Iejirisk (4e Race)

Iejirisk

By Alyssa Glazer

Powerful dragon-blooded warriors built for combat, their arrogance is their only true weakness.

Racial Traits

Average Height: 5'6" - 7'4"

Average Weight: 160 - 300 lbs

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

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Draconic

Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Perception

Draconic Heritage: Your people evolved from true dragons, so you are considered a dragon for the purpose of effects that relate specifically to dragons. You also gain a +2 racial bonus on Arcana checks to determine the abilities of dragons, including those of your race.

Prideful: Iejirisks have a blinding pride that can even protect them. They gain a moderate racial bonus to AC against opportunity attacks provoked during a charge.

Scale Hardening: You can use scale hardening as an encounter power.

Tail Whip: You can use tail whip as an encounter power.

Tail Whip	Iejirisk Racial Power
Before your foe can react to your other movements, you crack them with your powerful tail. Few see this attack coming until it has already hit them.
Encounter
Minor Action	Melee 1
Target: One Creature
Attack: Strength +2 or Dexterity +2 Vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + Strength modifier damage.
At 11th level, increase to +4 bonus and 2d8 damage. At 21st level, increase to +6 bonus and 3d8 damage.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character's life and does not change the power's other effects.

Scale Hardening	Iejirisk Racial Power
Your body becomes completely covered in rock-hard scales, increasing your resistance to a specific type of damage
Encounter
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: You gain resistance 10 to a type of elemental damage chosen from: fire, cold, acid, thunder, lightning
Special: When you create your character, choose one element. The resistance gained through this power is appropriate to the type of damage chosen. The resistance increases to 15 at 11th level and at 20 at 21st level.

There was a time, forgotten by all but the eldest Gods, when dragons existed as a singular race. The patrons Deities of dragons rarely tell this tale due to their mutual hatred for each other and their charges. At the time, chromatic and metallic were more like hair color than an identity, and variations in size and shape were similar to that of modern day regional humans. As the dragons grew farther apart and infighting began, many lesser dragon races disappeared. The iejirisk survived this harsh time due to their tenacity and keen senses.

During the aftermath of the dragons' split, the iejirisk went into hiding to perfect their own abilities. Over the years, their isolation led to a rather elitist mindset towards other races. However, this same isolation caused a massive decline in their numbers due to inbreeding. As such, they were forced to join with humanoid races, now the arrogant outsider as opposed to the all-knowing ancient.

Iejirisk have difficulty dealing with most other races. Stereotypically, these dragonkin are haughty and headstrong, and it turns out that the vast majority of them fit this stereotype like a glove. Those that stray from this mindset are nevertheless treated as if they hadn't. Commonly, these outcasts develop severe xenophobia or become dangerously racist towards those that wronged them.

While the past few generations of iejirisk are not nearly as powerful as their ancestors, their magical blood is making a swift recovery. More and more of the younger kin are following the path of blood awakening, causing them to become more like the powerful ancient dragons the race was born from.

Play an iejirisk if you want...

• To play a humanoid dragon.
• To be strong and swift.
• To be a deadly adversary, even when unarmed.
• To be a member of a race that favours the fighter, ranger, and rogue classes.

Physical Qualities

While they have a mostly humanoid form, iejirisk are undeniably dragons. From the waist up, they appear as well-muscled humans or elves with large draconic wings. Their skin is tough and comes in various shades of tan, red, and yellow, while their eyes can be any color a true dragon's scales come in. From the elbow down, an iejirisk's arms are scales and their hands end in dangerous claws. Similarly, their legs are covered in thick scales starting halfway down the thigh. They possess reverse-jointed legs, similar to a dragon's hindquarters, and a long and flexible tail.

As they age, they become much more reptilian in appearance. Their scales begin to cover more and more of their body, eventually covering their flesh completely. Very old iejirisk have a decidedly dragon-like face, with a long snout, a thick mane of hair, and possibly horns, frills, or both. After a few hundred years, the color of their hair, scales, and eyes begin to fade; ancient iejirisk are pure white from head to toe.

There is surprisingly little difference between the genders, with males being broader than females but otherwise the same height. Females often have more vibrantly colored scales, while metallic coloring is more common in males.

Playing an Iejirisk

An unfortunate part of the iejirisk mind is their superiority complex. Most people don't appreciate it, and many are outright offended by their outlook. Those who can look past this arrogance, or those who stumble upon one of the few without this outlook, generally find iejirisk to be agreeable, if not a little forceful with their opinions.

Iejirisk society has more or less dissolved since their incorporation into humanoid civilization. This may or may not be for the best, as the more isolated iejirisk were bullies; they believed that if you weren't hurting someone with your actions, or at the very least the only one that got hurt was yourself, then your actions were acceptable. Younger iejirisk have a chaotic bend because of this, though most grow out of it once they realize that what they do may have dire consequences.

Because of their ancestral history, iejirisk are not particularly religious. They believe in Gods and their miracles, but rarely put any faith in such miracles happening when the world really needs them. Some do pay homage to the Gods, but generally only if their deity of choice feels the same way about things as they do.

