The man raced into the forest, “Why did I come to this blasted place?” he thought, “O yes to harvest some wood, those damned tales of riches in the forest.” A swift shape sliced passed and cut his ear off, he fell and rolled into a tree, his last glimpse before he fell unconscious, was a city of men half-snake half-man
Dreg
Dregonians (or Dreg, Dregs, Drega, Dregas(all plural and singular, last two for specific female), Dregonian, Dregonians(A group of both Dreg and Drega)) are a group of civilised Half Snake Half Satyr people, they mainly live in woods, and if outside their forest they rarely stay in one place for long.
Persona
The habits of a Dreg are to humans strange, they, more than anything, love the forest and often will protect it until their last breath, they are quite out-spoken when safe in their home Shalna, but seem quiet and curious outside the forest. They have a poor grasp of logic that will result in many questions asked, “Why would the orc go to the clearing?” Dregs do not use (But most are familiar with) many of the concepts in the outside world, Buying and selling, marriage (Dregs do commit themselves to one partner, yet there is no ceremony is used for this), theft, murder etc. Most Dregs are Agoraphobics. Adventuring Dreg are not rare, all though they prefer to travel in groups, and rarely is an unprepared Dreg seen outside their forest. A young Dreg will mostly go adventuring to discover the world, and if they are sent out for a quest, the Dreg will jump to the task, and proceed with almost foolhardy eagerness. Dreg can be very stubborn, and appear extremely embarrassed if proven wrong, they do not hold fear in very high regard, as most are not bothered about danger as long as the job is done.
Physical description
A normal Dreg will have Yellow or Green colouring along the scaly tail (although red is not rare) that secretes a stick liquid whilst matting (different for each of the sexes, and they share the young, 3-4 is usual), which is generally 5 foot long, with two of that on the ground. The body resembles a normal human. The head is like a mans, but with ram horns* and can use them effectively in combat, they grow at the age of three, if the horn(s) are broken, an unlikely event, it will not grow back, and can only be recovered with a successful heal spell, the horns do not have any magical properties. If you remove the scales, they will wither; to preserve them you need to place powerful magic on the scale. Therefore, it is near impossible to create a Dreg hide armour, but such a thing would be strong. Dregonians rarely mix in colour, if the child had a mother and father that had different pigments (red or green or yellow) in their tails, it would have the same pigments (red or green or yellow) as the mother OR father yet there are exceptions. Dregonian children are born with molars and the incisors develop later on. They enjoy swimming, as one of the primary foods in their diet is fish. Also, Dregonians age ¾ slower then a human. The pores on a dregs body, can often clog up if exposed to sand, this can cause the feeling of sickness as Dregonians purely “Sweat-out” body waste.
*The horns cause 1d6 damage in combat, all Dreg are proficient with them, and have a normal crit range. Both male and female have the horns, and need to have special helmets created, if any.
Diet
Dreg have a fondness for spicy food. They seem to have a "Weakness*" to Alcohol, caffeine and adrenaline.*All of these drugs have 3X the affect on them, and this is sometimes fatal. Along with spices, they like fish, bread, vegetables, and some fruit. They will not eat meat apart from fish.
Alignment
Dreg that are born in their Shalna usually take on the alignment of their parents or other role models (I.E teachers, trainers or other family)
Homeland
Dregonian only live near or in forests, and usually near steams, they favour flat ground, and almost humid climates, they dislike deserts, and open land. Dregs are happy near almost kind of forest. Dregs do not build houses, and will most likely sleep under large trees, should a storm pass by. Other populations of Dreg live in places other than forests but do not like cold climates because of their cold-bloodedness.
Religion
Dregonians all worship Elhonia, some may vary but all the gods they pay tribute to have natural aspect, all except the evil Dreg who openly worship Merrshaulk and are some times friends of the Yuan-ti. They have a special place inside their forest call Yhial (Dreg holy ground, this a burial place and "Temple” speaking is not forbidden, but is polite to keep silent inside Yhial)
Language
Dregonians speak their own language, and other races find it hard as it goes not have many vowels. They understand a smidgeon of common and elfish, they can pick up most languages much faster then humans can.
