Solaris
2009-11-27, 05:34 PM
My take on the Warhammer 40k space dwarves. Lemme know if I butchered the fluff - what I have here is drawn from what I could find on the internet, with a bit of regular dwarf thrown in to fill in the gaps.
Personality: Dour and grim, yet given to surprising bouts of alcohol-driven mirth, squats are boistrously good-natured, hardworking, stubborn, and honorable warriors and engineers. The fact that they stand at the brink of extinction has had varied effects on the squats. Though they seem to pay little heed to their impending doom as a subspecies, a melancholy has befallen the subspecies that many of them drown in strong liquor and battle. Known for holding grudges for millennia, squats have a deep-rooted hatred of Orks and Tyranids.
Physical Description: Squats resemble humans, but their longtime habitation of heavy-gravity worlds has bred them into a short, stout race with tough muscles and thick, sturdy bones. Their skin is ruddy, while their hair is brown, grey, black, or red. They have bushy eyebrows overhanging deep-set eyes, and squat men have bushy beards that they are unduly proud of.
Relations: Though humans and squats tend to regard each other as freakish, they get along much better with each other than they do with xenos. Squats have a special hatred for their ancient enemies, Orks, but even that pales in comparison to the burning, passionate loathing for Tyranids. Gothic lacks words to describe the depths of their hatred for Tyranids.
Squat Lands: Before the Tyranid invasion, the squats had a powerful interstellar empire in the heart of the galaxy, dwelling on heavy-gravity worlds rich in mineral resources. After the Tyranid invasion, the squats were all but wiped out. The Tyranids stripped the squat worlds bare and all but drove the subspecies to extinction. The remaining squats are scattered throughout the Imperium, mostly organized into squat-only Imperial Guard regiments that fight to prevent the Tyranids from spreading further. So few squat women remain that they are bound for extinction within generations.
Religion: Though squats revere their ancestors, they have taken to worshipping the Emperor as a guardian of their ancestors.
Language: Squats commonly speak Low Gothic and their own language, though they typically have an oddly Scottish accent.
Names: Squats have given names, which they receive from their clan elders on their nameday, and a clan name. A squat stripped of both is a perpetual outcast among their society, forced to beg and steal to survive.
Male Names: Bleikfjoi, Freyormi, Glumstigi, Hlifstigi, Komaeii, Vaksunna, Reithleifi.
Female Names: Andsama, Furaosnikinn, Heilkell, Skammrun, Skyaengull, Runfuld.
Clan Names: Blackstone, Fellwrath, Ironboots, Orkmasher, Stonebones.
Adventurers: Almost all squats who aren't part of an Imperial Guard regiment are adventurers. With their homes stripped bare, most squats without the disciplined bent required of Guardsmen have taken to roaming the galaxy selling their talents and their skill with weapons to get by.
Squat Racial Traits
- Ability Modifiers: +2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Squats are strong and tough, but their adaptations to heavy gravity renders them clumsy while few appreciate their gruff demeanors.
- Medium-Sized: As Medium creatures, squats have no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
- Speed: A squat's base land speed is 20 feet. Armor and encumberance will not reduce a squat's speed, nor will heavy gravity.
- Stability (Ex): A squat receives a +4 racial bonus on all checks pertaining to stability, such as resisting a trip attempt or a bull rush attempt.
- Gravity-Resistant (Ex): A squat does not suffer penalties for heavy gravity less than 3 Gs of force.
- Bonus Feat: A squat receives a bonus feat at 1st level, chosen from the following list: Endurance, Great Fortitude, or Toughness (+3 wp, or houseruled into Improved Toughness if I'm not using vp/wp). He must still meet the prerequisites of this bonus feat.
- +1 attack and damage against Tyranids. Squats have made a recent study of ways to beat these horrific xenos, battle training all squats receive.
- +1 attack and damage against all Orkoids. Squats are well-versed in techniques to combat their ancient enemies.
- Crafters: +2 Craft, +2 Repair checks. Squats are clever, especially with mechanical tech. These are always class skills for the squats, representing their natural aptitude with technology. (Craft is not always a class skill in this setting - only a few classes have it.)
- Automatic Languages: Squat, Low Gothic. Bonus Languages: High Gothic.
