Basic History
The Yeti are a nomadic race that calls the mountains and its caves home. They are a very proud yet secluded and isolated race who for many centuries people assumed were a myth until during the end of the Great Magic War when a tribe of Yeti helped a group of humans who were looking to escape the coming apocalypse high in the Crystal Mountains. Though noble and very serious, they take insults as a sign of war and aggression, and with some tribes they have been at war for so long that they have forgotten why. The Yeti value strength and courage and though they are technically nomadic, it is within the confines of the mountains and highlands.
The Yeti are all of the clan, for the clan with the mentality and mindset that best fits their clan. The clans of the Yeti over time have become identified as Mountain Sentinel Clans and Cave Ravager Clans.
The Mountain Sentinel Clans
These are the clans that lean more towards duty and sacred guardianship. They see themselves as protectors of the mountain and will aide those that need help.
The Cave Ravager Clans
These are the violent war-like clans that are more at home in the deep caves of the mountains than its snow-covered peaks. Their caves and the mountain is their castle and they are its warriors.
Positives & Negatives
Yeti are a strong and rugged race. They have impressive strength and can easily hold their own in a fight. They are natural mountain climbers and have a good tolerance to the cold. They also natural armor, their thick hair. However they are very quick to anger. They also have no concern for politeness and tact which often puts them at odds with other races.
Yetis belonging to a Mountain Sentinel clan will have increased defensive traits and no mountain terrain movement penalties while those belonging to a Cave Ravagers clan will have increased offensive power and strength and low-light vision.
Yeti are not as mentally strong as other races and therefore are best suited to being a warrior or guard instead of a spell caster or thief.
Racial Skills & Talents
Yeti start with the following skills:
| Skill | Stat Cost | Range & Area | Duration | Check Roll | Effects | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Bashing Proficiency | N/A | self | 1d6 rounds | Normal Critical |
Decrease target's evade by 1 and increase bashing damage by 1. |
Must equip a bashing weapon. |
| Carry | 1 Power | self | 1 hour | Normal Athletics |
Increase weight limit by 50% for 1 hour. |
N/A |
| Cliff Leaping | 2 Power | self | instant | Normal Athletics |
The yeti can jump their full movement rate vertically or horizontally, ignoring difficult terrain or hazards in between. |
be a yeti |
| Cry of the Mountain | 1 Power | any in a 4x4 space area | instant | Easy Intimidate |
Skill that lets the yeti let out a loud roar which unnerves the affected targets, causing them to need to make a normal mental balance -2 check to attack or use any skills or spells against the yeti. The unnerving effect lasts for 2 rounds. |
N/A |
| Grip of the Mountain | 2 Power | any 1 target within 1 space | 1d4 rounds | Normal Grip -2 |
The yeti can grab hold of the target. While held the target will take 1d6 +1 crushing damage straight to vitality. The target can attempt to make a hard acrobatics check to wiggle free from the grip. Otherwise the target is stuck and unable to act until the duration is over or the yeti lets go, whichever comes first. |
be a yeti |
They also have the following talents:
| Talent | Effects | Requirements | Handicap Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Light Vision |
You are used to working and living in areas of limited light, so while they can't fully see in the dark, they can see better than most. Your eyes quickly pick up the slightest light sources allowing them to make out basic details in shades of gray. |
be of a cave dwelling race (dwarf, cave ravager yeti, goblin) |
N/A |
| Ravager's Grudge |
You gain a bonus of 1d10 to Offensive Power whenever fighting anyone or anything that is inscribed on one of your stone tablets. |
Must be of a Cave Ravagers yeti clan |
Eternal Debt: You cannot refuse a challenge from someone who holds a grievance against you and will take 50% more damage from that attacker if they are of a Cave Ravager tribe. |
| Sentinel's Resolve |
You are immune to dazed and stun conditions. |
must be of a Mountain Sentinel yeti clan |
Pyrophobia: You must make a Normal Mental Balance Check -3 whenever you are within 10 feet of fire or you will flee double your movement rate away from the area. If you cannot flee you will pass out from fear for 1d6 rounds or 10 minutes outside of battle. |
| Skin of the Mountain |
If you are unarmored you can use your defense trait stat as physical armor and spirit trait stat as magical armor. |
be a yeti |
Magically Challenged: It isn't that the yeti can't use magic, some yeti shamans do. It is that they struggle to use magic, it comes harder for them. They have a -2 to all arcana checks for spell casting. |
| The Barbarian |
Your character is a natural barbarian. As such you are not keen on using wimpy projectile weapons or flashy spells. Give the barbarian an axe or a hammer any day. Due to this ability, your character will increase their damage power with chopping or bashing weapons by an extra 1d4. |
This talent only works with chopping or bashing weapons. |
Your character's damage power with other weapons that are not chopping or bashing is decreased by 1d4. |
| Tough Skin |
This talent permanently reduces all damage done to Vitality. It does so by giving you a +5 to Armor Defense, +2 to Armor Spirit and +2 to Defense and Spirit traits. The defense given will reduce any felt physical damage, and the spirit will reduce any felt magical damage. This would be a reduction of any damage that would actually be felt by Vitality, after any absorption or blocking done by armor. This does not protect against damaging status effects, such as poisons or burns. This does protect against piercing attacks. |
N/A |
Having such thick skin makes your character less agile, giving you a penalty of -2 to Acrobatics. |
Special Item Bonus
Yetis are given an item to carry with them depending upon the type of clan they are from.