Names
The Dregonians have a sacred and magical book of all names that have been chosen (Which is magically hidden in Yhial) so far, and thus no other Dreg would use another’s name on their child, to do so would shame their child and them selves. Some common names are
Male: Andar, Frulle, Doulk, Shorn and Gernohr
Female: Leialla, Klyyr, Hourn, Shrenale and Guolle
Miscellaneous
Good Dregonians kill Yuan-ti on sight, and do not speak of their “Tainted brothers” openly, and Dregonians do not provoke Yuan-ti, but if one is met, they will not hesitate to kill it.
Rituals: Birth, When a couple go into labour, the grandfather (male) and grandmother (female)(if the Grandparent are dead a year-brother/sister is chosen, if none exists a friend will perform the Cluett) of the couple will slit their joining (the part where skin meets scale) and out come the children. At birth, a tree is planted.
Non 'Lu Jok, at the age of 14 a Dreg must take a test to determine whether or not he/she is ready to leave the forest.
Coupling, when two Dreg wish to have children, they must first make a binding pledge, that they will not mate with any other Dreg, and then they spend a night in Yhial.
Death, when a Dreg dies it is returned, to the tree where it was born.
Dreg are easily offended, phrases like “Step this way.” In addition, “Hold your horses.”(From a Dregs point of view “Hold your horses” implies that the Dreg is using slavery, and because the thought of a Dreg riding a horse is insulting) are offensive. Also, if you call a Dreg Yuan-ti they will not be happy.
Clothes: Dregonians where no clothes in their forests, but outside they don clothes (most usually shirts, although they are only rags, mostly of a reddish-brown), they wear no garment of their tails in any situation.
The Dregonian are trained as druid unless it is unwanted, if that is so they would likely seek training from an elf as mages, fighters and rogues are not common within the Shalna (Dreg homeland or community)
Racial traits
+2 Con -2 Wisdom
Movement rate of 30ft 10ft if going up stairs
Low-light Vision Dreg can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain they ability to distinguish colour and detail under these conditions.
+2 to opposed Intimidate checks
+2 to opposed trip attacks
+2 to (Friendly) Cha based skills/feats on other dreg
+1 to Will saves against fear affects
Double Swim checks
Half Climb checks
Wood cunning as Stone cunning but with wood
Any comments are welcome.
Dregonians
SO you made this up, OK.
Are you planning on using these guys’s (Dregonians) in some roleplaying session?
I as a player see these guys's as very difficult to play.
They seem not to like (or know) a lot of things that other races take for granted.
And how do the other races view them?
Anyway, good work.
It's nice to see people making up new stuff.
Onyx
Are you planning on using these guys’s (Dregonians) in some roleplaying session?
I as a player see these guys's as very difficult to play.
They seem not to like (or know) a lot of things that other races take for granted.
And how do the other races view them?
Anyway, good work.
It's nice to see people making up new stuff.
Onyx
Onyx
Live long and RolePlay.
Live long and RolePlay.
Fist of all, nice work. It seems like you put a lot of thought into this. I do have some gripes:
-2 to bluff? The entire race is known for being bad liars?
-2 to innuendo? The entire race is known for being bad at getting messages secretly from one to another?
Sorry, I just don't know where these penalties came from. It seems to me you just brought them along to balance the knowledge bonus.
The climb thig is too confusing to use. Just give them a penalty because they have hooves on their hands or a bonus possibly because they can use their tail to help them climb.
Wood cunning was a nice idea.
As for religion, the obvious choice is Ehlonna, goddess of the forest. She is good in alignment. If you want you could also use Obad-Hai, the nature god. He is neutral in alignment and has deep disagreements with Ehlonna (which means they don't get along and neither will their priests). For the evil dregs you can use Merrshaulk, the yuan-ti deity (though he is a racial power, so this might not work). This is all assuming you use the standard DnD gods of course. If you set this in a setting that isn't Greyhawk you might want to reconsider (seeing as how Ehlonna, Obad-Hai and probably Merrshaulk don't exist on other Material Planes, like the Forgotten Realms or Krynn).
