Beastfolk, Wolfen (3.5e Race)
Wolfen
They came as a hoary-furred host at first, raging out of the frozen reaches of the world, and none knew what brought them into creation. Some legends hold that they are the offspring of werewolves that bred with animals while in bestial shape, while others hold that they were shaped by the gods of the world’s wild, savage places, as embodiments of all that is untamed and dangerous. Whatever the truth, if the wolfen know, they will not tell, for wolves keep their own counsel. Suffice it to say that they are here, and let all nations of the world tremble at the fear of their coming, or rejoice at the arrival of strong new allies.
Personality
Wolfen are dour by nature to outsiders, sullen and unfriendly. This is mostly just a means of showing one’s strength and warrior’s fierceness, though, for once the wolfen relax, they can be a very boisterous race, loving to feast and revel as much as any jovial barbarian horde possibly can, trying to squeeze the last drops of enjoyment out of any time for fun, knowing that the next day might be their last. Because they live so close to death for much of their lives, wolfen esteem courage highly, and most do not flinch in the face of even the worst dangers. When a wolfen says something, that wolfen means it. Personal deception is considered one of the worst possible crimes that can be committed by wolfen, for while they may use subterfuge on the field of battle, their personal interactions are always done with the greatest honesty, and they are always loyal to their friends and packmates, even to death and beyond. Trust is how a pack functions, and the only way that it survives, and so wolfen hold to their trustworthiness above all else, because of the social stigma attached to liars.
Physical Description
Wolfen are massive, burly creatures with lupine characteristics, including such rare specimens of wolfhood as maned and red wolves, the end effect looking like a seamless melding of humanoid and wolf. They have thick fur, long furred tails, strong muzzles filled with sharp teeth, and tall, well-muscled bodies. They range in height from 5’9” all the way to 7’2” at their tallest, with males tending towards the higher end of the spectrum, though females are not far behind.
Relations
Wolfen like dwarves for their stalwart courage, their honor, and their devotion to hard work, and even evil wolfen try to avoid fighting dwarves, viewing them as respected adversaries who they feel it a shame to kill. Elves are viewed with suspicion and distrust, seeming flighty and often too haughty for their own good, besides their use of magic and dealings with the strange creatures of the fey. Danali, lapids and ovida are considered easy prey, and even good-aligned wolfen must struggle not to take advantage of these races, while equitra are seen as worthy adversaries and occasional friends. As can be expected, wolfen and catfolk do not generally get along, each race getting on the nerves of the other with their behavior, though there are numerous exceptions to this, and it is not uncommon for prides of catfolk to have alliances with packs of wolfen. As a general rule, foxkin are too shifty and dishonest for wolfen to like very much, though even wolfen are often taken in by the cunning and cleverness of the fox spirits. Orcs and wolfen, regardless of alignment, hate each other bitterly, each viewing the other race as the opposite side of a dark mirror, one that they would just as soon see shattered in pieces. Good-aligned wolfen may make exceptions in individual cases, and even give a lone orc or half-orc the benefit of the doubt, but beyond this, the two races are locked in a struggle where, if it were not for the difference of their preferred places to live, one side or the other would drive their foes into complete extinction. Regarding gender relations, males and females within a pack are considered literally separate-but-equal, with each sex having their own hierarchy mostly apart from that of the other sex, but females being roughly subordinate to males in most cases, though this is more a matter of wilderness practicality and the realities of pregnancy and child bearing than sexism.
Note’‘: Foxkin, Sirius, and Wolfen can all interbreed, with the offspring taking the racial traits of the mother.
Alignment
There are two main camps of wolfen alignment, and each pack of wolfen will generally take after one or the other. Most wolfen that a hapless traveler will meet in the wilds, roving through the forests and trekking across the plains, are Chaotic Evil in alignment, living in a pack where the strongest and smartest make the rules, and those weaker than them finding their places in the rough hierarchy, with constant jockeying for position and prestige. However, there are a significant number of Chaotic Good wolfen packs, and several Neutral ones as well, who tend to make friends with other, similarly-minded races in their general vicinities as quickly as possible, to ensure that they are known to be allies and not mistaken for their evil fellows.
Lands
Wolfen take the wilderness for their own, preferring climes that are temperate to cool. Most packs are nomadic, either living in harmony with or raiding the other races who might live on the lands they travel, depending on the alignment of the pack in question. Some wolfen set up halls and rough villages in places where they are the unchallenged rulers of the area, and follow a simple, rough life of basic vassalage, with the lord and lady of the hall giving out favors to those below them, and receiving allegiance in return, though the wolfen are too wild for this to go beyond small-scale fiefdoms.
Religion
Being a divided people to begin with, each wolfen tribe will find a god that pleases it best, and will stick to it. Many wolfen favor Asgardian deities (from Deities and Demigods), though the alignment of a pack generally determines whether they worship the gods of Valhalla or the gods of the giants. Of the deities in the main books, Erythnul and Kord are favored by evil and good wolfen packs, respectively. Overall, wolfen respect deities of fertility, strength, and war the most and worship them. Wolfen also believe in a world filled with many lesser spirits, and though they do not worship these spirits in the traditional sense, they often make minor offerings to them in the hope that they will get good luck. They also have their own god, Fenris (often called “Great Fenris”), a chaotic neutral god who allows the Liberation, Strength and War domains, and has the dwarven war axe (just called a war axe by the wolfen) as a favored weapon.
