TylertheCreator
2014-12-26, 05:34 PM
Bear people, because why not?
Note: Originally this race was made for Pathfinder, so I followed the format laid out in the Core Rulebook, then tacked on the 5e stats on the end.
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/silverdragon/images/a/ab/Mathuin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140823201600
The savage natives of Westmark are called Mathuin. These noble people have lived in the cold forests of Ohma's westernmost nation since before men migrated there. For centuries, they've been fighting a losing battle to maintain their ancestral home from the humans that would take their lands. Some have integrated into the communities of humans, but many still fight, fang and claw, to protect their livelihood. Mathuin culture puts emphasis on tribal and familial relations. "For the tribe" is a common battle cry, and a Mathuin will derive either lifelong glory or eternal shame from her tribe.
Some of the most imposing creatures on the face of Turann, Mathuin rise to an intimidating eight feet. They resemble humanoid bears, with large heads, fur-covered bodies, and fierce tooth-filled jaws. There is not much sexual dimorphism; male and female Mathuin look nearly the same on a superficial level. Their fur can be black, brown, or white, but it is always a solid color. Many of them choose to dye intricate tattoos on their fur, which they believe grants them magical defenses.
Mathuin organize into tightly-knit tribes composed of several families. Some tribes are endogamous, but others allow their members to intermarry with members of other tribes. They are fiercely warlike; cubs are trained from a young age in the arts of battle. However, they also put a heavy emphasis on honor. Theirs is a savage sort of honor, though, and when they go into battle, they let their ferocious nature overwhelm them.
Druids, called Spirit-Talkers, are at the top of Mathuin society. They serve as both religious and secular governors among the tribes. Although all tribes share this common bond, there is very little unity between them, and in ancient times, war between the tribes was commonplace. With the threat of cultural annihilation looming, many of them have put aside old differences and banded together. Some still cling to their grudges. This refusal to cooperate will be the downfall of their people.
Gender roles play no part among the Mathuin. While females carry, deliver, and nurse cubs, once they are weaned, many mothers leave their cubs in the care of their fathers while they go off to war. This is due in part to the fact that there is little difference in appearance and attitude between male and female Mathuin, and partly because of their devotion to Artio. According to them, her two aspects are not human and bear, but rather male and female. Travelers in their lands will often hear a Mathuin use both gender pronouns in reference to the Great Bear. It is equally common to see a female blacksmith as a male taking care of the home.
Recent events have shaped the perception of Mathuin toward the humans of Westmark. By and large, they do not hate all humans (though there certainly are many who consider every one of that young race a threat), only the ones that wish to subdue them. Any attempts at negotiating a peaceful surrender of their lands are considered an insult, and a Mathuin answers insults with the blade of her axe. Dwarves hold a place of admiration among the Mathuin, who respect their ancient traditions and adherence to them. Wood elves are looked upon favorably, as they live in harmony with nature, while high elves generally receive harsh glares and curt replies. The other races are looked at as outsiders who could never understand the Mathuin, and are treated with dignity, but not outright kindness.
The Mathuin practice a religion similar to the Green Faith of the wood elves. They worship the spirits of the natural world, especially bear and other animal spirits, with whom they feel kinship. Their deepest reverence, however, is reserved for the goddess Artio, and she is the only deity considered worthy of worship by the Mathuin. Artio is a dualistic goddess, represented as a loving mother at some times, and a ferocious bear at others. Her humanoid form is associated with harmony, love, life, and goodness. Her bear form is associated with rage, protecting the home and family, and fighting threats to nature.
Their society teaches honor, but emphasizes the savagery of nature. Because of this, many Mathuin are chaotic. However, they have good hearts and a respect for the circle of life, so they tend more toward good than evil.
More than any other, the Mathuin are people displaced. Most of the ancient tribes have been broken, forcing a Mathuin diaspora across Ohma. A large portion of these Mathuin have chosen to ensure the legacy of their people by making themselves famous heroes, and have joined the League of the Silver Dragon. The vast majority of those are barbarians, but the paths of the druid, witch, and shaman are not unheard of amongst them. A small number of these adventuring Mathuin are actually dishonored outcasts, excommunicated from their tribes for conspiring with Westmark to steal Mathuin land. Of course, they'd never tell anyone that.
Male Names:Adair, Conall, Girvan, Laoch, Séannan, Ruark, Tynan
Female Names:Áine, Caithe, Fainche, Grian, Ríona, Séighín
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Age. Mathuin reach maturity at age 25. A normal Mathuin lives to be 160 years old.
