Gwthnvrg, the vinefolk (By Arkhandus)
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Overview
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Vinefolk are a race of sentient, mobile plants, created some time ago by a fey wizard of questionable sanity but, perhaps, reasonably good intentions. Vinefolk, who call themselves gwthnvrg in their own language, are still adapting to life as humanoid-shaped, fey-minded creatures, having formerly been just a species of vine-growing plant in the fey realms. Now vinefolk live in the Prime Material as well as the realms of fey, and in both they are beginning to grow from rare curiosities to uncommon pests. Vinefolk feed on plant matter, fungi, and insects, while showing no aversion to hunting and eating non-vinefolk plant creatures. Vinefolk are somewhat like coldlbooded reptiles, in that they absorb heat from sunlight or nearby fires to metabolize any ingested food. Vinefolk need only one-quarter as much food and one-half as much water as a human would need, however, since they are not warmblooded. Vinefolk require sleep-like rest periods each day, as a humanoid would.
Personality: The gwthnvrg are curious and expansionistic, but feel an instinctual desire not to overburden nature, so they may move on from an area after a generation or two have fed on portions of that area's plantlife, allowing that land to eventually regenerate its flora. Vinefolk are usually unconcerned about the welfare or feelings of other races, but only because they're used to thinking somewhat like fey, and don't really know yet how they should act. Gwthnvrg would like to be accepted by other races, but aren't even sure yet why other races dislike them. The vinefolk are driven simply by curiousity and hunger most of the time. They have a slightly greedy or selfish disposition, but not so noticeable as that of dwarves or orcs for instance.
Physical Description: Gwthnvrg appear at first glance to be little more than man-shaped masses of vines, bound together in spots with treebark, standing roughly 7 feet tall. Each arm and leg is formed of several vines, with varying thickness, seemingly stuck together by glue or the like, and a few bands of bark-like material are wrapped around portions of each arm or leg. In actuality they are loosely fused together by flesh and a sap-like substance, and at the core of each limb is a thicker central vine. A gwthnvrg's arms each end in a hand of five thin vines, tightly fused at the 'palm', and each leg ends in a splayed foot of several small vines, tightly fused at the 'ankle'. Vinefolk torsos are mostly-surrounded by a mass similar to bark, but there are gaps such as around the waist, neck, and shoulders. The gwthnvrg's head has a similar bark-like covering, but not as complete as that around the torso. Vinefolk have several small, yellowish nodes across the front of their 'face' that constitute eyes, and they have a few black, vibration-sensitive nodes along the sides of their head which constitute ears. They possess a mouth similar to that of a human's, but in place of teeth they have wood-like upper and lower jaw-strips for gnashing plant matter. These jaw-strips have a few short, jagged points near the front for use like incizors. Vinefolk have no true nostrils, but instead there are several thin gaps amongst their vines that lead to minute olfactory nodes. Vinefolk sprout various white, pink, yellow, or violet flowers across their bodies during the springtime, which produce a light but pleasant smell. Vinefolk, being genderless, reproduce through the pollen of these flowers, carried by wind or insects to suitable planting spots. Most pollen produced by vinefolk is inert, however, and the rest of their pollen will only grow into new vinefolk under optimal conditions. Vinefolk mature into sentience and mobility after 3 years of gestation as a budding vine. They reach adulthood at 10 years of age, middle age at 25 years, old age at 35 years, and venerable age at 45 years. Vinefolk live for 1d8 years after becoming venerable.
Relations: Vinefolk only really get along reasonably well with each other and with some fey. They tend to feed on other plant and fungus creatures. Gwthnvrg are generally just not well-understood by other races, and have difficulty understanding non-fey and non-vinefolk. They live in small groups or individually, so they rarely get involved in any real wars as a people. Generally, vinefolk are most likely to befriend fey, elves, and gnomes.
Alignment: Vinefolk tend towards chaotic alignment, and have no particular tendencies towards good or evil.
Example Lands: Vinefolk have no lands of their own. They form small, isolated communities at the best of times, and are nomadic and scattered the rest of the time.
Religion: Gwthnvrg possess no religion of their own, but do tend to learn about nature deities or spirits and then decide it would be good to worship them. Vinefolk are not very wise in general so they tend to be easy converts to the religions of nature deities, such as Ehlonna or Obad-Hai. The latter is more often than not the patron deity of vinefolk, since Ehlonna's dogma is a bit tougher for vinefolk to buy into and understand.
