Ok, här är mitt försök. Hoppas ingen har hittat på de här tidigare. =) Texten skall vara precis på två sidor.
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TIAKI
Tiaki are an enigmatic race living in volcanic regions. Their most obvious feature is their four arms, in other respects they are quite similar to humans. However, as anyone who knows them can attest, this similarity is only superficial. Their minds are quite different. Tiaki are driven, ambitious, and passionate. Their societies are collections of individuals, where competition is fierce. They are proud, and with good reason; their wizards, craftsmen, and poets are legendary.
Personality: Tiaki see humans as slow and lukewarm. When something fires their ambition, they work tirelessly to achieve whatever goal they set before themselves. However, other than this intensity, they run the gamut. However, many tiaki have a condescending attitude to subtlety and caution, and their definitions of these things are wide. Even their wizards often charge blindly into situations they are unprepared for rather than making elaborate plans. Their culture puts focus on the present and the future, disdaining the past as wallowing in dirt. However, if a tiak has been wronged, he or she is usually prepared to dedicate a few years to achieving a suitable vengeance.
Physical Description: An adult tiak male stands 5½ feet to 6 feet tall, a female a bit less. They are slender and graceful, but have trouble building muscle, so they weigh about the same as a human of similar height. Hair and eye colour varies through the entire human spectrum, but their colours tend to be sharp, warm, and bright. Their skin is bronze, but does not tan further under the sun. Some have a reddish hue to their skin. They have great tolerance to heat, but also prefer not to wear heavy clothing. The most common garb is a white toga-like robe. Hair is typically worn short, or set up if longer. They are not bashful about their bodies, and often show more skin than humans find decent. They decorate themselves with abstract tattoos and metal jewelry. An odd quirk is that these decorations are almost always worn symmetrically.
Tiaki differ from humans in their significantly higher metabolism. A tiak needs to eat about twice as much as a human of the same weight. They sleep for about four hours per night. They dream, just as do humans, but more intensely, more tangibly. Their culture has great respect for dreams and visions, seeing them as riddles about the recipient. Another effect of this is that they are heavily affected by toxins, such as poisons and alcohol. Their lifespans are about the same as humans'.
Relations: Seeing as tiaki usually live in inhospitable regions of heat and lava, they do not have a great deal of contact with other races. However, visitors find them cordial hosts, and they do enjoy brisk trade with others. They tend to see humans as slow, and generally feel they do not have the time for elves. They have tried working together with dwarves on several occasions against the goblinkin that frequently threaten both races, but have had to accept that any progress in relations with dwarves happen on an individual level. So far, wars have been almost unheard of between dwarves and tiaki, likely because of a mutual respect.
Alignment: Tiaki, as a whole, are chaotic, living life with wild abandon and withering away in captivity. Still, there is no particular tendency toward good or evil.
Tiaki lands: Tiaki live in communities on, and carved into, the slopes of volcanoes, and around lakes of lava. These places are usually beautifully decorated. In general, the richer tiaki live below ground, and those on the surface produce food. Tiaki also know more than a little about plumbing, and use the heat around them to power fountains, irrigation, and many other things. Tiaki encountered abroad are there for a wide variety of reasons, including adventuring, exploration, trade, apprenticeship to known craftsmen or wizards, or vengeance.
Religion: Tiaki approach the metaphysical with the same geist as they do everything else. They have a pantheon consisting of the elemental deities Kossuth (the lord of flame, their chief deity), Akadi (their deity of fate and of challenges), Grumbar (their protector), and Istishia (their deity of life and love). The fact that these deities are less than interested in followers does not seem to bother them in the least. Their lives are coloured by thousands of services in all walks of life, almost all of them improvised.
Language: Tiaki speak Ignan and Common. Many also speak Dwarven. They see Ignan as their language, and have not developed another.
