Skills and Powers Oriental Races


by Ian R Malcomson and Phillip Riley

Racial Adjustments
Race		Adjustments
Korobokuru	+1 Str, +1 Con, -2 Int
Hengeyokai	
   Carp		+1 Wis, -1 Str
   Cat		+1 Dex, -1 Wis
   Crab		+2 Str, -2 Chr
   Crane	+1 Wis, -1 Dex
   Dog		+1 Con, -1 Int
   Drake	+1 Chr, -1 Dex
   Fox		+1 Int, -1 Wis
   Hare		+1 Wis, -1 Str
   Monkey	+2 Dex, -2 Wis
   Racoon Dog	+2 Str, -2 Wis
   Rat		+2 Con, -2 Chr
   Sparrow	+2 Chr, -2 Con
Spirit Folk	
   Bamboo	None
   River	None
   Sea		None

Racal Requirements
Ability		Korobokuru	Hengeyokai	Spitit Folk
Strength*	   8/19		   12/18	    6/18
Dexterity	   6/18		    9/18	   12/18
Constitution	  12/19		   12/18	    6/14
Intelligence	   3/15		   12/18	   12/18
Wisdom		   3/17		   12/18	    9/18
Charisma	   3/16		   12/17	   14/18

* Fighters can have exceptional scores in Strength

Racial Level Limits
Class       Korobokuru      Hengeyokai        Human         Spirit Folk

Barbarian       10              --              U               --
Bushi           U               U               U               U
Kensai          --              6               U               9
Monk            --              --              17              17
Ninja           --              --              U               --
Priest          9               8               U               11
Psionicist      8               7               U               7
Samurai         6               --              U               12
Shukenja        --              8               U               --
Sohei           --              --              U               --
Wu Jen          7               9               U               --
Yakuza          10              --              U               --

Hengeyokai


Character Point Cost: 50

Hengeyokai are intelligent, shape-changing animals. Several subraces exist, each a different type of animal. They are found throughout the Oriental world, usually on the fringes of human-settled lands.

The ability to change shape is natural to hengeyokai. They are not lycanthropes and they do not have any of the symptoms of lycanthropy: they are not limited by cycles of the moon, are not especially susceptible to silver weapons, cannot transmit their power throght wounds, and cannot heal their own wounds merely by changing shape.

Hengeyokai have their own language, which is the same for all hengeyokai regardless of their animal type. They can speak this language in all of their three forms.

Unlike other races (including humans), hengeyokai are not members of a clan and do not gain the benefits (or suffer the penalties of clan kinship. In general, the hengeyokai are a sectretive race, preferring to avoid prolonged contact with humans. They have little desire for land or position and can never establish families or strongholds even if their chosen class allows this.

Animal Form: When in animal form the hengeyokai is virtually undetectable from normal animals. Since the change of form is real and not an illusion, it cannot be detected by spells that reveal illusions. While in animal form, hengeyokai have the abilities listed below under their animal form type.

Hengeyokai also have several disadvantages while in anmimal form. They cannot use any weapons, armor, or equipment, making it possible for them to be mistaken for (and even hunted as) normal animals. Hengeyokai with magical abilities cannot cast any spells in animal form, nor can they speak any languages other than those of the hengeyokai and the normal animals. They can understand any language they know, but may not be able to reply.

The hengeyokai has fewer hit points in his animal form than in either of his other forms. Hengeyokai in animal form have only one-half their normal number of hit points (rounded up). Hit points lost in one form are carried over point-for point o the new form. A hengeyokai cannot change forms if this would leave him with 0 or fewer hig points.

When a hengeyokai character reaches 0 hit points in any form, he is slain. A hengeyokai character in animal form with 0 hit points left does not instntly change ot one of his other forms. He is dead.

Bipedal Form: In this form the hengeyokai appears as a humanoid animal. He stands on his hind legs (or whatever) to the height of a normal man. The front paws (or wings, or fins) change into hands, capable of gripping and using normal equipment. The rest of the body retains the general shape and appearance of the animal, including fur, feathers, wings, tail, and other characteristic features.

While in bipedal form, the hengeyokai has several advantages. He can speak any language he knows, including human and animal languages; he can use any weapons, armor, and equipment normally available to his class; and he has his full number of hit points.

Bipedal form also has several disadvantages. The hengeyokai cannot use the special movement abilities of its animal form. The hengeyokai's bipedal movement rate is 12". The bipedal hengeyokai is also easily identified for what it really is. Human Form: When in human form, a hengeyokai looks like a normal human being. However, he always retains some distinctive feature of his animal form. A racoon dog hengeyokai may have a silver stripe through his hair. A sparrow hengeyokai may have an unusually sharp nose. The choice of the exact identifying feature is left to the player and the DM.

Human form grants certian advantages to the hengeyokai. Obviously, he can pose as a human being. Like his animal form, this form is not an illusion. He can use all weapons, armor, equipment, and spells normally available to his class. He has a full number of hit points.

