Common Races of Zhao-Tian

The mysterious lands of Zhao-Tian are filled with many peoples and cultures, the most prolific and influential of which are listed below. The following races are the most common people to run into throughout the Lands of Mists.

For information on the more unusual or uncommon races found in Zhao-Tian, **check here.**

## **Common Races**

### **Hanyo**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity at 15 years old; average lifespan of ~180 years.
* **Homeland:** Human lands; primarily the Forsaken Lands
* **Language:** Abyssal

Throughout Zhao-Tian, the oni are known as violent creatures with great strength and inherent, vile magic that roam the shadows and haunted places of those lands. The Hanyo are the offspring of a human/oni pairing.

The Hanyo enjoy strong drink, food, dancing and music, particularly the music of the shamisen. The hanyo are mostly carnivorous and have voracious appetites, and those of neutral or evil alignments don't shy away from consuming the bodies of the foes they fell in battle. They also tend to strongly value honey and saki.

They tend to be loners, especially avoiding others of their kind. Pride, respect, and courage are traits they prize the most. Their demonic natures are often on the surface, and they love a good bloodbath, with many becoming professional bodyguards, mercenaries, and bounty hunters in order to find an honest way to satiate their lust for combat.

#### **Hanyo Attributes**

* +2 STR, -2 WIS
* Medium size; base landspeed 30 ft.
* **Type:** Humanoid (Giant)
* **Boulder Hurling:** You gain *Rock Hurling* as a bonus feat; you can hurl rocks weighing 40 to 50 pounds (small object) with a range increment of 15 feet. The rocks deal 2d6 points of damage plus your Strength modifier. Rocks have a maximum range of three range increment.
* **Darkvision -** 60 ft
* **Menacing:** +2 Intimidate
* **Powerful Build:** Count as one size higher for purposes of weapon sizing and carrying capacity.
* **Stubborn:** Boarkin gain a +4 bonus on saving throws to avoid being frightened.

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### **Hengeyokai**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity at 14 years; Average lifespan of ~200 years
* **Homeland:** Human Lands
* **Language:** Hengeyokai

An incredibly varied species of shapeshifters believed to be descended from humans and shapeshifting animal spirits, or fey versions of primal animals. Other scholars believe them to be the descendants of *Awakened* animals infused with magic, while others still believe them to be the result of ancient magical experiments.

Whatever the truth, it cannot be denied that hengeyokai are among the most versatile, and the most enigmatic, of the people of Zhao-Tian. They have two distinct forms--the first appears more or less human and the other is an animal. They are known for being very intelligent, and can freely shift between their two forms. They are typically found on the fringes of human lands, where they can mingle in human form and retreat into solitude when they are done.

In animal form, they are almost indistinguishable from normal animals, except through magic. Naturally, their behavior often provides proof of their intelligence, so careful observation can reveal they are not what they appear to be.

Hengeyokai usually live near human lands, with some even assuming a protector role over a nearby community, or sometimes a single family. Humans have many superstitions about hengeyokai, and they are often driven from these communities should the people discover the truth about them. They are often spiritual beings that value freedom and self-determination above all else, both themselves and those they befriend. They generally don't stay in one place for too long, giving into their impulses and exploring the world, either alone or in small groups. This urge can take them all over Zhao-Tian...and, sometimes, beyond its shores.

#### **Hengeyokai Attributes**

* -2 Wisdom. Hengeyokai gain additional bonuses depending on their specific animal form. For more information on these creature forms, **see this page.**
* Medium size; base landspeed 30 feet.
* **Type:** Humanoid (Shapeshifter)
	+ Vulnerability to Silver.
* **Animal Form:** Hengeyokai can change shape, assuming one of two possible forms. This supernatural ability functions like the *Polymorph Other* spell, but they can change form a number of times per day equal to HD+1. Changing form is a full-round action that does provoke an attack of opportunity.
	+ A hengeyokai's animal form is a normal animal of Small or smaller size. Possible animal forms include badger, carp, cat, crab, crane, dog, fox, hare, monkey, raccoon dog, rat, sparrow, and weasel. Equipment they are wearing or carrying transforms to become a part of the animal form, and magic items cease functioning while in animal form. In animal form, they have all of the senses, movement speeds, and abilities of the animal, as well as the supernatural ability to communicate with other animals of its kind.
	+ In animal form, a hengeyokai is effectively disguised, gaining a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to pass themselves off as being regular animals.

