Legends & Lairs: Mythic Races - Character Race Compendium (Hardcover)

by Fantasy Flight Games (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Some have lived in the world for millennia. Some have conquered continents. Some have gained great fame in magic, sacrifice or heroism of ages past. Some have lived in obscurity throughout the ages. Some wait in hatred amongst dark caverns for their time to ravage and rule the lands. Some dwell in peace deep in hidden valleys and on forgotten plateaus. Some walk openly among the known people, and some walk hidden. They are races of myth and lore. They are tribes, civilizations, outcasts, and abberants. Their time is now.

FFG is proud to present the second core book in the Legends & Lairs line of d20 System material. Mythic Races provides payers with 30 new detailed cultures for character creation. Each race is beautifully illustrated and details their history, gods, special skills, feats, equipment, and new prestige classes. These races range from the familiar to the alien, and all can be easily introduced into any campaign, making use of level modifiers to maintain game balance.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589940547
• ISBN-13: 978-1589940543
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #808,438 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now for something COMPLETELY Different, October 5, 2001

By	Brian K. Eason (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had a high level of expectation for this product after seeing their fine Blue Planet system. I was not disappointed.

Contained in this 170 (reasonably priced) hardcover is:

* 30 New Races
* 31 Race Specific Presitge Classes
* 13 New Feats (mostly Race Specific, but easily adaptable)
* New Spells
* A Wealth of Background information to make each race unique.

Some examples of the fine work found in Mythic Races:

* Animen - A race of Humanoids with Animal heads (and a hidden animal nature)
* Athathi - A race of (VERY) well designed Humanoid Felines.
* Eleti - For the Necromancer in the Party... a Race of Undead... with a twist.
* Faeries - Finally a well designed Faery race (for those of you who like your fantasy with wings).
* Luminous - A race of beings composed of pure energy... great alternative for Paladins.
* Mhuinntirs - A race of Shapeshifters. The focus here is felines, but could easily be adapted for other animal types.
* Rhonians and the Rhoode - An Avian race and an Anphibian race that live in a strange symbiotic society
* Risen Demons - EASILY the best thing in the book, the opposite of Fallen Angels... two presitige classes are presented.
* Tremen - That's TREE-MEN... VERY COOL

And obviously there is a LOT more. All of the races are easily adaptable and a lot of the races I didn't mention are Warm and fuzzy in a halfing kind of way... but others are savage, brutish or horrible in some way... What thy ALL have in common is excellence of execution...

Bravo Fantasy Flight... Now I'm just waiting on the Sea-Farers guide...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice addition to any campaign setting., May 20, 2003

By	"barjem" (Hays, Kansas United States) - See all my reviews

Let me start off by saying that this book was a pleasant surprise. I decided to purchase it based off of the previous review of the book, and I can say I was not disappointed. Here are the highlights:

Fairies: If you're looking for a good race of fae without all the hassle involved in using Savage Species, this is the one. +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -4 Str, -2 Con. Key racial abilities: Natural Invisibility, Faerie Fire, and Spell Abilities (8 total). ECL +3
This race also includes dark fairies: the unseelie!

Luminous: A race of Positive Energy emitting humanoids. These beings make awesome clerics and paladins. +2 Wis, -2 Cha. Key racial abilities: Poison Immunity, +4 saves v.s. Necromancy magic, produces own body light equal to a torch at will, and enhanced turning. No ECL modifier!

Mhuinntirs: Shapechanging humaniod jaguar people (think Aztecs). In jaguar form: +4 Str, +6 Dex, +4 Con and +1 AC bonus! Speed 40 feet, climb 20 feet. +2 bonus to Spot and Track checks, bite and claw attacks, plus new feats just for this race. ECL +2

Niomus: My personal favorite. Bat-winged human-like race. Wings fold down and can be covered by a cloak or robe to fool on-lookers! +2 Int, +2 Cha, -2 Str (due to hollow bones). Key racial abilities: fly 50 feet, cold resistance 5, +2 bonus on Jump, Search, and Spot checks. ECL +2

Quissen: think desert reptile men. Warrior race created by wizard with artifact. +2 Con, -2 Cha. Key racial abilities: Darkvision, +4 bonus on Hide in desert terrains, +2 on Climb checks (clawed hands and feet), and thick scale natural armor bonus +2. ECL +1

Uthuk Y'llan: 6 to 7 feet tall, 200 to 300 pd humanoids with tatoos, ritual scars, and bone spurs. Eyes glow when enraged! +2 Con, +2 Str, -2 Int. Key racial abilities: +2 on Intimidate checks, they have an herbal root that when chewed causes them to go berserk! I using this race for my next character, an all-out brawling streetfighter type.

Anyway, there are many other very good races to choose from: Risen Demons, Stonegrunts, Pevishan, Tremen, etc... My only complaint is that there are a few lame races that are just core race rip-offs, or just bad choices for adventurers, but these make up only a moderate portion of the book.

Overall, this book has some really good, refreshing choices that can add a lot to your enjoyment of the game.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Done Mystic Flight Games, February 8, 2003

By A Customer

A well put together book of races, with each race having at least one racial prestige class. I have found the book useful and informative.