Alignment. Mathuin are paragons of nature's ferocity, tending toward the chaotic alignment. Life is sacred to them, however, and they are often good of heart.
Size. Mathuin are imposing creatures, standing between 7 and 8 feet tall. They weigh upwards of 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Darkvision. The spirit-talker of your tribe says that Artio blessed Mathuin with the sight of their cousins, the bears. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
One with Nature. Your inborn affinity with the natural world gives you proficiency in the Nature skill.
Keen Smell. You get advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on your sense of smell.
Ursine Health. Like your cousin the bear, you are exceptionally healthy and hardy. You gain 1 extra hit point at every level.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Mathuin. The language of the bear folk is a primitive version of the language spoken by the Cannic humans that now live in Westmark.
Native to the middle and southern areas of Westmark, this subrace closely resembles the typical grizzly bear. They are less hardy than their northern brethren, but their closer relationship with the forest spirits has increased their collective wisdom.
Ability Scores. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.[/I][/B]
Long Strides. When you dash, you can choose to go down on all fours and move twice your speed plus 10 feet. You ignore difficult terrain when moving in this way. You cannot use this ability again until you finish a short or long rest.
Bestial Claws. You have the rending claws of the bear. When you make an unarmed strike, you can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage. If you choose to roll damage in this way, you use slashing damage instead. If you have levels in the Monk class, your Martial Arts damage die goes up by one for unarmed attacks only. For instance, at 1st level, a monk's martial arts damage die is a d4. If you are a Mathuin monk and you make an unarmed attack, you may instead roll a d6 for damage.
Though these Mathuin do not actually live near Turann's poles, they resemble the white-furred bears that do. They inhabit the cold forests and tundras of northern Westmark and southeastern Valkrheim and have a close relationship with the human Valkr tribes. These Mathuin must overcome harsher environments than their Grizzly counterparts, becoming hardier and more concerned with real-world problems as a result.
Ability Scores. Your Constitution increases by 1.
Marine Heritage. Accustomed to swimming in frigid waters to catch fish, you gain advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks made to swim.
Thick Fur. Your people live in biting cold for their entire lives. As a result, you have evolved a thick hide and layers of warm fur. You have resistance against cold damage.
Note: Originally this race was made for Pathfinder, so I followed the format laid out in the Core Rulebook, then tacked on the 5e stats on the end.
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/silverdragon/images/a/ab/Mathuin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140823201600
The savage natives of Westmark are called Mathuin. These noble people have lived in the cold forests of Ohma's westernmost nation since before men migrated there. For centuries, they've been fighting a losing battle to maintain their ancestral home from the humans that would take their lands. Some have integrated into the communities of humans, but many still fight, fang and claw, to protect their livelihood. Mathuin culture puts emphasis on tribal and familial relations. "For the tribe" is a common battle cry, and a Mathuin will derive either lifelong glory or eternal shame from her tribe.
Some of the most imposing creatures on the face of Turann, Mathuin rise to an intimidating eight feet. They resemble humanoid bears, with large heads, fur-covered bodies, and fierce tooth-filled jaws. There is not much sexual dimorphism; male and female Mathuin look nearly the same on a superficial level. Their fur can be black, brown, or white, but it is always a solid color. Many of them choose to dye intricate tattoos on their fur, which they believe grants them magical defenses.
Mathuin organize into tightly-knit tribes composed of several families. Some tribes are endogamous, but others allow their members to intermarry with members of other tribes. They are fiercely warlike; cubs are trained from a young age in the arts of battle. However, they also put a heavy emphasis on honor. Theirs is a savage sort of honor, though, and when they go into battle, they let their ferocious nature overwhelm them.
Druids, called Spirit-Talkers, are at the top of Mathuin society. They serve as both religious and secular governors among the tribes. Although all tribes share this common bond, there is very little unity between them, and in ancient times, war between the tribes was commonplace. With the threat of cultural annihilation looming, many of them have put aside old differences and banded together. Some still cling to their grudges. This refusal to cooperate will be the downfall of their people.
Gender roles play no part among the Mathuin. While females carry, deliver, and nurse cubs, once they are weaned, many mothers leave their cubs in the care of their fathers while they go off to war. This is due in part to the fact that there is little difference in appearance and attitude between male and female Mathuin, and partly because of their devotion to Artio. According to them, her two aspects are not human and bear, but rather male and female. Travelers in their lands will often hear a Mathuin use both gender pronouns in reference to the Great Bear. It is equally common to see a female blacksmith as a male taking care of the home.