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### **Human**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity 15 years; average lifespan of ~80 years
* **Homeland:** Most of Zhao-Tian; notably Misuko and the Forsaken Lands.
* **Language:** Zhao

The Zhao people are native to the continent of Zhao-Tian and the island that surround it, located far from **Dharrenal** or **Eleroth**. Their culture is currently undergoing a period of great prosperity, which is exemplified in ornately decorated architecture, colorful dress, and spicy, aromatic food.

They are the most numerous of Zhao-Tian's people, and run the gamut in terms of religion, philosophy, and outlook. Human culture places a great emphasis on honor and loyalty, and appearances and manners are very important.

#### **Human Attributes**

* +2 to one ability score of their choice.
* Medium size; base landspeed 30 ft.
* **Type:** Humanoid (Human)
* 1 skill point at 1st level; +1 skill point for every level thereafter.
* 1 bonus feat at 1st level.

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### **Nopon**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity at ~10 years; average lifespan of ~150 years.
* **Homeland:** Misuko, the Forsaken Lands
* **Language:** N/A

The nopon are an unusual race whose origins are a mystery. Their lifestyle is laid back and easy going. They try to live alongside nature, although some suggest dire consequences should this ever change. Nopon are skilled salesmen, and their entire lifestyle seems to consist of trying to get the best deal for their goods. This laid-back lifestyle and wish to avoid strife means few Nopon ever go adventuring, preferring to stay in their comfortable shops.

Physically, they vary slightly from one individual to the next, but they all appear to be small, round, egg-shaped creatures. They sport small faces and have six limbs; a pair of stubby arms and stubby legs, and a pair of long, winglike ears. They also have very tiny fangs.

A noticeable aspect of the nopon is their unusual speech pattern: they speak with very short distances and tend to speak in the third person, and sometimes will even repeat phrases. A common exclamation is "kupo", though the word is also sometimes used affectionately. They claim to have picked this up from humans after studying the Trade Tongue for awhile.

#### **Nopon Attributes**

* +2 CON, +2 CHA, -2 INT; they are surprisingly hardy but not particularly bright.
* Small size (+1 AC & attack rolls vs. Medium; +4 Hide, -4 penalty to Grapple; carrying capacity is 3/4 that of a Medium creature)
* Base landspeed 20 feet.
* **Ears:** Your ears act as wings of a sort. They are not powerful enough to raise you aloft, but they are strong enough to slow your fall. You are under a constant *Feather Fall* effect. You take no falling damage and usually land on your feet (usually with a small bounce).
* **Lucky:** A Nopon has a +1 bonus to each of their saving throws.
* **Play Dead:** A Nopon can cast the *Feign Death* spell as a spell-like ability once per day. You may end the spell at any time as a reaction or action, and you are fully aware of what is going on around you. Otherwise, it functions as described.

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### **Pandaren**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity at 13; average lifespan of ~65 years.
* **Homeland:** The Endless Plains
* **Language:** Grizza (also called "Bear")

The pandarens are a race of beastfolk that dwell in barren wilderness areas where they seldom come into contact with humans. Pandarens have a great love of nature and strong ales. They live in simple mountain villages, tending small farms in seclusion. They typically avoid any contact or involvement in the affairs of the world outside their farms, but occasional individuals, driven by wanderlust or inspired by some contact with human civilization, find their way into human lands.

Pandarens embody the idea of living in the moment. They embrace life with gusto and does everything with vigor, focus, and intensity. Every meal is an event. Every moment with the family is cherished. Every project or work of art demands their full attention. They work hard, play hard, fight like animals, love with all their soul, tell impossibly tall tales, drink like the world is ending, and sleep like the dead. On the whole, they are slow to anger and prefer measured solutions to problems. But underneath all of that practiced civility, there is still a bear to contend with.

Humans often look down on Pandarens and stereotype them as being rude, belligerent, boastful, and somewhat comical. Pandarens resent this reputation, but generally do little to disprove it. That aside, they have simple tastes, enjoying community life in their small villages, telling wildly fanciful stories around large bonfires, creating simple arts, and collecting treasures. They consider it poor taste to display wealth, and usually carry only a few coins on their person.

Pandarens tend to look wild and unkempt, favoring simple clothing, which is often loose, oversized, and wrinkled (but clean). What may surprise those who encounter the pandaren most, however, is their unabashed love for beer. Most religious and meditative people in Zhao-Tian consider alcohol a thing for the masses, whose properties cloud the mind and block the contemplation of the gods. The pandaren find this notion hilarious. The ideal day for a pandaren begins and ends with a good drink and the company of good friends.

Most other races find pandaren primitive and inferior, and rarely embrace them as equals. In return, they tend to become insular and don't usually seek interaction with outsiders. They have a longstanding hatred of the hobgoblin raiders who plague the Endless Plains.

