Cowborn (4e Race)

Cowborn

Proud, honorable warriors, descended from an ancient herd of awakened paladin cattle.

Racial Traits

Average Height: 5'8"–7'5"

Average Weight: 350–550 lb.

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

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Normal

Languages: Common and choice of one other

Skill Bonuses: +2 Heal, +2 Intimidate

Cowborn Courage: You gain a +4 bonus to AC against opportunity attacks when you charge.

Bovine Heritage: Your healing surge value is equal to one-quarter of your maximum hit points + your Constitution modifier.

Tongue of the Savannah: You can communicate with domesticated hooved Natural Beasts.

Cowborn Weapon Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the greataxe and the maul.

Cattle's Calm: You have the moo of zen ability.

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

Stalwart Moo	Cowborn Racial Power
You grunt a sound that calms down your nerves and lets your nerves calm down.Afterwards you are more ready for battle than before
Encounter
Immediate Reaction	Personal
Trigger: You take damage
Effect: You gain Resist 2 to the damage type that you just suffered

Born to fight, cowborn are a tight-knit race of tribal warriors, healers, and scouts. Long ago, their massive, sacred empire guarded many of the world's most lush and vibrant savannahs, but now only a few rootless clans of these honorable warriors remain to pass on their legends of ancient glory.

Play a cowborn if you want...

• if your name starts with the letter M
• to look like a cow.
• to be the proud heir of an ancient, forgotten empire.
• to restore vigor to your comrades with your milk, or lead the charge into battle with your horns.
• To be a member of a race that favours the paladin, cleric, and ranger classes.

Physical Qualities

Cowborn resemble bovine humanoids. They’re covered in furry hide, and they have long, brush-tipped tails. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6 feet in height and weighing 150 pounds or more. A cowborn’s head is similar to a human's, but covered in thick fur, with keen ears and distinctive horns. Their hair tends to be long, and either black or brown. Their eyes are shades of green, blue, or brown. Their legs terminate in large, black hooves, and their fingernails are thick and black to match.

A typical cowborn’s fur can be sienna, ivory, rust, ocher, coal, brown, or white with splotches of another color. Typically an individual’s fur matches the pattern of their herd, but gives no indication of social standing or role in the herd. Most cowborn have very fine fur over most of their body, the short, thick fuzz rather soft to the touch, with regions of thicker fur on the armpits, lower legs and ankles, shoulders, and hips, and thinner, shorter fur along the stomach, chest, and between the thighs.

Young cowborn grow faster than human children do. They walk hours after birth, reach the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 5 and reach adulthood by 15. They live about as long as humans do.

Playing a Cowborn

The cowborn have become a simple, clannish, but wise and spiritual race. They are easy to make friends with if you are a noble, honest, and honorable person, happy to share their knowledge and train a friend in the ways of battle and faith. Those of shady motives or dark intentions may find them unwelcoming at best, and hostile at worst. The other races likely know very little of the cowborn, as their empire built no cities, and thus left no ruins, only armor and weaponry. Nowadays, as fractured and scattered as they are, they're a rare sight in most lands.

Cowborn Characteristics: Spiritual, wise, humble, selfless, honorable, accepting, forgiving, honest.

Male Names: Chuck, Angus, Roger, Sammy, Ghern, Heskan, Krein, Medrash, Nodaro, Parne, Rholar, Shacash, Shedinn, Vaskor

Female Names: Betty, Suzie, Tara, Mindy, Kava, Korinn, Mishana, Nala, Perra, Raia, Sora, Surina, Torynna, Arina

Cowborn Adventurers

Three sample cowborn adventurers are described below.

Parne is a valorous paladin, eager to serve his god Kord in defense of his homeland. Born to a smaller clan, he quickly took to the ways of battle and defense, and now seeks to defend his homeland by defeating the greatest threats in their own realm. He appreciates, but does not expect, aid from those of similar beliefs or backgrounds.

Arina is a pious cleric of Pelor, who seeks little more than to heal those wounded souls returning from battles outside of her clan's village. Should fate force her to venture away from home, she would want brave, strong companions at her side, and preferably ones who share her deity or zeal.

Torynna is a devout follower of Avandra, a ranger with a desire to see the world. Her travels have brought her far across the world, and shown her many things. Most of them, sadly, have been rather unfriendly to her. She may be good with her bow, but nobody likes to fight all the time. If someone would take her to a party in town, she might just pay them back later in battle.

Cowborn Utility Powers

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

Bull Gore	Cowborn Utility 6
Your charge at your foe with a bellowing roar, lowering your head and pointing your fearsome horns straight at them!
Daily
Free Action	Personal
Trigger: You make an attack at the end of a charge.
Prerequisite: Male, cowborn courage
Effect: If the attack hits you deal an additional 2d6 damage, ongoing 5 damage, and push the target a number of spaces equal to your Strength modifier. If the attack misses, you must move a number of squares equal to your Strength modifier. This move provokes opportunity attacks, although you are still considered to be charging for the purpose of cowborn courage. The first space of movement must be into a space occupied by the target, and you cannot move into a square you previously occupied during this charge.

Cow Milk	Cowborn Utility 6
Your milk is nutritious and energizing, restoring you or your comrades' vigor as effectively as any potion!''
Daily  Healing
No Action	Personal
Trigger: You can only use this power after finishing an extended rest
Prerequisite: Female
Effect: You fill an empty flask with your milk. The milk flask contains a single use, and can be used by any character that holds it. It expires if it is not consumed by the start of your next extended rest. The milk flask can be consumed when the player spends a healing surge during a short rest, or when taking a second wind. The drinker heals an additional 2d6 hit points.

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