Cadmian (4e Race)

Cadmian

Cadmus Sowing the Dragon's Teeth. Illustration for A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, pub. 1910.

A race of legendary heroes and a proud civilization

Racial Traits

Average Height: 6'8" - 7'4"

Average Weight: 180 - 230 lbs.

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

Size: Medium

Speed: 7 squares

Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Draconic

Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance

Warrior Blood: You are proficient with one military weapon of your choice.

Draconic Resistance: Choose one of acid, cold, fire, lightning or poison. You have resistance to that damage type equal to 5 + half your level.

Dragon Body: You gain the dragon body racial power

Dragon Body	Cadmain Racial Power
You tap into your draconic origins and toughen your body against physical attacks by turning your skin into thick dragonhide.
Encounter  Polymorph
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: You gain a +3 power bonus to AC and Fortitude until the end of your next turn.

Cadmians are a race with a mythical origin. The great king Cadmus was tasked with finding a new home for what was left of his people after a devastating war. After many years of searching all that was left was a small band of warriors and Cadmus. Upon finding a fertile land a dragon attacked them claiming the land as his. The dragon slew all but Cadmus. Cadmus called to the gods for help and was answered by Io. Io told Cadmus that with his spear he will slay the dragon. Cadmus threw his spear and landed the finishing blow. Io then spoke to Cadmus saying to bury the dragon beneath the nearby mountain. Cadmus did this and was rewarded with sight of a new people being born from rock and a dragon corpse. These were the cadmians.

Play a cadmian if you want...

• To descend from a proud warrior race.
• To be a race with mythical origins entwined with dragons.
• To be a race that is physically strong and quick in battle.
• To be a member of a race that favors the ranger, fighter and barbarian classes.

Physical Qualities

Cadmians appear to humans with certain distinguishable features. They have a very tan colored skin and are often taller than average humans, but not by much. Their bodies almost never produce fat and are always muscular in some way. Many joints and other bone structures are altered to allow swifter movement in combat. Cadmians possess thick skulls with brains that develop more in areas that aid in tactical thinking. Some cadmians are born more draconic than others with scaly skin patterns and sharper teeth, as well as special eyes. Their hair tends to be black or brown with natural grey or yellow highlights. Cadmian lifespans have not been definitively measured since they often die in battle before they reach venerable age. There is speculation that cadmians are in fact ageless. Further speculation claims that they live as long as elves.

Attitudes and Beliefs

Cadmians are the alleged heirs to mythical warrior king Cadmus. From whence they sprang from the sowed dragon's teeth, they pledged their allegiance to the king who brought them to being. With the dragon's blood roiling within, they are a belligerent bunch to be reckoned with on the battlefield. It is said they almost killed each other upon coming to being until Cadmus nursed them to health and taught them to be civilized. They remain stout warriors in body and spirit, believing in battle being the ultimate purpose of their lives.

Cadmian history resides in myth and tall tales regarding dragons and draconic gods. Believing many of these legends, cadmains are proud of their origins and often remind people of their draconic blood and battle prowess. They all revere the late king Cadmus. After the king's death, the original cadmians subsequently died out, leaving offspring they had with humans. The offspring came under the influence of the great battles between Bahamut and Tiamat, making them pawns in the great battles between the two dragon siblings. But they do not resent this fact, claiming it as part of their heritage.

Cadmian Communities

Today, cadmians are divided into two camps. There are those who align with Bahamut, and those with Tiamat. As would be expected, those on the side of Tiamat are much more tribal. They like nothing but battle and to feel the blood of their enemies. Their social hierarchy defers to the dragons. Among themselves, they fight to determine the strongest and the weak are fodder for the winners. Within Bahamut's camp, they are overseen by the metallic dragons to be more disciplined and use brute force as a last resort. In both cases, they have strong ties to the dragon community despite being viewed often as inferior beings.

Cadmian Adventurers

Cadmians sometimes go on long odysseys looking to improve their battle prowess. Others may have been exiled and fled to escape death in shame, searching for a new life. As warriors, there is not much which a cadmian can choose to pursue, leaving them usually as gladiators, warriors for hire, and the like. Coming from a warrior culture, they do well accommodating for others in battle, but not in social situations.

Barbarian: With their ability to toughen themselves in a pinch, cadmians play excellent defenders for weaker allies. These are usually the first to charge into battle.

Fighter: A majority of the cadmian battle tactics consist of fighters, the most versatile on a battlefield. Cadmian fighters usually specialize so they can cover for a variety of roles in an army. In a smaller group, they are forced to diversify.

Ranger: A famous tactic of the cadmians is the dragon's teeth, which relies almost solely on ranged weaponry. Cadmians are thus trained in such tools as well as melee combat.

Three sample cadmian adventurers are described below.

Phanus is a cadmian barbarian with less tactical knowledge than most cadmians. He tends to charge into battle with little thought or plan but improvises during battle. He is a front-line warrior in his squadron in the cadmian army. He has been promoted only once but that does not bother him. As long as he gets to fight he'll keep following orders...usually.

Siver is a cadmian fighter who is a captain of a small platoon. She handpicked her soldiers for the sort of group tactics she employs. Her platoon has yet to lose a fight. In one week they cleared an entire enemy compound that had a force 200 strong. She prefers her position in the army an has often refused promotions in order to remain with her platoon.

Kane is a cadmian ranger that has been kicked out of the army for psychotic behavior. His mind was not strong enough to handle the horrors of war. His will broke and his sanity was lost. As a tactical genius he set traps for his fellow soldiers that led to their bloody deaths. He fled the land of the cadmians to seek stronger prey for his psychotic plans.

Roleplaying a Cadmian

When creating a cadmian adventurer, here are a few points to consider.

Warrior's Pride. Cadmians are proud warriors. Doing other things or doing them in a manner not according to their warrior code is distasteful and disgraceful to them. This means sometimes they will want to do something violent rather than subtle.

Straightforward. While they are tactical geniuses on the battlefield, cadmians are largely blunt and impassive in social situations. They tend to be very direct and do not mince words, be they compliments or insults.

Cadmian Characteristics: Proud, tactful, strong, wise, dutiful

Cadmian Male Names: Cadmus, Orphus, Minos, Jason, Peritheon

Cadmian Female Names: Kira, Psyche, Artemis, Atalanta, Hestia

Cadmian Feats

Heroic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description
Dragon Teeth	Your bite is a weapon.

Paragon Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description

Epic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description

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