#### **Pandaren Attributes**

* +2 CON, +2 WIS, -2 CHA

* Medium size; base landspeed 20 ft.
* **Type:** Humanoid (Beastfolk)
* **Acclimated:** Pandaren are naturally acclimated to the environments of high mountains and do not suffer ill effects from such environs.
* **Artistry:** Pandaren are natural artists in their way, gaining a +2 bonus to Craft (Brewing), Craft (Cooking), Craft (Weaving), or Craft (Woodwork).
* **Hardy:** +2 on saves vs. poison.
* **Powerful Paws:** All Pandaren have *Improved Unarmed Strike* as a bonus feat. Their damage can be bludgeoning or slashing damage.
* **Resilient Minds:** Pandaren gain a +2 bonus to saves vs. Enchantment spells.

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### **Rock-Man**

* **Lifespan:** Rock-Men do not age naturally, though their bodies and minds slowly decay, though it could take centuries to become completely inert.
* **Homeland:** The Forsaken Lands
* **Language:** N/A

Built as mindless machines to fight against the Legion of Shadows, the Rock-Men developed sentience as a side effect of the arcane experiments that sought to make them the ultimate weapons of destruction. With each successive model that emerged from the Creation Forge. They continued to evolve until they become a new kind of creature--living constructs.

Rock-Men are renowned for their combat prowess, their size, and their single-minded focus. They make steadfast allies and fearsome enemies. Earlier Rock-Man models are true constructs; some of these remnants of the Shadow War appear in monstrous varieties, such as the Rock Titan.

The Rock-Men were made to fight the unspeakable Legion of Shadow, and they continue to fulfill their purpose with distinction. They fight fiercely and usually without remorse, displaying adaptability impossible for mindless constructs. Now that the war has ended, and the Creation Forge lost or destroyed in the Shadowlands, and the Rock-Men seek to adapt to life. Some have settled into new roles as artists or laborers, while others wander as adventurers or even continue fighting the Shadow War despite the return of relative peace.

They appear as massive humanoids molded from a composite of materials--obsidian, iron, stone, and organic materials--though they move with surprising grace and flexibility. They have no physical distinction of gender; all of them have a basically muscular, sexless body shape, and they seem relatively unconcerned with such distinctions.

As the Rock-Men strive to find a place in society for themselves, they simultaneously struggle to find ways to relate to the races that created them. In general, the humanoid races of Zhao-Tian regard the Rock-Men as an unpleasant reminder of the brutality of the Shadow War and avoid dealing with them when possible. They have found more acceptance in the Forsaken Lands, however, where they can prove their own worth as individuals.

In terms of alignment, the Rock-Men are generally neutral. They were built to fight, not to wonder whether fighting is right. They are perfectly capable of independent thought and moral speculation, but many choose not to wrestle with such idea, though this is becoming increasingly common.

#### **Rock-Man Attributes**

* +4 CON, -2 WIS, -2 CHA; Rock-Men are resilient and powerful, but their difficulty in relating to other creatures makes them seem aloof, or even hostile.
* Medium size; base landspeed in 30 ft.
* **Type:** Living Construct (Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, sickened, and energy drain effects. Can be targeted by spells that target living creatures. They can be healed with either *Cure Wounds* spells or *Repair Damage* spells, though cure wounds spells only heal for half effect. Vulnerable to *Sonic* damage.)
	+ At 0 HP, it is disabled, just like a living creature, but they can take a single action every turn without losing more HP. When below 0 but above -10 HP, it is inert. He is unconscious and helpless, and cannot perform any actions. However, they do not lose additional hit points every round, unless additional damage is dealt to them.)
	+ They don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but can still benefit from consumable spells and magic items.
	+ Rock-Men still need to rest for 4 hours every day.
	+ A Rock-Man cannot be resurrected.
* **Minor Fortification:** When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a Rock-Man, there is a 10% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally.
* **Rocky Body:** The stone used to build a Rock-Man provides a +2 armor bonus. This plating does not stack with other effects that grant an armor bonus (other than natural armor). A Rock-Man's stony body can be enchanted just like a suit of armor.
* **Slam Attack:** A Rock-Man has a natural weapon in the form of a slam attack that deals 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage.

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### **Spirit Folk**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity at 20 years; average lifespan of ~200 years.
* **Homeland:** Wilderness Areas
* **Language:** Sylvan, Spirit Tongue

Spirit Folk are the feylike descendants of elves and various spirits of nature. Spirit Folk have two distinct types--bamboo and river spirit folk. All tie very strongly to the natural world as well as to the society of humans. Spirit folk are rarely seen outside of Zhao-Tian.

