EMO DnD Classes pt 14: Beastmen

OK so Psychon PDF done so i should actually do lots of work related paper chasing for a bit. Summer cumming and I have lots of upcoming jobs, reasonable health and opportunities for my art over next few months. So I will cut off some non old edition DnD games Im playing in as my spare time will be shrinking away. 

My main EMO DnD game changing to Wednesday night. Party all 10th level and have loot for strongholds and will be getting bonus followers and responsibilities. Am jumping a year ahead and will be resuming more pendragon style and political for a while. Have offered them a chance to have built everything and developed allegiances among island factions. Will lead into giants-underdark-Lolth campaign after that phase. I presume they will by more planar after that.

Beast men Ive mentioned in many blogs but have not done a post on yet. The warhammer goatman version is derivative of Rune quest Beast men which I played a few of in anon Gloranthan setting as ancestor worshiping shaman. Other fantasy ideas like apemen, catmen, bug men, lizard and serpent men are pretty cool and very handy to get away from typical DnD stuff like orcs and the gazillions of humanoids in monster manuals. Wolfen in Palladium FRP are a beastman race and probably so are the Vagr in Traveller.

A few things make it time to do them now. One is they really suit Psychon and the other is the introduction of changing class which makes beast men be able to change to wizard or priest or other class to go some other direction. I'd imagine most serpent men would go spell caster pretty fast while a bullman would probably be happy as a beastman. A catman or ratman might go Rogue. The possibility of using them in Psychon, DnD SF and post apocalypse settings was pretty worth it too.

Basically they most resemble a warrior, slightly dumber and with more HP, with initialy no armour but able to learn



Beast Man
Savage animal men of the wild places

HD: 1d12
Prime Stat: Str
WP: 3 (+1/1nd Lv)
NWP: 3 (+1/3nd Lv)
Non-WP mod: -2
Languages: 1d3 (+1/3rd Lv) S=spoken and W=written

Spells: none
NWP: Warrior or Rogue
Shield: Any
Armour: None but able to select and learn armour use WP
Weapon: Any
Fight as: Warrior
Save as: Warrior

Weapon Skill Advances: One specialist+3, two mastery+2 and any amount of experts+1
Classes Available: Any non racial class, often with sub type specialties

Beastmen are human animal hybrids with various accounts of their creation. Some brand them as evil and from witches fornicating with animals. Others claim wizards create them in laboratories. Priests and Druids create them as curses for sinners. Some are remnants from the dawn age and may even be the distant ancestors of barbarian tribes with beast totems. Some claim they are a race of lesser demo seperated from otherworldly power and earth born. Whatever the truth they come in many sub species and breeds with many peculiarities. Beastmen are of savage backgrounds, some barely able to speak, few are literate. Some speak animal languages and interact with their animal kin. Like barbarians they can assimilate rapidly, learning languages, Armour use and many choose human type careers once they have found their feet. Beast men are omnivorous despite their animal origins but many eat meat by choice. Many feel resentment to humans for being weak, for betraying nature, human land use and for persecuting beast kind. Some beastmen blame humans for their condition and suffering and persecute them, often dwelling in hordes. If pressured with extinction they rapidly adopt service to powers of chaos and otherworldly evil.

-all beastmen see in night but need some ambient light to see such as moonlight or luminescent cave fungus
-all beastmen have brawling and can inflict 1d4 damage, some even specialize in unarmed combat
-beastmen resist poison and disease saves by +2
-beastmen get +2 on track, smell, listen, climb, jump and survival NWP
-beastmen can jump 50% base further for their height (6ft tall jump 9ft across 4'6 up in a standing jump, double if running)
-can inflict critical hits as per weapon , can buy extra weapon proficiency slots to raise this chance (other must pay for this skill)
-can learn weapon mastery and specialization
-xtra +1 attack at 6th lv then +2 at 12th etc
-lv 4 use next larger damage dice vs larger than human creatures on one dice
-lv8 Warriors can use next dice up with any weapon vs any target eg d8 sword becomes d10, only effects one dice so 2d4 becomes 1d4+1d6
- lv 6 attract either a 1st 1v follower or other pet like a war dog or wolf  and one more per level afterwards
-create a tribal horde at 10th
-After 10th can select exotic creatures or mounts instead or 1d6 followers per level if they have a horde
-can add level to command radius and control ten 1st or zero level militia or 1HD beasts per level, at 10th level this includes 2HD, 15th includes 3HD, and at 20th raised to 4HD



