Presents

Jade Mandarin (Design): Frank Carr

Imperial Gardener (Editor): Bill Collins
Sun Tzu (Artist): Wayne Reynolds
Royal Death Blossom (Layout): Corey Graham
Lowly Farm Peasant (Publisher): Steven D. Russell

The publisher dedicates this preview to Frank Carr for

entrusting me his vision.

Lands of the Jade Oath and Heroes of the Jade Oath © 2008 Frank Carr used with permission; Rite Publishing
Copyright © 2007 Steven D. Russell, Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved Copyright © 2007 Monte J. Cook used with
permission. Open Gaming License Copyright © 2007 Wizards of the Coast All rights reserved.
Mandragoran
Mandragorans are an exotic plant-
like humanoid species known for their unique,
tapered, head-vines called “nahmaun gorah”.
They live in avery stratified society. Known for
their deliberate and patient manner, they like
to weigh the positive and negative aspects of a
situation before making a decision. They are
not slow to act though. Quite the contrary: the
mandragorans can be very quick when the
occasion calls for it. Thanks to their patient
attitude and dependability, mandragorans have
aptitude as merchants. Many mandragorans
take great pains to ensure their position by
making all agreements as written contracts.
They consider signed contracts as binding and
unbreakable for their part. Many would rather
die than dishonor their part of a written
contract, even if the other concerned party has
dishonored their part of the contract. Paper is
sacred and the written word is just as sacred as
the paper it is written on. The spoken word is
another matter altogether. Many a foreigner
have found themselves easily deceived by the
words of a mandragoran when a written
contract was not involved.
The mandragorans feel a strong
connection to the land. Many become wu shih
or wood witches. Long ago, when the dramojh
and dragons ruled the region, the mandragorans
were one of the first races to ally with the
dahren against the dramojh. They respond
quickly to threats to the land. The
mandragorans say that the decision to commit
to the land's defense was made long ago.
Hesitation to enforce that decision is a
violation of a sacred contract and obligation.
Personality: The mandragorans value
knowledge and nature, viewing life as an
eternal journey towards learning. They yearn
for new experiences and to learn ever more.
They are a deliberate, meditative, cautious, and
introspective people preferring to observe, plan,
and prepare before doing anything rash. Rarely
1
does an individual mandragoran rush into anything.
They even eat slowly. However, they are not timid and
can be deadly when provoked. Just because it is rare to
see a mandragoran in a rage does not make them any
less dangerous. They can be quite literal, adhering to
the letter of the law over its spirit, though usually only
when it benefits them. They can be quite clever at
manipulating the words in a contract to their benefit.
Physical Description: The average adult ranges in
height from 5’ to 6’6”. They normally weigh anywhere
from 80 to 180 pounds. Their skin colors include shades
of blue, green, red, white, and grey and almost always
bears patterns of one of the other color tones. The
formation and coloring differ from individual to
individual, sometimes taking on the appearance of veins.
This color pattern is most prominent on the face.
While they must breathe, they lack a prominent nose.
(They create minute amounts of oxygen on their own
within their own blood stream. This has no game effect.)
They have no body hair. Normal eye colors include
green, blue, violet, purple, silver, gray, or more rarely
red. They have soft and supple, leaf-like scales that are
most prominent on their head and head-vines, but turn
almost imperceptible along much of the rest of the body.
A mandragoran’s nahmaun gorah, or head-vines,
grow from the top and back of their heads in a manner
that often appears somewhat asymmetrical. The
nahmaun gorah vary with each individual. Some have
one or two long, large, head-vines while others may
have a great many shorter, thinner ones. These head-
vines can move as well as a cat swishes its tail, but
the longer and thicker the nahmaun gorah, the
stronger and more prehensile it is. The tails
indicate position within their rigid social system.
More tails indicate lower rank and fewer tails mean
higher standing. They train and tend their tails
through ceremonies and meditation with the use of
medicines, like an expert gardener tending a tree to
grow a certain way. Mandragorans have complete
control over the senses in their head-vines and can
activate or deactivate any sensory input from them.
Furthermore, the ends of these tails are so sensitive
that they have the same sense of touch as the
mandragoran’s fingertips and are considered
erogenous zones. They can taste what they touch,
should the mandragoran decide to do so. This sense
allows them to taste foodstuffs without consuming
them.
Mandragorans have a unique physiology.
Their plant-like nature provides them with a higher
resistance to toxins and poisons than other races.
They gain some sustenance from the sun’s light and
can be harmed if they go for long periods without it.
Mandragorans must hibernate for two weeks out of
every year during the winter when their metabolism
slows to a crawl; however, they do have a measure
of control over exactly when during the winter they
go into this annual hibernation. They are omni-
