Terpan (4e Race)

Terpans

By Daniel Denova

Stout, lumbering dwellers of the desert, noted for their strength, durable shells, and slow, patient wisdom.

Racial Traits

Average Height: 7'0"-9'0"

Average Weight: 500-750 lb.

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

Size: Medium

Speed: 5 squares

Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, Draconic

Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Heal

Reptillian: Your race is reptillian and is cold-blooded. You have the reptile keyword.

Slow Metabolism: Your body is just as slow and methodical as your mindset. You make endurance checks for holding breath after five minutes instead of three. You make endurance checks for ignoring hunger after five weeks instead of three. You make endurance checks for ignoring thirst after five days instead of three.

Hardened Shell: Your prominent shell makes hitting you from behind difficult. You gain a +2 racial bonus to AC against attacks in which you grant combat advantage due to flanking.

Immovable Object: Your weight and solid build makes it hard to budge you when you don't want to move. You may make a saving throw when you are shifted or moved by an opponent. If the saving throw is successful, the shift or movement is reduced to zero and you take an attack of opportunity.

Unstoppable Momentum: You have the racial power Unstoppable Momentum

Patience is Key: You have the racial power Patience Is Bitter, But Its Fruit Is Sweet, choose Intelligence or Wisdom modifier when character is created.

Bulldozer: You take no penalties from wearing armor.

Unstoppable Momentum	Terpan Racial Power
Once a Terpan gets up to speed, gods help you if you are in his way.
Encounter
Free Action	self
Trigger: When you charge an opponent.
Effect: Roll a saving throw and if successful, you receive a bonus to your attack roll equal to the number of squares you moved during the charge plus strength modifier. If unsuccessful, you fall prone.

Patience Is Bitter, But Its Fruit Is Sweet	Terpan Racial Power
Terpans prefer to think before they act, but when they do, may it have mercy on thee.
Encounter
Free Action	self
Trigger: When you hold an attack when the encounter begins.
Effect: When you ready an attack action, you gain a +1 bonus to the attack rolls of the action if it is triggered.

Gradual in their steps, methodical in their thinking, and deliberate in their actions, Terpans are a hardy reptilian race that hails from the deserts and wastelands of the world. They live in quiet tribal communities built around oases or other sources of water, and live off of the desert plants and animals. Often, they make elaborate systems of irrigation and crop fields, making meticulous use of the limited supply of water. Their food of choice generally consists of a few hardy grains, fruits of thorny plants or cacti, and the occasionally trapped insects and small animals, which they consider an uncommon delicacy. Because of their slow metabolism and their low requirement for food and water, a single oasis can support a surprising size of community.

Terpan communities and tribes are informal societies. Members are free to come and go as they please, and they are welcoming of Terpans from other tribes. They are usually governed by a group of the oldest and wisest individuals. There are no inherited, appointed, or officially elected positions; rather the ones in power are there because the other members of the tribe like his logic or advice and simply decide to follow him.

Play a Terpan if you want...

• To play a race who favors solid defenses over speed.
• To be at home in the hottest and driest places of the world.
• To combine brute strength with patient wisdom.
• To be a member of a race that favors the Fighter, Paladin, Knight, and Cleric classes.

Physical Qualities

The Terpans are bipedal reptilian creatures with a prominent body shell. Their heads are dominated by a blunt snout and a large beak like mouth. The upper mouthpart ends in a sharp downward point, with a groove on the inside that the upward pointing end of the lower mouthpart fits into. At the end of their snout they have a pair of tiny nostrils, and they have large eyes set on either side of their head that can move independently of each other. Their eyes are most commonly solid black.

Their body is defined most by the large shell that covers their back, chest, abdomen and waist. This shell consists of two halves. The back half, called the carapace, is larger and stronger than the front half. The carapace covers the whole back, reaching up to the back of the neck on the top and down to the tops of their legs. The front half, called the plastron, is the smaller half of the shell, covering the chest and abdomen. Both carapace and plastron are inflexible and fused in place, making a durable natural set of armor for the Terpan. The head and neck comes out from the top of the shell, and two arms set at either side just below the level of the neck. On either side of the other end of the shell, two legs come straight down, often with a short, stubby tail between them. The Terpan's arms and legs are very thick and strong, the contours of muscles can easily be seen beneath the scaly skin. Their hands bear two thick fingers and a thicker thumb, each with a blunt claw at the end. Similarly, their feet bear two large blunt toes facing forward, and one backward, all with blunt claws as well.

Overall, rare is the Terpan that does not have a bulky, sturdy build, often with females being bulkier and larger than the males. Their skin is covered with strong scales, sometimes bearing ridges along the edges of their arms, legs, head and neck made from raised scales. These scales, and the Terpan's shell, come in a variety of hues, including black, brown, grey, dark green, light tan, and everything in between. The Terpan carapace in particular often bears patterns of the afore mentioned colors, each Terpan possessing a unique pattern.

Playing a Terpan

Terpans are very thorough in their deliberations. When faced with a problem they take the time to carefully consider each angle of it, and several possible solutions before deciding on one as the best. Hasty reactions and impulsive actions are frowned upon in Terpan society. This mindset often means the Terpan may take a long time to act, but once they reach a decision, they pursue it with all their ability. If they set out to make a creation of art, they'll do everything they can to make it a masterpiece. If they make a meal, they will go to lengths to make it worthy of a king's feast. If they leave to explore, they won't return until they are certain they have seen everything there is worth seeing. And if they decide to fight, they won't stop until their opponent is unwilling or unable to ever threaten them again.

Because of their patient and wise natures, Terpans tend to fall on the good side of the alignment spectrum. As stated above, they are welcoming of Terpans outside of their tribes. They also try to welcome individuals of other races, though they often find them impatient and impulsive. The Terpan tend to get along best with dwarves, sharing many characteristics with them and favoring their long term mindsets. However, they aren't necessarily lawful. When resolving an issue, they will take the laws of the land or nation into consideration. But it will be just one aspect of their decision making process. If they conclude their goals are best reached outside of the law, then they will go outside of the law.

One should bear in mind that, while uncommon, evil aligned Terpans do exist. These can be dangerous when they turn their patience and wisdom to their own gain or the detriment of someone else. They don't mind waiting years to bring a plot or scheme to fruition, and can hold a grudge for a long time after everyone else forgot about it. They are not wantonly cruel or sadistic, but if they decide that killing, assassination, pillaging, torment, or pacts or deals with the unholy effectively advances their own ends, they won't hesitate.

Terpan Characteristics: Strong, durable, patient, wise, methodical, thorough.

Male Names: Rogani, Bermanu, Uronduo, Oringi

Female Names: Giranda, Reminen, Danemu, Miduana

Terpan Adventurers

Three sample Terpan adventurers are described below.

Dimbera is a Terpan cleric who was adopted raised by the elders of a small tribe of the desert. For many years she lived with them, even after reaching adulthood and becoming a cleric of their god Firstborn. Eventually, though, she came to the decision to leave the tribe to spread the knowledge of Firstborn to other peoples, and to find out why she was left with the elders, and what happened to her biological family.

Mordimu is a Terpan fighter who decided to set out and prove he was the strongest mortal warrior. He travels from city to city, and pits himself against the best fighters each settlement has. In between these matches, he supports himself by taking on jobs for the local mercenary guilds.

Bogimin is a Terpan paladin who witnessed unspeakable cruelty inflicted by a powerful necromancer. He swore that day he would not rest until every undead creation of the necromancer has been destroyed, from the lowliest zombie to the most powerful lich, no matter where in the world they dwell.

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