Rejected Nordlondr Folk Templates

[Harald387]

I was cleaning up some old folders and came across these two entries, which didn't make the cut when I wrote Nordlondr Folk. So happy June 1st, have some out-takes.

Crab People [30 points]

Considered among the strangest of the beast races (and even considered by some to be a weird magical experiment rather than a naturally occurring race), Crab People tend to be found in remote coastal communities or living as hermits in out-of-the-way places. They make frighteningly good adventurers, however (so long as someone else can do the 'talking and thinking' parts for them); having ten limbs can be very useful in a pinch!

The average crab-person stands almost a foot taller than the average human (as high as 7'6" at the top end), with a wide body covered in mottled blue, brown, or black chitinous plates that are nearly as strong on their own as plate armor. Their upper body has four articulated arms ending in clawed, three-fingered hands while their lower body has six legs, making a crab-person very difficult to knock over. Their voices have a shrill buzzing quality that most other humanoids can't stand, not helped by the fact that they largely seem to have only one volume setting: maximum.

Attribute Modifiers: IQ -1 [-20]

Advantages: Extra Arms 2 [20]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; Extra Legs (Six Legs) [10]; Hard Shell 5 [20]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Sharp Claws [5]; Sharp Teeth [1].

Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8]; Ham-Fisted 2 [10]; Social Stigma (Savage) [-10]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Gluttony (15) [-2]; Loud Voice [-1]

Features: Armor isn't interchangeable with any other race.

Extra Arms & Extra Legs: As the traits on DF Monsters p.10. Note that when buying armor, Crab-People DO need to armor their extra limbs separately. Add the cost amd weight of two arms and four legs to the 'full suit' cost.

Hard Shell: A crab-person's carapace provides DR 5. Like a Barbarian's Tough Skin, this DR doesn't protect the eyes and doesn't provide protection against effects that require skin contact (though an effect that requires a scratch, like poison on a blade, must penetrate this DR). This armor also counts as a 'layer': if the crab-person is wearing any armor over it, they suffer a -1 penalty to DX and DX-based skills just as if they were wearing Layered Armor (Adventurers p.109). They are effectively already wearing an inner layer of armor and cannot 'double up' their external armor layers. Armor Mastery (Adventurers p.28) will remove the penalty, but does not allow a 'third' layer!

Disturbing Voice: As the trait on DF Monsters p.13. A Crab Person cannot have the Voice advantage.

Loud Voice: A crab-person is always turned to eleven. They get the benefits of Penetrating Voice (DF Adventurers p.52), but suffer -2 to Stealth if they try to coordinate with allies by voice while being sneaky, and grant +2 to eavesdroppers' Hearing rolls when they don't want to be overheard.

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Sheep-Folk [20 points]

While these placid, agrarian beast-men rarely stray into a life of adventuring, the odd young ram or ambitious ewe will flock to the call of fortune and glory instead of spending time woolgathering at home. The average sheep-folk resembles a stout human covered in wooly black, brown, or white hair, with hooved feet, long faces, and sheep's ears. Both rams and ewes have curved horns very suitable for headbutting anyone rude enough to get their goat. They are natural extroverts, preferring the company of large groups and becoming stressed and irritable when separated from the herd.

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: FP +1 [3]

Advantages: Acute Hearing 2 [4]; Hooves [3]; Horns (Crushing) [5]; Peripheral Vision [15]; Temperature Tolerance 2 (Cold) [2]; Tough Skin 1 [3]

Disadvantages: Gregarious [-10]

Features: Head armor isn't interchangeable with that of other races (even other horned races).

Hooves: Hooved races get +1 to kicking damage and enjoy a bonus of +1 to foot DR.

Horns: These can be used to strike or parry in Reach C, dealing thrust damage at +1 per die. Use Brawling or Karate to hit, with the usual bonuses for those skills. They count as a weapon, not a limb, for the purposes of Hurting Yourself. Enemies can target them with attacks, however, with the hit penalties and crippling thresholds of a limb.