Tarichas (3.5e Race)

Personality

Tarichas are easygoing, friendly, and never seem to be in a rush. Some races might view them as lazy, especially since they seem reluctant to hurry or do anything hastily.

Physical Description

Tarichas are newt people. They stand anywhere from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet tall, weighing lightly at around 90 or 100 lb. Skin color tends to vary, usually with a lighter-colored belly and spots or a pattern on the back. The texture is smooth, though not completely flat and slick, and is moist and soft to the touch. The eyes tend to be a silvery yellow with pupils that are a black horizontal line. Nostrils and ear holes are small and not particularly noticeable. Joints and muscles aren't very defined. Tarichas have four fingers and five toes for each hand/foot, which are filled between by webbing almost as thick as the fingers and toes themselves. The tail is tall and somewhat thin, resembling an eel; this helps it swim. Tarichas have no hair, and the males don't look very different from the females.

Relations

In a party, a taricha would serve to keep the tension down, unless party members have gone so far as to find the carefree nature of the taricha annoying. Most other races seem to either view them as friendly or lazy.

Alignment

Tarichas can be of any alignment, but tend not to be evil or lawful.

Lands

Tarichas usually live in warm marshes or in forests with a reasonably large source of freshwater, though a few may live in a mountain region as long as it has water.

Language

Tarichas know Common, but may also learn Draconic because of the other creatures that tend to live in marshes or Sylvan if they live in a forest. Some may even learn Terran or Aquan.

Names

Taricha names tend to sound like something from nature. This might sound tribal, or even elegant and beautiful.

Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma: Tarichas are quick and slippery, but can be a bit stubborn.
• Humanoid (Aquatic): A taricha has the aquatic subtype. It can breathe water.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, tarichas have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Taricha base land speed is 30 feet. Tarichas also have a swim speed of 40 feet.
• Amphibious (Ex): Tarichas have lungs and can breathe air, though they need to spend some time immersed in water every few days (1 hour every 1d6 days; failure to do so results in fatigue, and exhaustion after another 1d4 days or by doing something else that would cause fatigue).
• Regeneration (Ex): Tarichas have the regeneration extraordinary ability. However, the ability isn’t quite as strong as in other creatures, and tarichas are damaged normally by attacks. Instead, this ability refers solely to the ability to regenerate parts. Limbs chopped off regenerate in 4d6 hours (the severed parts are not part of the regeneration; new parts are completely re-grown). Nonlethal damage is not regenerated at a fixed rate.
• Feats: Because of its regeneration, a taricha gains Rapid Metabolism as a bonus feat.
• Skills: A taricha has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it runs in a straight line.
• Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Any.
• Favored Class: Ranger.
• Level Adjustment: +0.

Notes

Notes for editors:

• Though the Regeneration ability is worth a +2 level adjustment normally, I gave it no level adjustment because it doesn't convert lethal damage to nonlethal damage or restore nonlethal damage (which is what most sources of damage have been converted to). Like it says, it only refers to severed parts, rather than making the creature virtually unkillable. The automatic feat is based off of regeneration without expanding on the actual ability itself.
• A swim speed is generally worth no level adjustment, but you may want to consider making it +1 for pirate or underwater campaign (although I figure that you'd need a swim speed to do an underwater campaign...that's just what it says about a swim speed level adjustment in Savage Species).
• I'm really bad at coming up with names, so feel free to add some sample ones.

Vital Statistics

Table: Taricha Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
14 years	+1d4	+1d8	+2d6

Table: Taricha Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
32 years	48 years	65 years	+2d20 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: Taricha Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	4' 5 "	+2d6	85 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
Female	4' 5"	+2d6	85 lb.	× (1d6) lb.

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