Language
Wolfen speak their native language, and most of them can speak Common as well. Common and Wolfen are their starting languages, and their bonus languages include Danali, Dwarven, Elven, Feline, Gnoll, Goblin, Ibixian and Orc
Names
Wolfen names are often rough and harsh-sounding, and give a listener a sense of strength and savagery. Their names are often quite similar to those of the Norse peoples of Earth, though there are also a fair number of names more similar to those found in human tribes. Common male names include Flintclaw, Hrothgar, Hunting Eagle, and Sergei, and common female names include Cloudchaser, Fawnfur, Measka and Sif. Last names are used only when there is more than one wolfen that has the same first name, or if an individual does something of significance and is prepared to defend taking a surname to the other wolfen in their pack. Son/daughter of (depending on the sex of the individual) is the most common method of adding a last name, though some surnames of note include Firewind, Preypacer, and Windrunner.
Adventurers
Wolfen usually stay in their packs, living simple, nomadic lifestyles of hunting and gathering and occasional raiding. However, it is not uncommon for wolfen to take after a certain alignment preference, but to be born into a pack with a differing alignment. These wolfen usually wander until they find a place, and most are happy to assist bands of adventurers. Also, wolfen find great glory in the combat and great deeds that most adventurers face, and many will follow that path of life for the chance to become legendary. Most wolfen who are powerful enough to take a class are barbarians, considering themselves filled with the power of wild and unseen spirits that drive them mad, many of them painting their bodies, scarring themselves ritualistically, or tattooing themselves in such a way that the ink shows through their fur, to signify their special and fearsome place in wolfen society. Fighters are also quite common, and sorcerers are not uncommon among them, as wolfen often go off alone for long periods, and have opportunity to bring in the blood of any number of magic-strong species into their racial mix. Bards are rare but highly-prized among wolfen, as are clerics, while wizards are regarded as too weak and bookish for their own good, and some packs even consider them to practice unnatural acts with their magic, so any wolfen who might try their paw at the class will face strong prejudice, though not always violence.
Racial Traits
- +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
- Monstrous Humanoid
- Medium-size
- Wolfen base land speed is 30 feet
- Low-light Vision
- +4 on Survival and Listen checks
- Keen Scent: Scent is an automatic racial Feat.
- Dire Blood: A wolfen can take the Gigantism Feat at 1st level without penalty.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Wolfen. Bonus Languages: Danali, Dwarven, Elven, Feline, Gnoll, Goblin, Ibixian, Orc.
- Favored Class: Barbarian, Ranger, or Fighter.
- Level Adjustment: 0
Wolfen Subrace: Coyotekin
The coyotekin are sometimes thought to be a cross between foxkin and wolfen, though the truth of this matter is uncertain. What is known is that the sandy-furred coyotekin are agile, cunning tricksters, as lithe and clever as wolfen are burly and brutish. Coyotekin seem to be a wolfen adaptation for warmer climes, which also resulted in the development of greater cunning as well, to counter the many hidden dangers of the desert and hot plains. Besides their sandy, ruddy, or light grey fur, which blends well into the background of their desert homes, coyotekin also tend to have brown, yellow or green eyes, and range in height from 5’2” to 6’ tall at the most. Inveterate tricksters, coyotekin are as prone to evil or good as any wolfen, though they are almost always chaotic, and still worship Great Fenris, though they revere his aspect as a god of survival against all odds more than other wolfen. They also worship trickster gods of all sorts, when they can find sufficient reverence to do so.
Racial Traits
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Strength, -2 Wisdom
- Monstrous Humanoid
- Medium-size
- Coyotekin base land speed is 30 feet
- Low-light Vision
- Keen Scent: Scent is an automatic racial Feat.
- +4 on Fortitude saves against hot weather conditions
- +2 on Survival, Listen and Bluff checks
- Automatic Languages: Common, Wolfen. Bonus Languages: Danali, Dwarven, Elven, Feline, Gnoll, Goblin, Ibixian, Orc.
- Favored Class: Rogue.
- Level Adjustment: 0
Wolfen Subrace: Anubian
While many coyotekin take after jackals as well as coyotes, living as mere scavengers and tricksters on the fringes, anubians are holy tomb guardians, a special breed of warm-weather wolfen who have taken up their role with great solemnity. Usually anubians live in nomadic tribes that live nearby and defend the many tombs and hallowed places of the gods in their home countries, worshipping gods of the dead and of guardianship. As long as someone is there to honor the dead or the gods, then they are in no danger. But if one comes to plunder a tomb, then beware the wrath of the anubians. They have sleek black fur, eyes of red, blue, white, yellow or grey, large and sensitive ears, and tall, slender builds which can make them look almost emaciated considering that they are as tall as any normal wolfen.
Racial Traits
- +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
- Monstrous Humanoid
- Medium-size
- Anubian base land speed is 30 feet
- Low-light Vision
- Keen Scent: Scent is an automatic racial Feat.
- Tomb Guardian: An anubian can take the Gigantism Feat at 1st level without penalty.
- +4 on Fortitude saves against hot weather conditions
- +2 on Survival and Listen checks
- Automatic Languages: Common, Wolfen. Bonus Languages: Danali, Dwarven, Elven, Feline, Gnoll, Goblin, Ibixian, Orc.
- Favored Class: Cleric.
- Level Adjustment: 0
Vital Statistics
| Adulthood | Simple | Moderate | Complex |
|---|---|---|---|
| years | + | + | + |
| Middle Age1 | Old2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| years | years | years | + years | |
| ||||
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 5' 4" | +3d6 | lb. | × () lb. |
| Female | 5' 3" | +3d6 | lb. | × () lb. |
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