New Character Kits
The following are new or adapted character kits that are particularly suited to a SAVAGE COAST campaign, especially the area of the Orc's Head Peninsula.
Mendoo (Medicine Men)
The Mendoo are the priests of the wallaras. They are identified at birth by other Mendoo. Thoughtful, mysterious, and in some ways quite powerful, they know much about the universe and always seek to learn more. Mendoo learn their first spell when they become adults (level 0).
Character Class: A Mendoo is a priest devoted to worship of the Great One (whom they call Agundji). Mendoo also revere Barramundje (Calitha Starbrow), Genjoo (Ka), and Warruntam (Ixion).
Races and Nationalities: Only wallaras can be Mendoo; all wallara priests must be Mendoo.
Requirements: Wallaras have no social class and only one gender. Mendoo cannot be evil and must have Wisdom scores of at least 13.
Role: In wallara society, Mendoo are respected and revered, the ones to whom others go for enlightenment and spiritual guidance.
As an adventurer, a Mendoo is quiet and thoughtful, never angry, always calm. While others might seek self-awareness, the Mendoo has it. He is sure of his place in the universe, but must sometimes seek the road needed to get there. He gives good advice if asked, but never forces his desires on others. If his path takes him elsewhere, he will leave with barely a word, returning when the time is right.
A Mendoo is respectful of all natural things and never takes life unnecessarily. Through example, he encourages others to behave with respect as well. A Mendoo expresses dissatisfaction or disappointment with a frown and a cold look, sometimes with a shake of the head, explaining his way only if asked.
A Mendoo may hunt and kill animals for food, but always thanks an animal's spirit before eating it. If he shares the kill with anyone, they must thank the spirit as well, and show proper respect.
Class Modifications: Mendoo cannot turn undead or cast animate dead. They are allowed all other priest spells, including those usually restricted to druids. However, they regard many of them as useless or too powerful, and do not pray for them; this is a personal decision for each Mendoo (with the DM's guidance). For example, a Mendoo seldom prays for flame blade, call lightning, or flame strike; they are too destructive. Mendoo who pray for such spells must convince the Great One of the need before they are granted.
To cast a spell, Mendoo need a small piece of quartz or opal that is consumed when the spell is cast. This can usually be acquired in caverns, near great rocks, or in the mines of Tooburra and Wirrawa.
To recover their spells, Mendoo must participate in corroborees, which are gatherings for sacred, festive, or warlike purposes. Singing, dancing, and the handling of sacred objects are major parts of the rituals. A Mendoo may perform alone at a corroboree, if conditions dictate, or may invite his companions to join him.
Mendoo tend to concentrate on spells from the animal, charm, divination, plant, and protection spheres.
Weapon Proficiencies: Mendoo are restricted to wallara tribal weapons.
Non-weapon Proficiencies: The character receives the following bonus proficiencies: Direction sense, weather sense, and fire-building. Recommended proficiencies are: Artistic ability, cooking, dancing, healing (regular or veterinary), herbalism, set snares, hunting, and weaponsmithing (crude).
Equipment: The character never owns more than he can carry. Mendoo start with only a few tribal items. They do not wear armour, but may carry shields.
Special Benefits: Mendoo sleep lightly, in a sitting position. The presence of another person within 10 feet wakes them.
They can detect the presence of spirits, including incorporeal undead, within 10 feet. Mendoo cannot pinpoint a specific location, but they know when such spirits are present. They can tell if a spirit has been in an area within the last 24 hours, and recognise spots frequented by spirits.
A Mendoo's most impressive special benefit is his ability to dream, which he can do once per week. When using the ability, the Mendoo sinks into a trance and can tap into the mystical knowledge of wallara spirits. The dream can imitate the effects of one of the following priest spells: speak with animals, speak with dead, speak with plants, speak with monsters, commune, control weather, and creeping doom. To dream, the Mendoo must build a fire, let it fall to embers, and stare into the embers for a full turn as he slips into a deep trance. The spell chosen has normal range, duration, and area of effect. If a Mendoo communicates with someone by dream, that individual sees a mental image of the Mendoo and the Mendoo sees an image of the person contacted. If the trance is interrupted, the dream is broken and cannot be used again for a week.