Names: Tiaki change names, a practice that can be quite confusing to outsiders. Parents of a tiak child name the child, with a name that describes the child. As the child grows and changes, it gets other names, and it is common practice to accept names one is called, adapting them and adding them to one?s old name, possibly removing another part of the old name instead. To mark these distinctions, tiaki add pauses or nonsense conjunction words between the parts of their names. A name is changed perhaps once or twice per decade, and since tiaki names are pretty much unique, they listen to most of their old names. It is seen as a challenge to give someone else a name, both a gift and an insult at the same time. If the name sticks, they reason, it was obviously a good name for me. Typical names could be Cath-ira en soh, or Sila-thir katha-kai. Family names are not used.
Adventurers: Tiaki adventure for the same reasons as everyone else: greed, wanderlust, danger, or necessity. They gladly take up causes, at least until they tire of them. They are known for reckless behaviour. They call it bravery.
TIAKI RACIAL TRAITS
* -2 strength, +2 dexterity, -2 wisdom, +2 charisma. Tiaki are lithe and quick, but do not easily build strength. Their personalities are strong and impressive, but tiaki are not known for temperance, caution, or care.
* Tiaki base land speed is 30 feet.
* Low-Light Vision.
* +2 racial bonus to Craft checks. Most tiaki know somehing of a craft, typically smithing, weaving, or poetry.
* Regeneration: Tiaki heal naturally twice as fast as humans do due to their high metabolism. However, they are also more vulnerable to poison and disease for the same reason, and take a -2 penalty to Fortitude saves against such effects.
* Four arms: Tiaki have four arms. Some tiaki learn to use all their arms equally well, others have one that is clearly dominant. In game terms, tiaki gain a +2 bonus when grappling, and have access to the monstrous feats in Savage Species that require more than two arms.
* Automatic Languages: Ignan and Common. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Dwarven, Orcish, Terran.
* Favored Class: Sorcerer. Many tiaki are sorcerers. They do have wizards as well, but these are seen as stuffy and odd. Most tiaki prefer the spontaneous way of using magic, especially fire magic.
* Level Adjustment: +1. Tiaki are slightly more powerful than humans, mostly due to their four arms.
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TIAKI
Tiaki are an enigmatic race living in volcanic regions. Their most obvious feature is their four arms, in other respects they are quite similar to humans. However, as anyone who knows them can attest, this similarity is only superficial. Their minds are quite different. Tiaki are driven, ambitious, and passionate. Their societies are collections of individuals, where competition is fierce. They are proud, and with good reason; their wizards, craftsmen, and poets are legendary.
Personality: Tiaki see humans as slow and lukewarm. When something fires their ambition, they work tirelessly to achieve whatever goal they set before themselves. However, other than this intensity, they run the gamut. However, many tiaki have a condescending attitude to subtlety and caution, and their definitions of these things are wide. Even their wizards often charge blindly into situations they are unprepared for rather than making elaborate plans. Their culture puts focus on the present and the future, disdaining the past as wallowing in dirt. However, if a tiak has been wronged, he or she is usually prepared to dedicate a few years to achieving a suitable vengeance.
Physical Description: An adult tiak male stands 5½ feet to 6 feet tall, a female a bit less. They are slender and graceful, but have trouble building muscle, so they weigh about the same as a human of similar height. Hair and eye colour varies through the entire human spectrum, but their colours tend to be sharp, warm, and bright. Their skin is bronze, but does not tan further under the sun. Some have a reddish hue to their skin. They have great tolerance to heat, but also prefer not to wear heavy clothing. The most common garb is a white toga-like robe. Hair is typically worn short, or set up if longer. They are not bashful about their bodies, and often show more skin than humans find decent. They decorate themselves with abstract tattoos and metal jewelry. An odd quirk is that these decorations are almost always worn symmetrically.
Tiaki differ from humans in their significantly higher metabolism. A tiak needs to eat about twice as much as a human of the same weight. They sleep for about four hours per night. They dream, just as do humans, but more intensely, more tangibly. Their culture has great respect for dreams and visions, seeing them as riddles about the recipient. Another effect of this is that they are heavily affected by toxins, such as poisons and alcohol. Their lifespans are about the same as humans'.
