Ssurran

Posted in New Rules by Jon // Oracle almost 6 years ago

Thanks to Kamelion for contributing this article with expanded information on th
e reptilian Ssurrans
Ssurran
The Ssurrans are reptilian humanoids, whose appearance is similar to that of hea
vy-set lizard men. They roam Athas, living their lives as traders, raiders, hunt
ers and scavengers. While some Ssurrans are markedly more primitive than others,
they have spread throughout the Tablelands. Those that dwell in the region of L
ava Gorge, on the Scorched Plateau, have benefited from the seclusion and attend
ant safety that has allowed their tribes flourish, and they often join into grea
t Ssurran nations that sweep across the Plateau.
Personality: While they are viewed as brutal savages or leery scavengers by many
other races of the Tablelands and even hunted as beasts by some the Ssurrans bo
ast a complex culture that is quite visible in the way they live their lives. Fo
r the Ssurran, the conceit that places civilised races above the beasts does not e
xist. To the Ssurran we are all beasts and we all must all do what we can to sur
vive. Those who have land, have safety. Those who have safety can prosper. Those
who prosper can create better tools. Those with the best tools can claim the be
st land
Intertwined with this simple philosophy is a rich body of religious belief and l
egend. Thanks to this body of common tribal knowledge, the Ssurrans display grea
t practicality. Life is a struggle and each Ssurran must learn the skills needed
to endure. Ssurrans are no-nonsense, individualistic survivors traits that make
them valued as scouts and guides amongst their fellow races.
Despite their individualism, Ssurrans are most comfortable when surrounded by th
eir allies. When outnumbered or threatened, they are cautious, even cowardly. Th
ey will seek to flee or bargain their way out of most overmatched contests, only
fighting if cornered. When forced to fight, however, they are savage, rending a
nd biting until an opening to flee presents itself.
Physical: Ssurrans range from 4 to 6 feet in height, weighing anything from 180
to 225 pounds. They are reptilian, even crocodilian in appearance, with pronounc
ed toothy snouts, scales and a long tail. A Ssurran's mouth seems perpetually curv
ed in a slight, sly smile. The Ssurran tail is not prehensile and is used for ba
lance, posture and communication.
A Ssurran's claws are extremely sharp, hardened from long years of tramping across
rugged lava flows and the blasted terrain of the Scorched Plateau. They also ha
ve a snapping bite, but use of this is considered threatening behaviour in Ssurr
an society. A Ssurran who bites means business.
Ssurran hide is thick and heavy and protects the creatures from the heat of the
athasian sun. Their natural resistance to heat even allows the Ssurrans to thriv
e in the immediate surrounds of Lava Gorge.
Relations: The Ssurrans are seen as savages, raiders or poor traders by most oth
er species. For their part, the Ssurrans view most civilised races as pretentiou
s fools, lost in their tools and forgetful of their kinship with the beasts of t
he wilderness.
The Ssurrans dominate those whom they can and will seek to forge cordial relatio
nships with those they cannot. If threatened, Ssurran tend to leave, only to ret
urn later and strike from ambush, usually with gruesome results.
Ssurrans are carnivores and will eat anything that they think will taste good an
d fill their bellies. The less civilised among them will eat intelligent life an
d have a particular fondness for halfling flesh, claiming it is soft, sweet and
ever so spicy. These Ssurrans mark their food, either with claw marks or urine,
and have been known to do this to foes they slay in battle, only to return and e
at them later.
Alignment: Ssurrans tend towards the chaotic or the neutral. The elder the Ssurr
an is, the more she tends toward lawful alignments, as the ties of tribe and fam
ily grow stronger.
Lands: The Ssurrans are a nomadic people, who live as hunter-gatherers when they
are not raiding or trading. Each tribe claims an area as its own, and roams thr
oughout that area during the year, herding its kwilit and fortress beetles with
it as it moves. Through their amassed practical lore, the Ssurrans know how to p
reserve their ecosystem and will move on before the land itself begins to suffer
. Because of their natural resistance to heat and fire, the Ssurrans favour terr
ain that other races find uncomfortable, or even deadly. The craters of volcanoe
s, shores of lava seas and the hearts of blazing wastes are all sanctuaries for
these creatures, and they have learned to make the most of such environments. Ss
urrans who dwell in these locations tend to have a greater degree of sophisticat
ion than their brethren do elsewhere and will go to great lengths to defend thei
r homes.
Religion: The more sophisticated amongst the Ssurrans have adopted worship of th
e elements and para-elements, along with most of the rest of Athas. They favour
Magma and Sun, with Fire also being popular. Clerics of the Earth element are al
so welcome amongst the wandering tribes.
