Equitarn

Stoic equine giants violently displaced from their traditional home

Equitarn Heritage Traits

Average Height: 290 – 320cm (9’6″-10’6″)
Average Weight: 680 – 907kg (1,500-2,000 lb.)

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution or Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal

Languages: Common and Bestial
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Athletics

Beast Kin: Your ancestors were amongst the many beast-kin who once ruled Alm. You are considered both a beast and a humanoid for the purpose of effects that relate to creature type.

Pack Mule: When determining your normal load, heavy load, or maximum drag load, you treat your Strength score as 5 points higher.

Stubborn: You gain a +5 bonus to saving throws against effects that daze, stun or dominate.

Rock Solid: You have the rock solid background power.

Rock SolidEquitarn Heritage Power
By stopping still and holding your ground, you become a truly immoveable object.
Encounter
Move Action Personal
Effect: Until the beginning of your next turn, you are immobilised and cannot be pushed, pulled or slid.

Traditional occupants of the Almish grasslands, equitarn are an ancient beast-kin people who resemble humanoid horses. Historically, the equitarn were nomads, who formed small social groups which met and mingled as they traversed the Grasslands. However, they suffered tremendous losses during the War of Empires, which forced many to leave their traditional home and adapt to living in foreign lands.

Although many equitarn were able to return after the war, their displacement and diaspora remain significant cultural scars. Today, many have grown up having little or no knowledge of their traditional home and culture. Nevertheless—wherever they may be—their size and strength makes them popular candidates for any form of manual labour, and certainly for adventuring.

Play an equitarn if you want…

  • to be a massive, unmoveable foe.
  • to act slowly, but decisively.
  • to consider the effects of lingering diaspora.

Physical Qualities

Equitarn are gigantic, barrel-chested humanoids, taller even than jotun and bannyr at their largest. Much like horses, some are naturally thick-limbed and solid, while others are lean and statuesque—even as they tower over most other folk. Sex seems to have little influence on their size or weight.

Equitarn have human-like faces, but with a broad, high bridge to the nose, and an elongated jaw that’s almost—but not quite—a muzzle. They have short, smooth coats that display various equine patterns, and mane-like hair on a scalp that reaches down the neck, even to the shoulders. Their hides and manes come in any colour found among horses, and they typically have yellow, orange or deep brown eyes.

Naturally hardy, equitarn usually opt for simple, sparse clothing that does not hamper movement. They rarely choose to wear armour, but when they do it resembles horse barding—though rare is the equitarn who will willingly serve as a mount. Their fingers and toes are capped with hard keratin not unlike a hoof, so they often go barefoot in any terrain.

Equitarn have somewhat shorter lifespans than humans and grow quickly, becoming full-grown in less than ten years. Though robust, they have low fertility rates; births are typically celebrated, and children cared for eagerly by the entire community.

Playing an Equitarn

The archetypal equitarn is stoic and reserved, wasting few words on emotional matters. They prefer careful reasoning to rash decisions, but once their minds are made up, they are resolute in their choices. Their experience during the war galvanised the cultural importance they place on family and community; wherever they live and whoever they perceive their family to be, an equitarn will likely do anything in their power to keep them safe.

Grasslander equitarn rarely become adventurers for the sake of their own interests, but can frequently be found acting as bodyguards for less hardy creatures. Their traditional culture also values the idea of “long memory”; one should take care to repay debts and answer wrongdoing, for the good of the entire group. Often, dying equitarn pass unsettled scores on to their next-of-kin, a responsibility treated with great solemnity.

For equitarn born in industrialised areas, adventuring is more likely to be a simple career choice; there’s always room in a company for a big, imposing heavy who doesn’t mind carrying an extra pack.

Equitarn are perceived as… Loyal, calm, dependable, stoic, stubborn, cautious, vengeful, patient, placid, momentous.

Example names: Alder, Autumn, Bank, Briar, Bracken, Calyx, Dust, Eve, Maple, Oak, Rust, Smoke, Storm, Teak, Trace, Thorn.

Most equitarn names come from an aspect of nature significant to their birth; a particular type of tree, for example, or the time of year they were born.

Significant Revisions

1.0—Legacy version
  • 17 years ago Update Original version published for D&D 3.5e
2.0—Initial 4e version
  • 13 years ago Update Game mechanics overhauled for 4e. First 4e version published to gamebrief.wikidot.com
  • 6 years ago Update Published to original Skies of Escarnum website.
2.1—Second 4e version
  • 5 years ago Update Moved to current Skies of Escarnum website. Various language changes; no significant rules changes
2.2—Current 4e version
  • 4 years ago Add Major flavour; decoupled equitarn from humans in favour of mor/orcs. Equitarn revised to be a native Almish beastkin people.
  • 4 years ago Add Added "Beast Kin" trait.