Relations: Seeing as tiaki usually live in inhospitable regions of heat and lava, they do not have a great deal of contact with other races. However, visitors find them cordial hosts, and they do enjoy brisk trade with others. They tend to see humans as slow, and generally feel they do not have the time for elves. They have tried working together with dwarves on several occasions against the goblinkin that frequently threaten both races, but have had to accept that any progress in relations with dwarves happen on an individual level. So far, wars have been almost unheard of between dwarves and tiaki, likely because of a mutual respect.
Alignment: Tiaki, as a whole, are chaotic, living life with wild abandon and withering away in captivity. Still, there is no particular tendency toward good or evil.
Tiaki lands: Tiaki live in communities on, and carved into, the slopes of volcanoes, and around lakes of lava. These places are usually beautifully decorated. In general, the richer tiaki live below ground, and those on the surface produce food. Tiaki also know more than a little about plumbing, and use the heat around them to power fountains, irrigation, and many other things. Tiaki encountered abroad are there for a wide variety of reasons, including adventuring, exploration, trade, apprenticeship to known craftsmen or wizards, or vengeance.
Religion: Tiaki approach the metaphysical with the same geist as they do everything else. They have a pantheon consisting of the elemental deities Kossuth (the lord of flame, their chief deity), Akadi (their deity of fate and of challenges), Grumbar (their protector), and Istishia (their deity of life and love). The fact that these deities are less than interested in followers does not seem to bother them in the least. Their lives are coloured by thousands of services in all walks of life, almost all of them improvised.
Language: Tiaki speak Ignan and Common. Many also speak Dwarven. They see Ignan as their language, and have not developed another.
Names: Tiaki change names, a practice that can be quite confusing to outsiders. Parents of a tiak child name the child, with a name that describes the child. As the child grows and changes, it gets other names, and it is common practice to accept names one is called, adapting them and adding them to one?s old name, possibly removing another part of the old name instead. To mark these distinctions, tiaki add pauses or nonsense conjunction words between the parts of their names. A name is changed perhaps once or twice per decade, and since tiaki names are pretty much unique, they listen to most of their old names. It is seen as a challenge to give someone else a name, both a gift and an insult at the same time. If the name sticks, they reason, it was obviously a good name for me. Typical names could be Cath-ira en soh, or Sila-thir katha-kai. Family names are not used.
Adventurers: Tiaki adventure for the same reasons as everyone else: greed, wanderlust, danger, or necessity. They gladly take up causes, at least until they tire of them. They are known for reckless behaviour. They call it bravery.
TIAKI RACIAL TRAITS
* -2 strength, +2 dexterity, -2 wisdom, +2 charisma. Tiaki are lithe and quick, but do not easily build strength. Their personalities are strong and impressive, but tiaki are not known for temperance, caution, or care.
* Tiaki base land speed is 30 feet.
* Low-Light Vision.
* +2 racial bonus to Craft checks. Most tiaki know somehing of a craft, typically smithing, weaving, or poetry.
* Regeneration: Tiaki heal naturally twice as fast as humans do due to their high metabolism. However, they are also more vulnerable to poison and disease for the same reason, and take a -2 penalty to Fortitude saves against such effects.
* Four arms: Tiaki have four arms. Some tiaki learn to use all their arms equally well, others have one that is clearly dominant. In game terms, tiaki gain a +2 bonus when grappling, and have access to the monstrous feats in Savage Species that require more than two arms.
* Automatic Languages: Ignan and Common. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Elven, Dwarven, Orcish, Terran.
* Favored Class: Sorcerer. Many tiaki are sorcerers. They do have wizards as well, but these are seen as stuffy and odd. Most tiaki prefer the spontaneous way of using magic, especially fire magic.
* Level Adjustment: +1. Tiaki are slightly more powerful than humans, mostly due to their four arms.
