Tanarkin (3.5e Race)

Tanarkins

Personality

The Tanarkin (both plural and singular) are a nomadic race of strange, but mostly peaceful, creatures. Their tribes are loosely based around knowledge and experience, led by a small group of elders. They believe in honor freedom for all sapient beings, and avoid conflict except in cases where these ideals are suppressed. Most Tanarkin are amiable and approachable, and are surprisingly open about their culture and customs. Many have a hard time understanding the concept of currency as the metal coins in circulation are pretty, but useless. Within Tanarkin tribes, honor dictates wealth, and all wares are given freely. Tanarkin are usually quite curious, and crave knowledge. Although most show no interest in things like engineering and mechanics, they love the science of nature. Most tribes even catalogue plant and animal species in their territory. Despite their amiable nature, the Tanarkin are skilled hunter-gatherers, as well as fierce warriors. Conflicts are rare, but bloody.

Adventurers

The Tanarkin are deeply curious about the surrounding world, and most enjoy thrill of hunting and combat. When tribal life no longer appeals to them, many Tanarkin venture into the cities in search of adventure.

When playing as a Tanarkin, it is important to remember their ignorance and curiosity. Because their tribal societies are based on honor, the Tanarkin have a poor concept of money, and tend to form permanent bonds with other party members. They feel bound to honor as if it were law, and most will do anything to repay a debt.

Physical Description

Similarly built to some prehistoric reptiles, the Tanarkin resemble a cross between an Ostrich and a Baboon. The males stand roughly six feet tall and are around ten feet long, while females are around five feet, six inches tall and nine feet long. When moving, they look even more birdlike, as they bob and seem to constantly tilt their heads and reposition their necks. Additionally, they always lift their legs entirely off of the ground when walking and curl their toes inwards like a bird does. They have short, thick fur covering most of their bodies, though their face, hands, and feet are bare. The skin coloring varies, but is always somewhere between a rich, dark brown and black. The body is dinosaur-like, with a long s-shaped neck, a horizontally lengthened torso and a tail nearly as long as the body. The hands possess a three-digit thumb and three four-digit fingers absent of claws or nails. The legs are digitigrade, resembling those of birds or dinosaurs, though entirely without claws. The bare face of a Tanarkin is similar to that of a human, but the ears are more lupine and the face is drawn out into something of a small muzzle. They have a flattened nose and angular features. Fur color can be anywhere from a light, golden brown to black, though the most common is a smokey blue/gray coloring. Atop the "base coat" is a pattern of, normally, darker stripes, spots, and rosettes that are unique to individuals and vary greatly even within a single tribe. Rare albino Tanarkin, with a white coat, pink skin, and pink/red eyes, have been seen. Tanarkin coat colors vary from tribe to tribe, and tend to match the location of the tribe. Eye color is usually amber, though green is not unheard of and rare cases of blue have been observed.

Relations

Although the Tanarkin are quite friendly, many races find their features unsettling. In addition to their grotesque appearance, the Tanarkin are rather new to the political scene, and their are rumors of violent, brutish Tanarkin enslaving, eating, or otherwise harming innocents. The beliefs are entirely unfounded of course, but they persist none-the-less. Those who have close contact with, or a desire to understand, the Tanarkin get along quite well with them.

Alignment

Tanarkin are mostly True Neutral. On the occasions when the axes shift, it is normally towards Law and/or Good.

Lands

The Tanarkin are most commonly found in thick forests and nearby plains, but a few desert and mountain dwelling tribes have been recorded as well.

Religion

The Tanarkin are highly spiritual beings, but do not worship any one god. Instead, they praise the miracles of life and nature. Because they're constantly moving around their territory, they have no place of worship. The Tanarkin mostly pray individually, but they do congregate to contemplate the complexities of the world on full moons.

Names

Newborn Tanarkin are given meaningless names at birth, such as Jukte (Juk rhymes with took, and te sounds like tea ; male,), Kora (female), and Fargek (male). They take their mother's birth name as their surname, and create a meaningful name such as Farspear (male), Greateye (male), or Manyspots (female) upon reaching adulthood. A sample name would then be Neko Torla, and upon reaching adulthood she might rename herself Widestripe Torla, and only her sibling, parents, and mate would refer to her as Neko. Chosen names for males tend to reflect a skill or deed, whereas female names tend to reflect physical attributes. However, this is not actually a tradition, just the average.

Racial Traits

• +2 Strength +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, −4 Charisma, −2 Constitution: The Tanarkin have a higher Dexterity score due to their strange hands and a higher Wisdom score due to their link with nature, but a lower Charisma score due to a frightening and unsociable appearance and a lower Constitution score due to a frail frame all be it enhanced strength due to this strange frame.
• Monstrous Humanoid.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, Tanarkin have no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
• Tanarkin base land speed is 40 feet.
• Scent (Ex)
• Low-Light Vision out to 120 feet.
• -2 Disguise.
• +2 Balance.
• +2 Jump.
• +2 Move Silently.
• +2 Survival.
• Due to their strange build, Tanarkin must have their armor custom fitted. Armor for a Tanarkin costs twice the regular amount.
• Automatic Languages: Tanarkin. Bonus Languages: Any.
• Favored Class: Druid or Ranger.
• Level Adjustment: +0

Vital Statistics

Table: Tanarkin Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
15 years	+1d6	+2d6	+3d6

Table: Tanarkin Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
45 years	70 years	90 years	+1d20 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Tanarkin Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5' 6"	+2d12	250 lb.	× (3d10) lb.
Female	5' 0"	+2d12	200 lb.	× (3d10 lb.

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