Rimuldar is deep within the human empire, and scarce few members of the other sapient species live within its borders.

Templates are for species living life in a human-dominate culture -- in this case, the Empire of Man.

For information on using racial templates, see page 260.

---

Canin
Canins resemble tall, lanky, semi-upright spotted hyenas or wild dogs. Covered in short fur, Canins have a hunched posture with bristling hackles and long arms. As a whole, they are characterized as a wild, untamed race with little regard for society’s laws other than that the strongest rule. They are known for a language of yips, howls and barks that often resemble the sound of hysterical human laughter.


Centaur
Centaurs are the result of an ancient, magical cross-breeding of humans and horses. They have an equine lower body with the torso and head of a human replacing the horse's neck. Herbivores, centaurs live in loosely organized tribes near secluded forests bordering vast grassy plains and have little desire for civilized life. Centaurs speak their own language.


Cyclops
Largest of all the sapient species, the giant cyclopses tower over the land, often reaching 10 feet tall or taller. Other than their single eye in the center of their head and a wide, flat nose, cyclopses otherwise resemble giant humans. Solitary, cyclopses have no civilization, and some sages believe they will one day become extinct if their numbers don't stop thinning. They speak their own language and occasionally a local tongue.


Dryad
Magical guardians of the forest, the mysterious race of dryads, also called forest nymphs or just nymphs, resemble stunningly-beautiful human women. Their hair color matches the leaves of the tree to which they share a mystical, symbiotic bond, and depending on the season can be bright green, fiery red, auburn, or black when the branches are bare. Their skin color changes with the seasons as well. In the summer, their skin is dark amber, but gets lighter as the seasons change to winter. Strangely, dryads eat neither meat nor plant, but must drink. Equally bizarre, if their tree is slain, they too will soon wither and die. It seems to be their entire purpose in life to protect the forest from lumberjacks and hunters; they hate both with a passion and will do everything in their power to banish them from their grove. They often enlist other forest dwellers to help, and can communicate telepathically with all forms of life. If taught, they can speak a language, but few learn to do so. No one has ever seen a dryad "born," and they never seem to age. Though they have a woman's complete anatomy, they do not take mates or produce offspring.


Dwarf
Short and stubby, dwarves are the laborious cousins of the gnomes and elves. Dwarven society upholds craftsmen -- metalsmiths, masons, carpenters -- above all other professions. Dwarves can live to be 100 years old and still swing a hammer. Dwarves speak their own rolling language, but most speak Gnomish as well with a heavy accent.


Elf
Elves resemble gnomes, but stand about five-feet tall and have long pointy ears and noses. Generally considered a carefree and lazy bunch, elves love freedom and merrymaking most of all. They live longer than humans on average; the most venerable elders are more than 100 years old and still of strong mind. Elves speak Elfish, their own musical language, but most speak Gnomish as well.


Fairy and Pixy (-5 Points)
Smallest of all the intelligent species, fairies are tiny people about three apples tall with large, colorful butterfly wings attached to their back. Pixies appear similar but are a bit smaller and have colorfully tinted insect wings instead. They also have skin tinted amber, red, blue, violet and even green with exotic hair and eye colors to match. Nature's caretakers, fairies and pixies live simple lives, eating the fruit, berries and nuts they gather while fluttering and basking in the sunlight. They make their homes in hollowed out stumps or nest in tree branches or foliage. Any fairy or pixy discovered to possess an affinity for magic is taken to an elder and instructed in the arcane. Fairies speak their own high-pitched language, but most speak a local tongue as well.

Attribute Modifiers: ST-7 [-70]*; DX+3 [60].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM -6 (or -7 for pixies).
Advantages: Catfall [10]; Flight (Winged) [30]; Magery 0 [5].
Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, Very Common, Constantly) [-25]; Sense of Duty (Nature) -15.
_*Fixed.