-2 to bluff? The entire race is known for being bad liars?
-2 to innuendo? The entire race is known for being bad at getting messages secretly from one to another?
Sorry, I just don't know where these penalties came from. It seems to me you just brought them along to balance the knowledge bonus.
The climb thig is too confusing to use. Just give them a penalty because they have hooves on their hands or a bonus possibly because they can use their tail to help them climb.
Wood cunning was a nice idea.
As for religion, the obvious choice is Ehlonna, goddess of the forest. She is good in alignment. If you want you could also use Obad-Hai, the nature god. He is neutral in alignment and has deep disagreements with Ehlonna (which means they don't get along and neither will their priests). For the evil dregs you can use Merrshaulk, the yuan-ti deity (though he is a racial power, so this might not work). This is all assuming you use the standard DnD gods of course. If you set this in a setting that isn't Greyhawk you might want to reconsider (seeing as how Ehlonna, Obad-Hai and probably Merrshaulk don't exist on other Material Planes, like the Forgotten Realms or Krynn).
You can never hope to grasp the source of our power. We are forever.
Bluff and inuendo? they don't have to in their community, it's like seeing how good a halfling and a Half-orc is at Pick Pocketing a half-orc would knock it out then take it's stuff or even kill it, the climbing?THEY HAVE NO FEET it's a tail 
, they have to pull them selves up by hands, but thank you for the religion ideas
, they have to pull them selves up by hands, but thank you for the religion ideasThis is a bio for Andar, it pictures the Dregonian Comunnity perfectly, here it is:
Andar slowly approached the edge of the forest and looked out over the fields. "So, what now?” he asked himself, unsure about venturing out of his beloved forest just yet. The young Dreg was an at least unusual sight so close to the Forest’s border. Standing seven feet tall on a tail covered in mostly green scales, with a few red ones sprinkled in, and a rather muscular torso, Andar made for an impressive sight, belying the queasiness he felt.
He slowly took a few steps back into the forest and sat down beneath a tall oak tree, the feel of its bark reassuring him. He thought back to his former life and to what had eventually brought him into this situation....
His life had begun on a warm summer day twenty odd years ago when his mother gave birth to him, just after his year-brother and year-sister , Gernohr and Leialla, had seen the light of the world. His mother had been a beautiful Drega , with an emerald green tail; his father had been one of the rarer Dregs to have a flashing red one. They were generally regarded as being one of the most exceptional pair around.
From the beginning, young Andar had been regarded as being somewhat odd. For starters, he had neither inherited his fathers red tail, like Gernohr did, nor his mother's true green tail, like Leialla did, but some half-hearted mixture between the two. Then, as he grew up, it became more and more apparent that he was abnormally curious, even for a Dreg. He was always questioning everybody about everybody, and some people soon started to call him "Fradan", which approximately translates into "questions" in the common tongue.
As he was about ten, he saw his first elves and was immediately fascinated by them. A score of them had come under the lead of Jeynhall to the Dreg community to deal in spices. At first, they were looked upon with some suspicion, but after they had proven their goodwill, the Dregs eagerly purchased their goods.
"Purchased" and "bought", Andar mouthed the words carefully, the concept they represented still seemed strange to him. He smiled, they had seemed even stranger to the Dregs, himself included, the day the elves explained them to them. He still didn't grasp why one would have to "pay" - another one of those strange words - for anything. In the Dreg community, you shared things, without expecting something in return. If you had something somebody else could find better use for, you gave it to him, and you didn't "sell" it.
After the elves had finally made the Dregs understand this concept by explaining that it was a bit like a mutual exchange of gifts, things run smoothly and the elves soon regularly visited Andar's home community every two or three months. He always anticipated these visitors with great joy and once the elves were there, "Fradan" did what he could best; ask people questions till their head spun.
