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Lupinal
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| Medium Humanoid |
| Hit Dice: | 1d8+1 (5 hp) |
| Initiative: | -1 (Dex) |
| Speed: | 30 ft. |
| AC: | 9 (unarmored); or 12 (-1 Dex, hide armor), touch 9, flat-footed 12 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +1/+2 |
| Attack: | Claw +2 melee (1d4+1); or short spear +3 melee/+1 ranged (1d6/x3, 20' range increment); heavy crossbow +0 ranged (1d10/19-20, 120' range increment) | | Full Attack: | Claw +2 melee (1d4+1); or short spear +3 melee/+1 ranged (1d6/x3, 20' range increment); heavy crossbow +0 ranged (1d10/19-20, 120' range increment) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Leap attack | | Special Qualities: | Low-light vision |
| Saves: | Fort 2, Ref -1, Will 0 |
| Abilities: | Str 13, Dex 9, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8 |
| Skills: | Climb +4, Hide +1, Listen +4, Move Silently +2, Spot +2, Survival +4 | | Feats: | Weapon focus (short spear) |
| Environment: | Any Forest |
| Organization: | Family (2-4), pack (11-20 plus 2 3rd-level sergeants and 1 leader of 3rd-6th level), or tribe (30-100 plus 20% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 10 adults, 5 5th-level lieutenants, and 3 7th-level captains) |
| Challenge Rating: | ½ |
| Treasure: | No coins, standard goods and items |
| Alignment: | Usually Neutral Good |
| Advancement: | By character class |
| Level Adjustment: | +0 |
- Appearance
- Lupinal are wolf-like humanoids, occasionally confused with wolfweres and werewolves. The Lupinal though are distinctly
different in attitude though, as well as appearance. Their features are strongly akin to that of a wolf, with teeth made for
tearing meat, a strong wolf-like nose, strangely colored eyes, and a fur ranging from dark brown to soft grey or white,
covering their entire body. They are heavily muscled with broad shoulders, but cautious in their movement, as if they
always moved in through the forest. Their ears stick up from the top sides of their head, like a wolves, with tufts of hair
that sprout about them. Lupinal have clawed hands with thick, hairy fingers, and clawed feet. Their voice is deep and
throaty, but can easily speak the other humanoid tongues. Perhaps one attribute that sets the Lupinal out from lycanthropes
and wolfweres is the Lupinal have no tail. Most of the time this goes unnoticed until it is too late and the confusion has
already lead to melee.
Many Lupinal have taken to wearing clothing. Typically loose clothes colored with
forest greens and browns, or colored to match their natural fur. Often this includes a hood to hide most of their
appearance when traveling through other humanoids lands. Lupinal rarely wear shoes or gloves, finding them very
uncomfortable due to their claws. Senior Lupinal often braid gems and other tokens into their hair.
- Combat
- Lupinal typically hunt with spears and other primitive weapons. Some find bows difficult to manage because of their large
and hairy digits, so crossbows are more common when a ranged weapon is needed. The Lupinal have a history of
reluctance when it comes to aggression against other civilized humanoids, and engage them very rarely so as not to draw
attention to their existance. Many Lupinal find it most comfortable to use their sharp claws in a fight.
Leap Attack (Ex):Lupinal have strong legs and can make an aggressive leap
through the air at an opponent. Making a leap attack requires a 10 ft. running start in a straight path. In a round that a
Lupinal makes a leap attack it gains a +2 bonus to its attack rolls and a -2 penalty to its armor class (as though it had
charged the opponent it leap attacked). Creatures struck by a leap attack must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + Lupinal's
base attack bonus + defenders size modifier) or be knocked prone.
Low-light Vision (Ex): Lupinal can see twice as far as a human in starlight,
moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail
under these conditions.
Scent (Ex): Lupinal with a Wisdom of 12 or greater may take the Scent feat (see
DMG pg. 298 for details).