Special Hindrances: Besides the restrictions listed elsewhere, Mendoo must spend at least four hours each day in meditation, preferably by staring into the embers of a fire.
Because of their unusual nature, Mendoo receive a +3 penalty on reaction rolls when outside their own culture.
At times, Mendoo are called upon by the Immortals to perform a certain task. The exact nature of the task is left to the DM, but should probably be related to the Wallara's tribe or race, or some obscure bit of knowledge. A Mendoo might be asked to go see if a certain animal or person still lives, or be required to track down an enemy of his people. Every once in a while, he must return to his homeland, sometimes to perform a specific task, like choosing a new tribal chief, other times just to see that things are well. The Mendoo must do what the Immortals ask them to, but can usually take along companions, if such are willing.
Wealth Options: Mendoo gain no starting money, and do not really understand the need others have for wealth. They prefer to make their own equipment or to barter for what they cannot make.
Shaman
Also called "wise ones," these special people are chosen at birth to learn the ways of the Shaman from a very young age. A Shaman is a priest devoted to a particular tribe, stressing the needs of that tribe over all other concerns. Most priests are identified with their Immortals or religions; Shamans identify with their tribes. A Shaman is a mediator between the spirits and the members of the tribe, and a religious leader in all tribal endeavours, from war and hunting to agriculture and art. Usually only one or two are found in any primitive village. Shamans are less regimented, more down to earth, than other priests.
Character Class: Only a priest can take the Shaman kit, and is restricted in certain spheres.
Races and Nationalities: Shamans are found only among phanatons, lizard kin, and goblinoids. No other races can become Shamans.
Requirements: A Shaman, no matter how young or new to the job, is always considered a tribal leader. There are no gender restrictions for Shamans, but a village usually has either male or female Shamans, not both. Shamans may have any alignment, but are usually of the same alignment as the majority of their village.
Shamans have no special requirements for ability scores.
Role: The well-being of the village is the most important business of Shamans, for they are the repositories of all of the lore and wisdom of the tribe. No problem is too trivial. They provide divinations, though the form is often improvised and the source of information usually dubious. They give sympathy and moral support, healing ills with skills and folk remedies more often than spells, and they teach the young how to serve the community.
Shamans must undergo arduous rituals before taking their posts, as well as apprenticing to current Shamans. The rituals include long periods of fasting, initiation ceremonies that require some pain and suffering, and trials of courage.
Most adventuring Shamans have a greater purpose. Some adventure to aid their tribes, while others travel as part of their initiations and have specific goals that must be achieved before they can return to their people. A few are the last survivors of their tribes; guilt-ridden because they failed to protect their people, they consider the adventuring party their new tribe. Rare Shaman PCs have rejected their tribes and seek a new one to comfort, ministering to the adventuring party in the meantime.
A Shaman casts spells to help the group, but only sparingly. The character believes others should be tough and self-sufficient, and avoids coddling them. _
Class Modifications: Shamans have major access to the spheres of divination and protection, minor access to the spheres of all, animal, combat, healing, and plant. If the Tome of Magic is used, they also have minor access to the war sphere. Shamans seldom pray for healing spells on a daily basis, preferring to use the healing proficiency and saving spells for major injuries.
A Shaman cannot turn undead, and never has direct access to raise dead or resurrection spells. At 9th level, a Shaman can cast reincarnation as if it were a fifth-level spell.
Weapon Proficiencies: Shamans are limited to the weapons of their tribes. They avoid large weapons.
Non-weapon Proficiencies: Shamans receive healing and local history as bonus proficiencies, and are required to take herbalism. Recommended proficiencies include agriculture, animal lore, animal training, fire-building, fishing, fortune telling, reading/writing, religion, rope use, set snares, spellcraft, veterinary healing, weaponsmithing (crude), weather sense, and weaving. Shamans cannot take read/write at 1st level.