Recent events have shaped the perception of Mathuin toward the humans of Westmark. By and large, they do not hate all humans (though there certainly are many who consider every one of that young race a threat), only the ones that wish to subdue them. Any attempts at negotiating a peaceful surrender of their lands are considered an insult, and a Mathuin answers insults with the blade of her axe. Dwarves hold a place of admiration among the Mathuin, who respect their ancient traditions and adherence to them. Wood elves are looked upon favorably, as they live in harmony with nature, while high elves generally receive harsh glares and curt replies. The other races are looked at as outsiders who could never understand the Mathuin, and are treated with dignity, but not outright kindness.
The Mathuin practice a religion similar to the Green Faith of the wood elves. They worship the spirits of the natural world, especially bear and other animal spirits, with whom they feel kinship. Their deepest reverence, however, is reserved for the goddess Artio, and she is the only deity considered worthy of worship by the Mathuin. Artio is a dualistic goddess, represented as a loving mother at some times, and a ferocious bear at others. Her humanoid form is associated with harmony, love, life, and goodness. Her bear form is associated with rage, protecting the home and family, and fighting threats to nature.
Their society teaches honor, but emphasizes the savagery of nature. Because of this, many Mathuin are chaotic. However, they have good hearts and a respect for the circle of life, so they tend more toward good than evil.
More than any other, the Mathuin are people displaced. Most of the ancient tribes have been broken, forcing a Mathuin diaspora across Ohma. A large portion of these Mathuin have chosen to ensure the legacy of their people by making themselves famous heroes, and have joined the League of the Silver Dragon. The vast majority of those are barbarians, but the paths of the druid, witch, and shaman are not unheard of amongst them. A small number of these adventuring Mathuin are actually dishonored outcasts, excommunicated from their tribes for conspiring with Westmark to steal Mathuin land. Of course, they'd never tell anyone that.
Male Names:Adair, Conall, Girvan, Laoch, Séannan, Ruark, Tynan
Female Names:Áine, Caithe, Fainche, Grian, Ríona, Séighín
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Age. Mathuin reach maturity at age 25. A normal Mathuin lives to be 160 years old.
Alignment. Mathuin are paragons of nature's ferocity, tending toward the chaotic alignment. Life is sacred to them, however, and they are often good of heart.
Size. Mathuin are imposing creatures, standing between 7 and 8 feet tall. They weigh upwards of 300 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Darkvision. The spirit-talker of your tribe says that Artio blessed Mathuin with the sight of their cousins, the bears. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
One with Nature. Your inborn affinity with the natural world gives you proficiency in the Nature skill.
Keen Smell. You get advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on your sense of smell.
Ursine Health. Like your cousin the bear, you are exceptionally healthy and hardy. You gain 1 extra hit point at every level.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Mathuin. The language of the bear folk is a primitive version of the language spoken by the Cannic humans that now live in Westmark.
Native to the middle and southern areas of Westmark, this subrace closely resembles the typical grizzly bear. They are less hardy than their northern brethren, but their closer relationship with the forest spirits has increased their collective wisdom.
Ability Scores. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.[/I][/B]
Long Strides. When you dash, you can choose to go down on all fours and move twice your speed plus 10 feet. You ignore difficult terrain when moving in this way. You cannot use this ability again until you finish a short or long rest.
Bestial Claws. You have the rending claws of the bear. When you make an unarmed strike, you can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage. If you choose to roll damage in this way, you use slashing damage instead. If you have levels in the Monk class, your Martial Arts damage die goes up by one for unarmed attacks only. For instance, at 1st level, a monk's martial arts damage die is a d4. If you are a Mathuin monk and you make an unarmed attack, you may instead roll a d6 for damage.
Though these Mathuin do not actually live near Turann's poles, they resemble the white-furred bears that do. They inhabit the cold forests and tundras of northern Westmark and southeastern Valkrheim and have a close relationship with the human Valkr tribes. These Mathuin must overcome harsher environments than their Grizzly counterparts, becoming hardier and more concerned with real-world problems as a result.
Ability Scores. Your Constitution increases by 1.
Marine Heritage. Accustomed to swimming in frigid waters to catch fish, you gain advantage on all Strength (Athletics) checks made to swim.
Thick Fur. Your people live in biting cold for their entire lives. As a result, you have evolved a thick hide and layers of warm fur. You have resistance against cold damage.