This is the first of my "Expanded vanilla races" mod.

I, for one, like new civilizations- But i also like if mods don`t introduce races that aren`t present in the vanilla game.

This series of mods will try to add new civilizations based on creatures that are already present in the game- Various animal people, for example.

In order to keep them realistic i`ll base them more or less on real world civilizations and cultures. I will also try to add unique abilities and attributes to each race in order to justify their presence in the game.

This first release includes the Kani; A race of crab men who are kinda based on the medieval japanese people. Expect Samurai, shinobi and sohei.

Information about the Kani

The Kani are crab men. Their left arm ends in a huge pincer while their right arm has a normal hand. (A twist on the fact that the japanese didn`t use shields in battle. I decided to keep that aspect.) They are amphibious and can breathe underwater. They are not quite as tall as regular humans but bigger than dwarves.

Their weapons and equipment are based upon japanese weapons and armor- They wield Katana, Yari, Kanabos, Odachis etc. Their most peculiar weapon, however, must be the Kusarigama. A heavy weight is attached to one end and a sickle to the other end of a chain, creating a flexible weapon that can cause huge damage.

They mostly wear Kusari (Chain) or lacquered (Plate) armor in battle. Due to their peculiar pincer they can`t wear normal gloves but have to wear specialized ones- Which offer not as much protection.

The nominal ruler of the Kani is the tenno, also called emperor, but he has no real influence. The true leader of the kani is the shogun- He is both the supreme warlord and lawmaker of the crab men. He must be affirmed (elected) by the emperor, though. His most trusted subordinates are the Hatamato which lead his men into battle.

Castes:

Kani

The most numerous crab men. They don`t live as long as the other castes and have no special abilities. Their soldiers are called ashigaru.

Bushi

The bushi are the warrior elite of the kani. They are called samurai and live by a strict code of honor- They will never flee from battle and will fight to their last breath. Only bushi can become Hatamatos and Shogun.

Shinobi

The Shinobi, also called Ninja, are the most stealthy of the kani. Trained in the arts of stealth and assassination they can be a huge danger to any fortress- They can pick locks and are adept at avoiding traps. When in danger they can throw a smoke bomb in order to conceal them.

Sohei

The Sohei are both warriors and priests. These warrior-monks possess abilities that seem otherworldy- They feel neither pain nor exhaustion, can see even while blind and can enter a terrifying martial trance. Only soheis can become priests.

Yamabushi

The Yamabushi are reclusive hermits living in the mountains, far away from the regular kani society. They share some traits with the monks- They also feel no pain and won`t become exhausted when fighting, but what sets them apart is the ability to use magic. Yamabushi are able to hurl fireballs at their enemies and can engulf them in the vicious frost of the mountains, which slows and hurts their unfortunate foes.

Emperors

Some kani are blessed by their gods; Those are called "Emperors". The emperors have even stronger magical abilities than the yamabushi- They can also hurl fireballs but can also release jets of flame. Especially feared is their ability to blind their enemies with a flash of holy light. They also live far longer than all other Kani. Only such blessed individuals can become tenno.

Information about the Ganeshi

The Ganeshi are elephant men with indian influences, mainly their old caste system. Their size makes them extremely dangerous. Most of them aren`t as big as elephants, but still bigger than all other races. Their Warriors, however, tower even above elephants and are a terrible sight to behold!

Ganeshi culture is centered around their castes and a eternal cycle of rebirth. They also worship their ancestors and will build huge tombs for them.

Ganeshi equipment is crude, but effective- Due to the sheer size of it. They only know four kinds of weapons- Mauls, axes, maces and pikes. But that`s enough considering their strength and their size. Due to their anatomy their armor is adjusted to their needs- They can only wear caps, because of their tusks, and the sheer amount of metal it would take makes it impossible for them to craft normal breastplates- Instead they have their unique ones, which only offer 50% of the protection.

Truth and loyalty are valued in their society. The most severe punishment in their society is the exile- A terrible fate for creatures that are so gregarious.

Castes:

Shudra
The most numerous kind of Ganeshi. The Shudra are often workers and farmers and have no special abilities. Their skin is brown.

Vaishya
Most ganeshi are clumsy and have a bad sight- The Vaishya don`t. Their keen eyesight makes them good crafters and allows them to aim and throw huge boulders at their enemies. Their skin is grey.

Kshatriya
The Kshatriya are the dedicated warriors of the ganeshi. They feel no fear and are even more prone to rage than their brethren. Their biggest strength is their sheer size, though. They are ten-times as big as a human! Their skin is grey.

Brahman
A Brahman is born with white skin and red eyes. They are the spiritual link to the ancestors of the ganeshi and can perform a crude form of magic. They live far longer than other ganeshi.

Pariah
Pariahs are small ganeshi with black skin. The other ganeshi call them cursed and assume that they have sinned gravely in their previous life. The pariahs believe that only acts of valor in battle can wash away their sins and long for a glorious death in battle. They might not be as big as other ganeshi, but they are fear and painless.



To-do

-Make the chitin of the Kani thicker.
-Balance their weapons. Currently some of them are simply slightly stronger than other weapons instead of having accurate stats.
-Re-balance their magic.
-?Make them playable in fortress mode?

Races that i`m currently considering to add:

Tiger men based on ancient india. They would have to be playable in fortress mode- With the twist that only certain castes could be chosen for some noble positions.

Snake/Vulture/Hyena/jackal-men based on ancient egypt. Many of them would be able to animate the Dead.

Cheetha men/Dark dwarfs/gnomes based on ancient persia. Some of them would be immortals, creatures that have exchanged most of their organic body with metal and became immortal through those measures and dark sorcery.

Aven men based on ancient rome Would offer a decent fight because of their ability to fly and their advanced military.

Centaurs, Satyrs and other creatures based on ancient greece. Their huge strength would be their varied abilities.