Maelstrom offers multiple choices for playable races. This is a general guide for the races available. After you create your character, you will have access to a journal in the starting area that will allow you to pick your racial package. The only way to change your race is through the recreation of your character or an admin. If you have roleplayed as a race, you cannot change your race for your character. If you made a mistake in your initial choice, an admin can assist you with resetting your race, provided it is within 24 hours of character creation.
There are restricted races – be sure you know what is and is not allowed. Currently you cannot begin play as a risen, wight, or star elf. Winged folk, versakin, magie, or psykin are application races. They do not require a full season on the server, but they do require an application. Both restricted and application races cannot be played without first applying and being approved for those races. The bare minimum requirement for a restricted race is one full season on the server during which time you are consistently active. This means you MUST be ACTIVE for a complete season before you will even be considered, and that must be the season before you apply. You cannot return after being inactive for several seasons and apply because a year ago you were active for one complete season. Each race may have additional restrictions. You can look at their race page for more information. If you create a restricted character without being approved by an admin (receiving a DM telling you that you are approved) you will have to change your race to a playable race. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this, if a race is restricted you CANNOT play it until you have been approved by an admin. Undead (risen and wight) are not a playable race from the start. They require you to be level 300 and have lost all of your role play lives. You will need to apply for this race and you must have a detailed story that explains why you are now coming back as an undead. If you are approved for goblin, star elf, risen, or wight, you must speak to an admin before picking your race in the starting area. Risen and wight race icons will show the race that you were before you became an undead. This is to prevent players from using OOC information, such as your race icon, to determine that you are an undead. If you have received a rules violation strike you may be denied access to the restricted or application race.
The racial appearance items are not something you can take off and on. You must pick your traits and those remain constant. Although there are standards for appearances, there are no hard colors for eyes or hair. We would like you to keep as close to the guidelines as possible, but there will be fluctuations and variations because of genetics and breeding. You should never be more than 10 centimeters outside of the range of height provided on the race's page or in it's long description in game. Height violations will receive a strike.
Each race has their in-game stat bonus from Professions and an attribute bonus explained on their subpages. They are separate bonuses with the attribute bonuses shown as +1/-1. You should use these bonuses when you make dice rolls in game. For example, if you are a Fey-Touched Nymph, you get a +1 to your charisma based rolls and a -1 to strength based rolls.
Half-Races
The races that are available are finite. They are not meant to be mixed or combined piecemeal. You can have parents that come from any of the two playable races, but you must pick which parent you pull your traits from, so if a half-orc and a dwarf reproduce, the result would be either a half-orc or a dwarf, not a half-orc/half-dwarf. The only races that are “half” are listed as such -half-elf, half-orc, and the restricted half-giant. If you are the product of a mating between two different races, you must pick the race of one of the parents.
If you reproduce with someone who is playing a restricted race, you must take the non-restricted race if you wish to play the offspring. No coupling with a restricted race will produce a restricted race offspring unless the player is pre-approved for the restricted race. DO NOT assume that you will be approved. If this is something you are seeking to do, apply for the restricted race before you make plans on playing it.
