Race: Vulpine

Vulpines.

Vulpines are not an original concept; they were originally on the WotC boards, but given that WotC kept changing their site layout and now the boards are lost to oblivion, the mechanics here are all that remain.

Vulpines

"Don't let your eyes trick you. The forest has many secrets!"

Ages ago, in the deep forests of Chaliraz, a roll of the genetic dice gifted a skulk of kits with the power of intelligence. Using this enhanced ability to think abstractly, they rapidly became the apex predators in their territory; as they hunted better and smarter than their peers, they were able to command wider and wider swathes of forest as their own. Their luck held into the next generation, and their offspring were just as bright as their parent: over time, these foxes came to dominate within the woods of Chaliraz, all but wiping out the non-intelligent fox population. As they crossed paths with larger, more dangerous animals, who could not be outsmarted with wit alone, their behavior changed, and over time, they came to be able to walk upright and make use of tools.

It was around this time that language and communication became more important, and language became developed: what began as the yips and yaps of foxes became a complex communication system involving sound, scent, and subtle paw gestures, allowing them to maintain the element of surprise over their quarry. As they advanced in mind, they understood that they were blessed by nature, and so began worshiping the stars: in time, they came to know Gaia, and the gifts of Nature were bestowed upon the race of creature that now called itself the Vulpine.

Amidst these changes, however, were those with a different gift. Chance had made the vulpines what they were, and chance continued to play a role in everyday life. Curiosity drove many vulpines to their doom, but for others it became a driving force, and the notion of gambling - of letting fate decide where to go today - became a strong undercurrent in vulpine society. Having descended from a species that was already inclined to scatter to the winds with little in the way of familial or tribal binds, vulpines quickly became littered throughout Chaliraz, where they came into contact with its other native races.

As some vulpines wandered, others stayed put: the females of the vulpine race became ever more assertive in their control of territory, and with the rise of communication, this eventually transformed into the beginnings of vulpine politics. Vulpine females vied against each other for resources, scouting out new places to craft ever more intricate and involved homes. Males were allowed to mingle, but never for long, and to this day vulpine society is such that it is believed to be a male's duty to go out into the world and make a name for himself, whereas females attempt to amass power and wealth with the goal of one-upping one another for more and more control, which translates into control over the future of the vulpine culture.

Today, vulpines are regarded as a somewhat unusual race, with their extreme gender caste system and strong division of labor drawn along sexual lines. However, their intense curiosity and strong ties to nature make them powerful allies. Male vulpines are respected for their ability to take incredible risks and - somehow - make them pay off, while many defer to the political skills of vulpine females, who - in many Chaliraz cities - can rapidly take command of bureaucracies and make efficient use of resources to amazing ends.

Personality: Vulpine personality is highly dependent on gender. Male vulpines are typically relatively care-free but intensely curious, and many are willing to gamble but "know when to walk away," as a vulpine folk song goes. Females are used to being able to command respect with their mere presence, and those who have honed those skills are able to rapidly analyze situations and determine the most reasonable course of action to meet their ends. While males are willing to cooperate with others, females are notoriously difficult to work with until a pecking order is established; in both genders' cases, they often have a mild narcissistic streak, and seek fame and glory so as to improve their standing in their home culture.

Physical Description: Vulpines stand between roughly two to three and a half feet tall, though standing is not their native posture, and thus many stoop slightly. They generally have ruddy orange-brown fur with a lighter underside, though individuals with white, grey, or tan fur are not unheard of. Their fur tends to have a wide range of markings, and their bushy tails, paws, and ears are generally a lighter or darker color than their predominant color. Vulpines generally have amber or brown eyes, though more unusual colors - such as red, black, or even green - are not uncommon.

Vital Statistics
		Starting Age			Aging Effects
	Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex	Middle Age	Old	Venerable	Max Age
Age	8 years	+1d4	+1d6	+1d8	20 years	30 years	40 years	+2d8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Base Height		Height Modifier		Base Weight		Weight Modifier
Male	2' 5"		+2d4"		20 lbs.		x1 lbs.
Female	2' 3"		+2d4"		15 lbs.		x1 lbs.

Ethos: Vulpines are highly individualistic, though in the sense that that is how one progresses in vulpine society; even those vulpines born away from dense vulpine populations possess this trait, despite not necessarily having good reason to do so. Vulpines are rash and prone to acting first and asking questions later, though with their luck this tends to work in their favor. Most vulpines exhibit Red and Black virtues, with Green a strong second.

