Post by king of hyrule on Aug 27, 2005 22:44:15 GMT -5
Gerudo
The gerudo are a long-lived, survivalist people
that often make their way on the fringes of
society, scraping by in life, often by means that
aren’t necessarily looked on kindly by the law. An
unusual trait of their race is the rarity of males.
Gerudo are commonly found as thieves,
mercenaries, bandits, treasure hunters, and
explorers.
Personality: The gerudo have a tendency to
come across as haughty, arrogant, and proud.
Their self-assurance can take them far in some
cases, but it can just as easily be their downfall,
leading them to bite off more than they can chew
in a situation, or earning them the ire of others.
A pessimistic and cynical streak is also commonly
seen. Most gerudo have a marked distaste for
men of other races, thinking them to be weak or
condescending, inherited from wrongs done to
them long ago. They also highly value their
personal freedom, but sadly, this is often coupled
with an “every woman for herself” mindset.
Something they are also known for is their love
of horses, and every gerudo is familiar and
comfortable around them.
Physical Description: A gerudo’s pigmentation
is very distinctive, and usually gives her heritage
away instantly, along with her prominent nose
and beauty. Their hair is a flaming red or orange
(exceptions are exceedingly rare), and they tend
to have a lot of it. Even those who live far away
from the desert they came out of have inherited
a tan or brown skin tone. Warm eye colors--
oranges, reds, and yellows--are commonplace.
Females tend to be built lithe and willowy,
standing between a few inches less than six feet
and sometimes close to seven feet tall, weighing
125 to a high of 200 pounds, often with a wiry
strength belied by their frame. The rare males
are large and hulking, their muscle more obvious
as they measure at least six feet and can easily
clear seven, weighing a bit more than females
but appearing to be much more than that.
Surprisingly, considering their precarious
lifestyle, the gerudo also possess quite a long life
span, reaching maturity at 25 and commonly
living to be 120 years old.
Relations: With their habit of being isolationists
and more than a little paranoid, the gerudo have
a hard time getting along with members of other
races. Their reputation as thieves, the difficulty
they have fitting in with most cultures, and the
history of their race make them targets of
suspicion when something ill happens.
Focus: Overwhelmingly, with their oftenpessimistic
outlook on life and grey morals, the
gerudo go in for the shadow focus with a leaning
toward the dark. They see little to gain from
helping strangers with their problems, having
plenty of their own to deal with, and more active
perpetrating of evil is a risk most would rather
not take.
Gerudo Lands: The gerudo originally came out
of the desert near Hyrule that carries their name.
It was their inhospitable home for many long
generations, until they met a serious downfall
with the defeat of Ganondorf. Most remain in the
desert, scraping by in life as best they can, but
many have migrated elsewhere in search of
greener pastures. Most of them are no better off,
however, and still get by through raiding and
thievery, living like scavenging wolfos on the
edge of society, always ducking the arm of the
law.
Religion: The gerudo are rarely very religiously
observant, having their survival to worry about
instead. They identify the most with Din,
Goddess of Power, through their frequent use of
strength and deceit to get by in life. Farore
comes in second, as displays of courage in arms,
however selfishly motivated they may be, are
frequent from them. A gerudo might breathe a
prayer to either just before setting forth on a raid
23 or breaking into a house, but organized religion
is unheard of.
Aspect: With frequent reliance on subterfuge
and dishonesty, using Shadow magic comes
easily to the gerudo. However, they rarely have
use for its more necromantic aspects. Its
antithesis, Light, is alien to them.
Adventurers: Gerudo have little difficulty taking
up the life of an adventurer, since danger of
being caught while on a raid or fighting off desert
predators are what most have grown up and
spent their whole lives around. The monetary
benefits of adventuring are not lost on them, and
the search for wealth is usually the strongest
motivator. With their reputation of only looking
out for number one, few gerudo feel the need to
adventure out for moral reasons.
Gerudo Racial Traits
• +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom: Gerudo are
very agile, yet overconfident, and haughty
at times.
• Medium-size: As medium-size creatures,
gerudo do not have any special
advantages or disadvantages for their
size.
• Gerudo base speed is 30 ft.
• +3 racial bonus to Defense. You lose this
bonus anytime you would lose your
Dexterity bonus to Defense.
• +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump and Move
Silently checks: Gerudo tend to live in
precarious places, like a rocky coast or
the edge of the desert.
• +2 racial bonus on Ride checks: The
gerudo are a people who prize horses and
excel in mounted combat.
• +2 racial bonus on Survival checks made
in desert climes: Gerudo are used to
dealing with the blazing heat and arid
conditions of their native homelands.
• Weapon Familiarity: Gerudo receive the
Martial Weapon Proficiency feat in
shortbow, longbow, composite longbow,
and composite shortbow. Skill in bows is
an essential part of every gerudo’s
upbringing.
• Sparse Consumption (Ex): Gerudo can
survive on 1/4 the amount of the food and
water any other non-desert-dwelling race
needs on a daily basis.
• Automatic Languages: Gerudo and
Hylian.
• Bonus Languages: Any.
• Favored Class: Drifter. A multiclass
gerudo’s drifter class levels do not count
when determining if the character takes
an experience point penalty (see the
Player’s Handbook, page 60 for
multiclassing).
• Favored Aspect: Shadow.