Language: Vinefolk 'speak' their own language, but also tend to understand a few others. They have a close approximation of vocal cords, teeth, and a tongue, so they can generally speak other languages with only a moderate slur, lisp, or roughness. The Vinefolk language is basically unlearnable and unpronouncable by most other races, since it is a peculiar method of communication through tendril movements, low vibrations, and sibilant rustlings like reeds in the wind. There is no written form of the Vinefolk language.
Names: The vinefolk have rather simply but odd names, usually. They identify each other by a particular rustling and tendril movement, which they attempt to translate into a sound in the Common tongue for the sake of other races. Names might include Rthns, Klspn, Vrthnk, Gssk, Yllthn, or Tchnk. Of course, other races tend to just give vinefolk a less-annoyingly-pronounced nickname, which vinefolk tend to find unusual after they've already gone to the effort of trying to pronounce their own name in Common.
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Gwthnvrg Vinefolk Racial Traits
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- Strength -2, Dexterity +2, Wisdom -2; vinefolk have less-developed muscular tendrils than most humanoids, but their lack of bones or any significant carapace makes them quite flexible and good at delicate movements; their curiousity and limited instincts make vinefolk somewhat brash, gullible, and naive.
- Base speed 40 ft, vinefolk are fairly swift
- Medium-sized: Vinefolk have no particular bonuses or penalties due to size
- Plant type: Gwthnvrg are not Humanoids, but rather they belong to the Plant creature type. However, gwthnvrg lack certain aspects of that type; while gwthnvrg are immune to poisons, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing, they are otherwise somewhat different from fellow Plants. Vinefolk are susceptible to sleep effects, mind-affecting effects, and critical hits. However, like other plants, vinefolk possess low-light vision.
- -2 racial penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot checks: Vinefolk have visual and auditory nodes that are poorly-developed for the most part, not quite as good as humanoid eyes and ears. Their senses of smell and taste are just a bit superior to a human's, though.
- -4 racial penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks regarding humanoids and monstrous humanoids: Vinefolk do not get along very well yet with the most common humanoid-shaped creatures, and it is difficult for such races to take vinefolk seriously or consider them worth listening to. Vinefolk just don't yet understand people very well.
- +4 racial bonus on Escape Artist skill checks: Vinefolk are very flexible, and their boneless flesh can often be squeezed through tighter spaces than a human's body.
- Proficiency: Vinefolk are automatically proficient in the use of all whips.
- Natural weapons: Vinefolk have 2 slam attacks, which each deal 1d3 damage plus the vinefolk's Strength modifier. These slam attacks have a natural reach of 10 feet, rather than 5 feet. Vinefolk may deal nonlethal (subdual in 3.0 rules) damage at no penalty with their slam attacks. Also, vinefolk may use their slam attacks in the same manner as whips, when desired, but then they deal damage as whips instead of the aforementioned value. Regardless, vinefolk may use their Strength or Dexterity modifier, whichever is highest, for attack rolls with their slams, rather than being forced to use Strength for melee attacks and Dexterity for whip-like uses. A vinefolk's slam attacks represent lashing out with some arm-tendrils that are particularly stretchy but not so good for gripping anything. Vinefolk are, of course, proficient in their natural weapons.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Sylvan, and Vinefolk. Bonus Languages: Aquan, Elven, Gnome, Terran, or Undercommon. Gwthnvrg often live amidst jungles, marshes, and caves, so they tend to learn how to speak with certain dwellers of those domains.
- Favored Class: A gwthnvrg's favored class is ranger.
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Racial Paragon Class
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look into the link!
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm#paragonClassesInYourGame
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Racial Feats
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No race-specific feat as of yet
Prerequisits: nothing yet
Benefit: nothing yet
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Design Notes
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not really sure what to put here
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Plot hooks
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![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Also, their Sleep ability lets them render a weak foe (or a small group of weak foes) asleep for a while, allowing hte nemeon to feed on their memories while they sleep. Only conscious victims become aware of the memory-feasting, after all. As noted, nemeons regard other races instinctually as livestock, it takes an act of conscious effort to begin thinking of them otherwise. A PC nemeon would generally feast on the memories of enemies, and perhaps some of the memories of vagrants in the streets. Other PCs may occasionally be snacked-on in their sleep if the nemeon is close to starving. Still, I suppose I may lessen the amount of memory they need to consume.
