 bonus to her Armor Class.
* Trident bonus (5): Described in the main text as a standard ability.
Category:Dragon Magazine Race Articles