Reen

Description

This tall, willowy humanoid creature has a head like a field mouse, with large round ears, black eyes, and a twitching, whiskered nose. The creature has four arms, a long tail, a lean, muscular frame, and a sleek coat of brown and white fur.

The reen is a tall, slender humanoid race with facial features that bear an odd resemblance to a rodent. They have large, black eyes; big, rounded ear lobes; a coat of short brown and white hair, and a long, nearly hairless tail. The reen have a total of six limbs, with the lower two forming spry legs, and the remainder serving as arms. Their digits are slender and clawed, and their wrinkled palm pads allow the reen to cling to surfaces almost as well as a gecko.

A reen is an intelligent, long-lived creature who is cautious by nature and will tend to plan out important activities in great detail. They are not given to spontaneous actions, and will act in haste only when necessary.

A typical reen is about 7–8 feet tall, and weighs over 200 pounds.

Combat

Most reen are skilled combatants who specialize in martial combat in tight quarters with light weapons. A reen will typically fight defensively, waiting to exploit a weakness in its foe. They will use their spell-like abilities to even the odds in a difficult fight, and rely on stealth or clever tactics to overcome dangerous foes. The reen have an uncanny coordination of their many limbs, making them capable fighters despite being lightly armed.

Spell-Like Abilities: 2/day―dancing lights, ghost sound, jump. 1/day―ray of exhaustion (DC 15), scorching ray. Caster level 7th. The save DCs are Charisma-based and include a +2 racial modifier.

Improved Low-Light Vision (Ex): A reen can see three times as far as a human can in dim light.

Light Sensitivity (Ex): Reen are dazzled in bright light, such as sunlight or a daylight spell.

Skills: Reen have a +2 racial bonus on Balance and Listen checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. *A reen can always choose to take 10 on Balance and Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Reen use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.

Reen as Characters

Most reen groups include a monk, cleric, or sorcerer. A reen cleric has access to two of the following domains: Good, Law, Luck, and Protection. Reen arcane spell-casters are almost always sorcerers.

Reen characters possess the following racial traits.

• -2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence.
• A reen's base land speed is 40 feet. A reen also has a climb speed of 20 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Low-light vision.
• Racial Hit Dice: A reen begins with four levels of monstrous humanoid, which provide 4d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +4, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +4, Ref +4, and Will +1.
• Racial Skills: A reen's monstrous humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 7 x (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1). Its class skills are Balance, Climb, Craft, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, and Spot.
• +2 racial bonus on Balance, Listen, and Move Silently checks and +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A reen can always choose to take 10 on Balance and Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Reen use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks related to artwork.
• Racial Feats: A reen's monstrous humanoid levels give it two feats. A reen with a Dexterity of 13 or higher also gains the Multi-Weapon Fighting feat as a bonus feat.
• Weapon Proficiency: A reen is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the kama, nunchaku, sai, shuriken, and siangham.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting magic.
• +3 natural armor bonus.
• Natural Weapons: 4 claws (1d4).
• Special Attacks (see above): Spell-like abilities.
• Special Qualities (see above): Improved low-light vision, light sensitivity, scent.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic.
• Favored Class: Monk.
• Level adjustment +4.

Reen Society

The reen are the last survivors of a race that was nearly destroyed in an ancient holocaust. In the past the reen were a pacifist species who were ruthlessly hunted down and slaughtered in droves by an army of villainous creatures. As the final insult, the surviving captive reen were unceremoniously imprisoned on Gaol.

The remaining reen managed to survive on the prison plane by moving deep beneath the surface. However the realm of gaol began to exert its inexorable influence on these pacifist creatures, and they were slowly transformed into stalwart warriors. They gained a patron in the form of a gold dragon who had also become trapped in this place, and together they forged a sanctuary in the subterranean world. The gold dragon taught the reen the arts of combat, and his many draconic offspring have significantly enhanced the bloodline of this breed.

The reen have slowly increased in number over the centuries, and many communities can be found scattered throughout the underground ways of the prison plane. They have become the champions of weal in a place of unremitting evil; helping those they can while protecting themselves from the horrors to be found above. They have developed a special relationship with the Watcher, and she has become their patron deity.

Much of the venerable reen culture was successfully preserved in the memories of their ancestors. As a result the reen are accomplished in a wide variety of arts, crafts, and skills. It is considered a great honor to be considered both a warrior and artist among the reen, and many spend their long lives studying both the secrets of the martial arts and mastering a variety of challenging skills.

The reen are very protective of their own, and while they will often aid those clearly in need of help, they are cautious about challenging surface dwellers. They are accomplished architects, and are masters at building cunningly concealed dwellings and bewildering mazes to lead invaders astray.

==============================