Vulpine Lands: Vulpines have no central government, nor do they congregate in tribes. Males rarely seek to acquire property, and generally view all property as communal; females, meanwhile, are incredibly territorial, and typically mark any dwelling that they have claimed as their own sovereign territory: in more civilized locations, females will typically cooperate with local governments and obey local laws in terms of property ownership, and may even better learn how to manipulate these laws to their own ends (and thus many female vulpines in civilized places also enter the fields of law or finance). Female vulpines will tolerate the intrusion of other races into their personal space with some amount of grace, but will only tolerate males during mating season, and will often be openly hostile towards other vulpine females in their space.

Religion: Vulpines typically revere Gaia, being a more Nature-inclined race; however, some vulpines leave the matter of religion up to fate or chance, and wait until an auspicious occurrence for them to decide what sort of patron they wish to follow. Given this, vulpines run the gamut of religions: even those following the Void are not unheard of, and while this choice has no particular stigma in their culture, it is considered an oddity.

Names: Vulpines tend to have an earth name and a given name. A vulpine's given name is normally the name of a stone, a metal or a plant. Vulpine earth names typically somehow associate with the celestial bodies and are composed of two words. Some Vulpines make up their own names once they reach adulthood, these names rarely have any simularity to the common naming patterns that Vulpines generally exercise.

Male Names: Antine, Chal, Flint, Pota, Stone, Tanium.

Female Names: Clover, Cobalt, Ivy, Leaf, Mith, Vine.

Earth Names: Sunberry, Starfire, Shadowsplash, Moonbeam.

Adventurers: Almost every male vulpine is an adventurer by their very nature; a mother vulpine will rarely allow her kits to stay much past coming of age, and some will kick out the males at an even younger age. Vulpine females are uncommon amongst adventurers, as most prefer to settle somewhere and begin building their little empire; some females, however, see adventuring as a means to amassing wealth and power that they can leverage later in life.

Vulpine Culture

The following is a rough overview of some of the highlights of vulpine culture.

• One:
• Two:
• Three:

Vulpines Are Responsible For...

...one.

...two.

...three.

Vulpine Racial Prestige Classes

• Vulpine Kitsune: Some vulpines choose to follow both paths of their kind - that of nature, and that of the dice. Those who do so find that the processes of Nature are not so unlike those of Chaos, and find ways to merge the two with unpredictability.

Vulpine Racial Traits (d20)

• +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Wis: Vulpines are very graceful and have good hand-eye coordination, and many have a sixth sense about dangerous situations; however, they are somewhat less sturdy than other races.
• Humanoid (Augmented Animal): Vulpines are humanoids, but are significantly closer to their animal roots than most other races. As such, they are considered augmented Animals in addition to being Humanoid.
• Small: Small.
• Speed: 20 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Vulpines have low-light vision, with a base multiplier of x2.
• Scent: Vulpines have the scent ability.
• Four-Legged Movement: A vulpine can drop to all fours, giving them a movement speed of 40 feet. A vulpine can only drop to all fours if both their hands are free. Dropping to all fours is a free action, but resuming an upright stance takes a move action. Vulpines who are prone can move from prone to four legs as a swift action without provoking opportunity attacks.
• Prankster: Vulpine pranksters are experts at fooling and tricking others. A vulpine gains a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Sleight of Hand checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you (this choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed later).
• Skulker: Vulpines are able to hide undetected from others with ease. A vulpine gains a +2 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you (this choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed later).
• Hunter: Vulpines are natural predators, and can notice prey with ease. A vulpine gains a +2 racial bonus on Listen and Survival checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you (this choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed later).
• Sexual Dimorphism: Vulpines have strong psychological divisions between the genders, and this manifests itself in several ways.
  • Male: Male vulpines are natural wanderers, gregarious and friendly. A male vulpine gains a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Endurance checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you (this choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed later).
  • Female: Female vulpines are naturals at deception and the subtleties of politics. A female vulpine gains a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Sense Motive checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you (this choice is made at character creation and cannot be changed later).
• Automatic languages: One Common language, one Trade language, Gaoian. Bonus Languages: Any.

Vulpine Paragon (d20 Class)

Vulpine Paragon
						Nature	Chaos
Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Geomancer Level	Anarchist Level
1	+0	+0	+2	+2		+1 level of existing geomancer class	+1 level of existing anarchist class
2	+1	+0	+3	+3		Choose one: +1 level of existing geomancer class or anarchist class
3	+2	+1	+3	+3	Ability Boost (Cha +2), Vulpine Apotheosis	Choose one: +1 level of existing geomancer class or anarchist class

 

Words about things and such.

Design Notes

Improved another ability score, and added that they are augmented animals.

Changed up how their skill bonuses work.