Gargoyle (-8 Points)
"Stone vultures" they're often called; most gargoyles look like stocky, monstrous goblins with dark gray skin, goat-like horns and giant bat-like wings spreading from their back. Their three-fingered hands and feet end in sharp talons. Red eyes and carnivorous teeth complete their sinister appearance. As hideous as they appear, gargoyles are not inherently evil, though they are often portrayed as villains, a part they routinely play. They cannot fly, but they can glide down from the high perches for which they all seem to share an affinity. They have no native society or language; they speak whatever dialect is most common where they reside. Many sages believe that the race was created through demonic sorcery long ago.

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM -1.
Advantages: Acute Vision 3 [6]; Claws (Blunt) [3]; Damage Resistance 1 (skull only, -70%) [2]; Flight (Gliding -50%, Winged -25%) [10]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Striker (horns, blunt, cannot parry -40%, forward arc -40%, weak -50%) [1]; Teeth (Sharp) [1].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8]; Laziness [-10]*; Sleepy 1 (12 hours, nocturnal) [-8]; Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10].
_{*Can be bought off.}


Gnome
Standing only about four feet tall, the reclusive, long-lived, subterranean-dwelling Gnomes resemble small humans. Above all else, gnomes value intelligence, creativity, arcane wisdom, and the pursuit of knowledge. Teachers and sorcerers are of the highest peers in Gnomish society. They have their own complex and precise language, as well as an ancient tongue no longer in common use.


Goblin (-11 Points)
Of all the species, the goblin race is the most violent and malevolent. Their physical appearance varies more than any other race as well. Taller on average than gnomes and dwarves, goblins resemble gnarled, green-skinned elves with pointed features and sharp, carnivorous teeth. Some are tall and gaunt while others are squat and corpulent. Most are nearly hairless but some have long whiskers or a stringy mane; a few are even covered in fur. On rare occasions, goblins can even have goat-like horns. Ruled by feudal clans, their entire culture revolves around violence and death. Their native language is harsh, fast and concise, perfectly suited for the battle field. Most would rather kill another race than learn its language, but some do speak other dialects. Reared apart from their native society, goblins are much less prone to violence. Some are even kind, good natured and humorous, but those specimens are very rare.

The goblin racial template is for a goblin attempting to live in the civilized world who has been raised from birth outside the goblin culture.

In the rare case a goblin has fur, it is a 1-point Perk (p. 101). Most often, in the very rare case a goblin has horns, they will be small and goat-like. List them as an Advantage: Striker (horns, blunt, cannot parry -40%, forward arc -40%, weak -50%) [1]. Extremely rare, larger, ram-like horns do not have the "weak" Limitation (but still cost 1 point). Goblins with small horns have Damage Resistance 1 (skull only, -70%) [2], and goblins with large horns have Damage Resistance 2 (skull only, -70%) [3].

Attribute Modifiers: ST-2 [-20]; DX+1 [20]; HT+1 [10].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM -1; HP+1 [3].
Advantages: Claws (Blunt) [3]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Teeth (Sharp) [1].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8]; Bad Temper [-10]*; Social Stigma (Monster) [-15].
_{*Can be bought off.}


Hildisvíno
Hildisvíno, or Gourouni when speaking about members of the race, resemble upright warthogs about as tall as the elves but much heavier. Warlike and hostile, their empire is constantly seeking to expand its territories. Other races find mimicking their language, -- which is full of grunts, squeals, and snorts -- sometimes humorous.


Harpy
According to myth and legend, harpies -- a wretched species with the upper body a gaunt human woman, feathered bird legs ending in talons, and the wings of a giant vulture spreading from their back -- were created by the gods in ancient times either as a cruel joke or to punish the human race. Harpies must reproduce with humans, their offspring always being female harpies. There are no known male harpies. Scavengers, their culture is loosely tribal in nature, ruled by the strongest, most ruthless hen. With no known native language, they speak whatever dialect is common where they brood.


