Here are some preliminary thoughts about a woodling race.
WOODLING
An adult woodling stands approximately 8 ft tall and averages 300-350 pounds. Males weigh more than females. Woodlings look much like lithe humanoid trees with human-like faces, a 2-prong trunk for a pair of legs, and 2 primary limbs for arms, though many woodlings sport small branches. Young woodlings are mostly green, while adult and older woodlings tend toward brown and eventually white.
Woodlings are often viewed by other races as cryptic, enduring, knowledgeable, patient, and slow. They can be caring, but in a long-term way that speedier races may view as indifference. Woodlings love to listen and collect lore, and are known to spend hours studying someone or something. Among all the races, they are the most likely to eschew crowds and machines typical of civilization, and may destroy items or rebuke persons who go against nature.
Woodlings are generally ponderous. At their best, they are strong, thoughtful guardians of nature, including plants and animals. Though often mistaken for small treants, they are a fey-like people who enjoy many of the same pastimes as humans, though at a more thoughtful pace. All woodlings are able to bud flowers and when gathered in groves, they can communicate by pollen as well as speech.
Woodlings view adventuring as a distinct and daring undertaking. Most prefer to put down roots rather than travel. At most, a woodling druid or ranger might travel a few miles as a guardian of a territory. Those who visit other lands are hailed among their kind as fonts of bravery and lore.
PHYSICAL TRAITS
Attributes: Con +2, Dex -2, Wis +2. Woodlings are hardy and display patient wisdom, but they are also somewhat slow, if not ponderous.
Size: Medium
Speed: 20 ft
Wound Points: 11. Woodlings can absorb more damage than humans.
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--Light Bark: Your bark-like skin grants you +1 DR. This works with all other boosts to DR.
--Woodling Resistances: A woodling enjoys a +2 bonus on Will and a +5 bonus on saves to resist disease and poison.
--Thorn Volley: A plant creature can project a biting volley of sharp floral debris. Creatures within a 15-ft cone suffer 1d4 damage per level (maximum 5d4) or ½ damage when Reflex resists. Costs 1 vitality.
--Woods Lore: Boost Nature and Survival checks by +5.
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Free Languages: Common and Sylvan.
Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Grippli, and Halfling. Select a number of bonus languages equal to the character’s Intelligence bonus.
Multiclassing: Barbarian, druid or shaman.
Typical Alignment: True neutral
Typical Deity: Greenwyrm or Corvis. Good woodlings may prefer Esmariah, Solari or Tanish. Evil woodlings prefer Lilith.
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Comeliness: 2d6+3 (avg 10). Woodlings tend to be average.
Base Age: 30. Woodlings live substantially longer than humans.
They are young adults at age 30, middle-aged at 300, and old at 600. They may live up to a thousand years or more.
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RACIAL OPTIONS
A woodling character selects 2 abilities from the following list at 1st level, and may select more abilities at later levels and with age.
--Bark SkinM: For 5 minutes, you enjoy a bark-like skin that grants you a +2 DR. This works with worn armor. Costs 1 vitality.
--Double Sleep: You can sleep 2x in a 24-hour period to gain the benefits of daily healing (RPG, pg 229) twice daily.
--Endure ElementsM: You ignore effects of extreme temperature. You can exist comfortably in conditions between -40º and 140º F without harm. Your gear is also protected. This ability is continuously in effect even when you are unconscious.
--Extra Branches: You sprout extra branches that act as minor appendages. Apply a +2 bonus on all Strength-based skill checks and attack rolls using Grapple.
--Fey Friend: You have experience with fey. Apply a +5 bonus on Arcana, Bluff, History, Insight and Perception checks when dealing with fey or recalling lore about fey.
--Fragrant Flowers: You sprout pleasantly-scented flowers that subtly improve your interactions, especially with people. Apply a +1 bonus on attack rolls against Will and a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks that target animals and persons.
--Grapple: You grapple an adjacent foe up to 1 size larger when you have 1 hand free and beat the foe’s Fortitude. A grappled creature cannot move from its space and can only use a Light melee weapon that is already in hand. Each round, you must expend a move action to maintain the grapple, and the foe
can try to beat your Fortitude as a standard action to break the grapple. If you desire, you can block a grappled foe’s mouth with 1 hand to prevent speech.
--Great Fortitude: You are physically resilient. Boost your Fortitude by +2.
--Heavy Bark: This improves Medium Bark to grant +3 DR (rather than +2).
--Iron Will: You are mentally resilient. Boost your Will by +2.
--Medium Bark: This improves Light Bark to grant +2 DR (rather than +1).
--Night Guardian: You gain low-light vision and a +5 bonus on Perception checks.
--Ovate: You know 1 druid basic ability for which you qualify.
--Overrun: You easily push through a foe’s space. If you beat its Fortitude as a swift action, you can freely pass through its space while maintaining your speed. If not, you stop adjacent to it and do not pass it.
--Slam Attack: You can smash at foes using your branch-like limbs to inflict 1d6+Str damage.
--Sun-Rest: The sun heals you. For each hour of exposure to natural sunlight on a clear or party-cloudy day, you recover 1 vitality to a maximum of 5 vitality in a 24-hour period. You must be a living good-aligned person.
--Toughness: Your body is a tough fighting machine. Boost your maximum wounds by +3 points.
--Woodland Stride: You can move through any sort of natural undergrowth (natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at your normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Undergrowth that is magically manipulated to impede motion still affects you.