Equipment: Shamans receive no starting money. Instead, Shamans start with one of each weapon with which they are proficient. The Shaman may also have up to 20 items of other equipment common to the tribe. The list must be approved by the DM, but might include rope, food, clothing, weapon sheathes, items important for the character's non-weapon proficiencies, and so forth.
Shamans can also possess one unusual item specific to their culture. It might be an artifact from an ancient culture, a strange decoration from another tribe, or a piece of equipment from a more technologically advanced society. Examples include a statuette from an ancient ruin, a feathered headdress for a phanaton, or a normal lantern! The piece of equipment is something that the character received in tribute, traded for, or was given by a mentor. It is often used as a badge of office.
A Shaman can wear only leather, padded, studded leather, or hide armour.
Special Benefits: Phanaton Shamans receive the following special benefits bestowed upon them by their Immortal patrons: Shamans of Uí may move silently and hide in shadows as thieves of the same experience level so long as they remain in trees. Mother Earth's Shamans may speak with animals. Shamans of The Huntsman receive tracking and alertness in addition to any other proficiencies they would normally receive.
Special Hindrances: Shamans are considered unusual outside their homeland, and receive a +2 penalty to reaction rolls.
Shamans also have a special holy symbol, a gri-gri, which is the only material component needed for almost any spells they need to cast. This might seem like a benefit, but it can cause problems for a Shaman character.
An initiate Shaman is assumed to have a gri-gri, either handed down by an older Shaman, or made by the character before attaining 1st level. It is a special item constructed of natural materials. Attached to a staff or rod, it is symbolic of the tribe and the Shaman. For instance, since phanatons consider spiders a delicacy, a phanaton Shaman might fasten a dried spider, or a spider symbol made of fur and bone, to the top of his staff. A Shaman with a name like "Snakeslayer" might attach snake skins to hers. Many Shamans use a skull, or a hollow gourd, putting stones or beads inside so it rattles when shaken. (Some even place small stones in a hollow staff so they rattle when the staff is turned upside down.) The gri-gri is used in place of a normal holy symbol and is never consumed by spellcasting. Successful adventuring Shamans update their gri-gri with items or carvings symbolic of their travels and experiences.
If the gri-gri is destroyed, the Shaman must construct a new one and is unable to cast any spells until it is finished. Making a gri-gri requires a staff or rod and any other components the Shaman desires. Finding the materials usually involves a short quest and might take as long as a week. Afterward, the Shaman must meditate with the gri-gri, dancing and chanting as appropriate for the tribe (DM's discretion) for no fewer than eight hours without interruption.
In addition, a Shaman learns spells in a manner similar to a Wokan. While praying for spells, the Shaman must dance and chant; many have special steps, rhythms, or chants for each spell. Memorisation times and rest requirements are the same as for a standard priest.
Finally, the Shaman must go through a special ceremony each time he attains a new spell level, regardless of any other training required by the DM. For instance, upon attaining 3rd level the Shaman gains the ability to cast second-level spells; in addition to any training required to advance a level, the Shaman must take part in a long ceremony during which he learns how to cast spells at the new level. The rite involves fasting without sleep for at least 24 hours, while the Shaman creates and performs chants and dances for the new spells.
Wealth Options: Shamans receive no starting funds.
Savage Warrior
A Savage warrior is one from a primitive tribe, usually a tribe with no more than a stone age technology and hunter-gatherer or basic agricultural methods of food production. The character is in tune with the natural world, and usually serves as a tribal guardian and hunter. In this case, "savage" refers only to a person from a primitive tribe, and does not necessarily imply brutality, cruelty, or rudeness; in fact, many Savages of the Savage Coast are peaceful.
Character Class: Fighters can take the Savage kit. The only societies that have Savage rangers are phanatons and wallaras. There are no primitive human tribes along the Savage Coast, so a Savage paladin is unheard of-but might be possible if a human were raised under special circumstances by shazaks or phanatons.