Those Ssurrans of a more ancient heritage believe in ancient gods that they clai
m watch over them. The Ssurran's oldest legends hold that their progenitors were h
atched from the World Egg, which they equate with Athas herself. They baked for
aeons within the egg, until they were ready to hatch. The Egg cracked and the fi
rst Ssurrans came forth. They found a baked and burned world waiting for them an
d, slipping across the surface between the sand and the shadows, they began to m
ake a new home for themselves in the world their gods had prepared.
Are the Ssurrans really subterranean in origin, as their tales claim? Beginnings
amidst geothermal wellsprings might explain their unusual resistance to heat. F
urthermore, they have no record of the Cleansing Wars and if their stories are t
o be believed, they did not emerge from the world below until the devastation of
those conflicts were complete.
Psionics: The Ssurrans have a fair understanding of psionics, but would appear t
o have only recently begun to explore the Will and the Way. Metacreation and Cla
irsentience are favoured, due to their direct applications in exploration and su
rvival, and Telepathy is common amongst scouts and traders, for ease of communic
ation with strangers and with each other.
Magic: As with psionics, the Ssurrans seem still to be discovering magic as a sp
ecies. They are quite aware of the difference between preservers and defilers, a
nd do not treat the latter kindly. Defilers are forced off Ssurran lands and onl
y attacked if victory seems certain and retribution unlikely.
Language: The Ssurran language is an elegant one, composed of sibilant tones, co
unterpoised with basso rumblings from the chest cavity. Tail posture and attitud
e add depth and texture, resulting in a language that is quite impossible for cr
eatures without tails to learn properly.
Ssurrans have difficulty themselves pronouncing other languages and their voices
often have a hissing, polytonal quality that is not unpleasant to the ear.
Male Names: Chavesh'ess, Ithoriss, Ssuss'ess, Thuuuss, Uss'ule'ess, Zath'ess
Female Names: Ashess'uess, Iieth, Isth'uess, Ithissa, Ula'nis'uess, Uthiss'uess
Adventurers: Ssurran adventurers tend to be from more civilised tribes, for no o
ther reason than these Ssurrans have an easier time relating to the other races
and hence tend to be more successful. More primitive Ssurrans do take up the adv
enturing life, but theirs is a hard road, and they have many preconceptions abou
t their kind to overcome.
Ssurran adventurers soon become aware of the bestial reputation that their speci
es has and treat it with varying degrees of wry acceptance. They know that suppo
sedly more civilised races are beasts as much as they are they just have better
tools. Out in the wild, however, the Ssurran is in his element, and other advent
urers soon find themselves grateful for the presence of their perpetually smilin
g scaled companion.
Role-playing Suggestions
You are a child of the earth, born from its bosom and released to roam across it
s surface, making what you will of what you find. You have no conceits about you
r station in life you deserve only that which you can earn yourself. Your tribe
will care for you as you care for it, but your life is your own and no-one will
care for you when the water is gone. You are a beast nothing more, nothing less
but this is a meaningless distinction, as all creatures are beasts beneath the s
un. You have a somewhat callous attitude to personal rights. That which cannot b
e earned and kept should not be given freely.
Keep an eye open for opportunity at all times and be aware of any hidden dangers
that may threaten you when you are weak. Be sure to have an escape route planne
d at all times, or be sure that you can devise or buy one at short notice, if ne
eded. The resourceful Ssurran is the long-lived Ssurran.
Ssurran Traits
+4 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Ssurrans are strong
and hardy, but their squat posture and thick hide makes them slightly clumsy. T
hey have a reputation for savagery that makes it difficult for them to interact
with other races.
Medium size. Ssurran have neither benefits nor penalties due to size. As mon
strous humanoids, ssurran characters start with 3d8 hit dice, Base Attack Bonus
+3, base saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +3. Ssurrans receive (2 + Intelligence mod
ifier) x6 skill points and their class skills are Appraise, Craft, Handle Animal
, Profession, Ride and Survival. A ssurran begins with two feats. Note that Ssur
rans do not receive the x4 modifier when taking their first class level.
Speed: Ssurran base speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 ft.
Skills: +8 racial bonus on all Survival checks and +4 racial bonus on all Ap
praise and Profession (trader) checks.
Natural Armour +3. Ssurran hide is scaly, tough and resistant to blows.
Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), bite (1d4).
Heat Tolerance (Ex): A ssurran's scales regulate its body's temperature in the s
un. Ssurrans suffer no ill effects from hot temperatures under the sun, though f
ire affects them normally.
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Gith, Halfling, Pterran, Thri-Kreen, Yua
n-Ti.
Favoured Class: Cleric or Druid.
Level Adjustment: +1