Thus, he learned many strange and fascinating things about the outside world and picked up more of the Elven and common tongue than most other Dregs of his age. Especially Jeynhall had taken a liking to the young Dreg, never tiring of answering questions and asking them as well. He seemed to be almost as fascinated by the young Dreg as Andar was by him. Thus, Jeynhall did not hesitate to accept when Andar asked him, shortly before his eighteenth birthday, if he could join the elf in his travels once he had passed his test of maturity.
Andar had no doubt that he would pass the test, as he thought of being much more knowledgeable than most of his comrades for spending so much time with the elves and asking so many questions. But on the day of his test, nothing happened as he had wanted it to. He had been happily anticipating this event for weeks, especially as the elves were due to show up only a few days after. On the big day, he patiently awaited his turn and saw first Gernohr, then Leialla return, proud to have passed their tests. Finally, it was his turn... but he failed, failed miserably. Andar still flinched at the memory of it.
Nevertheless, he put up with it. After all, the elders were more knowledgeable than he was and their decision had to be just. Or at least, that was what he thought then, he wasn't too sure anymore. He shook his head, only a few years ago, he would never even have doubted their wisdom, but then he had not yet failed his test five times then. Five times! When had he begun to doubt the elders' wisdom? Was it only last year, or as much as two or even three years ago?
It didn't really matter. After having failed for the second time, he had tried to find out his mistake, and he had been sure he would pass the second time. But he didn't, and once again he had hoped that he would pass the third time, then the fourth time. And all the time, Jeynhall had told him that he would still be happy to have him travel with the elves. Every time, but the last time he had seen Jeynhall, his Elven friend had seemed troubled and had told him that the world was more dangerous than Andar knew. Still, he had told him that he did not withdraw his word and that they would be back two weeks after his next test.
The last test... here, Andar sighed again. Failed! Failed again! He couldn't believe it! Still, the elder had to be right, and he had been ready to bow to their judgement once again. But then, Jeynhall hadn't shown up even though he had promised to do so. A week passed, and then another one, a whole month passed, and still no sign of Jeynhall and his spice-dealers. There had been muttering among the Dreg, they were running out of spice.
Andar didn't care about spice, he only thought about Jeynhall, his friend. He had never yet broken his word and Andar worried about what kept him. A scouting party was sent out, Andar staying at home, fuming with rage. He could not join them, only because he had not passed his damn test! The scouts came home and reported that they had found no sign of the elves, but that they had seen some traces of fights, though everything seemed to have calmed down once more.
The Dregs had gone back to their usual occupations once more, but not Andar. He wanted to know what had happened to Jeynhall and so a mixture of curiosity and worries had brought him to the edge of the forest, only a few feet away from breaking one of their most important rules.
Moving close to the edge, Andar looked over the fields once more. Only so little distance.... he took a deep breath and moved forward, not stopping once after breaking the rule, determined now to find out...
Andar slowly approached the edge of the forest and looked out over the fields. "So, what now?” he asked himself, unsure about venturing out of his beloved forest just yet. The young Dreg was an at least unusual sight so close to the Forest’s border. Standing seven feet tall on a tail covered in mostly green scales, with a few red ones sprinkled in, and a rather muscular torso, Andar made for an impressive sight, belying the queasiness he felt.
He slowly took a few steps back into the forest and sat down beneath a tall oak tree, the feel of its bark reassuring him. He thought back to his former life and to what had eventually brought him into this situation....
His life had begun on a warm summer day twenty odd years ago when his mother gave birth to him, just after his year-brother and year-sister , Gernohr and Leialla, had seen the light of the world. His mother had been a beautiful Drega , with an emerald green tail; his father had been one of the rarer Dregs to have a flashing red one. They were generally regarded as being one of the most exceptional pair around.
From the beginning, young Andar had been regarded as being somewhat odd. For starters, he had neither inherited his fathers red tail, like Gernohr did, nor his mother's true green tail, like Leialla did, but some half-hearted mixture between the two. Then, as he grew up, it became more and more apparent that he was abnormally curious, even for a Dreg. He was always questioning everybody about everybody, and some people soon started to call him "Fradan", which approximately translates into "questions" in the common tongue.