Races and Nationalities: Savages come from Cay, Shazak, Ator, Jibarú, and Wallara. Goblinoids of the Dark Jungle and the Yazak Steppes have savage cultures, as do the Yazi goblinoids of the coast. It is possible, though very rare, for members of most other races to be captured and raised as Savages by shazaks, phanatons, or even Yazi or Yazak goblinoids.
Requirements: Savages have no real social classes, but Savage warriors are automatically in the middle and upper echelons of their societies. Savages can be of any alignment and either gender. Savage warriors must have Strength scores of 11 or more and Constitution scores of at least 15.
Role: A Savage warrior can be crude or civil, coarse or noble, depending on the character's culture of origin and the desires of the player. Phanatons, wallaras, and shazaks are almost always peaceful and noble in bearing, feeling a responsibility to their lands and disdaining cruel or devious methods. Caymas are also usually peaceful, but somewhat temperamental and occasionally shifty. Gurrash and goblinoids come from warrior cultures and avoid devious methods.
The Savage must be played as an outsider, unaccustomed to the accoutrements of civilisation, such as excessive clothing or armour, complex tools and weapons, money and materialism, and deceit and treachery. Savages, even the more warlike specimens, often serve as the "voice of the conscience," speaking out against the more base values and ethics of "civilisation."
Class Modifications: A Savage ranger takes the terrain of his or her tribe (plains for wallaras, forest for phanatons) as a primary terrain. Followers of Savage rangers are almost always from the same savage culture, while their species enemy is usually whatever most threatens their tribes or an important food animal (manscorpions or giant spiders for phanatons, iguanas or wild dingoes for wallaras). The very rare Savage paladin owes allegiance to a tribe and its elders. Such a paladin gains a bonded mount (a mobat) only if raised in Shazak.
Weapon Proficiencies: At 1st level, a Savage can choose proficiencies only in tribal weapons. Tribal weapons are clubs, nets, javelins, blowguns, hand axes, and bites for phanatons; knives, spears, clubs, and boomerangs for wallaras. Shazaks, caymas, and gurrash take those weapons peculiar to their tribes. Many of these weapons are made of stone, bone, and wood.
As the Savage gains more experience with the world, he can choose other weapons, but Savages tend to stay with familiar implements as much as possible. It is a rare Savage who learns skill with firearms.
Non-weapon Proficiencies: A Savage receives bonus proficiencies in direction sense, weather sense, endurance, and survival. Recommended proficiencies include alertness, animal handling, animal lore, animal noise, animal training, boating, fire-building, fishing, herbalism, hunting, jumping, religion, rope use, set snares, tracking, and weaponsmithing (crude). A 1st-level Savage can choose only the proficiencies on the recommended list and any others the DM permits. He must have experience in the outside world before taking others.
Equipment: A Savage warrior starts with no money with which to purchase equipment. Instead the character starts with one of each weapon of proficiency. A Savage warrior can also have up to 10 items of other equipment common to his tribe. As with Shamans, this list must be approved by the DM. More complex items are common only in Shazak, so mirrors, lanterns, and the like are rare among Savages. They are restricted to armour that is common to their tribespeople.
Special Benefits: Besides the bonus non-weapon proficiencies that the Savage character receives (these reflect the Savages' struggle to survive), each warrior gains a special ability resembling a spell. The ability is not magical, so cannot be discerned by detect magic, nor does it require components of any sort. A character can use the ability once a day per level (a 3rd-level Savage could use the ability three times a day). Success is automatic.
Shazaks and gurrash have an "alarm" ability, automatically being alerted to an intrusion within 10 feet; a sleeping Savage awakens when a creature ventures within that zone. Only creatures the size of a normal rat and larger are noticed in this fashion. The talent includes flying and levitating, invisible, incorporeal, and gaseous creatures, but not ethereal or astral beings. An active character can concentrate for a full round without distractions (such as combat or noisy companions) to enact this power consciously.
Caymas can detect magic within 10 feet.
