Argonian (4e Race)

Argonian

By maxieda [1]

"Argonians or Saxhleel are an oviparous race of reptilian people native to the large and marshy province known as the Black Marsh"

Racial Traits

Average Height: 5'6 to 6'6

Average Weight: 125-275 lb

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence or Dexterity

Size: Medium

Speed: 7 squares

Vision: Low-Light

Languages: Common, Draconic, Argonian

Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 Athletics

Aquatic Origin: You character can breathe under water, and never has to make a skill roll to resist suffocation when under water. Furthermore, you gain a swim speed equal to your speed +1, and you never have to make an athletics or endurance check in order to swim or stay afloat in water. You can also shift while swimming. The minimum result you receive on any athletics roll related to swimming is a 10.

Body of the Beast: As a member of the argonian race you possess powerful claws, which enhances your unarmed attacks. Your unarmed attacks are considered magic weapons of your level with a +3 proficiency to attack rolls and that do d8 damage. You also gain a climb speed of 6.

Argonian's Blood: For the purposes of meeting prerequisites, you qualify as both an Argonian and a Dragonborn.

Histskin: You gain the "Histskin" and "Mimetic Skin" racial encounter powers, although you may only use one of the powers per encounter.

Histskin	Argonian Racial Power
Your skin is unusually tough, capable of absorbing even the toughest of blows.
Encounter  Racial
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You are targeted with an attack.
Target: Self
Effect: The attack roll is automatically treated as a failure with a result of 1.

Mimetic Skin	Argonian Racial Power
Your skin can adapt it's surroundings, matching the appearance of the background
Encounter  Racial
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You are targeted with an attack.
Target: Self
Effect: Your character is able to blend in with your surroundings giving the natural chameleon like ability of your skin. You gain the invisible and hidden conditions. You must succeed on a stealth check each turn after the initial use of the power to remain invisible and hidden, which you gain a +4 bonus to.

• Note: With a swimspeed, you do not need to make a normal athletics roll to stay afloat or move while swimming. This also gives you an additional standard actions you can make while in the water (as athletic rolls are normally standard actions). You may also shift while in water.

Race Description

Argonians are reptilian humanoid creatures, native to swamp and marshlands, that thrive in water due to their ancestral backgrounds. Enigmatic and intelligent, the Argonians are experts of guerrilla tactics, and their natural abilities suit their swampy homeland. They have developed immunities to diseases that have plagued many would-be explorers in the region, and they are capable of easily exploring underwater locations due to their ability to breathe under water. Argonians also have some resistance to poison. Argonian are natural climbers and swimmers, and gain a bonus to various athletic activities. Their sharp claws offer them substantial benefit in combat, and can be used like weapons due to their sharpness and size. Argonians are clever, crafty and quick, possessing the ability to dodge attacks or blend in to their environment for short times. Argonians combine elements of many reptilian races, having interbred with multiple species during their history, along with other humanoid races, including the Dragonborn. Very closely related to the Dragonborn, they generally lack the features they possess, such as the ability to breath the elements or fly. Argonians distinguish themselves not only by being strong and fast, but also unusually intelligent. Despite their humble origins, Argonians are a proud and noble race, that take great pride in their ancestry despite many other race's rather negative view of them.

Play an Argonian if you want...

• to be a unique reptilian species
• to be fast and good at swimming, climbing, and other athletic feats
• to be a member of a race that favors the barbarian, ranger, rogue, wizard, and swordmage classes.

Physical Qualities

Argonians start out in life as eggs; when a clutch of Argonian eggs is laid, they are placed near Hist trees in areas known as hatching pools. After being born, Argonian hatchlings drink the sap of the Hist and continue doing this through their infancy. Argonians begin walking after a few days, and after a few years have nearly reached mature adult height, although it will take until 15 to be considered to have fully reached adulthood. Argonians are naturally quick learners, which aids them in their intelligence and in growing. Argonians live surprisingly long lives in comparison to many other races, often living up to 150 years, with some known to live up to 200. Argonians age very slowly, and don't succumb to the effects of aging usually until 10-20 years before they die. Argonian generally speaking are rather large, and appear physically fit and strong compared to most humans.