They tend to be serene and calm, attuned to their surroundings and at peace with the world. Their spirit ancestry gives them an awareness of the spirit world, and they show little desire to manipulate that world through magic. They manifest a love and enjoyment of life that most humans can only envy.

Spirit Folk appear to be elves with Zhao features, with pale complexions. Like all elves, they have no facial or body hair, but the hair on their heads is thick and luxurious.

The spirit folk typically live apart from human society, though they are seen as graceful and wise, and often viewed with respect and trust by humans who live nearby. Spirit folk feel at home in the natural world, and rarely ever feel at home in cities or urban environments. They often get along well with hengeyokai, and they may have friends and allies among other spirit races, as well.

#### **Spirit Folk Attributes**

The following abilities are common to all subraces of spirit folk.

* +2 Dex, +Wis, -2 Con
* Medium size; base landspeed 30 ft.
* Low-Light Vision
* **Type:** Humanoid (Elf, Spirit)
* **Keen Senses:** +2 Perception

#### **River Spirit Folk**

* **Aquatic Magic Resistance:** River Spirit Folk gain a +2 bonus on saves against spells and spell-like effects with the word "water" in the name of the effect, spells of the water element, and any other spell connected to ice and water.
* **Fast** **Swimmer:** Swim speed of 30 feet They gain a +8 bonus to Swim checks made to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. They can use the Run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line.
* **Water Breathing:** River Spirit Folk can breathe water as easily as they breathe air.

#### **Woodland Spirit Folk**

* **Beastfriend:** Once per day, a Woodland Spirit Folk can use *Speak with Animals* to speak with any animal. This ability is innate to Woodland Spirit Folk, and has a duration of 1 minute per two HD.
* **Natural Magic Resistance:** +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects with the words "earth", "rock", "stone", or "wood" in the name of the effect, and any spell of the Earth or Plant subtype.
* **Trackless Step:** Woodland Spirit Folk leave no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.
* **Wilderness Spirits:** +2 Survival and Knowledge (Nature); +4 bonus to Hide checks in a forested region.

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### **Vanara**

* **Lifespan:** Maturity at 12 years old; average lifespan of ~60 years.
* **Homeland:** Hwanggot, the Forsaken Lands; the Cloudcrown Mountains
* **Language:**

Vanara are a race of monkeylike humanoids, possessing brave hearts and inquisitive minds. They are often viewed with amusement or even exasperation by other races, who find their personalities childish and irritating. They are curious to the extreme, frequently badgering people with questions (sometimes very personal questions), picking up small items to examine them, opening doors to see where they lead, and generally exploring places where the human sense of propriety would demand they not go.

They also tend to be bluntly honest, never couching a negative opinion in gentle terms or hiding their true feelings about anything. At the same time, they are incredibly loyal, quite brave when the situation calls for it. They are a genuinely kind and generous people.

They tend to stand slightly shorter than humans with lithe frames. They have long, semi-prehensile tails, and extremely flexible bodies.

The Vanara are very fond of humans, admiring them and respecting their power while laughing quietly at their conservative stodginess. They get along well with other good-aligned folk, as long as they will tolerate the vanara. They loathe evil, and their opinion of an entire race can be soured by their experience with one wicked individual. They tend to be strongly chaotic and are usually good.

They dwell in deep forests and high mountains, building their villages and towns in such a way as to make a minimal impact on their natural surroundings. They gather in loose clans, but do not keep track of kinship at all, so "clan" is a very loose term for their associations. They subsist largely by hunting and gathering, rather than farming the land.

They revere the Wildmother and the Dawnfather most of all; they dwell in the wilderness, after all, and the Wildmother was the deity who created their race. But they also highly respect the lord of the sun, for the warmth and light it provides. Their relationship with the Dawnfather is usually one of paternal respect, but their relationship with the Wildmother is typically much more personal.

#### **Vanara Attributes**

* +2 DEX, +2 CHA, -2 STR; Vanara are clever and agile, but their build detracts from their physical strength.
* Medium size; base landspeed 35 feet. They also have a Climb speed of 20 feet. They gain a +8 bonus to Climb checks made to perform special actions or avoid obstacles.
* **Type:** Humanoid (Beastfolk)
* **Acrobatic:** +4 bonus to Acrobatics checks; they are agile and athletic, climbing, leaping, and swinging in trees. You gain the *Brachiation* feat as a bonus feat.
* **Stealthy:** +2 bonus on Stealth checks. Though they enjoy making noise, vanara can be very stealthy when the situation demands it.

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