Wallaras can detect evil in a monster, place, or magical item within 10 yards; like the priest spell, this ability allows the wallara to find the degree of evil and its general nature, but not its exact alignment. The DM might occasionally allow these powers to be activated involuntarily by overwhelming emanations of the appropriate type; this should not count against the number of times a character can use this ability.
Phanatons have an animal friendship ability similar to the 1st-level priest spell. To use this ability, a Savage must confront the animal face-to-face, within the creature's attack range. The warrior can have no ulterior motives that could be detected by the creature. With this ability, the phanaton Savage warrior can make friends with a normal animal that is not angry or threatened or calm a hostile but normal animal. To make friends with a belligerent animal, the character must use the ability twice.
Special Hindrances: Savage warriors are uncomfortable in civilised clothes and armour. When wearing clothing more encumbering or concealing than tribal dress, Savages suffer a -1 to attack and damage rolls and non-weapon proficiency scores. If the character wears armour not common to his society (gurrash and wallaras do not normally wear armour, while other societies are restricted), he is uncomfortable, suffering a -3 penalty to attack and damage rolls and non-weapon proficiency scores. Natural abilities are often impaired as well. If the character ignores the discomfort and continues to wear atypical clothing or armour, the negative modifier gradually gets worse. An additional -1 per day is assessed until the character stops wearing the offensive materials. The character can stop the penalties by dropping the kit, accepting a civilised lifestyle, and losing all his or her bonus non-weapon proficiencies and special abilities.
Savage warriors are not all that unusual in the lands of the Savage Coast, so the character does not suffer a penalty to reaction rolls.
Wealth Options: A Savage character has no starting funds, receiving necessary items as explained under "Equipment." Of the cultures described here, most rely on barter or, more often, make their own weapons and equipment.
Wilderness Warrior
These characters come from a culture that lives in dangerous or unusual environments such as plains, mountains, or deep forests. Wilderness warriors are in touch with the environment, but are often loners, people who shun settlements of more than about a dozen persons. They are familiar with the amenities of settled areas, but prefer natural, usually untouched settings, where they can enjoy nature's wonders in peace.
It is also possible for a tribe to contain several dozen Wilderness warriors in savage lands like the territories controlled by shazaks, phanatons, and wallaras. In these cases, the entire tribe shares the attitudes of the Wilderness warriors.
Character Class: Fighters can take the Wilderness kit. Wilderness rangers are acceptable in Robrenn, Herath, and Jibarú. Wilderness paladins are acceptable in Herath and-rarely-in Robrenn.
Races and Nationalities: The Wilderness kit is available in Robrenn, Eusdria, Herath, Shazak, Jibarú, and Wallara, and for enduks and ee'aar. It is possible for characters from other cultures and races to take this kit if they have turned their backs on their homelands and spent formative years in the wilderness.
Requirements: Wilderness warriors can come from any social class present in their societies; social class is abandoned when the character takes this kit. There are no gender or alignment restrictions, but individuals tend toward neutral alignments. Wilderness warriors must have a Constitution score of at least 13.
Role: Wilderness warriors are outsiders in most civilised lands. Even if they originally come from cities, they have chosen to live in the wilderness and are uncomfortable in urban settings around people they don't know. This edginess spreads to others, who are often uncomfortable in the presence of these taciturn, nature-loving warriors who lack civilised manners.
Like the members of other kits, Wilderness warriors disdain the deceit of civilisation, preferring the honesty of nature. They might also misinterpret some of the conventions of normal society.
In their home settings, Wilderness warriors reign supreme, recognising small marks, noticing when something is unusual, and knowing all about survival. While nervous around people or in cities, these characters are confident around animals and in natural surroundings.
Class Modifications: The Wilderness kit epitomises the ranger class in some ways; a Wilderness ranger has no special restrictions. A Wilderness paladin is usually independent, but may have a mentor.
Weapon Proficiencies: Wilderness warriors must choose from weapons available to their cultures. The Savage warrior kit discusses shazak, phanaton, and wallara weapons. Ee'aar weapons include crossbow, short sword, bolas, lasso, net, blowgun, and spear. Enduks prefer footman's mace, club, crossbow, and flight lance. If the culture has no special restrictions (Herath and Robrenn for example), the character is restricted to bows, hand axes, battle axes, clubs, quarterstaves, slings, spears, and swords.
