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Character Classes & Races | - | - | - | Oriental Adventures |
Hengeyokai are intelligent, shape-changing animals.
Several subraces exist, each a different type of
animal. They are found throughout the Oriental world, usually on the
fringes of human-settled lands.
The ability to change shape is natural to hengeyokai. They are not
lycanthropes and they do not have
any of the symptoms of lycanthropy: they are not limited by cycles
of the moon, are not especially susceptible
to silver weapons, cannot transmit their power through wounds, and
cannot heal their own wounds merely by
changing shape.
A hengeyokai can be a shukenja,
kensai, bushi, or wu jen.
He can never be a samurai or ninja, since he is not human.
A player who decides to have a hengeyokai player
character must have the minimum required scores for
the race before modifications for animal type. Then he must choose
his character's animal form. The traditional
forms are carp, cat, crab, crane, dog, drake, fox, here, monkey, raccoon
dog, rat, and sparrow. Table 11 lists the
alignment restrictions and special abilities of each creature.
Table 11: HENGEYOKAI CREATURES
Creature | Alignment | Damage | AC | Move | Fly | Swim | Modifications |
Badger | <?> | <?> | <?> | <?> | <?> | <?> | <?> |
Carp | Any good | - | 7 | - | - | 12" | +1 WI, -1 ST |
Cat | Any chaotic | 1-3 | 9 | 12" | - | - | +1 DE, -1 WI |
Crab | Any | 1-3 | 8 | 3" | - | 6" | +2 ST, -2 CH |
Crane | Any good | 1-2 | 9 | 6" | 12" | - | +1 WI, -1 DE |
Dog | Any good | 1-6 | 9 | 12" | - | - | +1 CO, -1 IN |
Drake | Any good | - | 7 | 6" | 12" | 9" | +1 CH, -1 DE |
Fox | Any evil | 1-3 | 6 | 15" | - | - | +1 IN, -1 WI |
Hare | Any good | - | 5 | 18" | - | - | +1 WI, -1 ST |
Monkey | Any chaotic | - | 6 | 12" | - | - | +2 DE, -2 WI |
Raccoon dog | Any evil | 1-6 | 9 | 9" | - | - | +2 ST, -2 WI |
Rat | Any evil | 1-3 | 5 | 9" | - | - | +2 CO, -2 CH |
Sparrow | Any good | - | 3 | 3" | 15" | - | +2 CH, -2 CO |
Q: What are the statistics
for a badger
hengeyokai (mentioned on
page 13)?
A: A badger is a
?raccoon dog? in Oriental
parlance. The raccoon dog
is listed on
table 11 (page 12).
(151.58)
The DM can add other creatures to this list if they
are requested by the players. The animals listed are
traditionally associated with hengeyokai.
Alignment requirements for hengeyokai are strict, and apply to the character in all three of his forms.
Damage listings are given for animals with natural weapons (teeth
or claws). Natural weapons can be
used only when the hengeyokai is in animal form, not when the character
is in human or bipedal form.
Armor class (AC) applies only to the animal form, not the bipedal
or human form. It cannot be
augmented by armor or shields.
Move, Fly, and Swim indicate the character's movement rate in
animal form. Some hengeyokai animals
cannot move across land; this is indicated by a dash ("-"). The same
applies to flying and swimming.
Modifications indicates the changes to the character's agility scores
based on the type of creature
chosen. These cannot increase the character's scores above the racial
maximums, but can make them lower than
the minimums.
A hengeyokai can assume any one of three shapes:
its animal form,
its human form, and
a bipedal form that combines both animal and human
features.
This ability is limited, however. The number of times a
hengeyokai can change forms in one day equals his level. Thus
a 1st-level hengeyokai can change from human
to animal form once in a day. He then has to remain in animal form
until the next day, when he can change to
human or bipedal form. A 3rd-level hengeyokai can change form three
times in one day.
Changing form requires one complete round during which the character
can do nothing else. Armor and
equipment do not change form along with the hengeyokai. The character
must make provisions for the storage
or transportation of his equipment In some way.
In each form, the hengeyokai has certain advantages and disadvantages.
In all cases, however, the character's
level and ability scores are unchanged. In addition, a hengeyokai can
speak the language of hengeyokai in all
forms.
Animal Form: When in animal form the hengeyokai is virtually
undetectable from normal animals.
Since the change of form is real and not an illusion, it cannot be
detected by spells that reveal illusions. While in
animal form, hengeyokai have the movement abilities, armor class, and
damage range shown on Table 11:
Hengeyokai Creatures.
Hengeyokai also gain infravision and the power to speak with normal
animals when in their animal
form. Infravision has a range of 120 feet. Conversations with normal
animals are usually quite simple and basic,
depending on the level of cunning and wit possessed by the animal.
Hengeyokai also have several disadvantages while in animal form. They
cannot use any weapons, armor, or
equipment, making it possible for them to be mistaken for (and even
hunted as) normal animals. Hengeyokai
with magical abilities cannot cast any spells in animal form, nor can
they speak any languages other than those
of the hengeyokai and the normal animals. They can understand any language
they know, but may not be able
to reply.
The hengeyokai has fewer hit points in his animal form than in either
of his other forms. Hengeyokai in
animal form have only one-half their normal number of hit points (rounded
up). Hit points lost in one form are
carried over point-for-point to the new form. Thus a hengeyokai with
23 hit points in human form has only 12
hit points in animal form. If the character is wounded and loses 8
hit points, he has 15 hit points remaining
when in human or bipedal form, but only 4 in animal form. A hengeyokai
cannot change to animal form if this
would leave him with 0 or fewer hit points.
