Monday, June 13, 2016

New Races Inspired by American Folklore

When I say 'America' I mean all of America from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic Circle. These are non-player character or player character depending on your take on the legend and creature involved. Remember this is a player character interpretation. They may also appear later as a monster. We'll focus on one per posting.
 Patterson–Gimlin film frame 352.jpg
By Patterson-Gimlin film, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=434396

The first is my own namesake the mighty Rainforest Giant or Sasquatch. Sasquatch while being mostly a large animal-type critter for modern folks. For Native Americans and a few Europeans Sasquatch is more of a 'person' in folklore.

We'll just keep with Sasquatch as his racial name, bigfoot is too cartoony and Big Figure is a specific tribal tradition.


Sasquatch
They are seven or eight foot tall hairy humanoids with long arms and legs and both sexes have a peaked head due to the jaw muscles in adulthood. Their feet are incredibly tough with thick leathery soles they can go anywhere a shod person can go.

They are immune to the extremes of weather found from the high basin desert to the coastal rainforest and north into the arctic the Sasquatch needs no clothing. Although in some areas they wear a loincloth of some kind they are particularly adept at weaving, especially plant matter. 

Despite their size they are incredibly good at stealth based skills. Sasquatch suffer no penalties for moving in rough terrain and can do so silently.

They are rare nearly everywhere live entirely solitary lives from other Sasquatch except for mating and mothers with their children. They normally avoid cities and prefer the wilderness or small communities. They avoid using metal tools and weapons and prefer wood, leather, bone, and other organic matter for weapons and tools.

Sasquatch receive a bonus in strength and constitution. They suffer a penalty to intelligence and charisma. A bonus to lifting strength, carrying capacity, or encumbrance is also appropriate. They receive a bonus to whatever stealth is used in your system. They can hide perfectly once per day or walk without leaving a trace once per day. Otherwise their rather distinctive footprints are easier for any tracking class to follow. Classes appropriate to the Sasquatch include thief, assassin, and fighter. Also cleric and druid should be considered due to their association with magic.

Their own language cannot be spoken by outsiders but wilderness types, Rangers, Druids, Shadow Wardens, etc can select the Sasquatch language for understanding but not speaking. They may also find using non-giant sized tools, armor and weapons difficult or impossible. They can understand most human languages however can only speak them in a rudimentary manner.

Socially they should be considered outcasts nearly everywhere. Alignment is any non-lawful. Now to a rather delicate subject. According to some Native American traditions and folklore they can and do sometimes have children with humans.

Half-Sasquatch look more like their human parents. With only their burly build and perhaps height showing signs of their Sasquatch heritage.

Bonuses include greater strength and constitution perhaps half of the Sasquatch, lower intelligence and charisma (perhaps either a cap on the stat or a half of the Sasquatch penalty). They should receive a bonus on stealth but not the perfect stealth or unseen passage ability. Half-Sasquatch can speak the Sasquatch language without penalty.

Classes appropriate for Half Sasquatch are Barbarian, Fighter, Thief, Ranger, Cleric, and Druid. Alignments can be any.

If you like this let me know. I left the mechanics open ended so that they can be adjusted for your game and setting. Please leave me a comment, I want to know what you think of my might people.

Note: The pictures are not my own and I make no claim upon them in anyway whatsoever. 

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