Non-weapon Proficiencies: Bonus proficiencies for the Wilderness warrior are survival (in the character's home environment) and endurance. Recommended proficiencies include alertness, animal handling, animal training, fire-building, fishing, herbalism, hunting, set snares, swimming, mountaineering (if appropriate), and tracking.
Equipment: Beginning Wilderness warriors can only have equipment appropriate to their cultures. Most Wilderness warriors prefer hide, leather, or studded leather, avoiding metallic armours.
Special Benefits: Wilderness warriors receive a one-time +5 bonus to their survival proficiency scores for their home terrains (a roll of 20 still fails). If they later take survival proficiencies for different terrains, the bonus does not apply.
Special Hindrances: Wilderness warriors are occasionally hindered by unfamiliarity with society and civilised settings. This should be portrayed through role-playing and encouraged by the DM.
Wealth Options: Wilderness warriors receive standard starting funds.
Savage Wizards and Psionicists
Like their warrior brethren, Savage wizards are associated with primitive tribes. In some cases, the Savage is a tribal spellcaster; in others, the wizard is a mysterious hermit.
The Savage wizard (or psionicist) is associated with a people in one of the more primitive lands along the Savage Coast. Among phanatons and wallaras, the Savage is important in the tribe and becomes the war leader when one is needed. They are respected among and helpful to their tribes. Local people refer to Savages as "wizards" (or the local equivalent), no matter what their actual character class.
Among the lizard kin, the feared Savage wizard is an eccentric hermit who lives on the fringe of the tribe. Sometimes threatening and always mysterious, the character can help tribe members in ways a Wokan cannot. Most lizard kin tribes ask them for favours only in dire circumstances and when they are ready to pay for a favour with food, beadwork, service, or other gifts.
Away from his or her homeland, the Savage wizard is considered unusual and a little intimidating.
Character Class: Psionicists and any wizards except wild mages, abjurers, and enchanters can take the Savage kit. Savage wizards are often elemental specialists.
Races and Nationalities: Savage wizards are found in the lands of the wallaras and the phanatons, but rarely among the lizard kin. They seldom train members of other races in their skills.
Requirements: Savage tribes have no real social classes, so the character's origin is unimportant. Among phanatons and wallaras the Savage is considered to be of the upper echelons of the tribe, while among lizard kin, the Savage is almost entirely outside of the tribal structure. Savages may be of either gender and any alignment. (Evil and chaos are common among lizard kin Savages, while good and lawful are common among wallaras and phanatons.) A Savage wizard must have a Strength score of at least 11 and a minimum score of 13 for Constitution.
Role: Savage wizards are something of outsiders in many situations; this is especially true of those from lizard kin regions. They are a voice against certain civilised manners, or persons who do not do things the normal way. Deceit and intimidation are no strangers to a Savage wizard character.
Savage wizards and psionicists like to cloak themselves in an air of mystery. Doing so always impresses the locals, so it ought to do the same anywhere. Phanatons and wallaras with this kit are usually combatants who hold (or held) high positions in their tribes; they expect respect from their companions. Lizard kin with this kit are usually hermits who tried to dominate the local tribe with fear and who expect their new companions to pay them tribute just as the locals did.
Savage wizards become adventurers for a variety of reasons. A character's mentor might tell his student to learn more about the world or launch the individual on a quest for a special item or spell component. A tribe might exile the character or drive him away from home for some real or imagined wrong. A character might even have performed some transgression against tribal law and been sentenced to undertake a mission to atone for it.
Class Modifications: Unlike other spellcasters of their cultures, Savage wizards can use any spells except wild magic. However, they generally avoid any spell that is not useful for survival in the wild, combat with other tribes, or the intimidation of other tribal members. A Savage psionicist can have any primary discipline, but prefers Psychometabolism or Psychokinesis.
