Nubling

Description

Resembling a human child with a covering of dense, golden hair, these creatures appear almost irresistibly cute. They have thick, awkward limbs that end in heavy digits. The large eyes are a beautiful, solid hue, and the diamond-shaped ears project up to near the top of the scalp.

Nublings are a short, compact race of humanoids that resemble cute and somewhat stocky human youngsters, roughly three feet in height. They have a dense coat of curly, banded-golden hair; amber or deep-emerald cat-like eyes; heavy limbs; and large, four-digit extremities. The head is very human in appearance, although the eyes and diamond-shaped ears are larger than would be expected.

Most nublings encountered outside their communities are warriors.

Combat

For weaponry, tribal warriors favor the light crossbow, slings, circlet mace, or a light lance. Their nimble fingers can manufacture a very fine studded leather armor and they usually carry a round shield bearing a symbol of interlocking circles. Mounted patrols are usually seen ranging well in advance of approaching nubling tribal columns, searching out potential threats or trade opportunities. The close link between nublings and their mounts make them effective cavalry, despite their diminutive size.

Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid's wild empathy class feature, except that the nubling has a +4 racial bonus on the check with domestic animals.

Empathic Link (Su): If a nubling has a Charisma of 12 or greater, he can forge a mental bond with his mount. This power works like the sorcerer's empathic link with his familiar, except the range is equal to the nubling's Charisma modifier in miles. It requires a full month of steady contact with a trained mount to form this link, and once forged the link can not be broken or replaced until either the nubling or his mount are slain.

Skills: Nublings have a +2 racial bonus on Appraise and Craft checks that are related to wood or plant products. Due to their fur covering, they gain a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks in areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth. (*This bonus is not factored into the statistics above.)

Nubling Society

The tribes of nublings constantly travel the rolling central plains in small wooden wagons. These compact vehicles are the products of generations of nubling craftsmen who have mastered every detail of wagon building. Bleached animal hides, cunningly sewn together and dyed to provide camouflage, cover the wooden sides. The hides also serve as water carriers, providing fire protection when punctured. When attacked, the wagons can be circled to form a nearly impregnable laager, and the nublings can move around inside the ring through the sealed wagon tunnel to pick off their foe from arrow slits.

The wagons are towed by mastallions, a special hybrid of mastiff and small plains horse. (Treat as a war-trained riding dog.) A mastallion stands as tall at the shoulder as the largest nubling, and is more than strong enough to serve as a mount. In addition to being reasonably intelligent, the mastallion share a special bond with their nubling masters.

Each year the nublings migrate between the alpine grasslands and the warmer southern lowlands. They bring along their goats and other domesticated animals to provide food, clothing, and other useful items. The nublings are also master traders, carrying all sorts of scarce goods across the dangerous plains.

The spiritual beliefs of the nublings are based on the ring, representing the circle of life, the seasons, and the ebb and flow of daily events. The traditional greeting of the tribes has all concerned locking hands to form a circle, then exchange words of greeting, friendship, and good fortune.

The shamanistic magic of the nublings is based on the circle, as represented by a ring of worshippers. Each tribe has a Wohma, the head shaman-cleric, who has mastered the arts of the five circles. His temple wagon unfolds to form a ring-shaped church, with the sacred altar of stone placed in the exact center. The wagons of the tribe are then arranged around the temple to form an outer ring.

Nublings, especially those of higher rank, wear an inordinate amount of jewelry, often to the point of gaudiness. They especially prefer ring-shaped ornaments, such as bracelets, earrings, finger rings, etc. They wear little else in the way of garb, other than that required to protect their modesty or ward against the elements, the better to show off their finery.

Nublings as Characters

Nubling leaders tend to be rogues, rangers, or adepts. Nubling clerics worship a nature god and can choose any two of the following domains: Animal, Plant, Sun, and Travel. Nubling spell-casters are normally adepts.

Nubling characters possess the following racial traits.

• -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma.
• Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on Grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
• A nubling's base land speed is 20 feet.
• Low-light vision.
• Resistance to cold 5.
• +1 natural armor bonus.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to wood or plant products.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to wood or plant products.
• +4 racial bonus to Hide checks in areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth. *This bonus is not factored into the statistics above.
• Special Qualities (see above): wild empathy, empathic link.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Nubling. Bonus Languages: Gnome.
• Favored Class: Rogue.
• Level Adjustment: +1.

The nubling warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 9, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 11.