Tengu

The crow-like tengus are defined by envy for what others have that they believe should be theirs. They spend their time finding ways to take advantage of any opportunity, which makes them diversely talented. They master swords so they can take through force of arms, learn languages to hear the secrets of others, and practice stealth to covertly steal from them.

Tengu greed drives them to strive for more than they have, and they rarely pursue mundane careers. Why be a stonemason or a merchant when you could be a gem-cutter or a fencer? This drive for possessing what others have often leads tengus towards lives of adventure. Tengus define adventurers as those those who take what isn’t theirs, whether buried treasure or long lost magic.

Tengu Traits

Tengus have the following racial traits.

Increased Ability Score. Tengus are masters of speed and stealth. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age. Tengus mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster, too, and rarely reach 75 years of age.

Alignment. Being so frequently shunned by human society, tengus tend towards chaos, becoming thieves. Their all-consuming greed also makes them tend towards evil. Others of their kind reject such ways and choose a life respectful of the law and are inclined to do good.

Size. Tengus possess a willowy build and stand between 5 and 6 feet tall. You are Medium size.

Speed. Your base speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Maneuvering in darkness is hardly difficult for tengus. Within 60 feet of you, treat dim light as if it were bright light and darkness as dim light. When in darkness, you see only shades of gray without any color.

Tengu Combat Training. You are proficient with daggers, rapiers, and short swords.

Languages. You can read, write, and speak Common and Tengu. Additionally, you can read, write, and speak one additional language of your choice.

Subraces. Tengus that were more studious developed differently than their more hands-on peers. The two main subraces of tengus are cosmopolitan tengus and nomadic tengus. Choose one of these subraces.

Subraces

Cosmopolitan Tengus

Cosmopolitan tengus rely on their minds and preparation to win them gold.

Increased Ability Score. Cosmopolitan tengus are skilled accountaints, linguists and spellcasters. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Gifted Linguist. For one check per day, you are proficient with any one set of artisan’s tools.

Words of the Past. You can read, write, and speak one additional language of your choice. You also have an advantage when attempting to read or understand any language you do not know. This does not give you the ability to speak or write that language; instead you are merely understanding the basic idea of what is being communicated.

Nomadic Tengus

Nomadic tengus use their cunning wits to give them an edge of their opponents.

Increased Ability Score. Nomadic tengus are always looking for a way to make a quick gold coin. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Sneaky. You are proficient with the Stealth skill and with thieves’ tools.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Book of Heroic Races: Player Races 1. © 2015, Jon Brazer Enterprises

This is not the complete license attribution - see the full license for this page