Thursday, September 10, 2015

Dreamlands Pathfinder Bestiary: Hyperborean

One recurring theme in Cthulhu Mythos stories is the existence of numerous lost civilizations, many of them pre-human. One of the first true human civilizations, Hyperborea, accomplished great feats of engineering and magic, but only fragments of their knowledge survive today, preserved in esoteric scrolls.

The following statistics are converted from Ye Booke of Monstres, a supplement for the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Additional information was taken from The Keeper's Compendium.

Hyperborean

This person looks like a slender human, barely five feet tall. He has very pale skin, light blond hair, gray eyes, a long straight nose, and unusually long earlobes.

HYPERBOREAN (CR 1/2)
XP 200
Hyperborean conjurer 1
Usually N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +1
Defense
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 mage armor)
hp 7 (1d6+1)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +5
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger -1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged dagger +2 (1d4-1/19-20)
Conjurer Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +5 [+9 casting defensively])
7/day--acid dart (ranged touch +2, range 30 ft., 1d6 acid)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5 [+9 casting defensively])
1st--mage armor (already cast), sleep (DC 15), summon monster I
0--detect magic, prestidigitation, ray of frost (ranged touch +2)
Prohibited illusion, necromancy
Statistics
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 19, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +0; CMB -1CMD 11
Feats Combat Casting, Iron Will, Scribe Scroll
Skills Appraise +8, Craft (any one) +8, Knowledge (arcana, any two others) +8, Linguistics +8, Spellcraft +8
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Hyperborean, Ignan
SQ arcane bond (ring), summoner's charm
Gear dagger, masterwork ring (bonded object)
Ecology
Environment any cold land (Hyperborea and Dreamlands)
Organization solitary, cabal (2-7 plus 3rd-level wizard), or school (12-20 plus three 3rd-level wizards and one 5th-8th wizard)
Treasure NPC gear (dagger, other treasure)

Hyperboreans prefer to avoid combat, relying on their spells to hunt foes. This human subrace's superior intelligence makes them excellent wizards, and most adventurers belong to that class.

Most scholars believe that Hyperboreans are an extinct civilization, but a few tiny groups survive in cold, glacial areas in the far north of the Dreamlands. Many have degenerated into primitive tribes, reduced to stone weapons and tools, but some still seek to preserve the decadent arts and magic of their glory days. This race is largely responsible for the near-extinction of the voormis (ancestors of the sasquatch race), through expansion into their territory and their callous hunting of the savages for sport.

This race originally worshiped a pantheon of gods (including Youndeh, the reindeer god) who are now all but forgotten. Hyperborean culture was heavily influenced (and some say, eroded) by the rise of cults worshiping the Great Old Ones, such as Tsathoggua (god of the voormis) and Cthulhu.

Hyperborean (Race Builder)

Type 
Humanoid (human): 0 RP
Size
Medium: 0 RP
Base Speed
Normal: 0 RP
Ability Score Modifiers
Greater Paragon (+4 Int, -2 Str, -2 Cha): 2 RP
Languages
Standard: 0 RP
Racial Traits
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Flexible Bonus Feat: 4 RP
Skilled: 4 RP
Total: 10 RP

Languages: Hyperboreans begin play speaking Common and Hyperborean. Hyperboreans with high Intelligence can choose from the following: Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, and Sasquatch.

Degenerate Hyperboreans: Hyperboreans who have regressed to a primitive state replace the greater paragon racial trait with standard human ability score modifiers.

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