vorous, preferring vegetables to meat. They must
occasionally consume bones. Mandragorans try to
keep this secret for fear of being labeled carnivores.
It is very rare to see an obese member of this race.
Obesity is a sign of a degenerative sickness. Any in
this condition will probably die of the disease
within the year as their bodies continue to grow
and retain fluids in an increasingly unhealthy
fashion.
Their skeletons do not have as much bone
in their composition. The smaller parts of their
skeletal structure are tough, fibrous cartilage, while
the larger and more prominent portions, such as the
skull, spine, and major limbs, are bone. Their spinal
bones and cartilage are stronger than those of
humans, and more flexible. But, their catilage lacks
the rigidity of bone, which causes them to have less
strength than most humanoids their size.
Mandragorans also release pollen spores
that other species can find intoxicating and
beguiling. These spores communicate their
emotional state to others, and are also important to
the mandragoran reproductive cycle. They
reproduce and procreate like most humanoid species.
2
However, mandragorans release pollen spores from
their nahmaun gorah during the act of procreation.
Without the sharing of pollen they cannot bear
offspring.
Relations: Their affinity for nature, passion for life,
and cautious nature help the mandragorans to get
along well with the yueren, faen, ruishishen, and
many shenxue. Their thirst for knowledge gives them
something in common with naga and puts them in
good standing with that race, unless they compete for
the same knowledge. Mandragorans are less likely to
get along with qahngol, goushen, naga-born, and
bakemono, finding them abrasive or uncouth. They
tend to be indifferent towards sanesaram, humans, and
dahren. The introspective nature and long-term
perspective of the verrik gives them some common
ground with the mandragorans.
Outlook: Mandragorans have an exotic beauty that
appeals to many other races. This, coupled with their
cautious, deliberate nature, allows for a good
reputation. However, the mandragorans are also
known for their stubborn and restrictive natures.
When they decide how to handle a given situation,
they can be harsh and uncompromising, like a root
that has taken hold and refuses to grow elsewhere.
They have a heavily stratified society lead by
hereditary priests and scholars. Below them are the
magic users, followed by the landed aristocracy and
noble warrior-retainers. Next come the craftsmen,
the entertainers, the menial laborers and the slaves.
Last of all are the outcastes and untouchables.
Characters born to the first caste may be of most any
class (except rogues and kusa and similar types) that
allows them to focus their skills on academic and
spiritual matters. By the same token, a magister or
other magic user is not necessarily restricted to the
second tier caste; circumstances may place him in
another caste.
It is possible for someone to change their
caste through extraordinary circumstances. Usually,
your children get to be of another caste as a result of
your accomplishments, while you remain where you
are. This is a good reason for many mandragoran
adventurers to satisfy their curiosity and become a
hero when they come home, ensuring a place for
their children in the next higher tier.
The caste system exploits the fairer sex.
Three-fourths are female. A much higher percentage
are on the lower tiers than the males. As a result,
many of them are exploited and taken advantage of
by the higher tiers of their society. Many are
sold into slavery and even taken as slaves to
other lands such as the Empire of Xianguo.
Mandragoran Lands: Mandrasengal, home
of the mandragoran race, is to the southwest of
the Empire. It is a land with numerous types of
terrain all contained on a single peninsula
surrounded by high mountains and desert where
the peninsula attaches to the rest of the
continent. They also inhabit many other lands
in the southern part of the region. The
mandragorans build cities in the middle of great
swaths of natural woodlands, untamed jungles,
and well-tended groves. Their cities are
marvels of stonework and living plant life. It
seems as though they actually grow their homes
and cities.
Religion: Metaphysical and spiritual matters
are of great importance to mandragoran society.
The rigid caste system exemplifies this with
hereditary priests and scholars of the state
religion (Upanishadism) leading their society.
One other prominent religion is widely
accepted in Mandrasengal: Bodhism.
Language: Mandragorans speak sylvan and
the common tongue of the land they hail from,
usually mandrasengali, though they often learn
many other languages.
Names: Mandragorans use personal names
and family names like many other cultures;
however, when speaking with outsiders they
use a third name. This third name is derived
from their caste and immediately tells someone
not of their village what caste they are from.
Caste names: Sarman (brahmin -
priests, scholars), Varman (kshatriya - officials,
warriors), Gupta (vaisya - craftsmen,
merchants), Dasa (shudra - peasants).
Family names: Arun, Chandra, Jai,
Kumar, Manju, Oshanti, Parmar, Sainin,
Sameer Tarpana, Vedula, Vishnavi.
Male names: Caru, Gaur, Harshad,
Kavi, Namhan, Prabat, Svati, Tej.
Female names: Badari, Dasi, Fari,
Hasumati, Indira, Nimi, Pari, Rani, Shanti, Sita,
Talaa, Uma, Vuma.
3
