Liontaurs
Have you had brave and noble dreams of running free across deep grasslands? Maybe you escaped from the brutality of slavery as a gladiator? Are you kind and generous? Curious and graceful? Large of heart and soul? As a liontaur, you can take place of pride in any adventuring group. Liontaurs are especially known as good rangers, but also make fine fighters, rogues, and druids. There is a rare but strong tradition of liontaur paladins as well.
Details
Introduction: Originally the "hands" of the sphinx empire, liontaurs went back to their nomadic hunter and herder roots after the empire fell. Choosing to cede ground to expansionistic humans, liontaurs are now most likely found in dry lands and savannahs, where their natural talents serve them well. As is often the case for cultures that live on the edge of survival, under conditions of harsh competition, in which wits and strength are paramount, they make necessity into virtue. Liontaurs must hunt and fight to stay alive, so they glorify bravery, persistence, and helping those in need. Their success at carving out a niche and thriving is evident in their noble nature, for they are respected by all other peoples.
Appearance: Liontaurs look a bit like centaurs, but lion from the waist down and human from the waist up. Their short fur is tawny; they sport a lion's tail with a tuft of black fur at the end. Their upper portions are human, although the males often grow long, mane-like hair. Some liontaurs have other feline traits, such as cat-like eyes, larger canine teeth, or feline ears -- but on the whole, they are definitely more human-like than bestial. Liontaurs dress mostly in furs and leather, and many braid totems or beads into their hair as clan and pride markers. They stand about six feet tall, and they average nine feet long from head to rump. These large-size creatures weigh 400 to 700 pounds.
Society: Liontaurs follow the herds they depend on for food, so they are often found in savannah, following antelope and zebra; or in the plains, following wild horses and bison; or even in the tundra, following caribou. Some have great flocks of domesticated animals. Liontaurs view these grazing grounds as their own lands, rejecting encroachment but welcoming travelers and merchants. However, some humans see liontaurs as monsters, and enslave them (or steal their cubs). These slaves are forced into hard labor or into fighting to entertain others.
Alignment: Liontaurs have a deep devotion to service, to clan and pride, and even to all people and good creatures of the world. They are selfless and kind, killing only when they have no other choice, and forgiveness is a virtue to them. This code informs all liontaur hearts, and you will never encounter an evil NPC liontaur. Some liontaurs are devoted to their code, or even to a stricter code, for example, as paladins. Others are wanderers, never content in one place, restless and free. Liontaurs run the gamut from lawful to chaotic, and all but a few are good. Knowing this, members of other races trust liontaurs and respect them.
Rules
Character Creation: Apply the following adjustments to every liontaur player character.
- Ability Score Adjustment: Pick two ability scores. Add +1 to each.
- Saving Throw Bonuses: +1 on Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws.
- Extra Hit Points: +6.
- Skill Bonuses: +3 to Jump, Stealth, and Survival skills, in addition to one more skill of your choice. You are proficient in these skills.
- Size: Large.
- Move: 35 feet.
- Vision: Low-Light Vision.
- Languages: Common and Liontaur. Bonus Languages: Dwarf, Elf, Gnoll, Human, and Sphinx (Sphinx, a dead language, is available to liontaurs as a bonus language but not to any other race).
- Special: Four Paws - As a quadruped, you gain a +4 stability bonus to CMD vs trip and bull rush attacks. You make natural weapon attacks with the claws on your forepaws. (You do not have claws on your hands.) You can make one claw attack as a standard action, or two as a full attack. Damage is 1d4 damage +strength (slashing, crit 20, x2). If you use your claws while also using manufactured weapons in your hands, the claws are secondary attacks at -5 to hit with damage 1d4 damage +1/2 strength.
- Weakness: Taur Form - You cannot use normal or magical footwear; you do not have the Foot magic item slot. You may not take ranks in the Ride skill. Although you are large, from the waist up you are the same size as a human, and you wield weapons as a human, based on being size medium. That is, you wield manufactured weapons as if you were one size category smaller than you are.
Tyro Tier (character level 3): Select one of these three powers:
- Power: Favored Class (Ranger) - Your levels as a ranger do not count against you when determining experience point penalties for multiclassing.
- Power: Big Heart, Thick Skin - You gain two extra lionheart points (raising your maximum by two) and a +1 natural armor class bonus.
- Power: Life Connection - You know a cantrip, chosen from: Lullaby, Message, Detect Aura, Stabilize, Detect Animals or Plants, or Vigor. Other creatures sense your devotion to living things; you can use respect points not only with people, but also when interacting with monsters and with those of intelligence 4 and higher, not 8 and higher. You must have a good alignment to use Life Connection.
Adventurer Tier (character level 8): Select one of these three powers*:
- Power: Hunter - You gain a +3 racial bonus on Stealth checks in natural settings as well as on Survival checks to track (if you have the Track feat). If you successfully track a creature, you can make an appropriate Knowledge check to identify the number and creatures making these tracks, and you can tell if a tracked creature is wounded (if it has taken any damage) or very wounded (below 20% max hit points when the tracks were made).
- Power: Herder - Your base land speed increases by +5. You also gain a +1 racial bonus on initiative checks and a +2 racial bonus with Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks.
- Power: Gladiator - Select exotic weapons in number equal to 1 plus your odd (Column A) Intelligence bonus. You are proficient with these weapons, you gain a +2 racial bonus to confirm criticals with these weapons, and you gain a +2 bonus to use the Intimidate skill to demoralize others when you have one of these weapons in your hand.
Hero Tier (character level 13): Select one of these three powers*:
- Power: Rake - You gain the Weapon Focus (Grapple) feat (or if you have it already, a feat from the Wrestler tree for which you qualify). In addition to the options available to all grapplers, you gain two free claw attacks that you can use only against a grappled foe. These each inflict 1d4 damage +Str modifier. You must begin your turn already grappling to use your rake -- you can't begin a grapple and rake in the same turn.
- Power: Pounce - When you make a charge, you can make a full attack (including rake attacks if you also have the rake power).
- Power: Diplomat - You gain a +2 racial bonus on all charisma checks and skills when interacting with people.
Legend Tier (character level 18): Select one of these two powers*:
- Power: Lion's Heart - Your lionheart point maximum rises by five, and you can spend lionheart points as a free action to help others. (Without this power, you can only use lionheart points to help yourself).
- Power: Noble Roar - You can roar up to three times per day as a standard action. Each progressive roar has a different effect, depending upon whether it is the first, second, or third roar for that day. All of these roars are sonic effects that fill a 60-foot-radius burst, centered on you; the save DCs are your character level plus your odd Charisma modifier. Allies are immune to your roars if you so desire.
- First Roar: Affected creatures become frightened for 2d6 rounds (Will save negates). This is a mind-affecting fear effect in addition to being a sonic effect.
- Second Roar: Affected creatures are paralyzed with fear and deafened for 1d4 rounds (Will save negates). This is a mind-affecting fear effect in addition to being a sonic effect.
- Third Roar: Affected creatures take a -2 penalty to attacks and damage for 2d4 rounds and take 2d8 points of sonic damage. Creatures smaller than you are knocked prone. A Fortitude save negates the attack and damage penalty and being knocked prone.
- Power: Insightful Soul - You gain a +2 racial bonus on all Sense Motive checks. You can cast Heart-To-Heart Chat at will, as a spell-like ability, but after the chat, the target is friendly towards you.
* Or select a lower tier power that you have not chosen before.