The following disadvantages also apply: the hengeyokai has no infravision (unless the human form infravision ability is taken); he loses all special movement abilities, moving at the standard human movement rate (12").; he cannot speak to animals, although he can still understand their speach (unless the human form speak with animals ability is taken).

Hengeyokai Racial Abilities
Carp
Alignment Restriction: Any Good
AC (7)			Move (swim 12")

Cat
Alignment Restriction: Any Chaotic
Damage (1-3)		AC (9)
Move (land 12")

Crab
Alignment Restriction: Any
Damage (1-3)		AC(8)
Move (land 3")		Move (swim 6")

Crane
Alignment Restriction: Any Good
Damage (1-2)		AC(9)
Move (land 6")		Move (fly 12")

Dog
Alignment Restriction: Any Good
Damage (1-6)		AC(9)
Move (12")

Drake
Alignment Restriction: Any Good
AC(7)			Move(land 6")
Move(fly 12")		Move(swim 9")

Fox
Alignment Restriction: Any Evil
Damage(1-3)		AC(6)
Move(land 15")

Hare
Alignment Restriction: Any Good
AC(5)			Move (land 12")

Racoon Dog
Alignment Restriction: Any Chaotic
Damage(1-6)		AC(9)
Move(land 9")

Rat
Alignment Restriction: Any Evil
Damage(1-3)		AC(5)
Move(land 9")

Sparrow
Alignment Restriction: Any Evil
AC(3)			Move(land 3")
Move(fly 15")

Custom Animal Form Example:
Fox
---
AC 6 (8 CP)
Land MV 15 (2 CP)
Dmg 1d3 (3 CP)
+1 Int (10)
-1 Wis (-10)
Shapechange 1/day (10)
120' Infravision in animal/bipedal form (20)
Speak with Animals in animal/bipedal form (5)
TOTAL: 48 CP


Korobokuru


Character Point Cost: 45

Korobokuru are a race of Oriental dwarves. Living in vast jungles, snowy mountain forests, or baren wilderness areas, they seldom come into contact with humans. Korobokuru prefer remote and forbidding sites of great natural beauty. There they live in simple villages or camps moving only when forced to by the advancement of human settlements.

In appearance korobokuru are about four feet tall, with arms and legs slighly longer in proportion to their bodies than a human's. Most are bow-legged. Their arms and legs are hary, and the men have sparse beards. They have a wild, unkempt appearance. The majority are chaotic or neutral, although they have no alignment restrictions.

Culturally, korobokuru are much less advanced than their human neighbors. They hunt and tend small farms in secluded areas, and create simple pieces of art and crafts. They normally avoid human contact. Because of this (and the conceit of humans), humans consider korobokuru to be backward primitives, and rarely accept them as full members of human society. They are typically seen as rude, pugnacious, boastful, and somewhat comical by the rest of the world.

Korobokuru organize themselves into families and clans much the same way humans do. Player Characters must belond to a family, either assigned by the DM or designed by the player.

Korobokuru Racial Abilities
Identify Plants and Animals	Melee Combat
Infravision			Saving Throw Bonuses
	Score		Bonus
	 4-6		 +1
	7-10		 +2
	11-13		 +3
	14-17		 +4
	18-21		 +5
	22-25		 +6


Spirit Folk


Character Point Cost: 50
Spirit folk are the descendants of humans and various spirits of nature. There are three distinct races of spirit folk-bamboo, river, and sea spirit folk. All have very strong ties to both the natural world and the society of humans.

In appearance, spirit folk seem extremely human. Their eyes are slender and their mouths are small. Their eyebrows are very thin and their complexions are very pale or golden. The men are always smoth-shaven, without beards or mustaches. They appear in all the diversity of humans, but all radiate a robust love of life and nature. Many come close to the ideal of human beauty in society.

Because part of their ancestry is human, all spirit folk must belong to a family or clan. They can, therefore, hold land and establish a family if this is allowed by their character class and level. However, spirit folk have an additional responsibility to their spirit lord-the Lord of the Woods, the Lord of the Rivers, or the Lord of the Sea. While the spirit folk can never obtain honor from the actions of this spirit lord, they are required to answer and obey his summons. Failing to do so, or acting in a manner that dishonors the spirit lord, will be punished by natural disasters visited on the spirit folk and its family. In cases where the human family's and the spirit lord's interests conflice, spirit folk are expected to support their spirit lord first.

Bamboo Spirit Folk
Infravision			Identify Plants
Identify Animals		Saving Throw Bonus
Shadow				Area Association (a particular Bamboo Grove)
Speak Language (Animals)	

River Spirit Folk
Infravision			Lower Water
Saving Throw Bonus		Area Association (a particular river)
Swimming

Sea Spirit Folk
Swimming			Predict Weather
Favor				Saving Throw Bonus
Custom Spirit Folk Example:
Bamboo Spirit Folk
------------------
+1 save vs. Wood/Nature and Earth/Metal (10 CP)
120' Infravision (20)
ID Plants & Animals (10)
Shadow (10)
Speak Languages (10) Tied to Bamboo Grove (-10)
TOTAL: 50 CP


Web Design ©2000 Lord Eadric