Adventurers: Mandragorans adventure for many
reasons, but the primary motivation is for power and
wealth. Many mandragoran merchants brave
unexplored lands and ancient tombs for treasure or the
new trade route they might establish. Some adventure
to escape their rigid society. Others adventure to learn
rare and forbidden knowledge to sell at a high price,
while many mandragoran mercenaries ply their trade
in other lands for profit.
Favored Drink: Water or Tea;
Favored Food: Bones, though mandragorans
know that gnawing on bones makes them look barbaric
and vile – so most mandragorans try to hide this;
Favored Weapon: Bows.
MANDRAGORAN RACIAL TRAITS
● +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength. Mandragorans have a strong
self-discipline and acute senses, but they are not as
strong as other humanoids due to a lack of rigid bone
material in their bodies.
● Medium: As Medium creatures, mandragorans have
no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
● Low-light Vision: A mandragoran can see twice as
far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and
similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains
the ability to distinguish color and detail under these
conditions
● +2 racial bonus to Initiative. Mandragorans have a
preternatural sense. Despite their aptitude for patience,
mandragorans do not like being forced to react; they
prefer to be deliberate. Some believe that the
mandragorans anticipate the actions of others by
tapping into a universal spiritual awareness that is a
part of all nature.
● +2 racial bonus on all Concentration checks. The
patience and self-discipline of the mandragorans
allows them to overcome most distractions.
● +4 racial bonus on saving throws against poisons and
toxins. Their plant-like nature and unique anatomy
help their immune system when it comes to toxins and
poisons.
● Head-Vine Senses: A mandragoran’s head-vines have
a sense of touch as sensitive as their fingertips and they
even have the ability to taste with their head-vines.
They can turn off their senses in the head-vines (and
only in the head-vines) as a standard action.
● Spell Access: Mandragoran spellcasters always have
access to complex plant spells, even when they normally
would have access only to simple spells.
● Spore Scent: Mandragorans generate spores pendent on sight when in complete darkness. This
that emit a strong, pleasant scent that can make penalty is in addition to any other penalty or miss
other creatures predisposed to harmonious chance.
dealings. They gain a +2 circumstance bonus to ● Automatic Languages: Common (Mandrasengali)
Bluff, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, and Perform and Sylvan.
skill checks and any Charisma ability checks ● Bonus Languages: Any.
with any living creatures within 30 feet of the ● Mandragorans always gain Knowledge (Mandragoran)
character. On a windy day, the range can be as as a class skill.
much as 60 feet to any downwind creature, but ● Racial Levels: Mandragorans can take levels in
only 5 feet to any creature that is upwind (at "mandragoran" as a class to develop their racial qualities.
the DMs discretion). This ability does not
work on undead or creatures that do not have a
sense of smell. Mandragorans do receive a -2 MANDRAGORAN LEVELS
circumstance penalty to Disguise checks due to A few mandragorans develop their natural
the strength of their spore scent. aptitudes and abilities beyond the norm for their species.
● Spore Thought: Mandragorans commun- These few have meditated extensively upon the nature
icate empathically by discharging spores that of the mandragoran existence, even learning to develop
express their emotional state. The mandra- a means of control over their affinity for nature. Man-
goran can show what surface emotions she is dragoran racial levels and evolved racial levels will be
feeling with this ability, and her basic needs, detailed in full in Heroes of the Jade Oath.
drives, and emotions. Fear, friendliness,
hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, desire, rage,
uncertainty, hatred, curiosity, and many other
kinds of emotions, sensations, and moods can
all be relayed to a target of this form of
communication. The range of this ability is
equal to that of the mandragoran’s spore scent
ability; however, the mandragoran can also
limit the range of this ability to touch if she
should so desire.
● Healing Light: Mandragorans who spend at
least eight hours a day in sunlight and rest
fully at night may heal one extra hit point per
day per character level. If the mandragoran is
only in sunlight for less than eight hours, but
more than four, she heals at the normal rate.
● Light Dependency: Mandragoran
characters must be exposed to Sunlight or other
sources of light. Mandragorans that do not
spend at least four hours a day in light cannot
recover any hit points naturally, even with a
full day of rest. A mandragoran can go without
sunlight or water for one day plus a number of
hours equal to her Constitution score. After
this time, the character must make a daily
Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for each pre-
vious check) or sustain 1d6 points of subdual
damage. This subdual damage cannot be re-
covered or magically healed until the mandra-
goran receives sufficient sunlight.
● Darkness Sensitivity: Mandragorans suffer
a -2 penalty to attack rolls and skillchecks de-
4
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