HAFFURINGS?! HALFLING The halflings of Urz are an optimistic and cheerful race who are often overlooked by other folk as unimportant or as a simple people. They are a people of stories and adventure, exploration and merriment. The lightfoot halfling are the most common of these short folk, found in cities in towns across Eyane. Then there are the stout halflings who go anywhere a good ale can be found. The new subraces for this setting, the riverfolk and valekin halfling, are described below. Riverfolk Halfling The riverfolk halflings are a race of people who live on the rivers and streams of Eyané, using small floating rafts which they fashion into river-worthy homes. Like the river, these people hardly stay in one place for too long and enjoy meeting new folk and trading with them. Riverfolk are found in every province that has a flowing river or stream. They are seen differently by different peoples, but generally are regarded as a pleasant addition to any hustle and bustle of a city. A long time ago, the riverfolk were racially stereotyped as little more than guttersnipes and cutpurses, but the riverfolk people have worked hard over the last age to break that stigma. The riverfolk halflings have no cities or nations of their own, but are found most commonly where rivers intersect or end. They find these geographical locations a great place to settle down and integrate with the native peoples. Riverfolk worship Gemwich, the god of all halflings. He is said to have created the halflings so that each one would wander and to one day tell a tale or write a book about the details of their life. These stories about relatives or particularly great halflings in a community are seen as a commodity and the telling of such a story to the members of a halfling community could earn someone a free meal or shelter. Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1. Mariner. You are proficient with vehicles (water). Quick. Your base walking speed increases to 30 feet. Shenanigans. You are proficient with the Sleight of Hand skill. Valekin Halfling The valekin halflings are a slightly xenophobic breed of halflings that live in valleys and the hidden away places of the world. When most people think of halflings, they envision nimble tricksters all too eager to lighten the pockets of larger folk – a conception that exasperates the valekin to no end. Good-natured, earthy folk who love little more than a job done right and a hearty meal afterward, valekin differ a great deal from their nomadic riverfolk cousins. Valekin are easy-going in the extreme, valuing food and cheer over all else. A typical valekin village will celebrate any good occasion, and it’s said that valekin cooks produce the most satisfying food one’s ever likely to eat. Yet valekin also have a strong work ethic and will see the toughest job through to the end (although they’re not averse to taking shortcuts if dinner is fast approaching). As with all halflings, family is vital to valekin. A valekin is loyal to his kin and, though they’re not obsessed with honor as dwarves are, an insult to a valekin’s family will rarely be allowed to stand. In the older and larger valekin towns, the wealthier families often get embroiled in petty (if not always unfriendly) rivalries over trade and other matters. The only study valekin are commonly passionate about is genealogy, as they love mapping out who’s related to who and how in convoluted family trees that stretch back centuries. Valekin prefer boredom to trouble. Most live by an unwritten code of decorum that emphasizes common sense and prudence. Where a riverfolk will rush into a dragon’s lair at the mere mention of gold to be gained, a valekin will shake his head and sigh, wondering what the blasted fool needs with all that money anyway. Valekin adventurers are admittedly rare. Some few young valekin choose to strike out on their own, stricken by wanderlust; such halflings are invariably labeled “queer” by their neighbors (though they’re welcomed home with open arms if they return with a few bags of gold and jewels). Most valekin adventurers, however, travel out of necessity: a local boy seeking help for an impoverished village, a sheriff on orders from his superiors, or a bounder tracking a potential threat to his village. Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1. Avoidance. When you take the Dodge action, you gain a +2 bonus to AC. Laborer. You are proficient with vehicles (land). Storyteller. You have proficiency in the History skill.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 15:16:27 +0000