As he was about ten, he saw his first elves and was immediately fascinated by them. A score of them had come under the lead of Jeynhall to the Dreg community to deal in spices. At first, they were looked upon with some suspicion, but after they had proven their goodwill, the Dregs eagerly purchased their goods.
"Purchased" and "bought", Andar mouthed the words carefully, the concept they represented still seemed strange to him. He smiled, they had seemed even stranger to the Dregs, himself included, the day the elves explained them to them. He still didn't grasp why one would have to "pay" - another one of those strange words - for anything. In the Dreg community, you shared things, without expecting something in return. If you had something somebody else could find better use for, you gave it to him, and you didn't "sell" it.
After the elves had finally made the Dregs understand this concept by explaining that it was a bit like a mutual exchange of gifts, things run smoothly and the elves soon regularly visited Andar's home community every two or three months. He always anticipated these visitors with great joy and once the elves were there, "Fradan" did what he could best; ask people questions till their head spun.
Thus, he learned many strange and fascinating things about the outside world and picked up more of the Elven and common tongue than most other Dregs of his age. Especially Jeynhall had taken a liking to the young Dreg, never tiring of answering questions and asking them as well. He seemed to be almost as fascinated by the young Dreg as Andar was by him. Thus, Jeynhall did not hesitate to accept when Andar asked him, shortly before his eighteenth birthday, if he could join the elf in his travels once he had passed his test of maturity.
Andar had no doubt that he would pass the test, as he thought of being much more knowledgeable than most of his comrades for spending so much time with the elves and asking so many questions. But on the day of his test, nothing happened as he had wanted it to. He had been happily anticipating this event for weeks, especially as the elves were due to show up only a few days after. On the big day, he patiently awaited his turn and saw first Gernohr, then Leialla return, proud to have passed their tests. Finally, it was his turn... but he failed, failed miserably. Andar still flinched at the memory of it.
Nevertheless, he put up with it. After all, the elders were more knowledgeable than he was and their decision had to be just. Or at least, that was what he thought then, he wasn't too sure anymore. He shook his head, only a few years ago, he would never even have doubted their wisdom, but then he had not yet failed his test five times then. Five times! When had he begun to doubt the elders' wisdom? Was it only last year, or as much as two or even three years ago?
It didn't really matter. After having failed for the second time, he had tried to find out his mistake, and he had been sure he would pass the second time. But he didn't, and once again he had hoped that he would pass the third time, then the fourth time. And all the time, Jeynhall had told him that he would still be happy to have him travel with the elves. Every time, but the last time he had seen Jeynhall, his Elven friend had seemed troubled and had told him that the world was more dangerous than Andar knew. Still, he had told him that he did not withdraw his word and that they would be back two weeks after his next test.
The last test... here, Andar sighed again. Failed! Failed again! He couldn't believe it! Still, the elder had to be right, and he had been ready to bow to their judgement once again. But then, Jeynhall hadn't shown up even though he had promised to do so. A week passed, and then another one, a whole month passed, and still no sign of Jeynhall and his spice-dealers. There had been muttering among the Dreg, they were running out of spice.
Andar didn't care about spice, he only thought about Jeynhall, his friend. He had never yet broken his word and Andar worried about what kept him. A scouting party was sent out, Andar staying at home, fuming with rage. He could not join them, only because he had not passed his damn test! The scouts came home and reported that they had found no sign of the elves, but that they had seen some traces of fights, though everything seemed to have calmed down once more.
The Dregs had gone back to their usual occupations once more, but not Andar. He wanted to know what had happened to Jeynhall and so a mixture of curiosity and worries had brought him to the edge of the forest, only a few feet away from breaking one of their most important rules.
Moving close to the edge, Andar looked over the fields once more. Only so little distance.... he took a deep breath and moved forward, not stopping once after breaking the rule, determined now to find out...