When a hengeyokai character reaches 0 hit points in any form, he is
slain. A hengeyokai in animal form
with 0 hit points left does not instantly change to one of his other
forms. He is dead.
Bipedal Form: In this form the hengeyokai appears as a humanoid
animal. He stands on his hind legs
(or whatever) to the height of a normal man. The front paws (or wings,
or fins) change into hands, capable of
gripping and using normal equipment. The rest of the body retains the
general shape and appearance of the
animal, including fur, feathers, wings, tail, and other characteristic
features.
While in bipedal form, the hengeyokai has several advantages. He can
speak any language he knows,
including human and animal languages; he has infravision with a range
of 120 feet; he can use any weapons,
armor, and equipment normally available to his class; and he has his
full number of hit points.
Bipedal form also has several disadvantages. The hengeyokai cannot use
the special movement abilities
of its animal form (a bipedal carp cannot swim like a carp, but must
use the normal swimming rules; a bipedal
sparrow cannot use its wings to fly). The hengeyokai's bipedal movement
rate is 12 ". The bipedal hengeyokai
is also easily identified for what it really is.
Human Form: When in human form,
a hengeyokai looks like a normal human being. However, he
always retains some distinctive feature of his animal form. A raccoon
dog hengeyokai may have a silver stripe
through his hair. A sparrow hengeyokai may have an unusually sharp
nose. The choice of the exact identifying
feature is left to the player and the DM.
Human form grants certain advantages to the hengeyokai. Obviously, he
can pose as a human being.
Like his animal form, this form is not an illusion and cannot be detected
by spells that reveal illusions. He can
use all weapons, armor, equipment, and spells normally available to
his class. He has his full number of hit
points.
The following disadvantages also apply: the hengeyokai has no infravision;
he loses all special
movement abilities, moving at the standard human movement rate (12";
he cannot speak to animals, although
he can still understand their speech.
Hengeyokai have their own language, which is the same for all hengeyokai
regardless of their animal
type. They can speak this language in all of their three forms. In
addition, hengeyokai can converse with normal
animals and speak the trade language of humans. As noted earlier, however,
both of these powers depend on the
hengeyokai's current form.
Most hengeyokai are chaotic, although player character hengeyokai can
be lawful or neutral. Various
animal types must be good or evil, as noted on Table 11. The alignment
tendencies of the various animals are
well known by humans, who will treat hengeyokai accordingly. A badger
hengeyokai, for example, will be
shunned by humans because they know it is evil.
Unlike the other races (including humans), hengeyokai are not members
of a clan and do not gain the
benefits (or suffer the penalties) of clan kinship. In general, the
hengeyokai are a secretive race, preferring to
avoid prolonged contact with humans.
They have little desire for land or position and can never establish
families or strongholds even if their chosen class allows this.
Hengeyokai of good alignment, however, can become protectors of a humanfamily
or village upon
reaching the level where other members of their class could begin establishing
families or strongholds. As
protectors, they are expected to defend the land from outsiders and
see to the general well-being of the
inhabitants. In return, they receive offerings of food, gifts, and
service from those they protect. These offerings
are sufficient to cover the needs of the hengeyokai character.
RACCOON BITCH
<Shang-Ti should be allowed to have Sparrow Hengeyokai Shukenja,
in theory>
<Chung Kuel should be allowed to have Fox Hengeyokai Shukenja, in
theory>
<if so, makes notes in the DDG>
S12 (Bushi & kensai can have exceptional scores in Strength)
D9
C12
I12
W12
CH12/17
-1 Comeliness
CLASSES: Shukenja 8, Kensai 6, Bushi U, Wu Jen 9.
* animal form (use Damage, AC, Move/Fly/Swim in Table 11 : 1/2 HP in
animal form)
* infravision 120' in animal form
* speak with animals in animal form
* bipedal form
* human form
<finish above>
<below is for halfling: use this template for the 3 OA races>
ABILITY SCORE MODIFIERS:
RACIAL LIMITATIONS:
STRENGTH: 6/17
INTELLIGENCE: 6/18
WISDOM: 3/17
DEXTERITY: 8/19
CONSTITUTION: 10/18
CHARISMA: 3/18
RACISM, Hairfoot (HH): Neutral (duergar, svirfneblin, half-orcs), Tolerant
(AG: -5%: hill dwarves, mountain dwarves, gray elves, high elves, valley
elves, wild elves, wood elves, surface gnomes, half-elves, humans), Antipathy
(L: -5%, AG: -10%: drow), Preferred (L: +20%, AG: +15%: all halflings).
RACISM, Stout (HS):
RACISM, Tallfellow (HT):
STARTING AGE: Druid (40+3d4), Fighter (20+3d4), Thief (40+2d4)
AGE CATEGORIES: Young adult (23-33), Mature (34-68), Middle-aged (69-101),
Old (102-144), Venerable (145-199)
RACIAL TENDENCIES:
HEIGHT, M: 36. 01-10 (-d3), 11-90 (d100, 01-30 = -d3(/2), 31-70 = 0,
71-00 = +d3(/2)), 91-00 (+d6).
HEIGHT, F: 33. 01-10 (-d3), 11-90 (d100, 01-30 = -d3(/2), 31-70 = 0,
71-00 = +d3(/2)), 91-00 (+d3).
WEIGHT, M: 60. 01-10 (-2d4), 11-50 (d100, 01-30 = -d4, 31-70 = 0, 71-00
= +d4), 51-00 (+2d6).
WEIGHT, F: 50. 01-10 (-2d4), 11-50 (d100, 01-30 = -d4, 31-70 = 0, 71-00
= +d4), 51-00 (+2d4).
NPC ABILITY SCORE MODIFIERS: