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WILDKIN, the fierce but cuddly beasts
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Intro: Tales tell of enchanting but fearsome creatures: small animals that stand upon two legs. These have been widely regarded as mythical, and there is much debate as to the nature of the beasts. They seem to display an almost human-like intelligence and are sophisticated enough to use tools and weapons. However, when battle begins, their claws and fangs come into play. Few are privy to the knowledge that these creatures, the wildkin, truly do exist.
Personality: Wildkin are generally regarded as quite savage creatures. However, they simply see themselves as deeply connected to nature. They follow the laws of the wild for better or worse because they have great respect for the way of things. Their lifespans are shorter than humans, so they are all too aware of their mortality. Most wildkin react to this by enjoying what life has to offer while it lasts or by preparing their whole lives for the afterlife. However, this sort of wisdom comes late in life, as does physical and mental maturity. Before this, wildkin are quite naïve and dependent upon others. Knowing only what nature has taught them, they are often perplexed and curious of the intricacies of civilization. Their childlike innocence and physical appearances usually come across as endearing to most races—if they can look past the claws and fangs.
Physical Description: Wildkin come in a wide variety of subspecies, from lowly rabbits and squirrels to fierce lions. However, they’re all approximately the same size: between 3’0 and 3’8. They are deceptively heavy for their size, weighing from 80 to 200 pounds. Most of this is muscle and additional features (wings, tails, etc.). All wildkin, without exception, are carnivorous and are thusly equipped to rend meat from bone and digest it raw. As comical a sight as it may be to see a rabbit wildkin with long, sharp canines, most wildkin do not give it a second thought. Wildkin eyes and fur come in a wide array of colors, ranging from pure white to pitch black. The coloration usually depends upon the environment in which the wildkin is born and her lineage. Wildkin have wide eyes and small faces, which most races find quite endearing.
Relations: Wildkin are wary of most races. As they are natural recluses, wildkin do not interact very often with other races, and as such, they assume that other races are little more than smart, talking animals. Unfortunately, this outlook has led to a regrettable diplomatic history. Wildkin do not think highly of civilization and its demanding laws, but those with a reverence for nature—or a substitute meal—are well-received by wildkin communes.
Alignment: Wildkin balk at the thought of rules and regulations that fly in the face of the natural order—for example, those irrelevant, restrictive laws against murder spring easily to a wildkin’s mind. Most wildkin value the cruel beauty of nature and cannot submit to highly-lawful societies. However, even the most chaotic of wildkin recognize the validity of nature’s own set of laws and has some sort of ethical code. As such, the struggle between law and chaos is far more difficult for wildkin than the one between good and evil. As for the latter, wildkin as a whole don’t lean either way, but they are equally mistrustful of unnatural acts of charity as well as delight in mindless slaughter.
Lands: Wildkin call the land their home, but they hardly claim to own it. When wildkin communes arise, they are usually well-obscured and deep inside their environment.
Religion: Wildkin are primarily pantheistic, believing that spirits dwell in nearly everything. These spirits are held in great reverence, though most schools of philosophy find loopholes that allow wildkin to hunt with few regrets. Those that worship single deities tend to favor nature deities. It is of note that most wildkin view gods as members of their own tribes, regardless of their generally-assumed race.
Language: Wildkin speak one language that has very slight dialect variations that differ solely by region, never by subspecies. Most outsiders cannot tell the difference, but natural-born wildkin and people who have lived with them for years can tell the difference between a native and an outsider by dialect alone. In spite of the culture of barbarism among wildkin, Kinnish literary history has a surprising richness and depth. Regrettably, the written language appears to the foreigner as lines of scratches on tree bark, so most of it has gone completely unnoticed.
Names: Male wildkin names are usually guttural and bear strong semblance to growls and roars. Female names tend to sound more like hisses and yowls. Child names, however, are variations of pleasant coos, and a child must prove herself worthy of adulthood before gaining an adult name. Most wildkin also possess a tribal name, which usually has a close connection to their current habitat or the physical characteristics they’ve developed to adapt to it.
Adventures: Being painfully aware of their short existence, wildkin adventurers have a strong need for some sort of personal or spiritual fulfillment. Other popular reasons for a wildkin to emerge from concealment are the need to protect some aspect of nature and the desire to improve their societal image. Rarely, a wildkin may face starvation due to scarcity and finds herself in need of new hunting grounds.
TRAITS
+2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom: Wildkin possess a natural magnetism because of their cute appearances, but they are quite naïve and inattentive.
Small: As a Small creature, a wildkin gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
A wildkin’s base land speed is 20 feet.
Darkvision: Wildkin can see in the dark up to 60 ft. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal vision, and wildkin can function just fine with no light at all.
Natural Attacks: Wildkin possess a bite attack (1d4) and two claws (1d3). A wildkin may attack with a weapon or a bite, or she may attack with her natural weapons. The bite attack is considered a secondary weapon.
+2 racial bonus to Balance, Listen, and Spot checks: Wildkin have keen senses; both their ears and tail are used to enhance their sense of balance.
+1 racial bonus to Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks: Wildkin have a natural connection to animals.
Automatic Languages: Kinnish. Bonus Languages: Common, Sylvan, Elvish, Gnomish, Gnoll, Goblin. Smart wilkdin learn the languages of their friends and enemies.
Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass wildkin’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing (see XP for Multiclass Characters, page 60). Wildkin culture emphasizes the often-cruel spirit of natural law.
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