Mountain Sentinels: Yeti from these clans are given a well crafted shield that is made from the ores of the mountain and decorated with a sigil depicting their clan. The player can work with the GM to create this shield, its stats will be that of a Kite Shield.
Cave Ravagers: Yeti from these clans are given a set of stone tablets and a battle-axe made from the ores found in the mountain caves. It will have similar stats to that of a battle axe.
Lifespan
Yeti have two cycles in their extremely short life span. The first stage, which last from birth until 9 is their childhood. During this stage they are completely dependent upon their clan, as the entire yeti clan helps out with the children. They will learn skills needed for survival in this stage, as well learn what it means to be a yeti.
The second stage, which last from 10 until their death, is their adulthood. They still usually stay part of the clan, unless it is decidedly better for them to go off on their own. Yeti do not marry and may take on multiple mates, but all mates must come from a different clan. Death is met with open arms as yeti long to be with their ancestors.
Appearance
All yeti are generally tall, large, rarely fat. Yeti have thick hair that covers their entire body except their face and the palms of their hands and soles of their feet. They have a uni-brow over their eyes. Their hair color is typically white however brown, black, and red are likely colors for those within Cave Ravager clans.
Living Habitat
Yeti dwell within the mountains and high plains of Nor'Ova, and are considered nomadic, but that only means that they will change mountain or caves, but they often stay within the same mountain region. It is very common for yeti clans to eventually make it back to a previous location where they once spent a season, and these events are often celebrated as they were fortunate to have lived long enough to return to a previous home. It is rare to see a yeti traveling outside of their mountain homeland, when this occurs it is either for the betterment of their clan, their clan needs help, or the particular yeti was (or maybe still is) a captured slave.
Food & Sleeping Requirements
Yeti will eat anything they can find or catch, and require at least 2 meals a day. They must sleep a full night’s cycle every night or suffer from fatigue.
Culture
The culture of the yeti varies from clan to clan, however they often fall under a clan-type, be it a Mountain Sentinel clan or Cave Ravagers clan.
Mountain Sentinels abhor fire and see fire as both destructive and those that use it as weak. They embrace the bitter cold and their resolve is as strong as the mountain. They believe in defending the sacred peaks and all who honor the mountain are welcome to their clan. They will defend the weak and punish the wicked.
Cave Ravagers on the other hand value fire, seeing it as a great weapon used in the service of the mountain. They do not scale as high up the peaks as the mountain sentinels do, but they are just as fierce and couragous. They carry the anger of the mountain and will crush any who threaten the mountain or the clan. These are the yeti who never let go of the need for justice or revenge. Whenever they are wronged they will make a stone tablet with the wrong doing and the one who did it, and they will hunt that person until either that person or their decedents finally meet justice or make amends. Upon doing so the stone tablet is shattered. It is common to see a cave ravager yeti carrying many stone tablets.
All yeti are polytheists. They believe every rock, tree, even every snow flake carries a spirit and a god that crafted it. They have no family surnames but instead what would be their surname is the name of their clan. They have no direct father or mother for the clan is their father or mother and the clans young belongs to the clan as a whole.
Yeti don't relate to other races as other races. Instead they relate on an individual basis. If the other person has wronged them, a friend of theirs, or their family, that other person and his immediate family becomes the yeti's enemy. If another person is respectful and helps the yeti, the yeti's friends, or clan, then that person and his immediate family is considered a friend to the yeti. Otherwise the yeti is indifferent towards others.