In the end, ability is possibly the most important thing to the iejirisk. While a great deal of these dragonkin can come off as “all talk”, multiple skill training is not uncommon. As survivalists, they believe that the more things you learn to do well, the better. No self-respecting iejirisk would pin himself down with a single profession or specialty skill, with the sole exception being unarmed combat, an act they relish. Those who prove to be skilled in a variety of areas gain a great deal of respect from iejirisk, as they value versatility over masterful specialization. You can always rely on an iejirisk to have a plethora of talents and obscure knowledge.

Iejirisk are born adventurers. They enjoy nature, are excellent foragers, and are tough enough to exist away from civilization for long periods of time. An ancient ritual done when an iejirisk became an adult was for them to disappear into the wild to develop their draconic powers and survival skills. While it is a lost art, many still prefer the outdoors than to be confined within city streets because of this innate wanderlust. They tend to travel alone, but are fascinated with adventuring parties and how they work. Because of this, they may invite themselves into groups. As pushy as this maneuver is, most parties appreciate their skilled nature and enthusiasm for adventuring and lasting friendships form.

An iejirisk's name isn't as important to them as it probably should be. As such, most are perfectly fine being called whatever their friends (or even enemies) feel like calling them at the time. They hold a name only for the novelty, and only so long as they think their name is better than other peoples'. Insulting an iejirisk is all but impossible; their superior nature deflects any potential barbs from those who would like to get on their bad side. Action bothers an iejirisk more than words ever will, and the dragonkin can hold thousand-year grudges against those who wrong them.

Iejirisk Characteristics: Energetic, haughty, learned, vengeful, versatile.

Male Names: Arcal'Vex, Molikorn, Korvalax, Vythoth

Female Names: Beverca, Ixenvhir, Thulir, Xel'Carri

Iejirisk Adventurers

Three sample iejirisk adventurers are described below.

Shakav is an iejirisk fighter who has mastered the only thing an iejirisk will ever specialize in: combat with their bodies. He keeps his claws deadly sharp at all times and even goes as far as to avoid touching things for fear he will chip his immaculate talons. He accepts any duel issued to him and goes out of his way to challenge the strongest warriors he can find in hopes of one day finding a suitable rival. While not as versatile as most of his kind, his body is a well-kept weapon that demands respect.

Xalfar Sunscale, a rare iejirisk cleric of Pelor, has declared himself a bane of undeath and healer of the sick. His selfless and kind nature is disillusioning to most who have ever met an iejirisk elsewhere, and his charisma has drawn many acolytes to his temple. He is only unswerving in his hatred for the undead, keeping his reasons hidden behind golden scales and a legendary stubborn attitude towards not telling anyone of his past.

Kerga'ore is a walking nightmare: an iejirisk barbarian. Considerably more closed minded than most iejirisk, a talent in and of itself, her rages demonstrate her race's impossible strength and ferocity. She is rarely seen traveling with others due to her terrifying visage and short temper. She believes that giving into your more extreme emotions can grant powers most only dream of. While she may be on to something, her demonstration of this power scares most away from the ideology.

Biology

Up until recently, the iejirisk surrounded themselves with only others of their own kind. Many of them believed that an iejirisk could only breed with another, while others thought that thinning their bloodline with “inferior” humanoid blood would bring the end of their strong race. Their inbreeding almost became their undoing, when many families with long histories slowly became sterile.

To save their race from extinction, some few left their solitary existence and incorporated themselves into the realms of humans, elves, and dwarves. After some initial hostility, the races came to coexist somewhat peacefully. Years later, the first offspring of a humanoid and an iejirisk came into being. The hybrids were in almost all respects an iejirisk. Their strong draconic blood made a humanoid spawn almost impossible. The tole was high, however: mortality in humanoid mothers were extraordinarily high due to the inhuman form of an iejirisk child.

These dragonkin are almost as long-lived as their true dragon ancestors. They age extremely slowly, only becoming an adult after about 140 years. They remain fertile for almost half their life and, like dragons, can mate with almost any humanoid to produce offspring. Despite this, the majority of iejirisk do not have more than two children in their long lives.

While uncommon, ancient iejirisk can be as old as 1200 years. Most die between 600 and 900 years, often due to not-so-natural causes.

Iejirisk Character Options

Heroic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description
Blood Awakening	Few races have blood as strong as the iejirisk. In order to gain the full power of their ancestors, they have to deviate from their current profession and focus on their innate abilities. Once they have tapped into their draconic heritage, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Bone-Breaking Whip	One swift crack of your tail or swipe of ur claws can shatter bones and dislocate joints.
Claw Fighter	Your claws are weapons.
Dragon's Knowledge	Your mind holds ancient knowledge even you don't fully understand.
Gliding Leap	You can use your wings to glide across pits and ledges, as well as to propel yourself skyward when you leap.

Paragon Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description
Parrying Claws	You are quick enough with your claws that you can catch blades out of the air.
Raking Claws	Quick swipes work fine for some, but you'd rather your opponent fall after one good slash.
Serrated Claws	Your claws have the high crit property.
Sharp Claws	Your claws use d8 instead of d6.
Tripping Tail	You've gotten better at maneuvering your tail in combat, specifically so it ends up wrapped around a foe's leg.

Epic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description

Multiclass Feats: Whelp-Blooded, Wyrm-Blooded, Ancient-Blooded

Paragon Paths: Dragoneer

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