Taq’shan
Climate/Terrain: Sub-artic – Temperate / Plains + Forests
Frequency: Uncommon to Rare
Organization: Tribal
Activity Cycle: Any (day or night)
Diet: Omnivorous
Intelligence: High to Exceptional (13-16)
Treasure: Special (see below)
Alignment Any Evil (Mostly Lawful Evil)
No. Appearing: 3d4 (hunting parties) / 7d10+30 (in lair)
Armor Class: 5(10)
Movement: 12
Hit Dice: 2d8+2
THAC0: 19
No. of Attacks: 4
Damage/Attack: By Weapon, Spells, Items, Unarmed Attack (2d4)
Special Attacks: Spells, Items (see below)
Special Defenses: (see below)
Special Weaknesses: All Fire Attacks, Spells, or Effects. (-1 penalty to saves)
Outcast of Society: -4 penalty on all NPC reaction rolls.
Blinded by magically wrought winds.
Magical Resistance: 15% for Warriors
30% for Shaman
45% for Fist Warriors (warrior shaman)
(see below for other resistance)
Size: Medium -- 5 ½ (Female) / 5 ¾ (Male)
Morale: Fearless(19-20) – Battle to the Death
XP Value: Shaman: 1025 Others: 700
Combat:
Their hatred towards wizards is a direct result of the archmage Ghen Rever who polymorphed the taq’shan into their present state. Taq’shan receive a +1 attack bonus against wizards. Against the Drow, as they were made to battle them, the taq’shan receive a +2 attack bonus. Taq’shan have a favored enemy, much like the ranger class, but this is a racial bonus. All taq’shan start out with an intense hatred towards demons (the creatures that imprisoned them). On the 5th,10th,15th, etc, levels, taq’shan can choose an additional most hated enemy.
Their obsession with music has driven taq’shan mages to imbue their weapons with magic. This is a common practice, and all taq’shan warriors carry at least one of these special artifacts. When these swords are in motion, they create musical notes that have the same effect as a 7th level charm spell. This effect does not effect creatures with int lower than 2 and those creatures that are deaf.
Taq’shan blood is acid, and very potent. At first they had a serious problem of wounded warriors losing whole segments of their armor because of this phenomena. Since that time, taq’shan warriors have developed a way to create leather armor that is able to withstand acid and the effects it has on clothing and armor. All taq’shan wear this clothing/armor. Given that their blood is acid, taq’shan are immune to acid and acid-type attacks.
Special Defenses:
Due to the nature of their eyes (the inability to see light as they can only see wind) allows taq’shan to be immune to all light related spells or effects that would normally leave opponents blinded. This does not protect them from “gust of wind” or other wind related spells (these type of spells would have the same effect on them as a “blinding flash” spell would on a normal human). Natural winds do not effect taq’shan’s ability to see.
Their time in the cold weather of the north has allowed the taq’shan a certain measure of resistance against cold and cold related spells & effects (+2 saves).
Habitat / Society :
The Taq’shan have always been tribal in nature. Four Thousand years have passed since the Taq’shan have been able to roam the world. They have been imprisoned within a demonically created forest. In that time, the taq’shan tribes have remained sovereign unto themselves. They are constantly fighting off invading monsters in the woods that the taq’shan shaman create and they harvest food from these encounters. Three-fourths of all taq’shan are warriors, while the other one-fourth are shaman. Of those one-forth, 45% are water shaman, 45% are fire shaman, and 10% are Wind Shaman. The taq’shan have never discovered the secrets of earthen shaman, though it is rumored that such a power was once used in shaman ranks.
One to four percent of the total population of taq’shan are able to be both Shaman and Warrior. This special group has been named the Fist warriors. These warriors are trained in the arts of Magic as well as with weapons.
A typical tribe would consist of one leader (usually a shaman) and some lesser shaman. The hierarchy is three levels large, with foot soldiers holding the bottom rung. The whole tribe will consist of close to two hundred members, and the cursed forest that they call home is said to have 30 tribes within it’s boughs. Hunting and gathering parties typically contain three to twelve members, though the woods are so dangerous that fewer than five warriors is very rare. Gender does not matter to warriors, women tend to fight as well as men. When an adolescent is ready to test for their position as warrior, they are put through an institutionalized fighting school where they learn everything that any taq’shan has ever learned. When they are ready to go home and support their family in the wilds, they are put to the test with two other class members. The test is simple, bring home the hide of a hell hound. The instructors don’t care where they find it, or how many animals they have to battle to bring the hide home, but the options open to young warriors are simple: pass or die.
Shaman are not trained in the cold reality of the institution; rather, they are trained in their own household by the elder shaman of the family. Because there are three different types of magic in taq’shan society (fire, water, and wind), the different specialties are well versed on their counterparts’ magic. The only exception to this rule comes is the wind shaman. Because they control the “light” that the taq’shan see, wind shaman are much more powerful than the other specialties. Fire and Water cannot hurt the wind shaman as they are able to “throw” the elements back on their caster. These mages are able to make themselves invisible to other taq’shan and are thus doubly feared. Wind shaman are the only specialty to have a tower within the woods. They learn and teach their few members all of the
Opposite to what may be assumed, taq’shan are not nature lovers. On the contrary, they see their occupation of the forest as a punishment for weakness and they live with a constant desire to be rid of their “natural” surroundings and get back to their previous home in the winterlands of the north. This desire for their lost home is coupled by their extreme hatred for weakness (what landed them in this prison in the first place) and they are constantly culling weak members from their tribe. A culled member is typically thrown into the wood to fend for himself (they usually last for less than a day in the evil wilderness).
Ecology:
Since so much of their culture is centered around battle, taq’shanian society focuses on creating newer, more powerful weapons and armor. Swords are collected from strangers that wander into the forest (who couldn’t hope to survive in such an environment) and are then empowered with spells by the revered wind shaman.