Human
Humans are the most prolific and domineering species in the land. Militaristic yet diplomatic, the human empire is vast and its influence expansive, penetrating almost all cultures everywhere. Humans are a diverse species with numerous races, and as such, numerous languages and distinct cultures. In addition to their local dialect, most speak the common language of the empire.


Jugorum
Since their native language of guttural croaks is almost impossible for most other races to pronounce, the amphibious toad people are called different names by the races. Jugorum, as most humans call them, resemble giant, semi-upright toads with dry, leathery, dark-green hide. Their backs, arms and legs are covered in large, tough warts and dark spots while their underbelly is lighter colored and smooth. Natively, the swamp dwellers live in territorial Stone Age tribes, though some have embraced civilization. Ones that learn to speak have a raspy, hissing voice most races find disturbing.


Medusa
Medusae are an ancient bloodline of the human race, cursed by the gods for reasons chronicled only in legend. They are named after their mythological ancestor, Medusa, who is said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. In her vanity, she claimed to be more beautiful than the goddess of love, and was punished for her insolence with a two-pronged curse: her hair was turned to writhing serpents and whoever looked upon her face would turn to stone. When she failed to repent, the curse was extended to her offspring, each of which would be female until the end of time.  For hundreds of years, the Medusae bloodline has survived as shapely human women with locks of live serpents. They breed true with human men, often captives who have unwittingly fallen into their clutches. Through time, the supposed curse has weakened, and now only meeting their gaze will petrify a living victim.


Minotaur
Like the Medusae, minotaurs were humans long ago, but after being cursed by the gods for unspeakable acts, they were transformed into a monstrous race. Standing seven feet tall and weighing nearly 400 pounds on average, minotaurs have the body of a strapping human, but the head of a bovine proportionate in size to their powerful body. Beneath their short, dense fur ranging in color from stark white to black is the thick hide of a swarthy Caucasian. Only the Savralaos have a more easily ignited temper; minotaurs are well known for their berserker rage. Herbivores, minotaurs live in herd dominated by the strongest bull. By human standards, they are relatively stupid, but can learn to speak. Teaching them to follow the laws of civilization is much more difficult.


Nephilim
Distinguishing a Nephilim from a human visually would be almost impossible if it weren't for the fact that Nephilims are, on average, nine feet tall. Called giants by humans, the history of the Nephilim race is shrouded in the veil of time forgotten. Some sages believe the legends that they are a cross between the gods and humans. Others believe they simply are humans, just much a much larger race. Whatever the case, the two races can interbreed, but with difficulty in both conception and childbirth if the mother is human. Offspring are called half-giants by humans and are seven feet tall on average. Though much less prolific, Nephilim culture is almost identical to that of humans, and they speak the same languages.

Half-Giant
25 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST+5 (Size, -10%) [45].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM +1.
Advantages: Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin, -40%) [3].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8]; Gluttony (12) [-5]; Social Stigma (Savage) [-10].


Nyfitsa
20 points

Reclusive and secretive, the enigmatic rat people are generally feared and mistrusted by other sapient species. Generally, nyfitsa look like giant, semi-upright rats standing a bit shorter than humans on average due to a hunched posture. They have a bad reputation among many civilizations as being dishonest thieves and carriers of disease. Vagabonds, their native culture was once vivid and colorful, full of dancing and music. However, most have forgotten the old ways of the nyfitsa people and have descended into a parasitic bond with humans or other dominant civilizations, dwelling in sewers, catacombs, or the slums and back allies of sprawling cities. Some Gnomish scholars believe the species is the ancient product of a sorcerer-alchemist's magic. Many people believe they are shape-shifters who can assume human form and also have the ability to speak with rats, a myth that the nyfitsa often cultivate ("What's that, Rat-friend? You say you saw this human do what last night?"). Nyfitsa are bilingual; they speak their own secret language—which they will teach to no outsider—and a local tongue as well.