Maelstrom offers different racial packages, and each package will offer something different. Many races have different sub-types you can choose from as well. All features are chosen during your introduction in the starter area. These traits are permanent and cannot be removed or added after you leave the starter area without admin approval for something specific, such as having your horns removed as a PvP consequence or some other admin approved reason. The outline for these bonuses and features include the following:
Racial Table
| Race | Attribute | Attribute | RP Attribute | Height | Special | Special |
| Human – Barbaric | +5 Str | -/- | 151 to 220 cm | |||
| Human – Civilized | +5 Vit | -/- | 140 to 200 cm | |||
| Half Elf | +5 Auth | -/- | 140 to 189 cm | Night Vision | ||
| Elf - High | +3 Agl | +2 Exp | (+1)Int/(-1)Con | 146 to 220 cm | Night Vision | |
| Elf - Frost | +3 Exp | +2 Grit | (+1) Dex/(-1)Con | 151 to 220 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance |
| Elf - Wild | +3 Grit | +2 Agil | (+1)Dex/(-1)Int | 151 to 200 cm | Night Vision | |
| Elf - Wood | +3 Vit | +2 Grit | (+1)Dex/(-1)Con | 137 to 186 cm | Night Vision | |
| Elf - Sea | +3 Exp | +2 Auth | (+1)Dex/(-1)Con | 164 to 195 cm | Night Vision | Water Breathing |
| Elf - Dark | +3 Agl | +2 Auth | (+1)Cha/(-1)Str | 137 to 167 cm | Night Vision | |
| Elf - Star | +3 Exp | +2 Auth | (+1)Cha/(-1)Con | 148 and 190 cm | Night Vision | |
| Elf - Moon | +3 Agl | +2 Grit | (+1)Dex/(-1)Con | 143 to 186 cm | Night Vision | |
| Elf-Shadar Kai (Restricted) | +3 Exp | +2 Grit | (+1) Con/(-1) Cha |
150 to 180 cm |
Night Vision | Cold Resistance |
| Dragonborn (Restricted) | +3 Str | +3 Vit | Varies | Varies | Night Vision | Heat/Cold Resistance |
| Dwarf - Dune | +3 Grit | +2 Exp | (+1)Con/(-1)Cha | 130 to 148 cm | Night Vision | Heat Resistance |
| Dwarf - Elder | +3 Exp | +2 Vit | (+1)Int/(-1)Dex | 130 to 158 cm | Night Vision | |
| Dwarf - Frost | +3 Vit | +2 Str | (+1)Con/(-1)Cha | 125 to 143 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance |
| Dwarf - Mountain | +3 Grit | +2 Vit | (+1)Con/(-1)Cha | 139 to 158 cm | Night Vision | |
| Dwarf - Gray | +3 Str | +2 Agl | (+1)Con/(-1)Cha | 125 to 143 cm | Night Vision | |
| Fey-touched (Qilinkin) | +3 Grit | +2 Vit | -/- | 70 to 210 cm | Night Vision | Water Breathing |
| Fey-touched (Nymph - Female) | +3 Agl | +2 Vit | (+1)Cha/(-1)Str | 143 to 193 cm | Night Vision | Water Breathing |
| Fey-touched (Satyr - Male) | +3 Vit | +2 Grit | (+1)Con/(-1)Wis | 143 to 193 cm | Night Vision | |
| Halfling | +3 Agl | +2 Vit | (+1)Dex/(-1)Str | 81 to 102 cm | ||
| Half-Giant (Restricted) | +6 Str | +4 Vit | (+2) Str/(-2) Int | 222 to 305 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance |
| Half-Orc - (Gray/Mountain/Jungle) | +3 Str | +2 Agl | (+1)Str/(-1)Wis | 204 to 232 cm | Night Vision | |
| Half-Orc - Arcanus | +5 Agl | (+1)Int/(-1)Con | 195 to 213 cm | Night Vision | ||
| Half-Orc - Arena-bred | +3 Str | +2 Vit | (+1)Con/(-1)Wis | 213 to 261 cm | Night Vision | |
| Half-Orc - Frostblood | +3 Str | +2 Grit | (+1)Con/(-1)Cha | 213 to 261 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance |
| Hobgoblin | +5 Str | (+1)Str/(-1)Cha | 151 to 220 cm | Night Vision | ||
| Gnome | +3 Agl | +2 Exp | (+1)Con/(-1)Str | 84 to 121 cm | Night Vision | |
| Goblin | +3 Exp | +2 Exp | (+1)Dex/(-1)Cha | 76 to 106 cm | Night Vision | |
| Kobold | +3 Grit | +2 Exp | (+1)Con/(-1)Str | 60 to 100 cm | Night Vision | Heat Resistance |
| Minotaur | +3 Str | +2 Vit | (+1)Wis/(-1)Int | 165 to 250 cm | Night Vision | |
| Planetouched - Aasimar | +5 Auth | (+1)Wis/(-1)Dex | 185 to 222 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance | |
| Planetouched - Bovikin | +3 Grit | +2 Str | (+1)Con/(-1)Dex | M:185 to 240 cm F:150 to 205 cm | Night Vision | |
| Planetouched - Catfolk | +3 Agl | +2 Grit | (+1)Dex/(-1)Con | 75 to 210 cm | Night Vision | |
| Planetouched - Deerkin | +5 Exp | (+1)Dex/(-1)Str | 176 and 213 cm | Night Vision | ||
