Yagudo

The yagudo are a race of crow-like bipeds inhabiting the continent of Mindartia. Violently devout and ritualistic, the yagudo are a race of religious zealots, their society appearing to be based on a strict religious hierarchy. Yagudo evince little technological development, living instead in austere constructions of wattle-and-daub, as well as cliffside caves. Their most formidable architectural construct is Castle Oztroja, which may be more appropriately considered a temple than a castle, for it exists as a gateway to the location of the current manifestation of their Godhead, Tzee Xicu. There’s also the “the avatar,” who is second to Tzee Xicu. Dialogue refers to the Yagudo Avatar as a king while Tzee Xicu is female and the manifest seems to traditionally be a female (much like their Star Sibyl counterpart).

They use few tools or weapons, except for occasional clubs and swords, and wear no armor, excepting the fact that magic-using classes cover their faces with ceremonial masks. While apparently unconcerned with efforts of conquest, as the orcish race is, the yagudo’s primary conflict with outsiders comes as a response to disputes over the right to occupy the land which they consider to be hereditary and traditionally their own. The yagudo hold a tentative treaty of non-aggression with the tarutaru nation of Windurst, representing the only case of such between a beastman race and a developed nation.

## Standard Racial Traits

* **Ability Score Racial Traits:** Yagudo are fast and observant, but relatively fragile and delicate. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Constitution.
* **Size:** Yagudo are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Type:** Yagudo are Humanoid creatures with the yagudo subtype.
* **Base Speed:** Yagudo have a base speed of 30 feet.
* **Languages:** Yagudo begin play speaking Common and their own dialect of Yagudo. Yagudo with high Intelligence scores can choose any language as a bonus language.

### Defense Racial Traits

* **Feathers of Gale:** Yagudo have thick feathers that coat their body, giving themselves a +1 natural armor bonus.

### Feat and Skill Racial Traits

* **Stalker:** Perception and Stealth are always class skills for yagudo.
* **Valiant Linguist:** Yagudo are very good with talking out their problems, establishing trade and setting up offerings in order to provide a type of peace and learn many different languages in order to keep that peace. They gain a +4 racial bonus on Linguistics checks, and learn 2 languages each time they gain a rank in Linguistics rather than 1 language.
* **Zealot Devotee:** Yagudo being of the religious zealots gain a +2 to all Knowledge (Religion) checks and gain an additional +1 per 5 ranks in the skill.

### Offense Racial Traits

* **Biting Is the Last Resort:** Though yagudo don’t use their beaks for biting an opponent, they will use it if desperate enough to end the combat with their enemy. They all possess a bite natural attack that inflicts 1d4 points of damage on a hit. This is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the yagudo wields a manufactured weapon.
* **Swordtrained:** Yagudo are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with swordlike weapons (limited to scizores, cutlasses, daggers, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and sword canes).

### Senses Racial Traits

* **Low-Light Vision:** Yagudo have built huge buildings in order to practice their arts and be able to raise their young without interference from the outside world. All of their dark buildings are torch-lit and the young have been born to use this dimly-lit hallways and rooms to broaden their eyes distance in dim light.

## Alternate Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.

##### Replaces Valiant Linguist

* **Magical Linguist:** Some gifted yagudo are in-depth with magical teachings of writings and gain a +1 bonus to the DC of spells they cast that have the language-dependent descriptor or that create glyphs, symbols, or other magical writings. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against such spells. Yagudo with a Charisma score of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities (the caster level is equal to the yagudo’s character level): 1/day—*comprehend languages*, *message*, and *read magic*.
* **Stability:** Some yagudo are brought up to know how to fight in their own form of martial arts and receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting bull rush or trip attempts while standing on the ground.

##### Replaces Valiant Linguist and Zealot Devotee

* **Sturdy Feathers:** Some yagudo have spend years training their feathers to become more sturdy for reasons of taking less damage in combat and gain DR 5/cold iron.

## **Racial Archetypes**

The following racial archetypes are available to yagudo:

* Nokizaru (Ninja; Yagudo)
* Swordmaster (Fencer; Yagudo)

## Favored Class Options

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

* **Archer:** Add +1/2 on critical hit confirmation rolls for attacks made with bows or crossbows (maximum bonus of +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus feat.
* **Bard:** Add +1 to the bard’s CMD when resisting a disarm or sunder attempt.
* **Black Mage:** Add one spell known from the black mage spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the black mage can cast.
* **Fencer:** Add +1/6 to the AC bonus of the fencer’s duelist stance.
* **Monk:** Reduce the Hardness of any object made of clay, stone, or metal by 1 whenever the object is struck by the monk’s unarmed strike (minimum of 0).
* **Ninja:** Add a +1 bonus to attack rolls when attacking on or charging from higher ground.
* **Samurai:** Add +1/3 to the samurai’s critical confirmation rolls.
* **Summoner:** The amount of time the summoner must spend to summon his avatar is reduced by 1 round, to a minimum of 1 round.
* **Thief:** Add a +1/2 bonus on Stealth checks and Perception checks made in dim light or darkness.
* **White Mage:** Add a +1/2 bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks relating to the Plane of Air and creatures with the air subtype.