Weapon Proficiencies: A Savage wizard or psionicist is permitted only the weapons of his tribe, as detailed under the Savage warrior kit. However, Savage gurrash wizards and psionicists cannot take proficiency in great club, brol, or maga.
Non-weapon Proficiencies: Savages receive bonus proficiencies in either direction sense or weather sense (player's choice), as well as endurance, survival, and reading/writing.
Lizard kin read and write Shazak.
Phanatons and wallaras come from cultures that have no literature; phanaton and wallara wizards and psionicists with the Savage kit are the only people in those cultures (other than traders) who can read and write as beginning characters. Both cultures' Savage wizards use Risil pictographs.
Phanatons scratch their spells in bark, though they can switch to paper when they manage to find it. Wallaras generally have non-portable spellbooks, drawing or carving the pictographs on cave walls or the great stone outcroppings known as dreamstones. They can memorise spells only in that place, and such a spellbook can be shared. These "books" are almost always handed down by masters to their apprentices.
An adventurer can create a "travelling spellbook" on flattened bark, by copying the main spellbook. The Savage can copy spells of up to two levels higher than he can learn. The character can learn copied spells on the road, but can copy new spells only at the "main" spellbook, so must return to the area periodically.
Recommended proficiencies include: animal handling, animal lore, fire-building, fishing, healing, herbalism, hunting, local history, rope use, running (for wallaras), set snares, and tracking.
Equipment: Savage wizards and psionicists receive no starting money. Instead, these characters start with one of each of the weapons in which they are proficient. Savages can have up to 20 other items of equipment common to the tribe if the DM approves.
A Savage wizard can also have one unique item not found in his culture, like those received by Shamans. A Savage character can wear armour natural to his character class (none for wizards, leather, padded, or studded leather for psionicists).
Special Benefits: Savage wizards receive one special ability as described below:
A phanaton can make a protective talisman once a week. The talisman is a small pouch of herbs and other ingredients hung on a leather cord worn around the subject's neck. For one day, the recipient receives the benefit of the wizard's version of protection from evil. Dispel magic ruins a talisman, permanently cancelling its dweomer. It takes one hour to make a talisman.
Lizard kin can make a small, crude figurine of a victim once a week. The figurine must contain a lock of hair or another small piece of organic material from a victim. It takes one hour to construct and lasts but one week. During that week, the Savage can attack the replicant. Making any single attack, from sticking a pin into it to breaking an arm off, causes 1d4 points of damage to the victim regardless of the attack form used or how far away the victim is; pain is felt in the affected part, though no sign of the attack is visible. Once the victim has taken 10 points of damage, the doll falls apart. It also becomes useless if dispel magic is cast on it.
A wallara can, once a week, forecast the general fortunes of some major undertaking by interpreting natural signs as omens. To interpret the omen, the wallara must concentrate without interruption for one turn. While concentrating, the wallara notices minor things that determine the nature of the omen. If interrupted, the ability is lost and cannot be used for another week. Wallaras generally use this ability before a major battle or other significant task. Ideally, the DM should have a good enough grasp of the upcoming situation to give an accurate omen to the character.
If the wallara character is unable to make a prediction, the DM should roll a d10. A 1 or 2 indicates a very bad omen; the characters should not attempt the task that day. A result of 3 or 4 signifies a bad omen; caution is advised. One of 5 or 6 represents either a neutral omen or none at all. A 7 or 8 points to a good omen; those involved will probably succeed. A roll of 9 or 10 signifies a very auspicious omen, suggesting that great success is possible.
If the characters ignore the warnings or omens, they can suffer the consequences. The DM should feel free to increase the strength of the opposition if they ignore bad omens or reduce resistance in the case of good omens.
Special Hindrances: Savage wizards and psionicists are odd-looking and possess strange manners; these characters receive a +2 penalty on all reaction rolls when dealing with those outside the tribe. For lizard kin, the penalty applies within the tribe as well.
Wealth Options: Savage wizards and psionicists receive no starting money. Of the cultures mentioned, only the shazaks really understand and use money; others use barter and make their own weapons and equipment.