Skills: Lupinal are capable hunters and gain a +2 racial bonus to all
Listen, Spot because of their naturally heightened senses. Lupinal also gain a +2 racial bonus to climb checks because
of their claws and a +2 racial bonus to Jump checks due to their powerfully built legs. All Lupinal are raised in the
wilderness as hunter-gatherers and gain a +4 racial bonus to Survival checks.
Favored Class: A Lupinal's favored class is Barbarian or Ranger. Once the Lupinal
has taken a level in their favored class they may not change which class is favored; they may only have one favored class.
- Habitat/Society
- Lupinal tend to be very cautious of other races, and for the most part of history they have avoided contact with the rest
of the civilized world. Much of this cautiousness comes from the frequent mistake that other humanoids make in taking the
Lupinal to be a lycanthrope or other similar creature of evil. Other reasons for their rare communication with other races
includes a strong preference for non-worked lands and deep forests. Lupinal do not have a developed agriculture since
they are carnivores; they tend to be nomadic because of this as well.
Lupinal have a strong dislike for most Haruninki,
originating from the Haruninkian tradition of using Husti for slave
labor. Lupinal have infrequent contact with the wild Husti that still roam the world outside of the Haruninkian Homeland.
Lupinal worship several gods, unique to their race. These gods are known as
Acerak, God of the Hunt; Genhaedi, Goddess of Fellowship; and Dauwan Dal-daul, the Lord of the Stars. All three gods are
worshiped equally and are integral to the Lupinal society. Each of these gods has shamen-priests amoung the Lupinal.
These shamen function as councelers and leaders of the Lupinal community. Only shamen of Acerak are allowed to
hunt alongside the other hunters of the tribe. There are rumors of Lupinal who have left the society to travel the world
seeking experience in the vastness of the lands. Some are even said to worship the god Baeast.
Both male and female Lupinal are considered equals of the other, and both hunt and
worship alongside each other as well. Most Lupinal tribes number fewer than 50 or 60, though they maintain contact
with other tribes. Lupinal never war among themselves.
All Lupinal speak a tongue common to all Lupinal. Some remote clans have different
dialects, but all Lupinal can understand each other. The spoken word is very important to the Lupinal because there is
no written equivalent to their language. All history and knowledge is passed by speech. Its accuracy is very important
because the Lupinal believe strongly that if they forget their past that they will never be able to return to the stars.
- Ecology
- Lupinal are careful nomads of the forest. They kill what they must to eat and little more. Lupinal do hunt for sport, but such
hunts are often tests of skill, involving the tracking of the creature and successfully touching it with one's hands, without
actually harming it. Lupinal do not farm as they are solely meat-eaters. Over all, Lupinal have very little impact upon the
lands which they live or pass through.
- History
- Interesting among the Lupinal beliefs is that they believe that their race originates from the stars. The Lord of the Stars,
Dauwan Dal-daul, is worshiped as a god of knowledge, mystery, and as a father figure to the other two gods which are
said to be his children. It is said that once the Lupinal traveled the stars but became arrogant and found themselves lost
from Dauwan Dal-daul. Losing the knowledge of star-travel, the Lupinal were unable to understand their craft any longer,
so they arrived upon the world, forgetting their wonders and travels as they had forgotten and abandoned the Lord of the
Stars. Dauwan Dal-daul, not wishing for the Lupinal to be forever lost from him and the stars sent his children, Acerak and
Genhaedi, to speak to the Lupinal and help them survive in their new home-world, and to give them the knowledge of the
Lord of the Stars, and to mold the race until it was ready to travel the stars once more.
Most other races are unaware of the existance of the Lupinal. There is no record of
extended conflict with them, and very few records of prolonged contact with the race at all. The Lupinal are thought to
have somehow avoided participating in the UnHoly Wars, and seem to have been mostly unaffected by the Ilerth Wars
that swept the planet, or more recently the time of strife known as the Black Scourge.
- Variants and Resources
- Lupinal Player Characters
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