• Opposed Aspect: Light.
The gerudo are a long-lived, survivalist people
that often make their way on the fringes of
society, scraping by in life, often by means that
aren’t necessarily looked on kindly by the law. An
unusual trait of their race is the rarity of males.
Gerudo are commonly found as thieves,
mercenaries, bandits, treasure hunters, and
explorers.
Personality: The gerudo have a tendency to
come across as haughty, arrogant, and proud.
Their self-assurance can take them far in some
cases, but it can just as easily be their downfall,
leading them to bite off more than they can chew
in a situation, or earning them the ire of others.
A pessimistic and cynical streak is also commonly
seen. Most gerudo have a marked distaste for
men of other races, thinking them to be weak or
condescending, inherited from wrongs done to
them long ago. They also highly value their
personal freedom, but sadly, this is often coupled
with an “every woman for herself” mindset.
Something they are also known for is their love
of horses, and every gerudo is familiar and
comfortable around them.
Physical Description: A gerudo’s pigmentation
is very distinctive, and usually gives her heritage
away instantly, along with her prominent nose
and beauty. Their hair is a flaming red or orange
(exceptions are exceedingly rare), and they tend
to have a lot of it. Even those who live far away
from the desert they came out of have inherited
a tan or brown skin tone. Warm eye colors--
oranges, reds, and yellows--are commonplace.
Females tend to be built lithe and willowy,
standing between a few inches less than six feet
and sometimes close to seven feet tall, weighing
125 to a high of 200 pounds, often with a wiry
strength belied by their frame. The rare males
are large and hulking, their muscle more obvious
as they measure at least six feet and can easily
clear seven, weighing a bit more than females
but appearing to be much more than that.
Surprisingly, considering their precarious
lifestyle, the gerudo also possess quite a long life
span, reaching maturity at 25 and commonly
living to be 120 years old.
Relations: With their habit of being isolationists
and more than a little paranoid, the gerudo have
a hard time getting along with members of other
races. Their reputation as thieves, the difficulty
they have fitting in with most cultures, and the
history of their race make them targets of
suspicion when something ill happens.
Focus: Overwhelmingly, with their oftenpessimistic
outlook on life and grey morals, the
gerudo go in for the shadow focus with a leaning
toward the dark. They see little to gain from
helping strangers with their problems, having
plenty of their own to deal with, and more active
perpetrating of evil is a risk most would rather
not take.
Gerudo Lands: The gerudo originally came out
of the desert near Hyrule that carries their name.
It was their inhospitable home for many long
generations, until they met a serious downfall
with the defeat of Ganondorf. Most remain in the
desert, scraping by in life as best they can, but
many have migrated elsewhere in search of
greener pastures. Most of them are no better off,
however, and still get by through raiding and
thievery, living like scavenging wolfos on the
edge of society, always ducking the arm of the
law.
Religion: The gerudo are rarely very religiously
observant, having their survival to worry about
instead. They identify the most with Din,
Goddess of Power, through their frequent use of
strength and deceit to get by in life. Farore
comes in second, as displays of courage in arms,
however selfishly motivated they may be, are
frequent from them. A gerudo might breathe a
prayer to either just before setting forth on a raid
23 or breaking into a house, but organized religion
is unheard of.
Aspect: With frequent reliance on subterfuge
and dishonesty, using Shadow magic comes
easily to the gerudo. However, they rarely have
use for its more necromantic aspects. Its
antithesis, Light, is alien to them.
Adventurers: Gerudo have little difficulty taking
up the life of an adventurer, since danger of
being caught while on a raid or fighting off desert
predators are what most have grown up and
spent their whole lives around. The monetary
benefits of adventuring are not lost on them, and
the search for wealth is usually the strongest
motivator. With their reputation of only looking
out for number one, few gerudo feel the need to
adventure out for moral reasons.
Gerudo Racial Traits
• +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom: Gerudo are
very agile, yet overconfident, and haughty
at times.
• Medium-size: As medium-size creatures,
gerudo do not have any special
advantages or disadvantages for their
size.
• Gerudo base speed is 30 ft.
• +3 racial bonus to Defense. You lose this
bonus anytime you would lose your
Dexterity bonus to Defense.
• +2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump and Move
Silently checks: Gerudo tend to live in
precarious places, like a rocky coast or
the edge of the desert.
• +2 racial bonus on Ride checks: The
gerudo are a people who prize horses and
excel in mounted combat.
• +2 racial bonus on Survival checks made
in desert climes: Gerudo are used to
dealing with the blazing heat and arid
conditions of their native homelands.
• Weapon Familiarity: Gerudo receive the
Martial Weapon Proficiency feat in
shortbow, longbow, composite longbow,
and composite shortbow. Skill in bows is
an essential part of every gerudo’s
upbringing.
• Sparse Consumption (Ex): Gerudo can
survive on 1/4 the amount of the food and
water any other non-desert-dwelling race
needs on a daily basis.
• Automatic Languages: Gerudo and
Hylian.
• Bonus Languages: Any.
• Favored Class: Drifter. A multiclass
gerudo’s drifter class levels do not count
when determining if the character takes
an experience point penalty (see the
Player’s Handbook, page 60 for
multiclassing).
• Favored Aspect: Shadow.
• Opposed Aspect: Light.