| Planetouched – Djann – Air | +3 Agl | +2 Grit | (+1)Dex/(-1)Con | 143 to 190 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance |
| Planetouched – Djann – Earth | +3 Str | +2 Vit | (+1)Str/(-1)Dex | 135 to 183 cm | Night Vision | Heat Resistance |
| Planetouched – Djann – Fire | +3 Agi | +2 Exp | (+1)Int/(-1)Wis | 143 to 190 cm | Night Vision | Heat Resistance |
| Planetouched – Djann – Water | +3 Grit | +2 Str | (+1)Wis/(-1)Cha | 143 to 190 cm | Night Vision | Cold Resistance Water Breathing |
| Planetouched - Darular | +3 Str | +2 Vit | (+1)Wis/(-1)Int | 150 to 190 cm | Night Vision | Heat Resistance |
| Planetouched - Foxfolk | +5 Agl | (+1)Wis/(-1)Str | 64 to 132 cm | Night Vision | ||
| Planetouched - Magie (Application) | +3 Grit | +2 Exp | (+1)Int/(-1)Con | 70 to 232 cm | Night Vision | Flight |
| Planetouched - Psykin (Application) | +5 Vit | (+1)Wis/(-1)Str | 145 to 205 cm | Night Vision | Flight | |
| Planetouched - Rabbitkin | 60 and 100 cm | Night Vision | ||||
| Planetouched - Sphynaxi (Application) | +3 Agi | +2 Grit | (+1)Int/(-1)Str | 75 to 210 cm | Night Vision | Flight |
| Planetouched - Tiefling | +5 Grit | (+1)Dex/(-1)Cha | 138 to 199 cm | Night Vision | Heat Resistance | |
| Planetouched - Versakin (Application) | +5 Str | -/- | 70 to 250 cm | Night Vision | Flight | |
| Planetouched - Wingedfolk (Application) | +3 Grit | +2 Agl | (+1)Dex/(-1) Con | 145 to 205 cm | Night Vision | Flight |
| Planetouched - Wolfkin | +5 Str | (+1)Cha/(-1)Wis | 180 to 210 cm | Night Vision | ||
| Spellscale | +5 Grit | (+1)Con/(-1)Wis | 140 to 210 cm | Night Vision | Heat/Cold Resist | |
| Wight (Restricted) | +3 Str | +2 Grit | (+1)Str/(-1)Cha | Varies | Night Vision | Cold Resistance Poison Resistance Water Breathing |
| Risen (Restricted) | +3 Str | +2 Grit | (+1)Str/(-1)Cha | Varies | Night Vision | Cold Resistance Poison Resistance Water Breathing |
| Immaru (Restricted) | +3 Agl | +2 Grit | (-1)Str/+1(Dex) | Night Vision |
Pregnancy Related Tables
Length of Pregnancy by Race
| Race | Gestational Period |
| Dragon | Varies |
| Dwarf | 12 months |
| Elf | 24 months |
| Gnome | 13 months |
| Goblin | 4 months |
| Halfling | 10 months |
| Half-Elf | If mating with human, 10 months, if mating with elf, 24 months |
| Half-Giant | 10 months |
| Half-Orc | If mating with human, 10 months, if mating with orc, 6 months |
| Hobgoblin | 7 months |
| Human | 10 months |
| Kobold | 4 months |
| Minotaur | 10 months |
| Plane-Touched | 10 months |
| Fey-Touched | 10 months |
| Immaru | 12 months |
Interspecies Cross-Breeding
| Dragon | Dwarf | Elf | Gnome | Goblin | Halfling | Half-Elf | Half-Orc | Human | Minotaur | Plane-Touched* | Fey-Touched* | Immaru | |
| Dragon | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Dwarf | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Elf | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y* | N |
| Gnome | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y* | N |
| Goblin | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Halfling | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Half-Elf | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Half-Orc | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Human | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Minotaur | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Plane-Touched* | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Fey-Touched* | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| Immaru | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y |
** Any race that reproduces with other races must pick which of the parent traits the child will inherit. If you wish to leave it up to chance, you can roll 1 d20, if the result is even, the offspring takes from the mother, if odd, the father. There are no aasimar -tieflings, dwarf-halflings or air djann-half-elves, when they reproduce their child loses one of the racial aspects. If an air djann and a fey-touched reproduce, the offspring will either be a fey-touched or an air djann, not a combination of both. Spellscales are treated as planetouched for purposes of this table.