Find a nyfitsa's height and weight using the line appropriate to ST on the Build Table (p. B18), but reduce height by 2" while keeping weight unchanged.

Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; HT+1 [10].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+1 [2]; Per+3 [15].
Advantages: Claws (Blunt) [3]; Language (Local Dialect): Spoken (Accented)/Written (None) [2]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; Fur [1]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Teeth (Sharp) [1].
Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) [-8]; Social Stigma (Disease Carriers, Savages and Thieves) [-15].
Features: Secret language (the utility of which balances the minor vow of keeping it secret). Tail (neither a manipulator nor enough of a problem to interfere with armor).


Oceanid
Oceanids, commonly called mermaidens and mermen, live under the sea. Their upper body looks strikingly similar to humans, though their hands have webbed fingers. However, extending from their waist is the tail of a scaled fish ending in a broad fin. Sages can find no common ancestry between Oceanids and humans, though stories of sailors falling in love with mermaidens abound. Telepathic, oceanids communicate through thought transmission. Bardic tales of their majestic underwater kingdoms complete with castles and cities rivaling that of the greatest human civilizations are pure fiction. They live simple, playful lives and make their home in underwater caves and reefs. With both lungs and gills, the latter of which appear as slits running between their ribs, Oceanids can breathe both above and beneath the waves. Some even learn to speak.


Ogre
Towering, brutish humanoids, seven feet tall on average and weighing more than 400 pounds, ogres are broad-shouldered and powerfully built, especially in their wide forearms. One wayfaring sage described them as giant, hairless, pig-faced gorillas. By human standards, they are stupid and naive bullies. It is rumored that they turn coward when faced by a threatening foe, but to an ogre, few foes are truly threatening. Cave dwellers, ogres have a tribal society and speak their own language. Most are semi-proficient in a local tongue as well.


Satyr
Of all the sapient species, the forest-dwelling satyrs are the most fun-loving and carefree. Music, dancing, and love-making are perhaps the three most important aspects of their culture, with another being drunkenness. According to historical accounts, the satyrs were once a human nation of merry-makers who were punished for their lust, gluttony, and sloth by crossing them with goats. As such, satyrs have the upper half of a human and the lower half of a goat. They also have the horns of a goat sprouting from their forehead. They speak their own merry language, but some speak a local tongue as well.


Savralaos
Meaning "lizard people" or "lizard nationality" in a nearly forgotten tongue, Savralaos (pronounced SAV-ra-loss) are semi-upright crocodiles with little more intelligence than the reptiles they resemble. Rarely will they wander far from their Stone Age tribes buried deep within swampy jungles. Their language of hisses, knocks, growls and subsonic rumbles is unpronounceable and even partially imperceptible. Males (bulls) are slightly larger than females (cows) on average, but otherwise, there is no way to tell them apart by visual inspection.


Troll
"Troll;" just the name is enough to make most other species sour-faced. Magical pranksters, in their natural form trolls resemble gnomes, but with much more hair. Both males and females are covered in long, unkempt fur ranging in color from reddish-brown to black. Often, they go about unclothed, but males usually have long beards that have grown past their knees. Most notable of all, trolls can magically increase their mass for a short time, tough there is some scholarly debate about whether this ability is real or an illusion. Like ogres, they are often ruthless bullies. Some say trolls can only harm those who are afraid of their attack, but most sages dismiss this claim. Still, it is widely circulated. Most are hermits, and though often wise, they are just as often equally eccentric. Their native language is gnomish, but they often speak other languages as well.


Vorock
Giant vultures with 10-foot wingspans that weigh more than 30 pounds, vorocks are a sapient race with spindly arms and clawed hands tucked beneath their wings. Those who have faced the territorial hunter-scavengers in battle know their hollow bones don't make them any less fearsome of opponents. Vorocks speak their own language of screeches, clucks, and hisses. They can learn a spoken tongue, though few desire to do so.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:09, Sat 17 May 2014.