Because of the birthing rituals in Black Marsh and the hatchlings' dependency on the Hist, it is considered rare for a hatchling to be born out of the province and away from the connection of the trees: but it is possible. This makes the Argonian race almost exclusively found in the Black Marsh's, although Argonian eggs can be born in any pool of water if they are carefully sought after. This more or less prevents them from spreading outwards to the rest of the world, but their naturally curious and adventurous spirit causes them to be present in nearly every continent, albeit in smaller numbers. Due to their small numbers, often unknown backstory and off putting appearance, Argonians are often discriminated against and looked down upon, although not severely.

Argonians appear reptilian, with large claws, constantly changing skin appearances, and tough layers of scales on them. They are distinctly humanoid in nature, but nonetheless have long tails and other features more characteristic of reptiles. A blend of many different types of lizards, snakes and even dragons, Argonians do not take on the features of any specific race, and instead appear as a combination of many different species. Some claim that the Argonian have no humanoid races in them at all, and simply formed the way they did by the various combinations of reptiles (although their latent dragonborn ancestry stands in opposition to this). They are perhaps among the animalistic of the humanoid races, with only a distance ancestry to the Dragonborn as their foundation for their humanoid appearance, which is somewhat confounding given their high intelligence. Most Argonians lives in the forest and do not use advanced technology, which makes their societies somewhat primitive in appearance. Despite their humble and often isolated origins, many Argonians do well in the city, as they quickly adapt to any environment.

Argonians have gills on their necks and are covered in scales. This gives Argonians the ability to breathe underwater, which has proven to be an advantage in combat with other races, especially in the swamps of Black Marsh. Argonians are generally trained in guerrilla warfare and are known to try and drown their enemies by dragging them to the water and holding them under. Soldiers walking alongside rivers, traveling on ships in the ocean or barges along the rivers have been attacked by Argonians that ambushed them from the water where they lay in wait. They then either kill their enemies or they can flee back into the water and vanish into the depths. This has proven to be an effective strategy as they cannot easily be followed into the deeper oceans and rivers. Argonians are trained and generally try to exploit their racial advantages, using every ability they have to their disposal. The Argonian have retractable fins over their body, that are not merely decorative and actually aid in swimming, becoming more pronounced and extending while under water. This helps in not only aiding the Argonians to swim, but also in protecting the sensitive, thin membranes of their fins, preventing them from drying out or tearing when exposed to stress or damage. This combined with the unusually tough skin of the Argonians in part allows them to excel both on land and in the water, retracting what would ordinarily be a hindrance to walking on land (although they still have webbed fingers and toes). They can also extend their fins to sunbathe, which provides an additional bonus to absorbing sunlight in order to warm their bodies. Argonian's swim similarly to dolphins when under water, using their whole bodies, and their tails to aid in moving through the water. Fully stretched out under water with their tails, argonians are actually a bit longer, usually adding an additional foot or two to help increase speed. Their tails are also very muscular, and while largely vestigial on land aid significantly in swimming.

Argonian Feats

Heroic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description
Poison Claws	Your unarmed strikes also deal poison damage and do an additional +1 damage.

Heroic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description
Claw Fighter	Your claws are weapons.
Dragon Heart	You gain an additional use of the "Dragon Breath" racial encounter power.
Dragon Weapon Proficiency	You gain proficiency with a broad range of weapons, including weapons from the Dark Sun's player's guide, the Triple-headed flail, Tratnyr, Kukri, and Falx, and gain a +2 or +1 bonus to damage with them.
Dragonborn Senses	You gain Darkvision and a +1 bonus to perception rolls.
Empowered Breath	You gain an additional ongoing effect to your dragonbreath power.

Argonian Utility Powers

When your Argonian character gains a class utility power after 1st level, you can forgo taking a power granted to you by your class. Instead you gain an Argonian utility power of the same level or lower.

Argonian Movement	Argonian Racial Power
'Argonians are fast and stealthy, able to move quickly without being detected.'
Encounter  Move
Move Action	Personal
Target: Self
Effect: You can climb, swim, or shift your speed +1. During the movement, you can ignore difficult terrain, and are able to remain hidden after the movement even if they moved through an enemy's detection range during the movement.

Notes

The race is familiar to many of the forms of elves, and while many forms exist I wanted to provide my own specific version. While more for story purposes, much of it is to be based around being bloodied and other abilities.

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