- Favored Class: Tech Specialist. +10% experience point bonus for having more than half the levels in this class.
Personality: Dour and grim, yet given to surprising bouts of alcohol-driven mirth, squats are boistrously good-natured, hardworking, stubborn, and honorable warriors and engineers. The fact that they stand at the brink of extinction has had varied effects on the squats. Though they seem to pay little heed to their impending doom as a subspecies, a melancholy has befallen the subspecies that many of them drown in strong liquor and battle. Known for holding grudges for millennia, squats have a deep-rooted hatred of Orks and Tyranids.
Physical Description: Squats resemble humans, but their longtime habitation of heavy-gravity worlds has bred them into a short, stout race with tough muscles and thick, sturdy bones. Their skin is ruddy, while their hair is brown, grey, black, or red. They have bushy eyebrows overhanging deep-set eyes, and squat men have bushy beards that they are unduly proud of.
Relations: Though humans and squats tend to regard each other as freakish, they get along much better with each other than they do with xenos. Squats have a special hatred for their ancient enemies, Orks, but even that pales in comparison to the burning, passionate loathing for Tyranids. Gothic lacks words to describe the depths of their hatred for Tyranids.
Squat Lands: Before the Tyranid invasion, the squats had a powerful interstellar empire in the heart of the galaxy, dwelling on heavy-gravity worlds rich in mineral resources. After the Tyranid invasion, the squats were all but wiped out. The Tyranids stripped the squat worlds bare and all but drove the subspecies to extinction. The remaining squats are scattered throughout the Imperium, mostly organized into squat-only Imperial Guard regiments that fight to prevent the Tyranids from spreading further. So few squat women remain that they are bound for extinction within generations.
Religion: Though squats revere their ancestors, they have taken to worshipping the Emperor as a guardian of their ancestors.
Language: Squats commonly speak Low Gothic and their own language, though they typically have an oddly Scottish accent.
Names: Squats have given names, which they receive from their clan elders on their nameday, and a clan name. A squat stripped of both is a perpetual outcast among their society, forced to beg and steal to survive.
Male Names: Bleikfjoi, Freyormi, Glumstigi, Hlifstigi, Komaeii, Vaksunna, Reithleifi.
Female Names: Andsama, Furaosnikinn, Heilkell, Skammrun, Skyaengull, Runfuld.
Clan Names: Blackstone, Fellwrath, Ironboots, Orkmasher, Stonebones.
Adventurers: Almost all squats who aren't part of an Imperial Guard regiment are adventurers. With their homes stripped bare, most squats without the disciplined bent required of Guardsmen have taken to roaming the galaxy selling their talents and their skill with weapons to get by.
Squat Racial Traits
- Ability Modifiers: +2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Squats are strong and tough, but their adaptations to heavy gravity renders them clumsy while few appreciate their gruff demeanors.
- Medium-Sized: As Medium creatures, squats have no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
- Speed: A squat's base land speed is 20 feet. Armor and encumberance will not reduce a squat's speed, nor will heavy gravity.
- Stability (Ex): A squat receives a +4 racial bonus on all checks pertaining to stability, such as resisting a trip attempt or a bull rush attempt.
- Gravity-Resistant (Ex): A squat does not suffer penalties for heavy gravity less than 3 Gs of force.
- Bonus Feat: A squat receives a bonus feat at 1st level, chosen from the following list: Endurance, Great Fortitude, or Toughness (+3 wp, or houseruled into Improved Toughness if I'm not using vp/wp). He must still meet the prerequisites of this bonus feat.
- +1 attack and damage against Tyranids. Squats have made a recent study of ways to beat these horrific xenos, battle training all squats receive.
- +1 attack and damage against all Orkoids. Squats are well-versed in techniques to combat their ancient enemies.
- Crafters: +2 Craft, +2 Repair checks. Squats are clever, especially with mechanical tech. These are always class skills for the squats, representing their natural aptitude with technology. (Craft is not always a class skill in this setting - only a few classes have it.)
- Automatic Languages: Squat, Low Gothic. Bonus Languages: High Gothic.
- Favored Class: Tech Specialist. +10% experience point bonus for having more than half the levels in this class.