Subspecies

Name:
Description
Example weapon proficiencies (usualy take weapon groups for 2 slots)
Example exotic weapon proficiencies
Example Non weapon proficiencies
Example Languages

Goatman
From benign friend of forest and mountains to savage demon worshiping slave of chaos
Flail, Battleaxe, Javelin, Sling
Critical
Jump, Climb, Track
Common, Goat, local barbarian

Catman
Kin to cats of many types from wild to house cats, can be kind or cruel
Sword, Shuriken, Dagger, Chakra
Ambidextrous
Acrobatics, Wallrunning, Climb
Common, Cat, Empire or most civilized in area

Ratman
Fiendish sewer dwellers and plague spreaders
Mace, Dagger, Lasso, Hand Axe
Fast Draw Weapon
Climb, Sneak, Hide
Common, Rat, Local City

Wolfman
Fierce wilderness warriors of the wasteland
Spear, Sword, Battle Axe, Javelin
Expert Weapon
Track, Intimidate, Ignore Terrain
Common, Wolf, Northman

Dogman
Most friendly and willing to dwell as humans of all beastmen
Mace, Spear, Dagger, Shortbow
Expert Weapon
Track, Alertness, Bravery
Common, Dog, and preferred local human

Apeman
Most like humans but often hostile to rival naked kin
Sword, Club, Whip, Crossbow or Musket
Expert
Climb, Leap, Jump
Common, Ape, and preferred local human

Lizardman
Hostile scaled reptilians
Sword, Spear, Shortbow, Club
Critical
Swim, Climb, Alertness
Common, Lizard, Serpent or Draconic

ToadmanHideous fat toadmen can be kind or cruel
Mace, Dagger, Handaxe, Javelin
Shout of Fury
Listen, Eating, Leaping
Common, Toad, local urban human

Crowman
Sinister feeders on the slain who bring ill tidings
Mace, Spear, Shortbow, Dagger
Broken Movement
Spot, Sneak, Hide
Common, Crow, local urban human

Falconman
Nobel guardians and fierce killers
Spear, Sword, Javelin, Dagger
Critical
Spot, Hunting, Alertness
Common, Crow, local urban human

Serpantman
Despicable pre human slavers often become spell casters
Sword, Spear, Crossbow pistol, Dagger
Shoot into melee
Poison Lore, Run Away, Disguise
Common, Serpent, local urban human

Bullman
Huge angry cow folk
Battleaxe, Mace, Maul, Halberd
Strike to Slam
Muscle, Bravery, Endurance
Common, Bull, local barbarian human

Mantisman
Carnivorous insect folk, quite alien, can use for many insect folk
Javelin, Shuriken, Halberd, Staff
Fast draw weapon
Foraging, Eating, Survival
Common, Mantis, local barbarian human

Fishman
Hideous sea folk who some long to flood the world others are teachers of humans
Net, Trident, Javelin, Dagger
Sea Legs
Swim, Climb, Listen
Common, Fish, local seafaring human

Foxman
Crafty robber and swindlers who trick others from hard earned goods
Shortbow, Spear, Handaxe, Staff
Shoot&move
Sneak, Hide, Pick Pocket
Common, Fox, local rural human

Bearman
Huge gluttonous forest folk
Battleaxe, handaxe, club, spear
Berserk Frenzy+1
Foraging, Climb, Fishing
Common, Bear, local barbarian human

Pigman
Feared forest warriors who menace farmlands
Battleaxe, shortbow, sword, spear
Critical
Foraging, Eating, Intimidate
Common, Pig, local human victims

Boarman
Savage hairy woodland warlords
Battleaxe, javelin, handaxe, spear
Berserk Frenzy+1
Survival, Track, Hunting
Common, Boar, local human victims







RevisionsAlso class curently in game called abhuman

5th level gain minor beast power
x2 leap
full speed swim
+50% run,
d6 unarmed dam
+2AC
glide
+1 unarmed att

10th level gain major beast power
fly
breathe water
xtra unarmed attack
venom
double carry capacity