[DF] Alternate Faun Ideas

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Inspired by Tymathee's comments in this thread. I happen to agree that the RAW template is stretching in multiple directions at once, and while I think that's not necessarily a bad thing, I can see how some DF players in particular might feel that way. In that spirit, I bring you this thread for posting Faun template ideas that are more "munchkinny," or just different (because why waste space, right?). To start off, one I made for a setting I haven't used yet:

Mountain Faun [20]:

Choice Professions: Barbarian, Bard, Martial Artist, Thief

Marginal Professions: None

Containing aspects of the mountain goat and the bighorn sheep within their faerie nature, this sub-species is a study in contrasts: at once more austere and less sociable in demeanor than their lowland kin, but fiercely loyal to their own and a bit flighty at times. Individuals are 1" shorter than average for their ST, but weight is unadjusted. They sport large, spiraling horns instead of short, pointy ones.

Attributes: DX +1 [20]; HT +1 [10];

Secondaries: Speed -0.5 [-10]; Perception +2 [10];

Advantages: Claws (Hooves) [3]; Perfect Balance [15]; Striker (Crushing) [5]; Talent x1 (Magnificent Mountain Goat) [5];

Perks: Sure-Footed (Uneven) [1];

Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, Very Common, Constantly) [-25]; Sense of Duty (Mountain Biome, Including Each Other) [-5]; Stubbornness [-5];

Quirks: Dull [-1]; Mildly Impulsive [-1]; Mildly Lecherous [-1]; Uncongenial [-1];

Notes: The Magnificent Mountain Goat (MMG) Talent may be purchased by this sub-race only, up to four levels total. It assists the skills Climbing, Hiking, Jumping, Musical Instrument (Any), Running, and Survival (Mountain). Popular instrument choices include Pan Pipes, Drums, and Bagpipes, but unlike canonical Fauns they are no better than anyone else at Singing or Composition, leaning toward instrumental performances that one might accuse of being somewhat derivative in nature.

[Refplace]

These are a bit wierd but I miss the Tamile<g>, and wanted something unique for my Chalice World setting.
Fauns
Fauns live in the Great Plains, but are far less nomadic than other inhabitants, they are also chimera*
They live in small family groups, typically managing oasis and small trading outposts. Many also live in the dryer lands of the Empire of the Sun.
Fauns [12]
Attributes: HT +1 [10].
Secondary Attributes: Basic Move +1 [5].
Advantages: Claws (Hooves) [3]; Extra Mouth 1 [5]; Musical Ability 1 [5].
Disadvantages: Lecherousness (12) [-15].
Quirks: Compulsive Carousing [-1].
Optional Traits: Appearance; Charisma; Magic Resistance; Voice;

Appearance
Fauns are humanoids with the legs of a goat and short stubby tails. The upper body looks human except for two features. They have short stubby horns and two mouths, one above the other. They are able to sing in harmony with themselves or can eat/drink and talk at the same time.

Culture
Fauns are born entertainers and make excellent hosts. They work hard building and nurturing the places they care for and do well in trade. Young adults may wander, taking news to other spots and seeking mates. This keeps the gene pool diverse and provides more resources to the community by spreading information and contacts around.

*Chimera is a trickster god in the setting that is responsible for most hybrid races and some others as a joke on the other gods. In the setting it actually allows a power modifier, kind of a controlled lycanthropy where they can shift between 'parent' forms or even in between states. Also grants other abilities from tapping the "power of the wild".

[Tymathee]

I don't have a Faun template to share besides what can be inferred in my character thread, but I would like to supply some commentary on the RAW DF Faun template.

The Faun template does certainly suggest fluff over "optimal"; nothing wrong with that I suppose if that's where your preferences are for PC design... but I might be inclined to say that the DF Faun template is better written as a NPC race, or a very particular campaign specifically catering to what the template is naturally suited for.

When I really think about it, Dependency (Mana, Very Common, Constantly) [-25], it just encourages more munchkinism. Pick your Dependent on Mana Faerie-Folk of your choice, build character as a dedicated magic-user. Congrats, you won't be casting magic in the No-Mana Zones anyways so where you were going to be useless you're still pretty useless anyways, so perhaps the Disadvantage isn't as disadvantageous as it could be. This also makes you lean into the Bard's magical abilities even harder, so the RAW DF Faun truly is almost exclusively going for the Bard niche... yet as we've noticed already, the racial template is also over stretched in too many directions. I think Dependency on Mana is a fine trait but there are certainly implications on how this may effect PC design, evident from my observations.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Here's one I made for a setting I haven't used yet, strongly-based in pseudo-Greek mythology, with Order vs Chaos morality instead of Good vs Evil:

Satyricon [20]:

Choice Professions: Bard, Knight, Martial Artist, Swashbuckler

Marginal Professions: None

Image: Like the traditional Faun, but all muscular and pleasing to the eye, standing 2" taller than ST would indicate, and sporting an impressive rack of antlers.

Attributes: ST +2 [20]; DX +1 [20]; HT +1 [10];

Secondaries: Speed -0.5 [-10];

Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Charisma +2 [10]; Claws (Hooves) [3]; Fearlessness x2 [4]; Resistance +3 (Order Powers) [5]; Striker (Crushing) [5];

Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, Very Common, Constantly) [-25]; Lecherousness (12-) [-15]; Reputation -3 ("Rapey Sociopaths," Sexual Prudes, Agents of Order, and People Who Have Known One of the Bad Ones, Always) [-10];

Quirks: Mildly Callous [-1];

Features: Altered Gender Ratio (100% Male) [0]; Altered Orientation (No Pure Homosexuals) [0]; Increased Fecundity (See Below) [0];

Notes: Birthed spontaneously by the Goddess of Love (a being of the purest Chaos if there ever was one) on a whim (like everything else She does), the Satyricon are free to do as they wish, and what they wish is mostly to engage in activity likely to populate the world with more like themselves. Originating relatively recently with just one of their kind, their numbers have exploded in a mere five generations in a manner considered quite alarming by scholars who have taken note, because every coupling with a fertile female sapient will result in the birth of a healthy Satyricon with its mother's racial template plus the one above. Some live quiet and relatively peaceful lives, others crave adventure, but each is not somebody you would like to escort your daughter alone on a moonless night if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, they are as variable as Chaos itself, and some have risen above their ignoble roots to become great leaders in battle, faith, or other pursuits, undeserving of the ill fame that precedes them.